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#i’m exhausted so i’m just gonna listen & any thoughts i want to share i’ll share later
getitoncamera · 24 days
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happy ttpd day!!
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onlyswan · 2 years
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summary: in which cruel fate leads you and jungkook to bright places.
> fluff, a little twinge of angst? / wc: 4.2k
> warnings: none really. but if you’ve read the grocery store drabble, you really get lost in this one. hehe
note: oc!!! stop making him worry like this. cries in i love sweet boy jungkook sooo much. + i enjoyed writing this :[ <3 listened to cigs after sex while i was at it. and as you can tell i got very. carried away. scratches head. researching about pokemon bread was also kind of fun?
love is selfless— it’s what they often say. however, on his way home from work, jungkook finds himself admitting his ugly truth: he is selfish. when he arrives at your shared space, he will tangle his limbs with yours and let you drag him across the floor to wherever it is you need to go. he will hold on to you, and never let go. he will abandon the concept of time at the farthest corner of his mind, along with his exhaustive musings and responsibilities. instead, he will be consumed by you.
and sometimes, he finds that the telepathy connecting the two of you is baffling.
because he’s definitely not thinking about anything else but you. he’s scouring the entire apartment for any trace of life, but you’re nowhere to be found. the bed is still made. the bathroom lights are off. the pillows on the couch are organized. the center table is spotless. the kitchen is clean. he opens the trash bin, and the last thing tossed in there is still the egg tray he discarded this morning. he checks the laundry room, but the only clothes of yours in the laundry basket are from yesterday.
he ends up deciding that you’re not playing hide-and-seek with him like he originally thought. he sits on the counter top, anxiously playing with his lipring as he calls your number. again. and again. and again.
you did tell him earlier that you were going to visit the library, but it already closed an hour ago, so you should be home by now. moreover, if you were going to drop by other places, you would’ve updated him that you’d be home later at night. but you didn’t. the last text you sent him was a captured photo of page 73, an overview about thyme. you reminded him that he once mentioned that he wanted to grow some herbs in your balcony, so you’re doing some old-fashioned research about them in the library.
and thank heavens you answer the call on his fifth try, because he’s about to have a breakdown in the middle of your kitchen.
“jungkook!”
not to be dramatic, but if he was standing, his knees would’ve collapsed on the tiled floor at the sound of your voice. he swallows the lump in his throat, breathes deeply to unload the weight sitting on his chest.
“where are you?”
“oh, right! about that-” you chuckle nervously, and he can already imagine you tapping your foot against the floor. “wait. let me just-”
“how long? i can’t wait. i miss you. tell me where you are and i’ll pick you up.” he hops off the counter, making a beeline to the front door.
“yes, pick me up. please. i’m not sure where i am exactly but i just checked and my location is still turned on with you.”
oh shit. the location feature. why didn’t he think of that? and what do you mean by-
he pauses on his tracks, car keys back in his hand not even twenty minutes since he got off his car. “baby, how do you not know where you are?”
“uhm, i fell asleep in the bus . . . then i panicked and got off because i thought i missed my stop. but you’re not gonna believe what happened next!”
he squeezes his eyes shut, fingers massaging his temple because he has a bad feeling about this. “okay. try me.”
“i realized i actually got on the wrong bus. stupid, right?” you giggle through the phone speaker, and it’s both endearing and ridiculous that you can still laugh in this situation.
nevermind that, he’s just relieved that you’re safe.
“i walked for a while and found this convenience store with a charging station. i emptied my battery trying to book a taxi but none accepted me!”
your whiny voice makes him smile, although he looked forward to hearing it more when he planned to be disgustingly clingy and affectionate.
“i’ll go, baby. just wait for me there, okay?” he presses the down button, waiting for the elevator to arrive.
“okaaay.” you reply in a sing-song voice.
he puts you on speaker mode when he enters, checking on your location to see how far you’ve strayed from home. you got on the wrong bus. no mistake about that.
“you’re an hour and three minutes away.”
he hears you choke out a cough from the other line, most probably on a drink. “an hour?! by foot, right?”
“no,” he chuckles. late night drives with you aren’t new, so he doesn’t mind it one bit. “by car.”
silence fills the air for a few seconds. “then i’ll drive on the way back. i’m about to eat ramyeon so i’ll be energized!”
“let’s see if i get too tired to drive. just stay on the phone for me, okay?”
“wait- i’m hungry. need to go put hot water in my noodles. let’s switch to video call.”
when he accepts the video call, he’s greeted by the candy and chocolate shelf in landscape view. you probably propped up your phone on the charging station, so he adjusts his phone’s position to match yours. and you . . . are nowhere to be found. again.
he’s already driving out on the road when you appear on his screen. you smile at him, waving the chopsticks in your hand.
“i’ll do a live mukbang for you in a few minutes.”
he takes a brief glance, memorizing the way you look before reverting his attention to the road. a small smile grows on his face, a huge wave of love flooding his system. “you look so pretty today.”
“thank you. it took me thirty minutes to pick out my outfit.” you chirp happily before revealing the hand hidden behind your back, holding up a special item you stumbled upon during your little adventure. “look what i found! do you want it?”
“what is it?” he asks as he makes a turn.
“team rocket’s pokemon bread. it’s chocolate.” you inspect the bread again to confirm that you’re correct. “it’s the last one on the shelf so i just bought it.”
his eyes widen in surprise, lips forming an ‘o’. he personally knows many people who have been visiting stores until the late hours to buy them. it’s all the rage nowadays.
“oh? you actually found one?!”
“don’t you think fate led me here for this?” you gush excitedly.
he finally stops at a red light, taking a good look at you with fondness. “you’re giving it to me?”
“yes. enjoy it, okay? i walked in boots for this.” you point at the camera threateningly.
so adorable. he misses you so much.
he obediently crosses his fingers to forge a promise. “i won’t leave a single crumb uneaten.”
“good boy,” you poke the camera as if you’re booping his nose. “i left my food too long. i’ll go get my overcooked ramyeon now.”
you disappear again, and he resumes his journey leading to you. you return moments later, devouring a cup of ramyeon. you’re holding it with some tissue paper. you were never really good with touching hot things— you drop them without thinking twice . . . which is a health hazard.
and it stays like that for a little while. as jungkook drives, he looks at you and the navigation guide every now and then. just to make sure he’s turning to the correct lefts and rights as the voice says; and to give himself the assurance that you didn’t stray somewhere else again. you, on the other hand, is too focused on your food to give your boyfriend a smidge of attention. that’s how mukbang asmr is, right? only eating sounds?
the cashier is probably thinking of you funny for eating infront of your boyfriend via video call in a public place. you couldn’t care less. it’s been a long day, and staying still in this small corner of the earth feels oddly comforting.
you’re in the middle of sipping down the leftover broth at the bottom of the cup when you hear movement from the aisle behind you. being nosy as you are, you find yourself taking a peek. you take quick and light steps back to jungkook to tell him about what you saw.
“babe, they’re restocking the pokemon breads. i’m the only person left here.” you whisper with one hand covering your mouth from the side, as if you’re sharing a secret. “i’ll buy more.”
he unconsciously copies the gesture and the volume of your voice. “do they have the other flavors too?”
“yes. keep driving safe. be right back.”
you dash to the other aisle, and jungkook and the long row of kitkats play a staring contest in the middle of traffic yet again.
familiar with your nature, it is entertaining to watch you participate in the pokemon bread hunt out of the blue. very on-brand and-
“so competitive.” he laughs to himself.
“hi!” you beam at the camera, hugging the paper bag inhabited by your new prized possessions. “uh, we have eight in total. i bought one of each flavor so there’s two team rocket now. and three jigglypuff bread just because- um-”
jungkook stifles his laughter. oh, of course you did.
“it’s so cute. i couldn’t help myself.” you sigh, slightly feeling guilty. other people do hoard them and buy everything off the shelf, so you think about that to feel less bad about taking all the jigglypuffs.
fuck. if you’re being this cute over a jigglypuff bread, he might just have to join everyone and do convenience store raids, too.
“you’re kind for still leaving some. i saw a person in the internet buy all the pokemon breads in the store they went to.”
“right?! i saw that, too.” you exclaim, relieved that you had the same thought as him.
“did you get me my pikachu, though?”
“of course. pikachu must always be present!” you answer proudly as you unplug your phone after seeing that it’s already at 50%. “i’m getting bored here. there’s a thrift shop just beside this, so i’ll go see if they’re still opened.”
jungkook drums his fingers on the steering wheel, following a beat he’s making up on the spot. “alright. i’m only fifteen minutes away, so don’t go anywhere else.”
”yes, sir.”
“and don’t end the call.”
“i won’t. you’ll miss me.”
he clicks his tongue before sighing, expressing his frustrating sorrow. “i already do.”
the air from outside is warmer, and it engulfs you the second you pull the door open. it makes your skin feel sticky and uncomfortable. the thought of going back inside enters your mind, but the idea gets shot down immediately after. might get tempted to buy more bread.
the thrift shop heavily contrasts the vivid conveniece store. there is no door. racks of pre-loved clothing greet you by the entrance, leading to more of them inside. a lone warm lightbulb illuminates the cramped space, hanging in the middle of the dirty white ceiling. and the smell. oh, the smell— it causes nostalgia to rush throughout your body.
a woman emerges from the wooden counter. she’s in her 50s, if you had the guess. you make eye-contact, and her kind eyes eases your uncertainty about whether you’re allowed to enter or not.
“you can still look around if you want. i’m just cleaning before i close up.”
“oh, thank you!” you politely bow before approaching the long rack of shirts and long-sleeves against the wall. you’ve been eyeing them since the moment you arrived.
left with no other choice, you leave the paper bag of pokemon breads on the floor, under one of the racks. you carefully lean your phone against a shoe on the shelf above it, just a little higher than your eye-level. you smile unbeknownst to yourself. your jungkook looks extra handsome when driving. while he admittedly has a short attention span, he’s very focused on the road when he’s behind the wheel.
you’re already browsing through the clothes when he glances at his phone. he can only see half your face, but he also hears your fast hands pushing back the hanger of the ones that don’t capture your interest.
your love for shopping doubled when you entered a relationship with jungkook, because purchasing items you think he like or need also brings you an unexplainable joy. it’s not limited to clothes or accessories. for example, you bought him white and blue acrylic paint two months ago because you noticed that he used them all up for a project.
after more or less ten minutes, there are already two t-shirts and one sweater hanging on your forearm. one of the t-shirt is yours. it matches with one of your trousers that you barely wear.
you’ve walked past the camera frame when you stumble upon a black bomber jacket, looking so cool and brand-new, which explains why it’s a bit on the pricier side. and you know jungkook has a lot of other black jackets back at home, but you just can’t help yourself because it reminds you so much of him.
it’s so jungkook. you can’t allow it to live in another person’s closet.
you approach the counter with the clothes you picked out. the woman halts her sweeping outside, leaving the broom against the wall before wiping her hands on her long skirt, the floral print noticeably faded with time. you hastily grab the belongings you left unattended, putting your phone’s microphone on mute to keep your little surprise.
there’s no paper bills left in your wallet after spending all your money on food and clothes. with a grimace, you drop it inside your bag. you were only supposed to go to the library today, spend a little money on bus fare and lunch. perhaps, spontaneously add in a little snack in between. however, this is called spontaneity out of hand.
“are these for your boyfriend’s birthday?” the woman asks in a hushed, yet teasing, voice as she folds up the jacket.
two pairs of eyes fall on the phone you’re holding, and you smile sheepishly. “i’m trying to make everyday his birthday.”
“he’s very handsome. you better take good care of him!”
you cover your face in embarrassment, silently laughing. “we take good care of each other! he’s coming to pick me up because i couldn’t find a taxi.”
“oh dear, are you new here?” she stuffs the jacket in the big plastic bag, along with the other clothes you bought. “there’s barely any taxis here after 9pm. everyone just walks. many complaints about it, but good exercise for my rusty bones when they ask me.”
“i’ll keep that in mind for next time.” you wrap your left arm around the bag of clothes, sliding it off the counter until you’re carrying its full weight. “thank you again. have a great night! and stay healthy!”
you stumble on the single step leading outside because the weight of the breads and clothes are unbalanced. thankfully, you make it out of the shop without a scratch. the woman bids you a safe trip and picks up the broom, the melancholia of night-time quietness blanketing her home once again.
you look down at your phone to find that the video call with jungkook has ended, but before you can question him, a familiar voice sings your name from a close distance.
“jungkook!” you call out to him, crossing the distance between you in high spirits. “you really came for me!”
jungkook shakes his head in disbelief. “you really thought i’d leave you here stranded? you always make me worried.”
“i never do it on purpose.” you frown, shoulders sagged with guilt.
“that makes it more worrisome.” he breathes out a sigh. “come here. i missed you.”
“i want to hug you, but my hands are full.”
he takes a step forward and wraps his arms around you, squeezing you in a tight embrace. he feels you give a chaste kiss to his jaw before leaning your cheek on his shoulder, and just like that, his anxiety melts away. your favorite perfume invades his sense of smell. as a person with a sensitive nose, many perfumes often give him a headache. he is in love with yours. it’s sweet and subtle; it feels like coming home.
“i was so excited to come home but you weren’t there.”
“i’m sorry for always making you worry. i’ll be more mindful next time.” you apologize to him with a kiss on the cheek, and you feel it rise against your lips when he smiles. “oh no, wait. the bread- they’re going to get all mushed up.”
he reluctantly untangles himself from you, taking away the heavy load you’re carrying without you having to ask. this is when you swiftly snatch the car keys from his hand.
“i want to drive this time.”
he breathes out a sigh of relief. “oh my god, thank you. i’m getting sleepy.”
it’s impossible not to quickly look over to the passenger seat when a bright flash fills the vehicle. surprise, surprise! instead of sleeping, jungkook is taking pictures of the packs of pokemon bread he eagerly arranged on his lap.
“that flash is brighter than the sun.”
he throws a thumbs-up with an overly enthusiastic voice. “samsung!”
you swear, every chance he gets he promotes thei-
“don’t you dare steal my jigglypuff.”
he raises his arms in surrender, making balloons with his cheeks. “i just didn’t know they were strawberry flavored. i’m tasting team rocket’s chocolate rolls first. namjoon-hyung likes it.”
he carefully tears it from the other side to keep team rocket’s image unharmed. he takes a bite from the choco roll, and feeds the remaining half to you.
“mhmmm.” he hums, eyebrows furrowed in sheer delight. “it’s so good? i’m glad you bought another.”
he divides another roll in the middle. he munches on his share as he waits for you to finish your first bite. while he does as such, he suddenly perks up when he remembers the story he was supposed to tell you.
“i saw a group of guys enter the convenience store when i arrived earlier. they were looking for pokemon bread, too.”
“how’d you know?”
“i heard one of them say ‘this one better have the gastly bread or i will cry.’” he imitates the stranger’s deep voice speaking in a whiny manner. “it was funny.”
“then he’s probably on his way home crying now.” your giggles create a harmony.
that store did not have gastly bread, unfortunately.
“moment of truth.”
jungkook locates the pokemon sticker after you finish the rest of the bread. you wait with bated breath as he unveils the first out of eight stickers.
he gasps as he comes face-to-face with- “it’s snorlax! number 143 . . . 143.” he freezes as he scans his memory for the special meaning of the number code. “doesn’t that mean ‘i love you’?”
“it does,” you confirm with a grin. “i told you it was fate! isn’t it the best love confession?”
while living with you is a type of intimacy he values greatly, and protects everyday, getting lost in unfamiliar places with you has a charm of its own. it’s one of the days when he allows himself to say: jungkook, you lived well today.
he presses the sticker on your cheek, giving you a kiss through snorlax. “i love you, too.”
“since we can’t finish all these bread tonight, we’ll open the rest tomorrow.” jungkook announces as he sets down the plastic bag on the floor. in the meantime, snorlax is kept in his wallet for safety purposes.
he carries the clothes to his lap next, curious eyes and curious hands taking out the items one by one. he squeaks a sound of amazement. “you found quite a lot in that shop.”
“they had a lot of good stuff. i got the dark green-ish shirt. the rest are for you.”
he holds the baby blue sweater by the shoulders, letting the rest of it unfold and hang suspended in the air. “this one is so pretty.”
“oh! i really like that one. might borrow it a lot.”
“you’d look pretty in it. especially in the winter.” he says fondly. the mental image of you wearing it surrounded by snow is making him miss the season that just passed.
you pout. “but i got it for you. so wear it more than me.”
“i will. i want to wear it to work right after laundry day.” you beam in contentment, and he pats your head appreciatively. “you’re so fucking cute, baby. thank you for buying it for me.”
the black jacket catches his attention next, and the galaxies in his eyes sparkle as he takes in its the details and overall appearance. “this is totally my style! how does it look so brand-new?”
“right? it’s a steal so i had to buy it!”
jungkook chews on his bottom lip, a conscious effort to restrain himself from attacking you with hugs and kisses. buying treats and gifts for each other on random days— it’s grown to be a second nature in your relationship. this is why you always go on trips on birthdays and anniversaries instead of buying big gifts. he loves that there’s no pressure, and the element of surprise never fades. he loves that he knows what you like, and you know what he likes. a huge part of what makes him who he is has permanently resided in who you are, and vice versa. he will carry you with him for the rest of his life, just like the food he learned to love because his childhood friend forced him to have a bite, and how he adds a bar on top of the letter J because it reminds him of the number 7.
so from now on, he will refuse to wear any other jacket but the one you bought him, and he will think of you every time the sky is baby blue.
“i think this is going to be one of those clothes i’d wear all the time. like the first sneakers you got me.”
“oh god,” you chuckle at the old memory. if people didn’t know he was rich, they would’ve thought he only had one pair of shoes. “you really wore those out.”
“that’s how much i loved it!”
“okay, but you need to wash it before wearing it.”
“i’ll wake up earlier to do laundry.” he starts planning out his day inside his head as he folds up the clothes to put back inside the bag. but then he traces his thoughts two hours backwards, and he is reminded physical affection he’s been craving the whole day.
“can we cuddle when we get home?”
“of course, my love.” you raise an eyebrow in question. “when do we not cuddle?”
“i just missed you a lot today.” he sighs, turning over to his side to look at you. perhaps, also to memorize the street lights reflecting on your face, and how your beige cardigan has slipped down your shoulder. oh, the urge to write a song at this magical moment.
“what’s wrong? did anything bad happen today?” pure concern adorns your voice. you hate it when he’s sad. so much. you want to shield him from everything bad in the world.
“nothing.” his face starts to feel flushed, one of the dead giveaways that he’s emotional. “i just love you, that’s all. you get it, right?”
you have never been more grateful to meet a light that just turned red.
you solely focus on him momentarily, combing his hair with your fingers because it always helps him to relax. “feeling a little overwhelmed, is that it?”
he only nods as a reply. he catches your hand in his to give your knuckles a kiss, plushy lips caressing the tough bones of your doting hand.
“we’re almost home. wanna cuddle in the bathtub?” you propose when you recognize the familiar scenery through his window. the promising comfort and safety of your home causes exhaustion to come crashing down on you. your muscles are suffering the consequences of your actions, and therefore, are asking for compensation.
jungkook seems to be relishing in the idea, doe eyes sparkling instead of shining with unshed tears. “please, that sounds nice. but i’m sorry for when i fall asleep in there.”
you laugh nervously as you enter your parking lot. you do have your license, but you don’t drive very often. maybe three times a month at most. you find driving to be energy consuming despite being seated, so you much prefer commuting because it also serves as your rest time before and after attending to your duties.
“i need to reverse park before we can get into the bathtub, so you have to help me.”
and yes, additionally, you just simply hate reverse parking with burning passion.
“why do you hate reverse parking so much?” your boyfriend asks out of curiosity.
good question.
“i know we have cameras now, but i’m still always scared of bumping into other cars.”
he flashes you his old-fashioned captivating smirk, resting his hand behind the driver’s seat. what makes it funnier is that you’re not even looking. you’re too preoccupied with finding your parking space.
he raises his eyebrows teasingly, doe eyes turning into small slits as they do when he’s playfully flirting. “you don’t have to be scared of such thing, baby. i’ll pay for the damages.”
“you’re jinxing it! i’ll definitely mess up that ferrari now!”
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steddieas-shegoes · 5 months
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take a break
Happy Birthday CJ @tboyeddie )!!! I hope this tiny token of my friendship makes you smile, and I hope your day is relaxing and you get to do whatever you want to do. Giving you the biggest hug and wrapping you in a fuzzy blanket so you can be cozy. - Mickala 💖
rated m | tags on ao3
/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/-/
“Wayne’s just as bad as you.”
Steve looked at the giant box sitting in his living room, scribbled with little doodles and notes to their daughter, Jess. Her birthday wasn’t until next week, but since Wayne could only come this weekend, they’d arranged an early party.
He shipped her gift to their house since he couldn’t bring it on the plane.
Now Steve sees why.
“I don’t know what you mean,” Eddie said against his cheek as he came up behind him and wrapped his arms around Steve’s waist. “Nothing bad about wanting the best for our girl.”
“The best doesn’t have to be so…big.” Steve gestured to the box that was nearly his height. “What did he even get her?”
“He might’ve mentioned something about a swing set.” Eddie rocked them back and forth slowly. “But maybe it’s not.”
It was.
Steve glared at Eddie as he opened the top of the box to peek inside to confirm.
“We don’t even have anywhere to put it!” Steve whisper-yelled. Jess was asleep in her room, exhausted from a busy day at school and softball practice. “I’m not setting it up in my living room.”
“Sweetheart, we’ve got enough room on the back patio for this. It’s just one swing!” Eddie pulled a printed picture of the assembly from the side of the box. “See? Barely takes up any space. You won’t even notice it.”
“Right. I’ll just have to walk around it every time I have to take the trash out.” Steve crossed his arms. “Where are we even hiding this until her party?”
“I can make it fit in our closet.”
Steve’s brows raised in surprise.
For all that Steve used to hoard clothes, he only took up about 30% of their shared closet now. He was content with just enough to get through his week and a couple extra nicer outfits for special occasions.
Eddie, however, believed that more is more and he should get to have every shirt that looks even remotely decent on him.
Which, Steve admits, is most shirts.
“You’re not gonna make that fit.”
“How many times have you said that to me? I’ve always made it fit, right?” Eddie smirked at him, wiggling his eyebrows suggestively.
“I’m going to bed,” Steve sighed, turning so he could hide the fond smile he had on his face.
“I’ll be in soon to make it fit!” Eddie replied.
Steve shook his head as he walked to their bedroom.
He stripped off his clothes with every intention of letting Eddie try his best.
——————————
“Daddy! You said Uncle Wayne was coming at 3:45. It’s 3:47 and he isn’t here!” Jess whined.
“Daddy did say that. But Daddy forgot you can read a clock and Daddy should have thought this through better,” Steve said as he finished making the pitcher of lemonade that Jess had long since abandoned.
“Where is he? Is he still in the plane?” Jess looked out the window and up to the sky as if she would be able to see Wayne waving out of the window of a plane if she tried hard enough. “Dad said that sometimes planes have to fly in circles before they can land. What if he’s dizzy?”
Steve hid a smile in the fridge as he put the pitcher of lemonade on the top shelf. “He’ll be here any minute. Maybe there was a holdup with his bags at the airport.”
He was glad Eddie was working right now or else he’d be pacing the floor and being as impatient as Jess. If he knew Eddie half as well as he thought he did, he probably was.
“Maybe they lost him.”
Steve couldn’t hold back the laugh at that. “Lost Uncle Wayne? I don’t think so. It’s pretty hard to lose a person, lovebug.”
