Tumgik
#yeah sure it's nice to see a lady rescue herself from time to time but imho that doesn't have quite the same thrill as a dashing hero
Text
D*sney has been so bashed and criticized for supposedly "programming" little girls into seeing themselves as nothing more than so-called "Damsels in Distress" that they now obstinately refuse to include a princess character being saved/rescued or helped by a male hero, having a male love interest and proudly embrace her more feminine side because, y'know, they are sKrONg INdepAndeNT WHameN™ that need no man to rescue them!!!! #girlpower #girlboss
46 notes · View notes
goldsbitch · 19 days
Text
You texted...
Y/N and Lando are going through a rough patch in their relationship. Not really on speaking terms. This bad streak ends when there is a massive spider in her bathroom.
angst, one shot
Tumblr media
The moment she spotted that creature sent from hell, everything else went out of the window. The dinner in the oven, the fact she was planning on doing a late night session in the gym, the fact her hair was still wet from the shower. The fact she and her boyfriend Lando were on "not speaking" terms.
Y/N was absolutely terrified of spiders her whole life and was never able to over come the fear by getting rid of them on her own. Lando was the one who always ever so kindly rescued her, he overtook this role her neighbor, who overtook it from her mom, who Y/N had trained to react immediately when she heard a very specific scream.
Now she was standing in her apartment, alone with nowhere to go, since her job was to stay frozen at one spot and stare at the creature, in case it moved, and not really sure who to call for help. Her best friend was the first option. Normally, it would have been her boyfriend, but something was stopping her from doing that.
"Come on, come on, come on," she whispered as she dialed her best friend living close by. "Pick up, dammit."
Finally, the tone she was praying for. "Hey, girl, what's up?"
No time for chit chat. "You have to come over now, immediately."
Her friend noticed the immediate distress and tuned herself in. "What's wrong?" she replied, sounding as she was ready to dial the police.
"There's a spider situation going on in my apartment."
"Uhm, I see," she said, more relaxed now, but still taking it seriously.
"It's huge, with like hairy legs and shit. You have to come over, now. We have a deal, remember?"
Her friend was equally terrified of mosquitoes, so they agreed that Y/N would deal with those while spider duty fell on the other lady. This has happened many many times before. Usually ended up with a nice girls evening. Ever since Lando appeared in Y/N life however, the emergency calls stopped.
"I thought Lando was around this week?" her friend asked curiously. "Not that I'm trying to get out of this, but I'm sort of like an hour away from you, so..."
Y/N let out a frustrated sigh. "Fucking hell...Yeah, we're not exactly speaking at the moment," she admitted.
"Wow, that's a first!?" her friend said, clearly surprised. "Why?"
"Look, I'd love to chat, but are you coming or not? There's no one else and I'm not calling Lando!"
"Yes, yes, I'm getting in the car, just let me say good bye to my friends here, we're having a picnic," she replied and muted voices of disapproval came from the background.
Y/N felt guilty about doing this, but she'd dropped everything she was oing for her friend many times, answered phone calls in the middle of the night even though she was an early bird. They just had this kind of friendship.
"Drive fast, please," she said, still stubborn and not about to call Lando.
//
Y/N sat there staring at the spider for good ten minuted before her friend called again.
"Ok, I'm in the car, you can talk about Lando now, keep me busy. I'm going to pass over the fact you and your boyfriend are fighting and I have no idea," she said unapologetically.
"Figured you'd be mad about that. Yeah, he's been acting like a bit of a dick..."
"But you're not broken up, right?" her friend asked, slightly worried about her favorite couple.
"No, I don't think so. I hope so," she realized, the spider in the corner becoming lesser of her problems.
"And what seems to be the problem? Did he cheat?"
"No, not that I'm aware," she replied without thinking.
"Did you cheat?" her friend asked, ready to support her in anything.
"Jesus, no. It's um...I dunno, we've just grown a bit distant. Lately it feels like I'm like at number 50 of his priorities list. It's always only racing, Quadrant, promo event this and that."
"That's shitty, yeah. Would you like to be included? I know you hate things like promo events and such."
"I do! But honestly, I miss him so much and frankly I'd like to be more included in his life somehow. Especially now that I have more time in my life."
"Does he know that?"
"No?"
Her friend let out a deep sigh. "Hm. You have to untangle that. It would be stupid to break up over that."
"Yeah, I'd hate that," she said, panic setting in.
"Text him to come. To save you from the spider. It's a nice excuse and good test. To see if he cares."
"I'm scared. What if he does not respond?"
Few moments of dramatic silence. "Well, at least you'd know."
"Yeah. Ok. Sending it." Y/N quickly typed something up, trying not to overthink it.
"What did you text?"
"Can you come over asap? I need help with a spider. It's urgent."
"Nice. Now you'll see what he does."
They stayed on the phone together for good half an hour. Catching up and distracting Y/N from the fact there was no text from Lando coming her way.
//
A doorbell rang.
"You're here already?" Y/N asked her friend, surprised by her ability to drive this fast.
"Nope, still very much far away. Did I hear a bell? Do you think it's him?"
"I dunno. I'll mute you and if it's him I'll hang up, ok?"
"Gotcha."
She opened the door with a heavy heart. What if it was not him?
But it was. Flustered Lando stood there without saying hello. The two shared a pain-filled look, neither of them enjoying this no contact streak they had.
"You came..." she said finally, ending the phone call.
"You texted..." he said dryly and in full macho mode entered her apartment without being let it. "Can you point me where?"
"That corner," she simply pointed, flushed with emotions. Happy that he came to rescue her, sad about his loveless tone and scared of what was to come after. She watched him from afar, as he skillfully took the spider and threw it out of the balcony.
"Don't say anything about him knowing his way back, please," he said, hinting on the countless debates they'd had before about Lando not wanting to kill every spider they'd encounter.
The air suddenly went very heavy. Lando casually headed to the kitchen to get himself a glass of water while trying so hard to make eye contact with her. The last time they spoke was few days prior - and it was not a nice conversation. Lots of built up emotions got out, frustrated speeches made and confusing sentences jumping one after another. Ending with Lando slamming the door on his way out.
She had no clue where to start. "So, how have you been?" she asked, not sure she was ready for his answer. He finally looked at her, and then with an annoyed eye-roll went back into staring out of the window.
Y/N threw her hands up in the air as the familiar feeling from few days ago kicked back in. "Ok fine, sorry I asked. Thank you so much for your help, truly appreciated, but if you hate being around me, just say so that we can-"
"We can what?" he cut her off, not having any of that.
"I don't know, you tell me!...I'm getting lost at trying to read you," she admitted, not even trying to hide anything from him at this point.
"I'm sorry," he said slowly. "I don't think I listened to you," he sighed before continuing, "Or more like did not hear what you were saying."
The validation felt rewarding. But she feared what would come next.
"What I heard at that moment was you not respecting my lack of time and the fact that things I'm involved in are important to me."
She took a breath and planned on interrupting him, which he noticed and tried to stop.
"Let me finish, please. But thinking about it, I figured that's not the case, and you were simply pointing out that I've been putting off spending time with you. Which you're absolutely correct. I figured since we've been going to strong lately, this would be fine. But truth is I hate this distance it created. I feel lost, uneasy and unable to focus," he blabbered something, which felt like he might have even rehearsed on the way to her. "What I'm trying to say is - do you still care enough for us to fix it?"
It felt vulnerable, raw and maybe even uncomfortable to have these kinds of talks. But this is ultimately what cements a relationship.
Feeling like he managed to destroy some of the wall they'd put up, she took few steps towards him.
"Lando, of course I do. It's not a rare event that I imagine our future life together, as a couple and one day potentially as a family. Never had this feeling before in my life. Please, let's figure out a way how to prevent the distance from happening. Things have changed now, the relationship has too. We've been together for almost two years. And my love for you has only grown."
He finally smiled, relieved that they seemed to be on the same page.
"I came right from the tennis court, left everyone behind. Would you like to go there with me? Hang out with the Quadrant squad for a bit and then have a nice dinner somewhere? I just want to spend this evening with you."
"And the night hopefully," she teased, trying to ease the mood.
"Always the night, it was absolutely horrible, knowing you're so close to me, yet having to sleep without you."
She closed the distance between them, embracing him into a hug. They bodies were more than familiar with each and it felt right to be that close. Definitely better than each of them standing in a different corner of the room.
"We still have to talk about this. I don't want our love to slip through by our fingers," she said, letting her anxiety out.
"We will. Tonight, we'll come up with a plan. Can you join me on few races later this month?" he asked, hoping for a positive answer.
"Of course, my love. I have to buy new clothes though, the cameras are savage."
He chuckled, relaxed now that he did not have to worry about having lost her. "Yes, they are."
She later call her friend to thank her for dropping everything and driving to save her, even though it was not needed in the end. Her friend was more than happy that she and Lando seemingly found the way back to each other.
She also admitted that she turned back the moment Y/N sent her text to Lando, knowing that this guy would come running anytime his girlfriend asked for help.
2K notes · View notes
kneelingshadowsalome · 3 months
Note
Hey girlie, I'm such a big fan of yours!! I think your work is PHENOMENAL, like IM LITERALLY FOAMING AT THE MOUTH EVERYTIME YOU POST. So, the other day, me and my baby cousin were watching Frozen. And you know how there is this one big sweet guy that got mad because he got offended (I think his name is Oaken? You can look him up) and I IMMEDIATELY thought of König. Imagine him having his own little wooden shop( like that man from Frozen) up in the cold Alps, and one day, our dear Engel comes through the door, shivering from the big snow storm outside, saying that she's seeking shelter at least until the storm outside subsides. What would König do?
Omg this is just another cabin König to me! But with a pinch of silliness 🧚🏼‍♀️
Guy wanted some solitude after failing in life big time, he has no interest in socializing (or so he tells himself at night), he’s perfectly happy here in the middle of nowhere with no one to hold close his heart when there’s a blizzard outside…
Even hot chocolate tastes better alone, yeah, and ski trips are nice when you can set the pace yourself and admire the mountains with no one in sight. It’s not like he ever imagined a cute girl beside him on those warm sunny days when the snow looks like gelato and glitter, just the sort of thing he'd wrestle her into and then steal a kiss...
Nor does he miss the sound of soft, light-hearted giggle as he skis downhill to his cabin and heats up the sauna, wondering how lucky he is that there’s so few customers here and all of them are men. Otherwise he would have to be careful when he’s walking around in nothing but a towel–
The bell chimes, and someone comes in, of course it’s a woman, the first woman he’s seen in these parts or in his little shop ever. And here he is, sheened in sweat... Wearing only a thin white towel about his waist, the linen already wet and clinging to his thighs from the heat of the sauna.
There's an actual woman standing inside his humble tradepost, looking like a creature born from wind and snow, like a little Christmas tree decoration that has frosting all over it.
Cute little lips, a kissable mouth; that’s the first thing he notices on her, and he never thought of kissing Christmas decorations before… Men usually look like ice devils when they arrive inside his hut, but this little lady only looks like a winter night’s spirit, a little confused and lost. Her spirit eyes are glued to his junk before they rise to meet his softening stare, and who can blame her for staring when the first thing she sees upon coming in is a half naked man?
“Uh, welcome,” he manages to say while his cock gives a happy little jump under the towel as well, giving its own excited welcome to this woman.
She'd not dressed properly at all for a weather like this – why anyone would insist on wearing a dress in these temperatures is beyond him, but if he was her, uhm, brother or father, he would never have allowed her to go outside without proper winter gear.
Poor thing looks like she’s freezing to death, the bottom half of her dress coated in crystalline snow. If he had known that this lady was out there, trying to get somewhere warm, he would’ve come to her rescue at once…
“Um. Are you the shop owner…?” She asks delicately, still hugging herself from the attempt to stay warm.
“Yes. I mean, no... Uh… This is a trading post,” he stutters with his words, as if talking to women was somehow completely different than talking to men.
She furrows her brows and examines his body again, not at all interested in the items he has in stock. No woman has ever seen him in this state, no woman has ever looked at him like he’s the item here. She looks like she’s not sure if she wants to buy him or not.
“There’s also a sauna,” he says with a hint of pride in his voice, because he is damn well proud to have such luxury here. “Do you want to come…?”
“Do I want to come to the sauna…? With you?”
“No, I mean, you can go by yourself. It’s free of charge for the ladies.”
Such brazen discount he came up with just now, desperately wanting for her to stay. Besides, she needs the warmth after whatever adventure she’s been through. It would not be gallant to charge her for warming herself and getting that dress dry.
He wonders how she would look like in one of his woolen shirts. She would have to wear his clothes after the sauna, of course, he has no spare women’s clothing here. He will have to remember to be apologetic about it while presenting her with his clothes, secretly hoping they will catch her scent once she snuggles safely inside them and thanks him for everything he's done for her so far... She would probably look the cutest in his dark green knit, or the midnight blue one...
“Oh,” she says, slowly warming up to his offering. His cock is more than half hard by now, and he clasps his hands in front of it, trying to feign the movement as a casual posture shift although he’s anything but casual and relaxed.
And she’s not easy to trick; he might as well have pulled the towel away and shown her his cock in all its glory. She eyes his covered erection with a cat-like curiosity, a small little smile playing on her lips. Long lashes reveal a playful stare, slowly melting under the dim lamps of the cabin.
“I mean, of course you can come with me, if you want…”
Shit... That just came out of his mouth even if he tried to swallow the words. The inviting smile on her lips starts to quiver: she’s stifling a laugh, she’s giggling at him.
A flush rises on his cheeks, he can feel it, the erection now jumping against his palm, wildly and demandingly, as if wanting to join her in her mirth.
219 notes · View notes
Power Armor Punch Part Forty Eight
Masterlist
Teshteal: Oh- but I’m sorry. It looks as if our store does not carry that selection. *audible overdramatic sigh with a fake apologetic customer service voice* We only sell the finest of filthy dresses- what you’re looking for is too clean. Now excuse me. I have to restock our wares. *tosses the dress aside enthusiastically*
Lucille: What’s taking them so long?
Nick: Not sure. Hope they’re alright.
Gardio: *adjusts his own fedora* What are we to do if they aren’t but rescue them? After all, Linus only left a few minutes ago. Give them some time.
Jasmine: (Softly chuckles as she puts her dress back in her bag. She spots a mini safe under some rubble and picks it up, staring at it curiously. She takes out a bobby pin and a screwdriver, picking the lock easily and removes its contents that includes a ridiculous and overly done feathered ladies hat for some reason. Partly amused she holds it up to Teshteal, tilting her head to one side as the brightly colored feathers flap with the movement)
Teshteal: Oh! *claps* What a nice hat! We should keep it! *quietly to himself* I’d wear it but I have horns. *louder* I wonder how it would look on you? *bouncing excitedly on his feet*
Nick: So I hear you’ve been doing detective work-
Gardio: Free lance. I tend to roam about, rarely ever coming back to Hangman’s Alley.
Lucille: You lived in Hangman’s Alley this entire time?! And we never crossed paths until now?!
Gardio: I prefer not to stay in the Alley… *points at his face* I don’t want anyone getting sick because of my sheer existence.
Jasmine: (Shakes her head at that idea of her wearing it as she closely examines the hat. Might’ve been some sort of prewar fancy luxury brand that probably cost an arm and a leg to but which must’ve been why the owners decided to put it in a safe. Can’t understand why something like this was once so desirable, it’s completely useless now. She holds it out to Teshteal so he can take a look)
Teshteal: *takes it an examines for a moment* It hurts my eyes. *puts it on top of his fedora but doesn’t try to force it past his horns. He looks even sillier now* How do I look?
Gardio: Nick… *sighs regretfully* About what happened before the war- at Cainbridge, I’m sorry. I’m sorry I didn’t step in when the department-
Nick: Gardio, that was 200 years ago. You wouldn’t have been able to change much-
Gardio: I could have done something. The best I could do was try to look for Winter myself but then- *purses his cracked lips as he looks up at the sky* I didn’t see the point after the war. I ran. Helped people, yeah, but I couldn’t finish what you started.
Nick: *pauses for a moment as he realizes what he’s talking about* Don’t worry about it. *smirks* Lucille and I put that son of a bitch Winter six feet under. Where he belongs.
Gardio: *surprised look*
Nick: *reaches up and slaps his shoulder* That doesn’t mean I won’t thank you for trying to do right by the original Valentine. You’re a good man, Chapel. *nods* A good man.
Jasmine: (Smiling brightly on the inside but she can’t make herself react physically to Teshteal, and it weighs her down. She reaches into her bag and pulls out the bloodied book and flips to a page, taking out her pen that has cats printed on it) (Writing) “I am not suppose to react to anything at all, sorry. If I do I get mad at myself and feel like I am about to get punished.” (Points to the hat) “It looks ridiculous on its own, but you somehow can pull it off.” (Draws a smiling face by her writing)
Teshteal: *bounces forward and presses the book almost daintily down* We are not supposed to but wouldn’t you love to anyway? Who’s gonna stop you? Not me. Not the dead raiders. *looks over at a mannequin* What are you going to do, mannequin? Suddenly spring to life? Shout if she giggles? What? You will?! I’ll kill you. *smacks it into the wall then runs back to Jas* See? Anyone that says otherwise will get the “mannequin treatment” from yours truly. *jabs his thumb at himself*
Jasmine: (Slowly blinks at Teshteal, reaching down to her sleeve and pulls it up along with some bandages to show him her self harm cuts, then points to her head) (Writing) “They carved themselves in my head, you can’t fight me to stop me.” (Gestures at her side then at her legs that are also littered with cuts, cuts that bring a forbidden relief when inflicted) (Writing) “That was the next step for you I think, to get commands to self punish so they are always in control even when they aren’t there. It starts with breaking you down, then they can build you however they want and you can’t stop them because you’re nothing and worthless.”
Teshteal: I cannot- that’s a bit of problem. Hm. *taps his chin* Perhaps imagine I’m beating them up? *does not know how to help* Or both of us! *grins stupidly. He’s trying his best*
Jasmine: (Shrugs her shoulders, having no idea how to stop these thoughts either. Or the more violent thoughts that occur to “solve problems”, those are the most dangerous to herself and others. There is a way to pacify herself however, although she hates that it can happen. She stares down at her notebook and flips back a few pages, peeling two that are stuck together. The page is shown to be a list of those mentioned commands. On the very top is written “A-001”, her assigned number from the vault that is needed for some of these commands)
Teshteal: *immediately points to Reset, Dismissed, and the Custom Command* Those seem to be the safest ones. *scratches his head* I don’t think I’m a handler, but maybe we can make a custom command word? One not associated with fear? *snaps his fingers* Valentine-! His last name’s perfect for a command and he’s associated with a strong emotion- literally the one that rivals fear itself!
Jasmine: (Writing) “They used the custom command one mostly to get me to eat, although they found out they had to specify how much because I’d only eat one spoonful then stop.” (Freezes, her hands shaking when she remembers what else they made her do with this power. She was helpless against it) (Writing) “Also had me do other things, I hated the custom command.” (If used in the right way maybe these can helpful, especially to Nick if she gets out of control or lost in her head)
Teshteal: I know you hate it but it could be useful to help stop the voices. We can use their tactics against them. *smiles reassuringly at her* We have a way to stop them.
Jasmine: (Puts the tip of her thumb in her mouth while she stares down at the list. Hate is an understatement. It would send shocks of fear through her to hear these spoken directly at her and possibly flashbacks of being punished for not following orders, but in the end is it better than the alternative? She doesn’t know, she’ll have to leave it up to Nick in the end to make the call. Should she show this to him? Show him her assigned number so he can activate the command that render her completely useless and submissive if necessary? Her Dad won’t abuse this power, yet she doesn’t want to…)
Teshteal: We can show this to Detective Valentine and discuss what to do. He seems too kind to use the commands excessively.
Jasmine: (Immediately tears out the page when he says that, tucking the list in her jacket pocket so it’s safe with her and she the one with control over it. She tilts her head at Teshteal when two thoughts comes over her) (Writing) “What’s your assigned number? And where’s Nick if he’s not here?”
Teshteal: *heart beat roars in his ears suddenly and ge stiffens up at the thought of anyone knowing it. Regardless he keeps a chipper tone* I assume still over at Hangman’s Alley. I initially came here to bring you back to the group. *hesitates* Why do you want to know my number? *tail wraps around him and he starts to fidget with it nervously*
Jasmine: (Writing) “You know mine, I’d be lying to say that it doesn’t make me uncomfortable that you know it. I am the one who’s more susceptible to this.” (Looks up and blinks under her mask, realizing that her coding is yelling at her to get the edge on Teshteal and even things out. That’s why she wants to know it) “Fuck….” (Takes a few steps back in horror at herself while she drops the book, crashing into the wall as she starts breathing quickly and grabbing at her arms)
Teshteal: That’s true. *ringing his tail even more nervously* Mine was F-666. The useless ones. The… the cannon-fodder. *suddenly feels a wave of panic wash over him. He slowly backs away, his own coding and instincts telling him he’s so much more vulnerable now that someone now knows his assigned number*
Jasmine: (Horrified that she didn’t even realize her own true ambitions for doing things until it’s too late, until she was getting what she wanted. She presses herself up against the wall as the words “Monster” and “Pathetic” ring in her head over and over again, along with another one that’s getting louder. “Mistake”) (Quietly) “I am sorry…” (She has tears on her face now, not that Teshteal can tell as she slowly slinks to sit on the floor in a dark corner and picks at her arms)
Teshteal: *smells the saline and his eyes widen. Softly, fighting his panic* No, no, no. Don’t cry. *slowly approaches her and kneels. He takes her hands, gently crossing her arms over each other, and starts breathing slow, deep breaths. Softly still* You’re okay… We’re okay…
Jasmine: (When she heard him say not to cry she goes deathly silent and stiff because she’s not suppose to and would receive severe punishment for doing so. But when Teshteal starts comforting her in that sweet and gentle manner she relaxes a bit and lowers her head as the voices in her head attack her, the mask fogging up from her tears. She’s getting hit with berating and judging remarks for how she handled things, scolded for not performing better. On the other side is the same three words that are meant to keep her down and scared)
Teshteal: *keeps comforting her as he sits. He keeps taking deep breaths, hoping she’ll subconsciously start matching them while keeping his own thoughts at bay, too* You didn’t hurt me. That’s good. We’re okay… *puts his forehead against hers* I’m okay…
Jasmine: (Choking on her tears) “What if I hurt you?” (Shy’s away from him out of fear of doing so. She already hurt people who tried to help her. Nick- her own father, included along with Lucille)
Teahteal: So what if you do? *shrugs* I’m Safeguarding you, right now…
Jasmine: (Raises her head when she hears that command he’s doing for her, sniffing back her sobs and she tries to stop trembling so much. She’s suddenly very aware on how much time they are wasting just sitting here waiting for her to stop being such a baby) “You are not suppose to, no one is.” (Pulls back and tries to stand while bracing onto the wall)
Teshteal: *stands and extends a hand to help her* As your sibling and your friend, I’m absolutely supposed to. *determined* They may be in our heads but I’ll be damned if I let them stop me from helping people I care about.
Jasmine: (Stands on her own and just starts walking back to the rooftop without looking at him, hoping deep down that he doesn’t take it personally. She’s gone completely numb to keep herself at bay, to keep herself from crying. Soon she’s rushing up the ladder and jumping from the stores roof to another roof, looking back to see if Teshteal will follow)
Teshteal: *already pocketed the ridiculous hat and it’s following her easily and effortlessly*
Jasmine: (Starts efficiently leaping from rooftop to rooftop, railing to railing, gliding across nimbly like a cat save for the part of constantly walking on all fours, she only does that when it’s easier or needs to stay hidden. Soon she and Teshteal near where she last saw Nick and Lucille, quickly lowering herself so they can’t see her. Or rather so Gardio doesn’t see her)
Teshteal: *whispers* Why are we hiding?
Nick: Alright. I think I need to go find those two. It’s been a while.
Gardio: I probably should have gone with him. Don’t know why I didn’t. The man doesn’t have the best track record of keeping his head low or out of trouble.
Nick: Didn’t he crash his car through a precinct window once?
Gardio: Good lord, don’t remind me, Nick. *chuckles at the memory*
Jasmine: (Peers down, swallowing hard. She pulls back and takes off her mask, quickly wiping it from the inside so she can see better. Her eyes are red and puffy, there’s still fresh tears going down on her face as she puts it back on and tightens her hood. She slowly starts backing away in the direction they just came from)
Teshteal: *takes her hand* Hey. Gardio won’t hurt you. I promise… at least tell Nick what’s going on before you run off. *softly. Pleaful* Please?
