#especially not at least a full two years later after they placed their requests
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RUMOR HAS IT (pt. 13)
(Drew Starkey one-shot)
This is not a full on story but if you want more l'll be happy to add on upon request
Plot: in which drew and isobel address a false rumor in the most abstract of ways
Setting: isobel and drew continue spending break with family
Disclaimer: Isobel is an OC, 18+
Table of Contents:
PART TWELVE
Drew hadn’t seen Isobel since the night of the winter cocktail. What had only been a day felt like an eternity to him, nothing felt logical when it came to the girl and time was no different.
If it were up to him he would have never left her side, not after the unforgettable night they spent together. The more of herself she gave to him, physically and emotionally, the more that sense of emptiness that had naturally burrowed in his chest from just trying to navigate through life didn’t feel so empty, like she’d made a home in the space. And it felt as if a part of his soul was tied to the entirety of her being. They’d been slowly building that connection, that inevitable tether that had him longing for her even when she was in the same room—even when he just simply had his back turned to her to leave.
He was beginning to feel like those obsessed women he’d been fending off all of these years, while Isobel seemed to be breezing through her emotions. He admired how gracefully she’d been handling their relationship. She couldn’t keep her hands off of him more times the none, but her feelings weren’t convoluting every thought that crossed her mind or action she chose to take.
It was hard for Drew to contain what he felt inside for Isobel, the emotions he felt were instilled so deep that they just bled out of him in longing stares, intimate caresses from his hands onto her smooth skin, and the sweet nothings he couldn’t help but to share when it was just them two in the room.
And when his lips met her soft ones, he swore he could feel himself slipping away into her oblivion—into a place where things would never be the same. A place where when he woke up and his first thought was her, where his body ached to be next to her, where everything clicked and the only thing that made sense was Isobel.
He’d never felt this flood of emotions before, he knew it could only be one thing but he buried the realization deep in his mind, too scared to accept it—or to even consider it. It was too early for that. Right?
In typical Charles fashion, his father called him out on his feelings, obviously privy to the way he’d been acting the moment he came home with Isobel a few days ago. Although he’d wanted to avoid his father’s opinion spoiling what he had with her and the idea of Isobel being his that he’d formed in his head, apart of him loved the fact that Charles saw straight through him and didn’t completely hate him for what he was doing with his business partner’s daughter.
And as much as he tried to seem against accepting it for what it was, Drew could see a glimpse of pride in his eyes that just made him want to have her even more because throughout the hesitancy, secrecy, and guilt with Isobel he finally felt like he’d done something right.
Charles promised to leave what little they’d discuss about his less than subtle implications in the car that night between the two men, but not before expressing his expectation of Drew to tell her father sooner than later.
“If you’re serious about her, telling Cooper should be the least of your worries, just come to him as man.”
Drew knew that Charles hated the soft spot Isobel’s father had for him, in Cooper’s eyes he could do no wrong, but it didn’t stop Drew from doing everything he could not to disappoint. And being with Isobel in any capacity was grounds for it. It was hard to assume that Richard Cooper would think he was right for his daughter when no one in their respective families had ever encouraged the relationship, and it scared him shitless that his father had basically put a time stamp on when Drew should tell him.
Especially when what he and Isobel weren’t supposed to be serious, and she had no interest in either of her parents knowing.
He knew she was figuring things out, testing out the waters after the tumultuous ending of her last relationship while also trying to wrap her head around what was going on between the two of them. She’d questioned him on his sudden attraction, but Drew didn’t need that same reassurance from her. Nothing about wanting Isobel on that random day all those weeks ago felt confusing for him, it was unexpected but there wasn’t a one part of him that needed answers because to him this time in his life, no matter how new it was, felt meant to be.
Drew spent the day packing his usual necessities he went with when preparing for a family trip, and zoning out about Isobel’s mouth on his body. The never ending thoughts and flashes of her pretty face in his mind causing him to take longer than necessary to throw a few things in his suitcase. The morning after the cocktail his parent’s surprised them with the news that Charles and Cooper had been able to take enough time off from the Cooper & Starkey for both families to spend time at the cabin they shared near the mountains.
His mind immediately went to Isobel and being able to spend his first Christmas with her whilst having so many tucked away emotions nesting away inside of him. Imagining her in their cozy vacation home enjoying the fire or smiling up at the falling snow made his chest fill with warmth at just the thought.
For the first time it slightly irritated him to have to pretend like she wasn’t his.
It felt so good to think to himself that she was his and even more satisfying to hear the words leave her lips just for that one night in her bedroom. If he was fortunate enough to listen to her say it to their family he’s not sure he would ever recover.
And slowly he was beginning to realize Isobel wasn’t the type of woman you could ever recover from—that he would ever recover from.
Drew wasn’t vocal when his parents explained their traveling plans to him and his brother, Chandler. He wanted so badly to suggest he drive so he could pick up Isobel on the way and have some alone time with her, he couldn’t help but smile at the memory of their road trip from school. Isobel making him promise to keep things platonic, but kissing him less than five minutes later as she leaned across the middle console of his truck. Objecting to his father driving up with in the family SUV when his mother could have an aneurysm at the change of a detail as simple as how they would all be getting to their destination wasn’t an option.
So he took what he could get, looking forward to the moments they would be spending together in the cabin they’d spent multiples holidays together in when they were younger. Drew’s head was on a swivel when they finally arrived at the less than modest family cabin after three long hours traveling north up the highway, hoping to see the Cooper’s truck parked in the driveway. To his dismay the obnoxiously long driveway was just as empty as the cabin when they stepped into it.
Two years had passed since they all had spent the holidays here, so there was some dust collecting on various surfaces. Most people hired services to keep their properties refreshed but Catherine Starkey and Lora Cooper deemed it completely unnecessary when they could just do it themselves. Drew remembered one year when Isobel insisted on helping with dusting and immediately began sneezing uncontrollably. He smiled to himself at the memory and the thought of her adorable nose turning red from allergies as his parents worked on turning all the lights on.
“You boys go get settled in your rooms, I’m going to get a head start on getting things straightened up.” His mother was already headed towards the kitchen where all the cleaning supplies was as she spoke.
Before he knew it Chandler had also left the living area leaving Drew standing in the middle of the empty room. Drew was in a constant daze, it seemed as if when he wasn’t around her his mind had him escaping in his head just to get a glimpse of Isobel.
Wheels scraping the floor across the entry way of the front of the cabin snapped him out of his thoughts as his father rolled the rest of the suitcases that belong to Catherine inside behind his tall frame.
“Everything alright with you, son?” Charles asked after shutting the door and pulling off his gloves.
Similar to his mother’s insistence on cleaning, Charles always brought in all the luggage from the car, the man always snuck off and did it so no one would try to help him. That was one of the minor ways that showed how much of a family man he was, a trait Drew hoped he inherited, “Yeah, I’m fine let me help you.”
Drew stalked over in three strides and had two handles to suitcases in each hand before his father could protest.
Charles sighed in defeat before stepping all the way in and kicking the door closed behind him with his boot covered foot. He dropped the bags he was holding on the floor while his eyes still remained on Drew. The look in his eyes was indifferent and concerned from what Drew could decipher as he stood across the room.
“This is going to be a good holiday, it always is when you’re spending it with the people you love.” Charles’ eyes twinkled when he finished that sentence.
Drew just cleared his throat and gave him a smile. They’d somehow reached a point where Charles was implying Isobel’s presence could lift his spirits and Drew didn’t know how they got there. He had never been the type to wear his emotions, but when it came to Isobel he couldn’t seem to contain everything he was feeling for her, “I’m gonna go take this stuff upstairs, I’ll be back down here in a minute.”
Charles just waved him off in response and walked out into the adjoining room as he followed the sound of his mother’s humming. Drew pondered his words as he made it up the stairs. His father was definitely implying something—he always means something behind his words.
Isobel had made so many things good for Drew, more than fucking good, and that feeling exceeded the few weeks they’d been involved with each other. She brought light into everyone’s lives. A blessing to have romantically but just as equally as a family friend. She wrote the sweetest letters to his parents each Christmas, and got her own the most thoughtful gifts.
And she listened. It was the simplest thing a person could do for someone, but when she presented a gift to you that happened to be something you loosely brought up months before with that wide smile on her face it was enough to make anyone blindly fall in love.
When he opened up the door to his room it looked the same as he left it two years ago, when he was twenty and Isobel was no more than a friend sleeping down the hall—such a contrast from this version of him who was acting like a sick puppy that hadn’t seen that same girl in a day.
Everything probably had a layer of dust settled on it, but he still dropped down on the bed after placing his bags on the ground next to the oak dresser that had been there since he was fourteen years old. He remembered the first year they spent at the cabin. Their families purchasing the property was a surprise, they just all packed up their cars on a cold Sunday afternoon and drove up until snow started to fall from the sky and the sight of a beautiful log cabin came into view. Drew, Isobel, and Chandler all being kids at the time immediately ran inside to stake claim on the rooms—he was a little faster than Isobel and of course picked the best looking one. He felt triumphant getting the coveted space until Isobel trudged in with a frown on her lips, and all she had to do was sigh and express to him how much she loved his window’s view of the mountains and cabins before he caved and let her have the room.
Drew blindly got off of his bed, walking towards the window as he looked down at his phone where an unread message from Isobel was sitting in his notifications. There in their message thread was a selfie of her with a fur lined hood swallowing her whole and a toothy smile brightening her pretty face as snow fell in the background. When he glanced up to look out the glass there she was looking up at his window with that same smile while her family unloaded their truck.
It was then he decided that this view could never compare to anything he had before.
Isobel loved spending the holidays at the cabin, but anywhere where family was in company could make any occasion special for her—and this year was different. She spent the last several holidays with Drew, but never while having feelings coursing through her mind and body for him. Isobel had brought a man home for the holidays before, but this didn’t feel the same. This felt like she was coming home to something—to someone. These little moments could never be replicated, there would never be a first holiday where she would be spending time with a boy she’d known for years that she now viewed in a romantic light.
“Seeing that smile makes me wish I could’ve brought you guys back here sooner.” Her father said as they walked in the door.
There it was, the feeling of her heart dropping to her stomach from having to keep what has been going on between her and Drew away from her family, but she wasn’t ready. She wasn’t ready to tell everyone about this situation with Drew, and she was sure wasn’t even sure that she was ready for him. But when she peered up at the railing that overlooked the first floor of the house and saw him standing there with that hopeful look in his gorgeous blue eyes all of her trepidations seemed to fade.
Their eyes were only locked for a few seconds before the feeling of her mother’s hand on her shoulder stole her attention, “He looks handsome don’t you think?”
Her face instantly heated at the question, Lora complimenting Drew’s looks was nothing new, but it was first she’d done it since Isobel had also realized just how attractive he actually was. All she could do was hum in agreement before her eyes drifted off back to him.
“Tell me, does he have a girlfriend back at school?” Lora continued and she could tell by the the tone of her voice she was trying to get gossip for Catherine, but still hearing the word girlfriend in relation to Drew made her blood warm.
Isobel knew she was the closest he’d come to having a girlfriend in just the few weeks that had passed, and as pathetic as it was she reveled in the thought of it—that a simple make out on her couch had him doing everything different. Of course there was the possibility that he was only keeping her around because of their family’s ties, but it was that look in his eyes, the same one she’d been seeing since that week before exams that convinced her otherwise. “I don’t know, why don’t you get Catherine to ask him herself?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, honey.” Lora sighed before making her way into the kitchen where she was sure Drew’s mother was cleaning away. Isobel couldn’t help, but wonder if when they discussed Drew’s love life if she ever came up.
Without a second thought she grabbed the heavy suitcase she’d overpacked and her duffle and made her way to the stairs that Drew was now descending to help. She made it about half way up before he was taking pieces of luggage from her hands. They didn’t speak, he just turned and she followed as they eventually approached her bedroom door, and when she pushed it open with her free hand the sight made her smile. Her room at the cabin was just as girly and feminine as her room at home and it always took her coming back here to realize how much she loved her little space—especially the view that came with it.
“It looks so pretty out there, I can wait to see all the lights tonight.” Isobel mindlessly stated while gazing out of the window.
It was freezing cold outside and snow was still falling, the perfect setting for the holidays, and the fact that she had a warm place to spend them with family made her lips curve into a small smile at the thought, “Want to walk into town and go see them later?” Drew asked, his eyes already on her when she turned away from the frosted glass.
“It’s going to be freezing, Drew.” She groaned, a shiver rolling down her spine from just thinking about how cold it got at night. This place was beautiful, but below freezing temperatures were the enemy.
Drew just grinned down at her, and gave her a look as if she was the most ridiculous thing he’d ever seen. Isobel immediately frowned, for some reason she was expecting him of all people to have sympathy for her aversion to cold weather whether they were in the mountains or not. When his blue eyes dropped to the pout on her lips, he was already closing the distance between them and wrapping both of his arms around her waist, his fingers playing with the hem of the pants she was wearing, “I’ll keep you warm, Izzy Bear.”
“That’s very sweet of you.” She sighed and placed her chin on his chest so she could look up at him. Sometimes she couldn’t believe how fine Drew was, and the more her feelings snowballed in her belly the more her attraction for him grew—she could only hope he was feeling that same sentiment, “Are you gonna keep me warm the whole trip?”
Her eyes were dark, they were brown so that was always the case, but Drew was certain he’d seen a shadow pass over the chocolate orbs. It amazed him at how naturally her sexual aura could appear and vanish within a blink of an eye to the point where he had no idea how to interpret her words. The smile on her pink lips was indicative but Isobel was always smiling and the tone in her voice was suggestive but then again she was always teasing.
Either way it had his mind reeling as he managed to somehow get lost in her gaze—lost in her—without him ever realizing it.
It was just that easy.
“I’ll keep you warm as long as you want me to, Is.” He affirmed before lifting his hand to her cheek, caressing the bare skin with his thumb. He knew what he’d just said meant more, but he ignored the thought because he wasn’t ready to discuss what he could’ve actually meant, or accept it for that matter, “I really want to kiss you.”
“So kiss me” She insisted, the eagerness in her tone pleasing to hear, he loved that Isobel hadn’t shown any obvious interest in anyone in the last few years, but when it came to him she was so willing.
Drew hesitated, he wanted so desperately to have her lips on his own, but he suppressed the urge that is until Isobel tugged him towards her by the fabric of his shirt and pressed their lips together in a searing kiss. Her mouth felt like satin bliss against his own probably chapped ones, but she still kissed him with a force that made him feel like he was the best thing she’d ever felt. Drew never knew if the skin of her lips were hot to the touch or if it was the heat flushing throughout his body from having her against him. He couldn’t keep his hands still, they ran over her hips and down the sides of her thighs on their own accord as he tried to keep his kisses controlled. Isobel was fisting the hell out of his shirt, a sweet sigh vibrating through her throat and caressing his ears, he was sure the fabric would be wrinkled whenever she let go, that she would leave a mark.
He suppressed the urge to groan at the feel of her soft hands running up his shoulders, gently grazing his neck until her nimble fingers scratched at the nape of it before pulling away with a smile. He let her go, he had to let her call the shots because he had a feeling he was already loosing sense on when to pull away.
“You know you always make it seem like I want you more when you were the one who made the first move, remember?” Isobel joked. The grin on her lips entirely because of the man towering over her.
He was looking at her like he wanted to eat her alive, she loved that look on his already sexy face, it just made him all the more devastating to look at. His eyes squinted at her as if he were trying to focus, and a gasp escaped her when his big hands squeezed her hips in a tight grip, “I’m just trying to fucking control myself, Isobel.”
Isobel had accepted she didn’t have the ability to practice control when it came to Drew—she wanted him too much, thought about him too much, and simply didn’t want the obstacle of self-control—especially when he talked to her like that. She was a peaceful girl, she tried to be that to everyone she cared for, but it seemed as if she was making up for all those years he annoyed her as a friend by sexually frustrating him beyond lengths.
She hummed in response and watched as his jaw clenched in immediate reaction while his eyes darted to examine every detail of her face like he needed to see all of her.
“You don’t have to control yourself when it’s just us.” She sort of offered as her eyes bounced from his lips to his tinted blue eyes. Isobel was the one who tried to put a pause on their physical relationship, but it only made things all the more difficult—for her at least.
“It’s not just us, Izzy.”
But that’s exactly what it felt like when they were wrapped around each other like this, like he was the only man in the world and no one else mattered. Not even her family that were probably running around downstairs trying to get the house together, completely clueless that they were closed off in her room sharing kisses and lingering touches.
“Don’t ever think I don’t want you.” Drew murmured while threading the fingers of his right hand into her dark hair and using his grip on the thick strands to angle her face upwards so she was forced to only see him, “I want you more than you could ever imagine.”
Drew continued to speak as he began to move forward, making Isobel blindly walk backward, trusting him to be her eyes while her attention remained on him, “I wake up with you on my mind because you’re in my dreams.”
“-I smell you on my clothes and while I’m just quickly trying to run to the store there’s that same sweet aroma in my truck. You are everywhere Isobel, I don’t think I’ve never not wanted you.” Drew admitted, the revelation obvious in his glimmering eyes.
Isobel gasped when she felt her back brush against a cold, hard surface before she registered he’d moved them to the wall across the room from the window. His words made her heart pound in her chest in awe, infatuation, and fear. She didn’t know much of what she was doing when it came to Drew and that feeling of uncertainty usually scared her beyond measure, but hearing Drew verbalize how he was feeling scared her in a way she didn’t see coming.
She didn’t know what to say, what she was feeling terrified her so much it rendered her mute because if her feelings left her mouth it made them all the more real—not just thoughts in her head. Despite the weight of his words he still just looked at her as if he was trying to remember every detail of this moment in his mind, there was no expectation for her to reciprocate his admission or state that she felt the same. Like he’d told her all of that only to make her feel good not because he wanted to hear it too.
That realization made her heart flutter in her chest because there was a time where she’d once said ‘I love you’ to someone not because she was ready, but because she was scared that if she didn’t they would change their mind.
His eyes were smiling in what could only be described as enamor, a part of her wishes that she could just simply say he was just looking at her with lust but that would be an understatement.
And it would be easy for Isobel to run away from the blue orbs, to say that she didn’t want this out of fear, and ignore the other tsunami of emotions she was feeling—emotions that were telling her he was good, genuine, and becoming just as much hers as she was his.
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
PART FOURTEEN
#drew starkey#drew starkey smut#outer banks#drew starkey x black reader#drew starkey x black!oc#drew starkey x oc#drew starkey x reader#obx fandom#obx jj maybank#rafe cameron#obx s3#obx smut#drew starkey content#drew#jj maybank#jj x reader#college romance#isobel cooper#rumor has it#romance#rafe cameron smut#rafe cameron x reader#rafe obx#obx#outerbanks rafe#jiara
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Ok now to be annoying about a completely different flavor of Zelda: That cartoon from the 80s that has aged so poorly I take psychic damage every time I watch it (which has been multiple times (I have problems)). A few months ago when rewatching and being sick of the Link's personality from the show (his best feature is how funny the "Well excuuuuse me, princess" line is) I was like "I wish the quiet kid from the games/art was here instead" and accidentally thought too hard and made an au/rewrite of the cartoon lmao.
Anyways Zelda cartoon au where cryptid boy Link saves the post apocalyptic Hyrule of loz 1 and chills in the castle with cartoon Zelda to defend the triforce pieces that they have while trying to find the last piece before Ganon can find it, stumbling across the sleeping loz 2 Zelda along the way lol. Hijinks ensue as he teaches Zelda the brawns to back up her girlboss and he gets an adventure buddy because its dangerous to go alone and Zelda with her boomerang and crossbow goes hard. I think a monster of the week style plot works for the earlier Zelda games, but an overarching plot could coexist with that since that is kinda how games work lol.
As per usual here are a bunch of slapdash barely related sketches of my ideas with my expanded thoughts below bc I think it'd be fun to share:
I look at the official art of Link being a quiet determined little dude with a backpack of tools and wish that that was represented more. Like look at him! What a guy! Imagine giving a quiet puzzle solving 14 year old a sword, lethal magical weapons, and a wasteland to explore! I would love a show about that! In terms of other characters, swap out that annoying fairy character, put in a Navi clone, at least Navi didn't have a crush on Link🤮. Ganon can stay the same so long as he was always a demon pig and was never a Gerudo man because unlike Nintendo, I do not want to imply that the only prominent man of color in the series has only one big braincell thats just screaming "EVIL" on loop. But! Keep Zelda the same, I love her so much in the cartoon, she's obnoxious in a slay girlboss way, maximum vibes. By virtue of not having a paper thin plot, most other characters that were fine get fixed by proxy.
I think plot wise? It takes place a few years after the first game. Initially, Link saved the royal family and they started rebuilding that area of Hyrule, and Link traveled around to help people. One day, Ganon's minions start making attacks on the castle to steal the triforce pieces back to revive him fully, and a Zelda who greatly admires Links steps up to defend the place. Eventually, Zelda requests Link return to help defend the castle while they search for the mysterious hidden third triforce piece in order to combine the full thing and wish for peace in Hyrule. Link agrees and the hyjinks begin.
IIRC the og Link backstory was that he was the son of the hyrulean queen and the elf king or smth? In the manga? I didn't want him to be hylian royalty but I wanted to keep that cryptid vibe, hence why I have him related instead to the great fairy and the kokiri. He just leaves the forest/cave one day with literally nothing to go save Hyrule, what a chad. I think it'd be funny if people describe Zelda as feral due to how boisterous and headstrong she is, especially out on the field, but Link is the quiet version of wild that you don't notice at first. She is openly intelligent and snarky in comparison to "says 3 lines a day, bombs first and asks questions later, explore under every rock and bush" forest kid Link.
It would be fun though if "rushes into danger" Zelda resonated more with the triforce of power and "solves dungeon puzzles for funsies" Link with the triforce of wisdom, then they both resonated with the triforce of courage upon finding it. idk tho lol
I also think two different young Zeldas coexisting with each other after one awoke from a cursed slumber would be really funny. Like that's gotta be so awkward, especially if one has the fighter girlboss slay up to 11 and the other just woke up from a coma to her family gone and her kingdom destroyed and just kinda wants to read books and drink tea in peace. Imagine being the same age or older than your great (great?) aunt. Or imagine if the old lady Impa nursemaid to Zelda 1 Zelda was the young Impa nursemaid to the Zelda 2 Zelda. Wild.
If I wasn't incapable of remembering to finish writing wips I'd write that series lol. Alas, this is all I can pull for now.
I'd love to call this propaganda to go watch the show but maybe don't because its yikes. This is moreso propaganda for someone to make a Zelda cartoon show instead of the movie that I sense Nintendo is plotting to make. Also, if you've read this far, I should mention I also will probably be posting art from some of my actual long term Zelda aus beyond just expanding on the cartoon, though I may continue to do that if my train of thought continues on these tracks.
#legend of zelda#loz#zelda cartoon#legend of zelda au#loz au#zelda cartoon au#zelda au#my art tag#actually yeah i think i WILL post more of my aus actually#to free myself from the shackles of cringe and also to do something with these huge documents sitting dormant on my drawing app
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Ranger At Heart
Pairing: Thorin x Dunedain f!reader
Request: @futuristicyouthvoid asked: Could you write something about Thorin and the female Dúnedain reader? After the battle of the five armies, the reader remains on the mountain for a while, especially to heal Thorin. In this process, Thorin shows his feelings for her and asks the reader to stay with him, but the reader has duties in her own land. The reader may even be Aragorn's older sister (if appropriate, not necessarily)
A/N: I hope this turned out to your liking! It's implied that Aragorn's the reader's younger brother, although his name is not explicitly stated.
Genre: Angst
Description: You and Thorin grew closer than anyone thought possible as he healed, but deep down your heart will always belong to the wild.
Warnings: Non graphic mentions of blood, injuries and death.
Word count: 1314
Before he met you, Thorin had only ever had a few dealings with rangers, and even then they didn’t talk much and revealed next to nothing about themselves.
So when Elrond had let them know a ranger would be joining them to eat, Thorin had expected much the same. Only you’d come out instead, wearing an elvish-made dress that complimented your figure, a smile on your face as you greeted Elrond and Gandalf, giving Thorin a friendly smile as you introduced yourself.
And as he took your hand, placing a kiss to the back (so unlike the gruff greeting he’d planned), he knew that he wouldn’t be the same again after meeting you.
When Gandalf suggested you join the company, Thorin accepted your presence without a single snide comment, ignoring the surprised looks from his kin as he welcomed a human into the fold.
Later, when you sat down next to Thorin in Beorn’s house, holding out a mug of hot chocolate, he found out you were a Dunedain, gifted with a long life, and that you had a younger brother who was also a ranger.
In return, Thorin opened up to you about things he’d kept locked up for years, finding a confidant in you and you in him.
By the time you arrived at Erebor, it was safe to say that the two of you were friends of sorts, at least until the dragon-sickness took effect.
So when Thorin lay dying on the ice, each breath harder to take, Bilbo, hysterical beside him, he had no hope of ever seeing you again, his last memory of you was an image of you beside the Elvenking and Bard, an emotionless, stone cold expression on your face as you faced the doors of Erebor.
But then he heard Bilbo call your name, tears in his voice. “Y/N! He needs help! He’s…”
And then Bilbo moved aside and his vision was replaced with your face as you leant over him, cloak torn and bloodstained, a single cut over your eyebrow. Beautiful, he thought.
At some point he passed out, your hands still working to save his life, and when he woke up there you were beside him once more, a damp cloth in your hand as you wiped blood from his skin.
Your hand froze, hovering over him and you gave him a slight smile. “It’s good to see you awake. You’ve had the whole place in an uproar.”
“Y/N.” He rasped, coughing as the words seemed to get stuck in his throat.
“Don’t talk yet.” You murmured, resuming the movement of the cool cloth and stroking his hair from his face. “Rest.” And Thorin once again drifted off, this time to the soothing feel of the cloth.
Days passed with Thorin waking up to find you beside him, telling him to rest, and slowly, as time went on Thorin was able to walk without risk of tearing the wound open again or feeling dizzy, the wound in his foot all but a scar.
Now, Thorin was healed, only scars left as reminders of the almost tragic fight on Ravenhill. The dwarves had settled into Erebor once more and Dain and his people had gone back to the Iron Hills once the rest of those from the Blue Mountains arrived.
You had stayed as well, continuing to support Thorin’s journey back to full health as much as you could. And yet… things had changed.
Maybe because when Thorin had lain on the ice, sure he was going to die despite your best efforts, only to wake up with you hovering over him, he’d realised that his feelings had since moved beyond friendship and companionship and become something more.
Something romantic.
It wasn’t a secret that Thorin held these feelings towards you, but neither of you said anything, both aware of the many differences of your races and lifestyles.
Your own feelings were complicated. You couldn’t lie and say that you didn’t feel anything romantic towards the dwarf, because you did. But unlike Thorin who finally had a secure life, stable home, you didn’t. Oh, you knew that Thorin would give you anything you needed, give you a place to live, take care of you, but that wasn’t you. You couldn’t give up your life as a ranger for a life of love and comfort; a life of relying on someone else.
And your brother needed you.
Both of you knew that your time in Erebor was coming to an end when you knocked on Thorin’s door, accepting his silent offer to come in.
Both of you stood in silence for a while, your back to the dwarf, before you spoke, turning around to face him. “I’m leaving in the morning.”
A dismayed expression crossed his face before he pushed it away. “So soon?” Yes, he’d expected you to bring up the topic of leaving, but he didn’t think it would be so sudden.
“I’ve already lingered too long.” You replied, trying not to let his disappointment affect you, because in the end, it wouldn’t change anything.
You watched as the king swallowed, an unreadable expression crossing his face, and you realised that this was the first time you’d seen him look so unsure.
As the silence began to stretch out, you turned, making your way back towards the door, but his voice stopped you.
“Stay.”
“What?” Your hand paused on the door handle.
“Stay with me. You don’t have to leave. You know how I feel about you, we can be together.”
You took a shaky breath. This was what you’d been afraid of. This was why you’d considered leaving in the night without a word - a clean break, no attempts to convince you to stay that would only hurt you both further when you couldn’t agree.
“Humans don’t belong among dwarves, Thorin, you know that. Your kin wouldn’t accept it.”
“I’m the king, it doesn’t matter what they think. I didn’t think you cared what they thought either.”
You turned around, and immediately wished you hadn’t upon seeing the pleading look in his eyes.
“I don’t.” You whispered. “But Thorin, I don’t belong here, I belong in the wild, with my brother. He needs my help. I helped you get your home back, now let me help him.”
As you looked at each other, you could see the resignation appear in Thorin’s eyes. You wouldn’t stay no matter what he said. And he couldn’t bring himself to be mad, not when once upon a time, he would have done the same. He would have put duty over a chance at love, just like you were now. He couldn’t fault you for that.
You sighed, moving back towards the dwarf and bending down slightly to kiss his cheek, your lips lingering against his skin before you pulled back. “I’m sorry, Thorin, I really am. Maybe in another life we could have been happy…”
“But in this one you need to leave.” He sighed, finishing off your words. “I understand. Take care of yourself, Y/N.” He murmured.
You swallowed. “Goodbye, Thorin.”
You turned your back on the dwarf for the final time, and it was only when you were safely back in your own room, your packed bags surrounding you, that you let the tears fall.
You were doing what was best for you in the long run, but that didn’t mean it didn’t hurt, and you knew that the bittersweet sting of heartache would follow you on your journey, a reminder of what you could have had.
Maybe in another life.
As you took the final steps away from Erebor, stepping into the familiar wild, a feeling of freedom rushed through you, and you knew that no matter how much it hurt, you had done the right thing. You had made the right choice.
You would always be a ranger at heart.
A/N: Okay, but I can totally imagine Gimli hearing about how the reader helped save Thorin from Gloin all the time and then he goes to Rivendell for the quest and gets to meet her, and he mentions Thorin and she just gives him this sad smile and he knows that a small part of her still has feelings for the dwarf king.
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@fizzyxcustard @bookworm-with-coffee
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Free Until Dawn
Before we start, a few bullet point facts to get out of the way:
•Jake and Bella are the same age (Bella is still older) and Seth and A.J. are a year younger than them
•In this Twilight fanfic universe, vamps and wolves who were changed before they turned 18 continue to age until they reach 18 cause I said so
•Jasper served in the Union
•My idioms or comparisons may suck but sometimes the only way for me to get a point across is to be extremely descriptive
•This story follows both the movies and books and may switch between the book’s timeline and the movies
•Proofread but not perfect
Also this story is Seth Clearwater x OC (?) Cullen based on my friend who requested this slow-burn fic, cause there are almost no Seth fanfics (the disrespect😤✊🏻). All chapters are named after Florence+the Machine songs cause me and my bestie love her stuff.
Word count: 9491
Without further ado…Chapter 4 of Shake It Out
——————————
“You going to play fair this time?” Alice asked as she stretch her left arm across her chest while standing at second base.
Emmett scoffed, twisting his back only a few away from Alice, “I always play fair.” The striped baseball cap was secured by him for emphasis.
As it thundered around them, seven out of the eight vampires were currently preparing for a game of baseball patiently, on some parts, awaiting Bella and Edward’s arrival following the Cullen's official introduction to her. Lucky for Bella, she was about to witness a sacred tradition in the Cullen household that started years before A.J. was around. It was something each vastly different personality could enjoy and gave each of them a chance to use their physically enhanced abilities to their full capacity.
Nine days after A.J. joined the rest of her family in Forks, Edward decided a baseball game was just what A.J. needed. The idea for a baseball game to ease A.J. into the new family dynamic, came to Edward after he caught A.J. reminiscing about a game-saving catch from her human years. Later that day, he approached Carlisle and proposed a game the next time it stormed, and naturally, Carlisle and everyone else eagerly agreed. So on the ninth day, when the forecast called for a thunderstorm and delivered, the Cullens played a heated baseball game.
During A.J.’s first game of baseball with the Cullens, the newborn broke out from the remainder of the barrier she had built up after her transformation. Being a part of the winning team, with star pitcher Alice, definitely aided A.J. in feeling like her old self. Easily the last ‘strike’ of her barrier, especially since striving to win and typically doing so, had encapsulated her human years. Along with the fun on that day, Emmett saw an opportunity to ensure he would always be on the winning team and jumped on the bandwagon; claiming the title ‘A.J.’s Coach’ after witnessing her skilled third-basemen skills.