“Not sometimes! My friend Hannah at school lost her sister once at the grocery store and her mom cried for two whole hours before they found her.”
Steve’s eyes widened momentarily. “But they found her! And she was just a kid who probably didn’t listen to her mom or dad, right? And your Uncle Wayne-“
“Is here!” Wayne yelled from the front door.
“Uncle Wayne!” Jess yelled as she ran out of the kitchen and dining area to their living room. “You’re not lost!”
“‘Course not! Couldn’t get lost right before your birthday. Then who’d sing ya the silly birthday song?” Wayne picked her up and settled her on his hip.
She was turning eight, and she was quite tall for her age, so this would probably be the last year Wayne could get away with this.
“Dad knows it. Doesn’t he?” Jess asked Steve, suddenly growing concerned. “What if Wayne did get lost?”
“Your dad knows it just fine,” Wayne said, setting her down and walking to Steve. “Hey, son. You doin’ alright?”
Steve let himself fall into a hug with Wayne, doing his best not to let tears gather.
It’d been a while, okay? He missed Wayne’s hugs.
“Glad you made it. Want a drink?” Steve pulled away to grab him a beer. “Grabbed your favorites at the store last night.”
“Drink sounds good.” Wayne popped the top before turning back to Jess. “I was promised a makeover last time we talked on the phone, wasn’t I?”
Wayne was a good sport, insisted that he didn’t care if it was playing catch at the park or getting his nails painted, he wanted to spend every second with Jess. Steve was just excited to have a day go by without eyeshadow glitter on his clothes.
“I got a new lip gloss that tastes like strawberries and you will love it, it’s just a little pink, but it tastes so good,” she said seriously, folding her hands in front of her and rocking onto her tip toes. “Can I show him daddy?”
“Yes, but remember what I said. It all stays in the bathroom. Go get everything ready first while he rests for a minute,” Steve smiled at her as she clapped and ran to the bathroom. “You don’t have to let her do the makeover. She’d be just as happy doing it to herself.”
“I’m happy to get a little glitter on this face. Could use a shinin’ demeanor,” Wayne joked. “Especially after the airport lost my bags.”
Steve’s jaw dropped. “What? Do you need me to run to the store and get you stuff? Why didn’t you say so sooner? I’ll catch Eds before he leaves work so he can stop on the way home.” He walked over to the phone, only to be stopped with a hand on his arm. He looked at Wayne with furrowed brows. “What is it?”
“If you waited a second, you’d know they found them. That was why I was a bit late.” Wayne shook his head. “You ain’t gotta jump through hoops for me, I keep tellin’ ya. You doin’ okay? Really?”
Steve’s sharp inhale, his painstakingly schooled features on his face, his hands being kept busy so Wayne wouldn’t see them shake, it all added up to him not doing okay.
Wayne pulled him into a hug, one hand cupping the back of his head and one rubbing his back as he felt Steve sob against him.
“Son, what’s goin’ on? You boys need some help?” Wayne whispered so Jess wouldn’t hear. “You know I’ve got some money saved up if ya need it.”
Steve shook his head against Wayne’s shoulder.
“No, no.” He sniffed. “I mean we’re broke, but all the bills are paid and we still managed to spoil Jess for her birthday. It’s just-”
Wayne smiled sadly before pulling away.
“Everything?” Steve nodded. “I know the feelin’. You boys are doing a great job, though. I know it’s a lot right now, but you’ll get through it. You always do.”
“Just overwhelmed lately. Eddie’s been working a lot more and my classes are all labs this semester, which is so stupid, like why do teachers even need labs if they aren’t gonna be science teachers?” Steve threw his arms up. “And Jess got in trouble at school last week for fighting and she was technically right and protecting herself and another kid, but they have policies or whatever so she was suspended for a day and I had to miss class, which was a midterm day and the professor is a dick who doesn’t seem to understand that people have lives outside of the classroom. And Eddie doesn’t really understand my frustration because he hated school, so why should I care so much, right? But he’s kinda right, like, I was allowed to make up the midterm, why am I still letting it bother me?”
“Papa! I’m ready!” Jess yelled from the bathroom, interrupting Steve’s rant. “Do you want blue or purple eyeshadow?”
“Surprise me!” He yelled back before touching Steve’s arm. “We’re gonna talk about this more later, okay? Ya don’t have to hold this in, son.”
“I know. Enjoy your makeover,” Steve sniffed, wiping at the few tears that managed to still trickle from his eyes. “Eds should be home soon.”
——————————
When Eddie got home, Wayne was well on his way to being the prettiest princess Chicago had ever seen.
He barely contained a snort of laughter at the streak of dark pink blush across one cheek as he kissed Jess’ head and made his way back to the kitchen.
“Hey, sweetheart. Smells good,” Eddie leaned in to kiss Steve’s cheek, brows furrowing when he saw the red around his eyes. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothin’. How was work?” Steve’s attempt at a comforting smile failed, and Eddie let his hands fall.
“Fine. Turn the stove off.” Eddie wasn’t sure what could’ve happened between that morning and now, especially since he’d been looking forward to Wayne’s visit even more than Eddie had been. “Look at me, Stevie.”
Steve turned to him, eyes still downcast, bottom lip worried between his teeth.
“Your head being loud?” Eddie whispered, cupping Steve’s cheeks in his hands. He smiled sadly when Steve nodded. “What do you need me to do?”
Steve shook his head, unsure of what Eddie could do. They were both doing everything they could, it was just how life was going for them right now.
No way out but through.
Eddie wordlessly pulled him into his chest, ignoring his quiet protest.
“We’ll order pizza if it burns.” Eddie had $20 cash in his wallet ready to go if Steve just said the word. “You’re doing too much, sweet love.”
“Jess, I totally forgot!” Wayne’s voice echoed from across the room. “Part of your birthday present is coming to stay with me at the hotel for a night so you can swim in the pool! Did you know it has a slide?”
Eddie turned to glance over his shoulder, nodding once when Wayne gave him an encouraging smile.
“Really?” Jess squealed. “Daddy! Dad! Please!”
Steve and Eddie were nearly bowled over by Jess, her excitement making them both give genuine smiles.
“If Papa is absolutely sure.” Steve looked over at Wayne, who was nodding. “You should go pack your backpack with pajamas and a bathing suit, little one.”
“I’m not little! I’m almost eight!” Jess argued as she ran to her bedroom.
“Wayne, you don’t have to-” Eddie started.
“You both need a night off. Maybe it won’t solve everything, but it’ll give ya time to yourselves.” Wayne ruffled Eddie’s hair, ignoring his groaning and complaining. “I’ll have her back before lunch tomorrow so she can get ready for her party. Plus, it’ll keep her outta your hair while you set everything up.”
Eddie and Steve knew better than to argue further, not with that stubborn old man.
Jess was packed in record time, giving Steve and Eddie hugs and a kiss on the cheek before practically bouncing out the front door.
Wayne just laughed and waved at them as he took her hand in his to lead her to his rental car.
The silence that followed was deafening, almost overwhelming.
Steve looked at Eddie, Eddie looked at Steve.
“We’re alone all night.” Steve sounded shocked, like it just sunk in. “Just us.”
“Just us. Alone,” Eddie repeated, his smile growing as he walked forward and stopped right in front of Steve. “I’m gonna take such good care of you, sweetheart.”
Steve melted against his chest at the words, grateful that Eddie was already wrapping his arms around him, keeping him from collapsing to the floor.
The past…six months or so, really, had been so stressful for both of them, they’d barely had time to do anything, let alone take care of each other in the way they both desperately needed. Steve wasn’t even sure the last time they actually managed to go to bed at the same time, his homework often keeping him up long after Eddie went to bed.
It would all be worth it, and they still managed to do little things for each other when they could, but it still sucked trying to get through it all.
“Miss you so much, Eds,” Steve mumbled against his neck, pressing his lips to the juncture of his shoulder and neck.
“Miss you all the time, baby boy. You wanna take a bath?”
Steve nodded against him, but didn’t pull away.
He didn’t need to; Eddie lifted him up under his thighs, waited for him to wrap his legs around his waist, and walked to their small, but cozy bathroom. Jess’ bath toy basket was still by the tub, along with an open bottle of bubble bath and her fruit punch shampoo along the edge. Eddie shook his head fondly before setting Steve down on the sink counter.
“She sure knows how to leave a mess, huh?” Eddie asked, not nearly as annoyed as he probably could be. “I guess she gets it from me.”
“Forgetting to close shampoo bottles? Definitely a learned behavior.” Steve kicked his toe out to nudge Eddie’s leg as he cleaned up and started the water. “Definitely not learned from me.”
Eddie turned around just to roll his eyes. “I don’t close them because I know you’re gonna use them. I don’t just forget.”
“Sure you don’t.” Steve pulls his own shirt off as he watches Eddie pour some of the coconut bubble bath. “Which is why you must also always forget to tell me when you’re running low on your body wash.”
“Exactly! You get it.”
Steve snorted and got off the counter to unbutton his pants, didn’t wanna waste any of their time waiting on Eddie to get him undressed.
“In a rush?” Eddie said over his shoulder as he let his hand run through the water to check the temperature. “We’ve got all night.”
“Not in a rush, just don’t wanna waste a second.”
“That sounds like rushing.”
Steve poked his shoulder as he stripped off his socks. “I’m not rushing.”
Eddie finally stood up and turned around, his breath catching when he saw Steve, completely naked, watching him with his hands on his hips.
“You’re so beautiful, baby boy,” Eddie whispered, reaching his hand out to run his fingers across his chest. His scars weren’t nearly as widespread as Eddie’s, mostly focused on his side and stomach, but Eddie liked to trace along the sensitive skin surrounding them just to watch him shiver. “How do you always look so good?”
Steve blushed, never good at taking compliments, even 15 years after Eddie gave him the first one. “I have bags under my eyes that look worse than that bag you found on the side of the road and tried to convince me you could polish up to use for when we visit Wayne.”
Eddie leaned in to give him a kiss. “No one knows how good you are at imagery, it’s such a shame. But they aren’t that bad, sweetheart. And they don’t make you less beautiful.”
Steve didn’t say anything else, just pressed a kiss to Eddie’s cheek and moved him out of the way so he could get into the almost full tub.
As he sunk down, every bit of stress he had in his body left him in a long sigh. The water temperature was perfect, the bubbles smelled good, and he could feel Eddie’s eyes on him in a way that made him feel precious, cherished, loved.
“You gonna join me or just stare at me all night?” Steve kept his eyes closed as he spoke, didn’t wanna disturb his peace.
“Can I do both?” Eddie asked from right next to the tub.
Steve opened his eyes to see Eddie already naked and gesturing for him to scoot up so he could join him.
Their tub was small, definitely not built for two grown men, but they managed to make it work. Once Eddie was settled against the back of the tub, Steve settled his back against Eddie’s front, pulling his knees up slightly and letting them rest against the sides of the tub.
Eddie’s arms wrapped around his chest, holding him up so he could relax completely.
They stayed like that for a while, quiet except for the occasional hum from Eddie.
Steve let his eyes drift shut after a minute or two, focused on the feeling of Eddie’s heart beating against his back, his breath puffing against his shoulder and neck or the top of his head, his fingers making patterns against his skin and chest hairs.
Every moment they’ve had to touch each other over the last few months had been rushed, and while Steve loved when Eddie got rough, he craved the softness of this moment sometimes too.
Now that he had it, his brain was shutting down, taking a rest from expectations, even the ones he liked having.
“Doing good, sweetheart?” Eddie whispered, not wanting to interrupt him.
“Mhm.” Steve’s mouth didn’t quite want to form words, but he was able to get that out at least. “Mmm.”
Eddie’s hands disappeared for a moment, but quickly came back with a soaped up washcloth. He rubbed along his arms and chest slowly, gently, whispering words to him as he worked. Steve felt cloudy, kind of like he’d stuck his head under the water, but kept smiling to himself. He hadn’t felt this good in a while, and he knew Eddie would take care of him.
“Stevie, I’m gonna get out so I can wash your hair. Can you open your eyes for me?” Steve blinked them open and turned his head, his vision blurry and taking a moment to completely focus on the man behind him. “That’s good, sweet love. You heard what I said?”
“Mhm.”
Eddie kissed his lips briefly, not wanting to pop the bubble Steve was in, before getting out of the tub and helping Steve settle back against the wall.
He wrapped a towel around his waist and dropped to his knees, cupped water over Steve’s head slowly, meticulously.
“Good,” Steve managed to get out as Eddie started scrubbing the shampoo into his hair, dragging his nails across the roots, massaging his scalp. “Love you.”
“I love you so much, baby boy.” Eddie kissed his forehead as he helped him tilt backwards so he could submerge all of his hair in the water to rinse it. “You deserve to feel good like this.”
Eddie always said that to him, even when Steve wasn’t floaty. They’d be sitting at a restaurant with Jess and he’d tell Steve to order whatever drink he wanted because he deserved to treat himself sometimes. They would be at the park watching Jess play with friends and Eddie would tell him that he deserved to have the family he always wanted.
Eddie made sure he knew he deserved to be happy, no matter the situation.
When Eddie was done, he kissed his temple and helped him out of the tub, pulling the plug for the water to drain as he held on to Steve’s hand.
The night went on, Steve got extra care and attention, and when he finally came out of the clouds, Eddie was holding a cup of hot chocolate for him to sip on in bed.
“Thank you, Eds. Needed that,” Steve said after taking a few sips, letting his head drop onto Eddie’s shoulder beside him.
“I needed it, too. Haven’t been able to really do much for you in so long. Started to feel like maybe I was failing.” Eddie sighed. “I know it’s not our fault, but we haven’t made us a priority in a while. I’m glad we got to tonight. We owe Wayne big time.”
Steve nodded, taking another long sip. “Maybe we can try to save up and get him that fishing pole for Christmas? That one he keeps talking about like it’s his firstborn child.”
Eddie barked out a laugh. “I think if we got that for him, he’d name it. I’d be forgotten.”
“I hope you don’t get jealous of your future sibling,” Steve joked, nudging Eddie’s side. “Wayne’s got plenty of love for you both.”
“I guess we’ll have to find out, huh?”
“I think if I can pull off a few extra shifts next month during school break, we can do it.”
Eddie kissed the top of his head. “Wayne would love that.”
“Well, I love him.”
“And he loves you. He wouldn’t have offered this if he didn’t.”
“He loves you and he loves Jess, he would’ve offered for you both if not for me.” Steve set the mug down on the bedside table before turning back to Eddie with a grin. “I think we could probably find the energy to get one round in before we pass out, couldn’t we?”
“One whole round? Very optimistic of you, sweetheart.”
Steve straddled Eddie’s lap, cupping his face in his hands. “Half a round?”
“That sounds possible.”
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could you do a fic where evangeline is scared at night (maybe by luc?) and goes into jacks' room but in a fluffy kinda way where he takes care of her?
Why of course I can! If you were looking for a fluffy little comfort read then buckle up babes!
Don’t Want to be Alone
Jacks x Evangeline
No summary needed, no warning besides vampires and mentions of blood. <3
THIS IS NOT MY BEST WRITING IM CURRENTLY SICK AND ABSOLUTELY DROWNING IN COLLEGE WORK YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED…😘
~~
Eva’s POV
Piercing eyes, selling souls.
Neck biting, blood sucking.
Moonlight, gravestones.
Blood. So much blood.
It’s everywhere. On clothes and seeping into the stones at my feet. It’s caked into my hair and sticking like a second skin in the creases of my nails.
Blood. Blood, blood, blood, blood.
They’re holding me down, at least six of them. All while he stands over me. The boy I thought I loved, the boy I thought loved me.
I scream.
He lunges for my throat.
There’s a gasp throughout the room as I sit up in bed abruptly. My chest rises and falls in quick successions as I take in the room. On instinct, I back against the headboard and pull the comforter to my chest. My arms and legs and… well my entire body is shaking.
After my eyes adjust, it’s obvious I’m alone in the room, but… still. It doesn’t feel like I’m alone. I can almost swear I hear howls from outside. Vampiric, blood-sucking howls coming from just below my window. In my mind they’re climbing up the trellis, jumping onto my balcony and—
Nope. I throw the covers away, there’s just no way in all the fates’ will that I am staying in this room by myself.
Where am I going?
Hell if I know. But far far away from the “howling” is a good start. Whether it’s real or not…
Disregarding the lack of cover my slip provides, I slide slowly out of bed, manage to jump a foot away (because you know, monsters under the bed and all that), and tiptoe to the door. Before I open the large wooden slab that’s bound to creek, I turn and put my back to the cold surface.
I question what I’m even thinking, where I’m going, and what I plan to do when I get there.
I’m still exhausted, so hopefully wherever I go included a bed… but I also don’t want to be alone. I can’t very well just creep into anyones room and ask to sleep with them… no one would understand my fear or vampire howls or graveyards and…
Well… one person.
No. No, no, no, no.
I go to step back to my bed, but fear crawls up my stomach and I feel so sick I step back to the door. It’s my only option, and I hate it. It wouldn’t do any good, he’d turn me away immediately with one of those stupid grins of his. He’d call me that insufferable nickname, and tell me something like “if you plan to sleep anywhere near me, it’d have to be on the floor,” because fates only know he couldn’t be caught sharing a bed with me.
Unless…
The floor.
I quickly turn to face my door and cringe as it creeks open. I sigh when there’s enough room to slip through, and pad with my bear feet down the cold stone.
I’ll just stay on the floor. Yeah. I’ll sneak in and lay on the floor and he won’t even know and when the sun rises I’ll sneak back to my room…
Not creepy at all. Not “if he wakes up and finds me he’s gonna think I’m some crazy obsessed witch” at all.
I take a deep breath when I approach his door. It’s wooden, like mine, and most definitely will creek all the same. With my fingers on the handle, I shut my eyes tight and pray to whoever’s listening that Jacks is a very, very heavy sleeper.
But under my eyelids is Luc, standing above me, lunging for the kill—
I push the door open, oh fates is it loud. I keep pushing, hoping he’s asleep, hoping I can just lay on the floor and bask in another presence.
But when I open the door wide enough to see, there’s a lamp on by the bedside, and a sleep looking Jacks propped on his elbows above a fluffy pillow.
A small gasp escapes me when his eyes are already on me, and mine lock to his. I watch as he takes in the minimal clothing and shoeless feet, along with (most likely) ratted hair and dark under eyes.
He says one thing: “I had a feeling that sudden scream in my mind wasn’t my own.”
I have the audacity to stand there, jaw hanging, before I gather myself, “I… I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to wake you…”
I turn around, very quickly aborting my mission, but Jacks has other plans, “What happened, Evangeline?”
I stop with my back to him, halfway out the door, halfway in the room. “Nothing, just a nightmare,” comes my feeble reply. It’s the truth, after all.
There’s a sarcastic hum, as if he doesn’t really believe me. I yearn to see the look on his face, try to read the emotions like I have time and time again. I turn back to him, crossing my arms around my stomach for some sense of security. I bite my lip until it hurts, and realize I must have already been chewing on it when it stings and tastes of metal.
He’s looking at me intensely, almost studying, “Why did this nightmare bring you to me?” He doesn’t smirk, he doesn’t need to, it’s all in his tone, how amused he is.
My jaw hangs open once again, not knowing-wanting-to answer. I don’t want him to know he’s the only person who truly understands me after this last year, or the only person I feel remotely safe with after the night in Chaos’s lair.
“Evangeline?” It’s impatient and tired and I realize I’m losing time, scrambling for an excuse.
“I just… I just don’t want to be alone.”
Jacks’s brows furrow, “You have maids and guards and plenty of other staff to keep you company so—“
“Yes but—“
“Even in the middle of the night they’re meant to—“
“It was Luc.”
The room goes silent with the remark, and I see something almost… possessive(?) flash in his eyes. But then they soften considerable so, and his mouth falls relaxed. I drop my gaze to my feet, very interested in the lengths of my toes, “I just, admittedly, got scared, that’s all. I wasn’t going to interrupt your sleep, I honestly was just going to sit by the window or on the floor, it didn’t matter. I just thought I heard howling and I didn’t feel safe in my room…”
There’s a beat of silence when I’m sure he’ll make me leave but; “Little Fox?”
I look up, feeling like an innocent child at their parents bedside after a bad dream.
“Shut the door.”
Oh.
I swallow deeply, nod solemnly, and begin to exit the room. “Yes, right, I’m sorry again, we don’t have to mention—“
“Stop.”
I look back from my place outside the room, “stop?”
He nods, more patiently than before, “Come inside and shut the door, Little Fox.”
Oh. Oh.
I do as told, honestly too exhausted to even think of a sassy remark. When I’m inside the room, we simply look at each other for a minute before Jacks begins to slide to the furthest side of the bed and lift the covers.
My brows furrow this time, taken aback by the invite. I scan the deep blue duvet and the shirtless man occupying half its space and… my stomach feels like it might roll over itself in a feeling I’m not sure I’ve ever had…
I look down at the thin fabric covering my stomach and thighs, my legs brushing together instinctively. My eyes switch between my feet, thinking surely he’s not really inviting me into his bed. Surely this is just some form of mockery, right?
I look back up at him, “If this is some kind of joke, Jacks, it’s really not funny.” I huff, crossing my arms and straightening my back. Perhaps, if I look more intimidating, he won’t see the desperation in my eyes.
But he levels me with a look of both boredom and determination all at once, “Little Fox, for all the disrespect I may show, I would hope you would know I wouldn’t joke about sharing my bed with you.”
I have to stop the gasp that travels up my throat at the ending of his sentence, the thought of not only sharing a bed but also…
“Are you just going to stand there? Because I must admit, you make a man very nervous.”
Oh, I stand still, suddenly realizing I had been shifting my weight between my feet. I open my mouth then close it again, then steel myself as I take a deep breath.
It’s his invite. It’s fine. He’s asking me, not the other way around.
When I take a tentative step forward, he grins, and it builds until I’m at the bed. Slowly, nimbly, I lift the covers and slide underneath. I sit while he is relaxed, straight as a board and tense.
I only tense more when he turns his body to truly face me, “Well,” he drawls, “you have a funny way of sleeping.”
“Huh?” My voice is light, feeble and a little skittish sounding.
“You mean to tell me you plan to sleep like that, sitting up?” He chuckles, deep and echoing throughout the room.
Then his hand in wrapped around my wrist, tugging me down towards the bed. My breath hitches slightly, but I slide down anyways and pretend my slip isn’t riding dangerously high on my thighs.
I stare at the ceiling, one hand on my chest and the other under the covers where his hand still circles my wrist. He’s brushing circles around the last scar, sending tingles up my arm, and I feel his eyes on my face and chest. I don’t know if I should turn to him, turn the other way, or do nothing at all. I focus on my breathing, in an out, in and—
“You know I can hear your thoughts, right? When you project them like you are now?”
Oh my god
Nope. No no no. I pull my wrist from his with an embarrassed groan and go to roll over, ignore his presence all together(ironic that that’s literally what I came here for).
But he catches my waist and pulls me back on to my back with a huff, then leans across me to my other wrist and pulls me to face him.
“Tell me about it.”
My cheeks flush as his breath fans my face, all mint and crisp apples. “About what?”
There’s a smile, a gleam in a sea of blue, “Your nightmare, pet.”
Oh… “I… well, it was Chaos’s lair.”
He perks up at that, tugging my wrist until I’m an inch closer.
I pull in a deep breath, stuttering through the memory. “I was held down by changelings while Luc…” I squeeze my eyes tight, feeling anxiety creep through my stomach and up my throat.
The hand at my wrist moves to my waist, squeezes, and pulls me against Jacks’s chest.