Jasmine: (Gestures over the edge to where the trio is standing below and points to her head, shaking it while holding up her trembling hand. Then she points to her heart and shakes her head again to try and signify that she can’t feel anything and has gone numb. She thinks for a long moment before she uses her free hand to make several small slicing motions down her arm, remembering her promise to Nick. She looks over the edge, seriously considering jumping off and scampering to somewhere she deems safe)
Teshteal: *takes hold of her other hand after he sees the sign* Hey, look at me. Neither I nor Nick will let Gardio hurt you. I doubt he ever would seriously try, but neither of us will let it happen. Let’s talk to Nick. Please…? *his pupils are wide with concern as he begs her almost desperately*
Nick: *about to go when he suddenly looks up at the building* Nevermind. You two stay put. I’ve got this. *walks over and climbs up a fire escape on the side. He swings himself over the ledge of the roof* There you two are. *walks over* Talk to me about what…? And when did you start calling me by my first name?
Teshteal: *keeps her hands in his as he addresses Nick* It’s faster to say- sorry. *looks to Jas then Nick* Rosie’s scared of meeting Gardio. She might need a second to get her barings but I’m scared she’s going to run and… *pauses, fear crossing his face for a second* Do something…
Jasmine: (Starts pulling from Teshteals grip while grunting with frustration, twisting her wrists in a furious manner. If she really wanted to she could escape and run free, but she rather not hurt Teshteal while doing so. She’s dangerously close to the edge as she struggles, not that isn’t aware of it she’s actually trying to jump off)
Nick: Thanks for the warning-
Teshteal: Nick. *mouths* A-001 Reset.
Nick: What- That’s-
Teshteal: Just do it. It’ll help.
Nick: *with some hesitation and regret as soon as he says it* A-001 Reset.
Jasmine: (Eyes immediately go wide and get filled with terror as she goes completely limp. She falls to her knees still super close to the edge and puts her hands behind her head while she heaves heavy breaths. Her mind and vision go blinding white, heart thumping in her ears while she “resets”. Essentially, this command was to help them clear their heads if they get overloaded and out of control, helps them rethink their decisions and strategies. For her it was mostly used when she made a grave mistake in combat. So she’s getting slapped with internal corrections on her recent and past mistakes, fearing that she’ll be severely punished)
Nick: *terrified at seeing how frightened and powerless she suddenly becomes* What did you just have me do?
Teshteal: Quick- tell her she’s not in trouble. That’s a crucial step.
Nick: *glares angrily at Teshteal but kneels and gently and calmly starts reassuring her* You haven’t done anything wrong, Rosalinda. You’re okay. Dad’s right here… I didn’t know what it that would do to you or what the situation was. *heart breaks seeing the fear on her face. His voice cracks a little* I’m so sorry. *gently cups her cheek and strokes it with his thumb*
Teshteal: I-
Nick *looks back at him with a glare then quietly goes back to reassuring Jas that she’s safe*
Teshteal: *goes quiet again and wordlessly starts pulling out the trinkets he found around Jas’s house, setting them next to the pair* Please give these to Rosie. I found them at her house… *decides he’s gone too far this time* I’ll be somewhere. *scampers off suddenly*
Jasmine: (Staring off at nothing with her hands still behind her head in surrender, her red teary eyes unfocused. She doesn’t seem to register Nick as her mind continues to flash white for the reset, anticipating a blinding pain to come from either a slap or her jaw roughly grabbed to wake her up from it followed by berating remarks)
Nick: *holds her close, gently lowering her arms so he wrap his around her* Come back to me, doll…
Teshteal: *running like the wind, tears streaking past his ear. He doesn’t know where he’s going but he knows he can’t be there anymore. He messed up. Being alone is what he deserves*
Jasmine: (Can’t stay in reset mode forever and starts slipping back into reality and into the correction stage. She doesn’t move but blinks with slight recognition at her surroundings as her previous actions slowly play out in her head, the slightest mistakes coming into view. It throws her off that she’s not getting hit or forced to do things she doesn’t want to, instead her Dad is here and comforting her. She still feels like she did downtime terribly wrong…)
Nick: *gently petting her hair* It’s okay… I’m sorry.
Teshteal: Stupid. Moron. You don’t deserve anyone. You’re a burden. You’re just an inconvenience. *stops suddenly and just collapses into a ball* No one cares- *the memory of being held in one big strong hug by Gardio burns inside his mind. He wants to go back to that so bad but knows… he knows as soon as he finds out…* You just make things worse…
Jasmine: (Finishes her assessment of herself from the moment she first left to the store until now, biting down on her tongue. She’s currently in a “do whatever the hell you want with me, I don’t care anymore” stage by reflex in order to shield herself. It’ll be awhile until her mind registers that it’s safe to fully return, and that she doesn’t have to go numb anymore for these type of things)
Nick: *decides to carry her on his back back down the fire escape. He arrives at Lucille but notices Gardio’s missing* Where’s your father?
Lucille: Went off to find Teshteal.
Nick: *opens his mouth then shuts it*
Jasmine: (Completely motionless as Nick carries her, not making much of an effort to hold on. She’s like a limp Raggedy Ann doll, anticipating for something to happen to her, waiting for someone to puppet her)
Gardio: *looking everywhere for Teshteal, even asking a few feral ghouls*
Teshteal: *curled up in a hole, waiting to just… Die*
Gardio: *managed to find him* Linus…?
Teshteal: *a jolt of fear causes him to jump* Don’t call me by that name!
Gardio: Oh- sorry… *kneels in front of him and even then he towers over the poor rat of a man* What are you doing?
Teshteal: …Trying to die.
Gardio: By sitting in a hole in a wall? Friend, you’re going to be waiting for a while.
Teshteal: Why did you even bother finding me? I’m a monster. Literally. *smacks his tail against the ground*
Gardio: That makes two of us. *points at his face* That’s no reason to give in.
Teshteal: It is if you hurt someone close to you so easily.
Gardio: I see… but don’t you think that it would hurt them more if you ran away and never apologized for it?
Teshteal: *looks up in surprise. He hadn’t thought of that. He lowers his head, voicing another thought* What if I keep hurting them?
Gardio: If you make steps to improve on yourself, you won’t. Not in the same way, at least…
Teshteal: *sighs sadly* Detective Valentine won’t want me around anyway-
Gardio: You let me worry about Valentine. Worry about the person you hurt first.
Teshteal: *starts to cry again suddenly* I don’t deserve this kindness.
Gardio: You deserve friendship.
Teshteal: No-
Gardio: Don’t fight me on this, officer. That’s an order.
Teshteal: *well now he can’t argue. Orders are orders*
Jasmine: (Closes her eyes and takes a deep breath, counting how long it took her to calm down earlier. Two minutes too long, pathetic)
Teshteal: This might be stupid to ask but can I have a hug?
Gardio: *Picks up the little rat of a man and gives him a big hug* Not a stupid question at all.
Teshteal: *feels a lot safer suddenly. He hugs back*
Jasmine: (Opens her eyes, lifting her head from Nicks shoulder and she looks around like a wide-eyed lost kitten. She’s so terrified, so confused. Her brain doesn’t know know to process anything, it’s stuck in this mode)
Lucille: *just standing near Nick, checking one of her guns for damage*
Jasmine: (There’s a slight haze to her vision and a ringing noise in her ears, almost like her mind is censoring what she sees and hears. Again it’s completely unnecessary now, maybe she can correct it later so the reset is just her clearing her mind and nothing more)
Nick: *worried about her specifically*
Teshteal: You always give the best hugs…
Gardio: *sets Teshteal down on his feet* Are you going to be alright?
Teshteal: *whipes his eyes* I think so.
Jasmine: (Puts her head back down, partly closing her eyes while she take heavy, but steady breaths. She still anticipating the regular abuse she’d normally suffer after a reset. Luckily for everyone, unlike when Lucille slapped her into a similar state she isn’t being drowned in horrific memories, although she still remembers them)
Lucille: *Kind of regrets that, too. Still thinks Jas hates her for all of that*
Gardio: Glad to hear. Now let’s get you back to the others. *adjusts his hat* What do you say, partner?
Teshteal: Yes sir. *salutes him dramatically*
Gardio: *starts walking back towards the group* At ease, we’re not on duty. *cracks a grin* Save the formalities until we’re in uniform.
Teshteal: You are. *referring to his coat as he starts to follow*
Gardio: Hey, you gotta look the part out here in the ruins! Dress for the job you want and all that.
Teshteal: *sticks his tongue out at the old ghoul*
Gardio: *glances back* Still just as immature as ever.
Jasmine: (Tenses suddenly, going completely relaxed while she trembled. She’s not sure why exactly as she’s not currently getting flashbacks, guess it’s just muscle memory)
Nick: *decides to cradle her like a toddler and quietly comfort her*
Lucille: *yawns*
Jasmine: (Raises her head and her little hands hesitantly grab onto his coat. Her eyes get teary again while she feels something jolt in her chest. She didn’t do anything wrong, did she?)
Nick: Ssh… it’s alright, doll. You didn’t do anything wrong. Not this time.
Teshteal: *leading the way this time*
Ferals: *start climbing out at the sound of the two’s footsteps*
Teshteal: *gets into a fighting stance*
Gardio: Let them be. They’re curious about the noise.
Teshteal: They’ll attack-
Gardio: No, I don’t think they will. *looking around at all of them* Go back to sleep you all…
Ferals: *stand and twitch in place, seemingly unsure of what to do*
Gardio: Just keep walking, Teshteal. Don’t make eye contact.
Teshteal: *hard swallow as he straightens up and walks normally down the road*
Gardio: *keeping an eye on the ghouls as they pass through* That’s right. Slow steps. *calmly* We’re friendly…
Jasmine: (Stares off for a bit while her bottom lip trembles, suddenly feeling very clingy to her father and fearful of being separated from him. Ditching all the voices telling her no, she grabs onto Nick as tightly as she can while she wails nonsense into his coat. Aaaaaand here’s that separation anxiety she’s been trying to avoid developing all this time)
Lucille: *jumps* What the-!?
Nick: Whoa-! It’s alright, I’m not going anywhere, kiddo! I’m right here.
Jasmine: (Not sure what the hell came over her that’s making her sob and hold onto her Dad like he’s the last person on earth. She had never been like this with her mother even when she was very small, or with any other adult she was close to after her mom died)
Nick: *sighs and keeps reassuring her he’s not going anywhere*
Teshteal: *Once they’re through and a safe enough distance* How’d you keep them from attacking?
Gardio: Glowing Ones tend to be a bit… odd as nonferal ghouls go. I can kind of tell what they’re thinking usually- don’t know how or why.
Jasmine: (Realizes that she’s not even crying tears all that much, she’s just blubbering incoherent sentences. She shuts her mouth but doesn’t loosen her death grip, closing her eyes to recount again with a clear head. She’s not in trouble, she was told to reset by Nick and not the trainer or the guards. There’s no need to shield herself anymore after a reset or have a panic attack, she can take a rest now…)
Nick: *softly* I’m sorry, Rosie…
Teshteal: *eyes widen* You have super powers!?
Gardio: You have super speed, horns, a tail, and cat eyes. Still out to lunch on how that last one’s even possible.
Teshteal: Touch-ay.
Gardio: You still don’t know how to say Touche…?
Teshteal: It’s a weird word!
Gardio: It is literally two syllables.
Teshteal: Listen, I can only hold so much grammar and pronunciation rules in my head.
Gardio: *rolls his eyes at his lame excuse*
Jasmine: (Ran out of batteries, she’s exhausted from the ordeal. She keeps her tight hold on her Dad while she buries her face in the crook of his neck, dropping into a power nap)
Gardio: Wait… how are you leading me back?
Teshteal: Take a wild fxcking guess.
Gardio: …Oh please don’t tell me you’re guessing.
Teshteal: What? No! Sense of smell. *taps his nose* It’s very accurate!
Gardio: I don’t know whether to be impressed or disgusted.
Teshteal: How did you find me anyway?
Gardio: The power of friendship and “Ghoul to Ghoul communication”.
Teshteal: … Please tell me you’re joking.
Gardio: I’m not. I wish I were.
Jasmine: (Napping quietly and peacefully, some tears still on her cheeks. She’s holding Nick on his promise that he’s not going anywhere, that’s the only reason she can sleep right now)
@lucilleandherrobots
43 notes · View notes
slinket · 4 months
Text
Smutmas Day 7
Prompt: Your ass going to be 7 shades of red after that little stunt.
Poppy had just walked over to the kneazle padlock to feed Persephone, when she caught the slytherin boy trying to rip out her whiskers.  Poppy quickly cast a knockback jinx, forcing the student away.  Another day, another animal rescue.  She was happy, until she realized that Professor Howin had seen the jinx.  Poppy explained herself, and while Professor Howin was empathetic, she still gave Poppy a detention.  The Slytherin boy having to join her.
They were tasked with cleaning out the owlery after hours.  Working with the animals was never a punishment for Poppy, so her only worry was dealing with the Slytherin. 
While she had left her parents and their evil ways several years before, she still had lingering memories of how they treated animals.  Her rebellious streak was pushing her to enact some of those treatments towards the boy, however, she tried to see the better side of things, so she was going to give him a second chance to redeem himself.
He proved her wrong.  The entire time they were in the owlery, he barely lifted a finger.  He spent most of his time trying to make himself comfortable in the minimal furniture around the room, mostly a desk and a chair.  Poppy kept quiet and just focused on her task, listening to him complain and question everything she did.  Finally, when nearing the completion of the cleaning, the Slytherin student went over to one of the owls and began pulling at its feathers.
“Let me have a few you dumb bird.  These will make some nice quills for my lady friend.” 
Poppy mumbled under her breath.
“You got something to say Puff?”
“Just that there are plenty of feathers on the ground, you could use any of those as a quill.”
“Oh, but pulling one off the owl is half the fun. Hah.”
Poppy closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  “It's fine, relax” she told herself.
“Yeah, just relax little Puff, not like you can do anything about it anyways.”  With that, the student pulled out a feather and they both heard the owl coo in pain.
Poppy hit her limit.  “That’s it!  Your ass is going to be seven shades of red after that little stunt!” She cried out at him.  He looked up at her with a confused expression, and before he had a chance to say anything, she had spelled his wand away, and cast an incarcerous spell.  He fell onto the floor, hands tied behind his back.
“I can do nothing about it?  Maybe, but I sure as hell can try!”  Poppy levitated the student over to the desk.  When he landed back on his feet, she pushed him over, holding his head to the desk.
“Let's see how you like the pain.”  She grabbed his pants and pulled them down, along with his boxers.  His ass now bare, the cold of the air chilling him.  
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” He cried out to her.
“Treating you like you treat the animals,” is all that was growled back at him.
Her hand suddenly smacked down on his ass, causing him to call out. She hit him again and again, enjoying how red his ass was getting, how she could see a distinct hand print after every smack.  After each smack, Poppy would rub her hand across him, massaging the heat back into his skin.When his startled cries began to fade and become replaced with moans, Poppy glanced down at him and saw how hard he had become.
“Well, will you look at that?  Someone seems to be enjoying their little punishment.”  She pressed against him from behind, moving her hand around to his front to grasp onto his cock.  She squeezed, harder than what was comfortable, but it forced him to leak onto her hand.
“Please,” he tried to keep his voice steady.  “I won’t hurt them again, just, don’t leave me like this, help me, I need to finish.”  
Poppy leaned over and bit her teeth into the flesh of his ass.  “Oh, I’ll help you, don’t worry.”
The student lay there, hung over the desk, moving slowly, thrusting against nothing.  He waited as Poppy walked away, and when she returned, he looked back to see her with a few feathers in her hand, as well as his wand.  
“Look forward - I don’t want to see your face.”  While she said this, she took one of the feathers and started lightly tickling his skin with it.  Running it down the crack of his ass, flickering it against his large, hanging balls.  She skimmed the tip of the feather up and down the underside of his cock, bringing all of his focus into his pleasure.
He could feel Poppy still touching his back side, and when she dipped the tip of the feather into his leaking slit, her other hand spread his ass cheeks apart.  When Poppy let go of the feather, it stayed attached to him, stuck against his tip.  The Slytherin student forgot about the feather soon enough, when Poppy spit right onto his puckered hole.
“Now, because I am not as terrible as you, I am being kind and giving you a little lubrication, maybe next time you are around animals you will remember this moment and show them the kindness you were given.”  With that, Poppy pushed the tip of his wand into his ass.  She wasn’t worried about hurting him too much, his wand was not being very thick or long.  He jumped forward as it first breached his hole, he was not suspecting her to go so far.  
Poppy wanted to be brutal.  In truth, she was enjoying watching the wand disappear into his ass.  She would push it in a bit, smack him again, push further.  This routine continued until he started speaking again.
“Oh fuck, Poppy, please, I need to cum, fuck my ass with that wand.”
“Oh, I’ll get you there, don’t fret.”  She started moving the wand in and out but at different angles.  When she found the right position to hit his prostate, she held the wand in place, pressed against the pleasure button inside of him.
“Feels good, does it?”  She leaned over him once again, keeping the pressure on his prostate, and wrapping her hand around his cock, giving it a couple of strokes.
“Yeh, so good, I’m so close Poppy, help me over the edge.”
“Mmm, you’d like that, wouldn’t you.”
Poppy released his cock, and pulled the wand out of his ass.  She tossed it on the ground.  He was left tied up and bent over, his cock pulsing ready to explode, and his hold throbbing and desperate for something to enter it once again.
“Looks like we are all finished, so I’ll see you in class tomorrow.  Have a nice night.”  Poppy gathered her things and headed out of the owlery.  She smirked as the Slytherin called out to her, begging for her to return and finish him off.  She ignored his cries.  Her goal was to torture him, afterall.  
2 notes · View notes
Reunited: Part 2
[Hokkaido District, Night-time]
Tumblr media
Alright. So here’s how it’s gonna go down.
Tumblr media
Rantaro and I will do a quick scan of the surrounding area just to make sure there are no Zetsubou goons lurking about. In the meantime, the three of you head towards the bar and see if you can find Maki.
Tumblr media
Some of the soldiers from the Tower will join you. If anything bad happens, you can rely on them to protect you.
Tumblr media
Look after yourselves, ok?
Tumblr media
Ok, but...just one more thing.
Tumblr media
Rantaro. This is where she is, right? You’re ABSOLUTELY sure?
Tumblr media
...
Tumblr media
No, Kaito, I’m not. And that’s exactly why I guided us to this specific WRONG location. So we could show up and be dreadfully disappointed.
Tumblr media
You don’t have to be so freaking sarcastic!
Tumblr media
Then stop being so freaking stupid! You’re the one who decided to leap in without a plan, so don’t go doubting my directions now.
Tumblr media
Why you-!
Tumblr media
Hey! No fighting! We rescue Maki and go, ok?
Tumblr media
Right. Come on Rantaro.
Tumblr media
Alright, I’m right behind you.
Tumblr media Tumblr media
Gonta found payphone here outside this bar. Gonta think maybe Maki call us from that?
Tumblr media
Could be...Hey...Tenko. You go search the supermarkets. Gonta and I will check these bars and nightclubs.
Tumblr media
No need.
Tumblr media
Huh?
Tumblr media
I see her.
Tumblr media
Wha-!?
*Tenko points towards a country bar.
Tumblr media
...
Tumblr media
It is her! But...wait...she with someone...Isn’t that-?
Tumblr media
How are you...holding up...?
Tumblr media
Hngh...!
Tumblr media
No, don’t try...to speak...I’m ok, really...I’ll...get some treatment...later...
Tumblr media
That’s...That’s SEIKO! I haven’t seen her since like...a YEAR ago!?
Tumblr media
Gonta sure she was locked up in Zetsubou base too! What she doing here!?
Tumblr media
She looks injured. What the hell happened...!? Do you think they escaped?
Tumblr media
Gonta not know...But Gonta sure now this Maki is real!
Tumblr media
How come? 
Tumblr media
Gonta not thing Tsumugi can cosplay two people...U-Unless she clone herself.
Tumblr media
Ah yeah, fair point. Ah...Huh?
*Tenko looks back towards the tired looking girls.
Tumblr media
Hey~ Wassup ladies?
*Three skeevy looking men walk over to Maki and Seiko. Maki stands up and glares at them.
Tumblr media
What do you want...?
Tumblr media
Nothin’ much. How you two doin’ tonight?
Tumblr media
Fine...Thank you. Wo-Would you mind giving us some space...? We’re a little...tired...
Tumblr media
Hmgh...
Tumblr media
Not much of a talker, the one behind ya? We’ll break you out of that shell.
Tumblr media
No thanks. We’re taken...I have a boyf-friend...
Tumblr media
Oh yeah? Given how you lookin’, seems like he did you wrong, girl~
Tumblr media
Tch...Don’t...ngh...
Tumblr media
Coomooon, let us keep you company~
Tumblr media
Pfft! Typical degenerate males! I’ll pound those groomers into submission!
Tumblr media
Stop Tenko. Let Gonta talk to them. You and Kaito get...
Tumblr media
Kaito!?
Tumblr media
Huh!? Oh no...
*Tenko and Gonta suddenly notice Kaito isn’t standing next to them anymore.
Tumblr media
Come on darling. We’re just being friendly~
Tumblr media
I said...get back...Ngh...Do you wanna die...?
Tumblr media
*WHAAAMM!*
Tumblr media
GUHAGH!
Tumblr media
The fuck!?
*Kaito rushes up to the bar and punches the delinquent who reaches out to touch Maki in the face, knocking him into the fence.
Tumblr media
Get the FUCK away from her! You touch her again, I’ll bust your faces up so hard, you’ll be eating your dinner with a STRAW!
Tumblr media
Shit! S-Sorry bro!
*The other two delinquents grab the third and bolt off.
Tumblr media
...!?
Tumblr media
You...you really...came...
Tumblr media
Maki!
*Maki takes a step forward, then collapses into him.
Tumblr media
Sorry...I would’ve handled those guys...but...
Tumblr media
Yeah, any other day of the week, you’d have them for breakfast...
Tumblr media
Maki! Seiko!
Tumblr media
...!
*Tenko and Gonta rush up towards them.
Tumblr media
Maki! Seiko! You ok!?
Tumblr media
...
*Seiko nods.
Tumblr media
You alright? You lost your voice or something...?
Tumblr media
No...I...*cough*
Tumblr media
Woah, hey, if talking is hurting you, stay quiet. Don’t worry, we’re here to rescue you.
Tumblr media
You guys...you really are stupid...
*Everyone looks at Maki.
Tumblr media
That not very nice thing to say to us! We came to rescue you.
Tumblr media
But you must have known...ugh...that this COULD have been a trap...! I called to let you...know I was safe, but...I didn’t expect you would show up personally...!
*She glares at Kaito.
Tumblr media
I bet this was your idea...I thought you would’ve learned...to be less reckless when...I left...but you haven’t changed...you’re as reckless as ever...
Tumblr media
Heh...Pot calling the kettle black right there.
Tumblr media
Huh?
Tumblr media
Maki. You’re important to us. To ALL of us.
Tumblr media
You’ve been gone for ages, and as soon as we show up to rescue you, you act all tsundere and cuss us out. You haven’t changed at all.
Tumblr media
...
Tumblr media
I am...grateful...that you were here for me...Don’t feel like I’m not...
Tumblr media
But...it’s Seiko you need to take care of...she’s sick...a-and...and-!
Tumblr media
!!!?
Tumblr media
!?
Tumblr media
!?
Tumblr media
!?
Tumblr media
...
*Maki is silenced, as Kaito pulls her close and kisses her passionately on the lips. Maki tries to push away, but is so devoid of strength, she fails to.
Tumblr media
Um...K-Kaito! We are still here you know!?
*Kaito breaks away, staring into Maki’s eyes.
Tumblr media
...
Tumblr media
...Tenko’s right...you haven’t changed...
Tumblr media
There’s no doubt about it...You’re the one true Maki Roll that I fell in love with...
Tumblr media
Even though you can barely stand, you’re still staying upright, trying to protect Seiko...Wouldn’t be able to call you my sidekick if I didn’t...
Tumblr media
...
Tumblr media
But it’s ok Maki-Roll. I don’t know what pain you’ve been through these past few months, but it’s over now...
Tumblr media
Because no matter what, even if Zetsubou throws an entire army at me, I’m gonna protect you! I won’t let them take you again!
Tumblr media
So you...c-can rest...because I’ll...k-keep you safe...Because I’ll...I’ll...
Tumblr media
I’ll be here...I-I’ll be here...forever...!
Tumblr media
...