“Nu-uh,” Alice exclaimed and placed her hands on dark leggings, “You totally lied about that ‘foul ball’.”
“I didn’t lie about the foul ball you hit.” the younger of the two Cullens smirked, “Ain’t nothing to be ashamed of, Alice. You’re just a crappy hitter.”
Alice gasped and smacked his shoulder, “At least I can pitch without taking someone’s head out!” she defended herself.
Emmett snickered before a smug smirk crept onto his alabaster skin, “Can’t help it, Wonderland. I’m jacked like Hercules!” he kissed both of his biceps after flexing underneath his navy blue tracksuit.
“Alright, alright, alright,” Jasper called out as he strutted towards the bickering siblings, “No fraternizing with the enemy.”
The Texan placed a hand upon Alice’s narrow shoulders which dawned a white baseball vest, and gently guided her away from Emmett with a baseball bat in his other hand.
By first base, a groan came from Rosalie that was bending down by the waist and holding her calves to stretch. The couple and Emmett, who were conglomerating near home base, turned their attention to her.
“You’ve watched ‘Dazed and Confused’ too many times.” the tall blonde gracefully swung her torso up to stand straight.
“No such thang’, Rosie.” A.J. quipped while flashing next to Rosalie with a moderately sized pink boom box in her sleeve-covered arms, “We Texans support each other.”
A.J. met eyes with Jasper’s, a mischievous glint in both their eyes to match their smirks. A silent conversation transpired between the Texans, much to the others' despair before they both resumed what they had been doing.
The youngest Hale gave Rosalie a friendly pat on the back and clicked her tongue before jogging off toward the right side of home plate where Esme and Carlisle were chatting. Her black backpack bounced off of her back as the wind pushed against the buttoned pinstripe shirt, which was similar to Carlisle’s, which was tucked into her black leggings. On her feet was a pair of hot pink socks that peeked out of the same dusty white sneakers she always wore when participating in any outdoor activity - provided an extra bounce to her step.
A ‘bleh’ left A.J. when Carlisle and Esme shared a sweet kiss just as she walked past them.
“I think I feel my teeth rottin’.” the girl swiped her tongue across her top set of teeth.
The lovers parted with a chortle from each and turned their attention to their youngest child.
“You know, Angel,” Esme sang as A.J. set the boom box down after kneeling a few feet away from them, “You might find yourself falling for someone like your father and I have for each other.”
A.J. shook her head as four of her siblings snapped their attention to their conversation.
“Absolutely not,” Emmett commented with a small frown.
Alice rolled her eyes at the overprotective brute, “Dating is normal and healthy; especially for developing teenagers.” she spoke with her arms crossed.
Rosalie stared at Alice, “She’s going to have to wait, regardless, Alice. There aren’t exactly sixteen-year-old vampires roaming around here, and we don’t need another reason for the Volturi to be on our backs.”
The Cullens stilled. Faces dropping, bodies tensing, and minds swirling with guilt. The words Rosalie were the same as they always were; spitting out insults or malign words aimed towards Edward and Bella’s relationship. Though, this time, her words held a different meaning for the group. Reminding them all A.J. couldn’t have what they wanted her to; what they all wished she could.
A normal life.
Having been changed at the youngest age of fifteen in the Olympic Coven, she had even less time to have lived as a human. Too quickly was she thrown into this world; too quickly had she been forced out of the other. They all knew she loved her family dearly, and they shared the sentiment, but they were aware of her desire to ‘be’ a teenager again; to live a normal adolescence. They desired the same for her. Rosalie most of all. Despite a few apprehensions about A.J. dating, the choice being stripped from her makes it a bit harder to play the role of an ‘overprotective and gruff’ family member.
A.J., having her back turned to the brooding vampires, knew what they were all thinking and could feel the tension in the atmosphere. She often thinks of the same thing - she craves it. Not necessarily romance, but at least the choice to. More often than not, she chooses not to share her thoughts on it, except for a few times when Edward caught her thinking about it or her and Rosalie’s late-night talks. Unfortunately, ignoring them only made the thoughts and desires stronger. The fact of the underlying doom of immortality is that every choice you’d thought you’d gain - every decision you’d thought you’d get to make twice, gets ripped away from you in a few short moments.
A.J. shook her shoulders as if a chill ran over her, and unzipped the small compartment on the front of her backpack once she set it in front of her.
“Listen,” she broke the silence as she pulled out a CD case with four men sitting around a table on the cover, “they’d have to be a very special person for me to consider datin’ - I mean, I’m hot…and got standards.”
Her unspoken mission of raising the mood was a success as a plethora of smiles, and an eye roll or two made its way around.
“Oh no! Guys, where’d the sky go?” Emmett feigned a look of fear as he peered up at the sky with a hand as a shield, “Oh, never mind, it’s just A.J.’s big-ass head.”
A.J.’s mouth dropped at her brother's words just as she finished placing the CD in the correct compartment, and twisted her torso while in a squatted position.
Rosalie sent a glare toward Emmett before saying, “There’s nothing wrong with confidence.” her eyes softened when she turned to A.J. from afar.
“It’s hot on you, babe,” Emmett explained, his body language matching his whiny tone, “Not on A.J.”
A.J. snorted, along with Alice, and the other Cullens gave Emmett a look of confusion at his choice of words.
“I sure hope it’s not hot on me,” A.J. spoke with a flabbergasted tone as she fumbled with buttons on her boombox.
Emmett physically faltered, “I-I-you guys know I didn’t mean it like that.”
Jasper quirked an eyebrow up, “Oh, really, dearest brother? Then by all means, please elaborate your eloquent words.” he spoke with one hand still on Alice’s shoulder and the other twirling the metal bat.
Emmett frowned, “I was trying to compliment my wife and insult A.J. at the same time, which proved to be more difficult than expected.”
“Seems you really are only brawn.” Jasper teased further, an almost sinister smirk across his face.
“Hey!” Rosalie barked out with a harsh expression, “I may be on your team, but I won’t hesitate to hurt you.”
Emmett’s demeanor changed instantly to smugness at Rosalie coming to his defense. The smirk on Jasper’s face didn’t move, instead, it seemed to grow wider at Rosalie’s threat; as if he were daring her to touch him. He dropped his arm from Alice’s shoulders and dipped it into his pocket.
“I’d like to see you try, yank.” the Texan leaned back as he pointed the baseball bat at her.
At the sight of Rosalie beginning to stomp forward, Carlisle thought it best to speak up.
“Rose,” the eldest vampire warned, arm tucked under his wife’s white jacket and around her waist.
The irritated blonde’s head snapped toward Carlisle’s so fast it was a miracle it didn’t break.
“What?” She spat, annoyed at Jasper and Carlisle.
Carlisle gave her one of his hopeful smiles, “Let’s try to have a nice day.”
“That goes for you too, Jasper,” Esme paused before switching her gaze to a smug Emmett, “And you.”
“W-what-I,” Emmett fumbled over his words, “I’m a victim of defamation! I’m innocent here.”
Jasper lowered the bat to the ground and settled his weight on it.
“Yer’ ‘bout as innocent-,”
A.J. drowned out the bickering behind her, engrossed in her boom box and getting it to work. The recurring problem, which she insisted was easily fixable and did not require a new one, was that the CD she put in would spin for a few seconds before coming to a stop. She grew more agitated as she repeated the process of taking the CD out, exhaling on it as she would on a cold window, gently wiping it off on her black leggings, then placing it back in the compartment, and pressing play - only to have to repeat the process. After another failed attempt, A.J. took an unsatisfying deep breath before forcefully exhaling through her nose.
“Shit.” A.J. huffed to herself, thankful no one could hear her over the bickering.
“Ya know, ever since the fall of New Year’s Eve of ‘08, my boom box ain’t never played the same.” A.J. thought aloud to anyone who would listen.
Rosalie was heading up the field and across to A.J.’s side instantaneously; always being willing to help her baby sister. It helped that she was the most skilled mechanic out of the Cullen Coven; her confidence in cars crossed over to most things technical…except t.v.s, though she was always looking to expand her knowledge. In her own time.
“Did you put fresh batteries in?” Rosalie inquired once she reached A.J.
A.J. observed Rosalie squatting down next to her, out of her peripheral vision.
“Yes, I put fresh batteries in,” A.J. snarked out without thinking.
The tone she used earned the young vampire a warning look from Rosalie, who stared her sister down. A.J. shut her eyes and turned away for a moment, before returning her gaze to Rosalie.
“Sorry, that w’n’t directed at you,” she earnestly apologized, “This damn thang’ is pissin’ me off.” she gestured vigorously at the malfunctioning boombox with pinched brows.
Rosalie ushered a ‘thank you’ in response before examining the portable stereo further.
As the two Hale girls inspected the boombox and the other Cullens chatted amongst themselves, a silver jeep pulled toward the wide-open field. Its wheels tracked through the soft ground, leaving a muddy trail behind it and on the black tires.
Esme and Alice both grinned excitedly at the arrival of the new couple and Carlisle smiled softly, not outwardly matching their level of excitement. Emmett and Jasper were too busy misconducting themselves to turn their attention to the car as it was pulled into park a bit away from the others. From beside her, A.J. felt Rosalie tense up. Well aware of Rosalie’s opinion on all of this, she knew her attitude could turn fast and possibly ruin what was supposed to be some family fun time.
Esme and Carlisle shared a look before both turning back to give Rosalie an encouraging smile. Rosalie, who held the look of distaste she always held when Bella was in mind, gave them nothing promising in return. With a cheesy grin and painfully raised eyebrows, A.J. shot her parents a double thumbs up. The couple chuckled at her behavior and returned her thumbs up and smile, at a lesser volume.
The eldest Hale sister turned her attention to A.J. after observing Carlisle and Esme’s reactions, to find her sister still in the over-the-top position. In a blink, the newborn now sat with a dramatized frown and slowly raised her left hand to rest on her no-longer beating heart. Her head shook in a defeated manner, in hope that her big sister would crack a smile at her ludicrous behavior. Fortunately for A.J., in a move so minuscule only the trained eye would notice, the right corner of Rosalie's lips raised ever so slightly. Victoriously, A.J. beamed; savoring the lightened presence and softened gaze of her bitter sister.
During this transaction, Edward stepped out of the driver's side door and walked around the silver Jeep he arrived in. His gaunt hand opened the passenger-side door, and out stepped Bella in a rugged, brown jacket with her brown hair in a ponytail covered by a baseball cap that mimicked Emmett’s, only being worn the right way around. Her shoulders were hunched as she was within herself in a way that completely contradicted the way Edward delved into himself; usually. Today, however, Edward seemed more withdrawn than usual. Previous teasing didn’t aid in reducing his nerves at all, and the fact of the constant threat this brought to Bella and his family, well, it added up.
The couple shared the same social awkwardness, but Bella carried herself in a way that lacked confidence and made her appear fragile. Whereas during most occasions for Edward, he exuded confidence, some even say arrogance; at least that’s what A.J. had heard from her sibling's school gossip and teasing. For the unusual pair, however, it seemed to work quite well for them.
While A.J. observed her brother and his new girlfriend, Rosalie had found what she believed to be ‘the sweet spot’ on the pink boom box. With a loud ‘thump’ that nearly made A.J. jump out of her skin and attracted the others' attention, the CD in it began spinning fast. A.J. beamed at her sister, who she considered a hero at the moment, and flicked her head between the boom box and her at a lightning-fast speed. A.J. excitedly placed her index finger onto the ‘play’ atop the boom box and pressed it without hesitation. Music blared from the speakers, bass instantly filling the chests of the two vampires who sat in front of it.
“WHOO!” A.J. cheered and fell back onto her butt.
Emmett thrust his fist into the air, “HELL YEAH!” he yelled.
“YEAH!” Jasper joined with a playfully stern face and copied Emmett’s action with the bat.
From an awkward angle, the ecstatic newborn wrapped her strong arms around Rosalie’s midsection, nearly toppling the elder Hale over.
“Thank you!” the girl squealed while Rosalie gained her balance back.
Rosalie smiled brightly as she hugged A.J. back, “No problem, just stop letting people touch your stuff.”
“I tried to stop Emmett from recreating that scene from ‘Say Anything’.” Edward called out from the Jeep where he and Bella just finished a conversation.
“Aw, come on,” Emmett whined with a smile, “It was Valentine's Day! I had to do something for my babe. After 72 years together, you gotta’ keep it fresh.”
The burly Cullen winked at Rosalie, who didn’t spare a glance at her husband, leaving him dejected as she marched her way to Carlisle who was only a few feet away from her. Carlisle had retrieved the second baseball bat from a long white and blue that also contained extra gloves and umpire gear and was resting his weight upon it. He greeted Rosalie with a close-lipped smile and opened his mouth to ask her but was quickly stopped by her palm flying up in front of him as she stomped by.
A.J. could feel the anger radiating off of her sister, even without a special power and her being across the field now. She knew it was a miracle for Rosalie to even be here, with her previous plan of leaving to avoid the game and Bella all together. Without a doubt, A.J. knew it would get better once the game started, the others thought so as well, especially since her demeanor was quite bright beforehand the new couple arrived.
“So that’s how you’ve managed to keep her.” Edward teased Emmett as he and Bella reached home plate.
Emmett flashed next to Edward, causing Bella to jump, and wrapped a thick arm around his brother’s shoulders, which were covered by a button-up baseball jersey.
Edward gave the younger vampire a look, already knowing what he was about to say.
“Emmett, that’s revolting,” Edward grimaced and pulled himself from Emmett’s grip.
“What?” Emmett furrowed his dark brows, “I was just gonna remind you that I’m not the one who thought sparkling was a dealbreaker.” he decided to keep his previous thought to himself.
A few of the Cullen ‘children’ laughed at Emmett’s remark, despite it being at Edward’s expense. His joke, as expected, did not sit well with Edward who was glaring at his brother.
A.J. glanced up at Jasper messing with a baseball bat, “Oo! That’s awkward.”
The girl sucked a breath through her bunny-like teeth while beginning to read through the tracklist on the back of her CD case.
A half-hearted grin slowly spread its way onto Edward’s face and his right flew up to swipe his mouth.
“You know, Emmett,” his arm was now around Emmett’s shoulders, “I think you're just scared of your team losing.”
“Not unless you plan on throwing the game,” Emmett smirked with crossed arms.
Edward’s shit-eating look was stolen by Emmett. His head snapped over to Esme, asking a silent question, but easily found the answer by using his gift.
“Rosalie and Alice wanted to be on a team this time,” Esme explained nonetheless while grabbing umpire gear out of the baseball bag, “We’re team ‘Wonder Woman’!”
Edward furrowed his brows, “Jasper’s on your team.” His inquiry was disguised as a statement.
“It’s an honor to be on a team named after comics’ finest heroine,” Jasper answered for himself as he practiced his batting stance to the side of Carlisle and Rosalie.
Edward looked to Emmett, “And we are…MVP?” a look of dissatisfaction was on his face.
“I was vouchin’ fer the Cheetahs, personally,” A.J. spoke up, “You know, Wonder Woman’s nemesis and all.” she clicked the skip button at the top of the boom box.
Esme smiled at her children’s banter and pushed her way toward Bella with a black baseball glove and chest protector. Bella met her gaze with a close-lipped smile and hesitantly took the glove when the Cullen matriarch extended it to her.
“Glad you’re here,” Esme wrapped an arm around Bella, “We need an umpire,” she stated while leading the girl to home base.
Emmett waltzed past them, “She thinks we cheat.” he continued heading down the field.
“I know you cheat.” Esme taunted as Emmett tossed a baseball between his hands.
A.J. tsked, “Y’all love to say that ‘cause our team happens to always win.” she goaded while placing her ‘Muse’ CD back into the small compartment of her backpack.
“What about last time,” Rosalie asked with a sarcastic tone from her spot near second base.
Bella glanced at the brooding woman, “What happened last time?” she switched her gaze to Esme as they parked themselves at home base.
“Here, slip your jacket off for a moment, sweetie,” Esme instructed kindly, “Last time we all played, which was…,”
“March 30,” Alice answered from the pitcher’s mound.
Esme thanked Alice with a smile, “Thank you. Anyway, Carlisle continuously struck out during the first inning, resulting in team ‘VIP’ having five fewer runs than team ‘Great Batsy’.”
During her explanation, Esme slipped the black chest protector over Bella’s neck.
“Crying, Bella,” A.J. scooted her bottom to face Bella, “I was cryin’ and I don’t even have tears.”
Carlisle smiled sheepishly, “In my defense, I had a lot on my mind.”
A.J. didn’t miss the subtle embarrassment that showed on Edward’s face nor the looks her siblings gave him.
“No excuse, sir,” A.J. threw a finger up, “We’re winners, and I expect ya ta act like it!”
Her behavior earned a chuckle from Carlisle and an exclamation of agreement from Emmett.
As this went on. Esme adjusted the chest guard causing Bella to blink at the sudden movement but eventually helped Esme settle it on her torso. Once it was resting on her shoulders, Edward snaked behind Bella and adjusted the straps across her upper back. Esme then stepped away to give the new lovers some space. Her pallid face held a warm expression at the sight of the ‘son’ she had grown most fond of, finally finding happiness in love.
The sweet moment was soon ruined as Bella was jerked back by the force Edward unconsciously used. A crease formed between Esme’s dark eyebrows as she frowned at the uncomfortable scene in front of her. She sent a small smile; whether it was a warning to be mindful or encouragement was unknown; and stepped away from the couple to help the others in setting up.
“Sorry,” Edward’s hands faltered on the straps, “Last time I did this was back when A.J. had first joined us.” he secured the chest guard on Bella’s back.
Bella nodded, still holding her brown jacket on her arm. The sleeves of her white shirt twisted as Edward’s hand snaked around her to lift the brown jacket off of her right arm.
“It’s okay,” she swallowed as Edward prepared her coat to assist it on, “How long ago was that?”
“Why does it matter?” Rosalie snarked out with crossed arms and a hip popped out.
Edward paused in helping Bella put her jacket back on to give a warning look to the blonde.
Carlisle’s lips pressed into a straight line, “Rose,” he warned.
Bella looked back at Edward before back at Rosalie.
“It doesn’t, I was just curious.” Bella answered honestly.
“And it’s a perfectly valid question,” A.J. spoke up.
Rosalie’s eye roll could practically be heard by the others.
A.J. briefly glanced back at those behind her, “If we’re goin’ off the day I actually moved here, then…,” she trailed off while calculating.
“A.J.’s lived here since last August.” Carlisle answered for her.
Bella nodded as she consecutively pushed her arms through the sleeves of her jacket as Edward finished helping her by hiking the coat up until it was entirely back on.
“It’s a little tight,” Bella stated with tight lips as she rolled her shoulders.
The jacket she wore barely fit over the padding of the chest guard thrown onto her. Her arm movement was restricted, but she supposed it was better to have stiff arms than a shattered sternum.
Loud guitar suddenly blared from A.J.’s boombox, the owner of it now swaggering over to home plate. She snatched up a black glove lined with hot pink from the gear bag on her way over.
“Sorry, Bella-rella,” A.J. approached the uncomfortable human, “It’s either have no protection ‘gainst my lethal pitches and get soaked down to your knickers, or have protection from such pitches buuut still get soaked - ‘cause-uh-do you smell that?”
A.J. threw her arm around Bella’s padded shoulders and thoroughly inhaled with her nose pointed toward the sky.
“It’s gon’ rain.” A.J. rasped out while gradually lowering her head.
Emmett grinned from over by third base, “It’s gon rain!” he repeated.
“IT’S GON’ RAIN!” A.J. shouted before patting Bella on the back and jogging to the pitcher's mound.
Esme chuckled next to Carlisle before turning to her husband.
Her hands pressed his chest, “Alright, enough chitter-chatter, Bella didn’t come here to talk. Let’s play some baseball!”
Esme patted Carlisle’s chest, signaling him and the remaining Cullens not in place, to assume their positions on the field.
A.J. eyed Alice as she approached the pitcher’s mound, “You’re gonna’ have to move.” A.J. jutted her left thumb toward home plate.
Alice furrowed her brows, “And why is that?”
Rosalie frowned as Carlisle her way, “Yeah, why is that? The team I’m on lost last time.”
“We know,” Emmett stated, “We decided, however, that we wanna play the field first… and so A.J. can pitch first.”
Rosalie rolled her topaz eyes once again while Alice agreed to their decision and they both jogged back to home plate. The remaining two members of team ‘Wonder Woman’ had yet to move from their previous spots at home plate and waited for the others to get into position.
“Keep an eye on Emmett, alright,” Edward spoke into Bella’s ear with a smile.
Emmett frowned, “Hey, we’re on the same team!”
His fist slammed into his gloved left hand, clearly itching for the game to start.
“That doesn’t change your track record.” Edward retorted after flashing over to second base as Carlisle jogged to first.
With the baseball gripped tightly in her right hand, A.J. swung her arm toward Jasper at home plate, who was also preparing.
“Careful, Eddie,” A.J. warned, “Might start ta’ think you're a snitch.”
Edward chortled, “How can one be a snitch in baseball?”
A.J. craned her neck to look at him, “Uh, I don’t know, mind reader.” she squinted suspiciously at him.
Emmett glanced between before a look of realization spread across his pallid face.
“Ohhh, yeah, I see what you’re gettin’ at, Aje,” Emmett smirked while eyeing Edward, “You’re gonna listen to our team's thoughts and then sabotage us.”
Edward paused and blinked, words escaping him. One weakness he would never admit, even if he was being tortured, is the effect Emmett and A.J. have to completely and utterly bamboozle him. Once the shock of Emmett’s accusation wore off, Edward peeled his eyes open and met Bella’s brown ones. She held an amused expression, her eyes asking a question Edward couldn’t hear. He sent her a silent shrug as an answer whilst A.J. and Emmett continued their rant.
“Alright,” Carlisle’s call silenced Emmett and A.J., “I’m sure Edward is not planning a betrayal, and even if he was-,”
“Which I’m not.” Edward chimed in.
“I know,” Carlisle spoke in his mind with an apologetic look, “Even if he was, I think we’d still manage to win. Even without Rose on our team.”
A smug smile spread across Carlisle’s lips, as a chorus of ‘Oo’s’ blended with the breeze that blew his striped scarf.
“Let’s go then,” A.J. spun on her heel to face home plate, “Jasper.” she nodded.
Jasper nodded back, preparing his stance.
“Angel.” he smiled at her, eyes filled with determination.
In an instant, A.J. propelled her right arm forward. The ball flew from her hand and headed straight to Jasper. The bat he held swung out and away from his shoulder, his torso and legs twisting to enhance the force he hit with. With a loud crack of thunder, the ball collided with the bat and launched high into the sky. Unfortunately for Jasper, the ball headed into the air directly above A.J., who leaped up what seemed like five-hundred feet to Bella, and caught the ball with ease in her gloved hand. A.J. landed on her feet with a thud, sufficiently stopping Jasper from running just as he dropped the bat.
Bella glanced up at Esme from her squatted position a little ways behind Jasper as laughs or winces echoed through the air. The speed at which the Cullens play made it difficult for her to decipher anything, let alone the baseball knowledge she lacked. She briefly wished she would’ve paid more attention to her step-father’s career now. Answering her silent question, Esme nodded to her with a grimace.
“Out.” Bella called.
“Oh-ho-ho, Mr. Whitlock,” A.J. called in a nasally British accent, “How it seems your strategy has grown weak.” her smile grew at the sound of Emmett’s snicker.
Alice watched as her husband tracked back to join her and Rosalie on the sidelines, frown on his face but posture still perfect. Jasper handed her the bat as he passed her and continued until he was next to Rosalie.
“It’s okay, Jazzy,” Alice cooed, “It was only your first bat.” she gave him an assuring smile as she approached the plate.
A.J. grinned at Alice as the older vampire settled into batting position. A strike of lightning in the distance lit the grey sky and was quickly followed by a deafening crack of thunder. Bella jumped in her skin at the unexpected volume which only heightened her stress levels. Having noticed the jump, Esme raised a hand that had been resting on her knee and placed it on Bella’s padded shoulder. She gave the girl a squeeze and a gentle smile as Bella craned her neck to meet Esme’s gaze.
“Hey, batta’-batta’, hey, batta’-batta’, swang~,” A.J. mimicked exuberantly swinging an imaginary bat.
A smile spread onto Alice’s face upon hearing the song, “I got ta just do my thang~.” she happily sang back.
“Enough singing,” Emmett yelled, “Get on with the game!” he eagerly threw his fist into his gloved hand.
A.J. frowned as she twisted her head back, “Let us enjoy ourselves!”
“Clearly someone can’t dance.” Alice smirked teasingly still in her batting stance.
Emmett’s hands paused with an almost offended look on his face. Those spectating were either watching thoroughly entertained, or less than amused and wanting to continue with this close game.
“Oh, I can dance,” Emmett answered nonchalantly, “Tell ‘em, babe.”
Thunder cracked around them as all eyes zoned in on Rosalie, awaiting an answer. A smile slowly grew on her diamond-like jaw as if a pleasant memory was filling her mind.
“Oh, he can dance,” her declaration rewarded her a wink from her doting husband.
A.J. stuck her tongue out, “Bleh,” she faked a gag as her torso rag-dolled.
Esme chuckled at her reaction from her hunched-over position behind Bella.
“Alright, ‘nough talk, let’s get back to the game.” Esme clapped her hands together right as it thundered.
Carlisle nodded at his wife, “Impeccable timing.” he smiled at her.
She quirked a short eyebrow up at him with a smirk, “Thank you.”
Returning her attention back to the game, A.J. peered up at the sky as if she was waiting for something. Her eyes fluttered shut as she forcefully inhaled for an exaggerated amount of time. Bella furrowed her brows at A.J.’s action, briefly glancing up at Esme again.
“She’s waiting for the thunder,” Esme answered without taking her eyes off the scene in front of her.
“She technically don’t have to,” Jasper chimed in, “As long as we’re playing during a storm, we don’t have to wait for a ‘loud sound’.”
A.J. lowered her head, “I like the dramatics. Sue me!”
Before Bella could blink, the ball was flying at Alice. With another loud crack of both thunder and the bat and ball colliding, Alice dropped the bat and dashed toward first base. The ball flew past A.J.’s left side and headed to Emmett who immediately jumped into action. He shot into the air, left arm extended above him, with the ball directed at him. As Alice reached first base, the ball grazed the top of Emmett’s gloved hand and continued into the forest behind them.
Edward darted back into the forest as Alice approached second base. His topaz eyes bounced rapidly around the trees and brush until he spotted the baseball. Edward then snatched the ball off the ground and threw it to Emmett through the trees, who was anticipating the throw. Emmett hurled his body to the left and roughly landed at third base when Alice stepped on it.
A chorus of ‘whoos’ and hollers sounded from home plate as Alice bounced victoriously on third base. Emmett scoffed as he rolled onto his knees before hopping up while Edward came flashing back from the woods.
“Lucky shot,” Emmett commented as he stood next to Alice.
Alice looked up at him with a smug look, “That was pure skill, Emmett.”
“Damn right it was,” Jasper called out with his arms crossed.
The Cullens continued an epic game of baseball, one that was far too fast for the human eye to properly view. Bella struggled to see anything but the aftermath chatter and positions after the end of a run. Thankfully for her sake, Esme or another member of team ‘Wonder Woman’ was there to help her with the calls; disregarding Rosalie.
The Cullens had made it to the third inning, in record time thanks to their enhanced abilities. Team ’MVP’ was currently three runs ahead of team ‘Wonder Woman’. Jasper had redeemed himself and hit a home run, Alice was currently at second base, Esme resided by Bella and awaited her turn, and Rosalie was currently up to bat. Team ‘MVP’ were positioned the same way as before and eager to continue.
“You ready?” A.J. nodded at her sister as they both readied themselves.
Rosalie crouched into position, “As ever.”
A.J. drew back her right arm before swinging it forward and putting her weight on her front leg. The baseball flew toward Rosalie before another crack echoed through the field and throughout the surrounding forest. Rosalie dropped the bat, pushed off of home plate, and sprinted down the field. The baseball was heading between second and third base, where Edward and Emmett were positioned on either base.
Alice sprinted past Edward and Emmett who were distracted by the fast-approaching ball. As the pixie-like vampire passed by third base and Rosalie reached first, Emmett and Edward jumped simultaneously with their arms outstretched and ready to catch the ball. Unfortunately, the duo collided with each other in a loud ‘thwack’ and the two members of team ‘Wonder Woman’ managed to reach home plate. The women secured two more runs for their team and caused a total wipeout for the opposite team that resulted in Edward and Emmett splayed out on the grass and the baseball deep in the forest.
Alice skidded to stop a few feet away from home plate and Rosalie followed by sliding across the grass and onto home plate. Amidst the cheers of the successful team, Jasper ran to Alice and picked her up into a spinning hug; squeals of laughter leaving the victorious woman. With a grin, Esme extended her arm down to Rosalie who grabbed it with a smirk and hopped up.
“That’s how we do it!” Esme high-fived Rosalie once she was standing.
Bella nodded from her squatted position, “Yeah, that was a good play.”
Rosalie glared down at the girl, “You couldn’t even see it.” she spat.
Esme’s smile turned to a frown, “Rose.” she warned.
“What? It’s true.” Rosalie defended.
“Well, I mean, she’s right,” Bella said, “I-I couldn’t see it, but-,”
“Alright, how ‘bout we turn our attention to the real issue ‘ere,” A.J. interrupted the three, “Which is betrayal!”
A.J. thrust her finger in the direction of a chuckling Emmett and Edward who had just stood up.
Edward, having already heard what she was about to say, ceased his laughter.
“A.J., are you really pushing this?” Edward groaned.
A.J. fought back a smile, “Oh, yes, indeed I am pushin’ this, traitor!”
Emmett stared at Edward, “Oh, yeah. It is a bit strange that the mind reader Edward didn’t read in my mind that I was gonna jump for the ball.” a smirk spread across his short jaw.
“Exactly!” A.J. eagerly agreed with a stomp, “He sabotaged us so the loser team would have a chance!”
Rosalie crossed her arms, “I think we have a chance regardless of Edward’s treachery.”
“I’m-I am not a traitor. I did not even think of reading anyone’s mind, because I was focused on the game.” Edward let out a flabbergasted laugh.
Emmett adjusted his stance and crossed his arms.
“Exactly what a traitor would say,” Emmett stated.
Edward’s tongue darted across his pristine white teeth as he grinned in annoyance, “I think the only one you should be accusing of ’treachery’ is Alice.”
A smirk spread across Edward’s lips at his words.
“What!” Alice’s hands fell onto her hips.
Her eyebrows knitted together underneath her navy blue cap at the sudden accusation. A crack of thunder sounded around them as if Alice herself conjured it up with her voice. The babbling duo, Emmett and A.J., observed Alice before staring at Edward and then meeting each other’s gaze. Skeptical looks were painted upon their pale faces as the wind picked up around them. The rest of the Cullens and Bella were left awaiting their next move, wondering if Edward’s distraction worked or not.
The accusing pair busted out in chuckles and giggles, ripping Edward’s hopeful look off of his face.
Emmett turned his head to a dejected Edward.
“Alice wouldn’t have the time to see our moves,” Emmett stated matter-of-factly.
A.J. nodded, “Yeah, plus, she ain’t on our team.”
Emmett and A.J. smirked at each other as if they just deduced the most abstruse mystery in history. A snort could be heard coming from Hale ‘twins’ by home plate, though that did nothing to deter the growing confidence of A.J. and Emmett.
Edward chuckled out in confusion, eyes darting around those who stood throughout the field. His mouth opened and closed, struggling between the option of a logical defense or leaving the whole ordeal to rest. Staying silent seemed like the best option, considering logic fell upon deaf ears when it came to Emmett and A.J., but ultimately Edward decided to play the ‘call on the parent’ card.
“Carlisle,” Edward pleaded to the man who was standing near first base.
Edward motioned to his ‘attackers’, hoping the wise man’s words would bring some sense to the situation. Carlisle looked upon his son with tight lips and one hand over the other resting in front of his body. A glint of amusement shone in Carlisle’s golden eyes from the scene he silently observed, much to Edward’s dismay.
