Everything Has Changed [Zuko x Reader]

Title: Everything Has Changed Summary: Even after returning to the Fire Nation, you weren't happy. Zuko on the other hand seemed to be having a lot better time. Maybe, he would be better off without you here, ruining his happiness. Warnings: A little bit of angst? Request: N/A

A/N: This wasn't requested, but I've been rewatching ATLA recently because it's been added onto Netflix and I'm feeling inspired <3

PART 1: EVERYTHING HAS CHANGED PART 2: CHANGE IS GOOD PART 3: CHANGING SPIRITS PART 4: A HEART OF CHANGE

Zuko~Everything Has Changed

You'd been Zuko's best friend for as long as you could remember. And, although the friendship hadn't always been easy -the Prince had quite a famous temper- you couldn't even imagine a world in which you weren't friends. This is why the inner turmoil you were feeling inside was making you feel all the more guilty.

     You had returned back to the Fire Nation when Zuko had reclaimed his honour by fighting the Avatar along with his sister, Azula. Since you didn’t side with the Avatar and the 'traitor' Iroh, you'd been welcomed back with open arms. However, it wasn't quite the life you were expecting. You were still happy for Zuko! Of course- this is what he'd always wanted. In fact, you'd always supported Zuko in his journey to find the Avatar but something about this felt wrong. Especially since Aang had helped Zuko's uncle, Iroh, to find and rescue Zuko from the caves under Ba Sing Sai.

     So, now you were stuck in a very difficult position.

    It had almost been a month since you and Zuko had returned to the Fire Nation, and yet you'd barely spoken a word to each other. Once, you had felt like he was the only soul in the universe that understood you completely… And, now? It felt like you didn’t even know him. He'd been far too busy celebrating the fact he was now recognised as the Crown Prince. You'd also noticed that he'd been spending more time with Mai- along with Azula and Ty Lee.

    That didn’t sit right with you. As long as you live, you promised yourself you would never trust Azula. Where she was involved, it meant trouble. She was the type of person that always had an ulterior motive- even when there didn't seem a need for one.

     And, as for Ty Lee and Mai, you just saw them as Azula's attack dogs. Not that she needed help fighting people, but you couldn't exactly call them her friends. Azula didn't have friends. That required her to care about other people. The only way she knew how to relate to people was through fear. Yet another reason you found to keep as far away from her as possible.

     Zuko seemed to be doing the same to you. Maybe him and Azula were more alike than you thought.

     You had gone down to the Royal Gardens for some peace. As much as the 'Hero's Welcome' was a good ego booster, it wasn't good for the soul. And, right now you were doing some serious soul searching. You'd helped the Fire Nation. You'd fought the Avatar. You should feel good. Right? Except you didn’t, you felt awful. When Aang was shot down, all you could see was a child. A 12 year old kid who hadn't chosen this role in the world. Who was just trying to survive. Who was trying to help the universe.

     Sighing, you put your head in your hands. What had you done? What had Zuko done? You thought of Uncle Iroh… How you had betrayed him. You told yourself that you were doing it to survive, that you couldn’t survive a Fire Nation Prison, but the truth was that you were a coward. A coward who couldn’t do the right thing.

     You hadn’t realised you had started crying until your tears had slipped down your cheeks. Quickly, you wiped them away. Crying was weakness.

     Your attention was caught by a small turtle duck quacking loudly. He appeared to be suck in a weed within the pond, meaning he was separated from his family. You could sense his distress from where you sat. Gently, you moved to the little creature, and slowly removed the weeds from around the turtle duck. Hurriedly, he swam to his mother, who welcomed him immediately. You watched the family of ducks swim happily away. Together. Loved.

     "Why can't I just be like you, little turtle duck?" you murmur to yourself, "You seem so happy. I wish I could feel like that again."

    It was only then you noticed how dark it had gotten. It was best to return to your room before the guards started asking questions- and 'suggesting' you return to safety. Despite being welcome in the palace, it felt more like a prison.

   What you hadn't realised while you had been sat in the gardens, was that you hadn't entirely been alone. Zuko had walked past the entrance to the caught yard and you had caught his eye. At first he saw a glimmer of his mother sitting by the pond. She had always loved animals, especially feeding the turtle ducks. But then his vision cleared and he had seen you. It made his heart sink. He hadn't spoken to you in weeks. He didn't entirely know why…

     Zuko watched you disappear out of the garden and down the corridor… Away from him.

     He hated to admit it but being back in the Fire Nation wasn't bringing him the happiness he thought it would. His honour had technically been restored and yet he was feeling more ashamed than ever.

     Part of him wanted to follow you; the other half knew he should visit Mai as he had promised earlier. The latter part of him won, but he couldn't help but look back in your direction. As soon as he reached Mai's room, he knocked softly.

     "Hey, what took you so long?" Mai asked, dragging him into the room, "I thought you'd never show up."

     "Ah," Zuko let out, "I didn’t- I just got caught up. That's all."

     "Whatever," Mai smiled.

     As much as Zuko wanted to enjoy his girlfriend's company, you were still nagging on his mind. Even when Mai was speaking, he was still thinking back to you. How sad you looked. How guilty he felt about ignoring you. Mai started noticing how distant Zuko was being.

    "Okay, what's going on?"

     "Nothing," Zuko said defensively.

    "What's with you? You don’t have to snap at me. I was just asking a question," Mai replied, leaning away and folding her arms.

     Zuko sighed.

    "I'm sorry. I'm just tired," he said, "I need to go. We'll talk tomorrow."

     Mai attempted to reply but Zuko was gone.

---

You'd been inside your head for the past hour. It was as if everything was slowly coming together. You knew what you had to do now. It wouldn’t be easy- but when was the right thing to do ever easy? Some part of you broke knowing you'd have to leave Zuko behind but in the end you couldn't let him control your destiny- not when he seemed to want no part in your future.  

     You began packing as quickly as you could. Throwing a few items of clothing into a bag as well as some medicine, basic hygiene products and a blanket. You didn't know where you were going but you knew you had to get out.

     Just as you finished packing, you heard a knocking at the door.

    "Hello?" you reply after a moment of hesitation.

    Zuko hesitated.

    "Who's there?" you replied, walking closer to the door.

    With one hand you slowly began opening the door, with the other you had a small flame building. It never hurt to take a precaution when living in a place like the Fire Nation.

    You fully opened the door and saw Zuko: you were stunned for a moment.

    "Zuko?" you asked.

    Gently, you let your hand drop, and the flame went out with it. You opened the door and walked back into your room, leaving it open to Zuko whether he was going to follow or not. He was surprised at your lack of response. He was expecting you to cry at him or yell at him, but there was nothing.

    He followed you into your room and shut the door behind you.

    "Don't you want to know why I'm here?" Zuko asks.

    "I don't think it's going to matter much longer," you tell him, "I don't think anything you're about to say is going to matter much longer, Prince Zuko."

    "Prince Zuko?" he repeated, "You've never called me that. Not even when we were kids."

    "Yeah, well things have changed since then."

    "For the better!" Zuko insisted, "You're telling me you preferred it when we were sailing in the frozen South Pole for weeks at a time than being a war hero in your own nation? You can't be serious?"

     "Maybe I did."

    "You can't be serious! I- We were miserable!"

   "Maybe you were! I wasn't!" you yelled at him, walking closer to him, "I had my best friend! I don't even know who you are anymore! You haven't spoken to me in weeks!"

   "Y/N, I-"

    "-No! Don't Y/N me!" you snapped at him, pressing a finer to his chest, "I was there for you. I never stopped believing in you. I never left your side. But, the moment you get back here, the moment you have your precious honour back, you forget I even exist!"

   Zuko was silent.

   "And, the saddest part is that I waited for you," you murmured, all your anger gone, "I waited. I thought maybe you're just busy, off doing Prince stuff. But, then I saw you with Mai. Even Azula. And, I knew something had changed. I thought I was your friend; that we had a friendship that was unbreakable. But, now I see you were just using me as a replacement. As a place holder."

   "No," Zuko cried out, "That's not true."

   You turned away, trying not to let him see your tears building.

   "Then tell me why I feel this way. A stranger in my own nation. A prisoner in my own nation."

   "I'm sorry… I didn't think-"

   "-No you didn't think."

   Zuko tried to reach out towards you. And, then he noticed your bag on your bed. It was full and there was items strewn around your room. Something was going on.

   "Y/N, what are you doing? What do you mean it's not going to matter anymore?"

  "I'm leaving."

   "You can't."

   "I have to."

   "You can't leave me here, please," Zuko pleaded.

   "You'll be just fine," you sadly smiled, "You haven't needed me since you got back. I'm sure you won't even notice I'm gone."

    "That's not true!" Zuko argued.

   "Then what is the truth?"

   "The reason… The reason I couldn’t talk to you… Is because every time I looked at you I was remined of that day in Ba Sing Sei," Zuko murmured, "I… I've realised I made the wrong decision that day. Looking at you just reminded me I didn't need to be in the Fire Nation to be home. I just needed you."

   "Oh, Zuko."

   "I'm sorry," he murmured, "I truly am. I'll do anything to make it up to you. Anything."

   "Leave with me."

   "I want to leave," Zuko promised, "But it needs to be the right time. The solstice."

   "I'll wait," you agreed, "But promise me something."

   "Anything."

   "Promise me things will be different this time. I'm tired of fighting against the world's last hope. I'm tired of not doing the right thing."

   "I know my destiny now. My uncle helped me see the light," Zuko said quietly, "I know what I must do now. I'm going to find the Avatar, and I'm going to help him defeat the Fire Lord."

   "Not 'I'. We. I'm coming with you."

    Zuko nodded at you. And, for the first time in what felt like forever he had hope.

You Walk Out On Him ~ Seo Changbin

You let go of a loud giggle as you stumbled through the dorm, banging loudly on Changbin’s door after a night out with all of your friends. As the door opened, your body fell forwards, caught only by Changbin’s arms reaching out and pulling you in, sitting you down on the end of his bed.

“Hi,” you giggled, feeling your cheeks turn a dark shade of red, “I had such a good night.”

His head shook, whilst you weren’t drunk, you definitely weren’t sober either as he quickly quietened you, careful not to disturb any of the other boys. He sat down beside you, pulling his phone out and showing you a video.

“A fan sent me this,” he muttered, pressing play on the video of you dancing with your friends, “why are you out dancing with other guys?”

“Because they’re my friends,” you stated matter-of-factly. “I don’t see why it’s a big deal, I invited you to come with us but you declined,” you reminded him, kicking your heels off as they flew across the room with a bang.

Changbin’s eyes rolled as he watched your behaviour play out, putting his phone down beside him. “Can you please try and hold onto a bit of your dignity tonight, there’s others here who are trying to sleep without being disturbed by you.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?” You snapped, turning to face him on the bed, “I’ve not lost any dignity tonight, I’ve been out and enjoyed time with my friends, you dance with fans all the time but you don’t see me moaning at you for it.”

“That’s my job,” he scolded.

“Your job is to sing and perform,” you corrected, quickly finding yourself sobering up, “I don’t remember it being in your job distraction that you have to dance with your fans in front of your girlfriend, unless I missed something?”

His hands ran through his hair, untangling all the knots. Every word he spoke stunk of jealousy, a trait you never liked in any of your relationships.

“I’m an entertainer Y/N, how else do you think we get fans by doing something like this? What do you get from doing this? Do you know how many articles are probably going to posted about this tomorrow?”

You scoffed at how quickly the attention yet again turned to him, all he could think about was how his career was going to be affected when all you were guilty of was going out and having a good time with your friends.

“So, what are you saying? Are you ashamed of me?” You asked.

“I’m not ashamed Y/N, it’s just I have a certain expectation of me, and if people knew the sorts of things that you’re getting up to on nights out then my name is going to get dragged into it.”

“I don’t see what the problem is Changbin. I went out, danced, and had fun, but because some of my friends are male people are going to think I’m a cheat or something? You’re worried people will think you’re stupid enough to go out with someone who might cheat on you?”

“I think some people might think such a thing.”

“But you’re too worried about yourself to stand up and tell people it’s not true, because all you’re worried about is your own reputation.”

“I am the famous one,” he yelled, “no one knows you.”

Your eyes widened as his hand slammed down on the mattress of his bed. “I see how it is, it’s so obvious now, I’m just a nobody to you aren’t I? I’m still successful just because I’m not famous.”

You couldn’t believe the words you were hearing, you still remembered on your first date when he told you how keen he was to date someone away from the spotlight so he could live a bit of normal, and now he was throwing this at you.

You shuffled away from him on the bed, resting your hands into your lap. The Changbin sat in front of you was one you didn’t recognise, he’d never raised his voice or insulted you before, especially not when you were harmless in it all.

“If this were the other way around and you had to defend me in front of your fans would you think this is acceptable? Would you be happy with how I’d behaved?”

Your hand reached down, picking up the strap of your bag, throwing it over your shoulder. You then proceeded to walk across the room and pick up your heels, sliding your feet into them, taking a moment to catch your balance.

“You can’t go home in this state,” Changbin spoke, reaching his hand out for you, but your own slapped him away, keeping a distance between you both.

“I’d be happy that you went out and had a good time if I were you, because I’d never make you feel bad for living your own life, and I definitely wouldn’t worry about how it made me look,” you yelled.

You took a few steps forward, slamming the handle of his door down, hearing his footsteps follow behind you. “I’m sorry. Just please don’t go home, I’ll take the sofa if that’s what you want.”

“What I want Changbin is to be far away from you, so when those articles are posted in the morning you don’t have to deal with being seen with me. You’ve made it clear how you feel about me tonight, and if the things I do bother you that much, maybe it’s best that we’re not together anymore.”

“Is that what you want?”

“It’s how you’ve made me feel,” you calmly told him, “you’re the one that’s created this situation, not me.”

Before he could say another word you opened up the door, the weather was harsh and cold but you didn’t care, the sooner you got out of the dorm, the better it would be for you all.

“You tell people what you want about tonight Changbin, I don’t care. After all, I’m a nobody so it doesn’t really matter what people think of me, does it?”

“I didn’t mean it that way,” he protested, “you just made me so mad I didn’t know what else to say.”

You spun around, coming face to face with him. “You still can’t stop yourself blaming me. What I did tonight was what people do in normal relationships, and until you can accept that, I won’t be showing my face around here for quite some time.”

His mouth opened to speak, but the slam of the door silenced him before he could even begin. From behind him, he heard one of the doors open, smiling weakly at Chan who stood with only the light of his phone guiding the way.

“What’s happened? I heard loads of shouting,” he asked, walking towards his friend, spotting the pained expression on his face, wrapping an arm around his shoulders tightly.

Changbin turned to his leader, “I’ve messed up big time. I let my jealousy run away with me and now I think I’ve lost her for good. Why couldn’t I just be normal, why did I have to act so senseless and make her leave?”

“I’m sure you haven’t, once the two of you sleep on it I’m sure everything will figure itself out,” he tried to assure him, walking him slowly back to his bedroom, sitting him down on his bed.

Usually he’d trust Chan, arguments were usually things the two of you got over quite quickly, but this time felt all too different.

“I don’t think it will, I really think I’ve lost her this time.”

---

Masterlist

The Substitute Lover (5)

word count: 3.1k 

genre: fluff, angst hehe

pairing: myg x reader

summary: Finally meeting the college boy you’ve been eyeing on for months, everything goes wrong when you realise what you’re really getting yourself into.

a/n: this is part !!! Thank you for the feedback from last chapter! Also, sorry if everything is going so slow, I don’t want to rush the story. Don’t worry, shit will go down soon.  If you can, please please please leave me a feedback after reading this chapter.

 :> Thank you!!!!

NEXT | PREVIOUS

"You guys know each other?" you asked, turning to look at Namjoon. It turns out, your new friend's name was Eujin.

A pretty name for a pretty face.

"Why are you with Y/N?" Namjoon asked further, sharing a look with Hoseok. The interaction has been short so far, but the tension was so thick, it can already be cut by a knife.

Eujin shrugged her shoulders, brushing her long hair behind her back.

"She's about to pass out because she was burning with fever. I took her here to eat and drink medicine before she goes home." she explained. Hoseok, who was silent until now, looked over to me to as if to ask for confirmation. I nodded; it was true, after all.

Not having answered your question, you gave all of them a once over as you repeat yourself.

"How do you guys know each other?"

"They're my boyfriend's friends." Eujin answered.

Now that you had taken a good look of her face, you slowly recognised her. She was one of your younger professor's girlfriend. You remember her from countless of time you had to go to his office and have your papers checked. Of course you weren't sure if it was allowed, but it's none of your business anyway.

"Jagi?" Yoongi's sudden appearance startled you.

You felt as if a bucket of cold water washed over you as it finally dawned on you. You didn't really know what "Jagi" looked like, but if Yoongi was to fall for someone, she would most definitely look like Eujin. Ethereal.

What confused you is to why she's calling Yoongi her boyfriend? You thought maybe she and your professor have broken up.

You managed to hold yourself together and face Eujin, offering a hand. She raised hers to shake it as you fake a smile in return, hoping none of them would see through it.

"Hi, I'm Hoseok and Namjoon's friend too." you start to introduce yourself. "My name is Y/N."

Her face gave away a sense of realisation. She eyed you up and down, drinking your appearance in. You inwardly groan that you didn't put in effort in how you dressed today. You looked like a donkey next to her. The trio was watching quietly.

"Are you the lucky one who got my Yoongs to agree to go on a date with her?" she teased, and it almost hurt how she called him as hers. Shaking the feeling of jealousy away, you keep the smile to your face. She's his and he's hers. You had no right to be jealous.

Surprisingly, you managed to hide your disappointment with the manner of how she asked, it sounded rude and condescending. The concern she had for you vanished into thin air, but you're sure no one noticed that but you.

You wanted the ground to open up and swallow you whole. It was beyond embarrassing for it to come directly from her mouth, especially in front of Yoongi.

You tried to answer but no words came out of your mouth. Thankfully, Namjoon awkwardly laughed beside you to kill the tension arising and sat next to you.

"Anyways, how are you?" he asked. "Do you want me to take you to your apartment?"

"No need, I can get by on my own. I just need to eat first. I'm starving!" you groaned. Earning a laugh from Hoseok who ruffled your hair.

"Come on, I'll get you something to eat." You gladly nodded, forgetting the awkwardness that just occurred minutes ago. You have grown close to Namjoon and Hoseok but you are much closer to the latter.

You tail behind him as he reach out his hand to you, not bothering to look back. You hesitate for a bit, not wanting people to assume things between you two but decided against it.You lace your hand in his. If there is one thing you've learned from the first month of being friends with them, it's that they are a fan of skinship.

You used to feel uncomfortable with how often Hoseok places his hands over your shoulders or how Namjoon bumps elbows with you when you sit next to each other but after observing them, it seems that they do that to each other too. Everything was completely platonic. That was when you started to adapt to them and became comfortable with skinship too.

"Are you alright, Y/N? I'm sorry you had a run-in with that witch." he said with a scowl. So they did notice, you note. Nevertheless, you smack his shoulder at the comment. "Yoongi wouldn't appreciate you calling her that, Hobi."

Hoseok instantly forgot what he was grumbling about and beamed at the nickname. You heard that "Hoba" was Yoongi and Namjoon's nickname for him so you made one of your own. You'll never forget Hoseok's face when he first heard you say it.

"Are you alright? How are you feeling, really?" he sighed. "I want you to know that both Namjoon and I condone what Yoongi did. He was wrong in so many ways, leaving you to go home alone last night."

"To be fair, that was on me. I basically forced him on that date." you shrugged.

"You didn't, Y/N." Hoseok turned to fully look at you. Worry etched on his face. "He wouldn't be there if he didn't want to be. No one forced him. He chose to be there."

Your mind instantly trailed back to the bus ride where Yoongi had said the same thing. It made you wonder if it was true.

Trying to change the subject, you point to the line of the cafeteria. Wanting to just get food in your system and head home.

On the other side of the room were Yoongi, Eujin, and Namjoon.

"I thought I had competition, but I think I no longer have to worry." Eujin points at you and Hoseok's hands. Namjoon ignored this, knowing Hoseok and yours closeness, he didn't think any of it.

"See Jagi, you had nothing to worry about." Yoongi assured in her ear. She hummed in return, not bothering to reply.

Namjoon couldn't take it anymore so he started to address the elephant in the room.

"Is this a thing again?" Namjoon asked, pointing at both Yoongi and Eujin. He was frustrated for his friend, in all honesty. He and Hoseok have witnessed how much it affected Yoongi when she left. He didn't want that to happen again.

"We're going to try, Joon." Eujin answered for the both of them.

"Namjoon." Namjoon corrected. "Only my friends can call me Joon." Yoongi wanted to say something and bark back but didn't want to push his luck. Eujin cleared her throat at that. She didn't want to impose further. All she needed was for Yoongi to like her, everyone else is irrelevant.

"Also, tell that to me in a week after you're out the door again, leaving Yoongi for another man." That was the last straw for Yoongi. He abruptly stood and slammed a hand on the table. He felt rage creeping through his veins but mostly ashamed for himself too. It was a low moment for him. How dare Namjoon speak of that. It was a low blow, Namjoon was aware of that too, but Yoongi needs to wake the fuck up.

This startled Eujin, who stayed quiet beside Yoongi. She was guilty. Their relationship ended because she did find someone new; Yoongi just never figured out whom. All he knows is that it took an awful turn and left her broken beyond pieces. Only Yoongi was there to comfort her. She put her hand on Yoongi's trembling ones and ushered for him to take a seat.

"Look, Joon." He sighed. "I know you care about me but please, never speak of that again. We already moved past that. Don't bring it back."

Namjoon only nodded, tired of proving a point and wanting to move on from this drama already.

Besides, he already saw Hoseok and you walking in their direction. Namjoon didn't want to be insensitive in front of you, both he and Hoseok knows that you are deeply infatuated with their friend. Every time you meet with them, though you try to be subtle about it, they notice your disappointment whenever Yoongi doesn't come.

Hoseok took a seat and you sat down next to him. You almost inhale your food desperate to finally drink medicine. Your head was throbbing and you felt worse than you did earlier. Namjoon offered you a paracetamol which you gladly took. You smiled at him gratefully and drank it in one go. You'll start to feel better soon.

After a few minutes, you feel your fever going down. Leaning your head onto the bag Namjoon placed in the table, you quickly used it as a cushion for your to rest on. You paid the couple in front of you no mind. It's embarrassing enough that you practically forced Yoongi into a date, furthermore Eujin finding out and asking you about it. So you focused on Hoseok telling you a story about a dog he met on his way to the campus as Namjoon plays with your hair.

