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ramblingthoughtsofayoungadult · 3 months

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Unpredictable, Part 8-Limoreau x black!fem!reader fic

A/N: This took me way too long to write but as per usual, please let me know what you think and if you want more.

Warnings: angst, negative family dynamics, eating issues, body issues, and swearing.

Word Count: 7.8k

Series Masterlist

Taglist: @badbishsblog, @gardenof-venus, @morelovemorepeacemoretattoo-blog, @kasslucilfer, @darksoul100

Luke’s smile would have been more contagious if my thoughts were not so jumbled. Even though he was standing right across from me, my brain refused to believe he was real. Sure, he was wearing his favorite brown jacket over a t-shirt with jeans, and the sun (or whatever light) highlighted the natural glow around him. But, it was impossible.

“Impossible?” Luke asked. “That’s a little harsh.”

I hesitated and pressed the back of my hand to my forehead. “Sorry, this is a lot to take in.”

But I could see the scene in my mind’s eye: the Vought clean-up crew hosing the blood off the cobblestone in front of Lamplighter, the chunks of Luke they put in biohazard bags, and the smell---

I wretched at the thought of it and tried not to double over. Luke rushed over to me and softly grasped my shoulders.

“Hey, are you okay, Y/N?” he asked.

“No,” I muttered, shaking my head. “I…I saw you die, and this is a messed up joke if this is a joke. Or…”

Luke sighed. “You’re not dead if that’s what you’re thinking.”

He slowly backed away and I straightened up. Then, I launched myself at him and he caught me in a bear hug, laughing as he did. The scent of pine and clean aftershave almost made me cry.

“I miss you,” I mumbled into his chest.

“I miss you too,” he replied.

“I wish none of this happened. Why didn’t you tell any of us what was going on?” I demanded.

Luke paused. “I didn’t know how but, it sounds like you guys are figuring things out.”

I slowly pulled away from Luke and eyed him. “How can you tell?”

Luke pursed his lips. “I’m a manifestation of Cate’s subconsciousness. So, I see everything she sees.”

At his words, my eyes wandered around the forest. At first glance, it looked like any other forest with large trees and whistling wind. But on closer inspection, there were no woodland creatures, no sounds of birds, and the sky was more like a large gray cloud with red cracks that flashed every few seconds.

“I’m in Cate’s head?”

“You catch on quick but then again, you always do.”

I looked up at Luke. “So, if I’m in here, what’s happening to my body? And where’s everyone else?”

“You touched Cate when she was in extreme duress and she retreated to her mind but she brought you with her,” Luke explained. “Your body could be experiencing several things: seizure, vomiting, a comatose state, or hysteria.”

I groaned. “So, her going into shock put me in shock?”

“Pretty much.”

Another shock of lightning flashed across the “sky” but this time, it struck and destroyed a boulder that was about thirty feet away from Luke and me. The crash made me jump and Luke grabbed my arm.

“What’s going on?” I asked.

“She’s kind of self-destructing. This hasn’t happened before and the only way to get out is if she wakes up,” Luke warned.

“So, I just need to find Cate and wake us both up,” I confirmed with a nod.

Lightning cracked through the sky and I jumped further into Luke’s grip.

“Basically but you don’t have a lot of time. If she doesn’t wake up, you’ll be stuck here forever.”

His words hung heavy over me and I could feel pressure weighing down on my shoulders. Somehow, I had to find Cate and snap her out of this state. Even though she’d been through a lot in the last few hours, she didn’t have to go this far.

I managed a smile. “Well, at least I have you here as a guide.”

Luke straightened up and puffed out his chest. “Of course. So, all you have to do---”

An instant later, a flash of lightning took him with it. It was difficult to tell whether knowing he was already dead made this second loss easier or harder. At the same time, it was nice to see Luke again, to talk to him, and touch him.

I swallowed the lump in my throat and tried to think. The best course of action would be to try to use my powers again and figure out the best route out. It definitely could not hurt after the last couple of tries.

I closed my eyes and focused on the best way to find Cate. However, it was like my powers didn’t exist at all. Before, it felt like they were just out of reach and this was definitely worse.

I opened my eyes as I felt my heartbeat pick up.

“Breathe, Y/N, breathe,” I hissed.

There was no time for my anxiety to spike. No one else was here except me and Cate and I was the only one who could find her.

After a few deep breaths, I opened my eyes and saw a large glossy oak door standing in front of me. The door looked familiar, and I couldn’t stop myself from grabbing its knob and pushing it open.

Seconds later, the bright light stunned me as I wandered into the space. When my eyes adjusted, I realized that I was in Dean Shetty’s office, complete with the expensive furniture and tapestry. Dean Shetty sat at her desk and stirred some sugar into her cup of tea. Cate was sitting across from her but she looked much more innocent, like she had when we first met.

She sipped from a pristine teacup and tapped her gloved fingers against the porcelain. She wore a white varsity sweater and ripped jeans.

“How is your first week as a sophomore?” Dean Shetty asked.

Cate nodded. “It’s going well so far. It feels different.”

“That’s only a natural feeling. You are much more in control of your powers and you are more experienced.”

“Thank you, Indira, it’s all because of your help.”

Dean Shetty shook her head and set her teacup down. “No, I only supported you; you did a lot of work. You are in the Top 20 for a reason.” She clasped her hands together. “Considering your progress, I think it’s time that I give you a new challenge.”

Cate raised her eyebrows. “Challenge?”

“Yes. I believe it is time for you to pass on what you learned and that you are ready now. There is a freshman that I would like you to meet. She is an incredibly bright, talented supe but, she needs some guidance to realize her full potential.” Dean Shetty grinned. “Considering how similar your abilities are, I believe you would be a fantastic match as her peer mentor.”

Cate paused. “Peer mentor?”

“Yes, a guide of sorts about how to succeed at Godolkin; who to befriend, what events to engage with, and how to gain more control over your abilities. These sorts of things tend to come better from someone who is of a similar age. What do you think?”

Even though it sounded like a question, it wasn’t. Dean Shetty’s tone was light but her eyes seemed to darken slightly and she straightened up a little as she eyed Cate. Cate stared at the teacup in her hand for a while, mulling things over.

“Okay, if you think it’s a good idea, then I’m open to it,” Cate declared.

Dean Shetty smiled. “Wonderful.”

“When do I meet her?”

A second later, someone knocked on the door behind me and Dean Shetty rose from her seat.

“Right now,” she commented.

As she walked towards me, Dean Shetty’s gaze never left the door. Even as she walked past me, she didn’t acknowledge me.

“They probably can’t see me,” I concluded.

Dean Shetty opened the door in one flawless motion but she stood in a way where I couldn’t see who was on the other side.

“Am I early?” a soft voice asked.

“No, you have impeccable timing. Come on in.”

Dean Shetty stepped aside and in walked a very anxious freshman version of myself. I watched as my freshman self fought to not grab at the black tennis skirt that swayed when she walked. The silk pressed curls bounced against the middle of her back as she approached Dean Shetty’s desk.

Cate stood when freshman me got close enough and Dean Shetty stood next to me.

“Cate, I’d like you to meet Y/N Y/L/N. She’s at the top of Brink’s first-year class and I am confident her star will continue to rise with proper guidance,” Dean Shetty announced.

Freshman me extended a hand towards Cate and Cate accepted it. “It’s nice to meet you. I saw your TikTok on supe psychology and it was really cool.”

Did I always ramble that much?

“I’m glad you liked it and it’s nice to meet you too,” Cate responded.

Dean Shetty gestured for Cate and freshman me to sit and she poured freshman me a cup of tea. “I was just telling Cate that I think she would be a wonderful peer mentor.”

“Peer mentor?” I echoed.

“Yes, someone your age who can help guide you through GOD U. I’m sure you’ve noticed how hectic it can be and not everyone survives here. Any freshman would kill to have personal time with a Top 20 supe but they do not all meet the standard to do so.”

Freshman me’s eyes widened with each word Dean Shetty spoke. “That’s amazing but, why me?”

“Like I said you are exceptional in your classes already and your skill set and Ms. Dunlap’s are similar and cause similar side effects. I believe she can help you navigate that as well as all things GOD U.”

Freshman me turned to Cate and smiled softly. “If you’re okay with it…”

“Of course. What is your ability, by the way?”

Freshman me rattled off my ability and Cate nodded, impressed. Then, Dean Shetty’s cell phone rang and she excused herself to take it. Cate leaned closer to Freshman Me.

“Don’t be so nervous. I already know that we’ll be friends,” she smiled.

Freshman me grinned in reply and I could feel the residual giddiness or that could have been me remembering this day. Cate was so impressive at that point that I was afraid that she wouldn’t want to be stuck with me or ignore me. But the anger that rose at the sight of Cate’s grin leapt out of me.

“If we were such good friends, why did you trap me in your head?” I hissed.

Cate turned to me. “I wasn’t lying, Y/N. I thought your powers were impressive and I could tell how powerful you were when we first met. I still want us to be friends.”

I stomped over to her. “Then, let’s get out of here. We can go together; we don’t have to stay here.”

But as quickly as she was there, she was gone. Suddenly, I was in the corner of the training gym and Luke, Andre, and Jordan were hanging out on the other end. Jordan was in their female form, wearing a baggy tank top and loose sweatpants, something they’d rarely wear outside of a memory.

I remembered this, this was the first time I ever trained with the Top Five. Cate had dragged me to the gym, insisting that I meet her friends and almost-boyfriend while also improving my combat skills. At the time, I thought she was crazy and that maybe it was a cruel prank but her genuine smile and encouragement were comforting.

Slowly, I approached the group, moving to stand near Jordan and listening to the conversation.

“So, who’s this girl Cate’s bringing?” Andre asked.

“Her mentee. Shetty set them up, but she sounds excited,” Luke answered.

“You don’t have a name?” Jordan asked.

Luke laughed and rubbed the back of his neck. “Cate mentioned it, but I can’t remember.”

Jordan rolled her eyes. “Well, this freshman better not waste my time.”

Luke playfully elbowed her. “Stop being so grumpy. If Shetty paired Cate with her, it probably means she’s impressive. At least give her a chance.”

Jordan scowled. “Why do you always have to be nice?”

Andre clapped his hands on Luke’s shoulders. “Because he’s Golden Boy.”

Watching past Jordan in all their surliness was jarring and I felt like a freshman again.

A second later, the training door opened, and I watched as Cate strutted in confidently with an arm wrapped around freshman me’s shoulders. I could feel the terror and anxiety wafting off freshman me as I watched her nervously eye the trio.

“Sorry, we’re late!” Cate called.

“It’s okay,” Luke insisted with a dazzling grin.

I giggled as Freshman me’s knees wobbled; it was funny how such a short time ago I couldn’t even make eye contact with Luke.

“Everyone, this is Y/N Y/L/N, my peer mentee. She’s doing amazing in her crim classes but needs a little help with combat,” Cate explained.

Freshman me did a small wave to everyone and Andre smirked as he swaggered up to her.

“Cate was keeping you all to herself, huh?” Andre commented.

Freshman me hesitated. “Uh…”

“Relax, Andre,” Luke said.

“Yeah, I don’t want you freaking her out with all that rizz,” Cate mocked.

Andre rolled his eyes and muttered something about the couple being “cockblockers”.

“Oh, you must know Jordan since they TA the first-year class,” Luke acknowledged.

“Um, sort of, we never…really…talk,” Freshman me admitted.

“Aw, don’t be scared of Jordan, their bark is worse than their bite,” Cate encouraged.

Andre raised an eyebrow. “Are you sure about that?”

Jordan scoffed. “I’ll give you this, you’re the least annoying freshman.”

“Thanks?”

“Okay, let’s split up into pairs.” Cate turned to Freshman me. “Don’t worry about getting hurt----we never go all out in training and we only spar until someone’s knocked out of bounds.”

Freshman me nodded and I watched as she side-eyed Jordan. Even though I’d known that I’d have to spar with them, it didn’t make my nervousness any better. However, the four of them split up amongst themselves, with Andre and Luke going first, followed by Cate and Jordan, and decided that the winners of those rounds would play rock-paper-scissors to determine who sparred with me.

Andre and Luke’s fight was interesting, and I forgot how close of a match they were. Of course, Luke used his fire and flying abilities to his advantage, but Andre was still a force to be reckoned with. Luke still won and Andre grinned as Luke helped him to his feet afterwards. Cate and Jordan’s fight was as surprisingly decent as I remembered. Even though Jordan switched between their forms depending on the circumstance, Cate managed to keep up for a while. It wasn’t until Jordan leg swept her, knocking her out of bounds, that the fight ended.

“Not…fair,” Cate panted as she sat up.

“Don’t be a sore loser,” Jordan teased as she helped her up.

Cate smirked and they stepped out of the ring. Andre playfully rubbed his hands together.

“So, who gets to fight the freshman?” he sang.

“It’s Y/N,” Cate corrected.

“Right, sorry.”

Freshman me smiled softly as she stood from her seat and walked closer to the group. Luke and Jordan faced each other and played rock-paper-scissors. Playing best out of three was a little cruel since Freshman me hoped to spar with Luke. At the very least, he would be nice when I inevitably lost. Jordan was difficult to read but I’d had a feeling that they would taunt me about losing.

When Jordan won, I couldn’t read their expression but Freshman me was terrified.

“Stop looking like I’m going to kill you,” Jordan snapped.

Freshman me jumped and Cate placed a hand on her shoulder.

“Like I said, don’t worry, you’ll be fine,” she whispered.

At the time, I was so frazzled that I couldn’t focus on the outcome of the fight. Instead, I had focused on keeping my lunch down. Instead of joining Andre, Cate, and me on the sidelines, Luke stood on the mat, a couple of feet outside the circle. He waited a couple of seconds before signaling for Freshman me and Jordan to spar.

My shoulders hiked up towards my ears as I watched Freshman me clumsily evade Jordan’s attacks. At that time, I’d learned how to predict my opponent’s movements but I rarely landed strong attacks. Brink thought that because my mental strength was so high my physical strength had no choice but to lag.

“It would be unfair at that point. But, as a future supe, you do need to learn the basics,” he’d instructed.

Freshman me’s form was all over the place; her guard slipped every few seconds, her feet never had solid contact with the ground, and any kick or punch was weak at worst and sloppy at best. I cringed when she took a small energy blast from Jordan that knocked her out of bounds. It didn’t hurt but it was definitely a shock at the time.

“Jordan!” Cate admonished as she jumped to her feet.

She started to rush forward but Andre held her back and Luke shook his head.

“She’s fine,” Luke mouthed.

Freshman me panted on the ground, sweat staining the lime green Alo set she wore a couple of shades darker. Jordan shifted into their male form as they sauntered over to me and extended a hand. Freshman me stared at his hand like it would turn into a snake at any second.

“Come on, you just saw I won’t bite,” he quipped.

At his words, Freshman me accepted his hand and Jordan pulled her to her feet in one move. I smiled as she almost bumped into him, but Jordan steadied her by gripping my forearms.

“I never thought you’d be this clumsy,” he commented.

Freshman me huffed. “I’m, uh, usually not this bad.”

“Well, your form needs some work, and you need to build up more confidence when you’re on the offense. But, you were great at evading me.” “Until that last move.”

“Not a lot of people could avoid that, especially not a freshman. Don’t worry, we’ll work on it.”

Freshman me frowned as Jordan turned and started sauntering back to Cate and Andre. “Wh-what does that mean?”

Jordan glanced at her over his shoulder. “It means I’ll spar with you more often. You can’t be one of Brink’s new favorites and be this bad at fighting, freshie.”

Freshman me continued to gawk at him as he walked away. Andre finally let Cate run over to Freshman me and she insisted on looking her over. When Jordan finally got close enough to me, he had the smallest smile on his face. I stood just as he bent down to grab his water bottle.

“I still don’t get how you flipped like that. You mostly ignored me until then and I was a horrible sparring partner,” I commented.

Jordan chuckled. “I thought you’d get it by now.”

When he turned to face me, my stomach dropped. I didn’t understand why I still had this reaction to him after everything that happened. No matter what, every time he looked at me, I felt warm all over.

“You agreed to train with some of the highest ranking supes on campus and even though you were intimidated, you did your best and you didn’t give up,” Jordan stated. “Before we sparred, I thought Brink liked you so much because of your ability but it was more than that: you face challenges, even when you don’t want to, like a real supe.”

“So do you,” I pointed out.

Jordan shook his head. “Yeah, but it’s different when you do it. I didn’t want to dig into any of this GOD U shit but you didn’t hesitate. It’s scary but also inspiring.”

It took all my strength to keep my mouth from falling open. I inspired Jordan? The same Jordan who did everything in their power to stay in the Top Three. The same Jordan who impressed one of the most influential crime experts so much that they became his TA.

None of this made any sense and I wondered how long Jordan thought of me like that.

Do they actually think about you like that?

I blinked and my heart sunk at the realization that Cate could have been messing with me; this was her domain after all.

But what if Cate knew what Jordan was thinking or feeling at the time? It was possible, especially if she had her gloves off.

“Jordan---"

“And that’s when I said, ‘I hate to tell you buddy but, you’re looking at the wrong end’!” a loud voice cut me off.

When I turned to face the direction of the voice, I was suddenly standing in the corner of the dining room at Mom’s. The candlelight from the tables reflected off the wall, giving the space a false sense of warmth. The scent of roasted turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, and collard greens tickled my nose as I wandered further into the room.

At the long table, Mom and Dad sat on opposite ends, the large spread Ms. Murphy, the family cook, prepared obstructing their views of each other. My brother, Isaac, sat on one side, grinning from ear to ear as both our parents laughed. My fourteen-year-old self sat across from him, smiling as she pushed some greens around on her plate.

I remembered this, this was our first Thanksgiving after Isaac took the Buenos Aires job. The tension was so thick in the air that I could have choked on it and it nearly stopped my appetite.

Younger me slouched in her chair, clad in a red plaid cap-sleeve dress with her hair swept up in a loose curly bun. My face was so much rounder then. As I slowly traversed the table, Isaac pushed up the sleeves of his charcoal gray Brooks Brothers sweater.

Everyone liked Isaac, boys, girls, adults, everyone. If no one fell for his charm, his good sense of humor, or his fantastic social skills, they tended to be drawn to his tall, broad frame and smooth copper skin. When I was a kid, Isaac was everything.

“And that happened your first day?” Dad asked as he adjusted his glasses.

Isaac shook his head. “First week.”

“As expected from our brilliant son,” Mom bragged, sipping some Dom Perignon.

Isaac’s laugh sounded like a deeper-pitched version of Denzel Washington’s. Younger me smiled widely at the sound while I stared on, knowing full well that he probably got it from years of practice.

“I mean, I’m still learning a lot. Everyone I work with has been very welcoming,” Isaac insisted.

“Are you learning a lot about the culture? In school, we learned that it’s so vibrant there,” Younger me piped in.

Mom’s gaze cut towards me. “Y/N, don’t interrupt Isaac.”

Younger me shrank back and I flinched. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to.”

Dad rolled his eyes. “Y/N was only asking a question, Y/M/N. She hasn’t seen him in months, it’s only natural.”

Isaac raised his hands. “It’s okay, everyone.” He looked at Younger me. “It’s a really good question, Y/N. These past two years, I’ve really immersed myself in the culture and I’ve even started picking up more Spanish. Also, the Argentinians are a very welcoming people and I’m so fortunate to work and live with them.”

For the first time, I realized how practiced Isaac sounded. It was the same way Coco sounded whenever she practiced speeches but, she was also going into political science.

Who was Isaac trying to impress or sway?

I made my way to Younger Me and stood against the wall behind her. Her eyes were so wide and sparkling, hanging on to Isaac’s every word. I wondered if that was the same way I looked when I was rushing Si Chi.

Younger Me ate a mouthful of yams and nodded happily. “I’m glad you’re having such a good time. We miss you here, though.”

“But this is a great opportunity for your brother, Y/N. We couldn’t hold him back here,” Dad interjected.

“Right, yeah---” “Yes,” Mom corrected.

“Yes,” Younger Me repeated, turning to Isaac. “Can you pass me the turkey?”

My stomach dropped as the memory echoed in my ears. I wrapped my arms around my waist and leaned further into the wall, rubbing my sides.

“Sure, Sis.” Isaac grabbed the dish and started to hand it over when Dad placed a hand on Isaac’s wrist.

“Y/N, you’ve already had a…generous helping. Don’t you think you’ve had enough?” he asked gently.

I thought I was sinking into the ground as I watched Younger Me grasp for words and could feel how flustered she was in my chest.

“You can’t blame Y/N, Dad. Ms. Murphy’s an amazing cook,” Isaac tried.

Mom scoffed. “It’s all that cooking that made her fat.”

The room was silent for a moment. Suddenly, Dad looked both shocked and understanding as he stared at Mom, Mom was staring at a painting on another wall as she sipped her drink, and Isaac couldn’t take his eyes off the turkey dish in his hands.

I could feel the ball begin in Younger Me’s throat and the tears burned in her eyes as she tried to keep herself together.

“Y/M/N,” Dad admonished.

Mom cut her gaze towards him. “Don’t use that tone with me. Unlike you, I care for our daughter’s health. It’s especially important considering her abilities and we have no idea how obesity could impact them!”

Dad set the turkey dish down and Isaac started nibbling on some mac and cheese. “Don’t do that, I care about Y/N’s health. She has made a lot of progress thanks to my encouragement.”

Mom rolled her eyes. “Oh, you’re saying that like the dance lessons that I paid for had nothing to do with it?”

“Oh yes, Y/M/N, only your contributions supported our daughter. When will you stop acting like you’ve financially supported our children this entire time? Don’t forget who gave you the money to start your agency.”

If looks could kill, Dad would have been dead a long time ago. Mom threw her head back and drained the last of her glass. When she set the glass down, she maintained a neutral expression.

“You can stop throwing that in my face now, Y/D/N; I’m the one who grew it without your or anyone else’s help!”

They went back and forth for a few more minutes and I watched Younger Me’s mind race.

Finally, she interrupted, “Did I tell you that I got all As for the semester?”

The statement made Mom and Dad pause and they relaxed a little.

“That’s wonderful, Y/N,” Dad praised.

“That’s my little sister,” Isaac added with a grin. “Have you solved any cases recently?”

Younger Me grinned. “Well, there’s this one murder that happened out in Cincinnati; a woman was found in a dumpster horribly attacked. The police think it’s a one-off but, that makes no sense since it matches the MO of several other murdered women who were found in the state.”

“What’s the MO?” Isaac asked, sipping some pinot noir.

That was when I noticed that there was something different about Isaac’s eyes. The light brown orbs looked slightly more playful than usual, almost mischievous.

“Oh, she was bludgeoned to death with a blunt object and raped post-mortem,” Younger Me rattled off.

“Y/N, we are eating,” Mom said slowly.

Younger Me hesitated. “Sorry, Mom, I was just answering Isaac’s question.”

“You’ll get better at reading situations, hon,” Dad assured.

Mom shook her head and started stabbing at some greens on her plate. “I don’t recall having this issue with Isaac.” She glanced warmly at him. “You were always so polite and well-mannered.”

“I was well-mannered,” I huffed.

Isaac smiled sheepishly. “It’s different for different people. Y/N will be fine.”

Younger Me nodded slightly but I knew she was trying to keep the tears from spilling down her cheeks.

“I hope so. You know, Vought is merciless about who they select to represent them. With every B-list hero in my agency, they are trained to hell in PR. There can be no mistakes, Y/N, not if you want a future as a supe.”

Younger Me nodded. “Yes, Mom.”

After a few moments where the only sounds were cutlery hitting the plates, Ms. Murphy stepped into the dining room. The portly older black woman rubbed her hands on the towel attached to her apron.

“Pardon me but, dessert is about ready. Should I have the table cleared?” Ms. Murphy asked.

Isaac stood. “It’s alright, Ms. Murphy, I’ll clear the table.”

“Isaac, there’s no need, we have people for that,” Mom insisted.

“It’s okay, I’m happy to help.”

Ms. Murphy nodded and shot a glance in Younger Me’s direction before slipping back into the kitchen. Isaac gracefully collected his plate and started going around the table, collecting ours.

“What a polite boy I have,” Dad complimented, playfully punching Isaac’s arm as he past.

“Despite all that success you’re so humble,” Mom added. “Remember this when you start to get big, Y/N.”

Younger Me nodded and once Isaac was at the kitchen door, she stood. “I’ll go help with dessert.”

Neither of them responded as she trailed behind Isaac, and I trailed behind her. The kitchen smelled like pecan pie and my mouth watered. Ms. Murphy was fantastic at her job, but no one could do desserts like her. She claimed that the secret was that she used full-fat everything.

“A growing girl like you needs that,” she quipped once.

In one corner of the room, Ms. Murphy was adding the finishing touches to the immaculate pecan pie perched on a silver server. Isaac set the dirty dishes on the counter and opened the dishwasher. I decided the island was the best position since it gave me a good view of the two of us and kept me at a decent distance.

“Let me help you,” Younger Me insisted.

Isaac paused and nodded. “Sure, sis.”

“I’m gonna go take this out to your folks,” Ms. Murphy said, pecan pie in hand. She leaned down to Younger Me. “You eat as much of this as you want.”

Younger Me smiled softly as the older woman disappeared into the kitchen.

“It’s really good to have you home, Isaac,” Younger Me commented as she handed Isaac plates.

“You keep saying that,” Isaac joked.

“It’s true. It’s like before when you’re around,” Younger Me said.

Isaac tensed a little but continued loading the dishes. “So, how have things been since I was gone?”

“Horrible,” I stated.

At that time, Mom and Dad cooled off from World War III which was their divorce but they still fought every time they saw each other. Even though Dad moved out a while ago, they would still see each other for my dance recitals, cheer events, or awards ceremonies. And whenever one of them dropped me off with the other, the tension made me sick but the worst part was how they bad-mouthed each other.

They both said things that no daughter should hear about her parents.

“Fine, things have been fine,” Younger Me lied.

I could have cried for her as she fidgeted with a plate. At the time, I didn’t want to burden Isaac since all the phone calls and text conversations we had were so positive. He was doing important work and I didn’t want to complain. But at the same time, he had to know things were bad.

“That’s good to hear,” Isaac replied. “I want to make sure my little sister’s okay.”

Then, Younger Me hesitated and handed him a plate. She bit her bottom lip and several moments past before she said, “Actually, sometimes, things get really, really bad. They both say some things that I hope they don’t mean and sometimes, I know what’s coming but it still freaks me out.” Younger Me shrugged. “Sometimes, I wish I could escape far away from here, like you did.” As innocent as the words were, little did I know at the time that it would be enough to set Isaac off. He straightened from loading the dishes and closed the dishwasher door stronger than he had to. When he turned to Younger Me, the pleasant expression he wore all night disappeared; his jaw tensed and his eyes narrowed.

“You think I escaped?” he asked slowly.

Younger Me blinked and the realization of her words poured over her. “Isaac, I didn’t mean----”

“You think I took that job so that I could run away? It was a fantastic opportunity, and I would have been an idiot not to take it!” he hissed.

Younger Me flinched and I gritted my teeth. “No, it’s great, Isaac, really. We’re all so proud of you and you’ve been doing so much great work. I just meant that it must be nice to get away.”

“I would never want to get away from my family. Adults fight sometimes, Y/N, grow up.”

Isaac’s words stung against my face and I clenched my fists as Younger Me fumbled for words. As Younger Me pled more and more with Isaac, my anger grew.

“I’m sorry, Isaac, really. It’s okay, everything’s okay, don’t worry about us,” Younger Me insisted.

I scoffed. “Nothing was okay, and you had to know that.”

Then, Isaac’s gaze left Younger Me’s and burned into mine. “Stop overexaggerating, Y/N. You never went crazy and you got into the special supe school; you’re doing just fine, it couldn’t have been that bad.”

It was hard to tell whether Isaac’s tone or his insistence on being right was the nail in the coffin but I didn’t care as I charged around the island and stood in front of Younger Me.

“Are you kidding me? I had a million anxiety attacks, and I could barely sleep. No one noticed, though, because I almost killed myself keeping up good grades and trying not to eat too much because Mom and Dad would comment,” I snapped.

Isaac hesitated. “Like I said, though, you’re doing fine now.”

“I’m not fine!” I exclaimed. “I never was but I couldn’t show that because someone had to be the adult in this house. I still don’t understand how you all thought that was okay when it wasn’t.” I scoffed. “Wait, I have an idea, maybe it’s because perfect little Doctor Isaac couldn’t be burdened with the fact that he abandoned his little sister in hell!”

“I didn’t abandon you, it was a good job!” Isaac argued.

The laugh that erupted from my chest was spiteful and it had no joy or air in it. Then, I couldn’t stop laughing, to the point that I doubled over. Isaac must have thought I had lost it but I didn’t care as I straightened up.

“What are you laughing about?” he asked, frowning.

“You could have gotten a surgeon job anywhere in the country and you’re telling me the best offer was ten thousand miles away? You graduated at the top of the class, you had to have other offers.” I huffed. “I had to be so deep in denial but I knew, I had to know. But what does it matter as long as you’re still the favorite.”

“I’m not the favorite; you’re the one they made a superhero,” he defended.

“Please, Isaac, they think I’m a freak at worst and a profitable freak show at best. They never criticized you, they only ever did that with me.” I sniffed and looked up at him. “By the way, why didn’t you ever tell them that I wasn’t fat?”

Isaac hesitated. “What?”

“You were in school for, what, ten years and you became an expert on the human body and health. You could have stopped them from tormenting me about food and my body, but you didn’t. Why did you never defend me?”

His silence almost sent me into another fit of mad laughter, that and the stunned expression on his face. The giddiness and rage that flowed through my veins was almost dizzying as I stared at Isaac. I didn’t blink for so long that his face began to blur. Then, my legs started moving and I wandered around the state-of-the-art kitchen.

“You were always better at this than me-----the performing. It must have been easy coasting as an only child and every gold star, and every A was praised.” I paused and poked at the pot of greens. “They were happy back then.”

“Y/N, you’re talking crazy,” Isaac insisted.

I shook my head. “No, I’m not. All the overthinking and overanalyzing finally helped me realize the truth: you all hate me. No matter what cases I solved, how well I did in school, or how much weight I lost; it was never good enough.” Isaac was silent and I think it was the first time he didn’t know what to say. It was okay because I knew exactly what to say.

“This whole time, I thought that I had to earn people’s love and that if I just worked hard enough, I could get Mom to call me pretty or Dad to post a picture of us without trying to spite Mom.” I finally made eye contact with Isaac. “You made me think that I was broken.”

Then, the kitchen door swung open behind me and Mom and Dad entered the kitchen.

“What’s going on?” Mom asked.

“We heard yelling,” Dad added.

I smiled as I turned to them. “You all made me think I was worthless unless I was perfect. I thought I was going to die so many nights because I made one mistake in an essay or lost a friend because my powers creeped them out. But none of you cared.”

None of them spoke and I wasn’t sure if I wanted to hear any of them. All they could do was lie since I finally realized their true feelings.

My family hated me.

None of them ever really loved me.

My vison blurred as I tried to make eye contact with them again. “How could you think I could end up perfect when you all screwed me up so bad? You make me question myself so much that I’m not even sure what I want anymore.”

I could feel the sobs coming on but I willed them to stay at bay for a moment.

“I’ve met a lot of amazing people at Godolkin, crazy, talented people. But two of them stand out. One of them is this standoffish bigender person who always has a comeback but is actually the kindest person I’ve ever met. The other one is this amazing girl who can see the brighter side of things no matter what, even when people betray her.” I sighed. “And I like both of them, I want to be with both of them, and I don’t know what any of it means and as much as that terrifies me, I’m so happy that I met them.”

They must have all been stunned but I couldn’t focus on them as my chest felt lighter but my throat constricted and I could feel my heart rate pick up. I slowly walked away from the oven and back to my original spot at the island. My hands crept onto the marble counter and I realized that my knees were wobbling.

“You know what’s funny, Isaac?”

Isaac jumped but eyed me.

“If you wanted to abandon me, you didn’t have to go to another continent. Mom and Dad managed to do it and I saw them every day.”

Then, the sobs broke from me and I pressed my hands to my mouth, trying to shove them back in but there was no point. My shoulders shook as I slipped to the ground, the pain barely registering to my brain as I hiccupped into my hands. The tears were hot as they ran down my face and everything hurt so bad and felt so good at the same time; it was like an emotional massage.

Everything that I thought and felt was finally out in the open and none of it was even real.

For a second, I thought a toddler was wailing at the top of their lungs but I almost started laughing again when I realized it was me.

This was it; I was going to be stuck in Cate’s head forever; alone and with nothing to show for it.

The first thing I noticed was something warm against my back. The second was a pair of strong arms wrapped around me. The grip was firm but non-threatening like the owner wanted me to know they were there. The third thing I noticed was Marie’s brown eyes staring back at me as she knelt in front of me.

I paused in my sobbing and sniffled. “Ar-are y-y-you r-r-real?”

“Yeah, I’m real,” she assured.

Her words made me freeze and I started trying to wipe my face, but Marie carefully grabbed my hands. Her thumbs rubbed the top of my hands, and I could feel my sobs slowing down.

“H-h-how’d y-y-you g-get h-here?”

“We found you and Cate and somehow got transported into her head,” Marie explained.

I sniffed, wincing at my congested nose.

“We got to go through a lot of memories, freshie,” Jordan mumbled behind me.

I tensed in their grip and out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Andre standing off to the side. He glared at my family with so much malice that my parents cowered next to Isaac.

I gasped. “Th-this i-is s-so embarrassing. H-how m-much of t-that d-did y-you hear?”

“We heard everything you told your brother,” Andre stated.

Marie placed one of her hands on my face. “Breathe, Y/N, you’re hyperventilating.”

It took a couple of minutes, but I managed to even my breathing and once I did, I felt like shrinking away from her and Jordan.

“I can’t believe you were going through all this and never said anything,” Jordan muttered.

I shrugged. “How could I? You, Andre, Cate, Luke, Marie, and everyone in Si Chi are perfect. If I was going to be accepted, I had to be perfect but now you all know that I’m a mess.”

Marie grabbed my other hand again. “Everyone’s a mess; it doesn’t mean something is wrong with you.”

“If we’ve learned anything by wandering around in Cate’s head, it’s that everyone’s a mess,” Jordan mentioned.

I shook my head. “Don’t say that to try to make me feel better.”

“I’m not.”

Jordan quickly rattled off everything they saw: from Cate and Indira meeting to Andre and Cate cheating to Jordan knowing about Brink drugging Luke to Marie killing her parents. Even though he was brief, everything hit an emotional nerve and it almost shook me back into being myself.

“So don’t act like you’re special or anything, we’re all screw-ups,” Jordan concluded.

“And just so you know, I don’t think that you liking me and Jordan makes you weird or bad,” Marie confessed.

At her words, I jerked my head back to Jordan. “You told her?”

“No, you said it while you were yelling at your brother!” Jordan exclaimed.

My face warmed at the realization, and I groaned as I buried my head into Jordan’s shoulder. This day could not have gotten any worse.

“Wait, you told Jordan before you told me?” Marie asked.

“I was going to tell you but then I got sucked in here,” I murmured.

Marie huffed. “Well, you’ll both have to make it up to me once we get out of here.”

Wait, both?

Marie couldn’t be serious; it would be impossible for her to agree to any of this. It didn’t make any sense, none of it did. That didn’t stop my heart from pounding faster though as I leaned away from Jordan’s shoulder to look at her.

Before I could say anything, Jordan and Marie both helped me to my feet.

“We’ll talk about this later, okay?” Jordan offered.

“Uh-huh.”

At that moment, Andre approached my family and they tried to scramble away from him.

“You should all know that Y/N is the best thing to come from you shitty people. If I see you outside of here, we might have some problems,” Andre threatened.

“Please, don’t hurt us,” Mom begged.

It was hard for me not to laugh as Andre slowly backed away, flipping them off as he went. I laughed a little as he came closer to us.

“Thanks, Andre,” I said.

“No problem. Does anyone know how we get out of here?” he asked.

“We have to find Cate; I saw her briefly earlier but I haven’t been able to find her since,” I admitted.

“If you found her once, you can find her again,” Jordan said.

“Not unless I find you.”

In an instant, my mom’s dining room turned into Cate’s dorm, complete with green accents and comfortable furniture. She sat on her bed, eyes bloodshot and downturned. Marie was the first to approach her and Jordan and I trailed behind her.

“Cate, I’m so glad we found you,” Marie said.

“You have to wake up,” Jordan added.

Cate shook her head. “I don’t want to. You all can wake up but I’m going to stay here.”

Marie frowned. “You’re going to die? But, there’s so much we can do once we’re out of here.”

“Yeah, we can expose what’s going on at the school but we need your help,” Jordan insisted.

No matter what anyone said, Cate remained unresponsive. Both Jordan and Marie tried to reason with her while Andre snapped at her for everything that happened. All I could do was watch and wonder if her behavior made sense. In a way, her entire world fell apart and she’d exposed everything in all of us. She must feel alone but what did she think would happen?

How could she incense me and make me feel sorry for her at the same time?

Finally, I stepped over to her and bent down so that we were eye to eye. “Despite all the psychological torment I experienced in here, all I can think about is what else you haven’t told us.” I swallowed. “Because I have a really bad feeling that if Shetty used you like this, she would use me too.”

“No, Y/N, Indira wouldn’t do that.”

“She’s been in your head since you were a kid, Cate, it would make sense that she would go after Y/N too and you wouldn’t notice it,” Jordan pointed out.

Cate hesitated and then looked at her gloved hands. “This is all my fault.”

“You can make it right but not if you stay in here,” Marie said.

I didn’t know how much time had passed as Cate mulled over her options. All I knew was as she was deciding, my heart continued pounding in my ears as the lightning cracked above our heads. My hands shook as the cracking got louder and louder.

Then, it stopped.

#black!reader #jordan li x reader #gen v x reader #limoreau x reader #marie moreau x reader

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angstyandromanticwriting · 5 months

Text

Harley Quinn X FemWerewolf!Reader Angsty, Cute and Fluffy Reunion Prompt with a cliffhanger ending

• Occurs after the events of Suicide Squad (2016) + a bit in between Birds of Prey (2020)

!TW: Being in prison/kept in a cell, mention of previous near death experience + violence, sacrificing a life for someone else’s, mention of previously murdering someone, implied suffering from depression, self-doubt, self-put down(s), anxiety/anxious thinking + hint of separation anxiety, mention of previously attempting to commit suicide, mention of having a nightmare, swearing, mention of previously being abused (by a family member), mention of being experimented on/tortured, suicide consideration!