Tumblr media
...
Tumblr media
...
Tumblr media
...*sniff* K-Kaito...!
*Tears fall from Kaito’s eyes. Maki suddenly buries her head into his arms and sobs...
9 notes · View notes
regalia-solvieg · 2 years
Text
Motostoke Captured
The carriage ride was bumpy, and Kida struggled at times to keep herself sitting upright. Her hands were not tied, nor were her legs... but she knew better than to attempt to jump from a carriage moving this fast - not when there was a man twice her size and strength sitting across from her with a sword.... and not just any sword - but the one of a kind, Behemoth Blade. The sword of Kings that they had struggled to find in the Weald. She hated the mere thought of Theudis touching it, nevertheless the thought of leaving it in his hands.
She kept her head up though and made sure to show no cracks in her composure, “You will pay for this, Theudis. Once we get to Motostoke my brother-”
Theudis laughed. The tall man leaned back in his seat. He had his legs crossed, and was resting the Behemoth Blade on his lap. One finger slowly caressed it’s jeweled hilt, “I doubt that, Princess. I really do.” His cold eyes locked on her, “I’m sure you’ve heard the rumors? You must have - why else would you be here? Your Father is dead, and your Brother fled. No one has seen him in months. For all we know he’s dead too.” Kida inwardly flinched but refused to show that externally, “I don’t believe you.” Theudis simply shrugged, and leaned forward. He rested his armored hands on his knee, “Believe what you want, Princess. You’ll see for yourself once we reach Motostoke.” Kida wanted to slap him, “Lord Bryce and Lady Jocelyn would never allow that to happen.”  “Lady Jocelyn? Ha!“ Theudis laughed sarcastically, “Lady Jocelyn was one of the first to fall! Oh? Didn’t you know this? Lady Jocelyn and my worthless wretch of a brother tried to stage a failed rescue attempt. Both were killed.“ 
Kida didn’t believe that for a second. She knew Theudis’ brother - Thanion was one of Youta’s oldest and most faithful companions. There is no way Thanion would fail at anything regarding Yu... as for Jocelyn, she was one of her Father’s most powerful Knights. She was known as ‘The Crimson Knight’ for more reasons than one. Still, it was hard for her to hide her anxiety about it. 
“As for Bryce,“ Theudis continued with a sinister grin, “Who do you think orchestrated this whole charade, Princess? Yeah, that’s right. Lord Bryce now sits on the right hand side of the new Queen - Queen Briar Solveig.“  “You lie. I have never heard that name before.“ Kida shot back.  Theudis shrugged, “Not many have. Apparently they’re an off-branch, twice removed. Bryce found her on a farm somewhere or something. But mark my words, Princess, she has Solvieg blood in her - however thin. Real Solvieg blood. The blood of the God Zamazenta. Not an imposter like your so-called ‘brother’.” 
“After all, don’t you think it’s strange that you sent messengers to Lord Bryce to inform him of your coming, and then you were attacked on your way here? It was Lord Bryce who sent those soldiers into the Weald after you. It was by his orders that your entourage was killed. You were supposed to be too, though I have no idea how you escaped.“ “You know noth-“ Kida started, “Oh but I do.” Theudis interrupted her, “After all, the man sent to be your executioner was my Father. Couldn’t have you recognizing the armor though, so he had it painted black. Useless old dolt he is though if he can’t catch a single girl and a Rover. I daresay I accomplished quite nicely what my Father could not, don’t you think? I believe Bryce will be proud. He might even hand Postwick and Wedgehurst over to me after this and do away with the old fool.”
Kida was staring at him now. She struggled to think of arguments and found none. She could feel her hands start to shake, and she squeezed them together tighter. She hoped Theudis wouldn’t notice... but he did. 
His eyes glanced down at her hands for a brief moment, and then he leaned back in his seat with a smug grin, “Scared? You should be.” He mused, “After all, we can’t have the Empire getting involved in what’s going on here. I mean, really. The Empire’s Army alone could swallow Motostoke’s up.” “The Empire will come looking for me.“ Kida snapped,  “Oh, I am sure they already have.“ Theudis shrugged.
Somehow, an even more sinister grin crossed his face, “In fact, I bet they’ve already come across the bodies of your entourage now and realized your body isn’t among them. But my dear - you disappeared in the Weald, and in a part known to house bandits and cutthroats - and of course, Rovers. It wouldn’t be ‘too surprising’ to find your corpse in the hands of a Rover, and then to have that Rover arrested with proof of your death, now would it?”
Kida felt her blood run cold, “You are planning to frame Ares for my murder. You will not get away with this! Even if you kill me, Ares will tell the truth!” “And who would people listen to? An old and established Noble family, or a common thief? Especially if I cut out his tongue before he can speak. Face it, Princess. You put up a good fight, but in the end - you lost.“
Kida felt suddenly exhausted. She looked down at her hands and tried to think of a way out of this. But, before she got too far, Theudis’ voice broke her concentration. 
“Ah, and here we are, Princess! The end of the ‘Wild Area’ - and onto the gates of Motostoke!“
1 note · View note
mochegato · 3 years
Text
Even the Losers
Chapter 2
Chapter 1
Bruce watched Lucius, or more specifically his hands, with a well concealed hostility.  If you didn’t truly know Bruce or weren’t well versed at reading suppressed emotions, you could believe it was just another artificially polite expression.  But Lucius had known Bruce since he was a child and Marinette hadn’t spent years fighting an emotional terrorist for nothing.  “I haven’t seen you all night and now I find you coopting this beautiful young lady’s time,” Bruce observed, his mouth tight.
Marinette eyed him apprehensively, subconsciously taking a half step back.  Her whole body stiffening.  Lucius took note of the change and moved slightly between the two of them and laughed politely.  He wasn’t sure what caused the change in demeanor but he still wanted to try to cultivate a business relationship with the young lady.  When they got the fabrics working, they would need a designer and she was not only clearly the perfect candidate for the position, they had already been considering her before everything she’d said during their dance.  
“Sorry, Mr. Wayne.  I assure you I was not avoiding you in favor of a prettier face,” he chuckled.  “Although I’ve been informed elusiveness seems to be a quality I exude unintentionally.” He winked at Marinette who smiled weakly at the attempt.
Bruce chuckled with him, tight and short exhales, his eyes never softening.  “I wouldn’t blame you at all.  She certainly is lovely.”
Marinette’s chest hollowed out, all the breath in her evaporating out of her chest as though it had never been there.  “Kind of you to say,” she rasped out just barely looking up to meet his eyes.
“Just saying the truth,” he assured her with more sincerity.  His eyes finally managed to soften as he looked at her, but immediately hardened again when he returned his gaze to Lucius.  “I’m sorry if Lucius has been keeping you captive.  I know he likes to talk and it can be hard to get him to stop, especially when he’s taken a particular interest in something… or someone.”  His eyes sharpened on Lucius as he spoke.  Lucius only raised his eyebrow in response, leaning back slightly as if to see Bruce a bit better.
Marinette immediately straightened back up, her eyes hardening.  All evidence of uncertainty and unease shattering as she did.  She had been the one to approach M. Fox.  She had been the one to coopt his time.  She had been the one manipulating the situation.  And now M. Wayne was going to try to twist this on M. Fox, who had been nothing but gracious and kind.  “I was just discussing innovation and the application process with M. Fox,” Marinette responded coldly before Lucius could.  “He was polite enough to entertain my questions.  He has been quite polite and charming and professional.”
“Were you thinking of working for WE?” Bruce asks perking up slightly.  
“You couldn’t pay me enough,” Marinette scoffed out before she could stop herself.  She immediately mentally face palmed.  This wasn’t the time for this.  Now was about Max, not her.  The mission had been successful she wasn’t going to blow it now by letting M. Fox see her overreactions.  
She let out a breath and looked back up with an overly wide smile.  “As I mentioned to M. Fox, I’m not really interested in technology.  I couldn’t imagine anything more boring than staring at numbers and code all day long,” she laughed in the way she’d seen Adrien laugh at events like this, an empty, meaningless laugh meant to indicate a lack of interest in the topic rather than actual entertainment, leaning toward Lucius as she said it, hoping to pull him into the conversation and rescue her from.
“It’s not my favorite part of the day either,” Lucius smiled graciously.  “I imagine you would still be good at it,” he assured her, “but I can’t say I blame you. I would likely react the same if faced with bolts of fabric and thread.”
Marinette smiled politely, grateful to him for the reprieve.  “Well that sounds interesting,” Bruce interjected.  “Perhaps we can discuss what would interest you during a dance.” He motioned toward the dancefloor and held his hand out toward her.
Marinette glanced down at the hand, a weight settling in the pit of her stomach.  If she gave in he’d have her for the duration of the song.  One-on-one.  No escape without creating a scene.  Trapped by the same societal conventions she’d used against M. Fox.  “Surely you must have more important guests to attend to,” she offered instead.
“I do not,” he assured her, sincerity radiating from his eyes.
Marinette opened her mouth to say yes, resigning herself to her fate when she felt a hand on her hip.  “There you are M’lady.  I lost you in the sea of people for a moment.”  Adrien prompted her to turn slightly so he could look her in the eyes. “You okay?”
Her shoulders, she hadn’t even realized had worked their way up to almost touching her jaw, instantly relaxed.  She gave him a relieved smile and squeezed his hand.  “I’m good, Kitty.  Thank you.”
“Is this your date?” Bruce inserted, eyeing him coldly, but held his hand out to him.  “Bruce Wayne.”
Adrien gave him his practiced, social smile, perfect for galas with strangers and potentially hostile associates.  “Nice to meet you, sir.  This is a very nice gathering.  Very kind of you to do this for the orphans,” his tone was bordering on openly hostile but keeping to the socially acceptable side of the border. Marinette choked at the statement. She hadn’t really thought about the intent of the gala since she’d made the plan.  When she’d made it, the purpose hadn’t had any bearing.  But now…
“Thank you.  It is an important cause to my family and myself.”  He missed the way Adrien squeezed Marinette tighter at his words. “You mentioned talking to Mr. Fox about innovation at Wayne Enterprises.  Perhaps you would like a tour of the building.  I can arrange one personally for you.”
Adrien pulled his lips into a tight, sickeningly artificial smile.  “How very generous of you.  Unfortunately, we won’t be in town that long.  We are scheduled to leave town Tuesday.”
Bruce looked between the two, forcing his body to not stiffen at Adrien responding for Marinette.  “Tell me about yourself, son,” Bruce smiled stiffly, noting that he had artfully left out his name, not that Bruce didn’t know it already, although the physical proximity to Marinette was unexpected.
It took almost all of Marinette’s experience as Ladybug to keep a poker face instead of letting her jaw drop in offense.  “Why don’t you let these young people dance, Bruce,” Lucius interrupted, detecting Marinette’s increased discomfort.  “After all, it’s cruel to make the young have to endure making conversation with the old guard like us.”  He turned to Marinette and Adrien with a kind smile.  “Make sure you don’t miss your opportunity to dance tonight.”
Marinette smiled at him gratefully.  “Not at all, M. Fox.  I found our conversation very fascinating.  Thank you very much for sharing your time with me.  It was much appreciated.  But I will take you up on your advice.”  She turned to Adrien and motioned to the dancefloor.  “Shall we?”
“Always,” Adrien smiled.  “Gentlemen.”  He nodded to them and guided Marinette across the dancefloor, taking great care to escort her as far from them as he possibly could.  He glanced around to make sure the men couldn’t see them and pulled Marinette into a comforting, all-encompassing hug.  “How are you really?”
Marinette held him tightly and buried her head in his chest.  “I’ll be okay.  I just… Thank you for the save.”  She laid her head on his chest as they swayed to the music.  Her breath slowly shifted from shaky to more steady.  She lost track of the number of songs that passed while she found her voice again.  When she could breathe normally again, she stood straight and smiled at Adrien.  “It worked.”
“It worked?” Adrien asked excitedly.
Marinette nodded and had to stop herself from doing an entirely inappropriate victory dance.  “He wants to meet Max on Monday.  Well, me too,” she cringed slightly, not looking forward to being involved beyond what she had done already.  “But! But, he was floored by Max’s invention. Like completely floored!  And knows about Rabler now.  He did not look happy at all about the news.”  Her grin widened as she remembered the encounter.  “I think Max is really going to be taken care of.  It went so well!” she squealed.
Adrien grinned back and hugged her.  “We have to let Max know.”
Marinette nodded.  “He’ll call us when he’s done.  We just need to stay up until then.”
Adrien nodded.  “Coffee it is then.  Do you want to leave now or look around?”  Marinette looked around quickly.  By the time she looked back at Adrien, her eyes had lost their light. She looked exhausted suddenly, drained by the experience.  Adrien gave her an understanding smile and squeeze.  The mission was over.  She didn’t need to be in mission mode anymore, or at least not high alert.  She just had the meeting on Monday and she was done. Now she could stop blocking any potentially interfering emotions and actually let herself feel again.  “Let’s get out of here and find a coffee shop then. We can take it back to the hotel and watch bad movies until Max calls.”
Marinette gave him a weak smile.  “Maybe popcorn and candy and drinks instead,” she offered. She rested her head on his shoulder. “Sooooo many drinks and ice cream.”
Adrien laughed and slung his arm over her shoulder to help guide her and comfort her at the same time.  They wound through the crowd making their way to the exit and freedom, where Marinette could finally breathe freely.  They had almost made it to the doors when they heard someone call Adrien’s name.  Adrien looked around and cursed under his breath.  “Hey again.”
“Leaving so soon?” Tim asked.  He looked between the two with a concerned expression.  It was awfully early in the night to leave already.
“Yeah, I think so.  It’s a nice event but I think we’re ready to go home, take off the stuffy clothes, and drink,” he gave him a charming, conspiratorial smile. Nobody their age wanted to be here and they all knew it.
“Oh that sounds like a brilliant plan,” the blonde woman next to Tim grinned.  “I wish we could do that.  But we have to at least wait until the announcement.  And we can’t drink.  But it would help handle events like this.”  She gave them a wide smile and held out her hand.  “I’m Stephanie.  Nice to meet you.”
Adrien smiled politely back.  “Adrien.  Hi.”
Marinette smiled civilly.  “Marinette.  Nice to meet you.”
Stephanie’s smile widened.  “Oh Timmy, make sure to keep this one away from Bruce.  Black hair, blue eyes, looks beautiful but haunted. He’ll adopt her in an instant.”
Tim laughed and rolled his eyes, drawing Stephanie’s attention to him, both of them missing the way Marinette and Adrien balked and Marinette’s entire body went rigid again.  “Bruce’s breaking that habit with today’s announcement.”
Adrien paled slightly.  This could go nowhere good, but it was like watching an akuma hit someone when you’re too far away to help.  It was going to happen no matter what.  The damage would be inestimable and all he could do was watch as it got worse and worse.  “Oh?”
“Yeah, our new brother… or rather their new brother, I’m not officially adopted, just unofficially the favorite child,” Steph winked at them.  Tim huffed playfully but didn’t contradict her.  It was easier to just let it go.  “Anyway, the new Wayne doesn’t have blue eyes. Does have black hair, is beautiful and looks haunted, so maybe it’s just the blue eyes that don’t matter so much anymore.”
“N…new brother?” Adrien stuttered, struggling to keep his voice even and polite.  The normal reaction to such news would be interest and happiness.  Well, they certainly had his interest.  The happiness part though…  He pulled Marinette tighter as he sent her a furtive look.  She was doing an admirable job of masking her response but he knew her. He knew the signs.  He knew her lips were a bit tighter than usual.  He knew her jaw was clenched harder than was normal.  He knew her breathing was harder than average.  He knew he shouldn’t be able to feel her pulse from here.
“Yeah!” Stephanie enthused.  “Duke.”
“We were supposed to wait for the announcement,” Tim chastised with no real heat behind his words.  “But yes.  That’s what this gala is really for.  To officially announce the adoption of Duke Thomas.  So, yet another ‘poor orphan’ joins the rest of us,” he joked.  “I swear Bruce just can’t help himself.  He sees a kid and instantly feels the need to protect and help.”
“So thoughtful,” Marinette rasped out, pretending like her entire chest wasn’t breaking apart and disintegrating in front of them.  “You must all be so excited.”
Tim looked at her for a moment but before he could analyze her tone or body language, they heard someone tapping on a microphone.  “That’s our cue,” Stephanie squealed.  “Looks like you might make it for the announcement after all.  It was nice to meet you if I don’t see you after.”  Tim and Stephanie waved before making their way to the stage.
Once the two were gone, Marinette’s eyes bulged as Tim’s words reverberated in her head.  This whole thing was to introduce a new child, another new child he took in, another addition to his family, another child he wanted and brought into his life instead of throwing them out.  Her eyes darted among the family members as they all made their way up onto the stage.  All standing behind the new member, smiling at him, hugging him, eyes shining in acceptance for him.  One big happy family, not wanting for anything… or anyone.
Marinette didn’t realize she had stopped breathing until her body forced a deep gasping breath, knocking her out of her stupor. She tore her eyes away so violently, she stumbled back, or maybe it was just that her resilience had disappeared with the words.  They should not be here.  They… she should never have come.  This was a stupid, terrible plan.  She had no right to intrude.  She had no right to be here… for this.
Her heart raced out of control.  Her whole body started shaking.  She couldn’t breathe.  Why couldn’t she breathe now?  But suddenly there wasn’t enough air in the room.  Why wasn’t there air?  There had been air before, hadn’t there been?  She remembers being able to breathe earlier.  She thinks.  Maybe she made that up.  Maybe she hadn’t been able to breathe since she stepped in the room.
She stumbled again and reached out for support, never doubting it would be there for her.  Adrien responded instantly, bringing her into his chest and quickly guiding her out of the gala.  He whispered comforting and reassuring words as they moved, throwing empty smiles at anyone who bothered looking their way, as though helping his drunk date home, nothing scandalous or even unusual, nothing to look twice at.
They missed the eyes searching the crowd for them and the quickly covered up frown at finding them missing.
Chapter 3
Tags:
@maribat-bdbwm @jayjayspixiepop @redscarlet95 @alice-hazelwood @deathssilentapproach-blog @unoriginalmess @alyssadeliv @emotionalsupportginger 
365 notes · View notes
infernalrevenge · 3 years
Note
Hello~! Hope you are having a wonderful day~! 🐝💜
Would it be okay to get some headcannons or little drabbles for the 4 Lords reacting to their crush of whom is a chubby/curvy Reader and (secretly-) a powerful swimmer (possibly was a lifeguard in the past)? Possibly Reader sees & saves their crush from a leg cramp to slipping off the peer due to ice one day...?
Did lifeguarding for 2 years before COVID started and absolutely loved doing the job, but also enjoyed the class itself!
Yoooo that's really cool :D That's the kind of stuff that really comes in handy in real life huh, I'm glad you had a fun experience with it! Let's bring on the Lords!!!
Alcina Dimitrescu
Respectfully, she is looking 👀
As a lady of thiccness herself, of course she appreciates people of any size and shape.
You might get a little flustered with how much attention she lavishes you with, whether it was with physical affection or just a very appreciative gaze. You'd have a hard time ever doubting her attraction to you on any level.
She's not really much of a swimmer herself, preferring to soak and lounge if she really had to be in any body of water (or fluid, see: the literal blood bath in her castle.)
That said, she's willing to join you for a midday dip if you ask nicely. She'll indulge you, especially if she knew how much you enjoyed it.
She might even go ahead and join you in the deeper parts of the water, it's not like it'll be an issue. By the time it gets to her chest, you'll probably be paddling under the surface to keep afloat.
You can teach her how to swim and do different strokes and kicks as a way to bond and get closer (she wouldn't mind.)
Though there's probably a reason why she doesn't swim so much -- she's incredibly dense due to her added body weight and muscle mass.
Still, it was a valiant effort and the Countess had some fun, even if she wasn't able to float in the same way you were.
Watching you swim her in circles was an activity she vastly preferred, though she wouldn't be opposed to another lesson. Maybe guide her into proper form while you were at it.
Unfortunately, the fantasy of saving her from drowning may be farther from reality. It would actually be more likely for her to save you. Hopefully, you wouldn't mind a tall strong woman such as herself carrying you back to safety when need be.
Donna Beneviento
She's... not fond of swimming.
Okay, it's not really the activity itself that bothers her, it's the fact that she has to change into something if she wants to go in the water but if there's nowhere to change then she has to wear it under her normal clothes, then after the swimming is over she has to deal with being wet and cold for a while--
"You'll see me in a bathing suit," you might say to jokingly convince her.
You'll be surprised at how quickly her tune changes after realizing this, she's already picking out something to wear.
Funnily enough, Angie might even have her own set of swimwear -- just imagine an old timey swimsuit on her wooden doll body... now imagine Donna in a matching pair.
Honestly it's kind of adorable to think about, but don't laugh too much at her. Some light teasing is alright though.
When you get to your destination, Donna tries her best to mostly stay along the sidelines. Maybe dip her toes in a bit, but that's as far as she's willing to go.
...until Angie, without warning, dove into the water for a little bit of fun.
Now normally this wouldn't be a problem, except for the fact that she is a wooden doll and the water would definitely ruin some parts of her body. And before Donna even has time to think about it, she jumps in right after her for a rescue.
Did I mention that she can't swim? Uhhh oops.
It's lucky that you do though SOMEONE HELP THEM
You immediately start going over to them, trying your best to calm Donna down as Angie sat atop her head.
The whole time Donna is clinging to you, watching your strong arms pull you closer back onto the shore. She doesn't even realize it's time to let go by the time you do get there.
She definitely won't be getting into swimming any time soon, but... she did quite enjoy watching you do it. Hope you like an audience from that day forward.
Salvatore Moreau
SWIMMING BUDDIES!!!!
Pardon his excitement but he would be absolutely thrilled to have someone go swimming with him, especially someone who could even keep up with his pace. He kind of wishes that the two of you could spend it somewhere not as dank as his little ol' reservoir though.
Yeah, it's home, but he only wants the best for you, so you two might find yourselves in a secluded lake somewhere. A little privacy never hurt.
In the water, Moreau moves much faster and smoother -- he's literally in his element, of course he would be comfortable moving around.
He even let you ride on his back so you can get some distance. This could be fun!
Though having cramps while in the middle of a big lake was decidedly less fun. It didn't help that Sal can't even point out exactly where it started to stiffen.
It was a good thing your training kicked in at the first sign of his pain, and you tried your best to calm him down.
You let him hold onto your shoulders as you swam him back to shore. Funny how the tables have turned.
Before he could even start apologizing for "ruining the day" and wanting to make it up to you, you start your first aid to relieve his cramps and assure him that everything was alright. You were more than happy just to get to spend time with him, and you were sure to remind him not to push too hard just to impress you.
If you really want him to be quiet? Plant a little kiss on his cheek. That'll render him speechless for a few hours for sure.
Karl Heisenberg
Honestly, it'd be pretty hard to convince Karl to go near any body of water. Since he believed that his body was much like the Narke japonica (Japanese sleeper ray), he believed would be fine in water.
Let's just say he didn't take into account the difference between his own physiology and a fish's, so when he tried to use his powers while in water... uhhhh...
Long story short, no water time for the zappy boi.
You can probably convince him to join you on swimming trips anyway (what a simp) but he won't get in with you. He doesn't want to take the risk.
Besides, he doesn't mind the view ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)
He swears the way he's looking at you is just being appreciative of the way you dive into the lake. He may get a little closer to the lake too, just to keep an eye on you.
If you tell him about your lifeguarding past, he knows you'll be able to handle yourself, but he just wants to be sure that everything's going to be o--
FUCK!!!!
One second he's on the pier and the next he's in freezing cold water. He's not having a good time!
By the time he realizes you're there and tugging him to safety, all he's thinking is "Don't electrocute them, don't electrocute them, DON'T ELECTROCUTE--"
...how did you get to the shore so fast?
Apparently, he had blacked out somewhere in the commotion of it all and he was lying on his back, a face full of you greeting him as soon as he opened his eyes.
"Well hello there," he'd say with a smirk.
If he got to see an angel every time he ended up in water, he might do it more often. (And he actually might, you oughtta keep a close eye on him during these trips.)
169 notes · View notes
buttterknifeee · 3 years
Text
Sisters- Teen Titans x Aquagirl Reader
Masterlist
Summary: You don't get along well with your own siblings, but maybe you'll get along well with Starfire's super-cool, definitely-not-evil sister!
Pairings: Platonic! Starfire x reader
Word Count: 3575
A/N: Hey guys!!! Sorry for posting this so late I just did this one a lot slower lol. Unfortunately, school's starting soon so I won't be able to write as often. I'm still working on 2 fics so keep that in mind if you want to request!