I gasp, “Jacks?” My hand falls on his chest, not sure whether to push away or lean closer.
Unfazed as always, Jacks sits his chin atop my forehead and softly whispers, “And what did the worthless little boy do?”
I sigh, almost dizzy from the lack of space between us. “He-he stood above me, he said some things I can’t really remember and then… lunged for my throat.”
I hear him exhale before both his arms wrap around me and I’m pulled onto his chest as he rolls over. I lift my head and meet his eyes, he-for maybe the first time ever-smiles at me in a soft, almost admiring way. He lifts a cold hand to brush a curl behind my ear, “You said you heard howls?”
“Uhm… yeah.” I’m on top of him, I’m on top of him, I’m literally on top of him. “It was just my mind though, I was a little freaked out…”
He laughs softly, “You must know, Little Fox, that I had no intentions of taking you there and letting them harm you.”
“No, I um… I know.” My hands are on his chest and my legs are straddling his thighs and he’s… nothing but solid muscle everywhere we meet.
“Good.” It’s a whisper, and his hand at my ear finds my nape, pulling my head down to his chest. His other hand reaches down and pulls the covers over me, the warmth a contrast to the coolness of his skin.
“What are we doing?“ I ask, muffled by his chest.
There’s a yawn, “Sleeping, my Little Fox, now shush.”
I go to protest at the amount of contact between us, but then the hand at my nape moves through my hair. He scratches my scalp soothingly and suddenly all protest dies on my tongue. Almost subconsciously, I begin drawing lazy patterns along his chest. It’s peaceful… calm.
“Safe.”
“Hm?” Jacks chest rumbles with the question. I barely even hear it from how heavy my eyelids feel.
“You… make me safe.”
There’s another hum, “but who saves you from me, Little Fox?”
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dkniade · 1 year
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do you have any ships (or if not, best genshin character dynamics) (from welcometoteyvat)
I’ve had this in my drafts for quite a long time and since I’ve written up the answer already, might as well post them
——
I like a few ships but I don’t think I’ll necessarily make (much) ship content myself. Most likely I’ll just write platonic stuff haha. I do have lots of platonic character dynamics I like too. 
Seems like this is gonna be long since I got inspired and wrote some snippets, and there are quite a lot of dynamics. I also have some fic recommendations here and there. Allow me to ramble about them, haha
Spoilers for some backstories ahead!
Characters and Pairs
romantic ship: Albether, KaeLuc, XiaoVen, KaeBedo, AlbeLuc
platonic dynamics: Nameless Bard and Venti; Shenhe and Yun Jin; Kaeya and Tartaglia (main team); Il Capitano and Tartaglia; Venti and Albedo; Kaeya and Bennett (main team); Albedo, Dorian (Subject 2), Fellflower, and Rhinedottir
For ships—
Albether. 
It’s fun to see how two people not of Teyvat find each other and understand each other in this quiet yet intelligent way. Albedo’s curiosity towards Aether is nice to think about. And Aether’s kindness will surely reach Albedo’s lonely heart as well, even if he doesn’t understand a lot of what Albedo is saying. Aether is the heart and Albedo is the brain, so I think he can teach Albedo what it means to be a human, patiently, and Albedo might actually listen seeing that they both are “peculiar” people, as he puts it. Plus, Paimon can join in on the conversation too. I wrote a (platonic) fic around the themes of understanding and heart vs brain, emotion vs logic.
“Clear Sediments Beneath Loneliness”
KaeLuc. 
The two have a ton of tension and complexity in their relationship. I feel that before they even start exploring the romantic side of it, they should make up and forgive each other and themselves first… Diluc should be nicer to Kaeya and give him some positive attention… The dude needs love… 
But since they’ve been partners for so long before Crepus’ death and they still kept working together after it (e.g. during the Black Fire Incident in the manga), generally sharing information to achieve their goal of protecting Mondstadt, I think they’ll be even stronger if they make up and start to work together publically again. Come sunshine or rain, Mondstadt is in good hands thanks to these two. They should also work on their possible fear of the rain and each other's elements. 
But you know, conflict is what makes stories interesting, so I’d love to see how these two personalities clash and compliment each other despite everything. This pair’s got a lot of potential in a lot of genres.
Fic recommendation. I like comforting quiet fics where characters talk about their feelings. A while ago I read “Hazy Days (Bottled Up)” by imitationicarus, a Kaeya and Diluc (relationship up to interpretation) hurt/comfort fic with 1867 words. It takes place in Angel’s Share, where Kaeya has anxiety and is hearing voices, and Diluc comforts him in his own quiet way. While I don’t read fics very often, it’s still one of my favourite Kaeya and Diluc fics because of the dialogue and inner thoughts. Here’s an excerpt:
But Kaeya would not release his fragile guard so easily. “That’s a good story you’ve spun there, but I’m afraid that’s not true. I just like the flavor.”
Kaeya met Diluc’s gaze, and for the first time, he saw something there—a fire, flickering embers not hot enough to burn, but hot enough to keep warm. To help survive in a harsh and bitter winter.
(Though, I admit, I’ve been avoiding Kaeya and Diluc stuff lately ‘cause of exhaustion and just wanting to see something different, haha)
XiaoVen. 
Recently I realized that “outcast and storyteller” dynamic I like so much is basically XiaoVen lmao. I’m not very familiar with Xiao’s character (haven’t yet gone through his quest), so apologies if I mischaracterize him… But I think Xiao’s distrust, vigilance, and darkness contrasts Venti’s friendliness, peacefulness, and overall lighthearted personality very well. 
Music is a powerful thing, so I want to see the two sitting on top of Juejun Karst, looking down at the stone forest and Liyue Harbour in the distance, with nothing but the crisp sound of a Dihua flute piercing the misty air. Or maybe Xiao can sit at the balcony of Wangshu Inn on a night with the full moon, and a cool breeze would blow through his hair accompanied by the sound of a flute somewhere. I like the idea of Xiao and Venti spending some peaceful time together under the full moon.
KaeBedo. 
How could I forget, haha. Two highly intelligent knight captains of Khaenri’ahn descent, yet one deals with lies and the other deals with the truth, both withholding vital information about themselves and having serious issues on abandonment and receiving love. Kaeya thinks if he tells the truth about himself, he’ll be rejected and abandoned, while Albedo thinks if he doesn’t find the truth about the world and himself, he’ll be rejected and abandoned. Now if they trust each other and find in each other a confidante… 
“Kaeya, you know I seek for the truth above all else. I won’t force you to tell me if you’re not ready, but if you’d like someone to listen… I’ll be here.”
“Haha, reliable as always, Kreideprinz. I’ll consider your offer. You, on the other hand… Let me tell you a secret.”
“Go ahead.”
“It’s not necessary to offer your everything in the pursuit of affection. We… are all flawed in our own ways.”
“Hm. I’ll keep that in mind.”
They even have similar colour schemes (indigo, black, white, gold) but with different ratios to reflect their morals and personalities: Albedo’s dominant colours are white and gold, Kaeya’s dominant colours are black and indigo… Plus, all the Khaenri’ah star motifs on their outfits, and the symbolisms in their eyes. Kaeya’s got a star-shaped pupil and Albedo’s eyes reflect the symbol on the alchemy table. They also have a lot to hide from their respective Pyro-affiliated sibling/sworn sibling, so that’s another thing they can bond together over, I guess? 
I have another fic recommendation:
romantic slow burn KaeBedo, “Casading (In a good way)” by Hubbleablubble, with the headcanon of (trans man) Khaenri’ahn Royalty Kaeya. Subtle hints are scattered across the fic but once the dots connect, there was a lightbulb moment for me. At 14009 words, this high quality slow burn fic from Albedo’s point of view absolutely ripped my heart out with its elegant wording and unsaid thoughts. 
You’ll find Albedo’s winding trains of thought, Kaeya and Albedo slowly getting to know each other, a beautifully described fight scene, moments of quietness and emotional intimacy here and there, and heartfelt internal monologues. Here’s an excerpt from around the beginning:
He hums his thanks, and nearly starts when he looks up to meet his fellow captain’s gaze.
He’s never seen him this close before. A lone star blazes in a pool of blue. It burns into him, the affable twinkle belying a cold intensity. Albedo’s mind supplies him with an image of Rhinedottir, who’s eyes, while a baleful bronze, were much the same.
Oh.
Well. He supposes there may be more to the quartermaster than he’d assumed.
AlbeLuc. 
Alright so this one was specifically due to @/brotato_chibs and @parvaillust on Instagram for making lots of nice AlbeLuc art. (Please check them out! Chibs also does a lot of Albedo in general along with Subject 2!) Rather than forcing romance onto the two, their AlbeLuc is portrayed with mutual respect, stability, and kindness (though not without some friendly teasing). It’s very cute… 
I like the sense of formality from both Albedo and Diluc… It’s a very quiet but stable kind of trust, knowing that despite their pasts, they’ve found someone they can rely on. Of course, if Albedo is corrupted and goes against Mondstadt, I don’t think Diluc can take that seeing he’s already gone through a betrayal from Kaeya…
ALRIGHT NOW FOR NON-SHIP DYNAMICS— There’s a lot! Please bear with me!
I like platonic versions of the ships I just mentioned, but also—
Nameless Bard and Venti.
When I say “outcast and storyteller” I mean I’m very weak for the idea of “I’ll tell your tale for all to hear so you’ll always be remembered” and I think these two started that love for the trope. Symbolism and remembrance in names is a very meaningful topic for me… I like that the nameless bard doesn’t have an official name, so fans can come up with whatever symbolic names they’d like. The idea of Venti taking his friend’s appearance to ���travel the world in his name and image” and the whole “when they praise the Anemo Archon’s name, it’s you who deserves it all, not I” is also very dear to me. 
Recommendation: This comic by @popping-greenbean’s expresses that pretty well, featuring a shapeshifting Morax, subtle expressions, and flowing pencil strokes as free as the wind.
I want to see Venti write ballads praising his friend… But speaking of, here’s another recommendation:
The Venti fan song “Last Words” by Circus-P, featuring Fukase and Len Kagamine. The tale of a young bard, of fallen tyranny, and of the bright lure of freedom carried on by the archaic winds. Stay until the end of the song for a surprise. I’m pretty sure this was a huge push in my starting the game. Here’s the refrain:
May the winds carry forth
My soul when I’m gone
May the harsh of the storm 
Never linger for long
May the birds ever fly 
Where their journey leads them
May the lands and the skies 
Be ever blessed with freedom
Shenhe and Yun Jin.
Outcast and storyteller, Liyue immortal/mortal version. More legends, more isolation, more faithful storytellers. When I first watched the PV for “神女劈观” (”The Legend of the Girl Who Split the Altar”, officially known as “The Divine Damsel of Devastation”) I nearly felt like crying over the music and lyrics and visuals, especially at the extended chorus which I didn’t expect. I’m weak for extended choruses with a key change and new lyrics… I can’t really say much about the characters’ dynamics because I don’t know them well, but the idea of a Yun Jin who holds onto tradition while wanting to append a new verse onto an old tale to give Shenhe the happy ending she deserves is very nice… Also, I like that visually, Yun Jin’s design is very colourful and eye-catching while Shenhe’s design is more black and white and gives off a more solitary air.
Kaeya and Tartaglia.
The potential they have together in my main team because of their high positions in their respective organizations and their clashing personalities of hidden agendas vs head-on fights is interesting! A scheming and manipulative strategist amidst the ranks of the (at least outwardly) righteous Knights of Favonius contrasts the confident and outgoing warrior within the shady ranks of the Fatui, but it just wouldn’t be as fun if they both take the style of their respective organizations… They’re both “outcasts” from their organizations, so maybe they see their colleges in each others’ personalities, in a way. Though, I wonder would Kaeya make a better Fatui Harbinger, and Tartaglia, a Knights of Favonius Captain, haha… 
Tartaglia: Ah, Captain Kaeya! I’ve seen him in battle. His mastery over the Cryo element is truly amazing. But instead of using that power, he always hides behind the scenes, thinking about whatever plans he’s got in that head of his… I can never understand him well. Whatever. I’d gladly fight for him, whether he needs me on the front lines or not. As long as he doesn’t directly oppose the Tsaritsa, I’ll follow him into battle anytime.
Kaeya: Tartaglia… He’s willing to follow my plans, no questions asked. How interesting… But he is rather impulsive. Still, he’s quite obedient towards me… for a Harbinger. I wonder, just how far is he willing to go for the Tsaritsa, and how far is he willing to go… for me?
Il Capitano and Tartaglia. 
Something about a lower-ranking Harbinger being eager and going (in Capitano’s POV) “Pwease fight me, s-sir!!” to the menacing-looking Harbinger in a helmet is so funny to me. It really puts into perspective how much Tartaglia stands out against the rest of the Harbingers in his methods and personality! And how he’s the youngest.
Venti and Albedo.
Hear me out. Albedo is a talented artist, Venti is a bard whose appearance honours the Nameless Bard, put the two together, and I’m sure the artist and the model would get along. And the Traveler or maybe Master Diluc will pay for the portrait.
“Oh, the talented Master Albedo! Won’t you please draw a portrait of me?”
“Of course. But… Why the sudden request?”
“Ehe, isn’t wanting to see a portrait of me sketched by the best artist of Mondstadt enough of a reason?”
“‘Best artist’… You speak of me too highly, Master Venti. But very well. I will do a sketch of you.”
“Is it ready? Lemme see!”
“Here. I tried to capture the effect the flowing wind had on your braids and cape. As always, the winds are ever changing, so I couldn’t sketch out all the details. Please forgive the looseness of—”
“It’s beautiful… You’ve truly captured his— I mean, my visage well.”
“Is that so…? Your form is elegant, Master Venti. I merely sketched down what I saw.”
“You did a great job. I’ll treasure this sketch, Master Kreideprinz~”
But at the same time, the God of Freedom and a homunculus from the land of sinners who had little autonomy for most of his life… It could be a comforting thing.
“Kreideprinz, the one born from chalk… Your Art of Khemia is formidable, and of course I grant the people of Mondstadt the freedom to do whatever they’d like, but…”
“I understand. Should I lose control one day… Can I ask you to stop me?”
“Well, let’s just enjoy the present peace, shall we, Albedo? Your freedom is yours. What would you like to become?”
“…”
“Is the great chief alchemist at a loss for words?”
“I’m afraid… I don’t know the answer to your question. I’m sorry.”
“No, it takes time to find who you are. Some people are still searching, to this day.”
“And is that allowed?”
“Of course. Everyone should live their life the way they want to live. To live for someone else’s dreams… can sometimes be a painful thing.”
“…”
“What’s on your mind, Kreideprinz?”
“I didn’t know I was allowed to do so.”
“To do what?”
“To live life… for myself.”
Kaeya and Bennett (main team).
Here’s the thing. I think Kaeya sees a lot of his younger self in Bennett (misfortunate, casted aside from his peers, has father figures, self-deprecating while lifting others up, etc) so I believe he’d be a great team captain and encourage Bennett, telling him how important his role in the team is. They’ve got pretty similar swordsmanship in their Normal Attacks too, so I like the headcanon that Kaeya taught Bennett swordsmanship too. 
Bennett makes self-deprecating jokes and Kaeya finally realizes how he might’ve been to others when he slipped up and made jokes himself in the past, so in that sense, he can care for Bennett and indirectly improve himself and his confidence.
And now, angst. Bennett brings misfortune, right? He’s a Pyro sword user who blames himself for rain, right??
Kaeya. Pyro sword. Rain.
Now imagine the fear and panic that surges through Kaeya as the sight of a blurry figure with a flaming sword in the rain triggers his past trauma from his Vision fight against Diluc. That’s what I’m talking about!!! He panics, he steps back, he tries to cover up with jokes, but Bennett senses it and internalizes the blame onto himself. The hurt. The misunderstanding. And to a kid nonetheless, not Kaeya’s own peer.
Kaeya, how are you gonna react to this conflict in the rain for the third time? And how are you gonna mend it?
Albedo, Dorian (Subject 2), Fellflower, and Rhinedottir.
DID YOU THINK I WASN’T GONNA TALK ABOUT THESE FOURRR HHH cries
The setting and ideas stirred up by Shadows Amidst Snowstorms!! Hear me out!! The one-sided rivalry between Albedo and Dorian as the unknowing perfect version and the “failure” prototype… THE WAY THE REVEAL WAS FORESHADOWED IN THE STARSILVER QUALITY LINES AND ALBEDO REPAINTING THE TRAVELER’S PAINTING OF PAIMON IS SO GOOD. THE SYMBOLISM. GOD I love it.
And Rhinedottir… DAMN IT, RHINEDOTTIR. THINK. What did she have to do for Albedo and Dorian to turn out like this? A highly intelligent recluse who fears rejection, and another one who straight up refers to himself (under the guise of talking about Starsilver quality) as useless??
“There’s something I’ve always wanted to ask you, but feared rejection and disappointment…”
--Albedo, “Something to Share”
“Useless things should be disposed of at the outset.”
--Dorian, “The Snowy Past”
…Y’know, a lot of things can be interpolated from a character’s well-written dialogue, both in what they say and what they leave out.
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girlreviews · 1 month
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Review #434: Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain, Pavement
I always considered Pavement to be the cool (well?) older brother to The Breeders. Same vibe, same energy. I stand by that. I resisted listening to Pavement very deeply and embracing them for a long time based solely on who it always was pushing them on me: terrible men. I didn’t even realize this until I gave this record a listen all the way through and realized I now associated Pavement with a really good dude friend who shares my love of music, treats me like a sister and tells anyone who will listen that I’m the best kind of friend. I once described his style as “90s goofball” that was half the Seattle grunge-scene and half young Adam Sandler. I stand by that too. He loved it. Anyway, I’d forgotten the original associations and resistance to begin with. I like that your brain can do that: forget, and remember to forget to remember.
Some notes. Silence Kid, to me, sounds like Buddy Holly’s Everyday melodically. I can’t help but hear it and expect it to go a particular direction. Of course it doesn’t, because it’s Pavement and their songs have moments of being twinkly and melodic but ultimately insist on descending into discordant chaos. Their lyrics run more like slam poetry than traditional songs with verses, bridges, and choruses. All the same. When I hear Silence Kid, I hear Buddy Holly and I’ll always wonder if it’s on purpose.
Cut Your Hair is probably the one Pavement song that you do know if you know any, it was their only real bonafide “hit”. It’s got some very radio friendly twangy guitar and oooh-oooh-oooh-oooh-oooh-ooooooohs in it. I have never minded the song but certainly never thought it was anything particularly special. It does have a fun little break in the middle where it all gets a bit silly on the guitar. Honestly for me the best part is the opening line:
“Darlin’ don’t you go and cut your hair
Do you think it’s gonna make him change?”
I’m not sure there are any women out there that haven’t had their hair commandeered by the patriarchy in some way, whether systemically by societal expectations or whether on an individualized, sinister, controlling level within a relationship. That’s not what the song is even about, but it’s a perfectly posed question. I actually realize I have tons of stories about ways that women’s hair has been weaponized in abusive relationships or just how it factors into male aggression generally. Some are my stories and some aren’t mine to share, but I’m too exhausted to get into it anyway. Cut your hair if you want. Grow it long. Dye it purple. Shave your head. Do whatever the fuck you want. Do it because you want to and because you like it. Who gives a shit what the men in the world think of your hair. And no, they won’t change. Also, your hair looks fucking great.
In my listens of Crooked Rain, Crooked Rain I remembered a couple of things. One, it’s really very good. Two, I love a shitty vocalist. Why is that? I don’t know, but there’s really something about a dude that can’t sing all that well but tries anyway. Unfair is one of my favorites. I don’t really spend a lot of time trying to figure out the meaning behind lyrics in Pavement songs, but I get the sense that he’s not a huge fan of whoever it was written about. It does end with him shrieking “trash, trash, trash”, so you know. I suppose it’s possible he is singing about literal garbage but I wouldn’t bet twenty bucks on it.
Gold Soundz is a good example of how Pavement and maybe Stephen Malkmus specifically have this way of making songs that sound like they should be “nice” or “pretty” (in the context of 90s grunge), but if you really listen he’s never all that nice and anything complimentary is always kind of backhanded:
“So drunk in the August sun
And you’re the kinda girl I like
Because you’re empty, and I’m empty
And you can never quarantine the past”
I bet she sure feels special, gee whiz! Feels about as good as when a love interest of mine described me as a “lost, broken, little girl” as if it was some kind of compliment. I’m only one of those things, and it is little. Same guy made me miss almost all of Pavement’s set at a festival a few years ago in favor of seeing literally no one else instead. Trash, trash, trash. I did get to see Spit on a Stranger so that was a consolation.
Fillmore Drive is pretty spectacular. It’s a big old noise that’s trying to be quiet. Most of it is about being tired and needing to sleep. The rest of it I really couldn’t tell you, I genuinely do mean it when I feel exasperated and exhausted trying to decipher their lyrics. I think this is why Pavement stir up such challenging feelings for me in general. I like the music, I like the sounds, I like the songs, I think they’re pretty great. But they also feel like a really brazen depiction of what it’s like to be in a relationship with a particular kind of guy — the tortured artist. They’ll never love you as much as they love their own suffering, and so you too will suffer. Tortured artists don’t just torture themselves you know.
I like his shitty voice and I like their big noise. You know whose I like better? Kim Deal and The Breeders. I yield my time.
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cloudteawrites · 3 years
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chapter: seven ( 12.3k ) rating: mature (death, past abuse, eventual smut) genre: mystery | romance | hurt/comfort tags: bts x reader | ot7 x reader | hybrid | poly summary: when an estranged uncle leaves you his massive fortune you wonder if the universe is playing a joke on you. when that fortune comes with seven hybrids, you know for sure that it is. << first < previous | next > last >>
The sound of your phone ringing rips you from sleep. You sit bolt upright, confusion and panic dousing you like twin buckets of ice water. You’d been having a nightmare about something, but you can’t remember what. The tattered ends of it are already slipping away, just out of reach. You don’t chase after them.
You fumble for your phone in the dark, fingers groping uselessly at your blankets until they close around it. The bright white light from your screen blinds you as you flip it over and you blink blearily, rubbing at your eyes with one hand and trying to answer with the other.
“Hello?” you rasp, mashing the speaker button. “Who is this?”
“Apologies for disturbing your sleep, ma’am.” A woman’s voice crackles over the other end of the line. You can hear exhaustion dripping off every word. “This is Officer Kwon from the Namhyeon-dong precinct of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Force.”
You squint into the dark expanse of your bedroom, a little frown on your face as you struggle to process what she’s saying. “....okay?”
“I’m calling because we’ve got two of your hybrids in custody.”
You blink slowly. “Hmmmm, I don’t think so...” you mumble through a yawn. “They’re all in bed.”
“We ran their numbers through the registry and you were pinged as the owner of both.” You hear papers shuffling and her voice get distant as she transfers the receiver to her shoulder to free up a hand. “We’ve got a rabbit calling himself Jeongguk and a Seokjin who the rabbit says is a deer-” She sighs. “Listen, I’m at the end of my rope here. They won’t tell me where they came from and the phone number of the business they were registered to before you is out of service. They’re hurt pretty bad, worse than what we can take care of here at the station. We can’t get them any sort of medical care without their guardian’s permission, so-”
Your eyes glaze over as you groggily connect the dots.
A deer and a rabbit.
Not canine, not feline.
Other.
Other.