You were sitting quietly in your cell which was to the left of Harley’s, upon her request she’d posed upon Flag and Waller to have you stationed with her; she didn’t want to be away from you again, after you’d both not seen each other for four dark years, and she’d thought that you were dead, after seeing you ‘die’ in an attempt to try and save her life; she had almost been mauled by an Omega werewolf, but you’d been close by, and managed to attack it before it could even dig one claw or fang into her. You would then hug your knees to your chest, upon remembering what had happened, the last time you’d both seen one another, a pained expression crossing your face subconsciously whilst you did. You also found yourself thinking about how her scent was now tainted by someone else’s; a man’s, and it physically as well as mentally pained you to think about how she’d evidently been with someone else, whilst you were gone, but you found you couldn’t blame her; you loved her too much to, and had, after all, been gone for a while, and she hadn’t known at the time that you were still alive; if she had, she knew - and was certain - that she would have waited for you, believing you to be her soulmate, like you believed her to be your’s, too; you’d known she was ever since you’d first seen her - it had been like a ribbon had suddenly tied around you both, and suddenly nothing else appeared to matter to you anymore - Only she did; she was the only thing now keeping you grounded, and on earth; your only purpose, and reason to live, for if it weren’t for her, you knew you’d rather die, than have to go on living without her.

You then subconsciously glanced over at her, not realising that you were staring whilst you did; she was reading a book, and looked as amazing as she always had, ever since you’d first met her; so majestic, to the point you were wondering how someone could ever be so perfect, and why someone like her had ever gotten involved with a supposed nobody like you; you’d always seen yourself to be nothing, compared to her, whilst she’d always seen you to be everything, and had always tried to convince you that you were, ever since you’d both started dating, though she’d found out about you being a werewolf before you had, insisting that she didn’t care what you were, and that she loved you, no matter what. You managed a weak smile whilst you remembered that very night at prom, whilst you both had been going to college together. Harley then noticed you staring over at her, and would smirk, trying to hide the fact that she had been flustered upon catching you watching her like you were, now. “Wanna join me-?” She inquired, forgetting that it would be difficult for you to do so, considering the both of you were being separated by two rows of bars.

You faltered, before quickly looking away from her, a pained expression on your face again, prompting her to begin to feel guilty for fighting with you earlier; she’d been upset upon finding out that you’d been alive this whole time, and hadn’t returned to her earlier, before she’d met, and got involved with the man she referred to as ‘Mr. J’, who’d recently thrown her out as if she were merely a piece of crumpled up paper. “I can’t,” you murmured, wincing whilst you did; you could feel that your fangs had unfolded whilst you were watching her, “n-no matter how much I-.. I want to. I’m sorry, Quinzels..”

She couldn’t help, but smile softly, upon hearing you referring to her as ‘Quinzels’, like you used to, before you’d both been separated four years ago. “I could read to you?” She suggested, and you would falter, before glancing up at her again, the light of your eyes seeming to dim even more whilst you did; you couldn’t believe you’d lost her; she had clearly been marked by someone else, and belonged to them, now.

“Why would you bother-?” You inquired, and her smile would instantly begin to fade.

“W-What do you mean, why? Y/n, you’re still my little wolfy - I promised, didn’t I? That I’d always love you, and I do; I’ve been keeping that promise since the day I lost you - Nugget-”

“You’re not mine anymore,” you interrupted dejectedly, your voice briefly trembling whilst you did, and she would fall quiet, a hurt look on her face, whilst she tried to figure out why you would think something like that, “w-whoever’s - pungent scent that is - you belong to them, now, not me.”

“That’s not - That’s not true,” she contradicted, before lowering herself down to the ground; she’d been holstering herself up with the covers she’d tied to the top of her cell, and she gingerly downed the book she had been reading, so she could cling to the bars opposite her which were currently keeping you both from one another, “you - you don’t understand, Y/n, I - I’m not with him anymore; he threw me out!”

You would suddenly look up at her again, before forcing yourself to your feet, so you could slowly walk up to the right side of your cell, until you were stood opposite her, appearing shocked; you couldn’t believe she’d been thrown out, like she claimed to have been. “Threw you out?” You murmured, having to fight back a growl again, whilst you could feel your body beginning to heat up; you hated the fact that someone had dared to treat her so badly, when you believed she deserved so much better; to be treated like the princess she always had been, to you.

“Yeah,” she clarified, appearing crestfallen all of a sudden, prompting you to frown, guessing that she loved the man she had been with, and that was why she seemed sad, but it was mainly because she was sick of being abandoned, and betrayed, “I guess he just decided he didn’t need me anymore, a-and that I was annoying, o-or attention seeking too much - Am I too clingy, or-? What-? Why does everyone keep leaving me?”

“It’s their problem,” you stated, before bowing your head a little; you wished you’d not destroyed your crystal, and had been regretting doing so ever since you’d both been separated those dark and lonely four years ago, “there’s nothing wrong with you, Quinzels; you’re - you’re perfect.”

She would be surprised, as well as flattered, whilst a soft smile began to play on her lips again. “You think I’m - perfect?” She mused, and you would nod, without hesitation; you always had, ever since you’d both first met.

“You always are,” you continued, “I-.. I love you so much, a-and I’m so sorry, for - for everything - I should have let you put the crystal back in, m-maybe - we’d still be.. mates, if I did.”

She would shake her head quickly, before awkwardly holding your trembling hands in her’s; she was desperate for things to go back to the way they had been before, and didn’t want to stop being your mate, like you thought she did. “But we are still mates, Y/n,” she claimed, “please, don’t - don’t do this, I love you - only you, I promise, j-just - tell me there’s a way for me to be your mate again, b-because that’s all I want; I belong with you, Nugget, please-”

You would carefully remove your hands from her’s without hurting her, so you could sink back down onto your makeshift bed, prompting her to have to try and fight back tears whilst she watched you doing so; she didn’t want things to end again, like they seemed to have, before, a couple of times - The first being after she’d found out that you had actually killed Max, her ex, and the second being after you’d come out of nowhere to fight with the Omega that had been threatening her to save her; the day she’d thought that she’d lost you, forever. You would then scoff, before bowing your head again, whilst you fidgeted with your hands. “Nobody could ever belong with, or to a monster,” you contradicted, your voice close to a whisper whilst you did; you were terrified that it might crack, and that you might break down, if you attempted to speak any louder than you currently were, and you didn’t want to upset her, knowing that if you did break down, you might, “so, n-no - you don’t belong with me, Harley, and-.. we can’t be mates again; I shouldn’t have - have forced you into it, before-”

“You didn’t force me,” she interjected, “I forced you; I wanted to be your mate, Nugget, and I still do - Can’t you see that? A-And you’re not a monster, but even if you were, I’d still love you, just as much as I do, now-”

You couldn’t hold it back anymore as a strained sob managed to escape your lips, and she would feel even worse upon hearing it, guessing that you were crying, and she hated to see you crying; it pained her, more than she ever thought it could; made her want to cry alongside you, whilst you both ached together, but she would try not to, knowing she had to stay strong for you, to try and bring you back to her, and make you happy again. “You never told me why you were here,” you murmured, and she would falter, a pained expression on her face whilst she did.

“W-Well,” she continued, “I suppose - I messed up, bad.. But - the thing is.. I never realised it before, until now, but - sometimes you don’t realise you’re actually drowning when you’re trying to be everyone else’s anchor, a-and - after Mr. J threw me out, and I lost you, I.. I guess I just - got sick of - being betrayed, all the time-”

“I never betrayed you,” you whined, and she would frown, evidently beginning to feel bad, whilst you hastily made to get back up off of the bed, so you could rush back up to the bars, and intertwine your fingers with her’s again, “I - I’m sorry, Quinzels, I really am - f-for what happened, but I never intended for it to happen, not.. not in the way that it did; I never intended for it to make you think that; that I abandoned you, b-because I could never do that to you; I love you, s-so much, more - more than I could ever love myself, o-or anyone, and anything else.”

“Good,” she chimed, “so you do still feel the same way - take me back, Y/n, please; I want nothing more, but to be your’s, and for you to be mine again, so just please take me back - w-will you?”

“You really - want me to?” You inquired, and she would nod quickly, her eyes glinting whilst she did, prompting you to smile lovingly over at her, before you hesitantly decided that you should; you owed her your life, for making things so much better than they had been, before, and also believed you owed her for the last four years that you’d both been apart for; if you hadn’t had smashed your crystal, you both wouldn’t have lost one another like you seemed to have done, before being reunited again. “Then I will,” you stated, and she would cheer, promoting you to giggle, evidently finding her reaction adorable, like you believed everything she did to be adorable, and always had, “and we’ll be able to become mates again, soon, as long as - when we are allowed to, you still want to, by then.”

“Of course I will,” she replied, certain of herself, “Y/n, there will never be a time in which I wake up and decide that I don’t want you as my mate anymore, I promise; I will always choose you - always.”

You then found yourself trying to fight back tears, and she would smile warmly over at you, before gently squeezing your hands to try and provide comfort to you. “I love you so much,” you expressed, “a-and I really wish I’d told you that a lot earlier.”

“M-Me, too,” she corroborated, “I’m so sorry, Nugget, I should have said it as soon as I saw you again in the hallway - I wanted to, I just-..”

“We were strapped to chairs,” you reminded her, and she would wince when she remembered, before nodding in agreement with you, “and they had something covering our mouths; neither of us would have been able to say much.”

“I still wish - at least - that I’d tried, though,” she stated, “even if it just sounded like gibberish or whatever.”

“I wish I did, too,” you responded dejectedly, “I - I hate fighting with you.”

“We’re never gonna fight again, are we-? P-Promise me we won’t,” she begged, and you would, whilst smiling lovingly back at her.

“We’re never gonna fight again, I promise,” you reassured, and she would express relief, glad, before leaning forward, wishing she could kiss you, and you would subconsciously do the same, but found that you both couldn’t get any closer to one another, and would reluctantly give in, though it pained the both of you to do so. You would then be startled by the lights suddenly switching off, and would anxiously look around, whilst you appeared to be increasing your grip on her hands at the same time, prompting her to wince, but she would try to hide that your action was paining her, not wanting to upset you, but you could sense that she was in pain, regardless. You would whimper quietly, before releasing her hands. “I’m so sorry,” you whined, “I didn’t mean to hurt you like that, I just - I was just scared-”

“I know you didn’t mean it, little wolfy,” she cooed, and you would subconsciously relax upon hearing her voice again, “don’t worry, and it didn’t even hurt that much anyway, I promise-”

The door to your and her cell room then suddenly opened, and you would growl quietly in it’s direction, before rushing up to the door of your cell, and clinging to the bars beside it; you were worried that the invader would try and hurt Harley, not caring about what could happen to yourself, only her. “Relax, it’s just me,” an unfamiliar voice sounded, and you would squint, trying to make out who they were, but you were certain that you’d never seen them before, “she’s new, isn’t she?”

“You could have given her some warning about lights out, don’t you think-?” Harley hissed over at him, and you would subconsciously inch closer to her, nervous.

“I was going to, but I got caught up,” he stated, before shrugging as if he were unperturbed, “alright, so-” He then stopped in front of your cell, and you would find yourself trying not to growl again, not sure if you should trust him, or not. “The name’s Flag,” he informed, and you would huff, before tilting your head partially, “I can see you don’t like me already, and that’s fine, but you’ll get used to me soon, I’m sure you will. Now, the lights went off because this is meant to be you and Quinn over there’s bed time, and it happens the same time every day-”

“That’s pretty self explanatory,” you interrupted, prompting Harley to giggle, whilst she pulled herself up off of the ground of her cell with the draped covers again, “you don’t need to tell me that they go off the same time every night, just to make your job easier.”

“Well,” he would then clear his throat, before chuckling, “thank you for your consideration. Also, just so you can stretch your legs a little bit, we’ve put together somewhat of a - well, a glass box, I suppose, for you to walk around in, during our little makeshift social time that we’ve been giving - almost, everyone. The weasel sometimes goes a bit - too mental, so we keep him in most of the time-”

“Hey, hey,” Harley then interjected, as if she’d remembered something important, and was desperate to share it, “did you ask Waller if I could join Y/n in the glass box-?”

Flag winced, before shaking his head. “I haven’t, yet,” he answered, and she would frown, evidently disappointed that he hadn’t, “but I will, don’t worry - don’t be surprised, though, if she turns down your suggestion.”

“Remember to add the bit about how I can help keep her calm, if I’m in there with her,” she reminded him, and he would nod, “that - that might help, hopefully.”

“Sure, boss,” he replied, “anyway, you both better get some rest - Especially you, wolf girl; you’ve got a lot of long uncomfortable nights ahead of you, but no doubt Quinn’ll be able to make ‘em better for you - night.” He then turned and walked out of the room, leaving you both alone in the dark again.

“He’s the only decent guard in here,” Harley commented, “I remember - the last time I was in here, I was put onto this weird mission, and he was supposedly our makeshift leader on it; that’s why he does so much for us.”

You wouldn’t necessarily be surprised, whilst you smiled warmly up at her, prompting her to smile lovingly back at you, making your heart skip several overwhelming beats for a brief moment. “Well, my aunt used to tell me that fighting alongside someone, or a group of people who you aren’t exactly related to, is one of the most powerful ways to get closer to them.”

Harley would nod slowly in agreement, whilst she thought about what you’d just told her. “Is that one of the reasons why wolf packs consider each of their members to be family-?” She inquired, curious, and you would smile softly whilst you thought about her question, remembering what your aunt had told you about how your mother had been close to every single one of her pack members, even a few which you’d never thought she would be, or even allow into her pack, after they’d been viewed as untrustworthy before, by her.

“I suppose it is,” you mused, “fighting alongside them, I imagine, would make the pack bond stronger - n-not that I know, but-.. I’ve never-.. experienced it before.. I’ve only ever felt a connection to you, nobody else, and you’re the only person I can phase with.”

She would appear confused for a moment, whilst she lowered herself back down to the ground, so she could sit on her makeshift bed which was somewhat beside your’s, with a couple of rows of bars between you both, keeping you painfully separated from one another’s side. “Phase-? What does that mean?” She inquired, whilst you sank down onto your bed beside her uncomfortably, whilst you let your right arm hang through the gaps between the bars.

“I’ll show you,” you answered, “but - promise me you won’t freak out.”

Her smile would manage to grow even more, whilst her eyes began to glint, prompting you to have to fight back a whimper, whilst your fangs began to subconsciously unfold; you just wished you could change her; to truly claim her as your mate, as she could never really be your’s the way she was now; still human - anyone could take her away from you, and this thought began to panic you, as well as anger you, but you would try to hide it from her, not wanting to upset her again, after you’d both already fought the way you had, earlier. “I won’t freak out, I promise,” she claimed, “Y/n, you know nothing freaks me out - well, almost nothing; the only thing that does freak me out is the idea of me losing you again.”

You would falter, a pained expression on your face whilst you did. “You won’t lose me, ever again, I promise,” you insisted, and she would express relief, glad, “I’m gonna try harder for you this time; it - it was-.. painful, being away from you, and I don’t ever want to have to go through it again, nor do I ever want to put you through it again, because you deserve so much better than - than I treated you, before. Now - Are you ready?”

She would nod, certain that whatever it was wouldn’t surprise her; she’d always believed you to be capable of everything, both magical and real, and the thought prompted yet another smile to play on her lips. “I was born ready,” she remarked, and you would grin, before nodding, sitting up, and letting your eyelids flutter shut, so you could focus whilst you felt for the tether between you and her, and latched onto it, so you could push the words that you were thinking through it, so she could hear them in her head.

‘Can you hold my hand?’ You requested, and she would immediately look over at you, her eyes widening whilst she did.

“Was that-” She would begin to stammer, and you nodded your head, whilst fighting back a giggle, amused by her reaction. “You never cease to amaze me, Nugget,” she replied, before slipping her left arm through the bars, so she could intertwine the fingers of her left hand with the fingers of your right, “I love you so much, a-and I’m so glad you’re here.”

“I - I love you, too, and I’m glad we’re finally together again,” you returned, whilst you both managed to lay down in your beds, never letting go of one another’s hands whilst you did, “goodnight, Quinzels.”

“Goodnight, little wolfy,” she returned, before hesitantly letting her eyes close, alongside your’s, though she was worried about possibly waking up to find that she had only been dreaming that you’d both been reunited, but luckily she found that her fingers were still brushing against your’s, whilst she began to stir the following morning.

🜸🜸🜸

The next day had been quite quiet, like yesterday had been, somewhat, but neither of you cared; you were just happy to be with one another again, occasionally finding yourselves staring lovingly and longingly over at one another, and often subconsciously holding hands, or brushing your fingers against her’s whilst you both got lost in one another’s eyes in the best way possible. “I’ve got a riddle for you,” she chimed, and you would smile lovingly over at her, whilst she smiled sheepishly back at you, her eyes glinting whilst she did.

“Hit me with it, Quinzels,” you replied, and she would grin, before nodding.

“I will never give you more than you can take,” she began, and you would tilt your head partially whilst you listened, “I might let you bend, but I will never let you break - What am I?”

You would then smirk, before getting up off of your makeshift bed, so you could approach the right side of your cell, prompting her to lower herself back down to the ground, so she could be opposite you, and could hold your hands through the bars separating you both from one another. “The best damn soulmate I could ever ask for,” you answered, and she would appear flustered for a moment, her breath catching in her throat, after her heart had skipped a beat, and blood began to rush to her cheeks, “was that the right answer-?”

“You know it, babe,” she remarked, and you would both be startled by the sound of the door opening a few paces away from your cells, but would instantly relax upon realising it was just Flag who had rudely decided to interrupt her and your moment like he had.

“You know the drill, guys,” he stated, and you would both huff, before nodding gravely in his direction; lights out was approaching, yet again, and sadly you’d not been able to, some time earlier, spend makeshift social time with Harley in your glass box; Waller hadn’t yet made her decision, and Flag had been spending much of his time on trying to get her to agree to Harley’s suggestion, but seemed to be getting nowhere, until she decided to surprise you both the next day, by finally agreeing to let you both spend makeshift social time together in the glass box every day, from that point, “don’t let those pesky monsters under your bed bite too much-”

You would sneer, prompting both Harley and Flag to look over at you at the same time in response to your reaction. Whilst Harley expressed intrigue over it, Flag appeared skeptical, and puzzled, tilting his head partially in your direction. “I hate to break it to you, buddy-”

“Sergeant,” he corrected, but you would brush it off, unperturbed by whatever his title was, “look, you might be friends with Quinn - or whatever you both are to each other - but you aren’t friends with me - not yet, I’m afraid.”

You would huff, before shooting a glare over at him. “I don’t care for your friendship,” you hissed, “the only thing I care about, now, is staying with Harley, treating her like the princess she is, and protecting her with my life.”

“Wow,” he replied, before looking between you and Harley for a moment, “how surprisingly sweet of you - Sorry, go on with what you were gonna say, before, and I won’t interrupt again, I promise.”

“Sure, Sergeant Buttface,” you remarked, prompting Harley to burst out laughing, and you would smile lovingly over at her; her laugh always seemed to soothe you throughout, whenever you could feel that you were beginning to lose control of yourself; she had a certain aura around her - part of your and her pack bond - that was somehow managing to keep you tethered to reality, and you were addicted to it; addicted to her, and whilst you were staring over at her for a moment, you could feel that your body was beginning to heat up again, and that your fangs were beginning to unfold; the wolf inside you was fighting to escape, and claim her as it’s own by changing her. You then began to stammer, prompting her to giggle; she was amused, as well as flattered, by your reaction, as she’d briefly caught you staring at her, before you’d quickly looked back at Flag, evidently flustered; your cheeks were redder than usual, and irises were briefly flickering between their usual colour, and a bold orange colour. “What I - What I was about to say, before you rudely interrupted me, w-was - was that-..” You would grunt, wishing you weren’t so weak. “Was that monsters don’t sleep under your bed,” you managed, “they sleep inside your head - have you never heard that, before?”

“Never,” he claimed, “you’ve got some - er - deep issues, wolf girl, haven’t you?”

“Flag,” Harley retorted, a hurt look on her face, whilst you appeared disheartened, as well as angry, “ignore him, Nugget-”

“I dare you to come in here, and say that again,” you uttered, whilst trying to fight back a growl, your irises flickering dangerously again; your wolf was beginning to scratch at the surface, and you were evidently struggling to keep it back, “or are you too scared of a caged little mutt like me?”

“You’ve really done it now,” Harley commented, noticing that you were struggling to keep your composure, and looked as if you might wolf out any minute now.

“Get her to stop it, Quinn,” he commanded, “or else Waller will be on both our asses, and you won’t ever be able to go into the glass box with her, if she decides to change her mind completely about the whole idea.”

“Fine, though you would have deserved being thrown onto your ass for being so rude to her, like you just were,” she responded, and he would roll his eyes, whilst she hastily lowered herself back down onto the ground of her cell, so she could be closer to you, and you subconsciously inched closer to the right side of your cell, sensing that she was stood almost beside you, to the best of her ability, though two rows of bars were still currently separating you both from one another. “It’s okay, Y/n,” she cooed, and you would manage to pry your gaze from him, soon getting lost in her eyes like you usually tended to do; you always felt safe, and warm, whenever she was holding you in her gaze, or had her arms around you, or her fingers intertwined with your’s, and you wished you could be in her cell with her, terrified that something might happen to her, whilst you weren’t able to protect her; you didn’t care if something happened to you, just her, as you couldn’t live without her - you knew that so much more than you did, before, as the four dark years, and those long months you’d had to endure without her were painful, and you’d often found yourself almost losing control, or making several different attempts on your life; it just wasn’t worth living without her by your side. “He isn’t worth it, just - think about - think about us, in that glass cell together,” she encouraged, and a soft smile would begin to play on your lips, “how we’ll finally be able to hold each other again; kiss again, a-aside from - doing other things that I’m currently thinking of - oh! And tickle each other again - remember those nights where we’d do that, whilst that ogre - your father - was asleep, a-and we’d make fun of his snoring?”

You nodded, whilst you began to giggle, amused by the memory you were currently recalling of one of those nights you’d both had together, after forcing yourselves to do your English homework for college, the next day. “We could make more of those memories,” you mused, and she nodded quickly in agreement with you.

“Exactly,” she chimed, “and Flag could be our stinky and loud ogre-!”

“Oh c’mon,” he protested, clearly disapproving of the idea, and his newfound role of an ogre, “I know I might have come across as a dick earlier, but-”

“No take-backs,” Harley interjected, and you would smirk over at him, glad that he now had to be an ogre for you both, “now go and do whatever you were gonna do so we can get some sleep and see if what’s her face decides on a verdict for us tomorrow.”

“Sure,” he replied, “but if I hear a peep out of either of you-”

“You won’t,” you interjected, “now get out of here, you stinky ogre.”

“I’m not an ogre,” he retorted, before wincing, “not yet, anyway - I suppose I’m gonna have to turn into one for you both if Waller really does give the go-ahead.”

“Yes, you will have to,” Harley agreed, “because you owe me, and have to be nice to the both of us if you wanna stay my friend.”

“Fine,” he surrendered, “but she’s gonna have to learn to be nicer to me, too, if she wants me to be nicer to her, in return.”

You would grunt, but forced a smile when you noticed Harley silently pleading with you to agree to be nicer to him. “Sure, whatever,” you mumbled, before sinking back down onto your makeshift bed; you didn’t want to upset her, and found yourself smiling again when you could hear her cheering to the right side of you; you loved to see her happy; it was your sole purpose to make her happy, being her mate, and you would smile over at her warmly when you felt able, though whenever you looked over at her, your heart began to race, overwhelming you, and prompting you to feel as if you were constantly on the verge of changing into your wolf form - it was evident - she was your Achilles’ Heel.

“Good,” she chimed, “now you’re free to go.”

“Thank you, Commander,” he remarked, before walking out of the room, chuckling whilst he did, and as soon as he’d gone, the lights suddenly switched off, startling you, but you would express relief when you picked up Harley’s scent again - at least she was still with you; you weren’t alone.

“Are you okay, Nugget?” She inquired, worried about you; you’d gone quiet, and she’d heard a quiet whimper coming from your cell beside her’s after a brief moment.

“O-Of course,” you answered, “why - why wouldn’t I be-?”

“You’re quiet,” she stated, “a-and I know you get - nervous, sometimes, in the dark, and-”

“I - I’m fine,” you claimed, “as long - as long as I have you here with me.”

She would smile softly, glad, before sitting back down on her bed, beside your’s, if it weren’t for the two rows of bars separating you both. “Good, because I’m always gonna be here with you, I promise,” she reassured, before offering you her left hand, “here, hold my hand, and we’re both gonna get through the night together, like we did, yesterday.”

You nodded, before intertwining the fingers of your right hand with the fingers of her left, smiling timidly over at her whilst you did. “T-Thank you, Quinzels,” you expressed, “I love you so much, a-and I don’t know what I’d do without you - does it-.. deter you from me? M-Me being - scared of - of the dark-?”

She would snort, before shaking her head, evidently amused that you thought it would. “Of course not,” she responded, before gently squeezing your hand to try and provide comfort to you, “I love you, Y/n, s-so much, and nothing could ever change that, nothing. Try and get some sleep, and I’ll stay awake until I know that you are.”

“N-No, you don’t have to do that for me-”

“I know I don’t,” she chimed, “but I want to, and you won’t change my mind, so don’t bother trying.”

“Fine,” you whined, “but if I take too long, and you’re struggling, p-please just - don’t wait up any longer for me - In fact, promise me you won’t.”

“I won’t, I promise, though I’d rather not, a-and it won’t come to that, I’m sure,” she cooed, “goodnight, little wolfy.”

“Goodnight, Quinzels,” you returned, before hesitantly letting your eyelids flutter shut, whilst she tried to read with a little torch, until she could hear that you were beginning to snore quietly, prompting her to smile lovingly over at you, before she set down her book, turned off her torch, and laid back down so she could try and go to sleep alongside you, now that she knew that you were okay, and weren’t scared anymore.

🜚

However, she woke up again shortly after to you crying quietly, and to your hand no longer in her’s, worrying her as she looked over at you, a pained expression on her face when she could see that you were trembling whilst you were curled up upon your bed. “Y-Y/n-? What’s wrong? Did you have a nightmare-?” She inquired, and you would falter, before glancing up at her, a pained expression on your face whilst you did, and it hurt her even more to see how your eyes were so red; sore as a result of your crying session.

“Why-.. Why do you still want me?” You questioned, your voice barely audible, and trembling, and she would frown, a hurt look on her face whilst she did; she thought you knew why, and wondered what could have possibly prompted you to doubt that she still wanted you, and still loved you, like she’d always done, ever since you’d both met in college together.

“You know why, Nugget,” she answered, “I love you-”

“No,” you interjected sharply, “n-no, Harley, you can’t love me - find - find someone else; I’m a monster, and I could never be good enough for you in any lifetime; I could hurt you, a-and I can’t let that happen-”

“You - You won’t hurt me, I promise,” she contradicted, “a-and - I thought you already knew that I could never love anyone else as much as I love you, and always will.” A thoughtful expression would then cross her face, and she would continue before you could protest against her; you wanted only the best for her, and believed that you could never - no matter how hard you tried - give her anything remotely close to being the best, though you desperately wanted - and had always wanted - to give that to her. “It’s funny,” she mused, “how losing someone can come close to ruining completely your ability to love anyone else as deeply as you did them.” She would then wince, upon realising that her eyes were beginning to fill with uninvited tears, prompting you to feel guilty for acting the way you were with her. “Wow - You - You sure know how to make me feel like shit by getting me to think about things more deeply,” she then remarked, and you would bow your head, hoping she’d change her mind about wanting to remain your mate; you believed she deserved so much better than you.

“Then change your mind,” you murmured, and she would falter, a hurt look on her face whilst she did; she couldn’t believe you’d suggested that to her, “I’m not good for you; you deserve so much better than me.”

“No,” she responded firmly, certain, now, that it was you she wanted to be by her side, after she’d experienced four surprisingly painful and long four years without you, “I love you, Y/n, m-more than anything; more than I could ever love life itself, a-and I’m not losing you again - it was painful enough being away from you, the first time, b-but - the second time - four years - that’s how long you were gone, and - and it really hurt, Nugget, so - p-please don’t leave me again, please.”

You would hesitate, before looking up at her again; you didn’t want to upset her anymore than you already had done. “O-Okay,” you reluctantly decided, and her eyes would begin to glint, prompting your heart to skip a beat, “I won’t, but - if you ever change your mind, a-and decide you don’t want me anymore, then just - just tell me, and-.. I’ll let you go.”

“Don’t worry,” she cooed, “it’ll never come to that, now give me back your hand, silly.” You would giggle softly, before returning your right hand to her left, so she could intertwine the fingers of her’s with your’s.

“I love you so much,” you returned, “y-you know that, right?”

“I know,” she chimed, “of course I do - What made you wake up and doubt that I still wanted you?”

You would frown upon remembering it; the nightmare you’d had, in which you’d encountered her with someone else, and felt as if you couldn’t be angry; only crestfallen, as you believed you could only blame yourself for being who you were, and scaring her away from you. “I just had this - s-stupid nightmare, and - It felt so real,” you answered, “I’m sorry, Quinzels, f-for waking you, like I did, a-and don’t tell me I didn’t, because I could see that you were asleep when I first woke up.”

“I don’t care if you wake me up,” she claimed, “I just want you to be happy, Nugget - Now, would you wanna try and get some sleep again, or stay up for a little longer with me? I could read you something!”

“I-It depends - How tired are you, right now?” You inquired, and she would be flattered, guessing that you were worried about her being exhausted in the morning because of you, and you were, as you found you could never worry for yourself, or anyone else - only her; she had made things so much better than they had been before for you, and you wanted to try and give her everything you could, and believed you owed her, and you knew that you couldn’t let anything happen to her; she was your tether, and without her, you would rather die, than go on living without a purpose; than have to become a feral omega, hurting whoever and whatever you came across.

“Not tired at all,” she remarked, trying to sound as if she were energetic, whilst she reached down for her book, and torch, intending to read it out for you to soothe you some more, to the point that you could go back to sleep without too much struggle, as she knew you tended to struggle a lot, whilst trying to get to sleep, especially when you would be snuggled up with her in your bed, within your father’s home, often finding yourself trembling, and whimpering whenever you heard the quietest sound; you’d always been worried that the sound was your father coming up the stairs, or leaving his bedroom to beat you like he had been doing without fail everyday, before the fight you and Harley had had about how you’d killed Max, her ex - you’d run away from home, after it had happened, and had been staying within the abandoned storage shed behind the college building you’d both been going to study at, before. “Just relax and enjoy the story,” she insisted, and you would reluctantly give in, though you didn’t want her to suffer just because you felt as if you couldn’t get back to sleep just yet after you’d had that nightmare, but - unbeknownst to you - she really wasn’t tired, and even if she was, she knew she’d still read to you, because she wanted nothing more, but for you to be comfortable, and happy, after everything you’d had to go through with your father, whom she still despised, and wished she’d killed, as she’d gotten a few chances to do so, but you’d told her not to, and she didn’t want to upset you so she’d not done anything to him, those four or even five years ago, now.

🜚

Neither you or Harley knew about what Waller had initially had planned for you, upon your capture, so it came as a - awful surprise to find that she had had certain intentions for you, involving you being experimented on, as they’d never had the opportunity to capture a werewolf before, and the Prime Minister had actually ordered for them to perform these experiments on you. Little did any of you know, that the Prime Minister was actually a werewolf, himself; an Omega, and he was secretly building an Omega army behind the scenes, whilst trying to eliminate all the Alphas and Betas he could find, including you, now that you were under his watchful eye in prison, and he was certain that the experiments would end up killing you, at some point, getting you out of the way. “Just tell me what they did to you, Y/n,” Harley begged, after you’d been dragged back into the room, and weren’t even struggling against them whilst they did; you appeared lethargic, and as if you were in pain, as you cried and whimpered quietly whilst you were dragged back to your cell, beside her’s.

“It was-.. It was painful,” you murmured, and she would frown, a pained expression on her face; she couldn’t believe they’d hurt you like they evidently had, “e-every second of it..”

She then subconsciously glared over at the door, before returning her gaze to you, whilst trying to fight back tears; she hated seeing you like this, as it made her heart and chest feel all achy, like it used to every single time you and her were cuddled up together in your bed, after you’d received yet another beating from your father, and were trembling and crying within the safety and warmth of her embrace. “H-Hey, look at me,” she instructed gently, and you would, when you felt able, lift your head so you could lock eyes with her, frowning when you noticed that her eyes were glistening; you hated upsetting her, and soon your shaking began to cease; her presence just made you feel safe, warm, and fuzzy, and as if nothing could ever hurt you again; that you couldn’t be wounded, as long as you were with her, “they’re never gonna hurt you again; I won’t let them - in fact, we’re gonna find a way out of this hell hole. Whilst we’re in the glass box together, we can look around and see if we can find a weak spot we can use to escape-”

“Harley,” you interrupted feebly, and she would fall quiet, a couple of stray tears managing to escape her stunning icy blue eyes whilst she did; it broke her, seeing you suddenly so disheartened, and as if you were broken, too, “I - I can’t.. You could try, but - I shouldn’t go with you; I’d only slow you down..”

“No,” she responded slowly, a hurt look on her face whilst she did; she couldn’t believe you thought that she’d leave you like that, and escape without you, “I’m not leaving you alone in here, Y/n; I’m escaping with you, n-never without you.” You would sigh heavily, before shaking your head, whilst you stared down at your trembling, and now paler hands. “Look,” she began again, whilst approaching the left side of her cell so she could be somewhat closer to you, before wrapping her hands around the bars, “I know you feel like you can’t do it right now, but - you can; I know you can, a-and - sometimes, you have to get knocked down lower than you have ever been to stand up taller than you ever were - remember you told me that, before-? After-.. After me and Max broke up?” You nodded gravely, remembering clearly how you’d told her that after she’d gone to your father’s house to tell you about what had happened; about what Max had been doing to her, and about how they’d broken up a few moments ago before she’d arrived. “Please, Y/n, let’s just try, at least,” she begged, desperate to escape, and start a new life with you, “where’s my happy little wolfy gone when I need her-?”

“You want me to pretend to be happy?” You mused, and she would falter, upon hearing your voice again. “That - That shouldn’t be too hard,” you murmured, “considering I pretend to be happy a lot, b-but - I’m not. Inside, I’m - I’m fucked up, Quinzels - do you really want to have to - have to put up with me, if we do get out?”

“Of course I do,” she answered, “only you, because - you’re my soulmate, Nugget, and things will get better for the both of us, as soon as we get out, and start over, I promise. Please, Y/n, let’s just try - If we stay, a-and they keep doing whatever they’re doing to you, I could lose you, a-and - and then-..” She would fall quiet, after her voice had managed to falter, though she’d been trying to stop it. “I don’t know what I’d do.. I don’t wanna have to be in pain again, but the only way of escaping it, and a miserable life without you, would be to try and take it, and they’d probably let me-”

“N-No!” You interrupted, before getting up, and rushing over to the right side of your cell so you could hold both of her hands in your’s. “Don’t-.. Don’t say that,” you whined, “p-promise me you won’t ever try and take your life because of me, o-or for any other reason!”

She would hesitate, before nodding. “I won’t try and take my life because of you, o-or anything else, I promise,” she claimed, though she knew she’d never be able to keep that promise, if she did end up losing you again somehow, “so-..” You would express relief, before letting your forehead subconsciously connect to one of the bars in front of you. “Will you try and escape with me, s-so we can - start a new life together?” She inquired, and you would smile lovingly over at her, before nodding, prompting her to cheer; she was evidently excited. “Okay, so - I think I’ve got an idea,” she stated, and you would tilt your head partially in response, evidently intrigued to hear it, “you’ve just gotta have an open mind whilst I explain it to you, think you can do that?”

You would appear nervous, wondering why. “S-Sure,” you answered, “but - why-? Should I be - worried?”