"His name is Kobe, Y/N!" he exclaims, trying to make you understand why it was so important. You tilt your head to the side, confused as to why it was a big deal.

"My name is Hobi! Kobe and Hobi, Y/N!"

You laughed out loud when you realised his point. You are absolutely endeared at how cute Hoseok is being. Namjoon just opted to roll his eyes.

"Hoba, you wasted our time." Yoongi spoke for the first time, making you turn your head towards him. Hoseok hissed at him, he was no longer ignoring him but was being petty at everything he says. This made Yoongi laugh, too. It was hard to not be obsessed with Hoseok, he's a ball of sunshine in human form.

"Where did Hobi even come from?" He added, to which Namjoon replied before Hoseok can.

"It's the nickname Y/N gave him. You know, just some perks we get for being her friend." Namjoon bragged as if it was important piece of information for Yoongi to know. You blushed at his statement and Yoongi looked away.

"Joonie, I think you've made your point." You rolled your eyes at Namjoon. You stood up and gathered your things. You need to go home now. The medicine made you feel better but you felt your body begging you to rest. You are exhausted beyond words and honestly lacking the energy to attend afternoon classes.

"I have to go now, though. I really feel like shit." you laughed.

"I'll bring you home, Y/N." Hoseok begged once again. Yoongi grew bothered by how his two closest friends were so keen with protecting you. What is up with that?

"Look, if it eases your paranoia," You start. "I promise to text you as soon as I get home."

That somehow made Hoseok sigh in defeat. You beamed at him, happy that you were able to crack him.

You face the group and bowed a little, bidding goodbye. Yoongi frowned at that, you weren't strangers. The courtesy was uncalled for and it made his stomach feel queasy. Besides, he didn't like the idea of you bowing to Eujin. It was already bad enough that you were being forced to tolerate their relationship. He wasn't sadistic, as Yoongi repeats to himself every time you're in the picture, he has a heart.

Yoongi was curious as to why you didn't get upset at him for leaving you to walk home alone last night in the first place. Nor did you question Eujin and who she is in his life. If he was being honest, this confused him. After all your efforts to ask him out on a date, your constant stares, and Hoseok's teasing when he is near you, he thought that you actually like him.

Except you are here now, acting like he's nothing. Laughing with Hoseok and Namjoon, who you have both given nicknames.

It's not that he gives two fucks though.

He does. Yoongi gives a million fucks.

------------------------------------

You continued with your life as normal, spending most of it with Hoseok and Namjoon. Yoongi was occasionally present but it's usually with Eujin by his side.

You weren't going to lie, the more you see them together, the more you wish you were the one in Eujin's place. Hoseok often try to encourage you to try dating other people but you just shook your head and let him. You weren't really looking to date, liking Yoongi was just a surprise to you as it is to them.

A few weeks passed and you find yourself slowly accepting your fate. You made no attempt to talk to Yoongi unless it was needed. Eujin was still a bit odd around you, but it was alright. You didn't have to be best friends, she knew you had feelings for Yoongi and since she's dating him, it's her right to put a space between you two. So you let them.

Yoongi, on the other hand, found himself always forcing a smile whenever Eujin was around. These days, he preferred to be with Hoseok and Namjoon, attending rehearsals as much as he can.

Though he hates to admit it, he prefers it when you're there, too.

He's often frustrated at you. He hates how you can grab his full attention in a snap. He hates how your nose crinkles at everything Hoseok says. He hates how you always lean your head on Namjoon's shoulder when you laugh. He hates how you're always in his mind, rent-free.

He fucking hates it.

He recalls the next Humanities class you had with them, you walked in carrying a to-go paper bag from a local coffee shop. Yoongi scoffed, he knew you'd crack. How many times does he have to tell you for you to realise that Eujin is in his life now?

When you saw the trio, you beamed and walked happily towards them. The moment you reach them, Yoongi opened his mouth to say something about you bringing him coffee but to his surprise, you went directly to Namjoon's desk.

"Joonie, I got you the biggest size since you helped me with Accounting last week." Namjoon like the barbarian he is, didn't even wait for you to hand him the drink. He immediately grabbed the paper bag and took out the drink himself.

Yoongi's jaw almost hit the floor. He assumed wrong. He felt crimson red creep up to his cheeks as he imagined what horror it could've been if he let his mouth run. He's an idiot. Hoseok who was by his side, noticed this and started to tease him.

"You thought the coffee was for you?" He teased which made Yoongi snarl.

"Why would I think that?" He replied, annoyed out of his mind.

Hoseok teased him further as you stick the straw to the drink that you bought for him. He began to drink it while maintaining eye contact with Yoongi and you smack his head from behind.

"Hobi," you warn. "Stop teasing Yoongi."

You grab the paper bag and gave it to Yoongi. He reluctantly looked at it and raised his eyebrows at you.

"I didn't get you coffee since you didn't like it last time," you trailed off. This made Yoongi squirm at his seat, remembering how he rejected the one you bought for him last time. He was a fucking asshole.

"I got you a panini, though." you held the paper bag in front of his face. He accepted it and placed it on his desk. You flashed a grin that could light up a whole village. Yoongi felt a zoo in his stomach. Something must be wrong with him.

"I hope I didn't make you feel uncomfortable, Yoongi. Don't worry, I fully respect your relationship with Eujin." you started. "What do you say? Friends?" you offer a hand. Yoongi raised his to shake yours.

Yoongi wasn't really sure how he felt with being your friend.

But with how you treat Hoseok and Namjoon, you must be a great one.

With that, classes started and you didn't even glance his way for the rest of it. He knows because he never took his eyes off of you.

You have concluded that Yoongi was not bad of a friend as you thought he would be.

After you two have cleared everything up, he began to open up more to you. Of course, you knew your boundaries.

Hoseok became your best friend, you confide in him for everything. Namjoon sometimes jokes and gets jealous at how you're "stealing" him from their little trio.

One day while you're eating lunch with everyone, he began to tease you as the topic of your bet with Yoongi was opened up.

"She slayed that bet, in my opinion." Namjoon stated.

"I did!" you whined beside Hoseok. "I knew that the answer was Plato! If I realised it sooner, I would've won!"

"But you didn't," Yoongi pointed at finger at you while he drank his soda. Eujin just chuckled beside him.

"She had guts though." She said, eyeing me. There was that look of distaste again, swimming in her irises. You said nothing, but clear your throat.

"She did! Plus, did you know," Hoseok said with a teasing tone. "That was Y/N's first kiss!"

Everyone in the table but Yoongi laughed.

"I don't really know what came into me." You snorted. "Damn, I must've seemed bat shit crazy to you, Yoongi. No wonder you didn't want to go on that date with me."

Namjoon tapped your shoulder as if to say "there there" and you held onto it. Yoongi's eyes stayed glued to it, a part of him wanted to take it off and practically shove Namjoon off of you.

He was just a possessive friend. He thought.

He was still somewhat shocked to know that it was your first kiss. You were so bold about it, it didn't seem like it. He feels Eujin snake her hand around his waist. This brought him back to the conversation. He even found himself questioning why he even cared.

You are clouding his mind these days.

He wants you to stop.

You need to stop, he thought, as he hugs Eujin from the side. ------------------------------------

  NEXT | PREVIOUS

happy birthday! are you still taking prompts? something sam and cas discussing the whole casifer thing maybe?

if you wanted something more like. productive and healthy, I am sorry. again this is roughly part of touch verse (but all you need to know is that they're in an established relationship).

tw for references to sexual assault (Toni Bevell) and slight unreality in the aftermath of the incarceration in 12x09

(AO3 Link)

-

The basement door had shut, the sound echoing around the walls, and Sam had been left with his family -  Dean, and Cas, and the not-ghost of his mother, which – all of it was a story someone was going to need to tell at some point soon. But with just them, the British Men of Letters gone, he could slouch. Sag down. Not worry so much about letting the last couple of days show.

Cas said, “Sam,” soft and sad. “Let me heal you.” Then he stepped towards him, one hand reaching out and- and-

He’d been keeping his distance. They’d both been keeping their distance, or at least it had seemed like they had been. Maybe it hadn’t been enough time to tell, between Cas being Cas again and the ambush in the bunker. Because Cas was Cas again, Sam knew that, had known that, had held onto that like a lifeline and-

Cas reached out to heal him and he flinched. Froze. Sucked in a breath and held it because otherwise he was going to hyperventilate. Cas’ hand paused too, kept moving only when Sam nodded to him. A rush of grace healing him, then Cas stepped back, and Sam slowly let the breath out. Pushed himself upright, and Cas withdrew further, going to Dean. Sam flexed his newly whole foot against the floor and didn’t look at them.

There was a conversation happening. Mary - Mom? He didn’t know what to call her - was watching him like a hawk.

He needed to be outside. Out of this basement. The Brits had to be gone by now. He could hope they were gone. Mind made up, he strode to the steps - maybe Dean said his name, but his ears were ringing a little - and then up and out.

Daylight washed over him. Something in him relaxed, at the feel of sun on his skin again. It felt real. Real real, not the daydream of a bed, somehow both cloying and ephemeral. This was just the sun, warm on his skin, a reminder that the world was still there. He shut his eyes, breathed deep, listened to boots clomping up the steps behind him.

He already knew it was Dean, but hearing his voice say, “Sam,” before his hand clapped onto Sam’s shoulder still helped. “Ready to go home?”

“Yeah,” Sam said, opening his eyes again. Mary was with Dean, and Cas was behind them, eyes searching.

“I’ll meet you there,” he said, nodding towards them, and he walked away first.

Dean, thankfully, kept going like nothing was awkward. Jerked his head towards the road. “Car’s this way. You good on bare feet or you want me to go get it?”

If Dean went for the car, Mom would probably stay with him. Sam couldn’t tell if he desperately wanted that or wanted to shy away, so he said, “I’m good to walk.” It would be good to move, anyway.

Dean kept up the chatter all the way to the Impala. Part clear relief, part recognising Sam wasn’t up to talking yet, and the silence needed to be filled.

“We’re about six hours out from the bunker,” he said, as they finally approached. “So, you’ve got time to catch a nap if you want to stretch out in the back. Unless you want the passenger side?”

Sam shook his head. “I’ll take the back.”

He did fall asleep there, listening to Dean and Mom talk in the front, an odd parody of his childhood. Like he’d slipped somehow slightly to the left, some world just adjacent to the one he’d grown up in. Shuddered awake as the car pulled into the bunker garage, took a moment to reassess. Still Dean driving, Mary in the passenger seat. Body still whole, after being healed. Feet still bare, clothes still crusted with sweat and blood. He sat up carefully, rubbed a hand over his face to clear away some of the grogginess.

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty, you’re up,” Dean said. “Did they feed you in there? I can make you some food.”

They hadn’t, but Sam’s stomach rolled at the idea of eating. “I think I want to shower first,” he said.

“Yeah, dude, you reek,” Dean said. “Go clean up, I’ll get started on food.”

He hadn’t been planning on going back out but showered, in clean clothes, he thought Dean and Mary deserved that. Proof of life. Put on a good show, eat something, take part in the conversation. Something about the way Mom kept glancing between them twinged something - he thought about when he’d come back. Before he’d remembered, a year and half of blank space, Dean and Bobby both watching him with a weight he couldn’t parse.

It was something to focus on, and he took her Dad’s journal, and tried to say the right thing, and when she hugged him he almost broke.

So when he got back to his room and Cas was there, he was already fractured.

It wasn’t an intimate tableau. Cas was just standing by his dresser, the door to the room open, waiting. He swallowed hard, shook off the arrested momentum, finished walking inside.

“Hey, Cas.”

“Sam,” Cas said. Grave, and soft, and concerned. His hands twitched like he wanted to reach out. Sam looked away, felt tension fill his shoulders. “Are you alright?”

The least Sam owed him was honesty. “No,” he said, “but I don’t think that’s anything you could help with. Right now.”

Cas’ face only got graver, and Sam hadn’t really meant it like that. That it was Cas in particular that couldn’t help, but he couldn’t quite grasp the words to explain.

“I understand,” Cas said. “If that changes…”

“I’ll let you know,” Sam said, not sure how he’d be able to tell. “It’s not- you’re not- I’ll be fine, this was just-“ He shook his head. Just physical, but it hadn’t been. Not Cas, but it was. He didn’t even have thought, he was down to sentence fragments and a hollowed out feeling in his chest.

“I want to help,” Cas said.

“You-“ said Sam, “He-“ and he didn’t have to specify who he was talking about.

Cas looked wrecked. Looked ashamed, and part of Sam thought, good, and part of him wanted to bury his face in Cas’ chest and never let go, and all of him felt wrong.

He took a deep breath.

“When she started,” he said, “When she had me in that basement.”

Cas said, “Sam,” and Sam help up a hand to stop him.

“I told her. I told her I’d been tortured by the Devil himself,” his voice was more even that he expected it to be. “So, what did she think she could do to me?”

Cas’ hands twitched again. He didn’t reach out. Sam couldn’t tell if he was grateful or not.

“And I was right, y’know?” He shook his head. “She couldn’t do to me in two days what he could in two minutes. And what he could do with your face.” It looked like Cas was going to speak again so he shook his head again, cutting him off. “And I get it, Cas, I do, I know why you said yes. I just-“ His voice cracked finally. Throat clicked shut.

“I understand,” Cas said. “I- if you want space?”

Sam nodded, guilty at the helpless look on Cas, face. “I think space would be a good idea.”

Then Cas was gone too, and he was alone.

It hadn’t been a lie. Not really. Lucifer - the name tasted like stomach acid even when he was just thinking it - could take him to pieces far more efficiently than Toni Bevell could. And Sam couldn’t stop seeing it, the tilt of his head, the line of his jaw, the curve of his smile on Cas’ mouth when he’d reached into Sam’s chest, ready to close that fist and detonate. It was there all the time in the corner of his vision but-

But.

The door to his room shut behind Cas and even as he breathed a sigh of relief, her voice whispered, Was it good for you? into his ear.

His skin crawled. He felt dirty but he’d already showered, and the comfort would be nice but he couldn’t take another body in his bed.

—

Sam broke through the trees, saw Cas, and didn’t think before he went crashing into him. It had- they hadn’t- It had still been tense. Before Dean and he had gotten arrested. Sam had still been holding his distance, a little, Cas hadn’t been staying in his room like he used to, it had been…

There had been an equilibrium, if one that pleased neither of them.

But that was before the- the time. Sam couldn’t put a word to how much. The cell door had shut behind him and he’d taken in the concrete walls, the buzzing fluorescent lights, the quiet and- He didn’t need to count days. Days would pass with him or without him. He’d eaten when they gave him food, and shut his eyes when he wanted to sleep, and done push ups when he felt like he was going to crawl out of his skin.

Tried to remember some of his college classes to pass the time. Twelve years ago, give or take a couple hundred. He didn’t remember much.

But they were out, and then in a forest that felt hyper-real, where the sky felt too far away, where Sam’s focus had to narrow down on getting out. Blood in his veins, breath in his lungs, cold steel in his hands. Cas appearing out of the trees like a dream.

Not a dream, Sam went crashing into him and he was solid, and warm, and holding Sam as tight as Sam was holding him.

A breath caught in his lungs. He somehow found strength to hold even tighter. Saw Mom over Cas’ shoulder. Hugged her too.

(It was bittersweet, it was probably going to be the last time, he didn’t want to explain it, Dean thought it was going to be him but Sam wasn’t letting him do that, it was going to be Sam, it was, it was, until it wasn’t, until Mom, until Cas’ blade plunged through Billie’s chest, and the broken deal felt bitter but Sam-

Sam was alive.)

The bunker was a relief and a cage. Familiar, and closed in, and concrete walls again. The buzz of the lights.

It didn’t smell like the cell had. Sam breathed in.

Cas was following him again. Trailing where Sam went, watching him like he was going to be tested on it. Like he didn’t know what to say. Neither did Sam.

He tried to ignore it. Showered, got into his own clothes again. Found Cas in his room, sitting on the chair beside his desk. It wasn’t unexpected. Something about it felt almost dreamlike. The forest, after the cell, that had been a shock to the senses. Too much, too different. The bunker, that was familiar. Even if he hadn’t been there in- in some amount of days. Definitely weeks. Maybe months. His mind shied away from the idea of asking. It wasn’t a dream though, he reminded himself.

“Sam?” He’d maybe been standing in the doorway too long. Cas looked concerned. “Should I go?”

He shook himself. “You don’t have to.” Moved further in to sit down on his bed. “Did you want to talk?”

Not the right thing to say - he saw Cas’ expression dim. “Yes, I- I’m so sorry, I couldn’t find you.”

“How could you?” Sam said, attempting a smile. “You were the one who hid us from angels in the first place.”

“I’m still sorry,” Cas said. “You were alone.”

“It’s not the worst thing I’ve been,” Sam said, which was true even if neither of them wanted it to be.

There was still something urgent in Cas’ eyes, so Sam lightly patted the bed next to him. Cas shifted to the bed. Sam felt the mattress shift underneath him.

A voice in his head whispered, was it good for you? and he tried to push it away.

Took Cas’ hand in one of his, but didn’t touch him otherwise. Didn’t look at him. He heard Cas let out a long exhale at the contact. Dry skin to dry skin, the one thing that didn’t feel like a dream.

“I let you down again,” Cas said, quietly, and Sam shut his eyes.

He wanted to say which time? He wanted to tell him it didn’t matter. Wanted to turn and pull Cas into his chest and hold him. He couldn’t quite get himself to move.

Cas said, “Sam?” again, and Sam realised he was gripping Cas’ hand so hard he could feel the bones grinding.

He let go. Folded his hands in his lap. “Sorry.”

Cas touched his arm. “You need rest.”

Sam nodded, but didn’t say anything. With his eyes shut the lights buzzing sounded like the cell.

“Why did you kill Billie?” he asked.

“Because I’m not losing you,” Cas said. “And I’m not losing Dean, and I’m not letting you lose your mother. None of you deserve that.”

“Yes we do,” Sam said. “All of us have cheated death. We need to stop at some point. I don’t- I don’t want anyone else to die for me.”

Cas’ fingers brushed his face and he flinched. Opened his eyes. Cas had frozen, hand still raised. The tips of his fingers were wet. Sam realised he was crying.

“I couldn’t let you,” Cas said. “I- After Lucifer, we never…” He shook his head. “You were gone, and I couldn’t find you. I wasn’t going to lose you again right after I found you. I didn’t want you to go through any more pain.”

“I know I should say thank you,” Sam said.

“You don’t have to,” Cas said. “I know you don’t want to.”

“I miss you, Cas,” he said. “I miss you all the time. I want us to work through this, I do, just-“ He broke off. The buzz of the lights was giving him a headache.

“Sam,” Cas said. “Sam, I would do anything-”

“Yeah,” Sam said, wetly. “Yeah, I know.”

That was always the problem. Someone who would do anything. Anything smelt like Dean’s blood soaking into carpet, felt like hellfire, felt like grace crackling through his hands. Sam didn’t want anything.

“I’m gonna get some coffee,” he said, after a valiant attempt at composing himself.

“Sam, you should sleep,” Cas said.

“Yeah,” he said. “I’m gonna get some coffee.”

Sleeping In The Bathroom Is Better Than Home

Description:

Chat noir cannot stand being at home anymore and by chance stumbles upon Marinette wich turns into an unexpected sleepover

Hurt/comfort

Marichat (can be viewd as romantic or platonic)

Oneshot

Trigger warnings : mention of verbal abuse, mentions of neglect, discussions of bad mental health, bad mental health, insomnia, anxiety, trapping a child mention (ask to tag)

"Im done and sick of it"

He couldnt think straight, he just knew that he needed to get out as fast as he can

Plag popped out in a look of concern but before he could say anything Adrien already climbed out the window and yelled "Plagg claws out" and jumped out

His movement wasent his usual cat like swiftness

It was heavy and frantic

He was stumbling around in the dark and crashing into a wall or a random pole every once in a while but ignoring it as nothing happened and just, keeps going

He was going around blindly

With the only purpose of just, getting away

After a while of hanging about at the dark he calmed down a bit, but he was still fearful

His dad yelling still ringing in his ears and with each sound feeling like another hit

"Ignore it he insisted"

"You are here, you are safe, you are not at home anymore."

"You are safe." he whispered to himself loudly with a bit of a panic in his voice and a desperation to make these words feel true

But it was getting late he knew that soon he will need to go back home but he couldnt bring himself

He would rather sleep outside

"The only problem is that he would be an easy target for hawkmoth or criminals depending on the form"

"Or he could just stay a-"

His thought had been cut mid sentence while he was walking he realised he sees a familiar light and in the light had been basking a familiar figure

"Marinette!" He exclaimed with relief in his voice

"It was nice seeing a friend out here and a light source when everything else seems so dark and bleak and eerily quiet..."

"Chat Noir?" Marinette blinked trying to figure out where the dark ends and where the cat starts

"Its nice to see you" he said with a sheepishly smile

"Is there an akuma" Marinette eyes darted from place to place while her expression seemed so focused she wouldnt miss a fly

"Not tonight princess" he replied feeling a bit guilty he made her worry

A sigh of relief escaped the teen's mouth and her expression softened

And when she looked up to his surprise she looked like she is actually happy to see him

"So what brings you here ~Chat Noir~." she said his superhero name like you would call someone a royalty title jokingly

"Wich... was fair, but! he just hoped she knew every time he called her princess it was full of fondness"

"Oh um, just going for a walk, getting some fresh air"

"At two at night"

"I can ask you the same princess" he stumbled on his words he didnt expect that

"He havent being keeping an eye on the hour"

"He hoped he wasent missing for too long"

"But with his father absence he sometimes thinks he could of being kidnaped by hawkmoth for days and he wouldnt even notice"

"and sometimes he could of just barged into the room out of the blue"

"For ones he hoped for the first one"

Marinette unexpectedly decided to be the first one to break the silence

"Thoughts, just too many thoughts" she replied honestly and wiped her eyes in tiredness and maybe tears

Even though her answer seemed quite generic he recognised the real weight these words hold

"You?" She asked softly in sleepiness

"I just couldnt handle staying there anymore"

He blurted out choking on a bit of tears

"Her honestly just made him feel like he couldnt keep it inside anymore and that he could just share it safely and it will be okay"

"Like he didnt have to keep it down anymore and he really couldnt not like this not when he finally feels safe and the adrenaline from earlier is starting to die out and the tiredness is kicking in"

"Not next to Marinette"

"When she just comes with honestly openness and without anything to hide behind"

"She could of waited a little longer he would have come up with a joke to sweep her off her feet or at least made her laugh thats a win too"

"And just have a normal conversation"

"But she chose openness and he couldnt help, but choose it too"

He was a bit shaking he didnt notice till Marinette put a hand on him "hey, do you wanna go talk inside?"

