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ererokii · 4 years

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Collision || Izuku Midoriya

Izuku Midoriya x Fem! Reader x Eren Jaeger

Warnings: mentions of death, violence, blood, cussing, mention of pinning, humor, fluff

Word Count: 15,084

Synopsis: After a hard day of training, Izuku drifts off into a new state of mind and meets different people who fight against humanoid creatures to survive.

Taglist (message to be added): @pixxiesdust @kingtamakimurder @shoutosteakettle @hawks-senseis @saltie @shoutodoki @sugacookiies @fryingpanitachi @wesparklebitch @diorsho

➺ Note: This is for the @bnhabookclub’s bingo event is The prompt is Anime Crossover. If you haven’t watched/read Attack on Titan, I suggest you do before this! This contains spoilers from season 1. Big thank you to @shoutosteakettle @diorsho @kingtamakimurder and @pixxiesdust for betaing this!

Bingo Masterlist

“Keep pushing yourself! You’ll never know your full potential if you just give up!” Aizawa’s voice boomed throughout the field, his black eyes scanning the area for any type of fooling around. “Come on, you’re almost done! Finish!”

The students of Class 1-A were on the brink of defeat, each of their bodies begging for a break. Today was no different from other days. Aizawa explained that the class would be sparring for an hour. Of course, this being a usual thing, the students just nodded and took what came to them. Except for this time, they were to run three miles without using their quirks. “You guys need to build up your stamina, and now is the perfect time to do so,” were the words from their teacher. Each student cried in horror, but to no avail, he didn’t care. He wanted them to be the best and reach their full potential. If this is what it takes, so be it. Who would've thought it would be this hard.

Midoriya coughed into his sleeve, gasping for air as bullets of sweat dribbled down his face. His body was on fire, yet he continued to push forward. His legs were screaming at him to stop, to collapse where he was at, and pass out at any moment. He desperately wanted to but knew what the consequences would be if he listened.

He followed the curve of the dirt path, breathing heavily. He grunted and put his head down, moving his arms in sync with his legs' pace to help him out. “One...one more!” he whispered yelled to himself, wiping the beads of sweat off his forehead with the back of his hand.

He could hear the whines from his classmates behind him, each of them begging their teacher to stop this madness he called training.

“T-this is too much!” Mina panted, her pace slowing down with each second that passed, her legs ready to fall underneath her. Beside her was Kaminari, who simply nodded in agreement. Both of them were lagging behind more than the others.

“W-we’re almost done, r-right, Tsu?!” Uraraka yelled out for the green-haired girl who was in front of her.

“Ribbit.” Tsu replied weakly, her body hunched over, her pace almost walk like, her hands by her side.

“Out of my way!” Bakugou yelled and sprinted past everyone, catching up to Midoriya. His hands were clenched to contain the sweat from coming out and causing an explosion, something he didn’t want to happen at all. “Deku!!”

Midoriya’s eyes widened as he picked up the pace, ignoring the burning hole of Bakugou’s intense stare. He lifted his head and spotted Aizawa, who wasn’t that far away. ‘There!’ he thought. The sound of heavy footsteps got louder and louder to the point where they were heard right beside Midoriya’s body.

“I won’t let you win!!”

“N-not a race!” Midoriya choked out, refusing to give into the pain. The end line got closer and closer with each step he took.

From his left came another pair of footsteps. He whipped his head and caught sight of red and white hair. Todoroki was beside him, passing him up by a step or two. ‘H-he’s not even tired!’ Midoriya thought in shock, slowing himself down to a jog. Todoroki let out small pants, his form perfect.

Midoriya passed the end line right after Bakugou, who came behind Todoroki.

“You damn Icy-Hot!” Bakugou yelled, opening his palms, a variety of yellows and oranges emitting from his hands in an explosion.

“Bakugou,” Aizawa sternly said, his eyes glowing red, a display of his first warning. Bakugou grumbled in annoyance, lowering his hands to his sides in defeat. Their teacher blinked as his hair fell back to the normal length, looking off to the side at the crowd of incoming students. “About time you all finished. I could have taken a nap, but I had to wait for each and every one of you instead.”

“W-we’re sorry, Mr. Aizawa!” the crowd yelled in agony, all leaning over to place their hands on their knees, gasping for as much air as their lungs could take.

He watched them before turning around to face the other three. “Good job. Could have been done faster but this is acceptable for not using your quirks. Everyone!” he yelled, taking a step back as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his pants. “We’re done for today. Head back to the dorms and clean yourselves up. Tomorrow is your rest day, use it well. Don’t let me catch you guys doing something you aren’t supposed to.”

Aizawa let out a low groan at his unresponsive students. “Take your time,” was all he said before making his leave off the field.

“I can’t even move my legs anymore!” Momo gasped, tilting her head back as her shoulders heaved up and down.

“Alright, everyone up! The longer we wait around the more tired we will be! If you have to walk slower than normal then proceed to do so!” Iida took his glasses off, wiping the sweat from the lenses with the sleeve of his shirt.

Groans emitted from different students, some begging to just be left on the floor, others begging to be carried by someone else.

Midoriya helped his friends off the floor with his weakened arms.

“Thanks Deku,” Uraraka whispered tiredly and rubbed the back of her neck. “How were you able to finish so well? You didn’t even look tired from where I was!”

Midoriya grew quiet, his eyes focused on the scars that remained on his hands. A subtle reminder that showed his progress from the beginning till now. Each day he surprises himself with the amount of goals he could complete that he didn’t know he could. “I don’t know,” he whispered, bringing his fingers to the center of his palm. “All I know is that I will continue to give my all!”

Uraraka stared up at him in awe, bringing a hand to her chest. “Well if you’re going to give it your all, I will too!”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Everyone rushed to their showers, some even fighting for a good spot.

Midoriya found himself eating his dinner faster than normal. After cleaning his dish, he immediately made his way up the stairs after saying goodnight to his classmates, desperate to hit his head on the pillow and let sleep take over him.

Every night before he went to bed, he always called his mom. A reassurance thing she asked for before she let him move into the dorms. It made her feel that he was safe at all times, even though it wasn’t the case sometimes.

He tiredly turned his phone off and charged it on the bedside table, letting it fall out of his hand.

“So...so tired,” he whispered, and yawned into the air around him, stretching his body. He winced, already feeling the soreness appearing in his muscles. He stared up at the ceiling, bringing the bed sheets up to his underarms, hands resting on top of the cover.

The longer he stared, the heavier his eyelids felt. His eyes fluttered shut as his body relaxed, all the tension dissolving away. His chest soon heaved up and down in a slow rhythm, small puffs of air entering and leaving his mouth. Soon enough he was in a deep sleep, one that no one could awaken him from.

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

The ground felt fluffy yet rough at the same time. Was that mud? Was the ground moving? Why was it shaking? It felt like an earthquake kept happening every 10 seconds. A powerful step caused the earth beneath to tremble in fear. Was he dreaming? Was this some simulator the teachers put up for the students again?

Another powerful wave shook the earth yet again. Midoriya’s eyes flew open, as he gasped in fear. He immediately looked up and came face to face with a mixture of blues and greens, clouds swirling around freely.

“What is this,” he whispered to himself, slowly sitting up. His arms felt heavier as he looked down, noticing he was wearing his hero costume. He rubbed the gear for his arms with a finger in suspicion. “Why am I wearing this?”

“Thank god you’re awake, Deku!”

Uraraka?

“Huh?! W-what are you doing here, Uraraka?!” He looked around and noticed that his friends were surrounding him, all wearing their hero costumes. “W-why are you guys wearing your costumes?!”

“Beats me. I’m more concerned about where we are exactly,” Todoroki mumbled, eyeing the area around him.

A field of nothing but grass. Houses were in the distance. Were they abandoned? Did people live all the way out here from Musutafu?

Now that Midoriya thought about it, shouldn’t they be able to figure out where they are by comparing their surroundings to pictures on the internet? He rubbed the side of his head. “Does anyone have their phone on them?”

“I don’t have mine.”

“Mine is in my fucking room.”

“I don’t have service.”

Answers of defeat filled the group of friends, Midoriya sighed and stood up, wiping the mud off his suit. “Well, we can’t just sit here and wait. We have to go looking around for someone to help us.”

“Are you fucking crazy? Do you see people around here?! Cause I for sure don’t!” Bakugou yelled, hitting his gauntlets together. “I don’t see shit!”

“Bakugou, don’t use that type of language! We may not know where we are at but we still represent UA!”

Bakugou yelled and lifted his hands above his head, creating a large beam of explosions.

Everything seems still. Not a noise in sight besides the heavy breathing coming from Bakugou. Tsuyu lowered herself to the ground, feeling the dirt patches with her fingers. “It’s shaking.”

This caught the attention of everyone.

“What do you mean by shaking?” Todoroki questioned, squatting beside her to see what she was talking about.

Todoroki got quiet and looked around for the source. “She’s right. It’s shaking.”

Midoriya felt his head cloud up with thoughts. “That’s impossible. It can’t be shaking if we’re the only ones here. Right? I don’t see anyone besides us. It doesn’t make sense,” he mumbled, rubbing his chin in thought as he stared up at the sky. “Unless we can’t see our opponent.”

“You mean someone like Hagakure, Midoriya?” Iida asked, holding his helmet by his side.

“That’s exactly what I mean. But then someone our size couldn’t cause this much trouble.”

“Could it be someone like Mt. Lady maybe?” Uraraka looked over at Midoriya, noticing how tense his body was.

He nodded and sighed. “Maybe we sh-”

The stomping noise in the background grew louder and louder. They felt as if the ground would break and swallow them whole. Incoherent groans became louder. The presence of something bigger than they have ever seen was approaching from behind.

Midoriya looked over his shoulders and felt his soul leave his body, his eyes bulging out of their sockets.

A naked creature that resembled a human-like body ran toward them. It was even larger than Mt. Lady. Blood dripped from its mouth and landed on the roundness of its stomach. Patches of purple and red covered the body. It had a sick grin that made them all shiver where they stood.

“What the hell is that thing?!” Bakugou yelled in shock, his own eyes wide as he stilled in fear.

The thing froze in place, each student on alert for its next move.

“I’ve never seen a simulation like this,” Tsu whispered, staying in a crouched position alongside Todoroki.

“No one move. Maybe it won’t be able to see us,” Iida suggested, his eyes narrowing.

The creature leaned back, then forward again, taking off towards them in a sprint. Its attention was focused on the warmth of the students’ bodies, thirsty to feed itself.

They all screamed in terror, each getting ready to use their quirk if needed.

“I’ll blow its damn head off!!” Bakugou shouted, opening his palms.

“A 15 meter, Captain!!”

“Move!”

In the blink of an eye, a hook like material shot out from the trees, catching the eye of the creature. A body flew from the shadows and swung itself around the humanoid creature before speeding up towards the nape of its neck, slashing a clean cut, making the creature freeze up and fall to its knees.

The new arrival let out an annoyed sigh, watching the blood of the creature evaporate into thin air. “I hate these things.”

“Another nice kill, Captain Levi! Although I’m coming close to being like you.”

“Cut the crap Oluo. No one cares that you’re trying to imitate the Captain.”

“Oh Petra, don’t you worry about that.”

“I hope you choke on your tongue!”

Midoriya gaped at the small man, who was staring at his blades. “H-he just took it down with one swift move!”

“Hm?” Levi looked up and narrowed his eyes, readying his blades. “Who the hell are you brats? How did you make it outside the wall without permission?”

“The wall?” Uraraka asked. “What wall are you talking about?”

“Sir, they aren’t even in uniform. I’ve never even seen anyone make whatever they are wearing.” Eld spoke from beside him, eyeing each student from head to toe.

Midoriya studied their uniform. A green cape was tied around their neck and flowed behind them with the wind. A brown fitted jacket was underneath that was long at the arms but cut short at the torso. The shirt under the jacket had brown straps going across the chest that wrapped around to what Midoriya assumed was their back, leading to the brown belt that resided on their hips. It looked like a brown spandex at the top of their thighs, more straps peeked out from underneath, wrapping around their thighs till it went lower until it was hidden by the brown boots.

‘A different type of costume? Well they all have the same thing on,’ he thought and coughed awkwardly. “Um, we don’t even know where we are. We just ended up here.”

“Ended up here, huh?” the man asked and sheathed his blades back into the grey boxes that rested beside his thighs.

“That’s a cool costume you got there!” Uraraka stared in awe as she stared at the group of people behind the short black haired man.

“Costume? Look kid, I don’t know what you’re trying to pull, but it’s not cute!” The curly brown haired man said, unsheathing his blades, his fingers holding a vice like grip on the handle, a menacing look in his eyes. “Just give the go ahead Captain!”

After his movements, the rest of the group followed suit, ready to attack at any moment.

“We don’t mean any harm! We don’t know where we are at sir!” Iida said, shoving a hand in front of his body, Uraraka and Tsu holding onto each other in terror while Todoroki and Bakugou watched in silence, hands by their sides.

“Blades down,” the short man instructed.

“But s-sir we don’t know if they have abilities li-”

“I said blades down!” he shouted, turning around to face them. “That was an order.”

They all eyed each other, silently communicating before putting the blades away.

Midoriya felt his heart go many miles per hour, his heart threatening to explode from the inside out. His hands twitched at his sides. Who were these people? Why would they jump a bunch of lost kids?

He looked up and made eye contact with the strawberry blonde. Her gaze was not how it was before when she bantered. No, her eyes were like those of a predator eyeing its prey, waiting for a slip up to pounce at any given moment. He gulped and took a step forward, wary of what they might do if he moved too quickly.“E-excuse me sir. We just need help getting back to Musutafu.”

“Musutafu? Where is that? In all my years, I’ve never heard of that place.”

Midoriya’s face went pale.

“You look like you just took the biggest shit.” He sighed and grabbed the rein’s of his black horse. “We better keep going or at this rate more abnormals will appear. Can you at least walk?”

“Y-yes sir, we can!”

“Get a move on. Walk in front of us. We’ll surround you from the sides and the back. Go. Now,” he commanded, his narrowed grey eyes following the group of bodies as they began to walk hesitantly in front of them.

‘We need to keep ourselves ready for anything,’ Midoria thought to himself as he peeked over his shoulder, his green eyes catching sight of the blond’s eyes. The blond was focused, looking forward at all times. He was tense by the looks of it. One of his hands was gripping the reins of the horse, the other hand was placed on the grey box.

‘Who are these guys?’ he wondered and faced forward once again, his green curls bouncing with each step he took.

He glanced over at Bakugou, who was even silent for once. ‘Is he scared like the rest of us then? Todoroki too?’

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

A big cement wall loomed before them as they approached, the brick gate with an outline of a girl—a princess—was being lifted off of the ground. As they walked inside, the gate slammed shut, the group of students jolting at the noise.

Hundreds of houses filled the vicinity, the main street full of a small city life. Children ran around without a care in the world. Men and women were working in small or large stands to provide for their family.

Midoriya noticed the change of clothes. Instead of shorts, tank tops or regular shirts, they were replaced with clothes of rough cloth. The pants were a little above the ankle, everyone wearing a coat or not, in some cases, a scarf.

“L-look! It’s the Levi Squad!!”

“So that must be his name,” Todoroki mumbled quietly, keeping his hard gaze displayed on his face.

“Spare me, please,” Levi mumbled to himself, ignoring the bright stares from people of all ages.

“Uh excuse me but—” Uraraka scooted closer to the female, gulping when the strawberry blond looked down at her. “—where exactly are we?”

“We’re in Wall Rose. The middle of the three walls.”

“Walls? If this is the middle, what happened to the first?”

“Destroyed. The Colossal Titan broke the gate, titans breaching inside and ate more than half of the civilians living in Wall Maria.”

Her demeanor dropped quickly as she took a step away, the brunette looking down at the pink of her shoes. “Oh,” was all she said.

“Damn these kids talk so much, huh?” Oluo yawned loudly to purposely irritate Petra.

Petra shook her head. “You act as if you don’t talk our ears off.”

“Oh but I know you lov-” His horse’s foot hit a rock, and the man jolted up as his teeth clamped around his tongue, his eyes widening as he let out a shriek of terror.

“I-is he okay?!” Midoriya gasped, blinking in surprise at the sudden change of mood.

“Yeah. Just ignore him. One day I’m hoping he bleeds to death like that,” Petra said in a playful tone, but deep down she meant what she said.

As they continued on, an old castle came into view. It was shabby, hands down. Vines surrounded the area in patterns that didn’t make sense. The door was sealed shut with iron bars.

“A castle?! Are you guys a bunch of princesses or something?! Is this some fucking fairytale?!”

“Oh wow, kid’s got spunk. I like that one.”

“Shut up, Oluo. No one cares what you like.” The blond, who they came to find out was named Eld, said with a disapproving shake of his head.

“Huh?! Some do! Isn’t that right Petra?”

“Say that again and I’ll cut your tongue and force it down your throat.”

Oluo let out a booming laugh, his hands up in a mocking motion. “Oh just wait till we get married, dear! We’re practically bickering like an old married couple!”

“Captain Levi!!”

“Oh here comes the other one we forgot.” Oluo sighed in annoyance, getting off of his horse and tying the rein to the stable.

A brunette with turquoise eyes came running up to the smaller man, stopping in front of him and placed his right fist to his heart, his left fist resting on the small of his back. “Glad to see you back, Sir!”

“Relax before you hurt yourself brat.”

“Sir!”

“Where’s Y/N?”

“She’s cleaning the room like you asked before you left!”

An approving nod escaped Levi’s throat, moving out of the way as one of his arms extended to the group of kids. “Introduce yourself.”

Eren let out an awkward cough, straightening his posture. “I’m Eren Jaeger! Pleasure to meet you all!”

Midoriya eyed him up and down quickly before stepping forward. “I’m Izuku Midoriya. That one is Ochako Uraraka, the one next to her is Tsuyu Asui. The blond is Katuski Bakugou, the one behind him is Tenya Iida and the red and white haired one is Shouto Todoroki.” he said, making sure to describe each of them so they knew who was who.

“Great. Now that this is done, we have to make preparations for the upcoming expeditions. Eren, go get Y/N for me.”

“Yes sir!” Eren saluted once more before taking off in the direction of the castle, swinging the doors open and slammed them behind them.

“Tch. That brat, I told him not to slam them anymore.”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Eren ran through the quiet halls, the soles of his shoes hitting the rugged floor with each step he took. After the attack on the Trost District, he was brought up and joined the Levi squad, known as the Special Operations Unit, after Levi vowed to watch over him and would kill him if it came to that.

Everyday when he woke up in a sweaty shirt that was once clean, in that dirty cell at the bottom of the castle, the terrors that happened in the past five years would be on replay. The death of his mother, Carla Jaeger was something he could never forget. He remembers the look of fear in her eyes. She didn’t want to die. No one did. Sometimes throughout the day, he would get flashes of the death of people from his squad, specifically Mina and Thomas.

With the newfound power he had now, he could save those that not even Captain Levi could. When Hanji experimented on him for the first time, he remembered the look in Squad Levi’s eyes. All of them weren’t afraid to kill him, they were just fulfilling their duties as soldiers.

After Levi vowed to watch over Eren, he also brought another soldier with him. This soldier was tied for first place with Mikasa Ackerman within the 104th Cadet Corps. Of course the higher ups were wary of Levi’s decision but trusted his judgement nonetheless.

“Y/N! Captain Levi is calling you!”

Your eyes widened as you whipped around, holding the broomstick in between your hands in fear. “W-why?! I didn’t do anything right?! Oh god I knew I should've cleaned the stables before he asked!”

Eren tilted his head slightly and shook his head. “No. There are new people outside.”

“New people? Like new joins?”

“That’s the thing,” he started off and removed the piece of cloth around his neck, folding it. “I’ve never seen these people throughout our training years. Plus the clothes they wore are kinda, uh, ugly.”

A small giggle escaped as you leaned the broom against the wall. “They sound hideous already. Did he say why he needed me?”

“No, but I suggest you go now. I can go with you if you like. He probably needs both of us!”

“That’s kind of you, but I can go by myself Eren.”

“Y-you’ll get lost!”

You stared at him for a couple of seconds before approaching him, placing the back of your hand against his forehead. “Did they push you too hard? I’m sure if you ask for a break they’ll give it to you!”

With a growl, he pushed your hand off of his forehead, the shell of his ear turning red. “I’m fine!” His ears only turned red when he began to lie. “J-just get going! I’ll be out there soon!”

Your shoulders shook as your laugh blessed Eren’s red ears. “Alright alright! I’m going! Don’t hurt yourself, big boy,” you teased, sliding a finger under the strap on his back and pulled it, releasing it as it hit his back, a shriek emitting from the brunette’s mouth.

“H-hey!” he yelled, his foot stomping against the ground as he turned on his heel to get back at you but you were long gone already. He let out a deep sigh, a small smile gracing his features. His turquoise eyes glanced around the room before walking out the door. “This should be fine.” He reached out behind him, hand wrapping around the doorknob and slammed the door shut.

When he first joined the Scouts, he was always reminded in some shape or form on how much of a bloodthirsty monster he was. Of course he couldn’t fight back. He was chained most of the time when he wasn’t above helping Levi and the others. Eren considered you to be one of his trusted allies. When both of you were brought up, you stuck with each other no matter what. Every night before he went to bed, you would always visit him and listen to him talk. Talk about how poorly he was treated when he asked for basic things such as water or if he could use the bathroom. It broke your heart to hear him speak that way and watch the waterfall of tears escape its confinements.

Maybe that’s why Eren started to feel a certain way towards you. One that caused his whole face to heat up, made him feel sick to his stomach in a good way, or made him feel that he always had to protect you with his whole being. Eren knew he held feelings for you deep in his heart, but couldn’t say anything yet. When the time was right, he would bring it up.

He made a promise to himself, that you would see the outside world, with or without him.

As you walked down the halls to the outside, your smile immediately dropped as you passed by fellow soldiers. Instead it was replaced with a smirk. “He’s cute. Maybe I’ll date him before I’m found out. Or maybe I’ll convince him.”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

You rolled your head to lean against your shoulder, a loud groan leaving your lips. “Fuck, let’s do this.” You let out a deep breath and placed your hands on the wood, swinging them open. “C-Captain Levi! Eren said you needed me!” you panted softly, walking towards his smaller body. “I-I’m not in trouble am I?!”

“Yeah. Show these kids around. We can’t have them lounging around anywhere.”

You glanced over the brightly dressed group of people. ‘Oh. Eren was right about this,’ you thought and nodded. “Yes sir!” You glanced over at Petra and waved excitedly. Out of everyone from the Levi Squad, she was by far your favorite.

Petra enjoyed your enthusiasm. She thought it was much needed in such a depressing place.

“Oh she’s cute! I call dibs!” Bakugou yelled, startling you slightly.

Midoriya gasped. “Kacchan you can’t say things like that!”

“The hell I can!!”

You laughed nervously and rubbed the back of your head. “Uh..thank you? I guess? Anyway my name is Y/N Y/LN! I’m a part of Squad Levi just like Eren, the angry one that was here before me!”

“I told you I’m not angry!!”

You gasped in happiness and clasped your hands together, bringing them to rest against your cheek. “My hero is here!!”

Eren stumbled over his own feet and stuttered noises out. Levi sighed and brought his hand up and slapped Eren across the head.

Uraraka gasped in fear. “Y-you hit him!”

“He always does. Don’t worry too much about it,” Eld replied. “Y/N shouldn’t you show them around, like the Captain said?”

“Oh yeah! Sometimes I just get ahead of myself! Come on!” You looked over them before sticking your index finger out. “You! You look smart! I’m talking with you.”

Midoriya stared at your finger and nodded slowly. “Alright then. Come on, guys.” He waved to his group of friends, Bakugou growling in annoyance.

“Stupid Deku,” he mumbled.

Opening the doors inside, you watched each of them go inside then followed them from behind.

“Wait!”

“Bye Eren!” You laughed and shut the doors before he got any closer. You could hear a loud groan.

“So those people,they are your...team?” Iida said awkwardly, rubbing the back on his neck.

You nodded. “Uh huh. The short one is our Captain. I bet when they saw you they were gonna kill you huh?”

“How did you know that?” Tsuyu asked, somewhat interested if you had a special quirk. “Do you have a quirk?”

“A quirk? What’s that?”

“A quirk is something that we’re born with but doesn’t manifest till the age of four or five. Some people don’t get a quirk.” Todoroki chimed in coolly, running his hands on the grey walls of the hallway.

You opened your mouth to say something but decided to close it. “Nope! Don’t have one. Never heard of that anyway. I don’t think anyone here has… a power like that. Well except Eren of course!”

“That’s dude out there? Does he have a quirk?! What is it?!” Midoriya gasped in surprise, taking you by surprise.

“O-Oh! He can become a 15 meter titan and control it!” you stuttered out, your cheeks darkening. He was cute, you had to give it to him.

“That’s awesome! He’s just like Mt. Lady! But here!”

“Shut up nerd, no one cares about that.”

“Bakugou! You can’t talk like that to Midoriya!”

“And who are these people?! I have never seen them in my life! Y/N where did you get them from?!”

In front of you stood a rather tall woman, wearing glasses with an elastic band that went around her head. Her hair was in a messy ponytail, strands sticking out.

“Hanji!” you saluted her, the group behind you surprised by the sudden change of behavior. “Squad Levi found them outside the walls and brought them along!”

“Outside?!” she whispered yelled. “How did you guys end up outside the walls without permission?!”

“We didn’t, four eyes! The short stack out there just found us and brought us to this hell hole!”

A howling laugh left her mouth, clapping her hands together. “I like you!!” she stopped laughing and turned towards you. “We have even bigger news. The 57th Expedition is coming up. And we’re bringing members from the 104th Corps. Plus my two test subjects were killed two days ago. Everyone is getting their gear checked. We don’t know who it is yet, but we need to find out soon.”

In the back of your mind, a voice was laughing, taunting them for their stupidity. For people as intelligent as they were, they needed to open their eyes to realize the truth. You had a mask on. One that everyone would see soon. If you were slick enough, you could wear it for a bit longer.

“I heard about that, but Eren and I weren’t able to stay for long. Commander Erwin asked us a difficult question that we didn’t know how to answer.”

Hanji nodded in thought, kicking at the ground. “He told me what he asked. It sounds difficult for someone who doesn’t know what’s going on.”

“Sorry to interject but--” Midoriya chimed in, taking a step forward. “Maybe we can help? We are training for things like this.”

“Oh? You are? Well I don’t see why we would say no. Follow me.”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

You stood in the back, watching Hanji interact with Midoriya. He was pretty spot on with his observations. He reminded you of Armin in a way, over analyzing things to the point where they actually figured it out. You couldn’t help but mumble things underneath your breath.

“Can’t wait to finish them off,” you whispered in your mother tongue, a downcast on your face. You dug your fingers into your forearm, ignoring the pain that your nail was inflicting upon you.

“This is too fucking pointless!” Bakugou screeched, wisping out a single explosion from his palm. Hanji screamed in excitement and pointed at his hand. “How did you do that?!”

“What the hell do you mean four eyes?!”

“You have a power just like Eren does! Do all of you have one?!”

“Yes we all do ribbit.”

“You have to show me! I really really wanna see!” Hanji launched forward and grabbed both of Todoroki’s hands, gripping them with no intent of letting go. “What can you do?! Oh I bet you can become a 20 meter!”

“Squad Leader!” you yelled, walking towards the group now. “Harassing them like that won’t work out! We’re near an open area! Why don’t we just go and we can take our gear!”

Hanji slowly turned her head to you, her lenses of her glasses all fogged up, shielding her eyes from you. “That...sounds wonderful! That’s exactly what we will do! Your gear is over there! Hurry up now!”