You shove the covers down your legs and kick them over the side of the bed. “I’m on the way,” you tell her, already adding up the distance between your building and Namhyeon-dong. It’d take an hour to get all the bus transfers you needed- your eyes narrow as you squint at the time on your phone. 3:27 AM. You’d have to get a cab. Your stomach twists at the thought of the fare, but you shove the feeling down. This was no time to be thrifty. “Do whatever you need to.”
The officer exhales in relief. You can practically hear the tension leave her shoulders. “There’s a little hybrid clinic in the neighborhood. I’ll see if I can get the vet up and convince them to go.”
“Thank you,” you breathe. She gives you the address and you type it into your notes app, reading it back to her twice to make sure you got it right. She hangs up with a promise to see you soon and your phone locks, leaving you alone in the blue-black gloom of an early morning.
This wasn’t great. This wasn’t great any way you sliced it. You’d thought you’d have an extra two weeks to get the canines settled and all five hybrids to at least not want to kill each other. That’d been the plan, at least, when you’d sequestered yourself in your bedroom without telling Jimin and Taehyung goodnight or doing any introductions. Now the others were coming and you were on borrowed time. You drag your hands down over your face. “What are we gonna do?” Nothing but silence answers you.
When you were a kid and you’d had anything big before you- a massive school project you’d waited til the last moment to start, having to walk yourself to the market because your mom was too sick to go, a hard conversation with a friend- your mom had always told you to break it down into smaller pieces. Make the big thing small; do what you can for now. So, that’s what you do.
You shove your phone into the pocket of your sweatpants, tug your backpack out from under your bed and grab a pair of socks. You slide them on as quickly as you can and head for the door. You tug it open and try to rush through, already on the way to your next small thing- but you stumble over a shoulder and go down.
You let out a yelp of surprise that quickly morphs into one of pain as your forehead knocks against the other person’s. Your hands slam down on either side of their head and their own fly up to your waist to steady you. You blink down at them, willing your eyes to adjust to the dark.
Hoseok is beneath you. He’s squinting up at you, his hair in disarray and his cheeks puffy with sleep. “Ow,” he croaks.
You wince. “I’m sorry,” you whisper, rubbing the spot on his forehead your own knocked against on autopilot. He seems to wake up a little at that, eyebrows inching up his forehead. You snatch your hand back. “Ah, sorry. I was worried I hurt you-”
“I’m okay,” he rasps, his voice still thick with sleep. “You didn’t hurt me.”
“Okay.” You disentangle yourself from him and rise back to your feet. He struggles to get up too, mirroring you. The blankets pooled around his hips fall to his feet. You frown at the picture he makes, his shoulders slumped from exhaustion and indents on his cheek from the hardwood. “Did you...did you sleep out here?”
His ears fall and he lowers his head a bit between his shoulders. “Yeah,” he admits, rubbing the back of his neck. “I did…”
You wrote off a lot of the behavior the boys exhibited that you didn’t understand as just a part of them being hybrids. When Taehyung affectionately headbutted you, or Jimin always hopped up on counters or Yoongi lapped from glasses instead of sipping, you just accepted it and stashed it away to google later- but this was a little more concerning. Did he not feel safe in his room? You’d tried to put him and Namjoon as far away from the felines as you could, but you also knew the cats weren’t thrilled about sharing their space. You hoped they hadn’t made him feel too unwelcome after you’d collapsed into bed.
“Is everything okay?” His ears twitch as the smell of your worry fills his nose. He leans forward and for a moment you think he’s gonna close the distance between you- but he pulls back.
“No,” he answers. You feel your heart sink. “I just...your room is closest to the front door.” You blink at him slowly, not following. You don’t know how his sight is in the dark, but he must see the confusion furrowing your brow,because he continues. “Your room is the only one on the first floor and it’s close to the living room and front door. We all sleep upstairs. If someone broke in, they’d get you first.” He tosses a finger down at the blankets. “I was sleeping here so that wouldn’t happen.”
“Nobody’s gonna get me, Hoseok,” You soothe, trying to assuage his fears. “I’m nobody-”
“You don’t know that,” he argues back. “And you’re not ‘nobody’ to me. I waited my whole life for you. I’ve gotta keep you safe.”
You don’t know what to make of that. You’d known Hoseok had been trained specifically to protect the person he’d eventually be sent to, but you hadn’t expected him to be so adamant about it. After all Namjoon grew up in the same place- No. Your expression sours as the thought stops you. No he didn’t. The wolfdog hybrid had been locked away for most of his life and interaction with others had come only in the form of meal delivery. He wouldn’t have had the director’s lessons drilled into his head everyday in the same way Hope had.
Still, no one has expressed this level of care for you since your mom died. You’re not entirely sure you deserve it.
“I was gonna wake up before you did and go back to my room,” he mumbles, kicking gently at the blanket and not meeting your eyes. “I promise, I was. I didn’t expect you to be up this early.” He fiddles with the hem of his shirt, his ears drooping more and more the longer you look at him. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable…”
“You didn’t make me uncomfortable, Hoseok,” You tell him and his ears perk up a little. It was true, he hadn’t. His actions were sweet, if a bit misguided but you were more worried about him than anything. “I don’t know what the director told you or what you’ve heard, but I promise there’s no one after me.” He frowns at that, lips twisting into a little pout. He goes to interject, but you speak again before he can. “If you’re worried about anything, just tell me okay? If there’s anything you need to do to make yourself feel more at ease here, just tell me.” You implore him softly.
Hoseok nods slowly and you see his tail give one small wag. You nod back, and turn to go, but his voice stops you. “I think it would help a lot if I could sleep down here.” Your brow furrows at that.
“This is the only bedroom on this floor, though?”
He whines and looks like he’s about to explain- but a soft voice purring in your ear cuts him off. “He could sleep on the couch,” Jimin supplies, his arms entwining around your middle as he rests his chin on your shoulder. “It’s quite comfortable...Y/N-ah, do you mind dogs on the furniture?” His tone is light, free of the haze of sleep and a little teasing. From the way Hoseok’s ears droop and the way his shoulders curve in, you could tell Jimin hadn’t crept down here for a bit of good-natured ribbing. Your scent sours as your expression does, irritation with the leopard hybrid pricking at you. He lets out a little disgruntled murr in protest as he noses at your neck, trying to get you to soften for him. You tilt your head away from him and disentangle yourself from his arms. It’s three in the morning, you have to cross the city to deal with the fallout from God only knows what, and your neck still aches from the bruise Yoongi had left on it. You have too much on your plate to deal with Jimin needling his new housemate.
“Leave him alone, Jimin,” You exhale, side-stepping the leopard hybrid and heading down the corridor for the door. “Hoseok, you can sleep where you want. I’ve gotta go.”
The doberman takes a step forward. “I’ll come with you-” the icy look Jimin shoots him has him slowing but it’s not until the leopard hybrid bares his teeth at him that he stalls entirely. The sound of his whimper has you whirling around, but when you do, you find Jimin looking at you, blasé and Hoseok eyeing him with uncertainty
“I’ll be back as soon as I can, I promise,” you toss back over your shoulder as you slide your feet into a pair of shoes. “Please, just...if you can’t be friendly, just do your own thing ‘til I get back.” You lace up your sneakers as quickly as you can and duck out the door. “Text me if you need anything; I’ll call on the way back.” And you’re gone, leaving the leopard and the doberman in the dark.
You are not at all confident in their ability to maintain a truce while you’re gone. You’re almost certain that if you hadn’t shoved your way between Namjoon and Yoongi last night, they’d have come to blows right there in the lobby last night. You punch the button for the ground floor and slump back against the railing of the elevator, exhaustion settling heavy on you now that you were alone again. You’d known Yoongi, Jimin and Taehyung weren’t thrilled about sharing their space, but you hadn’t expected this kind of fallout from bringing new hybrids home. You don’t know if there’s anything you can do to make things a little easier, but you want to. Sighing, you resign yourself to more research. You pull out your phone and start typing.
why are my hybrids freaking the fuck out
You backspace. Venting at google wasn’t going to help you figure out what the sharp looks Jimin kept throwing Hoseok while he thought your back was turned meant or why Yoongi had been so furious the other hybrids’ scent was on you.
why don’t my hybrids like each other
Just like all your other searches, this one turns up millions of results. You thumb over the links but none of them are helpful. They’re dealing with puppy hybrids bickering and cat hybrids hissing at each other. None of them cover cross-species beef. None of them deal with exotics. You sigh, lock your phone and tilt your head back to stare at the soft yellow lights in the elevator’s ceiling. You were out of your depth. You’d known that from the moment Mr. Seo turned you into an heiress with a wave of his fountain pen. You get the urge to run, that old niggling feeling that settled like a stone in your mind and made your palms itch.
It’s been years since you last felt the need to pull a disappearing act. You don’t think you’ve done it since the one year anniversary of your mom’s death. The foster home you’d been sent to was a shit show. You found out the woman in charge had been pocketing the money you gave her every month for your mother’s columbarium fees and her urn was in danger of being thrown out. You’d shoved everything you owned into your school bag and walked across the city to get her. When the police found you, you were striding down the side of the highway, her urn clutched to your chest, determined to go anywhere but there.
You hadn’t known where you were going then; you still didn’t now. All you’d had was the urge to flee and fire under your feet. All you’d had was a singular focus on the road ahead.
The elevator reaches the ground floor with a soft ding, the automated voice letting you know you’ve reached the lobby. You step out and shuffle across it with your head down, careful to avoid eye contact with the receptionist watching you warily from behind her desk.
It’s a cold night. A blast of frigid air hits your face the second you’re out the door. You curse under your and fold your arms around yourself in a futile effort to keep warm. You should go back upstairs and get the coat Yoongi made you buy. You shift from one foot to the other, weighing your options- and decide against it. If the conversation you’d had with Hoseok was enough to wake Jimin and send him slinking toward you, you running in and out of the penthouse would almost certainly wake Yoongi up. Memories flash in your mind: his hands gripping your hips tight, his rough tongue laving over your neck, that self-satisfied smirk he’d let spread over his mouth. You pinch yourself, trying to stem the heat you can feel crawling out the neck of your sweatshirt. It had upset you, there was no denying that. The warm feeling that’d bubbled up in your stomach at being touched didn’t wash away the fact that him marking you had nothing to do with your friendship and everything to do with warding off the canine hybrids.
Yeah, you decide, quickening your pace down the ice-slicked sidewalk. You’d much rather face the cold than him.
You make quick work of the walk from Haneul Tower to the streets of the club district. It’s only two blocks up and one over, but by the time you get there, you feel like a giant icicle. You’re out of place in a sweatshirt and scuffed up sneakers among the glitz and glamor of the club-goers, but you don’t have time to deal with your imposter syndrome. You duck into the first taxi you find, pass the old man the address Officer Kwon had given you and settle back.
He complains nearly the entire time about how far out of the way you’re making him go. You apologize as much as you’re able and promise him return fair back to Gangnam if he waits for you. He huffs and puffs, but he still takes you. Forty minutes later, you’re standing on the sidewalk outside of Happy Tails Hybrid Clinic, rapping urgently at the glass. After two minutes that feel like twenty, someone finally answers you.
You think she’s in her late twenties but the dark circles under her eyes she keeps rubbing at make her look older. She’s dressed in the typical winter police uniform, minus her jacket. The pale blue sleeves of her dress shirt are rolled up above her elbows and are blotchy with pale red marks she’d tried to scrub out. Blood. You swallow, your throat suddenly dry.
She unlocks the door and pokes her headout. “Y/N L/N?” She asks, eyes narrowed against the glare of the street lamps.
“Yeah,” you answer, giving one short nod. “Yeah, that’s me.”
“Officer Kwon; we spoke on the phone.” She opens the door for you fully, stepping back and ushering you in urgently. “I’ll be honest,” she says once you’re safely inside and the door is locked back tight again. “I wasn’t sure you were gonna show.”
You frown at that. “Why wouldn’t I have shown?”
“Most of the time when hybrids run, it’s an abuse case.” She drops into one of the plastic chairs lining the waiting room. Her head falls back with a thunk against the yellow plaster. If it hurts, she shows no signs of it, just stares up at the fluorescent lights. You settle on the lip of the chair next to her, feeling awkward and anxious. “The rabbit broke into an Olive Young to steal antiseptic and bandages,” she supplies without you having to ask. “He said he did it for the deer. When he showed me he was…” Officer Kwon exhales sharply and tips forward to rest her head in her hands. “I don’t think I’ve ever seen that much blood.”
“I wouldn’t hurt them,” you insist softly. “It wasn’t me.”
“I know,” she answers, voice muffled against her palms. “I pulled your name and ID picture from the national database and the rabbit didn’t recognize you. Even if you didn’t do it, I didn’t think you’d wanna deal with it.”
Your anxiety spikes at her words. What had happened to the hybrids before she found them? Who’d want to hurt them that badly? Your mouth feels dry, but you force it to move. “Do you know who they were running from?”
Officer Kwon shakes her head and drags her hands down her face. She lets her arms fall to her knees as she hunches over in her chair, back bowed with exhaustion. “Whatever the rabbit knows, he’s not sharing,” she exhales. “-And the deer’s in no position to speak up. He’s been unconscious since I found him.” As if sensing you tense, she adds, “He’s on the table now. I think Dr. Cheon put him under sedation.”
You don’t know what to say. You’re not sure if there’s anything you even can. You have a million questions buzzing around in your mind, but so heavy is the weight of them on your tongue that you can’t find the strength to ask a single one. You’re saved by the doctor coming out from the back.
The door right next to the counter that reads STAFF + PATIENTS ONLY swings open and a middle aged woman in cat print scrubs comes out, shoulders hunched in like she’s got the weight of the world on her back. You can’t blame her; she looks every bit as tired as you feel. She stops just short of you and Officer Kwon, peels off a pair of blue medical gloves, dyed sticky red, and tosses them into the garbage can behind the reception desk. “Well,” she huffs, dragging her fingers through the greying wisps of hair that’d escaped from her braid. “It’s done.”
“How is he?” The police officer asks before you can. Dr. Cheon grimaces and leans against the counter.
“If you hadn’t found him in time, it could’ve been much worse.” You think she’s trying to put you at ease, but you don’t want compromising optimism. You want the truth. “An hour or two later and we’d be dealing with a very different situation, medically.”
You swallow and force yourself to speak. “Do you have any idea how this could’ve happened?”
Dr. Cheon turns her attention to you and blinks slowly, like she’d just noticed you were there. “...this is the guardian?” The police officer nods. The doctor takes you in, eyes roving from the mess of your hair twisted into a bun atop your head, to the scuffed rubber toes of your sneakers. She’s judging you, you know, trying to find something that’d mark you as the reason for the pain and suffering of the hybrids she’d helped. She finds none. “It didn’t happen to them,” she sighs. “Someone did this to them on purpose, likely over the course of several hours.” She tugs the office chair out from behind the desk and sinks into it, her limbs going to jelly the second she’s seated.
“Jeongguk won’t tell me what happened, but I know the signs. Puncture wounds around the entirety of Seokjin’s ankle, remnants of both sedatives and epinephrine in both of their blood, what looks like a bullet graze wound on Jeongguk’s side and he’s got a broken arm,” she rattles off symptom after symptom, each of them making the knot in your belly wind tighter and tighter. “The worst of it is Seokjin’s head. Hairline fractures all along the top of his skull and lacerations on his pedicles. They took his antlers from him.”
You feel sick to your stomach. You knew there were people who hurt hybrids, just like there were people that hurt animals and other people. You just hadn’t expected to ever have to deal with the fallout of one such incident. “Will he be okay?”
“He’ll survive, if that’s what you’re asking,” Dr. Cheon allows. “But he’ll need to be monitored closely during these next few weeks. They were hunted. If they decide to come with you instead of going to the shelter with Officer Kwon, you’ll need to be cognisant of the fact that the trauma from that could manifest in unexpected ways.”
Hunted. They’d been hunted.
You knew hunting was illegal in South Korea, you had that little tidbit tucked away in the recesses of your grade school memory along with the list of provinces and their capitals and the names of all the sailor scouts. It’d been outlawed in the fifties with the rash of hybrid centered legislation after a hunter up in Chungcheongbuk-do had shot a black bear hybrid he’d mistaken for a real bear. It was determined that since humans couldn’t distinguish between regular animals and hybrids shifted down into animal form, hunting had to be outlawed to prevent any accidental killings.
“Were they shifted down?” You ask. “Did someone not realize-”
“No.” Dr. Cheon’s answer is swift and final. “They knew. This was a choice.” The disgust in her voice is palpable.
“There are places that...Some centers cater to people that want to hunt.” Officer Kwon cuts in. “They have hybrids as employees and they let people rent airsoft or paintball guns to come hunt them. It’s supposed to be more ethical than actual hunting. No matter how distasteful I might personally find it, if they have a permit, there’s not really much the police can do unless a law has been broken. ”
“And without any information on where they came from, we can’t prove that one has,” Dr. Cheon finishes. “The most I can do as a vet is submit a report to the police about a possible abuse case and hope it makes its way to the hybrid crimes unit.” You hear the words she doesn’t speak, the meaning behind them. There’s nothing more we can do. They’ll get away with it. This is the end of the line.
Dr. Cheon drops her palms against her knees and forces herself to stand “Jeongguk’s injuries should heal just fine outside of the clinic,” She sighs. “But Seokjin-” she clicks her tongue against her teeth and gives a single shake of her head. “Cervine hybrids don’t shed their antlers like real deer do. There’s no telling if his will grow back or what they’ll look like when they do. All we can do is keep the wounds clean and pray.”
You nod numbly. She gestures for you to follow her and you do, making your way around the reception desk and through the staff door with her.
It’s dim in the back. The overhead lights are off and your path ahead is illuminated only by what light spills over from the reception room and an exam room up ahead. There’s only four of them, but the door to this one is slightly ajar. “Wait here for a second,” Dr. Cheon instructs, slipping through the door and leaving you alone in the corridor. You can hear her speaking softly to someone inside and them answering in even quieter tones. You have to strain to pick up the edge of their voice and even then, you can’t understand what they’re saying. “Would you like her to come in here, or would you like her to stay outside?” You hear her ask. The response is too soft for you to catch but a second later the door swings open.
Dr. Cheon steps out and gestures for the shadowy figure behind her to follow. “It’s alright,” she assures them. “No one here is going to hurt you.” Slowly, they shuffle out from the back.
It’s Jeongguk. There’s no denying what he is, not with the black velvet ears you see poking up out of his mop of wavy, dark hair. They’re alert; they prick toward you when your breath hitches. His eyes are dark and wide and the tip of his nose twitches when he looks at you. You muster up a smile you hope is reassuring and this right foot taps once against the linoleum. Yes, he’s a rabbit- but he’s also fucking huge.
What little research you’d managed to do in between apologizing to your taxi driver and keeping an eye on the fare had been straightforward: rabbit hybrids were naturally timid, needed a lot of attention and were small. Most sources you’d checked seemed to concur that they very rarely cleared 5’5. Jeongguk is pushing 6 feet and he’s built like a professional athlete. You suppose that’s what happens when you’ve spent your whole life running for it.
He’s wearing a teeshirt that’s too tight on his chest, the logo of the Seoul police force stretched thin, and a pair of grey sweatpants that are too short for him, both obviously on loan from Officer Kwon. His feet are bare, but there are bandages wrapped around both of them. True to what Dr. Cheon told you, his arms in a cast and wrapped in a sling. There’s scrapes on his knuckles and bruises blooming on the right side of his face. He looks like he’s been through the wringer. Still, he doesn’t slouch or shrink before you.
“Jeongguk, this is the woman we talked about,” Dr. Cheon tells him. He nods, but doesn’t move his gaze from your face once. “You’ll be going home with her-”
“Only if he wants,” You interject and she nods in agreement, quickly adding that caveat in.
“-only if you want.” He nods again and swallows, his bare foot giving another little tap against the floor.
“What about Seokjin?” He asks you.
“If he wants to come too, he’s welcome to, but neither of you have to if you don’t want to.” There’s a little frown on his face as you answer and he finally looks away. You can’t help but think that’s a bad sign, that he thinks he and his friend would be safer in a shelter that they ever could be with you- but then he asks another question.
“Do you have a husband or a boyfriend?” You frown at that. Why was it that every hybrid in the city was suddenly so concerned with your marital status? Hoseok had asked you in the car last night and now Jeongguk seemed worried about it as well. Sensing your confusion, he clarifies. “Do you live with any men?”
You wince. “Oh! Yeah, I live with five.” You see his expression darken as his ears sag. “They’re mostly predator-”
“If they’re hybrids, it’s fine.” He interjects, a little tension leaving his shoulders. “I can live with them.”
You relax too. From what you’d seen, most shelters weren’t nice places. They were overcrowded and underfunded. If the news was any indication, some of the worse ones got treated like grab bags by fighting rings, who’d shell out a couple thousand won for a canine hybrid and turn him into a prize fighter. You didn’t want that for them, not if you could provide an alternative.
But was it one though? He said he could live with them, but could they live with him? You think back to Yoongi and Namjoon snarling at each other last night, about Jimin’s little jabs at Hoseok. Yeah, you’d need to have another house meeting when you got home if this was ever going to work. Jeongguk had just been through hell and back; the last thing he needed was a territorial bobcat trying him.
“You can change your mind any time,” You tell him softly. “If you get there and feel like it’s not a good fit for you and Seokjin, you can go, okay?”
He dips his head. “Okay.”
“I think Seokjin can decide for himself.”
Your eyes rocket just over Jeongguk’s shoulder. There’s a man leaning heavily against the doorframe of the room the rabbit hybrid had come out of. He’s in a blue exam gown, his feet bare except for a plain white cast on his left leg. Every part of his head from his eyebrows up is bandaged, but you see soft tufts of red-brown hair poking out from between the layers. He looks human. You’d almost think he was if it weren’t for the oblong pupils in his hazel eyes and supple ears you see twitching as he observes you.
“What are you doing up?!” The alarm in Dr. Cheon’s voice is palpable. “Those sedatives should’ve kept you out ‘til morning.” She takes a step like she’s going to rush to his side- but stops short when he tenses and tilts his chin to his chest. Just for a second, it looked like he was preparing himself to square off against her- like he was brandishing something that wasn’t really there. His antlers, you think. He was trying to protect himself with his antlers.
Seokjin forces himself upright, his knees wobbling as he tries to stand on his own. He looks off-balance, and it’s not just because of the cast. He looks like he’s trying to figure out how to stand now that a piece of him is missing. His legs are trembling. “What can I say?” He huffs, sounding like he just ran a marathon. “I like to surprise people.” And then his legs buckle underneath him.
He hits the floor with a heavy thud. Jeongguk and Dr. Cheon rush to his side but he waves them off, eyes closed and brow knit in frustration. “I’m fine,” he insists, pinching the bridge of his nose and trying to struggle back to his feet. “I’m fine, I just…I just need a moment-”
“You need bed rest.” Dr. Cheon goes to latch on to his arm to help him stand but Jeongguk catches her wrist, gives a single shake of his head and she drops it back to her side.
Seokjin manages to get himself back standing, but he sways precariously. “If this were a hunt, I’d already be dead.” He swallows and inhales shakily through his nose, doing his best not to gulp down air. “You should have left me, Jeongguk. You know the rules. One falls, but the herd rises-”
“The herd is gone, Seokjin.” The bitterness in the younger hybrid’s voice takes you aback. It’s a black wave, threatening to drown all four of you right there in the corridor. Seokjin stares at him, his jaw slack and pretty brown eyes wide.
“What do you-”
“They’re gone.” The rabbit hybrid’s bruised fingers clench into a fist and he fixes his glare on the tile. “All of them.”