“God, no,” she replied, “but - I think you should sit down; we might have a close call on our hands.” You would falter, before reluctantly letting her fingers slip from your’s, and nodding gravely, whilst you dragged yourself over to your bed to listen to her risk-full plan upon it.

~~~~~

Hope you enjoyed it! ❤️

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zoeysdamn · 2 years

Text

There shall be night - Part.7 Morpheus x priestess! reader

[Part.6]

“Where are we going now, boss?” cawed Matthew.

Looking up from his newly-recovered helm, Morpheus’ gaze travelled from his raven to the gates of Hell. Now that he had his pouch of sand and helm back, he only needed to get his ruby back.

“We’re leaving” grumbled the Dream Lord. “No business is awaiting us here anymore”

“Finally!” exclaimed the raven. “Not that I don’t like it here, but I’m really not comfortable with the eternal damnation and all’ seeing his boss’ unimpressed stare, he stopped his rambling and tried to change the subject. “So, back to the Dreaming then?”

“No” said the deep voice of Morpheus. “We’re going to the Waking world”

“What for?” asked the raven as swirls of sand started to engulf them “I thought you needed to locate the guy who has your ruby”

“I do” said the Dream Lord in an almost exasperated tone. “But someone will be able to help me in the Waking world”

Then the sand overlayed their forms, and the next second they were gone.

When they reappeared in the Waking world, Morpheus was wearing his usual dark coat like the other times he had come here recently. He hadn’t kept his helm summoned, for he knew such a display of power wasn’t necessary for this situation. The dark street where they appeared was a bit busy, but it was a night in the middle of the week after all. No one noticed the pale dark-clothed man and his raven appearing out of nowhere.

“Soooo who do you say we were going to see, again?” asked Matthew as the Dream Lord started to make his way through the street.

“I didn’t” mumbled Morpheus.

“Yeah that’s kinda the point of my question” answered the raven awkwardly. “But seriously boss,” he pressed after a moment of silence, “Who are we meeting? Is this Johanna Constantine again?”

“No” said Morpheus, quietly debating with himself on how to put this properly. “It’s an old…friend of mine”

The raven cawed in surprise. It was not often that the Lord of Dreams openly admitted having friends. The confusion of the bird only grew when they reached a round construction, with pillars all around, vaguely reminding Matthew of something he saw once in a history book - something about antiquities maybe? Although not very big, the round building held something both mystical and comforting. But the all-religious-like appearance made Matthew wonder what kind of place it was. Maybe they were visiting a witch?

They entered the place and after crossing the entrance and a heavy curtain, reached the dim light lit with a soft candlelight circular room. High glass windows pierced the stone walls, allowing the moon to shine inside. Pillows and small seats were displayed all over the floor, creating a cocoon-like atmosphere, a place to feel safe. In the middle of the room filled with a scent of burning incense, a kneeling woman in deep meditation stood. Her hair was shorter than the last time he had seen her and her back was facing them, but Morpheus knew it was her.

He called her name softly, his voice barely above a whisper. Like he was afraid if he pronounced it too loud, she would disappear like a mirage. Very slowly, the woman got up and turned to face him, not showing any sign of surprise at first. But when she looked up at him, he saw nothing but deep relief emanating from her whole being. Except maybe for the shining he noticed in the corner of her eyes.

“Lord Morpheus” she whispered.

The sight of her warmed his heart to his very core. He wanted to say so many things. I’m sorry. It’s good to see you again. But the sight of his beloved priestess in front of him had made his throat heavy with emotions and didn’t let a word out. He had been worshipped and looked at with devotion many times before, but that was nothing compared to the look of pure adoration and relief (Y/N) was giving him.

The sweetest dreams have nothing on her, thought Morpheus. He even surprised himself with such touching thoughts.

“I’m glad to see you” he finally managed to say after long seconds of a silent emotional reunion between the two of them.

She held a tight smile in answer. If she smiled broadly, tears of joy would come running on her cheeks, and she didn’t want to be a crying mess now.

“I’m glad you’ve returned,” said (Y/N), her voice heavy with emotion. “You were missed dearly”

“So were you” whispered Morpheus, before he could stop himself. He thought that maybe she wouldn’t have heard him, but the pink blooming on her cheeks despite the semi-darkness of the room told otherwise. So was her smile.

A tickling on his pant leg pulled him out of this awkward yet warm semi-silent reunion. Matthew pulled on his clothes to try to get his attention. That didn’t escape (Y/N), that suddenly seemed to notice the raven.

“And who you might be?” she asked softly while kneeling on the floor and extending her hand to him slowly.

Matthew instinctively started to hop in her direction then took a moment of hesitation. He looked up at his master, searching for his silent approbation. Dream nodded his head just barely in encouragement, and the bird perched himself on (Y/N)’s hand.

“I- uh, I’m Matthew ma’am” he said as she got up, still using her hand as a perch.

“Hello Matthew, it’s a pleasure to meet you” she answered softly.

The way she hadn’t lost her gentleness toward other living beings made a small smile appear on Morpheus’ face.

“Matthew, I present you (Y/N), the oldest and most faithful priestess of mine” he said, introducing the two of them.

The bird cawed in surprise as (Y/N) slightly bowed her head in acknowledgement.

“You have priestesses?” exclaimed the bird. “No shit boss?!”

“Not very few left, unfortunately” said (Y/N) in a saddened tone to the Dream Lord’s messenger. “I’m afraid I’m the last one”

A flash of pain passed in her eyes briefly, but it didn’t escape the King of Dreams’ attention. Lucienne had told him, shortly after he got his sand back, what had happened to his order of priestesses. The thought of the extent of pain (Y/N) must have been through had made his heart aches. He had witnessed many times before the consequences of the loss of priestesses on her; becoming the last one must have been devastating for (Y/N).

“So I’ve heard,” said Morpheus in his usual deep voice. “I am sorry for the loss of your sisters, (Y/N)”

She shook her head in a shrugging manner, “I knew it was bound to happen one day” she tried to put on a brave smile, but it didn’t cover up her sad eyes. “But it’s always too soon I guess. Thank you for your condolences”

The king of Dreams slowly approached further, close enough to stand at arm’s reach of his priestess. He took a long look at her, detailing everything as he was seeing her for the first time.

“You’ve changed” he observed softly, eyes running on her patch of white hair. “How is that possible?”

(Y/N) ducked her head and busied herself gently scratching Matthew’s feathered chest before answering, “It had been a hard time during your…uh, for a few years” she stumbled on her words, not wanting to mention his imprisonment. “But it’s getting better”

Looking up she caught his eyes lingering on the scar crossing the bottom part of her throat and her shoulder blade. He frowned deeply at that and tried to grasp her gaze with a silent question. (Y/N) acted as if she hadn’t noticed his inquiring gaze and let Matthew get off her hand.

“So…” she began, trying to sound casual. “Why are you here?”

Morpheus flinched at the way she naturally changed the topic. He knew her question wasn’t angry, but he couldn’t help but think he had never come to her without the purpose of using her services. He inhaled deeply, almost not believing that he was going to pronounce those words out loud.

“I need your help”

The priestess’ eyebrows rose up high, slightly taken aback. It was her duty to serve and help the Lord of Dreams sure, but she never imagined her prideful lord to admit it. After a few beats of silence, she gestured to him to continue.

“I am trying to retrieve the last of my tools that is still missing,” he explained as (Y/N) listened to him carefully. “My ruby”

She wanted to ask how he had lost their possession, but refrained herself, thinking that it probably had something to do with his imprisonment. If he wanted to mention it, the information would come around eventually.

“I have reached for help to the One-who-is-Three unfortunately, their answer had been…vague”

(Y/N) nodded again. She had never dared to invoke the Hekate, for she knew they were very powerful and dangerous if offended, even for an Endless.

“What did they say to you?” asked the priestess, still not sure of how she could help the King of Dreams.

“I have a name; John Dee. He is the man who is currently in possession of my ruby. Although, I do not know where he is for the moment.”

“You didn’t find him in the Dreaming?” she frowned, then after a second of reflection added, “No, I suppose not, otherwise you wouldn’t be here”

Morpheus felt a tingle of pride in witnessing his priestess’ vivid mind.

“He had never shown up in my realm, we do not have any trace of him in the Dreaming”, explained Morpheus. “I would normally wait for him to enter the realm, but I’m afraid the time is running against me”

He looked deep into her eyes once more.

“I know your connection between the Dreaming and this world is strong. Would you be able to locate him in the Waking world?”

“I, uh, yes I think so” she answered, always a bit lost after looking into his deep starry eyes. “If he had never dreamt, it could take a little more time, but I could track the ruby’s energy instead”.

She knew that under normal circumstances, his ruby would have been sufficient for him to find anyone, even a non-dreamer. But with the lack of his tool, (Y/N) realised that she might be the only one able to locate it. A remote question re-emerged in her mind, installing a moment of doubt.

“...why me?” she asked after a moment. “Why are you asking me for help?”

Are you using me? Asked her mind silently.

The Lord of Dreams seemed to understand the priestess’ silent interrogation and his heart squeezed. Being kept prisoner for over a century, he had time to think about the way he treated those close to him; and (Y/N) had taken quite the place in his introspection. He knew how his previous interactions with his priestess could be interpreted. She had every right to be at least suspicious of him, at best angry. And he wouldn’t have blamed her.

So, he raised his hand and with rare delicateness cupped one of her cheeks. The contact sent a thrill to her spine, after spending so many years craving it. Morpheus bore his eyes into her own, pouring in his gaze all the affection he had for her.

“Because I trust you, (Y/N)”

Her breath hitched and a weight lifted from her heart. She almost cried on this. But it was all she needed to hear; he trusted her.

“Okay” he whispered faintly, not moving an inch. She didn’t want to let the warmth of his hand go yet. “I will do it”

Dream smiled softly and briefly brought his forehead to hers.

“Thank you” he breathed.

(Y/N) hummed in response until an uncomfortable bird caw broke the silence. Gently separating from his priestess’ embrace, Morpheus glared at a nervous Matthew, who had been awkwardly witnessing the whole exchange, perched on a shelf.

The priestess used this opportunity to reach a small cabinet on the opposite side of the room and retrieve a few objects she would need. Some candles, herbs, chalk. She then started to prepare the centre of the room for the ceremony. Neatly pushing away different pillows and a carpet that covered the stone floor, she made some space. Morpheus remained at the border of the room between the wall and a series of pillars, quietly watching her proceeding in the preparations. He watched her drawing some ancient rules and sigils on the floor, some of which he recognised as the meaning of dreams in very old languages.

“You said that you’ve got your sand back, right?” asked the priestess once the preparations were done, as she knelt in the middle of the circle of runes she had just traced.

He looked at her with contained surprise. “Indeed. Why?”

“I’d like to use some to perform this summoning,” she explained. “I could use human sand, but the sand of the Dreaming would be more useful. Of course, if that’s okay with you”

Centuries ago she wouldn’t have even thought of daring such a request. But she was no novice. And quite honestly, it took merely a second for Morpheus to decide and handed her his pouch of sand under Matthew's dumbfounded eyes. She nodded in thanks and grabbed a handful of sand she scattered all around her. Then she took a deep breath and positioned herself in a meditative posture, sitting on her heels and hands laying palms up on her knees. Straightening her back and closing her eyes, (Y/N) focused on her breathing, trying to calm it down to the lowest point possible. She was so still after only a few minutes into meditation that Morpheus almost thought she was asleep. But then, he started to hear almost inaudible mumbling, inarticulate whispers that reached his ears in a strange mystical manner. Most of those words didn’t sound familiar to him, only grasping a few of them as very old tongues unused for centuries. The flames of candles started to flicker and a rush of wind, despite the door being closed, hurled into the small temple, startling Matthew who cawed loudly. As it was responding, the flicker of the flames only grew, almost coating the room into darkness for a brief moment.

The priestess carried on her chanting without flinching. Her voice grew gradually louder as sweat beads appeared on her forehead and the top half of her body rocked slightly back on forth. Even as an Endless, Dream could feel the intense gathering of energy and the overall atmosphere turning heavy, almost oppressive. The grains of his sand previously scattered by (Y/N) started to twirl around her as her chanting increased, enveloping her in such a chaotic yet beautiful column of black sand that even the Dream Lord had to shelter his eyes from it with his hand. Tension filled the air, so thick and dense it made it hard to breathe. Taking a quick look at (Y/N) from behind his shielding black coat, Morpheus noticed in a stupor that her eyes had turned white, rolling at the back of her skull.

The inside of the temple was nothing but chaos and sand, chants and dense energy. For a moment, the King of Dreams wondered if his priestess would come of it alive. The glass of the window faintly cracked under the air pressure and (Y/N) started to convulse, he couldn’t take it anymore and dived into the column of sand. He knew that touching her body this deep into the trance could have devastating consequences on her so instead he wiped off some of the runes previously traced. (Y/N)’s body jolted violently, head snapping backwards while releasing a loud choked gasp - almost a cry. A violent gust of wind blew off all of the candles and the chaotic swirling sand dropped on the floor in a woosh. The priestess convulsed on her spot, eyes rolling madly before her body gave up a fall limply on the floor. Before she touched the ground, Morpheus dropped to his knees at her side to catch her falling form.

Not quite out of her trance, the priestess was a shaky mess in her lord’s arms, ragged breathing and quaky limbs trying to catch hold of reality. Holding her shivering frame close against him, Morpheus could only wait for the whiplash to sink in and leave (Y/N)’s body. It took him a few seconds to notice the erratic movement of one of her hands on the sand on the floor. Peeking up from her trembling body, the King of Dreams and Nightmares frowned at the symbols she was unconsciously drawing in the sand. Numbers?

Matthew approached them carefully, still frightened by the summoning only moments before. He cocked his head to the side while examining the line of numbers outlined in the sand. Then he enthusiastically spread his wings and stamped on the ground.

“Holy shit, it actually worked!” he exclaimed in a high-pitched voice.

Morpheus frowned, not quite getting his raven’s enthusiasm. “What do you mean?” asked his deep voice, heavier with concern given the priestess’ still unconscious state.

“The numbers, boss! They’re coordinates! She actually did it!”

The Lord of Dreams took another look at the suite of numbers and a faint smile grew on his face. Geographical coordinates, of course. A rush of pride came through him.

Well done my priestess, well done.

In his arms, (Y/N)’s body had finally stopped shaking, the high of the ceremony fading off slowly. She hadn’t regained her spirits yet, but at least she was out of danger now.

“Uh boss, that was quite something” said Matthew in a worried tone, looking at the weak priestess with concern. “Has she ever done anything like that before?”

“Not that I’m aware of, not with such intensity” answered Morpheus. “I’m not sure if I was right to interrupt her channelling in such a violent manner”

“Are you kidding?” cawed back Matthew. “Look at her, she’s practically drained and she didn’t go all the way into this weird spell-casting or whatever it is. I say that you did good, boss”

The Endless offered him a rare silent thank with a small nod of his head. He felt (Y/N) stir in his arms and her eyes groggily opened, her gaze still lost.

“Morpheus…?” she mumbled weakly in a confused tone.

“I am here” he answered softly, cradling her closer.

Sighing in relief she leaned into him, nuzzling her head on his shoulder. She was drained from all of her energy, each parcel of her body seemed to weigh like bricks.

Out of the corner of his eyes, the Dream Lord noticed his raven awkwardly fidgeting with his claws on the ground, trying to look away from the two of them like he was too much on the scene.

“Can you give us a moment Matthew?” said Morpheus in a somehow irritated tone, almost frustrated that the bird had witnessed this display of affection.

“Finall- I mean yeah sure boss! I’ll uh, return to the Dreaming to communicate those numbers to Lucienne, alright? Yeah, I’ll do that” rambled the raven before taking his leave with a flip of wings.

Silence filled the room once again. Still leaning on Morpheus, (Y/N) tried to regain her spirits while recomposing mentally the outcome of her summoning. Every bone in her body still ached terribly from this dense power utilisation, she was nothing but a ragdoll in Morpheus’ arms. It would take some time to recover, but he didn’t seem to mind, cradling her delicately and rubbing a comforting thumb on her shoulder.

“Did it work?” she asked weakly.

He hummed in response. (Y/N) let out a relieved breath.

“I’m glad” she mumbled while letting her cheek sink deeper into Morpheus’ coat. “Wasn’t sure how it would turn with the sand of the Dreaming”

“It was a dangerous gamble to make,” he noted in his low and soothing voice. “I almost thought you might not make it.”

She let out a small whimper, remembering the awful sensation of her limbs screaming in pain.

“You scared me” he admitted in a tight voice.

Her trembling hand came to squeeze gently his larger one gripping her shoulder.

"I'm fine now. Thanks to you"

"You felt it?" he asked in a surprised tone.

(Y/N) hummed "I was about to lose control of the sand. I'm not an Endless after all, its power wasn't made for humans."

Morpheus didn't add anything else, sinking in the serene moment while (Y/N) listened to his calming heartbeats. Her dizziness slowly started to fade away but she just didn't want to break the embrace just yet. She didn't want to be alone again so soon.

"I've missed you" she whispered into his neck.

The warm feeling blooming inside his chest wasn't unpleasant. Morpheus let a deep rumble resonating in fondness.

"I've missed you too" he admitted, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead.

The faint smile that painted her face was the last thing she registered before giving up to a deep slumber in his arms.

Eventually, the King of Dreams knew he had to leave. Inside the temple, he had found some comfortable covers, probably there in case someone coming to seek help should spend the night in. Delicately laying his priestess on the cushioned floor, he covered her with the warmest cover he could find. Making sure she was comfortable, his eyes lingered on her sleeping form. Caught in the contemplation of her delicate features, he failed to notice her stirring slowly and cracking her eyelids open.

"You're still here…" she mumbled, voice still heavy with sleep.

"I must go I'm afraid" he answered in a soothing low rumble. "You should get some sleep, the ceremony has taken quite a toll on you"

She nodded slowly, nuzzling in the covers. (Y/N) looked so fragile in Morpheus' eyes, while less than an hour ago she had displayed a phenomenal use of old and powerful incantations.

The dream King was about to get up then stayed by her side on the floor a moment again.

"There are still matters I need to handle" he said to her. "But once I get all of my tools back to rebuild the Dreaming… I'd like to come to see you again. I think there is things I need to tell you"

The sleepiness hid a bit of her surprised expression, but she nodded her head nonetheless.

With a satisfied smile and a squeeze of her hand, Morpheus slowly got up and made his way out of the building. Leaving the priestess with her much needed rest, curled on the floor of the temple she had built for him.

Mind filled with thoughts, Dream of the Endless walked absently in the streets. Tonight's events were replaying in his head, taking such place in his mind that he barely noticed the familiar flip of wings next to him.

"Well what was that, boss?" cawed Matthew loudly while perching on a nearby bench.

Morpheus' usual neutral expression draped over his face one again, like an armour put back on.

"I do not know what you're talking about" he mumbled.

"Aw, come on!" insisted the bird, in half-disbelief, half-excitation. "I've never seen this close to someone, literally! It's like you were an entire new person, like, you were soft"

Morpheus glared at his feathered companion.

"I am not soft for anyone Matthew" he sneered with almost disdain.

"Yeaahhh right, say that to the lady back there" observed the raven in an unconvinced tone "Seriously all of this tension was straight-up awkward for me, I don't like the feeling of being the third wheel ya know?"

"Careful of what you're saying, raven"

But Matthew didn't listen to him and continued his rambling, carried away by excitement of this new find.

"I mean you were both somehow cute, but the tension, damn! What are you, exes or something?"

Morpheus frowned deeply, unsure if it was Matthew’s inquiring behaviour or the question itself that bothered him.

“(Y/N) and I are not, as you put it so crudely, ‘exes’. We just share a long history, that is all”

The bird nervously scraped the bench “Well, I say it in all honesty boss, it didn’t seem like it back there. I didn’t know you weren’t…emotionally involved with her before that”

The dream King silently thought that it wasn’t completely true, he would be lying if he persisted in saying that (Y/N) had never been emotionally involved.

“We have been” he mumbled softly, more for himself than for the raven, who raised a surprised head at this unexpected confession from his stoic master. “We just didn’t gave much place to those attachments before”

“What changed?” asked the raven curiously. It seemed to him that what he had witnessed between the Dream Lord and his priestess previously gave very much place to their mutual attachment.

Flashes of the glass ball in Roderick Burgess’ basement and the ache of a century of imprisonment flashed behind Morpheus’ eyes.

“Everything”

The light tugging at the library’s atmosphere informed Lucienne that someone had entered the place. She made her way to the entrance with a contained thrill, unbelievably happy to have the Dreaming coming back together after so many years of decay. The joy of having visitors in the library again was everything to her. Passing through a corridor, she was surprised to see a familiar silhouette scanning the shelfs.

“Lady (Y/N)” she welcomed in a polite tone. “Welcome back to the Dreaming’s library”

The priestess smiled brightly and with hurried strides ame across the room to hug Lucienne briefly. She knew of the librarian's irreproachable politeness, but they knew each other for centuries now, a little discard on the protocol wouldn’t hurt anyone.

“It’s been so long Lucienne” greeted (Y/N) after their quick hug. “You look well”

“I am now, my Lady” confirmed the librarian “It’s such a relief to seeing the realm being fixed after those dramatic times”

The priestess nodded in agreement. She hadn’t returned to the Dreaming for quite a while herself. Being here while everything was slowly dying had been beyond her strength. She even suspected that the slow decaying had something to do with the degradation of her health. As the Dreaming became toxic to her without its king’s presence, she had kept herself far away from its lands.

“I’m sorry I’ve been gone for so long” excused the priestess to her old friend.

“Nonsense” assured Lucienne with a reassuring smile. “I know you remained faithful even though you weren’t here. The Dreaming was no place for you then, you were needed elsewhere”

(Y/N) nodded, happy to see that there were no hard feelings on Lucienne’s side.

“What can I help you with today, my Lady?” asked Lucienne, her natural politeness always impeccable.

“I need your help on some…important matter” answered the priestess, choosing her words carefully.

“May I ask on which matter?”

(Y/N) pondered a moment before finally answering.

“I need to consult Lord Morpheus’ book”

Lucienne’s eyebrows rose up past the outline of her glasses.

“I beg your pardon?” blurted the librarian in an almost outraged tone.

“Please Lucienne, I know it’s a big demand but I really need to read it” pleaded (Y/N).

Lucienne’s lips turned into a thin line, internally debating on whether or not she should allow such a request. Of course, Lord Morpheus had a book with his name, like every other being of the realm and dreamers. His was a heavy volume filled with never-ending pages between the dark covers. It was in the library, but no one ever opened it.

“Please” repeated the priestess. “You have to trust me on this”

After a few seconds, the librarian sighed heavily.

“Fine. Follow me”

White floors spreaded out of sight in a never-ending illusion. Around him, nothing but white emptiness. No rock, no grass, no real light. No sign of time or space in sight. No breeze. He couldn’t even tell if he was standing up, or crumbling on the floor. Just a man in the void of nothingness.

In this space disinfected of any feelings, one could easily lose their mind. The sudden appearance of a feminine silhouette made him believe that maybe he already had lost his. Standing tall and draped in black clothes the woman stared down at him, unwavering.

“Hello, Alex”

The sheer piercing voice made him drop to his knees. The first sound he heard in what felt like…ages.

“Are you a goddess?” whimpered the man to the unflinching lady. The harsh look in her eyes seemed to want to tear his soul in half.

“I am but what you deserve” she answered, a tint of venom in her usual gentle voice.

Whimpering loudly, the man crawled at her feets and gripped her legs through her dark pants. “Please…please make it stop, I can't- I can’t take it anymore” he sobbed pathetically.

(Y/N) stared down at him with nothing but cold disdain. She made no move to free herself from the old man’s grip but felt every drop of disgust in her veins boil.

“I just- I just want some rest, please let me feel something, anything” pleaded Alex between broken sobs.

She had witnessed dreamless sleep before, but this was more than that. The poor man was trapped into a void of nothingness, where nothing could reach him, and where he couldn’t feel anything. A timeless prison that put his numb body into unrest, always trying to grab the tiniest tangible feeling. A long, dreamless coma.

Without any warning the priestess ripped off her leg from the man’s hands, making him stumble and falling pathetically.

“I will not do such a thing” she spat out. “Even if it was within my power, I would never made such a poor excuse as human being as you able to dream”

There was some edge in her voice that she didn’t quite recognise herself. (Y/N) never presented herself as a hateful person, but today she pushed past her own limits as the crying old man was begging for help. For once, she would deny her help.

Channelling something dark and greedy within her she reached out for the very grounding of the space, calling out all the power she could. The once blinding white atmosphere gradually turned to the deepest shades of grey, until nothing but dark hues plagued the both of them. Shadows emerged out of the darkening atmosphere, slowly creeping up around the curled up form of the man. Claws of blackness licked his limbs until their heaviness dug into his flesh, wrenching a pained cry out of him. The way his bones cracked under the pressure wasn’t even the worst thing he registered, as unbearable pain spread through his body and mind like wildfire.

The choked sobs and cries of mercy did not make (Y/N) stop to dig deeper into this oppressing power. It wasn’t her; she was not a cruel person. Yet, as she recalled the tears that had been shed, leaving wet spots on the pages of Morpheus’ book, she pushed even harder in pure rage.

“I can’t create dreams or nightmares, it’s true” she taunted in a dark and sour voice. “But I all need is a thread”

Snapping her wrists, the man’s cries increased in a blood-freezing wail, darkness taunting his soul and body without stopping. The king of Dreams might have promised him a dreamless sleep as punishment, but a cage of nothingness was still a dream.

“Now, I just need to pull on this thread” she growled. “And you’re going to give me exactly what I’m looking for, Alex Burgess”

His blood-frightening scream didn’t even make her flinch.

[Part.8]

A/N: Well, guess who’s back. This chapter was supposed to be longer, but then I saw it was already long enough, so reader and Morpheus will meet again in the nex part!

There’ll be more explanations on the changes in both of their attitude, also about the priestess witch-like powers (she level up lmao). Also, I’ve made a masterlist so navigation would be easier to follow this serie!

Each liking, comments and rebloging are making my day, I didn’t imagine this story would have so much sucess I love y’all so much blblbllblb

Hope you’re all doing okay, take care of you ♥

Taglist: @endlessdreamqueen @boofy1998 @layla2-49 @witchxlove @ londonbrandcandy

@pearlstiare

Plz tell me if I have forgot you in the taglist

#dream x reader #dream of the endless #Dream of the endless x reader #lord of dreams #the sandman #the sandman netflix #Morpheus #morpheus x reader #morpheus imagine #reader insert #priestess! Reader #no beta we die like men

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stay-curious · 2 years

Text

Right Where You Left Me | Chapter 4

Series masterlist

chapter 1 | chapter 2 | chapter 3

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Fem!Reader | Actress!Natasha Romanoff x Singer!Reader

Warnings: mentions of alcohol and smut, fluff

Summary: Your debut single puts you in the spotlight and one night you meet a redhead who will turn your world around. How will both of your jobs affect your relationship?

A/N: For the purpose of this fic, please imagine every song title as written by the character. English is not my first language so there might be some errors.

It’s early in the morning, no disruption can be heard except for the faint chirp of birds and the occasional car driving past in the distance. The few rays of light that are not blocked by the blinds bounce on the walls, lighting up the actress’ room. The contrast between the beige wall, the wooden bedframe, and the green of the plant brings a sense of calm to the space. A soft breeze comes through the window and settles in the room. Although, the two bodies underneath the white sheets seem unaware of their surroundings. Still submerged in a deep slumber, their chests raising and falling in sync to the rhythm of their breaths, limbs tangled, lost in the comfort of each other’s embrace.

Almost a month has passed since making things official. You’ve been warming your way into Nat’s life, as much as she’s allowed you. You can still feel that she’s not being completely open, but you get that. There’s a frightening part in letting someone new in your life; showing your most vulnerable side, being there for each other, not knowing how it all ends. But that’s the thing about love- to be willing to offer your affection, your thoughts, your emotions to another person trusting they’ll do the same. So, you don’t judge her, you don’t ask for more, you would gladly accept what she’s willing to share.

You’ve been spending more and more with the actress. You’ve stayed the weekend holed up in her house, enjoying the few free days the both of you had. It’s been hard to adjust to your schedules but, surprisingly, after a short period you’ve managed to find a balance between your work and personal life. There’s an easiness to it, it all feels natural because loving Natasha is effortless. How can you not? Surely, she makes your heart race with each glance or lingering touch- that’s a part of love-. But there’s also the tender and warm feeling that ignites inside of you just at the thought of her; the sense of calm and security in knowing that you care about each other. How she unknowingly brightens your day with a simple text, a small gesture that lets you know that you’re on her mind too, that you’re being taken care of, that you matter to her. Even with her internal struggles, which she’s been sharing more as of late, she finds a way to make you feel seen, loved, and you do the same for her.

You wake up to the feeling of kisses trailing up your neck, a sheepish smile forming on your face as they go from your jaw to your cheeks, and finally end up on your lips. Your eyes flutter open and let out a sigh of contentment. You could get used to waking up like this, the sight in front of you making it more appealing. A few loose strands of red hair frame her face, a braid that holds the rest, shiny green orbs that hide nothing but adoration behind them, and her signature scent invading your nostrils.

“Morning, love.” The nickname smoothly rolls out of your tongue.

“Good morning gorgeous, anything special you want to do today?”

“No” you elongate the word. “I just want a lazy day.”

“We could do that,” she leans forward and plants a short but soft kiss on your lips. You reciprocate, wrapping your left hand around the back of her neck to deepen the kiss. The actress reacts to it by moving on top of you, her hands resting on your abdomen, and her legs on either side of your body. Your hands instantly move to her hips, and you give them a gentle squeeze. She pulls away.

“What is it?” You ask sensing that something is distracting her.

“Nothing. I’m just- I’m so lucky to have you.” She looks straight into your eyes and continues, “I love you, Y/N.” This is the first time either of you has uttered those three words. Your chest fills with warmth and love. “I love you too, Nat.” Her eyes lit up and a look of relief washes over her face when she hears it. You pull her in for a searing kiss.

After that heartful confession, the two of you spent the rest of the morning admiring every inch of your bodies. Telling her was not enough; you had to show her how deeply you feel about her. Your lips inked her skin like a writer’s words on a page. Natasha rests her head on your chest while you run your fingers through her hair. Her fingertips lazily draw patterns along your free arm, making goosebumps appear.

“I never knew love could be so tender, I don’t even think I’ve known what love is. Thank you for showing me.” Your heart drops at her confession. It hurt you to know a woman with a heart as pure as hers never experience true love. Thus, you feel lucky to not only be the one who shows her but also the one on the receiving end of her devotion. You knew about her past relationships- if you can call it that-; you knew how difficult was for her to date with her job. They always had second intentions, hence, she opted for the easy way. Most relationships were just short flings, not long enough for the redhead to develop any kind of emotional connection. It made it easier to avoid the heartbreak that way.

The weeks prior to the start of your tour were when you saw the green-eyed the least. You kept busy with the rehearsals and putting the final touches on the details for the shows. Natasha had received a call from her manager about a new role. She was thrilled; the first readings left her illusioned. She had never portrayed a character like that and that only added to the excitement. However, that only meant meeting after meeting, just for it to be handed to another actress. Surprisingly, you managed to get a couple of days with her.

Soon after, you find yourself backstage, minutes away from your first concert, New York seemed the best option to start the tour, at least that’s what your manager told you. Nervousness crept up, adrenaline rushed in, and you jumped to shake it all off, but your efforts were in vain. You closed your eyes as the last resort to gain some control over your emotions. You could only hear the thump of your heart. You took one last breath before climbing the stairs that led you to the stage.

The curtains open and the crowd comes into view. You would think that after fifteen gigs you would get used to the feeling. The rush and anticipation you get when stepping into the stage. Although today it’s mixed with the bittersweet taste of it being the last concert of the tour. You find comfort in the thought of finding a certain redhead between the crowd. The fans chant your name, and the show begins.

You start strumming the guitar and singing along with the lyrics of the last song. Once you get to your favorite part, you get ready, putting your all energy into it.

I don’t relate to you

I don’t relate to you no,

‘Cause I’d never treat you this shitty

You made me hate this city

When the beat drops, you stop singing and step back. Watching everything play out. The fans shout the lyrics from the top of their lungs as you take everything in. After a few seconds, you keep jamming to the rhythm.

And I don’t talk shit about you on the internet

Never told anyone anything bad

You play the last chords and bow, thanking the public for the amazing energy and how responsive they’ve been. You also thank your band one last time and head to your backstage. You open the door and let out a scream of exhilaration, taking all the pent-up emotions out. After taking a shower and washing out the sweat off your body, you change into some blue jeans and a white t-shirt. You turn your head around at the sound of a knock on the door. It slowly opens and Natasha walks in. Your eyes lit up at the sight of her, and you run to hug her.

“You were amazing out there,” she whispers to your ear, “I’m so proud of you, baby.” She grabs your face with both hands and plants a chaste kiss on your lips. “I have a surprise for you if you’re up for it.” You hum, encouraging her to continue. “I made a reservation at a bar to celebrate. I invited just my close friends and my sister.” She bites her lip, waiting for an answer.

“Yeah, I’d like to meet them.”

You're sitting on a stool waiting for Natasha to come back with the drinks. You're still processing the events of the night, and of the past few weeks. It hasn't dawned on you yet. Your fingers tap absentmindedly on the table to the beat of the songs when the sweet voice of your girlfriend catches your attention. It's then you realize she's standing in front of you. Steve and Wanda are on her right.

“It’s so nice to finally meet you, Y/N! Congrats on the amazing tour, by the way,” she goes in for a hug. "This one right here hasn't stopped talking about you," she chuckles and Steve joins her. Once you’ve finished your introductions, you strike up a conversation with Steve and Wanda. You seemed to have warmed up to the co-stars because it keeps going until the redhead walks toward you with a figure following behind. “There’s someone else I want you to meet.” She steps to the side and a blonde comes in sight.

“Yelena?” The name leaves your mouth with shock.

“Y/N? Oh, this is amazing,” she burst into laughter, and she pulls you in for a hug. When you pull apart you see a smirk making its way to her face. “So, you’re the one who’s been screwing my sister” she perches/raises one eyebrow. You grimace at the term she used. She has never been one to hide her boldness. You nod at her statement. Natasha is watching the interaction on the sidelines with a look of bewilderment. She opens and closes her mouth a few times, but nothing comes out.

“You know each other?” She asks with utter disbelief.

“Yeah, we met in a photoshoot.” Yelena answers with such naturality

You nod in agreement. “She was the designer of the brand I did the shoot for. We hit it off and have been friends since then.”

"I can't believe you've met my sister," Natasha says still baffled by the situation. "I was so scared to introduce you because I wanted you to get along. Well, I will leave you both to catch up." She walks towards Steve and Wanda's table, sending you one last glance.

You’ve spent a couple of songs dancing with Yelena, jumping and showing your goofiest side. It was always like that whenever the blonde was around. Natasha appears and wraps a hand around your waist. “Can I steal her for one song?” she grinned. Her cheeks now reddened because of the drinks she’s had. The song slowly fades as the next starts playing - Pretty Please by Dua Lipa- your ears perk up at the choice of song. You can’t help but think that the actress has had something to do with it.

She pulls you closer to her, placing her hands on your hips and you wrap yours around her neck. You start to dance to the rhythm of the song. She slowly starts to roll her hips and you follow her movements. She spins you around and pulls your back flush with her front. You rest your forehead on her shoulder while you continue dancing. She matches the rhythm of your movements, and you hear a sigh leave he lips when you start grinding down. The song ends and you take a break, making your way out of the bar. The breeze hits you in the face and you seem to freshen up a bit. Once the adrenaline of the night fades away, the tiredness finally overcomes your body. You head back inside and find the redhead talking to Wanda. You send her a look and she can read the exhaustion on your expression. You say your rapid goodbyes and head home with Nat.

#natasha romanoff #natasha romanoff imagine #natasha romanoff x you #natasha romanoff x reader #rwylm #rwylm series #rwylm fic #au

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i-cant-sing · 2 years

Note

Even more clingy than Rei impossible 🤯

Normally, I'd agree. But yandere Hawks on bird brain is clingier than Rei- 100%. You could be in the bathroom and Hawks would be outside knocking, asking if you're okay and if you fell into the flush or not- PAPA HAWKS TO THE RESCUE!

He's only going to push more into your private bubble the more you push him away, especially since reader never liked him from the beginning (because yknow, weird old hero first banged my mom, got married to her in a month, then she died and now he's banging my dad and keeps on proposing to him- thankfully, Dabi isn't as quick to accept his proposal as your mom did).

So, Keigo will definitely be breathing down your neck (in a fun, cool, laidback parent way, not in the strict, old school disciplinarian parent way) from day 1. He wants to know what you're doing and where you are, all the time. He wants you to call him "dad" but still feel like he's your best friend in the whole world. Hell, he's even open to bitching about Dabi with you if that'll get you to open up to him, but you're a loyal daughter through and through.

And yknow how I told you all that when Hawks goes into his rut, his overbearing instincts go wild and he becomes violently protective of you, so Dabi usually sends you off to Natsuo's house for a week while he takes "care" of Hawks and his hormones?

Yeah, well sometimes, it's not enough. Sometimes, when you come home after a whole week, you're immediately tackled by Hawks. He's dragging you to your nest, practically throwing you on it before joining in next to you, his arms wrapping around you like restraints and he pulls you to his and starts muttering about how he thought you were dead, how he's sorry for abandoning you because his "hormones" got out of control, how he's gonna make sure you're okay.

You're only more confused because you thought Dabi took care of his rut, so why is he being like this, struggling against Hawks as he continues to scent you.

You're calling for Dabi, telling him to help you and for a minute you think he's not home. But that's when you manage to catch a glimpse of Dabi tip toeing his way out of the house and you scream at him again, but he ignores you and leaves.

It's not like he doesn't feel guilty. He does, and when he looks at you through the camera footage on his phone, he laughs in guilt as he sees you angrily pouting with Keigo covering you in his feathers and then grooming your hair with his spit.