You rolled your eyes at your commanding officer, making your way to the crate where your omnimobility direction gear was resting. You grew silent, your own thoughts circling your mind.

It’s three more days till the expedition. Three more days till Annie will pop up again. Three more days till you’ll be going back home with her.

You wrapped the gas compartment around your back, tightening the grip so it didn’t fall off. Your fist came down on the boxes beside you, eyeing the grip of your blades that peeked out. “Hate putting this shit on..” you whispered and turned around, shaking your legs a bit before following Hanji, the clanking of your gear sounding behind you.

“Is that heavy?” Midoriya asked out of nowhere.

“Oh uh..no? But yes at the same time. It’s light enough to keep us moving but enough to ground us again. We’ve been training with these for the past three years. It’s like second nature.”

“Oh so you mastered it?”

“Well I guess you can say that!” You smiled and nudged him with your elbow, making the poor boy stumble slightly and laughed nervously.

“I have something else I wanted to ask you.”

“Go right ahead, Midoriya.”

“How are you so happy? With those- those monsters out there, death lurking around every corner.”

You hummed and looked up at the sky, relishing the way the breeze felt against your body. “I don’t know. We’re all going to die eventually, some sooner than others. Why be sad when you can be happy? Seems like a waste of time to me. Although some of us will be affected forever.”

He stared at you, shocked by your answer. “How old are you?”

“I’m 16 years old. And you, Midoriya?”

“16 as well...” he trailed off. “Wow. It must be terrible huh?”

“Mm...yes. For me, it makes me feel alive. The adrenaline of fighting those things outside. For my own freedom. It makes surviving that much better, ya know?”

“Y/N!”

Your eyes widened as you turned on your heel, doing a little excited bounce with your feet. “I thought you couldn’t come!”

“Captain Levi gave me permission! Plus he had to come because Hanji sent Moblit to ask him if we could do more experiments!” Eren yelled over his pants for air, wiping the sweat off with his brown jacket.

“Awesome! Maybe he’ll let me take you down as well!”

“Oh is that so?” He grinned, his eyes crinkled at the corner.

You nodded proudly, placing your hands on your. “Yup! I’m going to be the next Captain Levi!”

“Oh I don’t doubt that!”

“Stupid fucking love birds.”

Eren whipped his head towards the noise, his eyes narrowing in on Bakugou’s hunched form. “So I can tell you’re the annoying one out of everyone.”

“What did you say, brown hair loser?!”

“I said what I said!”

“You fucking–” Bakugou growled.

“Enough! Bakugou stop picking fights!” Todoroki snapped, placing a hand on the blond’s shoulder. “Ignore him. He doesn’t know when to open and close his mouth.”

“Icy-Hot, you bastard!”

You giggled and bent over, touching your toes in a stretch. “I’m ready to start whenever Hanji!”

Hanji took a step back, holding a clipboard in her arms. “Alright Eren! Whenever you’re ready to begin! And you guys can just go along with them! I can’t wait to see what you guys can do!”

“Already forcing people you don’t know into doing things, huh shitty glasses?”

“Levi! Amazing you could join us! Yes! The blond one sent an explosion off from his hands! It was something I've never seen before! Maybe they could be of use!”

Levi cleared his throat and wiped something off from his jacket. “Maybe. Of course we have to fill Erwin in on this.”

Eren moved away from everyone, making eye contact with you and nodded back when you nodded in reassurance to him. He took a deep breath and brought his hand up to his mouth.

“What is he doing?” Uraraka whispered, bringing her hand to her mouth.

Eren opened his mouth and bit down on it, his teeth digging into his flesh, blood seeping out from his mouth.

Uraraka screamed, dropping her helmet to the ground, shaking Tsuyu by her arms. “H-He bit his hand! He’s gonna bite his hand off!”

“Relax!” You waved it off, no sense of urgency displayed on your visage. “He’s fine! Give it a second!”

A strike of lightning hit his place, smoke immediately circling the area, seeming endless. Midoriya watched in awe, the yellow of the lighting reflecting off of his green irises. “Wow..” he whispered softly, fascinated. This was something bigger than anything he had seen in all his years. Something more bigger than All Might.

He felt his heart drop when he saw a shadow behind the smoke, a figure standing up until it was looming over everyone.

A loud roar filled the area, the nearby birds flying away as fast as they could.

“..Woah” Todoroki whispered, his once narrowed eyes, open wide.

“Wow indeed! Is it possible to control something that huge?” Iida asked Hanji, staring up at the titan with brown hair.

“Yes! For Eren, it seems that his limbs are attached to the flesh inside. Picture it as a robot, his body is inside controlling every move!”

“Fascinating!” Iida yelled, fixing his glasses.

Midoriya glanced over at you. A scowl was present on your face. You didn’t seem happy at all. “Y/N? Are you okay?”

“Huh?!” you jolted up and nodded. “Yes I’m okay! Just thinking!” you smiled cheerfully and turned around, facing the trees. “No point in standing around right?! Come on Eren! After you!” you yelled, hands by your mouth to echo the sound to his ears.

Eren looked down at your ant like figures, his ears twitching before lifting a foot and took a step forward, beginning his run. Each step that he took was a shake to the core of the earth.

The shaking slowed down the farther he ran out.

“Meet you guys there!” You sent a wink towards Midoriya’s way, facing your hips toward a tree in front of you.

He felt his face heat up, sweat forming under the tuft of hair on his forehead. “W-what are you doing?!”

Hooks shot out from the box as you pressed a button on the blades, gas shooting out from the device behind your back. Your body was propelled forward, your hair flowing behind you as the hooks kept attaching from tree to tree.

“Go! You heard her!” Hanji shooed them with her hand.

They all looked at each other, hesitant to move.

“Well!” Bakugou snapped, opening his palms. “You heard the crazy lady!” He yelled and had a running start, moving his hands behind him, his explosions going off as he was shot forward, his feet off the ground.

“Might as well right.” Todoroki lifted his right arm and started running, shooting ice into the ground as it carried him off, riding the ice as if it was a surfboard.

“He’s right ribbit.” Tsuyu looked up at Uraraka, crouching down to a frog-like stance. “Just try not to throw up!”

Uraraka gasped and ran after the jumping girl. “Tsuyu! You can’t just say that!” she placed her hands onto her round cheeks and started to float off the ground, holding her breath in.

“Well Midoriya, guess this is a race then.” Iida smirked, getting in a runner position.

“Is that so?” Midoriya shot back, feeling the base of his quirk taking control. His body was now covered in sharp quick blue shocks. “Ready when you are!”

Iida laughed, taking off right there with Midoriya hot on his trail.

Hanji and Levi watched in astonishment. Well, mostly Hanji. Levi hardly showed any emotion to anyone or anything.

“Levi did you see those kids? They could- they could help on our expedition. That Bakugou kid, he could possibly explode their nape off. Todoroki could freeze any fast abnormal that comes our way and gives us a shot at killing them. Iida could probably get to places if we ever need to relay a message. The two girls seem to be able to work together, possibly able to tie the titan down. And Midoriya, he can maybe hit their nape off, if he’s strong enough. Levi do you know what this means?! With these kids we can go further than before!” Hanji exclaimed, throwing the clipboard on the floor

“We need permission from Erwin of course. He might accept them or not. If he does then we have to make sure they are our top priority alongside Eren. With those few, plus Y/N, we could possibly come back more than before.”

“They seem like they can hold their own.”

“Yeah. But they freaked out the minute one of those naked bastards came up.”

“Squad Leader! Captain Levi! The new recruits are here!”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

The clanging of the gear didn’t stop. Levi and Hanji escorted all of you back to base.

“I know for a fact it’ll be Mikasa and Armin,” you whispered, slowly walking to nudge yourself between Eren and Midoriya.

“What about Sasha and Connie?”

You shook your head. “Connie decided he was gonna be in the Scouts but he looked like he met a ghost after the Trost Attack. I think he possibly changed his mind.”

Eren got quiet. “Mina and Thomas would have been here for sure.”

An uncomfortable silence swept between you two. “What happened was inevitable. As much as I don’t like to say it...” You trailed off, placing a hand on Eren’s tense shoulder and squeezed gently. “Some were bound to die whether we liked it or not.”

“Mina and Thomas?” Uraraka asked softly, afraid it was a touchy subject. You could hear the sudden hitch in Eren’s breathing.

“They were our comrades. They...unfortunately died when trying to protect the city of Trost. It’s a touchy subject for most, but it can’t be hidden forever.”

“I’m so sorry for that,” she whispered, hesitantly placing a hand on your wrist. “I-it’ll be okay!”

You glanced down at her hand, a smile crossing your features. “Thank you, Uraraka. I appreciate it.”

Shoes tapping against the floor increased in volume as voices got louder and more easier to hear.

“Captain! Can we be excused to talk to our friends?” you begged Levi, clasping your hands in front of your chest. He stared at you unemotionally, not caring what you did or didn’t do.

“Go.”

Your face broke out into a smile as your smaller hand put itself in Eren’s bigger hand. “Come on!” You tugged his body after you, both of you running towards your comrades.

Eren’s entire face heated up, the shell of his ear burning up. ‘S-she’s holding my hand!’ he thought frantically and desperately wanted to hold it forever. He gently squeezed your hand, afraid of what you might do. Much to his surprise, you squeezed back. He could pass out right there if he could.

“Sasha! Connie!” You waved, jumping up. “You guys joined after all?!”

The brunette girl turned around quickly and gasped. “You’re okay!” She launched forward at you, wrapping her arms around you tightly. You reciprocated her hugs, squeezing the life out of her. She was one of the few hearts you didn’t want to break, but you had too.

“I didn’t know h-he took you! You didn’t say goodbye!” she wailed, rubbing her cheek against yours.

“Sasha you were one of the first I told!”

“Well if it isn’t Y/N huh?”

You looked over your shoulder, your eyes widening. “What are you doing here? I thought you went to join the Military Police.”

The two toned male sighed and shook his head. “No. I didn’t after all. Marco...”

“Marco? Where is Marco?”

The taller male turned and looked at Eren. “He’s dead. He died in Trost.”

Eren’s eyes widening, his heart stopping as his blood turned cold. “You're joking. Marco’s not dead. He’s hiding somewhere, right?”

Jean stayed silent, staring him down.

“Oh my god,” you whispered and covered your mouth, looking down at the solid ground, shutting your eyes but no tears came out. Instead, under your hand, your lip curled in a grin.

“Eren, are you hurt? Have they done anything to treat you unkind?” A ravenette girl came forward, taking Eren’s hands in her own. “Have they put you under hard punishments?”

“W-what? No, I'm fine Mikasa. If anything I have to thank Captain Levi for saving me.”

Mikasa growled, her black eyes focused on the short man not that far away from them. “He wi- Who are they?”

“Hm? Oh them. We don’t really know who they are just yet. Captain Levi found them outside the walls.”

“Outside? And they weren’t arrested?” Armin asked, staring at Midoriya. “Huh, that’s weird.”

Midoriya looked away and rubbed his arm. “I don’t know how we’ll get home. I don’t even know how we got here in the first place. Do any of you?”

“Not at all, Midoriya. My first thought was that this was a simulator of some sorts. That maybe Mr. Aizawa could come out of nowhere.”

Midoriya nodded and rubbed his chin. “Possibly...”

“What the hell are you looking at, long face?!” Bakugou yelled, walking up to Jean, who was staring him up and down.

“You of course,” Jean replied, a small smirk forming. “How could I not stare when someone’s hair looks like explosive shit?”

“You look like a stupid fucking horse!”

Connie stifled his laugh, covering his mouth with his hand. “H-he called you a horse! Oh my god that is always so priceless!”

Jean growled, obviously fed up. “Least I have some fucking hair you idiot! Where’s yours huh?! You still look like a baby with that head of yours!”

“Least my head is normal looking, Jean-Boy!”

“I thought I told you to forget about that Connie!”

“He always has to start something huh?” Todoroki sighed, his tufts of hair shaking with his head. “He better keep his mouth shut. We aren’t at school anymore. Who knows if he comes into contact with the wrong person.”

“Agreed. I overheard the woman with the glasses talking with the short one about making us join...an expedition, I think it was,” Tsuyu whispered, playing with the cuff of her hero costume.

“An expedition? What’s that?” Iida muttered to himself. “Maybe against those things we saw outside?”

“I mean it’s a possibility, but why us? Maybe Eren is the only one with a said ‘quirk.’” Uraraka voiced in, quoting the word quirk.

Midoriya looked over his shoulder, looking for you. Your back was faced towards them, looking up at a buff blond and a tall black haired man. He couldn’t describe their expressions. From the looks of it, it looked like you weren’t happy. You were wildly moving your hands to prove a point you were trying to make, every now and then he heard an angry noise emit from your mouth.

The other two in front of you didn’t look pleased as well. The blond and you were going at it while the black haired was a step back away from the mess, but still listening.

“Why do you always seem so unhappy Y/N,” Midoriya whispered.

“Can she at least come, Reiner?” you growled, your hands gripping the hem of your brown jacket.

“Yes of course she can. She made sure of it. Don’t worry about it,” Reiner sneered, eyes flickering around to make sure you weren’t heard. “Stop bringing it up so much.”

“I’m just making sure. I knew she was going to join the Military Police but I just need clarification.”

The boy beside him sighed nervously. “Look,” he began, “The more you worry, chances are it won’t go well. For the sake of it, don’t bring it up.”

Your eyes stared intensely into his black eyes, as if you were mentally fighting with him. Eventually you faltered and rolled your eyes before smiling. “Got it.”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Time seemed to pass faster than light. Has it really been two days already? Two days that the students of UA were stuck in a hellhole, with no teacher in sight?

The students from UA got along well with the cadets from the Survey Corps. It was safe to say some got along better with others with some, or some clashed with others more than usual.

Midoriya would say that he got closer to you. During your chores he always offered to help and of course you always said yes, Levi’s standards were a bit over the top. He noticed your subtle changes. You seemed more tired throughout the day, were you staying up too late at night? What was keeping you up for so long?

Your eyes told a thousand tales that Midoriya wanted to analyze and read every single word, getting closer and closer to the deep meaning of your life. These past two days, he knew that you’ve been concealing your inner thoughts. He begged inside that you could trust him. Was it the past memories? Was it finally getting to you?

At the moment he was watching you from a distance. You were wearing your uniform without the jacket and your boots were resting beside your body. With your eyelids closed, it looked like you were meditating.

Debating whether he should approach or not, you opened your eyes and looked over towards his standing body. “Midoriya?” you questioned, “What are you doing here?”

Embarrassed that he was caught, he stuttered with his words and looked away. “I w-was looking for you is all! I couldn’t find you earlier!”

A small “oh” left your lips as you stayed silent before a smile broke on your face. “Well come sit down then, since you made it this far.”

His body moved without thinking, swiftly sitting next to you.

You hummed softly, gazing forward as you stared at the sky, above the top of the 50 meter wall.

“Are you nervous?” he blurted out then covered his mouth with his hand. “I’m sorry! You don’t have to answer that!”

Ignoring his second choice of words, you sighed and slicked the small baby hairs back in place. “Course I am. I don’t want to die. I don’t want to fail.”

“This means a lot for you guys huh?”

“Especially Eren. He’s our most important asset. Without him, we will probably never make it further. We need him. He’s our top priority when protecting.”

“Is he the only one?”

You tugged at your lower lip with your teeth. “What do you mean?”

“Is he the only one that can turn into a Titan?”

“As far as I know...” you trailed off and watched a leaf petal fall from the tree you were sitting against. “He is. I don’t think anyone has that type of power.”

“Can I ask you one more thing?” he questioned, scooting closer to you, his hand brushing against yours that sent chills down your spine.

Instead of trusting your voice, you simply nodded.

“Why have you been acting differently lately?”

Crap. He noticed.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Midoriya.”

“Oh come on. You look more tired lately.” His hand reached out, his pointer finger rubbing the forming bags underneath your eye. “What’s going on inside that head of yours?” he whispered. He hoped he wasn’t invading your personal privacy.

You choked up. You could feel the tears welling up inside. This was something you didn’t want to happen. You didn’t need some stranger cracking your own walls that you set so high that it was impossible for someone to reach. “I...” You trailed off and took a shaky sob. “I don’t know.”

“That’s okay. It’s okay to not know. I know we just met two days ago but you can trust me. I won’t ever judge you. I can and will support you no matter what.”

“Midoriya–”

“Izuku.”

“H-huh?” You looked up, your vision blurry by the onslaught of your tears. “Izuku?”

He nodded. “Call me Izuku. It’s my first name.”

“Izuku,” you whispered, the name rolling off of your tongue flawlessly. “Izuku.” You whimpered and wrapped your arms around him, burying your head into his chest.

He tensed up by your sudden movements but relaxed, wrapping his sturdy arms around your form, one of his hands rubbing small soothing circles on the middle of your back. “It’s okay to cry you know.” he said, as your body started shaking in his arms. “Crying is a normal human thing, and you guys have been through hell. You guys are so strong, especially you! To be keeping a strong face for everyone.”

That’s not what it was, you desperately wanted to tell him, but couldn’t. These past two days he’s been filled with information about the expedition and what to expect. Perhaps the one who killed the two test subjects, Sawny and Bean would be there as well. There was already word that there was a traitor.

You couldn’t speak up.

“I just miss my friends is all,” you meekly whispered. It wasn’t a total lie. You missed Marco, Mina, and Thomas dearly. It was just something that wasn’t clearly on your mind.

He stayed silent and began to hum softly, his arms tightening around your body. “You won’t be alone tomorrow. You have us by your side to make sure nothing happens to you, Y/N.”

You squeezed your eyes, a slight ache forming by how tight they were. Your hands reached forward and gripped onto the material on his shirt, holding onto it tight as if you were afraid to let go.

Not one to pry, Midoriya would wait until you were comfortable to speak your feelings to him. He didn’t want to give you the impression that he was a pushy kind of guy. He would wait hours, days even months for you to speak your mind to him. He always thought you were a mysterious type of person.

Your voice was gentle, far more softer than he had heard. If a dove had a voice, it would sound like you. “You’ll be there?”

“I will. We all will.”

“Thank you, Izuku. I appreciate it.”

You were eating yourself from the inside. Your conscience was starting to get the best of you, trying to make you feel guilty for the cause of your actions in less than 24 hours. The guilt weighing down on you, something you couldn’t handle. You couldn’t back down now. No, you had too. It was a promise you were forced to make five years ago.

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

The Scout Regiment made their preparations. Filling up their gas with max capacity, making sure they were aware of a possible death in the nearby future. It wasn’t something they wanted to know, but it would forever be engraved in their brain.

The 57th Expedition started less than an hour ago. So far things were running smoothly to say the least.

Each student from UA was placed within a group, separated from their friends. Bakugou, Iida, Uraraka and Tsuyu were placed individually in the different four communication squads. Todoroki and Midoriya were placed in the Levi Squad, alongside you and Eren. Levi thought they would be best fit with him.

“The right wing spotters got wiped out sir!” Petra yelled, looking at the beam of black smoke emitting from the side of her body.

“Relay the message.”

“Wait!” you called out, biting your lip as you eyed the smoke. “I’ll go relay it! Petra can stay here sir!”

Levi stayed quiet, his hair brushing against his forehead as his horse ran at top speed. “Fine. Go.”

“Should she be going alone?” Todoroki asked from behind you, Midoriya on the other side of him. “I mean this is dangerous territory. Wouldn’t she need some sort of backup?”

“I’m fine!” you yelled over the wind. “Captain, trust me!”

Trust was a funny word in your vocabulary now. Trust was something that was nonexistent now.

“Go!” he yelled.

You nodded quickly and tugged the reins the other way, your horse letting out a strain noise.

“Be careful Y/N!” Eren said, his hand squeezing your elbow as you brushed past him. Midoriya watched the display and brushed off the feeling of envy.

“I will,” was all you said before taking off in the direction of the black smoke, your form getting smaller and smaller the further you went.

“She’ll be okay right?” Midoriya asked no one in particular.

“Course she will. She may be a kid, but that kid has fight in her. No one stands a chance against that girl. Now keep your eyes on the mission ahead of us!” Oluo snapped, placing his hand on top of Midoriya’s head and made him face forward again. “Don’t make us mess up because of you!”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Armin tumbled along the dirt, the members of his squad long dead. The skinless titan, resembling a female swung the wire of his comrade, throwing them down into the ground before stepping on them as she halted to a stop.

Armin scattered up quickly and sat on his knees, the hood of his cape covering his face. A dark shadow looked over him, his eyes widening in fear. He slowly looked up as his hood was lifted off his head.

Sweat formed underneath the front of his bangs. A small puff of air left his lips as the Titan stared into his eyes before letting his head drop back down and stood up. She turned on her heel and took a step forward before bolting down the other direction.

“Why did she...she didn’t kill me,” he whispered and brought a shaky hand to his face, feeling the rugged skin. “She- she stared at my face.”

“Armin!”

The blond boy gasped and looked over. “Reiner!”

Reiner came to his aid, holding the rein of Armin’s horse. “Are you okay? What are you doing in the middle of Titan territory without a horse?”

Armin hoisted himself onto his horse, grunting at the pain that shot throughout his body. “She came out of nowhere. We can’t stay here or more Titans night show up.”

Reiner nodded as they turned their horses abruptly, moving onward.

“She has intelligence. She’s not like any other. She’s...she’s just like Eren.”

“Wait what? How are you so sure?”

“Think about it, it makes sense. She was protecting all of her weak spots. Titan eat people but aren’t murderers. They act on instinct just like the rest of us. However, she just killed them and went about.”

“Like Eren huh? Why didn’t we get a signal? We’re the right wing spotters wiped out?”

“No matter what we still need to,” Armin reached into his pouch and pulled out the flare, twisting it on but to not avail. “Dammit!”

Horse steps from behind were approaching. A yellow flare was sent into the air.

“Why are those things so fucking loud?!”

“Why are you so loud?!”

“Looks like Jean and Bakugou got it.” Reiner looked back forward. “Gotta admit she has a nice ass.”

“You’re really looking at that?! I thought you guys had better game than to be looking at an ass of a Titan!” Bakugou yelled, his gauntlets clanking every now and then.

“Shouldn’t we focus on what's at stake? She could’ve lured the Titans and ambushed the right wing spotters! That’s why we couldn’t see her until she was right on top of us!”

“Jean’s right,” Armin began, his hand reaching for his hood. “She has to be after someone. My bet is Eren. He should be in the center rank, the safest out of the whole formation. But we need to attack her now before it gets worse.” He looked to his right before looking to his left. “Put your hoods on. She won’t kill you if she can’t see you.”

They all did as told, even Bakugou pulled his own up. The Survey Corps supplied the students with their own cape but they still wore their hero costumes underneath.

“If I get close enough I can blow her fucking nape off.” Bakugou growled, sparks popping in his palms. “I’m ready to take her down!!”

With a spoken plan between the four, they moved places and went forward.

The female titan slowed her pace down and averted her eyes downward, a body coming closer to her.

She suddenly swiped at the body, a wave of air hurling towards them that sent their hoodie off, revealing who the person was.

Jean covered his face with his hands before pulling them down. With a turn, she bent down and swiped her hand down, knocking the horse underneath.

Armin’s body fell against the ground, his gear breaking off with each hit it took, his head smacking face first. He let out a low groan, turning his head to face them. Blood was swarming around his eyes.

“Oi you big ugly bitch!!” Bakugou yelled, jumping off from his horse, landing on his feet. “Look at me when I’m talking to you!!”

“Bakugou, no!” Reiner yelled, taking his hood off.

The female titan swung her fist around, her fist aiming right at Bakugou’s body.

“Don’t let Eren die in vain!” Armin yelled, coughing up spit and blood. “She killed him. She’s the reason why he’s dead!! I saw my best friend die in front of my eyes!”

The titan’s arm stopped moving, her body tensing up.

“Why the hell would you bring that up now?!” the explosive blond yelled, stumbling backwards.

“Perfect.” Reiner whispered to himself and shot a hook into the nape of the neck.

‘Is he crazy for doing that?’ Jean thought, leaning against a tree as he watched.

Reiner sped towards her, his blades ready to slice. The female titan turned her head slightly, a smirk growing on her face as she caught him in her fist.

All of their eyes widened. Reiner struggled in her grip, her finger coming on top and resting on his head, pushing down.

Blood exploded from her hand.

“W-wait...” Armin reached out, using his other hand for support.

They all stood in shock.

Did Reiner really just die? After all those years of hard work, did he really just get killed?

Her fingers were cut off, Reiner’s body drenched in Titan blood as smoke emitted from her hand.

“Come on!” he yelled and ran towards Armin, holding his much smaller body on his side. “We can’t stay here long!”

The female titan kept her eyes trained on her palm, reading the engraved words through the smoke. She got up slowly and ran back the direction she came from.

“She’s retreating!”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

You kept your blades close to your body, resting on a high tree branch, your eyes training on the area around you.

“Come on, where are you?” you whispered to yourself, your adrenaline losing its purpose by each walking second.

You didn’t relay the message. Instead, you went a different route, passing by the squad formations. Deep down you felt horrible. The amount of lives that would be lost by your bloodthirsty ways.

The sounds of hooks caught your attention as feet landed beside you. You looked up at the person, looking into blue like sky eyes.

“Annie, what took you so long?”

Annie sighed softly, rubbing the back of her neck. “Got caught up. I got stopped by Jean and Bakugou along with Armin. Reiner told me where the Levi Squad was placed. They’re in the safest spot, the center rank.”

“The center rank,” you whispered, engraving it in your brain. “Alright. What’s your plan now.”

“All I need you to do Y/N, is stay hidden. Hide in the highest of branches if you have too. Then when the time calls, do it.”

“And what if you’re able to do everything?”

“You’ll know. They’re heading deeper in here as we speak.” She motioned to the entrance with her finger.

“And the Levi Squad?”

“Came in after Erwin ordered it.”

You stayed silent and put your blades back in place, stretching your arms over your head. “Are you able to keep your part in?”

“Can you?”

You laughed and waved your hand at her, her face holding any emotion but amusement. “What’s so funny Y/N?”

“You! Lighten up!”

“Why? This is a mission we have to fulfill.”

“I know that! But would it kill you to smile?!” You pouted and placed your hands on her pale cheeks, dipping your fingers into the corner of the lips and brought them upward. “See?! Better already!”

She placed a hand on your mouth, bringing a finger to her lips, indicating you to be silent.

Voices from underneath the trees could be heard.

“They’re here. Right under us. I’ll give you a sign. You’ll know what it is. Are you ready, Y/N?”

Your arms fell back by your sides as you nodded. You closed your eyes for a few seconds before opening them, the look of a killer was now staring at Annie.

“I am. Let’s make them pay.”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Squad Levi kept their pace as they ventured into the forest, each of them confused as to why they changed course.

Midoriya looked over at Eren before looking at Todoroki. Todoroki seemed to be calm, but Eren was a different story. “Captain, why are we here? Why did we change course? Where is Y/N? She’s been gone for a long time!!”

Levi didn’t respond back, keeping his thoughts to himself.

The squad seemed to notice your disappearance. They already accepted the fact that you could have gotten eaten. But part of themselves didn’t want to believe it

Just where in the hell were you?

“Why are we here? It doesn't make sense,” Oluo mumbled to himself, sweat pouring from his head from nerves.

“Is everyone else clueless just as we are Midoriya?” Todoroki asked, sending a glance to the green haired boy.

“It just doesn’t make sense to me. What are we running from? Titans that we can take down without a doubt?”

“Hey you two! Keep your head ahead of this! We can’t lose focus or you’ll slow us down!”

“But Captain!” Eren pleaded. “Why are we here?! Why are we left in the dark!”

“Just keep on moving Eren,” was Levi’s reply before going quiet, listening carefully. “Blades drawn, now.”