“Emmett, A.J.,” Carlisle spoke, “Edward isn’t a traitor-,”
The wind picked up around them and quieted Carlisle as a fog emerged from the enclosing forest. A gasp fell from Alice’s lips while her arms fell from her hips to her sides. Her eyes had seemingly glazed over, hinting at the vision she was having. As if in slow motion, Edward stared at her before peering over at the forest behind them just as Alice’s vision ended. The rest of the Olympic Coven’s eyes turned toward the forest, whether it be from their own acute hearing or sensing the seriousness of Alice’s vision.
“Stop!” Alice yelled desperately as it thundered around them.
Edward was across the field and next to Bella at a moment's notice, the rest similarly hustling about. With her eyes still peering past the bare trees, A.J. felt an arm grip her left bicep tightly. Her eyes flicked over to see Emmett pulling her toward the rest of their family, Carlisle on her other side. Their eyes held a look of worry as they flashed over together.
A.J. flickered her gaze between them as they joined the rest at home plate, to which Edward was pulling Bella toward the Jeep as Alice spoke quickly. A.J. stared at her family with knitted brows, clearly missing a vital piece of information, though she heard words of getting Bella out of here and nomadic vampires hearing their baseball game.
“Nomad vampires?”
Panic fell upon A.J., concentrated in her chest, as memories filled her mind. She swore she could feel teeth tearing into her skin again, the excruciatingly slow loss of blood, her vision blurring, the taste of iron mixed with mud cutting off her breathing; choking her as water filled her lungs. Squeezing her eyes shut, A.J. attempted to combat the rising terror with logical thoughts.
“I’m a vampire now too.”
“They can’t hurt me.”
“I ain’t food anymore.”
“They might be vegans like us.”
“No, they ain’t. They’re the ‘predator’ on the news.”
Unfortunately for her, the thoughts weren’t anything but a mere hindrance, to what she knew was illogical fear.
“It is illogical, right?” A.J. questioned herself amidst the chaos growing around her and the sudden absence of music.
Before she could freak herself out more, a wave of peace washed over her and drowned out the fear in her chest. A moment after, two hands came to rest on her shoulders, which she deduced to be Jasper’s as everyone else was in her line of sight.
Her head snapped up, the bottom of her messy braided pigtails bouncing with the movement. A.J. was met with an assuring smile from Jasper, who squeezed her strong shoulders.
“Everythang’s gonna be alright.” Jasper reassured her as he guided her to stand in the back with Bella.
A.J.’s pigtails bounced again as she nodded furiously, “Yeah, I know.”
With another squeeze and a close-lipped smile, Jasper parted from his sister and hurried over to Emmett who stood waiting at the far right end of the line of vampires.
“Get your hair down.” Edward ordered Bella with a pinched expression.
Bella momentarily froze and stared at Edward with a bewildered look, before hesitantly pulling the hair tie from her mousy brown hair.
Rosalie turned around with a scowl, “Like that’ll help, I can smell her from across the field.”
With one last look, Rosalie turned back to face the oncoming threat with the others. Carlisle moved to stand tall in the front as everyone else gathered around. They formed a ‘wall’ in front of Bella, her being the obvious vulnerable human here, and A.J. as she had been pushed to the back by Jasper.
“I shouldn’t have brought you here, I’m so sorry,” Edward shook his head as Bella pressed him for an answer, “Just be quiet and stand behind me.”
Bella clung to Edward’s side as he stepped toward the others but stayed just behind them with Bella. The youngest Cullen moved to Bella’s other side, matching the body language of her family. Past the line her family created in front of the three, A.J.’s copper eyes fell upon three figures emerging from the woods.
In the front, passing through the growing fog, was a dark-skinned man with long locks, an orange leather jacket atop his bare torso, and a pair of dark, lined pants. To his right, was a woman with curly ginger hair and a long fur shawl that blew in the wind as they tracked forward; a confident smirk carved into her alabaster skin added to her alluring appearance. Lastly, the most menacing of them all was a man who stood to the left of them; his blonde hair was pulled into a low ponytail that enhanced his dark, hooded eyes. The one characteristic that united them was the piercing ruby color of their eyes, which reminded A.J. of her own a couple of months ago.
The young vampire hurriedly untucked her pinstripe jersey from her leggings all the while keeping her eyes trained ahead. With her enhanced speed, she threw open the buttons of her shirt, leaving her with just a baby blue tank top adorning her torso.
“Here,” A.J. spoke to Bella, snapping the girl out of her frozen state.
The human turned her head to face the newborn vampire and her eyes followed consecutively. Her gaze fell upon A.J.’s worried face as the taller of the two threw her jersey around Bella and placed it on her shoulders. Bella briefly unlatched herself from Edward for the jersey to encase her shoulders and arms.
A.J. adjusted the jersey on Bella, “It’s not much, but I’m ashamed to admit I didn’t wash it last time we played so it’s…oh shit.”
A.J.’s ramblings were cut short as the trio of vampires was now standing still a few feet away from the group. With her enhanced hearing, she heard Bella’s heartbeat pick up next to her and prayed that the oncoming threat wouldn’t notice amidst the storm.
The frontman raised his right hand in a fluid motion, and in it was the homerun ball Rosalie hit. His pristine teeth contrasted against his dark skin as he flashed an inviting smile. A.J. couldn’t help but appreciate his good looks despite the tense situation. His shorter stature and medium build were carried casually, in a way that let you know he was confident and felt no need to compensate. The exposed torso revealed by his unbuttoned green-tinted vest and jacket showcased his toned upper body. He was undeniably tantalizing and attractive, though A.J. supposed that’s what made him dangerous.
“I believe this belongs to you,” The vampire remarked before flicking his wrist and sending the ball toward Carlisle.
Carlisle caught it with ease, an unreadable expression on his face.
“Thank you.” a friendly smile appeared on Carlisle’s face.
A.J. shifted her weight before stepping over to stand next to Esme. Sensing her daughter moving next to her, Esme instinctively reached for the girl’s bicep before snaking her arm around A.J.’s. and pulling her close. Esme flicked her eyes to A.J.’s arm upon meeting bare skin, curious as to what happened to her jersey. In response, she received a simple smile and her daughter’s cold left hand on hers.
“I am Laurant,” the stranger spoke again, “And this is Victoria and James.”
A.J.’s gaze lingered on Victoria, her voluminous curls framing her soft features. Her presence intrigued the young vampire more and more as she studied her face and body language. It was almost feline, the way she moved, her minuscule movements were elegant and smooth. Once again, it was clear how her looks could be a weapon.
James, however, did nothing but frighten A.J. Everything about the vampire screamed dangerous and to stay away. He, unlike his coven-mates, did possess the same alluring appearance or body language. The ways his eyes seemed to stare into your soul along with his tall stature reminded A.J. of the tales of Slender Man she’d heard some classmates talk about before she was turned. His weapon, without a doubt, was intimidation.
“I’m Carlisle,” the Cullen patriarch gestured to the others standing beside him, “This is my family.”
“I like your shawl,” A.J. spoke and nodded to the one draped around Victoria.
Instantly, she felt all eyes on her and Esme pull her tighter to her side. The girl shrugged it off, thinking to herself that flattery is usually the best way to smooth things out.
Victoria eyed A.J., taking in her appearance having paid more attention to everyone else.
“Thank you,” Victoria smiled, “I like your top. It’s a good color on you.” her words seemingly rolled off of her tongue.
A.J. returned the smile, “I know, right.” she let out a stiff chuckle.
Flattery certainly worked for herself as her apprehensive mood lessened from the compliment.
“Yes, well, I’m afraid your hunting activities have caused something of a mess for us.” Carlisle brought the attention back to him.
Laurant’s dark eyebrows raised as his ruby eyes widen ever so slightly.
“Our apologies,” he spoke earnestly, “We did not realize the territory had been claimed.”
His apology seemed almost empathetic according to A.J.’s ears. Regardless of whether or not she had been swayed by his being, she almost took his apology to heart if it had not been for the guard she desperately held onto.
Carlisle nodded, “We maintain a permanent residence nearby.”
Laurant twisted his neck to face James who was peering past Carlisle and Esme at Edward. A.J. unconsciously hardened her eyes in anticipation of what the nomad may do, having a hard time relaxing in his menacing presence. She feared what he may attempt to do to her family and wondered just how capable his coven could be against the Cullens.
“Really?” Laurant’s smooth voice held a tone of disbelief, “Well we won’t be a problem anymore. We were just passing through” His gaze returned to Carlisle.
“The humans were tracking us, but we led them east,” Victoria announced, “You should be safe,” she spoke the last part in a hushed tone as she leaned her head forward for emphasis.
Carlisle nodded, “Excellent.”
A.J. caught the reluctant smile on her father’s face. It was one she’d seen him use on a woman who had struck up a conversation with him on one of A.J.’s earlier excursions to ease her back into society. She recalled the woman’s tone being rather flirty as she rang them up at the register.
Laurant glanced around at the Cullens.
“So,” he pressed, “Could you use three extra players?”
One by one the Cullen’s eyes fell upon Carlisle, awaiting his response. His gaze never left Laurant as he silently considered the best option.
Laurant smiled, “Oh, come on, just one game.”
Carlisle let out a quick sigh before smiling, “Sure, why not. A few of us were leaving - you can take their place.”
A.J. crane her neck to glance back at Edward and Bella. Edward’s hardened gaze seemed almost frightened as he glared ahead at James. The fear on his face didn’t come from a fear of his own well-being but Bella’s. A.J. knew that was the only thing on his mind, getting Bella away from here and keeping her safe.
“Why didn’t you just flash her to the car? You had time.” A.J. thought to Edward who only briefly spared her a glance.
Deciding to let it be, A.J.’s eyes moved to Bella who stood with her mouth slightly agape and still clung to Edward. The young vampire knew the human’s fear well and sympathized with her, especially since it was unknown how long Bella would be forced to endure this.
“We’ll bat first.”
A.J.’s turned around in time to see Carlisle toss the ball to Laurant, but Victoria flashed her pale hand up in time to catch it.
“I’m the one with a wicked curve ball.” The smirk permanently edged into Victoria’s face grew wider.
The atmosphere grew lighter at her remark as the Cullen's spirit slowly returned.
“Oh, well I think we can handle that.” Jasper egged her on which earned a confident smirk from Emmett and A.J.
Laurant sang out an ‘oh’ at the banter, body swaying with anticipation as he clapped.
A.J. leaned her torso forward, “I’m a bit of’a star pitcher myself.” she eyed Victoria with a smile while Esme began to pull her toward the others as they retreated back.
“We shall see,” Victoria spoke as both she and Laurant spun around to head down the field.
Though his coven-mates were moving to prepare for the expected game, James stayed stationary with his animalistic gaze set on Edward and Bella. His head tilted to the side as he further inspected his ‘prey’, but Bella kept her gaze set on Edward. Her arm was wrapped around his as she waited for him to move though he stayed in an intimidation contest with James. Finally and with one last look, James turned on his heel and began to find his spot on the field. Bella let herself breathe as they were almost off the hook, but she relaxed too soon. Just as she and Edward began turning, the wind blew against their backs which pushed her scent straight toward James.
James’s neck twisted as he inhaled deeply, eyes fluttering shut as he faced the couple again.
He exhaled and smiled, “You brought a snack.”
The predatory vampire lunged forward in a hunched manner, ready to pounce on his prey. Edward pushed Bella back and jumped to action as well, all but A.J. following suit, including James’s coven-mates. The young vampire swiped her jersey off of Bella’s shoulders and swiftly threw it on as she moved to stand in front of Bella. The girl’s copper eyes glared at the trio in front of them, her fear manifesting into courage. She and Bella suddenly stumbled back as Esme pushed A.J. farther away from danger. Perhaps that was where her courage came from; an unconscious understanding that her family wouldn’t allow any harm to come to her.
“A human,” Laurant questioned as the tension grew.
“The girl’s with us.” Carlisle stated with a calm voice, “I think it’s best if you leave.” his eyes stayed trained on James.
Laurant nodded, “I can see the game is over. We’ll go now.” he held his palms open and facing the ground as he slowly backed away.
Once again, James lingered, this time with Victoria by his side, who seemed eager to kill for him. Laurant glanced at James questioningly, his patience running thin for such antics.
“James.” Laurant called out.
With a growl and one last look, James’s posture straightened as he turned away from the Cullens. Victoria followed with a hiss and joined James to which they wrapped an arm around each other and stalked away. Laurant led them as he walked backward before gradually spinning around to walk straight.
A.J. watched as Edward slowly raised from his hunched state, deep in thought…or what she assumed was James’s.
“Get Bella out of here.” Carlisle ushered as he placed a hand on Edward’s shoulder, “Go.”
The eldest Cullen then pushed Edward back toward where Bella and A.J. resided. A.J. quickly flashed to the side and gave her brother an encouraging smile to which she received a nod. As Edward rushed Bella to the jeep, the Cullens quickly gathered what they had come here with.
“W-wait, what ‘appens now?” A.J. asked as Carlisle wrapped an arm around her shoulder and placed his right hand protectively on her other.
“We go home.” Carlisle answered and began to lead her away in the direction of home.
A.J. stared at him as the others caught up with them, “Then what?”
Carlisle looked down and gave his daughter a close-lipped smile as Esme flashed to her other side.
“Let’s just get home first.” he told her.
A.J. nodded and turned her gaze forward before stopping dead in her tracks and craning her neck to look around Carlisle.
“Wait, my stuff!” she called out.
“Don’t worry, we got it.” Rosalie answered as she slugged A.J.’s backpack around her shoulders and Emmett cradled the girl’s boom box.
A.J. nodded again, “Thank you.” she let her gaze fall forward.
The girl bit her tongue in anticipation of what was going to happen. The courage she had gained left her once she heard the wheels of the silver Jeep skid away in the mud. Dread replaced it as the primary emotion in most of the vampires present. Her thoughts were far too jumbled and rapid for her to calm herself down as Carlisle began to pick up speed. One thing that remained clear in her mind as she started to run, was her family staying safe. Though, she had no clue how she'd do it.
#twilight#bella swan#edward cullen#seth clearwater#twilight fandom#carlise cullen#emmett cullen#fanfic#jacob black#twilight fanfiction#alice cullen#esme cullen#jasper hale#rosalie cullen#rosalie hale#seth clearwater imagine#seth clearwater x reader#seth clearwater fanfic#twilight imagine#twilight fanfic#Spotify
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“You’re our son—” (Spider-Man AU - part 3)
Part One ; Part Two
Ezra Bridger x gn!Reader
Summary ; In which Hera tells you both the plan of action.
Requested? ; No! Part three of the AU that I talked about in my last post- :DDD
Warnings ; mention of Kanan’s master Depa Billaba getting killed. Also not much of a warning, but found family things w / Hera, specifically- <33333
Word Count ; 1.3k
——————————————————————
The explanation was small, and straight to the point. After a couple years of living with the Ghost Crew, Ezra figured out that long winded explanations wasn’t the best route to go down when talking with Hera.
He and Kanan heard from police scanners that ‘The Inquisitor’ was at it again, terrorizing others on a subway train for whatever cause he was trying to pull them into (something something ‘Empire’ or whatever. Ezra didn’t pay too much attention). The both of them swung their way over, got to the subway station just before the train went off on its way, and swung in just in time.
And just before the police got to them too, thankfully. They really don’t appreciate a vigilante when they see one. Luckily, Hera had some pull to help them out of trouble.
While Kanan was busy getting citizens in the subway car, Ezra was busy fighting ‘The Inquisitor’ on his own for the first time.
Bad decision, because he ended up getting thrown onto one of the seats, and his mask got ripped off, which revealed his identity to the ‘Big Bad’ he was fighting. Not that The Inquisitor knew his name, but he definitely knew his face now.
And now yours, too.
Because you were right there, unbeknownst to both heroes and the villain. Hidden in that corner, shielding yourself and your groceries with only your school bag. And you visibly and verbally reacted when you saw what happened.
It doesn’t even take an idiot to realize that you knew who Ezra was once the mask was taken off. Especially when said idiot was The Inquisitor. Which was a no bueno with Kanan and his rules.
After all, he lost his teacher - the only motherly and parental figure he had - Depa Billaba, because something similar happened to him years ago. He never really explained what happened to Ezra. All Ezra knew was that a lot of people were killed that day because of it. Including her.
Kanan could never live it down in the slightest, because of that. He wanted Ezra to always be careful with his mask when going out in the city as another Spider-Man, just in case.
Which, in turn, probably made this situation a lot worse, the more Ezra thought about it.
Hera hummed, mouth pressing into a thin line once Ezra finished his explanation. “Ok… that makes this, well, a little bit more difficult than I thought.”, she said thoughtfully.
She placed the warm ceramic cup down onto the table, and sat up fully. “But, that doesn’t mean this can’t be fixed.”
“Y/n”, she said, turning to you. “You’re gonna have to lay low here for a little while, ok?”
“Wait - what?”, you furrowed your brows, looking at all the grocery bags on the table in front of you. “What about these? Or - or my parents? Or school??”
“We‘ll have that covered, kiddo, don’t worry.”, she smiled at you. “I’ll have Sabine and Zeb drop them off later on today, and we can call up your parents to explain the situation. I work as a consultant for the police, and this house is a designated safe house just in case for situations like these. We have a guest room you can stay inc and You and Ezra can still go to school. You just have to be driven there instead.”
“But the—“ Hera cut you off again.
“I know, I know, the traffic sucks.”, she pointed a thumb to the rooms behind her. “Kanan and I know our way around the city on the roads. So does Sabine, if we can’t drive you guys. It’ll be fine.”
The smile she gave you was one full of sincerity and hope. It was… oddly calming, to say the least. Then again, she always had that effect on you. And Ezra (not that he would ever admit that to Hera herself though. You, however, are a different story).
You took a deep breath, and let it out slowly. It calms you down, before the rush-in of loud thoughts could make their way into your head again. It’ll be fine. It’ll be fine.
You’ve had sleepovers there before, anyways. It’ll be just like those. Just… a really long winded one, until The Inquisitor is off your’s and Ezra’s tail.
“As for you, Ezra Bridger”, Hera continued once again, her voice taking on a sterner lilt. “No going out as Spider-Man with Kanan for a while. Not until we have the situation with The Inquisitor under control, alright? Do you understand me?”
“What?”, now it was his turn to question the decision made. “Oh, c’mon Hera, it was one slip-up—“
“One slip-up that could easily get you and your best friend either hurt or in danger, or - hell - even both”, she told him, gesturing to the both of you. Her tone grew more serious, more urgent the more she went on. “Kanan and I aren’t willing to risk it, Ezra. Your our son—“
Ezra’s eyes subtly went wider. The amount of conviction in Hera’s voice struck a chord in him, one that he sometimes forgets he has.
Family.
The concept is still so new to him, even if it’s been a few years.
“—much like how Sabine’s our daughter. And Y/n may not be apart of this family, but we care about them just as much as you do. We need you both to be safe. This is the best course of action we’re able to do right now, alright?”
Ezra sighed, shoulders visibly deflating. Hera was right; you both knew that. It was the best course of action, and there wasn’t much either of you could say about it. Not right now, at least.
And it’s not like he minded being out on house arrest either. Especially if it was with you. It could be fun, if things went smooth enough.
Hopefully.
“Alright”, he agreed, albeit a hint of reluctance still hung on to the edge of his words. “If this is the best course of action to keep us safe then… I guess it’s fine. Right?”
He looked to you.
“Right.”, You gave a reassuring nod, brows furrowing upwards afterward for a moment in a silent question. He nodded back at you, reassurance there and clear as day for you this time.
Hera’s face softened up, a small and relieved smile turning the corners of her mouth up. “Good. It’s settled then. I’ll go get Sabine and Zeb to grab the groceries and bring them to your parents, Y/n. In the meantime… think about dinner.”
She stood up from her seat, bringing the cup of coffee with her. “Usually it would be my turn to choose what to have tonight, but I’ll leave that decision with you”, she raised her cup in your direction. “After all, it was this bucket-heads fault for getting your into this mess.”
She lightly flicked Ezra’s ear. He let out an indignant noise, and brought a hand up to his ear, staring at Hera with a look of utter betrayal.
“Hey!”, he exclaimed, pouting a little bit. “What was that for?”
“You know why, Ezra.”, Hera gave him a pointed look, and turned back towards the kitchen. On her way, she glanced back at you again. “Think about what you want for dinner, sweetie. It can be anything you want.”
You smiled brightly at the thought. Hera chuckled fondly at the sight, and opened the door to the kitchen, closing it behind her once she stepped over the threshold.
Ezra slowly turned back to you, his hand still rubbing his ear. Flick or not. Hera’s strength stung.
“Soo… what’re you thinking about for dinner?”, he asked you. The casualness of it all made you both fall right back into the usual comfortability, as if nothing big happened between you two, or the family in the house you were in.
The bright smile you had stayed clear as day, only enhanced by the setting sun blaring through the blinds behind you.
“How does Chinese food sound?”, you asked, leaning your forearms against the table.
Ezra always thought sunsets were beautiful. This one was just as lovely.
“Sounds perfect.”
His own smile radiated back at you, like the glare of the moon reflected back to the sun.
#ezra bridger x reader#star wars rebels x reader#gn!reader#platonic x reader#romantic x reader#x reader#platonic!hera syndulla x reader#platonic!ezra bridger x reader#romantic!ezra bridger x reader#romantic!reader#platonic!reader#when found family <33333#HE IS HERA AND KANAN’S SON#And you are the favorite best friend#they like both Jai and Zare but you are the favorite#also I am once again abusing italics#they are#so fun to use#oml#trying not to use them too much though lmao
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Hii so u saw your equests were open and I read your work I love your work and I wanted to request a dg fluff or angst with a female reader if not then just ignore and thanks
If Only...
Female Reader.
Requested.
Masterlist.
Request Rules.
Diego walked out of the flower shop, with a bouquet of purple hyacinth. He pulled his cap lower and walked towards his car, he got inside and drove off.
After awhile, he arrived at the hospital. He went out of the car and inside the building, his mind was blank throughout as his feet took him to a certain room. He was now standing in front of the door as he pulled the door open and closed it behind him, as he arrived as he pulled off his cape, letting his pink hair flow out freely.
He looked at the sleeping figure on the bed, he let out a chuckle. "Hey [Name]... it's been a long time hasn't it?" He said as silence was the only thing that was heard throughout. "I... I got you some flowers, purple hyacinth, there your favorite?" Diego asked, unsure. He then placed the flower on the empty vase.
His eyes looked at the woman who was sleeping peacefully, mostly because of she was in a coma state for 3 years. The monitors beside her bed, as the machine kept beeping every second. He bit his lip as today marked as the 3rd year that she has been in a coma.
And during those years, Diego was unable to visit her. Usually sending some flowers or Charles visiting her and checking her condition and sending the words from the doctor to Diego, who too much of a coward to do visit her until now.
After Eugene gave the him the extra push that he needed, he sighed and massaged his head temples. This was giving him a headache, he was too much of a nervous wreck to visit her, DIego always thought he shouldn't even be anywhere near her.
After what happened 3 years ago, he felt bad at what happened as he kept replaying the same memory on the very same day.
"I'm... I'm so sorry [Name]...." Diego then broke down, as he held out his hand to held hers but stopped halfway as he retracted back as he rested his hand on the bed foam. "If only..." He mumbled as he tried to wipe the tears away but they kept coming back.
"If I hadn't been such a jerk... especially when I'm your... fucking boyfriend..."
"James!"
The red haired male looked behind and saw a certain H/C haired girl running towards him, she stopped as she panted while James waited for her to calm down.
"What do you want?"
"Do you want to go on a date later? There's this new cafe that recently opened up." [Name] offered as James sighed but then nodded.
[Name] [L.Name] a young girl in his school, who was a bright and positive one. She and James got together around their 1st year of school, nobody had really known that they were together. Mostly because of James request and because of how popular James was at his school.
Considering he's at the top of everything and just good at everything, everyone was fawning over him.
So it would come as a huge shock that James was dating someone all along.
But is everything have to be good? Of course not, one of their classmates managed to found out that James and her were dating.
And what that lead to?
Massive bullying, discrimination and harassments.
Everyday was not a safe day for [Name], constantly being surrounded by whispers of nasty rumors. Desk being written with nasty words, lockers being filled by nasty written notes. Destroyed shoes and coming home dirty.
[Name] would have managed to at least survive through all of it, the torment, the harassments, the bullying, if she had James by her side.
But instead, she got ignored.
"Aww, yooouuuu look so much beeettteeerr [Name]~" The girl mocked after seeing the other girl's face, her face full of messy makeup. The other two girls snickered and joined in the mockery.
Then the sound of the scissors were heard as [Name] looked behind as her eyes widened and saw one of the girls holding a pair of scissors. "Time for a hair makeover!"
"Look over here [Name]!"
"Come on! You look so pretty!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
Footsteps were heard walking off as [Name] sat there emotionless, looking down on the ground as hairs were everywhere from the girls cutting her hair badly.
She slowly took out her phone and dialed James phone number, it ringed a couple of times before it went to voice mail.
[Name] continued doing so before James finally had picked up the call. "[Name], what is it?" He asked. "James... can... we talk?" [Name] said as she heard James sigh on the other line. "We're already a-"
"No, like in person... please." [Name] desperately said as she heard another sigh coming from him as he agreed, she put her phone away and stood up.
[Name] slowly walked out of the bathroom and was met with an empty hallway, it was already class time so that explains the empty hallways.
She walked down the hallway, thinking of leaving the school early or just staying at the clinic since the the nurse was nice enough to let her rest in.
"Dear, are you sure you're alright?" He asked as [Name] nodded and gave him a small smile. "Yes, everything is alright..." [Name] said as he hummed while she laid down.
AFTER SCHOOL.
[Name] cleaned up herself before meeting with James, the two decided to meet up on the Han river. [Name] slowly walked down as cold breeze hit her face, she saw James by his iconic red hair and called out to him.
"James."
"Jesus, you look like a mess." James said after seeing her appearance, she tiredly chuckled as she stood near him as they looked at the Han river.
....
"James, you do know that I love you.... right?"
"Of course."
"Do... you also feel the same....?"
It was quiet.
"Of course."
[Name] bit her lip.
"I'm... glad..."
That's not how it feels like anymore...
[Name] was now at the school rooftop, looking over the view. She skipped classes as she was going to give the school, her classmates, her fellow students, a great gift before they move up into 3rd year in a few months.
She put down her letter onto the ground while sending the text to James and putting it on top of the paper.
She climbed over the railings and looked down on the ground and felt the breeze go past her, but before she could. The door opened.
[Name] looked behind her and saw James shocked face.
"[Name]...? What are you doing here?" James said as fear was bubbling inside of him when seeing the situation right in front of him.
"Ah... James, I didn't expect to see you here..."
He slowly walked towards her but was stopped. "You can't." Her soft voice surprised him as she only smiled. "You don't care, so don't act like you care."
"[Name]!"
James eyes widened as he ran off to the railings when [Name] stepped forward, he looked over the ceiling and saw her unmoving body on the ground as some heads peaked over the window to look at what just happened.
After that incident, an investigation was occurred. Everything came to light and the school was forced to close down and the students were forced to give an apology to [Name] family, and the public was of course intense.
But for James, having to witness seeing his girlfriend jumped off the school building right in front of him was a traumatizing experience.
James regretted it so much, he knew he shouldn't have done that. He should acted like her actual boyfriend, instead of ignoring her problems, he should have helped her.
But it was too late anyway, the damage had already been done. There's nothing he can do now and wait.
"When you... wake up, do you want to go on... that date you always wanted." Diego said as he has been here for how long, chatting to [Name]. Even if she won't hear on anything he's saying right now, but hope to Jesus that she'll wake up soon.
"I love you... so... please, wake up..."
I hope this was alright.
#🌙moonbyulsstuff works#lookism#scenario#x female reader#female reader#dg x female reader#diego kang#dg#angst#diego kang x female reader#lookism x female reader#requested
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Together Again
♡ [a/n]; I love these two so much!! :(
✧ Pairing: Sonic x Shadow
✧ Word Count: 4,457
✧ Summary: Sonic and Shadow have not seen each other in a very long time, and old feelings get rekindled when they meet face-to-face again.
✧ Warnings/Tags: Fluff, aged-up, I know hedgehogs don’t actually wag their tails but idc, Shadow POV, legal alcohol consumption/mentions, confessions, first kiss, wholesome, lmk anything else I should tag !!
✑ You can find all my stories here!
✑ My request guide is here (and you can place a request here)!
-
It was funny.
To Shadow it was, at least.
He and Sonic had slowly grown apart over the years, though not of their own volition. It was occupational, really. Team Dark had decided to pursue broader horizons, leaving them no choice but to move away from Green Hill. Tails and Sonic had moved closer to the city and Amy had made the full leap to city life. Knuckles was the only one who stayed rural at all.
At least they were all within a town of each other, Shadow brooded. He’d had no such contact with any of their old friends since they’d left. Not that he didn’t enjoy the company of Rouge and Omega; he’d decided to move across the world with them, after all. But he was not the type to upkeep online appearances and soon enough Sonic’s bright demeanour and even brighter smile were all he could remember amongst the constant missions and assignments.
He couldn’t recall how close he’d actually been with Sonic before they’d parted ways; how much of it was real, how much was twisted in the mind of his younger self and warped further by time.
Yet somehow Shadow could still recall how naive he had been about it all, nonchalant and insensitive. He wished he had left in a kinder manner. He regretted coming across as though he did not care. He still distinctively remembered the aching in his chest after finally coming to terms with it all.
No more petty arguments. No more spontaneous sparring matches. No more of that smug smile he so desperately wished he could punch clean off Sonic’s face at times.
And then when Team Dark had finally decided to move back home- or at least closer to it- Shadow so desperately did not want to. Being forced to face them all again and deal with the repercussions of a younger Shadow’s ego and pride was something he was not ready for.
It had been three years. Almost four.
He felt like he knew nothing about them anymore. It made him so inexplicably nervous not to know something, especially when it was people he used to know so well. Shadow wanted to preserve the good memories he had instead of trying to make new ones. He knew he was being drastic- but he didn’t much care.
So only Chaos knows how Rouge managed to convince Shadow to move back near Green Hill with her and Omega. Perhaps there was a part of him that was curious enough to oblige. But all curiosity had left him the moment that they arrived.
And there he sat, neatly placed at one end of a couch. The walls were bare and smelled of fresh paint. The air was cold and felt abnormal. He did not like having a new home.
“Come on, Shadow- you’re sitting on a couch, why do you look so stiff?” Rouge chided. The sound of her heels clicking against the floorboards became louder as she neared.
“I do not like it here,” he muttered.
“Not yet, you don’t,” Rouge replied, moving to stand in front of him. “We still have to unpack everything. It’ll start feeling more like home after that.”
Shadow’s ear flicked. Rouge sighed.
“Can you at least pretend you’re happy to be here?” She joked.
“No.” Shadow moved to fix his quills, smoothing them several times before his hands returned to sit neatly on his lap again.
“Well, regardless, can you please help Omega bring up the rest of the moving boxes-”
“NEGATIVE,” a robotic voice rang out, and a moment later Omega appeared through the front door. “I AM PERFECTLY CAPABLE OF COMPLETING THE ASSIGNED OBJECTIVE SINGLE-HANDEDLY.” A large box was positioned on one of his shoulders as he ambled his way farther into the room. Then he stopped suddenly.
Shadow and Rouge watched as Omega outstretched his arms and purposely dropped the box, a loud shattering noise ringing throughout the house. He offered a nonchalant thumbs up before turning around and leaving- presumably to grab another box.
Rouge sighed again, pinching above her nose. “I guess we’re going to be using paper cutlery for the housewarming party...”
Shadow’s ears perked suddenly and he turned back around to face her. “The what?”
He sounded panicked and Rouge felt herself cringe at her own callousness. “Sorry, Shadow. I meant to tell you at a better time.”
“When is it?” He asked quickly, referring to the party.
Rouge looked off to the side anxiously. “It’s... still a little while away...”
“NEGATIVE. OBSERVATION: ROUGE IS LYING TO MAKE SHADOW FEEL BETTER. THE TRUTH: THE SO-CALLED “HOUSEWARMING PARTY” IS SCHEDULED FOR THE END OF THE WEEK.”
“Omega!” Rouge exclaimed. “We talked about this! You promised you wouldn’t say anything!”
Shadow began to fidget with his inhibitor rings.
“NEGATIVE. I NEVER SETTLED ON SUCH AN AGREEMENT.” Shadow heard another box crash to the ground before Omega’s heavy footsteps trailed away again.