But Dabi has done all he can already. How is it his fault if Keigo's hormones don't stabilise after a whole week of fcking?? Maybe if you let Hawks play "mom" and let him coddle you for a few days, he'll return back to normal.

^Dad Dabi leaving the house knowing full well that Hawks is in there cuddling the hell out of his daughter (who hates him), but hes already done all he can and he's D R A I N E D: I'm sorry babygirl, but I gotta pick me-I gotta put me first😩😭 See you in a few days, love ya💕💕💕

#yandere dad hawks #dad dabi #yandere dad dabi #yandere bnha #bnha headcanons #yandere mha #bnha imagines #yandere dabi #yandere hawks x reader #hawks x reader #yandere hawks #keigo x reader #keigo takami x reader #yandere keigo x reader #keigo tamaki #yandere keigo takami

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little-diable · 2 years

Text

Fine Line - Damon Salvatore (smut)

Yes, my TVD imagines are back. Officially. This is pretty angsty in the beginning, but ofc I couldn't stop myself from adding some smut. It was inspired by a quote @latte-tea messaged me. Enjoy my loves. xxx

Summary: He had broken her heart and had tossed her aside for Elena. But she still needs him, her heart is calling out to him, begging him to find his way back to her. And he will. He always will. A fine line both are balancing one.

Warnings: 18+, unprotected sex, exes to lovers, heartbreak and angst, alcohol consumption

Pairing: Elena x Damon (mentioned), Damon x fem!reader (2.5k)

It was as if they were dancing their last dance. As if the music was playing for the last time before the titanic would sink to the ground.

And just like titanic, whose breaking apart metal had cried out for help, (y/n)‘s heart was calling out to his. Would he hear the call? Would he give in and leave the woman he had chosen? For her?

The one he had left behind.

(Y/n) could still hear his words ringing in her ears, how he had pushed her away from him - gently thought urgently enough to leave her standing with tears rolling down her cheeks. How she longed for him, to feel his arms wrapped around her one last time. But now, as she was sitting in the Mystic Grill with another shot of whisky burning down her throat, she couldn’t help but curse herself for falling for him.

Damon Salvatore, an angel sent from heaven, a demon crawling straight from hell.

“(Y/n), baby.” Damon placed his hand on her shoulder, scared that she’d fall from the bar stool. She only murmured a few words, slurred and incoherent, nothing he could pick apart. “Come on, let’s get you home.”

He had been called here by one of her friends, scared about the sulking woman that didn’t seem to know her limits. The “no” that clawed through (y/n) was loud and clear enough for him to hear, leaving his heart twisting in pain. Her blood shot eyes found his bright ones, they were burning through him like the sun piercing through his skin when he’d step into the light without wearing his ring. Damon picked her up, he cradled her in his arms as he carried her out into the cold night.

“Is she here?” Both knew who (y/n) was talking about, but it still took him a moment to reply, heart sinking even further as she mewled his name.

“She isn’t, it’s just me.” He helped her into his car, eyes never leaving her frame once. Damon wanted to cry, he felt embarrassed, ashamed even, for hurting her like this. He had been blind, sidetracked by the thought of getting to Elena first - it had been a petty move, a move that had ripped his one true love from him like the stars fading out on the dark horizon. She would have walked through hell for him and he had tossed her aside like a one night stand, not caring about her broken heart.

They drove through the night without sharing another word, caught up in their thoughts as if they had never spoken to one another before. Damon’s hand burned, he wanted to reach for hers, wanted to cradle her close to take all her pain away. Pain he had caused, selfishly like a ripper leaving the ones he had once loved behind.

Lady A’s song “Need You Now” echoed through the cold car, the lyrics managed to put all her thoughts into words, expressing her confusion and desperation. She needed him, needed to feel him close as she lost her grip, but he hadn’t been close, had left her alone like a stranger lost in an unknown town. He had failed her and their love, had treated her like nothingness, a silent whisper of the night, a shadow walking through the darkness.

“I got it.” (Y/n) murmured as the car came to a halt, she wanted to flee from him, wanted to rip herself free like a bird chained to its cage. But Damon didn’t let her go, he picked her up once again, set on carrying her into her house. No longer did she fight against his touch, she allowed herself to sink further into his chest, relishing in the all too familiar scent of his cologne and the warmth that engulfed her. How she had missed this. The feeling of her heart calmly singing in her chest, a tune once so familiar, a tune she hadn’t heard in months.

“Why did you have to hurt me like this?” Her slurred words were much clearer by now, as if she hadn’t almost poured a whole bottle of bourbon down her throat. Damon placed her down on her bed, his bright eyes stared down on her, projecting every emotion that flooded through his veins.

What had he done? Why did he have to treat her like this?

“I wish I could go back in time and stop myself from hurting you, baby.” This time the nickname left him on purpose, spluttering from his lips like the first time he had said “I love you” to (y/n). A huff bled from her lips, she didn’t believe him, no longer able to trust the man she had once loved like she had never loved a man before.

“What can I do to make you feel better?” Damon cupped her cheek, wanting to hold onto her for as long as possible, as if she was a painting of a loved one whose colors would fade with time. She’d fade either way, from his life as well as from this timeline. Gone with the wind.

“I bet she’s waiting for you. Go.” But Damon didn’t move an inch, he stayed put, with his hand placed on her cheek and his eyes burning into hers. Oh, how he wanted to free her from this grave he had dug for her, the hole he had pushed her into, engulfed by darkness, left behind - scared and alone.

“We shouldn't love each other but I can't stay away from you.” The words left him before he could stop himself, patiently waiting for her reply. But (y/n) kept quiet, not able to tell if her drunken self was putting words in his mouth or if he truly had spoken those words out loud. They stood there for another minute, in pure silence, wallowing in their thoughts like two wanderers.

“Don’t lie to me. You don’t love me, you’ve never truly loved me. She is all you’ve ever cared about.” But Elena wasn’t the one owning Damon’s heart, no longer the one he kept clinging to like a promise spoken in a desperate moment. No, he no longer adored her like a goddess finding a praying man. He loved her, but not like a lover should love the one he chose to adore.

“I would never lie to you.” Damon pulled her to her feet, chest pressed against hers. As if she was scared of him, her heart beat began to accelerate, racing in her chest. Heavy breaths spilled from her lips, blown into the darkness like a cloud of smoke engulfing the two. He combed a hand through her hair, held her close as he studied her glassy eyes.

And in that very moment, Damon knew that he wouldn’t find his way back to Elena, no, he’d love (y/n), would love her till she’d force him to leave and to never return. Damon would fight for all those nights and days he had ripped from her, sleepless with a heart broken in two. He’d make it all okay, somehow.

“Let’s get you to bed.” And she followed him, without ripping herself free this time.

----

(Y/n) woke with a groan. Her chapped lips were parted, eyes fluttering open due to the sunrays dancing along her features.

She couldn’t remember much about yesterday, could only remember how she had met her friends in the bar, how she had ordered a few glasses of bourbon - a few too much according to her headache. And Damon. Fuck, of course he had been the one her friends had decided to call, to embarrass her even further.

The door to her bedroom was pushed open, exposing Damon’s smiling frame. He carried a cup of coffee for her, a cup he wordlessly placed down on her bedside table. With a huff bleeding from her lips, (y/n) fell back against the mattress, if she’d keep her eyes closed, chances were high that she’d fall asleep once again, swallowed by her dreams, dreams that would push her away from Damon and the conversation they needed to have.

“Why don’t you take a shower and I’ll make you some breakfast.” She struggled to get out of bed, her limbs were too weak to carry her, forcing (y/n) to reach for his shoulder before she could tumble to the ground. He tried to bite down his smirk, tried to keep quiet as he helped her into the bathroom, but the second she muttered his name like a warning spoken to an enemy, he couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Arms up.” (Y/n) had no choice but to cooperate, showing him the inches of her body he had once worshiped. Damon couldn’t stop his fingers from dancing up her sides, stroking her skin like a lover admiring their partner on an early Sunday morning.

She didn’t protest once, not even as she was standing in the shower, with his still clothed body pressed against hers. Her brain was still fogged up, struggling to sort through her thoughts as his lips ghosted over hers.

“Don’t, don’t do to her what you’ve done to me.” Her words vibrated on his lips, the water kept streaming down on them, soaking through his clothes, leaving them sticking to his muscular upper body.

“I ended things after I’ve put you to bed. You know, for a while I truly thought that she was the one I love, the one I want to stay with till the end of our time,” a pained chuckle left Damon, forehead pressed against (y/n)'s. “But she isn’t, and she’ll never be.” Their lips met for a breathless kiss, followed by a moan clawing through them in unison. As if he had never stopped kissing her, Damon pushed her against the shower tiles, hands running up and down her naked body.

“Not here, I’ll be out in a moment.” She pushed him off her and watched him leave the bathroom with dripping clothes. (Y/n)’s thoughts were all over the place, not understanding what was happening and why she suddenly had locked lips with the man that had ripped her heart from her chest and had broken it in shards. But her longing for him grew with every shaky breath she took, forced to listen to her heart and not her mind. At least not this time.

With a towel wrapped around her frame, (y/n) found her way back into her bedroom, eyes locked with Damon who was only left in his boxers, clearly showing off his growing bulge. Like two magnets searching one another their bodies clashed together, sharing another passionate kiss. Her towel fell to the ground, exposing her body to his bright eyes with a smile tugging on her swollen lips.

There was no need to share any words, both were desperate for one another, and had to feel the bodies they had missed on lonely nights. Damon picked her up and walked her to her bed, settling on the mattress with her back pressed against it and her legs wrapped around his waist. Arousal thumped through their bodies like alcohol burning in their veins, forcing them to rely on their instincts, to lay their trust in one another.

Damon kept grinding his cock against her naked heat, allowing her dripping arousal to soak through his black boxers. A desperate whine rolled off (y/n)’s tongue as he ground his cock against her clit, she had to stop him, had to pull down his boxers to free his hardening cock. Their lips met, tongues tangled to drown out the sinful sounds that rumbled through the two.

“Fuck, you’ll be the death of me.” Damon’s hands searched hers, he pinned them down on the mattress, kept her close as his eyes flickered to his cock, watching how he disappeared inside her heat. The moan that left the lovers in unison put all their emotions into one sound, giving them the strength to break free from the prison they had been locked into.

She didn’t need any time to adjust, her body still knew his as if they hadn’t stopped touching one another for the past days, weeks, months. Damon fucked her as if this was his chance to prove his love for (y/n), as if this was his only shot at making things okay - and if he could do so with his cock buried in her heat and her orgasms flushing through her, he’d do so till he’d live his last day.

“You’re so big, fuck, I missed this.” Pants spilled from her lips, spoken into the quiet bedroom. Damon’s smirk began to widen, his mouth found her chest, he kissed his way up her throat, while his hips kept snapping against hers. They were torn between the love they felt for one another and the desperation urging them on to fuck till either one of them would pass out.

“Shit, do that again, baby.” Once again she clenched her walls around his cock, head thrown back as his cock rubbed against her swollen spot. Damon’s hand found her clit, bodies rocking together like boats caught in a storm, a storm of pleasure, a storm of uncertainty and a storm of love.

They’d give in soon, would cry one another's name with their orgasm rocking through them, taking up every inch of their body, leaving a burning mark on their souls. Forever etched into their mind and heart, reminding them of the moment they’ve found back to one another.

It had been way too long since she'd felt this alive, with her body burning in pleasure and her forehead covered in sweat. It had been way too long since she’d felt his body pressed against hers with his lips and fingers teasing her. It had been way too long since she’d felt this loved.

“Cum for me, baby. Give in.” Damon’s rough voice shot shivers down her spine, eyes rolling into her head with a moan rumbling through her. The coil inside her snapped, pushed her headfirst into the soaring waves of her orgasm. She shook, she trembled, she cried his name.

Damon kept his eyes focused on her features, he wanted to watch her cum, every change of her expressions, a beautiful sight he found himself drawn to. He came with a growl, face buried in the crook of her neck as his cock twitched, imprinting himself on her walls.

“Jesus fucking Christ.” The words clawed through her, eyes following Damon’s every move. He rolled off her, plopped down next to her with his smirk glued to his lips - as if he had never stopped doing it - and pulled her into his chest.

It would take them a while to leave the painful reminders of the past months behind. It would take her days, perhaps even weeks to trust and forgive him for being this reckless with her heart. But somehow they'd make it all okay. Somehow they'd step off the fine line they had been dancing on for the past months.

Please like and reblog if you’ve enjoyed reading this, come talk to me about my writing, let’s spill some tea or thirst over our favorite people. xxx

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#Damon Salvatore smut #chi's lemon #damon salvatore imagine #tvd imagine

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sukirichi · 3 years

Text

not shy

megumi was not shy around his crush — and that’s a fucking lie.

request: shy megumi who is really flustered around his crush + his friends and gojo-sensei helping him confess

note: this is fluff and a semi crack fic too LOL i hope you guys enjoy this, i had a lot of fun with this one! unedited too, as usual!

word count: 4.5k

masterlist !

playlist made by the lovely @savantsoulfinder thank you so much!

“Yo, Megumi-kun, can you take—” Satoru halted in his steps, following the trail of sight that his dark-haired student seemed to be so enamoured in to not even notice his teacher walk his way. “What are you staring at?” when his gaze landed on you, head thrown back in laughter and slapping Panda’s arm over Yuuji’s joke, Satoru’s eyes beamed even under the blindfold. “Oh? You like Y/N?”

Upon hearing your name, Megumi immediately snapped back to life. He scoffed and turned away from you, scowling to himself with his arms crossed against his chest. “No, I don’t. I don’t like anyone.” So defensive.

“Is that so?” Satoru teased while biting back his laughter, “Guess you won’t mind if I call her then. Hey, Y/N!”

“Gojo-sensei, what’re you doing?!” Megumi grabbed his teacher’s sleeve, whisper-hissing and cursing under his breath when Satoru caught your attention. You waved at them both, skipping until you were getting impossibly closer and closer and closer.

“Well, I don’t want you to carry these all alone. You’re gonna need some help.”

“I’m perfectly fine – h-hi.”

Shit, you were now here. You smiled up at him, hands folded below your bottom before tipping your head to the side, looking under Megumi’s ducked head to see his face. “Hey there, Megumi! Looking cute today,” you winked, causing the poor boy to blush madly. You never noticed, though, your attention now taken by your teacher turning red as he stopped his laughter. “Gojo-sensei! You called me?”

“Oh yeah, you’re just right on time. I was going to ask Megumi here to bring these books all back to my office but it’s probably too heavy for him so I asked—”

“It’s not heavy,” Megumi took the books that Satoru placed in your welcoming arms, the slightest touch sending jolts of electricity down his spine. He pulled away and clutched the books closer to himself at the sudden buzz, narrowing his eyes at his teacher who obviously couldn’t mind his own business. “I can carry it by myself.”

“I still wanna help, and I really don’t mind. Plus, I haven’t talked to you in a long time. I actually kind of feel like you’re avoiding me,” you pouted, and that simple gesture had Megumi feeling like he was sinking deeper into the ground.

He was ready for the whole world to swallow him up.

Satoru took pleasure in Megumi’s reddish ears and clenched jaw, cupping his own jaw with his hands as if to mock. “Aw, Megumi, why would you avoid precious Y/N? Did she do something wrong to you?”

“No, she didn’t.”

“Well, if there’s nothing wrong, you two better scoot before you get late to your other class!”

“Alright, see you around, Gojo-sensei!” Shit, why were you such a good girl? Now he was stuck with you, and Megumi huffed while hesitantly sharing the books with him. You walked close enough to him that he caught a slight whiff of your shampoo, the scent clouding over his usually sharp mind. Now, though, Megumi could barely recognize the hallways he walked on, relying only on you to lead the way. “So...how’ve you been?”

“Fine.”

“How about your studies? We have an exam next week – maybe you want to study together? Inumaki-senpai and I were supposed to have a study group with the others but everyone just wants to study by themselves,” you turned to him with a small smile, “I do better when I’m with someone though.”

Megumi managed to give you a split second glance before he darted his eyes back in front of him again, swallowing audibly because he couldn’t understand why you had to look so pretty smiling like that.

His palms grew sweaty with each passing second, and he grimaced at the uncomfortably feeling of his collar getting sticky. “Uh, wh-where would we study? We don’t have a library or anything.”

“The training grounds is refreshing, but I’d like it to do it better in my room.”

“Do what?” Megumi halted in his steps, his eyes blown wide at your words.

“Study, of course. What else?”

He wasn’t sure whether to laugh or be worried that you frowned in confusion, almost as if you didn’t understand the weight of your words. But then again, you’d always been so damn oblivious that it made sense. Megumi shook his head, continuing on to the teacher’s office before remembering he still lost his sense of direction, so he bit his lip, obediently following you around like a puppy.

“You shouldn’t just invite anyone to your room, you know.”

Once you both made it to the empty room, you carefully placed the books down on Satoru’s desk. He raised a brow at the extra detail you put into, tongue peeking out from the edges of your lips as you made sure all of them were placed together neatly.

Satisfied with your work, you clapped your hands and turned to him.

“I’m not. You’re not just anyone to me, Megumi,” Suddenly, you leaned over him, his mind screaming at him when your lips lowered down to his neck. Megumi’s spine stiffened so quick he might as well be a flat board, his chin pressed to his neck when he felt your teeth graze his exposed skin for a moment. “There’s a loose thread,” you showed him a small thread with a small smile, which fell as fast when you saw Megumi standing uncomfortably straight. “Oh, I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to invade your personal space like that!” “I’m a little weird, aren’t I? That would explain why you’ve been avoiding me. Do I make you feel uncomfortable?”

“No, it’s not that...it’s just...”

“Just what?”

His mind blanked. Ask him anything about curses or their history and pretty much anything – he’d be able to answer – but not this. They didn’t teach this in the books and out of frantic nervousness, Megumi ended up spewing the first thing he could think of, his brows drawn together that only added to his intimidating look.

“I’m just annoyed that you scored higher than me on the previous exam.”

“Oh,” you fell for it, snapping your fingers together as you laughed. Somehow, the sound of your melodious laughter had his shoulders easing from the tension, the smallest of smiles hinting at the edge of his lips. Gosh, he was so whipped for you. “Was that really it? I thought you were avoiding me for something serious! Well, how about this, let’s study together and let’s see who’s the smarter one. The loser will get tickled to death!”

“I haven’t even agreed to that condition yet.”

“Okay, what do you want if you win?”

Megumi blushed as he blurted out, “You.”

Before he could regret what he just said, you scrunched your nose and pointed to yourself. “Me what? You want me to do something? You want me to buy you ice cream or—”

“Never mind,” he mumbled behind his palm that was now covering his mouth, refusing to show you that he actually wanted to laugh at how naive you could be. Not that he was complaining; it saved him great pain that you could never know his feelings for you. “I’ll ask for it when I’m sure I’ll win.”

“Ah, not a man of uncalculated risks, I see,” you ruffled his hair, the poor boy stiffening up again under your touch. “This is why I like you so much. You’re so thoughtful.”

“Please don’t touch my hair.”

Megumi was complaining, his shoulders raised beside his ears while he scowled at you, but the way a small, almost inaudible purr left his lips said otherwise. He didn’t want you touching his hair – only because he was shy and it would be the death of him if you saw how easily flustered he was around you.

Thankfully, you showered mercy upon him, raising your hands in surrender. “Alright, alright, we should go back to class now.”

Megumi sighed in relief, content for now to walk you all the way back to class as you talked about your day. He wasn’t actually listening, but a stupid smile was there on his face, anyway. He likened the sound of your voice to those of birds chirping and sunshine waking – and he felt like he was the fresh earth you always kissed.

“You’re going to burn a hole in her if you keep staring at her like that.”

“Shut up,” Megumi averted his eyes away from you, stabbing his yogurt with his plastic fork. A part of him felt annoyed that you just had to look so pretty today, your bright voice filling in the cafeteria that put his constant sour mood to shame. The stark difference between you two made Megumi sigh in his seat, abandoning his fork as he leaned back. There was no way you’d like him back. “I wasn’t looking at anyone.”

“Ugh, why are boys so creepy? Staring at Y/N like that, ew.”

Yuuji ignored Nobara’s comment, and for once, Megumi let it slide when Nobara stealed his untouched yogurt. “Why don’t you just tell her you like her? She’s literally the sweetest person ever – the chances of her turning you down are low!”

Nobara snorted, “Yeah, but if the sweetest girl in school rejects you, that’s really humiliating. That would mean she likes everyone but you.”

Satoru popped out of nowhere – that stupid blindfolded bastard who started all this – his arms looped around Yuuji’s neck whose entire face illuminated at having his favourite teacher around. “I think the scary-looking Megumi-chan is actually just too shy to be confess,” he wiggled his eyebrows, pointing a finger fun to Megumi’s deadly narrowed gaze. “Can you believe it? My dark, brooding student is hopelessly in love with the cute, sunshine girl next door that he’s so scared around her? Isn’t that so adorable—”

“Everyone shut up!” he hissed through gritted teeth, “I’m not scared of anyone or anything.”

“Then tell her you like her.”

“Fine, I will.”

“I bet you ten dollars he won’t do it,” Satoru whispered, the two students who shared one brain cell beside him nodding eagerly.

“I said I will!”

“Good morning, Megumi! Come in, come in,” you ushered him in once he stood frozen at your door, his hands now awkwardly clutching his own notes. “You can take a seat on the bed.”

Megumi wasn’t nervous of the fact this was his first time visiting a girl’s room, but rather because it was yours, and each part of your room resembled you greatly. From the organized and clean space, but the noticeable adorable little trinkets and polaroids of you with everyone sticking on the wall, he could feel your entire soul living in that room. When his eyes landed on an old photo of you holding up the peace sign and noticed for the first time he was standing in the background, unaware he was captured in the frame, Megumi inhaled sharply.

Had you pretended to take a selfie just to see him there?

No, he shook his head, there was just no way. He really couldn’t ponder about it long enough because you’d dragged him by the sleeve until he was sitting right next to you, the fresh scent of your body wash making him feel stunningly warm inside his clothes even when the windows were open.

The whole time, Megumi couldn’t absorb a single thing you were saying.

He was just too distracted by everything about you – the way your lips moved when you spoke, how you’d tuck back a stray hair behind your ear, even to the way your mouth would form an ‘o’ shape as you learned something new. No, he couldn’t focus at all.

Megumi has lost count of the times he’d wiped his shaky, sweaty palms on the pads of his sweatpants, hitching his breath every time you leaned close to him to glance at his notes.

At this rate, he’d be the loser in your little competition. It was just impossible for him to focus on anything else.

“Megumi?” you waved your hands in front of him. When it wasn’t enough to get his attention, you resorted to flicking his forehead and he yelped, rubbing at the sore spot. He faced you, a complaint ready to be spoken when his eyes widened at the sudden lack of proximity, your nose booping against his. “Hello, Megumi? I’ve asked you the same question twice now and you haven’t answered yet.”

As nicely as he could, he pushed your face away, his heart thumping loudly when you laughed as you went back to your own space. “Sorry, could you repeat that? I wasn’t really listening.”

“Yeah, I can tell, you were just staring at me the whole time,” you held your phone up in front of your face, checking your reflection on the screen on different angles. He watched, enchanted by how gorgeous you looked no matter what side. “Is there something on my face...? I’ve been checking non-stop and I don’t see anything weird.”

Megumi swallowed nervously, “There’s nothing wrong with your face. I just can’t focus. You’re too close and I-I can smell you.”

“Do I smell bad?!”

“No, you don’t! You smell really sweet!”

“Aw, thanks! You smell sexy too,” you winked at him, wiggling your shoulders as if to share your scent with him. Megumi’s eyes widened when your shoulder rubbed against his, and he recoiled, arm placed over his nose to hide his emotions that were a train wreck right now.

“Sexy?” he spluttered, “Why would you say – me – sexy? You’re so weird, Y/N. You shouldn’t say stuff like that.”

You patted his thigh in a manner that should be comforting, but the teasing smile on your face only had him wanting to jump out the window even more. Then, you stood up and stretched the material of your shirt riding up until he caught sight of your navel. Megumi turned away and closed his eyes, cheeks trapped between his teeth. “We should take a break. Treat’s on me – where do you want to go?”

“Err,” he scratched the back of his head.

“Oh, don’t look too worried, it’s a weekend. Plus, Gojo-Sensei isn’t around to bother us or something.”

“You...you want to go out...” he drawled out slowly, tentatively, surely – just to make sure that he was hearing it right. “...with me?”

“Yeah, I did just ask where you want to go.”

“Oh,” Megumi nodded with a blank face. Then, your words sank in, and he folded his knees to his chest to hide his face and his sickly sweet smile, the butterflies in his stomach progressing into a fucking zoo. “Oh.”

“Are you sick? You’re so red,” your palm connected with his heated forehead, “Megumi, you’re burning! Should I take you to Ieri-san?”

“No, no, I’m fine,” he pushed your hand away, still repudiating to look you in the eye. He just couldn’t, not when you were too inquisitive and he could easily give a dead clue before he got the chance to properly confess. “I mean, I don’t really have a certain place in mind. I’ll go wherever you want to go.”

He should’ve noticed it then – the mischievous glint in your eye that told him you weren’t up to no good. But because his knees always weakened around you, Megumi agreed way too eagerly than he’d like. “Just make sure you don’t regret it, okay? There’s something I’ve always been wanting to try but I never got the chance to and no one wanted to go with me, so you’ll be my willing victim!” And so, half an hour later, Megumi’s jaw dropped as the chill of the arena nipped at his skin. You didn’t even tell him to bring a jacket. “Ta-da!”

“Ice skating?”

You nodded happily, dragging him all the way to the shoe fittings. “It’s going to be fun, come on!”

“But I don’t know how to.”

“Neither do I!” Megumi wasn’t lying when he said he didn’t know how to. No matter how much he tried so hard to learn, he just couldn’t balance himself. The sound of your laughter that let him know you enjoyed this way too much reached his ears as he glared at the ice, his ears red either from the cold or the humiliation of being an utter failure in front of you, of all people! “Need some help there, buddy?”

“I’m fine, thanks for asking. And no, I can do this by myself.”

You masked your chuckle with a snicker, squatting to watch as he struggled to heave himself up back to his feet. “Really? You’ve fallen like, a hundred times now.”

“Shut up. Humans aren’t naturally supposed to do this anyway. We don’t have a human instinct to be upright – whoa!” Megumi slipped again from the ice, this time knocking you down with him. Instead of it being romantic where you two ended up gazing at each other with love in your eyes, your eyes widened into saucers as his elbow landed into your belly, crushing the wind out of your body.

“Ow!”

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to – ugh, this is why I said it was a bad idea!”

All the way back home, Megumi was still entirely convinced it was a bad idea. You were limping beside him, having to use his bicep as a crutch with your head resting on his shoulder. You and your stupid ideas, really, now you were injured and sprained your ankle from the fall. Instead of worrying about your own safety, you only slapped your knee in laughter as the medics fixed you up, still in disbelief that Megumi had fallen a lot of times yet came out unscathed.

“Megumi~ are you still mad at me? Why won’t you talk to me?” you pouted, squeezing his bicep to get his attention.

“It’s because I told you it was dangerous. Look at you – your knees are all scraped and your legs are all wobbly. We’ve still got a long way back home.”

“Maybe you should carry me then.”

“C-carry you?”

“Yeah, so I don’t fall,” you snorted, pointing to your shoeless ankle covered in bandages. “I mean, it was your fault I’m injured. If you hadn’t fallen for me, then this wouldn’t have happened.”

Fallen for you? Did you know that he – ? Megumi’s head snapped to yours so hard he nearly had whiplash, but the only thing he could focus on was the pounding of drums within his chest. “F-fall? How did you know?”

“Megumi, you literally fell on top of me. Don’t think I’ve forgotten already.”

That had him blinking back, his face flattening into a blank expression. Then, he sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose as he stopped in his tracks. “Sometimes I forget you’re terribly naive.”

“What was that?”

“Nothing. Now get on,” With burning cheeks and a heart that fluttered way too much than what was considered healthy, Megumi squatted down to the ground, patting his back with a groan. You less than jumped into his arms, a little too excited to get a piggyback ride and Megumi expressed his faux distress with a groan. You only pinched his ear and told him to pay you back for your injuries, which made him complain again.

In the end, he was just happy you couldn’t see how much he struggled to hide his smile then, for if you saw it, you’d surely believe he was crazy.

Or so he thought. By the time you’d gotten back to the dorms, you were long passed out on his back. There was a small patch of drool on the back of his shirt and he shuddered, then wiped it away by whispering to himself, it’s okay – as long as it’s you.

Padding back to the dorms wasn’t as difficult as he thought it would be, considering everyone was almost asleep or out to the city as well.

Megumi gently laid you down on the bed, wrapping the blanket around you and making sure your head was comfortable on the pillow. He stayed there for a solid minute, just staring and memorizing your pretty features until he felt confident he could draw it upon memory. Not wanting to be creepy though, he cleared his throat, about to leave the room when your fingers tugged at his wrist.

“Megumi,” you moaned sleepily, “Don’t go. It’s too cold.”

“I’ll get you another blanket.”

“No, stay,” you whined, patting the space next to you. “Please?”

“To sleep here with you?” he asked, baffled and at the same time elated. The last thing he wanted to be was a pervert and he’d never outright admit that his thoughts of you hadn’t always been giggles and rainbows, but he pushed those down, reminding himself that this is you – he respected you above all else. His self restraint slowly thinned though, whatnot with you pouting up at him like that.

Megumi groaned and took off his shoes anyway, planting himself beside you. “This is insane. I think I’m losing my mind,” he muttered to himself. “Move over and make space for me,” you obediently followed his command, using his bicep as a pillow while your cheek squished against his chest. He wondered how you weren’t bothered by his heart’s beating, or maybe it soothed you to sleep because you were falling deeper and deeper asleep, burying yourself in his arms. “God, this is so uncomfortable. I feel like I’m crushing you—”

“So warm,” you cut him off, his mind turning completely mental as he felt your lips pad over his chin. “Goodnight, Megumi.”

How did you expect him to sleep now?

But as soon as you’d settled and only your stabled breathing could be heard from the room, Megumi’s eyes began to droop as well, and it didn’t take long before his arms relaxed around you, lazily pulling the covers up to cover the both of you.

He’ll tell you another time.

“MEGUMI!” you pushed through everyone and showed him your paper, the bold red mark of 100 glaring back at him. Before he could respond, you stole his test paper from him, laughing at the sad 98 that showed. “Ah, I won!” In the blink of an eye, you’d tackled him to the ground, your knees keeping his legs locked underneath you, test papers flying around the field. Your hands were relentless and brutal as it ran and poked up his sides, eliciting squeaky little gasps from him.

“Stop, stop!” Megumi doubled over in laughter, keeping his feet flat on the ground to prevent himself from accidentally kneeing you. He’d hurt you enough during the ice skating dilemma – he didn’t want to cause you anymore injuries. “No, stop!”

“I won, Megumi, I won! Face the tickle monster!”

“I said stop or else!” he warned, completely aware that he wasn’t as threatening or serious as he wanted to be when tears leaked from his eyes, his laughter embarrassingly giggly and high pitched.

“Or what, loser?”

“I’ll kiss you until you shut up!”

“That’s adorable, but let’s see you try!” you kept tickling his sides, the both of you completely oblivious that the rest of your classmates – your teacher who was more than supportive of this pairing included – were hiding behind a bush, their phones whipped out to capture each second of this moment. “Loser!”

As you mocked him one more time that you wouldn’t stop tickling “losers,” Megumi had to draw the line. Using all his strength, he flipped you over until you were underneath him, the sheer force of the impact keeping you nestled between his arms.

Both of you were panting, but this time his breath was taken away from how beautiful you looked under him like that. Such innocent eyes staring back up at him, but don’t think for a moment he didn’t notice how your eyes trailed over his lips. He knew – because he was doing the same, his grip subconsciously gripping harder at your wrists. If he leaned down...

“This is taking too long!” someone whined from behind the bushes, tips of white hair peaking from the plant. “Just kiss her already!”

Both of you turned at the source of the voice, simultaneously shouting, “Gojo-sensei?!”

“Don’t be shy, Megumi-kun! Just tell her already or I’ll tell her myself.”

“Tell me what?”

Now that your face was peering up at him, he knew he was trapped. Cornered. Megumi closed his eyes, hands trembling and losing their grip around you as he was confronted by the situation. “I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner,” he fumbled over his words, “But I...I actually—”

“Boring! What kind of confession is this? Say it louder and clearer or she won’t be impressed! Is that how a man does it, Megumi-kun? You can do better—”

“All of you, shut the fuck up!” he roared to his peers who only cackled around the bushes, Yuuji and Gojo-sensei doubling over in laughter while Toge bit his collar to stop the gleeful sounds leaving his mouth. Irritation and humiliation bubbling up in his chest, Megumi finally found the courage to confess. “I like you, okay? I’ve always had a crush—”

You sat up to wrap your arms around his neck, silencing him with a sloppy kiss. At first, your lips kissed the edges of his mouth before Megumi groaned, his large hand clasping the back of your neck to guide you to where he wanted you to be. Smiling through the kiss, you pulled away, rubbing your nose on him affectionately. “Me too, Megumi,” you giggled, “I like you too. Actually, no, I fell in love the moment you almost broke your nose on the ice—” he cut you off by kissing you again, his grip on your waist threatening, “Hey, no fair, I was still confessing!”

“I wasn’t kidding when I said I’ll kiss you to make you shut up,” his confidence had now risen up, all traces of the shy Megumi now gone. “Now tell me that again. Tell me you like me.”

“Okay, but can I get another kiss?”

“You’ll be spoiled rotten.”

“I think I deserve it, don’t you think? I’m pretty cute – you’re lucky you get to kiss—” Megumi tugged you by your collar to slam your lips on his, his teeth nibbling at your lower lip. You tugged at his hair playfully and laughed, slapping his shoulder gently to tap out. “Fine, fine. I like you too!”

“Say it again. Please.”

“Not so shy now, eh, Megumi?” Satoru teased for the final time, and Megumi was so close to bursting a vein in his neck when his teacher showed up from the bushes, sexily posing on the grass as he winked at the both of you.

“SHUT UP!”

#fushiguro megumi x reader #megumi x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen #fushiguro megumi #fushiguro megumi x reader imagines #megumi x reader imagines #fushiguro megumi x reader romance #fushiguro megumi x reader fluff #megumi x reader romance #megumi x reader fluff #jujutsu kaisen megumi #jujutsu kaisen fushiguro megumi #jujutsu kaisen romance #jujutsu kaisen x you #fushiguro megumi x you #jujutsu kaisen crack #jujutsu kaisen comedy #suki: 500 milestone event

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breelandwalker · 2 years

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as a closet witch, how can i celebrate yule without being caught or snitched on? at decemember i would have to go to my relative's house and none of them are witches and are hard catholics, Its very important that I dont get caught but I would love to celebrate

This is my first yule too! (i started this month!! very new baby witch) I managed to persuade one of them to buy some scented candles (because that's what all i could manage to get them to buy it for me since i'm a broke student) but that's all I could manage if im being honest

i could eat breakfast with them, would that count as a feast? while i light the sun candle, should I shorten the things I should say while lighting it?

I genuinely want to welcome the sun and celebrate because I feel very safe while it's present and I want to thank it for the warmth it generously gives! And i thought yule would be a good time to get to know the sun more and repay it's kindness! (also, if i am referring to the sun incorrectly, please correct me!! I wanna be as resectful as i can)

[Also I'm very sorry if this isn't the types of asks you would like to recieve!! please delete if you wish not to answer ^^]

Oh, we're about to get REAL sneaky on this answer.

Before reading, please note - I do not recommend mixing religious practices willy-nilly or appropriating Christian rites for non-Christian witchcraft. But sometimes a witch has to be stealthy and here's how I managed a similar situation in my younger days.

I became a witch in my early twenties, while I was still living at room with progressive-but-highly-religious family members. There were occasions when I was expected to go to church. I was expected to say grace at family meals, celebrate religious holidays, pray about my problems, accept faith-based advice, and not be averse to Christian-themed gifts or the Christian radio station constantly playing in the house. For all my moms knew, I was still a Good Christian Girl.

I was NOT.

I hid books about witchcraft in with my fantasy novels. I decorated the top of a short bookcase with knickknacks for an altar. I used cheap candles and craft supplies for magical purposes. I bought herbs from a natural food store, started a potted garden, and talked (a lot) about my interest in herbal medicine. I took notes about witchcraft in the back of the notebook I used for notes about botany. And I did all my pagan stuff offsite or when I was home alone.

Keep in mind, this was purely to keep the peace in my home. I couldn't move out and I knew my mother would have a full-sized bird with all the trimmings if she found out I was doing pagan stuff under her roof. (As it turned out, it was a series of medium-sized birds. But that's another story.) I was lying, yes, but I was doing so out of self-preservation.

And that's exactly what I recommend you do.

Go along with what you're expected to do, to the extent that you are comfortable with. Use the mundane objects available to you to practice your craft silently and in secret. There's no need for fancy accoutrements, elaborate rituals, or spoken prayer. All of that takes a backseat to your physical safety and mental and emotional wellbeing.

Make the plans you already have and the things you're already doing into celebrations and devotional acts. Caroling is singing up the sun. Putting up lights is keeping the needfires burning through the solstice. Christmas breakfast with family absolutely counts as a feast. When everyone bows their heads for silent prayer, no one will know whether you're praying to the same god they are.

Honor the sun by scattering seeds for the birds and small animals to eat. Make dried-orange garlands - they're traditional for this time of year. Use that scented candle for color or scent magic, or for devotional purposes. (And you don't need to say anything out loud when lighting it. You can just think it to yourself.) Watch the sunrise on the winter solstice and wave. Make plans for how you too will rise and shine in the new year.

The nice thing about being pagan is that the gods meet us where we are. The world is our church and while there are sacred places that are worth visiting, we also carry our temples inside ourselves. Our hearts, our hands, our minds, and our voices are our altars, and on these tables, we offer the best of ourselves in honor of those we venerate.

Whatever you offer to your chosen gods, offer it sincerely, and whatever deeds you do in their honor, do them well and with all of your heart. It doesn't matter how small that might seem to you, because right now, that is everything you can give. In the future, maybe you can do more, be more open, celebrate in new ways. But for now, your task is to learn and grow, quietly, until that time comes.

I hope this helps and I hope you have a merry and meaningful Yule! Good luck, witchling, and welcome!

#prime4slab #Yule #Christmas #pagan #baby witch #witches of tumblr #stealth witchcraft #Bree answers your inquiries #witchcraft #witchblr