Each member did as told, their blades in their hands. Todoroki’s fingers on his right hand curled ever so slightly, an icy mist emitting from his fingertips. Midoriya’s body lit up, blue sparks cracking out from the effect of his quirk.

“It can happen in the blink of an eye.” Levi told his squad, preparing for the worst.

It all seemed still. Everyone on the tip of their toes. The heavy breathing from each soldier could be heard. Their hearts racing within their chest that it could burst. The scenery around them passed by quickly. It was like a screen on replay. Slowly, their thoughts were eating at them.

Where was it? Was it coming up from behind already? Was this their last moments? They didn’t even get to say goodbye to their families back at home.

Midoriya could feel his heart beat rapidly in his chest.This was bigger than anything he had faced before. When he fought Stain with Iida and Todoroki, he didn’t feel anything like this. They were able to figure out Stain’s quirk. They had no knowledge on this creature. When would this nightmare end?

His green eyes widened. ‘The others!’ he thought and gripped the reins of the horse tighter. Were they all still alive? They had to, right?

He shook his head violently. No, he couldn’t be thinking that way, especially like this.

He felt his stomach drop when a loud noise came from behind, the screams from reinforcements.

“Captain!! Your orders sir!!” Petra yelled, gripping the trigger of her blades tight that caused her fingers to slowly turn white.

“We keep moving! Faster!”

“But Captain! If we can’t defeat that thing then who can?! They need help! We can’t just let them die!” Eren yelled, looking over at his shoulder, watching as the female titan smashed her fist against the tree, the blood exploding. “Another one! Dammit they didn’t have to die!!”

“Eren eyes forward!!”

“Are you saying I should abandon my comrades?!”

“Dammit! Yes Eren!”

Eren stared down at his hand and brought it up slowly. “I don’t need anyone! I can defeat her by myself,” he whispered and opened his mouth.

“Eren no!” Midoriya yelled, looking over his shoulder before looking back at him. “We have to trust each other! We barely know each other but we have to work as a team no matter what!”

“Midoriya is right Eren!” Petra yelled, keeping her eyes on the brunette. “Have faith in us!”

Eren stared into the meat of his hand, eyeing it as he thought about his motives. He was with the best group of titan slayers in history. There was no need to be by himself. That’s how they survived so long. They had faith within each other.

“I’m with you!” Eren cried out as he put his hand back down, a smile rising onto Petra’s face.

The squad kept their momentum forward, the female titan gaining on them from behind.

“Fire!!”

They passed by artillery, the female titan halting her movements as hooks shot out from the device and pierced every part of her body, immobilizing her.

“See?! We outsmarted the damn thing! Don’t you ever underestimate us again green horn! Agreed?!”

“Agreed!”

“I’ll be back. Stay on top of the branches until it’s time to go back. Keep an eye on the horses as well,” Levi said, before shooting a hook into the tree, letting his body move with the gear.

“We did it!” Midoriya yelled, punching the air with his fist.

“You got some fight in you kid.” Eld said, bringing a hand down harshly onto his shoulder, causing the green haired boy to wince. “Glad to see both of you could keep up along with Eren of course. I don’t know what exactly they were planning but it worked out perfectly fine. And you.” He pointed a finger at the bi-colored boy. “You don’t seem to talk much like these guys. I like you.”

“Thank you,” was all Todoroki said as he nodded in approval.

What seemed like hours was actually minutes. You awaited at the top of the branches, playing with the hem of your cape. You heard the noises go off from within the forest. You were starting to get tired of the waiting. What kind of organized plan was this. If Annie wanted to do things her way, she should have simply told you she was going to do all of it instead of wasting your precious time.

You let your head move to the side, resting your ear on top of your shoulder as you awaited for the longing signal. You sighed softly and closed your eyes.

A few seconds you snapped your eyes open again, a light blush coating your cheeks. “Midoriya?’ You whispered and slapped your cheeks a couple of times, the stinging lingering on the tender spot.

The scream of a dying animal resonated throughout the forest, the birds terrified as they flew away from the mess. You froze at the noise, making sure you heard clearly. Your eyelids lowered in a narrow stare, your hand coming up and pulled your hoodie over your face. Your hands wandered down until two blades rested in your hands.

“My turn.”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

It wasn’t a success. The female titan managed to get away. Commander Erwin demanded the Scouts that they would retreat. The Levi Squad retreated on ODMG while Todoroki and Midoriya used their quirks to aid in the trip back.

A green flare was shot in the air.

“Huh?” Gunther looked up. “Captain Levi.” He reached into his pocket and took the gun out, shooting a green smoke signal into the air.

You stared at the signal and let the small gun fall from your fingertips.You let your body fall off the branch as you made your way towards the smoke signal, making sure your hood didn’t fall.

You stayed off on the sidelines, the trees passing by you quickly. You overheard the yells of Petra and Oluo along with the sounds of the hooks.

Gunther looked over at your body, his eyes glossing over with curiosity. “Captain Levi?”

At the name your body shifted slightly. His eyes widening in realization. “Shit!”

Your body sped towards him, your blades coming into contact with his throat, the wire of his hook cutting off in the process. His body went backward, his head colliding with the bark of the tree as it cracked, breaking his neck.

“Gunther!!” Eren yelled, slowing down, a gasp leaving his lips. Gunther’s mouth was oozing blood, his eyes open but dull.

“Keep on moving!” Midoriya nudged him with his arm as he jumped off of the trees, his quirk allowing him too as Todoroki passed by, his ice aiding him.

“Who was that?!”

“Is it the female titan?! Does she have an accomplice?!”

“I don’t know but we’re about to find out!”

A lightning bolt struck the trees, sending a vibration that reminded Midoriya of the bolts Kaminari was able to produce. The rumbling sounds of feet got louder and louder. The body of a titan emerged from the trees, its hair flowing behind.

“T-That’s not the same one!!”

“There two?!”

“Whatever! Leave it to us!! You three get out of here!”

“But I can help!”

“Eren no! Go!” Eld yelled, his body changing its course with Petra and Oluo following suit.

“Good luck!” Midoriya yelled, keeping his eyes forward. The image of Gunther’s dead body lingered in his mind. Something as brutal as that was something he didn’t want to see. He wanted to be in his dorm, looking at all his All Might figurines.

The female titan kept her eyes trained on the three. Her eyes narrowed into slits, a look of a feral animal. Just like Annie’s titan, this resembled a female, the only difference was the longer hair, the color the same as the person controlling it.

“Whatever we do, we bring the bitch to her knees and make her pay for what she has done!” Oluo yelled, pointing to his underarms, an indicator on where to strike.

The trio worked in unison, the same goal in mind.

The female titan avoided the hook that tried coming into contact with her face, swiping her arm upward. Petra took this as a chance, slashing her blades into her underarms. Eld spun and threw his blade, hitting the titan in her eyes as she let out a pained scream.

“Those aren’t even close to those you killed!” Oluo yelled, slicing her achilles heel that sent the titan to fall.

The titan’s arms were cut up, limp by her sides as her nape was wide open to be cut, her eyes shut and bleeding out.

“There it is! Go for the nape and pull her out!” Eld’s hook drove into the muscle of her nape, the gas of his device sending him forward. The second he got closer the female titan moved her head towards him and opened her mouth, shutting her teeth around his midsection then spit him out, his body falling into two pieces. The titan looked at Petra, both of her eyes opening.

Petra screamed in terror, unable to control herself as her body was lowering and lowering towards the ground. “How was she able to regenerate so fast?! That’s impossible!”

The titan staggered to get up, leaning against the tree before running forward, her arms flailing behind her, still limp.

“She couldn’t have done that! And for it to be both eyes?!”

“Petra, pull yourself together!!”

A final scream left the strawberry blond’s lips as a foot collided with her body, sending her straight into the ground.

“Petra!!” Midoriya yelled, his feet digging into the bark of the tree as he jumped back, running back to help.

“Midoriya wait!” Todoroki called for his friend.

“How can I be a hero if I can’t help those in need?! I can’t call myself one if there are people who need me!” Midoriya replied back, Eren right by his side. Todoroki followed them quickly.

“W-Where’s Oluo?!”

The female titan slowly lifted her head, a wicked grin tugging at the corner of her lips. Oluo’s body was sticking out of her mouth, his head inside. She spit his headless body onto the ground, spitting his head somewhere, the blood evident on her lips.

“I’ll kill you!!” Eren yelled, his teeth clamping down onto his thumb. His roar was heard throughout the forest, his feet hiding the ground that made Midoriya and Todoroki jump.

Midoriya looked up at the 15 meter female titan, noticing a small resemblance but couldn’t pinpoint it.

With Todoroki and Midoriya both by his side, they could take down the titan, with or without Captain Levi.

Eren roared and ran towards her, sending a punch forward that she avoided with ease. Todoroki ran towards her quickly, shooting ice out of his hand near her feet. As if she expected it, she jumped back quickly, steam emitting from her arms as they healed back up.

“She knows!” Midoriya yelled, the movement of his shoot style colliding with her ankle that made her stumble. “She knows what we can do!!”

“So what did you suggest we do Midoriya?!”

“We have to predict her movements!” he yelled, avoiding the foot that almost sent him flying.

Eren sent another punch, her hand grabbing his hand with ease. She dug her nails into his arm, a scream leaving Eren’s lips as she threw him to the ground. Eren’s body tumbled as he got up quickly, a three finger hole pierced in his arm.

With the help of Midoriya, he carried Todoroki on his back as he jumped off a tree, Todoroki shot a beam of ice from her waist down, immobilizing her.

The titan’s eyes widened as she struggled, Eren’s fist colliding with the center of her face that caused her head to slam back into the tree.

“Eren!”

Midoriya looked at the voice and felt a sense of relief. Two of the strongest soldiers in the Survey Corps, Levi and Mikasa Ackerman were now at their aid.

Seeing they were distracted, the female titan kicked her leg forward, shattered pieces of ice falling around them, their sharp edges piercing the ground.

Levi watched the titan’s movement, his squinted eyes zoning on her face.

Eren took a fighter's position, bringing his hands to protect himself. She followed suit, her back leg further than the one in front, awaiting Eren’s move.

‘He’s going to attack full on. His right arm will be the first move,’ she thought. Sure enough Eren did just that, being able to avoid his attack. She lifted her leg and kicked him in his stomach, sending him back with utter force.

Mikasa quickly passed by from behind, slicing the back of her knees, a weak spot on a Titan. The female titan fell to one knee, a hand on the ground to stable herself. Midoriya jumped from a tree, using the strength from his quirk and kicked the back of her head, her head falling forward as her nape was wide open.

In a blink of an eye, Levi cut the nape open with his blades, a blast of smoke searing out. He jumped back, his hook dangling himself from a tree as he protected his face with his arms from the powerful force.

The muscle on the nape of the Titan was open, a body stuck to it like glue. The insides clung to the person’s face, making visible Titan shifter marks, tears streaming down their face.

Eren stopped breathing. His eyes could only focus on the person who was controlling the titan. Already out of his Titan form, his turquoise eyes filled up with glossy tears. There they were, the person who killed his comrades, who killed most of the survey corps with no problem at all.

“Y/N..?” he whispered softly, his shoulders shaking violently as he sniffed, wiping his nose with the back of his head. “I-It’s fake! It has to be!”

Midoriya watched quietly, silent tears of agony flowing without a care in the world. These past three days that he was stuck in this world with his friends, made him think twice about the kind of life he had. Here, everyone was taught you either had to fight to survive, or let yourself get killed.

This was the person that he felt he could connect with, someone that showed joy no matter what the cause was. Midoriya didn’t know what to feel. Should he feel pain? Should he be upset? Confused? So many emotions filled his whole being.

“Knock her out, she’s waking up!”

Mikasa growled and raised her blade up, hitting you in the back of the head with her grip, your head falling forward.

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Your eyes fluttered up, the bright light of the room hitting your tired eyes. You blinked a couple of times, adjusting to your surroundings. You tried to lift a hand up but to no avail it wouldn’t budge. You looked down, noticing both of your hands were chained up with no possible way for you to unlock them.

“How could you.”

“Huh?” You looked up tiredly, a male with brown hair standing in front of you, his hand gripping the bars that separated the both of you.

“I said how could you?!” Eren yelled, banging a hand on the bar. “You killed innocent people Y/N! Or is that even your name?! Was this a whole game to you?!”

As you opened your mouth, he violently shook his head. “I can’t believe you! After all these years, all the blood sweat and tears are down the drain?! After all those times of me being called a monster, it wasn’t me! The only fucking monster I know is you!!”

You listened to his every word, each word spoke with venom that poisoned your heart more and more. He had every right to say how he felt, and how he felt is the way you knew how we would react.

“What do you want me to say? I'm sorry?”

“Do you even remember their faces..”

“I remember all of them. Their screams as I got closer. The constant begging for me to let them go. Wanna know something?” you whispered, leaning forward to the best of your ability. “I loved it. I loved seeing their faces at my mercy.”

Eren stared you, horrified by the sudden laughing coming from your mouth. “I thought I knew you..”

“Well now you do!”

“Eren, Captain Levi said it’s time to go.” Midoriya walked in, placing a hand on the brunette’s shoulder. “Let me have a minute.”

“But-“

“Please Eren.” Midoriya placed a hand on his back, pushing him out much to his disliking.

“Hi, Izuku.”

“Midoriya.”

“Aww,” you pouted before grinning. “Lost those privileges huh?”

“You lost them a long time ago. I just need to know something.”

“Well,” you dragged the last syllable, batting your eyelashes at him. “What is it?”

“Why would you do it? They were your comrades, weren’t they?”

“Comrades huh? Is that what you think?”

He nodded.

You eyed his movement before smiling. As you opened your mouth to start talking, no words came out.

Midoriya blinked a couple times and rubbed his ear gently. “What?”

A small ringing noise left your mouth as you continued to talk. The ringing got louder and louder until it was screeching, causing him to cover his ears.

“Wake up!!”

☽✧ ✦ ✧☾

Midoriya gasped for air, clutching the front of his soaked sleep shirt. He looked around frantically as his eyes stopped on his phone. He launched forward and grabbed it, yanking it from the wire of the charger, turning the phone on.

October 3, 7:40 AM.

A groan of relief let his lips, placing the phone on his chest. Not a second past as he opened his phone again, eyeing the time.

“I’m going to be late!!”

Saved by the bell, Midoriya sat in his respected spot, panting hard as a light sweat forming under his hair.

“Woah dude you look bad, what happened to you?” Kaminari asked, looking him up and down. There were eyebags forming, his hair a mess as his uniform was not put on right.

“I had...the weirdest dream! And I woke up late as well and I had to rush it here!” Midoriya said through his pants, shaking the school jacket off of him as he rolled his sleeves to his elbows.

“Least you’re here man! Apparently we-“

“Kaminari stop talking!” Aizawa sighed and ran a hand through his black hair. “Today we have a new transfer student. Don’t make it weird.” He eyed Mineta for a good five seconds. “Make her feel welcomed. Come in.” He waved towards the door, walking over to his sleeping bag. “Introduce yourself or whatever. Your name, quirk or anything you want. Just don’t be loud.” He got into his sleeping bag and zipped it up, curling into the corner of the room.

There was an awkward silence as they watched their teacher.

A girl walked into the room, a hum leaving her lips. She had a small skip to her step. Midoriya looked up, a choked gasp leaving his mouth, his scarred hands covering his mouth once the noise left. There she was, not covered in blood or shackles. No white pants and a short brown jacket. But their school uniform instead.

Her hands behind her back and a big smile on her face, she said, “Hi! My name is Y/LN Y/N! I recently moved here from Tokyo! My quirk allows me to transform into a 15 meter tall person! Except I don’t resemble myself but just the body of a female! They call my quirk, Titan!”

“Show us!!” Kaminari yelled, a blush coating his cheeks as he stood up from his seat. He obviously already had a liking towards you.

You stifled a giggle, placing a hand on your mouth. “I can’t do that! I’ll break the entire school if I do it now!”

Bakugou leaned forward, intrigued by your quirk. “I can still take you down easily!”

“Oh, you’re Bakugou right?” You smiled, hands now by your side. “I can’t wait to beat you!”

“What did you say tall bitch?!”

You rolled your eyes as you looked over the class, their mouths opening with questions they wanted to ask you. Your eyes stopped on a green haired boy who looked like he was facing death himself. Turns out there was an empty seat next to him.

You walked over and slid into the chair, sticking a hand out for him. “As you know I’m Y/N Y/LN. What’s your name?”

“I-Izuku Midoriya!” he squeaked, sticking a hand out for you as he shook your hand, looking you up and down. “H-How?!”

“How what?”

“How are you here?! Captain Levi caught you and you were stuck underground doing experiments!”

“Captain Levi?” you questioned, rubbing your temple in circles. “Who is that?”

Before he could ramble on he stopped. This wasn’t you. This was someone new. Not the murderous killer, but the face of a sweet girl.

“I’m sorry you just remind me of someone who was in my dream last night.” He sighed in relief and cracked his knuckles. “Kind of gave me a spook there.”

“Oh did I? Well I apologize for that!” You laughed, playing with the tip of your pencil. “Say, what’s your quirk? I would love to get to know you too! Since ya know, we are row buddies after all!”

“My quirk? Just a strength one.” He shrugged, more interested in hearing about you. “But yours fascinates me! Able to turn into a 15 meter Titan? That’s amazing! I would love to see it in person!”

“Really? You mean that?”

He nodded excitedly. “Yes! Later today we have hero training! You can show us all then!”

Your eyes lit up. “I c-can’t wait then! I always wanted to see how small people would look when I gained control of it!”

He grinned, sending you a thumbs up. “Well I bet it’s amazing.”

“Eren thought it was amazing as well!”

His heart stopped. Eren? As in Eren Jaeger?

“E-Eren?”

“Yeah!” You pouted, letting your head rest in the palm of your hand. “He was my friend in my old school! He kinda had the same quirk as I did! I miss being able to make fun of the way his looks.”

Midoriya felt his heart beating again. Still shaken up from his dream, he knew the Y/N Y/LN stuck underground, was not the same Y/N Y/LN that was currently sitting next to him. Even after a collision of worlds, he knew he could trust you.

185 notes · View notes

jaskierswolf · 3 years

Text

You Set My Heart Ablaze (24/25)

Warnings: Jaskier has a small panic attack in this chapter, but Geralt helps him through it. The whole thing is barely a paragraph.

_______

Saturday.

Finally!

The first day of the summer holidays! Jaskier had barely been able to resist throwing his arms around Geralt the day before when the fireman had come to collect Ciri after school but they’d both agreed that they should at least try to wait until the weekend. So he’d forcibly stuffed his hands in his pockets and shuffled on his feet. He couldn’t help the dazzling smile he flashed at Geralt but at least he managed to keep his hands to himself.

But that was now a thing of the past.

He sat up in bed with more energy than he’d had in the mornings in years. He pushed his glasses up his nose and ran a hand through his hair as he searched for his phone within the pile of sheets. He found the bastard under one of his pillows and immediately rang Geralt without looking at the time.

It rang a few times before Geralt picked up.

“The fuck?” Geralt grumbled into the phone.

Jaskier frowned and pulled the phone away from his ear so he could look at the time. “Oh shit!” He cackled and then put the phone on speaker. “Sorry, darling. I’m still on school time.”

“Jaskier, you’re never on school time, even during term time,” Geralt muttered.

“Oh shush. I just wanted to say that I love you!” He trilled happily.

Geralt grunted.

“Oh ho ho! Aren’t you a grumpy arse this morning?” Jaskier giggled and rolled onto his back, planting his legs up against the wall.

“Fuck off.”

“No! Because it is the school holidays and I, Jaskier Pankratz, love you, Geralt Rivia.” He sighed wistfully.

“Hmm.”

“Geralt!” He whined.

He knew the fireman was tired but he could at least say it back once. The fucker.

“Love you too, now can I get back to sleep?”

Jaskier rolled his eyes. “Yes, dear heart, but call me when you’re awake, alright?”

“Fine.”

The line went dead.

The bastard.

He considered going back to sleep himself but he had too much energy. He jumped out of bed, tripping over his shoes that were on the floor right by his bed, and went flailing across the room.

“Oh cock!” He cursed as he landed, rather painfully, against the door. He would probably have a lovely bruise on the hip that crashed against the wall, but it was better than landing on his wrists and breaking them.

He sort of needed those to play his instruments.

He supposed he could always just sing.

Nah. That was shit.

Plus Priscilla would kill him if he couldn’t finish up the new album. He still had at least one lute track to put down, and even though she could play the lute, he was more skilled and she preferred to focus on the singing. She’d complained enough about his insistence on using the lute over the guitar on this album but he’d refused to back down. He had a vision!

So fuck the guitar.

He sighed and straightened his glasses, frowning as he noticed the smudges on the lenses. How the fuck were they already dirty? He’d only cleaned them last night before bed.

Fuck it.

Pancakes!

Ooh he could make the chocolate chip kind and send photos to Geralt. They had an unspoken rule that one did not make chocolate chip pancakes without photographic evidence unless they were both there to enjoy it. He frowned as he reached the edge of his living/kitchen area, and stuck his tongue between his lips. Maybe he should wait until he could make pancakes with Geralt and Ciri? He didn’t want to make them too often. They wouldn’t be special if he made them too often.

He scoffed. “Yeah, well. I’m hungry.” He muttered. He gazed longingly at the flour and sugar on the top shelf of his cupboards and then grabbed a box of chocolate cereal instead.

Yes he still ate chocolate cereal. The boring old flakey stuff was shit and he actually had taste buds. He preferred his food to not taste like cardboard.

Gods, how was he an adult?

He sighed and scrolled through the social media on his phone. Triss had put up a few pictures from the pub the night before. He’d reluctantly declined the invitation as the wolves were going along, even though Geralt had stayed behind to look after Ciri. There were quite a few of Triss and Eskel pulling funny faces at the camera, and one adorable photo of Triss kissing his cheek. Eskel looked incredibly happy. They were cute together. Jaskier hit the heart button and typed out a string of heart-eyes emojis in the comments.

Even Yennefer had put up a rare personal post. She normally kept her social media for her art stuff but there was a stunning photograph of her outside the pub. She was wearing a long white chiffon dress matched with a leather jacket and heavy leather boots, not exactly summery but it was Yennefer. She was gazing off to the side, her face lit by dull glow of the street lamps, one fiery violet eye almost glowing in the darkness.

Jaskier pouted. How was she so fucking photogenic all the time? Seriously how was Geralt now dating him after that?

“Urgh,” he groaned and hit the heart button.

JaskierTheBard: Stop making us all look bad, Yennefer! Stunning photograph darling x

He reread the reply twice and hit send. It was kinder than he usual response to Yennefer but honestly he had to admit she was a little bit sexy in that one, which just wasn’t fair.

Renfri had posted a group photo of the whole gang and he whined. It looked like a fun night. Stupid Philippa and her rules. It wasn’t fair that he had to miss out, but thankfully those days were officially over!

He lost track of time as he scrolled on his phone. He swore as he suddenly remembered his cereal. He groaned as he peered into his bowl. The milk was chocolatey and the cereal had all but disintegrated. He fucking hated soggy cereal.

“Cock,” he muttered and threw the whole lot in the bin.

He was about to put some toast on when his door bell rang. He yelped and jumped at the sound. He looked down at himself. He was still just wearing his boxers. Fuck. He ran to his bedroom and grabbed his dressing gown. It was too hot really to wear it in the summer but he wouldn’t have time to get dressed.

As it turned out, he needn’t have bothered. Geralt was at the door holding a bunch of roses with a sheepish smile on his face.

Jaskier grinned. “Geralt!” He flung his arms around his boyfriends neck and then swore as he realised he was probably crushing the flowers. “Umm, let me just go get some water. Wait. These are for me? They are beautiful. Geralt!” He whined and covered his face in his hands.

Geralt, the fucker, just laughed at him. “They’re for you. I thought… well, Ciri said I couldn’t go on a date without flowers. She was really stubborn about it.”

Jaskier snorted and carefully took the flowers from Geralt. They weren’t too badly crushed, thank Melitele for that. “I wonder where she gets that from,” he teased.

Geralt rolled his eyes. “Calanthe, her grandmother. Even Pavetta had a stubborn streak. Trust me, this one has nothing to do with me.”

Jaskier’s eyes went wide. “Oh shit! I’m sorry. I forgot. I didn’t mean… hmmph!”

Geralt had kissed him.

Not that he was complaining. He smiled into the kissed and then pulled back to gaze into Geralt’s beautiful amber eyes.

“You don’t get to do that every time you want me to shut up, dearest,” he chided gently.

Geralt smirked and just kissed him again.

Ok so perhaps he could.

Gods he was so smitten.

“I love you,” he breathed against Geralt’s lips when they finally pulled apart.

Geralt brushed his nose against Jaskier’s. “I love you too, even if you do have morning breath.”

Jaskier gasped and shoved against Geralt’s chest. “Rude!” He pouted.

“You love me,” Geralt reminded him. “How are you not dressed yet? You’ve been awake for hours.”

Jaskier shrugged. “Internet.”

“Come on, get dressed. I want to take you out.” Geralt instructed with a tilt of his head.

Jaskier laughed. “Take me out how? Kill me or date me? Honestly I’m down for both.”

“Jaskier!” Geralt growled and rolled his eyes.

“Kill me, right. Got it,” he winked at his boyfriend. “Now are you absolutely sure you want me to get dressed? Because I have the perfect outfit to wear but once I’m in those jeans I am not taking them off again,” he stroked Geralt’s cheek with one finger and then bopped him on the nose.

“Hmm. Brush your teeth and I’ll get water for the flowers.” Geralt took the roses back off him. “Do you have a vase?”

Jaskier scoffed. “Of course I have a vase. I’m gay!”

“That’s not an excuse for everything, Jaskier, and I’m pretty sure you’re bi,” Geralt rolled his eyes.

Jaskier laughed. “That’s just homophobic.”

“That’s not—” Geralt cut himself off and pinched his nose. “Bathroom. Now. I’ll find the vase.”

Jaskier giggled happily and went to brush his teeth.

Oh sweetest Melitele! He loved the summer holidays!

__________________

After a few false starts they finally made it out of Jaskier’s flat. He was slightly regretting his choice in black skinny jeans but really they made his legs and arse look great. It was was his first proper date with Geralt and he wanted to look good. They both managed a quick shower and Jaskier braided Geralt’s hair to elevate his usual half up do. Geralt even let Jaskier slip a couple of buttercup clips into the braids.

Geralt was wearing the outfit he’d turned up it which Jaskier hadn’t managed to appreciate before but he could now as he gazed happily at his partner across the table. Geralt had also gone for black skinny jeans, thank you Freya, and a slick black short-sleeved shirt. Honestly Jaskier didn’t know how the man wasn’t boiling in the heat of the summer in all that black but he wasn’t going to complain. It was the first time he’d seen Geralt in a shirt and he was loving it.

In comparison Jaskier had decided on a bright turquoise shirt. He’d left the bottom few buttons undone and tied the ends in a knot to turn the shirt into a crop top. The intensity of Geralt’s gaze on him when he’d finally been allowed to see the whole look had almost cause yet another delay to their date but Jaskier had just winked and pulled his slightly dazed partner out of the flat, switching his glasses for his prescription sunglasses.

He had been far too hungry to delay any further and he wanted to go on a cute date with his boyfriend!

Geralt suggested an adorable little sandwich parlour. It didn’t look like much from the outside but inside it was cosy and quiet, a perfect lunchtime date spot.

Or it would have if they hadn’t been interrupt by Lambert and Renfri… again.

Seriously, every time they ended up in a coffee shop those two were there. They both had wet hair and flushed red faces. Jaskier assumed the pair of them had been at the gym. Geralt had mentioned they liked to spar together on the wolf pack’s days off, that and the work out clothes sort of gave them away.