“You need to cancel it,” Shadow said, staring at the ground.
“I can’t, hon, I’ve already sent out all the invites- I’d feel horrible if I had to cancel everything now.” A moment of silence passed. “I’m sorry, Shadow. I just thought you’d like to see some familiar faces again. I know you don’t like sudden changes, including us moving back here in the first place, so I was hoping that meeting up with all of our friends again would lessen the blow.”
Rouge moved to sit beside Shadow on the couch. “I’m sorry if I just ended up making things worse.”
Shadow swallowed a harsh remark. He knew she was only trying to help. “It’s... okay.” He sighed, looking up from his inhibitors finally. “I appreciate that you attempted to do such a thing for me.”
Though his expression was blank, Rouge had known Shadow for long enough to know that he was speaking sincerely.
“It... will be okay,” he continued. “This new house will be okay. The... party will be okay. Maybe it won’t be so bad.”
He ignored the anxiety clawing at his stomach, screaming and pleading with him to beg Rouge to cancel the party anyway. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad.
Rouge placed a comforting hand on Shadow’s knee, offering a small smile. “I’m glad. Now let’s go stop Omega before he destroys any more of our dinnerware.”
【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】★【☆】
What was funny to Shadow was how inexplicably nervous he was. He tugged at the hem of his jacket- Rouge said he would look nice if he wore it tonight. He felt like a little kid again.
He’d been through much worse, surely. The past few years had presented him with many unique and dangerous scenarios, yet somehow nothing held a candle to this.
There’s not even anyone here yet, Shadow scolded himself. Yet somehow that almost makes it worse…
It was the waiting that got to him the most. Far different to staking out undesirable individuals or the stealth required to infiltrate a building. At least with those scenarios his stomach didn’t churn with anxiety and his quills didn’t stand on end.
Shadow glanced around the house; once empty only a few days earlier, now covered from head to toe with tacky streamers and cheap balloons. Multicoloured lights were strung along the walls and loose ends hung down, an inch or two too short to finish tying up.
The first knock on the door had been Amy which was less than a surprise. She was early, and Shadow immediately noticed how different she looked. Her quills were cut differently and she was wearing a stylish colour of eyeliner which matched her long dress.
Upon seeing her Shadow finally realised just how much everyone must have grown up. Surely not everyone had changed so much! Though his fears were all but confirmed when more guests began to arrive. Even Knuckles had changed to some degree; various beads and wraps decorated his spines and looked as though they had been a staple of his appearance for a while.
Shadow tried his best to greet everyone alongside Rouge, though other than that, he remained reserved and away from the loud music and blinking lights that were assaulting his senses.
Then eventually Tangle and Whisper arrived, hands entwined. Rouge made some playful comment that Shadow didn’t hear and Tangle replied to it.
“Man, I forgot how long you guys have been gone for… yeah, Whisper and I have been together for a while now,” Tangle explained bashfully, glancing over to her girlfriend for a moment.
“I’m so happy for both of you!” Rouge moved to embrace the two excitedly. “I was wondering when you two would finally get together,” she added playfully, though Shadow had stopped listening after that. He had begun to feel quite ill.
I wonder if Sonic will be with anybody. He thought anxiously. Shadow thought for a moment.
It doesn’t matter, he snapped quickly to himself. Why would I care, anyway?
Soon fewer and fewer guests began to arrive until eventually the flow stopped completely. Shadow now stood at the edge of the main room beside Rouge, red cup in hand as he stared at the front door. Rouge was catching up with Amy and Blaze. He hadn’t the brightest idea what they were talking about, too entrenched in his own thoughts.
“Shadow?” He heard Rouge’s voice. She snapped her fingers in front of his face and he turned to look at her.
“What is it?” He asked.
“I was worried the door was about to burst into flames,” she muttered. “What’s wrong? Is it too loud in here? I can get Omega to turn down the music if you’d like-”
“No, it’s fine,” Shadow reassured her quietly. He honestly hadn’t been focused enough to hear the music until now.
“Then what’s wrong?” Rouge pressed.
“Are you waiting for someone?” Amy asked, turning to glance at the door as well. Shadow began to feel his face heat up and he took a sip from his drink, burying his face in the cup.
“Who’s not here yet?” Amy asked, turning back to Rouge and Blaze. “I thought everyone would have arrived by now.”
“Sonic and Tails,” Blaze pointed out, and Amy rolled her eyes. “Sonic isn’t exactly known for his punctuality.”
“You’d think he would have learned some responsibility by now,” Amy jokingly agreed.
Shadow stared into his cup still, using the strong smell of the alcohol to ground himself. His ears flicked towards the door as he heard Omega move to open it. He must have been too distracted to have heard anyone knock.
The door opened and Shadow was unable to see who it was from behind Omega, but when the robot finally moved he felt his breath hitch in his throat.
“Speak of the devil!” Rouge exclaimed, Sonic ambling through the front door behind Tails. Shadow barely processed that Tails was about as tall as Sonic now, if not taller.
“Sorry we’re late, everyone!” Sonic called out bashfully, and the entire cohort seemed to sigh and roll their eyes communally.
“It was Sonic’s fault,” Tails muttered, though that seemed to be collectively agreed upon already.
“For the fastest hedgehog in the world, he sure does love being late all the time,” Amy muttered.
“Uh… Shadow?” Rouge whispered, trying not to gain the attention of Amy or Blaze. Shadow managed to drag his concentration from Sonic to turn and look at her again.
“What?”
“Why are you doing that?” She asked. Shadow was about to ask for clarification before he followed her line of sight, realising that his tail had begun to wag involuntarily.
He quickly leaned back against the wall behind him with a loud thud, making Blaze and Amy turn to see what had happened.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He moved to take another drink from his cup.
“Rouge, Shads!” Came Sonic’s voice suddenly. Before he could even redirect his attention Shadow was engulfed in a tight embrace, the blue quills that were mere inches from his face clueing him into who was responsible. From his position in the hug Shadow could see that Sonic’s tail was wagging very quickly.
“Oh, right- sorry!” Sonic stumbled over his words for a moment as he pulled back from Shadow abruptly. “I forgot that you aren’t really a hugger,” Sonic apologised. Shadow wasn’t sure how to respond, frozen in place.
“Well I am,” Rouge said, moving to embrace Sonic once he’d distanced himself from Shadow.
“Hey, Rouge!” Sonic greeted her, returning the embrace happily. “It’s so good to see you guys again- Are you happy to be back?”
“I am- Shadow’s having a harder time adjusting, though,” she replied as they parted. Shadow’s ear flicked at her comment.
Now that Sonic was standing in front of him Shadow could take in his appearance fully. Surprisingly, Sonic looked majorly the same as he had before Team Dark left- albeit being taller now, and slightly scruffier somehow.
He was wearing a red and white letterman jacket. Shadow also noticed that Sonic had new shoes, wondering if they were what he usually wore or if they were just for the party.
“I like your jacket,” Sonic said suddenly, nodding towards Shadow. Shadow felt himself startle at his words.
“I like yours too,” he replied. Shadow then became acutely aware of the fact that he had begun to crease the plastic cup he was now holding far too tightly.
“Hon, why don’t you go show Sonic where the drinks are?” Rouge suggested, pushing him off the wall and almost directly into Sonic. Shadow caught himself quickly before glaring back at her.
“Looks like you need a new cup, anyway,” she pointed out. He tried to ignore the knowing smirk on her lips.
“Fine. Sounds like a great idea.” It took all of Shadow’s willpower not to crush the cup entirely at that moment. He turned back to Sonic.
“Follow me,” he muttered quietly before sauntering off.
Shadow could feel Sonic’s eyes on him as they walked and decided to pull his jacket down over his tail before it began to wag mindlessly again.
Chaos, this can’t be happening. He was thankful for the current darkness of the house and tried desperately to focus on the lyrics of whatever generic pop song was playing.
A moment later they arrived at the kitchen and a large ice-filled cooler was now visible on the floor.
“There’s more in the fridge,” Shadow said, standing so his tail was once again squashed against the wall.
“Wow, and you guys are just letting people have whatever they want?” Sonic asked in disbelief, opening the fridge and staring in awe at the sheer amount of alcohol.
“G.U.N gifted us a large amount of money for our services,” Shadow explained.
“What, did you guys retire for good, or something?”
“No, just taking a step back from it all.” Shadow turned to toss his crinkled cup into the trash. “They wanted to organise a ‘thank you’ gift for us. Some of it was alcohol but it was mostly money. Rouge wanted to buy some extra refreshments for tonight and Omega over-spent on everything, so now we’re stuck with it.”
“Omega bought all of this?” Sonic laughed, grabbing from a shelf before finally closing the fridge.
“Yes,” Shadow held back a laugh of his own. “Though unfortunately, Rouge is particularly partial to wine, alcohol has little to no effect on me, and Omega cannot ingest it at all. So we’re letting people take what they like.”
“I’m certainly not complaining,” Sonic said as he twisted off the bottle’s cap. “I was in such a rush to get here that I forgot to organise my own drinks.”
“Why were you late, anyway?” Shadow asked. Not that he was upset about it- only curious.
“Er…” Sonic took a quick sip of his drink. “Do you still have Dark Rider?”
Shadow blinked at him. “My motorcycle? Of course, I do.” He wondered what the question had to do with Sonic’s punctuality.
Sonic reached into his quills and his hand returned a moment later holding a small parcel, handing it to Shadow.
“Sorry it’s kinda messy,” he apologised, taking another anxious sip from his drink.
Shadow took the box gingerly and looked it over. It was wrapped in crumpled red wrapping paper and taped crudely along the edges, as well as in places where the paper appeared to have torn. It was accentuated with a black ribbon that was poorly tied around the entire box and finished into a bow on top, the ribbon barely long enough to hold itself in place.
“Oh.” Shadow looked between the gift and Sonic for a moment.
“You can open it now if you want, you just can’t tell Rouge or Omega about it, yeah? I haven’t exactly got anything organised for them yet…” Sonic rubbed the back of his neck nervously.
Shadow untied the bow and began to tear the wrapping paper away to reveal a plain cardboard box. He lifted the top and stared down at a pair of black motorcycle gloves.
“I hope you like them! I wasn’t even sure if you still used your motorcycle- or if you already had a pair of gloves- or if you’d even use them-” Sonic had begun to ramble, looking anywhere but Shadow and waving his hands around as he explained himself.
“Th-Thanks,” Shadow said suddenly, and Sonic stopped speaking to look at him. “They’re… perfect. Thank you, I really like them.” He felt his face get hot again as he stumbled over his words.
Sonic looked elated by this response and Shadow could see his tail wagging again. Sonic must have noticed him staring before he realised what was happening, moving to grab his tail quickly.
“S-Sorry! This thing’s got a mind of its own, I swear,” his face reddened.
Shadow could feel his own tail begin to move as well, moving to grab it too. “I’ll be right back. J-Just need to… put this away quickly.” He cursed himself for stumbling again and sped off before Sonic could respond.
Shadow dashed to the stairs and quickly climbed them, turning into his room and all but slamming the door behind him. He stood pressed back against it for a moment, trying to calm himself down.
All this time he had thought his anxiety stemmed from the idea of the party itself, maybe even the sheer amount of old faces he felt terrible for feeling distanced from- but everything only felt so much worse when Sonic had finally arrived.
Worse? Is that what he was feeling? Surely not, if his tail insisted on having a mind of its own. Shadow felt anxious and like his heart was racing a million miles an hour. But every time Sonic did something- anything, really- he was overcome with such immense joy and his face would feel like it was on fire, his thoughts becoming foggy.
This was very unusual behaviour for Shadow, and he feared that he might have been coming down with something, stomach twisting with nausea suddenly.
He moved to sit on the edge of his bed, staring down for a long moment at the gift Sonic had gotten him. It was extraordinarily thoughtful, especially for someone Shadow considered to be quite air-headed at the best of times.
There was a light knock on the door and Shadow looked up at it. When the door didn’t immediately open he deduced that it mustn’t have been Rouge coming to collect him- who else could it have been, then?
Whoever it was knocked again and Shadow was brought back to the present, moving to place the gift box down delicately on his bedside table before standing to answer the door.
“Hello-?” He started as he opened it, stopping short when he was met face-to-face with Sonic again. Shadow could feel his quills standing on end.
“Hey, Shads… Um, Rouge said your room was up here, and that I should come and check up on you. She said she didn’t think you’d be returning to the party any time soon.” Sonic looked nervous, face still flushed. “But if you want me to go, I can-”
“No!” Shadow said far too quickly. He cleared his throat in an attempt to recompose himself, opening the door wider. “No, it’s fine. You can come in if you’d like.”
He moved to the side and Sonic walked into the room, Shadow closing the door behind him.
“I brought you a drink,” Sonic offered, holding out an alcoholic beverage.
“Oh. Thank you.” Shadow took it before moving to sit on the edge of his bed again. Sonic glanced briefly around the room before deciding to sit beside him.
“I was a little surprised when we received the party invite from Rouge,” Sonic began.
“Oh?” Shadow took a small sip of his drink.
“Yeah, I didn’t think you would want to throw a party in the first place.”
“I… didn’t.” Shadow corrected him. “It was Rouge’s idea. She tried to keep the party a secret from me so I wouldn’t ‘freak out’,” he added.
Sonic laughed, the sound making Shadow’s stomach do somersaults. “Well, I guess some things never change.”
“I see Tails is starting to grow up, though,” Shadow said, trying to keep the conversation going. Sonic sighed.
“Yeah, he’s as tall as I am now. And he’s only- what, 14?”
“Time flies, as they say.”
“Sure does,” Sonic agreed lightheartedly. A moment of silence passed.
“So…” Shadow began slowly. “Are you… seeing anyone at the moment?” He covered his question with another, very long, sip from his drink.
“Are you?” Sonic replied, a wide smile on his face. Shadow looked away from him abashedly.
“Sorry. You don’t have to answer that question, it’s none of my business.”
“Nah, I’m not with anybody,” Sonic replied after a moment, leaning back on one of his arms as he looked around the minimally decorated room. “I just… haven’t got enough time, I guess. I move too fast for most people.”
“I don’t think so.”
Sonic turned to meet his eyes and Shadow began to fiddle with the zipper on his jacket. He turned away suddenly. “And to answer your question, no; I am not seeing anyone, either.”
Sonic looked like he was about to say more when something caught his eye. “Hey, is that what I think it is?” He asked, leaning across Shadow to retrieve the item from the bedside table. “Wow, I can’t believe you kept this!” He exclaimed excitedly.
“Of course I did,” Shadow replied almost timidly, turning his head to the side in a shy manner. He glanced back at what Sonic was holding; a black coffee mug with some corny pun on it pertaining to the owner.
“Why isn’t it in the kitchen?” Sonic asked, looking it over in his hands.
Shadow shrugged. “I packed it separately from the rest of our things. Omega is prone to mishandling delicate items.”
“Aw, you care about it that much?” Sonic teased. “I mean, you’ve kept it all this time.”
“It… helped remind me of home. I didn’t let it leave me for the whole first week after we moved,” Shadow admitted embarrassedly.
“I told Tails you’d like it!” Sonic smiled brightly. “He kept insisting I could have picked a better going away present.”
“No, it was perfect.” Shadow reassured him. Just like always. Everything you do seems so perfect. He had to stop himself from speaking the rest aloud.
Sonic gave the mug back to him and Shadow’s hand lingered for a moment before he finally took it. He placed it back on the bedside table.
He turned back to see that Sonic was staring at him. “What is it?” He asked.
Sonic startled and his ears flicked back in embarrassment. “Sorry, I just…” He looked away for a moment. “I’d almost forgotten how handsome you are, after all these years.”
Shadow’s heart lurched and he began desperately wondering if he’d heard him correctly. He froze up completely and Sonic must have taken this for discomfort.
“Sorry! Sorry,” Sonic began frantically. “I know you’ve only just got back and are still trying to adjust to things, I shouldn’t have just said something like that out of the blue,”
“I…”
“I just haven’t stopped thinking about you since the day you left, and- and then I showed up late to the party anyway which I’m sure made a great first impression- but it isn’t technically a first impression if we know each other, so it was a second impression, I guess-?”
“Sonic…” Shadow could feel himself beginning to blush again, noticing Sonic was also becoming increasingly flushed.
“-And I wish that I’d done more before you left, then maybe then you wouldn’t have gone- or we could have at least kept in contact or something, and maybe it would have been better to tell you how I really felt before all of this- oh, I feel like I’m just making everything worse, and- and-”
“Sonic,” Shadow interrupted him more sternly this time, grabbing his hand.
Sonic fell silent and immediately turned to their entwined hands, face still a bright red. Shadow could hear Sonic’s tail wagging against the bedsheets.
“It’s okay,” Shadow began quietly. “I…” He swallowed the lump in his throat. “I… like you too.”
They stared at each other for a long moment, both hedgehogs stunned and not quite sure what to do.
“You… you do?” Sonic finally broke the silence.
“Yes, of course I do,” Shadow laughed quietly. “How could I not be so hopelessly in love with somebody like you?”
Shadow could hear the sound of Sonic’s tail managing to wag impossibly faster, laughing again. Sonic was snapped from his daze at the sound and moved to grab his tail.
“Ah, I really wish I could control this thing sometimes…” He muttered through gritted teeth.
“I think it’s endearing,” Shadow commented, watching as Sonic tried feebly to immobilise his tail.
“Sonic?” He started after another moment. Sonic immediately abandoned his task and looked up to Shadow almost expectantly.
“Yes?” He replied quietly.
“Can I kiss you?”
There was no immediate response as Sonic stared back at Shadow with wide eyes and a startled expression.
“Sonic?” Shadow prompted him, worried that he was moving too quickly.
“Yes- yes, of course you can,” Sonic finally spluttered out somewhat breathlessly.
Shadow suppressed another chuckle, instead leaning forward and meeting Sonic halfway with a delicate kiss.
When they parted Sonic appeared even more dazed than he had before and Shadow felt himself swell with adoration. He brushed his thumb over Sonic’s hand which seemed to bring him back to reality.
“Come on,” Shadow said, standing up and leading Sonic by the hand. “Let’s get back to the party.”
#fern writes#sonadow oneshot#sonic the hedgehog#shadow the hedgehog#sonic x shadow#fluff#fanfic#oneshot#shadonic#sth#shth#long oneshot#sth x shth
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WIP Wednesday
I am working on the last chapter of Soft Science, and I’m sorta working on my Zelink Week offering. But then this happened. No worries, those will both get finished.
I’m pretty sure I’m going to take all this and roll it into dialogue later in the chapter. It’s a little rough, but sometimes you just have to get this stuff down before you can make it better. Anyway, here’s a big chunk of premise for this new story!
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Last month Holodrum sent five sheep as a gift and symbol of their mutual support. Apparently the sheep are from a line that was once, long ago, taken from Hyrule, and Holodrum returning them is a sign of good faith. This would be a tremendous gesture if there was any record at all of the sheep ever having been taken or of them existing in the first place.�� The ambassador suggested that maybe the records were lost when the old castle was destroyed.
The return of the sheep would be a tremendous gesture if the sheep were not clearly possessed with the souls of demons. They charge anyone who gets close to them. They beat at their pens until they tear through the fencing and then escape to terrorize the countryside, ravaging the crops in a nearby field and trampling one poor man, who was still recovering in the royal infirmary. The last time Zelda visited, they stared at her with square-pupiled eyes while chewing on the royal sheep master's shirt, which they had torn from his body and were now devouring at their leisure.
The five sheep did not all look the same. They all had fluffy wool of a light gray color, and they were all so round as to fool you into thinking they were cute. But their horns were all different. One had horns that curled on the side of its head lie a ram, except they kept curling for three full rounds. One had two sharp spikes in tight twirls that shot straight back from its head for about three feet. One for some reason had four horns that swooped around its head to point at its gnawing teeth. One had short thick horns to make it look especially demonic. The last one had great antlers, like a deer, except they curled inward until the beast wore a kind of crown that he wore with all the haughty regalness of a usurper come to destroy her kingdom.
Then there were the symbols on their foreheads, which they at first took to be drawn on by Holodrum for decoration. No one had yet gotten close enough to scrub at the symbols, but they had managed a high powered hose to wash them from afar, and the symbols had not come off. In the month they had been in Hyrule, the symbols hadn't faded at all, and it was now understood to be a part of their foreheads. Looking into the symbols revealed a single legend of beastly horned guardians that lived in the depths of old shrines.
Where were the shrines? No one knew. They were probably a legend.
What were they going to do with the sheep? No one knew that either. They couldn't get rid of them without insulting Holodrum, and her advisors strongly opposed her solution to kill and eat them. Zelda supposed they would have to just keep them and let them eventually kill everyone and eat all their crops.
Ten years after the twilight, Zelda found herself in need of a hero. Or at least a goat herder.
She, of corse, had someone in mind. But her letter to Ordon came back with the polite explanation that they hadn't seen Link in years and had no idea where he'd gone. Her royal decree spread far and wide across the kingdom that he was to present himself lead to a dozen brazen young men in green sock hats presenting themselves and claiming to be Link. If she was a more petty person than she was, she would have had them face down one of the horrible sheep. Instead, she requested they spar with one of her guards, then politely noted that maybe the hero of twilight was out of practice.
She had to find Link. And in all her searching for him, the only news she'd heard of his roving exploits were in the form of ballads: how he'd defeated a giant scorpion in the desert and a giant octorock off the coast. How he'd cleared a swarm of spiders from inside a giant tree and collected the shattered pieces of a fairy. The stories were probably mostly nonsense, but every now and then there was the ring of truth to them. Some had, indeed killed an octorock. The story of the scorpion mentioned that he hadn't said a single word.
So here Zelda was, in a a dingy pub on the outskirts of Castletown, her hair covered and one of her advisors practically vibrating beside her, waiting for a bard to begin his set. When she'd taken the songs most likely to be true and traced them back to their source, they'd all taken her to this man, whose collection was filled with songs of adventure and magic and heroism and loss. It made her think he knew Link and had convinced him to tell stories of his adventures so the bard could write them down.
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On today's episode of I Work In A Comic Shop, I'm crying just a little bit.
I'm setting up for my weekly kids' game of D&D - the last one for a while, before I go to college. I'd mentioned this to everyone last week, mostly to give them the heads-up that they'd have a different DM soon.
And they surprised me with good-bye presents.
One boy, we'll call him X, came in with both his parents. He was the 8-year-old who last week made me realize that Big Hero 6 is somehow not a new movie anymore. He's also our party's goblin druid, who can wild shape into a giant frost salamander (with crocodile stats other than size. He wanted to be able to use his super-badass mini he'd been painting. We found a way :3). They all come in, and he's getting settled while I'm grabbing stools and finishing setting up the table, and X says "We brought you a present."
And he gently slides across the table to me, a little lizard mini. It's hand-painted, has some turf around its feet (including a skull - this kid loves skulls and gore and I'm honored that he gave me a skull too) and is on a base maybe the size of a nickel. He then proceeds to tell me all about how he painted it, how he used tweezers to set the itty-bitty rocks into place. And his parents explain that he looks forward to these games every weekend. Me too kiddo. Me too. 🥹
Fast-forward to the end of the adventure. The day has been saved, rewards have been granted, and we're starting to tidy up. And this girl (we'll call her Y) and her dad (he'll be Z), who've been at almost every one of my games for the past two months, slide an envelope over to me.
It's a lovely Robin's-egg blue, and it has my name written on the back. The handwriting is definitely Y's, a little messy in that kid way but extremely sweet. My name is even spelled correctly. (I have an extremely uncommon name and most people forget how to spell it, including some of my coworkers and occasional my friends. To be clear, I don't mind in the least if it's misspelled - but seeing that they took the extra second to get it right really does strike me as extra sweet.) And inside is a very sweet message, signed by the both of them. (Also, some cash. They really didn't have to- 😭💜).
So I'm gonna talk about Y for a minute. The first day she and Z came in was Father's Day, with a bit of an unusual request. Normally, parents leave their kids alone to play and then pick them up a few hours later. Z explained that Y is autistic, and gets really bad social anxiety on her own, especially alone. (Honestly? Not sure if was neurodivergence [I've never been tested], but I was just as freaked out by strangers and loud other kids at her age. I understood.) So Z asked if it would be okay for him to hang out, and kind of be her spokesperson so it was less scary. I was fine with this, and so was the other dad and his son who showed up later that day. Again, it was Father's Day, so the dads actually joined in on the game. Y and Z came back pretty much every week after that. And every time, Y got a little less shy and a little more comfortable. The last few weeks, I've seen her laughing and joking and coming up with crazy schemes with the other kids, even at a full table of 5 or 6 others. I've been so excited every time I see her laugh, because I know that a couple months ago, she wouldn't have.
Anyways. I'm gonna miss the crap out of these kids.
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he’s so vogue
Description - you are the journalist for the new Harry Styles December Vogue Issue
A/N - how is everyone doing? hope you enjoy! if you have any requests please feel free to ask. love you all and have a lovely rest of the week!
warnings: swearing
[masterlist]
Being a journalist for Vogue was probably the biggest flex you could ever make.
After 3 years of studying English Literature at Surrey University, you never thought, only a year after, you'd be working as an apprentice at Vogue UK. If it weren't for your Aunty, who worked in the fashion design section at Vogue HQ, then you'd no doubt still be a broke-ass, single, lonely student. Ok, lonely you still were but your job was so full-on that you didn't have time for a relationship.
Two years into your apprenticeship you were promoted to an official member of the team, and then another two years later you got promoted to team leader in your department of journalism, and editing; The Media - or as you like to call it - "The Celeb Goss". You were beyond happy with your job and found such passion in every article your wrote. Whether it be about a new celebrity romance or the collapse of one, you found a way to story-tell in such a meditated way that everyone loved your pieces.
That's why the Harry Styles had requested you to be the one to interview him.
Of course you'd written about A-list celebrities in the past, producing articles on pregnancy rumours, or engagements, or breakups, but you'd never met them before authoring an article. You'd met plenty of D-list celebrities who thought they were mega famous, but if you mentioned their names people would turn around and ask "who?".
This is why interviewing Harry Styles was a massive thing for you.
Not very often did you get to do work out in the field, especially in these covid infested days, but nevertheless it was your favourite part of the job. Getting to meet the people you were writing about was completely refreshing, allowing you to obtain a clearer outlook on which direction to take on your journal piece.
You were asked to go to Stonehenge, where the photoshoot was being filmed, as your office of interview. Even though you'd lived in the UK all your life, you'd never actually been to Stonehenge. It wasn't really on your bucket-list, but it was a pleasure to get to see it all the same.
Being the prepared interviewer you were, you'd prepared an array of questions that you were set on asking Harry. You'd never met him before, but after much googling and youtubing of him prior to meeting him today you would already be confident in saying he's the most brilliant man to ever exist. You were really nervous that you were going to screw this interview up and make a terrible mess in front of Harry Styles.
"Lisa! What if I accidentally say something I shouldn't?" You ran your stressed hands through your hair.
This whole morning had been frantic. It had started off by you waking up late, no thanks to Lisa, your best-friend and co-worker, pressing snooze on the alarm. You wanted to look professional today so you'd put on your best shirt - only to spill coffee down it ten minutes later. So now, you smelt of coffee and were wearing what was left in your wardrobe - and it wasn't much. The only things left clean were a pair of pink corduroy flares and some, pastel coloured, graphic t-shirt to go with it.
"You won't. Stop being so negative." Lisa rolled her eyes, probably fed up with the amount of winging she'd heard from you this morning - and you'd only been awake an hour.
"My outfit is hardly professional either." You huffed, pouring the rest of your, second, coffee down the drain.
"Well I think you look gorgeous." Lisa stated, whilst putting her breakfast bar wrapper in the bin.
You and Lisa were back and forth about you stressing, and such, for about half an hour before you had to leave. You had a great panic about losing your glasses too. You could see without them up close, but for long distance viewing and reading you were practically blind. You were taking Lisa's car, since she didn't think you were emotionally stable enough to drive. Lisa was the creative director on the set, and thank goodness she was so you could at least ramble to someone.
After a two hour drive up from London, you arrived at Stonehenge and it was freezing. Although the sun was out, it did nothing to keep your body heated. The journey up had been nice because you sat in your nicely heated car, chatting away with Lisa and blasting some Harry Styles out of the speaker. You'd made it through the first album, and the second one up to Canyon Moon before reaching your destination.
Upon arriving you could just about, without glasses, make out about 15 other cars, arranged at the bottom of a hill. There was an array of Audis and BMWs, a few Range Rovers, which you placed your bets on one was Harrys, and a green, vintage, Jaguar which was most likely belonging to the fashion editor or something. There was also a modern barn, perched at the foot of the hill, which was where Harry would be getting changed in to his various different outfits.
It took you a moment to register that Lisa had parked and was already clambering out of the car, making you look a little idiotic still blankly staring at the beautiful scenes in front, and around, of you.
But it was still bloody freezing.
You jogged a little to the boot and whipped out your white cardigan. Originally you'd thought that this would've been enough to keep you warm, but now you were starting to think otherwise.
The atmosphere here was amazing. People were rushing around left, right and centre loading, and unloading, various pieces of equipment and clothes. You caught sight of brightly coloured fabrics being carried to and from various places. There were the camera crew, and presumably director, all chatting amongst themselves. The smell of the very fresh air was so lush that you'd forgotten what it smelt like - especially after years in London.
You grabbed your bag from the boot, which had your notes, recording kit and laptop stuffed inside, before locking the car and following Lisa in to the barn.
It was lovely and warm inside - a completely different climate to than the outside. It was as if it was Bali inside and Antarctica outside. Better Bali than Antarctica though.
"Ok. Let's put our stuff down over here and then go find people we need to meet and such." Lisa instructed, you still too in awe of the place to fully comprehend what was going on.
You followed Lisa and you two ended up dropping off your stuff next to some other bags. You took a liking to the purse next to your stuff. Next to your bag, it made yours seem ancient - like it was worth nothing more than a penny. It was luscious and a beautiful baby blue colour. You softly ran your hands over it, finding satisfaction in how smooth and subtle it was.
"Hope you're not planning on stealing that, love." A manly voice appeared from behind you. You whipped around to see who's bag you'd been messing with, and it was just your luck that it was to be Harry Styles'. Of all the people's it could've been it had to be his.
Perfect.
He looked dashing. He was in black flares and his iconic 'But daddy i love him', t-shirt, along with a huge green anorak. His hair was prettily clipped back with a pink clip, presumably placed there to gave his curls greater volume. In his hand he had a pink toothbrush and you guessed he'd come back over to put it away in his bag - only to find you caressing it instead.
"Oh - no, no. Not at all. I - uh - I just thought it was beautiful." You stammered over your words, choosing them carefully to try and make you look less like an active criminal.
"Mhm." Harry nodded whilst looking you up and down, most likely judging why a peasant like you, in comparison to him, was touching his expensive property. "Well, I love your flares darlin'." Harry looked down at your trousers, his compliment making you blush a little.
"Thank you. That wasn't professional, and neither is my outfit, I know, and I apologise." You added, because you knew that if your boss knew you turned up today the way you did she would give you a right bollocking - and potentially even fire you.
"Never apologise for flares. You look amazing." Gemma perked up, making you feel more self conscious surrounded by all these other beautiful women. Gemma was in a slouchy, knitted, jumper and basic jeans - no doubt all from shops beyond your budget - and yet she looked like a model fit for the runway for Vogue.
"Okay, sorry." You apologised again, to which you, creepily, got the exact same, stern, look from the Styles siblings at the same time.
"My stylist, Harry, introduced me to big pants. He offered whether I wanted to try a pair of flares, and I was like, 'Flares? That's fucking crazy'!" Harry laughed as he told his story, earning a laugh out of you too. "Now they're my favourite item of clothing. Have a whole wardrobe dedicated to them."
"I wish he was joking." Gemma laughed at her brother and his flare obsession.
"Well you do look handsome in them, so I understand why." Your words rolls off your tongue before you could even comprehend what you were saying. Only after you finished your sentence did you completely intake what you'd just said.
"Good start." Lisa giggled to you, before turning to walk over to the coffee station. It was a help-yourself coffee bar and you knew that you were going to bed at least five cups to get over the last five minutes alone. You'd probably drain the station before letting anyone else have any.