Carnivals were the best invention in the world, you decided. The rides, the food, the games, and you only get to enjoy it a few times a year. So when the carnival does come to visit, you always make sure to enjoy it as much as you can.
“Don’t you just lovvvveee carnivals?” You say, walking next to Raven.
“Well, Beast Boy and Cyborg have been trying to win an animal from a single game for the past hour and Robin and Starfire are probably making out on the ferris wheel, so not as much as you.” she says, staring straight ahead. The others had paired up and set off when you first entered the carnival, so that left you with Raven. And as much as you love Raven, you love her in a “meditating/book club” way, not a “fun adventure” way. You approached the two boys as they finally won their carnival game prize.
“Told you we’d win a prize” Beast Boy grinned at Raven, holding a toy chicken to her face.
“A giant chicken. I must be the luckiest girl in the world.” She said sarcastically.
Suddenly, Robin jumped in front of the four of you.
“Titans! Trouble!” He yelled, standing up from a crouching position.
“Where’s Starfire?” Cyborg asked.
“That's the trouble,” Robin said, then promptly took off. The four of you followed him close behind. He brings the four of you to a dock, where you finally see the “trouble” Robin was talking about. Starfire was being chased by a flying, squid-like space robot with tentacles and everything. She flies past the five of you, the flying machine doing the same.
“Who’s her new best friend?” Beast Boy asks, staring at the scene before you.
“Don’t know, but I can’t wait to meet him,” Robin said.
Starfire hid behind you as the flying machine continued to follow her. Beast Boy turned into an alligator and tried to attack the robotic squid, but missed. You tried to hit it with jets of water, but it bounced off of its exterior. Raven threw a hot dog cart at the machine with her telekinesis, but it simply tore straight through the cart. Cyborg grabbed onto the tentacles and strained as the machine tried to get away.
“Don't know what you did to make this thing mad, Star, but it couldn't hurt to apologize!” Cyborg yelled, trying to keep a grip on the tentacles.
“I am… sorry?” Starfire apologizes confusingly, taking shelter behind a grimacing Robin.
Cyborg loses grip on the mysterious space squid as Robin jumps forward. He hits the machine hard with his staff and it falls into the water. A moment of silence falls onto the six of you.
“So, did we just win?” Beast Boy asked.
His answer came in the form of the machine crashing through the floor and back into the sky. Robin jumps onto it.
“Don’t see an OFF switch,” He yells. “Guess I’ll have to make one!” He punches into the side of the machine. The machine goes haywire, and Robin jumps off of it before it flies crazily into the sky and blows up. Since there were already fireworks, any regular citizens could have easily mistaken it for one of the big finals. You turned your attention to Starfire.
“Starfire, are you alright?” you ask. She nodded with a small smile.
“Whatever that thing was, it can’t hurt you now.” Robin said, now next to her again.
Starfire frowned. “But… why did it wish to hurt me at all?”
.
You found yourself back in the tower after such an eventful night. Despite being attacked by some alien machine, Starfire seemed to be in a cheery mood.
“I shall thank you for my rescue by reciting the Poem of Gratitude, all six thousand verses.” She said, a giant smile on her face. You and the others stopped dead in your tracks, not excited for how the rest of the night will seem to go.
“I think ‘thank you’ cuts it,” You say.
Suddenly, you hear a voice. “I see you haven’t changed a bit.” The voice belonged to a girl who bore a striking resemblance to Starfire. She had long, black hair, and wore a black outfit similar to Starfire, except hers had more metal components. The mystery girl continued.
“When we were little, I was always rescuing Starfire.”
“Sister!” Starfire squealed, running to hug her. Starfire’s sister smiled, holding up a necklace with a large green gem as the pendant.
“A Centauri Moon Diamond?? Where did you get-”
“On the Centauri Moons of course.” the sister said, fastening the necklace around Starfire’s neck. “Oh look, it matches your eyes.” Starfire smiled brightly. You remember that you’ve been staring at the two of them interacting when she turns to the five of you.
“I wish to introduce my big sister,” Starfire said. Her sister stepped in front of her.
“Blackfire,” she said. “ And since Star told me all about the Titans in her transmissions, let me guess.” She walks over to Cyborg.
“Cyborg,” She guessed correctly.
“Pleased to meet you little lady,” Cyborg says, holding out his hand. She takes it and you hear the sound of metal bending. Cyborg holds up his hand, now bent out of shape.
“Little lady, big handshake. Well alright!” he says with a smile. Blackfire moves on.
“Raven. I like that gemstone on your Ajna chakra,” Blackfire says.
“You know about chakras?” Raven asked, mildly impressed.
“I got way into meditation on Altara Prime.” She says casually. She then turned to you.
“Aquagirl. Oh my god your outfit is soooo cute! And your hair, how do you get it so healthy?” She said, clasping your hands. Her voice was nothing like Starfire’s; it was much smoother, and more confident, not to mention she had the American accent down.
“Mix of coconut oil, avocado, and a cabinet full of hair ointments” you wink.
“You’ll have to give me tips.” she winked back.
She continued her introductions, finally getting to Robin. She was all over him, complimenting his outfit, calling his mask ‘mysterious’, etc. You saw Starfire steaming with anger, even if she didn’t show it. She intercepted them as Blackfire got close to his face.
“So beloved sister, what brings you to Earth?” Starfire asks, an annoyed grin spread across her face.
“I was in the quadrant. Thought I'd see if Earthlings like to party.” She said, hopping onto the couch. “Besides, I needed a rest. Nearly got sucked into a black hole on the way here.” Immediately, the three boys rushed over to her, the three of you girls still behind them. You rolled your eyes at the sight of the three teens crowding around Blackfire.
“Black hole?”
“No way!”
“Cool”
You could feel Blackfire’s smirk as she began her story.
“Okay. I’m cruising through Draconis Nebula and-”
Starfire interrupted. “Sister! That nebula is full of black holes! You know travel there is forbidden.” The four teens on the couch stared at her.
“Most fun things in life are. Now be a sweetie and bring me one of those sodas I've heard so much about.” Blackfire waved at her and turned back to the boys. You heard her continue the story, but all you could focus on was Starfire grumbling towards the fridge. You look at Raven; your way of saying Ill go after her.
You find Starfire taking a soda can out of the fridge, talking to herself.
“Starfire?” you ask. She flinches at your approach, almost dropping the soda in her hand.
“Oh! Aquagirl. You have caught me off guard, my apologies,” she rubs her neck, blushing.
“You alright? You seemed a little worked up back there,” you say as the teen straightened herself up.
“Oh it's nothing, it's just that…” she sighed, closing the refrigerator. “My sister has always acted in such a way that can cause me to feel… annoyed.”
“Oh well, if you ever want to talk about it, I’m always here.” She hugs you, still holding the can of soda.
“Thank you my friend”
.
The next day, You were sitting in your room. Starfire barged in while you were rubbing the water from your head with your towel.
“Oh hey Starfire! What's up?” you smile, putting the towel onto your bed.
“Aquagirl! Have you seen Blackfire?” she asked. You noticed that she seemed distressed, but decided to answer her question first.
“Oh! We just went surfing! She crushed those waves!” You say, reminiscing. She was surprisingly good at surfing, especially since she told you it was her first time. Starfire frowned.
“Oh. alright.” you frowned back at her answer.
“Well, I think she might be with Robin right now. Is everything alright?” you ask. Her face turns bright red at the mention of Robin’s name.
“N- I mean, yes! Everything is alright. I must go.” She slammed the door before you could say anything. You wanted to go after her, but you figured since she left so quickly, she's probably not in the mood to talk. You went about your day, still a little worried about her.
.
Nighttime fell, and you sat on the couch with the other Titans, relaxing after an uneventful day. Starfire skipped in holding popcorn, candy, and a bunch of CDs.
“Friends! I invite you to join me in the togetherness of a stay-home movie night. I bring you popcorn and non-cotton candies. Tell me, what sort of movie shall we view?”
“Action,” said Robin.
“Romance!” you cheered.
“Comedy.” spat Beast Boy.
“Sci-fi” Cyborg offered.
“Horror.” Raven said flatly. Starfire drops her goodies.
“Perhaps a double feature?” she asked.
“Forget the flicks, kids.” You looked up to see Blackfire, now dressed in Starfire’s clothes. “We’re going out!”
“We are? Where did you- How did you-” Starfire stuttered, obviously confused by her sister’s new look.
“Heard about a party downtown,” Blackfire continued, ignoring her sister. “Cool crowd, hot music”
“Sound’s nice!” you say.
“Yeah!” Beast Boy agrees.
“I’m in!” Cyborg says.
“Why not?” Robin smiles. Raven kept looking at her book.
“And it's in an abandoned warehouse,” Blackfire adds. Raven looked up from her book, her way of saying that she's in. You all began to leave. You noticed Starfire still standing where she was, looking a bit sadder.
“Starfire? you coming?” you asked, walking by her.
“Oh um, I guess I will go,” she said, hanging her head a bit. You looked at her but she didn’t meet your eyes. Maybe she’s tired, you thought, walking to catch up with the other titans.
.
You entered the party, taking in the colorful lights and dancing teens. You followed Blackfire onto the dance floor, who seemed to already be dancing.
“Step aside Earthlings, the queen of the galaxy has arrived!” she cheered, swaying her hips with the other teens. She looks at the rest of you, a smirk on her face.
“Now don't tell me you big tough superheroes are afraid of a little dancing.” she says, beckoning you to do so. The boys joined in, and you noticed that Raven left the dance floor with a boy. The only people who weren’t dancing were you and Starfire. Starfire looked scared, she was clutching her new necklace, and you swore that she said something about shovels. You came up to her and took her hand.
“Let’s go Starfire, I think you need some air.” you say, leading her to the stairwell.
You sat next to her on the roof, both awkwardly silent.
“So, what's wrong?” you finally say.
“It’s my sister again,” she sighs. “It feels as though she has stolen you all from me, and I don’t know how to keep that from happening.”
“Hey. we’ll always be your friends, just as you’ll be ours. And she didn’t steal us from you, we just thought she was cool and all-” you were cut off by a yell from the part below.
“YO A.G.!!! YOU GOTTA COME DOWN HERE!!!” Cyborg yelled. You looked at the direction of the sound and then back at Starfire, who was staring at the ground.
“Oh- uh they probably need me, I’ll be right back,” You say, rubbing her arm. “HANG ON I'LL BE THERE IN A SEC!”
You race down to the dance floor and see Cyborg dancing.
“YO THEY’RE TOTALLY PLAYING YOUR SONG!” he yelled. Ugh I should get back to Starfire but they are totally playing my song, you thought. You look at Cyborg again, who was waving at you to join him. You see Robin next to you and pull him aside.
“Hey Aquagirl! Where’s Starfire?” He asked. You cross your arms.
“She’s upstairs on the roof. Listen, she’s super down in the dumps right now, I think you should talk to her.” You say. He nods and leaves, heading towards the stairs. You sigh as you go back to join your other friends. You bump into Blackfire, who was now sporting a neon pink wig.
“Um, nice wig,” you say.
“Thanks hot stuff. Where’s Robin? I saw you with him earlier.” She asked, still dancing. You weren’t sure if it was the best idea to tell her.
“He’s uhhhhhhh….” you try to stall.
“... with Starfire.” she finishes. You turn to see her staring through the glass roof, where you could see Robin and Starfire sitting together. She turns to the rest of you.
“One sec guys!” She winks. Less than a minute goes by and she reappears with Robin. You make eye contact; he seemed annoyed by being back here.
“We HAVE to dance to this song!” she says, starting to dance again next to Robin. He steps away from her.
“Sorry, but I’m going to check on Starfire again.” Robin says, heading to the stairwell again. Blackfire follows him, trying to get him to return, leaving you with Cyborg and Beast Boy. They continue to dance and you roll your eyes.
Suddenly, you notice Starfire fighting something. You squint at her location, then realize that what she's attacking is one of the robots from yesterday. You look at the two boys who’ve quite literally been dancing the whole time.
“Cyborg! Beast Boy! Starfire’s in trouble!” You yell, already running towards the exit. Suddenly, another of those robots appears out of nowhere.
“What the- AHHHHH!!!!” you scream as the robot latches onto you and drags you away. The two boys try to follow you but a third robot attacks them, leaving you to still be stuck in the clutches of the space robot. You see Raven hanging out with the boy from earlier (they’d be a cute couple huh) and she spots you. She flies after you, flinging two robots towards the machine as you finally break free. Starfire crashes into the room through the ceiling and lands in the crates, Cyborg and Beast Boy still taking on the other robot.
All three of the robots start chasing Starfire, and she flies around the room trying to lose them. Cyborg knocks into them and lays some punches, you trying to short circuit them by spraying them with water. One of the robots hits Cyborg, sending him flying into a wall. Another one sends Starfire flying into a different wall, and she lands in a dumpster. You run to the hole in the wall to find the aliens trying to bring the whole dumpster into the air. You were about to try to strike them when you saw a flash- the flash of a birdarang. It cuts into the arms of the robot and drops the container. Robin joins the rest of you.
“Titans Go!” Robin yells, but Blackfire flies out in front of you. In a matter of seconds she demolished all three robots. You all surrounded her as she stood victoriously.
“Aw yeah! Good times!”
“Nice shot, Tex!”
“Very nice.”
“Couldn’t have said it better myself!”
“How did you know where to hit them?” Robin asked.
“Lucky guess,” Blackfire shrugged. Cyborg stepped forward.
“We could use luck like that,” he said. “Maybe you oughta join the team.”
“Me? A teen titan?” Blackfire asked, obviously flattered. You couldn’t help but notice Starfire looking away, a defeated look on her face. I should talk to her again, you decided.
.
You and Robin found Starfire standing on the roof of the Titans Tower. You found out that you both had the idea of finishing up your conversations, but it seemed that Starfire had different plans. You reach her as she floats into the air.
“Were you going to leave without saying goodbye?” Robin asked, causing her to whip around to face the two of you.
“A little rude if you ask me,” you tried to joke, but she didn’t laugh. Her head hanging, she slowly landed back on the roof, taking off the backpack she was wearing.
“Aquagirl, Robin, I- '' She began, but was cut off by the sound of a spaceship coming towards you. One of the aliens on board unleashes its arm, which is a tentacle much like one of the robot’s, and slashes you and Robin, sending you both to the ground. It then wraps around Starfire, pulling her into the ship.
Robin runs towards the screaming Starfire and jumps from the roof and towards the ship. You watch in horror as he misses, and begins the fall towards the ground. The ship continues its ascent into the air.
“ROBIN!” you scream, running towards the edge of the Tower’s roof. You can do this, you can do this, you can-
You focused hard, and raised your arms above you. A geyser of water shoots up from the shore and catches Robin. You raised the geyser up towards the hull of the spaceship, allowing the Boy Wonder to grab onto the bottom and make his way up. Seeing that he made it safely on board, you dropped the geyser of water.
You fell to your knees, breathing heavily. You haven’t made such a strong geyser in, well, never! Your vision was blurring as Beast Boy, Cyborg, and Raven all rushed onto the roof.
“Aquagirl! What happened?” Cyborg asked, helping you up.
“Starfire… Spaceship… Robin… I helped…” you huffed, pointing towards the spaceship, which was now far away from the tower.
“We gotta catch up to them. But how?” Beast Boy said, staring at the silhouette in the distance.
“Follow my lead.” Raven said, grabbing on to Beast Boy and Cyborg, who was holding into you. You watched as she made a dark portal in front of you. She pulled the three of you through it and you found yourself in the outskirts of the city, next to mountains and a river. You see Starfire and Robin up ahead, in front of a now toppled over spaceship.
“Starfire! Robin!” Beast Boy yelled as you caught up to them.
“Are you alright?” Cyborg asked. Suddenly, you see two aliens emerge from the shipwreck.
“Titans! Get ready!” he said, assuming a fighting stance, which you follow. You wait tensely as the aliens approach you.
“In the name of the Grand Centauri Empire, you are all under arrest.” one of the aliens says, showing off a professional looking police badge. You stare at it. If they're police, why are they arresting us? And why are we fighting them?
“Uh… you can’t be the good guys. We’re the good guys.” Beast Boy says, just as confused as you are.
“And we are the Centauri Police,” the second alien repeats.
“The Tamaranean girl is a liar and a thief.” the first police alien says, pointing at Starfire. “She's committed high crimes throughout the entire Centauri system.”
“I have never even been to the Centauri moons!” Starfire pleaded.
Suddenly everything clicked. The necklace, the events at the carnival, the events at the party. All evidence seemed to have pointed to Starfire, but they actually pointed at another person.
“But I know someone who has.” you and Robin say at the same time. You look at each other, obviously aware of who the other was thinking.
Blackfire.
.
Robin took off Starfire’s necklace for her and threw it aside. He faced the police aliens.
“You’ve been chasing the wrong girl. Where’s Blackfire?” Robin says. Before any of the other Titans could answer, you saw a figure flying through the sky.
“That Bitch!” you yelled, watching Blackfire make an escape.
“Don’t worry Star, she won't get away with this,” Robin says to Starfire, but her eyes are already glowing.
“No she will not!” she yells, and shoots off into the sky. You couldn’t see much, but there were flashes of bright green and purple in the sky. The Centauri police calmly rebalanced their ship and restarted it, its engine humming to life.
You then watched as they proceeded to fly up into the sky and capture Blackfire, similar to how they initially captured Starfire, and fly off into the night. You stared dumbfounded.
"What just happened?"
.
The next morning, you stood in front of the kitchen, making pancakes with Cyborg.
“Crazy what happened last night, huh?” you yawned, watching the pancakes sizzle on the stove.
“No kidding,” he said. “She would’ve made a great addition to the team, except for the intergalactic-criminal part.” You laughed, flipping the rest of the pancakes.
You climbed up to the roof, finding Robin and Starfire sitting together. God they’re probably being cheesy together you thought. You cleared your throat, the two of them jumping at your presence.
“Hey you two,” you winked. “Breakfast is ready!!!”
176 notes · View notes
janeykath318 · 2 years
Text
Fire And Lightning: A TaserTorch Soulmate Story
Tumblr media
Soulmarks and bonds came in all types and varieties, both platonic and romantic. Timers, Colors, Words, Strings, and Tattoos were the most common varieties, though Telepathy and Empathy were becoming more and more common as well.
Darcy had two soulmarks: her platonic mark on her wrist, which was a black telescope for her bestie Jane, and her romantic mark on her right side which was a rather large flame symbol, which would fill in with color whenever she met her soulmate. The size of it was kind of absurd and she wondered if her soulmate was a pyromaniac with a possessive streak, which didn’t make her all that eager to meet said soulmate.
She was fine with having her loving platonic bestie Jane beside her and their crazy adventures together didn’t really leave her much time for Soulmate Searching. Then Thor appeared and Jane had found her romantic soulmate, and suddenly, Darcy found herself a bit of a third wheel. That was okay, she told herself. She was good at expanding her friend circle.
A couple years later, Tony offered Jane the opportunity of a lifetime and she and Darcy moved into Avengers tower, which led to a starstruck Darcy meeting almost all of Earth’s Mightiest Heroes. Bruce Banner was super cool and nice and Darcy befriended him right away. Clint Barton became her partner in crime and cool big brother and Natasha Romanoff took her under her wing and taught her some very kickass and useful self-defense skills. Steve became her protege of modern day culture and they had regular movie/tv nights as she took to increase his pop culture knowledge. Steve Rogers was not the stuck up goody-two shoes that Tony liked to claim and Darcy found herself with another friend and a slight twinge of regret that he wasn’t her soulmate. Such a cutie!
One day, the topic of soulmates came up and Steve asked what kind she had.
“Oh, I’ve got the tattoo. It’s frustratingly and ominously vague and I sure wish I had Words instead.” She sighed, pulling up her shirt to let him see the flame mark. Steve looked at it curiously for a few moments and a faint gleam came into his eye.
“So with this type of mark, you get a clue as to your soulmate’s interests or career?” He inquired. Darcy nodded.
“I can see why you might be worried. It seems likely he or she is either a firefighter or a pyromaniac.” He observed.
“I’m praying it’s the former,” Darcy declared. “I wouldn’t mind having a hunky firefighter for a soulmate. Yum, yum.”
Steve just chuckled. “For your sake, I hope so too. We’d hate to have to lock up your soulmate or rescue you from a fiery death.”
“Do you have a soulmate, Cap?” She asked, quickly adding “Obviously, if you’d rather not say, I totally understand. Jane says I’m too nosy for my own good sometimes.”
“I don’t mind.” Steve said good-naturedly. “I didn’t have one until I came out of the ice and discovered I had Words on me. I was pretty shocked to say the least.”
“Have you met them?” Darcy pressed.
“Yeah. Took us a while to get our act together, though. We’re keeping it pretty close to the vest for security reasons, but I have a feeling you’ll figure it out the way you figured out who was raiding my Kit-Kat supply. Thanks for that by the way. I haven’t had any burglaries, since you put the fear of God into the thief.”
Darcy laughed. She’d actually scared Tony and it had been very satisfying.
“You’re welcome, Cap. And your soulmate is one lucky lady, or dude as the case may be.”
Johnny Storm had a sizable lightning bolt tattoo Soulmark on his left pec. He’d tried for years to try to figure out what the connection would be to his soulmate, but with absolutely no luck. He’d taken to dating unmarked people and developed quite the reputation as a womanizer. Sue looked at him with disappointment a lot and occasionally his conscience pricked him, but he justified his behavior by the difficulty of finding her and she was probably dating other people too.
Then he met the Avengers and his world was turned upside down. They seemed to view him with a good amount of disdain, except for Steve and Thor, who seemed pretty chill with him.
Thor started calling him “fire brother” and they’d fly around goofing off together when they weren’t fighting Doom-bots or alien hordes. He’d occasionally brag about his “sister” who apparently was very good with a taser, especially when it came to men. She sounded like the type who would probably taze him as soon as look at him, so Johnny didn’t ask Thor to go into details.
Steve being so cool was a big surprise to Johnny, given his expectations that Captain America has no sense of fun or humor. Turned out, Steve was actually kind of a troll and a pretty interesting guy.
After a joint mission went sideways and Johnny managed to lose half of his shirt, exposing his soulmark, Steve’s eyebrows rose in curiousity.
“Tattoo or soulmark?” he asked.
“Soulmark,” Johnny replied. “Whoever it is marked me good, but it’s pretty vague. Kinda wish I had Words. Is she a meteorologist? A huge Chargers fan? Thor’s sister?”
He didn’t notice the sudden grin on Steve’s face when he jokingly threw out the last speculation.
“Well, whoever it is is going to have their hands full,” the captain said. “Good luck, kid.”
“Thanks, grandpa,” Johnny shot back as disrespectfully as possible. He loved to rag on Steve about his age and Steve took it all in stride, often quick to respond with his trademark snark. Johnny didn’t mind so much getting mistaken for Cap anymore.
He was sent by Reed to deliver a package to Tony Stark and as he was waiting for the elevator, a breathless woman ran by holding a drink carrier.
“Coming through! Excuse me! Caffeine emergency in the science labs! Must prevent sleep deprived scientists from creating chaos!” she panted.
Everyone moved out of the way and Johnny’s interest was greatly piqued as he briefly shared a glance with very pretty blue eyes.
“Who was that?” He queried the amused looking man, Colonel Rhodes, beside him.
“Oh, that’s Darcy. She’s one of the lab assistants, or I should say The Lab Assistant and keeps things running smoothly. Stark and Foster would probably have blown themselves up by now if not for her.”
There was a strange itching on Johnny’s chest and he absentmindedly scratched at it as he rode the elevator up to the offices, pondering the whirlwind that was Darcy.
Meanwhile, Darcy had thrust the coffee into Jane’s hand and doubled over to catch her breath. After a moment, she recovered herself and shot a confused stare at Steve and Sam.
“How did you get here so fast, Steve? I saw you in the hallway not ten seconds ago.”
Steve shook his head.
“I’ve been here for half an hour. Haven’t left the room. Isn’t that right, Sam?”
Sam checked his watch.
“I can vouch for him. He hasn’t left:”
Darcy shrugged and sighed, rubbing her side, which she seemed to have a stitch in from all that running. Clearly, she’d neglected the gym for too long.
“I guess I’m finally going crazy, then. I could have sworn it was you. Tell me, Cap, do you have a doppelgänger out there?” She asked jokingly.
Something seemed to click in Steve’s brain, because he suddenly smiled and nodded.