“Well, well, well,” Lambert laughed as they approached and crossed his arms. “So much for Triss and Eskel’s theory of you moving on, Dandelion.”

Jaskier gaped at the redhead. “Wait what? Have you been talking about us?!” He pointed a finger at the pair of them.

Renfri rolled her eyes. “Do you honestly think they have anything better to do? I’ve had to keep my mouth shut for months whilst these idiots try and think of a plan to set you two up. Triss was heartbroken when you told her you’d moved on. She was really rooting for you guys.”

“Wait, you knew?” Lambert growled at Renfri, she just shoved him in the face.

“Of course I knew. It was fucking obviously. You just had to look at Geralt’s face whenever Jaskier was mentioned. He lit up like a petrol can.”

“Renfri,” Geralt sighed. “I wasn’t that bad.”

Renfri snorted and Jaskier cackled. Oh ho! He was going to have so much fun with this. He held Geralt’s hand over the top of the table and smiled at his lover. “Oh darling, I didn’t know you cared so much,” he simpered with a flutter of his eyelashes.

“I’m pretty sure I showed you how much I care this morning, more than once.”

Jaskier blushed and pulled his hand away. “Touché, dear heart, touché,” he licked his lips as he remembered the morning’s activities. “Please, feel free to remind me any time.”

“Nope!” Lambert yelled and covered his ears. “No. You are not going to be that couple. Urgh.”

“Months I’ve had to put up with this!” Renfri complained. “Come on, wolf. Let’s leave the love birds in peace. They’ll put me off my lunch otherwise.”

“So gross,” Lambert agreed.

Jaskier laughed as the pair of them scarpered from the shop, and he rested his head on his chin as he ate his chips. They were like the kind you get in fish and chip shops and covered in blessed salty goodness. Geralt, the monster that he was, covered his with vinegar so Jaskier wouldn’t steal his chips as well.

“So what’s their deal?” Jaskier asked though mouthfuls of delicious fried potato.

Geralt tilted his head, he also now had a mouthful of cheesesteak sandwich.

“They said they weren’t dating?” Jaskier tried to explain.

Geralt huffed and Jaskier waited for him to finish eating. “Renfri doesn’t date. She has no interest in it.”

Jaskier nodded. “Asexual?”

Geralt shook his head. “Don’t think so. Just the dating thing,” he scowled as he tried to formulate his thoughts. “I think she called it aromantic, but even then her and Lambert are practically siblings. They’d probably both stab you for suggesting anything else.”

“Right. Noted. Rather not be stabbed. I made it all the way through the school year. It would be a fucking shame if I got stabbed now,” he flicked his fringe from his eyes. “Especially when you look so bloody sexy in that shirt.”

Geralt scoffed. “Says the man wearing a crop top.”

Jaskier grinned and leant forward so his lips were almost touching Geralt’s. “It would look better on your bedroom floor, darling.”

Geralt’s eyes went dark and Jaskier kissed the tip of his nose. “But not yet. I’m starving and these chips are brilliant! I cannot believe you would ruin them with vinegar.”

Geralt groaned and pinched the bridge of his nose. “You’re a fucking tease, Jaskier.”

Jaskier just laughed and brushed his foot up against Geralt’s leg under the table. “You love it,” he agreed with a wink.

“Hmm.”

“You doooo,” Jaskier insisted. “And you love me!”

“I admit nothing.”

“I’ll make it up to you later?” He flashed his most flirtatious grin at Geralt, rubbing his foot further up Geralt’s leg.

“Jask,” Geralt half moaned and Jaskier laughed at the pretty blush on Geralt’s cheek.

“Yes, dearest Geralt?” He sang, feigning innocence.

“I hate you.” His boyfriend groaned and hid his face behind his hands.

“I know, love. I know.”

____________________

Jaskier was busy pulling on one of Geralt’s hoodies that he’d pinched earlier on in their relationship, when Geralt sighed loudly. Jaskier bounced back over to the bed and straddled his boyfriend’s hips.

“What’s up, dear heart?” He said with a tilt of his head.

Geralt’s long hair was now loose. Jaskier had taken great delight in undoing his own work and letting the silver strands fall loosely by Geralt’s face. His hair was naturally wavy after a shower anyway but it had been accentuated where the braids had been, and by the gods, Geralt had looked so beautiful. He still did. Only now he had his grumpy face back on. Jaskier gently stroked his thumb along Geralt’s cheek, brushing a loose strand away from his eyes.

“We need to tell Ciri,” Geralt groaned.

“Already? I thought we were going to tell her we’re friends first.”

“Won’t work.”

Jaskier raised an eyebrow and huffed. “And why not?”

“She’s too clever, and I love you,” Geralt grumbled.

Jaskier felt his smile soften at Geralt’s words and he shifted so he could lie back down on Geralt’s chest, nuzzling into the crook of Geralt’s neck. “And I love you, my dearest of hearts.”

“Hmm.” He felt Geralt kiss the top of his hair and he sighed happily.

“So we tell her when?”

“Come home with me?” Geralt suggested. “She knows I was on a date.”

“It has been a long date,” Jaskier hummed thoughtfully, and it really had. Geralt had arrived mid-morning at it was now late afternoon bordering on early evening. “Won’t she be worried about you?”

Geralt chuckled and Jaskier felt his heart race faster in his chest. Geralt’s laugh was so warm, rough and woefully underused. It always made Jaskier’s day when he could make Geralt laugh so freely. “Yennefer took her to the zoo. She thought we might need the extra time.”

Jaskier giggled. “I cannot imagine Yennefer Vengerberg at the zoo!” He laughed harder as he pressed his face against Geralt’s bare shoulder.

“Why?”

“Oh I don’t know,” he grinned, placing a kiss on Geralt’s shoulder. “She seems too classy for the zoo.”

Geralt threaded his fingers through Jaskier’s hair and he hummed in contentment. He’d always enjoyed it when his partners played with his hair. The gentle tug at his scalp just turned him to goo. If he was a cat he was sure he’d be purring. As it was he couldn’t stop the happy hum in his chest.

“No one is too classy for the zoo,” Geralt said with such sincerity that Jaskier let out a peal of laughter and rolled onto the mattress next to Geralt. He felt Geralt roll onto his side and their eyes met. Geralt was smirking at him with mirth in his eyes.

Jaskier was overwhelmed with the love that was in his heart. In reality his time with Geralt really hadn’t been that long at all but it had just been blissful. Their forbidden romance seemed to have extended their honeymoon period and he still felt as gooey over his boyfriend as he had the first time he’d seen Geralt enter his classroom ten months prior.

“Quite right, dear. I love the zoo,” he sighed longingly. It had been ages since he had been.

“Next time we’ll go.” Geralt suggested. “I like the animals.”

“Deal. Ooh does this mean I finally get to meet Roach?!” He cried in excitement, a smile lighting up his face.

Geralt nodded. “She doesn’t like new people though. Don’t get your hopes up.”

Jaskier reached over to kiss Geralt and then rest his forehead against Geralt’s. “Of course not, darling.”

“Good…” Geralt paused. “Darling.”

Jaskier’s heart clenched in his chest and he buried his face in one of the pillows of the bed, making sadly incoherent noises that he wasn’t proud of. “Geralt!!” He whined pitifully. “You can’t just say things like that!”

Geralt scoffed. “You do all the time.”

Jaskier glared at him with a pout. He could feel the heat of the blush on his cheek. “Yeah, well…”

“Don’t worry.” Geralt smirked, kissing Jaskier’s temple. “I don’t think pet names are my thing.”

Jaskier pouted. “Hmmph.”

Reluctantly he rolled off the bed and pulled Geralt to his feet. With one last kiss he let Geralt get dressed. His boyfriend really did need to get back to Ciri and apparently Jaskier was going to be re-introduced to the young girl as her father’s new boyfriend; only a day after the term had finished.

Jaskier wasn’t nervous. Why would he be? Ciri loved him… as her teacher. Oh gods, he was going to fuck this up so badly. His heart was racing, and not in the good I’m in love way. Oh no. No, no, no, no.

He gasped a breath and leant against the wall. Geralt’s arms wrapped around his waist in an instance. “Breathe, Jaskier.”

Jaskier breathed, trying to match his breath with Geralt’s. “Sorry,” he mumbled when the worst of it was over.

“What happened?”

“What if she doesn’t like me?” He asked, his voice sounding pathetic even to his ears.

“She adores you, Jaskier.” Geralt nuzzled his neck gently. “She was disappointed when I said it wasn’t you.”

Jaskier groaned. “She’ll hate that you lied to her.”

“She’ll come round.” Geralt insisted.

“How are you so calm?” He snapped.

Geralt sighed. “Because she’s my daughter and she loves me, and she adores you.”

Jaskier nodded. “Ok. Ok. Yes. Let’s do this, before I run away and decide to live in a cave with just my lute for company.”

Geralt scoffed. “Always so dramatic.”

Jaskier managed a smile at that, even after his little wobble of anxiety. “You wouldn’t have me any other way.”

__________________

They were standing, hand in hand, outside Geralt’s house. Geralt and Ciri’s house. Jaskier hadn’t been here since the beginning of May when Ciri had been away with Yennefer. Ciri wasn’t away this time and they were about to reveal everything to her. He curled his toes in his shoes and hummed nervously under his breath. Geralt’s house suddenly seemed a lot larger than it had before.

Geralt squeezed his hand. “It’ll be fine, Jask.”

He nodded and took a deep breath. “I know. I know. I trust you.”

“Come on then. You’ll stay for dinner?”

Jaskier nodded again. “But I should probably go home after dinner. I imagine we’ll both need our own space by then.”

Geralt chuckled quietly. “Yeah. Ready?”

“Yes?” Jaskier’s voice squeaked a little, much to his embarrassment.

“Good.” Geralt moved to unlock the front door but it opened before he could get the key in the lock.

Yennefer stood on the other side with her hands on her hips. She was smirking at them both, looking far too evilly delighted for Jaskier’s liking.

“MR JASKIER!!” Ciri shrieked and there was a blur of blonde hair before Jaskier was knocked flying by the young girl.

He laughed nervously and hugged her back. “Hello, Ciri.”

“I knew it was you!!” She screamed happily. “Dad said it wasn’t but I knew it was you!”

“You don’t mind?” Jaskier asked, tentatively patting his former student on the back as she clung onto him.

Ciri pulled back and looked up at him. Her nose was scrunched up and she pouted. “Why would I mind?”

“Well, because I was your teacher and now I’m dating your father?” Jaskier stammered. He glanced at Geralt who just raised a knowing eyebrow at him. The bastard had known this would happen.

Ciri rolled her eyes and scoffed. “So? Everyone will be jealous. You’re the best teacher at school!” She announced as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

He laughed at the ridiculousness of it all. “Maybe you shouldn’t boast too much about it Ciri. It’s not kind.”

Ciri just stuck her tongue out at him. He stuck his tongue out right back at her and she giggled.

“Jaskier’s right, princess. It would be best if you don’t tell everyone just yet,” Geralt said as he scooped her up into a hug.

“But it’s Mistle’s birthday party next week!” She pouted.

“Ciri,” Yennefer sighed, brushing the young girl’s hair out of her eyes. “Can we trust you to keep this a secret for now?”

Ciri scrunched her nose but nodded. “Ok, but only if we can go back to see the lions at the zoo! They were my favourite.”

Jaskier met Geralt’s eyes and smiled. “Well, buttercup, funny you should say that….”

____________

#the witcher #geraskier #geralt x jaskier #geralt/jaskier #geraskier fanfiction #the witcher fanfiction #modern au #wolfie's witcher writing

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queenofbaws · 4 years

Note

Okay last one and please don't feel pressured to do all of the prompts I've sent you! 28 - "How can you see out of your glasses with them this dirty?" - just some good old almosts banter please!

“Was that really necessary? I mean, honestly? Honestly?” Scowling, Chris pulled his glasses off and held them up to the light just long enough to see what kind of damage had been done.

A lot. The answer was a lot.

“Who does that? Who just puts their greasy hands—”

“Um, excuse me? You oughta be more careful, Cochise, you might hurt my itty bitty feelings.”

“You have known me,” Chris began again, sliding his glasses back on before fixing Josh with an exhausted glare, “For my whole life, you fucking troglodyte! When has it ever been cool to just put your grabby mitts all over my glasses?”

Josh rolled his eyes, snickering all the while. “You’re acting like I dunked them in a toilet. Just wipe ‘em off on your shirt, stop being a baby—”

“Hey, not for nothing, but…I think everyone in this room has a fairly decent idea of where your hands have been, so...” Sam held her hands up at her shoulders when Josh turned to her, but she did nothing to mask her grin, “I’m just saying! I probably wouldn’t be too happy if I had to walk around with your particular brand of residue on full display in front of my eyes all day either.”

“W-wipe it on my shirt? Do you have any idea—”

“Wow Sammy. Nice. Y’know, I was sort of under the impression you were supposed to be the nice one in this little happy family of ours, so I’m not sure I appreciate you coming out of the woodwork with these scorching zingers all of a sudden.”

“Uh huh. Well sorry if I’m messing with the group dynamic.”

“You are! You are though, you’re totally throwing it all off.”

Knowing his court-appointed moment to air his grievances had officially passed, Chris made a low noise of frustration, already working on making his way through the mental shift that came with smudged glasses. Of course none of the others gave a shit—none of them had to deal with this bullshit, none of them understood the endless cycle of pointless work that went into living behind dirty fucking lenses or the sheer force of will that was required to make it through an entire evening out knowing there was no hope of seeing anything without streaks or smears or—

“Here.”

He shook himself out of his quiet pity party to see Ashley had plunked herself down on the couch next to him, holding one of her hands out. “Here what?”

She laughed, “Here, as in, here, give me your glasses. I’m pretty sure my hoodie’s the right fabric.”

“The rig—Ash, I have like, five fucking cleaning cloths at home and none of them are the right fabric, so I appreciate the check you’re trying to write, okay—I do—but it is going to bounce, so…”

“Oh my God.” Before he could say anything else, she reached up to his face and took his glasses, quickly angling her shoulders away so he wouldn’t be able to fight her on it.

Not that he was capable of doing that. Not that he was capable of even considering it. Oh no, not when her hands had been that close to his face, her fingers just barely brushing against his cheeks before she plucked his frames from off of his ears.

Being as subtle as his admittedly awkward…everything would allow, he mimicked her posture, turning juuust a bit away from her. Would it help? Doubtful. Would she still be able to see the tips of his ears going red? No question. But old habits died hard, and while he wasn’t sure embarrassment was a habit, per se, it was definitely an old friend in that regard. “You really don’t have to do that.”

The noise she made was equal parts laugh and groan as she pulled her legs up onto the couch to sit cross-legged beside him, one of her sleeves rolled up over her hand as she fastidiously polished his glasses. “Chris,” she said in the way she reserved for special occasions (read: when he was acting particularly ridiculous), the way that almost made his name sound like ‘Cress,’ “You’re not gonna be able to see anything through these.”

“They’re…” Ah, but she had him, didn’t she? Yeah, he’d already bitched about it, so there was no use trying to pretend he hadn’t. “Th-they’re not that bad.”

Her eyes rolled up to him from her lap, and while his plan had been to keep from looking directly at her until he could get the color of his face under control, the movement in his periphery made him turn back all the same. Not having his glasses on helped things a little…from that distance, she was more color and shape than actual human being. Still, years of friendship had primed him to feel the judgment in her gaze even so.

“They’re not,” he insisted.

Instead of answering right away, Ashley went and popped his glasses onto her own face, pushing them up the bridge of her nose with one finger. She leaned in closer, just a bit, so there’d be no question that he’d be able to see her. The frames definitely didn’t quite fit her face, the shape was all wrong, and overall effect was vaguely schoolmarm-ish…

But…as with most things about Ash…

…not entirely unappealing.

“They’re disgusting,” she said flatly, blinking at him once before pulling them off again, returning to polishing them with her sleeve. “And you know Josh is gonna wanna watch that awful movie tonight—” She paused, and even blurry as she was, Chris thought she’d turned to see whether Josh would shoot back some sort of snappy comeback; he must have been too invested in his conversation with Sam, though, because a second later Ashley was back to work, continuing to talk under her breath. “And God forbid you’re too distracted by like, weird lighting streaks and stuff to listen to him ooh and ahh over how brilliant so-and-so was for choosing to use, like…real human bones instead of plaster, or whatever…”

“God forbid,” he echoed, trying to keep his voice light to make up for the stupid fluttering in his stomach.

Okay, yeah, sure, fine, so she’d had pretty much the same thought as him without him having to say it, that was true. But that didn’t mean he had to get all…gooey about it. That was incredibly dumb. Incredibly, unbelievably, sappily, crappily dumb, and—

Yeah, she was looking at him. Okay.

Chris cleared his throat and assumed as neutral a face as he was humanly capable of. That probably wasn’t saying a whole lot, but he tried. “What?”

“Nothing,” Ashley said, shaking her head with a quiet laugh. She lifted his glasses to the light, cocked her head to the side, and then went back to cleaning them. “I guess I just like, haven’t seen you not in your glasses forever, that’s all. You live in these things.”

“Uh, well yeah, Ash, I kinda need them. Y’know. For the whole ‘sight’ thing.” Just not right at that moment. Right at that moment, he was perfectly content to have them off and away, leaving his vision a blurry, myopic mess. There was no way he would’ve been able to pull off sounding that casual if he’d been able to actually see her. “The good Lord above knew that with my charisma, sense of humor, and raw animal magnetism, I’d just be too powerful without an impairment or two, so…”

Though he couldn’t see it, he heard the curve of her smile in her words, and it made the fluttering in his stomach and chest that much more noticeable. “Oh, is that what it is?”

“Mhm.”

“I was wondering about that.”

“Glad I could clear it up for you.”

On the other side of the room, Sam and Josh continued to laugh about whatever it was they were laughing about, their conversation made indistinct by Ashley’s continued closeness. After another minute or two, she held the glasses up, no doubt checking her work again. “Okay, I think…here, try this.”

Now, if he had to tell the truth, he didn’t have high hopes. Just because it was Ash doing the polishing didn’t mean he had any sort of faith in it being done the right way. She’d probably do a passable job—she was nothing, if not a perfectionist, that Ashley Brown—but there were so many angles you had to check when cleaning your glasses, so many ways you had to twist to see if maybe you missed a spot, or if there’d be any weird streaking along the edge, or any number of other endlessly annoying things…

And the second he put them on, he found he had to eat all those doubts. “Oh holy shit, Ash…this is…great?” He hadn’t meant for the question mark to happen. No, he hadn’t intended on that valley girl brand of upward inflection at the end of the sentence, but being able to see again meant being able to see again (surprise surprise), and wow, she was…real close.

“Yeah?” she asked, beaming proudly. “You’re not just like, saying that to make me feel better, right?”

“I’m absolutely not, this is…for real? It’s like these puppies are brand new.”

She laughed, still obviously so very, very proud of herself…and then, as was so often the case with the two of them, things got quiet.

The moment, like many such moments before it, was palpable. Cut-through-it-with-a-steak-knife palpable. Sitting-at-the-bottom-of-the-deep-end-of-a-pool palpable. So palpable you’d have to eat it with a spoon instead of sipping it through a straw. He had to stop thinking of the word ‘palpable,’ because it was not helping. Not with Ashley sitting so close like that, the two of them basically sharing the same couch cushion, her eyes bright with a smile and her hand warm where they hovered a few inches away from his, and, and, and…

In a move he never, ever could’ve predicted, she carefully reached up again and gingerly pulled his glasses off. He could hear the quiet click of her setting them down on the side table, but wasn’t given enough time to wonder what that might’ve meant, because a moment later her palms were cupping his cheeks, warm and smooth except for the tiny silver slivers of her rings, and—oh, okay, well. Huh.

Then she was kissing him.

His first thought was panicked, not sure what to do with (or more specifically, where to put) his hands, though it had flown out the window a moment later as he leaned into it. His hands found her sides, and though he still wasn’t confident enough in that choice to pull her any closer, she seemed to melt into him all the same, tilting her head in a way that might have given him pause if he’d been wearing his glasses…but he wasn’t. She’d made sure of that.

A perfectionist and a schemer, that Ashley Brown.

She pulled away a second later, still close enough for him to feel her smile against his lips, and she was all nervous giggles as she held his face in her hands. “Sorry…” she said, sounding (in his opinion, at least) not sorry in the slightest, “I’ve kinda, um…always wanted to…do that.”

It took him a beat to find his own voice again, but when he did, he was shocked to hear how even it came out. “Understandable. It’s, uh…it’s all that raw animal magnetism I was telling you about.”

Ashley snorted a laugh. Then, less tentatively than before, pressed her lips to his again, her pulse fluttering under his hands and against his cheeks. That second kiss lingered for much longer, neither one of them wanting to be the first to move away. But of course one of them had to—they were hanging out with the others, after all, and…

And it was that precise moment that Chris noticed how very, very quiet the room had gotten.

“Do you want your glasses back?” Ashley asked with another bubbly little laugh, not waiting for his answer as she moved to reach for them.

“Well,” Chris started, “I guess, uh, I guess that depends, Ash. Are Josh and Sam staring?”

He saw her posture change then, and had he been able to see better, he had a solid idea her expression would’ve fallen. She turned over her shoulder to check…and then turned back to him. “Ooh yeah.”

“Yeah, then I’m good, actually. You can just, uh…just leave ‘em on the table. I’m good being blind for now. Just, uh…” he cleared his throat, “Let me know when they, uh, stop.”

“‘Let me know when they stop,’ he says,” Josh drawled from the other side of the room, sounding pleased as punch, “Insinuating that’s ever gonna happen.”

#elliepollie #asks #chrashley #until dawn #queenie writes supermassive #my fanfiction #ASK AND YE SHALL RECEIVE........several months later #the almosts #i will never EVER turn down an opportunity to write about these two being sappy dorks i stg #the life of a glasses wearer is full of many many smudge-based dangers #go clean your glasses everyone

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owlsoldwritingcorner · 4 years

Text

The Ghost (Part 2)

Pairing :Wrench x Reader

AO3 Link

Summary:

“So. You a big fan of hackers?”

“I guess you can say that. ” You may not be able to make a coherent string of codes but you know that vague code speak means: He’s in the group.

Note:

Here's the look reader has in this chapter!

(The helmet and biker suit is the main canonical look reader has cuz it's important to the fic, underneath you can insert your own look)

Chapter 2: Fresh Air and Graffiti

You woke up to the smell of your grandmother’s cooking, checking your phone revealed it was 8 in the damn morning. God you weren’t ready for the strong smells so early in the morning. Looks like Ripley wasn’t either considering she was already away and giving you her big ole puppy eyes that just scream “Walk time? Walk time!”.

Such a sweetie.

“Let’s get you some breakfast first before we can think of any w-a-l-k-i-e-s, alrighty?” Oh gosh, she gave you a little nod and a gentle ruff, you’re gonna get killed by the cuteness of a pup. Not by any of those burly men with guns that you’re so used to on the job, and obviously, you welcome this kind of death with open arms.

Getting up, you cleaned yourself up from the rest of your grogginess and went to the kitchen to fill up Ripley’s food bowl but not before taking a puff of your daily asthma medicine.

Gah… The smell of dried fish was getting more and more prominent now. The dried fish your grandma makes for the conge tastes so good but god it smells like the ocean flooded the house and dried up.

“Mom! Did you really have to make that fish so early in the morning?” Looks like your aunt was up and at ‘em too now. Strong smells always did make her grumpier.

“ It takes so long to fully seep and cook this fish so I should just cook it now! ” Your aunt looked as if she was going to pop a blood vessel already.

“Mom. Now the whole house smells like fish. You could have made it tomorrow or even later today!” You just sighed as your aunt and grandma argued, you really didn’t want a headache so early in the morning…

Ripley was done eating her breakfast so it was time to go for some walkies. Maybe Ripley will make some friends in this neighborhood? You brought out some body spray for yourself to put on once you’re out of the house, your emergency inhaler, then finally you put the pit-bull on her leash. Hopefully a walk around will ease your headache a bit.

So far so good.

It was sunny and surprisingly nice out, your little pup was letting out some energy and you got some fresh air. You finally arrived at a small dog park, certainly not the park Clara told you about. That hideout is about 20 more minutes away from where you’re currently at.

You sat at one of the benches to give your feet some rest, your little pit-bull laid down next to you on the bench, her head on your lap and wanting you to pet her as you two relaxed. You smiled before slowly starting to go into a daze, your eyelids drooped a bit from the nice temperature and your little friend snored away on your lap before your mind finally started to dream away as you stared into space.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Run.

You needed to run.

You have to get out of here.

Opaque silhouettes slithered after you, their limbs contorting as they ran on all fours, letting out whaling cries as if trying to coax you into stopping. Its grotesque body leaving mucus in its wake.

But it didn’t work.

It only made you run faster.

Faster and faster until--

You choked.

The air was knocked out of you as one of the silhouette’s slimy, long arms grabbed one of your legs causing you to fall forward. You tried to crawl away, your nails scratching the concrete below to no avail. You looked behind you to see the mass of disgusting limbs catching up to you, still holding onto your captive leg.

As you continue to try to get away from the creature, you see another silhouette step in front of you and kneel down, and outstretched as if saying “Here. Let me help you up”. This one was different from the ones trying to chase you, they weren’t contorted or slimy nor did they have any extra limbs on their body.

You were so close to reaching for that gentle hand when--

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“Excuse me?” You woke up from your daydream by that new voice trying to get your attention. Looking up, you see a man (probably just a couple years older than you) wearing dark lensed glasses and had a light moustache and a soul patch. You also noted the shirt he wore.

Dedsec.

You wanted to snort. The Chicago branch would instantly kick that person out for wearing something so blatant. They’d hate seeing their name with a face.

“Hey, uh, sorry for intruding, I just wanted to pet your dog. Don’t really see many Pitbulls in this neighborhood.” You raised an eyebrow, most people would be terrified of Ripley and cross the street from you two (Granted, she is a big dog with large scars and cropped ears, you can’t fully blame them for being intimidated.) But you gave the man a little nod, he seemed nice enough.

“Sure, she’d love the attention.” The man immediately went to work, giving Ripley little scratches behind her ears, cooing as she gave him some kisses.

“What’s her name?”

“Ripley.”

“As in Ellen Louise Ripley ?”

“Yep. They’re both super tough, so, I just named her accordingly.” You mumbled, god it’s been so long since you had social interaction with a new human. The man just chuckled.

“I can tell, she definitely looks like she been through some stuff.”

You let out a little hum, “She was rescued from one of those dog fighting rings.” He nodded.

“Poor girl. Looks like she’s in better hands now though.” You chuckled as you scratched behind Ripley’s cropped ears, your eyes wandered back to the man’s Dedsec shirt. Honestly you can’t tell if he’s just a big fan or actually part of the group.

“So. You a big fan of hackers?”

“I guess you can say that. You into what Dedsec has to say?” You may not be able to make a coherent string of codes but you know that vague code speak means: He’s in the group.

“They have some good points. Highlighting vulnerabilities and weaknesses in the CTOS systems, showcasing how Blume truly acts. It’s like embarrassing the prom king on stage, I’m all for that.” The man raised his eyebrows and chuckled.

“You seem to have your share of Dedsec knowledge.”

“I’m from Chicago, they’re a pretty big deal there too. Dunno about here.”

“That explains it. Heard they released some pretty big blackmail over there.” You gave the man a nonchalant hum. Dedsec’s blackmail, huh? Aiden did most of the work though…

“I heard that too.”

Checking the time it was already almost 12 pm, that fuckin online college got you on a damn leash. Plus, you were getting pretty hungry, you did skip out on breakfast in favor of feeding Ripley.