"Oh god." You awkwardly mumbled, not daring to see how weirdly Harry would be looking at you, before walking off outside.
You had spent less than 10 minutes here and yet you'd never felt like a bigger clown. Joining the circus had never been so easy.
The outside wind hit you like a powerful leaf blower, and your hair blew around like crazy - most likely compiling into a birds nest on the top of your head.
Today was supposed to be the start of something great. Your hopes were set on a promotion from your written masterpiece, whilst enjoying the company of one of the most handsome, most lovely, most talented men of this century. Those hopes seemed a little too distant now. They seemed to mock you, as if to laugh at how you ever thought you were going to be any more successful. You'd completely, in more ways than one, made a fool of yourself in front of your interviewee, you were so underdressed, you were caught fondling his Gucci purse and you were still bloody cold.
It all felt too unprofessional for a job where professional was practically the driving force of the company.
You leaned against the barn, taking a deep breath to try and calm yourself. You were a master in over-thinking, but unfortunately that wasn't something you could add to your resumé. You let your eyes close and the other senses come alive for a few moments. The sounds of distant sheep and the smell of the cold wind were just two of the senses that allowed you to take a step back for a minute, and breathe.
"Thank you." A voice interrupted you from your attempt of quick meditation. You looked to your left and noticed Harry standing there, still in the same outfit as before.
"I'm sorry?" You asked confused, taking a step away from the barn to considerately pay more attention to him.
"Thank you - for saying I look handsome in flares." He repeated, smirking when he added the second part.
"Oh." Was all you could respond, feeling too embarrassed to take the conversation any further. "I should—" You pointed back to the barn, using it as an excuse to leave before yet screwed up anymore.
"Lisa told me you're the interviewer." Harry added, and it only occurred to you that you'd never actually introduced yourself. "So it's lovely to finally meet you Y/N." He stuck out his hand for your to shake, which you did willingly. His hands were a lot softer than you'd expected.
"Ho... You know my name?" You asked surprised.
"Of course. I also know you're the best writer in Vogue right now." He flattered you, which made you blush. You had a feeling he'd make you do that a lot today.
"Sure." You rolled your eyes as you spoke sarcastically.
"Well I chose you for a reason, didn't I?" He rhetorically asked.
"I mean.. I, well.. I don't know?" You stumbled over your words, making yourself look like a larger fool than you did already. Today was just turning out to be exactly what you didn't want it to be. "Sorry."
"Stop apologising. You do it too often." He told you, nearly making you apologise again but he gave you a jokingly stern look, as if he knew what you were going to say, and so you decided otherwise.
"Harry!" You both turned to see there was a man waving towards you both, but specifically to Harry. "Come get changed!" The same man shouted. Harry lifted his thumbs up, as if to signal he'd be there shortly.
Harry turned back to you and noticed you shiver a little.
"I'll start the interview after I come back from the dressing rooms, yeah?" Harry asked, taking off his, khaki green, trench-coat in the process. He handed it to you before you could oblige against it.
"Wait what?" You confusedly looked down at the coat and back up to Harry.
"Gives me a piece of mind knowing my interviewer isn't going to die of hypothermia before actually interviewing me." He smiled, obviously attempting to crack a joke and you have to admit you did laugh.
"Thank you." You say, before he runs off to where he's being called to.
••••
You'd been sat inside for a little while, waiting for Harry to come back. It gave you time to perfect your questions though.
Thinking up questions to ask Harry had been a challenging task, but one that you'd been fully invested in. You loved creating questions to ask him that were going to get to understand him on a deeper level. He was a very private man, and you completely respected that. If you crossed any boundaries, with the questions you'd ask, you would write them out of the interview. You liked to think you hadn't thought up a question that would make him feel uncomfortable though.
Pissing off Harry would be on another level of shame.
"Coat kept you warm?" Harrys voice disengaged you from your notebook.
"Hm?" You asked then replayed what he'd just asked in your mind. "Oh, yes. Thank you very much." You stood up, from where you'd been perched on the floor, picking up your nearly finished green tea as you did so.
Only when you stood up did it come to your realisation that Harry was now in costume. He was dressed in luxury. Each item looked like it cost more than your rent, and that was saddening. He looked rich and luxurious. To be quite honest, you were finding it rather difficult to take your eyes off him.
"You think the outfit is Vogue enough?" Harry asked, striking a few poses, which made you laugh. It was refreshing to see him act so relaxed and carefree, rather than a stuck-up-prick you knew some celebrities to be.
"Completely. I love it!" You exclaimed, appreciating the twirl he did for you.
He was wearing a kilt-like skirt and he looked beyond beautiful in it. Fuck toxic masculinity. Fuck being a manly man - like what does that even mean? Harry was embracing gender fluidity and experimenting the ways in which there was no definitive line between men and women's clothes anymore, and you thought it was marvellous. Revolutionary, for times as politically and socially troubled as these.
You started removing the coat in attempt to give it back to him, but he refrained you from doing so by holding on to your forearm.
"Keep it. I thought we could go outside to start the interview, so you'll be needing that." Harry told you, and you agreed - however reluctantly that was. You couldn't really complain though, because the coat did kept you warm and, what's better, it smelt divine - just like you'd imagine Harry to smell.
"Okay. Thank you. Do you want to go now?" You asked hesitantly, not knowing whether he was busy for someone else right now.
"Whenever you're ready, love." He answered, making you feel more relaxed. He was going at your pace and was making you feel settled - he was even more of a gentleman than people described him to be.
The two of you had walked around the backside of the barn in silence, enjoying the comfort of each other's presence. Well, at least you were. It was a blessing no one was back here. It was just you, Harry and the scenery that surrounded Stonehenge.
You approached a bench and you plopped yourself down on one end, whilst Harry sat on the other. He respected the fact that there was a pandemic going on, and didn't want to make you uncomfortable in any way. You still had your mask on, so Harry had taken that as you were very conscious about the virus - which he admired.
You pulled out your glasses, from the depths of one of the coat pockets, and placed them on your face, probably making yourself look even geekier than you already felt. Today was just one of those days you wished you had good eyes...
You opened your spent notebook, musty pages practically falling apart, and turned to the section of questions you needed for that interview. You were so nervous already and you hadn't even asked anything yet, all because of the previous interactions with Harry today. Your shaky hands shuffled through the pages and you cursed under your breath when you struggled to find what you needed.
"Shoot. Come on." You mumbled quietly under your breath, hoping it would make this terrible situation end faster. You mustn't have been as quiet as you thought though.
"Y/N." Harry's name broke through your clouded mind of self-disappointment.
You looked up at him to see him softly smiling at you, blowing all worries away from you away with the wind. "Yes?" You timidly asked, pushing your wind-swept hair out of glasses - where it'd gotten caught.
"You’re alright, love. You don't have to be professional around me, alright? We're just two strangers having a conversation, to get to know each other, okay?" If his words didn't calm you enough, the soothing sound of his husky voice certainly did.
"But that would mean you asking me stuff too?" You replied, confused at his implications of the phrasing 'getting to know each other'.
"Mhm." Harry nodded his head.
"Oh I don't know Mr Styles, i'm not a very interesting person." You answered as if it were the most obvious thing in the world, pushing your glasses back up the bridge of your nose from where they'd fallen.
"I refuse to believe that." Harry chuckled, making a quick smile appear on your face. "And please call me Harry. Just Harry." He begged, obviously finding it weird you calling him by his professional title. All you wanted, ever, was for your interviewee's to feel comfortable and safe, so if Harry wanted you to call him Harry then so be it.
"Ok, Harry," you sarcastically said, earning a shake of the head on his behalf, "you can ask me a few questions throughout the day." You told him, but you knew he'd struggle to find even two questions when he realises how bland you are.
"Does that mean you only get to ask me a few as well?" Harry smirked, already knowing the answer to that question. Unlike Harry, you had to write an article about today when you got home and so he knew that you'd have to dig as much dirt as possible from him.
"No, sorry. I don't particularly want to lose my job." You paused to look down at your notes, squinting a little as you did to see better. "Okay. Tell me your experience with corona virus."
"Sorry I didn't quite catch that, love." Harry apologised, leaning in slightly to see if he could hear you a second time around.
"Sorry." You looked down to fiddle with your fingers - a habit you'd undertaken when you're embarrassed. "Um..," you cleared your throat, "would you mind if I took off my mask?"
Your timid voice sent tingle down Harrys spine. He didn't think anyone could ever be this sweet. "Not at all, ‘course you can." He replied, again, wanting to make you feel as comfortable as possible.
You hesitantly took off your face mask, feeling like you were in some dramatic movie where they face revealed someone. You kind of liked having the mask on, because, for one, it kept you warm, and for two, you were a little self conscious with how you looked compared to all the other women here today. You shoved the mask in your pocket, with trembling fingers, before looking back down to your notes.
"Woah." You heard Harrys voice being mumbled under the wind. You eyes shot up to his and you noticed him staring right back at you.
"W-what? Is my acne playing up? I knew I should've—" You self-consciously run your hands over the areas you know you got acne. The masks really didn't help when it came to skin care.
"Hey, stop. No. You just... You look beautiful." Harry complimented you, and a roaring blush arose on to your cheeks. You'd never been called beautiful before, and so you were taking the compliment like such a 13-year old.
"Oh, uh, thank you." You awkwardly answered, not really having any other words come to mind in that moment. Harry chuckled under his breath, still keeping eyes on you for some reason.
"Would you mind repeating your last question, I didn't quite catch it?" Harry asked politely.
"Sure. Um, tell me how you've experienced corona virus." You repeated for him, gripping ahold of your pen to start copying what he says and pressing start on your recording device in case you needed it later.
"Well, it's been tedious that's for sure. However, I just want people to be safe and for life to return back to normal, so therefore i've been very MIA for a lot of the time. Keeping to myself mostly. I only went out for hikes or bike rides. All my meetings were online, so it's been very lonely." Harry kept eye contact with your figure the entire time, and if it weren't for you concentrating on writing what he was saying then you'd probably melt away under his gaze.
For such soft eyes he sure was intimidating.
"I presume the loneliness sent you crazy at times." You laughed, because you sure felt that way through lockdown. Curse being single.
"You have no idea." Harry laughed along with you, making you, slowly, feel more at ease.
"Actually, you'd be surprised." You looked at him unsure, before returning down to your notebook.
"Okay then, first question from me," Harrys words made your head shoot up, "How can someone as amazing as yourself be lonely?" He asked and you made a mental tally of how many questions he'd asked.
"Could ask you the very same question, Harry." You slyly replied, avoiding the question by answering with another question. It was a tactic you'd learnt, throughout your years of journalism, when you wanted to dismiss something .
"That's cheating." Harry pointed at you and raised his eyebrows, but you couldn't take your eyes off the big, cheeky, smile perched on his face. You shrugged you're shoulders in defence and returned to your questions. "But you did just call me amazing, so I think i'll let it slide this one time." You blushed, again, when you understood what he meant.
He was amazing though - that was the truth.
"You were in L.A. for the majority of quarantine, am I right to say?" You already knew the answer but your manager had just wanted confirmation.
"Yeah, but L.A. feels like holiday, whereas London feels like home." He answered, which you appreciated. He hasn't got lost in the way that Hollywood could let people. He'd stayed grounded.
"So what did you entertain yourself with during quarantine?" You asked curiously, slightly side-tracking from your pre-written questions - just because you were intrigued (nosey).
"Not much, not to be boring. I ate a lot of bread. I worked out pretty much every day. I wrote quite a bit actually." He used his fingers to pinch his bottom lip, something you'd noticed he did in interviews.
"Does that mean a new album on the way?" Your inner fangirl was screaming at the thought of HS3.
"Can neither confirm nor deny." Harry smirked to himself, like the cheeky bugger he is.
"That's a yes then." You joked, pretending to write it down in your notes.
"You're impossible, you." Harry laughed and shook his head. It made you feel all funny the way you could make him smile like that. You were the source of his happiness for just that moment, and that was enough to make you feel happy for a lifetime - not that he felt the same.
"Next question," you stated, moving swiftly on because you knew you had limited time, "How's your experience with Vogue been so far?"
"Wonderful. Everyone has been so welcoming and that makes it so much easier for me to have fun. It's daunting going at things alone, but i'm getting slowly used to it now." Harry sniffled a little, probably due to the freezing cold weather here.
"Must be strange, not having four best friends around you, all the time, anymore." You stated rather than asked him, sure that he was missing his bandmates. I mean, you were - so he definitely would be.
"Brothers." Harry replied, making you look up at him confused.
"I'm sorry?" You asked, giving him your full attention.
"You said four best friends. Well, actually they're my brothers." His words actually caused a rift in your heart. You could feel it being pulled apart and torn in to two. If you wrote this in to the magazine the fans would have a worldwide passing-away-party.
"Harry." You said softly, slightly tearing up at his words. "God, I swear i'm not normally this emotional." You chest your throat and try to establish your dignity - however there wasn't that much left anymore.
"Oh shut up." Harry looked away obviously trying to hide the fact that he was tearing up too. You laughed at him but didn't draw any more attention to it than you guessed he would've wanted.
"They mean a lot to you then?" You asked, hopefully not treading on any unwanted territories.
"Much more than a lot, yeah." Harry nodded his head, turning it back to face you. He could tell this conversation was now off-the-record because of your closed notebook, your undivided attention towards him and the fact you’d turned off the recording device. He liked being able to look at you, rather than the top of your head. He swore you were the prettiest girl he'd ever seen.
"You still see them often?"
"Not as often as i'd like. Niall did come around the other week to drop off some old guitars he didn't want anymore, and then we ended up playing around with some music for a bit." He admitted, which stitched your heart back together.
"So does that mean a Narry collab?" You teased, biting your bottom lip in anticipation.
"Narry? You so are a directioner." He laughed along with you.
"And you just avoided my question, therefore there is a song out there written only by you and Niall." You concluded, which shut him up.
This conversation was going a lot better than expected. Certainly a lot better than earlier. You will be permanently scarred by the way you spoke to him and handled his belongings. It was going to haunt you forever - and yet he'd forget about it by tomorrow. Or maybe he wouldn't, which is why you felt the need to apologise.
"Harry?" You asked, clearly indicating this was still a conversation away from the interview.
"Yes Y/N?" He watched you intently, listening to your every word.
"I, um, just wanted to apologise for my behaviour earlier. I was just really nervous to meet you, and to be honest still am. I didn't mean to touch your stuff without your consent and I certainly didn't mean to make you uncomfortable with any of my comments. So, i'm sorry. I can only imagine the awful, yet true, things you must think of me." You rambled really quickly, that you were uncertain whether Harry even caught one word of what you'd says.
"Do you know why I asked for you to interview me Y/N?" Harry asked, which wasn't the first thing you expected him to say after your apology.
"No. I...well Lisa told me it was because I can write well or something." You suggested, not wanting to sound egotistical.
"I mean you do write perfectly, but no." You were intrigued now. "I asked for you because I, and this is not for your magazine, have a secret - but not-so-secret - crush on you." This time it was Harrys turn to blush.
"Harry... you don't have to say that to—"
"I'm not saying it for anything. I sincerely think you are the most delightful, most prettiest, most fucking sweetest person i've ever met." Harry exclaimed, which you were taken aback by. Never, ever, did you think that Harry Styles would proclaim his likeness towards you. Ever.
"Harry don't mess with me, please." You shyly spoke, tilting your head down in disbelief that the Harry Styles was smitten about you.
He shuffled along the bench, stopping a little way from you but close enough to reach out for you. Your heartbeat increased when you noticed his hand move closer towards you. It didn't stop till he reached your face. He took his time, courteously, pushing your hair behind your ear before removing you of your glasses. He held the right-eye frame and slowly pulled the glasses off your face.
Once he'd successfully taken them off he folded them up and placed them alongside your closed notebook.
"Can see those pretty eyes now." He whispered quietly, but loud enough for you to hear.
"Don't lie. They're so dull." You mumbled, lifting your head up slightly. His face was still away from you.
"Not to me they're not." He retaliated, looking deep into your eyes as you did his. "I hate this corona virus."
"Why?" His words were so out of the blue sometimes, it gave you whiplash.
"Because I can't be as near to you as I want to be." Harry told you. And yeah, you hated corona too. It was getting a little laborious now.
"Smooth, Styles." You chuckled. You wondered how many new and weird pick-up lines could be made from covid.
"I know." He winked, which honestly would have made you throw up if it were any other man on the planet. Somehow, though, Harry just made it seem attractive - along with every other thing that man ever did. "After this, would you like to come back to my house for a cuppa tea?" He asked sweetly, like a five year old asking whether you wanted to play together.
"Okay. Lisa was my ride though." You said more to yourself than anything else, debating on how you'd even get to Harrys. Uber? Taxi? Lisa? Walk?
"I'll drive us, it's fine. I have to drop Gem off, but i'd be more than happy to chauffeur you." Harry kindly offered, to which you were internally screaming about. You were literally, and metaphorically, having a field-day with all this Harry content and interview.
"Are you sure? I don't want to be a burden." You question politely, not wanting to overstep any boundaries - especially in these covid infested times.
"Of course. I wouldn't have offered otherwise." He protested, waving his hand at if to say it was no bother. You were already trying to work out, in your head, how much petrol money you were going to owe him.
"Then i'd be honoured to have a brew with you Harry." You giggled at how cringe you were being, even if this was just your normal self speaking.
"Great." Harry genuinely smiled, teeth and all. "My shoot should take a couple of hours, but feel free to continue to write and journal. I'm looking forward to reading this particular article." He winked at you before standing up.
"Wonder why?" You sarcastically asked, knowing full-well it was due to his exposure of his own feelings towards you. Even though you'd never says anything back you were quite in agreement on how you felt about him, like he did you. He would be a narcissist to say he knew you liked him the same, out loud, but he knew. And you knew that he knew.
"Wonder why indeed." He gave you one last smile before he'd disappeared for the rest of the afternoon, leaving you to digest and relive the past half an hour or so.
Being Harry Styles' crush was probably the biggest flex you could ever make.
••••
After Harry had finished up his shoot he was quick to come find you again.
You'd watched parts of his shoot and he looked magnificent. There wasn't a good enough word to describe how amazing he looked. Harry, his stylist, was probably the best stylist out there. His fashion choices were unmatched and you wanted him to be yours. You were not rich enough nor fashionable enough, ironic for working in a a fashion company, to hire a stylist, but you would if you could.
You were so proud to see what he was achieving now as the person that he was. Harry was just being Harry, without the devilish control of shitty managements or ridiculous amounts of PR stunts. Harry was more free than ever, and it definitely showed just how much he was enjoying it.
You were certain that this Vogue magazine would break the internet - his fans were good at doing that. This could be a turning point for many people, with their outdated and ignorant views. There was no room for people with racist or homophobic or transphobic or xenophobic - and the list does go on - views anymore.
You were waiting by the front door of the barn, to catch Harry as he walked past. You caught sight of him in a white robe, presumably to get changed back into his everyday clothes. He looked really pretty in the robe - very domestic actually.
Today had been a good day.
Harry asked you to send over the more specific Vogue questions to him via email, so he could devote more time in to answering them in a lot more depth. You thought he meant you'd be sending them to some PA in his team, but you were shocked to understand he'd given you his personal email.
People were walking back to their cars and packing away the filming kit. You saw Lisa and the director talking to one another, no doubt discussing some in-work gossip.
"You ready?" Harrys voice reminded you that you'd been waiting for him. You looked to see he was back in the same clothes as this morning, only this time without his coat.
"Here?" You offered, having him over the coat once again but he declined.
"Looks better on you anyways." He winked at you, before walking through the car park and to his car. You were very surprised when you found out Harry was the one to own the green Jaguar. You assumed all celebrities drove the Range Rover, but no. The vintage car added to Harrys immaculate vibe and just made him that little bit more hot.
Harry properly introduced you to Gemma, who was equally as lovely as Harry. They were both amazing people and they were crazily alike. From the way they looked, down to the way they phrased their words, they were mistakingly twins. Gemma explained how Anne, their mum, didn't know they were doing this photoshoot and that it was going to be a surprise, which you thought was so cute.
Gemma spilt a lot of gossip on Harry, to which he got very embarrassed over. You learnt that Harrys first word was Cat. You learnt that Harry is godfather to multiple children, which you found heartwarming. You learnt Harry used to be a baker - which was something he elaborated on for a good half an hour. Harry was just a fountain of memories and Gemma was the one sharing them all with you.
The drive back to London was relaxed. You sat in the back, listening to Harry and Gemma pointlessly argue whilst an Arctic Monkeys album played in the background. You forgot that people like Harry drove, and listened to music, just like other regular people. You often misplaced celebrities in society, thinking they had everything done for them but in reality that (often) wasn't the case - at least not for Harry.
Gemma was dropped off quickly before Harry drove to his. It was no surprise that the Styles siblings didn't live too far away from each other. Harrys house was beautiful. Bigger than anything you could ever dream of buying. It was a palace compared to your cupboard-sized house. You were unbelievably jealous. He gave you the tour of the house, showing you where the toilets were, and even his panic room if necessary.
You migrated to the kitchen for a bit, talking about anything and everything. Getting to know the minuscule pieces of information that no-one else was trusted with, made you feel special. Harry made you feel special - even if he weren't meaning to.
Every moment held a spark. Every touch set off a firework. Every laugh was an electric burst. He made you feel so alive.
"We can go to the living room after this has boiled." Harry said, pointing towards the streaming kettle. He wanted to show off his fancy tea collection he had, and let you have a try if you wanted to. Harry was boring and chose the basic green tea, but, after much deliberation, you chose the cranberry green tea. It intrigued you and it sounded delicious.
"Why the extensive tea collection?" Not even you, a certified caffeine addict, had this much tea in your house. Coffee was a different story and one in which you didn't want to talk about.
"They help me with my meditation." He took the teabags and placed them in his glass mugs. They had a delicate Gucci stamp on them, and you just imagined that they probably worth the same amount as your daily salary.
"You meditate?" You were slightly surprised that he did.
"I try to yeah." Harry nodded, focusing on pouring in the boiling water into the mugs. "I've got very tight hamstrings and so it helps if I meditate twice a day."
Harry finished making the tea, in the light-filled kitchen, before showing you around to the open-lounge area. Everything was modern and chic. It was exactly how you imagined it, but better. The open, red-brick, wall was a beautiful feature and one that you were a whore for! It reminded you of New York and the memories you'd made there one summer.
The sofa was a beautiful velvet, green, sofa. It was soft and gentle, a lot like Harry when you thought about it. The whole house was an architectural masterpiece and you'd be lying if you said you weren't jealous. You sat on one end and Harry went to go and sit on the other end.
"I don't bite you know?" You joked, self-consciously wondering whether he didn't want to be sat near you.
"I know, I just don't want to step on any of your covid boundaries - which is perfectly fine by the way." He added, apprehensively taking the spot next to you.
"No, not at all." You ushered him to sit next to you, as you took a sip from your steaming hot cup of fruity tea. "If I smell though, do tell me!"
"Yeah, you smell bloody awful!" Harry sarcastically remarked, but laughing afterwards to assure you he was joking. The atmosphere went quiet for a minute, only the sounds of passing cars and deep breaths being heard.
"Y/N can I ask you something?" Harry turned the tone of the conversation. It sounded like he wanted to be more serious than you two were being beforehand.
"Anything." You encouraged him to continue. You placed the cup of tea down on the table, deciding it was too hot to drink right now, and gave him your full attention.
"Do you believe in love at first sight?" Harry questioned. You didn't think you'd be having a conversation this intense - especially if you had different opinions - on your first day of knowing each other, but here you were.
"I believe you can love someone at first sight. I don't believe you can be in love with someone at first sight. Why?" You were curious as to how his brain had journeyed to this particular topic. You'd never really had this conversation with anyone before, mainly because you were unaware of the true power, and meaning, of love.
"It uh... It doesn't matter." Harry shook his head and you could tell by his body language that he was shutting you out. Maybe you'd made him uncomfortable.
"Sorry I didn't mean to—"
"No, no. Please don't apologise. It's just - I like you a lot more than you may think." Harry shyly told you, which made you all soft inside. He was being vulnerable and that was something you admired in a partner. You didn't just need love, affection and trust in a relationship. No. You needed vulnerability and heartbreak too, and Harry was revealing that part of him to you.
"I like you a lot more than you think too." You repeated, not because you felt bad for him but because you truly did like him a whole lot. Love was a weird yet wonderful thing, and if you were to hazard a guess you'd say you loved Harry.
You couldn't wait to be in love with him.
"Does that mean I get to crown you my girlfriend?" Harry excitedly asked. Harry happy was something that should be made a constant, and you were more than happy to be in control of that.
"At least take me out first." You bargained, wishing for nothing more than to go on a date with Harry. Where you'd go, you had no idea. Everything was closed right now and there was still the chance of becoming sick with corona, but no doubt Harry would think of something not only clever, but special.
Of course you'd love to be Harrys girlfriend. However, you wanted one more, official, opportunity to really get to know him - unprofessionally. You wanted to make sure that you knew, and he knew, that you wanted to be with him because he was the charming Harry you've come to love, not because he was Harry Styles.
"So you're allowing me to take you on a date?" Harry smirked like a little child, your heart fluttering at how excited he was to be able to treat you to dinner.
"Yes, Harry. Yes I am." You answered sweetly, offering him the cutest smile you could.
You can't believe what a turn of events today has been. You've gone from nearly writing yourself on Harrys enemy list to writing yourself on to his 'people he's dated' list. Who knows what the future would offer you. At the start of the day you had wished this whole day to end and for the ground to just swallow you up, now you never wanted it to end. It was too perfect to be true and yet it was.
Harry was the most wonderful human to exist and you were beyond surprised to be the one to catch his attention. You didn't understand why you were so special, but it was nice to feel like this for a change. It was nice to feel wanted.
••••
A few months later and you were officially Harrys girlfriend.
It had been such a crazy few months. Harry religiously took you out on dates every week. Whether it be to grab a hotdog at a local diner, a coffee from a quaint cafe, a walk in Hyde Park or a late-night drive around London - which normally ended up with you falling asleep before you could make it back to yours. On sleepless jet-lagged nights he'll still drive through London's quiet streets, seeing neighborhoods in a new way, just as an excuse to spend time with you.
Harry often stayed over at yours. Even though you looked like you lived in a shoebox compared to Harry, he liked it. He liked the subtly and normality of it all. He wanted your life to remain as normal as possible and, apart from the occasional paparazzi incident, it did. You never had anything to complain about. Of course the online bullying created emotional wounds, at the start of your relationship, but it was nothing that Harry couldn't repair with a bit of love.
Lisa has nominated herself to be maid-of-honour when the day comes - if the day comes. Harry has already pinky sworn that you are it for him. The one, as some may say. You were utterly flattered, but you certainly unsure of what the future help for you both.
You loved Harry, you do love Harry and you will forever always love Harry.
It was ridiculous to think that all this stemmed from you working at Vogue. From you studying English Literature in a city away from London. From you dedicating you extra hours gaining work experience and money to be able get in and afford university. So many moments in life have you stopped and said 'i wish i hadn't have done that', but now you were convinced that they were the best things to have happened to you - because they lead you, all, to Harry.
And, being Harry Styles girlfriend was probably the biggest flex you could ever make.
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Hi! I love your Levi imagines, and I saw that your requests were open, so here goes: Can you write a Levi x female!reader story where his s/o is pregnant and goes into labor when Hange is off on a research expedition, so Levi has to deliver the baby with only his squad for assistance? Bonus points if someone on Levi Squad faints in the process!
Heyyyy anon, this idea is so precious and I will definitely do a lil imagine for this scenario! <3
Summary: You go into labor without your designated delivery nurse.
Word Count: 1.9K
Warnings: childbirth, nothing too graphic.
__
In the early months of your pregnancy, you and Levi had both been ecstatic. But once the last two or so months had creeped up on you, the two of you began to get anxious. Hange had originally agreed to deliver the baby, seeing that she was the only person that Levi trusted to go near you besides himself. You felt ready to pop as you sat out in the courtyard with Mikasa, she was watching you like a hawk, grey eyes alert and tracking every muscle twitch. It had been strange, as soon as you began to suspect that you were pregnant, Mikasa had began clinging to you. It was as if she sensed the change, eventually you gave up on trying to figure out how she had known, and chalked it up to her Ackerman DNA.
Eren and Jean were running around, Connie desperately trying to keep up with them as they passed a deflated ball back and forth, obviously keeping it out of Connie’s grasp. You smiled fondly as Sasha leapt into the air and snatched the ancient ball from them, passing it to Connie, who ran in the opposite direction. Armin and Annie were laying on a blanket looking up at the sky, Annie’s hand was pointing at a cloud, you could see her lips moving, followed by Armin’s soft laugh.
You hadn’t wanted kids. Not really, that hole had been filled by these fools, but once you all had overcome the issues in Marley, those feelings began to ebb away. Especially once you and Levi began seeing each other. He had been reluctant, but Hange had stayed consistent in pushing him to pursue you. Low and behold two years later, you were married with a bundle of joy on the way. You had felt nauseous all morning, crampy, and sore in your lower abdomen. It wasn’t until the afternoon, about two hours prior that you had felt the first contraction. They were closer now and you weren’t really able to hide them anymore. So Mikasa noticed when you flinched for the second time in twenty minutes. She turned and placed a firm hand to your shoulder.
“What’s wrong? Where does it hurt?” She asked, those coal grey eyes scanning your face for an answer.
“I...have been having contractions.” You admitted guiltily as you rubbed your swollen stomach to ease yourself.
“Uh oh...” Mikasa’s expression dropped, skin paling as the realization struck her. Hange had left only days prior, for an important meeting alongside Erwin and the other high up military personnel.
“It’s fine, I’m fine. It isn’t quite time yet, just maybe help me get back inside?” You were beginning to sweat as the contractions began to become more intense. She nodded and helped you to your feet, the others all noticed the movement and followed like little ducks. You only managed to stumble into the parlor and fall onto one of the sofas there, the teens all towering over you.
“What do you need?” Annie was standing at your side, the back of her hand pressed to your forehead.
“I’ll go get Levi!” Jean offered before taking off and up the stairs, sprinting up them two at a time.
“I’ll go get snacks!” Sasha sprinted towards the kitchen, Connie chasing after her. Armin was standing frozen as he watched Mikasa and Annie both take your hands. Eren was just as bad as Armin, those jade green eyes wide and focused on the space between your legs.
“Uhhhh (Y/n)....I think that-” Eren’s face was beet red as he stumbled over his words.
“Your water broke!” Armin informed you as you tried to meet their eyes over your stomach.
“No, I could have sworn that my contractions were-”
“What in god’s name is-” Levi froze, Jean panting alongside him as they all stared at the fluid dripping down your legs, soiling the couch and your cotton dress.
“(Y/n)...” Levi’s face was pale and his eyes were wide as he rushed to close the space between you. You eagerly gripped his hand as another contraction he let out a shaky breath along with you as the contraction ended.
“What are we supposed to do?” Eren said numbly as he stared at Mikasa who was propping your up.
“We...need to get her a better bed or, something.” Mikasa spoke slowly, Annie nodded in agreement, her icy eyes scanning the room.
“Move those chairs, then go get a mattress from one of the rooms down the hall.” Annie ordered, Eren and Armin darted off to complete the mattress task, while Jean began shoving the chairs out of the way. Connie and Sasha returned, with rags and towels along with an apple shoved in Sasha’s mouth. In mere minutes the room had been transformed into a makeshift delivery room, basins of clean water and mountains of towels. Mikasa and Levi helped you down onto the stripped mattress, Mikasa settled behind you, allowing you to recline back into her. You were shocked by how calming it was to just feel her heartbeat. Levi started by your side, his hand gripping yours. That was until Annie cleared her throat and looked down at your knees.
“Someone...needs to check...” Annie trailed off as everyone shared uneasy glances. Connie shook his head violently, Jean looked green along the gills, Sasha crunched on the apple. Armin swallowed loudly.
“I can...coach someone but I don’t think that I’m comfortable actually...” He flushed as he spoke and you let out a low groan.
“Look I don’t give a shit who does it, but someone needs to see how dilated I am.” Your breathing was deep and somewhat controlled as the room once more fell silent.
“I’ll do it.” Levi said finally as he placed a kiss to your knuckles before shuffling to the end of the mattress. Armin joined Levi, but his eyes were glued to the ceiling.