“Yes, I absolutely do, for better or worse. He doesn’t come here a whole lot, but we have a lot of mutual acquaintances.”
Sam grinned and even Jane looked up from her coffee with a grin and an “oooooh!” Like she knew something Darcy definitely didn’t.
Darcy put her hands on her hips.
“Alright, spill it! Who is it?”
Johnny’s chest hadn’t quit itching when he’d left Stark Tower and he made a beeline home to see what was the matter, ripping off his shirt in annoyance. He stared hard at his soulmark, noticing with great surprise that the edges of the lightning bolt had started to fill in with a bright blue color.
“Holy crap!” He breathed. “Did I meet my soulmate?”
Darcy had received quite an earful on the exploits of Johnny Storm and figured she was glad she’d escaped actually having to speak with him. He sounded like nothing more than the typical rich playboy, only with superpowers. But her side continued to bother her so she finally yanked up her shirt to investigate, her irritation changing to wonder when she saw the red color slowly filling in the edges of the flame.
Flame…… She gulped as she put the pieces together.
“You said his nickname is the Human Torch?” she asked Steve.
“Yep,” he confirmed.
Darcy slowly turned around and showed them her changing mark.
“Guess that explains this,” she sighed, very unsure of how to feel.
Jane gasped. Bruce stared. Sam and Steve grinned.
“Congrats,” Sam offered.
“Thanks,” she responded weakly. “You know I will appreciate that pretty face.” She shot a wink at Steve. “But is he actually worth knowing? It sounds like commitment is not his thing.”
“He’s good friends with Thor,” Jane mentioned. “He says Johnny’s grown up quite a bit since he first met him.”
“He has,” Steve agreed. “But Thor sees him more, so he might be able to give more insight.”
“Alright,” Darcy nodded to Jane. “See if your godly soulmate can grace us with his presence.”
Thor was indeed agreeable to put in his opinion on the matter, and speedily arrived in typical dramatic fashion, beaming happily when the situation was explained to him.
“My fire brother is your soulmate, Lady Darcy?”
he boomed.
“We think so, but I need your advice about him. He’s got a bit of a reputation.”
Thor nodded understandingly.
“I see. Yes, he was rather wild in his youth, but he has matured. He does have a good heart and I do believe would be an excellent mate for you. I would not say this if I felt otherwise, Darcy. Would you like an introduction?”
“Give me a couple of days to think it over, Big Guy. I’m kind of off-balance right now.”
“Of course. This is a monumental occurrence. I may be called away tomorrow, but Steven could also introduce you when you are ready,” Thor replied, leaning over to give Darcy one of his bone-crushing hugs.
“Thanks, Thor. I know I can always trust you, bro.” Darcy responded sincerely. Thor, being the overprotective sort, would certainly not have hesitated to warn her away if he felt Johnny was a bad apple. Steve seemed to like him, too.
The two days turned into two weeks as Darcy dragged her heels and finally fate intervened on their behalf.
She was in line to pick up her coffee order at Starbucks, greatly surprised to hear her actual name being called. (Most of the time they thought she was Darby or Marcy). As she turned to go, she saw him gaping at her. This time she knew it was not Steve.
“Darcy? As in lab assistant Darcy?” The man asked excitedly. He looked so much like an adorable puppy with that expression that Darcy forgot to play coy.
“I prefer Science Wrangler, but yes. Are you the guy I passed in the hallway the other day? Steve’s evil twin?” She asked with a touch of a smirk. It was a well known sci-fi law with lookalikes: one had to be evil. She was gonna have fun with this.
“I don’t know about evil, but yeah, that was me,” he admitted. “Johnny Storm.”
“Darcy Lewis,” she told him, wondering how she would broach the subject of being soulmates. Did he even know?
“Not to be weird or anything, but I’ve been wanting to talk to you about something that happened that day,” she blurted out. “Do you have a few minutes?”
Did he have a few minutes for his potential soulmate? Johnny would sure as heck make them. Sending a quick text to Sue, he turned back to Darcy with a friendly grin.
“Sure. Looks like there’s a table open over there.”
He gestured to a nearby corner. “Meet ya there after I pick up my order?”
She nodded and headed over to claim the table. Johnny hurried over to join her, nervous and excited at the same time. The way she was clutching her coffee cup, he guessed she felt the same way. Darcy took a deep breath and looked at him as she spoke.
“My soulmark started to fill in shortly after we crossed paths two weeks ago,” she explained. “I’ve been kinda chicken about trying to track you down, but now that I’ve run into you I really need to ask if you had the same experience.”
Johnny nodded with a grin. “If you’re into electricity or lightning, we’re a match. I’ve got a freaking huge lightning bolt from here to here.” He pulled down his shirt a bit so she could see the top of the Mark, while indicating with his other hand just how far it went. Darcy snickered. She had marked him good.
“Very impressive and befitting my love of zapping people who piss me off. Mine isn’t quite that big, but still larger than the typical Soulmark.”
She hopped off the stool and pulled up her shirt so he could see the red flames on her side, or part of it at least.
“That’s amazing,” Johnny agreed with a very pleased grin. “And the color started filling in faster, so that would confirm our status, methinks.”
“Really?” Darcy took a closer look and her eyes widened. The vibrant reds and oranges were rapidly completing her mark, which meant she was definitely in the presence of her soulmate.
She looked back up at Johnny with a big grin.
“This is your last chance to run, dude. Otherwise you’re stuck with me.”
Johnny drained the last of his drink and smirked right back at her, shaking his head.
“Not going anywhere, soulmate” he assured her. “I wouldn’t miss this for the world.”
21 notes · View notes
perzawa · 3 years
Text
→ defender of justice
Tumblr media
saeyoung choi x fem! reader
desc: you weren’t the best at relationships. man after man, woman after woman, but you could not find the right one. after getting stood up on a date, a mysterious man with red hair comes to the rescue. 
genre: smut
warnings: praise kink, unprotected sex, sex with a stranger, pet names
word count: 3.1K
Tumblr media
Not again.
Not like this.
Hot tears pricked your eyes, the salty liquid rolling slowly down your flaming cheeks. How long had it been since you were sitting in that exact spot, waiting and waiting and waiting. You looked around like a lost puppy, mouth agape and eyes wide. Where the hell was he? You scammed the restaurant, your eyes glossing over multiple bodies of men and women. Everyone looked so happy with their spouses or potential mates, smiling in the faces of each other as they shared meals. 
That was supposed to be you laughing. That was meant to be you sharing spaghetti with your boyfriend. How could you be so foolish to believe he’d show up this time? 
“Ma’am, are you ready to pay for your meal?” The woman asked kindly, eyes shut with a large smile plastered on her features. You frowned, wiping away at the tears forming in your eyes. 
“Just a moment, ma’am.” 
“Okay! I’ll be back!” She left soon after. Sweat trickled down your eyebrows and your breathing hitched, stomach churning painfully. You were surrounded by couples. Everywhere you looked, there was a couple. Man, women, women, men. You’d given up. He won. Getting ready to pay and leave, you stood up, wiping at the new tears forming in your eyes. 
You took one last look around. Multiple people had been paying attention to you now, apologetic looks dancing across their faces. You simply smiled in their directions. You didn’t need pity from anyone. You’ve been stood up before, you’ll be fine. Yeah, you’ll be fine after you eat six tubs of ice cream and cry your eyes out for a week. Maybe you and Akira weren’t meant to be. You had given up now, sighing as you reached for your wallet, standing to your aching feet.
Just then, a pair of shoes stepped into your vision and you looked up, instantly in awe. 
“Hey, sorry I’m late. You can sit down now.” 
You stared up at him, lips agape as you tried to process his request. This wasn’t Akira. I mean, he was no doubt more attractive than Akira was in every way, but he definitely wasn’t Akira. The last time you’d seen him, Akira had black hair, not red. 
“W-Who are you?” 
“I’m Seven. Just go with it, okay?” He whispered to you, sitting in the seat across the table from yours. Shocked, you didn’t say anything, only blinking at the man. 
“I was standing there,” he looked over and pointed to the small line of people waiting to be seated. “I was there for a bit and I noticed that you’d been stood up.” You winced hearing the words, eyes darting down in embarrassment. You knew he wasn’t coming, but it still ached to hear him put it so matter-of-factly. 
“He’s a dick. Or she.” 
“A-Are you here with someone?” You tripped over your words, rubbing your exposed arm with your hand. Suddenly the air was cooler, tighter. 
“Nah, I came alone. I originally came for pickup, but seeing a pretty little lady all by herself made me change my mind.” 
“O-Oh…” you tilted your head up at him. “Please, I don't wish to burden you or anything. You’re incredibly sweet, but you can get your food.” 
The mysterious man chuckled, running his hand through his shaggy hair as his eyes looked you up and down. “You’re precious.” 
“I’m serious. I don’t want you to pity me. I saw this coming.” You mumbled those last words, pushing your plate of food to the middle of the table, hoping a waitress would swing by soon so that you could leave quickly. 
“Hey, I’m sorry. My conscience won’t allow me to leave you alone here.” You frowned, crossing your legs under the table. Your eyes met his and you’d noticed how pretty his were, suddenly melting. This man was adorable. Sure, he was kinda underdressed to be eating there, but you overlooked his apparel. He was hot. 
A few minutes passed by of an odd silence before a waitress came by, taking your old food and asking who she assumed to be your date, if he was ready to order. 
So he did. 
“Seven…” you muttered, hoping he would’ve been gone by now. “You’re too nice. I-I’ll pay for this as a thank you.” 
“Pay for it? Oh, hush, I got it. I’ve got enough. Don’t thank me for anything, okay?” 
And that was it. He ordered food and even shared a bit with you, even after you explained that you’d already eaten. You didn’t even know how you could both find so much to talk about, being complete strangers and all. But you still found a way. You incorporated jobs, home life, and he even allowed you to talk about your relationship with Akira a bit. 
“I was right. He sounds like an ass.” 
You giggled, reaching over the table to fork some of his salad before shoving it in your mouth. Seven gazed at you in awe, his focus completely set on you whenever you decided to share something, anything. 
“He wasn’t always like that, I promise. We got along really well for a while and it was perfect,” you looked down at the table you were sitting at before a dry chuckle found its way out of you. “We’re a bit off and on, you could say. That’s why this was so important to me. I guess he didn’t care as much.”
Seven frowned, noticing your change in demeanor. 
“Don’t let that get you down, okay? Look, you may not know me, but I’m here now. And as far as I’m concerned, I’m having so much fun right now. I’m glad he didn’t show up.” 
“Really? Y-You’re having fun?” Your eyes widened and you felt blood rush to your cheeks, self consciously rubbing your arm, which had now produced an insane amount of goosebumps. 
“Course I am, sweetie. What? You thought I stayed for my health? You’re cool. He’s missing out.” 
And with that, you both changed the subject to forget about Akira. He was irrelevant. 
You didn’t end up paying for your bill in the end, Seven did. Of course he did it, throwing in a ‘you really thought I’d let you pay for this alone?’ While he was at it. He escorted you out, hands stuffed in his pocket. You felt the cool air embrace your skin, the new area calming you now, the wind sweeping away every negative thought you experienced that evening. You almost forgot you’d even been stood up in the first place, really. But that’s how fun the ginger was. He was sweet and loud, always making jokes. His humor was a little bit odd. Well, it was extremely odd, but it made him more attractive to you. From his striped glasses to his plain sneakers, he was so down to earth. You wanted to talk to him again. You needed to say thank you. 
“I had a great time. Hey, actually, you never told me your name.” He turned to you, both of you still standing in front of the building. 
“Oh! You’re right! It’s Y/N.” 
“Well, Y/N, I had a good time. I’ll get going now, you take care for me.” The tall man turned away, pressing the button on his keys. Your ears perked up after hearing the car beep, indicating that the car was his. 
He was leaving. 
C’mon, Y/N. Ask him. It won’t be hard, right? The worst he could say is that he’s probably busy or he’s got work in the morning. Just do it. Do it. 
You yelped and that seemed to snatch his attention, the man whipping around to see if you were alright. 
“You good?” 
“Y-Yeah! Um, I’ve got no idea if you’re like busy tomorrow or something,” you trailed off, staring at your heels as you rocked back and forth on them. “I wanted to know if you wanted to come over! J-Just to like, watch Netflix. Unless you’re busy! Then that’s okay! I’m so sorry for burdening you!” You rambled on, your face entirely flushed, your body swinging sporadically from putting yourself on the spot like that. 
“Hey, hey, stop that,” he pushed your chin up, your eyes drifting to his hair, rather than his eyes. “I’d love to come over, okay? Hell, where’s your car? Let’s go right now.” 
Your eyes shot down to his, your face lighting up at his kind words. 
“Oh! Um, I took a cab here!” 
“That’s fine. Just gimme the directions, I’ll take you.” 
You could feel your heart swell in your chest. He was so damn cute. His smile stretched across his entire face, eyes closed from his cheeks pushing them upward. He guided you to his vehicle and let's just say you were more than impressed with his ride, eyes widening. Damn, now you really had to know where this man worked to afford such an expensive car. That was a question for another day. You pulled up a GPS and from there, the ride was mostly silent. You aimlessly scrolled through your twitter feed until he pulled up outside your home, first asking if he was at the right place. 
“Yeah, this is it!” Seven nodded and parked in your driveway, stepping out of his car awkwardly waiting for you to unlock the door before he did anything else. He locked his car, following after you. You giggled and unlocked your home, your cat rushing to the opening door to greet you. 
Seven laughed, pushing his way in as well. “Hey! I love cats!” 
You beamed, bending down to pet your feline. “Mmm, that’s a funny coincidence! Her name’s Elle.” 
Seven’s goofy demeanor dropped into a much more serious one. “You’re lying! There’s no way! M-My friend, his cat’s name is Elizabeth!” 
You threw your hands up, bursting into a fit of laughter. You looked up at the flickering lights, wishing you’d remembered to turn them off before you left the house. That was your worst bad habit. Seven noticed the flickering as well, but ignored it, just standing awkwardly as he awaited your next steps. You turned the main light off and led him to your living room, sitting on your sofa. He plopped down on the furniture and spotted the remote on the coffee table, passing it to you. You thanked him and turned the television on, the bright light illuminating the living space. 
“Whatcha wanna watch?” You asked, turning to Netflix. 
“Uh, scary movie? Or Anime? I could care less.” You nodded and searched for a horror film that you could both agree on, settling the remote on the coffee table. Not too long had passed before you were both cuddled up together, reclining the sofa so that neither of you would roll off by accident. You didn’t think you’d get so comfortable with a stranger, but there you were watching a horror movie with him while his arms were wrapped around your hips, pulling you into his touch. You’d be a fibber if you said you didn’t like it. 
“I hope you know I meant what I said. You’re cool as hell.” 
“Could say the same for you, Mr. Seven.” 
“Oh,” he teased, his lips close to your ear. “Am I Mister now?” 
“Depends. Do you wanna be called that?” 
Seven snickered, rubbing circles into your waist. A low groan escaped your lips, a small laugh following. Neither of you even cared about the movie anymore. 
“I guess that depends on what type of Mister you’re thinking of.” 
Chills ran down your spine and you smiled, slowly grinding yourself onto him. Seven’s breath hitched in his throat, a small chuckle following after. 
“That’s how we’re playing?” You didn’t respond, simply moaning while you continued grinding yourself against him. Seven gripped your hips tighter, rocking his hips against your ass. He pushed your hair out of the way, pressing his lips to the back of your neck. You let out a yelp, melting into his touch while his hips continued to move against your ass. You could feel him hardening, his tongue flicking against your skin. 
Seven groaned, sucking marks onto your innocent neck while you felt yourself getting lost in his touch. 
“Can I fuck you?” He whispered, thumbs rubbing circles into your hips again. You nodded, and before you knew it, he’d instantly had you on your back. 
“You know,” he started, grinning down at your defenseless body. “I did not think this was how tonight would play out. But I’m so glad it did.” He unbuckled his pants, pulling his cock free from his underwear. His cock sprung free, precum already bubbling at the tip. You licked your lips at the sight, feeling a surge of wetness rush through your pussy, wetting your white underwear. You shut your eyes tightly, your fingers finding their way to your underwear as something in your forced you to circle your clit through your panties. 
Seven spat on his hand, the mixture of saliva and precum slicking his cock enough. “That’s hot. Keep going.” He whispered, stroking himself to the sight in front of him. You whimpered, finger rubbing circles into your clothed clit while he jerked his hard cock, groaning at the your vulnerability. 
“Yeah, that’s good. So good. C’mon, take those pretty little panties off.” You weren’t hesitant at all, quickly sliding the panties down your ass. You’d never been fucked on your sofa before, oddly enough. You’d been fucked almost everywhere in your house but the time to do it on your sofa never really came up. You were glad, though, it was so hard to get comfortable on the black leather furniture. 
“Let me see that pretty pussy,” he muttered, pulling your dress up to your neck, the pink bra exposed under the fabric. Seven gripped your clothed tit before kneeling between your legs, leaning forward. 
“You’re so pretty. Your body’s so damn pretty. Everything about it. I don’t even remember his name, but he’s fuckin’ missing out.” 
He circled his wet tip against your clit, gathering some of your slick on his cock. You cried out. 
“Please, Seven, hurry.” 
“Are you rushing me? Bad girl.” He kissed the side of your lip before pushing against your entrance, sliding into the tight heat. You gasped, tears forming in your eyes from the painful stretch. It was probably helpful to mention how big Seven was. You almost couldn’t see from the constantly fading light of the television, but he was a good size. One you didn’t expect from someone so thin and lanky. Not that you weren’t appreciative or anything. 
“Oh.” 
“Oh?” 
“Yeah,” you whispered, wrapping your legs around his waist as he bottomed out inside of you, waiting for a moment to move. 
“Tight.” He choked out, pulling out halfway before slamming back into you, grunting with each thrust. His thrusts were sloppy and uncoordinated, but you could care less, clenching around his constantly moving length. You cried out his name, tears falling from your eyes. 
Seven found a good pace to fuck you at, rocking his hips inside of you slowly while you adjusted to his large cock, pussy fluttering over him.
“Fuck yeah, baby. So good. So, so good. I could cum on the spot feeling you grip me like this.” 
You looked into his eyes, slamming your lips against his waiting ones without any thinking. Seven moaned into the exchange, pounding you as hard as he could while his tongue pushed past your opened lips, both of your tongues intertwined. Your velvet walls gripped his cock harder, causing the man to begin moaning, hips stuttering while he fucked into you. You felt like you were already on edge, rocking your hips against his. Your ears perked up and you yelped hearing your phone ring. 
Seven’s eyes darted over to the contact name, sweat dripping down his glistening forehead. 
‘Akira 💕…’ 
“Answer it,” he snarled, his pace never haulting. He was quicker, harder, as he fucked his cock into you, head constantly hitting against your special spot. You couldn’t help but moan, tears drying on your cheeks while fire spread inside of you, the overwhelming need to cum urging you on. You didn’t question him, simply reaching over to the coffee table to grab the device, answering it. 
“Yeah?” You put him on speaker. 
Seven’s eyes were cut, focusing on the conversation while pounding you. He gripped your waist tightly, stifling a moan. 
“Sorry I couldn’t make it. I don’t know, I don’t think we should be seeing each other anymore.” 
Your heart dropped at his words and your stomach churned. 
“Fuck yeah,” Seven moaned loudly, throwing his head back. His hands travelled lower, gripping your ass while his cock hit the hilt of your pussy over and over again. You were so close, almost there. 
“Who’s that?” Akira squeaked. 
“No one,” you moaned out, forgetting to even hold back by now. 
“Tell him. Tell him how good you feel. Go ahead, naughty girl. Tell him.” 
You felt more tears well in your eyes, fresh liquid dripping to your damp cheeks. 
“I feel so good, Seven. Please fuck me. Harder, please. So close. I’m gonna cum. Please,” you managed to get out, fucking yourself on his cock while holding the phone in your hand. Ever thrust felt like energy being launched into your body, electricity shocking you each time your pussy clenched on his cock, walls constantly being jabbed at. It felt so good. You were almost there. One more thrust. 
“I want you to feel good. Want you to feel so fucking good. Do you feel good? You feel good with my cock inside you? Yeah?” 
“Yeah. Gonna cum, Seven. Close.” 
“Okay. That’s okay. Go ahead, I’m close too, pretty girl.” By now, Akira had hung up, his own heart dropping to his feet as well. As long as he understood how you felt, it was okay. You were fine. You’d be fine like this. 
He sped up, sporadically whimpering sweet nothings as he pounded you through your orgasm, pussy fluttering around his length while you came, cum coating his dick. Seven screamed out, burying himself to the hilt inside of you while he came, shooting his load into your gaping heat. He collapsed on top of you, both of your breathing uneven. 
“Good. That was good,” you found a way to croak out, releasing your grip on his waist. He didn’t respond, only kissing your sweaty neck. 
“Good girl.” He said, cock still buried inside of you. You flushed at the nickname, whimpering. He waited again to speak when you’d both caught your breath, bodies still, simply enjoying the presence of the other. The television was still on, the movie was over now. It had probably been over for a while. 
“Maybe it's not the right time for this, but can I take you out next week?
1K notes · View notes
chyanxrene · 3 years
Text
Sweetheart Part 2
♡ Sweetheart part 1 ♡
♡ Pairing: Draco Malfoy x Y/N
♡ Summary: Draco and Y/N were friend’s with benefits, now that Y/N was avoiding him, it was only a waiting game until he caught up with her.
♡ Warnings: Degradation, pure smut, male receiving
Tumblr media
"Y/N have you found an outfit for the ball yet?" Her friend asked from next to her whilst she ate a slice of toast.
Y/N furrowed her eyebrows and then opened her eyes in realisation that she had forgotten the winter ball that was on Friday.
"Fuck, I forgot."
"We don't have time to go to Hogsmeade, you'll have to wear one of my dresses" her best friend smiled and continued eating.
Y/N nodded, spreading jam on her toast. She was trying to forget about her last encounter with Draco which had left him fuming. She was trying to avoid him, she wouldn't walk down the halls by herself— in case he caught her.
"Y/N" her friend drawled, Y/N followed her friends eye line.
"Why is he staring at you?" Her friend frowned, quickly diverting her gaze back towards Y/N.
Her eyes found his, he was mad, furious actually. His gaze was intense, he sat two tables away. Despite the large amount of students in the great hall, he was only looking at her.
His hand was tightly clenched around his fork, his knuckles whiter than his normal pale skin tone. Y/N felt uncomfortable from his staring— but she couldn't take her eyes off him.
She watched as Pansy Parkinson tapped his shoulder and whispered something in his ear. But Draco didn't flinch, he continued to stare at her in anger, watching her every movement.
Y/N gulped and excused herself from the great hall, she ran out into the corridor only to bump into someone and fall straight on her ass.
"Oh fuck."
"Shit— I'm sorry, here— let me help you up."
Y/N watched the large male hand in front of her, she hesitantly grabbed the hand. He pulled her up, maybe a little too hard as she crashed into his chest.
"Thanks Cormac."
"You're welcome Y/L/N."
There was an awkward silence between the two. Y/N knew him from a few classes but had never spoken to him like that. She knew he could be a player but that didn't alter is good looks.
"Say Y/N, you don't happen to have a date tomorrow yet? If you do that's fine but if not then perhaps I could take you."
Y/N chewed on her lip, a part of her didn't want to go with him as he was a ladies man, another part of her wanted to— as she didn't have a date yet. The ball was the last thing on her mind.
"I'm surprised you don't yet" she laughed.
Cormac chuckled and brushed his hand along her right arm. "Well, I wanted to go with you but I didn't have the balls to ask."
This was news to Y/N, she had never observed any interest from Cormac. She decided to bite the bullet and agree to going with him— besides she didn't want to look lonely.
"Sure, I'll go with you."
"Perfect!" He pulled her into a tight squeeze, she heard him take a deep inhale and then let out a sigh. He was weird— nether the less she now had a date, so she had to prepare.
Y/N said her goodbye to Cormac after an awkward hug and turned around to head to her dorm room. At the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of Draco leaning against the entrance door to the great hall.
Her heart was racing, she didn't want to make eye contact with him. She hurried past him, the wind picked up his smell which travelled into her nostrils. Shivers ran down her spine, the smell of Draco was addictive but she had to be strong.
It was the day of the winter ball, Y/N didn't have much time to prepare an outfit so was left with two options, kindly offered by her friend.
"So, there's the red one with the slit— very Christmassy— also very seductive— the slit makes it easy if you want to— well you know what."
Y/N laughed at her friend's dirty mind and watched as she picked the other dress up.