The cat was frozen in surprise at the sudden touch

but as soon as it went is as soon as it goes

"And I know your identity needs to remain a secret for yours and the safety of your loved ones"

"So tell me just as you can and want of course" she made a serious face in the end but he couldnt ignore how cute it was

He noded thankful and followed her in

"Not surprisingly her room was much warmer than the cold outside"

They set down and Marinette asked while fiddling with her fingers "So, what happened?"

"My dad just yelled at me"

"Again" he rolled his eyes with a snort of someone who learned to turn their anger into despair and nihilistic jokes

"Its or he leaves me alone and neglects me or he yells at me and traps me"

"And in the past it used to be or he neglects me and traps me or he yells at me and traps me"

"But good luck trapping Chat Noir ha ha" he said with exhaustion and finger guns

"Unless you are hawkmoth if he would of being I bet he would have trapped me then too" another bitter laugh escaped his mouth

"What about you?"

"So you know those nights when you try to go to bed and you just lay there but you cant stop thinking and your thought are running and running and you just start shaking and you cant stop and no matter what you cant sleep and you wish so badly you can but you just cant so you stand up cause you cant take it anymore"

She blurted out as well just more in a mini frantic tangent

Instead of a frantic blurt out

"So maybe" she says with a twirl of her hand like she tries to drag the word longer and just not let the sentence end

"Im having one of these nights"

She covered her face with her hand and looked away like she is even ashamed of having a problem

"Wich is super unfair everyone has problems" he scoffed in his head

"And also one thing was made sure by this conversation she was crying earlier"

"Actually yeah" he replied looking up from his knees and surprising them both

"I do get these nights from time to time"

"Now it was his turn to look away"

"Now he is the one feeling shame in having problems"

"Honestly, he thinks it made both of them feel better knowing they are not the only ones even though he and of course Marinette! would never wish this upon each other it was still nice being in the same boat"

"Its exhausting" she exclaimed and looked like she was trying to rest her had on air and getting grumpy each time it doesnt work

Chat tapped to time on his knees to signal that she can use him as a pillow

Marinette without taking a second thought took the invite and settled down

At the moment of contact Chat Noir felt like lightening were running up his spine he just hoped he didnt move

He wasent used to other ppl contact much

And he always withdrew away quite quickly

"Its not that he didnt like others touch"

"Its just that it would always overwhelm him so much"

"And it made him feel like he needed a break but every time he was ready to come back"

"There was nobody left"

"And lets not talk about how it was before school when there was nobody to begin with"

"She looked so comfortable like it was all natural being so close to someone and just putting your head down"

"He wishes he could feel like that too"

"He hopes one day he will"

After a moment of rest and a sigh of relief Marinette asked "So, whats the plan?"

"Kinda how he would of asked his lady on battle he wondered if thats how he looks like"

"Uh, I kinda planned on staying awake outside until I will collapse of exhaustion..."

"Well, thats a horrible plan."

"In retrospect, he agreed but its not like he had any other options" he thought to himself

"The only room with a decent lock is the bathroom but I cant let you sleep in the bathroom!"

"I considered sleeping outside so this sounds much better"

"Chat!" She protested

"Its not like I have any better options" he sighed into his hand

"Okie but Im putting a clock to 5 in the morning so you will be back before anyone notices"

"But then what about you? dont you need any sleep?"

"I dont think I will fall asleep befor 5 am to be honest" she made an awkward laugh in an attempt to make it seem not as bad

"And, having company for a change even if will be a sleeping one soon is nice."

She looked up to him still resting on his lap with a soft smile that looks like it means Im really thankful you are here but you need to go to sleep now

"Marinette I-" he couldnt help but let a sigh of relief escape his mouth "I cant thank you enough"

"Hey what there are partne- pretty good friends for!"

"She started stammering. Now he was sure she was too tired for communication and needed some rest"

"So lets get ready for the sleep part in our kind of spontaneous sleepover!" she said like it was all part of just a regular late night party

He chuckled and replied with a simple sappy "yeah" and he got ready to bed

And in a long time he actually had a good sleep even though it was in the bathroom

The end <3

Update: thank you everyone for the feedback!!!

Bad Guy

Pairing: Dean Winchester x Reader

Rating: Explicit

Summary: MoC!Dean needs to get out and let off some steam, and Donny’s bar serves up the prefect girl. 

Word Count: 5.2k 

Warnings: MOC!Dean, rough sex, d/s vibes, slut shaming, light bondage, daddy!Dean, daddy kink

A/N: written for @negans-lucille-tblr ‘s 2k challenge! It is super late because I’m a trash human who apparently doesn’t know how to read deadlines and also has no sense of time management. It’s also over the word limit because I am just incredibly inefficient and no longer have the brain power to cut this back. 

Divider: @firefly-graphics​

Dean needed to get out of the bunker, like yesterday. Sam had been bugging the crap out of him for the past couple of days and he really needed a few hours of peace. Not that he ever had much peace these days with the Mark itching at the back of his mind, like a fly caught between a window and its screen. But he could at least ditch Sam for a few hours, and zone out with about a case of beer and plenty of nachos. 

He groaned when he pushed into the crowded barroom of his local and it was packed and loud. Even worse, the typical jukebox rock that typically soundtracked the establishment had been replaced by a girl on an acoustic guitar playing something Dean was ashamed to say he recognised as Taylor Swift. 

“Donny, what the hell man?” Dean had to shout to be heard over the veritable gaggle of kids shoved against the bar. 

“Open Mic Night,” Donny had to shout back, wiping out a glass to pull a pint of Dean’s regular. “The college up the road is trying to ‘integrate more with the community.’ ” Dean could hear the sarcastic quotation marks in Donny’s voice. 

“Did you have to let them integrate here?” Dean squeezed into the last open seat at the end of the bar, as far away from the makeshift stage as he could get. 

“I know it’s kind of annoying,” Donny passed Dean his drink, slopping foam onto the bar. “But it’s really good for business. I can’t remember the last time the place was this crowded.” 

“Oh you mean I’m not enough for you anymore?” Dean ribbed, plastering his hands to his chest to staunch the imaginary wound. 

“Even you and your brother don’t drink enough to keep this place entirely afloat, dude. Need anything else?” Donny made to grab the ticket pad to take down a food order. 

“Nah, hold off on the food for now,” Dean shook his head but then rethinking asked, “but uh- get me a double shot of bourbon.” 

“Which one?” Donny grabbed a glass and spun to the bourbon shelf. 

“A strong one,”  Dean answered, pressing the heels of his hands into his eyes, and trying to push past the surge of violent instinct the Mark had shot through his veins a moment before. 

When Donny slid the bourbon in front of him, Dean drained it in three gulps, using the pain in his throat to distract him from the burning on his forearm. Maybe it was a bad idea to be out like this, especially if these college kids were gonna be loud and annoying all night. But going home meant being annoyed by Sam all night and he didn’t want his anger to burst out there either. At least here these people weren’t likely to talk to him… and there was alcohol. He decided to stay, and started working on his beer. 

By the third one Dean had mellowed out significantly, and the bar had actually cleared out just a little. Or everyone had migrated over to the pool tables to be closer to the stage. Either way suited Dean, he didn’t really care to keep tabs on where they had wound up. The singer had changed, and now a new girl with a new guitar in a sparkly black tank top was starting in on some singer-songwriter country pop crap. This was so not Dean’s scene, but at least her voice was actually good, even if the music she was playing made him want to gag over its sickly sweetness. 

Dean waved Donny down for another beer, and glanced back up to the stage while he was waiting for it to make its way to him. When he did, he took a closer look at the girl up there singing. She was leaning over her guitar in a way that pushed her chest up in her top and Dean had to admit, that wasn’t a bad view. 

“She’s not too bad,” Donny’s voice in his ear scared the crap out of Dean and he jumped around, finding Donny standing there pushing a beer across the bar. Dean shook his head to clear it. 

“Yeah,” Dean shrugged, grabbing his beer and taking a big sip. “Better than the last one.” 

“She’s actually the one that organised it,” Donny leant against the bar to keep chatting, and Dean realised that the bar was now basically empty leaving Donny a moment for a break. “She usually pops up to play whenever they run out of people that signed up.” 

“Do they all play this lovey-dovey crap?” Dean asked. Donny snorted. 

“Yeah pretty much. I haven’t heard anything else yet.” 

“Great,” Dean took a longer drink from his beer. 

“But like I said, she’s actually pretty good,” Donny noticed someone at the other end of the bar raise a hand to catch his attention and he turned to go. “Plus,” he lowered his voice conspiratorially, “she’s not bad to look at.” Dean choked out a laugh around his drink. 

“No she is not,” he agreed. 

*****************************************************************************************************

 “Hey!” A bubbly voice sounded bright in Dean’s ear, far too close and far too chipper for Dean’s comfort. He turned and found the girl in the sparkly black tank top who had been singing the last time he had checked. Looking down at his beer and finding it empty he realised that that had probably been a while ago. 

“Listen sweetheart, I’m not really-” Dean broke off his rebuff when singing girl leaned forward to order a drink from Donny. He grimaced with embarrassment, realising that she hadn’t been talking to him, she had just been trying to grab the bartender’s attention. 

“Vodka cranberry,” Dean heard her order. Figures, typical college girl drink, he thought to himself. “And another of whatever Mr. Broody over here has been drinking.” The girl jerked her thumb towards Dean and flashed him a confident smile. Dean’s eyebrow shot up his forehead and he almost made another attempt to shut her down but then he remembered, he was out of beer. What harm was there in letting her buy him a drink. 

They sat in silence, letting the buzz of the crowd around them fill in the space of a conversation while they waited for their drinks. When Donny passed them over, the girl shuffled off her stool, pushing Dean’s beer towards him and dragging the stool with her so she could hop up in closer proximity to him. Dean picked up the drink and leant it towards her in acknowledgment. She tapped the side of his glass with hers and took a long pull through her pink straw that clashed awfully with the colour of the cranberry juice in her drink. 

“I saw you watching me,” she said, glancing up through her lashes because even on the barstool she was shorter than Dean. 

Dean was slightly taken aback by her forwardness. Even as an attractive guy, he wasn’t used to women buying him drinks in bars, and then following that with a pretty blatant invitation to flirt. 

“Oh you did-” Dean broke off, no knowing her name.

“Y/N,” she grinned. 

“Y/N,” Dean filled in, putting on his best smoky flirty smile. 

“Do I get your name or am I just going to keep calling you Mr. Broody all night?” 

Dean frowned at her. “I am not brooding,” he scoffed, taking a drink. 

“Uh, yeah, you are,” Y/N laughed, sipping her drink as well. “Don’t get me wrong, the dark, brooding, rough guy at the bar vibe totally works for you.” 

“Thanks,” Dean huffed sarcastically. 

“It totally goes with your aloof, jerky attitude.”

Dean was stunned. The Mark on his arm prickled. “You know how to make a guy feel special, you know that?”

“A girl can try,” Y/N’s laugh was sparkling, at total odds with her remarks to Dean. “So is that a no to the name?” 

“His name’s Dean,” Donny interjected as he walked around the outside of the bar, collecting glasses. 

“Oh, thanks dude,” Dean threw up his arms in exasperation. 

“Anytime man,” Donny clapped Dean on the shoulder as he passed, taking his stack of glasses to the kitchen. Dean turned back to Y/N sheepishly, realising how rude that would have come across. 

“Sorry,” he nodded to Y/N, “if I’ve been a jerk. It’s been a long day.” 

“That’s okay, we’ve all been there.” Y/N smiled and leaned towards Dean companionably, once again pushing her breasts up in her top. Dean couldn’t help but notice, and he smirked to himself, taking another drink. “You want to talk about it?” Dean snorted. 

“Not even a little, sweetheart.” 

“That’s fair,” she nodded, not the least bit offended. She took a long sip of her drink, thinking for a moment before speaking again. “Want to go ‘not talk’ about it?” Her eyes were far too innocent for someone who had just asked him for casual sex. Dean shook his head, a little sadly. 

“Look, sweetheart, I’m flattered,” and he was, but with how the Mark had been lately it wasn’t a smart decision to pick anyone up for a one night stand right now. The Mark wanted that - badly - so Dean was pretty sure it was a bad idea. “But I don’t think I’m the kind of guy you’re looking for.” Dean tried to pass it off as a problem with himself, because it was. If he didn’t have this demon tattoo throbbing on his arm right now he would have said yes to this girl in a second, taken her home, and devoured her and her sweet as pie smile until she was screaming. But she was too nice, too sweet. He couldn’t chance what the Mark might push him to do around her. 

“How do you know what kind of guy I’m looking for?”Y/N countered, confidence not one bit shaken. 

“Believe me, I know your type,” Dean tried to be a little more harsh, hoping she would take the hint. Better to hurt her feelings now than to really hurt her later. “You’ve got your cutesy drink, and you sing those sweet country songs, and I bet you got rhinestones on your guitar case.” Dean cracked a small smile to soften the blow, feeling guilty almost immediately. “Believe me kid, you don’t want to get mixed up with guys like me.” 

“Guys like you?” Y/N laughed and jumped off her barstool, draining the rest of her drink. “That supposed to scare me, Dean,” she pouted and pressed closer to him, leaning onto the bar and once again putting her chest on show. It was a good move, Dean had to admit. She had great boobs. Dean had to shake his head and drag his eyes back to his glass, away from temptation. 

“Like I said sweetheart, I’m a bad guy. Nothing you want a piece of.” Dean tried to train his eyes at the bottle wall, away from Y/N, praying she would back off before he did something stupid like take her up on her offer.

“You think you know me,” Y/N scoffed, rolling her eyes and leaving Dean at the bar, mercifully alone. He let out a breath he didn’t know he’d been holding and downed the rest of his beer. He should call it a night before he had another close call. Dean grabbed for his wallet and was counting out bills when he heard a microphone squeal interrupt the playlist that had been going over the speakers. 

“I know I said before I wasn’t gonna do an encore,” Dean’s head shot up at Y/N’s voice and he caught her staring straight at him from the stage. They locked eyes and Y/N smirked, vindictively almost. “But I had a bit of a challenge tossed my way, and I wasn’t gonna let it go.” 

Dean groaned internally and rested his elbows back against the bar. He knew he’d made the right call now, she was about to sing some longing heartbreak song to make him feel bad and look stupid in front of the whole bar. How petty, he thought. What came out of her guitar was not in the least bit what he was expecting. 

(listen here)

This song was the opposite of what Y/N had been playing all evening. The guitar was sharp, biting even, and her voice had dropped out of its honey sweet register into a smoky finish reminiscent of a good bourbon. Then there were the lyrics, which she sung looking straight at Dean, a clear challenge in her eyes. This song wasn’t just seductive, it was straight up dirty. 

Bruises on both my knees for you

Don’t say, thank you or please I do

What I want when I’m wanting to

My soul, so cynical

Dean had to admit, she was painting a pretty picture. The Mark practically hummed in anticipation at the thought of this sweet thing on her knees for him, bruises blooming on that pristine skin she had been showing off all night, tempting him with. God, he wanted to be the one to put those bruises on her; and not just on her knees either. 

So you’re a tough guy

Like it really rough guy

Just can’t get enough guy

Chest always so puffed guy

Dean laughed, yeah she hit the nail on the head with that one. Girl knew how to pick a song for a situation. 

I’m that bad type

Make your mama sad type

Make your girlfriend mad type

Might seduce your dad type

I’m the bad guy, duh

Dean sucked in a breath, trying to fight off the Mark, which was buzzing excitedly, seeming convinced that he had already made up his mind to take this girl home with him, to show her what a bad guy really looked like; to teach her ass a lesson. Dean realised he was lost. He was done trying to convince himself not to grab her off the stage the second she played her last note. He wanted her, and here she was offering herself up to him, no reservations, with full confidence that she wanted what Dean could do to her. 

I like it when you take control

Even if you know that you don’t own me

I’ll let you play the role 

I’ll be your animal

Yeah, that was it. He had to have her. The Mark had to have her. Dean spun around and looked for Donny and, not seeing him, grabbed the bottle of bourbon sitting close to him behind the bar. He splashed some into an empty glass near him and drained it. The Mark was really the one in control now, it was just trying to dull down Dean’s guilty conscious as much as possible so it could have its fun.

Gathering the song was near its end Dean made his way towards the makeshift stage that was conveniently located near the exit into the back alley. He didn’t conjure up a pick-up line, he didn’t need one. Y/N had set her guitar back against the wall and stepped off the little platform and without a word Dean grabbed her arm and pushed her out the back door. Immediately outside he pushed her up against the rough wooden siding of the bar, which was definitely liable to stick anyone who touched it full of splinters. 

Dean towered down over her, one hand still gripping her upper arm bruisingly tight, and the other pushed a small lock of hair off the side of her cheek and tucked it behind her ear in a move that was sinisterly gentle. 

“Do you have any idea what you were asking for in there?” Dean breathed against the shell of her ear. 

“I know what I want,” Y/N looked Dean straight in the eye, the challenge shining behind her eyes not flinching under his intimidating proximity. 

“Are you sure?” Dean’s morality made one last gasp for breath, breaking through the weight of the alcohol the Mark had been drowning it in all night. In answer, Y/N started to slide down to her knees in front of him, ready to suck him off behind the bar where anyone could see them, but Dean’s grip on her arm held her up. “Uh uh,” he smirked, and yanked her back towards his car. “I have much better plans for you.” 

*****************************************************************************************************

They made it to Dean’s room without Sam noticing Dean’s return. Dean wasn’t even positive Sam was home and that suited him just fine. Y/N made a lazy circle around the room while Dean locked the door, picking up a photograph of a clearly teenage Dean with two others. 

“Who’re they?”

“My dad and my little brother,” Dean grunted, pulling off his jacket and toeing off his boots. 

“Hm, maybe I am the seduce your dad type,” Y/N smirked to herself, replacing the picture where she’d found it. 

“Ha,” Dean laughed, stalking nearer and backing Y/N up against the wall. “You really are a slut. Haven’t even had me yet and you’re already looking for another dick.” Y/N’s breath caught as Dean bit over her ear. “I promise you sweetheart, after you’ve had my cock that will be the only thing you want for the rest of your fucking life.” Dean crashed his lips down on hers, lodging his fingers in her hair and pushing her head back into the wall. 

Y/N went to wrap her arms around Dean’s neck but before she got anywhere near it he had grabbed her wrists and slammed them into the wall over her head. She moaned into the kiss, letting Dean devour her mouth and dominate her body. She’d had a feeling about Dean back at the bar, and she was so glad it had proved right. All they’ve done was kiss and she could already tell this was going to be one of the best fucks of her life. 

Dean pressed his body against hers, grinding his cock into her stomach. Keeping one hand firmly wrapped around her wrists he used the other to reach down and pull her leg around his waist. Y/N got the idea quickly and pressed her hips up against Dean, using him as leverage to get her other leg in the air and wrapped around his back. Letting go of her wrists Dean dropped his hands to her ass, groping appreciatively, before turning around and dropping her onto his bed. 

“Take your clothes off,” he grunted as he pulled at his own shirt. Y/N complied quickly, tossing her clothing to the end of the bed as she shed it. As soon as she was naked Dean was on top of her, still partially dressed himself. Grabbing her wrists again he pushed them over her head, and she felt fabric wrap around them. Dean had grabbed her discarded tank top and was using it to bind her to the headboard.

Y/N whined as arousal surged through her. The prospect of being tied down and used by Dean however he wanted was intoxicating. 

“You like that sweetheart?” Dean tightened the binding with a final tug and dropped back, returning his attention to ridding himself of his own clothes.

“Yes,” Y/N gasped, her wide eyes focused on Dean’s body, as he pulled off his jeans. 

“It’s what you deserve isn’t it,” Dean loomed over her, rolling his hips down against hers. “Since you’ve been so bad,” Dean mocked, a gloating pout lodged on his face. Y/N tried to lean up to kiss Dean but he ducked away from her, instead leaning down to bite at her earlobe with a dark chuckle. “So desperate.”

“Please, Dean,” Y/N gasped, trying to push her hips against Dean’s erection, still tucked in his boxers. A moment later, she screamed. Dean had smacked his hand between her legs harshly, pinching her clit too hard for it to be enjoyable. 

“What did you call me, slut?” Dean growled. 

“I’m sorry,” Y/N panted, in pain but incredibly turned on by the sting that was throbbing between her legs. “Please sir,” she landed on the obvious choice of title in this situation. 

“What exactly are you begging for?” 

“Anything,” she panted, trying again to roll her hips into Dean’s. “Let me see you, please sir.” 

“Oh, that what you want?” Dean ground his dick down on her thigh, giving himself some relief without touching the place Y/N wanted him the most. He pulled back and got his boxers off, moving farther up the bed when his cock was finally free. Y/N moaned when she saw it, hard and straining and so close. Dean was straddling her neck now, his cock bouncing down towards her mouth and automatically she parted her lips, silently begging Dean to let her do what she’d wanted to do back in that alley. 

“Like the view sweetheart?” Dean gripped himself loosely and ran the tip of his dick over her lower lip, skin catching on skin softly. 

“Yes sir,” Y/N sighed, eyes shining with greed. 

“You gonna be a good little whore and let me fuck your mouth?”

“Yes sir,” she nodded quickly. 

“You do a good job maybe you get a reward. You want that?”

“Please sir, please, I can be good.”

“I guess we’ll find out, won’t we?” Dean smirked, but to Y/N’s surprise, he didn’t push forward into her mouth, he started to turn around on top of her. Now Dean’s cock was resting on her face, and he was perched over her legs, pulling her thighs up and back so he had plenty of room to work his head and hands between her thighs. “Do you need an instruction manual?” Dean growled, pinching her thigh and causing her to gasp in aroused pain again. He took advantage of her open lips and pushed into her mouth, moaning as the head of his dick pressed down across her tongue. “Do your fucking job slut,” he grunted, thrusting shallowly in and out. 

It was much harder to do this without hands, Y/N reflected as she arched forwards to suck down as much of Dean’s cock as she could fit into her mouth. Her jaw began to ache quickly, not used to this angle or sucking a cock quite this big. She pushed herself onto Dean’s dick as far as she could, and hummed happily when she felt him tapping against the top of her throat. 