“O-Okay you need to take your fingers and line them up at the erm...you know.” Armin’s cheeks were so red. Annie huffed, unamused as she joined them at the foot of the mattress.
“Sit down, you’re making me nervous.” You said breathily to Jean, Eren, and Connie who all quickly came to rest on the floor near your head. You grimaced at the feeling of Levi’s fingers against you.
“Uh...what am I looking for?” Levi’s voice was unusually high as he clutched your calf nervously.
“Four fingers!” You groaned, leaning back into Mikasa as you felt yet another contraction.
“That’s two in five minutes, it’s nearly time.” Armin informed, eyes still on the stone ceiling.
“Four? Then...it is time.” Levi said breathlessly as he lifted his head to meet your eyes.
“Great okay, start your breathing like Hange taught you (Y/n).” Mikasa spoke surprisingly calmly as she rubbed your shoulders. You began to pant, shutting your eyes tightly as the lower half of your body felt like it was being torn in two. You let out another moan, you vaguely noticed that Connie and Sasha had both gotten up and were rummaging through the bookshelf.
“-It says in this book that...the baby’s tail should fall off in no more than three days?”
“Are baby’s born with tails?”
“No...at least my siblings weren’t..”
You let out a bark of laughter at the pair as they debated the contents of the book.
“Shut the fuck up you two and get those towels ready.” Eren ordered, his face pale and voice high with panic.
“Yeah what he said.” Jean agreed, his hand covering his eyes as he held your free hand tightly.
“Okay but this book says-”
“For the love of god just-” Eren made it half way through his sentence before you let out a low groan as you pushed for the first time. Armin nodded in approval, Annie as holding your dress up as Levi narrowed his eyes in concentration.
“That’s it, take your time.” Annie encouraged as she reached into her boot for her dagger. You felt your baby slide down, and into the birth canal.
“I...can see the head!” Levi announced as he held his hands out for the baby as you prepared for another good push.
“Good, only a few more (Y/n)!” Armin assured you as he blindly reached out and braced himself on Levi’s shoulder. You moaned, throwing your head back into Mikasa’s shoulder as Eren dabbed your neck with a damp towel.
“So close, you can do it.” Mikasa encouraged as you let out a choked sob, your pelvis felt as if it was about to rip in half as you felt the head crowning.
“Okay Levi, you need to guide the head out, twist so that the shoulders can come out.” Annie informed calmly as she watched Levi gently rotate the baby’s head, allowing the baby to slip free. He let out a shaky gasp as he held the newborn in his hands while Annie sliced the umbilical cord. Armin finally looked as Connie wrapped the baby in a fresh towel.
“I’ll clean-” He pushed the towel aside and beamed at you and Levi.
“-her. I’ll clean her up.” He said as he and Sasha rushed to the nearest basin to wash the baby. Mikasa rubbed your arms as Armin began guiding Levi on the steps to delivering the placenta.
No more than five minutes later, you had your baby girl against your chest. Her head was amazingly full of black silky hair. Her eyes were shut, but you had a feeling that when they opened that they would be a charcoal grey. Levi shuffled up next to you, pressing a kiss you your temple, his lip trembling as he looked down at your daughter.
“You did it.” You said breathlessly as you smiled up at Levi.
“No...you did it.” He said as he gently placed his hand over your daughter’s back, which was rising and falling steadily. Mikasa shifted as she tried to worm away from you, Levi gladly taking her place.
“What will you call her?” Eren asked as he wrapped an arm over Mikasa’s shoulders. You swallowed thickly and looked back up at Levi who was still busy staring at your baby.
“Kuchel.” You said without hesitation, Levi seemed startled when he heard the name, and then his eyebrows furrowed as he fought to keep his face free of emotion.
“Yeah, that’s-” His voice cracked and he buried his face in the crook of your neck.
“-that’s perfect.” he finished his sentence and the kids all mumbled their agreements as they watched you push your dress aside to feed your baby, who was cooing and gripping at the seams of your dress.
“Kuchel.” You hummed as Levi stroked her back, her eyes cracked open for the first time, and you choked back a sob at the sight.
Her eyes were not grey, but a familiar (e/c), she had your eyes.
“Oh-” Jean choked back his own sob, biting his knuckles as he turned on his heel and buried his own face in Sasha’s shoulder as he cried.
“Jeanboy” Connie said teasingly, despite the thick emotion in his own voice.
“Let’s get out of here everybody.” Annie advised as she watched Levi thread his finger through his daughter’s as she began to suckle on your breast.
“Congratulations.” they all murmured as they took their leave. You relaxed back into Levi, finally able to be alone for the first time with your little family.
__
Lol I loved this, I used to want to be a labor and delivery nurse. But that was before I realized that Chem is NOT my friend. Anyway, sorry I couldn’t squeeze in someone fainting, but if you care I think that Jean would be most likely to. Only because he’s an only child and doesn’t know what child birth is like.
But seeing as how much they have been through in the canon universe I doubt that childbirth would be the most disturbing sight lol. Hope that you enjoy this! Requests are still open so send me stuff :)
#snk levi#levi x reader#levi aot#levi x y/n#levi x you#levi x pregnant reader#levi ackerman fanfiction#levi ackerman#captain levi#hange zoe#eren mikasa armin#eren jeager#mikasa ackerman#eremika#armin arlert#jean kirstein#connie springer#sasha braus#reader insert#snk x reader#levi/reader#aot fandom#aot fanfiction#levi ackerman x you#levi ackerman x reader#pregnancy#childbirth
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Hi! I saw you don’t have any miraculous stuff yet. Can I request a Marinette x f! reader. Reader is new to the school and quickly becomes her friend and Marinette doesn’t know how to react when she finds out reader has a crush on her. She realizes that she fell for reader while she was hanging out with Adrian. Please.
MARINETTE X FEM!READER ONESHOT
Thank you so much for your request(s)! I absolutely love this one.
fem!reader
warnings: none!
ੈ♡˳·˖✶
As the students of Francoise Dupont got into the routine of the new school year, there was a last minute transfer. That transfer being you, Y/N. You were full of excitement and nerves to finally be starting at a new school, thrilled to meet new friends, but also nervous, for fear of being left out. Your fears has faded away, however, when you met your new classmates, especially her.
Her being Marinette Dupain-Cheng, the class president tasked with showing you around for the day. She had a creative and talented personality, and a helping attitude, and every task, favor, and assignment never seemed to be a problem, or worry for her. You weren't sure if you wanted to be her, or with her.
By lunchtime, you had figured you wanted to be with her. You had also figured that half the class felt the same way, how could they not?
As you walked to the restroom at the end of lunch with Alya and Rose, about a week after you had first been introduced, they struck up a conversation about Marinette.
"You and Marinette are getting close? Should I have to watch my back so you don't replace me as her BFF?" Alya asks, with a light tone. Rose laughs.
You inhale sharply. "No! No, it's not like that! I would never! I-"
"Girl, relax." Alya laughs. You ease up a little bit. "I'm just teasing you. All the girls in our class are tight."
"Oh! That's nice to hear! I hope we can all be great friends."
Rose and Alya nod. "But anyway, about Marinette. You like her, don't you?" Rose asks.
'Was it that obvious?' You think woefully.
"I guess. But I know she likes Adrien." There was no point in hiding it. You trusted the two girls, and it was just a little crush.
Rose opens the door to the bathroom, holding it for you and Alya. As you thank the blonde, Alya speaks up. "I what it feels like to like someone who doesn't like you back. Nino used to have a crush on Marinette. Come to think of it, pretty much everyone in our class has had a crush on her at one point or another." Rose nods, laughing as she sprays some perfume on herself.
"Adrien?" You ask.
"That boy is absolutely clueless. His skull is *ahem* very thick. He's so dumb, for someone so smart." Alya says.
Rose agrees thoughtfully.
After your conversation with Alya and Rose, you return to your seat with newfound hope. Marinette must know Adrien is hopeless. Feeling bold, you come up with a plan.
ੈ♡˳·˖✶
Marinette had only known you for a few weeks, however, she had already felt a connection with you. She was really looking forward to becoming better friends.
On another note, Marinette had also made plans with Adrien later in the day. She had been looking forward to this project ever since she had been paired up with the young model.
Stopping at her locker, she noticed you walking towards her. You looked nervous. Had you forgotten your locker combination?
“Hey Marinette!” You said, voice masking the uncertainty you felt.
Marinette smiled, turning her attention towards you. “Hi, Y/N!”
“So, um… I was wondering - and I know this might be sudden - but I was wondering if you wanted to go out… together?”
To say Marinette had been taken aback would be an understatement. And while she liked the forwardness, Marinette had to turn you down. Who knows what could happen with Adrien tonight, even if he’s a bit clueless?
“Y/N. Listen, I… Uh, appreciate-”
You sigh. “Let me stop you right there. I understand. Hopefully we can still be good friends.”
Marinette sighed in relief. “Yeah, friends!”
You nodded towards Marinette, signaling goodbye. Well, you tried, right? And they say you miss 100 percent of the shots you don’t take.
The ravenette couldn’t help but feel guilty as she walked to Adrien. Why were you the only thing going through her mind when Adrien was right there?
This question had repeated itself throughout Marinette’s head all afternoon.
Until she realized.
Marinette felt a connection with you she never had with anyone else. It was a deep admiration, but not putting you on a pedestal, no. She saw you as real, and attainable. Unlike Adrien.
“Hey, earth to Marinette! You look a bit pale..” Adrien says, confused.
“Heh, sorry Adrien.” How was she supposed to face you tomorrow? Somehow, Marinette knew she blew it.
‘Oh, I’m no good at love!’ Thought Marinette, woefully.
The next day, you greeted Marinette as usual. But she couldn’t help but want more. And you couldn’t, either. But what were you two to do? Wasn’t any chance you two would ever be together destroyed?
After school, it had begun to rain. You sighed in defeat. You didn’t have an umbrella, and your parent(s) were at work. There was no one to help you. You tried to ask Alya or Nino for a ride, but they already left before you could.
Damn.
“Hey, Y/N?” Said a timid voice.
You turned to find Marinette, sheltered by the school’s roof, standing behind you.
“Hi, Marinette!” You say cheerfully. You are doing your best to make sure that your confession doesn’t get in the way between you two.
“If you don’t have an umbrella, you can use mine” She said, smiling nervously.
“Oh no, I couldn’t. My parent(s) will be off soon, I can wait for them.”
“Please… or at least walk back to my house until you can get picked up.”
You struggle for a bit. That did sound like a good deal. Plus, you could show Marinette that you could be friends and not make it weird.
“Alright,” you say.
“Perfect!”
You and Marinette begin walking to her house, talking about all sorts of things, like new video games, the best ways to bake cookies, and current fashion trends. The conversation flows naturally, never leaving an awkward moment between the two of you.
Marinette now knew 100% that it was you, not Adrien that she liked. Everything with him felt forced, but with you, it was all natural, and so fun.
You both walked into the bakery, Marinette holding the door out for you while you walked in. You greeted Marinette’s parents having already met Tom at a school function.
Marinette walks you to her room where you both spend the afternoon playing video games and procrastinating homework.
It gets a little quiet after Marinette wins the match for the hundredth time, and she looks over to you.
“I’m… sorry. I hope my rejection didn’t make things awkward for us.”
You smiled, albeit fake, reassuringly. “No, no! It’s totally fine.” Not really sure what else to say, you stop there.
Marinette looks down at her hands. “The thing is, yesterday… when I was at Adrien’s house, I realized that I…”
Your internal dialogue was going crazy. ‘Oh my gosh, does she not want to be friends?! Doesn’t she want to be more than friends?! Please, spill it out!’
“… I really like you” Marinette finished.
Your head spins suddenly to face Marinette, giving you whiplash. You cannot believe what you just heard.
“You… do?” To be honest, you weren’t even 100% sure she liked girls.
Marinette nods.
But now… everything has changed. You smile to yourself.
“Cool”
“Cool?!”
“Yeah,” You say. “Let’s go out. Right now.”
“Right now?!”
“Yes!”
Grabbing your shoes in coat, with Marinette en suite, she grabs the black umbrella, and you both bid goodbye to her parents.
“Alright, where to first?” You ask her, laughing.
“I think I know just the place.”
“Well then, please,” you gesture your hand out to her. She grabs it. “Lead the way.”
I tried to not make this too long/dialogue heavy. I hope you liked it!
no beta, we're dying like men
#mlb x reader#miraculous ladybug x reader#marinette x reader#reader insert#oneshot#fluff#angst with a happy ending#x reader#marinette dupain cheng#adrien agreste#miraculous ladybug
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Here Comes the Cavalry
REPOST BECAUSE TUMBLR HATES ME
Thomas Shelby x Reader
Warnings: Swear words
Word Count: ~2.3k
A/N: Thank you so much for requesting this, anon! I had a really fun time writing this and I hope you enjoy!
Summary: Charlie's 10th birthday finds itself the center of a showdown between Thomas and his ex-wife over the new woman in his life.
[Masterlist] [Taglist Form] [Join my 200 followers celebration!]
Being a friend of the Shelby's- didn’t matter how close or distant- was like walking around with a target on your back. But you didn’t mind. As much violence and chaos that the family attracts, and as much as they try to have power over each other, there was a mutual love and respect between every Shelby that you hadn’t seen anywhere else. For example, when Polly found out Tommy had hidden crucial information, she was pissed; but also proud.
It was a bit concerning, if you were going to be honest.
Even Grace was kept in the loop after the divorce. Once a Shelby, always a Shelby, you supposed. Grace wasn’t involved in the family business at all, but she and the family met occasionally. Although, as time passed on, it was mostly so Charlie could spend time with his father.
Grace was now remarried and her visits were far and in between. She drifted apart from all the Shelbys- not that they minded, as her betrayal was still in their minds all those years later. Thomas started to move on from her as well, now very much used to Grace not being a part of his day-to-day life.
Today was the day that Grace and Charlie were making a rare visit to the Arrow House for his 10th birthday. Thomas postponed all of his meetings for the entire week to make time for his son, an action that made you smile when you heard Tom tell his clients of his absence. And they call him heartless, you had laughed to yourself.
“Ada! How are you doing!” you said, hugging your best friend before walking into the Arrow House. You took off your coat and hung it on the hook next to the door.
“Oh I’m doing great sweetheart,” she said.
“Auntie Y/NNNNNN!” you heard a little boy’s voice yell from the stairs. The pitter-patter of their feet running across the wooden floor echoed through the large room and made you chuckle.
“Hello, Karl!” you kneeled on your knees and opened your arms for Karl, who ran into them and almost made you topple over. “Someone’s excited to see me!” You squeezed him lightly, resting your cheek on his head.
You pulled away from him and reached into your purse, grabbing a chocolate bar that you had bought for Karl. “I got you something!”
Karl smiled, his cute crooked teeth on display. “Thank you!” He grabbed the bar from your hand and started unwrapping it, running away from you and towards the living room. “Uncle Arthur, look what Auntie Y/N gave me!” he yelled.
“What did I say about the chocolate?” Ada chided you.
You laughed. “I couldn’t help it Ada,” you defended yourself. “He’s too adorable to not spoil.”
In the background, you heard Karl laugh loudly. “You can’t have any Uncle Arthur, it’s for me!”
You chuckled and shook your head, looking down at the floor in mock exasperation. The Arrow House would be nothing without the echoes of Karl’s screams bouncing around the walls from time to time. Even Thomas seemed to brighten up a bit more whenever Karl and Ada visited. You supposed it was because his nephew reminded him of his own son that he barely got to see.
At the thought of Charlie, you looked up to Ada. “When are Charlie and Grace showing up?”
Ada shrugged. “They should be here in a couple of minutes. Why don’t we head to the living room? Tommy bought a shit ton of food for Charlie so we might be able to steal a bit.”
_______________________________________________________________________________________
You and Ada made your way into the living room and smiled at the exquisite birthday decorations. There were balloons of every color bunched up every couple of feet around the room, a large birthday banner hanging proud and true on the wall across from the fireplace.
“Hello, Y/N. Ada,” Tom said from where he sat on the couch, his elbows on his knees.
You smiled at him. “Thomas.”
Tom smirked slightly- which was a fucking bright-ass grin when it came to Thomas. “We’ve been over the ‘Thomas’ shit, Y/n/n,” he said, quirking his brow.
You chuckled. “We have,” you said. “Tom. ‘S just fun to be all fucking formal.”
Tom pat the spot on the couch next to him while Ada left your side, sensing that you two wanted some
time alone. You walked over to Tom and sat next to him.
“You excited?”
Thomas nodded, his blue eyes brightening slightly. “I hardly get to see Charles anymore. You bet your ass I’m spoiling me boy when he’s here,” he joked.
You laughed. “I’m sure Charlie’s going to like all of this,” you gestured to the decorations around you. “Oh! Before I forget! Where should I put this?” You reached into your purse and pulled out a folded mancala board that Charlie had begged you for the last time he visited.
Thomas smiled and took the board from you, leaning down and sliding it under the couch. “We’re going to open presents after cake, so just remember to pick it back up.”
From there, you and Thomas began to talk about the family business. Unlike with Grace, Thomas found himself consulting you on many decisions that he made. You weren’t directly involved but your advice was greatly appreciated by the family.
Especially since Thomas wanted to get into politics- a field that you knew well because your father ran for MP multiple times before his death- your advice on what not to do gave him valuable insight on how to maintain a favorable public image.
“I know your past is something that can’t be erased,” you said in response to Tom’s concerns about the subject. “But that doesn’t mean it can’t be hidden. Or at least left ambiguous enough that people can’t ask the right questions. You keep the public from asking the right questions, and you make sure they can never find the answers.”
“It’s a bit unnerving that you know this,” Tom noted, a smirk on his face. In truth, he was impressed. Your knowledge of politics was quite extensive considering your father tried to keep you away from it for most of your life. But you knew how to eavesdrop and read gossip, and so you gained a wealth of knowledge about politics.
You laughed. “You’re acting like you don’t already know this.”
Thomas took a drag of his cigarette and chuckled. “You got me there.”
Your conversation was interrupted by the distinct shrill of the doorbell. Tom perked up and smiled. “Charles is here!” He practically jumped up from his seat on the couch and made his way to the hall.
You followed him to the hall, beckoning Karl, Ada, and Arthur- who had been quietly eating food in the corner, thinking Tom hadn’t noticed- to come with you. You and the group walked into the hall to the sight of Thomas laughing and picking up Charlie in his arms and bouncing him up and down, making his son giggle.
“Happy birthday Charlie!” you exclaimed, clapping. Arthur, Karl, Ada- and John and Polly, who had been talking in the hall after you arrived- clapped and joined in wishing Charlie a happy birthday. Charlie and Karl shared a hug that resulted in you awing.
You looked at Grace and smiled. “Welcome, Grace,” you greeted her respectfully.
Grace simply nodded at you and took off her coat. Turning around to put her coat on the coat hooks next to the door, she gasped lightly in shock when she saw your coat resting next to Tom’s. “Whose coat is this?” she asked casually.
You apologized profusely. “It’s mine, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to impose. I can find a different place for it-”
Thomas waved his hand nonchalantly. “Oh, no need. You’re not imposing, Y/n/n.” You blushed slightly. “Frances can take your coat, Grace. I trust you remember who she is?” He jabbed at her lightly.
Grace huffed and nodded.
“Alright.” The tension between Tom and Grace was palpable and made everyone make excuses to leave the room. You left as well, saying something about wanting to play around with Karl and Charlie.
You knew things were bad between Thomas and Grace. So bad, in fact, that Tom had approached her with a divorce. Tom was many things, but he wasn’t the type of person to reach for a divorce. He believed that marriage lasted for life.
But after Tom’s and Grace’s arguments over his ambitions and dreams started to grow from skirmishes to screaming matches littered with threats, Thomas had enough. He told you the night that he decided to divorce Grace that he didn’t want to spend his life with a woman
that didn’t support his political and business ambitions.
You found yourself sympathizing with both of them. You understood Grace’s concerns about the target that would always be on her and Charlie’s back because of Thomas’s ambition. But you also understood Thomas’s argument that his ambitions were also the thing that would provide his family with more opportunities than he had. Thomas’s goals were a double-edged sword.
Although, Grace had become quite cold to Thomas in retaliation for the divorce, often sending him and his family veiled insults. So you didn’t feel much remorse for her when Tom made barbed comments like the one made in the hall.
You sighed while watching Karl and Charlie play. It was going to be a long party.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
All of you were eating cake, you talking with Polly about some gossip that you heard when going shopping for groceries.
“Apparently Brandon was just using her for her status,” you said, licking the frosting off of your fork. “But then Brandon caught Melissa sleeping with her boss-”
“No fucking way!” Polly interrupted, putting her plate down and gasping. “How the hell do these things happen to people!”
You laughed. “I know right! My life is boring in comparison- and I hang out with you insane idiots!”
“Hey!” John said from across the table, his mouth full of cake. “We’re not that bad!”
“Speak for yourself,” Ada muttered from next to her brother, cringing when John stuck his cake-covered tongue out at her.
“Honestly, Y/N,” Grace’s refined voice reverberated through the dining room, “You shouldn’t be gossiping this much. It’s a boring pastime.”
You quirked your brow. “I’m sorry?”
“Oh it’s alright, I understand that some people have nothing better to talk about. I’m just saying, gossip signals a bland personality and I’m sure you don’t have that, hm?” Grace’s implied message was clear.
You sat in silence for a moment, surprised. “No?” you said, going along with whatever Grace said. In all honesty, you didn’t care what Grace thought of you. She barely visited enough for you to give a shit.
But apparently, Tom didn’t want to let it slide. “Look, Grace, it’s not a big deal to gossip, alright? You’d be a big fucking hypocrite telling Y/n/n not to gossip when pretty much everything you talked about was who was fuckin’ who-”
“Thomas!” Grace chided.
“What? If you’re going to walk in here and criticize how Y/n/n spends their time, you can fuck off, alright? I don’t need some posh stuck-up woman in me house. So either behave yourself and let Charlie have a good birthday,” Thomas threatened, “Or get out of me house and have fun on the streets for a week.”
“You’d let your own son live on the streets for a week?” Grace asked, shocked.
“My threat regards only you. Charles is me blood- you make me see blood.”
Grace looked down at her plate and picked up her fork and ate her cake again. Tom took that as an agreement to get along with everyone and started eating again as well.
You were just thankful that you had sent Karl and Charlie to play upstairs. But regardless of the tense situation, a smile graced your face at the immediacy that Tom defended you with.
_______________________________________________________________________________________
“Hey,” you tapped Thomas’s shoulder when you both found yourselves alone in the back room. “Thank you for defending me.”
Tom nodded and smiled slightly. “Of course.”
“I mean it. No one really defends me so I really appreciate it. Especially since it’s Grace.”
Tommy’s brows raised slightly at that comment. “What do you mean?”
You shrugged, looking anywhere but at Tom. “I mean, she was the woman that made you the person you used to be before France. I understand there’s some bad blood between you two now, but she’s still special to you.”
Tom hummed and walked closer to you, stopping at around 2 feet away from you. “So are you, you know. You’re special to me.”
You smiled. “You’re special to me, too.”
Thomas’s hand cupped your cheek lightly, his thumb stroking
back and forth. A flush made its way to your cheeks and you smiled shyly at Tom. There was always some unspoken bond between the two of you that you danced around. You were always scared that it was too early after his divorce, but with the way that he was looking at you, he probably got over it a while ago.
You don’t know who leaned forward first, but one second later your mouths were connected in a feverish kiss. Tom’s hands were traveling places, touching parts of your body that you caught him eyeing from time to time. Your hands rested against his chest and reveled in the feeling of his heart thumping against his chest as erratically as yours. So you had the same effect on him as he did on you.
The kiss was a good indicator of that, but it was nice to have reassurance.
Tom pulled away and rested his forehead on yours. “Fuck, I’ve wanted to do that for months now,” Tom confessed.
You smiled, pecking him on the lips. “So have I,” you replied, pulling his mouth back to yours.
#tommy shelby x reader#thomas shelby x reader#tommy shelby#thomas shelby#tommy shelby angst#thomas shelby angst#peaky blinders#peaky blinders imagine
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selfish | one (18+)
Summary: You're a former coworker of Kento Nanami back when he was just an office worker. You accidentally run into him at a bakery many years later which gives you a second chance at getting to know the man who had always caught your eye.
Pairing: Kento Nanami x f!Reader
Words: 11.1k+
Warnings: Explicit sexual content, vaginal sex, vaginal fingering, oral sex, creampie, explicit language, attempted sexual assault, kidnapping, canon-typical violence, alcohol
Note: Read on ao3 here! I’ve been on tumblr on and off for about 10 years at this point (yikes), but I recently decided to start a new one as sort of a writing blog with a lot of anime gif reblogging on the side as well haha. Kind of nervous to post my first fic on tumblr for some reason, so I hope you enjoy! Thank you for reading!
Index: [Part One] [Part Two]
“Nanami? Kento Nanami? Is that you?”
You couldn’t believe your eyes. It had been years! Was that really him?
---
The night you accidentally ran into Kento Nanami started off like any other night in your life. After an exhausting day of work, you decided to treat yourself to some sweets at a nearby bakery. The small chime on the door signaled your entrance with the lone employee warmly greeting you.
“Welcome!”
There was only one other customer in the small shop. A tall man stood at the cash register.
Hmm.
There was something strangely familiar about the man’s demeanor. Curious, you drifted over to the display case next to the register to try and sneak a peek at his face. While admiring the delicious-looking pastries on the counter, you listened in on the conversation between him and the cashier.
“That will be 2000 yen,” the lady said.
“I’ll pay with card.”
You stiffened slightly, eyes widening in surprise.
That voice!
You recognized that voice!
The man shifted his face towards you as he reached to grab his wallet from his pocket. You were finally able to get a glimpse of his face.
You gasped.
“It is you!” you exclaimed in surprise. “Nanami!”
He looked as prim and proper as ever. The man still wore a suit and tie with his hair neatly parted. The only major difference in his appearance was the sunglasses that now completely shielded his eyes.
“It’s good to see you again! How have you been?” you asked eagerly.
Nanami looked at you silently, trying to recall where he had seen your familiar face before.
Then he remembered.
A flood of memories from a different life overcame him. The man hesitantly said your name, like he couldn’t quite believe your unexpected appearance before him. You nodded enthusiastically while he absentmindedly handed his credit card to the cashier.
“Oh wow,” you breathed, feeling a little giddy. “I haven’t seen you since you quit all those years ago. What are you doing now?”
Nanami seemed to pause for a second, adjusting his sunglasses. “I work at a school.”
“Oh! As a teacher?”
“No, just as staff.”
“That sounds nice. What school?”
“It’s a private religious school in the mountains. It’s not particularly well-known,” the man replied vaguely.
“Oh, I see.”
A loud beep of a cell phone interrupted the conversation. Nanami reached into his other pocket and took out his phone. He frowned, looking at the device. “I apologize, but I have to go immediately.”
“Oh, uh, ok,” you said, feeling slightly disappointed. You barely had any time to catch up with your former coworker. Nanami grabbed the bag from the counter and swiftly exited the store. You watched him walk away with a sigh. What were the chances that you would bump into him again? You pouted, upset that the circumstances hadn’t exactly worked out in your favor.
“Oh no!” the cashier suddenly cried out. “He forgot his card!” She pointed at the blue credit card on the counter.
“Lemme see if I can catch him!” you responded, already running out of the bakery. You pushed open the door and ran in the direction you saw the man leave. “Nanami!” you shouted. Other pedestrians looked at you curiously, but you couldn’t see the tall man anywhere. You walked around a bit further out, continuing to call his name but to no avail. Sighing, you headed back to the bakery.
“No luck,” you said to the cashier. “He’s gone already. I have no idea how he disappeared so quickly.” Crossing your arms against your chest, you looked at the forgotten card in frustration. “What should we do now?” If only you had his number!
“I guess I can keep it here in case he comes back,” the lady reasoned.
Hmm.
An idea popped in your head.
A selfish one.
“Wait! How about I take it and return it to him?” you asked. Then you realized that your request might come off as suspicious. “We used to work together, I promise I’m not trying to steal it or anything.”
The cashier smiled at you softly. “I trust you. You come in here quite a lot and that man did say your name, so I know you’re not lying.”
You sighed in relief.
Thank goodness.
After buying some pastries for yourself, you walked out of the bakery holding Nanami’s credit card in your hand. You carefully stored it in your bag before beginning the walk back to your apartment.
A private religious school in the mountains, huh?
It shouldn’t be too hard to find.
---
You groaned, fighting the urge to pull your hair in frustration.
How hard was it to find this damn school?!
You were sitting at your desk in the dark. The only light in the bedroom came from your laptop screen which was full of search engine results for “tokyo private religious school”. You were on page 15. Not a promising sign.
Recalling your conversation with Nanami, you remembered the man said he worked at a religious school in the mountains. However, none of the private schools you had found so far were located in the mountains. You frowned. Had Nanami been lying?
You shook your head to yourself.
No.
He’s not the type to lie. He did say it wasn’t well-known.
You scrolled further down and clicked on the next page. Quickly skimming the results, you finally found something that caught your eye.
Tokyo Metropolitan Curse Technical College.
Huh. What a strange name for a school.
You clicked on the link. It brought you to a strange forum that looked somewhat sketchy and unreliable, but someone had at least posted an address for the school. You grabbed your phone and immediately plugged the address into the map app.
You punched the air in triumph.
“Yes!” The dot was located in the mountains by some Tokyo suburbs.
This has to be the place!
Luckily, tomorrow was Friday which meant you had no classes, and you weren’t scheduled for a shift at work. You were free to find the school and return the card to Nanami in person.
“Ok!” you said to yourself, rubbing your hands together. “Now to find out how to get there.”
---
You looked at the dot of your current location on your phone and then back at the vast empty woods in front of you.
This can’t be it!
You groaned out loud in frustration, stamping your feet in a little tantrum.
Why is it still so hard to find this damn school?!
Looking at your phone again, you double-checked the map to see that you were in fact at the exact location of the address you inputted, but nothing was here. It was just trees!
You sighed in disappointment but refused to give up right away. Maybe your phone’s GPS was off because you were so high up in the mountains and the signal was bad. You decided to follow the road that led up the mountain with the hope that you might accidentally stumble across the school. If there was a road, it had to lead somewhere! But strangely enough, you hadn’t seen any cars, buildings, or pedestrians since entering the area.
After walking around for almost an hour, you decided to take a break. Sitting in the shade of some trees by the side of the road, you took your water bottle out of your bag for a quick sip. You admired the beautiful, quiet scenery in front of you.
Maybe this was a bad idea.
You were currently lost in the mountains of Tokyo looking for a school you weren’t quite sure actually existed. And it was all because you were selfish and wanted to see Nanami again. Your old coworker.
You hadn’t been particularly close to him at work, though he didn’t seem overly friendly with anyone in the office. Nanami was the stoic and serious type. He didn’t talk much with the team, but you could tell he worked hard. He was always one of the last people to leave the office for the night, if he did leave. On many occasions, you found him dozing at his desk in the morning when you arrived early to work before everyone else with the sneaking suspicion that he had spent the entire night in the office.
Unlike most of the other employees and especially your boss, Nanami seemed to still care about the clients instead of just the company’s profits, judging from the small snippets of conversations you overheard from him. You had always wanted to get to know him better, but he didn’t particularly have an approachable demeanor. At the time, you were just a young, newly graduated woman who was afraid of everything and everyone. So you often just kept to yourself.
You sighed, looking down at the ground. Taking Nanami’s credit card hostage was a pathetic way of trying to rekindle a relationship that never existed in the first place. You made up your mind. It was time to head back home and drop off the card at the bakery so he could pick it up himself. Today’s excursion was just a giant waste of time much to your disappointment.
“Excuse me, miss. What are you doing here?”
“Huh?” A man was hovering over you. You swore he hadn’t been there a second ago.
You screamed. “P-please don’t hurt me!” You put your arms out in front of you, shielding yourself from any potential harm. “I don’t have much money, but you can have it all!”
The man burst out laughing. You slowly lowered your arms, hoping that his laughter meant he wasn’t going to attack you.
“I’m not going to hurt you, and I especially don’t want your money.”
You let out a sigh of relief. “Thank goodness.” No longer afraid, you took a closer look at the stranger. He was tall. Very tall. Wearing a black outfit and a matching blindfold that spiked up his white hair.
What a strange appearance.