“Well, I need to be on my way now. Hope you have a nice day.”

“Oh, you too. I’m Marcus by the way. I have a feeling I might see you again.” Well that sounds only mildly ominous, but, certainly not the worst you’ve heard. The taller man reached out his hand for a handshake, to which you reluctantly shook and gave Marcus your name.

“It was nice meeting you, Marcus.”

You nudged Ripley a bit to let her know you two were heading home now only for her to whine a bit but obliging. Yeah, you don’t wanna smell like fish again but… You really needed to at least finish the week’s assignments. You gave Marcus a final goodbye wave as you walked home with your dog by your side.

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

You flopped onto your bed in defeat.

Why the fuck did this online school have to give you so much work every week? Well, you managed to do a few weeks worth of work and should be free earlier for Dedsec work.

Speaking of, it’s almost time to meet your new “coworkers”. It's time to suit up.

Donning your binder, biker’s helmet and suit, you made sure to test out the helmet’s voice modulator and check for any kinks. Afterwards, it was time for some real clothes! The skin tight biker suit feels pretty breezy despite you not being actually naked. At least the binder makes you look like a super buff guy, not to mention the boots give you some extra height. You really need those 3 extra inches…

Let’s see…

Pastel week? Or maybe something vintage? Or perhaps some fall colors would be nice! Sweaters always feel nice. But, it has been a while since you’ve done a punk week…

Well! It’s been decided!

Finally, you were ready for work. Giving Ripley a final forehead kiss and head pat, you headed for your destination.

Weird that a notorious hacker group put one of their hideouts in a nerdy tabletop shop. Then again, it doesn’t raise a lot of suspicion on the outside. Looking around, you see a bunch of people rolling their 20 sided dice on the tables. You always did want to play Dungeons and Dragons, never had the time to read up on it though. You walked towards the back, ignoring any wandering eyes. But no one really spoke up against you being there, they looked too scared to even try if they actually wanted to.

Aha. There was the entrance. You pushed in the pass-code Clara gave you and viola! You’re in. You took in the appearance of the entrance down the hackerspace. The graffiti is quite a look. Most of the Dedsec graffiti back home were mostly on CTOS ads or other signposts, this is a stark contrast from those dark hacker rooms in Chicago. But, you certainly didn’t mind it. Actually heading into the space itself revealed it looked more like a hacker’s man cave or hangout spot than a big name hacker group meet up room. Dedsec’s name was graffitied around every inch of the room, the table in the middle was filled with snacks, beers, and some computer equipment, and there were some really old rage comics memes near the 3d printer area.

Looks like you’re the first person here though. You sat at the sofa area, crossing your legs. God, the spaces back home needs a sofa like this instead of those rackety pull out chairs. Just as you were getting used to the appearance of… Everything. The sound of the sliding door and footsteps catches your ears. Guess it was introduction time.

Turning around and facing the first person you got to the space first, you were greeted with a familiar face.

“You guys should have seen Mr. Weak Chin’s face in perso--” The man locked eyes with you as you gave him a little wave.

Marcus. Your instincts had always been pretty on point.

“Who are you and what are you doing here?” His hand was hidden behind him, probably reaching for a weapon to prepare himself from any surprise attacks. You only raise your hands to tell him you don’t mean any harm. Just as you were going to let him know why you’re here, the rest of the crew came down. Marcus wasn’t the only familiar face around here.

Your hidden eyes gazed into familiar digital Xs.

#wrench watch dogs #wrench #reader insert #Wrench x reader #marcus holloway #Watch Dogs #my art #My writing

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laur-rants · 6 years

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Fic Update -- Wolfbann

Chapter 6 - With an Open Heart

Fandom: Dishonored Ship: Corvo/Daud, Past Jessamine/Corvo Rated: Mature Chapter Synopsis: Corvo goes looking for a friend.

AO3 Link

Previous :: First :: Next

It was a while before Corvo ventured downstairs to the bar after Callista.

He had let her go on ahead after they had briefly spoken that morning: he still desperately needed to clean up, and while it felt good to finally be rid of the sweat of Coldridge and the grime of the Wrenhaven, the bath itself left him feeling all out of sorts.

First off, the scent of soap was pungent in a way it never had been before. It got rid of the dirt, to be sure, but it washed away the smell of himself and replaced it with a sharp, overpowering odor. It filled his nose in a way that burned; he mused on requesting a softer soap, maybe something less perfumed and more neutral. It would be better to smell of nothing than something so strong it gave him a headache.

Second, his body was just so different now, and bathing was really the first time he had allowed himself to look and understand what had really changed. Outwardly, he didn't look that much different: his build was thinner from months of malnutrition and his hair was due for a trim, but that wasn't what unsettled Corvo the most. Instead, it was the sharpness of everything: of his eyes, of his teeth, of all his muscles and bones and edges. From one view, he looked normal: from another, he barely recognized himself, instead glimpsing the wolf barely concealed under his skin.

It was so dissociative it made his stomach flip and his heart pound. He tried not to think too hard on it.

Truly, the biggest visual difference was his arms: streaking across both triceps and ending near his shoulders were long, deep scars, four for each arm. No doubt they were from when the giant wolf that had killed Jessamine and turned him, a lasting reminder of what he endured that day.

He frowned, running a few tentative fingers over the sensitive flesh, noting how the skin was healed into deep valleys. The nerves under the scars bunched into huge concentrations of magical energy: just brushing across them made his claws itch to grow, his body aching for fur and teeth. Corvo's jaw clenched tight against the shiver snaking down his back, willing his body to stabilize. The growl rumbled out -- too deep, too guttural -- and he hastily covered the gouged lines with a shirt before the feeling got any worse.

From somewhere in the back of his mind, a flash of bemusement made itself known -- a totally foreign emotion that was completely detached from his current state of mind. He stiffened and tried to focus on the intrusion, but as soon as his mind reached for it, the feeling was gone, fleeing and disappearing as quick as it came.

Corvo took a deep breath, doing his best to steady himself. He looked around; despite the privacy of the powder room, he no longer felt alone. Skin crawling, he changed the rest of the way as quickly as he could, wanting to get out of his head sooner rather than later.

At least his Royal Protector coat was dry by the time he emerged from the bathroom. Being dirty but not rancidly so, the garment still carried his scent, making the worn, heavy fabric a comfort as he worked his way down to the main floor.

That was, of course, until he realized that someone new was waiting there for him.

He was talking with Sam and Callista when Corvo walked in and Corvo immediately turned his eyes to him. A squirrelly man hiding behind round glasses, he spoke fast and high and smelled of grease and machines, of wood and something like whale oil. He also seemed to have no sense of personal space; he leaned far too close to Callista, and the way she looked pained and uncomfortable made Corvo's hackles rise.

Corvo's arrival, however, became a welcome distraction. The stranger noticed him and immediately jumped to his feet, walking over to Corvo in a skittering fashion that reminded his hindbrain far too much of the rats that bit back.

“Oh, Corvo, just the, ah, man I was looking for!” He stumbled over the word as he offered a hand to shake. Corvo glowered down at it, making no move to reciprocate. That seemed to be enough of a hint; the man laughed hesitantly and backed off.

“He doesn't bite, does he?” Corvo saw him mouth back to Callista and Samuel, and Samuel was quick to catch Corvo's annoyed eye. Sam cleared his throat, motioning to the man.

“Corvo, I hope you slept well. Let me introduce you: this is Piero Joplin, inventor and general tinkerer. He lives next door and keeps the place running for us.”

“Slept fine, thank you Sam,” he growled out, pushing past the new arrival unceremoniously. He sat down next to Callista at the bar; flanked now by both Sam and Corvo, she visibly eased. “Callista informed me last night her uncle is in a dire situation, so I may be heading out soon.”

“Oh, leaving already?” Sam said, a hint of dismay in his voice. Corvo's lip twitched; he would have found Sam's sentimentality fake if he didn't already know he was being entirely genuine.

“I think it should be a return trip, seeing as Callista would enjoy reuniting with her uncle again.”

“Ah! A mission,” Piero chimed in. “Corvo, I knew this was coming inevitable, it's why I came looking for you.”

Corvo tried to ignore Joplin as he tutted over, already tired of the man, but when Joplin fished something out of his jacket and handed it over, Corvo found his interest renewed.

“What,” he breathed out, eyes catching on the metallic glint. “is this?”

“It's a mask,” Joplin explained quickly, gingerly setting it down on the bar. “I made it after a fitful bout of dreams. It started as a sort of muse but now I'm sure it is for you. The whole city believes you are the Empress’ killer, so if you need to go out into the streets, you might as well do it with your face covered.”

Sam and Callista leaned over to also catch a glimpse of the mask. It was a crude, grotesque skull; dressed in folded metal over a piecemeal frame, sewn together with wire more than welded. It grimaced up at the motley group, glass lenses shining in the light, giving the toothless smile a macabre sort of life to it. Corvo lifted it in his hand, finding it surprisingly light.

Sam hummed in approval while Callista turned her nose up, scoffing.

“You said you saw this in your dreams?” She sniffed out, watching as Corvo turned it over in his hands. “More like out of a nightmare, if you ask me.”

“Dreams,” Corvo remarked dryly, thinking of his own last night. “Interesting.”

“The lens is adjustable,” Joplin went on to explain. “You can use it to scope, if needed. If I understand correctly, with your condition you could easily hide your face by simply transmorphing, but this is good for when you still want to stay completely anonymous.”

“It will certainly make what I need to do easier,” Corvo agreed, storing the mask in his inner coat pocket. He cast an absent eye at Joplin who seemed to wilt under the direct eye contact.

“Thank you. What do I owe for this favor?”

Joplin twitched so forcefully his glasses nearly fell off.

“W-what? Lord Corvo you owe nothing, it was simply a personal project that got out of hand and proved useful, it's not-- nothing please.”

Corvo frowned, throwing an eyebrow at the lot of them.

“You're providing room and board, I'm using your food and water. Even if I'm out of sight, there should still be some sort of--”

Callista put a hand on his arm, drawing his attention away.

“Being able to bring back my uncle is more than enough payment, Corvo,” she offered gently. “You don't have to do anything more.”

His stomach twisted unpleasantly but he didn't press the issue. He swallowed down his pride on the matter and nodded, silently vowing to bring back something, either before or after Emily was reinstated on the throne.

Taking his nod as resignation enough, Callista pulled a piece of paper out of her shirt and placed it in Corvo's palm. He unfolded it: it was an address, one located just outside the Tower district, near the bridge.

“This is Geoff's apartment here in the city,” she explained. “I don't know where he is, but if there was any place to start, that would be it. He tends to keep a thorough work journal, which he stores in his home office desk. It could give you some clues on where he is, maybe why I haven't heard from him, if he's even still okay…”

She trailed off, her face going pale as she pursed her lips together. Corvo didn't need a vivid imagination to know what she was possibly thinking. He tucked the address into a satchel, nodding.

“Got it. I'll head out this afternoon, though how I'm going to get close to the bridge without being seen, I'm unsure.”

Sam cleared his throat, looking positively smug as he adjusted his scarf and lapels.

“I think I can help with that, Lord Corvo, if you're willing to take it.”

“I'll get you as close as I can, Corvo, but it'll still be a ways to the apartment,” Sam said to Corvo as he steered his boat through the waterways. In front of them at a distance the Kaldwin Bridge loomed: tall, imposing and indomitable, it was commissioned by Jessamine's father and was the largest bridge over the Wrenhaven.

It was also teeming with guards and crackled with the energy of Sokolov’s Wall of Light. Above the streets, the sound of the citywide announcements boomed ominously:

“Be on alert, Dunwall citizens! The criminal and heretic known as Corvo Attano, responsible for the death of our fair Empress, has escaped prison. If spotted, do not approach, and instead notify your local Overseer or Watch Guard immediately!”

It continued on, speaking of plague and curfew, but it always rotated back to him, and he shuddered under the weight of the city's hatred.

“You're a pretty popular topic these days,” Samuel mused lightly, but the worry crossed his face as he looked back to Corvo. “You going to be okay out there?”

Corvo eyed the riverbank, searching for a good route to the rooftops. In his pocket, he felt a foreign beat next to his own; he ignored it for now and instead reached in next to it, wrapping warm fingers around cold metal. He pulled the mask out and eyed it carefully before turning it over and allowing himself to disappear behind it.

It was a simple thing -- no magic involved -- but when Corvo slipped behind the mask and adjusted the lens, he felt something else rise up in his chest, and his earlier anxiety fled in the face of a newfound confidence.

He nodded to Sam in response, his body thrumming with energy.

“I'll be fine,” he rasped out, voice already morphing into a growl. “Wait here, I'll be back soon with news.”

Sam nodded back, quietly tying his boat down, hiding it in the shadow of the bridge.

“Good luck, Corvo.”

Corvo jumped lightly onto solid ground, eyed his trajectory carefully, let his claws grow, and pulled the power of the Void into his hand.

The Outsider had told him that he would know how to use his powers when the time came for it; on instinct, the deity had said, amusement coloring his words. He let that instinct flow into him now, tugging at the magic coursing through his veins, and directed what was gathered into his palm.

With a sigh and whisper of Void, his body dissolved and rushed forward in a trail of smoke and light. He reached his destination in an instant, his claws and feet reemerging from the magical fog around him. Corvo gasped, letting the air find his lungs once again as his head wrapped around the dizzying effects of what just happened.

He chanced a glance back behind him; the boat sat meters away, with Samuel eyeing him curiously. Sam waved; in another clench of his fist, Corvo was rushing away, the wind howling in his ears as he pushed forward again, more wraith than wolf or man. He coalesced and leapt again, quickly finding the rooftops, where he could own the city skyline.

It was heady; it was powerful. Corvo surged himself onward; deep in his chest, something pulled and sang and relished in this freedom, pure and adulterated. The wolf in him begged to come out fully, to be more than just claws and teeth hiding behind mask, to leap and howl and hunt and scream.

He settled for laughing, loud and long and rough, muffled by the mask but the sound still rang true in his ears. It all felt so right, like he was a teen in Karnaca again, with his body just as agile and able. He found himself wanting to do nothing more than just relish in this feeling for the rest of the day, leaping from rooftop to rooftop, impossible to catch or corner.

A heavy and rhythmic thump beat against his chest as he moved, louder and louder as he traveled, filling his thoughts and countering his own heart. He slowed, catching his breath and willed himself back to reality.

Geoff's apartment. He needed to find it.

The thump in his coat grew more insistent.

From behind his mask, Corvo's jaw clenched. Carefully, he took the Outsider's other gift out of his pocket, peering down upon the mechanical monstrosity known only to him as the Heart.

It had a clockwork sort of face, a glass window behind which cogs of metal and steel turned with each beat. He wasn't sure if the beat of the Heart kept the cogs turning, or if the turn of the cogs kept the Heart beating. He grimaced at it, involuntarily squeezing the leathery surface, wondering what the whale-wolf god was possibly thinking when he gave Corvo this item, what it could even do for him.

Against the pressure of his palm, the Heart sighed. And then, it spoke.

“This city, your face… both are now equally unrecognizable. But is the change skin deep, or does it burrow to corrupt the very core?”

Corvo stiffened, breath hitching as his eyes widened. The voice was more in his head than in his ears. It was distantly feminine. And disturbingly familiar.

His grip tightened again, and the whisper of a voice drifted from the Heart as its beat quickened.

“Where have the good men and women gone? I know many secrets, many pasts, but not the future.”

“What,” he choked out to the Heart, hating how his voice shook. “What do you mean? What are you saying?”

“Your thoughts are in disarray. The city has turned on you, has transformed you. You need allies, now more than ever.”

“Allies...Geoff,” he concluded, trying not to dwell on the other truths of the Heart, nor on the voice it was speaking with. He looked away from the Heart and felt a sense of amusement from it, followed by affection. It was so warm and soft in his hand, as if molding to his palm because it belonged there. It beat against his hand and he felt it nag at his mind. He looked back at it, snarling from behind his smiling mask.

“The Outsider said you'd help me find my way home,” he said to it. “I know its not home, but ...can you also point the way to Geoff Curnow?”

“Geoff Curnow,” it sighed out. “A friend, an honest man, one of few left in a world that stamps out any hope it finds.”

Corvo opened his mouth to question, but like a compass, the heart began to beat towards the path he needed to take, it's pace hastening as he headed the right direction. With tentative steps and careful jumps Corvo made his way across the rooftops, far above the cobbled and plague-ridden streets below.

As he slowed his speed to move less recklessly, Corvo gave himself a few moments to investigate Dunwall proper. The area of housing around the Bridge varied in quality; the high lives of the nobles lived in near isolation, islands in a desolate and plague-destroyed sea. The manord somehow managed to stay clean, with well manicured landscaping even in the middle of the city.

Past the wealth and radiating outward, the deterioration was exponential. Corvo noticed the prevalence of condemned buildings, of the weepers that hobbled in the sewer walkways under the city, of the increase of gang members, of the violence of the City Watch against the citizens they were supposed to protect.

“These are dark days,” the Heart mourned. “The sickness drapes over Dunwall like a burial shroud. Oh, how her people suffer!”

Corvo swallowed and couldn't help but agree. Jessamine had tried desperately to help her people and stop the onslaught of plague that had appeared a few years ago, but in her absence, the city had spiraled.

“There is more than one kind of wolf prowling these streets,” the Heart added, and Corvo said nothing to refute it. He moved on, and so did the Heart, the beat of it coaxing him onward to his destination.

It wasn't long after that Corvo stumbled upon the apartment he was looking for. In fact, he almost passed it by; the place was nondescript but well-kept; if anything, nothing more than the average living space. Corvo leaned over the roof and peered down onto the fifth story balcony, checking the area as the Heart beat wildly in his pocket.

A sharp inhale told him nobody was home. Carefully, he slipped down onto the balcony, landing lightly and without a sound, making sure to not disturb any of the potted plants. He looked at them curiously; they were dry, left out in the hopes of the coming rains, but not so dry that they hadn't been left out for more than a day. Quietly, he stepped over any fallen leaves, crouched down and crossed the apartment threshold.

Whoever Geoff Curnow was in his private life, it certainly wasn't lavish. Moderately furnished with more than a few shelves covered in details and papers, Geoff held a few heirlooms here and there, signs of his family, or perhaps his interest in the military. A few paintings lined the walls of the living space; Geoff appeared to be a fan of boats, as well as plants.

Corvo breathed carefully, letting his senses do the bulk of the investigative work. It was dusty; but not overly so: as if the air had been turned off for the day with just a ceiling fan left on to lazily circulate. The space was neat as well; not ransacked or stolen. There were dirty dishes in the kitchen sink but no food on the counter. Overall, no signs of a struggle.

And still, the Heart beat incessantly in his hand.

“What do you want me to find,” he muttered at it irritably.

“If you cannot find it,” the Heart offered, “perhaps it is unseen.”

Corvo huffed; that was entirely unhelpful and completely arbitrary advice. He stuffed the object back into his inner pocket, hoping to focus -- when his eye caught the jet black indentations of the mark on the back of his left hand.

He stared at it, lip curling unconsciously as he flexed his fingers. Gently the magic unfurled from the mark like steam, and fingers were replaced with long black claws.

Instinct, he caught himself thinking. Silently, he closed his eyes, breathed, and called for the Void.

He gasped; the magic flowed outward and so did his senses, pulsing out to reveal an unseen mosaic of information. He staggered as scent trails bombarded his mind, as items vibrated and glowed in his vision, of sounds reverberating in his ears and off the walls.

His brain reeled. He shook his hand out with a growl; the trails disappeared and left him with just the bare level of the apartment.

“The Void reveals many secrets,” the Heart mused thoughtfully. Corvo frowned at it, growling.

“Not funny,” he said, teeth clashing. It seemed to amusedly disagree.

Nevertheless, Corvo steadied himself, called the Void to his hand and tried again.

This time, it was easier. His nose was strained but he could focus now, picking out and prioritizing important scents and spots. A particularly strong scent led Corvo to an adjacent side door; Geoff's bedroom. It was here that Corvo realized the scent was of Geoff himself: through the veil of the Void it was a heady mix of sweat, of sea salt and aged wood and mountain rain. The lye of his soap sat sharp in his nose, while the bergamot of his aftershave created a pleasant undertone. A handkerchief near the bed was particularly strong with it; Corvo examined the fabric before storing it in a satchel, hoping to commit it to memory later.

Slowly, the layer of the Void lifted from his senses, letting him examine the room more naturally. It was a standard bedroom, complete with a bed and side table, a few articles of clothing strewn here or there. At the far end of the room, a desk sat, covered in paper and notes written in a hasty hand. Unable to stop his curiosity from bubbling up, Corvo beelined over to investigate.

Callista had mentioned a diary that Geoff kept for work, so Corvo spent a bit of time looking for any semblance of the book. Within the desk drawer he found just that; the small moleskine journal sat clasped and closed; Corvo opened it, flipping carefully through the pages.

“He had a male lover, once,” the Heart added. “He killed, to keep it secret.”

“Well aren't you just a fount of knowledge,” Corvo murmured back to it. It didn't reply, however, so instead he went back to the book, looking for any clues to Geoff's whereabouts.

Finally, he was able to find what he was looking for, on the very last page.

26th Day, Month of Nets

Life has been hectic, the plague just keeps getting worse, and now the Royal Protector is out of prison and at large. And yet, I still worry more about my men and Callista than I do for myself. Perhaps that's why I can tell Burrows is going to make a move soon. Not because Corvo is out of prison and I know unsavory information, but because I'm going soft, I'm less diligent now. Maybe I finally just got tired of running.

Campbell approached me at work; wants to have a meeting. He says it has to do with getting more Overseers into the streets to help along with the Watch. And it is tempting: the plague is wearing my men thin. But I know what Campbell’s involvement in all this is, so I have to expect the worst.

Either way, I'm a man of my word. I'll meet the High Overseer tomorrow, at the Abbey. It wouldn't look good to disappear now. I just hope I don't disappear soon after.

Corvo's throat caught as he swallowed. The 26th Day of Nets? Was it that far into the year already? He knew that he had been in prison for at least two months, and that it wasn't yet the Month of Rains… but how open was his window of opportunity, here? Was he already far too late to help Geoff?

The placed still held his scent, and the plants weren't too long neglected, so perhaps… perhaps there was still a chance that he wasn't too late.

Quickly, Corvo stashed the book into his satchel. Without a word he turned to leave, walking back to the balcony as fast and as quietly as he could. He looked out over the street, fist clenching as he called to the Void. He thought he heard a shout from somewhere below, but it didn't matter; he was gone, his figure dissolving and jumping up to the roof in a blink of an eye. Claws scratched against the stonework tiles, gaining traction as he leapt his lithe body forward again.

It was already past midday and Corvo didn't want to waste any more time. His hand glowed with the magic of the Mark as his skin flowed off of him, smooth as silk. In its place fur sprouted, his limbs grew, his body doubled in size. Another leap through smoke and his lupine form emerged, whole and filled with magical energy.

The sensation was entirely different from when he transformed in the prison. This felt real, natural; unpleasant, but not painful. Like changing out of a too-tight outfit. He surged onward, the power of his limbs intoxicating as he easily traversed building after building, keeping the silhouette of the bridge in his sights.

“You may change, but you stay the same...a heavy heart always did beat in your chest.”

Something sad panged in him: the words of the Heart, stored amongst the magic as he traveled. The soft statement was bittersweet, but he had no time to dwell on it.

Someone was going to die. He needed to make sure that didn't happen, not again.

He was human again when he finally landed in Samuel's boat, the smoky tendrils rising from his body like steam. Sam started as he appeared, jerking out a doze as the mask turned a sharp, glassy eye on him.

“Corvo!” He exclaimed, before clearing his throat and looking around. “Is everything alright, did you find the apartment?”

“Yes,” he rasped out, voice heavy from exertion. “And we have another stop to make.” Corvo steadied himself, pulling the mask up and off his face.

“How close can you get me to the Abbey of the Everyman?”

#dishonored #corvo attano #the heart #samuel beechworth #fic #my fic #fanfic #my fanfic #werewolf au #dishonored au #wolfbann #wolfssegner #until next time!#this story keeps me sane rn ngl

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elleberquist6 · 6 years

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Stray Cat - chapter one

Rating: Mature Word Count: 2608 Warnings: Past Abuse, Past Rape/Non-con, Slow Burn, Eventual Smut Summary: Phil Lester believes that if he does good things then good things will happen to him, so on one of the worst days of his life he invites a rain-soaked Neko boy named Dan into his home. Phil has never met a Neko before and he knows nothing about the dark system that has molded Dan. Dan is part of a repressed population with few rights, and as Phil gets to know him he can’t understand why – Dan is the most amazing person he has ever met. --- Phil was a positive person – it was just how he was raised. Always look on the bright side. If he broke a shoe lace, his mum would encourage him to think about the cool laces he could replace them with. If he dropped a snack on the pavement, think of the hungry squirrel that would enjoy it. As a 22-year-old man, he still found himself trying see the world in this way, though it was hard to see the silver lining in his current situation.

Phil tried to stop rubbing his eye, knowing that would make it hurt worse. He already had to take out his contacts and put on his glasses because he couldn’t leave his eye alone. While he was distracted, someone slipped into the booth beside him; he was sitting at his favorite seat in Starbucks. He looked up in surprise when she made a sound in the back of her throat to get his attention. “Linda!”

She gave a slight smile. “Hello, Phil. I almost didn’t recognize you in your glasses. Sorry I’m late.”

“No worries,” he said, though he’d been waiting for 30 minutes, and he hadn’t gotten a drink while waiting to be polite. She hadn’t responded to his texts either, but he pushed that thought out of his mind, melting in the warmth of her presence. Not that she was a very warm person – Phil would have loved to reach out and touch her, but he knew she would pull away, saying he was in her ‘personal bubble’. Still, he enjoyed being around her, or just anyone at the moment, because he’d had a truly awful day and he needed some comfort.

Linda had picked up their usual drinks on her way in, and she pushed his closer to him. He took a grateful sip of the caramel macchiato while she looked at him. She leaned closer, examining his face, and he inhaled, trying to catch the scent of her strawberry shampoo, but he couldn’t smell her over the overpowering aroma of coffee beans in the Starbucks. She leaned away after getting a good look at his eye. “Are you okay? How did you get a black eye?”

“It happened at work,” he explained, mentioning the stationary store. “I was on the register today and this customer went nuts on me. He tried to cut in line, saying he was in a hurry, and when I wouldn’t let him he grabbed a Terry’s chocolate orange off a display and threw it at my face.”

Her eyebrows knit together with concern, and the sight warmed his heart because he was very easy to please. “Poor baby. What happened next?”

Phil felt his cheeks get hot. “I might have sworn. Like, really. I cussed him out properly.”

“Oh,” she said, and he could tell from her expression that she’d figured out this wasn’t just an anecdote and that there might be some serious news coming. Linda asked, “Well, your manager understood, right? Anyone would swear at a customer under those circumstances.”

Phil frowned and broke eye contact. Unfortunately, Phil didn’t have an understanding manager and he wasn’t the best employee. While he was always cheerful and on time, he was naturally clumsy and he had knocked down so many displays that his manager had lost all patience with him. Also, this wasn’t just any customer. Phil explained, “No, Linda, I’m sorry. It didn’t go that way. This guy spends a lot of money in the shop, so when my manager came out of the back, things didn’t go well. The customer said I’d provoked him, and I admitted that I’d sworn at him…”

Linda sighed in disappointment. “Shit, Phil. Why do you never stand up for yourself?”

“I’m really sorry.” He tried to meet her eyes, but this time she looked away.

“You’re sorry because you were fired, aren’t you?” She sighed again.