Silence rings in the corridor. Dr. Cheon’s mouth is pressed into a thin line, but she doesn’t press for details and neither do you. She’d been right. They’d been hunted. The thought of it turns your stomach. Seokjin closes his eyes, long lashes fanning out over his cheeks as a muscle tenses in his jaw. He’s thinking. When he opens his eyes again, his gaze is settled on you. Your heart jumps as your nerves get the better of you, and one of his ears flicks back.
“You’re taking us?” He asks. You swallow.
“Only if you want me to.” An unreadable look passes between him and Jeongguk, the younger’s nose twitching.
“Speaking strictly as your doctor,” Dr. Cheon speaks up, interrupting the hybrids’ telepathy. “You need time to rest and recuperate-”
“Is there any special reason I have to rest and recuperate here?” He asks. You can’t help but notice the slight challenge in his voice. The corner of the doctor’s mouth twitches.
“No, I suppose not,” she acquiesces. She doesn’t look particularly pleased about the prospect of letting her patient go when he was still in the danger zone, but if the look of determination in Seokjin’s eyes is any indication, she doesn’t have much choice.
“Then, we’ll go.” The tone of his voice is final, letting everyone present know that he’s done talking about it.
That's the last that’s said to you or anyone else about it. Jeongguk falls in line with his orders easily and so doesDr. Cheon after she manages to get him to accept a pair of crutches she’d foisted upon him and passes off a prescription for pain meds and both of their check up schedules to you.
“It’s important that they don’t miss these dates,” she tells you at the reception counter, tapping the sheath of papers with one clean, blunted nail. “A single one of them. And make sure they don’t shift ‘til I’ve given them the all clear. Hybrid injuries are tricky, but they’re aggravated by the shift.” You nod, hanging onto every word she says, forcing your tired brain to take mental notes. “And-” she cuts her eyes at Jeongguk and Jin, both of whom are lingering in various extremes in the room, the deer hybrid sitting ramrod straight in a chair in the far right corner and the rabbit pretending to browse informational pamphlets. Once Dr. Cheon’s deemed it safe, she leans closer to you across the counter and gestures for you to come closer as well. You blink in confusion but acquiesce. “It’s important that your current hybrids be made to feel secure with the new additions coming.” She tells you, voice gravely serious. “Do you know about scenting order?”
After a beat, you nod. “Yeah. I mean, I read about it online but-”
Dr. Cheon tuts her tongue against the back of her teeth. “Online sources are shaky at best, wildly inaccurate at worst- particularly forums.” Your stomach flips. Had all your research been for nothing? “What did they tell you?”
“Um…” your brain boots up slowly as you try to recall the hours of research you’d done. “Uh, dominant hybrid first, then in age order?”
The corner of Dr. Cheon’s mouth quirks in an odd way. “That’s certainly a simplified way of looking at it.”
You wince.
“Hybrid group dynamics can be…” She searches for the right word. “Messy to start out with, especially with hybrids who don’t know each other who find themselves with an inexperienced handler. They’re all going to be trying to figure out where they fit in the pecking order as well as how their relationship with you works. There’s likely to be a lot of posturing, not just in order to impress you, but to solidify their place as well.” Dr. Cheon drags a hand down over her face. “Seven male hybrids under one roof...It’d be a miracle if no one’s missing fingers by the time the week’s out.”
“Is there any way I can stop them from being mean to each other?”
“I’m not a behaviorist,” The doctor sighs. “But I’d suggest you start with a conversation.”
You slide into the back of the taxi a little after 5:30 AM and pull out your phone. You’d promised to call on the way back and you don’t want a repeat of what’d happened the last time you’d forgotten. You scroll down your contacts, thumb hovering over Yoongi’s name and you hesitate. You remember warm lips, a rough tongue. You remember hands gripping your hips tight and a possessive growl in your ear. You press Taehyung’s name instead.
The tiger hybrid picks up on the third ring. “Hello?” His voice is slow and scratchy, still thick with sleep.
“Hey, it’s Y/N-” Almost immediately a happy rumbling starts from his end of the line. You can hear the sleepy joy in it and it makes your face warm.”A-and I just wanted to let you guys know I’m on the way home.”
Taehyung hums in acknowledgement, a low, musical sound. “Where’d you go?”
You bite your lip as nerves spark up in you. Well, all things considered, it was probably better for him to find out now rather than later. “The last two hybrids my uncle got…they were hurt and I had to come get them.”
The line is quiet for a moment and you gnaw at the bottom of your lip. Finally, Taehyung speaks. “Ah.” That’s all he says. Somehow, that’s worse than whatever Yoongi growling at the new hybrids or Jimin icing them out.
“I’ll be home in about another forty-five minutes, okay? Could you have everyone get together in the living room for me? We need to have a conversation.”
“Yeah, I can.”
You wince. There’s an almost imperceptible change in his voice. You swallow. “Taehyung, are you upset?”
He hums again like he’s considering it. “No,” he answers after a moment. “I don’t think i am. At least, not with you.”
That does little to allay your fears, but you force yourself to sound upbeat when you tell him, “I’ll see you when I get home, okay?”
“Okay. I’ll see you when you get home.”
The line clicks off and you drop your head against the headrest. A conversation. It should be a simple thing, but you spend the entirety of your taxi ride back to Gangnam with your stomach in knots. If the thought of introducing your two (very injured, very vulnerable) new hybrids to a house full of predators wasn’t enough, you have to try to allay Jeongguk’s inexplicable fear of the taxi driver. The middle aged man isn’t thrilled about ferrying hybrids across the city anyway, but between Seokjin swooning and Jeongguk thumping his foot so hard the whole car rattles whenever the man so much as looks in his rearview mirror, he’s almost ready to put all three of you out on the side of the highway. You have to promise him a 50,000 won tip just to get him to relent. He rolls up the partition, but even that doesn’t put Jeongguk at ease.
The rabbit hybrid is curled up in the corner of the backseat, his back against the door, his injured arm cradled close and his knees pulled up to his chin. His ears are on high alert, twitching at every passing car or stray siren. His whole body is tensed up like there’s a current running through it, like if he lets himself relax for a second, he’ll disperse into nothing. He’s glaring daggers at the partition, but you know he can’t see the driver. The car rolls over a speed bump a bit too fast and he flinches, hand shooting out for the door handle.
You watch him, concern coloring your scent. It’s not your place to ask, you know, and you feel almost stupid doing it, but the words slip out of their own accord. “Are you okay?” It’s a ridiculous question. You can still see the bruises blooming on his cheekbone, see the angry red of his split lip in the stray light of street lamps. His dark eyes flick toward you, round nose twitching.
“How do you know he’s taking us somewhere safe?” His gaze shifts from you, to the partition, to Seokjin, dozing fitfully on your otherside. The deer hybrid had finally surrendered to his pain meds not a second after you’d helped buckle him in. He’d been out cold before the driver had pulled away from the curb.
“Because that’s what I paid him to do,” you tell him, truthfully. You’d never given much thought to how much trust you placed in taxi and bus drivers to not kidnap you before. You certainly had to now, especially when Jeongguk seemed hyperaware of the fact that you’d entrusted all of your lives to a stranger. The rabbit hybrid swallows, his adam’s apple bobbing in the long column of his throat. He gives a little shake of his head.
“He could take your money and still take us somewhere bad. He could take us up into the mountains and Seokjin and I wouldn’t be able to do anything because we’re hurt and-”
“That’s not going to happen, Jeongguk,” you say in as soothing a voice as you can manage to muster up. “It’s really unlikely that that’ll happen, but even if it did, I’d do my best to protect you.”
He snorts, ears tilting back. They brush the roof of the car as they do and he shrinks himself, shoulders hunching forward. “What can you do?” His tone is derisive. “You’re only human. You’re not as fast as us or as strong-”
“I’d try,” you insist, some strong, unnameable emotion tightening your chest at the thought of them in danger. “If if came down to it, I’d still try to protect the pair of you-”
“You don’t even know me.” Jeongguk’s voice is edging somewhere between disgust and disbelief. You look away from him then and at your hands, gripping your knees.
“I don’t,” you agree easily. “But I’d like to. Even if I don’t- even if I didn’t, people should still help each other when they can. We owe each other that much.” The taxi is quiet for a moment, only the sound of tires rushing over the slick pavement and other cars zooming by filling the empty air between the two of you. Finally, the rabbit hybrid exhales shakily.
“I’m not a person.” He sounds resigned to that fact, like he’s accepted a burden far too heavy for him. “I’m not even an animal. I’m a-”
“Just because you aren’t human…” you start off hesitantly, very much aware that you might be crossing several invisible lines. “...doesn’t mean you’re not a person. You have your own thoughts and feelings and emotions. You deserve to have them heard. I know I’m not as fast as you or as strong, but the least I can do is listen to you, right?” The car is silent again. You’re too nervous to look at Jeongguk, worried that you’d gone too far- but then there’s a warm weight against your side. It starts slow at first, just your shoulders brushing against each other, but before you know it, Jeongguk’s leaning his whole body against yours. He’s slumped over with his head tucked beneath your chin like he doesn’t have the strength to hold himself up anymore. You swallow, your throat suddenly dry. “Jeongguk-”
“I’m afraid.” He admits in a whisper, like it’s the worst thing in the world. “Everything in me tells me to run all the time, but I can’t anymore.” His ears droop and his pretty dark eyes slip shut. This close, you can hear his heart beating at breakneck speed in his chest, feel how he shudders with every shaky inhale. “I’m so tired of running.” He’s terrified. You wouldn’t have guessed from his posture. Maybe the reason he held himself so tight was to stop himself from shaking apart.
You watch in surprise as the rabbit hybrid links his fingers with yours and drops your hand on top of his head, right between his velvety ears. “Help me like this.” You’re frozen, unsure what to do with a six foot tall man practically crawling into your sweatshirt with you. Was this really okay? He’d just been through something traumatic, the details of which you know nothing about. You hadn’t thought he’d want anyone to touch him, much less you, a virtual stranger. You don’t know what to do. The car jerks to a quick stop and the taxi driver leans on his horn, curses jaywalkers. Jeongguk’s grip on you tightens and he flinches so hard you’re surprised he didn’t knock his head into your teeth. He exhales shakily, tilts his head up and brushes his nose along the underside of your jaw. “Please,” he asks in a voice so small you know it’s killing him. “Just ‘til we get there, please just let me be weak.”
That breaks something inside you. Despite how awkward you might feel, he’s sure to be feeling worse. You wrap your arms fully around him, hesitant until you feel him go lax in your arms. You slowly stroke the back of his head and he buries his face in your clavicle, his eyes squeezed shut. “We’re almost there,” you assure him gently as he fists his good hand in the fabric of your sweatshirt. “You’re almost home.”
By the time the three of you arrive back at Haneul tower, the sky is lightening in the east and the first wave of office workers are making their way from your building into the streets of Gangnam. It’s not even 6 AM yet, but the city is stirring.
It takes you a good ten minutes to rouse both the boys and get them out of the taxi. After you’d let Jeongguk cling to you, the rabbit hybrid had fallen asleep quickly, the exhaustion from his turbulent day finally catching up to him. Even in sleep he was latched on to you, a small crease between his brows and his nose wrinkled up. Seokjin hadn’t fared much better. The cocktail of meds Dr. Cheon had given him had rendered him dead to the world for the entirety of the drive back. Even now you were having trouble rousing him.
“Seokjin…” You shake the sleeping stag’s shoulders but the only response you get is a slight hitch in his snoring. “Seokjin, please wake up, we have to go…” You can practically feel the glare the taxi driver is giving you in his rearview mirror. Yeah, the meter is still running, but you’ve taken up enough of his time as it is. “Seokjin, come on…” Jeongguk is standing behind you, staring bleary-eyed up at the apartment building, his free hand fisted in the fabric of your sweatshirt. If he’s cold in his thin tee-shirt and bare feet, he makes no mention of it.
Without warning, the taxi driver leans on the horn. Seokjin’s eyes fly open and he sits bolt upright, fear making his body tight. Jeongguk jerks so violently you think he’s going to rip a hole in your sweatshirt. You stumble back a few paces, trying to steady the rabbit and stop the pair of you from tumbling into the street. When you manage to right yourself, you slam a palm against the roof of the car and glare in the window at the driver. “Yo, what the fuck?”
The man glares back at you and waves you off. “I don’t have all day!” He shouts. “Get your animal and get out!”
You want to argue with him, you want to make him apologize- but the sight of Seokjin disoriented and afraid stops you. He’s looking at you with hazy eyes, his whole body stiff and his chest heaving. It’s for his sake alone that you hold your tongue. You reach a hand out to him. “Come on, buddy.” You say. “I got you.” He looks from your face to your hand and finally, slowly, places his own in it. His fingers are long and elegant and his hand dwarfs your’s. You tug him from the backseat and he leans heavily on you, hopping awkwardly to avoid walking on his broken foot. You pass him his crutches and he takes them, wobbling awkwardly as he tries to set himself to rights. “Can you stand?” You ask him. He nods and starts limping for the glass doors of Haneul Tower. He’s doing his best to look strong. His back is straight and his head is high, but you don’t miss the tremble in his fingers or the way he winces whenever the wind blows over the top of his head. You shove some bills at the taxi driver with a final, disapproving look, usher Jeongguk up onto the sidewalk and head inside after Seokjin.
The moment the three of you breach the double doors, Jeongguk drops his hand from your sweatshirt. His eyes rove over the glass and granite, round nose twitching at all the scents and his ears standing at attention on top of his head. He pauses, a little furrow between his brows. You’re halfway to the elevators, hovering a foot behind Seokjin in case he falls, before you notice the rabbit hybrid isn’t following you.
You cast a look back over his shoulder and find him gawking up at the hanging lights, mouth slightly ajar and starry-eyed. The corner of your mouth twitches. He’s cute, you decide. The thought leaves you almost instantly when you see Mr. Park powerwalking over to him, a sunny smile on his face. Jeongguk takes notice of him only a split second after you do and his eyes wide. You see him tense up, watch the fingers on his uninjured hand curl into a ball.
“You need to get him,” Seokjin says, sounding like he’s out of breath. You turn your attention back to the deer hybrid. He’s leaning heavily on his crutches and his face is pale. “You need to get him,” he repeats, nodding at Jeongguk. “That man gets any closer and Jeongguk will kick him.”
You whip back around. Mr. Park is closing the distance between them, seemingly unconcerned by the look of distress on the rabbit hybrids face or how his foot seems to be tapping a mile a minute.
“Excuse me!” The older man says, reaching out to put a hand on the rabbit hybrid’s shoulder. “Where’s your-”
“Mr. Park!” You practically sprint over as fast as you can, sliding between the receptionist and the hybrid just as he’d started winding his leg back. Mr. Park blinks, surprised to find you so suddenly in front of him. You offer him a tight smile. “He’s with me.”
“Oh! Ms. L/N, I apologize. He didn’t have a collar, so I assumed he was a stray.” The statement pricks at you, but you know he means nothing by it, so you try to stamp down your irritation. “It’s rare but we do occasionally have them come in in the hope someone will take them in.” He clucks his tongue against his teeth. “Such a shame really.”
You feel Jeongguk’s hand fist in the fabric of your sweatshirt. He wants to go. You nod emphatically at what Mr. Park says, already heading back to the elevators. “Yeah, totally,” you agree, shuffling the rabbit hybrid in front of you and putting some distance between him and the elderly man. “Well, have a good morning! I’ll see you later!”
“Ms. L/N, I actually need to speak with you-”
You wave him off and duck into the elevator Seokjin had called in your brief absence. “We’ll talk later!” You tell him, pressing the close door buttons as quickly as you can and willing them to shut before he can catch up.
“But it’s about your-!”
The doors click shut and you’re blessed with silence. You exhale in a short puff, press the button for the penthouse and slump against the cool metal wall, finally letting yourself relax for a moment. The elevator starts rolling and Jeongguk flinches beside you. He duck his head like he’s going to crouch down- but he stops himself, grips the railing instead.
“It’s okay,” You soothe. “It’s just-”
“I’m fine,” he insists, forcing himself to stand up straight and release the death grip he has on your sweatshirt. “I’m fine; my time’s up.”
It’s just like he’d said in the car. Just ‘til we get there, let me be weak.
The rest of the elevator ride passes in silence outside of the automated bell dinging as you pass each new floor and Seokjin panting quietly. He’s in a bad way. He’ll need another dose of pain meds soon. You arrive on the top floor, punching in the key code and pull the door open. “Let me get Seokjin settled, Jeongguk and I-” You run directly into someone.
Their arms wrap around you, covered in a brown cable knit sweater. It’s soft and they smell of vanilla. They press their cheek against the top of your head and exhale, a little rumble kicking up in their chest. “You’re back.” Taehyung.
“Hey, buddy.” You pat him on the back gently and peer around him. Yoongi and Jimin are both sprawled on the couch, legs kicked out so there isn’t room for anyone else to join them. Namjoon is sitting on the stairs shooting daggers at the back of Yoongi’s head and his arms crossed over his chest.Hoseok is lingering in the no man’s land between the living room and kitchen looking like he’d much rather be anywhere else. The atmosphere is tense to say the least.
Taehyung dips his head down. “I got them, like you said,” he whispers, lips brushing against the tip of your ear and his breath warm. You have fight off a little shiver, but if he notices it, he doesn’t react. “I don’t think Hyung and Jiminie like the others very much.”
You give a little nod of acknowledgement. “That’s okay,” you tell him. “We all just need to get to know each other a little better.”
Seokjin hobbles through the door, past the tiger hybrid and drops himself onto a stool on the kitchen with a heavy exhale. “Well, I’ve got maybe fifteen minutes at most before these meds catch a second wind, so let’s get this over with.” He’s doing his best to sound cavalier but he’s pallid. You don’t miss the thin sheen of cold sweat on his face and neck. “Seokjin. Twenty-eight. Red stag.”
All the other hybrids are staring at him in a mix of confusion, irritation and, in some cases, open dislike. It seems like they don’t know what to make of him. It’s Yoongi who speaks first. “If you’re a stag,” he drawls and you already feel dread welling up in you at what you know is going to follow. “Where are your antlers?”
Seokjin fixes him with a tight-lipped smile that doesn’t reach his eyes. “I only put them on for special occasions.”
“Okay!” You clap your hands together trying to diffuse the tension you can feel building. “New house rule: let’s not ask each other about injuries past or present unless we’re asking how to help.” Yoongi looks miffed, but he settles. It’s weird. Normally, you’d have expected him to say something snarky back to you. He’s trying not to push his luck after last night, you think. “Yoongi, why don’t you go next?”
His ears flick in annoyance, but he does as you ask. “I’m Yoongi, I’m twenty-seven and I’m a bobcat-”
“I’m Jimin,” his junior pipes up before he’s hardly had time to finish. “I’m an amur leopard and I came here with Yoongi-hyung and Tae. We’ve been with Y/N the longest.” He says it like it’s an important piece of information for everyone to know.
Beside you, Taehyung lifts one hand, palm up. “Hi,” he says calmly. “I’m Taehyung. I like the color purple.” Everyone watches him to see what else he’s going to say, but the tiger hybrid is finished. You give him a little nudge with your shoulder.
“Tell them how old you are and what your hybrid is,” you suggest.
“Oh,” he lifts his eyebrows like the thought genuinely hadn’t occurred to him. “I’m twenty-four and I’m a tiger.” Suddenly remembering something, he tilts his head forward in a little bow. “It’s nice to meet you all.” A sour look takes over Yoongi’s face and Jimin rolls his eyes, gestures for the youngest of their group to come sit beside him.
Hoseok is the next one to pipe up. “I’m Hoseok!” He seems to perk up a little when you turn your eyes to him, his docked tail giving as much of a wag as it’s able. “I’m a Doberman, I’m twenty-six and Joonie and I came from the same pla-”
“My name is Namjoon.” The wolfdog cuts off the other canine with a growl. All the wind goes out of Hoseok’s sails and you don’t miss the way Seokjin freezes up at the dark sound, suddenly alert. You weren’t sure if prey hybrids still avoided predator hybrids like their animal counterparts did, but you’d need to learn and fast. Namjoon leans back on the stairs, his jaw clenched. “I’m the same age as him-” he jerks his head at the Doberman hybrid. “-so I guess I’m twenty-six too.” He makes no mention of his hybrid and you don’t press. You don’t know how sensitive a subject it is for him yet, but you don’t want to find out the hard way.
Hoseok looks back at you and cocks his head to the side, his gaze fixed on a spot just over your shoulder. “Who’s he?”
Five pairs of eyes follow his. You turn around. Outside the apartment, still in the corridor, is Jeongguk, his back pressed against the wall and his eyes wide as he surveys the mixed bag of hybrids spread out in front of you. Your eyebrows furrow in concern.
“Do you wanna come in?”
His gaze flicks from you, to the cats, then to Hoseok and finally to Namjoon. It’s only when he sees the wolfdog hybrid that he moves from the wall. He takes halting, jittery steps one after the other until he’s planted by your side, his eyes on his bare feet. Every move he makes makes it look like he’s fighting against his own body, forcing himself to tamp down his instinct and move.
“Can you introduce yourself?” You ask him softly. “Or do you want me to?”
His good hand clenches into a fist and forces himself to look up. He meets each of the other hybrid’s eyes evenly. “My name is Jeongguk.” When he speaks, there’s no shake in his voice. “I’m twenty-three years old. I came from the same place as Seokjin but we don’t know each other that well. I’m a Flemish Giant Rabbit.” So that was why he was so big. You’d never seen a Flemish Giant in real life, but you’d happened across the odd youtube video of them once or twice in your suggestions. They were huge.
With introductions out of the way, you feel a little tension melt out of your shoulders. That was the biggest hurdle. Maybe now that they all at least knew each other, they’d be a little more open to being around each other. You let out a little exhale. “And I’m Y/N. I’m also twenty-three and this is my uncle’s apartment. He’s the only that bought all of you but I only found out you were coming a little over a week ago, so please forgive me for being unprepared.” You rub your palms against your eyes, trying to combat the exhaustion you can feel crawling over you. “I don’t know that much about hybrids, but I’m trying to learn. A lot of things you’re gonna have to help me with. I’m not expecting you guys to be pets or best friends or anything, but if we could all try to get along I’d appreciate it.” You offer all seven them a weary smile. “Thanks for getting up early to do this, guys, I appreciate it. If there’s anything you need, literally anything, please don’t be scared to ask-”
“Um, Y/N?” Hoseok is looking at you like he’s been dying to say something for the past five minutes. You turn your attention to him and squint as you try to focus on what he’s saying. “I did a sweep of the apartment earlier-” That was concerning. You make a mental note to tell him he doesn’t have to do security sweeps anymore. “-and there’s only four bedrooms.”
You blink at him in confusion.
“There’s eight of us.”
Oh. Oh. You drag your hands down over your face. You hadn’t accounted for lack of space being an issue. When you first moved in, Oliver’s penthouse seemed like it went on forever. “Okay,” you start, crunching some quick numbers. “Some of us are gonna have to double up.” There’s a disgruntled mrow from the couch and without looking, you know it’s Jimin. “Yoongi, Jimin and Taehyung are already sharing so they’re exempt, but Seokjin needs his own room- at least until he recovers.”
“That’s fine by me,” the stag chimes in. “But that leaves Jeongguk without a-”
“Hyung, can I stay with you?” The room goes quiet.
“Seokjin really needs his own room-” You pull your face out of your hands to address the rabbit hybrid, but he isn’t looking at the stag. His eyes are fixed on Namjoon who’s looking at him in a mix of confusion and alarm. The wolfdog looks from the rabbit to you.
“I saw a camp bed out in the greenhouse while you were showing us around last night.” He says, standing to go. “I’ll sleep out there.”