“Well, I won’t hurt you as long as you tell me what you’re doing here.” You gulped, hearing the silent threat in his words.
“Umm, umm, well, you see I-I got a bit lost and w-was just taking a rest,” you stuttered nervously, fiddling with your hands. “I heard there’s a private school around here and I’m trying to find it, because I know someone who works there. His name is Kento Nanami and we used to work together many many years ago and I just happened to run into him last night at a bakery but he left his credit card there and I wanted to give it back to him in person, so I thought it was a good idea to deliver it at his workplace but this school is so hard to find I have no idea where I’m going and-and I think I’m just going to leave now actually.” You realized you were rambling, so you forcibly shut your mouth to stop yourself from looking like a complete fool in front of the stranger.
The man hummed in thought for several seconds before suddenly grinning and chuckling to himself. His demeanor no longer felt threatening.
“Kento Nanami, huh,” the man said, still smiling happily.
“Oh, you know him?” You perked up, suddenly hopeful.
Maybe they work together!
“Leave it to me!” the stranger cheered, giving you a thumbs up. “I’ll escort you to the school and make sure you hand-deliver that credit card to Nanami!”
You felt relieved, tears almost prickling your eyes. “Oh thank you so much!”
---
“Satoru.”
“Mm.”
“Can’t you tell there’s a human who has been wandering near the barrier for quite a while now? It looks like they’re trying to find a way in,” Yaga commented.
“Well, they can’t. Isn’t that the whole point of the barrier?”
“I know that!” the principal grunted angrily. “But since you’re just lounging here around doing nothing, go check it out.”
“Fine.” Gojo got off the couch and headed outside, wondering how a human accidentally wandered this close to the school so far up the mountains.
---
It only took several minutes before you and the strange man found a path leading to the school. You blinked in surprise. You felt like you had walked by this part of the road earlier but had seen nothing.
Walking alongside the man quietly, you suddenly realized you had completely forgotten your manners. Quickly bowing to your escort, you introduced yourself and thanked him for taking the time to safely bring you to the school.
“It’s no problem. Any friend of Nanami is a friend of mine. Oh, and I’m Satoru Gojo by the way. I’m the first-year teacher here.”
He was a teacher? This man wearing a blindfold in broad daylight? You swallowed nervously. You wondered what kind of school Nanami was working for exactly.
Once you finally reached the main school grounds, all of your reservations immediately melted away. “Wow!” you breathed. The campus was absolutely gorgeous with beautiful statues, shrines, and gates. You couldn’t help but stop and admire your surroundings. “This school is beautiful.”
Gojo brought you to the teacher’s lounge and gestured for you to sit down. “So, tell me again how you know our dear Nanami?”
---
Nanami had just finished a mission when his phone chimed, signaling a text. He finished wiping his blade clean before grabbing the device. The message was from Gojo.
Gojo: Come back to Jujutsu Tech. Your girlfriend is here ;)
The sorcerer stared at the message.
Nanami: I have no idea what you mean.
Gojo: ( ˘ ³˘)♥
He angrily shoved his phone back in his pocket and walked over to the car where Ijichi was waiting. He entered the back seat before closing the door behind him. “Hurry up. I need to find a certain white-haired idiot and destroy him.”
---
Nanami was walking towards the teacher’s lounge when he heard your bright laughter. He froze for a couple of seconds.
What were you doing here?
He picked up the pace, quickly entering the lounge to see you giggling on the couch next to Gojo. For some reason, it bothered him to see how close the idiot was to you and how happy you looked in his presence.
“Nanami! You’re here!” Gojo exclaimed, immediately noticing the other sorcerer’s presence.
You turned your head quickly towards the doorway with a bright grin. “Oh, Nanami! Hi again!”
Nanami observed the scene, trying to figure out what was going on, but he was drawing a blank.
First of all, you weren’t a sorcerer. How did you enter the school grounds?
Second, did you know Gojo? The two of you seemed quite friendly on the couch together.
Third, was Gojo implying that you were his girlfriend? That was absolutely ridiculous.
“What are you doing here?” Nanami asked you cautiously, adjusting his sunglasses.
“Oh!” You dug around in your bag, pulling out your wallet. You removed a blue credit card. “You left this behind at the bakery yesterday. I tried to chase after you, but you disappeared so quickly. I had the day off today, so I thought I would try to find your workplace and give your card back to you.” You got off the couch, approaching Nanami and handing him the card.
Nanami took the card from you before placing it back in his own wallet. “You didn’t have to do this. How did you even find your way here?”
“I found her wandering nearby!” Gojo jumped in, grinning at the other sorcerer. “Imagine my surprise when she said the two of you used to work together back when you were just a salaryman. I just had to invite her back here. You never mentioned you used to work with such a lovely lady.”
You visibly blushed at Gojo’s words which just bothered Nanami even more. “Thank you for returning my card, but I think it’s about time y—”
“Nanami. Nanami. Namami,” Gojo said in a singsong voice. “You’re all work and no fun. It’s been years since the two of you have seen each other, and you’re already trying to get rid of her? Don’t you want to catch up a little bit?”
You played with your hair, a little nervous. “I mean if you’re busy Nanami, I can go. But I was hoping we could talk a little bit.” You looked up at him with bright eyes. “I want to hear how you’ve been doing.”
Nanami took one look at your hopeful face and immediately gave in. “Alright.” He gestured for you to sit back down as he walked over to one of the armchairs. The sorcerer pretended like he didn’t see your little jump of excitement as you hurried back to the couch with Gojo.
Once the three of you were all seated comfortably, you brought up what you had been previously discussing with Gojo. “I didn’t know you’re teaching at the same high school you went to as a student. That’s pretty cool!”
“He was one of the few students who graduated and decided to leave the community,” Gojo pointed out. “Most of us stay here and continue working for the school.” Nanami subtly glared at the white-haired sorcerer, wondering how much he had told you about the jujutsu world.
“Why did you decide to come back then?” you asked curiously.
“I changed my mind,” Nanami simply stated. “I realized I would find my career slightly more rewarding if I worked for the school than that company.”
You nodded in agreement. “That makes sense. I’m glad we eventually both left that job.” You slightly grimaced, just thinking about your past. It didn’t go unnoticed by Nanami.
“When did you leave?” he asked.
You hummed, recalling the past. “It was probably a couple of months after you left. I, uh, messed up something really badly and I got fired.”
Nanami raised his eyebrows in surprise. You didn’t seem like the type to make big mistakes. He remembered you as quite the careful and diligent worker. He narrowed his eyes slightly, wondering if you were being deceitful.
“It’s ok though,” you continued. “I worked a couple of odd jobs afterward to keep up with the bills until I decided I wanted to become a nurse! So I’m actually back in school now and working part-time to help pay tuition.”
“A nurse, huh,” Gojo remarked. “What a noble career choice.”
“Ahh, I wouldn’t say I’m noble or anything. I just think I would find my life more fulfilling if I was actively helping people,” you explained. “Probably similar to how you felt when you switched careers, Nanami.”
He nodded at your words.
uThe three of you chatted amicably the rest of the day. Gojo and you mostly carried the conversation, but Nanami would be lying if he said he didn’t enjoy listening to your voice. After he ran into you at the bakery last night, he couldn’t stop thinking about you. It was the first time he was confronted with his old life after deciding to become a sorcerer again. Part of Nanami wanted to never look back on that phase of his life again, but perhaps it wasn’t all bad. Sure, he hadn't particularly liked anyone from that office, but he didn’t mind you. You had always been quiet, polite, and hardworking.
Nanami still remembered his last day at the office. You had organized a surprise farewell party just for him with a cake, balloons, and everything. After everyone had their fill of free food and left the conference room, you had shyly wished him luck in the future and said you would miss seeing him in the office. All those memories came rushing back after encountering you in that bakery.
The sun started to set when you finally noticed the time.
“Ah! I should probably go,” you announced, checking your phone. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to overstay my welcome.”
“No, no,” Gojo assured. “You are very much welcome here. Like I said earlier, any friend of Nanami is a friend of mine and all my friends are welcome here!”
“How do you plan on getting home?” Nanami asked, mildly concerned.
“Don’t worry!” Gojo said. “I got it handled. Ijichi will drive her back.”
“Huh? No, it’s fine,” you tried to argue. “I can get back by myself. It’s not a problem.”
“What kind of gentlemen would we be if we didn’t ensure you got home safely? Ijichi is our finest chauffeur,” the blindfolded man insisted. “He will take care of you.”
You looked at Nanami who simply nodded at you, encouraging you to accept Gojo’s offer. Sighing, you crossed your arms over your chest with a pout. “Alright. Thank you.”
The two men waved goodbye as you left in Ijichi’s car to head back home.
“Was it really wise to have her on the school grounds?” Nanami asked.
Gojo hummed. “It’s fine.”
“No, it’s not. Normal humans aren’t allowed here for a reason.”
The blindfolded sorcerer didn’t reply. Instead, he took out his phone and started tapping on the screen. Nanami’s phone chimed. It was a text from Gojo. Opening it, he saw it was a string of numbers.
A phone number.
“You should call her sometime,” Gojo said. “She likes you.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Yes, I do. What kind of woman travels to the mountains on her day off to try and find a publically non-existent school to return a credit card to someone she doesn’t like?”
Nanami remained silent.
“Just because we’re adults and jujutsu sorcerers doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to have some normal fun. It’s alright to be selfish every once in a while.”
How badly Nanami wanted to believe Gojo’s words.
---
You heard the door open and close.
“Hello! How many I help y—Gojo?”
You blinked in surprise, not expecting to see the teacher at your workplace. While taking classes to become a nurse, you worked part-time at a small boba tea shop. You had just finished serving the flurry of college students who needed a midday pick-me-up when Gojo appeared. Several of the seated patrons whispered and pointed at him, wondering why he was wearing a blindfold and how he could see.
“Thought I would drop by and say hi,” he said with an easy grin.
You returned his smile. “Is Nanami with you too?” you asked, trying to sound casual.
“No, not today, unfortunately,” he replied. You tried to ignore the flash of disappointment you felt. “I’ll bring him next time.”
You perked up at Gojo’s promise, nodding eagerly. “Sounds good. So, would you like something to drink?”
The man ordered a large brown sugar milk tea with extra sugar. You looked at him, mildly concerned. “You sure you want 120% sugar? It’s pretty sweet to begin with. Trust me.”
Gojo nodded. “Yup!”
“Alright,” you said with a shrug. You did try to warn him.
You finished preparing Gojo’s drink and handed it to him along with a straw.
“Hey, do you mind if I borrow your phone for a second?” the teacher asked.
“Oh, sure,” you said, grabbing your phone from your back pocket.
Gojo took the device and opened the camera app. “Smile!” That was the only warning you got. He had taken a selfie of the two of you together. You weren’t even smiling in the photo, completely caught off guard. But Gojo was at least prepared, grinning happily and showing off his milk tea in one hand. You watched as the man repeatedly tapped on your phone screen.
“What are you doing?” you asked hesitantly.
“Here!” Gojo handed the phone back to you. Looking at the screen, you saw that he had sent the selfie of the two of you to a random number with a text that said “Having fun without you!”
“Um. Who did you send this to Gojo?”
“Nanami, of course!”
“Oh,” you said quietly, feeling butterflies in your stomach.
Nanami’s number!
You finally had it!
Gojo chuckled to himself as he saw the way your eyes lit up.
“Oh, by the way,” you said, looking up from the phone. “It’s my birthday next weekend. I’m going out with a couple of friends on Saturday at 8pm at the bar around the corner, and I was wondering if you and Nanami would like to join? You should bring Ijichi too and anyone else from the school! Only if you want though. It’s ok if you don’t want to come or you’re worried about being awkward with my other friends even though they’re super cool and encouraged me to invite you guys and I promise I won’t be upset if you can’t make it because this is kind of last minute and I—”
“Sounds great!” Gojo interrupted your rambling. “I’ll be sure to pass along the information. We'll be there.”
“Really?” You grinned at the teacher. “Awesome! I guess I’ll see you then!”
Gojo waved at you goodbye as you tried to compose yourself before the next wave of customers arrived.
---
“Ahh!! You guys actually came!” you squealed as a group of individuals approached your table in the bar. You stumbled out of the large booth where your other friends were seated, already several shots in for the night. You clumsily hugged Gojo without thinking. Releasing him, you took in his new appearance.
“You look so different!” you commented. “But not in a bad way!” The man had traded in his signature blindfold for a pair of sunglasses that still hid his eye. His hair was lying down flat instead of its usual spiked-up look.
Behind Gojo, you saw Ijichi with a woman you didn’t recognize.
“That’s Shoko Ieiri,” Gojo said, following your gaze. “She’s the doctor at our school.”
You happily greeted both of them, thanking them for coming.
And finally, you saw the person you were looking forward to seeing the most. Nanami looked good as always. He was dressed a little more casually for the night without his signature jacket, tie, and sunglasses. Instead, he wore a crisp, blue button-up shirt with the top few buttons undone. You tried not to stare too much at his revealed skin.
As you approached Nanami, you reached out to hug him but you managed to stop yourself in time. You were worried about coming on too strong and opted for a small wave instead.
“Thanks for coming, Nanami! I’m so glad you came!”
Sitting at the table altogether, your other friends immediately fawned over Gojo. One of them grabbed you and whispered in your ear.
“What the hell? You didn’t tell me one of your friends was incredibly hot?”
You shrugged and ordered another round of shots for the whole table. Gojo ended up passing because he didn’t drink, so you took it upon yourself to finish it for him.
Nanami quietly nursed a beer as he observed the scene. He didn’t typically like crowded, loud bars like this, but he would make an exception for you. Gojo had also been extremely intent on making sure everyone from the school attended your little celebration. He managed to get Ijichi to come along only after getting Shoko to agree by bribing her with free alcohol.
Nanami was currently sitting across the booth from you, watching as you chatted with your friends. You were wearing a dark red dress that perfectly showed off your curves. The left strap of your dress was a little loose and it kept falling down the entire night despite you constantly readjusting it, not that Nanami had noticed.
You looked so carefree and lively in this atmosphere. Every once in a while, you caught Nanami’s gaze and beamed at him happily.
At some point during the night, you left the table to go to the bathroom. It was only once you tried walking back to everyone that you realized how drunk you were. Stumbling a bit in your high heels, you leaned against the wall by the bathrooms for stability.
“Excuse me miss, are you alright?”
A man approached you, but you instantly waved him off. “Mmm, I’m good,” you replied. “Thanks though.” You were determined to make it back to your friends on your own, but as soon as you took a step away from the wall, you tripped. The man caught you before you could hit the ground. He had a tight grip on your waist.
“You don’t seem good,” he chuckled softly. “How about I help you?” You could feel his hands starting to go lower, and you quickly latched onto them and tried to pry them off you.
“I said no,” you said firmly, but the man ignored you and pressed you against the wall. “Get off!” You struggled against him but to no avail.
Suddenly, the weight of the man was lifted and you felt like you could breathe again.
“Are you alright?” a smooth voice asked.
You looked up to see Nanami in front of you. You nodded silently and admired his strong jawline and sharp eyes in the bar’s dark lighting.
“Can you walk?”
You nodded again. Taking a step away from the wall, you immediately staggered again much to your embarrassment. Nanami grabbed your arm and lifted you up until you were half leaning on him for support. Inhibitions suddenly gone from all the alcohol in your system, you wrapped your arms around his broad shoulders and gave him a hug. The man tried to ignore the shiver that went up his spine when he felt your warm, soft body pressed up against him. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was quite jealous that you had hugged Gojo when they first arrived. What was so special about that idiot anyway? Nanami slowly wrapped his arms around you, indulging himself for once and returning the hug.
“I’m so glad you came,” you mumbled against his chest. “I was so happy that I ran into you at the bakery that one night. But I was afraid I would never see you again.” You paused. “I really wanted to see you again.”
Nanami didn’t know how to respond to your words, so he gently rubbed your back instead. You leaned into his touch happily.
“Let’s get back to the others,” he said gently. You sighed and reluctantly removed yourself from the embrace. Nanami half-carried you back to the table and carefully deposited you next to your friends. To your disappointment, he didn’t sit down next to you and instead headed towards the front doors.
“Nanami? Where are you going?” Gojo asked, eyebrows raised.
“I’ll be back.”
When Nanami exited the bar, he was greeted by several couples who were taking a smoke break. He walked a bit further away, so he could be alone. The sorcerer leaned against a random building, taking a deep breath and trying to calm himself down.
Nanami felt quite ashamed of himself. Acting like a hormonal teenage boy just because he briefly held you while you were wearing that damn dress. He tried to ignore the way his cock was straining in his pants. Gritting his teeth, he willed his body to relax. Nanami refused to let you see him so worked like this. He especially couldn’t let Gojo see. He could only imagine the endless teasing he would endure from the blindfolded idiot.
Inside the bar, you watched sadly as Nanami left. You wondered if it was something you did to scare him away.
Gojo sat next to you and handed you a glass of water. “Drink,” he commanded.
You did as you were told, keeping an eye on the doors to see if Nanami had come back in yet. “Does Nanami not like me?” you asked Gojo quietly with a pout.
The man chuckled. “I assure you that’s not the case.”
You turned to look at him. “How do you know?”
Gojo lowered his sunglasses slightly, and you were able to get a glimpse of his gorgeous blue eyes for the first time. “Trust me. I have good eyes.”
---
Nanami ended the call with Ijichi. He leaned against the wall of the bathroom with a grimace. He was still applying pressure to the wound he had received from Mahito. The sorcerer scrolled through the contacts list on his phone. He found himself hovering over your name.
Yes, he did save your number from Gojo’s text. Why wouldn’t he? It would be frivolous to ignore that kind of contact information.
Nanami grabbed another wad of paper towel to replace the one that was already drenched in blood. He grunted in pain.
A nurse, huh.
He wondered what you would do if you saw him right now. If you fuss over him and take care of his injuries yourself. Nanami sighed. He wouldn’t mind that. Would you carefully unbutton his shirt to get a better look at the wound? He could almost imagine the way your fingers would ghost over his stomach.
With a groan, Nanami banged his head against the wall. He couldn’t believe he was fantasizing about you while profusely bleeding in a public restroom.
The sorcerer cleaned up his blood all over the sink and threw out the dirty wads of paper towels. He went outside to wait for Ijichi to bring him back to school for proper treatment.
---
“I’m going to take my break!” you announced to your coworkers as you exited the bubble tea shop. You decided to go outside for a quick breather because it was such a nice, sunny day. Avoiding the crowds, you headed over to the alleyways near the shop to scroll through Twitter in peace.
You were so engrossed by your phone that you didn’t notice the presence of someone next to you. It was only when you heard them clear their throat that you looked next to you to see a man wearing sunglasses and a hat.
“Oh, sorry. Am I in your way? I can move.”
In the blink of an eye, he held a knife to your neck. You felt the cool blade lightly press into your skin. You held your breath, afraid to react in any way.
“Don’t scream. Don’t move,” he hissed.
Your eyes widened in shock.
That voice.
You recognized that voice.
The man grabbed you by the back of the neck and pulled you in the opposite direction of the busy street where unaware pedestrians were still walking by. He pressed the knife against your side now, digging it into the thin t-shirt you had to wear for work.
“Walk.”
He led you to an abandoned building several minutes away. Once you were inside and the door closed shut, he roughly shoved you to the ground.
You landed in a heap, groaning in pain. Turning around, you finally faced your captor.
“It’s you, isn’t you,” you said evenly. “Boss.”
The man chuckled, removing the hat and sunglasses. It was your former boss from the company where you and Nanami had once worked together. You dug your nails in the palms of your hands. If he was here, you knew you were in trouble.
“You called the cops, didn’t you!” he yelled at you, pointing the knife at you menacingly.
Cops? What was he talking about?
“No, I didn’t,” you replied honestly.
“You BITCH! Don’t lie to me.” He waved the knife closer at you.
“I promise! I didn’t tell anyone!”
With a shout, the man grabbed your hair and held the knife to your neck again. You squeezed your eyes shut and couldn’t help but let a small whimper leave your lips.
The truth was you weren't just fired from your job. You were threatened. When numbers weren’t adding up, you realized that your boss was embezzling money and had been doing so for a long time. He found out that you knew the truth and protected himself by forcibly ousting you from the company. As a young professional, you knew better than to fight against a big shot financial executive. When he warned you to stay quiet or face his wrath, you were wise enough to shut your mouth, clean your desk, and leave the building immediately. True to your word, you had never mentioned your boss’s crimes to anyone. You thought you were safe to move on with the rest of your life but apparently, that was not the case.
The man spat at you before roughly kicking you away. He started pacing as you wiped his spit off your cheek with a disgusted groan.
“This can’t be happening. This can’t be happening. I’m about to lose everything. EVERYTHING!”
As he muttered to himself, you tried to survey your surroundings and determine if there was a way you could safely escape. Before you could figure anything out, your old boss approached you again, knife still in hand. He seemed to have made up his mind about what he was going to do.
“You’re going to fix this. Yea. This is your fault. I’ll pin it all on you. You’ll go down for this, not me!”
As the man ranted and raved at you, something appeared in the shadows behind him. There was some movement. You blinked your eyes, wondering if it was just a trick of your imagination. But to your horror, a green creature grew larger and larger in the background. It had three heads, each with multiple eyes and giant drooling mouths with huge teeth. The monster raised its multiple arms, hovering over your boss with all eyes fixed on him like he was a piece of prey.
“Scared, aren’t you?” the man commented with a chuckle. He was misinterpreting the horrified look on your face. “This is what you get for messing with the wrong man.”
You shook your head slowly and lifted a shaky finger to point behind him.
He turned around, dropping the knife in shock.
The weapon clattered to the ground.
Your boss screamed. He immediately tried to run away, but one of the monster’s arms snatched him in a tight grip. The three heads fought with each other as if deciding which one of them would get to swallow the prize. You took that as a cue to start running.
The monster was blocking the way you entered, so you ran towards the only other door you saw, which led to a stairwell. You ran up a couple of floors before hiding in a small closet you found. It was cramped and dusty but you hoped it was enough to hide you from that creature.
Sitting on the ground, you took out your phone shakily and called the police.
“Hello, what is your emergency?”
“I’m trapped in an abandoned building, and there’s a monster here.” You realized it sounded ridiculous, but you didn’t know what else to say in the moment.
The dispatcher groaned. “This is the last time! You kids have to stop with the prank calls. This line is for emergencies only!”
They hung up on you.
You stared at your cell phone in disbelief.
Shit.
Instinctively, you scrolled through your contacts list until you found who you were looking for. You pressed the call button.
Please pick up. Please pick up.
It went to voicemail.
You cursed to yourself again.
“Nanami,” you whispered quietly, voice quivering. “I don’t know when you’ll listen to this, but you have to believe me. I’m in an abandoned building near my job, and I swear there’s a monster here. I-I think it might have killed our old boss. I don’t know what to do, I tri—”
There was a loud bang. You quickly hung up and pressed the phone into your chest while you covered your mouth and nose with your other hand to quiet your harsh breathing. The sounds got closer and closer until it sounded like it was right outside the closet door. Your heart was beating so loudly you were worried the monster would hear it. But luckily, the noises started to become fainter. Eventually, you heard nothing even after a long time of terrified waiting.
Once you were reasonably convinced the coast was clear, you quietly opened the closet door and peeked out. The hallway was empty. Maybe this was your chance to finally escape the building.
You carefully climbed to your feet and tiptoed your way back to the stairwell.
Your phone loudly chimed. The noise echoed throughout the empty building. It was a text message from your coworker asking where you went. You had forgotten to turn your phone on silent.
Almost instantaneously, the monster started roaring from the floor beneath you. You barely caught a glimpse of it before running up the stairs again until you reached the top floor. Exiting the stairway, you ran through the hallways until you reached a dead end.
Back pressed up against the wall, you watched in horror as the monster let out a sharp laugh as it approached you. There was blood dripping out of the mouths of all three heads. You didn’t want to think about where it came from. With no other options left, you weakly held your arms up in front of your face and squeezed your eyes shut with a whimper.
Suddenly, there was an angry shout and a loud splat.
You felt some sort of liquid splash all over you. Lowering your arms, an unexpected sight greeted you. It was the body of the monster all chopped up into pieces. You realized you were covered in its blood.
Behind the monster’s corpse stood Nanami. He had a covered blade in his hand that was also stained with the creature’s purple blood.
“N-Nanami?” you whispered hoarsely.
You couldn’t believe your eyes. Did he take down that monster? With a sword?
Nanami wiped the blood off his weapon, putting it away in its holster. He approached you as you shuddered violently, still in shock.
“Are you hurt?” he asked gently.
You shook your head no, wrapping your arms around yourself.
He kneeled down in front of you, taking out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiping the droplets of blood from your face.
“What was that thing?” you whispered.
Nanami sighed, twisting the handkerchief in his hands once your face was relatively clean.
“A curse.”
You gave him a confused look.
“It’s a long explanation.”
“Yo!”
You flinched as Gojo suddenly appeared out of nowhere in the hallway. You instinctively grabbed onto Nanami’s arm in fear. He glared at the blindfolded sorcerer in anger for startling you.
“Oh, you’re already done here? I thought I’d check up on you two to make sure everything’s okay.”
First, your boss had threatened you with a knife. Then, a giant monster, no, curse appeared and attacked both of you. Nanami killed said curse. And now Gojo had appeared out of thin air. Your brain was officially broken. You just wanted to go to sleep. Surely this had to be a dream. You would wake up and everything would be normal again.
“We should probably bring her to Shoko just to make sure she’s fine and clean her up,” Gojo said, observing how your eyes were starting to glaze over.
Nanami nodded in agreement. He lightly touched your shoulder, but you hardly reacted. He said your name quietly. Blinking slowly, you finally turned to acknowledge him. “I’m tired,” you mumbled.
“I know,” Nanami said gently. He picked you up in his arms. “You can go to sleep. I’ll keep you safe.” With a sigh of relief, you closed your eyes and surrendered to the darkness.
You woke up in a small room, tucked under the covers in a warm bed. Nanami was silently sitting in a chair next to you. You let out a deep breath and turned towards the man. The rustling of the covers alerted him that you were finally awake.
“Why was the boss with you?” Nanami asked suddenly.
So it wasn't a dream.
“Oh. He was trying to threaten me,” you explained. “I didn’t lose my job because I made a mistake. I found out he was embezzling money. He said the cops were starting to question him, so he accused me of reporting him.”
Nanami clenched his fists in anger. That bastard.
“Is he alive?” you asked.
“No.”
“I figured.”
You quietly observed Nanami. He had taken off his sunglasses and blazer. You admired his wide shoulders and the way his tie was slightly loosened.
“Nanami. What do you actually do?”
He shook his head. “I don’t want to tell you.”
You gripped the covers. “Why not?”
“Because,” Nanami sighed. “It’s a dangerous profession. You don’t need to be dragged into this world for no good reason.”
“What do you mean?” You didn’t understand what he was saying. “I do have a reason. It’s you.”
The man didn’t respond.
You sat up in bed suddenly. “If you won’t tell me, I’ll ask Gojo.” You started to climb out of bed, but Nanami stopped you.
“Fine. Fine. I’ll tell you. Sit back down.” He let out of a deep breath, rubbing his face.
You silently listened as Nanami discussed the existence of curses, the theories behind cursed energy, and the role of jujutsu sorcerers. He explained how the school’s true purpose was to train the next generation of sorcerers and act as the main headquarters for all jujutsu-related activities.
You only asked one question. “Why was I able to see that curse?”
“Regular humans can see them in life or death situations.”
“I see.”
Nanami was surprised at your reaction to learning about cursed spirits thus far. He expected you to ask more questions, to be more doubtful, to laugh and call him an idiot, or to scream and accuse him of being crazy. But you did none of those things. You just listened quietly and accepted everything he said as true.
In your heart, you knew there was no reason to doubt Nanami. You were trying to wrap your brain around the existence of curses you couldn’t see, but you didn’t consider that the sorcerer was lying to you for a single second. He wasn’t that kind of person.
Nanami abruptly stood up. “Ijichi will drive you back home.” He started to walk away from you, but you quickly grabbed his wrist.
“Wait, don’t go,” you pleaded, eyes wide. “I haven’t thanked you for saving me yet. Thank you, Nanami.” You didn't want him to leave you. Not yet. You didn't want to be alone.
The sorcerer refused to look at you. “I think it’s best if you kept your distance from Gojo, me, and this school.”
“What?” you breathed. “What are you saying? I-I won’t tell anyone about curses or that you’re a sorcerer if that’s what you’re worried about. I promise.”
“That’s not it. I already told you. This world is dangerous. You should stay away.” He paused. “Stay away from me.”
You flinched, releasing Nanami’s wrist. The sorcerer walked out of the room without another word. You didn’t call out after him.
As Nanami walked away, he knew he made the right decision. There was no reason for you to get involved with the jujutsu world. He wanted you to live a normal life, not one plagued by constant death and despair. He was doing this for you. For your future and your safety.
“It’s alright to be selfish every once in a while.”
Gojo’s words echoed in his mind.
No. This wasn’t about him. It was about you. It wasn’t right for him to drag you into his world. He should be happy. Happy that you would eventually move on and live a long, successful life.
But why did he feel so sad instead?
---
Numerous opened textbooks and notebooks were scattered around you on your bed. You had an upcoming exam at the end of next week and were in the midst of cramming a semester’s worth of information in your head.
There was a knock on the door.
You frowned, carefully getting off the bed and walking over to the door. You weren’t expecting any visitors or a delivery today. Looking through the peephole, you gasped. You clutched your hands against your chest, trying to calm your frantically beating heart.
What was he doing here?
You hadn’t talked to or seen Nanami since your last conversation with him at Jujutsu Tech. And that hadn't ended well. You respected his request to stay away from him and Gojo, making no attempts to contact either of the two sorcerers. Instead, you had thrown yourself into your schoolwork and picked up some extra shifts at the boba shop. The less free time you had to think about your emotions, the better.
But now the man who still weighed heavily on your heart was at your doorstep. You wondered whether or not to pretend you weren’t home, but you couldn’t bring yourself to turn him away. He had clearly come here for a good reason and you wanted to know why, especially because he was the one that told you to keep your distance from him.
You unlocked the door and opened it slightly.
“Nanami.”
He said your name quietly.
The two of you looked at each other in complete silence. You waited for him to say something, but the man just continued to stand there without a word.
“Umm, well, I have an exam I need to study for, so if you have nothing to say I’m just going to g—”
Nanami suddenly pushed the door open wider, shoving you into your apartment. You stood there in shock as the door slammed shut behind the sorcerer. His unusually aggressive behavior had you baffled.
“What’s wrong with you?” you asked sharply. The man told you to leave him alone but then showed up at your apartment and invited himself inside without a word. You couldn’t help but feel a little irritated. “What are you do— mmph!”
Nanami had pushed you against the wall and kissed you.
You froze in surprise for a second before immediately kissing him back fervently.
One of his hands had settled on your waist while the other was pressed against the wall by your head. You wrapped your arms around his neck and pressed him closer to you, unable to get enough of this man. Nanami eventually left your lips, causing you to groan in frustration before he attacked your neck with wet kisses. You panted heavily, brain suddenly fuzzy as you tried to process that this was actually happening.
“W-what happened to staying away?” you breathed as Nanami sucked on a particularly sensitive spot that left you weak.
“I changed my mind,” he muttered against your skin before continuing to attack your neck.
After Itadori had saved him from Mahito’s domain, Nanami realized he had been given a second chance. He didn’t want to live a life without regret, especially as a sorcerer. So he decided to heed Gojo’s advice for once.
He wanted to be a little selfish.
He wanted you.
Nanami pressed his forehead against yours as he rubbed his hands up and down your soft curves. You breathed heavily, trying to catch your breath as you got lost in his dark gaze.
“Bedroom,” you whispered. Nanami nodded and quickly released you, so you could guide him to your room.
As soon as you entered the bedroom, you inwardly cursed. In the heat of the moment, you had completely forgotten what you had been doing before Nanami arrived. “Uh, sorry, let me clean up real quick.”
What a way to kill the mood!
Nanami didn’t seem to mind. He looked fairly amused as you swiftly closed all the books on your bed and haphazardly tossed them on the ground. Once the bed was finally cleared, you turned around to face Nanami, but he was already one step ahead of you. He gently pushed you on the bed, so you landed on your back as he hovered over you. Your breath caught in your throat as you admired the man in front of you. He was absolutely perfect.