He and Linda had been going out for about 6 months now, and Linda complained about her small apartment so often that they had recently started talking about her moving in, but the issue was that Phil could barely afford rent and Linda was still a full-time student. When he talked about living together, Linda said it wouldn’t make sense for her to move in when his finances were so unstable. He always assured her that it would be fine… it looked like Linda had been right. Knowing her answer, Phil insisted, “This doesn’t have to change anything. I’ll find another job. I’d still like you to move in.”

She shook her head. “Phil, do you even have anything in your savings right now?”

He bit his bottom lip before going on. “No. And actually…” He looks at the drink in his hands. He and Linda had an agreement: the person who arrives last at Starbucks picks up their drinks, and usually that was Linda. Since she was his girlfriend, he always handed her the cash for their drinks and whatever pastries they got while on their lunch date. Phil looked up, trying to be brave. “Actually, I don’t really have the money for even this. Could you please?”

Linda had been sipping her ice tea, but at his words she choked. Waving away his concern, she said, “Y-you’ve got to be kidding me!”

He blushed again. He remembered what she said earlier about sticking up for himself, and he wanted to remind her about how he paid to repair her car last month, about the concert tickets he’d bought her, and the restaurants he’d taken her to when he’d have been happy with pizza. Phil wasn’t bad with money, and he had enough to get by before he met Linda, but he stopped himself from saying this. He didn’t want to fight with her – he wanted her to make him feel better, so he said, “I’m really sorry.”

She gave her loudest sigh yet and shook her head. “I just don’t see how this is… I don’t see how we are…”

“What?” He asked. “What about us?”

“Phil, what happens next? With us? You’re seriously still talking about having a place together, but I’m picturing the next couple weeks. What if you can’t find another job? What do we do next?”

He shrugged. “Well, we won’t be able to go out to eat. I don’t want you to worry about me – I’ve lived off ramen noodles before. It’s going to be okay, Linda. As long as we have each other, I know it will be fine.”

“No.”

“What?”

She shook her head. “No, we won’t have each other. Phil, I can’t do this anymore.”

He spoke slowly, trying to process the situation. “You’re leaving me… because I’m broke?”

They stared at each other, and Phil thought that they must both be thinking about the same thing: how all she had to do was point at something at a shop window, and he would always buy it for her. She didn’t ask, but he would offer and she would accept. If love could be bought, that was what he had been desperately trying to do throughout their relationship, and she had been letting him try. This time, her cheeks were the ones that filled with a blush. “Are you calling me a whore who only was interested in your money?”

He just blinked.

“Fuck you,” she snapped, and before he saw her move he was hit in the face with her ice tea.

Phil spluttered in surprise as he tried to look at her, but the lenses of his glasses were wet and he could only tell that she had stood and was gathering her purse. “Linda, wait. I want to talk.”

“No. Maybe we’ll talk when you have you’re shit together, but until then leave me alone.” Before he could say anything else, he heard the bell on the door and he knew that she left.

He tried to clean his glasses with the napkins on the table, but the sugary tea was leaving a residue on the lenses. As Phil was debating going to the bathroom to clean his glasses, he heard a boom of thunder that was so loud it caused the glass in the window beside him to resonate with it. Looking out the window at the darkening view, he said under his breath, “Shi…ine a light.” After all, he’d caused enough trouble by swearing today.

Deciding to run for it before the rain started, Phil left the Starbucks after giving the busboy a quick apology for the mess that he and Linda made of the booth with the ice tea. Phil didn’t drive a car, so he would have to run the five blocks to his apartment.

He only made it three blocks before it started raining heavily. It was cold, and he had already been shivering from the ice tea that was soaking his t-shirt and pants. He was wearing a jacket, but it was thin and did not retain much warmth. Since his face was soaked, he didn’t realize he was crying until his chest started hitching with sobs. Phil looked around until he spotted a patch of dry pavement, which was under the awning of a restaurant that closed last month. They had taken their outdoor dining tables and chairs with them when they closed, so Phil slid to the ground and shivered, hoping that the rain would stop soon.

He wondered where Linda was now; probably warm at home since she had a car. He thought about what she said, how he should contact her once he had his life together, but Phil pushed the idea from his head. Today had been awful, and Linda didn’t help, so he wasn’t sure that he wanted her back, even if he did find a job and became financially stable like she wanted. He wanted warmth right now, and not just the lack of physical warmth that was making him tremble. He wanted someone to hold him, tell him that the awful things that happened today had happened for a reason, and that tomorrow would be better because he was a good person and he hadn’t done anything to deserve to feel like this.

“W-wow,” he said to himself, stuttering in the cold. He was hugging his knees to his chest as he tried to stop shaking. “I-I don’t miss Linda because wasn’t nice… and I’m comparing her to my mum. I-I should call… myself Oedipus.” Phil looked up. He liked making people laugh, and he forgot for a moment that he was alone and that no one was there to laugh at his stupid joke, but when he looked to his right he saw a boy sitting nearby. He hadn’t been there a moment ago. “Holy s—”

The boy, who had been smiling at him, flinched at Phil’s shocked exclamation. He looked skittish and like he wanted to run, but he let Phil take in his appearance. Phil noticed first that this wasn’t an ordinary boy, and for a moment he was tempted to wipe his rain-streaked glasses to see if he was seeing correctly, but no. His vision was fine. The boy had a long brown tail that was wrapped around his ankles – he was sitting with his knees pulled to his chest like Phil – and he had pointed brown cat ears that were prominently on display on his head, since his brown hair was sopping wet. Though Phil had never seen a Neko in real life, he knew this boy had to be one. They were very rare and he never expected to see one randomly in the street.

Nekos didn’t have the same rights as ordinary people, and as far as Phil knew all Nekos had owners or people who looked after them. Phil blinked for a moment at the Neko, expecting a person to materialize in a moment and claim him, but there was no one else around and the Neko just blinked solemnly back at him. Phil noticed a few more things during this silent exchange: the boy was young – a teenager maybe – and he was soaking wet. He had obviously been in the rain longer than Phil and his wet t-shirt was clinging to his thin frame.

Phil shifted to take off his damp jacket, and the Neko flinched again, and this time he seemed like he might run. His ears went flat against his head. “No, wait!” Phil said, extending the jacket. “Here, I just wanted to give you this.”

The Neko did not move to take it, and Phil wondered if he didn’t understand. He barely knew anything about Nekos, but he was pretty sure they could talk and understand speech. Then, he saw something in the boy’s chocolate-brown eyes. He was intelligent and he understood Phil, but he was suspicious. Phil extended the jacket further. “Please, take it. You’ll be helping me if you do. My mum told me that good things happen to people who do good things. I could use some good things about now, so you have to let me do this good deed.”

A slight smile returned to the Neko’s lips, and he accepted the jacket. He pulled it on and zipped it up to his chin, though he continued to shiver. His ears, which had been pushed back, shifted slightly forward. Then he closed his eyes, sagging against the wall and looking exhausted.

Phil looked at the sky to see that the rain was slowing and he was tempted to start walking home again, but he looked back to the Neko. “Hey, are you lost?” When the Neko just opened his eyes to blink at him, he asked, “Do you need help?”

Instead of answering, the boy shut his eyes again and he ignored Phil.

Phil frowned, unsure. He would like to help by offering more than a jacket, but he couldn’t force the boy to go with him. With a sigh, he got up, and the sound of his shoes on the pavement startled the Neko who suddenly looked very small as he huddled on the ground, trying to warm himself. “The rain is slowing down,” Phil said lamely with a gesture. “I’m… just going to go home now.”

The Neko continued to stare at him, but something had shifted in his eyes. He didn’t look so indifferent anymore; he looked scared. Phil got the feeling that the boy didn’t want to be alone.

Phil didn’t want to be alone, either. “I don’t live far from here. I hate the idea of going inside out of the rain and leaving you out here… I have food if you’re hungry.”

The Neko didn’t respond, but he looked pensive as he rubbed the fabric at the cuff of Phil’s jacket between his fingertips. His ears swiveled and twitched. There was no sound but the pattering of the rain on the pavement.

Finally, Phil looked away. He was shivering so badly without his jacket and he just wanted to get warm. Without continuing the one-sided conversation, he turned and started for home. He hadn’t gone a block when he turned at the sound of footsteps behind him and he saw that he was being followed by the hunched form of the Neko boy, and Phil smiled at him.

Continuing home, Phil worried that it was a bit dangerous to invite a stranger into his house, but then he pushed the thought away. This wasn’t the same as inviting a person in, since the boy wasn’t completely human. No, this was more like being followed home by a stray cat, and that wasn’t so scary.

#phan #phanfiction #phanfic #phandom #dan and phil #dan x phil #neko

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iloveyoulikekatsudon · 7 years

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Read it here on ao3: (http://archiveofourown.org/works/12590728)

It isn’t a well-known fact that Katsuki Yuuri knows how to bake.

Maybe that’s because a) Yuuri doesn’t particularly like sharing facts about himself, and b) he’s only done on a few occasions before. Those occasions being that time in college when he seriously thought he was going to fail in Macro-economics class, that time he waited three hours for a blind date before realizing he’s been stood up, and the time after he had just blown his then once-in-a-lifetime chance of competing in the Grand Prix Finals. There’s clearly an unspoken theme going on here.

And today, Yuuri’s baking again.

…It hasn’t been a good day. Clearly.

(Or a good week, if Yuuri is going to be honest, and at this point he’s simply too exhausted to be anything but honest with himself.)

It hasn’t been a good day, no.

If anything, it’s been the complete opposite of a good day, it’s been utterly terrible; Yuuri kept flubbing jumps left and right during practice—enough times that Yurio didn’t bother to cackle at him anymore and actually looked kind of concerned at the end. He’d forgotten to pick up groceries like Victor had reminded him to do, he tripped on a crack on the sidewalk on the way home and gave himself a bruised knee, and tonight, he somehow managed to fuck up their dinner.

I made Victor burnt chicken breast, Yuuri remembers and resists the urge to bang his head against the kitchen counter. He settles for pounding the doughy mixture in front of him harshly.

Honestly, the only other reason Yuuri’s even stressbaking (is that a word? It better be. Yuuri’s too done with things to care about whether it’s a word or not) is because he wanted to make it up to Victor.

Which is proving to be impossible now, because things seem to be going very wrong very quickly for Yuuri, and the dough won’t cooperate. It remains clumpy and goo-like, regardless of the amount of flour Yuuri keeps adding to keep it from sticking.

This is it, Yuuri thinks darkly as he kneads and kneads and kneads the stupid dough, this is how Victor’s going to kick me out of his house. I’m going to be baking him shitty bread after burning dinner and he’s going to break up with me. I’ll be homeless in Russia and my fiancé will leave me and I won’t be able to see Makkachin again—

His glasses slip down from the bridge of his nose and falls lens first, right into the sticky mess of dough.

Yuuri stares at it for a moment, and then forces himself to take a slow breath. He just can’t do anything right, can he? He messed up. He messed up again, for the millionth time today, and no matter how many chances he’s given, Yuuri won’t be able to make it any better because he’s such a sad, pathetic—

“Yuuri.”

Yuuri turns, hands clenched and lips pursed, and sees Victor coming out of the bedroom while glancing at the glasses stuck in the dough. It makes Yuuri’s face burn in humiliation, being caught in the act of messing up. Victor looks slightly amused but mostly worried, which says a lot about what Victor thinks about this situation. He offers Yuuri a tired smile as he comes close. “My, my. What happened here?”

“Nothing,” Yuuri snaps before he can help himself and immediately feels like the world’s biggest asshole when Victor blinks in surprise. “Sorry,” he says and shakes his head, looking down to his hands and away from Victor. The supposed-to-be apology dough looks like it’s mocking him. “I meant it’s fine. Everything’s fine. My glasses just slipped, is all.”

“Oh,” Victor says, and then grins. “I’ll clean it for you.”

“No need.” Yuuri picks up his glasses with a plan to set it aside only Victor beats him to it, plucking the dirty glasses out of Yuuri’s hand.

Yuuri sighs. “Victor—”

“Let me,” Victor insists and kisses Yuuri’s cheek as he passes by him on the way to the sink. Yuuri watches as Victor thoroughly rinses the dough off the lenses and the frame, before using the hem of his shirt to wipe the glasses dry.

There’s something in the way he does it that makes Yuuri’s heart hurt—Victor dries it meticulously, carefully, like Yuuri’s glasses are just as important to him as Yuuri is.

Finally, Victor inspects the glasses, deems it good enough, and walks toward Yuuri with a satisfied grin.

“You didn’t have to,” Yuuri half-heartedly protests.

“I wanted to,” Victor hums back. He stops right in front of Yuuri to put his glasses for him, sliding it on with utmost care. There’s a tiny smile on his lips as he does so. “There. All clean.”

“Thanks,” Yuuri says and then proceeds to push his glasses up with a dough-covered hand. Yuuri stops breathing. He freezes, horrified, and shuts his eyes tight in regret. “Oh, god, I’m sorry—”

Victor huffs out a laugh, taking off the glasses again.

Yuuri has half a mind to stop him. “Victor, I’m so sorry—please don’t, just leave it—”

“Let me,” Victor repeats on the way back to the sink, turning a deaf ear to Yuuri’s words. With his back to Yuuri and his expression indecipherable, Victor opens the tap. “It’s okay,” He says, even though Yuuri knows it’s anything but.

As Victor rinses his glasses for the second time around, Yuuri turns back to the dough with a grimace. It’s already becoming more like dough and less like batter, but Yuuri is pretty sure he used too much flour now and the bread will end up dry. So much for an apology bread, Yuuri thinks, crestfallen. He resumes kneading it anyway, trying to salvage what he can and ignoring the frustration that’s welling up within him.

Not even an hour with Victor again and he’s already made a douchebag and an idiot of himself. Yuuri thinks of all the messes he caused throughout the day and swallows heavily. Though he’s been so patient and so sweet, surely Victor is sick of having to clean up after him all the time?

Yuuri can almost see it—just one more mistake, one more slip up, and Victor will frown instead of laugh, will finally reach the end of his patience and drop the smile he’s been putting on for Yuuri. Victor will finally stop saying that it’s okay.

If Yuuri’s lucky, maybe Victor will just leave him alone until he can get his shit together.

If not, maybe Victor will leave for good, maybe he’ll realize that this was a mistake, that being with Yuuri is a mistake, since he’s clearly unable to do even the smallest things properly—

“Yuuri!”

Yuuri startles and looks up. Victor marches in front of him again, smiling proudly as he holds up Yuuri’s clean glasses. He stays perfectly still as Victor slides his glasses on, tucking it carefully behind his ears. When Victor grins, bright and loving, Yuuri suddenly gets a very real fear of touching his glasses again, or having them fall again, making them dirty once more after all the effort Victor exerted to clean them.

Yuuri’s heart sinks to his gut. Knowing his luck today, he’s bound to commit a mistake. Victor is bound to end up disappointed in him.

“You didn’t have to clean it,” Yuuri mutters just as much, looking tiredly at Victor, and hopes Victor understands the apology behind his words. “It’s just going to get dirty again.”

Yuuri half-expects Victor to roll his eyes, or at least to say, “I know.”

Instead, Victor’s smile melts into something tender. He looks at Yuuri, cradling his face in his hands, and brushes the hair away from Yuuri’s eyes fondly.

“Then I’ll clean it again,” Victor says, soft and sincere, like it’s a promise, a love confession, instead of a casual reassurance. His fingers curl themselves around Yuuri’s nape, playing with the dark hair. He leans forward to press a kiss on Yuuri’s forehead. “However many times you need.”

Yuuri stares at him, at a loss for what to say.

He glances down at Victor’s warm hands against his cheeks, holding him as if he’s something worth taking care of, as if Yuuri is worth all the effort in the world despite everything he’s done wrong. Yuuri’s chest aches with something he can’t name. He looks back up at Victor’s lovely ocean eyes.

“Really?” Yuuri whispers quietly, hands trembling.

Victor’s smile crumbles apart in confusion and worry alike. “Yuuri?” he asks.

There’s a tight lump of emotion forming in Yuuri’s throat. It’s difficult to breathe, all of a sudden. Yuuri blinks, once, twice, and then Victor becomes a blur and there are tears falling down his face, fogging up his glasses, and he’s crying inside Victor’s hold before he realizes it.

“W-Would you r-really?” Yuuri hiccups again.

“Yuuri,” Victor breathes out as he tries to wipe away the tears with his thumb. “Of course! Anything for you, love. I’d clean them a million times.”

Yuuri chokes on a relieved sob, and closes his eyes tightly, feeling lost and broken and fixed all at once.

Victor is so sweet and kind and wonderful that some days, Yuuri still doesn’t believe he deserves this man. Still can’t believe that this isn’t some dream that’ll end as soon as he makes a mistake, but somehow Victor always finds a way to prove him wrong.

It’s a mess again.

Yuuri’s a giant mess. There’s flour and sticky batter everywhere, his glasses are probably dirty again, and the dough still refuses to be a perfectly smooth dough and goodness, this isn’t what Yuuri thought would happen at all.

But then there’s Victor pulling him closer until Yuuri is safe and warm in a hug, gentle hands rubbing soothing circles on his back and Victor’s low voice whispering reassurances in his ear, and it’s better than anything Yuuri could have imagined. Victor smells like aftershave and freshly laundered clothes and feels so much like home that Yuuri doesn’t ever want to be anywhere but inside his arms. Yuuri’s so tired. God, he’s so, so tired.

“Thank you,” Yuuri manages to croak out as he holds on and hides his face against Victor’s shoulder. “Thank you, thank you.”

“It’s okay,” Victor soothes, kissing his hair, kissing his temple, kissing Yuuri wherever he can reach, “I’ve got you, honey. I’ve got you.”

They reach a standstill with Yuuri’s face plastered against Victor’s shirt and Victor with his mouth pressed into Yuuri’s hair, both of them breathing slowly, quiet and soft in the middle of the kitchen. The tears stop soon and make Yuuri’s eyes feel sore and tired but god does it feel cathartic to let it out.

Finally, Yuuri shifts in place and raises his head just a little, enough to look at Victor. “Thank you,” he says again, breaking the silence.

“Anytime, solnyshko. I’m here for you.” Victor glances down at Yuuri and smiles. Then, as if remembering something, he furrows his eyebrows. “Is this about the glasses?” Victor asks seriously, still confused about the situation. “Because you know, it really isn’t a big deal to me. I’ll clean them for you every day if it’s what you want, Yuuri. Are they being a hassle? Should I buy you contacts instead—”

Yuuri barks out a wet laugh, blinking wetness away from his eyelashes. There he goes again. How can Victor turn such simple words into the most touching statements and do it with a straight face?

“Is it about the glasses?” Victor asks insistently, a hint of whining making its way to his voice the more Yuuri grins at him. “Yuuri. Yuuri, Yuuri, Yuuuuuriiii, answer meeeee.”

Yuuri shakes his head, smiling a real smile for the first time since the day began, and pulls Victor down for a proper kiss. They taste like tears and flour but Yuuri can feel the adoration from the Victor presses in for more, lips soft and hands warm as he curls around Yuuri out of habit.

When they part, Yuuri lets out a sigh and rests his forehead against Victor’s. “It’s not the glasses,” Yuuri tells with a smile that says it doesn’t matter anymore, “but I’m okay now. Thank you for asking anyway. You’re too sweet.”

“Not true,” Victor defends, even as he cuddles Yuuri impossibly closer. Yuuri laughs. “I’m the right amount of sweet.”

Yuuri grins. “Too sweet,” he whispers.

In response, Victor kisses him again until they’re both laughing and covered in flour and dough and Yuuri has never felt happier.

(Later, Yuuri will still bake the stupid dough and it will still come out as a stupid, dry bread. But Victor will exclaim “Wow!” and take pictures of it to post on his Instagram anyway as they cuddle on the couch with Makkachin, so for now, Yuuri simply smiles and lets it go.)

this fic is inspired by this fan art (http://haedraulics.tumblr.com/post/164235525655/its-not-about-the-glasses-hc-that-victor) by haedraulics who is an awesome artist. Thank you so much for giving me the permission to write a fic for your art! <3

#yoi #yoi fic #victuuri #haedraulics #victor nikiforov #yuuri katsuki #in which Yuuri's glasses are a metaphor for his heart #and Victor fixes both

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d0gdaze · 7 years

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Also on AO3

Chapters: 1 . 2 . 3 . 4 . 5 . 6 . 7 . 8 . 9 . (ongoing)

Reddie / Stenbrough

Word Count: 2599

Summary: Eddie Kaspbrak is set up on a date with a friend of a friend, and this Tozier guy is a hot mess. || Stan has feelings. Bill is confused. Long and angsty and may or may not contain a roadtrip. AU - no IT. Characters are 17/18. Set in early nineties. More film based but contains elements from the miniseries and the book.

-Chapter 1-

Eddie Kaspbrak stood in front of his bathroom mirror, studying his reflection with a nervous and rather intense look plastered on his face. His hair was carefully parted and styled, not a single hair out of place.

He was wearing a light grey button-up shirt that had been pristinely ironed, sleeves rolled neatly to his elbows and the end tucked into black dress-pants, with a leather belt tying it all together. His shoes were polished to the point where you could see your reflection in them. You would think they were brand new if you saw them, he only ever wore them during special occasions, such as weddings or the sparse few times a year he went to church. There was an undone bow-tie hanging over the edge of the sink, and he had been debating with himself whether or not to wear it. He didn't want to look like he was trying too hard, and seeing as the rest of his attire had probably crossed that line already, he finally decided against it.

His watch beeped, snapping him out of a trance that he wasn't aware he was in. He looked down at his wrist and realised he had been standing in the bathroom, distracted by his own reflection, for over an hour. Lucky for him, he had decided to get ready two hours before he had to leave the house, and he still had about half an hour left to prepare.

He swung the mirror open revealing a meticulously organised cabinet, shelves stocked with an entire pharmacy's worth of pill bottles, tubes, and boxes, all labelled with complicated medical jargon. Even Eddie wasn't entirely sure what some of them did, but he knew that he needed them, or at least would need them at some point. He grabbed a rectangular blue container from the lowest shelf. It had seven small compartments, each printed with a letter corresponding with a day of the week. S M T W T F S. Through the plastic you could see each compartment was filled with six or seven pills of varying shaped and colours. He flipped open the lid labelled with an 'F', for Friday, and threw them, two at a time, into his mouth. He dry-swallowed them all with ease.

He put the container back in it's rightful place on the shelf and shut the cabinet. He took a deep breath in, looking at his reflection with his chest puffed out and shoulders tall. He almost admired how he looked in this position, trying to re-imagining himself as taller, buffer, like some of the guys he saw in the locker rooms at school. But that admiration disappeared, as quickly as it arrived, as he exhaled and his shoulders dropped, back into a slight slouch. He huffed and shook his head a little, deciding that envying other men's body types wouldn't do him much good, and turned to the door, making sure to grab his inhaler from the side of the sink before he left the bathroom and shuffled down the hallway to his bedroom.

4.59 pm.

Eddie stood at his front door, his hand hovering over the doorknob, staring at his watch, counting the seconds down until it would read 5.00 pm, when he would leave his house and walk to Bill Denbrough's house, and he would get there by 5.10 pm, which gave him plenty of time to talk to Bill before 5.30 pm, when Bill's 'friend', who was a complete stranger to Eddie, would supposedly come and pick him up and take him on this 'date', that had been set up, much to Eddie's dismay.

Apparently, at some point during the last couple of months, the members of his friend group had decided that Eddie needed to loosen up and meet new people. They had attempted to get him a date several times before, but Eddie had absolutely refused, freaked out, or cancelled, each time without fail. It took a hell of a lot of persuasion but they finally got him to agree to something, a movie date with one of Bill's old friends that he had never met before – as long as 1. someone else came with them and 2. this person wasn't too rowdy. Bill assured him that he had nothing to worry about.

So the plan was made that they would go to the Aladdin, and Eddie and this stranger would sit together, and Bill, Stan, and Beverly would sit two rows behind them. Eddie figured that he wouldn't have to talk to this person too much if they were in a cinema, as long as they had decent manners, and that he could lean back on the other's for support if he got too nervous. He also figured he could easily say he was going to the bathroom and leave if he needed too.

When he saw his watch flash 5.00pm, he opened to door and stepped out, shouting out a cheerful 'Goodbye!' to his mother, who he assumed had probably fallen asleep in front of the tv. Shutting the door behind him he set off, turning left on the footpath and heading towards Bill's house. He had known Bill since they were 7, and Eddie reckoned he could have navigate his way to Bill's house with his eyes closed (although he would never actually try).

He arrived exactly when he planned that he would, 5.10pm. His heart started racing faster as he walked up the driveway. He put his hand in his pocket and gripped his inhaler, not taking it out, but just reassuring himself that it was there. He knocked on the front door 3 times. It swung open within a few seconds, and Beverly beamed when she saw him.

“You look so good!” she exclaimed, and Eddie frowned, and dropped his gaze.

“Shut up,” he mumbled, pushing past her as she giggled. He made his way to the living room, where Bill and Stan were on the couch, Bill laying with his feet over Stan's lap. Their heads shot up as he entered the room with his arms crossed over his chest, Beverly in tow. Stan smiled almost as wide as Beverly did, and Bill wolf-whistled, receiving a very annoyed look from Eddie.

“You clean up real nice,” Stan said, pushing Bill's legs off of his lap and walking over. “He's gonna be blown away for sure!”

“Yeah, for sh-sure,” Bill perked up, nodding his head enthusiastically.

“Whatever, I just want to get it over with.” Eddie's face started to turn red, already regretting that he agreed to do this. He wasn't made for this kind of thing! He was too paranoid, too awkward. He always had been. There was a reason he had never been on an actual date before his friends started setting him up. He hadn't even kissed anyone, for gods sake. He just didn't have the charm that people who go on dates and have relationships seemed to have. All his friends had had boyfriends and girlfriends and made out with people at parties and been flirted with by kids at school, but he never had. Everyone just, overlooked him. And if he was honest with himself, he didn't really mind it. Being alone. It meant that he could focus on things that were more important.

They heard a vehicle with a very loud and assumably very old engine pull up at the front of the house. When the engine stopped, it was replaced by hard rock music, playing just as loud. Eddie's stomach dropped, and he prayed to god that it didn't belong to his date, that he would not have to get in whatever car sounded like that.

“No way, is R-richie actually early f-for once?” Bill jumped up and ran to the front door, and Stan followed.

Beverly looked over at Eddie, her smile quickly fading as she saw his face. He had gone white as a ghost, and she could see his hands visibly shaking.

“I'm gonna be sick,” Eddie whispered, and sprinted around the corner to the bathroom. Beverly went after him, seeing him slam the bathroom door and lock it. She waited a moment, then gently knocked on the door.

“Hey, you okay?” she asked, genuinely worried. She knew he would be nervous, but not like this. He didn't reply, instead she heard the telltale hiss of his inhaler. “Just, stay there Eddie, I'll go talk to the boys.” She heard a very faint “okay”, and headed back out to the front of the house where the others were having a cheerful reunion.

“Beverly Marsh, you fucking beautiful creature.”

Leaning up against a rusted, beaten, maroon coloured pick-up truck, and much taller and rougher than she remembered, was Richie Tozier, wearing ripped jeans, combat boots, white t-shirt, and a black denim jacket littered with patches that had been haphazardly sewn on. His hair was almost down to his shoulders, sticking out wildly in all directions. She might not have even recognised him if it weren't for the thick frame glasses, being held together by several pieces of tape, the lenses magnifying his eyes just as they always did.

“Richie,” she laughed, and ran towards him, enveloping him in a hug. He picked her up and swung her around with ease. “It's been far too long.” He really towered over her, she had to actually crane her neck to look at his face. Probably a whole head taller than Stan and Bill.

“Sure has gorgeous,” Richie replied, looking at her face with absolute awe. “so anyway, where's my future husband?” He winked at Bill, who looked back towards the house.