“Namjoon, you don’t have to sleep outside-”
“I like it out there.” He calls back over his shoulder as he climbs the stairs. “I can see the sky.” Then he’s gone and the six of you are left.
“Well,” Jimin purrs, rising and crossing the living room to you. “Best of luck.” He rubs his cheek against yours, folding you into a loose hug. You think he’s about to pull away, but he whispers in your ear, “If you want to share with us, you know where we sleep.” And then he’s gone, sauntering up the stairs with Taehyung and Yoongi in tow. The bobcat tosses a look at you, but you look away quickly, missing the way his ears sage when you do.
Now, the only ones left are you, Jeongguk, Hoseok and Seokjin who’s rapidly fading. “I’ll take the couch,” you volunteer. It wouldn’t be the most comfortable thing in the world, but right now, the stark white cushions look like heaven to your sleep-deprived mind. “Seokjin can have my room-”
“He can have mine,” Hoseok interjects. “And, if it’s okay, could I stay with you?” There’s a light whine on the end of his words and you don’t miss the way his ears prick up in anticipation of your answer. “It’s what I wanted to ask you earlier.”
Oh. When Jimin interrupted him, that’s what he’d been trying to say: he wanted to sleep in your room to be closer to you. To protect you.
“Yeah,” you agree easily. “Yeah, that’s fine.” Sharing beds wasn’t a big deal for you. You’d grown up in a flat with your mom and had shared a bed with her til she’d been taken from you. Then in foster homes with too many kids and not enough resources, you’d had to double- and sometimes even triple- up. It was a matter of convenience and space.
Hoseok’s tail gives a little wag and he nods, happy with your decision.
“Great!” Seokjin cheers weakly. “Now can someone please help me lie down.”
It’s Hoseok that helps the stag hybrid up the stairs and into bed. He’s stronger than you and taller, so it only makes sense. You show Jeongguk to his new room and stay with him for a few minutes while he feels it out, making sure it’s safe. It’s only once he’s sequestered himself under the covers and dismissed you that you leave, closing the door quietly behind you as the rabbit hybrid settles down for some much needed sleep. You turn to head back for the stairs- but you find Yoongi at the other end of the corridor, staring you down. You stare back. He swallows.
“Can we talk?” He asks, his voice quieter than you ever remember hearing it.
You give a little nod. “Yeah,” you assent. “We need to.”
He meets you halfway, his hands shoved into the pockets of his joggers and his gaze anywhere but on your face. The seconds stretch out and you exhale, closing your eyes. “Yoongi, about last night-”
“I’m sorry,” he interjects. “About what happened in the elevator. It was disrespectful and immature. I won’t do it again.”
You balk at him. You’d honestly expected him to tell you you were being childish for reacting so strongly to it when you’d told him he could mark you whenever he was ready. But he hadn’t. He shuffles back a few steps, his head still low.
“Well, that was all I wanted to say to you, so-”
“Do you understand?” You ask him. He stops short. “Do you understand why I was upset?”
His tongue darts out to wet his lips and you see a little furrow between his gray eyebrows. “Because I marked you.”
“No,” you insist, emphatically. “I was upset because it didn’t feel like you were doing it for me.” He does look up at you then, yellow eyes unreadable. “It didn’t feel like you were marking me because we’re friends or you wanted me to be a part of your group. It felt like you were doing it to show off in front of Namjoon and Hoseok.” You swallow. “And that hurt my feelings.” It feels good to say. It feels good to talk about.
He lets out a little chirp of distress. “I don’t wanna hurt you,” he rasps. “I just-” He rakes a hand back through his hair and shakes his head. “Fuck, I just felt like if I didn’t do something right then you’d get bored of me and send me away. I thought you’d replace me with them.”
Your heart twists. You know the feeling more intimately than you’d like to admit. You reach out, hesitantly and squeeze Yoongi’s arm. “Yoongi, I’m not gonna send you away. Ever. It’s important to me that you know that. Unless you wanna go, you can stay. There’s room enough for all of you.”
“No there’s not, that’s why we’re sharing rooms,” he drawls.
You roll your eyes and let out a little chuckle. “Okay, smart-ass.”
The corner of his mouth curls up at the playful insult. After a moment, he speaks. “I don’t, for the record,” he says. “Wanna go, I mean.” He stares down into your face, yellow eyes intense. The seconds drag on and something between the two of you grows tight. He leans down, face nuzzling the soft spot between your ear and your jaw. He huffs. “Bunny scented you,” he mutters, tail flicking in annoyance, but there’s no heat behind it. You’re relieved.
“He was afraid in the car,” you answer softly. “I think it helped.” Your hands slip from his arms around his back and he purrs. It’s the first time you’ve heard him make that sound. It sends warm vibrations through your whole body and you giggle. Yoongi smiles against your skin and your heart leaps. He’s never smiled around you before. You can’t see it, but you can feel it. You know it’s there. “Do you want to try again?”
Yoongi exhales, his breath warm on your neck. “Can I?”
“Yeah,” you say, tilting your head to the side for him. “You can.”
This time is different, you can feel that from the onset. His fingers wrap gently around your hips and he nuzzles into your skin. He nips lightly at the skin below your ear, the corner of your jaw, all down the column of your neck until he reaches the spot where it joins your shoulder. He hums, wraps his arms around you fully and pulls you flush against the hard line of his body. Your breath hatches and you can practically hear your heart thudding traitorously in your chest.
It’s not a big deal, you tell yourself as he laves his rough tongue against your feverish skin. It’s not a big deal; marking isn’t sexual. This isn’t a big deal, there’s no need to be nervous or get- the points of his teeth scrape over the mark before he laps at again and you have to bite back a whimper. Your knees feel a little weak- that is, until Yoongi slots his thigh between them, keeping you up while he finishes his work. Your hands ball up into fists in the fabric of his t shirt and you grit your teeth together with the effort of keeping quiet. He pulls off your neck with a wet pop and you swear you’re imagining it when he presses a final kiss to his mark. He noses your ear, still purring and you think he’s gonna mark you more- but then his warmth is gone and his standing before you, eyes a little hazier but no worse for wear.
He reaches up and flicks you in the forehead. You grumble at him, covering the spot up with your hands before he can do it again. A lazy smirk spreads out on his face. “Welcome to the family,” he drawls. Then he’s turning on his heel and heading back to his shared bedroom. “Don’t wipe this one off this time, okay?”
You nod mutely after him as he disappears, your hand cupping your mark. “What was that?” You wonder. You descend the stairs in a daze, your mind whirling. None of your research had told you creating a mark would be like that. You’d thought it was a quick thing and Yoongi had just been showboating for the canines. Even in the videos you watched, the hybrid had leaned in close to the human, given then a few quick swipes with their tongue and moved on. Then again, those hybrids had all been domesticated dog or cat breeds. “Are exotics different?” You muse, turning the handle to your bedroom- and promptly tripping over someone.
This time, you don’t go all the way down. You make it halfway before Hoseok catches you. “Ah, I’m sorry, Y/N!” The dog hybrid whines, fussing over you as he sets you back to rights. “I’ll do better about staying out of your way, I promise-”
“It’s okay,” you soothe, trying to stop him from fretting. “It’s okay, I’m okay.” You survey the floor of your bedroom. It seemed like in his security sweep earlier, Hoseok had found the linen cabinet and made use of the spare blankets. His pillow and a comforter are set up in a little pallet on the floor in front of your door. It seems he’d been putting the final touches on it when you’d stumbled over him. “Hoseok…” you start slowly. The Doberman looks at you, ears pricked up. “Hoseok, I wasn’t expecting you to sleep on the floor.”
He cocks his head to the side, doglike even in his confusion. “Then where…?”
“The bed is big enough,” you say, gesturing to the queen sized bed dominating the center of the room. “I don’t mind sharing if you’re comfortable with it.”
His adam’s apple bob’s in his throat as he swallows, suddenly serious. “Yeah,” he says with a nod. “Yeah, I’m comfortable with it.”
You nod and pat him on the shoulder, passing him as you head to bed. “Come on, then.” You collapse onto your bed face-first and slip back under the covers with a groan. “I’m just gonna take a quick nap before I’ve gotta get up and deal with stuff…”
The room is quiet, but somewhere in it, you can hear Hoseok shuffling around. “Maybe I should check to make sure everything is safe one more time?”
You exhale, your eyes slipping shut. “Hoseok…”
“Did you lock the front door after you came in? I think the rabbit...Jeongguk was the last one in? I don’t remember him locking-”
“Hope, bed. Now.” He doesn’t say anything else, but a few seconds later, you feel the far side of the bed dip with his weight. You sigh as he shifts to get under the blankets and you snuggle down further into your pillow. “Sleep well, Hobi.”
He mumbles something under his breath about security being a serious issue, but you don’t catch it. You’re already halfway to dreamland.
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33roda · 3 years
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Kaeya X Dom!Reader <3
tags: tiddy sucking (m!receiving), butt fingering, (m!receiving), brat taming kinda, gn!reader I think !!
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Yet another exhausting Abyss Order attack, finally over with.
It was a quite difficult one at that, having required a whole army of knights at the gates of Mondstadt, so Kaeya invited the team to a drink at Angel's Share, out of all places. Even after all the energy that used up, he's still in the mood for drinks?
Well, that didn't matter anyway, because either way, you would've been forced to go either by Kaeya or by Lisa. You sat quietly next to Kaeya, listening to him chat with the other knights.
"Ah, another success.. Of course, we couldn't have done it without our Honorary Knight here," he chatted, sounding as sarcastic as ever. "You truly are a new storm after all."
He rested his hand on your shoulder while holding up his third glass of sparkling wine of the night, chuckling at how Amber was already tipsy after one sip of beer. Jean held her up, furrowing her eyebrows tightly, looking for where Lisa went. Probably off to flirt with the new naive bartender. Everyone's enjoying their time here while she had to babysit Amber and Lisa?
"Of course, Y/N. It is truly an honor to celebrate this with our new Honorary Knight." she stumbled as she continued holding up Amber and wiping her drool with napkins, her slurring drowned out by the noises in the background. You let out a polite smile, showing your appreciation to everyone on the table.
"Thank you, Grand Master. It was a pleasure working with you today." The table was awkward. Too formal, too stiff, but Kaeya didn't seem to mind it, just smirking and slowly sipping on his wine. You almost started wondering and fantasizing about when it'd be time to leave, but as soon as you thought of that, you felt Kaeya's hand slide off your shoulder and started gently caressing your thighs. Ah, expected. Of course there had to be an ulterior motive to his invitation, not that you minded. Taking advantage of the loud, distracting chatter in the background, he ducked his head next to your ear just enough so you could feel his hot breath against it.
"You sure look bored, Y/N. Quite rude of you to not respect etiquette," he whispered against your ear and chuckled. "I have something more fun for you later. Meet me outside the bar once the rest leave."
Ha. Finally, something interesting this night. You had nothing to lose anyway, so why not entertain his request? his actions motivating you to just get the night over with, you try to be more friendly with Jean to lessen the tenseness in the air, her unaware of the touching and groping exchanged between you and Kaeya underneath the table.
Lisa would never seem to return, and Jean eventually got tired of the Outrider hiccuping and slurring on her words next to her, deciding it was best for everyone to just go home. Exchanging goodbyes to everyone, Kaeya escorted them outside, looking back and shooting you a wink and a smug smile before leaving the tavern. Oh what you'd do to wipe that smug smile off his face, and you'd be sure to do just that tonight. You started packing up your stuff, taking your sweet time with it, thinking about how you're keeping The Cavalry Captain waiting. You can already picture how he'll be squirming and begging to be touched.. What a pretty sight, you thought, as you exit the tavern door to be greeted with silence for a second; then the husky voice of a grumpy-looking Kaeya.
"Took ya long enough, Honorary Knight," he raised an eyebrow, waiting for an excuse or an apology, getting a figurative slap in the face when he got teasing instead.
"Oh, so sorry, Captain, did my touch make you so needy in there you couldn't wait for a few minutes?," you cooed, giving him as much of a smug smile as he was giving you earlier.
"Hm," he scoffed. Resistance? from a new knight like you? that's new. He was known to be irresistible, to both men and women, being all dolled up with his fancy fur and chains. At least he still has you in his hands, he thought.
Thank Barbatos the streets were empty ‒ if anyone saw you leading the Captain to your house in the dead of the night, the rumours would not sound pretty for either of you. But rumours were the least of your concerns, being in your room with Kaeya holding you against the wall and leaning down to whisper in your ear as you twirled his ponytail in your fingers from behind.
"Getting you here was easier than expected, Y/N," he taunted, "I'm starting to think you've wanted this for some time."
"In your dreams," you looked up at him. To be honest, he was a very attractive man - looking down at you with half lidded eyes and that smirk that never seemed to fade. He shot down to kiss you, but it was too early, you thought. He had to earn it. You grabbed his ponytail, forcing him to throw his head back and expose his pretty little neck to you. His eyes going wide as you started tracing circles on his exposed chest - now that was a sight to appreciate. Funny, he's the captain yet his skin felt smooth and silky against your calloused hands.. now you understand why he liked showing it off so bad. Switching hands to grab him by the face, you snickered, "It seems like you've been the one planning this, Sir Kaeya. Actually, how about you let me be your master tonight, hm?"
"You think it's that easy? Insulting of you, Y/N," you raised an eyebrow at the disobedience, even with your hands grabbing his cheeks, his words coming out slurred. Should've expected that from a smug fuck like Kaeya. "Prove yourself to me."
"You really are a brat. Not surprised, honey." you said, letting go of his cheeks and immediately diving into his chest to lick and suck at it, leaving it with red and purple bruises. Sliding your fingers across his wet chest and under his shirt, you flicked his nipple with your thumb before squeezing it, feeling him shudder standing in front of you. "What's wrong? can't handle it? need to lay down?" you didn't even let him finish before shoving him down into the bed, impressing him with your sudden strength. Giggling, you pinned his wrists down next to his head. "Just let me have my fun with those pretty tits of yours." Surprisingly, he didn't complain - instead, he just bit his lip and turned his head to the side, allowing himself to be touched. "Such a good boy, really,"
"Th-this is just a one time thing, Y/N, don't get your hopes up," he stuttered out between little gasps and squirms, "I promise you, I'll be stuffing you full tonigh- ngh!" he choked, feeling you move his shirt to the side and start lapping at his nipple. If he wasn't hard before, he sure as hell is now. Riling him up was easier than expected - although he'd never admit that. You continued nibbling at him, feeling his hardness underneath his pants on your stomach. Poor Kaeya, getting hard just from this?
"Sensitive, are we?" you commented between licks. "No wonder you love showing off your chest so much. Makes me think how you'd like showing the rest of you off?"
"You'd love to see that, huh?" he remained smug.
"Why yes, I would, Captain," you purred. You started unbuckling his belt and stripping him all the way down to his underwear, leaving so much more area for you to lick, kiss, and just ruin. "Such a pillow princess. Are you like this with everyone else?"
"N-no!" he exclaimed, looking insulted. "Just strip me already, Y/N." Honestly, it was pretty funny how he tried to mask his horniness, even with his dick as hard as ever under you, face flushed and breathing heavily.
"I'm not stripping you unless you call me your master. And if you strip yourself," you held up his chin with your fingers, "I'll just leave you here, naked and horny, with no pleasure at all. Your choice, Kaeya."
"Master.. please, please strip me - I need more, anything, please," he sounded like he was about to cry. How adorable, his pride crumbling right before him, all just so he could have your touch..
"Good boy."
You pulled down his tight blue underwear down to his ankles, freeing his oh-so-pretty cock. He was certainly impressive, but unfortunately, his dick would be useless to you tonight. "How pretty," you hummed, tracing every vein with your fingers, feeling every throb. "You want more, don't you? I want to hear you beg for more."
"More, please, I n-need you to touch me master, please," gasping, he tried rutting against your hand, rubbing himself on you, anything - but failing. "I want it so bad,"
Having the Cavalry Captain being your little bitch wasn't so bad after all. Laughing at his little whines and pathetic attempts to get off on your hand, you grabbed him and started pumping gently, watching his reactions in pure amusement. His usually striking eyes shut closed, eyebrows tight, his mouth wide open - it was all a sight to behold. Groans and whimpers filling the room, he continued trying to thrust harder into your hand, chasing his release. But baby, he had no idea the plan was entirely different than he thought.
He really thought it was just a bit of teasing, then you'd make him cum with your hands, or fuck you tight. But you stopped pumping him, leaving him whining and begging for more, a look of pitiful disappointment on his face. It almost made you feel bad.
"It's not gonna be that easy, pretty boy," you slapped his thighs, "legs up for me baby."
"H-huh?" he looked genuinely confused, still in a daze from the sudden disappearance of your hand on his cock. Not letting him waste any time, you lifted his legs all the way up by yourself.
"Can't even take orders?" you smacked his ass, making it jiggle and let out that filthy noise. You were impressed how loud it was, honestly. "What would the other knights think seeing you like this, Kaeya? maybe you want them to hear you get fucked? see you all spread out for your master?" Not even giving him a chance to respond, you shoved your fingers in his mouth, he could only hum little "mmphs" and nods in your direction. "I never knew our Captain would be such a slut," you watched in amusement as he coated your fingers in drool, looking up at you in desperation. "I'll give you exactly what you want." smiling at him, you rubbed your saliva-coated fingers against his hole for a few seconds before shoving a finger in to prep him. He wanted more, evidently, by the way he kept humping down against your finger with hesitant moans.
"Y-You're doing it all wrong," he slipped off your fingers with heavy breaths, "let me show you how it's done, master," You raised an eyebrow, and as soon as you were gonna grab him by his throat and punish him, he spread himself out even further with his hands, looking to get a reaction out of you. It was his first time doing this with someone else, but he's definitely fucked himself in front of a mirror before. Who wouldn't love to watch his body like that, anyway?
Shoving two fingers inside himself, he started looking for his spot, erratically humping the air looking for more stimulation, anything; but the most you'd do is stroke his thighs with a smile on your face, teasing him even further. He was obviously just trying to put on a show for you, make you watch him stretch himself out and look at him make the most erotic faces for you - he'd even make sure the whole of Mondstadt heard him get fucked, as if he wasn't gonna wear your hickeys like an award in front of the other knights tomorrow. Watching him fuck in and out of himself, listening to the filthy noises his ass made; you couldn't help but cross your legs a little. "Do you like it, master?" he whimpered.
"I know what you're doing, prince," you answered, "trying so hard to get more.. such a desperate bitch, don't you think?" he nodded in agreement. "Well, since you've been so good.." turning him over, you pushed his face down into the bed. He was already arching his back for you - his pretty hole all wet and ready to get fucked. "You'll still have to work for it, though," you laughed, hearing him groan in protest into the bed. Gently pushing your digits into him, you ordered, "Fuck yourself on my fingers, Kaeya."
Immediately obeying, he pushed himself back onto your fingers, dick flailing under him, sobbing and begging for you to just fuck him yourself - maybe if he obeyed for a little, you'd finally do it? "Such a good boy. And to think you wanted to fuck me?"
You wouldn't let go until you found his spot, curving your fingers towards his navel, making his legs give out from all the pleasure - the Captain was simply a doll in your hands to play with. Even when his legs gave out, only then would you finally fuck him yourself, his tears staining your bed alongside his cum. Fucking his spot even when your arms got tired, you had to make him cum again. His moans getting more and more high-pitched with every fuck into him, squirming and grinding his ass against you, he finally came again with a throaty moan filling the room. You pulled out of him and gave his ass a quick smack, letting him take his breath before turning over to face you. His cum all over his stomach and chest was a sight to remember, dick twitching, his face blushy and pretty lips open gasping.
Sliding your fingers across his chest, you picked up some of his cum and put it near his mouth, waiting for him to put his tongue out to lick it. He did just that, making eye contact with you, and even holding your wrist in place so he could lick it all up. "Good puppy."
He'll definitely be limping around the other knights tomorrow.. Not that he minded. He'll absolutely be teasing you again at the Knights of Favonious headquarters, anyway.
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caitimetravels · 3 years
Text
she's insignificant
chapter 5: he should have stayed on that moon
the umbrella academy x (fem) reader
disclaimer: i do not own the plot/storyline of the netflix tv series and i do not own the umbrella academy characters.
warnings: mentions of blood
masterlist
"there you are!" allison ran up behind luther in the hallway. "i've been looking everywhere for you" 
"what are you still doing here? i thought you were gone" he turned to look at her in surprise.
"no, i was gonna go and then pogo showed me this-" she tried to explain what she had found but luther cut her off with a shake of his head.
"well, listen.. i was wrong about dad's death"
"what?"
"yeah, i was wrong about y/n, you know, to accuse my own sister of that- it's just-"
"no, no, i get it-"
"seeing all of you and being back here. i-i should be the one who's trying to bring us all back together not tear us apart-"
"would you shut up?"
"what?"
"you were right. about dad. come on, i gotta show you something"
————————————————–
"i can't" eight didn't like crying, especially not in front of her father. he was always cruel, no matter how much the children pleaded and sobbed. she crumpled to the floor, exhausted. she hated training alone, she wanted to train with her siblings outside in the snow, it looked like more fun than this was.
"you are weak, number eight! we will continue until you can get it right" reginald glared down at her. "again!" 
she pushed herself up, wobbling. she weakly pushed herself again, trying to make something, anything happen. she squeezed her eyes shut, hands forming fists as she thought hard about what her father wanted. she didn't even know what she was expected to do. to no surprise, nothing happened. reginald sighed heavily, disappointed. he pulled a watch from his pocket before staring down at her as she fell to her knees again.
"you are dismissed, dinner will be in 20 minutes" and she was left alone. reginald disappeared into his office once again. she lay on the floor for a moment, heaving for breath. they had been training for hours, pushing her past her limits. grace and pogo lead her siblings, minus vanya, in through the doors. not wanting them to see her like that she gripped the table behind her, pulling herself up and leaning against it. 
"y/n?" ben frowned, stepping over. the others look at her in shock. she shook him off, grumbling about how she was 'fine'. he watched her stumble up the stairs, cringing in pain. her siblings all shared a saddened look. 
when they did rush down for dinner, y/n slumped into her chair, dark bags under her eyes. she barely touched her food, pushing it around her plate.
"number eight!" the next thing she knew five was holding her head up and her father was yelling at her. he degraded her, insulted her but she didn't hear a thing. five slowly let go of her, watching her carefully before turning away, back to his meal.
she sat up straighter and actually started to eat the food on her plate, after all, she must train on a full stomach.
————————————————–
y/n and five walked up the stairs of the mansion, feet dragging heavily. as they stepped up they were met with luther and allison.
"five? y/n? what the hell happened to you?" both stayed silent. y/n stared at her feet in a sort of daze. everything was still kind of confusing. 
"are you okay?" luther reached out to five, "can we help?" the said boy took him by surprise, hand snapping up and grabbing his fist.
"there's nothing you can do" he spat before his expression saddened, "there's nothing any of you can do.."
y/n looked up, watching as he went. she frowned.
"you alright?" she stared at luther for a moment, grimacing as she remembered what they had last talked about. she kept her mouth shut, brushing past him to her room. 
"y/n, wait-"
"just fuck off, luther" she snapped before he could say anything. he should have stayed on that moon.
————————————————–
"number eight" the remaining five siblings with powers stood in a line. it had been a couple weeks since ben's death now. reginald stood in front of them. they had all been told today's training would be different. "step forwards" she did as she was told, standing in front of the others. "you will be using your powers on your siblings today" 
her head snapped up at that as did the others. she had never used her powers on them before and they knew what she could do to others. he sent the others all around the house. she was told to find them, sensing where they were with a blindfold on, almost like hide and seek without any of the fun. it was when she had found them all for the seventh time that she sensed something else. 