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michiieewrites · 4 years

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THORST COLLAB: Bakugou - Starving till I tasted you

A/N: First: IF YOU’RE UNDER 18, BEGONE FROM MY BLOG SINCE I WRITE MATURE CONTENT!! This one has been sitting in my documents for almost 2 months now. This week inspiration finally struck me once again tho!

This fic is actually a Thorst Collab between my lovely friends & I on Discord. I’m the first one to post mine, so I can’t wait to see what the others will write!

Now.

STRAP ON YOUR SEATBELTS CAUSE THIS MOTHERF!@#$%CKER IS 4.2K+ WORDS LONG

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

If someone told you a year ago that you would have enough money to pay off your student debt, buy your dream apartment, help out your family and friends, move abroad and drive in a ’67 Chevrolet Impala, you would’ve died laughing at the joke.

You told yourself it was stupid, buying that lottery ticket. But here you are; $100.000.000,- on your bank account. A young and now rich Omega in her prime. After making sure you had spend part of it wisely, you made sure to live the rest of your life on interest alone.

The first month had been nice. Decorating your new place, going out for dinner every day, getting a new wardrobe, spoiling yourself silly. You got new nesting materials, softer blankets and bigger pillows. It felt nice. Until it didn’t anymore. It started to feel pointless and empty. You felt like you were becoming one of those people that flaunt their money and that isn’t the type of Omega you are.

So here you are. Sitting in your peach colored dress and a numbered paddle in your hand. Tonight, you attend a charity auction. The charity was a rehabilitation program for criminals who want to get back on the right path.

The auction items aren’t exactly… items. They’re Pro Heroes. People could bid on having a date with some of the most desirable Pro Heroes, Alphas, Betas, Omegas, all of them. Even No. 1 hero Deku and No. 4 hero Red Riot are up for auction, both being Omegas.

One of the last dates are being auctioned and you realize you have been zoning out. Not having bid anything yet, you put up your paddle.

“Going once, going twice… SOLD TO NUMBER 917 FOR TONIGHT’S HIGHEST BID OF $300.000,-! A date with explosion pro hero Ground Zero!”

Oh lord. Yes! You got- wait… You got actually got it? You won a date with Pro Hero Ground Zero. Wasn’t he the one with the explosion quirk? Impressive power and always capturing the villains. What separates him from Deku is his social skills. Or lack thereof, to be more precise. Ground Zero isn’t really the type of hero to stick around the people he saved to see if they’re okay.

On top of all that he’s also an Alpha. Highly sought out by Omegas who want a pup, but not the Alpha. His genes are what people want, not the man himself. His personality also making it harder for people to approach him. And you just won a date with the most desired and aggressive Pro Hero Alpha there is.

“Oi!”

The voice behind you pulled you from your thoughts. The subtle scent of caramelized candy apples caught your attention. You turn around and find a handsome Alpha standing there. Arms crossed, cardinal red eyes watching you and his lips in an almost angry looking pout. This is the man you just bought yourself a date with.

“H-hi!” you manage to stammer out.

With a huff, he places a card on your table. You pick it up and see that it’s a business card from Ground Zero’s agency. At the bottom, writing in sleek handwriting, is a phone number. You look back up at him, ready to ask him why he gave this to you. But he’s already turning around and heading for the exit.

“Just contact me when you wanna plan that date things.”

And just like that, you had Ground Zero’s personal phone number.

~ A few days later ~

You’re sitting at a small booth, sipping on your matcha latte. You were a half hour too early, so you decided it wouldn’t hurt to go ahead and order a drink before Bakugou would arrive. In his very first text he made it clear to call him ‘Bakugou’ and not by his hero name. He said that it would feel too much like an interview otherwise. In return you told him to just call you ‘Y/N’.

After some back and forth texting the last couple of days, you two agreed to meet up at a local coffee shop. Not a lot of people know about this shop. It’s small and the interior looks more like cozy living room than a flashy coffee shop. It was your favorite place to sit down and enjoy a cup of coffee, tea or like right now, matcha latte.

Neither of you had any set plans for the rest of the day. Just kind of going with the flow seemed like the way to go. This would give you the freedom to hopefully have a quiet ‘date’. But you can’t really know that for sure when the person you’re on a date with is a Pro Hero.

The sound of the bell above the front door rings. You look up and see him walk in. Sitting all the way in the back, you can’t even smell him scent. Weren’t Alpha’s supposed to have very strong scents? Maybe he’s on suppressants?

He scans the shop, probably looking for you. His eyes land on you. He walks over and sits across from you. He leans back against the chair and swings his right arm over the arm rest while the left one is resting on the table. His eyes trail down from your face to the drink in your hands.

“I see you couldn’t wait for me to arrive,” he gruffly says.

“Uh-uhm, yeah. Sorry, I was super early. I hope you don’t mind.”

The silence that spreads between you two makes your Omega feel uncomfortable. Something doesn’t feel right and you’re starting to think that the Alpha in front of you truly doesn’t want to do any of this. So, to make it a little more bearable for yourself, you pump out a small amount of calming pheromones. Just to take the edge of this meeting.

Bakugou keeps looking at you. Until he finally picks up the menu card and says: “It’s fine. It’s your day, after all.”

He was right, you figured. But you still wanted him to have a pleasant time today too.

And so the day continues. The conversation isn’t very lengthy or deep. You discuss basic things like work, hobbies, favorite food. After a while the conversation kind of dies down. You suggest you two head out and into town. The man in front of you doesn’t seem overly thrilled about it, but still agrees.

When you go up to the front to pay, you hear him quickly walking up to you. He pulls your arm back. Surprised, you let out a small sound of shock and look up at him. A confused look is on his face and he pulls his hand away from you.

“The heck are you trying to do?”

Confused, you say: “Uh, paying?”

“I see that, but why? Omegas don’t pay when they’re with Alphas.”

Wow. At first you didn’t know how to respond to this remark. True, Omegas usually aren’t the ones paying on dates. In the past an Alpha would go out and hunt for their Omega. Since the hunting days are over and many Omegas work nowadays, treating them on dates are a way to show the Omega they can provide for them.

“Well,” you say as you hand over the money to the Beta barista behind the counter and thank him, “I don’t know about other Omegas, but I’m perfectly capable of paying for drinks too. I can provide just as well as any Alpha.”

You two walk outside and turn left to head into town. You’ve been meaning to go to the bookstore and hopefully find some new reading material. Two birds, one stone, right?

“Tsk, should’ve known a rich Omega like you doesn’t like to be told what to do,” Bakugou mumbles to himself.

You stop in your tracks. What? Was that really what he thought of you? A rich and snobby Omega?

Realizing you’re not walking beside him anymore, Bakugou turns around. Your head is bowed in shame. Normally your scent smells like peaches and hazelnuts, but now it turns into that of rotten fruit. You feel called out. For winning the lottery, for treating this Alpha to some drinks, for basically buying yourself a date with someone who clearly wishes to be anywhere else but here.

Your voice shakes, but you gather all your courage. “I’ll admit I was given a lot more financial freedom recently. And yes, I don’t like being told what to do. I believe everyone should be treated equally, regardless of their second gender. But I have never in my life asked for something. I was taught to work hard, to help people and to help and reward the people that help you.”

You pick up your head and look him straight in the eyes, politely smile and say: “I’m sorry you had to do this. This isn’t really how you planned your day would go. You can go, if you want to.”

As you pass him, determent to still go to the bookstore, you feel a weight being lifted from your heart. It really is unfair to the Alpha to make him go on a date with someone he doesn’t like. Deep down inside your Omega whines sadly. She recognized a good and safe provider in the Alpha, one who isn’t driven by hormones to just get an Omega pregnant. One who isn’t controlled their Alpha status. Too bad his Alpha isn’t interested in the Omega.

“Fuck, crap- wait! Shit!”

The cursing Alpha quickly catches up to you. He stops in front of you, holding up his hands to halt you. “Okay, fuck-just… let me explain.”

You cross your arms at him and wait for him to continue.

“Okay, so… Listen, I’ve been a real dick to you. Not just today, but basically since that charity event when I gave you my card. It was wrong of me assume anything about you. Shit Y/N, you’ve been nothing but nice to me. You don’t mind carrying the cost of a date, you’re not flaunting it around town that you’re spending time with a Pro Hero, you put up with my shitty responses and that isn’t how you should be treated. Or anyone for that matter! You deserve a proper date. So just, maybe I can make it up to you?”

By the end of his apology, Bakugou practically gives you angry puppy eyes in an attempt to ask for forgiveness. He reminds you of an angry Pomeranian. Smiling, you tell him that you forgive him. This day is supposed to be a fun one.

“But! You’ll have to carry the books I’ll buy as a punishment. And just so you know, I always come out with two shopping bags,” you tell him.

Bakugou just grins. “Fine. They’ll probably weigh nothing for me.”

Something in the air changes. A little sniff of your nose helps you identify the change. The scent coming from the Alpha next to you is slightly peaked. You heard that when an Alpha is preening their scents get stronger. You hardly think that’s the reason. Maybe it’s just because he’s in better mood now. Whatever the reason, you find yourself agreeing with your Omega; it’s a very nice scent.

~ An hour and a half later ~

“I’ve never met someone who spends over an hour inside a bookstore!”

“I told you when we came in that it could take a while,” you reply to Bakugou’s complaints.

“You do this with nesting stuff too? You know, blankets and shit,” he asks.

In both his hands, Bakugou is carrying a bag containing close to twenty books you can add to your bookcases back at home. Even underneath the sleeves of his hoodie you can see the muscles of his arms. He’s not as bulky as Pro Heroes Deku and Red Riot, but those muscles are pretty impressive. You bet your money that those thighs could squish a watermelon. You can practically feel the water filling your Omega’s mouth. She wants nothing more than to chomp down on those delicious shoulders. And honestly, you wouldn’t mind that either.

You remember you were asked a question. “I do. How else am I gonna know I made the right choice? All of those blankets and shit, as you put it, go in my nest. I’m at my best with a perfect nest.” A confident smile forms on your face and from the corner of your eye you can see Bakugou looking at you. A small smirk creeps up on his face.

While enjoying our little banter, you both failed to notice the Alpha towards the two of you. Until he opened his mouth. “I bet I can make your nest even better, little Omega.”

The other guy stops right in front of you, completely ignoring the Alpha next to you. You’re shocked and take a step back to create some distance between you again. But the guy doesn’t let up and steps closer again.

“No, now get lost,” you firmly say. This wasn’t the first Alpha-asshole you encountered.

“Awh, why the sour face, baby? Bet I’ll be more fun than the hedgehog here.”

“Oi, asshole! She said to get lost.” The smells of pheromones of two Alphas are dominating the air. The strongest one being the creepy guy, Bakugou’s not so much. You honestly confused on that point. With an Alpha as desirable as Bakugou, you truly expected a stronger scent.

You can’t help but release your own distressed scent. The tension is getting to you. Even other people noticed and are stopping to see how this plays out.

The creep briefly looks at Bakugou before returning his attention on you. “Come on, baby. Ditch this guy and then you and I can have our fun. What do you say?”

He extends his hand to put it on our waist and before you know it, you slap his hand away and punch him in the face. He stumbles back while cupping his now bleeding nose. Screaming in pain and shouting names at you. He’s beyond pissed; punched by a fucking Omega!

The adrenaline is pumping through you and every instinct in your body is telling you to run. Hide. Find an Alpha to protect you. You’re frozen on the spot. Your mind shutting down.

That’s when you feel a hand tugging you away. Your Omega recognizes the person this scent belongs to. Caramel candy apples. Bakugou.

You don’t know where he’s taking you. Your mind still processing things. All you know is to follow. ‘Cause he’ll lead to safety. Alphas keep Omegas safe. Follow. Safety. Alpha.

By the time you get to take in your surroundings, you realize you’re in an office. An office? What are you doing here? You look around and see a wooden desk with a black leather chair. A small bookcase, a closet and a couch with coffee table. A puffy black rug is covering the wooden floor, complimenting the one black wall behind you. The other walls are a tinted orange color.

The scent hanging in this office is… comforting. Soothing. Safe. You’re safe in here.

You’re seated on the couch. Wrapped in something soft. A blanket. A big, fluffy and soft blanket. The scent is even stronger on the blanket. You slowly inhale, imprinting this delicious mix of sweetness. After a couple seconds you finally notice the man next to you. Bakugou grins as he sees your focus shifting to him.

“I take it the blanket is approved,” he jokes.

You slowly nod. This small little cocoon makes you feel less vulnerable. Just like the presence of Bakugou next to you. It feels right. “Where are we?”

“Oh yeah, fuck. We’re at my agency. This is my office.”

You’re confused. “Your office? Why? I’m sorry, I kind of… froze. Can you tell me what happened afterwards?”

The smile that spreads on his face makes you feel funny inside. “What happened?! Y/N, you punched that fucker right in his fucking face! Shithead had it coming, tho. You just beat me to it. Omega or not, you know how to fight.”

You two look at each other and burst out laughing as you think back to that glorious moment. The creep definitely didn’t see your punch coming. It feels good to know the man next to you thinks you’re a decent fighter. He seems to actually be enjoying your company. Maybe he’s one of those people that are careful with who they get comfortable with. It feels good to know he feels like he can relax a bit more around you now.

You jokingly nudge him and say: “I bet I can even take you on, you big grump.”

“Oh yeah?” His eyebrow is raised, grinning with his canines on display. “Prove it then.”

Knowing a challenge when you see one, you keep your eyes fixed on his cardinal ones and slowly lean in closer. Baring your neck to the side in submission to lure in his Alpha. Your Omega is very pleased by the motion. Just as he moves to lean in too, you throw the blanket in his face, grab his neck and shove him down on the ground. Stradling him and jabbing your elbow into his side, pressing your nails into the skin of his neck.

Smiling down at the man below you; “How’s that, Alpha?”

A short lived victory as he snarls and the two of you roll over, with Bakugou keeping you pinned underneath his weight. He may not look like it, but this man weighs a ton!

“If you’re trying to be a worthy opponent, why not call me by my first name? It’s ‘Katsuki’,” he breathes heavily atop of you.

Next to your ear you hear a low grumbling sound. Still seeing this as a playfight you laugh and reach back. Your fingers finding pressure points in his neck, making him let go of you. This gives you the chance to overpower him again and straddle him once more while holding his wrists above his head.

Victorious once again, you look down. Growling and teeth bared, the air around you growing thick. The smell surrounding you hits you like thunder. The caramelized candy apple scent overwhelming your senses. Your eyes travel down to his neck and see something you failed to notice before; gland patches. Patches to block someone’s scent from becoming too noticeable. That’s why the other Alpha smelled so much stronger. But now, now you’re drowning in it. You can pick up on rage, possessiveness and… arousal. As much as he’s growling and snarling at you, you know that he’s enjoying this too.

Chuckling at you, he cranes his neck. His face now closer to you than a moment ago. “I’m pretty sure I just got my ass handed by the most perfect Omega.” His words push through the alarm bells his instincts are sending off. His Alpha is not pleased about being pinned down. But as it takes in the Omega’s scent of peaches and hazelnuts, it can’t help but lie down and surrender itself to this tasty smelling Omega. An Omega that can fight back. An Omega that can hold him close. An Omega worthy of carrying his pups.

His Omega.

Before either can properly get out any words Bakugou has wrestled his hands free and grabs a hold of your hips while your hands pull his face closer and seal the distance between your lips. The taste of sugar coated apples is even stronger on his lips and you can’t get enough of it.

His fingers press deeply in your skin, kneading the flesh. His hips pushing upwards while holding you in place. The low rumbling sound in the back of his throat being accompanied by your mewling. You wanted more of him, your Omega needed more.

The Alpha makes his displeasure heard. You both part to breathe in fresh air. His lidded eyes are on fire and following every movement you make. Your hands slip down to his collarbones and settle on his shoulders. The path of your hands make Bakugou throw back his head. His body is pressing into yours desperately, like he has no control over it anymore. His growling increases in volume.

Through gritted teeth he manages to speak to you. “Fuck, Omega. What are you doing to me?”

Taking a leap of faith, you answer: “I don’t know. All I know right now is that I need capable Alpha to take care of me. Are you that Alpha, Katsuki?”

Before you can even blink, you’re being rolled over again. This time you’ll let him have his way. His hands are sliding their way up to your chest, grabbing the front of your shirt and tearing it apart. You try to protest, but you’re stopped by the warning growl of his Alpha. You lay back down and occupy yourself with running your fingers through his hair. Your gently massage making the Alpha let out a content sound.

Entranced by the man above you, you hardly even notice his onslaught on your clothes. And his own clothes. Getting those replaced will be a worry for later, your Omega decide. All you need to focus on right now is Katsuki. You want this Alpha to mate you and it needs to happen right now, or else your Omega just might perish on the spot.

That’s when you feel it. The hard and heavy feeling of his cock rutting itself against your core. Your body can’t help but react to it and release a good amount of slick. Katsuki’s mouth nipping along your collarbones as your bare you neck in submission. You feel his fangs graze your scent glands and you start to whimper desperately.

“Fuck, Y/N. Keep making those pretty noises,” Katsuki says.

“Yes, Alpha, yes. Just-ah shit! Just fuck me already!” you loudly exclaim.

Now who is Katsuki to deny such a nice plea from such a good Omega?

Wasting no time, he slides himself inside. The stretch making you cry out for more, deeper, more, anything he can give you. You just know you need more. Barely able to hold himself back from ramming himself inside and fucking you like you’re in a heat, he takes his time for your to fully take him in. A sigh of satisfaction leaves you both when he finally does.

Your legs wrap around his waist and try to pull him deeper in. Your fingers curl around his spikey locks and tug harshly to get him moving. Grunting, Katsuki finally complies. Being buried inside you sends him into over-drive. You feel too damn good around him. He feels too good inside you as he sets in a brutal rhythm. You’re pretty sure no other man could ever make you feel this good. No other Alpha could ever please your Omega ever again. Feeling his body slam into yours like his life depends on it is possibly the best feeling in the world. Your lungs are sending out a mix of his name, pleas for more, for him to go faster.

Katsuki can’t help it, he can’t stop himself anymore. He need to do this, he needs you, his Alpha needs to mate your Omega. Give her everything she wants and all that she’ll take. Only the best for his Omega, he will be worthy of giving her pups.

You can feel the base of his cock starting to inflate. His knot. His knot is growing. As soon as you notice, you start to claw at his back. A need filling you till the point you’re almost bursting.

“Alpha! Knot, please- Alpha, knot me- I need- Need your knot, Alpha!” you scream in desperation.

He wants to. Oh, he wants to so badly. But in the back of his mind there’s one braincell left that tells him that now is not the time nor the place. His Omega deserves better.

“You deserve better than to be knotted in my office, Y/N,” he moans, “please give me a chance to give you something better one day. I’ll be the best fucking Alpha there is!”

You love the sound of that. Something better. Somewhere in the future. A future with Katsuki. “Yes, Kastuki! Only you, you’re the only Alpha, please, I’m so cl-“

The moment he sinks his teeth into the flesh just above your collarbone, you’re send into a world of blinding lights and exploding fire. His name keeps falling from your lips. The waves of fire keep pulsing through your body.

The tight grip around him becomes too much for Katsuki. He needs to pull out or else he’ll knot you for sure. When he you keep chanting his name, he pulls out and covers you in thick, long, white streams of his cum. Covering you in his seed, marking you as his in an obscene, but beautiful way.

“Look at you, perfectly covered in my cum,” he pants.

You preen at the compliment. A content scent is released. The smell of a happily fucked Omega. Katsuki could get addicted to this smell.

With the shredded pieces of clothing he cleans you up. He pulls the blanket you discarded earlier over you both as he lies down next to you. Your tired and warm body cuddles closer to him. He drinks in your scent a you purr softly.

“What did you have the blanket for in your office?” you ask with a yawn.

Katsuki looks down at your half-asleep face. A smile forms on his lips as he gently kisses the top of your head.

“I kept it for my future mate.”

Tagged: @reinawritesbnha @thots4daze @hipster-merchant-of-death @aizawascumslut @strawbirb @ravenfeet222 @sailor-manga @yanderart @league-of-villians-headcanons

#bnha #bnha fic #mha fic #bnha bakugou #bakugou katuski x reader #bakugou katsuki #alpha bakugou #alpha bakugou katsuki #alpha bakugou x reader #michiiee writes #bnha smut #bnha a/b/o #omegaverse #bnha omegaverse #bakugou x reader #plus ultra #bakugou fic #bakugou smut

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lostgreekgod · 3 years

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delusion

a/n: hello aaaaa i had @theaudacitytowrite give me a prompt for a loki x reader fic solely because I do not find entertainment elsewhere! anyways

word count: 2776 (shit got longer, but what can I say I'm very feely when it comes to angst)

warnings: angst. angst angst angst. some crying. there was this one mention of blood, tendons & stuff ? but that's about it have fun crying

pairing: loki x f!reader

summary: you and Loki have been together for quite some time now. what happens when his insecure self realizes that you love him? and that he does too?

another a/n: I feel like this could use a part 2 i might come up with it next week because I've got a 7 day break from school yayy lmk if you'd like that nexie

4 years. It had been 4 years, 3 months, and 27 days since y/n had shed a tear. But on this fine autumn morning, as the yellow and brown leaves rustled in the gentle winds, as the smell of coffee, pumpkin, and spice wafted in the air, she let a tear fall- courtesy of her lover. No, scratch that. Her ex-lover.

\\ 3 hours earlier \\

Humming a tuneless song, an exhausted y/n walked back to her room in the Avenger’s tower. A whole day of training wouldn’t be smart when she had a crucial mission to lead just the next day, but she wanted the mission to pan out exactly right. This wasn’t her first mission, but the stats were so much more critical compared to the missions she had been sent on before. A new rival organization was springing up in SHIELD’s radar, and they seemed as high as ever in spirit, regardless of how the Avengers had managed to crush HYDRA not so long ago. Apparently, according to a message they had received a few moments before, the up-and-coming organization had 4 junior agents in captivity, and in exchange for those agents, they wanted intel. Fury’s plan was to provide a hard drive with incorrect information with an embedded virus, and have the agents rescued before the rival agents decrypted the file and realized SHIELD’s play. Two birds with one stone, as he had phrased. y/n was going to go in with Natasha and Loki. Nat, because she was as light as a cat on her feet, and Loki because he had his seidr for illusions, teleportation, et cetera. This wasn’t going to be her first mission with her 4-month boyfriend either, but she was excited to be fighting alongside him, nevertheless. As she washed up in the shower, she heard her room door open and close with a click. Finally. She thought with a smile. She could go to sleep in her beloved’s arms for the few hours she had left for rest and relaxation before they set out. Putting on her nightgown, she left the bath. She saw how Loki was cocooned on her bed, arms reaching out towards her, a little smile on his face. Unlike her, the god didn’t train much- but he still looked tired.

“Hello, my little lioness. Whom did you beat up today? You do realize it is wiser to rest before a mission.” He said in a loud, lazy whisper. All y/n could do was smile sweetly at him and snuggle under the covers. He knew how the lack of training made her insecure about her ability to be stealthy. Instead of letting Loki’s arms wrap around her like most of the other nights, she spooned his chest instead. Loki’s eyes widened at the sudden gesture, his body tensing up at the sudden disposal of love. He had only given love; he had never been on the receiving side of it. Wait, love? He didn’t love y/n. He didn’t. That swell he felt in his chest every time he saw her was simply the result of the great appreciation and respect he had for her. Nothing more. He couldn’t love her. After all, everyone he had ever loved ended up being taken away from him.

Chuckling lightly, he hoped y/n wouldn’t catch onto his nervousness. “What are you doing my dear?”

Inhaling his scent, y/n mumbled, her eyes still closed. “Sleeping. Go to sleep my love. We have to be up in less than 3 hours.”

My love? Yes, y/n had called him that multiple times, but he had never thought much of it. Why was he suddenly so wary of it? Did y/n truly love him? No, maybe she wasn’t thinking. She was already worn out and sleepy, maybe she blurted it out accidentally. No one could love him. No one.

y/n sensed that he still hadn’t relaxed. Cracking her eyes slightly open, she asked lightly, “Is everything okay, love?” Loki’s brows furrowed at her question. There it was again. Love. Loving him was impossible. To love him would be delusional. A move of delusional stupidity. Blatant ignorance.

Loki shifted away from her and sat up, ignoring the throbbing in his chest when he heard her whine in response. He met her eyes only to be asked another question. “Love, what’s the matter?”

His heart clenched against his chest, suddenly the room was too hot. He had to understand what was going on. He had to figure this out before it was too late.

“Love?” he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

y/n scanned his face, trying to understand the reason for his sudden withdrawal. She simply hummed in response.

Loki raised his eyebrows, indicating her to reiterate her response.

“Yes, what is the matter?”

“You referred to me as ‘love’.” He repeated, his tongue spewing out the last word like it was coated in dirt and grime.

“Yes, I suppose I did. Is something bothering you?” she asked again, placing her hand on his thigh as a gesture of concern.

How was he expected to ask her if she actually, truly loved him, without causing a kerfuffle? Without making it seem awkward, without losing her? What if she said she didn’t love him? What then? Would that make him feel better? Would that make him happy? A chill ran down his spine when he realized his answer. No. he wouldn’t be happy. In fact, he’d be terribly upset. He wanted y/n to love him. Shaking his head, he tried to heed logic over his emotion. He had to stop himself before he caused something he couldn’t fix. Before y/n realized the monster he truly was. He had to protect his beloved y/n, that would be the least he owed to her, after all that he had led her into.

He neutralized his expression, calming his breathing. This was for the best. He was the God of Lies, he did not deserve love after all that he had done.

“As a matter of fact, y/n, something is bothering me.”

y/n nodded, encouraging him to explain his predicament. “You can talk to me, love.”

Loki inhaled quickly, the use of the blasted term knocking him out of character for a second before he was able to regain his composure. He would ask the question directly. Right to the point, like he was doing business. That was the only way he could maintain his pretense without breaking down too soon. y/n might never forgive him after tonight, but to have her angry at him was so much better than losing her, on his account.

“Do you love me?”

y/n gasped lightly at the sudden question, her eyes widening at how Loki asked her about something so deep with no emotion in his voice. She sensed his sudden hostility, this coldness he was presenting her with. Sitting upright, she looked into his eyes. Nothing. She could read nothing from his expression. All she could pick up was this eerie sadness radiating off of him.

She decided to try reasoning with him. This sudden hostility meant something was bothering him at a much more personal level, and such issues mustn’t be dealt with before an important mission. She would know.

“We don’t have to do this today, Loki. We have to be up early tomorrow, and I doubt- “

“Answer the question, y/n.” Loki interrupted, his voice hardened like steel.

“Loki, we really mustn’t-“ she tried again.

“Answer, y/n.” he pressed.

y/n could only look at him and wonder what the cause was for the unexpected change in his demeanor. How was she supposed to tell him? How was she supposed to give the answer to the one question that could either make or break everything that they had together? How was she supposed to tell him that her love for him was far more than life? That he was her life? It didn’t matter how less time they had spent with each other; she knew him a lot longer before they had decided to begin their courtship, and she had fallen in love with him even before they had gotten romantically involved. She only fell harder for him after she saw how he truly was. How broken and vulnerable, how he yearned for a place in someone’s heart, how he wished someone could love him without any foretold conditions. How he wished to be free. Loki’s eyes widened as realization dawned upon him. y/n’s lack of response answered his question. She did love him. But he had to hear it from her. That was the only way he could finish this for good. For his y/n.

“I’m waiting.” He prompted, slightly flinching at the coldness in his voice.

y/n’s eyes flicked over to his, her skin eliciting goosebumps from the steely nature of his voice. He had never been like this to her. The last time she had seen him like this was when he was under Thanos’ control. Breathing deeply, she reached out and held his hands, shutting her eyes for a moment.

“Yes. I do. I love you,” she whispered, blood pounding against her ears. Her heart convulsed in her chest when Loki didn’t reply. She cracked her eyes open, her fingers growing cold at Loki’s unchanged demeanor.

Loki’s chest heaved at her response. ‘I love you,’ she had whispered, her eyes shut at the vulnerability of their situation. He already knew what she was going to say, but to hear it from her own mouth, her voice tiny as ever in fear that he wouldn’t return her feelings had him gasp slightly. His blood ran cold, his mind freezing at another realization. He loved her too. Of course he did. How could he have been so blind? He loved her so much, he hadn’t even noticed. Finish it! Finish it right now! Before you make things worse! His mind screamed at him. He knew what he had to do. Swallowing, he tried to memorize the feel of her hands against his. This was all he was ever going to have. A memory. A memory of his little lioness, a memory of what he would have had if he was someone different. Someone nicer, better. Someone not him. He pulled away from her, and met her eyes, his expression stoic and emotionless. Like the monster he was.

“Pity.” He whispered, his heartbreaking at how y/n’s eyes widened. He thought he experienced heartbreak when he lost his mother. As destructive as that moment was, many years ago, he believed he wouldn’t feel anything over this. After all, you can’t break something that’s already broken. But boy, was he wrong. This was heartbreak. And apparently, it's even worse when you go through it a second time. His veins felt like ice, his head heavier than ever. He could feel his throat closing up, all he wanted was to rip his heart out of his chest. He didn’t deserve her. Hell, he didn’t deserve to live after all that he had done.

“What?” came y/n’s voice, a little barely over a whisper. He couldn’t help but notice how her voice was heavy, laced with hurt.

“It’s a pity you think you love me.” He reiterated, his words chapping away at his already cracked heart.

y/n couldn’t process the event unfolding in front of her. Loki didn’t love her. No, worse. Loki thought it was stupid that she loved him. If she had any concern for her dignity, she would ask him to leave. But she loved him far too much. She decided to try one last time. Straddling him, she reached over and cupped his face in his hands, pressing her lips against his ice-cold ones. He was shocked for a moment, and before he realized, he was kissing her back. I love you, he wanted to say. I love you too. But all could do was try and engrave in his mind the feeling of her soft lips on his, the warmth of her hands against his cheeks. This was the end. He had to use all his willpower not to pull her in his arms and deepen the kiss, and whisper sweet nothings in her ear.

Breaking away, y/n whispered, “it may be stupid that I do. Pathetic, even. -It isn’t pathetic. I love it.- Honestly, not one day goes by where I don’t face criticism about how I must be an ignorant fool to love someone like you. But what these people don’t understand, is that they are the ones that are ignorant. They do not see you as I do, and although I wish every day that they would, I doubt it will ever happen. You are, the best thing that has ever happened to me. That ever will happen to me,” she says, taking his hand and placing it over her heart. “Can’t you feel this? This is what I feel every time I think of you- this is how I feel every time you merely breathe in my direction. -You are the reason I still exist, my dear. You keep me tethered to the outside world.- My love for you has been in existence for far longer than our courtship. I wish I could do more than just tell you how much I love you, if I could, I would give you anything, everything you’ve ever wanted; my heart was yours the moment I set eyes on you 2 years ago. So take it, trample over it- it was yours to do anything with anyway. -So was mine. I am yours, just as you claim to be mine.- I love you, Loki Friggason, and I refuse to stop. -I love you too, my darling y/n. but I must do this. For you. Forgive me.-”

All Loki could do was hold in all those thoughts he desperately wanted to put in words. He could feel his eyes well up, his chest convulsing for the umpteenth time. Inhaling her scent, he hoped he would remember the sweet smell of chocolate and wine she always smelled of.

With great restraint, he pushed her off of him, his heart churning at y/n’s gasp. Her heart cracked at his dismissal. He couldn’t look at her while he shattered her heart, while he ripped it right off the pedestal. This was the end.

“You say all this, but you mean nothing by it, I assure you. I have encountered numerous midgardians professing their love for me, but I can tell when someone lies y/n. And it is very clear to me how you are simply overwhelmed. You do not love me. You are simply but a blatant, ignorant fool.” Could his heart shatter any further? Apparently, yes. It clawed at his chest, pain searing in his bones. He would feel all of it. He would embrace it.

He forced his lips to morph into a twisted, sickening smile. Agony. That is what he felt. Fresh burning agony, like fire in his tendons.

“What we have is all but a product of boredom. I was simply bored, silly mortal.” He looked up at her when she gasped, her hand on her heart. It was almost as if he could hear it shatter. All he wanted to do was hold her and weep. Tell her how sorry he was. Tell her how he wished he was the person she truly deserved. Instead, he was going to crawl into a ball and wish for death.

He got up to leave. Once and for all. Shutting his eyes for a moment, he willed his tears to sink back to wherever they came from. He didn’t deserve to cry.

“Did I ever matter to you?” he heard her whisper. Deciding not to answer, he stepped towards the door before she called to him. “Did I, Loki?” she asked again, her voice steadier. There was the woman he had hopelessly fallen in love with. A lioness, she certainly was.

He turned around to look at her, the same lifeless smile dancing across his lips. If he was someone else, he would have been taken aback at y/n’s stoic expression. She would rise again. She would continue to live her life, and no one was going to stop her. Especially him. That was the lioness he knew of. The only evidence of her hurt was the tiny teardrops prickling in her eyes, which he could see only because of the morning sun rays peeking in through the gaps in the curtains. She never cried.

“No,” he breathed, swiftly exiting through the door before she could see the tears that had traitorously fallen onto his cheeks.

part 2 here!

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whaleofatjme1920 · 3 years

Text

Coughing in the Bathroom (Eyeless Jack X F!Reader)

🌸 Coughing in the Bathroom

[Eyeless Jack X F!Reader]

[Warnings: Slight blood, slight language, slight alcohol, emotional cheating]

Part 2

In the world you live in, there’s a terrible thing called ‘Hanahaki Disease,’ and while it is ultimately rare, it is still feared widely throughout the globe. Love is an emotional virtually everyone feels, and it is through that monetary softness that the disease may take root. It affects those whose love is unrequited.

Five years ago, you never thought you would be under its spell.

The first time you met Eyeless Jack was a mess of combined hot headedness and a ‘my horse is bigger than yours’ type of deal. He was so brash and such a know it all! How could you NOT butt heads with him? The two of you spawned a little rivalry, and that rivalry grew to love.

How could you not fall in love with him? He’d been everything you’d ever wanted, and in your line of work, that’s hard to find. You’re what’s known as an ‘independent,’ someone who does not work directly under the Slender Man, but often crosses paths with him due to common goals and your abilities. While there is nothing inherently supernatural or otherworldly about you, you do have the gift of clairvoyance. Your clairvoyance isn’t super special, as you’re only prone to glimpses of the future based on current actions and what might (you are the world’s greatest predictor).

Jack IS supernatural. He’s not human, calls himself ‘a demon of some sorts.

The Slender Man saw potential in the two of you from your rivalry and decided to put the two of you together. It was that proximity that led him to falling helplessly, hopelessly, and ardently in love with you.

You never saw that coming.

Jack had told you he loved you when the two of you had just finished some of the grossest work you’ve done to date. He didn’t want to go back to the safe house the two of you had been holed up in with various other independents and instead urged you to hang out on the roof with him.

“Why are you rummaging through their fridge?” You asked, hands resting on your hips with a smile on your lips.

“Beer?” He finally asked as he poked his head out from the door.

You suppressed a chuckle and threw caution for the night to the wind. “Yeah, sounds good.”

With that, Jack tossed you a bottle, before snatching one for himself. Normally, he doesn’t drink, but he felt as if he needed the liquid courage to face you. He felt like he was being obvious with his intentions, but you’d managed to miss every gesture and hint he threw up to this point. If you’re anything like he is, you’re dense.

The two of you walked upwards and opened the door to the roof and were greeted by the lights of the city. The two of you don’t spend much time in people cluttered areas, but when you do, you always spend a moment together. He took a seat next to you on one of the lawn chairs hanging around and cracked the drink open, practically gulping it down.

“Are you thirsty?” You chuckled before opening your own. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen you down one like that before,” you noted before taking a much smaller sip yourself.

Jack shifted uncomfortably for a moment as he took the bottle from his lips. It’s not that he was uncomfortable with you, but he was uncomfortable with the possibility that if you didn’t feel the same way, he could be subjected to the disease that’s claimed the lives of some damn good proxies and independents who fell in love with humans they never had a chance with. He hates getting sick, but he doesn’t think he can handle a broken heart and lungs full of flowers.

“No I-,” he took a deep breath. “Reader, I think you’re great.”

You laughed slightly. “I think you’re great too.”

Jack shook his head and took another swig before he attempted to speak again. “Not like that, it’s… I’m bad with words,” he sighed, feeling overwhelmed. The man isn’t used to speaking about his feelings.

You raised a brow. You know Jack, your Jack, to be someone concise, clear and to the point. He’s not one to fumble over his words. He’s not one to get bashful. You know where this is going, you can see it in your mind’s eye, but you won’t say it because a part of you enjoyed his aversion. “Right now you totally suck at speaking,” you lightly joked, which made him crack the tiniest smile.

That’s when he shot you a look. “You already know what I’m trying to say, don’t you?” He deadpanned, eyes narrowed at you slightly in accusation.

You let out a laugh and nodded, hand up in submission, “I did,” you giggled.

“I swear,” Jack breathed out as he tossed his bottle to the stone floor before he snatched yours and repeated the action. Before you could be surprised, he took you in his arms, his lips pressed to yours in a kiss full of everything he just couldn’t say.

Your arms wrapped around him, pleased that he had gotten to the point.

Jack has always made your heart flutter. He’s charming, but in his own way. Even though you have future vision to some varying degree, he has never failed to surprise you. For your first anniversary, he had brought you to the most beautiful flower field you’d ever seen.

“Have you always known that this was here?” You asked, eyes shining over the field full of lavender, sunflowers, poppies and other wildflowers. The scent rivaled that of the Slender Man’s garden.

“I spent the past year cultivating it,” he said as he wrapped his arms around your waist from behind, his head resting on top of yours. “Thought you’d appreciate it.”

“And I’m guessing you built the gazebo too?”

“Had some help from the proxies. Hoodie is surprisingly good at craftsmanship,” he said with a small chuckle. Jack pressed kisses to the crown of your head.

You allow him to sway you as you listen to the birds sing from the surrounding trees. “Is this what you were up to?” You asked.

Jack breathed out and shrugged. “A magician never reveals his secrets,” he teased.

You turned around in his grasp and wrapped your arms around his shoulders, hands loosely connected ‘round the back of his neck. “You suck,” you teased, sticking your tongue out before you pressed a kiss to his nose.