“Where'd he go, Bev?” he asked.

“He's, uh, having a panic attack in the bathroom.” Bev said, suddenly sounding quite serious. Richie looked concerned.

“Don't worry, he's just nervous, He'll calm down soon.” Stan reassured.

SHIT SHIT SHIT FUCK SHIT SHIT

Eddie was pacing back and forth in the bathroom, gripping his inhaler tightly in his hand, sure he would either break it or it would leave a bruise. His shirt had become untucked and his hair was messed up from him running his hands through it several times. He really didn't want to do this. He wanted to go home, have a shower, go to bed, forget about this whole thing. Surely they would let him go home. They would have to, if they saw him like this.

He heard knocking on the door again.

“Hey Eddie, can you let me in?”

Beverly.

There was a moment of silence as he debated whether or not to answer.

“It's just me, the others are still out front.”

Eddie hesitated at the door, running his fingers over the lock. After about a minute he unlocked it, and opened the door to face Beverly, who looked relieved when she saw him, but still worried.

She stepped in and closed the door behind her, and then wrapped her arms around him. She leant her face into his hair. “Sorry,” his voice was muffled against her shoulder.

“Don't be, it's alright. He'll understand if you don't want to go.”

Eddie's breathing settled down, as well as his heartbeat. He stepped away from Beverly, starting to feel a lot better.

“No, I-” he kicked himself for what he was saying. “I'll go. I promised I would.”

Beverly's face lit up. “Let's fix you up a bit first, though.” He nodded, and flashed her a small smile.

Beverly helped him get his hair looking neat again, and he fidgeted with his clothes in front of the mirror until he thought he looked presentable enough.

“All good?” she asked him before she opened the door. He took a deep breath and then nodded at her, and she turned and walked out into the hallway.

Eddie allowed himself one last glance in the mirror before he followed her out.

Bill, Stan, and Richie were standing in the kitchen when Beverly emerged from the hallway.

“Just be nice,” she said quietly as she leaned against the bench next to Richie.

“No worries,” he replied with a smirk.

Eddie slowly stepped out of the hallway and into view, and stood with his arms folded, his eyes immediately locking onto Beverly, who nodded slightly at him, assuring him it was okay. He looked at Bill and Stan, both of whom still looked quite worried. He put off looking at the fourth person there for as long as he could. He could see through peripheral vision that they were wearing mostly black and that they probably hadn't had a haircut in years. When he did look up at Richie's face, he saw him staring, bewildered, with a crooked, goofy smile on his face. He was also 6 foot fucking tall. Eddie felt queasy in his stomach. Half of him wanted to run straight back into the bathroom and lock the door and never come out. The other half wanted to do that as well but was trying not to want that. Trying to be brave.

“Hi,” Richie finally perked up after a few long moments of silence. “Richie Tozier.” He took a step forward and reached his hand towards Eddie, who noticed that his fingernails had been coloured black, but not like his mother's nail polish. More like he had done it with a permanent marker.

Now that he was closer, the height difference between the two was much more amusing. Eddie was only five foot four. He barely came up to Richie's shoulders.

Eddie shook Richie's hand, feeling pretty intimidated by this person looming over him like a grungy skyscraper.

“Eddie,” he said, although it came out in more of a whisper. Richie smirked at this.

“Eddie,” he repeated, to himself mostly, “it's cute.”

Eddie felt his face go hot, flustered, still staring at Richie with a kind of awe-struck horror.

The three in the kitchen noticed this and Bill decided to interrupt.

“W-we should leave or w-we'll miss the m-m-movie.”

Richie swung around. “Right you are, my man! Off we go!” He turned his head to Eddie and offered his arm. “M'lord?”

Eddie looked at his arm, up to his face, and then back at his arm, looking alarmed and confused. He hesitantly linked his arm through, and Richie beamed. They walked out the front to his truck, Bill, Stan, and Beverly in tow, and Richie opened the passenger side door, bowing exaggeratively, motioning for Eddie to get in.

Eddie looked at the vehicle, disgusted. No way he was getting in that thing.

Richie stood up, obviously a little confused. “You okay?” he asked. “Don't worry, I cleaned the inside of it, Bill said you don't like much mess so,”

“It's fine.” Eddie said, coming out more harshly than he intended. He took a deep breath, and got in. Richie carefully closed the door, smiling through the window. Eddie flashed him a smile back.

The other three piled into the back, basically having to sit on top of each other, and Richie walked around to the drivers side and got in.

Beverly leaned forward and put her hand on Eddie's shoulder, and he reached up and squeezed her hand for a second, the they both dropped their hands in their laps. “Ready to go guys?” Richie asked enthusiastically. The three in the back replied with an excited 'yes!'. Richie turned to Eddie, who nodded at him, smiling properly for the first time. Richie's heart melted a little, then turned the keys in the ignition, the engine roaring to life, music blasting out the radio, and off they went down the road.

160 notes · View notes

mama-m1na · 5 years

Text

Into the Jungle: Chapter 1

~~~I~~~

“And the winners of the challenge are Kerstin Vera, Sophie Maki, Jack Cole, and Rhamina Miyu!” an announcer over the series of speakers in the fake jungle.

“Wait, what the fuck?!” a Filipino with dark brown, almost black, hair exclaimed as she walked in the direction of the exit with a white female with brown hair and a British male with curly blonde hair.

“Kerstin, did you even know she was still in the game?” the white female asked hearing the name of one of her friends, “We didn’t see her at all.”

“Yeah, I thought she dropped out in the first night,” the male added as they made it past the trees to the door only to see the ravenette whose name was called out along with theirs.

“Mina!” Kerstin exclaimed looking at her sibling who looked much cleaner compared to the other three covered in dirt, “How the fuck do you look so clean after a week in here?!”

“I’ll explain it to you guys later,” she replied, “I’m honestly so surprised I fucking lasted.”

Upon entering the building they were led to luxury bathrooms to wash up before meeting with the hosts of the competition.

In the states of California, Washington, New York, Maine, Florida, Texas, and Nebraska the government was holding competitions of wilderness survival in order to recruit people to go to the continent of Pandora for research purposes.

For an unknown reason the competition was only offered to ages fifteen to seventeen.

Sophie, oldest out of the four winners, barely made the age cut due to her birthday being in July.

Kerstin, the younger Filipino, was in the safe zone as she was sixteen and her birthday wasn’t until September 1st.

Jack, the British male, had just turned seventeen a month prior.

Rhamina, the ravenette as well as the older Filipino female, turned seventeen in March, two months before the competition started.

For the challenge in California, the contestants were left in a fake jungle and had to survive on their own for a week.

Those who had a pitfall were taken out before anything fatal could happen and contestants could leave at any time, they just had to click a button on a device each of them were given.

Once they were finished, Rhamina’s long black hair was left down to fall to her upper thighs, golden brown skin practically glowing other than the spots of slight discoloration in her face and her various scars, the gold flecks in her brown irises sparkled as she shifted in the lights of the building. She wore a white, loose fitting, tank top with some text she didn’t bother to remember, bleached, denim shorts that ended mid thigh, and brown combat boots which her heeled.

Kerstin’s dark brown hair was tied up into a ponytail with bangs left out to frame her face, brown irises enhanced by the plum colored eyeshadow she used, and light brown skin finally clean after a week of the ‘wilderness’. She wore a pair of leggings and a hoodie with some random brand on it.

Jack’s blonde curls were smoothed down from still being damp and his blue irises hidden behind the transition lenses that sat on his nose. He wore a white t-shirt and jeans with a dirty pair of black sneakers.

Sophie’s brown curls were also damp at the moment and her brown irises looked tired as they all were. She wore a pair of grey sweatpants, a white tank top with printed cherries on them, and a slightly oversized denim jacket to go over it all.

“So, I’m guessing Sam went home already,” Kerstin began as she waited her phone to charge with the portable battery she brought while they were being led somewhere.

“She called it quits about two days ago,” Rhamina said as she did the same.

“Oh, so you were with her?” Sophie asked, “I thought we weren’t allowed to team.”

“We weren’t I just saw her very clearly from my spot.”

When the four teens were led into a large meeting room they were greeted by the smiling face of the host of the challenge.

He was an older white man with brown hair which was beginning to grey. He wore a cream colored suit as he gestured for the four to take a seat across from him.

As soon as the four sat down cups of either coffee or tea were placed in front of them as the man said, “Congratulations on your win you all have shown great promise for going to Pandora!”

“But before we get into that let’s go over why you all won,” he said as small tablets appeared in front of each of the teens.

“First up, Kerstin,” he started as a video of Kerstin with a spear she made appeared on the tablet, “You have exceptional hunting skills and can somehow start a good fire in less than a minute.”

“Hell yeah, I can,” the brunette smirked as she took a sip of the milk tea in front of her.

“Next, Jack,” a video of Jack in a tree began to play on the tablets as the man continued, “Not only have you managed to survive mostly up in the trees, but you know the plants quite well.”

“I was a boy scout,” he replied before taking a sip from his coffee.

“Alright and onto Sophie,” the video then displayed the female going into a shelter hidden in the trunk of one of the larger trees, “You have managed to stay hidden for quite a while in this game of ours.”

“Hey, gotta do what you gotta do.”

“And last but not least, Rhamina,” he sighed as a video of her walking through a waterfall played, “You were the only contestant to find this space and thereby were the only one able to stay completely hidden the entire week.”

“Mina, what the fuck?” Kerstin asked watching the video, “There wasn’t anything there. I checked that shit on day two.”

“You checked the sides,” the ravenette explained as a blueprint for the water fall appeared, “The sides were flush against the water but the middle was hollow and was an entrance to a cave with ventilation. The waterfall let me hide the smoke from my fire and dispose of my trash.”

“So that’s why you were clean,” Sophie groaned realizing to enter and exit the ravenette would have to get wet.

“I would’ve done the tree thing, but bugs plus long hair equals huge mess,” Rhamina chuckled before taking a sip of the peach tea.

“That’s not the only thing we noticed during our observations though,” the male continued as a video of a contestant walking through the jungle played, “We noticed you’re also quite adept at hunting man.”

“What?”

The video continued as the person was tackled to the ground by a figure in black before they stood up to reveal the other contestant still on the ground but bound by rope.

The figure in black then went through the pack of the other before taking a few items and turning slightly towards the camera to see the face of Rhamina.

“Mina!” Sophie exclaimed as the video continued with the ravenette touching the other contestant’s neck causing them to stop struggling before she cut them free with them still not moving.

“What? They said we couldn’t team they didn’t say we couldn’t take. Plus it was Mari,” the ravenette shrugged watching as she booked it away before the other began to sluggishly get up and look around before the video ended.

“What the fuck was that?” Jack asked still looking at the tablet.

“What the fuck was what?” Rhamina asked lazily.

“Why did she just stop moving for a few minutes?”

“Pressure point,” Rhamina stated before taking another sip of tea, “Paralyzed her for two minutes so I could get away.”

“Your skill set would be important for defending yourselves against the natives of Pandora,” the man continued, “They’ve been getting more aggressive for no reason over the past few years but that’s if we let them get to you.”

“Now about those contracts,” he started as folders were given to each of them, “It’s a three year gig, but it will count as college credit for all of you but you will be paid big for this and once you come back you’ll already be ahead of others in your class.”

As he continued talking Rhamina was looking over the contracts and found him basically reciting everything word for word which she found perfect and considerate as they weren’t trying to put any hidden loopholes which would have been used to take advantage of them that she could see.

By the end all four of them signed and they each shook hands with the male as he said, “Great to have you four on board. My people will be by in a month to pick you all up for departure.”

With their things and copies of the contracts the group of four were all driven to their homes in Temecula, California so they could rest and prepare.

The following day Rhamina and Kerstin met up with their sister who had dropped out of the competition at the mall.

“Both of you guys made it? Holy shit!” she squealed in happiness wrapping her arms around both of them, “Congratulations!”

Both of the Filipino girls let out a chuckle at their Mexican sister’s excitement before Rhamina said, “We’re leaving for Pandora next month.”

“How long are you guys going to be gone?” she asked as they sat in the food court.

“Three years,” Kerstin replied as she picked at her food, “But we’ll have connection so we can still talk to each other while we’re there.”

“Fuck, well we better hang out a lot before you guys leave,” Sam said taking a sip of her drink.

“Yeah, so we down for watching a shitty horror movie then?” Kerstin asked, “La Llorona is playing in about an hour.”

“Sam, it’s a horror movie about your culture,” Rhamina chuckled drinking her Thai Tea.

“It’s a fucking white washed version,” the emerald-eyed female with glasses hissed, “But I’m down to watch it.”

As the females spent the day together the two Filipinos were getting quite a bit of attention since the announcement of their win was aired on the news.

At around six in the afternoon the girls were about to head to Sam’s house for a sleepover until she stopped in front of a Pandora store.

“Hey, we should get matching bracelets,” the brunette suggested while looking into the store.

“Are you sure?” Rhamina asked, “It’s a good idea but Pandora bracelets are a bit pricey.”

“We don’t have to get big shit it can just be the bracelet and a charm to start off with,” Kerstin chuckled pulling the ravenette into the store along with Sam and herself.

After a bit of browsing around the woman sitting behind the counter asked, “Did you three do the Survival Challenge?”

“Uh, yeah, why?” Sam asked as she looked at a green charm.

“I thought I knew you girls from somewhere, you three have great skill,” she chuckled, “Tell you what anything you want from here is 50% off.”

“No, you don’t have to do that,” Rhamina said in shock at the offer.

“No, it’s fine, this is my store after all,” the woman chuckled.

Reluctantly, the ravenette went back to browsing the bracelets and charms around the store.

In the end each female got only a bracelet with the letters ‘K.M.S.’ engraved into the end caps since they couldn’t decide on the charms they wanted. The letters were an inside joke and stood for ‘Kerstin. Sam. Mina.’

Each girl wore their bracelet on their left wrist and left the store happy as they could possibly be.

The following Monday the four winners of the competition were called into the councilor’s office before classes started.

When they arrived they saw a woman dressed in an army uniform talking to their councilor.

“Hello, Kids,” the woman greeted, “I’m Maria Cara, I’ll be training you four to survive Pandora.

“It was really lucky that you all were in the same school,” she chuckled looking at the uniform clad teens, “I’m hoping you can at least work together well.”

“So, your schedules will be different from now on,” the counselor began as she handed the four students new schedules, “On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays you will be training with Mrs. Cara and on Tuesdays and Thursdays will be your regular classes.”

“That being said I was hoping to start today, but since you don’t have athletic wear then-” “Actually we do,” Rhamina interjected, “Kerstin, Sophie, and I have extra clothes in the band room.”

“And I have my P.E. clothes in the locker room,” Jack added putting a smile on the woman’s face.

“Well then, be dressed and meet me down on the blacktop when the bell rings,” the woman said before dismissing the group.

After changing Rhamina wore black leggings with a fine mesh wrapping around both legs and a light colored, loose tank top with a sports bra underneath with teal running shoes.

Kerstin wore a form hugging sweater with a pair of red shorts and her white Filas.

Sophie wore a black crop top and black leggings accompanied by grey slip on walking shoes.

Jack just wore the baggy grey shirt and navy blue shorts which was the school P.E. uniform and a pair of blue and white running shoes.

When they met the woman she was wearing her black leggings and a black tank top.

“Since this is the first day and you don’t have water with you I’ll go easy,” she started once the kids got there, “So take a warm up lap to the back softball field and come back so we can get started.”

Immediately the females groaned at the thought of running but reluctantly began what they were told to do as Jack just dashed ahead.

As they were coming back Kerstin let out a screech as she began to walk with Jack as Sophie and Rhamina kept jogging.

Their throats were getting dry and they were jogging slowly but they jogged the rest of the way back.

Rhamina immediately placed her hands on her head and began to time her breaths, in for four and out for four, after realizing she had forgotten to do so while running.

‘Fuck, it’s been a long while since I’ve even done any running,’ she thought as the three waited for Kerstin and Jack.

“Come on!” Maria exclaimed towards the two who were still walking, “If you were being chased by an animal you would be dead by now!”

They heard another screech from Kerstin before she began jogging once again next to Jack.

“Alright,” Maria stated once everyone had returned before turning to Sophie and Rhamina, “Good job you two on jogging the whole way but you both need to speed it up.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” Rhamina wheezed, still trying to catch her breath earning an approving nod from the military woman before she turned to the other two.

“Kerstin, you have a good initial speed but you need to keep it up,” she said to the wheezing Filipino, “and Jack you were holding back. Comradery is nice but for now I need to see where you all are individually.”

“Take some water and do some stretches,” Maria said, “We’ll get started in ten minutes.”

It was a long four hours before lunch when the four were allowed to change out and enjoy their thirty minute break.

“Fuck me!” Rhamina groaned in one of the practice rooms of the band room as she changed with Kerstin and Sophie, “That was fucking hell. Today is the day I forget a hair tie.”

“Yeah, that fucking sucked,” Sophie commented as the ravenette looked through her bag, “I’m going to be sore tomorrow.”

“No joke,” Kerstin added before Rhamina let out a cry of agony.

“I forgot my lunch!”

“Do you want me to get you something?” Sophie asked, “I get free lunch everyday.”

“Yes, please,” the ravenette groaned before standing and bringing her things with her outside where she sat in their usual corner.

After about five minutes a shorter Filipino female came around with brown hair and in set her things down in front of the ravenette.

“Mina! Hoot!”

“Chloe, I’m dying,” she groaned while leaning her head back on the wall behind her.

“Mina, why?!” Chloe asked in concern while struggling to sit on the ground.

“Training fucking sucks!”

“Training for what?” a male voice asked as the females looked up to see a Vietnamese male with fluffy dark hair.

“Pandora.”

“You were one of the winners of the competition?” the male asked as he sat down earning a nod from the ravenette, “Congratulations.”

“Did you compete too?” Rhamina asked.

“Yeah, but I dropped out the third night,” he said, “I was running low on food.”

“Oof,” was all she could say before Sophie and Kerstin returned with food.

The Greek female handed a chicken sandwich and turnip sticks to the female who proceeded to open it and pour the included ranch into the sandwich before taking a bite.

“Oh, Mina, pudding,” Chloe said handing the ravenette a vanilla pudding cup and a plastic spoon earning an excited noise from her.

After lunch the Rhamina, Sophie, Kerstin, and Jack went up to the second story of the office into the conference room to see Maria and a powerpoint set up behind her.

“Welcome, to the second part of training,” she introduced while gesturing at the powerpoint, “Informational training.”

“Now to start off Pandora is almost like another planet,” she said while tapping the smart board and the image changed to a landscape with glowing and strange looking plants like straight out of a video game.

After a thirty minute lecture about the plants of Pandora the image changed to a picture of a male with tanned skin and tribal looking clothes.

“Now the most dangerous part of Pandora would probably be the natives,” Maria started before clicking the smart board again, “They are human but incredibly hostile and tend to attack with arrows dipped in a neurotoxin.”

“Many of the tribe near the base know how to speak English since we did have a school there for them before but they mainly speak their native language,” she started while showing various images of the tribes of humans on the continent.

“What language do they speak?” Sophie asked looking up.

“They call it ‘Lingua Dei’ but it sounds like a bunch of gibberish.”

“Can we hear it?” Rhamina asked raising a brow at the hostile tongue of their instructor.

“We don’t have any audio recordings of it,” the female said before handing out papers, “You can work on these until the bell rings. Use the notes you’ve been taking.”

Immediately, Sophie, Kerstin, and Jack tensed while Rhamina sighed and looked down at her journal she had actually been taking notes in before writing on the paper.

The next thirty days passed with the four mostly focusing on training and memorizing as much about Pandora as they possibly could.

Their normal classes didn’t particularly matter anymore either since they got an automatic pass for going to Pandora.

Two days before the four were supposed to leave, their school had a rally in celebration for the four teens.

The theme was ‘Jungle Adventures’ and the usual performances like the various dance teams, choirs, and cheerleaders went up but at the end it was the four teens standing on the gym floor with Maria Cara.

“And now as official members of the Pandora Operation I present these official uniform jackets,” Maria announced as she held up what looked to be a varsity style jacket still folded and wrapped in plastic.

She handed one to each of the four teens and they looked down to see it was personalized to them with their last names embroidered under the the operation crest.

With excitement they unwrapped the jackets and wore them as cheers erupted from the classmates around them.

‘I’m not going to miss any of you,’ Rhamina thought as she smiled at the bleachers around her.

Once the rally finished there was still about thirty minutes until the dismissal bell would ring so the four just chilled in the gym.

“Hey,” Dustin called walking up to the ravenette.

“What’s up, Dustin?” she replied turning around from her conversation.

“So you’re leaving in two days,” he started.

“Yeppers,” Rhamina said brushing some of her hair behind her ear, “Gonna be gone for three years but I still get paid and I’m getting my G-E credits so when I get back I get a good shot into college.”

“Aren’t you going to miss people here though?” he asked.

“Of course I am but there’s internet connection at the base so I can still talk to people over Discord.”

“You have a Discord?”

“Yeah, here,” Rhamina said holding out her phone with her Discord information allowing the male to copy it down before the bell rang, “Welp, gotta go I take the bus. See you.”

“Bye,” he said as the female dashed out of the gym with her bus pass in hand.

On her bus she sat alone since her usual friends weren’t there but it didn’t bother her in the slightest since it meant that she could just listen to her music with no interuptions.

The next day the four were excused from school as a relaxation day before they would be travelling by boat for about three weeks.

Rhamina spent her day just at home by herself since both her parents were overseas. She watched Youtube, anime, read some fanfics and went down stairs occasionally to get food before deciding to spend the day watching all of the Studio Ghibli movies.

Kerstin was just at home and didn’t wake up till noon and when she did she just ate food, took care of her younger siblings, and watched anime.

Jack just spent his day either playing video games or watching Youtube.

Sophie just spent her time on her phone reading web comics or watching anime in her pajamas and occasionally going downstairs for her food.

The next day each teen woke up early for the van that was picking them up.

It went to get Kerstin, then Jack, then Sophie, and finally Rhamina.

Taking one last look back into her house she closed the door and locked it before throwing her bag into the back of the van before getting into the second row with Kerstin.

It was about an hour and a half drive to the San Diego Bay and the girls were led onto the destroyer they would be riding to Pandora by Maria.

“So you girls will be staying in Bay 5 and Jack will be staying in Bay 6,” she explained leading the teens into the ship.

“Fuck!” Kerstin screamed as they were walking through one of the doors.

“Careful, those are called kneebreakers,” Maria said with a smirk as Rhamina walked ahead.

“Do you know where you’re going?”

“If this ship is like the ship my mom is on then yes,” the ravenette said walking down one of the steep ladders, “I know where I’m going.”

“Oh, so you’re mother works on a destroyer?” Maria asked letting the teen take the lead to Bay 5.

“Yeah.”

“I’m surprised they would let her bring you on,” the woman chuckled.

“It was new so they had a ‘family cruise’,” Rhamina explained, “and I was able to basically walk around the whole ship.”

“Well, I hope you don’t have sea sickness,” joked Maria only receive a strained smile from the ravenette and Sophie.

“Well, about that,” Sophie chuckled as they finally reached Bay 5.

“I hope you brought some pills for that then,” Maria chuckled before walking back towards the door, “I’ll be on deck if you need anything since you already have someone who knows the layout of the ship.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” the females replied as she led Jack over to where he would be staying on the boat.

“I call top bunk,” the ravenette said before she dashed towards a back corner that had pipes which could be used to climb to the top bed before flinging her bag on top as the others caught up.

“Mina, fuck you,” Kerstin said as she claimed the middle bed leaving Sophie with the bottom bed.

“Hey, at least we get it easy when storing our shit,” Sophie shrugged.

“Yeah, but I have the most room,” Rhamina chuckled from her spot earning a middle finger from both brunettes.

After about an hour of un packing and getting settled in the girls went up to the front deck just before the ship was about to leave.

“Well, goodbye normality here we come adventure,” Rhamina chuckled as she held hands with Sophie and Kerstin.

“Yeah, but it would be better if Sam were here,” Kerstin stated.

“Don’t worry, she’ll have next year’s competition as well,” Sophie said as they watch the pier grow smaller, “They’ll be needing more if people keep being as stupid as they have been.”

“No shit.”

The next three weeks each of the teens fell into a routine of waking up, eating breakfast, exploring the ship, trying not to puke (in Rhamina and Sophie’s cases), eating lunch, spending time on deck, playing with whatever devices they brought that work, eating dinner, and going to bed only to wake up and start again.

It wasn’t all boring though as on some of the days they were taken by Maria and finally taught how to use guns.

“Kerstin, don’t point that shit at people!” Maria called watching as the teen was flailing her gun around.

“Relax, it’s fake,” Rhamina stated as her sister pulled the trigger only for a stream of water to come out.

“... What?”

“Yeah.”

“How did she-” “She brought it with her.”

“Why does it look so-” “Real? I have no clue,” Rhamina said before running as her sister got closer, “Stay away from me!”

“Mina!”

“Fuck off!”

At the beginning of August the ship finally docked at the base on Pandora at the edge of the jungle.

It was very colorful and lush compared to the rest of the world which looked more industrialized due to the growth of more modern ideals and societies.

The air was very fresh and they could already hear the calls of the local creatures as they got off.

As they as well as the other groups of four chosen from the other six states were gathered in a meeting room they looked around in awe.

However, as soon as Rhamina locked eyes with a sneer from a blonde from Texas she could immediately feel a strong dislike begin to grow.

She met the female’s sneer with a low growl before taking a seat with her group as the meeting began.

“Children, hello and welcome to Pandora,” a male wearing an army uniform announced from the front.

He looked very aggressive and intimidating with many scars on his exposed arms.

“Now, this is not all fun and games many of you will get injured and want to go home to Mommy,” he continued, “This is your mission to go…”

“Into the Jungle.”

~~~Fin. Chapter 1~~~

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Picture: https://pinterest.com/pin/436497388883824264/

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#Into the Jungle #Rhamina Miyu #Kerstin Vera #Sophie Maki #Jack Cole #Original Story

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gentlemenclubbbz · 7 years

Text

changes - Ian

A request in which you’re friends with Ian on a road trip; then you are ‘forced’ to share a bed...

***

“Hey, [name]…”

It was late night, just you and Ian sitting on his porch, sprawled onto your back—the chill air brought goosebumps onto your skin. You hear his voice like in a dream but immediately respond with an “Yeah..?”

“Let’s go on a trip.”

You slowly turn your head towards him, staring at him in confusion. “On a trip?”

“Yeah!” he’s watching the starry sky, not even daring to look at you—but there’s a fond smile of longing on his face. Like he’s envisioning the whole trip before his eyes. “Just me, you and the car. We don’t know where we’re going, but we’re keeping on moving forward.”

‘Just me and Ian?’ you think, hear rate picking up. ‘Alone…’

You didn’t mind that at all.

“What do you say, [name]?” the handsome bespectacled boy glances at you, his smile so beautifully glinting in the moonlight. It made your cheeks go flaming red. “Do you want to come?”

‘How can I say no to you, Ian?’

“Yes…”

“It’s late…” you hum, leaning against Ian’s jeep and staring upwards at the orange and red sky—it was dusk, the sun was setting. You hear Ian rummaging for something in his trunk; whatever he was looking for, he did not found. You shrug, thinking that he didn’t hear you—not as if your words matter. You were just stating the obvious; Ian knew it too. “We should find somewhere to crash…” you sigh, stuffing your face with the chocolate baton you were eating.

You two have been driving all day long—it was only yesterday night that you decided to ‘run away’ from home. And here you were, already so far away into the heart of America. You thought at first that Ian was just joking, that he wasn’t serious. Ignored the proposal until you woke up to him packing up his stuff.