“Yeah,” Dean panted somewhere below her, revelling in how wet Y/N’s mouth was becoming around him, as her mouth started to water and his cock forced the drool over her lips and onto here face. “That’s a good girl, keep doing that you’ll get a little reward.” Dean thrust slightly against her and Y/N groaned eagerly, sucking a bit harder and pressing her tongue along the length of dick it could reach. “Yeah baby, good girl,” Dean ground out. 

Then there was a ringing slap and Y/N nearly choked around the cock that was almost in her throat. Dean had spanked her again, this one landing mostly on the bottom of her ass, but also a little bit on the taut skin stretched between her pussy and her asshole. The surprise of the slap had made Y/N suck in a big breath around Dean’s cock and had opened up her throat, exactly like Dean wanted, and he pushed the head of his dick a little further so it started to slide into her throat. 

A second later he pulled out as Y/N began to gag. “Did I find your limit sweetheart?” Dean panted, his breath puffing across her wet opening and sending a shiver all through her core. “Maybe you’re not as much of a slut as I thought,” Dean bit another hickey into Y/N’s thigh while she caught her breath. 

“I’m sorry sir, please, I can do it.  Please, let me do it.” Y/N had never deep-throated anyone before, but she had practiced on her vibrators at home, hoping one day she would find some guy who would make her do it no matter what, and she had wanted to be ready. “I’ll  do better sir, I promise,” Y/N begged.  

Without preamble Dean lowered himself into her mouth again, quickly thrusting into the back of her mouth. “Open up sweetheart,” Dean almost crooned, landing another, lighter, smack against her pussy. “Show me what a good little slut you can be.” 

This time, when Dean’s cock started to slide down her throat Y/N was ready, and she fought back against the urge to close up, tears starting to run down her cheeks from the effort of keeping her throat wide and open for Dean to fuck his cock into. 

Dean fucked her throat like that for a while, alternately spanking between her legs and pressing quick licks against her clit. Y/N was shaking with the effort of keeping her head up but also with the aching need to cum. She was so, so close to the edge, but Dean wasn’t giving her anywhere near enough to actually climax. She moaned, partly in response to the feel of Dean’s tongue swirling lightly over her but mostly begging him for more, for anything. 

Dean hummed in appreciation of how Y/N’s moan vibrated against his cock and he pulled up, leaving just the head in her mouth, which she suckled at gently, grateful for the break. 

“Is someone being a little needy baby?” Dean pulled himself off her and spun around,  so he was kneeling to her side. He slid one hand between her legs and began rubbing two fingers up and down her folds, covering them in her slick. Y/N moaned, pushing her hips into Dean’s fingers trying to force them inside. This earned her another slap, this one right over her clit, and the sting was delicious. “You’re a greedy little slut aren’t you?” Dean sneered. Y/N moaned again, not trying very hard to find words. Dean slapped here again. “Aren’t you?” he growled. 

“Yes sir,” Y/N cried, her clit throbbing, begging for attention. 

“All you want is something inside don’t you? Don’t even care what it is huh?”

“Please sir, please fuck me,” Y/N begged, once again trying to push Dean’s fingers inside her. “I need it so bad, please. I’ll do anything.” 

“So fucking desperate,” Dean growled, and without warning he flipped Y/N over onto her belly, spanking her ass hard. “You want to get fucked so bad, you’re gonna do it yourself.” He slid himself onto his back and hoisted Y/N’s hips up, urging her onto his lap. 

Y/N struggled to balance, her hands still tied to the bed and now twisted as well, and she fell against Dean as soon as she got her legs to straddle him. The feel of Dean’s hard cock between her legs was such a relief she groaned, it was one of the most slutty sounds she had ever heard herself make. She couldn’t help rubbing against him, dragging herself up and down his dick, leaving it shiny with slick. 

“I thought you wanted me to fuck you?” Dean grabbed at her breasts and pulled at her nipples, pulling more breathy whimpers from Y/N’s lips. 

“I do, please sir, please fuck me.”

“Come here baby girl,” Dean pulled her forward and kissed her hard, biting her lips, ruining her mouth, using one strong hand behind her head to keep her there. With his other hand he reached down to grab himself and move his cock so it was tapping between Y/N’s legs, using the head to rub against her clit, sending her into mewling shivers. “You want to get fucked you know what to do,” Dean whispered in her ear, simply holding himself there, not offering any other help. 

Y/N pushed back against Dean’s cock blindly, unable to control very much because of how her legs were trembling. “That’s it,” Dean encouraged but Y/N stopped suddenly, panting against Dean’s neck. 

“Condom?” she asked weakly, clearly regretting not having thought of it before. 

“No way,” Dean shook his head, bucking his hips a little to encourage Y/N to start moving back on his  cock again. “I want to come inside this slutty little cunt, and you’re gonna keep it all inside, so if I decide I want to fuck you again later I can just slide right in. Make you take it over and over again.” 

“Oh god,” Y/N groaned, pushing her hips back eagerly now, finally getting the tip of Dean’s cock to slip inside her. 

“Yeah, I thought you’d like that,”  Dean pressed his hands into her hips, shoving her down roughly on his cock and earning a weak scream. “Fuck yourself sweetheart, fuck yourself on Daddy’s cock.” Dean didn’t know exactly where that had come from but Y/N sure seemed  to like it. She moaned loudly and began bouncing slowly up and down on his cock, using gravity to drop herself down harder each time. 

“That’s it sweetheart,” Dean grunted. “Such a good little slut, fucking yourself for Daddy. You like being a good girl don’t you. Good girls get Daddy’s cock inside them. Good girls get Daddy’s cum. You gonna make Daddy cum baby?” 

“Yes Daddy please! Want your cum, want you to cum inside me. Please Daddy,” Y/N whimpered, grinding her clit into Dean’s hips. 

“You want Daddy’s cum you’re gonna have to work a little harder baby girl. Come on, I know a slut like you knows how to fuck.” Dean grabbed her hips and pushed her to go faster. She started to swivel her hips, trying to get Dean’s cock to hit that sweet spot inside her. “That’s  it baby, fuck that slutty little cunt on Daddy’s cock.” 

“Oh god,” Y/N moaned, so close. “Yes, please Daddy, god… fuck…” 

“You gonna cum on Daddy’s cock? That all you need baby, something stuffed in your slutty little hole, don’t even need me to touch this clitty?” Dean gave her clit another slap, lighter than previous ones because he couldn’t get his hand at the right angle, but just that small pressure sent Y/N spiralling over the edge, practically sobbing as she rode and clenched around Dean through her orgasm. 

Dean grabbed Y/N’s hips and slammed himself up, pulling more whimpers out of her as he chased his own finish, grunting roughly as he stilled inside her, cum spilling deep inside her cunt.  “Fuck,” Dean grunted as he rolled off of her, landing one last slap over her pussy, drawing a whine from her between her panting breaths. His fingers came away glistening with a combination of their cum, and he smeared it roughly over Y/N’s lips, smirking when she darted a small tongue out to clean them off. “That’s a good little slut,” Dean crooned, planting a bite on her nipple and drawing another whining gasp from her. 

Dean rolled over and groped for the cover that had bunched at the bottom of his bed, pulling it up over himself and Y/N. 

“Dean” Y/N whispered, voice hoarse. “Are you gonna untie me?” 

“Fuck no sweetheart,” he grunted, keeping his back to her and settling into his memory foam mattress. “I told you, you’re not going anywhere.” 

The Bear Or The Deer part 2

Fandom: Frankenstein Character: Adam (the creation/monster) A.N: Part one: https://littlebitoffanfic.tumblr.com/post/188773179104/the-bear-or-the-deer

 When the sun came up the next morning, you were sitting on the porch. The storm had moved on during the night and in its place was a nice warm sun. the night was going to be cold, you knew that, but at least the day was nice. occasionally, you would get up and see to some chores or get something to eat, but mostly you waited for him. You got less and less hopeful as the morning turned to afternoon to evening. The sun was almost set fully and you had almost given up when you saw a figure walk out from the woods. There he was. His walk and the way he seemed to hold himself was instantly recognisable. It was almost like he limped along and pulled his head against his chest, tilting it more to the right. He looked up when he reached the edge of the forest and he instantly saw you waiting. You smiled, waving to him. Adam walked a little taller and with less of a limp (which made you think that maybe it wasn’t a physical issue, but maybe mental?). he carried some more wood which he carefully placed on your log pile before coming to you, a little slower. You stood from the bottom step you had been sitting on to greet him. “Have, have you been waiting… for me?” He asked, his voice hesitate and unsure. “Yeah, I wasn’t sure if you were a dream. I wanted to make sure you were real.” You smiled, walking up your stairs. “I am more like a nightmare.” You heard him mutter to himself, causing you to falter. “Not so far.” You giggle, turning on the top step to look at him. Something struck you suddenly as you met his eyes. He was staring up at you as though you were something otherworldly. As a man might stare at a goddess. And, much the man might do, he dropped his gaze from your face when your eyes met his. But a soft smile pulled at his lips, one which made his eyes sparkle with hope as they looked down at the basket. “Will you join me for dinner?” You asked, trying to move the subject on to something else. Adams eyes flickered towards the door behind you then up to meet your eyes again. He took a soft shuddering breath before nodding, his eyes almost begging you for something. You couldn’t tell what although it reminded you of a dog who had been kicked. That sort of looked that wanted you to really be good to him and would trust you until you hurt him. Smiling, you walked into your home and held the door open so he could follow. But he faltered in the door way. “You must know, I am… not like you. I am not the same as the men you know.” He looks to you, a deep sadness in his eyes that made your heart break in two. Whatever happened to him, whatever he was, he despised it. “Good, they aren’t nice like you are.” You smile, nodding your head to signal him to step inside. Adam had to duck to come in your back door, but once inside he was able to stand up fine. His eyes looked around, darting from every shelve to the table tops to the fire you were cooking on. You guided him through to the dining area and told him to take a seat. You then bought through two bowls of freshly made soup and a small roll each you had also made. He sat by the head of the table so, since you wanted to be closer to him, you sat at the head of the table so he was to your right. You considered sitting right next to him, but you thought this might allow the conversation to be more open. You had already set out some spoons and a knife for the bread on the table. He looked a little uncomfortable, to say the least. He watched you closely as you sat and picked up your spoon. Carefully, you lowered into the liquid and then raised it to your lips. At least it tasted good. You eyes flickered to Adam, wondering why he wasn’t eating. His own gaze snapped away from you and down to the soup in front of him. He picked up the spoon in a strange manner. More like he was picking up a branch that cutlery. You saw his fingers and hand were shaking a little and the concentration in his eyes as if willing his hand to do what he needed it to. Had he never held a spoon before? “Adam?” you asked, frowning in concern. “I am sorry.” He stammered through gritted teeth, frowning harshly at his hands. He was starting to shake badly and you saw his breathing getting harsher as he tried to hold the spoon. “Its okay. Here, let me help you.” You took his shaking right hand in your left while taking the spoon from him with your other hand and setting it down for a moment. You were careful of the scared flesh, using your thumb to run small circles while you moved his hand into a more relaxed position. Once you felt that he wasn’t shaking as badly, you picked up the spoon and closed his hands around it in the way you held your own spoon, giving the areas he would need to apply pressure to a gentle squeeze to show him. You noticed how he gingerly looked up at you while you helped him, his head tilting to the right and forward slightly, as thought he was relaxing. Once done, you took his bread and cut it open for him. A spoon was easy enough to show, but you didn’t want to risk him hurting himself on a knife. Looking up at him, you smiled warmly but his face stayed frozen in a state of awe. He snapped his attention back down to his soup as he slowly dipped the spoon in and raised it to his lips, sipping as you had. You continued with your own soup, keeping and eye on his hands just in case. You put your spoon down to have some bread, ripping a piece off and eating it. When Adam saw that was okay, he quickly dropped the spoon into the soup causing it to splatter a little but nowhere outside the bowl. He grabbed the bread and tore the chunk off. He ate the whole mini loaf with in a minute. “that was delicious.” He mumbled, seeming a little ashamed of his actions. “Im glad you liked it.” You smiled, dipping your bread in your soup. “Although, someone would think you’ve never had bread before.” You giggle. “I haven’t.” His sentence made you stop, looking up at him to see if he was being serious. Bread was such a common thing, even the poorest family would get a loaf every now and again. “You’ve never had bread?” You repeat, as if to make sure he had heard you correctly. “No, or this liquid. Or the delicacies from the basket.” He looks down at the soup then back to you. Delicacies? They were some of the cheapest food you could buy (or make yourself) and yet he was acting like you had gifted him with a banquet fit for a king. “What do you eat to live?” You ask, you food long forgotten as you tried to figure him out. “Berries and nuts from the forest.” He tells you, matching your confusion as if this was completely normal. “You cant live of that alone? That’s not enough to feed a child, let alone a fully grown man.” You shake your head, unable to wrap your mind around his lack of food. “I have told you. I am not the same as any man.” Adam looked back to his soup, frowning deeply as his hands dropped to his side. “Adam, I…” you trail off, unable to think of what to say to him. What could you say? What tortured soul sat beside you at your dining table. His form was twisted and scared, his mind seeming to resent the body it inhabited and yet, he seemed kind and timid. Your eyes fell to your loaf. You had only torn a quarter off it. Placing the crust in your hand (which was long forgotten during the conversation) down on your table, you took the loaf and tore it in two equal pieces. You held out one half to Adam. His eyes widened when he realised your offering. “I can not.” He ducks his head into himself, slouching back into the chair as if trying to shrink his size. “No, please. Take it.” You push it forward with a smile. A shaking hand took the bread from yours, his skin brushing against yours as he did. He offered you a grateful smile as he ate. He watched as you dunked your bread in your soup and ate it. Adam mirrored you with curiosity but enjoyed it. The rest of the meal was comfortable as the two of you finished. “I had better leave. You should be asleep by now.” Adam chuckled a little, looking out the window at the dark night. He was right, you would normally be fast asleep at this time but because you stayed up later last night, you were more awake. But you were tired. He rose first, followed by you. Walking him to your back door, you felt a heavy feeling upon your chest. Why did you feel guilty that he was leaving? Because you doubted he was going home to a nice warm cottage? Because it was dark and dangerous outside? Or because you felt a deep connection to him that made you want him to be close to you? “Do you want to come again tomorrow?” you ask, glancing at him. You didn’t even realize how fast your heart had been beating until you spoke. he let out a small puff of air you didn’t even know he had been holding. As if he were relieved. “Yes, yes I would like that very much.” He grinned, seeming wholeheartedly happy at the offer. “Good.” You smile, your heart still racing in your chest. He reached the door first and opened it. He didn’t expect you to follow him outside, but when he saw you were going to, he held the door open, allowing you to step out first. You offered him a thank you before stepping out into the cold night. The rain and thunder had moved on, but the cold sure hadn’t. Wrapping your arms around yourself, you couldn’t help but shiver a little at the cold. The clothes you wore were rather thin and offered little protection against the coldness. Suddenly, something heavy was placed on your shoulders and you were engulfed in warmth. looking, you saw it was Adams cloak. “No, you need this. You’ll catch your death.” You tried to shrug it off to give him it back but he shook his head, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. Something about that phrase seemed to be some kind of joke to him. Despite the cold, he didn’t seem to react as quickly as you had. In fact, he looked like he was enjoying a early evening stroll in the summer. “Ive already told you. I am not like other men.” He smiled, this time seeming a little more proud of that fact. You felt butterflies in your stomach. God, you wanted him to smile more like this. You couldn’t help but cling to the cloak. It was warm and smelt of him. Adam descended the first step and you felt a small tug in your heart. You don’t know what processed you to rush forwards, his name falling from your lips. He turned quickly, obviously concerned something was wrong. You threw your arms around his neck, holding on to him tightly as you pressed your body flush against his own. His cloak slipped off your shoulders to the ground but you didn’t care. Like a snake, he seemed to coil around you, his arms looping around your waist as he hunched over a little. He seemed to tremble at the contact, seeming touch starved. How nice it felt to have someone hold you like he did. Like you were the only thing in the world that mattered and nothing could tear him away from your embrace. but a cold wind swept through the surrounding fields and caused you to shiver as it passed. You felt him pull back, almost reluctantly. As he did, you turned your head and pressed a kiss to his cheek. “Stay safe.” You said. It wasn’t a question but was softer than a demand. Adam had frozen in place as you stepped back. His eyes were glossed over and his hand came up to cover the cheek you had kissed. For a moment, you were worried you had crossed some kind of line. The cheek you had kissed had a scar running down it so perhaps he didn’t want anyone to touch such an area. But then a smile tugged at his lips as his eyes darted up to meet yours and you saw something you had been seeing more and more frequently in his eyes when he looked at you. You saw hope and adoration. You smiled at him, a blush on your cheek as you then ducked your head in an attempt to cover it. But you couldn’t pry your eyes away from him for too long before looking back to him. Your gaze seemed to send a shock through him that reminded him where he was and the time of day. “I will come see you again tomorrow?” He asked, despite already agreeing he would. Perhaps he thought you might have changed your mind so quickly. “I’ll make sure to stock up on plenty of bread.” You giggled, nodding to him. Adam ducked down, swiftly grabbing his cloak off the ground. He paused for a moment, as if fighting with himself on what to do but then draped it back over your shoulders. Because he was standing in front of you, it was a lot more intimate that before, where he had done it from the side. You grabbed onto the cloak, holding it tightly this time. “Farewell.” He bowed to you, his hand sliding from his cheek to his chest in a form of respect you were not use to getting. “Until tomorrow.” You smiled, ducking your head a little as you returned with a small curtsy before going back into your house. You only did this because you knew if you stayed on the porch, neither one of you would ever leave. But you watched out your back window as he walked to the edge of the forest and looks back to your house, just as he had done the previous night. You waved through the window, aware he would be able to see you now. And, as he had done last night, he vanished into the darkness. You felt a sadness at seeing his figure vanish and not knowing where he went to. Perhaps, tomorrow, you would be able to find out more about him.

Frozen short - Olaf’s ABC

We know that Olaf knows how to read in Frozen II, but how did that came to be?

---

Elsa walked the hallway leading to her study after a break. She had been working all day in the last details of a trade agreement with Westland. The agreement was important for both countries and they had been trying to come up with the best deal for both parties. The whole week her council, Westland dignitaries and herself had spent long hours of arguments that seemed to led nowhere, before they had come up with the best ideas. And for that reason, Elsa had spent the whole day reading, editing, and making sure everything was ready for the following day. She wanted to present the final documents with her signature to Westland’s dignitaries in their last reunion, to make sure they returned to their kingdom with everything ready on Arendelle’s part. Truth be told, the agreement was more beneficial to Arendelle, than she wanted to let them know, and so, she wanted to sign everything before the neighbouring kingdom changed their mind. 

Of course, the long hours sitting and reading the same papers over and over again, trying to make sure everything was as convenient as possible, took a toll on Elsa. The whole week had been exhausting, and she couldn’t wait to sign the last few documents and call it a day. Not to mention she had promised her sister to spend the evening with her and Kristoff. Anna understood the importance of the reunions, but it didn’t mean she was okay watching Elsa tire herself to the bone, working long hours. 

That morning, after an argument about Elsa’s health, Anna had made her promise to stop working as early as possible and make sure she spent some time with her family and join them for dinner. When Elsa made the promise, she had believed it to be a terrible idea. She had had to work non-stop since breakfast to make sure she finished her work before sunset, but at the end, it had been useful. Not wanting to disappoint her sister, Elsa had worked in the most efficient way possible. She was tired -exhausted to be honest- but she was pleased with the achievement. The fact that it was a few minutes past four, and she only had a couple more documents to sign, was proof enough she had done an excellent job.

She entered the study, a hand rubbing her neck to relieve some more tension before she returned to her work, when she noticed Olaf was sitting in her desk. What was worse, he was not only sitting, he was holding her quill and was using it. Worried about what the snowman was doing, she run the distance between the door and her desk, and called Olaf’s attention.

“Olaf, what are you doing?!” she asked, afraid to know the answer.

The snowman raised his head and smiled at her, not really noticing the worry in her voice. “Oh, hi Elsa! I’m helping you,” he said happily as he rested the quill on the wooden desk and picked the piece of paper.

“Helping me, how?” asked Elsa. Sadly for her, she already knew the answer, she was quite sure the piece of paper Olaf had picked was one of the documents of the agreement. She hadn’t been able to see what Olaf had done with the quill, but something told her it was nothing good.

“I heard you say you were tired this morning, and Anna was angry with you. So, I thought I could help you finish.” He put the document on a pile on his right and picked a new piece of paper from the left side.

Knowing that her fears were true, she moved quickly and took the paper from his hand and put her other hand over the left pile to prevent he picked another paper. Not only Olaf had been writing -or pretending to write- on the documents she had been working on all day, he also was changing the order of the pages. Elsa didn’t need to look at everything in detail to know Olaf had ruined the last two or three hours of her hard work. She could only hope he hadn’t touched anything else while she was away. 

Elsa knew his intentions were good, but her frustration at seeing the mess on her desk was too much to stop herself from raising her voice at him. “Olaf! What have you done?!”

Shocked by the way Elsa had took the paper from his hand, and the tone of her voice, he froze in place not knowing what to answer, “I- I was...”

“Olaf, look at this! It’s all covered in ink! I can’t read what was written!” she said as she picked other parts of the agreement that were scattered over the desk. “What were you thinking?”

“I- I wanted to help you,” he said, not daring to look at her in the eyes. He was not used to seeing Elsa so angry, especially at him. “I wanted you to spend more time with us and I thought I could help.”

Elsa pinched her nose. She knew her anger and frustration was clouding her judgement. She tried to calm down before answering. “Even if it was well intended,” she said in a lower tone, “you need to learn not to touch things without permission. We’ve talked about this.” She watched him nod his head in agreement. “This is why I always tell you not to do it. Now these documents are ruined.”

Olaf looked at the desk trying to understand the mess he’d made, and asked, “can you fix them?” 

She noticed Olaf felt bad for what he had done, and she suddenly regretted yelling at him. “It'll take time but I can fix them. Don’t worry.”

He sighed in relief, climbed down Elsa’s chair, and began walking towards the door. Before he could grab the door knob, Elsa stopped him. “However,” she said calling his attention. “I want you to stay here until I finish.”

“What? Why?” 

“Because you need to understand your actions have consequences.”

“But-”

She crossed her arms and said, “no buts. Sit in that chair and wait. It’s not fair if I’m the only one who has to stay here and work.”

Reluctantly, Olaf did what Elsa told him and sat in the chair near the door. He wanted to go out to play, but at the same time, he was not used to seeing Elsa angry, and he didn’t want to go against her wishes. He sat there and hoped for Elsa to be able to fix his mess soon.