"The black one is cute— it's what you would wear to your enemies funeral— just to show them up" she laughed.
Y/N thought carefully, the black was nice, slightly puffy at the bottom and long sleeves. The red was silk from head to toe, a slit running down the left leg, it was a straight dress— it would be a tight fit.
"The red."
Her friend clapped her hands excitedly and threw the dress over to her. Y/N went to get ready, she took a long hot shower. She done her hair in her favourite style and applied natural make up. She decided to go for a bold red lip, to match her dress.
"Fucking hell."
"Is it too much?" Y/N said worriedly, she looked down at her dress, ironing out the creases with her hands.
"If Cormac doesn't get you in his bed tonight, you'll definitely be in mine!"
Y/N blushed, her friend wore the black dress which complimented her skin tone nicely. She paired it with a smoky eye and nude lipgloss, they both looked good.
"Come, let's go— I have a date with Blaise and Cormac will be waiting for you" her friend said pulling them out of their shared dorm room.
"You look— lovely" Cormac smiled, his eyes went straight to her chest and then to her exposed leg. Y/N scoffed and now began regretting coming with this boy.
She thanked him, shooting him a quick smile. His hand went around her waist, holding her tightly— maybe a little too tightly. Y/N sucked it up, she hoped that she could loose him in an hour and find her friend.
"Do you want a drink?" He asked, his eyes wandered glancing at other females.
Y/N stood on his toe quickly and then retracted her foot "oh my, I'm so sorry, I'm clumsy you see."
Cormac nodded, a hint of anger on his face as he examined his shoe to see if there was any scuff marks. Once he discovered there wasn't he smiled and then went to get drinks.
Y/N stood waiting for her date, she watched as her friend was being twirled around by Blaise. They looked cute together, she couldn't help but feel jealous as she wanted to be treated the same as her friend.
Cormac was taking a while, she glanced over and saw him speaking to his friends, they kept looking over to her and then smirking. Y/N was utterly repulsed— men she thought in her head.
The air suddenly shifted, it was heavier— stuffy, Y/N's breath was caught in her throat as she found it hard to breath properly.
Everyone else continued dancing, she was the only one that was feeling this, and that's when she felt his body behind her. He wasn't touching her, she could just feel him behind her.
She took in a deep breath, and licked her lips.
"You look— beautiful" Draco breathed from behind her.
He had never spoken to her like that outside of sex. Of course he had called her beautiful many times, only when she was sucking his dick, or riding him— oh gosh.
She felt herself grow wet as memories of her and Draco clustered her mind. She had to stand her ground, she can't let him win again.
"Thank you."
"Where's your date?" He said now standing next to her, he didn't look at her, he just faced forward watching everyone dance.
"Getting drinks."
"Mmm, which one is it again?"
"None of your business" Y/N spat.
He let out a short laugh, his eyes finally meeting hers. She turned her head quickly and faced the front again.
"Where's your date?"
"I don't have one."
"That's a shame."
"Is it? Or are you secretly happy about that?" He teased, Y/N's face grew hot, did he know about her crush on him? She thought deeply thinking if she gave away any hints.
Y/N cleared her throat "oh here he comes."
Cormac walked over with two glasses of punch. He eyed Draco and then handed the drink to Y/N.
"Malfoy, everything alright?" Cormac asked, drinking some of his drink.
He hummed, watching Cormac, he looked annoyed "I'm fine, you mind if I have your drink Y/N?"
She frowned at him and shook her head "no— it's mine, get your own."
I looked at Cormac who had a worried look on his face "yeah— yeah get your own Malfoy."
Draco slapped the drink out of her hands, sending shards of glass onto the dance floor. It was too loud for anyone to hear, so no one noticed, only a Hufflepuff who quickly collected the glass.
"Draco what the fuck."
"He put something in your drink" he growled now holding onto Cormac's shirt collar.
"I did not!" Cormac shouted.
"I watched you, you and your little friends had a game going on didn't you?"
Cormac shook his head.
"Who can fuck first? Right?" Draco shouted.
Y/N had heard enough and ran off, she felt embarrassed. She knew Cormac was an ass but she didn't expect that. She wasn't upset or crying, she just wanted to go back to her dorm room.
She felt more embarrassed at the fact that Draco came to her rescue, she should've figured it out herself. Now she was beginning to get annoyed at him.
She turned down a corridor, speeding to her dorm room. Heavy footsteps trailed behind her, she was finally going to be caught by Draco Malfoy.
He tugged on her wrist and pulled her back, she swung around. His other hand pushed her head towards his and he kissed her deeply. Entering his tongue in her mouth straight away.
Y/N let out a whimper and returned the kiss. Draco backed her against the wall, her back hitting the cold stone sharply.
He pulled back, his eyes were heavy which watched his heavy breath.
His finger was raised, he pointed it at Y/N and laughed.
"You— my sweetheart— have been driving me wild."
Y/N could only gulp, his hand slapped the wall next to her head.
"Do you enjoy playing games with me?"
Y/N shook her head quickly, Draco's other hand trailed down her thigh and went underneath her dress. Brushing her inner thighs slowly.
"Answer me!"
"I—I haven't played games."
"You have, you leave me with blue balls, I haven't been able to get rid of them for nearly a week now!"
"That—that's not my fault."
A smirk fell onto his face, his hand stopped moving.
"You're right— maybe it's mine."
Y/N nodded, her underwear now sticking to her wet pussy, his finger grew closer and closer to where she wanted him most. But he didn't touch her, he was teasing her, getting her back for what she'd done to him.
"You know what I want?" He smiled, his thumb brushing her bottom lip, he smudged her red lipstick slightly.
"I want you— to wrap those pretty red lips around my cock."
Y/N moaned at his words, she just couldn't do it, she couldn't let him leave her again when she had all these feelings for him.
Y/N bit her lip and thought to herself— I guess one more time wouldn't hurt, she convinced herself.
Draco searched Y/N's eyes for an answer, then he smirked when he realised she had come to a decision.
Draco looked around and unbuttoned his trousers, he pulled them down along with his boxers. His dick was hard, the head leaking with precum.
"You missed this sweetheart?" He asked wiping the precum off his tip with the pad of his thumb and then smearing it onto Y/N's lips.
Y/N nodded quickly, her tongue darting out to taste his arousal. Draco's hand wrapped around her throat, he pulled her into a hard kiss and then let her go.
"Make me cum" he whispered against her lips.
Y/N fell to her knees, she rubbed up her hand up and down his dick. His hips bucked forward as he felt her thumb brush across his sensitive tip.
Draco's hands tangled in her hair "show me how much you missed me."
He pushed her head forward, his eyes never leaving her. She ran her hand up and down again, stroking the prominent vein on the side, her mouth opened.
Draco guided his tip first into her mouth, Y/N's lips instantly wrapped around it, swirling her tongue to taste him.
"Fuck."
He pushed her head further, forcing her to take more of his thick cock. Her mouth widened, she struggled to take in everything, so what she couldn't she pumped with her hand.
She hollowed her mouth, sucking as hard as she could. Draco groaned at this and gripped her hair harder.
Y/N choked suddenly, feeling his tip hit the back of her throat. Her mouth filled with more saliva, she looked up at Draco, he smirked and pulled her off him.
Multiple strings of her spit were still attached to his his dick from her mouth. Her eyes were watery and her mascara was now running. Draco looked at her like she was an angel.
He traced his tip along her lips and then prodded them, forcing her to open her mouth.
Y/N sucked in a breath, she knew what was coming. She held onto Draco's thighs and he thrusted hard into her mouth. He done this many times until Y/N was sobbing. Her vision was blurry and her mouth was swollen.
"Fucking— love— your— filthy— mouth" he grunted each word. Spit was falling out of Y/N's mouth onto the floor, she looked up at Draco, his head was thrown back, his mouth was parted as he continued to fuck her mouth.
He suddenly pulled out of her mouth and grabbed her forearm. He dragged her up "lift up— your dress."
Y/N quickly wiped her mouth and lifted her dress, Draco looked around again, to see if there were any onlookers. Not that that would make a difference now.
Draco held both sides of her underwear and snapped them, a stinging sensation running through Y/N's body.
He lifted her up, her legs were over his arms as he used the wall to balance his hands on.
"Fuck— I missed you" he whispered, he lined his dick to her entrance and then pushed inside of her.
Y/N's head flew back, Draco let out a strained groan as he pulled out and pushed back in again.
"So tight— you make it hard for me to last long."
She couldn't speak, she was in a total state of bliss, her eyes were screwed shut as he thrusted in and out of her. She moaned his name feeling his cock fill her up sweetly.
Draco moved at a faster pace, the angle made his tip rub against her g spot repeatedly.
Y/N was whimpering, crying his name as she felt her orgasm approach fast.
"You're mine— aren't you?"
Draco thrusted harder, lifting her up slightly higher so he could push into her deeper.
"Fuck— tell me you're mine!"
Y/N's head fell forward, they looked into each others eyes and she nodded quickly.
"Say it— I wanna hear you say it."
"I'm yours Draco."
He slowed his pace, giving Y/N short, deep, thrusts. She was close now, his head leaned in and sucked onto her neck, leaving red and purple marks behind.
He then thrusted one final time hard, which sent them both over the edge. Y/N came moaning his name, Draco let out 5 curse words in one short sentence.
His forehead leaned on hers as he tried to catch his breath. His lips kissed her forehead as he finally let her down.
Y/N pulled down her dress as Draco pulled his boxers and trousers back up. It was silent, no words were spoken between them, both were still reeling from the amazing sex they had just had.
Draco's back was turned from Y/N's, she heard him zip up his trousers "I'm not sleeping with her."
"What?"
"Don't be stupid— you know who I'm talking about."
"Right, I didn't care if you did anyway-"
"You did."
He smiled and turned around, he strolled towards Y/N, he brushed a loose strand of hair out of her face, pushing it behind her ear.
Y/N's eyes were watering, she didn't want to cry in front of him, but all her emotions were coming at once and she couldn't handle them all. She sucked in her tears and remained calm.
"I—I don't want to do this anymore" Y/N whispered, her head faced her feet.
Draco placed a kiss on her cheek "good because neither do I."
Y/N looked at him, she was confused at what he meant by that.
"What does that mean?"
He let out a laugh and smiled "I want you to go back to your room, burn the list of rules and then come back to my room."
Y/N furrowed her eyebrows and then widened her eyes realising what he had just said.
"But—but Draco?"
Y/N was worried what everyone would think about her being with a Slytherin— let alone Draco Malfoy.
"I don't care anymore— now be a good girl and do as you're told."
"Right, okay."
Y/N went to walk off but he pulled her wrist, forcing her against his chest. His mouth found hers as he engulfed her into a wet kiss. Y/N pulled away before they got too carried away.
"See you soon— sweetheart."
443 notes · View notes
patchofsunlight · 4 years
Text
Back to You | Zuko x Fem!Reader
SUMMARY: Fire Lord Zuko falls in love with one of the Kyoshi Warriors sent to protect him. Thankfully, she falls in love with him too.
WORD COUNT: 5.2k I wanted it to be shorter than Pretty Eyes and succeeded... kind of
WARNINGS: okay so there’s some kissing, some swear words, some obvious mutual pining, some frustration, and that’s it. it’s pure fluff ngl
I hope you all like it! I actually had a lot of fun writing this and I think it came out pretty nice. Also requests are open! Thank you for reading and here we go.
Tumblr media
“Hey, Fire Lord, your date is here.”
“Y/N, we’ve talked about this. You can call me Zuko, and it is a diplomatic meeting, not a date.”
“You sure? He’s wearing such nice clothes. I can do your hair real quick if you want, get you ready and cute in like five minutes.”
“No, Y/N, thank you. You can let Ambassador Gamu in.”
“Okay, okay. I’ll be just outside the door if you need me.”
“Of course.”
Zuko tried to ignore the cheeky blink the Kyoshi Warrior sent his way before leaving his office, a teasing grin adorning her painted face. When Suki told him she would bring the most experienced and talented of her warriors alongside her to protect him and serve as his guards, he definitely did not think he would have to deal with someone like Y/N.
He knew she was, for sure, a strong and intelligent fighter, being Suki’s second in command and impressively skillful with every single one of her weapons. He had watched her spar with her companions more than once and seeing Y/N fight never failed to take his breath away until his lungs were filled with only admiration and pride. However, one could call her less than professional, and her treating of the Fire Lord troubled most of the palace’s staff. And yet, to be honest, Zuko found it really hard to pretend he didn’t absolutely adore her.
Y/N felt like a breath of fresh air, like sunshine on a cloudy day, like seabreeze. He loved the way she always teased him and tried to make him laugh, loved the way she seemed to brighten up every room she walked into. Somehow she managed to bring joy to the same place he always associated with sadness and anger — every corner of the palace was happier with her around. That’s why he chose to keep her as his closest guard, even after every single one of his advisors told him time and time again to send the disrespectful Kyoshi Warrior away. Zuko knew he probably should, but he was slowly learning how to accept and cherish the things that made him feel like smiling, and Y/N was undoubtedly on that list.
He refused to admit how in love he was with her. He had convinced himself it was nothing but a crush, some sort of appreciation for her amazing fighting skills, but a small part of him knew that was not true. He had it bad for her and would kill a man to keep a smile on her face any day of the week.
“It is very good to know the Earth Kingdom is so willing to tighten its relationships with the Fire Nation, Ambassador Gamu. I hope I can assist you in every way possible to guarantee a brilliant future for all nations.”
The Earth Kingdom official smiled politely, “thank you very much, Fire Lord Zuko. Nevertheless, it is crucial you are made aware that not all our citizens are happy with the new… Arrangements between our countries. I heard you have had a similar problem here, haven’t you? I truly hope the Kyoshi Warriors have been good servants and protectors, sir.”
Zuko couldn’t help the upwards movement of his lips as he gazed at Y/N’s silhouette through the door crack. “They certainly have,” he watched her look behind her, probably feeling his stare, and grinned when she shot out her tongue at him in an amusing manner, “I am extremely grateful for having them here with me.”
-----
“Hey, Fire Lord, your date is here.”
He glanced up from his desk and furrowed his eyebrows at her, “it’s Zuko, and I don’t have any meetings scheduled for today.”
Y/N beamed and he was sure his heart did a somersault inside his chest, “I know! I was talking about me. I’m your date.”
He lightly blushed, “what?”
“Come on, Fire Lord, you’ve been working for hours on end. You need to take a break,” she scratched the back of her neck in embarrassment and thanked every spirit there was for the white paint hiding her reddened cheeks, “I thought we could take a walk around the palace, y’know? I’ll be beside you doing the whole protecting thing and you can rest a bit from the whole rebuilding the Fire Nation thing.”
Zuko hesitated, “I don’t know, Y/N. I really need to finish this,” he gestured to the awaiting letters and reports in front of him, “I can’t simply leave. I have obligations as Fire Lord and—”
“I’m aware of that,” she bit down on her lower lip teasingly and he couldn’t help but think about the inevitable gasps she would have earned if anyone else heard her interrupt him like that, “but you shouldn’t overwork yourself. Besides, I’m tired of standing around doing nothing. Please? It will be so fast no one will even notice you’re gone!”
He sighed, “Y/N…”
“Please, Zuko?”
It was probably the first time she had ever called him by his name. She knew how much he hated being called Fire Lord, only accepting it during important gatherings, assemblies or introductions, but insisted on calling him by that anyway. Zuko was absolutely sure she only did it to spite him and had to admit it was kind of endearing — he loved the small ways she found of constantly challenging him. However, he quickly learned he loved hearing her say his name a lot more.
He sat up suddenly, “five minutes.”
Y/N grinned so brightly he had to bit back his own smile, “fifteen!”
“This is not a negotiation. Five minutes and then I’ll come back to my duties as a leader.”
“Okay, okay. Ten minutes then.”
“What? No, I didn’t agree to that.”
“Oh? I’m sorry, Fire Lord. Fifteen it is.”
Zuko opened his mouth to oppose when he heard her chuckle in amusement before taking a hold of his arm and pulling him towards the gardens.
“We could feed the turtleducks, but I don’t really think that’s a good idea,” she chattered lightly, somewhat begrudgingly letting him walk arm in arm with her instead of keeping on dragging him around, “I already did that earlier today.”
He wrinkled his nose and stared at her with a silent question in his eyes, “why did you feed the turtleducks? We have people here to do that.”
“I know,” Y/N shrugged her shoulders, “but they are cute so I asked to feed them,” she threw him a smile, “I’m pretty sure they liked me.”
Zuko shook his head cheerfully and smiled back almost instantly, “Of course they did. How could they not?”
She turned her head to look at him so quickly he wondered how she didn’t get whiplash. The Kyoshi Warrior smirked, “are you flirting with me, Fire Lord?”
There was a tingling session going through his body as the color red creeped upon his neck, face and ears. Zuko wanted to say something smooth like “yes, I have been for a while, haven’t you noticed?” or “how could I not flirt with such a pretty lady like you?”, but he only managed to stutter, slightly panic, and then answer in a high-pitched voice, “what? No! What?”
Y/N lifted her free arm in surrender, trying not to laugh at his reaction, “alright, sorry for asking,” she smirked again before muttering, “I wouldn’t mind if you were, though.”
The Fire Lord’s eyes widened in surprise at her words, his tone now back to normal, “what do you mean?”
For some reason, his inquiry seemed to make her self-conscious of their conversation topic. Zuko wished for nothing more than to punch himself in the face. “It’s nothing. I was just joking.”
“Oh.”
“Yeah.”
“Okay.”
“Great. Look, it’s been five minutes already!” she stared at her wrist so confidently he almost didn’t notice the lack of anything to actually check the time there. “You must go back to your Fire Lord things, right, Fire Lord?”
“We can still go see the turtleducks if you want?”
“Don’t worry! We can do that another time, when you’re not busy.”
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I am. Hey, that’s Suki! I need to talk to her! Bye!”
“What? Y/N—”
“Bye, Fire Lord!”
Y/N was going absolutely crazy. When Suki first brought her to the Fire Nation to protect the so-called revolutionary and strong new Fire Lord, she had been skeptical. After all her years training and helping people around the nations with the rest of the Kyoshi Warriors, she couldn’t care less about the damn Fire Lord — she had spent a long time locked up after Azula and her stupid gang captured them and no new or old Fire Lord had come to their rescue. In conclusion, the bitch could catch on fire himself and be an On-Fire Lord for all she cared (she had spent too long thinking about that joke but that definitely did not matter), even though Suki had told her she knew the guy and that he was a great person or whatever.
Now she was biting her own tongue and trying to keep from flirting with him. In her defense, though, Zuko was a thousand times more good-looking and a billion times nicer than she expected him to be. She couldn’t help but always look for ways to make him smile, loving all his little quirks and habits, and suddenly found herself by his side a lot more than she needed to. She constantly acted as a personal guard, waiting outside his door during private meetings and accompanying him on walks, assemblies and gatherings in a somewhat intimate manner. She didn’t need to be right beside him the whole time — she could protect him from afar and maintain her distance like the other Kyoshi Warriors had chosen to, but Y/N simply didn’t want that. The stupid feelings she was slowly building towards the Fire Lord were dangerous at worst and annoying at best, constantly distracting her from her duties and responsibilities as Suki’s second in command.
It was infuriating, since love and relationships had never been really the type of stuff Y/N liked to partake in. She was good at fighting and giving witty responses and making jokes, but not at liking someone. Specially not liking Fire Lord Zuko, who was one of the most powerful people in the world and would certainly end up marrying some rich Fire Nation girl to guarantee a great and honorable successor to the throne or something like that.
When she finally went back to her individual palace room after a long day of trying not to embarrass herself in front of Zuko anymore and just all-around avoiding talking with him, she sat down before the mirror and started to take her facepaint off. That part of her routine, alongside putting on the paint in the mornings, had always felt like a ritual of sorts, calming her down and enabling her to let go of any unimportant worries. 
Y/N let out a tired sigh, stared at her bare face and grinned. She might have fallen in love with the Fire Lord, but at least living in the palace allowed her to sneak into the kitchens in the middle of the night and steal some fruit tarts. She got up from her spot in front of the mirror and exited the room as quietly as possible, strongly believing that eating something would take her mind off the Fire Lord and his beautiful golden eyes. 
-----
After another full hour of fruitlessly waiting for sleep, Zuko decided to put on an old cloak and walk around his palace. Pacing had always made wonders for helping him collect his thoughts and calm down from whatever it was that troubled him that day. It was not the first time he took on that habit and it would not be the last.
He honestly didn’t notice the person creeping up on him until he was pinned to a wall, an arm to his throat not pressing hard enough to hurt him, but enough to quicken his heartbeat. Zuko stared at the one responsible for the assault with confusion shining in his eyes, unable to recognize her without her greasepaint until she blinked and stepped back.
“Fire Lord?”
He widened his eyes, “Y/N? What are you doing here?”
“I was headed for the kitchens. What are you doing here? Did something happen?”
“No. I just couldn’t sleep.”
“I see,” she nodded and yawned, averting her eyes from him, “you shouldn’t be out and about without a guard, tho. You know that.”
“I’m pretty capable of protecting myself, Y/N.”
“Yeah, yeah. Sure.”
He crossed his arms in defense, “what is that supposed to mean?”
“Do you want to go grab some snacks with me?”
“I—” he stared at her, for the first time seeing her blush under his gaze, “okay.”
“Great! Let’s go, Fire Lord.”
Zuko stayed quiet while they walked through the palace. He watched Y/N greet every single night servant they met on their way, earning big smiles and excited waves. For some reason, knowing how loved she was by his workers made his heart swell with pride. She would make an excellent Fire Queen someday. Or Fire Lady. Was there an official name for the Fire Lord’s wife? He couldn’t remember.
Zuko felt all the blood in his body drop to his feet when he noticed where his thoughts had wandered to. He shouldn’t think about Y/N as his wife — she was merely a protector, the help. He was not in love with her and therefore should not deliberate such things, not even by accident.
But he had never seen her bare faced before and he couldn’t help but take note of how alluring she was. He had always considered her pretty, but now he could really see her and she was so much more than just pretty.
“Come on, Fire Lord. I’m sure they have fruit tarts.”
He smiled as she sneaked inside the door to the kitchens, following soon after. In a matter of minutes they were sat before each other on the ground, sharing a bunch of fruit tarts Y/N had found hidden inside one of the cabinets. There was a comfortable silence surrounding them and Zuko appreciated how easy it was to be near her, without expectations or curious looks. Whenever he was next to the Kyoshi Warrior, he came close to forgetting his titles and obligations, satisfied with being simply who he was.
It felt nice.
“You look good with your hair down,” she announced suddenly, unaware of the thoughtful look on his face, “I like it.”
He felt his cheeks burn, “thank you, Y/N,” the young Fire Lord inhaled deeply to gather the courage necessary to express the response that came to mind, “you look good all the time.”
She stilled her movements with a fruit tart inches from her mouth, eyes blinking in surprise. After a tense moment, she grinned and lowered her arm, “do you really think so or are you just being nice?”
“I mean it, Y/N. You are… You are absolutely beautiful.”
The pair studied each other for a few instants, eyes sparkling with a breathtaking feeling both easily recognized but were not ready just yet to deal with. Y/N beamed at him, her face pink at the compliment. Zuko could feel his heart twist and turn inside his chest, butterflies flying in his stomach. “Why, thank you, Fire Lord. For the record, I have found you beautiful since I first saw you. I was expecting some rude and cranky old guy and there you were, with your pretty eyes and nervous smile. It was pleasant in a very surprising way.”
The Fire Lord was pretty sure she could hear his heartbeat as she leaned in almost subconsciously, her smile brightening up every small spot his eyes could see of the dark kitchen. 
He was, indeed, very much in love with her, and there was no use in denying it, not while she averted her gaze to his lips and seemed to get closer and closer until their noses touched. Zuko’s breath hitched inside his throat as her lips ghosted his, eyes fluttering close before a loud bang sent them jumping in opposite directions, searching the source of the noise.
“Y/N? Is that you?”
The Kyoshi Warrior scratched her neck shyly, adamantly avoiding Zuko’s stare, “yes, Izum. How are you?”
The servant walked up to her with crossed arms, “I told you to stop invading the kitchens at night! You’re gonna put an end to our fruit tart stock, young lady.”
The Fire Lord watched the interaction curiously. Y/N and Izum smirked at each other as if they were old friends. “Well, if you don’t want me to steal your fruit tarts, you should maybe stop making the best fruit tarts in the entire universe.”
“Flattery won’t get you anywhere, honey.”
“You sure?”
“Yes! Fire Lord Zuko will be alerted about this.”