Jack laughed, his smile rivaling the warmth of the sun. “Thought that was your job,” he mused, making you gasp and smack his chest. He laughed again before you dropped the feigned annoyed attitude and joined him.

The rest of your anniversary was held under that gazebo, talking well into the night.

When the nights were hard and you were bruised from jobs that were rough, he was always there to pick you back up. You’d come back to the Slender Man’s mansion in need of minor medical attention and had only come to his home because it was close to where you’d gotten banged up.

“You can just wait in the waiting room,” a female proxy said as her green eyes scanned you over with little concern. She gestured for you to head down the hall to your left. “You won’t miss it.” It seemed your injuries paled in comparison to the gunshots, knife wounds, musical instruments to the skull and other more hefty injuries.

You thanked her with a small smile and then walked down the hall. You’d never really spent extended time in the Slender Man’s mansion; you had no reason to. You didn’t serve directly under him. Still, it was nice to be in something regal looking rather than a dirty field house wondering if the first aid kid was even usable or not.

You took a seat once you finally reached the waiting room, displeased to see that there were so many other people - mostly proxies - waiting for service. Some of them looked on the verge of passing out due to blood loss. How had no one attended to them yet? You waited and waited, watching as the more in danger patients were taken in before you finally nodded off. Your dreams were for the most part, empty, but your vision showed you that Jack was here, working. That thought alone was enough to wake you back up.

When your eyes reopened, you were overcome with emotions to see Jack in the doorway waiting for you to get up and follow him to the back. You scrambled up from your seat, mindful of not outwardly showing you were in a relationship (the Slender Man detested such bonds) and tried your best to remain cool and level headed.

Jack, who wore his mask, showed no signs he had any business with you until he brought you into a secluded room where he could attend to your injuries. The moment the door closed, he took off his mask and looked you over, worry lined on his face. “What’s wrong? Is it serious? O should have seen you sooner. Are you hurt-”

“Woah, woah,” you tiredly chuckled as you took his rapidly moving hands into yours. “It’s just minor bruises and cuts. Just wanna get them disinfected. I might’ve also sprained my wrist,” you sheepishly admitted.

Jack’s face fell again. “Jeeze, I should have seen you earlier,” he muttered to himself, moving around the room to get the supplies he needed. He slapped on his medical gloves again, and then got to work, leaving no part of you untouched. When it stung, he hushed you with words of love. “How did this happen?” He asked quietly.

“Alcoholic guy had way more power than I originally expected,” you winced. “I saw the possibility of him throwing me, but not him almost tearing off my wrist by slamming it in a door.”

“He what?” Jack growled.

“He’s dead now, don’t worry,” you said before you flashed Jack a reassuring look.

Jack seemed barely placated by your words and continued working.

When he finished working, he pressed a kiss to your forehead and gave you a look that told you he didn’t want you to leave.

“I have to,” you said as you allowed him to snake his arms around you. “I’ll be seeing you soon though, right?”

“I’m gonna be stuck in this area for a while,” he mumbled into your shoulder. “And you? You’re leaving Alabama right?”

You hesitantly nodded and sighed into him before you took in his scent that instantly calmed you. “Yeah, unfortunately. I have some work calling me out east,” you continued as he tensed in your arms. “Besides, I’m getting the vibe that if I stay much longer, the Slender Man is gonna be pissed at us.”

If Jack had eyes, he’d roll them. “I don’t care what he wants or likes,” he replied. That’s not entirely true, but love does weird things to people. “Stay a moment longer.”

You did.

There were times in your five year relationship that the two of you were split up for extended periods of time mostly on the whims and requests of the Slender Man. Those times you were apart were hard. And unfortunately, the two of you couldn’t actually text or call. Phones, electronics in general, were considered liabilities for people like you due to tracking and everything else. It just wasn’t safe, and BEN can only do so much.

Instead, the two of you would write letters to each other and enlist the help of Jeffery’s dog, Smile. Of course, the dog doesn’t always enjoy playing mail-dog, but he does enjoy the treats and favors he gets from the two of you.

The fifth year of your relationship with him had been a particularly long, hard separation due to distance. The two of you traded letters weekly via Smile. Everything from little anecdotes to how much you missed each other was shared between them until you got a letter that was calm before the storm.

‘Dear Reader, how have you been? I’m sorry it’s taken me so long to write back to you, but Slender has put me on a really weird task. It’s time consuming as all hell and I kinda hate it. I’ve been placed with the proxies for a little while, and they all say ‘hi’ and hope you’re well as much as I do. … I love you, J.’ Of course, interspersed in the letter was a whole treasure trove of everything Jack had been up to.

‘Dear Jack, I’m glad to hear you’re doing alright. I’ve been lighting up the Midwest's farm fields - I don’t know why (I do have my inklings), but the proxies I’m currently with get it. They’re a nice bunch, but the one with a pig mask is kinda mean? Maybe you’ll have to fight him or something. There’s also talk of us converting some people to the proxy side, which is weird because it’s not my territory, but I’ll do what’s asked of me. What’s the task you’re currently up to? I love you, R.’

It had been a few weeks since you got the next letter, and that letter was the beginning of your end. You just didn’t know it yet, and you purposely blinded your future vision to it.

‘Dear Reader, I’m so sorry it took so long to get this letter back to you! I hope I didn’t worry you, but things have once again been really, really busy. In truth, I’m not supposed to tell you about this, but as long as he doesn’t find out… I can trust you with this, but you need to promise you won’t tell anyone else? I suppose it doesn’t matter because the whole of our society is going to be talking about it regardless. We’ve never seen something like this before. Zalgo (may his name burn for all eternity) had a kid, right? They call her Leia and she’s been causing a storm of issues for the tall man. We got a hold of her and she’s been under our watch since. She’s powerful, I’ll give her that. In a way, it’s admirable, but she’s also Slender’s biggest threat. The weirdest thing? She willingly gave herself up to us because she’s got daddy issues. Can you believe that? Zalgo’s favorite kid has daddy issues. She’s naturally murderous towards proxies so Masky, Toby, Hoodie and Kate have to be extra mindful of her. For the most part, she’s with me. We talk a lot, but I have no idea if I can trust her. She’s a great conversationalist though - nothing like her father. She doesn’t look anything like him either (you have seen his human form, right?) In fact, nothing about her screams spawn of Zalgo. She looks… normal, if that’s the right word. Other than that, her attitude reminds me of you. Funny, right? She asks about you every now and then, which is odd because I try not to mention you unless it’s with Hoodie. Hoodie says hi, by extension. She seems to not like you despite having never met you, which is also incredibly strange as she’s been nothing but kind to me and the proxies (despite her trying to kill them when her instincts take over). I digress, and I miss you. I love you, J.’

You’d read that letter over so many times poking and prodding it. The energy didn’t feel right, and your mind had shown you glimpses of what was to come. But of course, still in love with him, you acted like nothing was wrong and the future you had seen wasn’t absolute.

The first time you met Leia was largely an accident. A short while after you’d gotten that letter from Jack, you ‘swung by’ the area he was in and decided on a surprise visit. You knew Masky well enough, and the proxy had never been angry with you for visiting prior to. What difference would this one have been?

You knocked on the door in a way that only Masky would recognize to be greeted by the unmasked proxy.

“You’re here for him, aren’t you?” He asked, a tired smile coming onto his lips.

You nodded excitedly. “Where is he?”

“Back room, with uh-”

“She already knows,” both Hoodie and Kate said in unison as they barely spared a glance over their shoulders from the terrible movie playing on Lifetime.

Masky shot a slight glare towards his teammates but relented and moved aside in the doorway. “Have fun,” he said as you stepped inside. “Don’t do anything stupid and if you do, do so quietly?”

You slapped Masky’s shoulder and walked down the hall. You took a brief moment to wave to Toby who was reading something in one of the rooms before you reached the end where you heard laughter. To be polite, you knocked on the door, and to your surprise, it was not Jack who answered the door.

There she stood with long silver hair and the most alluring blue eyes you’d ever seen, her skin as warm as the cinnamon that floated on top of hot chocolate in the winter. She gave you a sickly saccharine smile before she turned her head over her shoulder to address Jack, “Reader is here,” she giggled.

You bit back a grimace but smiled when Jack got up and gently moved Leia aside in the doorframe to greet you.

“It’s so good to see you,” he said as he took you into his arms before he crushed you in his grip. “How have you been?” He whispered in your ear before he peppered your face with kisses.

You wished you could have enjoyed the moment as you laughed in his arms, but your eyes fluttered open for just a moment to see Leia’s unamused expression. “I’m okay,” you replied in a tone lacking the enthusiasm Jack expected to hear.

“Are you sure?” He asked as he checked you over to ensure you physical self was safe. His hands cupped your cheeks as you were forced to look up at him.

“Of course,” you replied in an attempt to play it cool.

“If you say so,” he trailed off before taking your hand in his and leading you to sit next to him on the bed.

From there, the world’s most awkward conversation took place between Jack and Leia with you attempting to cut in every once and a while. You saw it in little glimpses.

Her eyes never left his sockets, and he allowed it.

When her hand touched his knee, he made no motion to move it.

When she laughed, he smiled in a way that only you had been used to seeing.

He talked with her with so many inside jokes, you felt as if you were just peeking in on someone else’s conversation, not one you were invited to.

Gradually, through the hour, he’d moved closer to her than he had you. While his arm remained loosely wrapped around your waist, he’d leaned forward to hear her better. He watched her interaction first after he shared a story. His focus was on her. You’d left his field of vision.

A few weeks into your fifth year was all it took.

Things did not get any easier from there. Eventually, you were moved to helping the group in regards to Leia. According to Slender, it was to ‘protect her’ from her father and her now murderous siblings. That’s when the rift grew wider, and the roots took hold.

See, after that first in person interaction with Leia, you’d felt a scratchiness in your lungs. At first, you chalked it up to being under the weather, but after being moved to Masky’s group, you knew nothing would ever be the same. Your worst fear had come true, and all it took was a pair of blue eyes.

Physically, Jack was still yours. He’d hold you, kiss you and touch you like you were still his. He never physically left your side, nor did his flesh betray your relationship. No, it was something much deeper than that that brought about the sprouts that took hold in your lungs.

Emotionally, he’d left you the moment he laid sockets on her. Why did he give in so easily? Who knows - boredom? A premature seven year itch? You’re not sure. But you saw it - you saw his heart leave the space it once shared with you and take up residence with hers, and it was painful. So, so painful.

He looked at her like she owned the moon and commanded the tides.

He smiled at her in a way he used to smile with you.

He spoke to her in a tone so gentle, you assumed he’d only used it for you.

He spoke with you less frequently, and when he did, it was much shorter and to the point. Whenever you prodded him, he had chalked it up to being stressed and that of course, he still loved you.

“You’re just being paranoid.”

He told her things you’d never even scratched the surface of.

She viewed him as hers.

And he allowed it without leaving the safety net that was you.

Of course, this did not go unnoticed by the proxies. None of them wanted to get directly involved though.

Hoodie was amongst the most disturbed as he was usually the first to call out Jack’s bullshit and the first proxy to inquire about you and your wellbeing. Despite not spending any time with you, Hoodie viewed you as a good friend.

"You realize what you're doing isn't cool, right?" Hoodie said as he walked back to the temp house with Jack.

"I'm not doing anything," Jack replied. "This about Leia?"

"No, it's about Pennywise we met last year - of course it's about Leia," Hoodie hissed as he rolled his eyes. "You're digging a hole you won't be able to get back out of. You know that, right?"

Jack lightly shoved Hoodie's shoulder in response. He was uncomfortable with what Hoodie had insinuated, mostly because Hoodie's BS meter is never far off the mark and normally strikes true. But when he entered that house and saw Leia sitting at the table, he couldn't help but take his place at her side.

Perhaps Kate just believes in girl code, but as a fellow being under the Slender Man’s control, she’s got her eye out for you. She believed wholeheartedly that what Jack was doing was scummy, but of course, her focus is on you. It came in mugs of hot chocolate and late night living room talks. She cares, just quietly.

"Don't overwork yourself, okay?" She said softly as she draped a blanket around your shoulders.

You'd been nodding off much more in the living room than in the room you shared with Jack. "What?" You said sleepily.

Kate chuckled softly and let you rest your head on her lap. "Turn your brain off for a while with me and let's watch this gods awful movie." Anything to get your mind off of what's going on and if this movie does it for you, that's good enough for the moment.

"Yes, ma'am," you tiredly rib, a smile on your lips.

Toby is inexperienced when it comes to these things. He was the first person to find you hacking up forget-me-nots. That was a scary experience as he’s never seen the Hanahaki before. He’s too young and too inexperienced, where would he have seen it?

He can distinctly remember walking with you, patrolling the area for threats when you suddenly stopped. It’d been a few months of you in his group's care, and he’d seen you retreat into yourself the longer Jack spent time with Leia. He knew it, just didn’t know how to go about it.

“What’s w-w-wrong?” He asked.

You waved for him to go on. “I’m fine-” you tried to wheeze out before you began violently coughing.

Toby initially thought you were going through what Masky did. He’s handled that before and naively thought he could help you until he rushed to your side to see the small forming pile of blue flowers covered sparsely in drops of blood. “Oh n-n-no,” he whispered as he knelt at your side. He held you like you were glass. “R-Reader-”

“I said I’m fine!” You tried to reason before coughing once more, this time more blood than cursed flower.

“Does t-t-this look f-f-fine to you?” He asked in stress and worry. “We n-need to t-t-tell M-Masky or J-Ja-”

“No,” you coldly cut off as you wiped your mouth of the blood that dribbled down your chin.

Toby wanted to fight that notion badly, but instead focused on getting you back safe. “I-I’ll tell M-Masky we s-saw some n-n-not deer on t-the p-property,” he murmured as he carefully picked you back up.

You allowed him.

Masky knew the moment you walked back into the temp house with Toby holding you as inconspicuous as he could. It’s unfortunate, he thinks, because he knows what that’s like - to love someone and physically suffer because of it.

One day, he’d sent everyone out of the house except for you and urged you to sit down and have some apple cider with him to ‘celebrate’ his favorite season, fall.

“Let’s not beat around the bush,” he began. “You’ve got it.”

You shifted uncomfortably and averted your gaze from his and chose to look into your apple cider than his eyes. “What?”

“Reader,” Masky sighed as he sat up in his seat. “Please…”

“It’s not that serious,” you attempted to retort. “It’s not… It’s not that bad.”

“You’re delusional,” Masky said. “I saw the flowers in the trash bin.”

You rolled your eyes but crossed your arms over your chest anyways in an attempt to soothe yourself.

“You know what happens, right?” He continued, leaning forward. “It either takes you or you get the surgery done.”

A pregnant pause passes before you reluctantly speak.

“Is… Is it really that bad?”

Masky nodded, “From experience? Yeah,” he mumbled.

You gave him a look of both sympathy and intrigue.

“The Operator forced me to get the surgery,” he admitted.

You look into his eyes and see for the first time that he’s empty. His dark brown eyes, that are full of amiability, protective nature, it’s all a front. He doesn’t actually feel that way - it is what is expected of him, but he is hollow.

“What happened?” You asked shyly, unsure if that’s too sensitive or not.

“I don’t quite remember as that’s an outcome of having the surgery,” Masky hummed. “But I remember that I loved him- I don’t feel it, obviously - but I remember that I loved him more than anything, would’ve moved mountains for him, and then he died,” he sounded vaguely perturbed by the words, but they did not reach his heart. “I think his name was Jay.”

You felt something pierce your heart, but it was interrupted by the flowers in your lungs blooming through your mouth.

Masky held you as you coughed petals and blood in the bathtub.

You promised Masky you were going to speak things over with Jack. You promised you were going to solve this. But when he spoke to you with his empty words coated in honey, the pain became too much to bear. It hurt. Seeing him hurt. Hearing him hurt.

“Jack?” You ask quietly, slowly sitting up in the bed you shared with him, much too used to his arms not being slinked around your form by this point.

He roused slightly in the bed before he opened his eyes. “Yeah? What’s up?” He asks, a slight bite in his voice from being woken up.

“Can we talk about something?”

“Can’t it wait?” He sighs in a slightly exasperated tone.

You shake your head, and through the darkness, Jack’s form sloughs in defeat.

“What is it?” He asks.

“Are we okay?”

“Of course we’re okay.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

“Do you love me?”

“I love you more than anything,” he replies, hand gripping yours.

He feels like ice.

“And what about Leia?”

“She’s a really good friend of mine.”

He suddenly feels warm.

“I’m sorry for waking you.”

“It’s nothing, now go to sleep, baby. We can talk about this in the morning,” he says with a small yawn before falling back into the comfort of slumber.

Your other hand at this point, has wrapped over your mouth to stifle the sounds of silence and the threat of flowers crawling up from your esophagus. You suffer in silence for a few minutes until you’re certain he’s asleep, then quietly excuse yourself to the bathroom.

You begin to cough as softly as you can, not wanting to be a burden to anyone in the house as forget-me-nots begin to fill up the sink. Blood splatters on the porcelain as well as the mirror. Your eyes are full of tears. You feel cold, much too cold.

As you continue to empty your lungs in vain, the light flicks on. You’re in too much pain and absorbed in velvety petals to realize it at first.

“I thought I told you to handle this,” Masky’s exhausted voice chides gently, his eyes dipping to the mess you’ve left in the basin of the sink.

You grip the edge of the sink before hacking up the rest of what the garden in your lungs has to offer before slinking down to the tile floor, utterly exhausted. “Turn the light off,” you whisper. Your back rests against the tub.

Masky does as you ask, allowing the moonlight to overtake as the main source of light in the small bathroom. His shoulders sag slightly as he joins you on this floor, his arm around your shoulders. “Get some sleep,” he says softly, allowing you to rest your head on his shoulder.

You smile softly as the flowers continue to clog up your lungs. It looks like another fit is coming.

“Just let it pass,” he murmurs softly into your ear, his head resting loosely on top of yours as you attempt to suppress the flowers from reemerging. “It’ll be over soon.”

You move your eyes to look at his profile before you take in the scent of cigarettes. You continue to feel your lungs grow heavy with blossoms when you hear Leia’s door open. Her steps pad quietly along the wooden floor as she crosses the hall to the room you used to share with Jack. “You promise?” You manage to choke out before stifling your coughs as quietly as you can. Your eyelids are growing heavier. You can hear your heartbeat through your chest to the hallways of your ears. Leia has slipped into bed with Jack. You hear him shift. He’s holding her now.

“I promise,” he says gently, holding you just a little tighter.

You close your eyes and listen to Masky hum, hoping sleep washes over you soon.

#eyeless jack #xreader #creepypasta x reader #eyeless jack x reader #creepypasta #hanahaki #angst #masky #hoodie #brian thomas #tim wright #kate the chaser #reader insert

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refriedweeb · 4 years

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PUT YOUR LIPS ON MY SKIN ( HAWKS + READER 18+)

A/N: heyyoo! refriedweeb here again with another request from @alexandria-selina and has elements of jealous hawks with his wings (from that tiktok head canon of them puffing out you know what I mean) and this post from @keiqos !

Prompt: “A jealous Hawks where his s/o gets hit on by another pro and she's blushing. She's just being shy but Hawks takes it as she likes it. Instead of getting into a fight with the pro, he shows his s/o why she shouldn't look at anyone else.”

Tags/Warnings: smut, overstimulation, jealousy, mirror fucking, spit, a lil bit of blood, rutting, feral, aftercare, kink, jealous, dirty talk.

Word count: 5,080

Keigo Takami hated hero events. He hated having to wear the Hawks persona day in and day out, especially when it came to being surrounded by his fellow pro heroes. Now, don’t get the guy wrong, he did enjoy what he did for a career despite any behaviors he had to unlearn from the hero commission themselves. He wanted to save people, he wanted to make the world a better and safer place. He just hated all the bullshit politics that came with it. They were heroes, hell. It wasn’t about making best friends and going to fancy events when there was always going to people out there that needed them while they clinked glasses of overpriced champagne.

Though, one thing Keigo didn’t think he minded that much was seeing you dolled up in a dress that led his mind to sinful, dark places. You and Keigo had only recently started dating, after months of him slowly starting to open up to you about the shit that he’d gone through, how he’d really felt about the commission once he’d gotten the sense that he could trust you. It’d been a struggle to call yourselves an item, but now that you could, Keigo felt what he could only assume was peace inside of a darkened and traumatized heart. There was also another emotion that was stirring in him that had nothing to do with peace, and all of those awful things that he wanted to do to your body. None that he would apologize for, of course.

It wasn’t his fault that the commission had decided to host a little event when he was in the peak of his rut season.

And oh, was Keigo in trouble. You’d recently started wearing a new perfume that had driven him up a wall the moment he’d caught the scent on you at the beginning of his mating season. It wasn’t sickly sweet, but sweet enough, and mixed perfectly with your natural pheromones to create a musk that drove his cock to twitch every time you shook some hair over your shoulder, stretched, fucking just breathed. He’d been unable to keep his hands off you for the majority of the weeks that had past, except as of late. You’d told him to keep his filthy paws to himself leading up to the event, not wanting to be bruised or love bit to all hell because Keigo couldn’t control himself. The way that he saw it, the dress you’d picked for the night was to torment him on purpose. Deep red velvet that matched his wings, settling over the curve of your hips, the flow of your waist.

You’d made him promise to be on his best behavior for the night, not wanting any trouble or any media to get wildly stories about what your relationship was really about. But damn, if the moment you were alone with him, he was going to tear that dress to shreds with what little talons he had in place of regular nails. You, on the other hand, your body had been spent. Keigo was insatiable on a good day, but ever since the rut season had started, it’d been exceptionally so. Not that you could complain, your body was sore in a much different, more appreciative way than you felt with sparring.

And yes, you had chosen the red velvet dress on purpose. It was your goal of the night to drive Keigo as out of his mind as possible. You couldn’t read him quite as well yet, your relationship still relatively new, and Keigo working through an entire lifetime of walls to protect his emotional security from the hero commission. His expression was a blank one, but when you locked eyes with him, Keigo gave you the smallest eyebrow raise as he looked you up and down. A silent stamp approval that had heat blossoming up your neck. He wanted to make that perfume you were wearing mixed with his own, he wanted to make sure that anyone who got a whiff of your scent knew who you belonged to. He wasn’t a fan of sharing by any means.

The night carried on, speeches given by the leaders of the commission (which you’d always found yourself by Keigo’s side much to his comfort), Endeavor’s speech, All Night’s retirement speech, and so on and so on. There’s been a light array of snacks while the pros mingled, finding yourself talking to Shinya Kamihara, otherwise known to the world as Edgeshot. It wasn’t very often you got to mingle with the top ten pros, your rank in the high teens, so you found yourself shy. Not quite sure how to handle yourself around such class, experiences, and amazing heroes. You were sure the blush on your cheeks, your neck, was visible from outer space. Shinya was a gentleman, he complimented you on your quirk, your work, and the little bit of history you’d talked to him about on why you had made your choice to become a hero. From your point of view, it was a harmless conversation that was borderline on friendly as you got to know the fellow hero, but from a certain outside perspective it was something a little more.

Keigo wasn’t paying attention to any of the conversation going on around him, his eyes were focused on you. The way you tipped your head back as you laughed, sending another ripple effect of your smell through the air. Was that bastard Edgeshot trying to move in on you? Did he really think he had a chance? He swallowed the jealousy in his throat, though his avian side had a mind of its own on this. His wings, proud and defensive, puffed out. This caused a stir of the other heroes around him, asking if there was something they missed that he’d alerted to. Keigo laughed, the same charismatic Hawks as always, saying they just needed a stretch. He crossed his arms, fidgeting with one of his cuff links. Keigo, jealous? Haha. HAHAHAHA...ha? His eyes were narrowed into slits as he watched you pat Edgeshot on the shoulder, leaning in to kiss his cheek before the other hero moved away.

His instinct was to claim you right then and there. To rub his scent all over you and yours on his so that no one else would mistake you as open. But...that’d certainly cause a scene and that was something he promised he wouldn’t do that night. So, Keigo bit back on his instinct, unclenched his jaw, and behaved for the rest of the night. Anything that came after that was entirely out of his control. You’d floated around to him throughout the night, not doing much outside of brushing hands together, a chaste smile shared between you. This was your first real hero event ever since you broke into the teens of your career, and it was one you wanted to soak in. Keigo knew this, and didn’t want to spoil it for you despite his own feelings on the event.

Keigo’s mood, his want, took a turn for the worse when it came to someone actually flirting with you. You, not experienced enough with the personalities of some of these heroes to realize what was happening. It wasn’t Edgeshot this time, no. Now...it was Ryo Inui, better known as Hound Dog. And he was like Keigo in a way that he wanted to mark whatever it was that he wanted. Ryo put his hand on the small of your back, where Keigo’s hand was supposed to go. He laughed when you laughed, leaning in close to you as like there was some desperate secret he needed to share with your ears only. Ryo was flirting with his girlfriend and was being so bold about it. No, nope. That would not do for him. His wings fanned out again, this time catching the attention of several people around him, you and Ryo included. Your mouth dropped open in awe at the sight, though when you caught Keigo’s eyes to see his pupils narrowed into slits, something like a firework set off in your belly.

That fucking mutt dared to spoil that perfume that sent him into a frenzy with his dog-like scent? That wasn’t something that Keigo could stand for in the slightest. That scent was you. It was the scent he had been planning on burying his own in.

The two of you left the event shortly after.

On the ride back to Keigo’s place, the car was silent. Not a word was spoken between the two of you, though it was full of tension in a way where if you breathed, you felt that you could choke on it. He drove fast, shifting gear after gear with aggression that made you wish it was your neck he gripped so hard. As you sat in the passenger seat, you couldn’t help but rub your thighs together to feel some of that much desired tension between your legs. This didn’t go unnoticed by Keigo, and he hissed.

Still, the two of you didn’t exchange words until you were behind the privacy of his front door. And even then, you spoke first. “Everything okay, Keigo?”

His pupils were still zeroed in on you, as he stalked towards you, every bit the predator bird that he was. And fuck, if it didn’t make you want to melt into a puddle at his feet. You walked backwards, careful not to trip over the towering heels you were in. His body was hot, flush against yours though he refused to touch you. Keigo wanted to take his time with this, with devouring you. You’d rubbed it in his face how much the rest of the heroes wanted you, being the little flirt that you were. There was no need for him to rush into anything, the way Keigo saw it. “Oh, everything’s fine.” He commented, tone dark. “I could handle that nimrod Edgeshot eyeing you up like some desert, sure. I behaved,” Keigo tipped his head to the side as he shrugged. He’d managed to walk you back into the bedroom you’d been sharing recently.

“What are you talking about? Edgeshot was just being friendly!”

Keigo’s chuckle was cynical, but it turned the silk of your bundle into a pearl with how quickly it excited you. “He wanted to tear this dress of you just as much as I do.” How he was. “But then you had to go and be a little tease, didn’t you?” Keigo was watching you like a hawk would watch a mouse just before it clutched it in its’ talons. “Had to let Ryo rub himself on you like the mutt he is. In the middle of my rutting season.” Your back bumped up against the floor length mirror behind you as Keigo gripped your jaw, the sharp curve of what would have been talons biting into the skin there. “All I can smell on you is him.”

He clucked his tongue. Sharp, narrowed eyes lowered over your skin and back up. You were breathless and Keigo hadn’t even touched you yet. “That just won’t do, now will it, (Y/N)?”

“K-Keigo, I don’t know what you’re-”

A soft cry of pain rose from the back of your throat as his version of talons sank into your skin, enough to draw a little bit of blood. This was Keigo in his rutting form times a million, a possessive version of him you’d never seen before. Part of you was scared, but the larger part of you was excited. He wanted to claim you. He wanted to make you more than just his.

“I asked if that would do, (Y/N)?”

Unable to speak with how tightly Keigo gripped your jaw, you simply shook your head from side to side. No, it wouldn’t do. That crooked smirk brushed over Keigo’s lips, and you wanted to taste him so bad. Taste the anger on his tongue, feel the fury in the rows of his teeth. Keigo was pissed, more than anything, that someone had tried to erase his claim on you. So, the only way to make sure that never happened again was to mold the scent of you with his. “That’s a good little slut.” Keigo released his hand from your jaw, the faint tickle of blood that ran down your jaw sending a shiver down your spine.

Keigo turned surprisingly gentle as he turned you around, as he pressed your hands up against the curve of the mirror that you were facing. “I’m going to make you watch me claim you. Fuck you and fill you until there’s no fucking mistaking who you belong to.” His hands dug into the back of your skin, and you winced. “You keep these hands right here, and if you don’t, there’ll be problems. Do you understand, little bird?”

“Yes, Keigo.”

His devilishly wicked smile returned. And so did the greed in his hands. Keigo took his time groping you, the swell of your breasts full in his hands. The winding curves of your waist and hips. Down the silken road of the dress that he swore he’d destroy. He wasn’t soft, gentle. Keigo was at his brink already, but he wanted to take his time with torturing you for being such a teasing little whore. His hands gripped the sides of your thighs, plunged through the velvet fabric so that lines of red were exposed in the slits he left behind. A soft moan escaped you at the sensation of talons digging through your skin, and he watched your expression in the mirror’s reflection as he did it over your backside. “Do you like that, whore?” he whispered in your ear. “When I leave my mark on you? When all you can feel is me?”

“Yes, fuck,” you breathed in response. He buried his face in the juncture of your neck and collarbone, taking a deep breath in that still smelled like mutt, fueling his need to erase that smell completely. His kisses were wet, sloppy, tongue traced over the length of your collarbone, of your neck. A soft sigh escaped you, your grip on the perimeter of the mirror growing tighter as the need to touch Keigo grew. His teeth sank into the soft spot of your neck, your head falling back on his shoulder as he suckled the skin there, a patch of pink blossoming against the skin there that would eventually bruise. The assault against your neck and your shoulders didn’t stop there, either. He ran his nose along the length of your shoulders, leaving trails of wet, angry patches from where he’d bit and pulled at your skin. There wasn’t a single ounce of Keigo that was kidding when he said he was going to erase every trace of anyone on your body but him. His cock was hard, and it would have been so easy to just bury himself inside the soft warmth of your cunt, and god how he ached to.

But the best things came to those that waited.

While his tongue and mouth worked at your neck and shoulders, his fingers played with your breasts, groping and pulling at the skin there with reckless abandon. Fingers pinched at your nipples, sharpened nails ghosted across the tender flesh there. You shuddered, shifted where you stood as you ground against his hips, feeling the thick length of him there. Keigo had barely even touched you, but you could feel the pool of warmth between your thighs only growing wetter. “Keigo,” you mewled.

“Hmm?” his breath came hot against the ear he had been nibbling on, and your knees knocked together.

“Touch me,” you pleaded.

“Touch you where?” His tone sounded positively bored, pinching your nipple between his thumb and index finger that caused you to squeal.

“My pussy,” you caught sight of your own desperate expression in the mirror, all while Keigo looked like a predator playing with his food. And in that moment, you realized this was exactly what it was. Keigo was toying with you before he sent you to the next level of existence. Your legs quivered. “Play with me.”

“Have you been a good little bird?” He asked.

“Yes.”

His hum seemed to be a satisfied answer, because his hands left your breasts, finding a new home at the back of your dress. But rather than go for the zipper, Keigo simply tore the fabric. The sound of it ripping filled the room as it pooled down at your feet seconds later. Leaving you exposed save for the same colored red pair of panties you’d worn that night. The dress had left no room for a matching bra given the dip at your back it’d once had. But that was of no consequence to Keigo. Keigo let out a sharp breath through his teeth as he admired your body and all that came with it. His hands found the curve of your backside, kneading the flesh there with thought. You could feel the tent of him pressing in between your thighs, and you let him slip between your thighs, shifting your thighs back and forth to alleviate some of the tension in his cock for him.

On instinct, more due to the fact that the bird in him wanted to cover you in his scent and his cum, Keigo rolled his hips into you with a snap of a thrust. It pushed you forward, almost sending you colliding with the mirror. “Little bird, that wasn’t very nice of you.” He scolded, letting a finger draw under the band of your panty before lifting it up. A moment later it was slapping against your skin, and you hissed. “I’ll have to punish you. Such behavior tonight...” he drawled, quickly shedding his formal attire until he was dressed down to just his pants. Keigo pressed his chest against your back, rubbing himself against you. His free hand returned to one of your breasts, toying with the nipple there as he murmured in your ear, his voice husky.

Feral.

“So naughty tonight...” Keigo continued as his other hand slipped down the front of your body, underneath the dark red lace that had kept that pretty little cunt concealed from him. He found how wet you already were for him, slick glaze quick to coat his fingers as he ran them up and down between your legs. “Already so ready for me. You really are the little tease, aren’t you?” A moan escaped you as he teased the tip of his finger around the circle of your clit, but not quite touching it. “So filthy...” he went on, breath hot against where he’d drawn out hickies moments before.

You were so eager for him to be inside of you, already so wet for him, Keigo had the perfect punishment for you being so naughty. He brushed his thumb against your clit, and your grip on the mirror slid down as you fought not to grab onto him. He was tantalizingly slow as he circled around your clit, tapping against the swollen bud every so often but not often enough for what you needed in that moment. His chuckle was dry, the hand that had been playing with your breast sneaking up to your neck. Your thighs were slick with your need, your core on fire as he teased you closer and closer to your edge.

Keigo tipped your head back, opening your mouth as he leaned in. As he spat on the tongue you’d pushed out like the slut you were. Every possible hole he could find to fill you with, Keigo was going to. You weren’t going to be able to walk down the fucking street without a single person forgetting who you belonged to. “What do we say, little bird?”

“Thank you,” you rasped as he slid two fingers into you, feeling him stretch your walls as he slowly pumped them in and out of you. He was slow, methodical, holding your jaw in place so that he could look down at that awestruck expression on your face as he finger fucked you. Your belly was on fire, waves of fire rolling as your orgasm wound tighter and tighter around his fingers. Keigo could feel his own cock slick with his precum, knowing he wouldn’t be able to last much longer himself.

“I don’t like it when other people look at you like you’re theirs for the taking,” Keigo muttered when he the tip of his nail along your clit. The featherlight sensation caused your knees to buckle, your hips to buck as you fell back into him. “You’re mine. And I’m going to fill you so fucking good that no one makes that mistake again.” He stretched your walls further with a third finger, and you writhed in your standing position as he continued to work those fingers in and out of you. The coil in your belly was wound tight enough where you thought

“Who do you belong to, little bird?” His fingers picked up pace, the sound of your silken glaze coating him filling the room while you fought to make your brain remember words. Your mouth hung open as he finger-fucked you, head bobbing against his shoulder as he looked down at you expectantly. “Tell your man who this pussy belongs to, and I’ll let you cum.” He could feel how close you were, the sound of your mewls turning to pants.

“You! It belongs to you!” you whimpered, grinding against his hand, your hips rolled forward to press his fingers deeper inside you. “Please, Keigo!”

This satisfied him enough, at least for now. His pace quickened still until your head was hung forward between your shoulders, moaning his name over and over as you watched him finger fuck you. Your orgasm was on the brink, the precipice of pleasure and all you needed was -

“Ah, fuck! Fuck, Ke-AH,” That needed push found you moments later and you were spilling around the spread of his fingers, your orgasm taking over you as your legs spasmed, knees buckling so that Keigo had to support you with a hand around your waist. Your grip on the outer of the mirror so ironclad you thought you’d break it. It rolled through you in waves, Keigo’s fingers sticky as he pulled them from you, suckling your sweetness of his fingers like it was candy. Shit.

“What a good little slut,” he whispered. The sound of his belt loosening, the pants falling, re-sparked that fire you’d just doused by orgasming. You could see his cock, curved and thick with a head already milking his cum. “Gonna fill you so good now, gonna fuck you full of my cum.” You watched, mouth dry as he milked himself with a fist. “Gonna watch me fuck you, baby bird.” You could feel the press of his head between your thighs, and you widened your stance to accommodate him.

Then, without warning, he thrust so hard into you, that you cried out in pain. His thrusts from the get go were borderline violent, painful as you fought against being thrown into the glass of the mirror. A hand fisted into your hair, pulling it sharply enough that you could feel the pain, but with enough leeway that you could still watch as he moved in and out of you, his cock already wet with what was left behind from your first orgasm. The sound of skin slapping against skin filled the room, the smell of sweet sex coming shortly after. You were unable to make any intelligible noises aside from mewls and gasps, while Keigo was behind you muttering to himself about how good your pussy felt, how it was made for his cock, how he was going to fill you up so fucking good.

The mountain climb to your orgasm started again, your cunt clenching around him as he thrust in and out of you with feverish need. His hips were sloppy, and you didn’t dare tear your eyes away from where he slipped in and out of you. “Such a sweet fucking cunt,” Hawks groaned, twisting your hair tighter in his fist. “My fucking pussy.” he hissed with a thrust that hit the highest point of your wall and caused you pain. Yet you didn’t dare stop. The look on Keigo’s face, the roll of his bottom lip between his teeth, let you know he was close to his high. The sight of him so focused on fucking you wound your belly tighter, and you missed the hand that slipped down to your clit once more. You cried out, the over-sensitized nub of your clit protesting as his thumb found it once more. The grip you had on the mirror shifted again, a move to get his hand away from where you were most sensitive.

“Don’t you fucking dare.” he growled, and your legs quivered. His eyes were still narrowed into near-invisible slits as you obeyed the order. You shook, spasmed, as he raced your orgasm to line up with his.

“Please, please, ah, hrnngh, Kei-” your hips found the rhythm to match his almost instantly, and tears sparked in your eyes as the bundle of nerves exploded inside of your body, every nerve ending inside you set on fire, exploding as your second orgasm found you just moments before Keigo found his own.