---

Olaf tried his best to remain silent while Elsa worked. But after two hours sitting in the chair doing nothing, he couldn’t stop himself and asked, “I'm bored. Can I go play outside?”

“No until I finish,” said Elsa not raising her head from her work. Truth be told, she was utterly bored too. There was nothing she despised more than doing the same work twice, but she couldn’t leave things as they were. She needed the documents ready the following morning. “It's your fault we have to stay here working and getting bored.”

“But I only wanted to help. It’s not my fault I don’t know which papers are important.” Olaf usually didn’t contradict his creator, but it was difficult for him to stay in the same place for more than an hour without complaining.

“Everything in my desk is important,” said Elsa, who kept working. She just wanted to finish her work and call it a day.  

“I could help of I knew what things are ot not important.”

“I know what is and what is not important because I can read the documents. That’s why you need to ask first. And that’s why you can’t help me with this,” explained Elsa hoping he was going to stop distracting her.

“But it’s your fault I don’t know how to read,” said Olaf pouting.

Deep down Elsa knew Olaf had said it because she was the one who created him. She knew Olaf believed he needed to be born with the skill to be able to read and write. But still, somehow what he said, and how he said it, had touched a chord in Elsa. All of a sudden she felt inadequate to take care of Olaf, and she felt guilty for not teaching him how to read. Olaf was like a young kid, full of energy and eagerness to learn new things about the world; and she was neglecting him by not giving him the chance. She hadn’t really thought about it before that moment, but she realised the huge mistake it was. Olaf had been living with them for over a year and not once she had thought about the possibility of Olaf learning how to read and write. Elsa felt ashamed. She had, unconsciously, neglected someone she loved once again. She felt the need to fix her mistake at that moment. 

After a few minutes in silence, Olaf thought Elsa was going to ignore his remark and decided to keep quiet too. He thought that maybe Elsa was not in the mood to keep talking with him, after all she was probably angry with him about what he had done. But to his surprise, Elsa raised her head after she finished writing something and said, “Olaf come here.” He did as told and walked towards the desk, he stretched to be able to see what was on Elsa desk and waited for her to say something.

Elsa picked the piece of paper and showed it to Olaf. At the top of the page the word ‘Olaf’ was written. She let him see it for a few seconds and asked, “Do you recognise this word?”

He analysed the word and said, “no.”

“That’s your name. It says ‘Olaf’.”

“That’s my name?” said the snowman in awe, as he traced the word with his finger.

Elsa’s heart warmed at the amazement in his eyes, but it only made her feel more guilty for not thinking about teaching Olaf before. “It is. Now you know how to read your name,” she said. “Would you like to learn how to write it?”

“I can learn to write?”

Elsa noticed how excited he was about the idea of learning, and she thought it was best to give him something to start with while she finished her work. She wrote the letters of his name one under the other, as best as possible, and said, “These are the letters in your name. If you can copy them, you’ll be able to write them. And so, you’ll be able to write your name. Why don’t you write each letter as many times as possible in the row to practice while I finish?”

Olaf’s face lighted up with happiness and answered, “yes!”

She smiled at his eagerness and handed him the piece of paper and a pencil. She watched him lay on the floor next to her and began writing before turning to her own work. She hoped Olaf’s assignment was going to give her enough time to concentrate and finish. But she could only transcribe one more page before she heard him mutter.

“Like this? No, no, no. That’s not right…” he said not noticing Elsa was watching him work. “Maybe like this? No, it doesn’t look like Elsa’s.”

Elsa chuckled. She thought it was really sweet to see him so focused in his task. However, she soon remembered that her mother and her tutors had taught her how to draw each letter before giving her assignments. She felt she was being unfair with Olaf, and so, she called his attention. “Olaf? Come here, I want to show you something,” she said, gesturing for him to get closer.

Olaf picked his piece of paper and pencil and was by her side in an instant. “I want to help you. Watch this,” Elsa began explaining how to draw the ‘O’ but noticed it was hard for him to see correctly. “Come here,” she said, picking the snowman up and sitting him on her lap. Olaf giggled, happy to be able to see what she wanted to show him, and to sit with her at the same time.

Elsa grabbed the pencil and began showing Olaf how to draw each letter. After she demonstrated how to do it, she gave the pencil to him once again and told him how to hold the pencil correctly and where to start drawing. Once she finished, Olaf began drawing the letters.

Elsa’s original idea was to show him the process and continue with her work, but watching him work and improve after each letter he draw distracted her from her. Before she knew, Olaf had finished the four rows and turned his head to her, waiting for the next step to follow.

“Wow...” she said. “Olaf, you drew them perfectly.” She patted his head and asked for the pencil once again. “Now, all you have to do is write one letter after the other in the correct order and you’d be able to write your name. Look.”

“That’s it?” he said when Elsa showed him how she used each letter to write ‘Olaf’ on the paper once again.

“That’s it. It’s not easy to write fast though. So, take your time and draw each letter slowly at first.”

“Okay!” said happily as he grabbed the pencil from her hand.

Elsa laughed and put a hand on his head as she pointed to the things he needed to improve with the other. She watched him draw his name over and over in the sheet of paper, and soon forgot about her work. 

---

Anna, who had been waiting in the dining room, decided she and Kristoff were not going to wait for Elsa to join them for dinner anymore. They had sat in the table on their own for over thirty minutes and she had had enough. She had tried to be patient with her sister, after all, she knew Elsa had a lot of work to finish. But she couldn’t keep the castle staff waiting for a Queen that was most likely not going to show up. Not to mention she knew Kristoff had been working all day, and he was starving. She asked for dinner to be served and the two of them had dinner by themselves.   

Anna was disappointed Elsa hadn’t taken the time to send someone with an apology. Anna knew Elsa wanted everything to be perfect for the last reunion with Westland dignitaries, but wanting things to go well didn’t mean she had to forget about her health and her family in the process.

“I can’t believe Elsa is working late again. She promised to spend the evening with us,” said Anna when they left the dining room.

“You know your sister is busy. It’s just one more day,” answered Kristoff.

“It could be just one more day, but what if it becomes a habit? She needs to take care of herself. Not to mention spend time with her family.”

“Your sister only works a lot because she cares about us and Arendelle. I understand what you mean, but maybe she is doing what she believes is right.”

“Then, maybe I should do what I believe is right too,” said Anna as she turned in the opposite direction.

“Wait!” said Kristoff who was surprised to be left walking alone on the hallway. “Where are you going?”

“I’m going to force Elsa to leave her study this instant,” answered Anna who was already walking in the direction of Elsa’s study.

“What? No, no, feisty pants. Listen, you are angry right now because your sister didn’t show up like she promised, but forcing her to leave her study is not going to help.” Kristoff knew Anna’s intentions were good, but he also knew an angry Anna and a tired Elsa were a recipe for a useless fight.

To Kristoff’s dismay, Anna kept walking not paying attention to what he was saying. He decided it was best to follow her to Elsa’s study. He expected Anna to enter the room demanding her sister to stop working, or an explanation, but he was surprised to see Anna stop on her tracks the moment she opened the door. When he caught up to her, Kristoff was able to see what Anna was seeing. Elsa sat on her desk like it was habitual, but to their surprise Olaf sat on her lap while he draw. They didn’t notice he and Anna were standing on the door. Elsa was focused on Olaf’s work, and she was laughing wholeheartedly at whatever she was seeing.  

Before Anna or Kristoff could say anything they heard Elsa say, “That’s not how you write my name. I already showed you the letters. You are writing it wrong on purpose.”

“I think it looks better like this. And it sounds better too.” said Olaf laughing too.

“Olfa sounds nothing like my name,” complained Elsa, laughing. She then hugged the snowman and rested her chin on top of his head. “Try again. But this time using the letters we practiced.”

Kristoff was about to comment he didn’t know Olaf knew how to write, when the door silently closed on his face. Anna had closed it without saying a word, and she was already leaving.

“Anna? Where are you going?” asked Kristoff following her.

“I thought we could go to the library like we planned after all,” she answered, a smile plastered on her face.

“I thought you were going to tell Elsa to join us.”

“I was going to tell Elsa not to work so much. I was angry because she was working herself to the bone instead of spending time with the people she love,” said Anna. She then turned to Kristoff and asked, “but, did you see her in there? I can’t complain if she misses dinner because she was spending time with Olaf. Specially knowing how much he misses her when she works so much.”

---

I wanted to write this fluffy idea that was in my head since I heard Olaf knows how to read in Frozen II. For some reason I cannot picture someone else than Elsa teaching him.

I’m no good for you | Nakamoto Yuta

[Thank you so much, your kind words mean so much to me (:]

Pairing: Badboy!Yuta x Reader

Genre: Angst

Prompt: #8 “I’m scared as hell to want you, but here I am, wanting you anyway."

Word Count: 2.6k

The past few months of school felt like the longest years of your life, constant stress, overload and sleepless nights were the source of all your problems. At some point, you wish you had created a better way to manage your busy schedule, but your procrastination always won in the end. Even though you were acing all of your subjects, you had been studying unhealthily at late hours of the night. 

To make matters worse, you had been assigned as a tutor for the boy who sat behind you in your History lesson. Not that you had a problem with it if it were anybody else, but he was extremely difficult to work with. This took too much of your time and you found yourself spending even more hours crouched over your desk, late at night, cramming as much study as you can for yourself. 

Yuta, the boy you were tutoring, was an obnoxious person. You had been tutoring him for almost two months and in that time, he had not shown one nice side of him. His approach to everything had to be quick and easy or else he had no motivation to complete it. This was the same for studying. He listened, but not for long. He was constantly distracting you, asking you stupid questions, coming late to your sessions and being the obnoxious person that he was. 

Although, you couldn’t help but admit that he was a rather handsome guy and sometimes you caught yourself staring a little too long. Not that he noticed anyway, it just felt weird to think that way about someone who was very much the opposite of you; personality wise. 

At school, you were quiet and had a small tight group of friends. He was loud, rebellious and came from a large group of boys who also caused lots of trouble.

The only reason he was even showing up to your tutoring sessions was that his soccer career was on the line. His coach had kicked him off the team temporarily until he got himself together and picked up his grades. 

“What’s this whole topic about, again?” Yuta asked, resting his head on his arms as you both sat in the library.

“The civil rights movement,” you replied, it had been over a month and he still had no idea about what the topic was. 

“Oh, right. So it’s about social justice and all that stuff, right?” 

“I guess, but there’s more to it,” you wanted to shove the textbook in his face and tell him to read it because everything was there, but then again thought about the extra credits you would be receiving for doing this favour. 

Two weeks later, you saw a massive improvement within Yuta’s learning approach. He seemed to be a little more interested in what you had been saying, at points even engaging in his own opinions about the topic. It seemed that the fact that his future was on the line, considering that playing professional soccer was his goal and being scouted at a school game was one of the best ways to do that, had really opened up his eyes. 

He even started coming earlier to your sessions which had surprised you very much.

“Kudos to Rosa Parks though, she had guts,” Yuta spoke up as he leaned forward to examine the textbook in front of you. 

“Definitely. So how much of your essay have you finished? It’s due in a few days.”

He rummaged through his bag and pulls out crumbled pieces of paper. “Here, I finished it last night so I thought you could read through it and see how I went.”

“Okay, I’ll check it out tonight, I guess that’s the end of our session. I’ll give you feedback tomorrow morning so you can fix things up if you need to.” You began to pack up your belongings along with Yuta.

“Alright, cool. You comin’ to Mark’s party later?” he asked slinging his bag over his shoulder. Even though you had a small group of friends, your school was relatively tiny and so everyone knew each other. Being invited to parties was not an abnormal thing. 

“No, I’ve got a bit of studying to do,” you replied honestly. The two of you made your way out of the library and into the carpark. 

“Aw, come on. I swear you’re always studying, that must be unhealthy or something,” 

You laughed, “I have a big test coming up, so I really can’t waste any more time. What about you? Are you going?”

He checked the time on his wristwatch, “actually, probably not. I’ve got a date.”

The way he said the word date you knew there was a double meaning behind it. Yuta was notorious for his casual hookups with girls around town and it was no surprise to you that he would most likely spend his whole night on this ‘date’.

“Oh right. Well have fun,” 

As you waved goodbye, a weird feeling settled in you. It was almost as if you were sad to see him go. As much as he frustrated you at times, he was definitely growing on you and his company no longer annoyed you. 

Yuta and you continued on your scheduled tutoring sessions a month later, but at some point having him as a company started occurring outside of these sessions. Sometimes Yuta would sit with you during class when he felt like it and you both engrossed in a conversation about everything and anything. On the unlikely occasion that you were dragged out of the comfort of your room to attend a party, Yuta would find you and start up a conversation. 

To be quite honest, you now considered him as a friend. 

But things started turning around in a totally different direction. It felt like you were going back once again. You knew Yuta still involved himself with lots of women, but he seemed to be doing it so much more frequently, even going as far as cancelling some of your tutoring sessions to do so. His irritable manner in class intensified and at times came out whilst you two were working together. 

You were unsure of what happened but Yuta had changed, it felt as if he was becoming more and more distant. More distant than when you had first met him. Things became awkward and uncomfortable silence settled upon you two more often.

As much as it pained you to admit it, during the months that you had gotten to know Yuta and built a strong friendship, you couldn’t help but form feelings for the boy. You were confused as to how, but it could have been the way his smile (which he didn’t do often) lit up the whole room. The way he becomes serious and determined when working. But you started recognising these feelings when you realised you’d been staring a little longer than usual, you felt eager to see him and he would pop up in your mind constantly.

You felt quite pitiful because of the feelings you were having for Yuta, and you knew it was dangerous. He was dangerous. But something in you just couldn’t stay away. Some part of you thought he too, felt the same. This came from the way he’d look at you, the way he��d laugh a little louder at your lame jokes and that he’d put in effort into listening to your voice. Unfortunately, after seeing him act so different and aloof with you, you knew you were just fantasizing. 

You waited at the usual table you shared with Yuta, it was eight minutes past your usually meet up time and you started to worry. Although this would be the third session he’d missed in a row and that you should have been used to it, it still impacted you. 

You sighed and checked the time on your phone once again. You promised yourself that if he didn’t arrive at the twenty-minute mark, you would just leave. You sent another message to Yuta asking where he was but with no reply. 

Just as the clock hit the awaited time, you walked through the doors of the library, Yuta was walking towards you with a guilty expression. Too late, you were already in a terrible mood and did not want to face him anymore. 

“I have to go,” you uttered and prepared to walk straight past him. You felt his hand close around your elbow and he pulled you back gently so that you were facing him. 

“Sorry, I had shit to do,” he apologised in a monotone voice causing your anger to build up. 

“Now so do I, so let me go,” you demanded attempting to pull your arm back from him. He reluctantly let your arm go and you walked past him once again. You could feel the fast beating of your heart hammering against your chest. 

“Seriously? I’m only twenty minutes late, don’t you want your extra credits?” 

You turned around furious that he was being extremely sensitive about the situation. “You weren’t just late, you didn’t message me all the other days when I waited for you and you didn’t have the courtesy to at least let me know!”

“Okay, I’m sorry! Damn, let’s just get this tutoring out the way then,” Yuta exclaimed throwing his hands in the air.

Your blood was boiling and your palms were beginning to sweat. 

“No, fuck you. I don’t know what’s going on with you but you can’t just treat me like shit, come to our sessions late or don’t attend at all and expect me to just be okay with it. I have other things I should be doing but here I am waiting around for you just for you to be hoeing around fucking every girl you see,” you wanted to take back what you said not because you were ashamed of saying it but rather the fact that you felt pathetic for being so wound up and agitated when he really couldn’t care about your feelings at all. 

He squinted his eyes at you, an angry look crossed his features. “You don’t fucking know me so don’t just assume things,”

“I think the whole town knows exactly what you get up to so there’s no need to act like that’s not what you’re doing,” you said harshly. 

“Where the hell is this even coming from? I get you’re mad that I’m late but seriously, why are you bringing this up?” he asked you with an irritated tone. 

You took a short pause to gather your thoughts and realised that you couldn’t tell him why you brought up the topic. That you were jealous. 

“Whatever, I’m going,” you finally replied, feeling upset that you had let this affect you this much. You hated feeling defeated. 

“Y/N, don’t.”

You paused and turned back around to face Yuta, a look of pain was evident on his face which had you confused. 

“Don’t what?” you asked.

“Don’t do this to yourself. I can see it in your eyes, you like me. And for your sake, don’t.”

Now you were beyond confused and also slightly panicked at how he easily he picked up your feelings for him thinking that you were clever at hiding it. 

“I don’t like you.”

“Don’t lie. I know you like me,” without realising it, Yuta had already started moving towards you and soon he was just a foot away, “you can’t like me.”

“I don’t,” you continue to deny it, your heart pounding against your chest even more. 

“Fine, you don’t. But explain this. Why are you looking at my lips?” 

Your breath hitched as you realised that you were indeed eyeing them. You looked down in embarrassment and a blush crept up your cheek.

“Why is your heart beating fast?” he continued to question and bringing a hand up to where your heart was and feeling the quick beats of your heart. 

“Why aren’t you walking away even though you were supposed to leave?” he dropped his hand back to his side. 

“Shut up,” you finally spoke up, feeling a lump form in your throat. 

“So am I right?” he mumbled looking down at your lips.

“This isn’t fair,” you expressed with a hoarse voice. 

“What’s not fair?” 

You knew then that there was no point in hiding it anymore and so you confessed, “I have these stupid feelings for you but you don’t feel anything.” You voiced in a quiet voice, sensing that you were beginning to get emotional. 

“How do you know?”

Your heart skipped a beat at the words, “don’t say things like that. You can’t just do this and lead me on. I’m not one of the girls you can just fool into your bed,”

Yuta almost looked angry again but found a way to control himself, “why are you excusing my feelings? I’m scared as hell to want you, but here I am, wanting you anyway.” 

You stared into his dark brown eyes, getting lost into the sea of emotions within them. He had a way of captivating you with one look. His words swirling around in your head, over and over, until it got to be too much. 

“Why?” you whispered. 

“Why? Look at me! I’m a fucking mess, that’s why. I’m not good for you, y/n. I’ll only hurt you and that’s the last thing I want to do.”

“You don’t know that,” you tried to say almost sounding as if you were pleading.

“I do, I do know what I’m capable of. I’m no good and sooner or later you’re going to realise that. I can’t do this with you, I really don’t want to hurt you.”

“Yuta, stop undermining yourself. You aren’t as bad as you make yourself out to be.”

“Y/N, stop being naive. You gotta see this for how it is, it’s the reality. I’m a fucking mess. I want you but I can’t have you, okay? That’s why I’ve been trying to keep my distance, I want to gather my thoughts without having you there as a constant reminder of what I can’t have. This hurts me to say just as much as it’s hurting you.”

“Don’t say things like that,” you pleaded. 

“Like what? The truth? Y/N, I’m going to mess you up, I’m going to hurt you and I don’t want to do that. I don’t want you putting your trust in me when I can’t even fully trust myself.”

“Do you really like me?” you asked, wanting some sort of clarification and also a confidence boost for what you are about to ask. 

“Yes,” he answered immediately. 

“Then kiss me.” 

He was stunned, a surprised expression appeared on his face. But once the initial shock wore out, Yuta brought his hands up to your face and brought it closer. He was inching in slowly and once your lips met, your world became brighter. 

He kissed you like it was your last day on Earth like his own life depended on it. His lips brushing against yours causing you to lose your breath. You sought unity and intimacy with this kiss. As well as confirming whether he was telling the truth. Once he pulled away, you felt lonely, wanting his lips back on yours, for him to hold you longer and to never let you go.

Unexpectedly, Yuta brought his forehead against yours and closed his eyes. He was breathing heavily and his hot breath fanned your face. Slowly, he opened his eye and gazed you.

“You’re going to be the death of me,” he uttered breathlessly. A small smile broke out of his face. Soon he was back to passionately kissing you again, without any hesitation. 

Prompts List

"What?! I told you i was an intern" - Part 2

Field trip fic.

Peter wasn’t part of the class that toured SI, but unluckily for him, he ended up bumping into them in different occasions.

Warnings: None (but tell me if you find any)

Ships: Tony Stark / Pepper Potts.

------------------------------------

Tony turned around and so did consequently Peter. His dad looked as mad as he'd ever seen him, and he just knew it wasn't meant to end well. Since nobody dared talk, Tony firmly said, "Who just called my son Penis?" And if the kids had been quite until then, now they were just completely muted. As Peter slowly started recognising each of the teens faces he was completely speechless, trying to thread together this day's events. It all started to fall into place and Peter couldn't be more ashamed for not figuring it out earlier. But now it was too late, whispers had began to spread among the class and all he could think about was finding Ned and MJ. It didn't take him long before laying eyes on them who were looking at Flash condescendingly, knowing fully well what awaited him. Peter was about to address the elephant in the room when his dad cut him off and sternly directed his sight to Flash who looked like he would rather die than be the object to Tony's glare. 

"Please, tell me, don't be afraid. I am terribly interested in how a dumb kid like you could have come up with such a creative nickname. I am sure it took you years to perfect, am i right? " He said, with no question tone whatsoever. Peter started turning red as well, feeling the others eyes fall on him. "Here me out kid" Tony continued, "If I ever listen you are bullying my son again i will, without a shadow of a doubt,  ruin every and any chance you have of entering to a reputable colla-" But he was interrupted by the only person on this earth that could stop Tony from shouting by just entering the room, Pepper. 

Peter felt at ease with the presence of his mother and just knew everything would fall into place now. She walked towards her family and started talking. "I hear you have been bullying my kid for quite a while now, have you Eugene?" Flash looked taken aback by Pepper knowing his real name. His face was so pale Peter was surprised he hadn't fainted by now. While both of his parents game hell to the boy, Flash just nodded persistently scared to his core of what might happen if he stopped. Peter took his chance and tried to call his friends attention so they could talk. 

Once they were in hearing range he said "I can't believe you didn't tell me your Marketing class was coming on a trip to the tower! Didn't it occur to you at least once to mention it?!" Ned jumped to their defence and said that they tried to warn him today but it had completely slipped their minds to tell him some weeks ago when the permission slips had been handed out. MJ just nodded and agreed with Ned. In that case it was Peter's fault for not answering their calls. 