“I think he might already know.”
The young man seemed to finally notice Zuko’s presence, widening his eyes in surprise and bowing respectfully, “I’m so sorry, sir. I didn’t see you there, it’s too dark and—”
“It’s fine, Izum, don’t worry. We’ll be off your kitchens in a second. Right, Y/N?”
“Of course,” she brushed the dust off her pants and walked to stand beside the Fire Lord, ignoring her friend’s raised brows, “I’ll see you tomorrow?”
“You will,” Izum looked from her to Zuko and then back to her, a teasing smile on his face when he greeted them goodbye, “good night, Y/N. Good night, Fire Lord Zuko.”
“How do you know him?” the Fire Lord asked after they left the kitchen, some sort of discomfort growing inside him at the way the Kyoshi Warrior had interacted with the servant.
“Oh, Izum is a good friend. He regrets deeply telling me where they keep the fruit tarts, but it’s too late now. We met during my first week here.”
“I see.”
“Let me take you back to your room, Fire Lord. It is already very late.”
Despite his unacknowledged jealousy, he wasn’t fast enough to bit back his smirk, “shouldn’t I be the one leading you to your room?”
“I am the guard, Zuko. I am the one taking care of you, not the other way around.”
He chuckled, “right.”
“I can put you to bed if you want, I used to do that to my younger sibling sometimes.”
“Shut up, Y/N.”
She threw her had back in laughter and he grinned.
They didn’t ever talk about what happened (or more accurately didn’t happen) during that dark night in the kitchens. Zuko was progressively busier with meetings and peace treaties, slowly putting the Fire Nation back in good rails. Y/N would routinely force him to take a break every once in a while, be it by leading him outside his office or taking his attention away from work and starting conversation.
Spirits, he was so in love with her.
It was during one of those breaks that one of her fellow Kyoshi Warriors knocked on his workroom’s door and entered with a nervous look on her face, nodding at him in respect before turning her attention to her friend, “Y/N?”
The young warrior smiled, “hey, Naya. Is everything alright?”
“Suki wants to speak with you. Privately.”
Y/N’s expression was instantly filled with worry and concentration. She gripped her katana tightly, walking towards the girl, “I want three warriors guarding the Fire Lord at all times, we are not taking chances regarding his safety. Do you understand?”
“Yes, Y/N.”
“Good,” she turned to Zuko, her stone-cold face easing momentarily. She marched up to him with conviction before planting a kiss on his cheek that made his body burn with surprise and happiness. “Be careful, Fire Lord. I’ll be back soon, okay?”
“I—I… I mean… I’m—” he kept on stuttering, unable to form an entire sentence with his feelings all over the place, “You… I—”
She smirked, walking away backwards, “see you, Zuko.”
Naya looked at him with a cheeky smile after Y/N left the room, crossing her arms and staring in a teasing manner. Zuko was still rooted into place, widened eyes and reddened cheeks watching the now closed door. “Are you alright, Fire Lord Zuko?”
“I—yeah. I am. Yes,” his tone was definitely not as certain as he wanted it to be, “of course.”
The girl giggled, “sure.”
The Fire Lord would only see his favorite guard again on the following day. She came to visit him in his office and had a gravity to her eyes that he was unfamiliar with, lips pressed together in determination.
“What happened?” he immediately asked, the letter he was working on quickly forgotten. “Are you okay?”
“There have been attacks to the warriors in Kyoshi Island,” she declared, “not everyone is happy with our new arrangements. People think Earth Kingdom fighters shouldn’t be helping the Fire Nation in any way.”
“Oh,” he managed to answer, anxiety building up inside him at her hardened expression. “I’m sorry.”
“It’s not your fault, Zuko,” she looked away from him, “but we can’t leave our companions to fend for themselves.”
He could feel his heartbeat pick up, “I see.”
“Suki is sending me back to Kyoshi Island,” Y/N confessed, a hint of sadness to her tone, “I’m her second in command and I should be there to help our warriors through this.”
A heavy silence fell upon the room, tension sparkling between the couple. He knew what that piece of information meant, knew what it would cause.
“You’re leaving.”
She softened almost instantly, taking a step closer to him and then hesitating, “no!” he stared and she sighed, “I mean, yes, but I’ll return when it’s over,” she looked at him with some sort of desperation, eagerly searching for something she couldn’t find, “when everything’s done and dealt with, I’ll return.”
Zuko nodded, a disheartening sting running through his chest, “I understand. Leaving is your duty as a leader.”
“I’m not leaving, Zuko,” another step, “I’ll come back. I’ll—” she hesitated, taking a final step towards him and reaching for his hand uncertainly, “I’ll come back to the Fire Nation,” she interlaced their fingers carefully, “I’ll come back to you.”
It was his turn to step closer, bringing his free hand up to her face and sighing when she leaned onto it, hopeful eyes shining at him. When he finally spoke, his voice was a whisper, “will you?”
She chuckled sadly, moving to rest her forehead on his, staining his face with the white paint and rubbing circles alongside the back of his hand with her thumb, “I will. You are not getting rid of me this easily, Fire Lord.”
“Good. I didn’t want to.”
She smiled. On that exact moment, Suki opened the door and studied the scene before her with a bittersweet gaze, “Y/N, it’s time to go.”
His chest clenched in pain and distress, glancing from Suki to Y/N with anguish, “you are going now?”
The Kyoshi Warrior distanced herself from him and Zuko could’ve sworn he felt physical pain at the space between them, “I’ll come back, Zuko. I promise.”
-----
It was like he had a constant sunshine right beside him and now it was gone. He was pretty sure every single person in the palace had noticed the liking he had taken to moping around and staring sadly at the turtleducks, missing the one he had come to love. He thought his feelings for her would subside after her departure, but, oh dear, was he wrong. The deep ache that settled in his chest was enough to constantly remind him of how much he liked her, how much he missed her. Not having her around hurt so much that it became inconvenient, making it difficult to work and complete his responsibilities when he was constantly thinking about her safety and about what could have been if she had stayed just a little longer. Zuko thought they had finally reached the start of something new but she wasn’t here anymore and he would have to wait to find out.
Suki tried to report to him what was going on at Kyoshi Island whenever she could. Y/N was working hard to calm down the conflicts while at the same time training the new and old Kyoshi Warriors as well as possible. Suki told him it would take a while until things were okay enough for Y/N to return to the Fire Nation, but it would happen eventually.
He was so desperately in love it was embarrassing. He craved her presence, her voice, her laugh, her touch. He wondered if she felt the same and concluded that no, probably not. To be honest, however, he would accept anything coming from her, even some second-hand love. He would still be happy if she decided to settle for him after being made aware of his feelings.
The Fire Lord was adamant on telling her everything he felt when she came back — and she would come back, she had promised —, because being away from Y/N made him realize how much happier he was with her and he refused to let her leave again without knowing that he just absolutely adored her.
Meanwhile, Y/N felt incredibly overwhelmed. Between helping train the Kyoshi Warriors and trying to solve any misunderstanding with the Earth Kingdom citizens in a diplomatic way, she found it hard to breathe. It was somehow good, to be honest, because it didn’t leave her with much time to think about him. And, Spirits, did she think about him when she could. She was extremely excited to finally go back to the Fire Nation and just be by his side again.
There was a part of her that worried. Even though they had had multiple moments when she truly believed he felt the same, they never really spoke about it. Zuko didn’t seem the best at communication, and Y/N generally chose to joke around and tease instead of actually voicing her emotions. 
“Miss Y/N, you must understand—”
“No, Mung, you and your so-called rebels are the ones who are not understanding. Fire Lord Zuko is trying to rebuild and strengthen the ties with Earth Kingdom in a healthy way for both nations—”
“But Miss Y/N—”
“—and the Kyoshi Warriors are collaborating with that by being a part of the official guard. How, for Spirits’ sake, is you attacking my warriors a good way of achieving anything you might want to achieve?”
The man swallowed harshly while he fidgeted. Y/N had worked hard to get a meeting with the rebels on Kyoshi Island, but was pleasantly surprised to notice how unorganized they were. “The Kyoshi Warriors shouldn’t collaborate with the Fire Nation, Miss Y/N,” a young man guarding the rebel leader’s door interrupted their staring contest, “the Fire Nation has done nothing but cause destruction and suffering. We won’t have our beloved warriors being corrupted by such a horrible mindset as the Fire Nation’s.”
“I appreciate your concern, but Zuko,” she cleared her throat in embarrassment at the verbal slip, “Fire Lord Zuko is different. He cares about people and he seeks redemption for Fire Nation’s wrongdoings. Having a good relationship with him is a great deal for the Earth Kingdom, believe me.”
The two men exchanged a look before returning their gaze to her. She tried to bit back a smile when she noticed the meaningful expression on their faces, signalizing she might finally be able to go home.
She tensed at the thought. Was that what Fire Nation was now? Home? 
Or was she ready to admit the real home she had been thinking of was a certain Fire Lord all along?
-----
It was a hot day in the Fire Nation and Zuko was busy with his daily amount of sulking and missing his favorite girl when he heard a commotion going on somewhere near him. He confusedly followed the sound, finding the Kyoshi Warriors gathered around and talking loudly. The Fire Lord furrowed his brows.
“Is everything okay?” his voice quieted them down and he watched while the young fighters exchanged knowing looks. “Did something happen?”
“Yeah, Fire Lord, it did,” his heartbeat picked up immediately and he turned towards the voice he had fallen in love with, finding her dazzling smile. Y/N crossed her arms in a teasing manner, “told you I’d come back.”
Zuko stared at her while the other warriors scrambled towards somewhere else, aiming to leave the couple alone. He smirked, “you did tell me.”
She walked closer to him until they were chest to chest, and he wondered if she could feel his jumping heart against her, “I think I even made a promise.”
“You surely did.”
Y/N grinned, “well, then I guess—”
“I’m in love with you.”
This was not in his plans. He meant to say a lot of things about how he slowly fell for her during the months they spent together, but Zuko simply couldn’t help from blurting a confession out like a dumbass. He had craved being around her so much during these weeks apart and now she was finally there, just within reach. He couldn’t take any more dancing around each other.
She beamed, “that surely makes this less awkward.”
“Wait, what?”
Before he could wrap his head around her words, Y/N took a hold of his collar and pulled him to her, gazing at his lips as their noses touched, just like weeks ago in the kitchens. She smiled softly, eyes fluttering close, “I’m in love with you too, Fire Lord.”
“Oh, thank the fucking Spirits.”
The Kyoshi Warrior laughed against his mouth, sending a tingling sensation down his back. His hands held onto her waist, extinguishing any space between them before he kissed her deeply, relief and happiness flooding his senses all at once. His own personal sunshine was finally next to him again and he revelled from the pure warmth she provided, chasing all insecurities and fears away until only his love remained.
“I missed you,” he mumbled on her lips, so intoxicated by her presence he could have forgotten how to breathe.
He could literally feel her smile between kisses, “I missed you too, Zuko,” she moved slightly away so to be able to stare at his eyes, “but don’t you worry, Fire Lord. I’ll always come back to you.”
Zuko chuckled, “you’re so cheesy.”
“You love it. Can I be even cheesier?”
“Go ahead, pretty girl.”
“Hey, Fire Lord, your new permanent date is here, and she’s not leaving.”
“That was horrible, Y/N. But good to know.”
He attached his lips to hers again and, for the first time, Zuko didn’t have a single worry for the future or for his fate. For better or for worse, he had his favorite guard by his side, and that was enough.
Tumblr media
ATLA taglist: @bottledcostcowater​ @officiallydarkgeek (for some reason I can’t tag you I’m sorry??) and @beifongsss​ and @azucanela​ I know you didn’t ask to be tagged but you didn’t seem to mind last time so here I am again?? if you don’t want to be tagged anymore just lmk!!
I hope you liked it!!
3K notes · View notes
whump-tr0pes · 3 years
Text
Honor Bound 6 - 9
This is a series. Start here. Continued from here.
This is a sequel to Honor Bound, Honor Bound 2, Honor Bound 3, Honor Bound 4, Honor Bound 5, and the prequel Vera.
AO3
Content warning: post-rescue, referenced starvation, scars, referenced attempted murder, noncon body mod, referenced nonsexual noncon nudity, PTSD, referenced noncon (that didn’t happen), self-blame, flashbacks, hallucinations, unsure of reality
For those of you who pointed out I forgot about Zelda in the last chapter with Vera... thank you!!
~
There was a sense of warmth to the light in the bathroom. Gavin could almost feel it on his skin like the brush of a breath, like the sun on his face. It was nothing like the cold light in the basement. Nothing. Even as his head felt both too heavy and too light at the same time, even as his stomach adjusted to the feeling of being full, he felt the light pressing into his eyes and felt real. 
He felt safe. 
He could still taste what he’d eaten for dinner, savory and sweet and sour, peanut sauce and chicken and noodles swirling together in what may have been the best thing he’d ever tasted. He’d only been able to finish half before he’d sat back, feeling almost too full to move. But Gray said that might happen. Gray said it might take some time for his stomach to get used to eating enough. 
He met his own eyes in the mirror. There were dark circles marking the skin beneath them, and the shadow of a bruise on his left cheek where Schiester had struck him as he dragged him to the gallows. His lip was split at the corner of his mouth. He pressed his tongue to the spot and winced at the burst of pain and the coppery taste. The scars on his face were carved deep, now, puckering the skin around them on the bridge of his nose, across his left cheek, and from the corner of his left eye to the hairline at his temple. The lines were reddish, almost purple, like they had been when they were fresh. It had taken three surgeries with the best surgeons in his parents’ region to make the skin lay flat, before. His face would look like this forever now. He was marked like this forever. 
His gaze dropped to his neck, to the ring of worn, weeping skin where the collar had rested. There were spots where the skin had been rubbed raw from the constant pressure, from Schiester dragging him into place and holding him down while he hurt him. Gavin bit down hard on his lip as he tried to look away from the marks there. As he did, his fingers brushed the scars on his right forearm.
Stormbeck.
He shivered. 
“You ready?” Vera croaked behind him. He jumped. 
“Y-yeah,” he murmured, turning to look at her. She was staring off to the side, her eyes unfocused – as if she couldn’t make herself look right at him. His throat tightened, and he raised one hand to run through his hair. It still smelled like the family’s shampoo. He let the scent wash over him, calming the rapid thrum of his heart. “Yeah, Vera.”
“Good,” she rasped. She stepped forward and plugged the sink, then grabbed the electric trimmer from the counter. “Um. Are you good to, um…” She blinked, and her throat bobbed. “You good if…”
“I can bend over the sink,” Gavin said softly. “That’s… th-that’s fine.”
Vera raised her eyes to his for the first time since… 
She’s not a monster. She’s not going to hurt me.
“O-okay,” she whispered, nodding jerkily. “Good.”
“Vera,” Gavin murmured, and reached out to take her wrist. Her gaze flicked down to the scars on his forearm. She shivered and looked away. “I’m not… Whatever it is you’re thinking right now, I… I didn’t have to… He never…” Gavin blew out a shaking breath. 
Schiester never bent me over anything. Even though I—
Gavin winced at the thought that followed: even though I deserved it.
But he did. Every moment of what happened was recompense, come too late to save any of the twenty-three lives he’d ended before he ever met Isaac.
Vera chewed the inside of her cheek and nodded again. “M’kay,” she murmured, her gaze faraway. “Good.”
She reached for a spacer and slid it onto the blade. Her hands were shaking. Gavin closed his eyes and leaned over the sink, bracing his elbows on the counter. He shivered at the cold ceramic against his forearms. Bent over like this, the collar of his shirt brushed against his face, and he caught Isaac’s scent with his next breath. The trimmer switched on. 
“You still sure you’re okay with this?” Vera said, her voice oddly distant. “I mean…”
“Yeah,” Gavin murmured against the counter. “I don’t… I don’t want to look like… him.”
There was a long silence. The only sound in the bathroom was the sound of the trimmer, and the sound of Gavin’s breaths against the counter. Then, a cool hand settled on the back of his neck, and the spacer touched down a moment later. 
Gavin jerked. There was an electric razor against the back of his head, his hands were tied behind him, he was naked and on his knees on the linoleum washroom in Schiester’s basement. One of Schiester’s men was holding the razor to his head – “he used to cut hair, in his previous life,” Schiester would say, “back before your family destroyed everything good about the world” – and every now and then Alvarado would look at the picture Schiester was holding up for reference, a picture that Schiester would force Gavin to look at while whispering in his ear, “that’s your father, that’s the man who destroyed my life, that’s the man you are, and you’re going to die when I’m finished with you, you’re going to die, you’re going to die, Stormbeck—”
“Gavin?”
Vera’s voice. 
Gavin sobbed weakly, trembling, his knees pressing against the tiles of the bathroom. His wrists burned like they were tied. He shuddered and wrapped his arms around himself, blinking tears out of his eyes. Vera’s gentle hands settled on either side of his face and eased his head up so she could look at him. 
“Gavin,” she said again. “Gavin Uriah. You’re okay.”
Gavin’s heart pounded against his ribs and his lungs burned with every inhale. He reached out and grabbed at her wrists. She released him but his grip tightened, and she hesitantly cupped his face again. Gavin’s gaze darted around the small bathroom as he gasped. 
“V-Vera…”
“Do you need me to get Isaac?” she said evenly. 
Yes.
No.
Gavin wet his lips and forced himself to take a breath. “N-no,” he wheezed. “I don’t…” He swallowed hard. His neck felt so strange without the collar. “I d-don’t want him… seeing this. Please, Vera, don’t… I c-can’t hurt him, he… he hurts when, um, wh-when I hurt.”
Vera sat back on her heels and brushed Gavin’s tears away with her thumbs. “Yeah,” she croaked. “He does.”
“I…” Gavin dragged in another slow breath. The room wobbled around him and his eyes darted around the bathroom. No hose in the corner. No cold white light above him. No rope on his wrists, no knife at his throat, no men holding him down, no collar on his neck, no icy blue gaze on him. 
Safe, like Isaac said. Safe.
Gavin cleared his throat. “Um…” He gripped the counter and dragged himself to his feet. His legs were shaking so hard he could barely stand. Vera staggered to her feet beside him. “M-makes me think of, um… of… him… cutting my hair, and…”
“Shit,” Vera breathed. “I mean, I can… I can try and do it with scissors, I’m shit at it, I mean… you’ve seen Sam’s hair when we’re on the run…” She huffed out a laugh. It sounded forced. 
Gavin shook his head. “N-no,” he murmured. “I… I mean, that’s going to… feel similar, too. And I can’t…” He shook his head. “I can’t just… n-not have a haircut ever again, I…” He raised his gaze and met Vera’s eyes. “Please,” he whispered. She blurred with his tears. “Please. I don’t want to l-look like him.”
Vera’s mouth twisted. “Yeah,” she said heavily. “I don’t particularly want you to look like him, either.” 
It felt so unreal, the half-hearted laugh that bubbled in Gavin’s chest. Everything felt real, and unreal, a dream and a memory and a thing that was actually happening, all at once. Shaking, he pushed out a breath and bent over the sink once again. 
“Just talk to me,” he murmured. “Just… just t-talk to me. I want to hear you.”
“Yeah,” Vera said gently. “Can do, Uriah.” 
Heat bloomed in Gavin’s chest at the name. The trimmer switched on again. He drew in a deep breath through his nose. 
“I’m gonna talk about my puppy, because I’m fucking obsessed with her,” Vera said. Gavin could hear the smile in her voice. This time, when the spacer touched the back of his head, he latched onto her voice, let it pull him out of the memories that threatened to suck him in. He kept his eyes open, staring into the sink. The white porcelain reflected the warm light above him. His fingers gripped the counter like he would go tumbling off a cliff if he let go. 
“So her name is Zelda,” Vera said, her voice sounding a little stronger. She drew the trimmer up the back of Gavin’s head. He shivered with the sound, the sensation. He clenched his jaw and forced himself to hold still. 
“Y-yeah?” he croaked. His fingers ached from clutching the counter.
“Yeah,” she said. “She’s a German shepherd. I got her from someone east of the farmhouse in this place called Eden. This lady breeds shepherds as like… her job.” Another pass of the trimmer across the back of his head. “She breeds them specifically to avoid their hip problems, and for temperament. I told her I wanted a chill dog, but I’ll probably still train her to guard the place.”
“That sounds nice,” Gavin said. His throat still felt raw from screaming, even after—
He wasn’t entirely sure how long it had been since he’d been dragged from the basement. 
If I’m not still there—
NO.
“Yeah,” Vera said with a chuckle. “She’s at home right now. I figured dinner might be a little much for you, and I didn’t want to add to that with a crazy puppy.”
“Dinner was good,” Gavin said weakly. “It was… it was good to see everyone.”
“Everyone was glad to see you, too,” Vera murmured. “I mean…”
“Edrissa doesn’t have to be happy to see me,” Gavin said. The trimmer paused in its path across the top of his head. Locks of his dark brown hair lay in the sink. “She doesn’t.”
Vera drew in a deep breath and let it out. The trimmer moved slowly across his hairline. He lifted his head to give Vera easier access. As he did, he felt the cold press of her teeth against his neck, the white-hot agony as she tore through his throat, the pulse of blood on his skin as he fed on his flesh. He shuddered and whined softly. 
“I’m… I’m sorry she couldn’t make it tonight,” Vera said. “She—”
“It’s… not that,” Gavin gasped. He squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head. “Ahh…” Sharp teeth flashed at him in the dark and his eyes flew open. 
“Hey,” Vera said, placing a hand on his shoulder and gently pushing him up. “We can—”
“I just want to finish this,” Gavin rasped. He stayed bent over the sink. His breath riffled the short, single bits of hair on the porcelain. “Please, Vera.”
Please.
Everything he was feeling, felt like memories. They didn’t feel like hallucinations. There were no cold blue eyes watching him. 
This was real. It had to be real, or else…
There was a long pause. Then, the gentle touch of the trimmer against his temple again. “Alright,” Vera murmured. “I’m almost done anyway.” She drew the trimmer across his forehead, down the other temple, around his ear. Back and forth across his head, sending showers of tiny bits of hair into the sink. Gavin scratched at an itch behind his ear. Vera did one more pass with the trimmer and then shut it off. Gavin looked into the sink, breathing slowly.
“Gavin?” Vera murmured. “You… you still with me?”
“Yeah,” Gavin murmured. “I’m… I’m here.” He half-stood, until Vera placed a hand on his shoulder again. 
“Hang on,” she murmured. She gathered the clumps of Gavin’s hair from the sink and pitched them in the trash can. “Just a second. You don’t want bits of hair all over you, believe me.”
“I know,” Gavin mumbled. He remembered all too well the incessant itching after the first haircut, how Schiester had laughed – and how Schiester had decided that from now on he’d have Gavin’s hair cut in the room where he was washed, naked and freezing and ready for the hose when he was done. Gavin shivered as Vera turned on the tap and guided him closer to the sink until his head was level with the stream of water. 
“Just real quick,” Vera murmured. “Just to get all the hair off.” She poured a handful of water over the back of Gavin’s head and gently scrubbed. “Yeah, there was still quite a bit left.”
Gavin forced himself to stop gripping the counter. He reached up, too, and scrubbed his head under the tap. He flinched when a stream of water rolled from his forehead and down his nose. 
“I think that’s probably good,” Vera said, and shut the tap off. She gently eased him up. “Here…” As he stood upright, she wrapped his head in a towel and scrubbed at his short, wet hair. She pulled the towel away and dropped it to the floor. 
Gavin felt a wrenching sensation in his chest as he looked at himself in the mirror. He looked so… young. He looked years younger than when he’d been taken, even with the bags under his eyes, with the sallow tone of his skin. He reached up and ran his fingers through the short, soft hair. His gaze wandered over himself and he took a deep breath.
“I… d-don’t look like him anymore,” he murmured. His eyes smarted. 
“Nope,” Vera said, popping, the p. She shivered and rubbed his shoulder. “No. You don’t.” Her lips quirked a bitter smile. “Now I can look at you. Thank god for that.”
Gavin nodded absentmindedly as he ran his hand through his hair, short enough to almost be fuzz. The scar on his forearm caught his eye and he dropped his arm. He shifted his eyes down and swallowed hard.
“Ready to go join the others?” Vera said gently. “I know they’ll want to see the new haircut, too.” This time, when she smiled, it was easier, brighter. Her shoulders weren’t so tense and pulled up to her ears. Her hands weren’t shaking as much. 
Gavin chewed his lip and sank down, sitting on the edge of the bathtub. “Not, um…” He cleared his throat. His skin ached for Isaac’s touch, and the thought of seeing Gray and Sam made his eyes brim with tears, but… he just needed a moment. 