"there are five people in line" she stated, "vanya?" 
"wrong" she heard her father scold. "there are only four"
"there's a fifth, i can sense it" she frowned, pulling her blindfold off to see only her four siblings. they all looked confused. "klaus.. is there a ghost? it.. it feels like ben"
"no" he answered far too quickly. ben turned on him from beside him,
"what? klaus! i am here! tell her i'm here!" 
"no, he's not" 
"klaus! what the hell?! you're so selfish! i am here!" but of course, she never knew that..
————————————————–
"come on, luther, i have to show you" allison tried to pull him away but he continued to stare at where y/n had told him to 'fuck off'. he felt.. guilty.
"but.. what about y/n?" he looked at her. he hated that he upset her, he hated that he had accused her without any actual evidence. she was only a child, just like diego said. 
"she's angry, let her cool off. you should apologise but not right now, give her some time" allison offered a soft smile, "that's all she needs, some time. now, come on, this is important" 
"i just.. i feel guilty" luther frowned as they walked towards their father's room filled with cameras. "i shouldn't have assumed-"
"she'll understand" allison reassured with a smile. 
————————————————–
y/n sat in her corner of the library, reading alone. she was calm, it was her safe place, nobody could bother her here. no training, no arguments, just peace.
"eight.." she looked up from her book at her brother's voice. five.
"what's wrong?" she shuffled over, eyebrows furrowing at the look on his face. he was worried, something five wasn't usually.. or at least he never showed it.
"i.. i want to time travel" he begun softly, taking a seat beside her. she frowned, why was he telling her? "i want to try but dad refused to teach me"
she froze, "you're going to try anyway" she realised. he nodded, now looking up at her.
"i know you think i hate you but i don't" he slowly begun, thinking of the words he was trying to say. "i'm telling you because i think you're the most trustworthy.. and i.." he paused, unsure of how to say what he wanted to. "i think you're the strongest, eight, no matter what our siblings may say"
"five.." she grimaced, "i know we don't talk much but i'll support you if anything happens"
"i do want to talk to you more" he sighed, ashamed for having obeyed his father's stupid rules. "but-"
"no, no. it's not your fault" y/n shook her head. "it's hard to go against him, i understand"
"you're too kind.. you shouldn't forgive people so easily, they'll take advantage of you" five frowned and she laughed. 
"i thought i was the strongest, huh?" she nudged his shoulder with her own, finally getting a small smile.
————————————————–
"let me do that" y/n pulled a chair beside five, gently pulling the needle and thread out of his hand. he frowned but let her anyways. "you're antsy" she pointed out, eyeing his bouncing knee. "going somewhere in a rush?" 
"i need to go back" he stared out the door, ready to rush out. "i need to find whoever this eye belongs to so that i can stop the apocalypse" 
"i know" y/n nodded, eyebrows furrowing in concentration as she finished stitching him up. she gently used a cloth to wipe the blood off his arm before placing a bandaid over it. five stood, pulling his shirt on and buttoning it up.
"can i come?" she watched him stuff dolores into the duffle bag and swing it onto his back. 
"no" he barely spared her a glance as he moved towards the window. he climbed out.
"what? why not? come on, five" she leaned out the window, watching him begin to climb down the fire escape. 
"i need to do this, y/n, it's important" he looked up at her now. "just wait for me here, i'll come back, okay?"
albeit hurt she nodded, she needed to be understanding. she frowned, moving away from the window, hoping to find something else to do. instead as she walked out of the room she noticed luther.
she quickly moved towards her room, hoping he wouldn't see her. she couldn't deal with anymore fighting right now. to her misfortune he did notice her, following her to her room. she swiftly locked the door as she ducked inside.
"hey.. y/n?" luther stood outside her locked door, hand giving a single knock.
"what do you want?" she hissed back, refusing to open it for him. she didn't need anymore of his accusations.
"i'm.. i'm sorry for accusing you" luther sighed. he had to get this over with, she deserved an apology. "it was wrong and i shouldn't have jumped to conclusions like that"
he heard her cautious footsteps as she made her way to the door. there was pause before she slowly peeked out. 
"you mean it..?" she frowned, eyeing his carefully. he nodded.
"i'm sorry. i know you've probably been lonely here, i know what it's like-"
"just shut up" she breathed out a laugh, pulling the door open fully, looking relieved. "no more fighting, please? i just want my family back.." the last part was quiet, vulnerable. luther nodded, smiling back. 
"no more fighting" there was a comfortable silence that fell over the two of them before luther spoke again.
"by the way, do you know where five is?"
"yeah, why?" she tilted her head at him, confused.
"we're having a family meeting.. it's about mom. i'm going to get him"
"okay, but i can't guarantee he'll find this as important as you do"
tag list: @rxses-and-reverie @lostgreekgod @on-yourmark-99 @bicyhot1 @navs-bhat @midnightmystic
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kiyosamu · 3 years
Text
remember.
----♡----
pairing: rintaro suna x female reader.
genre: yandere, dark, light romance. // one shot, 4k words.
synopsis: abusive relationships can seem impossible to leave. when you open up to a classmate, your life takes a dramatic turn in the best and worst ways imaginable.
content warnings: assault, domestic abuse (not from suna), descriptions of violence, yandere themes.
----♡----
“hey, kid.” suna’s voice caught your attention as you passed by him in the university corridor. he was quiet, only speaking loud enough for you to hear right as you were walking by.
“hey, rintaro.” you stopped for a moment, refusing to look up at the tall man towering over you.
“i haven’t seen you in a while. everything okay?” he leaned against the wall and clutched a textbook to his chest. “you haven’t even been to class. kinda been missing my project partner.”
“you got my work though, right?” you asked him, partially covering your face with your hair. “i emailed it to you.”
“i did.”
“okay… good.” you cleared your throat, awkwardly shuffling and offering a suspiciously sudden goodbye.
“hey, wait-" suna grabbed your wrist to keep you from leaving. the small amount of pressure more than enough on your deep bruise to make you wince.
suna noticed your pained expression and immediately let go, stepping back.
“i’m sorry, i didn’t mean to hurt you. i just wanted to ask you if-“
“it’s okay!” you interrupted, knowing you’d already spoken to him for too long. you needed to get out of there before anyone noticed. “you didn’t hurt me. sorry, i have to go. bye!”
your behaviour was erratic. your speech was rushed; forced and strained with every word as you tried your best to appear normal.
unfortunately it was much harder to pretend everything was okay than you’d originally thought it’d be.
you quickly turned and headed down the hallway to drop off the assignments to your other professor. the last one you’d have to see for the day before heading home. you were almost there. so close you might not even run into him.
you’d hoped, anyway.
----♡----
after seeing your professor, you walked out into the fresh evening air. the cold stinging your cheeks and the wind pushing your hair out of your face.
your cheeks burned from the freezing air, but it was your black eye was that hurt the most.
“i’m sorry, i just lost my temper.” his words echoed in your head, “you shouldn’t have pissed me off.”
you nodded, essentially agreeing with him. it’s true, if he didn’t get mad, he wouldn’t have hit you. and why was he mad? because of something you did. so really, it was your own fault.
you were the one apologizing to him that night. doing anything you could to make it up to him. all of this with a deep purple bruise forming on your face.
when he finally left your dorm and went back to his, you were mentally exhausted. you fell asleep and woke up right before your second class of the day.
he had started forcing you to miss classes, to do everything at home and only go in to submit your work. this was for two reasons.
the first, you could spend more time with him due to your schedules. if yours was freed then you’d have more time together.
the second was to stop you from talking to other men. completely.
...and then he found out suna was your lab partner.
“i don’t want you working with him.”
“i have to. the professor is the one who chooses.”
“then work from home and submit the stuff online. that guy is a manipulator. he’s dangerous and will take advantage of you. i just know it.”
you’d never gotten that type of vibe from suna, but you obeyed your boyfriend because you didn’t want to know what would happen if you didn’t.
secretly, though, you missed class. you missed working with him. laughing, getting to know each other. he’d become a good friend over the past year and since you had the same majors, you two shared quite a few classes.
he was calm. funny and quiet, but definitely not timid. his energy made him come off tough, but not scary. if anything, he made you feel… safe.
just for those few hours you had together.
and whenever class would end, you found yourself missing that feeling.
----♡----
“i have to go to class tomorrow.” you said, refusing to make eye contact with your boyfriend who’d invited himself over to your dorm.
just like he does every. single. night.
“why? you gonna go talk to that suna guy?” he approached you, giving you a terrifying smile that you know wasn’t coming from a place of happiness.
“yuji… please.” your words were barely a whisper when you felt his fingers wrap around your throat. “my professor told me i need to start going. my grades are falling behind.”
his fingers tapped rhythmically against your skin. dancing skillfully as he toyed with the idea of choking you. you held your breath, expecting the worst.
“you should try harder.” he growled, digging his fingertips into your neck and you clenched your eyes closed. “get your grades back up so you don’t have to spend any more time with that guy.”
“okay, okay!” you grabbed onto his wrist and his eyes widened. “i will! i’ll get my grades up so i don’t need to see him anymore.”
“good girl.” he smiled, the evil expression he’d previously worn had melted away into a false image of a kind man. “always listening so well for me.”
yuji leaned in and kissed you. you kissed back, barely, but just enough for him to be satisfied and leave you alone.
“time for me to go.” he sighed as he heard the dorm advisor do a final walk through to knock on the doors and let the students know it was time for guests to leave.
“see you tomorrow?” he asked, tilting your chin up to look at him.
“sure…” you whispered. you trembled under his touch and wanted nothing more than for him to leave your sight.
“good. it’s a date.” he said happily and gave you another kiss, practically skipping down the hallway back to his own room.
you shut and locked your door, desperately wishing that was the last time you’d ever have to see him.
----♡----
“well, well, well.” suna cooed as you took your seat next to him. “as i live and breathe, i never thought i’d see the day. you finally made it to class.”
you nodded and pulled out your books.
“had to. my grades are slipping.” you sighed, looking around at the science classroom. “what are we doing today?”
“lab day.” suna said as he nudged an instruction sheet towards you. “should we put on our coats and get to it?”
“okay...”
you started to have an internal panic attack. your wrists were as bruised as the black eye you were hiding behind your hair.
suna stepped away to get your lab coats.
this would all be visible, and you didn’t want suna (or anyone) to see any of it.
you nervously approached your professor and she looked up at you with a disinterested stare.
“ma’am, i need to be excused from class today.”
“absolutely not.” she scoffed, “unless you want to fail my class, which i know you can’t afford to do, you’ll stay and do your lab.”
you opened your mouth to reply but she kept speaking.
“go put up your hair, roll up your sleeves and get your lab coat on. you should be thankful you have such a competent partner.” she crossed her arms, leaning back in her chair, “actually, i think the two of you should spend some time together. he’s my top student and you definitely need some tutoring.”
“i don’t think that’s necessary-“
“mr. suna, come up here please.”
suna walked up with a confused look, unsure as to why he was being brought in to the conversation.
“something i can help with?” he asked.
“yes,” the professor smiled, “i’d like the two of you to do tutoring sessions a minimum of twice a week, an hour each time. could you do that?”
“oh, sure. i don’t mind.” he smiled, “was that all? we should get to our assignment.”
you felt backed in to a wall. of course you were okay with this, you enjoyed spending time with suna.
unfortunately, you were terrified of the repercussions.
even worse, there was nothing you could do about it.
when you got back to your table, you put your hair up and silently thought of a plan. keep your head down, don’t make eye contact. maybe he wouldn’t notice.
you rolled up your sleeves and put on your white coat. it was barely long enough to hit your wrists, but did a decent job of hiding the bruises.
the first half of the lab went well. suna explained things in a way that made it easy to comprehend and you were genuinely enjoying yourself.
until you completely forgot.
you began to pour the green liquid into the tube. suna was writing his lab report when he looked up and noticed your mistake.
“oh, hey,” he stood up, putting his hand over yours to tilt the container back up. “you need to pour it slower, like this.”
when it started to pour just as he’d wanted, he let go and you found yourself missing the brief comfort of his touch.
“good job! you did it.” suna smiled and you looked up at him with an excited expression. finally. finally you were getting something right.
when the two of you made eye contact, his smile immediately dropped into a look of concern.
“what happened to your eye?”
“oh,” you stepped back, covering it with your hand. “i fell.”
suna carefully held onto your wrist and you winced in pain. his intentions were to move your hand away from your eye, but he took immediate notice of your reaction and pushed your sleeve down.
the bruises in the shape of fingerprints stained your skin a deep purple.
“what about here?” he stepped closer. you tried to read his expression but he looked completely emotionless.
“from the same fall, i’m just clumsy.”
“and your neck?”
suna pushed back your lab coat to see the same fingerprint bruises scattered around your neck.
you were suddenly thankful you’d chosen the table in the far back end of the classroom. nobody was ever watching.
“yeah.” you said, practically a whisper. “i’m just really clumsy.”
suna leaned down and looked into your eyes.
“why don’t i believe you?”
“five more minutes!” the professor called, interrupting your intense conversation and the two of you snapped back into action.
you finished your lab report and quickly packed up your stuff before rushing out the classroom door.
suna followed closely behind.
“it’s your boyfriend, isn’t it?”
you stopped dead in your tracks and turned around to look at him. suna’s expression was no longer emotionless. he was angry.
“okay,” you sighed, grabbing his wrist to pull him to a secluded space outside. the two of you sat down under a large tree, away from everyone else.
“yuji gets upset with me and… hurts me… sometimes.” you choked out. “i haven’t told anyone because i’m scared of what he’ll do to me. i haven’t left him because i’m scared of him. i’m stuck.”
you hadn’t said these words out loud to anyone, ever, and the way they were flowing so freely had you crying before you were even aware of it.
“please don’t tell anyo-“
“i’ll take care of it.”
you looked up at him. suna looked completely calm, his voice smooth and gaze held on you.
“what do you mean?”
suna stood up and ran his hands through his hair.
“i mean i’ll take care of it.” he smiled, “see you tomorrow afternoon for tutoring?”
“wait, suna-“
“later!” he gave you a passive wave before walking back towards the university building.
----♡----
that evening you waited for yuji to come by your dorm, but he never did.
you waited for him to call you, but he didn’t.
you worried about what suna had meant. maybe he was going to talk to him, maybe even threaten him. you’d hoped he wouldn’t do that, but you really didn’t know what he was capable of.
surely the rumours about him couldn’t be true. an honour's chemistry major being involved in a more sinister, underground group that nobody even knew if it was real or made up?
he was too nice. there was no way.
----♡----
after class you headed back to your dorm to get ready for your evening. suna had asked you to meet him under the same tree from the day before. around 7pm.
you debated on calling yuji, but ultimately decided against it. maybe he’d come to his senses. maybe he was remorseful, and just wanted to move on. to leave you alone and pretend your relationship never happened.
that was what you wished for the most.
----♡----
you stepped out into the cold evening air. the wind blowing softly and brushing the hair out of your face.
you clutched your books to your chest and took a short cut through the back fields separating the dorms from the main university campus.
you checked your phone, you were early. suna would be there in about 15 minutes.
you reached down to grab your phone when it was immediately snatched from your hands.
“you did this, didn’t you?” a familiar voice snapped at you. you glanced up to see yuji, sporting a similar black eye and a bandaged cut on his cheek.
“i- no, of course not!”
he rolled his eyes at your reply, clearly not willing to listen to a word you were saying. yuji grabbed your wrists, forcing you to drop your books and pushed you against the back wall of the university.
“you did. tell me right now. everything you said. who you said it to. and why.” the look in his eyes was horrifying. scarier than any other look he’s given you before.
this made it seem like his previous bouts of anger were nothing but minor inconveniences.
“i didn’t-“
yuji pulled back, immediately hitting your chin with a hard punch that knocked your head back into the concrete wall.
“try again.”
your vision was hazy. mind blurring memories together and you couldn’t even form a proper sentence.
you felt a warm, wet sensation cascading down the back of your neck and were immediately soothed by the feeling. the warmth was comfortable, even though you didn’t know what it was from.
yuji’s hand wrapped around your throat and he pressed his forehead to yours. his fingers dug roughly into your windpipe, causing you to choke out the remaining air in your lungs. you felt yourself get sleepy, closing your eyes and letting darkness overtake you as your body went limp.
----♡----
“hey, wake up.”
snapping fingers in your face had you looking around curiously. you couldn’t focus on your surroundings. it was unclear who was with you, unclear what was happening around you, and unclear why you were there.
the sounds of multiple men. grunting, panting. speaking quietly between deep breaths and harsh exertion.
what were they doing?
“hey.” the fingers snapped in front of your face again.
“what…” was all you could manage to say. your body felt heavy. weak. you were just so tired. all you wanted to do was fall asleep. you submitted to the exhaustion, closing your eyes again.
“don’t go to sleep.” a soothing voice lifted the back of your neck, pressing something soft against your head. “stay awake and listen to me.”
“ya like beatin’ up girls, huh?”
whack
“wanna put a girl half your size in the hospital, for what? to feel like more of a man?”
whack
“a real man would never hit a woman.”
whack
“a real man would beat the shit out of losers who do hit women, right ‘tsum?”
“right. maybe we’ll even put him in the hospital.”
whack
whack
“oh, he’s gonna be there once we’re done.”
you finally recognized the last voice. it was suna.
he spoke again, his voice raspy and dark but still audible from where you were.
“i hope to fucking god you didn’t hurt her so badly that she’s knocked out…” suna trailed off and let out a small chuckle. “because there’s nothing i want more than for her to hear you cry like a little bitch when this blade goes right…”
the sound of yuji’s sudden scream was immediately muffled by what you were sure was the hand of the other man.
“…through you.”
your eyes widened and you were starting to understand what was happening.
all you could feel around you was danger.
you started to hyperventilate. panic was taking over.
“focus on me. come on, we need to get out of here.”
“who…” your head started to hurt now. badly.
“my name is osamu.” he bent down and cradled you in his arms, bringing you close to his chest and picking you up bridal style. “hold on to me if you can.”
“i’m scared…” you whispered.
“i know.” he murmured, carrying you away from the scene and back through the field. “i’ll keep you safe. we need to go to the hospital.”
“what about…”
“the only thing you need to worry about is stayin’ awake right now, okay? it’ll all be okay.” osamu’s voice was soothing. his body was warm and his strong arms supported your body in a way that made you never want to leave his hold.
you gave him a weak nod. even if you wanted to get away, you couldn’t. so you decided to trust in this man and hope for the best.
----♡----
“hey, sweetheart.” the calm voice of a nurse slowly woke you up. “you’re finally awake.”
“where…” you choked out, your throat was dry and you could barely make out where you were. it was all so… confusing.
“you’re in the hospital.” she said as she stood on her tiptoes to change the fluids on your iv pole. “you were assaulted. your injuries aren’t good but you’ll make a full recovery.”
the nurse leaned back down and held onto your hand. “you have a real knight in shining armour, you know. your boyfriend hasn’t left your side since you were admitted. he’s going to be so happy when he finds out you woke up.”
boyfriend?
your heart started to race at the thought of yuji coming in. you looked around, preparing for the worst when you heard footsteps enter the room.
“hey, sleepyhead.”
“speak of the devil.” the nurse smiled, giving your hand a squeeze. “i’ll let you two have some privacy. please press the call button if you need anything, i’ll come back and check on you soon.”
the footsteps grew closer and you heard the squeak of a chair being pulled up next to your bed. you opened your eyes to see suna giving you a compassionate smile.
“rintaro?” you whispered, “what are you doing here?”
“making sure you’re okay.” he crossed his arms, “been here since you were admitted.”
you tried your hardest to remember even coming to the hospital, but you just couldn’t. everything was gone after your head hit that wall.
“what… happened?” you asked, your eyes pleading for him to be honest.
“someone attacked you and your boyfriend.” suna leaned in, “do you not remember anything?”
“i remember yuji being upset with me…” you blinked, your mind working as hard as it could to remember something of importance. “my head hit the wall and it’s kind of fuzzy after that.”
“i see.” suna nodded.
“wait, how did you know i was in here?”
“some people mentioned an attack on campus. i got worried when you were late for our study session, and when your phone rang and you didn’t answer i felt like something was up.” he shrugged, taking a moment to think of his next words. “i called the hospital and asked if you were here, and then came right over when they confirmed it.”
“oh. okay…” you went to scratch an itch on your scalp and were met with searing pain at the slightest bit of pressure. “ow!”
“careful.” he smiled, taking your hand away from your head. “it’s gonna be sore for a while.”
“yeah…” you trailed off, trying to make sense of the situation. “what happened to yuji?”
“why do you care?”
“huh?” you glanced at suna who’s expression had turned sour.
“why do you care about what happened to him? he could've killed you.”
“i just wanted to know if he…” your voice was shaky and you tried to compose yourself. “if there was a possibility of him coming after me again.”
“not a single chance.” suna leaned over the railing of the hospital bed and took your hand. “besides, even if there was, i won’t let anything happen to you.”
----♡----
you’d found out yuji had suffered from severe injuries almost taking his life. he was beaten, stabbed, and his spinal cord suffered so much damage he was permanently paralyzed from the waist down.
while you were relieved the abuse would be over, you constantly wondered who had assaulted him.
you remembered telling suna and him saying he’d take care of it, surely that wasn’t him, right? there was no way suna could do something like that.
----♡----
months went by while you recovered from your injuries. you’d been discharged from the hospital after 3 weeks, and suna had stuck by your side every day.
“i’m happy to say you’ve essentially made a full recovery.” the doctor smiled, shaking your hand. “i’m so proud of your progress. you’re truly a walking miracle.”
“what about my memory?” you asked, “when will i remember what happened?”
“oh, you might not ever remember. you hit your head hard and from what we gather, you were unconscious.” the doctor stood up, clutching his clip board before walking out. “it’s probably for the best that you don’t remember what happened. you should focus on moving on, now. take care.”
----♡----
“well, should we celebrate?” suna asked as you walked out of the hospital together. you stopped, causing him to turn and look down at you. “what’s up?”
“i just wanted to say thank you…” you said, feeling your face getting hot. “i don’t think i could’ve done this without you.”
“you could’ve. you’re the strongest person i’ve ever met.” he leaned down, brushing the hair out of your face. the same hair that used to cover the deep bruises, now showing your true complexion. “and the most beautiful.”
you felt your heart flutter at his sudden compliment. suna’s hands found your waist and you instinctively draped your arms over his shoulders.
“you really mean that?” you asked, looking into his eyes.
“of course i do.” he smiled, leaning in to give you the long awaited kiss the two of you had been dying for. his lips were soft and you melted into his arms. he pulled away, resting his forehead on yours. “beautiful in every possible way.”
you felt tears well up as you were being complimented. the sweetest, kindest, most handsome man touching you so delicately and speaking to you with nothing but respect.
you'd completely fallen in love with him, and it was everything you ever could’ve asked for.
----♡----
a few weeks after the two of you made it official, your honeymoon phase was in full force. you couldn’t keep your hands off of each other. you were experiencing your first true relationship that made you feel loved and you cherished at every moment.
one evening, you decided to go to suna’s dorm to surprise him.
knock knock
“rintaro?” you called out, opening the door to let yourself in. “are you home?”
“in here, baby.” he replied from the kitchen. he was sharing an apartment style dorm with two other men, but you hadn’t met them yet. they weren’t ever there when you were.