After sorting out this confusion with his friends, Ned started going on and on about Peter's fighting skills and how amazed he was by seeing him in combat and Flashe's face when they all saw him in the training floor. Michelle tried to calm Ned down but they both knew it would be useless, so instead she just went back to listening to the list of things that Ned was narrating of the incredible things they had seen Peter do today. Once he finished ranting and Peter recomposed himself to face the situation that was going on, he faced the teens who appeared to be eager for answers. He interrupted his dad, who at this point was threatening about taking legal action, and asked him to go easier on him. Flash was then escorted out of the building with probably a trauma that would hunt him for life, leaving a relieved Peter to answer some of the questions popping up. 

"I am sorry, but i believe i'm speaking for all of us here when i ask, what just happened?!" asked some girl in the back. Peter could only think of one possible answer, although he didn't want to stir any more trouble, he felt the untamable urge to follow his gut and say, "What?! I told you i was an intern".

-----------------

As they were getting of the elevator, both his mom and dad had their hands on Peter's shoulders trying to figure out what to say now. But before they could even utter a word Peter stated, "I am sorry, i know i should have told you earlier about him, " But before he could finish his mom told him that he could not feel guilty for their mistake. They should have realised something was wrong before. But neither would accept the other one was at fault so they ended up having a heart to heart over popcorn and movies that night. Peter knew he had the best parents in the whole world, he knew they were irreplaceable, and slowly, he was starting to understand how valuable and important he was too.

Could you share your thoughts on Kagura? I'm already so tired of seeing Kagura hate everywhere I go (here on tumblr, on MAL, on YT etc.)

How can anyone hate on that sweetie?????? I SMELL SALTY SHIPPERS BEHIND THIS.

Ok Id like to do include some manga panels but Im procrastinating during my class break so this will have to do.

When I started to read the manga Kagura took me by surprise. At first I just thought of her as the typical violent tsundere girl that was such a common trope in the nineties. Theres was nothing inheretely wrong with her but I felt she lacked depth and a story beyond her apparent obsessive onesided feelings toward Kyou.

Anon I was so wrong.

Just as the rest of the zodiacs, Kagura was upset about her curse. She knew she was well loved by her parents but at the same time very aware of what her curse meant for them: never get close with anyone of the opposite sex, be careful about keeping it a secret, the stress her situation caused to her parents, etc. She was a little girl and she was miserable and mad about being the boar. Surely nobody could have it worse than her? Kagura seriously thought she was the most miserable soul to wander the earth. I can't blame her, she was just a little girl.

And then she meets Kyou.

Just like the others, the existence of the cat allowed her to breathe. Even if she was a disgusting person who could turn into an animal... the cat had it worse. Kagura was miserable but at least she wasn't the cat. Comforted by that reality and out of curiosity she approachs Kyou, a little kid so isolated and loathed by the clan that his only means of entertainment were to draw fried eggs on the ground, all by himself. Surely being a zodiac was at least better than that!

Kagura was selfish when she extended her hand to him. She didn't do it for Kyou, but for herself. Being close to the hated cat reminded her that at least her own life wasn't so bad after all. Playing with him make her feel good about herself, and Kyou followed her every word, bc he had never have someone willing to spend time with him. I don't judge her for it: in the first place she was just a kid, and I relate too much to what she felt: sometimes we do things to feel better about ourselves. Second Kagura herself eventually recognises that what she did was selfish and even cruel.

The turning point for her was when she forced Kyou to remove his beads out of curiosity. When faced with the cats revolting apparence, she ran away screaming in fright and revulsion, leaving little Kyou all by himself, alone, hurt and scared out of his mind.

Kagura felt incredible guilty and ashamed by what she did that day. And out of that guilt decided to make ammends by trying to be a better friend, eventually convincing herself that she was in love with him. All that explosive affection was born out of her regret about how she treated him.

But then those feelings changed. Even if at first Kagura told herself she loved him as a method to cope with her guilt, in the end she really devolped feelings for him.

The point is that not only those feelings were onesided, but also mixed on her part with her own selfloathing and shame. In order to make it up to him, she bombarded him affection. But also bc she felt bad about herself.

After meeting Tohru, at first she just considered her a potential rival. It's Rin who called her out about what else was hidden underneath all that love. And when she witness Tohru chasing after Kyou in the TFA, doing the very thing she was incapable of doing even now, she realises that her dream of loving him is nothing more than a fantasy of her own invention. Because no matter how much she tells herself and the world that she loves all of Kyou, even his cursed form... that's nothing more than a lie. She can't even make herself look at it, even after all these years.

Kagura accepts that reality: Tohru really loves Kyou more than she could ever will. And with that in mind decides to invite Kyou on that fateful date to clear things up. What's interesting about what she says it's not only her admission of her guilt, but also how even now the crux of the matter isn't her love for him, which is very very real, but her shame. How sorry she is for seeking him out to feel better about herself, how she left him all alone after forcing him to show his cursed form, how she was a horrible person for using him like that. Kagura only saw herself in the worst light imaginable.

But then Kyou says: even if it was for selfish reasons, that you played with me made me very happy.

I cried with her: because Kyou was right. It wasn't only about her. Even in her selfishness, she gave him happiness by spending time with him. For all his grumpiness Kyou was so very gentle and forgiving with her: he's used to being loathed, so even if Kagura wasn't just motivated by pure intentions... she still played with him.

That goodbye between them had me sobbing until the end. Because even if Kyou is ready to let all that in the past, and Kagura was able to finally voice out all those feelings pestering inside her heart... she still loved him. She learned to love him as best as she could. She tried to love him more and be better... but it wasn't meant to be.

But even if she couldn't love him as Kyou deserved, her feelings were real. And it's because in the end she really did love him that she leaves him alone to seek his own happiness. That's love y'all. Kagura grew as a person and I never expected to not only relate so much to her, but to cry so bitterly with her.

Kagura is a great character and Id fight anyone who says otherwise.

Thanks for the ask anon.

i will be there to take all your fears away (i'll turn your life to gold)

So I wrote this based on a prompt from someone on Discord (thank you very much @darnskippytootin 😄) and I figured I’d share it here too. Anyway, I hope y’all enjoy 😊

And if you’d rather read it on Ao3 then you can find it there as well.

Blake can’t even imagine what giving birth must feel like—how difficult it must be, how painful—but it certainly doesn’t sound like it’s a pleasant experience. Yang’s grip on her hand tightens suddenly and Blake winces, not just in discomfort but in sympathy too. She would have been more than willing to change places, but she understands why Yang wanted to be the one to do this.

I’m not her, Blake. I could never just— just walk out the way she did. You know that, right?

Yang, you’re already so much stronger than she could ever be. You don’t have to prove it. I see it every day, and I have never for one second believed that you could do what she did.

I know. Trust me, I know. But I want to do it. For me.

The idea of what comes afterward makes it more than worth letting Yang almost crush her fingers, though, and at least the strong grip on her hand helps to remind her that this is real. This moment has been coming for nine months, yet it still feels surreal to her. Even when Yang told her it was happening, part of her could hardly believe it.

Blake can tell that Yang’s nervous. They’ve known each other so long that it’s become second-nature for Blake to be able to read how Yang’s feeling at this point—though most of the time she hardly needs to since Yang doesn’t tend to be subtle with her emotions—and all evening she’s been recognising the telltale signs that Yang’s stressing over something.

Where Yang normally never missed a beat in a conversation, tonight she was distracted, staying uncharacteristically quiet like she was lost in her own head. And when she sat down with her scroll in the living room, only to get up and switch seats a minute of anxious fidgeting later, Blake knew without a doubt that something was wrong. She sighs, stepping forward into the room from where she’s been watching from the doorway.

“Yang?”

Her partner looked up at her instantly, seeming almost startled. “Yeah?”

“Is everything alright? It’s just that all night you’ve seemed a little… off, like you’re not quite here.”

“Yeah, I’m sorry.” A slightly guilty expression crossed Yang’s features for a moment, but then a radiant smile lit up her face. “I’ve just been trying to figure out how to tell you.”

“Tell me what?” Blake took an instinctive step closer, now less worried but far more curious.

“I— I took a test a few days ago, and I didn’t want to get your hopes up until I was absolutely sure, but today I took another one and—”

“You mean…?” She knows exactly what Yang’s talking about—they’ve both been hoping for it for months now—but she still needs to hear the words.

“Yeah. Yeah, I do.” Yang looks almost awed, as if it’s only truly hitting her now what she’s saying. “Blake, we’re going to have a child.”

She’s frozen in place for what feels like forever, trying to process that something which seemed like such a distant possibility is suddenly going to be a tangible reality. Her heart feels too big for her chest, and she’s struck by an overwhelming wave of love for the woman she’s chosen to build her life with.

When she finally manages to move, she crosses the remaining distance between them to pull Yang up and into her arms. Yang returns the embrace without any hesitation, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and holding her close. If she notices Blake’s tears she doesn’t  say anything, their hearts synchronised enough for her to know that they’re tears of joy.

When it’s all over, and Blake can breathe again because she can finally stop panicking over the countless things that could have gone wrong but didn’t, and because her hand is no longer in danger of being crushed, she manages to hold it together until the baby—her baby, their baby—is placed in her arms.

In an instant it doesn’t matter that Yang nearly burnt the hospital down just an hour ago because her Semblance and the stress of labour turned out to be a very bad combination. It doesn’t matter that she’s definitely going to lose so many hours of much-needed sleep because of this new addition to their lives. It doesn’t matter that Weiss is going to insist on visiting ten times more often so she can pretend not to squeal over how adorable their child is.

Because this is her son.

When she was younger she had never dared to imagine that she would ever be a part of bringing life into the world. She’d believed that one day she might take a life—convinced it would be necessary to serve the greater good—but she had never dreamed that she would ever have the chance to help create one.

Everything that had happened—leaving her parents behind, the cold and lonely years in the White Fang, the torture that Adam inflicted on her, finding a new home at Beacon, a new family in Team RWBY, losing it all and then finding it again, facing down her demon and coming out alive, saving the world—all of it had paved the path for her to arrive where she is now.

Blake looks down at the bundle she’s cradling close to her chest and she sees everything good that exists within her, within Yang—within them—in this one tiny perfect person.

She knows it’s ridiculous, but she can already imagine the books she’s going to read him, the video games Yang’s going to play with him, the stories of their most impressive missions that Ruby’s going to tell him, the sweets that Weiss is going to give him even when she knows he isn’t meant to have them.

She doesn’t realise that she’s crying until Yang asks if she’s okay, and she has to swallow the lump in her throat before she can speak.

“I am so much more than okay, Yang. I— I just love you so much. I love him so much. More than I ever thought I could love anybody.”

Remembering the last time she said almost the exact same words, alone even with Sun and her family around her, hoping that her friends would hate her for leaving them, is enough for the tears to come again. She carefully passes their gorgeous son to Yang, a little ashamed that she didn’t give her a chance to hold him sooner, and then she buries her face in her hands, letting the sobs wrack her body as the cacophony of emotions comes spilling out.

She still isn’t always sure if she deserves to have this—a home where she feels safe, friends who will never turn their back on her, a family with the woman she loves, a beautiful baby boy who she can’t wait to raise—but she’s getting better at believing that she’s worthy of it, and she’s too weak to give any of it up regardless.

She wipes away the tears and watches as Yang giggles when a small fist curls around her finger, admiring the pure adoration on Yang’s face. Part of her wishes she could tell her younger self that this is where she’ll end up—that there will be a time when everything good isn’t poisoned or tainted or taken away—but she knows that everything had to happen as it did for her to have this chance, and she wouldn’t change any of it.

Just in case anyone’s interested, the original prompt was:

“So I've always imagined the scenario where Blake and Yang manage to conceive a child biologically thanks to some neat new technology, and Yang decides to be the one to carry as a sort of way to prove Raven wrong, in a way. Like reassuring herself that she's not like her dead-beat mom. So Yang goes into labor and with her semblance it's a miracle that the entire hospital doesn't burn down, but finally their first child is born, and Blake gets to hold her first, and she just... starts sobbing. She can't help it. She just looks down at her an Yang's child and sees all of their best features in this one small and perfect little being, and she thinks about everything that has lead her there: growing up in the White Fang, abandoning her parents, living through Adam's abuse, joining Beacon Academy, finding a new home in team RWBY, losing her new home, learning to come to term with her own trauma, helping Ilia, reuniting with her team, defeating Adam, finally confessing to Yang and saving the world from Salem's reign... all so she could stand here at this moment and get the opportunity to raise a new life with the woman of her dreams, her soulmate, and life-long partner”

To be honest, just reading that prompt made me cry, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to write it 😅

I’m not usually at all a fan of the whole “getting married and having kids as a couple’s happy ending” trope because obviously it is perfectly possible to be totally happy without either of those things. For example, I’m not sure if I want kids myself yet, and I very much doubt I’ll ever have a traditional wedding.

But I do think that after all of the chaos in their lives Blake and Yang would want a little bit of peace once they’ve finished saving the world, and I can absolutely see them having a family in the future. Plus the idea of a Bumblebaby/Beeby is just really cute, I’m not going to lie. So I am 100% down for them going full domestic after the show's over.

I was stuck on a title for ages but those lines from Gold seemed to fit even though it is of course a beautiful sister song from Yang to Ruby in canon. It just felt like it would work for a parent to a child too, though, so I went with it.

So yeah, that was where this came from, and I hope it was good ❤️

The One With the Zombies

Title: The One With the Zombies

Chapter: 10

Word Count: 5455

Description:  Another what it says on the tin from me - it's a Zombie Apocalypse AU because how else could this anime/manga get any darker? Whilst on the run from the outbreak of zombies, reporters Ibe and Eiji stumble across a New York street gang, safely huddled in an abandoned warehouse. As if the undead weren't surprising enough, Eiji finds himself becoming closer and closer to the gang's leader, mysteriously dubbed Ash Lynx. But safety doesn't last forever and soon it's only Ash and Eiji. And they're up against more than just zombies.

Note: This is available on A03, and I would recommend you follow it there, as I remember to update it. I would post a link, but then Tumblr wouldn’t include it in search results.

10

It was when Ash was facing away from him that he said it. He was staring out the window, his eyebrows pinched together.

"Do you know what I’d do if I could touch you?" Ash asked.

"Mm?" Eiji was fiddling with the TV remote. None of the channels worked, but he considered setting it to static and just staring at that. It was something to do.

"I'd kiss you," Ash said. Just like that, Ejji could feel his heart racing in every one of his muscles. "I'd sweep you down like they do in movies and kiss you. One hand on your back and the other buried in your beautiful hair."

Eiji paused. He wetted his lips because his throat was dry. Kissing Ash. Kissing Ash when they weren't covered in blood and because Ash wanted to kiss him. When had he wanted that? Had he fallen in love with Ash Lynx?

"I'd put my arms around your neck and kiss you back," Eiji said. His eyes lowered as he imagined it. Ash holding him.

"It'd be this big, mushy, slow kiss at first but then I wouldn't be able to control myself and I would kiss you until your mouth was black and blue."

"Mm!" His face was hot.

"And then I'd kiss your cheeks until they were bright pink." Ash's eyes glanced across at Eiji's, his mouth curving upwards as he spotted Eiji's red cheeks.

"Well," Eiji drew the word out because he needed to say something cheeky and clever that would make Ash grin. "I would have to kiss your nose until it went red."

That made him laugh. The first genuine laugh Eiji had heard in a long time. When it faded, he was still looking at Eiji. Green eyes searching his face.

Eiji was staring back, more words on his lips never quite making it to the air. There was something that had happened. This wasn't a friendly game anymore. Ash wasn't looking at him as if he was just a friend – just the Japanese boy that his gang found wandering around with a camera. He was looking at him as though he was shining. And Eiji didn't mind that. It did make him feel bashful - but it also made his chest warm, and he somehow knew that he was looking at Ash the same way.

Somehow, without even knowing it, Eiji Okumura had fallen for Ash Lynx.

*

There was a boy sat on the bed. A boy who looked even more like a girl than Ash did. A boy with long, dark hair and darker eyes. Skin the same colour as Eiji's.

He had looked up when Ash had kicked open the door and was now smirking slightly, as if he expected Ash to get angry. Ash didn't. He leant against the doorframe and crossed his arms.

He wasn't angry, but it did make him uneasy. If he didn't know where Papa Dino was and didn't have eyes on Eiji, he felt nervous.

"Yut Lung," the boy said. He looked even younger than Ash.

"Ash Lynx."

"So you're the favourite." It was said strangely, as if it was something important. Something to be covered.

"How'd you get here?" he asked. It had only been a few days, but he had forgotten the outside world existed.

"My brothers sold me for protection," the boy - Yut Lung, said it casually, but Ash recognised the tone of voice. It had hiding cracks underneath. He glanced up at Ash. Calculating his expression. "Charming, isn't it?

It did make Ash's skin crawl. A lot here did. But he was sensing that this boy wanted a rise out of him. He couldn't figure out why, but he felt like a circus lion being poked with a stick.

"Mm." Was the non-committal noise he chose.

"So do you think he'll do us both or just watch the two of us fuck?" Yut Lung was still talking lightly, but there was a fragility there. Brittle, Ash thought. This boy was terrified but he didn't want Ash to know it. "No offence but you're not really my type."

"Full offence, you're not mine either," Ash said. He shifted his weight, leaning against the other side of the doorframe. "Look, you can save the bitchy looks, I'm not here to play French mistresses with you."

"You say that now," Yut Lung paused, looking down. More and more fear was seeping into his voice. "What about when you're kicked out onto the street?"

"I'd welcome it."

"Really?"

"Zombies aren't the worst thing in the world." Ash only sounded slightly bitter when he said it.

Yut Lung looked at him again. He spoke slowly. "...You're something of a name in Chinatown, you know." He said. "Have you seen much of Shorter lately?"

"In passing," Ash said. "There's internet here. And electricity. How did that happen?"

"Because he's rich. He's a rich white old man and no apocolypse will change that." Yut Lung picked at a stray thread on the duvet. It made him look even younger. Ash was reminded of Soo-Ling - how his confidence faded whenever he was actually placed in charge. The same with Bones and Kong. "So now my brothers are trying to cash in on that."

"Round the clock protection from zombies?"

"I think the official term is walkers."

For all the cocky smiles that he had given Ash, Yut Lung sounded miserable.

"Zombies is better." Ash shrugged. He thought of standing outside of a warehouse a month ago and looking at a stammering Japanese boy tell him that zombies was too cool of a word not to use. It brought a twitch of a smile to his face.

And maybe it was because it was what Eiji would do. Maybe it was because he was missing his gang. Maybe the apocalypse had made him gone soft.

But he was stepping  forward and ducking his head down so that his voice was muffled slightly.

"Two days. We meet Shorter in two days."

Dark eyes glanced up at him. Calculating again.

"Why are you telling me this?" Yut Lung asked.

"Because I'm offering you to come with."

"And leave a lovely air conditioned mansion?" A thin dark eyebrow raised at him.

"Air conditioning isn't worth staying for." Ash said.

That was when he heard footsteps up the corridor and leant back, tucking his hands into his pockets. They waited, and Ash's heart was pounding. No. No he had been to careful that they couldn't have found out now.

He put a cigarette between his teeth. Then at least if Papa Dino had heard he would be too ticked off by that to remember it.

But it wasn't Papa Dino.

Marvin was the one leering at Ash today and it almost made him bite the cigarette in half. He thought he had this under control. He thought he could do this - could ignore the shakes and the nausea and push down all the memories with the rest.

But Marvin was here. Undoubtedly to call in the favour. It had been for Eiji, Ash reminded himself. It had been for Eiji and no price was too steep for him.

He tucked the cigarette back behind his ear. He would need it later.

*

It had almost stopped Eiji's heart.

When the door had opened he had been expecting Ash. It was always Ash. So when it wasn't he hadn't known what to do.

This was just a man.

Eiji didn't know what he was expecting. A shadow figure or demon from a horror movie. The bogeyman. But this was just an ordinary old man - overweight and balding. Maybe if he smiled there would be a grandfather-esque twinkle in his eye. That was a disturbing thought. The thought that this man had a life and a family.

And had completely and utterly ruined so many others.

"Where's Ash?" The question came out of Eiji's mouth before he could stop it. It scared him - that Ash wasn't here but this man was. Dino Golzine. The man profiting off of the end of the world.

He looked at Eiji. Not in a particularly threatening way - not like a tiger stalking prey. Just looked, then eased himself into the chair in the corner. Leaning on a cane. He wasn't some immortal, evil creature. Just a mortal, evil man.

"He's helping out one of my men." Came the reponse. An ordinary voice. Not the voice of an eldritch monster, but it still sent chills down Eiji's spine. "Did you know he promised one of them a favour so that you wouldn't have to be checked over?"

Eiji hadn't known. He didn't know what to do with that information. Didn't want that information because it made him feel useless and ashamed. It made him feel guilty that Ash had to - that he had even thought about it for a moment. And he felt like Ash knew that. That Ash hadn't told him bot because he was ashamed, but because he knew it would send Eiji apologising again.

So he did what Ash did, and stayed silent. He still had a hand in the book Ash had found for him. The English was difficult to understand and it took him ten minutes just to read a single page, but what else was there to do but wait?

"Are you scared of me?" the man - Eiji refused to use his name because that would make him even more human than he was already becoming - sounded amused. "No," Eiji said, and was glad that his voice sounded as strong as it did. "No, I hate you. I hate you for what you've done to Ash."

Drained him of all colour and made him wake in the middle of the night retching.

"No," Eiji said, and was glad that his voice sounded as strong as it did. "No, I hate you. I hate you for what you've done to Ash."

Drained him of all colour and made him wake in the middle of the night retching.

There was a long pause. When he spoke, his voice was slow and quiet.

"...He's planning to leave, isn't he?"

Two days. Ash had said two days.

"No."

"You're not as good at lying as he is." He leant backwards, a faint smile on his face. "Where is he going?"

"I don't know," Eiji said. He fumbled, wondering whether to be honest or keep lying. "He wouldn't say - he wasn't - he wasn't serious."

"You're not as good at lying as he is." He leant backwards, a faint smile on his face. "Where is he going?"

"I don't know," Eiji said. He fumbled, wondering whether to be honest or keep lying. "He wouldn't say - he wasn't - he wasn't serious."

"He does not say things he doesn't mean." How could someone like this know anything about Ash? "He's kissed you, hasn't he?"

"No." Yet Eiji's lips tingled.

"You know if you keep lying to me, I can make things very uncomfortable for Ash."

"It didn't mean anything!" Eiji was getting frustrated now. He felt like a mouse being toyed with by a cat, and yet he was still lying. He knew that now. It might not have meant anything then, but it did mean something now. "It didn't - he was just happy to be alive - he wasn't seeing me - he wasn't-"

"But he is planning to leave."