He needed to look at himself and see someone who wasn’t his father. He raised his gaze to the mirror again. He could only see his face; the rest of his body was cut off by the bottom of the mirror. His throat tightened. 
“Okay,” Vera murmured. “Well… okay.” She turned towards the doorway, then paused, turning back. “You… you want the door open, or closed?”
“Open is fine,” Gavin murmured, his hand drifting up to feel the divots of the scars on his face. The scars Schiester had torn open again – after Isaac put them there, more than a year ago now.
Vera nodded once. “Okay. Come join us when you’re ready. We’re all…” Her eyes swam with tears. She pressed her hand to her chest as she swallowed hard once, twice. “We’re all really happy to see you.” Her voice was ragged.
Gavin wrapped his arms around his chest and nodded. “Th-thanks, Vera.” 
Vera chewed her lip, then turned to go. She went around the corner to the living room at the front of the house, where Gavin could hear quiet conversation, the occasional burst of tight, tense laughter. 
Gavin slumped forward and pressed his face into his hands. His eyes burned with tears that would not fall. He scratched at the needle marks on the inside of his elbow, his other hand pressing into his eyes, smearing his tears across his face. It felt real. 
It all felt real. 
Gavin drew in a deep breath and raised his head. Standing in the doorway to the bathroom was a figure – something that looked just like Edrissa. 
Slowly, he sat up straight, understanding crashing bright and powerful through his blood. Her clear, ice-blue eyes bored into him, her mouth twisted in hate. Her pale blond hair was pulled back away from her ghostly-white face. His gaze flicked to the knife held tight in her hand. 
He couldn’t catch the sob before it made its way out of his chest. The tears finally fell, streaming down his cheeks like blood. 
I knew it. I knew it.
Gavin reached up to pull at his hair, clenching his teeth so hard his jaw hurt. The short strands slipped through his fingers. Dread slid into his heart, dull and slippery. Right on its heels was despair. He leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees, never taking his eyes off the specter in the doorway that peered at him with cold blue eyes.
“H-hey, Schiester,” he croaked. “You… you really had me going on this one.” This time, he couldn’t muffle his sob as the specter stepped fully into the bathroom and closed the door behind it.
Continued here
@womping-grounds​, @free-2bmee​​, @quirkykayleetam​​, @walkingchemicalfire​​, @inpainandsuffering​​, @redwingedwhump​​, @burtlederp​​, @castielamigos-whump-side-blog​​ , @whatwhumpcomments​​, @cursedscribbles​​, @whumpywhumper​​, @stxck-fxck​​, @omega-em-z-02​​, @whumps-the-word​​, @justwhumpitwhumpitgood​​, @justplainwhump​​, @finder-of-rings​​​, @inky-whump​​​, @thatsthewhump​​​, @orchidscript​​​, @inkyinsanity​, @this-mightaswell-happen​​​, @newandfiguringitout​​​, @whumpkitty​​​, @pretty-face-breaker​​​, @cinnamonflavoredhugs​​​, @pebbledriscoll​​​, @im-just-here-for-the-whump​​​, @endless-whump​​​, @grizzlie70​​​, @oops-its-whump​​​, @kixngiggles​​​, @1phoenixfeather​​​, @butwhatifyouwrite​, @carnagecardinal
97 notes · View notes
nationalharryleague · 3 years
Text
Dog Days Are Over
Tumblr media
Pairing: Harry Styles x Reader
Genre: Strangers to Lovers AU
Word count: 4.8K
A/N: Hi all! This is something I’ve been working on for a little while now and I’m really proud of it! As usual, a massive thank you to Miss Lu (@meetmymouth​) for being the best and beta reading. You can read more of my work in my masterlist and please please please send feedback to my ask! Thank you so so much for reading and I hope you enjoy it!! 
***
Jagger was a good boy. He was a massive Great Dane with a shiny black coat and goofy wide eyes that softened his overall intimidating appearance. Great Danes had been bread as guarding and hunting dogs, but the gentle giant was nothing like his ancestors. He trapesed around the park every morning with his clumsy oversized paws and a tail that never seemed to stop wagging. A sunshiny yellow collar sat around his neck with a leash connecting him to his owner, a curly headed man with kind eyes.
She had built a rapport with Jagger over time, always willing to spare a few of the treats she kept in her pocket for her own dogs, Annie and Hallie. The pair of speckled Dalmations always looked up to give her a disappointed look that seemed to ask “Why are you giving our cookies away, Mom?” when she offered the chicken flavored morsels to the charming brute. She would lean down (not very far due to his massive size),  give him two cookies, a scratch behind the ear, and a kiss to his forehead every morning, murmuring a “Good morning buddy.”
While she greeted Jagger, the man would always give her spotted ladies the attention they loved and a couple treats of his own, earning a few thankful and loving licks from the dogs. After the affectionate moment with the dog of a perfect stranger (she didn't even know his name), the pair would always give each other a smile and move on with their days.
This was their routine for months, meeting briefly every morning through falling leaves of a New York autumn that eventually gave out to the first snowy mornings and the charm of winter in Central Park. They never spoke more than a friendly morning greeting, occasionally commenting on the weather, but always taking a few moments to say hello to the endearing animals that accompanied them.
Her favorite coffee shop was especially busy one morning when they accidentally brought her two hot coffees with cream and sugar, instead of just one. When she had tried to return it, her favorite barista, a girl with golden skin and eyes to match, told her to take it anyway because it would just be thrown out. After the barista herself declined to keep the drink with a light chuckle, Y/N was sent on her way, each hand holding a coffee and both her wrists each looped through a leash.
Y/N, Annie, and Hallie made their way into Central Park, a surprisingly difficult task on his specific morning.  She struggled to maintain control over the hot liquid and the two strong dogs with strong opinions of where they wanted to walk. Inevitably and like clock work, they ran into Jagger and the man with the kind eyes, Y/N slowing to a stop to greet her giant furry friend. It wasn’t long before her K-9 balancing act gave her an idea.
“Do you drink coffee?” she quickly questioned, the words leaving her mouth without permission and directly addressing the man with the kind eyes about something other than the weather or their dogs for the first time since they had known each other. Jagger bumped his oafish head gently into her hip, seeming to ask for her attention back, just as surprised as she was with her uncharacteristic interaction with his dad.
“Uh, yeah,” the man answered, eyes locking with hers and seeming to be just as shocked that she spoke to him as she was. His deep and velvety voice was a sharp contrast to the sweet and fairly high pitched tone he usually used with Annie and Hallie.
“Well, the cafe gave me two instead of just one by accident. Do you want it?” She offered the cup to him with a hopeful shrug and a smile spread across her face when he took it.
They continued on with their routine of saying hello to each other’s animals without another word, the man with the kind eyes taking a sip of the coffee to test it out. She was pressing the usual kiss to Jagger’s massive head when she watched a ring clad hand offering itself towards her in the peripheral of her vision. “My name is Harry, by the way,” he said with a friendly close lipped smile playing across his lips. “We never really did introduce ourselves, did we?”
“I don’t think we ever did,” she said with a chuckle, reaching her hand out and connecting it with his. His hands were soft, but felt strong like he worked with his hands and his palms felt hot despite the freezing temperatures from where he had been clutching the coffee. “Y/N.”
“It's nice to formally meet you, Y/N. I usually just think of you as Annie and Hallie’s Mom.” His lips saying her name made it sound like it was sung by a million angels and she just couldn’t get over the idea of him thinking about her outside of the park. Of course she thought of him, a British beautiful man with kind eyes who loves her dogs was like finding a unicorn, but it had never crossed her mind that the thoughts could be mutual.
Before she had a chance to respond, Jagger began to walk forward, ready to take on the rest of his walk. “I guess it’s time for you to go,” she joked looking down as the giant animal who began to pull Harry forward.
“I guess so,” he agreed, jerking forward as he tried to slow Jagger down. “Thank you again for the coffee.”
“No problem!”
“Next time,” he said over his shoulder, a teasing smirk on his face, after Jagger had led him a considerable distance from her. “I take my coffee black!”
***
She thought about him all day after the park. She couldn’t believe that the tiny conversation had with him was all it took for him to occupy her every thought. She wondered if he enjoyed the rest of the coffee, if she would ever run into him at the cafe that had its logo drawn across the side of the drink she had gifted him, or if his girlfriend was suspicious when he came home holding a coffee order that definitely wasn’t his. What if he thought what she had done was weird? Would he change Jagger’s walking schedule? Or maybe change his route completely to avoid her?
Y/N ignored every one of those thoughts the next morning when she attended her usual coffee shop; and especially when she ordered one hot coffee with cream and sugar, and one without. She even asked her favorite barista with the golden eyes to write a little ‘H’ on the black coffee so she wouldn’t get them mixed up.
“To make up for all the treats you’ve given to Annie and Hallie over these last few months,” she lied when she handed the coffee over to him, relishing slightly in how his fingertips brushed hers when he took the drink from her hands. She knew that she didn’t get him the coffee for the treats; she got it because she had a crush.
“Oh, thank you so much!  You didn’t have to do this,” he insisted as he took a sip. “You even had a little ‘H’ put on it for me?” His eyes lit up at the possibility and from that second forward Y/N pledged to herself that she would do anything she could to see his eyes sparkle like that again.
“I just wanted to make sure they didn’t get mixed up.”
“H is what all of my friends call me.” She watched his plump pink lips move as he spoke, his warm breath creating a small steamy cloud in the frosty air.
“That’s really sweet,” she said smiling like a fool, endeared by the nickname.
“You can call me H, ya know?” he spoke and her heart just about stopped. “I think if our dogs are friends,” he said, gesturing to their dogs as their dogs played amongst themselves, “we can be friends too.”
She knew she would be unable to contain herself as soon as she got out of his line of sight in a few moments. She might bust out into a happy dance, or maybe even let out a small squeal;  but for the moment she just nodded her head. “I think I would really like that, H.”
“So,” he began with the smirk she had already begun to fall in love with, “friends don’t let friends buy them coffee two days in a row without returning the favor. Tomorrow is on me.”
“Sounds good, H,” she said as the pair of dalmations began to pull her forward. “I take my coffee with cream and sugar!” she shouted over her shoulder, shooting him a wink as she went on with her walk.
“I know.”
She was unable to contain herself and did, in fact, do a little wiggle when she was out of his sight.
***
Of all places she thought she could end up this Saturday morning, she didn’t think it would be in Harry’s apartment.
She had casually mentioned that morning when they met up in the park, more to make conversation than anything else, that the heat in her apartment was out but she had never expected him to invite her and the girls back to his place to warm up.
They had fallen into a delightful rhythm of bringing each other coffee over the past few weeks, taking turns and spending a few fleeting moments speaking to each other before one of their pets decided it was time to move on with their walk. She had learned that he was a physical therapist and that he had rescued Jagger from a puppy mill when he was a baby, but to be completely honest, she didn’t know much about him beyond that. They could only learn so much about each other  in 5 minute bursts before the dogs got bored and pulled them apart once again.
What she did know about him for sure was that his eyes didn’t lie when they said he was kind. He never missed a day getting her coffee and he always profusely thanked her when she brought him his. He always asked about how her day was going, and seemed to be genuinely interested in when she spoke about her work, hobbies, or whatever else ended up being the topic of their short conversations.
While she wouldn’t go as far as saying he cared about her, she knew that she cared about him.
“It’s not much,” Harry said, opening the door for Y/N and her dogs to pass into his home, “but it’s mine.”
As most New York City apartments were, it was a tiny shoe box of a living space; but it felt cozy, and most of all, warm. It was a small studio, with all the essentials packed in tight. His sofa sat up against the right wall of exposed brick, mirrored by a small kitchen on the left. She had to admit it was well styled; dark woods and stainless steel decorated the apartment and various posters and framed pictures on the walls made it his own.
The most breathtaking feature was a massive bay window that sat above his bed on the far back wall. The window directly overlooked Central Park and she couldn’t help but feel a pang of sentimentality because that’s where they had met. His bed was perfectly made with dark charcoal grey sheets all she could imagine was being wrapped up in them with Harry.
Walking through the door, she was intoxicated by the most delicious smell that she could only assume was Harry’s cologne, but she was brought back to reality when he asked for her coat. Their hands met as she handed it over to him and a flash of concern immediately flashed through his face, bushy eyebrows furrowing. “You’re absolutely freezing, love.”
Once again, her heart began to burst with joy. Just that little word, the little pet name and term of endearment. It made her feel like a kid on Christmas, like she was ready to burst.
“Oh, I’m okay,” she managed to get out, still overwhelmed by his words.
“We’re gonna get you and the ladies all warmed up, okay?” She watched from her spot by the front door as he began to run around the apartment with one goal: to warm his friend up. He moved gracefully from the thermostat to a chest of drawers, making a small triumphant noise when he pulled out two dog sweaters that were Jagger’s. “They’re a little big, but I think they will work,” he said with a helpful smile.
She watched as he knelt down in front of Annie and Hallie, asking for their paws. Both of them quickly responded, clearly trusting the curly man in front of them as much as she did. He delicately slipped the knit over both of the dogs, and with anything he did, Y/N’s heart swooned.
To her, those dogs were her everything. She had moved to the city completely alone and had rescued the pair of sisters from a kill shelter only a week after arriving. She named them after the twins from The Parent Trap, her favorite movie growing up. She felt it was symbolic; like she and the dogs had been brought together by some twist of fate but had known each other in a past life. Those dogs were her everything and watching them interact with Harry ignited a fuzzy warmth within her; a sharp contrast to her still frozen nose.
“You next,” he teased, beckoning her over from her spot at the front door. She took careful steps over to him, trying her best to stay respectful of his space, already feeling intrusive for being there. She met him in the middle of the room, where he had grabbed a blanket off the couch, placing it over her shoulders and enveloping her in soft warm fabric and the smell of him. Shocks were sent up her arms as he rubbed them in an attempt to generate more heat. It was the first time he had ever really touched her other than light brushing of their fingertips, and she had never felt like anything was more right in the world than the way she felt in his arms.
She watched his face closely as he held the blanket tight around her frame. He had a light stubble peppering his strong jaw and his eyes were the most vibrant yet soft shade of green she had ever seen. His brows were still slightly knitted together in care for her, trying his best to accomplish his goal of warming the woman who had become his friend. Her eyes narrowed in on his plush pink lips and it took everything in her not to learn forward and press her lips to his; but she wouldn’t. They were casual friends; nothing more, nothing less, and her school girl crush didn’t change any of that.
His hands on her arms slowed and their eyes finally met, the deep green feeling like it had penetrated her soul. “I have soup in the fridge,” he said softly, eyes narrowing in on her still cold nose, “let me heat it up for you.” And as soon as the moment had happened, it was gone, him walking away from her in a flurry and starting his next task of making her soup.
“H, I promise I’m okay,” she said with a light chuckle. “I will warm up, eventually. Don’t worry yourself over it.”
“You have been in a frozen apartment for four days. You’re going to get sick,” he said, head still stuck in the fridge out of her line of sight.
“What do you care if I get sick?” she teased. “Won’t get your coffee?”
“No,” he said in an exasperated tone, popping back out from behind the fridge door to connect his eyes with hers, “because then I won’t get to see you.”
Despite the chill still present in her bones, she felt her cheeks heat with his words. “Oh, okay,” was all she could muster before he returned back to his search for the soup.
He did eventually find the soup and nearly force fed her the hot liquid, insisting that “you’re not getting pneumonia on my watch.” And while she kept up the act that she was totally fine and didn’t need him to fuss over her, it felt so good to be cared for like this. She had been on her own for so long now, lacking the care and affection that came with an overbearing mother-hen-esque friend, and she was honestly loving it.
It was later that day, while they were sat watching a movie on his couch, Y/N still wrapped up tight like a burrito in the flannel blanket that smelled like him, when he informed her that she wasn’t allowed to go back to her apartment until the heat was fixed. “H,” she had playfully groaned, “I am a big girl and will survive a little chill.”
“There’s a cold snap coming,” he justified his demands. “Saw it on the news this morning.”
“H, this is all too much. All of this has been so kind and the dogs and I appreciate it from the bottom of our hearts, but I can’t let you put your life on pause because I might get a little cold.”
“Please stay,” he began gently, almost pleading with her in a deeper and softer voice than he had ever used with her before, “for Annie and Hallie,” he finished. Her heart sank, reminding herself that the pair were just friends. He was just doing a favor for her out of the goodness of his heart; nothing more, nothing less.
“Maybe,” she murmured. “I’ll have to see if it gets fixed tonight.”
It didn’t get fixed. Apparently, New York City landlords, especially the one that owned her very tiny, and very shitty, apartment didn’t care much about their tenants turning to icicles. Around 10 PM, she finally gave up hope of anything getting fixed today, much to Harry’s delight.
She had accepted the sweats Harry had offered for her to sleep in, enveloped by soft worn fabric that spelled like him. A dark blue crew neck with ‘Holmes Chapel Comprehensive School’ written across the front swallowed her frame and Harry laughed at her when she had to roll up the legs of the sweatpants so she wouldn’t trip on them. “It’s not my fault you’re a giant,” she giggled, poking him in the chest and sticking her tongue out at him like a child.
“You’re lucky you look cute in those or I would be taking them back after a comment like that.” Her cheeks reddened for what felt like the millionth time since she had entered his space this morning. They had fallen into a charming banter, a rhythm of teasing jokes and kind words intertwined with each other that made her heart sing. While she still felt like she was intruding on his space, there was a growing part of her that was glad her heat wasn’t back yet. She didn’t want to leave his warmth and light just yet.
When a yawn left her lips later that night, Harry decided it was time for bed. “We’re in the middle of the episode,” she had argued through another yawn, “we haven’t even seen who wins the technical challenge yet.” They had watched almost an entire season of Bake Off over the course of the day, both of them curled up on the couch under a pile of blankets and dogs.
“We have to be up for our walk in the morning,” he smiled as he lifted Jagger’s massive head off his lap to get up. “I’ll even buy the coffee.”
“Okay, I guess so,” she agreed gently. “Can I just borrow a pillow?” she asked as she adjusted herself and the dogs on the couch under the blankets.
“What are you doing?” he asked with a confused face.
“Getting ready to go to sleep?” she responded with an equally questioning tone.
“You’re not sleeping on the couch. Come on, get into my bed. I’ll take the couch.”
“No.”
“Why not? You’re my guest.”
“Harry,” she spoke gently but was met with a lift of his eyebrow like using his full name was an insult. “H,” she began again, “I’m not going to come into your home, inconvenience your entire day, steal your clothes, eat your food, and then make you sleep on the couch.”
“Please, just let me sleep on the couch, Y/N,” he nearly begged.
“You’re not sleeping on the couch,” she repeated with a stern tone.
“Then neither are you.” Her breath caught in her chest and her eyes flashed to the dark charcoal sheets she had imagined being wrapped up in with him when she first entered the apartment. “It’s a big comfy bed and I want you to actually sleep well. I’m perfectly okay with it if you are.”
While her heart was beating out of her chest at the opportunity of being that close to him, all she said was “sounds good,” unable to come up with anything more than that in the moment.
She reverted back to her careful steps and bated breath as she left the couch and made her way over to the bed, suddenly so aware of the respectful boundaries she had created for herself when she first arrived. She lifted back his heavy comforter and slid herself inside, pulling the blanket to her chin as she watched, mesmerized, as the man walked around the apartment getting ready for bed.
He walked around the apartment on the pads of his bare feet almost silently, turning off lights and pouring them both a glass of water before refilling the dog bowls on the ground. He led Jagger to his giant dog bed and invited Annie and Hallie up onto his couch to sleep, gently coaxing them onto the cushions and laying the blanket Y/N had been wrapped in for most of the day over the speckled sisters.
There was only the light coming off the street lights streaming through the window above her head to illuminate the silent apartment and she watched as Harry made his way to the tall chest of drawers on his side of the bed. He lifted his sweater over his head to expose his muscular back and elaborately tattooed arms, and she prayed he didn’t hear the small gasp that left her lips. As quickly as his back and torso were revealed to her, they were hidden once again when he slipped a large tshirt back over his body. She had only ever known him in the colder months, always wrapped up in a sweater or a coat; she had never expected the beautiful illustrations that decorated his body or his broad muscular shoulders that stayed hidden under layers of clothing.
“Stop staring, ya perv,” his deep velvety voice joked with a laugh and she felt her cheeks burn worse than they had all day. “I’m only kidding, love,” he spoke softly when he turned around and connected their eyes.
“I was just looking at your tattoos,” she stammered while she watched him slip into the bed next to her, trying to wipe the adoring look from her face. “I like them a lot.”
“Thank you.” He settled into the bed, far enough to be respectful but still close enough for her to feel the warmth off his skin. He brought his arm out from underneath the covers, allowing her to get a closer look at the ink that illustrated his skin and she rolled herself on her side to face him. She carefully traced the veins of the anatomical heart on this bicep with her finger tips. “Your fingers finally warmed up,” he said barely loud enough for her to hear.
Her eyes flashed up to meet his eyes in the darkness, his irises still seeming to glow in the limited light. She felt his warm minty breath fall over her face and the sweet smell of him that had been enveloping her since she entered his space intensified with her proximity to him. He smelled of sandalwood and vanilla, mixed with the smell of clean linen coming from his bed sheets.
“I guess they did,” she said under her breath, like if she spoke too loudly the moment would be scared away. “We should get some sleep,” she said regretfully, remembering the respectful rules she had set for herself. She withdrew her hand away from his arm and rolled back to her previous position to stare at the ceiling until she fell asleep. If she hadn’t been so tired and if it wasn’t so dark, she would have thought she saw disappointment on his face before she dozed off.
When she began to wake the next morning, she was warm. Not a sweaty or sticky warm, a cozy warm that makes you want to curl up and spend an entire day in bed, seeking respite from the cold air that lives outside the cocoon of blankets you’ve created. She snuggled further into the warmth, and further into the arms that held her close. Her consciousness was blurred with sleep as she buried her face deeper into the warmth between someone’s shoulder and neck. She wouldn’t have woken up if she didn’t feel the body holding her release a light chuckle at her sleepy huffs.
Coming back to life, she lifted her head and opened her eyes to the strong jaw peppered with stubble that she had studied so intensely for months now. A gasp left her throat and she tried to pull herself away, wracked with guilt for passing a boundary she had set. But her movements were stopped when the pair of arms around her waist only pulled her closer, a deep gravelly voice next to her mumbling “don’t go.”
For the first time, she let herself occupy the thought that her fascination with Harry may be mutual. He had gone above and beyond for her and had always been kind and accommodating, always ready to take care of her any need or want. He had let her stay in his house for god sake, let her stay in his bed, and was now holding on to her like if he let go the little world they had created together would fall apart.
“Okay,” she whispered softly into his neck, melting back into his warmth once again. Her drowsiness must have clouded her judgement when she pressed a gentle and soft kiss over his pulse point.
It was Harry’s turn to pull back, a drowsy chuckle leaving his lips as he made eye contact with her still half closed eyes. “Did you just kiss me?” he asked incredulously.
“No, definitely not.” She buried her face in her hands, blushing uncontrollably and feeling her whole face heat up.
“You liar,” he grinned. “Come here.” He pressed his hands to either side of her face and pulled her mouth to meet his. It was a soft kiss, both of them unable to control their smiling lips. Her heart raced and so did his. Their lips moved together in a rhythm that was occasionally interrupted by excited giggles, and Harry pulled her closer to him than she ever had been before.
They stayed in that bliss for as long as they could; cheeks hurting from smiles, gentle laughter released often, and enjoying the warm cocoon they had created together. It was only a matter of time before they were interrupted, both of them letting out loud laughter when all three of their animals joined them on the bed. It was only then Y/N peaked out the window above them to discover Central Park covered in a bright white blanket of snow, flurries continuing to fall outside.
“I have been obsessed with you from the first day I saw you walking the girls,” he confessed as the dogs curled up around them both. “I thought you were so special and beautiful. I about lost it the day you offered me that coffee. I couldn’t believe you were actually talking to me and not my dog for once.”
“Let’s be honest, I fell in love with Jagger first,” she teased. “His hot dad was just a bonus,” she giggled against his lips as he pressed their faces together once again, bodies held apart by the dogs that had wiggled between them.
This moment felt like a fairytale. She wasn’t sure how long it would last or what would come from it but she knew that this was what pure joy felt like, and she would hold onto it for as long as she could.
They only had the dogs to thank.
Thank you so much for reading!! Reblogs/feedback mean to the world!!! 
650 notes · View notes