“Fuck, fuck yeah, gonna fill you so fuckin-Urngh,” Keigo groaned, fucking into you with one last violent thrust as he spilled himself in you, shooting ribbons of cum that went scorching through your core. There was a moment as the two of you stood there, Keigo still inside of you, breathing heavily. You on the other hand, were shaking all over, barely able to keep yourself on both legs.

Keigo’s callused finger pad was still resting over your clit, and even the smallest shift sent a wave of pleasured pain coursing through your entire body. You were overstimulated, likely to cum if he persisted again. “Kei...” you whispered. His head was resting over your collarbone, hung low. He reached out and slapped your hand away, pressed it back to the mirror. He wasn’t done with you.

“Told you, little bird. Gotta punish you.”

A whimper rolled through you, “I can’t, I can’t, I-” you let out a whine as he tapped his thumb against you again, slowly rolling a half-hard cock in and out of you as he started at your clit again. Massaging it slowly, cruelly. Your legs bowed out, slack as it was on Keigo alone to keep you supported with your weight against his chest. “Gotta make sure you know,” his hips snapped against yours again, and those tears that had been hidden in your eyes slipped loose. “That no one else is gonna fuck you this good. No one’s gonna make you feel this good.” he said, your body screaming at you for relief, for the prickling of nerves in your skin to cease. “You’re my good little slut.” You could feel whatever remnants of his cum shooting out into you once more, wetness cascading down your thighs.

The perfume you’d been wearing now, Keigo noted, was mixed so heavily with his own pheromones and sex, that there was no mistaking who fucked you at night. Who you were mated to. You were all Keigo’s, and that was what mattered to him. But he still had to finish punishing you for being a little tease, for allowing that musky scent to be tarnished by anyone other than him. You were a whimpering, sobbing mess, flushed against his body as your hips moved on their own accord in time with the fingers he was using between your sopping lips. Your cries were pained, unintelligible pleas to cum and be released. Yet, he took his time. Feeling that sweet cunt clamp down around his fingers once he pulled out of you. A moment’s reprieve before his fingers stretched you all over again. He wound you tighter, and tighter, sending that fire racing through your veins.

“I can’-” you cried out, a threatening wave of pleasure and pain coursing through you. “Please let me cum, please. I’ll be good, I’ll be good.” tears were wet against your cheek as he played with you.

“You promise, little bird?”

“Yes! Yes I promise!” you begged.

After all that time of keeping your hands on the perimeter of the mirror, your third and final orgasm had them flying to Keigo’s hair for stable purchase as it overtook you. Your sobs filled the room as your rode out the final orgasm, your chest heaving in shuddering breaths as Keigo worked you through it, held onto your body tightly to keep you from collapsing. Your legs were soaked, your nether region slick from top to bottom. Keigo pulled his fingers from inside you, slick and thick coated with both of your bodily fluids. His eyes met yours through the mirror as those fingers dipped between your lips, pushing them onto the flat of your tongue as you lapped and sucked them clean. Only when he was satisfied you’d gotten every last drop of each other’s cum, did Keigo pull his fingers from your mouth.

“You did so good, little bird.” he cooed in your ear, nuzzling his nose against the curve of your ear as he placed gentle kisses to sweat-soaked hair. Brushed away the tears on your cheeks. “Such a good girl,” he said, a hand smoothing over the places he’d bitten and marked you. Lips gentle as he pressed chaste kisses to the place on his jaw where his talons pricked you. The feral need for Keigo to fuck you into oblivion was satiated for now, his touch now gentle as he caressed and soothed you, the aftershocks of an overstimulated orgasm lessening as time lapsed. He was pleased that your scent now, was so heavily mixed of him and that perfume. No one was going to act as Hound Dog had, especially now. His lips were soft against your temple, his thumbs tender against the curve of your shoulders. It was a scent he was immediately fond of, and a scent he’d do anything to protect, to maintain. Keigo hummed, folding you up into the safety of his arms, surrounded by nothing but contentedness.

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imagines-by-a-typical-fangirl · 3 years

Text

Good Girl, Bad Boy (Pt. 07 of 15)

Pairing: Billy Hargrove X Reader

Word count: 1.6 K

Summary: You're the extreme opposite of Billy Hargrove. The good girl, with perfect grades, the child every mother wants to have. And you don't want to have nothing to do with his kind. Ignoring Billy – and his constant, lingering stare – became an habit. But after you're put together for a special school program, you'll have no choice but to get along with him. And soon enough you'll find out that Billy is so much more than just Hawkins' bad boy.

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{Stranger Things Masterlist}

{Dacre Montgomery Masterlist}

Don't Go

Billy did threw the keychain away when he got home. It was on the trash can he has in his bedroom, beside the desk. It remained there, among a few school papers for half an hour before he took it again.

It went right back to it's previous place at the nightstand.

Billy is deliberately skipping class. It's the fourth day now, and he doesn't feel like he'll be returning tomorrow.

He leaves everyday at the same time he would for school, and returns after. But he drives to lonely places where he thinks he can run away from his own mind. But it is everywhere he goes.

She is everywhere he goes.

Billy Hargrove did considered going back to his old ways. He even managed to make his way to the phone, ready to call Stacy again. But when he picked up the phone, he caught himself halfway through her number. The number that belongs to the girl he can't stop thinking about. To the girl he can't ruin. Whose life he can't destroy.

She's too good for him, and he knows that. An angel, as stupid as it may sound coming from a asshole like him. Because that's what Billy thinks he is. He'd live a thousand lifetimes and never deserve (Y/N). Her smile, her laughter, her blushing cheeks. Her amazing, sweet scent, that shine in her eyes when she looks at him.

What does that even mean?

Billy is looking at Hawkins, parked on this cliff. (Y/N) would like it, and he wonders if she ever came here. Probably not, since the only people who know this place are those who come here for a hook up. There are a lot of places Billy would like to show her, some of them would take an hour drive through the woods, but it's worth it. He found them soon after getting into town, because he couldn't handle to stay still, so he drove. Pretty much as he's doing now, constantly running away from something that's inside of him.

Sighing, he pushes the car door close. At this time, he should be leaving school, going to her place as always. Today they'd go over the Biology class, if he's not mistaken. (Y/N) loves it, mostly when it's about animals. She loves birds. She didn't had to tell him that, he got it from the way she smiled as the teacher spoke.

These little things, the small details, as silly as they may be, are making him fall harder.

But he can't.

Well, he can.

But not her. Billy knows who he was. Or who he still is. So he knows what people will say about her. They'll call (Y/N) mean names, say she's just another of his sluts. And that's something he can't do, not to her.

But despite knowing this is the right thing to do, it hurts. It hurts that he has to step away from her, for good this time. Billy doesn't know how he'll live from now on without their daily meetings. Without her soft voice, her sweet scent inebriating him every damn time.

He has it bad.

It's only worse because he remembers it clearly, that day at that stupid parlor, how she said they could try. They could wait and see what happens.

That was a chance. A small one, that probably would lead to nothing, but still, a chance. Something he never thought he'd get. Not with (Y/N). But now, he won't even try anymore.

This might be love, he thinks. Putting someone else's well being before his own.

It's a hard thing to acknowledge, but when it's real, there's no way to run from it.

Sighing, Billy starts the car, putting the daisy keychain on the passenger seat. For a moment he sees her image, looking at him and smiling. On the next second, it's gone.

With a weight on his chest, he maneuvers the car, heading back to the hell on Earth he calls home.

“I don't know, Nan. He just... He disappeared. Like smoke in the air and I don't know why.” Sitting shotgun in Nancy's car, you let your heart out. Billy didn't show up at school last week, and not today either. It's been five days already, and he doesn't even answer your calls.

“You know Billy Hargrove, (Y/N). I'm not impressed with this sudden change and neither should you.”

“No, Nan...” Running a hand through your hair, you sigh. “Trust me, Billy... He's not like that. Not with me at least and I know what you'll say. That he lies to get girls but... I've seen how he treats them and so have you. He... He never yelled at me, or called me bad names, he...” You're defending him. The idiot fled with no explanation and still, you're defending him.

“(Y/N), I trust your judgment.” She stops by your place, turning her body towards you. “If what you're saying it true, go after him.”

“I–”

“Look, I get that you don't want to talk about it because you're scared of having feelings for the bad boy, and I'll wait until you're ready, but honestly, I think you know what you feel.”

Looking down at your hands, you blush. “I really like to be around him, Nancy.” Your voice is low and weak, as you admit it to her and to yourself at the same time. “And I miss him.”

“Don't call him, then. Go after him.” She touches your shoulder, smiling. “...Just don't let Steve know Billy is making you sad because you know he'll freak out.”

“God, no!” Giggling, you reach for your bag on the backseat. Steve looks out for you, even now, and it's good to know he has your back. But you definitely don't need the two guys having a fight over some misunderstanding. “Tell him I'm fine. Because I am. I'll... I'll fix things. And if Billy does want to stay away from me for whatever reason... I'll be alright.”

“Good luck and call me if you need anything.”

“I will. Thank you, Nan.” Giving her a hug, you step out of the car, heading inside. “Mom! I'm home!”

“Hi, darling!” She shouts from upstairs. Taking the chance, you run to the phone, quickly dialing Billy's number. It's not the first time you call, and whenever he picks up, you say ‘hello’ and the call is cut. It breaks your heart every time.

“Who's this?” A female voice answers, slightly pissed.

Relieved, you breathe out. “Hi, Max. It's (Y/N).”

“AKA the reason why the shitface has been locked in his bedroom like a jerk.” She speaks fast, and you furrow your eyebrows and giggle. “I think Billy is in love with you or something.”

“What?” Max says as if it's no big deal, as if she didn't made your heart start beating insanely fast, neck and cheeks heating up. “I-I don't think–”

“Billy never gets upset over a girl so...” Her voice fades, and you hear something in the back, wondering if it's Billy. “He has your keychain, by the way. A daisy flower.”

“Keychain?” You don't remember any keychains, so you just sigh, pacing around. “Max, can you do me a favor? I'm going there so don't let Billy go anywhere. And when I ring the door bell, let him answer it, please.”

“Alright. But don't take too long. Neil will be back around eight.”

“I'm going now. Thanks.” And you hang up, heading to the front door. “Mom, I'm going to get Billy!”

“Alright!” Good thing she doens't ask much questions, God bless her for that.

You try not to drive too fast, and you try to tell yourself this is no big deal. But you don't know what will happen. Preparing yourself for a heartbreak sounds good, so you decide to expect the worse.

So when you're parking on the sidewalk in front of Bill'y house, you know what you'll do. You'll put a finger on his face and ask what the hell he's thinking skipping class like that.

When you reach the front door, you realize you've never been here. Well, Billy did dropped his sister a few times before driving back to your place. And then, you're whole act drops. “Damn it.” Pressing the door bell, you wonder if you'd have enough time to just run back to the car and leave. There's a discussion inside the house, with Billy telling Max to get the door, and she refusing. You would have time to run, but you decide to be brave. So you stand your ground, pressing the bell again.

“Damn you, Maxine.” Billy groans, and on the next second the door is violently pulled open.

You freeze, watching as Billy's face drops. “Hi.” You mutter, looking down at your hands, blushing. You shouldn't be here. This is stupid. Whatever Billy said at Scoops Ahoy, it's over. But still, you want to try. To break through him, even if it means you'll be pushed further away. “C-can we talk?”

There's silence, several seconds of silence. And you curse yourself. Billy would never like you. He's the bad boy Nancy warns you about, that girls like you should avoid. Biting your lip, you feel your throat burning, tears wanting to make their way to your eyes.

“Nevermind, I shouldn't have come.” Pushing the words out, you turn on your heels to leave. But Billy grabs your arm, forcing you to stop. “Let go.” You beg, looking back at him. Your heart is breaking and you don't even know why. You just need to be away from Billy right now, and from all these feelings boiling inside you.

“No, please, just... Don't go.” His grip gets loose, and his hand slides from your forearm to your hand, and he holds it, pulling you inside. “Come in.”

Taking a deep breath, you weakly nod, letting him pull you into the house.

@multific @clockworkballerina @tina1938 @graciehams @moatsnow @all-the-stars-on-your-skin @captain039 @rebelemilu @vivian-likes-frogs @prettyinpunk85

#billy hargrove fanfiction #billy hargrove x y/n #imagine billy hargrove #billy hargrove imagine #billy stranger things fanfiction #billy stranger things imagine #billy stranger things #stranger things fanfiction #imagine stranger things

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deluluass · 3 years

Text

What bliss, domesticity.

for: @tink2kagome. i’m sorry it took me so long to work on ur pretty setter squad request T^T i’ll probably do like another one in the future!

& @lady-tokugawa-of-mikawa @belpomme @chaichai-the-weeb for being such lovely mutuals <3 <3

Content warnings: rape/noncon; nsfw; yakuza/organized crime; gun mention; a lot of (non-sexual) food references in this one

Jun’ichi Saikawa was obviously the kind of man who liked to laugh. Not unlike most people in their world. The kind who use their entire body when they do, announcing to the entire world with a bellowing “Ha Ha Ha!” how pleased they are with whatever’s going on in front of them.

Which, in all honesty, was pretty admirable, that the old man could still do it considering how bored to tears Wataru was.

That it’s a humid afternoon didn’t help either. He could feel the sweat on his back even when the doors were already slid open, exhibiting a verdant garden filled with blossoms and shrub peonies. From his place he could see the school of koi swirling in the shallow pond, their scales iridescent under the warm rays of the sun.

“Didn’t know you were the funny sort, 'Kaashi!” Saikawa blurted out, the sake in his hand spilling to his fingers.

This wasn’t Wataru’s first day on the job, but this is the first that he gets to do something this important. And with someone he highly respects, too.

So he gave his collar a light tug, steeling himself to endure as he tucked his legs further beneath him, and resorted to thinking about the many things he would absolutely surrender just to lie down on the warm mat.

His car, maybe.

The brand new noise-cancelling headphones he bought, if pushed.

Wataru saw Akaashi nod.

“I appreciate a joke every now and then,” he said.

The larger man laughed again.

“Here, here!” Saikawa thundered, snatching a tiny, yellow box from the maid who appeared as swiftly as she’d left.

“I heard you like sweets. Here,” he said, grinning as he handed it to Akaashi. “My youngest son just opened a cake shop. I know what you’re thinking, but who am I to say no, eh?”

Akaashi passed the box to Wataru.

“Mind it for me, please,” he whispered.

How unexpected. Akaashi-san has a sweet tooth.

Huh.

That’s pretty neat. Wataru himself wasn’t partial to cakes, but he does love pudding.

“You are a good father, Jun’ichi-san,” Akaashi told him.

This time, Wataru didn’t bother suppressing a yawn as Saikawa fumbled for his phone, hiding it behind his hand as he stared at the birds chirping and hopping about outside.

“Wanna see him? He’s much like you! Good head on his shoulders, that one.”

“I am honored, Jun’ichi-san,” Akaashi echoed back, peering down at the photos Saikawa showed him.

“He sends me a lot of these- uh,” Saikawa snorted, his nose reddened by the alcohol. “What do young people call it, the- pictures-”

“Selfies?” Akaashi politely supplied.

“That’s the one! Look. Precious, ain’t he?”

His earpiece crackled to life.

Konoha’s voice emerged from the static.

“We’re ready when you are,” his senior murmured. “Man, this is taking too long. Let’s get some burgers when we’re done.”

“Akaashi-san,” Wataru croaked, feeling his cheeks heat up as he continued, “K-Komi-san and the others are waiting for you.”

Saikawa perked up. “Ah, of course! Of course!”

He stumbled when he attempted to stand up. Akaashi was quick on his feet to assist him.

“I knew I could count on you, son,” he muttered, patting Akaashi’s back. “Now, you tell Bokuto that what happened between us- it’s all in the past! All in the past! And if those bastards mess with him again, you tell him to run to old Jun’ichi!”

Akaashi clasped Saikawa’s hand.

“Thank you,” Akaashi said. “I’ll be sure to relay your sentiments to Bokuto-san.”

“You do that, my boy.” Saikawa’s belly shook as he laughed. “Your generation’s a smart one, indeed. The in-fighting and wars, bah! All that trouble for nothing; that’s not your style. Your lot’s the future now!”

Then, Akaashi stepped a few meters back and bowed.

Wataru followed behind him.

“We will be taking our leave,” Akaashi said. “It has been an illuminating talk, Jun’ichi-san.”

The sound of the bamboo drip trickling water into another stalk permeated through the silence.

It collapsed and clunked against a stone.

He heard the birds flutter away.

When Wataru raised his head, Saikawa had already been lying face down on the floor.

And, of course, Wataru’s used to it: the crack of a gun muffled by a silencer.

He’s been practicing his entire life, after all. He actually doesn’t flinch anymore and Wataru thinks he should be proud of himself.

It’s just that... how could someone who used to be there, suddenly...disappear? Saikawa was right in front of him a few minutes ago. Laughing and showing off photographs of his son. And now he’s...not.

But, Saikawa didn’t disappear. Not really.

The blood seeping through the tatami is proof of it, but Wataru chooses not to look. In theory, he knows what a bullet through the skull looks like. He’d just rather not see today if what he’s taught reflects true in the real world.

Maybe some other time.

“Wataru.”

Wataru flinched. “Y-yes?”

Akaashi looked back at him. “The cake?”

His body was still trembling and it took a lot of strength to not let it show in his hands when he gave it back to Akaashi, the box pleasantly yellow with doodles of doe-eyed eggs dancing along the handle. Unblemished, unlike Akaashi, who was sporting a splatter of blood along his cheek.

It’s surprisingly still cool to touch, too.

“No, thank you,” he said, rejecting the handkerchief that Wataru offered.

From afar, Wataru could hear the faint melodies of an old love song being played by a car radio. No doubt Konoha’s doing. It followed them, growing louder the closer they walked back into the parking lot. The others bowed and sent gruff salutations along Akaashi’s way as they dragged bodies out of the Saikawa mansion.

(It was nauseating and Wataru wanted to pass out.)

He pressed his nails harshly into the meat of his palm.

“A-Akaashi-san,” Wataru began. “I didn’t know that- that um, you liked... sweets.”

Akaashi halted.

“No, I don’t,” he said, blinking. “But my wife does.”

Wataru stared at him.

Akaashi went ahead.

He stayed that way— staring and wondering, until they stopped by the fast food restaurant that Konoha loved so much. Wataru couldn’t even finish his burger and fries.

By the time that they hit the freeway, Akaashi had already cleaned himself up and Wataru was still grappling with the word “wife.”

Of course he knows the man is married.

But, how, exactly, do you reconcile his reputation with the sight of him, every passing headlight sharpening his features, quietly humming along to Aki Yashiro? Who was longing for Shinjuku at night, the beauty of it, and oh, how wonderful it’d be, she said: a rendezvous with her lover, waiting for her under raining cherry blossoms.

Wataru figured that he was tired and starting to see things.

That small smile that graced Akaashi’s lips couldn't be real, either, especially those hands of his that held the box of cake like it’s worth more than gold.

He wasn't really particular when it comes to music. A song's a song, in Akaashi's opinion. Another form of noise that helps when the silence gets too overbearing.

But you, on the other hand, liked music. Listened to it the same way one eats their favorite food: memorizes the lyrics; goes out of your way to collect unearthed photographs and newspaper clippings that made the singer seem more human.

You loved music— was probably the right way of putting it.

Especially the old variety. He didn't get it at first. The sounds are dated; no one speaks in that language with that cadence anymore; the singer's probably dead.

Well, Akaashi still doesn't get it, if he were to be honest.

Yet here he is.

His hands were wrapped around your waist, coaxing you into a slow— albeit clumsy, waltz.

"Kei-kun!" you squeaked. "The dishes!"

You dragged your slippers beneath you, struggling to wipe the suds off your hands.

"S-seriously, Kei-kun..!"

Sure, he doesn’t fully understand what’s great about it, music.

Yet here he is.

Perhaps it’s because he immediately recognized the first few notes this time, that’s why he’s doing this. He didn’t even wait for the DJ to finish saying, “You’re still listening to Vintage F.M. Here’s a classic for you couples out there. Have a romantic night with Nat King Cole’s L-O-V-”

Perhaps it’s because your cream stew tasted extra special that it made him shrug the fatigue off, giving in to the urge of pulling you close and taking your damp hand in his to sway and bob along the skipping bassline. Your bashful objections went in one ear and out the other.

Sure, he’s not the type to do this, either, dancing.

Yet here he is.

Perhaps it’s because he knew that it’s your favorite song.

Perhaps it’s just what marriage does to you.

"Did you like the cake?" he whispered against your neck, inhaling the scent of cinnamon and the way your skin jumped as he did.

Your breaths were shallow against his chest, but you managed a soft, “Yes, sweetheart. Thank you.”

Akaashi caressed your back, kneading the tensed muscles as he huffed.

“Good,” he murmured, trembling. “Good girl. What a relief."

It was endearing, how offbeat the both of you were. A shame, though, considering that Nat King Cole’s fervently insisting on love; that it’s all that I can give to you; that it’s more than just a game for two.

So Akaashi makes up for his two left feet by joining in. He pressed his lips to your forehead. How strange, your presence in his life. What did he do to deserve you by his side, for this contentment that thaws away the chill?

(He put a ring on your finger, is what he did. He deserves this.)

“Two,” he droned, made giddy by the sparks in his belly, “in love can make it.”

You looked at him, wide-eyed.

“Take my heart and please don’t break it.”

He spun you around.

“Oh my god, Kei-kun,” you gasped. “You can’t sing.”

Akaashi’s aware of it all too well. He can’t carry a note; not him: the guy who’s had monotony ingrained in his very being. But that’s why he has you.

A startled giggle left you as he guided you into a box step, the trumpet rising and falling over the strings. You stepped on him a few times, so he lifted you up, just so, and kicked off your slippers. Then, he set your feet atop his own.

He took you with him as he moved, waddling and careful not to hit his back against the countertop. It came as no revelation that both of you weren’t any better dancers even after this maneuver.

Akaashi continued. Starting with L—

“Is for the way you look at me.”

“Stop, stop-” Your eyes crinkled at the sides. “You’re flat.”

Akaashi persisted, anyway, taking your cheek to pepper kisses all over your face.

“O is for the only one I see.”

Your laugh was airy— light and buoyant all over the kitchen, like a fairy leaving stardust in its wake. Not gratingly booming nor demanding. After all, you weren’t the kind who felt the need for it: an audience to witness how pleased you are; how strong and powerful you are over everyone else.

Besides, your laugh was just for him. A private and intimate thing. And he was so lost in it that he almost forgot what’s been gnawing at him for the entire morning.

Akaashi rested his chin on your shoulder, nuzzling the downy fabric of your dress as he gripped you by the hips.

“Where did you go earlier?”

The orchestra was in a joyous uproar, joining the rapid beating of your heart; the trumpet bright and clear, singing in harmony with the bass and saxophones and trombones, as Nat King Cole repeatedly guaranteed, as if an oath, that love was made for me and you.

Love was made for me and you.

“I had to buy some groceries!” you piped up. “We ran out of ingredients. Sorry, I forgot to bring my phone with me. Oh, I have to run you a bath. I’ll tell you when it’s done, alright?”

You broke away from him with a beaming grin, but Akaashi wanted to ask, despite the evidence of it before him.

“Are you happy?”

It has already ended, the song. The DJ was signing off for the night.

You nodded, playfully jabbing his arm with a fist.

“Of course,” you told him. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

Perhaps it’s because you were never really good at pretense, no matter how much you hid behind needless noise.

Music. Laughter. Running water.

Akaashi sighed as he slumped down the nearest stool.

Of course you’re happy. Why wouldn’t you be?

After rubbing his eyes with clammy fingers, Akaashi fiddled them together beneath his temples. He released a heavy breath and fished for his phone in his pocket.

He spoke after the first two rings.

“Wataru-san, I’m sorry for bothering you,” he said. “Can you do something for me?”

His subordinate didn't ask him why, neither did he react when he'd stated his request. Akaashi knew, however, that the question was sitting in Wataru's clipped replies. The boy’s “yes, sir” and “understood, sir” were far too enthusiastic than normal.

Akaashi didn’t mind, though, if he did ask. And despite that familiar pang of dread, Akaashi would answer him like the common— just like the average, everyday husband— with that characteristic, bordering on irksome pride that they have when they talk about their wives.

Why?

“Well, Wataru-san,” Akaashi would answer. “Perhaps this is just what marriage does to you.”

The house was a house like any other.

There was an old pickup truck parked outside the freshly painted gate, carrying crates of fruits and vegetables in its trunk. Along the bricked walls was an overgrowth of vines and ferns. It extended around the windows and crept up the balcony.

A large Shiba ran outside and jumped to your lap as soon as it saw you by the driveway.

Wataru heard Chiaki stir at the back of the car.

“Pay up, asshole,” he grunted, waking a disheveled Ryota who’s still holding a half-bitten melon bread.

His lackey cracked his neck and gave the scenery a cursory glance. “Could be a front.”

Ryota grumbled and went back to sleep.

“Idiot,” Chiaki clicked his tongue. “She traveled all the way to Miyagi just to give intel? And here? Of all places?”

Three days.

They’ve tailed you for three days. Akaashi-san never said anything else, besides that within the week, while he’s gone and sealing deals in another country, there was a high likelihood of you folding and getting out of Tokyo.

To run right here. In Miyagi.

He didn’t say why, really, but Wataru supposes it’s better that he didn’t. Because during the days of absolute, mind-crushing boredom, of watching some suburban wife go out for a morning walk, chat with her neighbors, and shop around the market, rinse and repeat, coming up with the Why had been their only salvation.

The betting pool has two answers: cheater or snitch.

Chiaki was insistent on the former, while Ryota stood by the latter.

And Wataru...Wataru could only watch, waiting with a bated breath as the door finally opened.

“I bet it’s someone younger,” Chiaki said. “Usually is.”

Seems that none of them were winning anything today.

The man who emerged from the house was far older— who, oddly enough, resembled you. An old woman soon followed behind him. Both of them looked at you as if they were witnessing a specter, or someone who's crawled back from the dead. An appropriate comparison, especially since they’re both wearing somber black clothes.

It wasn’t his place to assume. Though he’s been promoted to a slightly higher position, it will never come close to the place that Keiji Akaashi occupies. Wataru knows all of these, but nothing was stopping him from putting the pieces together, no matter what little he has.

They could only stare when all of you broke down into tears, locked in each other’s embrace as you knelt on the pavement.

Don’t let her stay too long.

That had been one of Akaashi-san’s orders.

So the three of them didn’t wait it out. By the time that the sun had set, Wataru had already stepped out of the car, taking Ryota with him. He made sure to remind the boy, just in case he’d forgotten.

“Be gentle, alright?” Wataru reiterated.

There hadn’t been any need for that, it turned out.

He’s sure you’ve never met before, but Wataru saw bitter understanding flash in your eyes when you caught them loitering in front of your house. Fear was there, too, of course.

Wataru was convinced that surely it’s a good thing. It saved everyone a lot of time, that way.

You didn’t even say a word, only giving Wataru a stiff nod when he’d introduced himself, and remained like so on the ride back to Tokyo, with the strap of your handbag trapped by a clenched fist. Wataru didn’t try to initiate small talk; it felt unnecessary.

It took a while for Wataru to realize that you also hadn’t bothered to change out of your pajamas, though he gave you a couple of minutes to say your farewells.

Pajamas, obscured now by a thick, gray coat.

Akaashi-san was right.

You had no plans of coming home. Not tonight. Maybe not for a while.

Wataru decided not to linger on it anymore.

He ignored the blank stare that pierced right through the rear-view mirror. And then, Wataru wondered, hand sweating in his pocket, what the three of them should have for dinner.

Thick chunks of pumpkin melted in your mouth with just the first spoonful of broth.

It'd been a while since the last time Akaashi cooked. So, more than anything, it was the sight of him setting plates and utensils that took you aback, greeting you with a, "Welcome home. You're just in time. Food's ready," his sleeves rolled to his elbows while donning your baby owl-printed apron.

The taste didn't. Surprise you, that is. He's a good cook. Unlike you, who only became marginally better one hundred burn scars later.

It also didn't surprise you that he flew back home at the drop of a hat. Even when he said he'd be gone for a week.

"How is it?" Akaashi asked after chewing. "Took me a while to make it."

It obviously did, you thought. When you arrived, Irma Thomas was already begging through the record player.

"Do you need me, like I need you?" she implored, straight from the heart. "Look at me, I'm crying from holding you."

The last song on your favorite record. It was cheap and had the best from the artists you loved.

Etta James. Ella Fitzgerald. Aretha Franklin. The Mills Brothers. Bessie Smith. All in one vinyl.

"Yeah," you replied, clearing your throat when you realized how hard it is to speak. "It's delicious."

You looked back down to your bowl. The tofu had gone untouched. Your food was still close to spilling to the brim, while Akaashi was almost finished with his, scrolling on his phone laid on the table.

"So no one coaxed you into it," you heard him say, and that had ripped your eyes away from the broth like a bandage on an infected wound.

Akaashi was holding your phone, reading the messages- his number was the only one there, as pealing bells resonated in the dining room.

"I'd think of all the things that I wanted of you," cried Irma Thomas. "To make me forget the pain that you caused."

"I would've known if anyone else talked to you, anyway," he huffed, locking the screen before blowing steam off the morsel.

"You would," you conceded. The tofu was soft when you bit into it, sinking into your teeth.

"I found that in our cabinet. Last time it was in the kitchen drawer, wasn't it?" Akaashi helped himself to a bowl of rice. "Don't leave it in stuffy places. What if you forget where you hid it and you won't know when I call?"

"And I can no longer keep track of where you are for every moment of the day?" you could hear him say. Though he didn't; though all that could heard, besides the scraping of utensils, was Irma Thomas declaring:

A fragile thing, like life. It just don't last so long.

It could be for a minute or an hour. Or then again, from now.

Your lips tightened with a grin. "I won't do it again, sweetheart," you said, spoon hanging limply in your hold.

He didn't need to say it.

That your phone has a tracker. That this house is still the same cage that it'd been before. That the only difference between then and now is that silver band on your finger.

Akaashi’s blinked back at you as he sipped what remained of the soup. You tried to do the same.

The savory taste was cloying and it burned in your throat, so you didn't attempt to finish the bowl. It cut down to your heart, sinking heavily on your stomach, bile rising as the song came to a close.

You gulped it down, though. You had to. And in the final moments, Irma Thompson told you what she really wanted.

"Make me forget," she said, "the pain that you'd caused."

The chorus joined her. "Understanding is a great thing," she concluded. "If it comes from the heart."

Akaashi was on his own phone this time. Most likely checking on the business that he left, judging by those furrowed brows and that long-suffering look in his eyes.

Fizzling noise came at the heels of the fading music. Then, it stopped. And there was nothing left anymore but silence.

It's over now. Akaashi’s making a move to clean up. You were supposed to say, "That was a lovely dinner, honey." Or, you could tell him to sit down and watch a movie with you when he's done.

"I'll help you with the dishes," you wanted to say.

I'll help you with the dishes. It was so easy to say.

Instead, what came out of your mouth was a hushed call for his name.

"Kei-kun," you repeated, brittle and weak and dry.

"I'm so sorry," you might've mouthed.

You could barely hear your own voice as you looked at him. Akaashi paused from tidying the table.

You're parched and a lot has happened today. Gathering the courage to take that first step out of the city had taken what little strength you had. The fear never left you. Seeing your old house almost ended you.

It should be physically impossible for you to still be able to cry. And yet there doesn't seem to be an end to your tears now, the same way your apologies unfurled in an embarrassingly infinite string.

"Don't lock me inside here again," you whispered, clinging to him as he shushed you, wiping your cheeks with his thumbs as he helped you drink a glass of water.

He carried you to your room and sat you down on the bed, right between his thighs. You sobbed into your hands, tears and snot on the sleeves of your pajama top.

"I- I just wanted to see them. That's all. Just one day, Kei-kun. One day. I was gonna come back, I swear."

You're rambling. You're a madwoman pleading and bargaining with a stone-cold judge because playing house is the only thing keeping her alive.

And you messed that up you foolish, foolish girl.

"Please don't hurt my family," you heaved. "They're all I have left."

Akaashi doesn't speak, not for a while, but when he did, you bawled harder.

"I can kill them all," he said, matter of factly.

It is true. Hearing him say it does not make it easier to take, though.

"I can hurt you the same way that you hurt me."

Your neck strained as he tipped your chin towards him with a slender finger.

"I can break you," he muttered, not batting an eye.

That, too, is true. You know it all too well. He said it with such serenity, still and undisturbed by the shaking of your head, because it goes without saying.

Except, you, too, know it.

When he is breaking. When he is falling apart.

He smothered you, taking your entire body to curl against you, making himself small as he pressed his face on your back.

"Yet- and yet I-" Akaashi sniffled. You felt your shirt dampen. "I've given you everything."

When he finally brought his face close to yours, he looked so lost. Almost like a little boy who's on the verge of drowning, clinging desperately onto a lifesaver and too shocked to shout for help.

You hated him all the more for it.

"Each other," he said, snarling, almost, through tears as he grabbed your face with both hands. "That's all we have left, you hear? You and I. Husband and wife."

He seized your jaw and turned it towards the vanity mirror.

The room was dark save for the light in the hallway, peeking into the crack through the doorway.

But you could see yourself. And you could see your hand intertwined in his, your rings gleaming like muted starlights.

"We made a vow," he whispered, kissing your ring finger.

A detached part of you is astonished with how inescapable it is. Whether it be a reward or a punishment; a good day or a bad one.

No matter what happens, you always end up like this, don't you?

Begging to him with your legs spread wide.

You did as you'd always done when he began unbuttoning your top.

You go back to that autumn morning, when you first laid your eyes on him, a cup of coffee in his hand, and you thought that he had the prettiest face you'd ever seen.

You go back to when he was just this really romantic guy who sent you flowers every day. There was a letter, every time.

Nothing too grandiose. Just short messages hoping that you'd have a great day ahead.

He kissed your neck, wet smooches and long, flat-tongued licks dipping down your shoulder.

He watched you through the mirror, his eyes a pair of darkened blues daring you to look away.

Akaashi Keiji was your boyfriend, you told yourself. You dated him for quite some time before you married.

Akaashi Keiji got along well with your father and doted on your mother. On Sundays, you visit them and they send you back to Tokyo with ripe watermelons.

Akaashi Keiji has never hurt you.

The man tracing the hem of your bra, cupping your clothed tits and drawing lazy circles over nipples, however, did.

(And he still will in future. He still is, right now.)

This man is the real one.

And you have angered him, so he will not make this easy for you.

"What did you promise me?" Akaashi whispered as he lightly bit the shell of your ear. "Or have you forgotten?"

Of course, you haven't forgotten. You were chained to this very room when you made them, after all.

"N-no, I remember," you said, catching your breath. "I remember, Kei-kun."

"Then say it," he said. "Look at me."

You shivered as his palms swept over your stomach; as he unfastened your bra, letting it fall down your arms.

"Look at me when you say it."

You felt your nipples harden, gooseprickles spread all over you, as the air hit your bare skin, cooling the sweat that made it glisten.

"Please," he rasped.

The eyes of the woman in the mirror was hooded, threatening to close as she puffed with each squeeze and caress to her tits, swiveling her hips against her husband’s crotch as he grinded into her.

"I will be happy," she said.

Akaashi nuzzled your temple, using his rough fingers to tease your nipples just as he did, brushing them to and fro, then grazing the bumpy skin around until you're squeaking out his name.

And when he began pressing down on the stiff peaks with his thumbs, before rolling and pulling at them, the heels of his palm digging into your tits, you saw the woman claw at her husband's hair, a graceless affair that almost scratched his eye out, making him reach for both her arms to wrap them around his neck.

"I- I will..!" Her lips parted in a breathless scream and it was disgusting how lewd she appeared. "I will not run away!"

The streak of tears on his cheeks touched yours when he kissed you. His lips were soft and warm, his wet tongue gliding in so slowly as he deepened the kiss with a throaty groan.

His other hand crawled down to your soaked panties. You couldn't contain the mewl that left you.

Both of you gasped and struggled to breathe again after you parted from each other.

"You understand, don't you?" he rasped.

Two of his fingers slid down your folds, only to slither back up, then down again, smearing your cunt with its own slick.

But he never touched your swollen clit, even though it's throbbing and aching to be rubbed and the hard bulge sitting between your ass grew harder the more you squirmed in his hold, whimpering like a bitch in heat.

You heard your husband sigh, his hot breath tickling you when he said, "This isn't about you now."

Belly pushed into the edge of the dressing table, rattling and battering against the wall with each forceful thrust, and your leg perched atop it, made numb by Akaashi's grip on your thigh.

That was the first thing that you could recall when you opened your eyes.

But your entire body was screaming in pain, so you knew that everything else that happened last night would come back to you soon enough.

The flesh had a memory of its own.

You sat up with a groan and you didn't have to see the marks to know.

His teeth were still nipping at you, biting you until they drew blood, only to follow with an apologetic lapping of his tongue.

You could feel him beneath you, his hands clawing you down to him, palms kneading your ass cheeks as you bounced up and down on his cock.

You could feel him above you, gripping your wrists not unlike the cuffs that once kept you shackled. He had your legs wrapped around his waist, pulling you close to him, filling you up with loads and loads of cum, squelching every time he sank down your weeping hole.

And when your vision began to blur at the edges, he carried your body, mere seconds into fainting, to the dressing table.

The evidence of that stared back at you in shameful streaks and smudges, traces of your fingers on the mirror when he rammed your cunt from behind.

"Are you happy?" Akaashi whispered.

You don't know.

When he's just your husband who comes home to your arms and brings you sweets because he knows how much you love them; who dances with you in the kitchen and listens intently to you when you talk about that cute dog you saw at the park, were you happy, then?

You don't know, but the woman in the mirror, in that moment, surely was.

She even said, "Yes, yes, Kei-kun, right there, fuck me right there!"

Her pupils were blown wide, eyes rolling almost over to the back of her head. And despite the cries that escaped her, there was a wide, dissipated smile on her lips, spit trailing down her chin.

"Look at you," Akaashi said, grunting when your walls tightened around his shaft. "You're clearly happy with me."

"So why? Why'd you even think of leaving?" He rocked his hips, grinding his thick cock against that spot that had you holding onto the mirror. "Don't ever do that to me again."

You told him no, no, you won't run away again, but it didn't seem to placate his unease, nor his tears.

"I'm so scared, everyday, that you'll leave me and- and- it feels like hell. I would rather die."

He kissed your nape as he huffed and said, "Because I don't know what I'll do without you."

You never really understood why; what about you had caused him to single you out in the sea of people that had vied for his attention. Especially now as you looked at yourself in the mirror.

There were dark circles under your eyes and Akaashi’s t-shirt was rumpled on your body, engulfing you whole with its size— a far cry from that lovely, dazzling bride that his best friend, Bokuto, had described you as on your wedding day.

But you’re aware, more than anyone, that Akaashi Keiji is the last person to care about appearances.

When he entered the room, carrying a tray in his hands, he gazed at that disheveled girl with eyebags big enough to be dragged around the same way he looked at her when he waited for her at the end of the aisle.

“I made you pancakes,” he muttered, clearing his throat as he sat down beside you.