"I said I don't know," Eiji repeated. "I don't know anything."

He must have been a better liar than this man originally thought. There was a pause, then a smile, then a long moment where he stood.

"It's no wonder Ash has been hiding you away," he said. Eiji just stared, though his heart was pounding. "It was nice to meet you, Mr Okumura."

He didn't vanish into thin air, or dissolve into the shadows. He just walked from the room. Like a normal human.

But Eiji couldn't deny that it felt as though a weight had been lifted. Like the air had been cleansed and he could finally breathe.

Ash did tell him things. Ash told him that Soo-Ling had been right, in a way. It was like Cell - whatever that meant. Ash had explained that waves - he wasn't sure if it was radio waves or mobile waves - but he was sure that had something to do with the outbreak of the undead.

He was sure that they had been lead back like rats in a trap.

"But why?" Eiji had asked. Flicking from static channel to foreign news to static.

"Because he doesn't like to lose. Not money, not merchandise, not anything that's his. And I'm all three."

"Ash." Eiji couldn't help smiling. "Are you really telling me that the whole zombie apocalypse was because of you?"

"Am I not worth an apocalypse?" Ash was smiling back. But it only lasted a moment. " I'm just a little plan on the side. Probably a test, to see if it works. There's more to this. Control the apocalypse and you control the world."

"He wants to take over the world?" It sounded like a joke, and Eiji was still smiling. Only because for all its absurdity, it was scary. That wasn't the kind of thing real people did. Not the kind of thing real people should be able to do. That made it scary.

"Who knows?" Ash had sighed and flopped back down on his bed. "Who knows what straight cis white old men want?"

*

The final day passed. They had everything under their beds - bags full of necessities that they would hitch over their shoulders. Then it was a matter of thing the bedsheets together and climbing out the window.

Ash had made it sound easy. It should have been. The right after dinner drink would allow him to disable the cameras they needed, make it look like a blip in the system. They would have the time they needed to cross the estate and be in the city by the early hours of the morning.

And everything had gone to plan so far. Everything had gone to plan until Papa Dino's fork was resting on his desert plate.

Ash's was untouched. He was struggling to keep food down lately.

"I want to show you something I've been working on."

Ash wasn't sure what to say. He hadn't really believed the part about grooming him to take over. Not deep down. Deep down he had never believed he would live till eighteen, much less outlive Dino. And he couldn't say he didn't want to see it now - not when everything was balancing on a razor edge. One wrong word to get him suspicious and they were through.

So he stood. And followed.

He was going to be late. He was going to be late back to their room and Eiji would be worried. He was going to be late to meet Shorter. But there was nothing to be done.

Maybe alarm bells should have rung when they went down the stairs. All the way down. But Ash had never been scared of basements. The bedrooms had always set him on edge.

There was a lab down here. It should have surprised Ash. Maybe he was running on too much adrenaline to think properly. Too much adrenaline because if he stopped to think about any of this he wouldn't be able to move.

So he stepped inside.

"Is this where the fountain of youth is created?" He asked. There was something in him that wanted to be snarky - some kind of superhero gene that meant he just had to have a quip for every occasion. He wished that was the truth. Really, he knew he had to say it because he was nervous. He didn't like this situation and couldn't put his finger on why.

"Maybe one day."

There was a heavy smell of chemicals in the air - something similar to a swimming pool. Everything was white and shiny, bleached within an inch of its life. A few scientists were down here, standing in the corner and making notes on their clipboards as they compared results with each other.

And of course there were the men who had stuck of Papa Dino's side. They had guns. Within an arms reach of Ash was a gun. His finger was itching for that trigger almost as badly as he needed a cigarette.

Ash tried to read everything he could in the second he was given to look around. Two words stood out everywhere.

"Banana fish." There was something about saying it out loud. Two words that seemed ridiculous together and yet incredibly familiar. As if Ash knew the phrase from long before.

"It was meant to be a drug." Papa Dino was walking through the lap, so Ash took careful steps behind him. He had the feeling of being a lamb led to slaughter. It was fine, he told himself. He was needed. They wouldn't get rid of him. "Something akin to mind control."

"You're kidding me, right? That stuff only exists in bad sci-fi movies."

"It was meant to be a drug." Papa Dino was walking through the lap, so Ash took careful steps behind him. He had the feeling of being a lamb led to slaughter. It was fine, he told himself. He was needed. They wouldn't get rid of him. "Something akin to mind control."

"You're kidding me, right? That stuff only exists in bad sci-fi movies."

"I said something akin to mind control. It was supposed to create a heightened state of paranoia. The test subjects could be persuaded to attack anyone."

“Charming.” Ash’s heart was pounding. Things were starting to piece together, and he didn’t like the sound of them. "But it didn't work, did it?"

"It became uncontrollable, yes. Not so much paranoia, rather a complete frenzy. It stops the heart, after a while. But a miracle of nature means that the brain is still active. Just enough to keep the person moving."

"A miracle?" Ash felt sick. It was like his bravado was being peeled back.

"The living dead," Papa Dino was still walking. Scientists still looking at them like they were a nature documentary. “Isn’t that a miracle?”

“I guess it depends on whether you’re in or out of the mansion.”

That got a smile that he couldn’t return. “But you’re in the mansion now, aren’t you?” A hand on  his shoulder and Ash was looking away, pretending to read a nearby computer screen. “And you wouldn’t go back to the dante’s inferno that is New York City, would you?”

He knew. He knew, he knew, he knew.

So, Ash dropped any lingering indifference – any lingering acting – leant back on one of the nearest desks and crossed his arms. Dinner jackets made it hard to move. If they were going to run, he would have to ditch it or rip it.

“So, my choices are dante’s inferno or just regular hell?”

“It’s true then?”

“Why else am I down here?” Ash asked. His heart was hammering but he could drown it out. It became background noise when you were used to gunfights. “So, you invented a real zombie virus. Is this when you inject me with it?”

A hand on his cheek that he could barely feel. Adrenaline did that. Made him pure energy.

“Never. Not you.” It was almost fatherly. To people who didn’t know the whole truth, it might have been touching. Maybe there was a spark of warmth in those cold eyes, but Ash didn’t care to look. “This is for your own good.”

The tension was starting to bother him. “What have you done?”

“Invited a friend for dinner.”

Ash had seen Silence of the Lambs, but the way Papa Dino said that gave him more chills than when Hannibal Lecter did. It felt as though it had chilled him down to the marrow. For a moment, he knew his expression had slipped – he could tell from the smile appearing on Dino’s face.

“Where is he?”

“Only in the next room.”

Ash stumbled as he stepped forward, the scientists parting like a wave before him. The door behind them pushed open and he didn’t even see the room beyond them. He just saw a pair of dark eyes. Dark eyes. Not fleshy like egg whites. Eyes like a golden retriever.

His arms went around Eiji, with enough force that made Eiji stumble backwards. But his hands found Ash’s jacket – his fingers clutching the material for dear like. It had been such a sudden movement that Ash heard a rip. And, fuck, he had missed Eiji. He had forgotten how much nicer it was to touch Eiji. To feel the warmth of his body and his breath hitching in Ash’s ear. To choose to be close to someone. To feel the flutter of Eiji's heart in his chest like the wings of a trapped bird.

"Are you okay?" Ash demanded.

"I'm fine - I'm fine. But Ash-"

"I'm not so much."

It was another voice. A voice that made him freeze completely. Eiji's head was nestled on his shoulder, but he wasn't shaking. He was holding Ash firmly as he looked up.

Shorter was pulling himself to his feet. His skin was clammy and his legs shook as he did so. And yet he still smiled slightly as he pulled the sleeve of his jacket up. There was a tiny pinprick on his arm. "A virus. It's always the cheesiest movies that start with a virus."

"Shorter, no." They were the only two words he could think of. His fingers tightened into fists against Eiji's back and he felt Eiji press himself closer against him, like the way a dog would comfort someone.

"It's unthinkable. To let you go back to the chaos of the city. Especially now." Papa Dino's voice sounded far away. Like it was coming from above Ash and not behind him.

"I'm sorry, bud." Shorter was still smiling. Somehow, despite the world being jerked off balance, he was smiling. "I fought back as best as I could. I didn't have the heart to try and bite anyone on the way through."

"Let me guess." Ash's voice sounded rough. But he wasn't going to give in now. They had come too far for him to show that he was shattering into pieces. Brittle. He was brittle. "An extra strong dosage? Immediate effect?"

"What were you going to do? Try and find me a cure in a few days or so?" Shorter shook his head. Even his mohawk was drooping. "There's never a cure, Ash. And Maggie's just a depressing movie."

"So what's the lesson?" Ash turned, enough so that Papa Dino could see the white hot fury on his face, but not so that he could make out any features. "You'll infect someone every time I try to leave?"

"I told you, I can't let you leave. I'll even tolerate you your little friend, if it will make you happy."

Friend? Eiji wasn't a friend. Which was bizarre, because Ash hardly knew him. All he knew was that Eiji came from a small town in Japan whose name sounded like the name of a Gremlin. That he used to do high jump.

And yet he felt closer to him than anyone else he had ever known. He knew that he had to have Eiji by his side because otherwise he felt as though he was thrown into a choppy ocean without a liferaft. That was the surprising part about his life now. Not the zombies, but the fact that Ash Lynx had fallen in love. He had never expected to know what that really felt like, but now he did. He loved Eiji Okumura.

"Here." Shorter pulled out a revolver from his waistband. His hand was shaking as he held it out to Ash. "You need to take this. Its fully loaded."

No. The word didn't quite make it out of Ash's mouth. But no. He couldn't. He couldn't do this again.

And yet he recognised the look on Shorter's face. He recognised the waxy skin and dull eyes. Eyes that would be like runny eggs in no time, he knew. He knew he couldn't leave Shorter like this. But-

A hand took the gun. A hand with coffee coloured skin.

Eiji flicked the safety off.

"Its fully loaded," Shorter said. He was watching Eiji with a strange expression on his face. He was almost proud. "You know how to shoot it, kid?"

"Well enough." There was a determined look on Eiji's face. That was what kicked Ash's gut into action. He took the gun.

And in a split second all of his options raced through his head. He didn't have to shoot Shorter. He could turn around and shoot Papa Dino. Kill him now and take over his work. Find a cure for Shorter - keep him safe until then.

He could shoot himself. The ultimate act of defiance. Ruin perhaps the only thing that he was sure Papa Dino loved.

No he couldn't. He couldn't leave Eiji here. Eiji was the only thing he hadn't considered shooting.

Both of them. Go out like Romeo and Juliet.

No. There was only one real option. He aimed the gun at Shorter. His smile had started to droop at one side, as if he were about to have a stroke.

"I'm sorry," Ash said.

"What for? That you'll never know what it feels like to turn into a zombie?" His speech was starting to slur. "Just tell me about the shed, Ash. The video games and the rabbits and all that."

And despite everything, Ash found himself smiling.

"You're shit at video games, Shorter."

"Fuck you." Shorter had closed his eyes, but now he opened them. There was an almost lazy look to him. "Don't feel guilty about this, Ash. You're my best friend. I need you to-"

The shot rang out. The word ‘remember’ was underneath it like an echo.

Shorter fell forward. The world collapsed in as if it was made of paper.

Ash felt his fingers slip on the gun. What had he done?

What had he done?

Hands closed around his. Steadied the gun. Coffee coloured skin on ivory.

His eyes flicked sideways. Towards Eiji. His face was pale, but set. It set the fire off in his chest. No. No, they were getting out of this.

They weren't getting away with this.

Ash spun on his heel, firing the gun again. And again. And again. For a split moment, he wasn’t sure if he would ever be able to stop. He had hit Papa Dino. Just the shoulder but enough to send a spray of blood like paint from a spray can. And he had hit a doctor. One of the bodyguards before he could pull out his own gun.

The other one had his pistol pointed at Ash and for a moment he didn’t care if he was shot. He’d go out in a blaze of glory. Fuck it.

But then Eiji was pushing him to the side. Then a bullet was buzzing so close to Eiji’s ear that it ruffled his hair. He had his hand on Ash’s chest, holding him out of view of the door. Ash couldn’t die. Not here.

He backed along the wall, taking another shot. The bodyguard fell back. The scientists were crouching – avoiding the gunshots and trying to get to Papa Dino. So he ran.

And he was halfway down the corridor before he realised that he was holding Eiji’s hand. He slowed his pace and tried to loosen his grip. The beating of his heart was making it hard to hear anything else.

But he forced himself to breathe, to keep his ears pricked for the men that he knew would be coming after them.

They wouldn't be able to climb out the window. Not now. It would be ridiculous to try. And he had no idea where they would be going back to now that Shorter-

Now that Shorter was-

They'd need to get away quickly. They'd need wheels. And he knew where to get them.

"The garage," he said.

Eiji's hand tightened on his own. They started off again, pausing at every corner so that they could make sure the way was clear. It made Ash's skin itch. It was wasting time. They needed to move and move quickly.

"I'm sorry," Eiji said. "I think its my fault."

"Its not."

"You don't understand. He came to the room - he knew - he knew that we were leaving. He said he'd- if I didn't lie, then he wouldn't-"

"And what did you say?"

"That I didn't know. I didn't know anything."

"So you didn't tell him anything," Ash said. "So it's not your fault."

"So - so, then, how..."

"There was another boy. His name was Yut Lung. I told him we were meeting Shorter - I even said where. He was the only one who knew. It was him."

That was when they heard them. Shuffling footsteps. Of fucking course. They kept moving without saying a word to each other.

There wasn't a lot of other people around. The men who were running down the corridors were more focused on the "outbreak of test subjects" rather than Ash and Eiji. That suited Ash just fine. There was already too much blood on his hands. He had no desire to kill anyone else that evening.

It was in the garage that things looked messy. The labs had been down here and it was the labs that were overrun with zombies

They saw them through glass doors and on security monitors as they passed. They were close - closer than Ash felt comfortable with - but they hadn't made it to the garage yet. In front of the door they stopped. Eiji met Ash's eye and he wondered how they were able to tell what the other was thinking without saying a single word. He raised the gun, Eiji pressed the button to open the door, both of them tense and ready for a fight.

It was empty.

And there, only a few feet away was the gleaming red surface of their escape vehicle. Ash had never been particularly fond of it. At the time he had thought it was ridiculous and tacky. At the time he had known he would never use it - it was just a larger toy car for a larger boy. Now he had never seen a car so gorgeous.

The keys were on the rack. It opened easily and Ash slid into the leather front seat. It still had new car smell, it had been used so little. He grinned, the exhaust purring to life as he turned the keys.

And Eiji was in the passenger seat. Not smiling, but not shaking or frozen. He wasn't the boy from three weeks ago that had broken down at the sight of a zombie. He was Ash's partner in crime now.

They were silent as they pulled out of the garage, the door opening automatically. There was the street. The sky. The night sky stretching above them, stars sparkling like a stock photo. Stars didn't used to look like that. They didn't used to be so bright. So perfect. But this was the outside. They had done it. They were free.

"You have a car?" Eiji eventually asked. He was pulling his seatbelt across and sounded calm - way too calm.

Ash changed gear. His heart was racing with exhilaration - he felt like he was flying. "Sixteenth birthday present." He paused, feeling brave. Feeling untouchable and not wanting to waste this moment. "Do you know what I'd do if I wasn't driving?"

"What?"

"Kiss you."

"Ash, pull over." There was an urgency in Eiji's voice that made his gut drop. He obeyed, pulling to the side of the road and glancing behind him. He could see figures in the open garage door.

"What's wrong?" He asked.

"You're not driving anymore."

Ash glanced across at him. Eiji was smiling at him, ever so slightly. His eyes caught their headlights and shone. He was shining silver like a coy angel. So Ash leant over, not even hesitating as he pressed his lips against Eiji's. His mouth was open and his breath was hot. The kind of sexy kiss that action movies always had.

He could feel Eiji melting as he kissed Ash back. Eiji kissed Ash back and it sent tingles through him. They were kissing each other and it felt like lighting. Ash could get used to this – could get used to kissing Eiji, he thought, as he took Eiji’s bottom lip between his teeth. He toyed with it like he was savouring a sweet. There was a small sound from the back of Eiji’s throat and it made his heart pound. This. This made everything go numb. It was only him and Eiji and the rest of the world was blacked out.

"Ash?" Eiji’s voice was soft. His fingers grazed Ash’s shoulder.

"Mm?”

"Sweetie, there are zombies behind us.”

There was a small grumble in the back of Ash's throat as he pulled away, revving the engine back up.  The shadows were closer in the rear view mirror now, but he was finding it hard to care. How could he care about anything other than kissing Eiji? It made everything else feel far away and insignificant. Helped chase away the thoughts that were plaguing him – that would come back as soon as he stopped for breath.

"That's shit," Ash muttered.  He was basically flooring it. The roads were empty enough for it.

"Tell me about it, stud."

Eiji placed a hand on Ash's thigh and watched the smile grow on Ash's face. His fingers squeezed and Ash found himself grinning, because Eiji was being playful and completely calm about being chased by zombies.

"Does this mean you'll wear leather trousers?" Ash asked. It was better than any other thoughts that were going through his head.

"If you sew me into them."

I think that could be arranged.” Ash was still smiling. He wanted to keep smiling, but whatever spell had come over him had broken. Eiji’s fingers twitched and it made his stomach turn. It suddenly felt too hot and too heavy. "I can't- hold my hand instead?"

Eiji twisted his fingers into Ash’s outstretched hand instead. “Sure.”

“Eiji, I –“ Ash broke off. He was slowing down, now. Reality was coming back too quickly. “I don't know what to do. I don't know where to go now that – that –“

That Shorter was-

“Don't,” Eiji said and squeezed Ash’s fingers. “Don't think about it. Just - let's just focus on our next step. Do you know where Soo-Ling is?

“He was meant to be with Shorter.”

“What about Max?”

Ash dropped Eiji’s hand to pull the flip phone out of his breast pocket, handing it to Eiji and not hesitating to take his hand again. "Call him.”

Eiji’s hand was warm in his. Warm and solid and real and it felt like the only thing that was keeping Ash grounded.

“...you have another phone?” Eiji asked. He was flipping it open and going through the contacts.

“Yeah,” Ash said. He was concentrating on the streets – finding his way out of the city. He’d never seen it so empty and it was chilling. “They found my real one and a burner when I came through the door. They wouldn't think of finding another one.”

“That’s how you managed to talk to Shorter?”

“Yeah. It wasn’t easy. But the phone signal – it’s still operating from within the mansion. There are some others that he turned off remotely. I flicked them back on whilst he was asleep to send it.”

Eiji smiled at him. “Aren’t you smart?”

And Ash couldn’t answer that. Partly because he couldn’t find the words to respond to this Eiji, but partly because it wasn’t true. If he was smart he could have found another way around this. He wouldn’t have gone there in the first place. He wouldn’t have made shitty deals. He wouldn’t have shot his best friend.

The phone was at Eiji’s ear. He lowered it slowly. “It’s not going through.”

“What?”

“There's no signal,” Eiji said, checking it.

“Fucking bastard. Must have turned it off when I wasn’t looking.”

“It might have been the zombies.”

Ash took a breath. They were back on the main road from the city. Going back up the hill that they had rolled down on a bicycle. Ash had been whooping then. He had been overjoyed and a part of him was now.

“They'll be at the farmhouse,” Ash said. He wasn’t sure why he knew that.

“Are you sure?”

“No.” Ash sighed, his hand tightening on the steering wheel. “I'm not sure of anything. Don't even think I know how to get back there.”

“It’s somewhere safe,” Eiji said. “Let’s go. I trust you.”

“You shouldn’t.”

“It wasn’t your fault.”

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

Eiji whispered, “okay, sweetie.”

That made Ash’s heart flutter and relax like a dying moth. He could breathe, just, and his fingers tightened around Eiji’s. Eiji dropped their hands onto his lap, leaning back in his seat and taking a deep breath out.

The streetlights weren’t working, and Ash still wasn’t sure he’d be able to find the farmhouse. But their headlights cast a silver moon on the tarmac in front of them. It was oddly comforting – to not have to worry about what was beyond that light. They were safe, they were travelling away from danger, and now they were heading to safety.

And that was more than enough for now.

Mindfields - Steve/Reader & Bucky/Reader (1/?)

Status: Incomplete Pairing: Steve/Enhanced!Reader & Bucky/Enhanced!Reader Summary: After a mission gone wrong, (Y/N), is taken captive by HYDRA but when the team manage to rescue her she doesn’t have any memories of who she is or what happened during her imprisonment. Warnings: 18+. Language, mentions of torture, possibly NSFW in later chapters  Word count: 1460 [Masterlist]

-

 “How are you feeling?” Steve’s appearance in the open doorway made you jump. You turned around, trying to match his bright smile but yours was significantly smaller.

“I’m okay, I think.”

He nodded, “And...have you remembered anything? Anything at all?”

You shook your head, looking down at your feet, feeling almost ashamed. A week ago you had woken up in a small, dark room surrounded by a group of people you later learnt were the Avengers, and while they seemed to know you, you had no idea who they were. But you’d gone with them, been taken back to the tower, told that this was your home and they were your friends, your teammates. The walls of “your” room were littered with photos and while you recognised yourself in them, smiling and laughing, it made your head hurt to concentrate on them too much. Every day one of them would ask if you had remembered something, anything, and every day you had to tell them no. Each time you did, you felt more and more like a failure. There was proof, concrete, photographic proof that you knew them. Why couldn’t you just remember?

“It’s okay, (Y/N).” Steve said reassuringly, both hands on your shoulders. There was a small pause. “Wanda had a thought, but only if it’s alright with you.”

You looked up at him, confusion across your features. “What?”

“She said she can try looking into your mind, seeing if she can help unlock some of your memories.”

You bit your lip, unsure of whether you wanted someone you barely knew looking through all of your thoughts. What if she saw something bad? What if you’d done something terrible? You had no idea where your family were, or even if you had a family. What if Wanda saw something that would make everyone turn their back on you? “I-I’ll think about it.”

Steve nodded, “Take your time.” He squeezed your shoulders slightly. “I, I kinda know what you’re going through – waking up somewhere, not knowing how you got there and all of these people bombarding you with information you don’t understand. If you wanted to talk, I’m always here.”

“Thanks, Steve. I’ll think about Wanda’s suggestion.”

“Alright.” He started to walk back out of the room, aware that it was best to take everything slowly with you, and he didn’t want to be overbearing. “I’ll see you at dinner.”