“What are you doing?” you asked, confused and at the same time, thrilled at the prospect of you two—friends—going alone on a field trip.

Ian glanced at you as if you were mad. “Didn’t you say you were coming?”

You suddenly sneezed, waking up from the daydream. “I should’ve brought a sweater…” you curse yourself for your hastiness. Ian urged you to hurry up so you only packed a lot of summer clothes like dresses, T-shirts and short pants. Nothing too warm—it was hot enough outside. ‘But not at night, [name].’ You sighed, hugging yourself and rubbing your hands against your arms, glaring at the sky. It wasn’t as if you were mad at Ian for dragging you out—you needed this, needed to…figure out your feelings regarding your friend, Ian. Maybe this might give you a chance to bond and find out a lot of things about yourselves. That’s what Ian wanted anyway, you knew. He wouldn’t have suggested this otherwise, so out of the blue.

You were both searching for answers. And something was bothering him..

“It’s late.” Ian’s voice scares you; but more than that, the thing he puts on top of your head. As you’re struggling to take it off, Ian continues “We should find somewhere to crash.”

You pout at him as you finally look up at him. “That’s what I said…” Ian only looks at you weirdly as he rests his body onto the frame of the car. You huff, avoiding his gaze and hiding your blush when you see that you had his black hoodie in your hands. Such a caring gesture that has your mind run wild with theories: this meant more than just a friendly thing or…? You shake your head as there was no point in thinking about it too deeply.

Ian would never think of you that way.

“Anyway, thanks, I guess…”

He shrugs. “You’re welcome.” He watches you intensely as you put his hoodie on, a bit too big for you, but it was understandable for a guy his size. He’s analysing the way it looked on you; and somehow, he finds that it suited you more than him. This felt…weird? When you finish… “Why didn’t you bring warmer clothes?”

You scowl at him “Because you’re the one that rushed me!”

“I didn’t, stupid! Why are you putting the blame on me?!”

“You’re at fault, obviously! With this stupid trip!”

Ian glares at you behind the lenses of his glasses, annoyance in his eyes—you weren’t entirely mad, you just wanted to vent out your frustration of your inability to bring proper clothing.

“You don’t want to be here?” he asks. “I can drive you home if you want—“

“No. I want to be here.” You say a bit desperate, running a hand through your hair. “I’m sorry, I’m cranky that I forgot to bring my stuff…”

“You can always borrow mine, cunt,” he ‘affectionately’ calls you, just like he always does. Your friendship was based on insults, so if Ian ever starts to call you ‘sweetheart’ or some gay shit like this, you know that there was something wrong with him. “Aren’t we friends?”

Somehow, the word ‘friends’ was sounding bitter for the both of you.

“…Ok, thanks.”

Silence settles in the atmosphere, interrupted slightly from time to time by the passing of other cars and the sounds of nature. Being in a parking lot on the road, near the forest was calming, sort of: just you and Ian, near the car, hungry and tired, with a little amount of money you knew you have to share…It was exhilarating. You couldn’t wait to see where this is going…

“I’m hungry…” Ian suddenly says, as if he has been contemplating about this a long while.

“Me too,” you add, obviously.

“Let’s go find somewhere to stay for the night.”

“OK.”

“We want a room with two beds.”

The man at the desk looks at the two of you, from the tall stoic Ian to the small sweet you—and his eyebrows immediately raises in question. You gulp, feeling your face getting all red. ‘What the fuck is he thinking we are? We are just friends!’ He didn’t seem to believe so…but why should you care about a random man you’ll never going to see again?

“O-oh, ok, sir. Are you sure you don’t want another room for coupl—“

“Very!” Ian grins widely. You decided in the car that you can put your money together for a cheap room that you can share. Hopefully, the room will have two separate beds. Still, it was slightly embarrassing that the man was suggesting you two are more than just friends… “We’re not like that.”

The man still didn’t seem to believe; and it was getting annoying for you. “Can you please just give us the room?!”

“Y-Yes, I apologize…”

When you finally pay for the room and securely have the key in your hands, you take whatever little stuff you have in your bags and carry them towards your room. You’re the one holding the key as he’s handling the luggage; so you’re the first one to witness how the room looks like. You enter and everything seems fine; clean, airy, lighten—but then you see how the beds are.

The keys drop on the floor as you stop in your tracks, red in the face and hot as if you were in hell. “It can’t…be…” you mutter, not believing your luck.

“Why did you stop?” Ian asks from behind you, pushing past you to walk inside the rather small room. He lets the baggage on the ground, surveys the scene then his gaze stops on you. “Something wrong with it?”

“The—“ you gulped. Was it the right choice to point it out? “The beds…”

He glances at them. “Umm, they’re just beds…”

“Double beds, Ian.”

He blinks, not understanding—until he finally notices your blush. And he opens his mouth in an ‘O’, surprised, realizing what you were implying. Sleeping together in the same bed; as just friends. This could lead to all kinds of unpleasant or pleasant stuff—and you were sure that it wasn’t going to be pleasant. You and Ian?! No way! Even if you were close and best friends, you never slept together in the same bed before. That would be awkward, honestly…Even if you were so deeply desiring it, inside your heart.

“W-Well,” he clears his throat, suddenly turning his head away from you. You couldn’t see, but he was blushing. “There’s nothing we can do now. It’s the cheapest we can afford and…it’s just one night, we’re going to survive…” his voice is weaker, the atmosphere tensing all of a sudden. Growing awkward and filled with some unknown feelings. “…no?”

“Y-yeah…” you finally say, feeling your throat dry. “Let’s just get it over with.” You start to rummage through your baggage, searching for your most ‘sexy’ pyjamas you made sure you bought for certain occasions. Turning your head towards him, you frown “Turn around while I change, stupid.”

“Y-Yeah, ok,” he does so but only after eyeing you over, his mind pondering the possibilities.

You’re quick to change and carefully slip under the covers, making sure to cover any part of your body that Ian could see. Not as if he never saw you in your pyjamas, but in this situation, even normal things seemed weird. You had your back to him, eyes closed in an attempt to make sleep come to you and end this torment—but, if you were dead tired before, it all disappeared now. ‘CURSES!’ you groaned inside your head as you heard Ian changing out of his clothes behind you. You could imagine the way his pants slipped off his ass and down his legs, or how his shirt uncovered that skinny body of his…You’ve seen the scene way too often not to remember how he looked like. And thankfully, you never looked at him as if you wanted to devour him. You learnt to control this fruitless crush you had on the doctor savage of YouTube, Idubbbz.

The lights suddenly turn off and you open your eyes to stare into the darkness. You weren’t even aware that he had finished changing until you hear the creaks of the bed on the other side. You felt as if you were in a horror movie, Ian being the predator and you being the victim. He was looming above you, so close to touch…

‘What is he going to do to me?’ you panicked internally, but you only feel him settling down as far as he could from you. You hoped that he wasn’t on the edge of the bed to give you more space; you’d feel bad about it. But you involuntarily let out a long breath and you steadied your rapid heartbeats—you were even sweating. ‘Oh god…Am I that nervous? It’s just Ian, come on…’

‘Ian the one you like, maybe.’

“Shut up!” you harshly whisper to yourself, pulling the covers to hide your incoming blush.

“Good night, [name].”

Ian’s voice surprises you, but it was also a nice sound. Ian telling you ‘good night’ so sweetly? Like a dream. “N-Night, I-Ian…”

‘Why are you so nervous, dammit?! Act normal! Well, you’re going to sleep anyway…’ You feel him settling into a comfortable position and then silence settled—a deep silence that tells you that Ian was more tired than you presumed. Or maybe you were just not enticing enough to make him think about you that way; too much of a friend to make a move on you. ‘AGH, stop disappointing yourself, [name]!’ you pinched your cheeks, curling into a ball. But still, your heart sunk and your whole enthusiasm. You didn’t want to think about negative stuff while you were in the most wonderful trip; you wanted to make sweet memories, not be so sad about your crush about Ian.

‘Why do I even like this idiot…?’ You had no idea, but you did. And you suffered about it from time to time, mostly at night. And with Ian now breathing down your neck… ‘I can’t fucking sleep.’ You don’t even know how much time has passed since you drifted into your daydream, but you believed it was pretty late. You didn’t even hear him move—you were the only one restless. There’s no sound around…just your breathing.

‘OH fucking Ian, how did I ended up in this situation?’ Frustrated with the whole thing, you decided to turn onto the other side, tired of staying in the same position for hours. When you do, though, you find yourself face to face with Ian. You gasped, taken by surprise by this sudden outcome: you were under the impression that Ian was at the end of the bed, having his back at you. Not…like this, so darn close to you, as if he was seeking your warmth. Your noses almost touched and you were already so far onto the edge to back down. You could feel his breath onto your lips—and it didn’t help you at all. Your heartbeat increased, your face heated up, while Ian just slept, unaware, breathing evenly. ‘How can he stay so calm in this situation, really?!’

Ian suddenly groaned, stirring, and you held your breath: you didn’t want to wake him up and make it all awkward. When you’re sure he won’t wake up, you stand there, staring at his beautiful features. Ian was handsome, with his cheekbones, thin lips and ruffled brown hair—and he looked so vulnerable when he was sleeping. He was different from the cynical Ian you see during the day. It was the Ian you grew to love over the years.

And you yearned for him so badly…

Your fingers twitch, hand moving on their own to rest on his chest. You gulped, feeling rather bold, the heat of the summer getting to your head. ‘What would happen if I kissed him now…?’ passed through your mind, knowing that this was your only chance. Ian slept heavily, he wouldn’t wake up easily. So being so close to him gave you ideas, that you can snatch a kiss from him and be happy about it later. Your hand listened to his heartbeat; strangely, it was high, as if he was awake and aware of your every move. ‘Nah…It can’t be.’ It ignored that and moved further, up his neck, stopping for a few seconds to caress his jaw. Then your thumb start to rub at his lower lip as you craned your neck to reach him better. You stopped half-away, your lips barely touching his, hesitant. ‘It’s now or never, [name].’

‘Do it.’ (Shia Labeouf style)

It was as if he was begging you to do it too; looking so vulnerable, you couldn’t help it. “I like you, Ian…” you whisper with a heavy heart, fluttering butterflies in your stomach, and finally seal the deal. You press your mouth onto his, and you’re surprised by the fact that it fit perfectly together. You’re unsure where to go from this since he couldn’t respond, being not-awake. But you continue to kiss, cherishing every single moment spend glued together; he tasted like Ian would. As strange as it sounded, it was perfect.

The bubble burst when he started to respond. Your eyes pop open, the seduction of the moment gone in a flash; you part away from him, shocked. ‘M-maybe it was just a reaction, maybe—‘ But you find yourself staring into Ian’s hazel eyes, in that dim light—and he’s looking serious.

“Ah!” you gasp, blushing. “I’m really sorry, Ian, I didn’t mean to kiss you, I just did it!”

“Hmm?” he groans, but it was clear he wasn’t sleepy. He has been awake for the whole time, from the start. And judging by the rapid beating of his heart, he wasn’t as indifferent to you as you firstly believed. “What?”

“N-N-Nothing! I just…” A grin flashed onto his face, telling you exactly what he was thinking. “You heard everything, didn’t you?”

“Y-Yeah…” ‘Why are you suddenly growing sheepish, Ian?! I’m the one who should be embarrassed here!’

“UGH!” you groan, covering your face with your hands. “I’m so sorry, I don’t know what came over here. I really hope this won’t ruin our friendship, I treasure you more than my feelings, to be honest and I—“

“To be fair,” he interrupts you, arm sneaking around your waist and shyly pulling you over closer to his body. You rest your hands onto his chest, unsure of this. He glances to the side “I’ve been thinking on doing the same…later…maybe...”

“He he…” you can’t help but giggle slightly, resting your forehead onto his collarbones. You two stand there, comforting one another in the fragile feeling of serenity. You had no idea what this meant for your relationship, but…

You liked it.

“So that means you like me too?” you finally ask, just to make sure.

“Y-Yeah, I do…Took me a while to figure out…”

“So that means…?”

“How about we figure things out in the morning?” he yawns, obviously tired—it was getting it to you too now after the whole anxiety disappeared from your body.

“Oh...Ok,” you giggle. “Sounds good.” And with that, you closed your eyes and you’re drifting to sleep right after his lips kissed your forehead.

Things are going to change now...

#ian #ian carter #ian carter imagine #idubbbz #idubbbztv #idubbbz imagine

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7livky · 4 years

Text

Dionysus - Park Jimin

CHAPTER 11

23 hours and 59 minutes later

Author's POV

"It's yours, my beauty."

A heart tone that grew brighter, louder and shorter as the blood columns vibrated. While the normal pulse was 60 to 80 beats, this pulse accelerated to over 100 beats per minute. A tachycardia.

"Look how it shines, a brightness that resembles your eyes. Look how pristine and immaculate it's shell looks, likewise your skin and your heart."

6 a.m.

Diona's hand automatically fell on her chest as the airflow slowed and the airways became tighter.

Jimin heard noises next to him before his pupils appeared. "Diona!" They were the only ones who could hear his loud scream as she clasped his wrist, trying to breathe. Even if she knew she wouldn't survive without her medication.

With one hundred percent of his strength and patience, he laid his hand on her hammering heart. After closing his eyes, first his arm tickled, next his inner palm and finally his fingertips. An earthquake began, which took over her heart palpitations. With every passing second, the tempo of the beats decreased, her muscles completely relaxed.

"Shhh..." ,he whispered, "it's okay."

She stared at the lyricized ceiling. Gradually, her grip loosened as she listened to her normal heartbeats, which were played back like loud bass. A phenomenon that would never happen in reality.

But that is exactly what just happened.

Jimin could feel her health condition under his touch and opened his eyes. Before he took his hand away, she already did that when she felt something lying in her other hand. She pushed him and stood on her feet.

Jimin glanced at the tiny white conch shell which she threw on the floor.

"W- w-" ,she took two steps back, "What a-are you?"

He got up slowly. But she wouldn't let him walk around the bed.

"Don't come any closer!" she screamed with sadness in her voice. Her finger was on him while she trembled all over her body. "This was a dream! I know, yes I know! You put something in my drink!"

Not only her heart was beating against the chest at frantic speed, but so was his. He neither shook his head nor nodded at her statements. He stood in front of her like a statue from ancient times.

"You are all sick. You- You give your fans dangerous stuff and make them hallucinate! You drug them, don't you? You quit because you've all lost your minds!"

He clenched his hands in fists. But he remained silent as the grave. Because he knew about her condition. Exhaustion and anger mixed together into a feeling she could no longer control.

"I never want to see you again, Park Jimin."

After that hateful sentence, he lowered his head and looked down at the ground. He stepped aside so she could walk past him when he could catch her scent for the last time and save it forever in his senses. He flinched when the door slammed, after which he sank his shoulders and was now alone. Just him and his longing for Army, that were left in the room.

"Who knows" ,she ran down the hall, "what he did to me?"

She stormed through the living room, which reminded her of last night, where she suddenly heard voices.

"Jeez Jungkook, how many times have I told you to vacuum every day?!"

Diona hid behind a pillar in the room. An unknown voice. She wondered how the boys could clean a huge palace like this by themselves. Little did she know that these boys hated giving orders to other people. Watching them do their work.

"To be honest, we clean so rarely, so you have to come here more often." That was Jungkook.

She was trying to peek past the column without attracting attention. And then it clicked.

So far, he was the tallest of them all. With his broad shoulders, he was standing in front of the camera, going through his gray stepped hair. She didn't know what made her feel that way, but something inside her was telling her that this man, with a little rose between his lips and his flirtatious look, could wrap any girl in the world around his finger.

Jin was just about to wipe his finger over a piece of marble. Lifting his finger, he observed the dust on his index finger.

He was wearing a black shirt combined with black trousers and had let his hair grow long. He turned around when feelings of guilt began to build up in him. But he quickly tried to find the positivity in Jungkook's statement and suddenly smiled.

"I miss you too, kiddo," he winked at him, trying hard to make his old member smile. He was a true angel.

Jungkook's big teeth showed up when a smile appeared on his face. Jin took him in his arms and hugged his five years younger brother.

There were tears in Diona's eyes, but her anger took over again, so she showed herself. She was so mad that she didn't even see Suga and V lying on the floor, still drunk. Jungkook and Jin heard her first step and looked at her. Jin blinked hard, which he always did because of his contact lenses. He wrenched his brows as she stormed past him and Jungkook.

"Diona where are you going?" Jungkook ran after her.

She reached the wall, putting her bag on her shoulder. She looked at the unfinished painting one last time and then at him, "Your money will be transferred back to your account today or tomorrow. Goodbye."

Jungkook wanted to stop her, but decided against it. Because he knew what had happened. There was a big reason she did all that.

"But it isn't even about the money," he saw her closing the door, "or the painting.."

Jin had to go through all the rooms to figure things out, but she was faster than him. Without hesitation, she unlocked her car and left the place.

"Who was that?" Jin asked with wonder.

"Diona."

Jungkook looked behind Jin to see Jimin. Jin's eyes widened. "Any Diona, or..?" He waited a moment to read the answer in his face. Jimin's eyes told him all he needed to know, so he ran towards him.

"Are you- are you sure she's the one Diona?"

Diona's POV

"This number has blocked you. Your call cannot be completed as dialed."

"Argh! I threw away my fucking phone.

Did he get tired of it this time and dump me at home? But if it was this case I would have gotten dozens of calls from my parents.

I gave everything to be able to control my thoughts. Think of everything, but not that one thing. Everything but that.

Flashback

I was looking down at my leg when my phone suddenly vibrated.

Jong-suck my dick is calling.

"Hello."

"Diona you little whore, where have you been for a day?!"

A day?

"Ha ha, that was a good one."

Flashback over

While concentrating on the traffic, I tried to grab my cell phone again. I glanced at my display for a second.

"Oh, my God."

Again?

"A whole day?!"

I hit the brakes and ignored the honking behind me. It was all too much for me. I needed answers. Why wasn't I needing my medication anymore? I was having a fucking panic attack! Why was his goddamn touch enough to keep me alive! How do I know for sure that it wasn't a..

I looked at my hand, in which a small shell had been lying before. It was real. I really held it when he was still sleeping.

I shook my head to free myself from this vicious circle. It was far too early to go home now. Mom knows that Jongsuk and I sleep like logs until noon when I was with him.

I slightly pressed the indicator down to get back on the main road. With an unbearable headache I drove away. - I pressed the button with the arrow pointing up and waited impatiently. After the elevator stopped in front of me, the doors opened so I could enter. Fortunately, I was alone. No one needed to see such an ugly creature at seven in the morning.

"Tenth floor."

I got out, walking through the lobby in the penthouse. When I got to his door, I rang the bell. Usually it took him a few seconds to open it, but this time..

"Jongsuk, I saw your car, I know you're there" I spoke loud and clear into the microphone next to the metal door.

I waited and waited, but he wouldn't open it. So I kept on ringing until he got annoyed. "I'm," I sighed, "sorry, okay? I didn't have my phone with me. You must have been terribly worried. But you can count on me to never do anything like that again! I swear it! I'll never go there again."

The small device was still flashing green, meaning he was still listening to me. But slowly I was running out of patience.

I leaned against the cold, smooth surface and breathed deeply. "Jongsuk, really I don't feel well, I need you."

Something inside me told me to cry to get rid of this burden. Maybe that would help? An unpleasant feeling spread through me before I burst into tears.

"I beg you to let me in already! You're totally exaggerating! I'm scared, l'm experiencing things that will soon drive me crazy! Help me..." ,I sobbed. "I think I have lost my mind."

I let myself fall on the carpet. What was I supposed to do when I missed someone every second of every day when he was playing with my psyche?

My back wouldn't press against the door anymore when I felt a emptiness behind me. Two strong hands pulled me up while I cried like a child. With the fabric of his sweater, he dried my wet cheeks and stopped the coming tears. "Stop crying. You look like a wet rat."

You know the situation when you have to laugh for a moment while crying, even though you don't want to? And then you sob even louder because someone is holding you in their arms?

"You're freezing," he said after stroking my cold arms. My jacket. It was still at Jimin's.

"I'm nauseous."

Jongsuk looked at me for a moment before dragging me into his bathroom. He held my hair while I knelt down in front of the toilet. I tried to forget the fear inside me. When I was scared, nausea would always set in.

"It's okay, I don't have to throw up."

He pulled me up and took me to the washbasin. I watched him turn on the cold water before the liquid hit my face when he washed my whole face. After that he turned off the tap and dried my face with a cloth. With his arm over my shoulder, we walked into his bedroom before he put me in his bed. I buried myself under his soft bedding and only then did I realize that I had stopped crying by now.

"I'll be right back."

I nodded, though he couldn't see it, and stared at his pillow. If I raised my head a little, I could see the city, thanks to his huge windows. I recognized little drops falling on the glass. A few became numerous raindrops. The weather was oppressive as dark clouds came up. Whenever I was near Jimin, the sun shone all over Seoul, birds were chirping, even in the evening it was lukewarm and very pleasant. When I left his side, the weather went crazy, just like the morning after the night at the club. Just like today.

"Here, drink this."

I sat up when I heard Jongsuk. He handed me a cup that was steaming. "Thanks" ,I said before I took a sip of the tea.

"I was there yesterday" he suddenly said as he sat down on the end of the bed. "Inside the villa."

"Inside?" I asked, puzzled. He was in there?

"Yes. I stood outside the door for an hour until Suga suddenly came out and drove away. I ran in and found V wandering around. Then he took me to Jungkook, and Jungkook took me to-" he gritted his teeth, "Jimins room."

Had he seen us- had he seen the moment?

"But you weren't there." He got up and sat right next to me. "Where were you? Jungkook was pretty sure you'd be there!"

My muscles tightened again. "H-how were we not there?" My fingers were burning from the heat of the cup. "When exactly were you there?"

"It was so fucking early, I guess five or six in the morning."

I knew I'd lose my mind soon. "How can this be?! We were lying on his bed right then! Are you sure?"

"You did what?" His voice went up in anger.

I put the cup on his bedside table and took his face in my hands. "Jongsuk. Please, please control yourself for me just once. And try to help me. Is that so much to ask?"

He sighed loudly before finally nodding. "There really was no one there, Diona. Were you that drunk that you don't remember anything?"

I turned away from him, listening to the rain. It was time, Diona.

"You've been my best friend and my family since I was five now. You went through every shit with me, were the first to make me realize I was cheated on. Who made me realize I was somebody valuable. You love someone who spends every day indulging in mythology, who's always been so dreamy. You've always believed me, no matter how impossible some things I believed in seemed."

He nodded since the first word that came out of my mouth. "Yes. All that is true! And it will always be that way. But why are you telling me all this?"

Just do it.

"Do you believe in supernaturalism?"

From now on it was body language between us. I tried to read an answer from his reaction, which would either shock or hurt me. This was my worst moment in my entire life.

"You know Diona, nothing in this world could shock me anymore. I believe that supernatural power is with us every second, but you can't grasp it. It's like an illusion, it's such a weird thing."

"I.." ,he stopped and looked everywhere but at me, "for example, saw a person who.."

I swallowed hard. Was he about to confess something to me? Did he really believe in such things?

"This person could approach another person while all the others around him were stopped. It was as if they had been put under hypnosis. Only the three of us could see it. But the person I'm talking about was so shocked by the other human being that she didn't even question why no one could get closer but her."

Flashback

His pupils were the first to meet my own. He was standing in front of me. In front of my feet. I gasped.

A dark steam formed around his figure when no one could get closer to him. Except me. My head bowed against my will without the courage to look at him.

"Diona,"

And in that precise moment, my heart stopped pumping blood into the vessels.

"ancient Greek Dionysia,"

Flashback over

No. This couldn't be.

I put my hand over my opened mouth.

"This person later found me on the dance floor and pulled me aside. He told me that I deserved a reward that you get in his world. And you 'wanna know what happened while he was talking to me?"

I shook my head as my heart almost popped out.

"His eyes changed colors. From black to blue. I thought someone had put drugs in my drink. His hair tips were silvery every few seconds like he couldn't control himself."

He... He knew from the beginning. He was talking about Jimin and me.

"When the person raised their hand to hit him, I looked in the mirror behind them and saw two aggressive leopards standing behind them. And with just a wave of his hand, he moved them away from there,"

"they wanted to attack you because you wanted to harm him."

"M-m-my-"

"My pills."

I grabbed my neck.

"Fuck!"

"Here quickly! Open your mouth!"

"Don't cough. Breathe. Like we always do Diona!"

After a couple of minutes, it took effect. My eyes were still watering but it was okay.

"Are you all right?!"

I breathed normally again and found myself in his arms. "I know everything, little one. Okay maybe not everything, but the things that went down, fucking shit. I believe you, I know you haven't lost your mind. I was just worried about you because I don't know what he's capable of."

"It was just before midnight. I'd finished the first part of the painting and was about to leave." He let go of me so he could see me. "They were all drinking and celebrating, and Jimin forced me to drink with him. This is gonna sound shitty, but I wanted to drink, too. Don't ask me why, I don't know. We talked, chilled, and a few hours later I was dead drunk. I don't know what kind of wine they have, I just know it's super strong. I don't remember everything, but I know the sun was already coming up when we were in his room. He didn't seem to have any nasty ulterior motives, really."

Jongsuk took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and lit one before I went on.

"There are only a few puzzle pieces left of what happened before..."

"Before what?"

"Do you know that when you are in a dream and sometimes you don't know it's not real, but sometimes you know you will wake up? Do you remember the dreams I told your brother about? Even then I said, 'Jimin's dreams felt overly real' right?"

He nodded.

"Jongsuk. This time I am sure" ,I took a deep breath, "that I was in reality but in a different time zone and location. In another life."

2000 Before Christ, Peneios

Southern, between Olympus and Ossa, at the narrow gorge Tempe Valley, from where the Peneios River leads from the Thessalian plain to the sea. At the ravine, which was formed by earthquakes.

There he is. Dionysus.

Under his feet, on the rock on which the god of wine stands, is hiding a Dione of the Titans, daughter of Atlas. The goddess of rebirth.

"My beauty."

Mighty waves rise as the sea hears his divine voice. The cold water rises through the gorge and touches his bare feet. He recognizes her shadow under the surface of the water, which comes closer to him. Her golden hair appears under the hot sun. Warm brown eyes he had fallen in love with.

"Dionysus!"

Water drips from her uncovered body onto the stones as she climbs up to get closer to him.

"Six months. How could you leave your beauty alone for six months?"

With his right hand he holds his thrysus fitted with pinecones and with the other her. "I fought with the Titans, my love. Far from here."

Her wet body touches his fair skin, covered in a robe. "Longing for you. I have longed for you endlessly. I told the other nymphs about you."

The sensual androgynous boy smiles slightly at her words. "Is that so? Then tell me about it as well."

She disobeys him. "I will not! Nevertheless I am still hurt," she says and jumps into the river that leads to the sea.

"Diona!"

Her lover follows her before they arrive at the land. She gets out of the water and runs onto the warm sand when Dionysus' mighty body shines down at her. He points at her body, forming a white dress over her body, which covers her beautiful shape. He takes her hand and starts to run. His melodic laugh blends with her own as the sand tickles under her feet. Diona watches as he suddenly bends down and picks something up.

"It's yours, my beauty."

A tiny conch, hidden in the sand.

"Look how it shines, a brightness that resembles your eyes. Look how pristine and immaculate it's shell looks, likewise your skin and your heart."

She smiles in happiness and bows to him.

"As long as my heart beats, this miracle of the God of Nature will always find a way to you. Only to you."

Now

"And how do you know it was real?" ,Jongsuk asked.

"Because I still held the shell in my hand when I was awake" ,I replied.

#bts #parkjimin #btsfanfi #dionysus #wattpad #pjm

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