Nanami played with the hem of your shirt. Taking the hint, you sat up a little and swiftly removed your shirt and bra, throwing them in the corner of your room. Nanami let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding as you took in your body. You fought the urge to cover yourself, feeling slightly embarrassed at how intensely the man was looking at you.
“You’re beautiful,” he breathed as you flushed in response. He reached out with both his hands to start kneading your breasts. You moaned as he began playing with your nipples that were already hard from excitement. Nanami removed his hand from your left breast and replaced it with his mouth. You squirmed underneath him in pleasure as he lapped and sucked on your nipple. Once he was satisfied with his work, the sorcerer switched to your other breast to give it the same treatment. With every flick of his tongue, you could feel electricity run through your body. You only craved his touch more and more.
Nanami started kissing down the valley of your breasts to your stomach. He eventually reached the hem of your shorts. “May I?” he asked.
You nodded, unable to trust your voice at the moment.
As he started tugging down your shorts, you lifted your hips to assist him. The garment was carelessly tossed to the ground. Immediately, Nanami could see how soaked your underwear was with your own arousal. His dick twitched in his pants. The sight of you so wet and eager from his touch alone only heightened his lust for you.
You practically sighed in relief when Nanami removed your underwear, fully exposing yourself to him. The heat from your core was overwhelming. You needed him to touch you and relieve some of that pressure before you lost your mind. A single finger stroked your folds, already slick with arousal. You gasped while Nanami groaned, enjoying how wet you already were for him.
“I’ve barely touched you and you’re like this already,” Nanami teased. You panted, trying to grind yourself on his hand for more friction, more pressure, more anything. He chuckled seeing how desperate you were for his touch. The sorcerer finally reached your swollen nub and rubbed it leisurely. You immediately cried out, arching your hips into man’s touch.
“Fuck,” you cursed as pleasure surged throughout your veins. Your eyes were squeezed tight as Nanami continued to play with your clit. You were so distracted by his fingers that you barely registered the hot breath near your entrance. It was only when a wet tongue began to prod into you that you realized what was happening.
With a gasp, your eyes flew upon to see Nanami’s head comfortably settled between your legs as he licked at your cunt without restraint. The sight of him eating you out only stoked the raging fire inside you. You buried one of your hands in Nanami’s hair as he worked diligently to get you off. The way he lapped at your fluids and sucked at your entrance had you moaning and quivering uncontrollably.
“You taste so good,” he groaned against your folds as you barely registered his words.
A familiar pressure was building in your body. As it got stronger and stronger, you couldn’t stop your legs from thrashing about. With a growl, Nanami locked his arms around your legs to keep them as still. It only took a gentle suck to your swollen clit for the tension in your body to finally snap. Mouth opened wide in a silent scream, you writhed around on the bed as you finally reached your peak.
Your mind was completely emptied while white-hot pleasure overtook your entire body. You swore you could see stars behind your eyes. As you rode out the last waves of your orgasm, Nanami eagerly slurped up your release, refusing to let a single drop go to waste.
Once you came down from your high, you released Nanami’s hair and laid back on the bed with a sigh. He removed himself from between your legs. Your fluids still covered his face, and his normally styled hair was a complete mess from your grip. Just the sight of him was enough to cause another spark of desire to flare between your legs. This man was going to be the death of you.
“Holy fuck, Nanami,” you breathed.
“Kento,” he replied, wiping his mouth clean on his sleeve. “Call me Kento.”
You flushed. Saying his first name felt incredibly intimate.
“Kento.”
He grunted with approval and then began to unbutton his shirt. You licked your lips as his broad shoulders and wide chest were finally revealed to you. He was incredibly well-built with defined muscles and abs, but a number of scars littered his body. Some looked quite fresh while others were old and almost completely faded.
This was the body of a jujutsu sorcerer.
You now understood why Nanami warned you that the jujutsu world was unsafe. You couldn’t imagine the suffering behind all those wounds. Perhaps one day he would be willing to share his pain with you, so you could understand his world.
You wanted to rub your hands up and down Nanami’s bare chest, but he moved out of your reach to start fiddling with his belt. Eyes lowering, you swallowed nervously as you stared at the large bulge that greeted you. Nanami slid down his pants and underwear in one go, erect cock finally released from its confines and bobbing in the air slightly.
The sight of him was both mouthwatering and intimidating. You admired the bulging veins and the bits of pre-cum that were already leaking out from the tip. He wasn’t excessively long, but he was incredibly thick. You nervously wondered if you would be able to handle his impressive girth.
You wanted to touch and taste him, but Nanami wasn’t interested. He gently pushed away your eager hands and instead spread open your legs once again. At the moment, he was more concerned about prepping you than chasing after his own pleasure.
He pressed one finger into your entrance, groaning as your walls greedily sucked him inside. You gasped, clenching around him. With how easily you were able to take one finger, Nanami slipped a second into you. It didn’t hurt, but you could feel your cunt stretching around them as they thrust in and out of you. Nanami’s fingers were so thick and long that you already felt so full.
“You’re so tight,” Nanami hissed as you got lost in pleasure once again. He pushed those two fingers in and out of you, occasionally scissoring them to loosen you up. You could hear how wet you were as he continued prepping you to take his cock. Nanami moved his fingers at just the right angle to hit a spot that had you instantly moaning and clenching around him. But he suddenly removed himself from you which had you whining at the sudden loss of contact, feeling empty. However, you stopped complaining as you watched Nanami stroke his dick, spreading your fluids and his pre-cum all over himself.
“Are you on birth control or do I need a con—”
“I’m on birth control,” you cut him off impatiently. “Hurry up. I want you inside me.”
Nanami didn’t keep you waiting much longer. He lined himself at your entrance and slowly began to push in. It wasn’t painful, but you still gasped as your walls stretched to accommodate his girth. The sorcerer immediately cursed when his tip entered you. You were so hot and tight around his cock that it took all his self-restraint not to immediately ram his full length into you. With slow, shallow strokes, you were able to accommodate more and more until his entire cock was buried inside you.
You felt so incredibly full. Your hand gripped the blanket on your bed to anchor yourself as you tried to get used to the sensation of being stuffed with Nanami’s dick. He tried to remain still above you, waiting for your signal. Eventually, you met his gaze and gave a little nod. He sweetly kissed you on the lips before he started to move.
Nanami started at a slow pace afraid to hurt you at first, but he eventually settled into a rhythm that had you moaning his name over and over again. You were so wet that he slid in and out of you effortlessly, rubbing against your walls in a way that had you seeing stars again. You had wrapped your legs against his waist, allowing him to enter you even deeper.
You were almost babbling nonsense at this point, unaware of exactly what you were saying as your mind was just consumed by pleasure. “Fuck. Kento. You’re so big,” you whined. “Faster. Harder. D-don’t stop. Please don’t stop.”
Nanami adjusted the angle of his thrusts until he finally found the spot that had you gasping and clenching down on him again. He groaned, making sure to continue hitting the same exact spot with strong, fast thrusts at just the right tempo. “You’re so perfect. Looking at you, taking my cock so well,” he growled.
The pressure was building again. Everything was so overwhelming. The lewd, wet noises of your bodies moving together. The way Nanami growled praises of you in your ear. The muscles on his back rippling with exertion underneath your wandering hands. You just needed that one final push.
One of your hands sneaked down to rub your clit, but Nanami pushed it away and pressed his thumb against your swollen nub instead. Just a couple of strokes had you reaching your peak again. You clenched down so hard around Nanami that his hips stuttered, groaning loudly in your ear. You were completely consumed by wave after wave of pleasure. You couldn’t think. You couldn’t hear. You couldn’t see. All you could register was the pure bliss that racked your entire body, leaving you gasping and shuddering.
Nanami continued to fuck you through your orgasm, ramming his cock into you over and over again. His thrusts had become more frantic and uneven, chasing his own climax after you started to come down from yours.
“Where should I cum?” he groaned with gritted teeth.
You wrapped his arms around his neck and pulled him down closer to you.
“Cum inside me,” you panted against his ear.
He groaned. You were perfect. Absolutely perfect.
With a couple of more thrusts, Nanami completely buried himself inside you when he flooded your cunt with his cum. He remained inside for several more moments to catch his breath before finally removing himself from you. You slightly winced as his cock brushed past your sensitive walls. Nanami couldn’t help but admire the way his cum slowly dribbled out of you.
He laid down next to you as you both began to calm down. No words were needed between the two of you. The silence was comfortable as you cuddled against his chest. Nanami rubbed your back absentmindedly as you hummed in delight.
Eventually, the two of you got out of bed and cleaned up. The textbooks and notebooks haphazardly thrown on your floor were ignored for the rest of the day. You thought you deserved a break anyways. The two of you ate dinner together, cuddled on the couch while watching a movie, and went at it again for another round before settling down to go to sleep.
You were passed out next to Nanami, completely worn out from the day’s activities and normal sleep deprivation you had as a student. Your heavy breathing was the only sound in the tiny apartment. It strangely calmed Nanami just listening to you. He turned towards you and stroked your hair affectionately.
A part of Nanami still worried if he had made the right choice with you. He was still concerned about your safety and well-being. Would he only bring you more grief if you constantly agonized over his dangerous missions as a jujutsu sorcerer?
He let out a quiet sigh. He knew he would have regretted it if he continued to push you away. And if he was going to be a sorcerer, he wanted to be a sorcerer with no regrets.
Nanami only hoped that he would never cause you any pain and anguish because of his profession. It was rare for sorcerers and non-sorcerers to find happiness as a couple. But perhaps the two of you would be an exception.
He prayed the two of you would be an exception.
---
“Welcome! How may I help y—oh!” You blinked in surprise as three individuals walked into the small boba shop.
Gojo waved at you with an easy grin. Nanami stood next to him as handsome and stoic as ever, but there was a new face behind them. He looked like a high schooler.
The blindfolded teacher wrapped his arms around the boy’s shoulder and pointed at him. “Meet Yuji Itadori! One of our first-year students!”
“Oh, it’s nice to meet you,” you said introducing yourself.
The boy tilted his head, looking at you curiously. “How do you know Gojo-sensei and Nanamin?”
Nanamin?
You chuckled at the cute nickname.
“I told you to stop calling me that, Itadori,” Nanami replied, clearly bothered.
“Well, I’m…” you hesitated. You didn’t know what to say. A friend? An ex-coworker? A normal person who couldn't see curses but knew about their existence?
“She’s Nanami’s girlfriend!” Gojo exclaimed to your horror. You immediately flushed and looked to Nanami for him to clarify, but he didn’t react. He glared at the blindfolded sorcerer as per usual but didn’t refute the statement. Your eyes widened in realization.
“Uh, y-yeah,” you stammered. “I guess I am.”
“Nanamin has a girlfriend!?” Itadori gasped. He had even more respect for his mentor now.
“Don’t sound so surprised,” Nanami growled much to your amusement.
You took their orders and began to prepare the drinks. Nanami and Idatori were talking in the corner while Gojo hung out at the counter near you. You had just finished sealing the drinks when the teacher explained something to you.
“Oh, by the way, Yuji is supposed to be dead so be sure to not mention his existence to anyone else.”
You almost dropped the drink you were holding. “Um, okay.” You thought it was better not to ask questions.
Gojo thanked you as he took his drink from your hand and grabbed a straw for himself. “Yo! Nanami! Yuji! Grab your drinks and let’s head out!”
Itadori followed Gojo out the door once he had his milk tea, but Nanami stayed behind.
“I meant it.”
“Huh?” you asked, cleaning the counter with a rag.
“I want you to be my girlfriend.”
You blinked, processing his words. A bright smile grew on your face. “Well, according to Gojo, I’m already your girlfriend.”
Nanami let out a rare chuckle and flashed you a small smile. “I’ll see you tonight.”
“Goodbye!” You waved as he left the shop.
Your coworker came out of the back room, looking at you suspiciously. “Why are you so smiley?” She looked around the empty shop. “There’s no one here.”
“Oh, no reason," you replied with a hum.
#nanami x reader#kento nanami x reader#nanami smut#kento nanami smut#jujutsu kaisen fanfic#jjk fanfic#jujutsu kaisen x reader#jjk x reader#jjk smut#jujutsu kaisen smut#mine#n/sfw
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Love For The Faceless
Corpse Husband x Youtuber!Reader(Female)
Warnings: Swearing
Genre: Fluff
Summary: Y/N is a YouTube gamer who has recently gained a much larger following thanks to the streams she does with her friends. Naturally, considering her faceless and bodiless nature, people are starting to get curious about her. When she finally follows her friend Corpse’s example, a lot more than her hands is revealed.
Requested by anon, you know who you are 😉 Thank you so much for placing a request and hope this fic fulfills the expectations you have for it.
“Hey!“ I greet the lobby as I finally hop into the Discord call after quickly saying ‘hi‘ to my audience.
I’ve been a YouTuber for four years now and I’ve only recently started streaming, encouraged to do so by my best friend Rae. She’s the one who got me in multiplayer games such as Among Us and Phasmophobia which led me to meet her amazing gaming squad that consists of some of the most famous names on the platform. They are all wonderful people and I will forever be in Rae’s debt for introducing me to them. However, becoming friends with Felix, Sean and the rest of the team brought not only a more fulfilled life, but also a small boost in following. Who am I kidding, it wasn’t small. It was overwhelming, terrifying even.
My YouTube channel had a little over a million subscribers at the start of quarantine and now....now it’s closer to three million. Speaking of three million, I’m about to reach it any day now and it’s really hard to believe. I’m a gaming youtuber and I’ve never considered changing my genre despite expecting to not get any attention whatsoever, with all the big names on the platform. I was convinced not even as many as a hundred people would stumble across my videos and now here we are.
My OG subscribers are very supportive of my sudden growth and are defending me when my newer fans ask for a face reveal or whatnot. While we’re on that topic I might have to mention that not even my YouTube friends, and that includes Rae have seen my face. I’ve been faceless and bodiless for the entirety of my time on social media. Some claim I do it to grab more attention or for dramatic effect, but the reason is beyond that. I’m not shallow. Actually, shallow people are the reason I don’t show my face. I’ve never been the prettiest, but my middle school bully thought that I wasn’t lacking self confidence enough. As a result, I ended up with a not so handsome scar on my right cheek that starts from the corner of my mouth and nearly misses my eye. Yeah, it’s a long and pretty noticeable scar that has thankfully become less and less obvious as the years have progressed. Still, it’s not something I’d like to show to my viewers.
Eight ‘hi’s greet me back, each making my smile grow wider. “Sorry I’m late guys. Technical difficulties.”
“Don’t worry.“ Rae’s voice dominates over the rest, “Corpse still isn’t here so we’re waiting for him.“
I mute myself on the Discord call and take a look at my comments. I’m most flattered by the comments about my voice. Seeing as how they don’t have much to compliment about me other than my content, they make the nicest comments about my voice, personality and humor. Those comments are the ones who warm my heart most. Even when people in my day to day life compliment my appearance I can’t find it in me to believe they are being genuine. I’d like to believe these amazing people are being one hundred percent honest when they tell me they like me for who I am and not for what I might look like.
“Sorry I’m late guys.“ A deep voice causes me to even physically jolt, switching my focus from the comments to the Among Us lobby where my eyes land on the newly materialized black avatar.
“Hi Corpse.“ Rae greets him.
“Hello mister who broke Twitter!“ Sean laughs, provoking the laughter of the rest of the players.
“Yeah, congratulations man. That’s a big deal.“ Felix chimes in.
“Thanks guys, but I think you’re forgetting we’re talking about a picture of my hand.“ Corpse chuckles timidly. I have noticed how shy he gets when someone gives him a compliment - like a snail slowly withdrawing in its shell. I find it adorable.
“That’s what makes it even better!“ I unmute my mic, sending my own congratulations.
“While we’re on that topic...“ Rae begins, waiting for the rest of us to shut our traps, suggesting she has something important to say. “Y/N, do you ever plan on doing a reveal like that? Not a face reveal. Just a body part reveal.“
I have no problem talking about the subject with friends but I get nervous when I’m supposed to discuss it with my fans. Seeing as how everyone, including myself, is streaming right now, I get a bit of a stutter in my speech. “Haven’t thought about it yet. But I guess a body part reveal is harmless.” I cringe immediately after letting the words leave my mouth, “That sounds so weird.”
Rae knows that I’m not too fond of my face, but I haven’t told her about my scar yet. I let almost all people I’ve met online think I’m using my lack of appearance for effect. For the mystery of it all. Mysteries attract people which equals attention. Attention equals views and the domino effect continues.
“Just a suggestion. No pressure.“ Rae adds quickly, knowing full well I get anxious when the subject is brought up in front of cameras. “Let’s get this game started, shall we.”
* * *
The idea dwells in my mind, sitting on the back burner even after I disconnect from the Discord call. I’m sitting in my gaming chair, which was a gift for my two million milestone, and weighing out the pros and cons of the action Rae suggested I take.
“It’s a picture of your fucking hand, dummy. How bad can it turn out?“ I say out loud, shaking my head at my indecisiveness. “You’ll be fine.”
In a blur, two pictures are already posted on my Instagram. The first one captioned ‘Took a leaf from my friend’s book. Did I do it right @ corpsehusband?’ and the second ‘Thanks, Rae. These are on you.’
Rae’s POV
As I’m watching a movie in my living room, I get a notification from Instagram, informing me that Y/N has posted for the first time in a while.
I scoff, “More like the first time in forever.”
The first thing that comes to my mind is the possibility of her reaching that three million milestone that’s been long time coming. I bring the glass of water that’s sitting on my coffee table to my lips, taking a sip as I tap the notification. The picture I see makes me hurry to put the glass back down so I don’t drop it. Y/N’s hand. Her fingers are covered with several thin rings each. And here I thought Corpse had too many rings, this girl has at least two on every finger!
Then my eyes land on the second picture she has posted only minutes after the first and my heart drops. I struggle to get the water that’s been sitting in my moth down my esophagus while my mind is struggling with the task to comprehend the picture I’m looking at.
Another hand is resting on top of Y/N’s. A hand also covered in rings but fewer and larger. The nails are painted black.
I think I know who it belongs to.
Before I can even finish the thought, I’m dialing Y/N. She picks up after the second ring, sound cheery as ever as she greets me. “Hey Rae!”
“Don’t you ‘Hey Rae’ me!” I practically scream. I hate being kept in the dark about anything ever so this is just driving me mad. On top of all, she’s my best friend, for fuck’s sake. “Is that Corpse in the photo with you?!”
“Ugh....“ the cheeriness to her voice is all but gone now.
I go on with my rant, not giving her the time to reply. Not that she would reply. I bet she doesn’t know what to say. “So he knows where you live?! Or was the picture taken at his place?! He knows what you look like?! You have seen him! He has seen you in real life but me, your best friend, haven’t!!! You are breaking Covid 19 protection laws to take pictures?! Are you fucking serious, Y/N?!”
There’s a long moment of silence which frustrates me even more but I literally have run out of things to yell and the power to be angry. I mean, I still am, I just can’t express it.
“Rae, sweetheart, please calm down. You’re scary when you’re mad.“ This girl has some fucking nerve! She’s on the verge of laughing!
“Listen here you...“
“Rae, please stop scaring my girlfriend.“ That oh so distinguishable, oh so familiar voice interrupts me.
I am flabbergasted, for a lack of a better term.
“Now that we’ve got you quiet, I can explain.“ Y/N pics up the conversation, “Corpse and I have been dating for six, almost seven months now. We started dating around Easter after talking for quite some time. We moved in together at the end of September. All thanks to you, Rae. You’re the best.” She pauses to breathe in real quick, “There, all caught up?“
I’m in no less shock than I was before she explained. Actually, I think I might be even more confused now. It all just feels like a fever dream. “Yes...no. I don’t fucking know! I need details, Y/N!”
“Details later.“ Corpse makes his presence known once again, “We’re watching Family Guy right now. Talk to you later.“
“Love you, Rae!“ Y/N calls out before the line goes dead.
My arm goes limp, dropping my phone on the couch next to me.
“Motherfuckers” I mumble under my breath.
Y/N’s POV
It’s been a week since Rae has stopped talking to both Corpse and me. I know she just needs some time to cool off. In the meantime, the rest of our friends were informed and, as oppose to Rae, were nothing but supportive and overjoyed. I bet Rae feels the same way though. Sean, Dave and the rest of the gang have confirmed that she’s incredibly happy for us and says she noticed a spark between me and him since day one, but she can’t help but be mad at us, and especially me, for not telling her sooner.
“Any regrets?“ I remember Corpse asking me when we hung up on her after dropping the bomb.
“Not being able to see her face when she saw the picture.“ I beam at him, feeling as content as ever.
He laughs, agreeing with me before leaning down to kiss me.
@susceptible-but-siriusexual @simonsbluee @save-the-sky @hacker-ghost @itsminniekat @bi-andready-tocry @imtiredaffff @jazzkaurtheglorious @hereforbeebo @fandomgirl17 @chrysanthykios
#corpse#corpse husband#corpsehusband#husband#corpse husband fanfic#corpse simp#corpse husband fanficiton#corpse fanfiction#corpse fanfic#corpse x reader#corpse husband x y/n#corpse husband x reader#x reader#reader#request#requests open
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winter soldier. bucky barnes
word count: 2348
warnings: a bit of violence
requested: N/A
plot: you have to watch bucky fight like the winter soldier
a/n: i wrote this literally like thirty minutes after i watched ep.3 of tfatws! it is basically bucky's fight scene in the club because it's literally all i can think about after that episode (jesus christ it had me feeling a lot of things) but from your perspective. so i wrote this, same idea, some things changed slightly, e.g. you are also working with sam and bucky-- anyway! hope you like!
pt.2 / pt.3 / pt.4 / masterlist
"winter soldier."
you clenched your jaw, your teeth grinding together, eyes glued to bucky's vacant expression. your stomach was in knots. you were against the plan to begin with, but you had no choice but to take zemo's lead on this. that didn't mean you trusted him one bit, not after what he put your friends through. your hand remained firmly tucked against your thigh, where your knife was strapped to your leg.
you could feel your chest rising and falling faster as the man approached zemo from behind, your heart beating harder in your chest. the main reason behind your not wanting to go through with this mission was bucky. you knew how hard he worked every day to remove himself from his past, and here he was, again, placed right in the middle of everything he wanted to forget. the only reason you agreed to it was bucky's reassurance that he could handle it.
but right now, you were reminded of the man you met many years ago for the first time, only without the mask.
the man's hand fell onto zemo's shoulder. "attack," he spoke in the eerily familiar tongue.
he didn't hesitate, his vibranium arm snatched the man's hand away from zemo, you swore you heard something crack. you clutched your knife, yanking it out of it's holder, but before you got any further, sam's hand was restraining you. he didn't look your way, holding his cover, instead you both watched bucky drag the man away from the three of you, twisting his arm behind his back to where you heard another disturbingly loud crack.
you tried to keep your cover, but you couldn't help but flinch watching him use his full force to plough his vibranium arm against the mans chest, knocking him off his feet. his body slammed against the hard floor and you gulped, sam's hand tightening around your wrist when you made to move again.
"hold it," you glanced at sam for a split second, his eyebrows knitted tightly together watching the winter soldier in action, but he knew the consequences if he made to intervene. you could tell it was unsettling sam just as much as it was you, to watch bucky like this. but you had no choice but to stand and watch your boyfriend ruin anyone who came within a foot of him.
the bar was silent, the only sounds to be heard were the muffled groans coming from the man at bucky's feet. you noticed some of the people surrounding the fight had pulled out their phones and began recording the scene. you wanted to snatch them away and crumple them, but resolved to taking a deep breath and biting down on your tongue as hard as you could. you just had to endure for a little while longer and then it would be over.
you watched as bucky took apart two more men who came swinging towards him, zemo's expression was full of more amusement than you cared for. you felt blood trickling in your mouth, the metallic taste filling your taste buds after you had flinched and bit down harder on your tongue.
if sam hadn't been there to physically restrain you, you would've intervened long before this could start. you knew bucky was no longer controlled by zemo, but watching him fight like this was a brutal reminder of everything bucky had done and been through. you dreaded to think how it was making him feel having to slip back into the mindlessly violent nature that had been drilled into him.
sam's eyes darted around, watching bucky take out one guy after the next. zemo couldn't keep himself out of it, he shoved forward a bystander, watching, almost gleefully, as bucky threw a swing at the man, spinning him backwards before delivering another blow so forceful it took out another man standing behind him. your breath hitched in your throat, you couldn't stop yourself from cringing when another man was thrown off his feet, his spine cracking harshly against the metal joists when bucky's metal arm collided with his torso and sent him flying.
your ears were ringing slightly, your throat tightening the longer you watched this go on. "didn't take much for him to fall back into form," you heard zemo lean into sam's ear to mumble this but you caught it. you were going to kill that man yourself after this mission was over.
sam's grip loosened on your wrist when bucky clenched his metal hand around one man's neck, lifting him off his feet and slamming him down against the bar. you moved away from sam before he could stop you, your eyes wide with fear when bucky tightened his grip, the man's gasps for air were all that could be heard, that, and the cocking of several guns.
your hand moved from its position on your knife, to the cool metal of bucky's arm where he stood slowly cutting off this mans air supply. you clenched your hand tightly to pull him away, but he didn't shift, his intense gaze was locked on the man beneath him.
"stay in character or the whole bar turns on us," zemo muttered under his breath, his eyes wide and locked on yours. you hesitated, but pulled yourself away, not wanting to be the reason this mission was unsuccessful after everything you'd done to get to this point. you knew how much was riding on this.
you let out short, strained breaths, your eyes still locked on bucky's unwavering expression. you wondered how much he still felt in control of himself, or whether he was simply just keeping up the act.
"well done, soldier," zemo spoke after a brief silence. your stomach churned every time he would use that tongue to speak to bucky.
you watched bucky's eyes shift up to the bartender, his eyebrows slightly knitted and his hand slowly unclenching from around the mans throat. the man let out a strained wheeze, the breath returning to his lungs as bucky released his grip and let him fall to the ground with a thud behind him.
bucky could hear your loud, jagged breathing as you stood as close as possible to him without raising suspicion. he almost broke away when he felt your hand grip his arm earlier. but he didn't dare look to you, instead he kept his stare locked on the bartender in front of him, waiting for the words.
"silby will see you now," the bartender was watching bucky with an uneasy expression across his face. you watched bucky's chest rising and falling, you wanted desperately to reach out and touch his hand but you had to remind yourself why you were in this position to begin with. you needed to follow zemo's lead, find the source of the super-soldier serum and then you could deal with how you were feeling later.
"you good?" your voice came out smaller than you intended it to. you studied his expression from his profile, his tight lips and clenched jaw, waiting for him to break and look at you, but he didn't. he let out a quiet, hmph, nodding once before following zemo and sam to the back of the club.
-
you wished you were back in the club watching bucky beat those guys to a pulp, because after the past few hours, things somehow managed to go from bad to worse. your lead was now dead, literally, you bumped into sharon, of all people, who was meaner than you ever remember her being, and there was also a bounty on all of your heads.
currently, you were sat alone after having picked out fresh clothes from sharon's closet. she had reluctantly let you guys crash at her place, agreeing to help find a lead to doctor nagel.
you weren't sure how long you'd been sat staring at the wall in front of you until you heard footsteps approaching the room you were in. you didn't have to look to know who it was, you already knew. he sat beside you quietly, without saying a word. you could feel his eyes on you for a while before you forced yourself to meet his gaze. it was the first time you'd looked at him as himself, since the incident earlier. you gulped, his blue eyes not shifting from your own for even a second.
"hey," he mumbled softly. your eyebrows knitted into a delicate frown, you found yourself biting down on your tongue again. "you good?" you nodded, close lipped as you shifted your eyes from his face and down to your hands. you hadn't noticed your hands had clenched into tight fists.
after a brief silence, you felt your fingers uncurl, bucky's hand now enclosed in your fist. you let out a shaky breath, revelling in the comfort his touch brought you. you fiddled with his fingers, a habit you had when you were anxious that bucky let you use him for.
"are you good?" you gulped, glancing at him for a second before focusing on your tangled hands again. he nodded, letting out a quiet hum.
"i wouldn't've gone in there if i thought i couldn't handle it," you nodded, feeling his hand squeeze yours briefly. "i came to check on you."
your eyes fluttered, a wave of tire washing over you suddenly. you shook your head. "i'm fine, don't worry," you said it out of habit, but you knew bucky was the type to always worry. especially when it came to you.
"i never wanted you to have to see that again," you knew he was referring to the winter soldier. you had fought him back in the day with sam, nat and steve, before any of you knew who he really was. you'd been through a lot together, only recently had you become more than friends. or at least, you were trying to give it a go, things just kept getting in the way.
"i hardly saw anything," you tried to lie to ease his conscience. you sighed, looking up into his eyes again, they were soft and inviting, his lashes fluttering slightly when you met his gaze.
"you've always been a terrible liar," he tightened his lips into a halfhearted, closed-mouthed smile, trying to ease some of your anxiety. you mimicked his weak attempt at a smile, moving closer to him and leaning your head atop his shoulder. he shifted his free arm around your waist, tugging you as close to him as possible, leaning down to press a lingering kiss atop your head.
"i just want you to be safe, buck," you admitted. "i don't like that you're having to go through all this again-- what with zemo-- and this place-- i see how people look at you, how they talk to you."
"i know, doll," he mumbled, his lips resting softly against your temple now. you tried to relish in the short amount of time you had alone with him, your eyes closing for a moment as you breathed in his scent. "i don't like it either, but it's just for a bit longer."
you hummed quietly, letting yourself relax in his arm. your hand was still tangled with his own, your fidgeting had stopped and instead you let your fingers intertwine with his, him squeezing your hand now and again for reassurance.
"thank you for looking out for me," he spoke after a while of you two embracing each others company. "it's been a while, but it's a nice feeling."
you lifted your head, tilting your head back to get a good look at his face. he looked tired, but still wore a small, appreciative smile on his lips, along with his soft gaze. you felt your stomach flutter, you couldn't disguise a similar smile working it's way onto your lips. something about bucky was so sweet, in his nature, he cared so much for the people around him even if he was bad at communicating it sometimes. you wanted a better and quieter life for him when this was all finally over.
"it's nice to have someone to look out for," you muttered truthfully. you had spent such a long time fighting with the avengers, you'd never had the time to even go out on a date, never mind figuring out a relationship. and though it was difficult, sometimes, navigating your relationship with bucky, you knew at the end of the day, you liked him a lot, and you only wanted to be with him. and you were pretty sure he felt the same way towards you.
bucky's hand moved away from yours, to your chin, using his forefinger and thumb to tilt your chin upwards, your face moving closer to his. he leaned down and caught his lips against yours, his hand drifting to your jawline, where he held your face in the palm of his hand. your mind thought of nothing but the feeling of his lips moving against yours, soft and slow.
it didn't matter what was going to happen next, as long as bucky was there with you.
"oh-- shit-- i should've knocked," you pulled away, chuckling against bucky's lips, peeking out the corner of your eye to see sam had walked in and frozen once he realised what he'd walked in on. bucky groaned, his eyes rolling. of course, sam was interrupting.
"please-- get out," he shot a stone-cold glare towards sam, who chuckled uncomfortably.
"oh-- i wish i could," he groaned. "that was something i wish i'd never seen-- but the party is starting soon-- we gotta get out there."
you broke away, realising your short, but sweet moment was over. you kissed bucky quickly, one last time before pushing yourself up trying to shake your head clear of any thoughts of your boyfriend so you could focus on the mission.
you heard sam lower his voice, thinking somehow you wouldn't be able to hear him as he hung back with bucky, you walking ahead. "how you still got game like that? you're like a hundred and two--"
"hundred and six," he corrected, frowning at his partner. " and stop talking about my game."
#bucky barnes#tfawts#tfatwsedit#bucky fic#bucky x y/n#bucky fluff#mcu#sebastian stan#bucky barnes imagine#bucky barnes one shot#bucky barnes masterlist#mcu imagine#mcu masterlist#avengers#avengers imagine#avengers masterlist#james bucky barnes#james buchanan bucky barnes#james buchanan barnes#y/n#sam wilson#anthony mackie#marvel#marvel fic#marvel imagine#marvel masterlist#masterlist#tfatws spoilers
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