After he was gone you shut the door, wanting some privacy. While you appreciated how kind and welcoming everyone was, it was often a little bit much. Sam and Clint were often making jokes about things you couldn’t remember, and Steve sometimes looked at you like you were made of glass, that you would shatter from too much stimulation.

You ran a hand through your hair. Bruce had told you that your memories should come back gradually, but visual and audio aids might speed up the process. You went over to your desk, pulling out all the draws, rifling through pieces of paper in the hopes that something might trigger a memory. You soon found what looked to be an organiser and began flicking through the pages: birthdays, hair appointments, and some days which had nothing but a small star drawn into the corners. You frowned. Why stars? Finding a pen, you drew a star on the opposite page, and then “Nat bday”. It was definitely your handwriting, so that was surely a good start. But there was nothing personal – nothing that made it your organiser, your life, apart from those damn stars. Letting out a sigh of frustration, you set the organiser on the desk and continued opening the last few drawers. Biting your lip, you stared at what looked like a strip from a photo booth. You and Steve seemed to be dressed to the nines, pulling faces but in the last one you were laughing and he was kissing your cheek. What the hell did that mean? You squinted, trying to see if there was any more to the gesture than friendship. Surely someone would have said if there had been something between the two of you? Surely Steve would have said?

This was all making your head hurt. Steve had recommended you stay away from alcohol, at least until you started remembering, but Steve hadn’t been there when you’d been looking through your closet yesterday and found a bottle of Scotch. And hell, who was to say that this whisky wasn’t going to trigger something? It was clearly your bottle, after all. Retrieving it, you took a large swig, enjoying the slight burn it provided. As long as you didn’t have too much before heading down to dinner, none of the team would be any the wiser.

Well, that had been the plan. After the second swig you decided to listen to some music – Tony having deleted the passwords on your devices for you, and it turned out you had really good music taste. You were swaying along to the music, eyes closed and bottle in your hand when there was a knock on the door. With a start, you stashed the bottle back in the closet before pulling the door open, a little too enthusiastically.

Bucky eyed you suspiciously. “You alright there, doll?”

“Perfectly fine.” You said, trying to sound as sober as possible. “I found my music. Come dance!” You grabbed his flesh arm and pulled him into the room.

“Have you been drinking?”

“No, don’t be stupid.” You told him, attempting to dance with him but he remained still. “Dance with me!”

“Let me get you some water,” he said, removing his arm from your grip and walking over to the mini fridge in the corner of your room. He passed you a bottle. “Steve’ll kill me if he thinks I’m condoning your drinking.”

“Pfft.” You waved your hand nonchalantly, but accepted the bottle all the same, downing half of it with one mouthful. “What do you want anyway? Clearly you’re not here to dance with me.”

“Dinner’s ready. Sam said he cooked your favourite.”

You stopped, suddenly feeling guilty for drinking more than you intended. “Is it obvious I’m drunk?”

He chuckled, and you couldn’t help but feel a smile tug at your lips. “Drink some more water, you’ll be fine, doll.”

“Why do you call me that?”

Bucky shrugged, “Always have.” It was his turn to feel guilty, and if you had been completely sober you would have noticed a flash of sadness in his eyes before his smile was back. “Come on, Sam’ll be pissed if it all gets cold before you eat anything.”

*

The next morning you awoke with a start, breathing heavily, your hair stuck to your face with sweat. You immediately jumped out of bed, feeling dank and hot and dirty, and headed towards your en suite. You splashed some cold water in your face, hoping that would calm you down, and found yourself staring at your reflection in the mirror. That hadn’t just been a dream. That had felt real. It had been real. Squeezing your eyes shut and gripping tightly onto the sink basin, you tried to push the images, the sounds out of your head. Screaming, blinding lights, the sickening smell of antiseptic and bleach. With a shaky breath, you looked down at the insides of your elbows. It had been a week, but they were still bruised, green and yellow, a spotted red with puncture marks.

The sound of your door opening caught your attention, you stood up straight, ready to confront the intruder when you heard a familiar voice, your entire being relaxing.

“Doll? Are you okay?”

You quickly wiped the tears from your eyes and stepped into your room. A small, sad smile forming when your eyes met a worried Bucky. “Wh-what are you doing here?”

“You were screaming.” He said, regarding you with concern. “I wanted to make sure you’re okay.”

Tears started to form again. “I’m fine. It was just a dream.”

Bucky stepped towards you, but was cautious not to get too close. “Didn’t sound like it. What did you remember?”

You bit your lip. “Not much. It was dark, smelt like a hospital.”

He nodded slowly. “I know. Come here.” With that, you flung your arms around him, needing to feel his warmth, the distraction and comfort he could provide. He rubbed your back soothingly, “It’s okay,” he whispered, “You’re safe now. You’re home.”

As you clung to him, you couldn’t help the tears falling, soaking into his t-shirt. You knew that what you had dreamt about was a memory, the first memory you’d had since the Avengers had found you. But for the first time, with Bucky’s arms around you, you actually felt safe.

A MARVELous Christmas - Part 4

Pairing: Mystery Avenger x Reader

Warnings: angst and fluff

Summary: In the lead up to Christmas y/n is made aware of a secret admirer. Can she work out who the mystery avenger is in time for one important dance at Stark’s annual Christmas Eve party?

Word Count: 2k

A/N: We are getting closer to Christmas Eve so closer to the big reveal! Thanks for all the support for the series so far I really appreciate it. I’ve had so much fun writing it. Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!

PART 3 | PART 5

“Okay Nat, don’t be mad that I haven’t told you this before.”

She quirked an eyebrow at you, tilting her head to the side urging you to continue. You couldn’t help but hesitate, glancing at her then at your hands. You pushed yourself up into a sitting position and looked around the room. At the ceiling, at the reading chair she had in the corner. The bookcase against the wall. The framed photos lining the shelve. To Nat. Then back down to your hands. Shuffling in your position once more. Okay now or never.

“When I first started at SHIELD… when we were barely even that close, really, if you think about it it isn’t too crazy that I didn’t tell you. But then I guess we became friends shortly after. Look I definitely should have told you sooner. But me and Clint used to, urgh I don’t even know what to call it. Actually I don’t even know if he felt the same way. Okay to put it plainly, I had a massive crush on Clint when I first started.”

“I know” she said with a smirk, crossing her arms across her chest and waving a dismissive hand.

Extremely taken aback you couldn’t seem to close your agape mouth or lower your raise eyebrows. This was supposed to be the best kept secret. But she knew? Oh of course she knew. She was Nat. Why were you so stupid. But was she mad? Oh you hoped she wasn’t mad.

“Are you angry I didn’t tell you? I mean it never really turned into anything, except a kiss but that was it.”

“Come on y/n of course not. I have been wanting to hear the juicy goss from the source but you know, I understand wanting to keep somethings to yourself, especially in this environment.” She gave a small laugh and rubbed her hand over your shoulder. “But for the sake of the mission. You need to tell me, everything.”

You knew she was right but you couldn’t help but let out a groan.

- - -

Three Years Earlier

You walked through the doors for the first time, on the first day of your new job. ‘Y/n y/l/n, SHIELD agent’ had a nice ring and you were ready to dive right in. Walking into the lobby you became slightly intimidated. There were people who all looked like they knew exactly what they were doing and where they were going scattered across the level. You needed a second to take it all in. Moving to the nearest wall you pressed your back to it and took in the room that was in front of you. A water feature took up a large section of the lobby, whilst the ceiling seemed to be many feet high, with an impressive mirror style design on it.

Your eyes travelled along the ceiling until they locked with those of a man perched on one of the rails placed metres above you. Letting out a small chuckle you recognised the bow and arrow. Hawkeye. You’d heard of him of course, the best aim in the entire agency. You let out a small laugh wondering how he’d made his way up there and lifted your hand slightly to wave at the agent. Yeah nice one, really professional. Really agent like. You mentally berated yourself for that silly slip up.

As Clint looked down to the new face who had walked into the lobby he realise who it was immediately, the new recruit. She was cute he thought to himself, watching her look around the impressive building she had just entered. Then she noticed him and time itself froze. Nobody usually paid any attention to him up here. Did she just wave? He chuckled to himself. Looks like somebody is nervous. Oh and now she’s flailing her hands around. Must be really nervous. Wait, no. That’s sign language. She’s trying to speak to him. His heart skipped a beat and he almost fell from his perch.

You’d been practising sign language as soon as you learnt some of the agents were deaf, partially deaf or already knew it. Thinking it would come in useful at one point or another. What better time to test it out than now? So you signed to Clint letting him know you were very impressed with his advantageous position. Even from this far away you could make out the smile the crept onto his face with each hand movement you did. He quickly signed back telling you that you were free to join him anytime.

You laughed, looking down at your watch and realising you needed to make it to your first meeting.

“This is not going to end well for me.” Clint couldn’t help but mutter under his breath as he watched you walk away. Already missing your company.

- - -

Two Years Earlier

Ever since the first time walking into the lobby, you and Clint had been the closest of friend. Signing across the table to one another during team meetings, sharing tents on wilderness missions and always sitting together at lunch in the SHIELD cafeteria.

What can you say? He was cute and you enjoyed his company. So when a mission went badly and you ended up having to be induced into a coma of course Clint visited you every day. And of course while he visited you heard him speak about nothing and everything to you and it meant the world.

When you finally woke up before the sun had even risen, Clint was there in the chair beside you. His hand tightly holding onto yours. Squeezing his hand as your eyes blinked open he shot straight up. “Y/n?” He asked, moving his hands to rest on your cheeks, cradling your face as he looked into your eyes. He rubbed small circles with him thumb against your cheek, “how are you feeling?” You slowly moved your hands so that the index fingers touched your thumbs signing ‘perfect.’ Clint’s gaze flicked down to the gesture until they focussed back on your eyes, you could see a battle raging within his head. You could have sworn his eyes slid down to look at your lips. Slowly the gap between your faces was closing as you both searched the others’ eyes, wondering if the other wanted it as much as they did.

Your eyes flutter shut as you felt Clint’s lips gently brush against your own. Your lips nudged his open and you raised a weak hand to tangle through his short hair. Pulling him closer. He ran his tongue across your bottom lip and you opened up giving him entrance. Letting out a small whimper you felt your body fight to get up from the bed, to get closer to him.

But suddenly he pulled away, opening your eyes you look into his as they crinkle with a smile for what seems like a millisecond before the smile is replaced with an expression you cannot read in your state. And then he’s backing towards the door, his hands no longer on you. “Ah sorry, I’ll get the doctor. They’ll want to know you’ve woken up.’ he said stumbling out of the room. Leaving you to wonder with your head feeling so hazy who had actually initiated that kiss.

He had been on the mission with you. He felt guilty and he was just glad to have you back of course. Nothing more than that. You’d just been caught up in the moment you convinced yourself. Wiping the tear away from your eye as you looked down at the sterile hospital sheets you promised yourself to never get caught up on those you work with again.

- - -

3 Days Till Christmas Eve Party

“It’s not even a thing anymore though right. Nothing happened, we just stayed friend. Good friends. And I’m happy with that.” You said, not even thinking to ask how Nat had known about whatever you’d call your relationship with Clint.

- - -

Two Years Earlier

“I kissed her Nat. I kissed her then ran away. I loved her the minute she walked through the doors. I thought I’d lost her, when she opened her eyes I felt like I was getting her back.” Clint had come to her apartment door at the early hours of the morning, yes, Nat experienced this a lot. “What am I supposed to do?” he questioned, plonking down in the couch holding his head in his hands as his elbows rested on his knees.

“Clint, you know I can’t answer that for you. Y/n is wonderful, she is probably the kindest person I know. But she’s also the most oblivious when it comes to this. So if you want her to know how you feel, you need to tell her. I don’t think a kiss will cut it.” Nat carefully sat down next to Clint placing a hand on his back.

“It’s your decision, but I’d make it quickly and no matter what, you need to stick with it. Now I’m going to go visit her if she’s awake, I’ve missed that girl.” Nat said getting up from the seat.  

“She’s eventually going to join the team Nat, she’s so talented and she’s moving up the ranks so quickly and I just know that when that happens Steve will swoop in, or Sam more likely with the wings and all.”

“Or Tony, he’s got the jets remember” Nat teased nudging Clint’s shoulder.

“I don’t think I can risk the friendship. I’d rather be able to see her everyday from a distance than never see her again, I can’t lose her like that again.”

“You do realise there is a third option there, that you get to see her everyday right up close and personal.” Nat offered.

“I just can’t take that chance Nat, sorry.”

“It’s not me who you should be sorry for.” And to this day Nat still didn’t know whether Clint owed himself or y/n the apology.  

- - -

3 Days Till Christmas Eve Party

“Don’t get me wrong I’m thoroughly enjoying hearing all about your past love life. But what does any of this have to do with your door being locked?” Nat said shaking the memory from her head. Surely Clint had gotten over it? He’d made his decision and he hadn’t told you his feelings.

“Right!” you exclaimed, ashamed at yourself for getting so off topic. “So back in SHIELD days, around Christmas time we would always have a competition, to see who could find the other’s present for them first. If I found the present Clint had gotten for me I got to open it, no matter how far away Christmas was and vice versa. One year he’d bought it 2 months before and thought he didn’t need to worry about hiding it just yet because I wouldn’t be looking that early. But he was wrong.”

“So you didn’t want Clint to find his gift?”

“Exactly. So I didn’t allow access to my room to anyone. I don’t know who he might send to do his dirty work. Actually that reminds me! I need to go wrap everyone’s gifts.” You said jumping up and running out of the room before Nat could say anything more. You’d done enough divulging into your past, you needed a break.

While carefully placing the presents under the tree a small box wrapped in silver paper caught your eye. The name tag had your name on it, but it didn’t say who it was from. Smiling a bit to yourself you reached out and picked it up. It was small but something about it made your heartbeat a little faster. Trying to weigh it and listen to hear anything from it you sensed a presence behind you and glanced back over your shoulder. “No peeking before Christmas y/n, you know the rules.” Clint said as he leant against the door frame, at a distance. “Thought you’d know better than to put my present right out here in the open Clint.”

Shaking his head and pushing off from the door frame he shrugged “I do know better, that ones not from me.”

Looking back at the gift you quirk your head to the side thoughtfully. It just seemed so familiar. Then you realised. You’d seen this wrapping paper somewhere. And recently. Racking your brain trying to think of where it had been it was coming to you in pieces. On the floor. A dark room. A notebook on the table. Letting out a breath and delicately placing the gift back onto the ground, you realised exactly where it had been. On the bedroom floor of a certain one armed super soldier.  

To be continued…

Tag List: @mcrvellouslystcrk @astronomicparker @becka-jackson

Final Space: A sense of closure

(Special thanks to Oscar power for his help on this one: https://twitter.com/oscarpower)

(Virdoote)

 "My boy...where's my boy?"

“Avocato, son of Daracato and Lonacato, you're time has come.

Twisting his head from side to side Avocato muffled out an upset cry, looking up at the shrouded figured before him, floating halfway off the dimly lit pool of water that seemed to stretch for eons for every direction. The cat man was knee deep in it, shoving some of the fresh liquid into his face to wake up from this nightmare. "i'm not dead, I can't be dead..."

 The shrouded figure waited out the pleas and bargains from the creature before in respectful silence, and when Avocato bowed his head in confirmation, in acceptance of his fate. He reached out a bony hand, and took him away into eternity.

---- (Oscar)

The seasons were unfamiliar to Gary. At least on this planet anyway. It felt like an autumn back on Earth. Ventrexian weather was one of the many things he had never asked Avocato about. Or his son, for that matter. Still, he silently shivered in his overcoat and kept a stoic watch. He was greying at the temples, perhaps a little less trim around the waist then he'd have liked (a fact that Quinn constantly found cause to joke about) but he was still recognisably the Gary Goodspeed who had met that Ventrexian all those years ago.

The other, figure however? The one he was keeping a silent watch over now? He was unrecognisable. Not in a bad way. And not necessarily a physical way either, that teal strip of fur on the top of his head still standing out against the orange. But he had changed. Perhaps it was the sadness that lurked behind his eyes occasionally. Perhaps it was the way he tempered his laughter sometimes, as though he had been forced to give up a child-like joy much too young. But he had changed, so much from that rebellious, angry, inventive teenager he had first met all those years ago.

"There isn't a body in there." the feline figure mumbled, on his knees, barely audibly. "I know. We tried to find him, but-" Gary sighed. There was a marker though. A simple marble stone. 'Here lies Avocato, son of Daracato and Lonacato, father to...'

Even reading the words made Gary's head pound and his eyes sting. How could it be like this? Twenty years on, and he was still cut up about this? How could be like this? Shouldn't he get over this? Why did he leave him like this? The last living member of Cato clan meanwhile, just stared into the unfeeling whiteness of the tombstone, as if maybe he stared hard enough, he could go back and maybe see him one last time.

(Virdoote)

“I thought this would, make it better” The cat finally spoke, running an anxious finger through the fur on his head “they say funerals, t-tombs, all that bring closure but...I don’t know. I still feel the same way.” Littlecato bowed his head and began to mumble something inaudible, or perhaps in a language Gary didn’t know, but he could tell from the hushed tone and furrowed brow that it was deeply meaningful. Littlecato was praying. Ventrexians worshipped not a god or gods, as Gary had found out, more of an abstract representation of their ancestors. Passed souls who they believed stayed with them throughout every trial and tribulation, it was the same reason Avocato had carried that glass jar of ashes with him wherever he went, a remembrance of the dead and a desperate hope for something after.

Littlecato for his part had struggled with that belief after everything that had happened but now he put aside all of that hurt and torment and anger, and whispered a short plea loud enough for Gary to hear. “Keep him out of trouble, mom.” He opened his tear stroked eyes, gave them a single wipe and then turned back towards Gary. “you know what, I do feel a little bit better after all...this is nice.”

(Oscar)

"It is." Gary said hoarsely. Try to keep it composed man. You got your arm ripped off for crying out loud, and this is the thing that somehow sets you off? The feline figure must have noticed something was wrong with the older man though. He gave him a quizzical look, which Gary tried to counter with the same stoic, masculine look he had once seen on an Infinity Guards recruitment poster half a lifetime ago.

"You know, you don't have to pretend Gary." Littlecato sighed. There was a tense silence. The wind whipped around semi-audibly, rustling the bare branches of the trees that surrounded the small grave-site.

"I-er...we should get going..." the human mumbled, shifting his gaze to the ground, as though almost ashamed to look Littlecato in the eye.

Ashamed, why would that be Gary? Guilty that you're alive and he isn't? Guilty that you have to look his son in the face everyday and tell him things will be okay when they aren't? Guilty that you didn't sacrifice yourself instead of him so you didn't have to deprive a parent of their child. Oh, but you would know all about that, wouldn't you?

 SHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUPSHUTUP.

Gary stuck his fingers to his temples, rubbing them as his head throbbed. He turned away and looked off into the far distance, the eddying winds picking up clouds of red dust from the ground and flinging them about. "Gary. I feel the same way you know. Remember when I told you all those years ago how I didn't know we were both in the same club?" the feline said quietly, harking back to the moment he discovered that they had both lost their fathers. "Yeah?" the older man exhaled, still not turning around. "We both lost him together as well." Gary turned back and chanced him a few seconds of eye contact. "I thought it would get easier. Or at the very least I'd be able to get all the bad stuff out of the way quickly , like ripping off a band-aid...but it just keeps going. This dull...pain." He paused. "I'm sorry."

--- (Virdoote)

 "Littlecato! Wait!"

The cat didn’t listen, didn’t want to listen, running on all fours all the way towards the vent on the other side of the room. Away from Gary, away from Quinn, away from that hole....

The vent grid clanged shut behind him and Littlecato could still hear the echoing voice of the human calling out to him in a strained, shaky voice, clearly distraught. He didn’t turn around though, instead he kept crawling and crawling until finally he was in an unknown, silent and dark part of the vent system far away from anybody else, pulling his legs up to his face and curling into a fuzzy ball of grieving, anguished cat.

He sniffled and felt loose tears fall through the sides of his covered face, his dad was gone. No matter how many times or ways he replayed the events of today in his head Littlecato couldn’t deny that, the shock melting away and the emptiness beginning to fill with cold, hard grief. “d-dad....” He  mumbled, biting his lips to muffle the shaky subs escaping from his distraught form  “I c-cant, cant lose you too...”

But his father didn't answer, and soon Littlecato relaxed his knees, wiped the tears from his face and continued on through the vents. Now his thoughts turned to the human who’d tried to grab him as he scurried away,  Gary...that was what his father had called him, try as Littlecato did he couldn’t block out the pain audible in the man’s voice, angry and bitter but concerned as well.

For a brief moment Littlecato stopped and considered turning around, ears flicking in agitation, not yet....not yet.

 He needed to be alone.

---

“...don’t be sorry” Littlecato finally answered after a moment of silence “you have nothing to be sorry about.” He got to his feet and moved towards Gary, standing a head taller than the greying human, and pulled him into a tender, soft hug. “I don’t know what I would of done without you Gary, you weren’t dad but...you were damn close.”

He pulled back, breath coming out in shaky rasps, looking back at the grave one last time. “I know why he liked you, you’re a good guy Gary, and you’re not responsible for what happened.”

Littlecato could feel the human’s chest tense and then flatten, burying his head in the cat’s cotton clad shoulder for a moment before returning, eyes heavy with tears. “Feeling a bit better?”

Gary knodded.

No other words passed between the two men and, as Littlecato would recall years later, they never talked of this talk of this moment ever again. Instead they simply walked out of the cool Ventrexian cemetery past the many graves that each could of represented a mother, a brother, a father. Past the steel gates and past the large trees stretching as far as the eye could see, paw on shoulder, until finally they got to the door of a small but typical Ventrexian hut isolated on the outskirts of the village.

This was nice, Littlecato had to admit and he felt an inkling that Gary felt the same way, real nice.

“Alright, guess i’ll see you around. Do you guys celebrate Christma-” Before Gary could finish his sentence the cat drove forward and pulled him into a warm, firm hug. Eyes wide the captain only managed to wrap his arms around and return the gesture, their embrace lasting one minute, then two, until finally Littlecato broke it with a quick sigh and a grin.

“Thanks man, for everything.”

“...yeah, you too.”

“So, Christmas? Sounds fun. Guess i’ll see you then, captain.”

And just like that he was gone, opening his door and pulling himself inside with one swift movement. Leaving Gary alone with his thoughts, and a certain sense of accomplishment, and pride.

“Guess this is that closure thing they always told me about.”

And with a chuckle he was gone too, back to the galaxy one, long ago re-purposed into a home ship and anchored on one of the major Ventrexians moons, and back to Quinn and H.U.E.