You were tired so it didn’t dawn on you as quickly as it should that he made them the way you preferred. Four fluffy pieces stacked atop one another, sprinkled with powdered sugar, whipped cream and a smattering of berries on the side.

He fiddled with his fingers when you only stared at it, so you immediately took the fork in your hand and sliced the pancake in half.

“I’ll be taking some time off work,” Akaashi said as you took the food in your mouth. You only nodded, having noticed that he wasn’t wearing the usual bespoke suit as soon as he entered the room.

You felt him near you; felt his hand, warm to touch, cup your face.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you.” His eyes were misty and, this close, it seemed that he, too, wasn’t in a good shape. “So please-” Akaashi licked his chapped lips, “Please don’t go.”

“I won’t,” you replied, giving him the smile that you knew he needed. “I promise.”

Then, as you moved to kiss him on the cheek, the chains that tethered you to the bedpost clinked softly beneath the blanket, and you didn’t bother to keep the tears at the bay.

Akaashi wiped them for you when you said that you loved him. And when he asked why, you only shrugged and told him that the pancakes were so sweet that they could make anyone cry.

#tw noncon #tw non con haikyuu #akaashi x y/n #akaashi x female reader #Dark content haikyuu #yandere akaashi keiji

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teshamerkel · 3 years

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Pokemon Mystery Dungeon: Seekers of Soul

[Chapter 26] (29 Pages)

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The trio recuperates, and Nia discovers that her aura has changed.

TW: Panic Attack

Nia wakes up slowly, a heavy fog of exhaustion making her thoughts feel thick and syrupy. She’s warm and comfy, so she shifts in her bed and considers going back to sleep as she stretches her legs—only to wince when the motion pulls painfully at her skin.

Nia squints her eyes open against bright sunlight, lifting her head to blink down at her body, where bandages are wrapped around her limbs. Shiny patches of ointment with a sharp medicinal tang peek out from under the bandages and slick down her fur. Oh jeez, she really got banged up. No wonder stretching hurt.

Nia slowly shifts in her nest to get a better look around the room. It’s…pleasant. Warm, neutral tones and wooden floors. Large windows with shades pulled halfway down, leaving rectangular patches of sunlight slanting across the small space. Plants are potted around the room, offering a splash of color, and little cabinets are installed into one side of the room. She’s alone, lying in a too-large nest.

Then the door creaks open, and Nia looks over to see a familiar little ball of feathers squeezing through the gap.

“Junie!”

Junie jumps, wide eyes snapping up to Nia. “Nia! You’re awake!”

The rookidee hops awkwardly to Nia’s side, and Nia tries to sit up from her nest. She immediately regrets it, groaning from the painful pull at her burns and the ache in her ribs, not to mention the way her head spins nauseously. Her throat feels strained, and she can’t hold back a sudden coughing fit that burns her throat and lungs.

Right, the fire. She must have inhaled a lot of smoke.

“Whoa! Slow your roll, chickadee!” Junie flutters closer and guides her to back into the nest until she’s lying down again.

Nia slowly manages to control her hacking fit, but her body aches even more terribly than when she’d woken up. Ow.

“Are you okay?” Nia finally manages to croak.

Junie blinks at her. “I should be asking you that! You’re the one who’s been out the longest!”

Nia stares back at the little bird, brow furrowed as memories of the fire slowly trickle back into her mind. The building was coming down, and Junie was still trapped inside so Nia went in after her. There was so much fire, surrounding her in choking heat and ash. Then there was that debris she couldn’t move to free Junie, the wave of dizzying, wrenching despair falling over her, making her feel hopeless…

She’d been so sure they were going to die.

Nia rubs at her eyes and takes a few deep breaths. Well, clearly they made it somehow. She feels lightheaded with relief. Or maybe just lightheaded in general. Tobias would—

Tobias, running towards them through the fire, panic on his face. His gaze flicks up, and Nia follows it, her heart dropping as she sees the ceiling above them crumble—

“Tobias! Is he okay?!” Nia gasps.

“Yup!” Junie chirps. “A bit banged up, a few broken fingers, but otherwise grumpy as usual!”

Nia has to stop herself from bolting upright in her nest. “A few broken fingers?!”

Junie waves her off with a wing. “Just fractured. He says he’ll be fine in a couple days.”

Nia doesn’t point out that the charmander is probably lying to put up a tough front, instead trying to calm her pounding heartbeat. He’s alive, at least. And relatively okay. Nia catches sight of Junie’s leg, wrapped up tight in a cast and sticking out awkwardly, and her stomach sinks. She wishes they were all doing better than just ‘okay.’

The rookidee follows her gaze and laughs. “Don’t look so upset! I’d be a lot worse off if not for you!”

Nia meets Junie’s eyes, frowning. The action pulls at a burn on her face. “What do you mean?”

Junie pauses, tilting her head. “You don’t remember? I got trapped in the rubble and you refused to leave me—which was stupid, by the way—and the ceiling came down on us.”

Nia shivers, once again thinking of the wave of crushing stone bearing down on them. The overwhelming instinct to protect as she threw herself over Junie, and then—

Nothing.

“Nia?”

Nia realizes she’s not breathing, sore fingers trembling and clutching at her legs. She swallows and tries to shove away the lingering fear.

“How did we make it out of there?” Nia rasps. She knows Pokémon are durable, but she thinks even they shouldn’t have survived that much force crushing them. Junie especially, delicate, hollow-boned thing that she is.

“You saved us!” Junie chirps, hopping stiltedly in front of Nia to make eye contact.

Nia leans back. “Me?”

“Yeah! When you covered me, I saw this bright flash of blue, like fwahhh!” She spreads her wings. “I passed out after that, but Toby saw it too! We think it looked like your aura.”

“My aura?” Nia echoes, a hand drifting to her chest.

She couldn’t have done that. All she’s been able to do is channel her aura through her body and make little semi-solid forms in her hand, and she even sucks at that. She’s never been able to spread it out or project it away from her body, and she’s certainly never made it strong enough to stop something as heavy as that stone ceiling.

Junie just shrugs. “You should ask Toby. He seems to know more about it.”

“Where is Tobias?” Nia asks, looking around.

“I made him go get us some actual grub, since I’m tired of hospital food and can’t carry anything on my own. Oh, he’s going to be so mad when he sees you woke up without him!” Junie laughs, not sounding at all concerned about the charmander’s fury. “He’s been really worried!”

At that, Nia suddenly wonders if she really did die in that fire. Tobias? Worried about her? Sure, he’s made sure she didn’t get left behind in dungeons and he’s been trying hard to be patient with her, but she finds it difficult to believe he’d be openly concerned over her once she was in the clear from dying.

“Don’t look so surprised!” Junie says, somehow managing to smirk even with a beak. “It’s adorable, actually. He’s been pretty much glued to your side. Even sleeps next to you.”

Nia blinks, flustered heat rising up under her fur. Junie has to be joking. But then she casts her gaze to the side, realizing that she’s not in a single too-large nest--instead, her own nest seems to bleed into another one about the same size. Her nose is still raw from the smoke, but she can smell the familiar sun-baked stone scent of Tobias lingering on the straw.

“I knew he cared about you!” Junie chirps, hopping again to settle next to Nia’s head, looking comfortable enough that Nia guesses the rookidee has also been sleeping here.

Nia thinks again about how genuinely terrified Tobias looked in that split-second they’d made eye contact in the fire.

“Did Tobias pull us out?” Nia asks, not wanting to strain her throat but too curious not to know.

“Mhm. Dug through the rubble to find us and tried to carry us out.”

“Tried?”

Junie shifts, a note of unease in her voice. “Well...he asked me to fly, but I…I couldn’t. So he tried to carry us. But I guess he passed out? Another rescuer must’ve found us in time.”

Nia’s gut twists uncomfortably. She wishes Tobias were here so she could look him over herself, make sure that he’s really okay and not just lying to the doctors or something.

He really did all of that for them? Dug through the rubble to find them, tried to carry them to safety? Has been worrying about her, been voluntarily sleeping by her? Nia can hardly believe it. She wonders if it’s strange that she finds him risking his life to save theirs more believable than him willingly watching over her and worrying for her well-being. Probably not. The charmander’s a grump, but he takes his responsibilities as a Seeker seriously.

Nia stares thoughtfully at the nest beside her, slowly settling back down into her own. Junie resumes her chatter, saying something about them being moved to this room by themselves once Nia was stable enough. Nia hums at the appropriate times, trying to listen even though she feels fatigue creep up on her again, making her eyes heavy. She’s just so tired.

Nia doesn’t know when she crosses the line between thought and dozing, but she wakes up to the smell of delicious, savory food. Well, that and a hushed, heated conversation.

“What do you mean she woke up?!” Tobias hisses.

“She woke up! Must’ve been waiting for you to leave.” Junie teases.

The following growl, quiet and threatening, means Nia needs to wake up and play peacekeeper. She grumbles, “You two are impossible.”

The arguing stops, and Nia slowly pushes herself up onto her arms, remembering how painful it was to sit up last time. She yawns and squints at the late-afternoon sunlight pouring into the room.

Junie is grinning, and Tobias is watching her with an unreadable expression. Nia offers the two of them a smile that she hopes isn’t as strained as she feels. She doesn’t realize how tense Tobias is until he relaxes, shoulders slumping and face softening. Oh.

Maybe he really was worried.

“So what’d you bring? Something good, I hope!” Junie chirps, pecking at the boxes of food at Tobias’ side. He bares his teeth and snatches them out of her reach.

“Who says I got you anything?”

“Me! Because I’m the one who suggested it! And I almost died!”

“You’re gonna wish you did if you don’t back off,” Tobias growls.

“Oh, please, like you’d kill me in front of Nia.” Junie huffs.

“You wanna try me?”

“Do it, coward! You won’t!”

Nia laughs. She can’t help it. She’s just so relieved they’re all relatively okay, so she laughs, even if it hurts, and she can’t seem to stop laughing, leaning forward to hold her stomach. When she finally starts to get a hold of herself, she wipes tears from her eyes and sits up to see Junie and Tobias both staring at her. Oh no. Another burst of giggles bubble from her chest, and this time when she laughs, Junie joins in. Tobias doesn’t, but he does look like he’s fighting off a smile, rolling his eyes.

Nia holds out her hands and makes a grabby motion. “J-Just give me the dang food. Clearly you two can’t be trusted to share nicely.”

Tobias huffs but hands over the tasty-smelling boxes. Nia lays them out in the nest and opens them, feeling her stomach growl at the sight. Some kind of rice in one box, and vegetables in another, swimming in a deep brown sauce with chunks of something that looks startlingly like meat but must be a vegetarian version, like the hot dogs they’d had.

“Oh! Hang on! I saw the nurse restock earlier.” Junie flutters into the air, wobbling as her cast throws her off-balance, and then goes to one of the room’s cabinets, opening it and pulling at something inside with her beak.

Tobias leaps up and hurries to her side, hissing, “You’re gonna drop ‘em! Stop!”

The two wrestle over what turn out to be plates and utensils, eventually making it back to the nest without dropping them so they can each scoop some food onto their own dish. Nia digs in, practically drooling over the flavor, and watches Tobias and Junie do the same, feeling some sort of peace and normalcy wash over them. Well, as normal as they can get when Nia’s aching all over, Junie can’t seem to get settled with her broken leg, and Tobias keeps dropping his fork due to his bandaged fingers.

Between bites Nia manages to ask, “How long was I out?”

“Two weeks!” Junie chirps, whipping her rice-covered face up to give Nia a despairing, wide-eyed look.

Nia’s heart drops.

Tobias snorts and rolls his eyes. “Stop messing with her. She’s gullible enough when she isn’t injured.”

Oh. As Junie sticks her tongue out at Tobias, Nia hurriedly shovels more food into her mouth, fighting down her embarrassment for falling for that.

“The actual answer is about two days,” Tobias says.

Nia cautiously lowers her food, brow furrowing. “Two days? B-But how are we affording that?”

Tobias’ expression twists. “What?”

“The hospital,” Nia presses, waving a hand at the room around them. “We barely had enough money to come to Ghatha and back, so…”

Tobias blinks at her, looking dumbfounded. “Hospitals cost like...nothing? Especially after an emergency.”

“Oh.” Nia blinks back at him.

“Are you telling me humans charge you to get healed when you’re hurt?” Tobias asks, looking genuinely offended. “Like, enough that you were worried about it?”

Nia looks down at Junie for help, but the little bird just chirps a smug sound before returning to her food. “Don’t look at me. I wasn’t American.”

Ah. Nia didn’t really register that she was until this moment, but it makes sense from what knowledge she does know. It doesn’t really feel like a surprise.

“Where were you from, then?” Nia asks curiously, ignoring the bewildered look Tobias gives the two of them for not elaborating on the whole Hello yes pay us to save your life thing.

“Germany!” Junie chirps proudly. “Gotta say, since you’re American I’m kind of surprised you’re fluent in German.”

Nia stares at the rookidee. “I’m not. I only know English.”

Junie freezes mid-bite, then slowly turns to stare back. “…What language are you speaking right now?”

“English,” Nia repeats, voice a notch higher.

“I’m hearing you in perfect German so please tell me how that’s possible.”

“German?” Tobias speaks up.

Nia and Junie both turn to him, equally wide-eyed.

“T-Tobias,” Nia starts, swallowing hard. “What language are you speaking right now?”

The charmander looks completely thrown. “Uh. Ordirune? Like you two?”

Nia suddenly remembers her near mental breakdown that first day in the library, when she realized she was fluently reading a language she didn’t know. It makes sense that the same thing has been happening with speech.

Doesn’t mean it’s not freaking her out.

“O-Okay. Okay. Uh. I totally forgot to bring this up at the human convention. Junie, do you—?”

The rookidee has gone back to her food, burying her face in her rice. Her voice is muffled and hard to understand when she says, “I’m willing to act like nothing’s weird about this if you are.”

Nia’s curiosity is dying, but on top of everything else she’s currently grappling with, she’s not sure she can handle this world-shifting discovery at the moment. Plus, right now she doesn’t have the guild library to look to for answers, or Avery to discuss this with, and she’ll just drive herself nuts thinking about this too hard without some hope for a solution.

(But she is absolutely looking into this when they get back to Bethoc’s Haven.)

“Are you telling me you two aren’t speaking Ordirune?” Tobias asks, increasingly loud as he looks between the two of them.

“Apparently we are,” Junie teases, lifting her face. She has rice stuck to her feathers, but she seems like she’s already recovered from her shock. “Whatever that is.”

Tobias looks to Nia as if she’ll be able to solve the craziness of this situation. She gives him an apologetic shrug. “I have no clue how it works, but no, we’re not speaking...Ordirune? I don’t know what language all of the guild’s books are in, either, but for some reason I can read them just fine.”

Tobias stares at her, a frown on his face. Then he sighs, picks up his plate, and starts to eat without another word. Well, tries to. With his hands bandaged up so stiffly, the fork is back to slipping from his fingers.

Tobias growls and tries to maneuver the utensil, only managing to fling it from his lap and into the nest. He glares at where it disappeared. Nia opens her mouth, and he cuts her off with a hand jabbed in her direction. “Don’t. I don’t need help.”

Well. Nia’s jaw clicks shut as she bites back a smile. Maybe she’s getting a bit predictable with her mothering. Junie laughs.

“How did you even mangle your hands so badly?” The rookidee asks, pecking at some of her vegetables.

Tobias gives her a dry look. “Digging out your bodies.”

Both Nia and Junie still, looking again at the charmander’s hands and then back at his face. He rolls his eyes at the surprised expression on Junie’s face and the open guilt on Nia’s. “I’ll be fine in a few days. Would you rather I left you two under there?”

“Of course not, but...” Nia murmurs, knowing she still looks as upset as she feels. She didn’t know Tobias got so hurt saving them. She pushes her plate away, suddenly not so hungry.

The charmander throws up his hands, looking frustrated. “Look, d’you want Junie to get all mopey about you almost dying to save her?”

Nia reels back. “Of course not!”

“Then don’t start up the waterworks over me. I’m fine.”

Nia meets his gaze, honest as usual and not looking for an ounce of pity. She sighs. He’s right. Except now Junie just looks doubly upset, and it’s a foreign, uncomfortable expression on the chipper little bird.

“Hey, remember that I don’t regret saving you either, okay?” Nia says softly, giving Junie a smile. “Even if I got hurt. It’s our job, and you’re our friend. We chose to help.”

Junie looks down at her plate again, quiet, but nods.

Tobias snorts. “Should’ve been my job, since I’m the fire type. Idiot.”

Nia gives him a sheepish smile and searches for a change in topic. “Junie mentioned something earlier about me using my aura when the ceiling fell. I don’t remember that, but you saw it too?”

Tobias’ brow furrows, and he looks down at his plate to scoot his food around. “Yeah. When the ceiling fell there was like...a flash of blue energy.” He looks up to meet her eyes. “It looked like your aura. Exact same color. It curved around you guys like a bubble, or a shield or something.”

Nia frowns, humming a thoughtful sound. That’s so strange. Her aura certainly can’t do that.

...Right?

Nia closes her eyes and reaches for her aura, focusing on where her soul sits in her chest. What she finds is a tiny blue flame, small as a match, as if her aura has run dangerously close to vanishing entirely. Yet, it feels...different. Deeper, somehow? Like this tiny flame is just a drop of water in the ocean instead of a drop of water in a bucket. Like some sort of blockage has burst open and now she can feel...more.

Curiously, Nia pokes at it, urging it to flare back to its usual size, only for her aura (her body?) to respond with a backlash of prickling pain. She yelps, immediately pulling away from her inner self to clutch at her chest.

“Hey—don’t push yourself!” Tobias snaps. For once, he sounds more worried than angry.

Nia cracks open her eyes to see Tobias leaning close, hands poised as if to grab her. Junie is watching her with worry.

“I-I’m good. I just...I tried to call my aura, and it’s...different? I’m not sure how. A-And it looks smaller than usual? Like my energy is low or something.”

Tobias sits back, frowning. “Maybe you did use your aura, then. Is your aura finite? Can it be used up?”

“I’m not sure. Val never lets me push myself that far.” Nia wishes the medicham were here to help with this. “From what I understand it’s kind of like my life energy, but I’ve always felt sick and exhausted way before it got to this point.”

Tobias stares at her, clearly deep in thought. “Maybe your body usually protects you from using too much at one time because it’s dangerous to you.”

“But when I was backed into a corner and it was life-or-death,” Nia continues, catching on. “It lashed out full-power to keep me safe?”

“Desperate times call for desperate measures,” Tobias says with a shrug. “You have been sleeping for two days straight. The doctor thought you just overworked yourself, but maybe your fatigue is actually from aura backlash.”

Nia nods, slowly. “I-I guess that makes sense.”

Tobias doesn’t look satisfied. “The only other thing I can think of is a move called protect. It can form a wall or bubble like that, and stop almost any move for a brief period of time. That would explain how you kept tons of rock and debris from flattening you two, but I don’t think riolu are even able to learn it naturally.”

Nia pauses, the description niggling at her memory. A move called protect? A ball of blue energy, surrounding her, defending against fire and force...where has she heard of that before?

“What do you mean we can’t learn it ‘naturally?’” Nia asks instead.

“Some Pokemon don’t just learn moves spontaneously, like I did with dragon rage,” Tobias explains. “Not every Pokemon can learn every move, but sometimes they can be taught by another Pokemon instead. We call those moves TMs—trained moves.”

Nia tilts her head as she listens, intrigued. “So I could learn certain moves,” She starts, slowly. “But I’d need another Pokemon who already knows them to teach me? And protect is one of those moves?”

“I think so,” Tobias says, face twisting in thought. “Usually Pokemon can only learn protect naturally if they have like…a shell or something. I’ve never heard of a fighting type like a riolu just learning it on their own. That’s why this all feels so weird.”

Nia looks down at her paws, clenching them in her lap. It makes more sense for her to have used her aura if she shouldn’t be able to use protect. And yet, the word is sparking some kind of memory. She thinks again of Tobias’ description—a blue bubble of energy, shielding her from destruction. From the fire.

All at once she thinks of Will, smiling at her warmly, and then a line of yamask in a row, the smell of books and a picture of a Pokémon—a pikachu, she realizes now—flashes through her mind. Her breath catches as she straightens in her seat. Wait, that’s it!

“I read a book when I first came here,” Nia breathes, desperately trying to recall that collection of fairy tales and what it said about humans. “It mentioned that move! Protect! I think it said something about all humans being able to learn it, regardless of their species. It’s one of the few consistent things in our situation.”

Tobias doesn’t look as excited like she thought he might. If anything, he looks more conflicted, crossing his arms. “But that’s just…unheard of. And if it’s true then that means it wasn’t your aura, but I swear it looked exactly like it. And with your aura levels being so low it makes sense for there to be a connection.”

Nia makes a frustrated sound in her throat. “Maybe Val can help us figure it out when we get back home? It seems like we’re getting cues from both sides. If we could recreate it—“

“No,” Tobias meets her eyes with a sharp look. “Not until you’re back to full strength.”

Nia feels a warmth in her chest at his open concern, and she holds up her hands with a laugh. “I know, I know! Trust me, I don’t really feel like passing out again for two days.”

Tobias nods, satisfied, and opens his mouth to say something else when there’s a quiet knock at the door. They all turn, and Nia expects a nurse or doctor to step in for a check-up.

Instead, she’s shocked to see Will poke his head into the room with a concerned look. When he catches sight of their group he lights up, red eyes shining. “Oh, thank goodness.”

“Great,” Tobias grumbles, already glaring daggers as the yamask floats in and closes the door behind him.

Nia bumps her partner’s leg with her own. “Be nice.” Then, louder, “Will! It’s good to see you again.”

“I wish it could be under better circumstances,” Will says as he floats to their side, a regretful smile at his lips. His thumbs rub at the edge of the golden mask he carries. “I’ve been wanting to come check on everyone who was caught up in the fire.”

“Then why’d it take you two days to do it?” Tobias growls. Nia bumps his leg again, a bit harder. “Keegan was here the morning after.”

Will winces and looks away, gaze drifting to the window. “Ah, I’m afraid I’ve been a bit busy helping with the investigation.”

“You’re part of it?” Tobias asks, voice thick with suspicion.

“Investigation?” Nia asks, tilting her head first at Will, then Tobias. “What investigation?”

Will rubs his face, looking ten times older than he had at the conference when he was all charm and charisma. “Keegan suspects foul play in regards to how the fire began, so we want to thoroughly explore all possibilities before laying the blame on Hugo’s troupe. There weren’t any casualties in the fire, thank God, but there were a lot of serious injuries and, ah…property damage.”

Nia blinks at the explanation, still trying to play catch-up. Foul play?

“Whoa! Are you like secretly a detective?!” Junie asks, fluttering closer.

Will finally cracks a smile, shaking his head. “No, no, nothing like that.”

Tobias folds his arms. “Then why are you part of the investigation? Last I heard you aren’t a pyrotechnics expert.”

“Tobias,” Nia protests halfheartedly. She knows he doesn’t like the guy but he doesn’t have to be so openly hostile.

“No no, it’s quite all right, Nia,” Will soothes, giving first her and then Tobias another rueful smile. “We are investigating for any possible tampering, so it’s good to be suspicious at this stage.”

“Tampering,” Nia echoes. “What do you mean?”

Junie shifts a bit closer to Nia, something almost…uncomfortable in her expression. Wary? Tobias narrows his eyes at the yamask.

Will opens his mouth to speak, then hesitates, gaze moving over the three of them. Nia notices how he lingers on her burns, on Tobias’ bandaged fingers and Junie’s broken leg. His face tightens with something like resolution. “I know two of you already know about this, but I still want to ask that you don’t spread word of this needlessly. It’s only a working theory at the moment and could cause unnecessary panic if word spreads.”

Nia blinks, alarmed, and welcomes it when Junie clumsily flutters into her lap. She holds the bird close. “U-Uh…sure?”

Will sighs, looking down at his mask. “Keegan was suspicious from the start that the fire was not an accident, taking the troupe’s reputation and precautions into account. While we aren’t sure of anything yet, the Pokémon looking into it are leaning towards the idea of foul play. We suspect the fire was set intentionally.”

“Why would someone do that?” Nia asks, horrified. She vaguely remembers hearing about crimes of arson in the human world, but never dreamed of something so mindlessly destructive happening here in the Pokémon world.

“And again, why are you so closely involved with the investigation?” Tobias asks, gaze sharp.

Will’s expression tightens. “I was not only the one who put this event together, but I was also uninjured, unlike most folks who were around at the time. They wanted to make sure I didn’t see anyone suspicious.”

Nia’s surprised that Tobias doesn’t say anything to that, and glances over at him. He’s not quite looking at the yamask, anymore, instead staring through him into space. He looks like he’s thinking hard about something.

“Well, did ya?” Junie asks Will, feathers fluffed up in agitation. “See anyone suspicious, that is!”

Will glances at Tobias, looking uncomfortable. “Well, I don’t want to throw around accusations…”

“Just spit it out,” Tobias snaps, suddenly sounding much more on-edge.

Nia almost scolds him again, but cuts herself off when she looks at him. He’s tense, spine ramrod straight like he’s about to bolt to his feet and fight. His eyes are wide and a bit wild. His tail flame is bright.

Will sighs. “Well…I did notice a particularly powerful-looking arcanine lurking about on his own who I don’t remember seeing earlier in the day. Which could mean nothing, of course! There were plenty of powerful fire types there that day. But I thought I should mention it to the investigators, so I think he’s currently their prime suspect.”

Nia stops listening halfway through Will’s explanation. She’s too busy looking at Tobias in concern. The charmander’s breath had caught at the mention of the Pokémon—an arcanine. Surely that couldn’t be the same arcanine that they’ve been looking for, right? The outlaw?

But Tobias must be thinking the same thing, because he’s clearly somewhere else, wide eyes staring sightlessly at the floor, breaths growing harsher by the second, fingers curling into shaking fists—

Nia hurries to grab the charmander’s damaged hands and uncurl his mangled fingers before he can hurt himself. He jerks out of her hold, gaze flicking up to her but seeing nothing, looking right through her. His body is tense and trembling, like his fight response has abruptly switched over to flight and he might run off at any second in a panic.

Distantly Nia notes that Will has stopped speaking and Junie has fluttered out of Nia’s lap to chirp something over Nia’s shoulder, but she shushes the chatty little bird and focuses on her partner. Tobias is whispering something, and she leans forward to hear, straining her sharp ears.

“He was there. He was there, I saw him, he was in the fire, I didn’t remember but he was there he—”

Nia frowns, more than a little unsettled by the charmander’s weak voice and frantic words. She wants to dissect them more, think on them, ask him what exactly he means (he wouldn’t just believe Will that easily, surely? But he mentioned remembering—did he see the arcanine and block it out?)

Whatever happened, right now it looks like he’s...dissociating? She thinks that’s the word. Or maybe on the edge of a panic attack. She’s not sure. Didn’t he have a panic attack at the guild? When he saw the post about the outlaws and decided to create a Seeker team.

Someone says something and Tobias flinches, and Nia shoves all of her thoughts aside for now. The most important thing right now is to help Tobias, even if she doesn’t know how to do that and can feel anxiety tightening in her gut. Should she touch him? That didn’t go so well when she grabbed his hands, but—

“T-Tobias?” Nia tries. Nothing. No recognition, no sign that he even heard her. Hesitantly, she lifts her hands to his face, trying to get him to look at her. “Tobias?”

Tobias tenses up further at the slight brush of her palms, but doesn’t jerk away this time. Okay, okay, what does she do now? Try his name again? Distract him? Talk to him? Oh God, she has no idea how to help him and his breathing has gone shaky and harsh, almost wheezing, like he can’t catch his breath—

“Nia, if you can get his attention, you can lead him through a breathing exercise. He needs to calm down or he’ll pass out.”

Will has lowered himself next to her, brow pinched and gaze focused on her partner’s stricken face, and her first instinct is to tell him to leave, to hide Tobias away when he’s this vulnerable, but the ghost type sounds so calm and confident. Like he knows what he’s doing. Nia clings to that strength.

“H-How can I get his attention?” She squeaks, trying not to panic right alongside Tobias.

Will frowns, glancing over his shoulder at the sunlit room. “Get closer, narrow his vision. You don’t happen to know any ice types on staff, do you? If we had some ice we could put that in his hand to snap him out of it.”

“I-I can get ice!” Nia hears Junie chirp, and then the flutter of wings.

Tobias is still breathing harsh, eyes flicking back and forth and seeing something Nia cannot. He’s shaking almost violently beneath her touch, and she hates it. Hates that he’s so terrified and trapped in some horrible memory where she can’t reach him.

A little desperate, Nia leans forward, right in his face, and tries to get his attention, tries to shut out the world. He’s almost too close to see, but she catches his flickering gaze. “Tobias. Tobias, please, you have to calm down. C-Can you calm down and breathe? Tobias? Toby?”

Nia’s not sure what prompts her to use the nickname Junie forced upon him just a few days ago, but as soon as she says it, blue eyes snap to hers. Not quite seeing her, but paying some sort of attention. He heard her.

She can’t decide whether to laugh or cry, so she just gives him a shaky grin. “G-Good! Good, okay. Toby, can you hear me? Can you nod if you can?”

A heartbeat passes, and then a jerky half-nod that almost bumps their noses together. She laughs, and thinks that his eyes focus on her a bit more. “Great! Okay, u-um, uh—“

“Keep asking him questions. Keep him here.”

“R-Right, okay, Toby—Toby? Hey, look at me. Good! Okay, how about, uh...”

“Ask him to list something. Colors, sounds—“

“What colors do you see?” Nia asks, latching onto Will’s helpful directions.

Tobias’ eyes focus on hers again. “R-Red.”

“Good! What else?”

His gaze flicks to the left ever so slightly. “B...Black? And blue.”

“Anything else?”

His gaze moves down to where Nia knows there’s a burn on her cheek. “Pink.”

Nia doesn’t even know if that one’s right, but she grins anyways. “Awesome! O-Okay, uh—“

“Have him do a breathing exercise before he faints. 5-6-7. Five seconds in, hold for six, release for seven.”

“Tobias, can you breathe in for me?” Nia asks. “Deep breath!”

The charmander tries, she can tell he does, but he only manages a short, shaky inhale before releasing it and gasping in another.

Nia’s stomach drops. “O-Okay, that’s okay, just try again. Deep breath.”

She takes a breath, sees him try to match her before letting it out far too early. Is that bad? She doesn’t know. She doesn’t know what she’s doing!

Tobias must pick up on her own panic, because his breathing stutters into another gasp. No no no, she’s supposed to be helping, not making him worse!

She just wants to help!

A lance of of pain shoots through Nia’s chest, and she squeezes her eyes shut with a whine, automatically following the pain to her raw, exhausted aura. Except the little blue flame is no longer a weak, still thing in her chest. Instead, it’s thrashing and flaring with her emotions, seeming to grow larger by the second, like it’s being fed by her panic. But this hasn’t ever happened before!

Nia tries to figure out where the building energy is coming from, realizing all at once that she hadn’t been imagining the feeling earlier of having access to more. It’s like the well of her aura has suddenly gotten deeper, filled with more energy than before, and now it’s overflowing and feeding that fire in her chest, stoking it into something more sensitive to her emotions.

That only makes her panic more, and the tiny blue flame of her soul grows and grows and grows until it’s too much to be contained. It rushes outward, throughout her body, to her legs and tail and arms, and she rips herself away from Tobias with a yelp. What is her aura doing?!

Tobias flinches and makes a small, desperate noise in the back of his throat. Nia wants to reach out again, but she can’t touch him, not like this. Not with her aura flaring like a blue inferno and reaching towards Tobias with an almost fierce protectiveness.

Will shoots her a worried glance before taking her place in front of Tobias. She hears him say something in a low, soothing murmur.

Nia’s aura has never done anything like this before, never felt like it was fighting back against her. If anything, her aura has always been too unresponsive, slow to follow her orders and too weak to do anything but brush at others’ energy through her skin.

She’d prefer that weakness over this raging thing. It doesn’t feel much more powerful than it was before, just...unfiltered. Unrestrained.

And she has no idea how to control it.

For once, she feels dangerous. Like a bomb waiting to go off, too much power building in a body too small to contain it.

“Nia!”

Nia’s eyes snap open, and there’s Junie, in front of her face. The little bird rears back, staring at her eyes with a surprised expression.

“Are you okay?” The rookidee asks, gaze flicking to the side of Nia’s face and then back again. “You’re, uh, glowing.”

Nia looks down to see that she is in fact glowing, body outlined in the blue of her aura and brighter than it’s ever been before. She’s not even trying to do that.

Junie glances down at Nia’s hands, surprise souring to dismay. “You’re shaking!”

“My aura,” Nia grits out, shutting her eyes again to look at it. The energy is still larger than usual, but it almost looks like it’s...calming, slightly. Swirling anxiously, but without the sharp edges of panic.

“C-Can I help?”

Nia shakes her head, watching her aura like it’s a snarling dog about to snap at her fingers. But despite her fear and confusion, the energy only continues to calm as the seconds pass. Nia can finally hear Will again, counting and breathing with Tobias. She doesn’t realize she’s following along until her aura finally stills, settling in her chest. It’s calm again, larger than it’s ever been but manageable. A lion calmed from its frenzy to purr contentedly at her side.

Nia cracks opens her eyes. Junie is looking between Nia and Will.

“Back with us, Tobias?” The yamask asks.

Tobias! Nia takes another moment to check on her aura, confirm that it’s under control, and then she scoots over to Will’s side. The charmander blinks sluggishly, but his gaze flicks to her. “Nia?”

Wow, he sounds out of it. Nia’s chest aches, with emotion this time instead of her aura. “Y-Yeah, Toby—Tobias. How’re you feeling?”

Tobias doesn’t even respond to her slip-up, pressing his palms into his eyes and groaning. “Like I got trampled by a rhyperior.”

Will gives him a sympathetic smile before turning to Nia. “And you?”

Nia winces. Tobias was the one who had a panic attack; they should be focusing on him, not her. “F-Fine. I don’t know what happened. My aura just went crazy.”

Will’s gaze moves between her and Tobias, thoughtful. “Aura can sense emotions, correct? Perhaps some of Tobias’ fear bled into your own emotional state.”

Nia frowns, wracking her brain for what Val had told her she would eventually be able to do with her aura. She can kind of read people’s emotions when she’s purposefully looking at their aura, sure. And she does sort of...feel them for herself, too? But never like this, unintentionally and without touch.

“But I wasn’t looking at his aura. I wasn’t even touching—“ Nia stops, catching herself. She was touching him, wasn’t she? Cupping his face. She wasn’t touching his aura or using hers, but...

Tobias doesn’t react, eyes lidded with exhaustion.

“Maybe the emotion was strong enough for you to pick it up regardless?” Will suggests, hand at his chin. “You are partners, after all—it would make sense for you to be more in tune with one another.”

Nia looks at Tobias again, waiting for his usual vehement protests to any implication that they’re anything even close to friends.

The charmander just shrugs, drained of his usual fight. “Sorry, I guess.”

It’s somehow flippant and genuine all at once. Nia blinks. “I-It’s not like you did it on purpose.”

Tobias doesn’t answer. Instead, he just rubs at his eyes and grumbles, “Whatever. I wanna sleep. Either talk quieter or get out, Will.”

Nia can’t manage to scold him right now, not when the charmander looks so utterly exhausted. She remembers he was the same after the panic attack at the guild, too. So instead, Nia just gives Will an apologetic smile. “Sorry. Panic attacks wipe him out.”

“Still here,” Tobias growls, shooting her a weak glare. There’s her prickly partner!

“It’s quite all right. I should be heading to other rooms anyways.” Will smiles apologetically at them yet again. “I’m sorry for interrupting your rest, and for...well, potentially triggering your panic attack, Tobias. Was it the, ah…the specific Pokemon I mentioned?”

Tobias winces again, eyes squeezing shut

“Yeah,” Nia murmurs for him.

“Then apologies for that as well,” Will says, looking remorseful. “Before I go—will you all be in Ghatha for a bit while you recover?”

Oh. Nia doesn’t actually know. They’d planned on staying after the Human Convention anyways, to investigate the outlaw trio, and sitting on Fliss’ back for hours on end with the wind tearing at her wounds sounds awful right now. But just in case, she looks to Tobias.

The charmander glances at her, gaze flicking down over her burns. “Nia’ll need a few days to rest.”

“Your hands need to heal too,” She reminds him, gently.

Tobias looks back at Will. “And I want to stick around and look for that…” He stumbles, takes a deep breath, and his voice only shakes a bit when he continues. “That arcanine. If he really did set the fire, he needs to be brought in.”

Nia frowns. She knows the explanation is mostly a cover for his true animosity towards the arcanine, but this whole debacle couldn’t have helped lessen his desire for revenge. He’s gotta be even more angry than before, if that’s possible.

Well, they’re partially here in Ghatha to hunt down leads on the outlaw trio, anyways, and this might be a big one, so it makes sense for them to stay until that’s resolved. They’ll have to send a letter to Maggie and August to let them know.

Nia cringes. Maggie is going to give them an earful for this one.

“I’ll stick around for a bit, too,” Junie chirps, “Can’t do much flying with a cast on my leg. ‘Sides, Toby’s gonna need an extra hand.”

“You don’t even have hands!”

Before Tobias can really get going, Nia interrupts, “We weren’t planning on staying longer than a couple of days, but Tobias mentioned us being able to take on honorary guild work to make money and explore the area. So I guess we’ll plan on doing that once we’re well enough to leave the hospital?”

Will nods. “That sounds like a fine plan. Keegan has been a wonderful help, and I’ve heard nothing but good things about the guild here in town, so I’m sure you’ll have no issue signing up for missions.”

“Then I guess we’ll probably see you around,” Nia say, giving the yamask a tired smile.

Will smiles back. “Indeed. And I’ll be sure to let you all know once I hear anything new about the investigation.”

Tobias nods. “Good. Keep us in the loop.”

“Of course.” Will bows to them again and floats towards the door. “I’ll let you all rest. Have a good night.”

Nia and Junie wave as the ghost type leaves the room. Tobias just shuffles over to his nest and flops down, curling up and making himself comfortable.

“You know it’s only mid-afternoon, right?” Junie asks, fluttering over to Tobias’ side.

“You know you could shut up, right?” Tobias growls, turning away.

Junie chirps a laugh and turns back to Nia. “Ball of sunshine, this one.”

Nia bites back a laugh, watching as Tobias slowly melts into his nest, probably enjoying the warmth and sunshine pouring into the room. Nia definitely doesn’t want to disturb him, but she feels sort of restless, despite her wounds. It’s probably the worry about everything Will told them. And Tobias’ panic attack. And her aura suddenly freaking out.

Cautiously, she prods again at her aura, but it’s still calm, burning bright in her chest. Huh. Maybe after resting up and healing from her injuries it’ll act normal again? It seems fine now.

“I think I’m gonna take a little walk around the hospital,” Nia announces quietly, looking at Junie. “Wanna come?”

“Sure!”

The two of them head towards the door, Nia at a slow pace that pulls less at her burns and wounds. They probably shouldn’t be walking around without a doctor’s permission, but they won’t go far or anything, just take a look around the halls.

Before they close the door, Nia’s gaze catches on Tobias again, already sound asleep. He seems like he bounced back all right from his panic attack, but she still worries. What if they do find something solid about the arcanine in their own investigating? What if they find the arcanine himself? If he really was at the fire, then it’s suddenly a very real possibility. Just the unexpected mention of the Pokémon was enough to send Tobias spiraling again.

And that same Pokemon may be responsible for the fire. For all three of them almost dying.

It’s...a lot. And a lot to be scared of. Why would the rogue even set the fire in the first place? What should they even do if they find a real lead? Nia isn’t eager to face any fire type in combat any time soon, let alone such a powerful outlaw. They wouldn’t stand a chance if they fought him.

Nia shivers, taking a deep breath as she shuts the door and follows Junie’s short, careful hops out into the hallway. She needs to stop thinking for now, and try to relax while she can. She won’t be able to do much of anything for a day or two anyways, so until then her and Tobias will just have to wait and heal and keep an ear out for any news from Will or Keegan. Then they’ll decide what to do next.

“Let’s look around and find something cool to sneak back to our room!” Junie chirps conspiratorially, glancing down the hallway with a glint in her eyes. Nia has the distinct feeling that the little bird was the kind of human to hijack a wheelchair and go flying down hospital ramps in their old world.

Nia shakes her head, smiling. At least their recovery won’t be boring.

#pokemon mystery dungeon #pmd #pokemon #charmander #riolu #rookidee #pmd seekers of soul #tesha draws #tesha writes

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