“we finally get to meet your girl, huh?” one of them cooed as you walked in. he had dyed blonde hair and smirked at you as you walked by. “damn, she’s a looker, huh ‘samu?”
samu… why did that sound familiar?
“don’t be such a pig.” the other boy replied. you realized they were twins when he stood up and walked over to you. he smiled, holding out his hand. “nice to meet ya, i’m osamu.”
osamu.
no.
“my name is osamu…”
it couldn’t be.
“…hold on to me if you can.”
no, no, no.
the memories of the night of the assault came flooding back to you.
it only took a moment to realize...
...it wasn’t a random assault at all.
618 notes · View notes
subwaysurf45 · 3 years
Text
Love You to the Moon and Back
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summary: Bucky notices you’re feeling down after a bad injury, he does his best to help.
words:  3817
warning: depressive episode, doctors, mainly fluff!
pairing: Bucky x Reader 
Masterlist!
Bucky could tell you were getting bad again. 
And it hurt him to see you like this but it always happened after a big mission, your job was traumatizing and it took a toll on all of you. Bucky knew he had his days but he also knew when you finally let yourself slip it was really bad. 
You were a very headstrong person, you didn’t like letting people see your weaknesses or just you being hurt in general. So it sucked when you had broken your shin and witnessed a school of kids get blown up by a bomb, maybe sucked is an understatement but it was what you always said. 
You had pretended to be a teacher because there was supposed to be a hit on most teachers at a private school, so when the school blew up before everyone was out of the building- including you -it left the memories very crystal clear. There was no way of saving everyone so you saved yourself, and the feeling of selfishness had never been more apparent than right now. You were lying in bed with a cast on your left leg, your left leg was on top of the duvet while the other leg was under. 
A tank top and shorts was all you wore even though you were cold. A pillow was placed between your legs down by your shins to keep the injured one elevated, Bucky had stuck it there the last time he came in to check on you. 
Speaking of Bucky, he walked into your shared room in the compound. 
“Hey, sweetheart,” Bucky cooed as he gently opened and closed the door without making any sound, you had become hyper-aware to sound and light so a loud noise or a flash of a camera could send you into a state of hysterics. Bucky sat himself at the edge of the bed at around your midsection, you were lying in the middle and facing him. You barely said hello, all you could muster was a groan that had the same rhythm as the word hello. “How’s my girl doing?” Bucky rubbed your thigh very carefully. 
It was so obviously a rhetorical question, you were absolutely shit and he knew it. You both just stared at each other and Bucky seemed to get the message, he nodded and looked down. The room was so dark from the lights being off and the curtains being pulled you barely registered that Bucky had a plate of cheese, apple slices, and crackers. Bucky saw you turn your nose up and he knew you would, you had been like this for what felt like weeks. 
“You have your two appointments today, you wanna use the crutches or the wheelchair?” Bucky asked as he gently caressed your thigh, a little hum came after a few sections to clarify this wasn’t rhetorical. 
“I don’t know,” you mumbled into your pillow. 
“Okay…” Bucky held onto the last syllable, he glanced over to the wheelchair and crutches. “How about you have a little snack and then when you got food- and I’ll get water -you can make your choice. You also know you can switch and I’ll be glad to grab it for you, alright?” he did a few quick pats on your thigh before setting the plate down on the bedside table, he grunted as he stood up and stuck his arms slowly beneath you. All Bucky did was sit you upright to eat, you had gotten better at eating and now didn’t need motivation to eat but just a little push at the beginning to keep going after the first bite. Bucky also found if he ate a few pieces from the plate you’d be more inclined to eat the rest. 
“Thanks,” your voice was low and barely audible. 
“No need, pretty lady,” Bucky got right beside you and grabbed the plate, he placed it between you and let you choose the first piece. “So, you’re at the doctor at two and then Doc at three-ten, do you wanna nap between for a little or for a while after?” he just took a cracker and plopped it into his mouth. 
“No, no nap between, I wanna sit outside Doc’s office like before to make sure I’m not late.” You mumbled and stacked a piece of cheese on an apple slice. Doc was your therapist that was assigned to you a little while before your injury, Bucky wasn’t the only one who got nightmares and manic episodes; you probably got them more. Bucky knew he couldn’t go into your therapy meeting, he could physically go in but it went against his morals, this was your time to be alone and completely vulnerable to a human that you only see one or twice a week, he didn’t want you to sugar coat anything just because he wa sitting there. 
Bucky nodded and hummed before pulling the notebook out of the bedside table’s drawer, your combat backpack which you used for everything between missions and a picnic in the park was curled over itself in the corner of your room. Bucky picked it up and headed back to bed to let it rest there as he packed. He did this when you weren’t injured, Bucky had sadly realized your memory was a little shot from the amount of bootleg brainwashing and head injuries. You’d constantly forget about appointments or missions, or even the date. 
“Baby, I told you, your birthday is today, that’s why I got flowers.” Bucky said and pointed to the counter with the bright flowers on it. 
“No…” you rubbed the front of your head. “My birthday isn’t today, I forget the day- but it’s not today, I swear.” 
He slid in your journal that you used to write down lists and memories, you had used a guitar pick as your bookmark even though you can’t play anymore. Sometimes when you’d show up to a therapy session you’d forget what you wanted to say, it hurt him when he’d walk you there and you’d be saying the list of things under your breath with your eyes closed. Nightmare, mom, picking my nails, ankle, nightmare, sand, flowers. 
“We gotta go soon, anyways, wanna get ready for the day?” Bucky softly asked, there was no nice way of telling your loved one they needed to shower. 
“Sure,” you looked down at the plate and grabbed the last of it before getting up, the apple and cheese was just curled in the palm of your hand, as you walked over you shoved it all into your mouth because you knew you had to shower and you didn’t like soggy cheese. 
“I’ll keep packing your bag, and I’ll fill a water bottle for you.” Bucky had been your human crutch as you walked to the bathroom, you had an itch down in your cast that was bugging you. 
Tony had wanted to add tech to the shower to help you stand because putting pressure on your left leg hurt after three minutes and seven seconds- not that you were timing to see how long you could go without collapsing. You had said no to tech and just asked for a bar, Bucky even thought it would be cool but it was all up to you. 
Bucky helped you slip out of your clothes before leaving you be, he knew he would have to check on you periodically because you were too stubborn to ask for help if you had fallen or couldn’t get in the shower. You gripped onto the metal bar and helped yourself slip in, you turned the water on right away. 
You liked warm, long showers. You just let the water hit your skin as you stood in front of the shower head, the water pressure was high so you let the bullets hit your face when your eyes were closed. Your hair got wet as you stood there, you reached for the bottle of shampoo and expected it to be where it always was. The was getting into your eyes and when you squinted to see where the bottle was everything was double, as you reached for the bottle you had actually reached for the fake double and knocked the bottle off the ledge. A loud thump rang through the bathroom and it sounded like a bomb. 
There was one second of silence before you heard scrambling from outside the bathroom door, all at once you could see the door swing open by its shadow through the curtain. The curtain was pulled back so hard a couple of ringlets holding it up were ripped off. 
“Baby?” Bucky yelled before he registered you were standing upright. “What?” he breathed heavily, he was completely expecting you to be passed out on the floor with a cracked skull. 
“Shampoo bottle,” you said meekly. 
“Oh, thank god…” Bucky sighed to himself as he reached down to pick it up. “Are you hurt at all, did you fall?” He placed the bottle back on the ledge which made him reach across your naked body, on his way back his hand touched your shoulder then went to cup your cheek and move your head to look at him. 
“I’m all good, babe.” You smiled, an exhausting smile. 
“Alright, back-is-packed, finish up and I'll help you over to physio, alright?” Bucky closed the curtain to give privacy but waited for a verbal answer. 
“Perfect, thank you.” You grabbed the bottle again, your heart ached for him to be in the shower with you, it was something you did all the time before you were injured. 
“Don’t thank me, pretty lady.” Bucky reached for the door and opened it, before he could walk out, your voice quietly called his name, he could barely hear it over the water in the shower. “Yes?” he replied with the same softness. 
“Stay here with me, please.” the ‘please’ came after a beat, and extra plea. 
“Always,” Bucky sat on the toilet seat and gave the company you needed as you tried to stick your finger down your cast to itch that one spot on your leg. 
*****
Soon enough you were sat in the physio room, Bucky was off to the side with paper work in his lap and a binder in your backpack he packed for you. You liked the moral support when you were here because you never really had the best experience with doctors, Bucky would act like he wasn’t even there. That was a good thing, he did need to be the hovering boyfriend all the time because that can get tiring for both parties. He’d look up and listen to the doctor near the end, Bucky would write down the exercises and when to do them so he could gently remind you later. 
“Alright, you’re gonna get a new cast next week,” the doctor smiled at you, when you didn’t pick up on the excitement the doctor’s smile faded. “That means three quarters done!” Bucky had looked up and smiled, even clapped a couple times. 
“Then I have to learn how to walk again,” that was an exaggeration but it didn’t feel like one. 
The doctor gave a knowing look, “why do I feel like you’re already walking without the crutches?” You didn’t say anything because it was true. 
Your leg was examined and x-rayed, Bucky held onto your necklace as you went in. Your mind faded in and out as the doctor spewed ‘doctor stuff’ at you, you just didn’t have the care to listen; but Bucky did. He’s the type of guy to take notes and research later. 
Bucky would look over and see you looking at the floor, not even paying attention. He knew he couldn't get mad at you, you both dealt with injury very similarly. But something about seeing you shut down entirely made his heart ache, he wanted to reach out and lift the corners of your lips up into a smile because they seemed like they were being weighed down, he couldn’t remember the last time you smiled and real smile. He hadn’t been going on mission to keep you company, but now he knew his most important mission.
He walked you over to your therapy session that was still in the building, your Doc would come to the Avenger tower. He’d walk you right to the door of some random debrief room and kiss you goodbye. Bucky would hold your shoulders and gently rub your arms to hype you up before going in, he gave his little speech and said the same thing after. 
“You know I love you, and I know it’s hard.” he’d then kiss your cheeks and forehead. “I’ll be right here when you’re done, don’t even sweat it, pretty lady.” He then wouldn’t leave until the door closed and he heard muffled voices. 
The tower was right in the heart of the city, everything he needed was right there and a walking distance away. He slipped on a long sleeve and his gloves, he knew you took the backpack but you also had reusable bags, he took a few and headed out into the summer heat, it wasn’t humid today which was great but it wasn’t cold either. The tote bag was slung over his shoulder, all that was in it right now as a list. 
flowers 
chocolate
card
stuffed animal 
To call Bucky a romantic would seem weird to someone who only knew of him from the news or a museum, you knew him as a total hopeless romantic. Even in the 40’s, Bucky was the type of person to keep their walls up until he really got to know and trust you. It would normally be one little thing that would allow him to truly be himself around someone, he let his guard down that day you were walking to the restaurant he made a reservation at, Bucky placed himself so that arm or hand you’d hold would be his right but when you caught on you walk around him and looped both arms around his left, metal arm. After that, he was goner. 
He’d leave little sticky notes everywhere, a blue square paper in the coffee mug that read: ‘make sure you only drink one cup!’ or another on your shampoo bottle: ‘you look great naked ;)’. Bucky knew the little things mattered to you and vice versa, he knew that grand gestures didn’t mean anything without a little kiss that came before. 
The flower shop smelt great, Bucky didn’t know much about plants but he knew which ones you’d like. He was thinking of putting one on each bedside so whenever you’re lying in bed- which was a lot -you could look at some pretty flowers. They were a nice shade of purple and the stems were not too long, Bucky bought them and put them gently in his tote bag before heading over two stores to the grocery store you always shop at.
He was envyus of your clean eating, you’d eat what you want but you’d shop at fermer’s markets and organic stores. Bucky didn’t know it made a difference. He went to the frozen section and found chocolate covered strawberries. Bucky picked up a little pack of eight and headed to the front. There were also flowers there but they didn’t look nearly as nice. All he wanted was a very simple cute card with a blank inside, they were easy to find. It was cream coloured with a little sketch of a fuzzy, brown teddy bear holding a yellow balloon. All it said in dainty cursive at the top was: “look at you go!” Bucky knew this was perfect. Near the cards were little toys and stuffed animals. He found a bear that looked eerily similar to the one on the card but without the balloon. 
As he walked into the Avenger’s tower the bag was full and he had enough time to spare to set things up. Bucky headed to the rooms and made the bed, he changed the sheets as well because he knew you liked them when they were crisp. The teddy sat right in the middle with the card next to it. Bucky had written a little note that covered the entire right side of the card. He got a bowl from the kitchen and filled it with ice, he also found that white wine you liked and stuck it on there with the strawberries just to keep them cool but not melted. 
Bucky glanced at his watch and felt almost giddy as he realized it was time to head over to the conference room, he had to work on not giving it away when he’d first see you with his wide smile. The walk to the room was quick because of how fast Bucky was walking, he turned the corners sharp and almost jogged down the hall down the meeting rooms. He only stood there for about three seconds before the door slowly opened, Doc had opened the door and helped you out. Bucky’s smile turned into complete worry when you walked out holding a tissue to your nose, your eyes were red and puffy. Bucky also noticed that your fingernails were red and bleeding, that was one habit you were currently trying to break. 
“What’s going on?” Bucky asked in quiet disbelief, his eyebrows almost touching. 
Doc gave a curt nod, “we talked about a lot of things,” her answers were always so vague. 
You sniffled and waited for Doc to leave down the hall, Bucky was still looking at you. His hands held your shoulders and gently massaged the answer out of you. 
“It was a good cry, I needed that.” you sighed from exhaustion. 
A little piece of Bucky’s heart broke, if you needed to have a good cry then you could have told him, he would’ve listened. Bucky started to go back and see where it went wrong, if he was too overbearing and if this whole afternoon he had planned was created at a very wrong time. He wanted to ask what he did wrong but what came out was different. “Well that’s good to hear, I know Doc is good at that- helping you out.” His words were true but something about the delivery made it seem uneasy. 
“I just-” you looked to the ceiling and hoped to find the words you needed written there. “I like flushing it all out to her because I won’t see her for a week and I don’t need to keep up with what I’m feeling. I always cry to you but Doc is just really good at explaining how I feel, you’re there to validate it and make me feel soothed.” You held his left hand as you both walked down the hallway. “I feel lighter, like, I feel better.”
“That’s always good, sweetheart,” Bucky made sure you were putting weight on him because you didn’t bring your crutches but you really should have. “I have a little treat for you,” He turned to face you when you both stood at his door, Bucky kept his hand on the door handle. “I know it’s been a rough few weeks but I hope you know I love you all the same, and all I see is my strong, beautiful girlfriend.” Bucky saw your confused face, as he opened the door to reveal a dim lit room with flowers, wine and a teddy your eye welled up with tears again. 
You gasped and put your hands on your chest, “for me?” your voice shook as you walked in, you peered into the ice bucket to see your favourite wine and some food as well as a card beside the ice bucket, under the teddy. Tears flowed down your face as the feeling of being overwhelmed washed over you, you could barely string a sentence together. A hand waved the gifts all away, “too much,” was all you could muster. 
“No, baby,” Bucky smiled, he walked over and pulled you into a hug. “Nothing will ever be too much for you.”
He let you cry in his chest for a very long time, you both ended up sitting on the edge of the bed as he stroked all the way up your back. His hand would bunch up your hair as he went up to your neck. His lips were right at your ear, all he whispered were sweet nothings and a calming ‘shh’ once and a while. When you had a little composure Bucky reached for the card, as you read it your lips trembled even more. A hand stayed glued to your heart as your body warmed at loving words, you could barely read it with blurry vision from the tears but it still seemed crystal clear. Your finger traced over the signature: ‘love you to the moon and back, Bucky’. And you crumbled again, your forehead hit his chest as you cried away all the pent up emotion you thought you flushed out at your therapy session. 
With all the crying you were so tired, Bucky had thrown on a movie you two could watch while enjoying your strawberries and wine. You only had two and half a cup before you were snoring on Bucky’s shoulder, he tried to nudge you a couple times but nothing worked at all. He watched the movie on his own and saved the last two strawberries for you in the morning. You didn’t even wake up at him getting up and leaving the room. When he came back he got you out of your day clothes and into something comfy. 
*****
You woke up to the sun hitting your back, when your eyes opened they focused on the flowers and a smile graced your face. It was the first time in a long time since you smiled with your eyes, a little giggle even slipped out. 
At that sound Bucky walked out of the bathroom, “well there she is,” he smiled wide. 
“What does that mean?” you wiped the drool from the side of your mouth, “I had a nap, a really good one, too.” You seemed to be bragging. 
“A nap? Baby, it’s eight.” Bucky raised his eyebrows. 
“Ya, I fell asleep at about five so I had a three hour nap, no biggie.” You rolled on your back and stretched out, your gaze moved back to Bucky when you heard a giggle, “what?” you laughed back. 
“Eight in the morning, the next day. Your three hour nap was actually a well deserved fifteen hour hibernation.” Bucky joined you on the bed. 
“That’s why I feel so good,” you sighed, you looked over to Bucky and swatted his chest at his little smirk. “Don’t think like that.” 
“I bet I can make you feel just as good-”
You cut him off with a kiss.
415 notes · View notes
miyuwuki · 3 years
Note
Hello, hope you're having a nice day🌻, I saw you take nsfw requests, so can I have midorima from knb drabble (or hc if you are more comfortable with it), maybe some jealous or possessive sex, midorima being really hot baby or something like that ahaha
If you're not ok with this just ignore)
Thanks❤
why hello beautiful! i will most definitely write this hehe i hope you enjoy :)
warnings: nsfw, foreplay, jealous sex. minors dni (18+)
midorima shintaro x reader
i don’t like to share
midorima wasn’t having it.
not only was it one of the hottest summers in tokyo, but you were hanging out with takao way too much for his liking. he found you hanging out with him after school, during basketball practice, and even going out to the streets of tokyo and coming back with something every single time. you wouldn’t even show him what you bought, and on top of that, oha asa didn’t send a very assuring message for the cancers.
too bad! if you are a cancer, be careful and watch over the things you love today, or else they’ll be taken away in a blink of an eye! your lucky item for today is a stuffed animal!
midorima’s eye twitched at the reminder of the horoscope, gripping on the stuffed elephant he brought with him today. he wanted to give you a piece of his mind, but his pride was so huge he tried to push down his feelings. at least, until he heard your laugh in the halls.
his head turned to your voice and stole a glance of you walking with takao, holding a notepad in your hand and laughing as if takao just told the funniest joke in the world. “tch.” midorima scoffed, clenching on the elephant once more. and it didn’t stop there; during lunch you were whispering things with takao, during class you were writing things down in that same notepad with takao, and soon enough the dismissal bell had rung.
as the students of shutoku began to leave, you bid takao goodbye and wrote “water bottle” on the list in your notepad. you sighed in content and looked for your boyfriend among the crowd— though he wasn’t hard to spot. with bright green hair like that, you could spot him from miles away.
“shintaro!” you waved, signalling your boyfriend to go to where you were. you put the notepad in your bag and walked towards your boyfriend, who didn’t seem very happy to see you. 
“what’s wrong, shintaro?” you asked, cocking your head to the side. instead of saying anything to you, he grabbed your arm and stomped away at a fast pace.
“shintaro! what’s up with you today?” you grunted, struggling to keep up with his fast movements. “shintaro!”
“we’re going to my place, y/n.” he said, still dragging you along with him. his mind was foggy and in the air, the only thought being clear was the fact he doesn’t like sharing. especially when it came to you. shortly after, you guys had arrived at his empty place and when he shut the door, he kissed you roughly, not giving you a chance to speak. you stopped kissing him and pushed him away, gasping for air, “shintaro, what’s wrong?”
once again, midorima didn’t answer and refused to meet your eye. he was still and in a deep voice, he replied quietly, “i don’t like sharing, y/n.”
“huh?” you said, his words leaving you confused. you didn’t know what he meant by sharing, and you tried to pinpoint whether or not you’ve borrowed something or accidentally took one of his sweaters again. you were going to ask, however your words were caught with his lips crashing into yours once more. in lieu of pushing away, you kissed back, feeling like he needed this. he never initiates this kind of affection, so who were you to interrupt? i’ll get to him after, you thought.
one of his hands grasped the back of your neck, kissing you deeper while the other snaked around your waist. without taking a breath, he slowly pushed you down on the couch and positioned himself on top of you. he pulled away and looked into your eyes, showing hunger and lust for you, as if he was a whole different person. you shivered at the sight of this, not knowing if it was excitement from the sudden affection or worry from knowing that something was wrong. 
before you could speak again to ask if something happened to him, he dipped down into your neck, leaving sloppy kisses along your jaw. he left a few marks on your collarbone and behind your ear while your breathing started to become unsteady. his hands found his way under your school shirt and roughly gripped at your breast, his lips not leaving your neck. you yelped at the sudden pressure and moaned softly as he kneaded it in his hand and abused your bud until they were perky and sticking out. you could feel yourself slowly getting damp down there, squeezing your thighs together to relieve the feeling. midorima noticed and used his other hand to tease your hood, rubbing it from his fingertips.
“shintaro,” you huffed. “don’t tease me.” but you forgot those words immediately as your head grew hazy and clouded, and next thing you know, midorima’s cock was rubbing at your entrance. without any warning, he moved forward, not giving you time to adjust. a long groan escaped your throat, feeling the burn of your insides as he kept going. 
“slow down, shintaro!” you cried, tears forming in the ducts of your eyes. you gripped his arms and threw your head back. a dark shadow grew over midorima, and continued to push into you, not listening to the words you’ve just said.
“you did this to yourself, y/n.”
and with that, he began to thrust at a vigorous pace without any sign of slowing down. he rutted into you desperately, his tip just barely hitting your cervix. soon that pain turned into pleasure; you took in the violent pace, forming scratches at his back and moaning sinfully in the living room of his home. he plowed into your hips over and over again, continuously hitting that spot where you needed him the most.
“shintaro,” you moaned, bringing your legs up along his sides to allow him to go deeper. drool was dripping from your lips and your hair stained from the tears and spit. and then, you felt that familiar build up in your stomach, a sign of you reaching your climax. “shintaro, fuck, i’m gonna come.” you puffed, focusing on the sounds his cock was making. midorima dipped down, pressing his mouth to your ear, “you’re mine, y/n. don’t fucking forget it.”
and that’s when it hit you. the reason why he was acting like this was so so simple.
you chuckled in your head, finding amusement in his actions. he’s jealous! you thought, forming a sly grin on your face. “i’m all yours, love.” you were so going to tease him afterwards. but for now, you needed to reach your climax.
and with the final thrusts, you both came, moaning each other’s names into the void of the house. you both took the time to catch your breath, and when you did, midorima plopped on top of you in exhaustion.
“so you were jealous of takao and i, huh?” you teased, running your fingers through his hair. he coughed in embarrassment, digging his face into the cushion below you.
“no i wasn’t. you were just hanging out a lot around him and i got mad.”
“so jealousy.”
“no.”
“maybe i should make you jealous often so i can get railed like this. didn’t know you had it in you.”
“y/n.”
you heard a soft grunt of annoyance and laughed, hugging his head and placing a soft kiss on the side. “don’t worry, shintaro. i’m all yours.” you tightened your grip, inhaling the masculine scent of his hair.
“then what do you keep writing in that notepad of yours?”
“nothing, i promise you it’s nothing to worry about.”
well, you weren’t going to ruin his surprise birthday plans you were organizing with takao just because he was jealous, right?
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AAAA I HOPE YOU LIKED THIS DRABBLE. THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING IT MY DEAR <3
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artzee-bee · 3 years
Text
End of all things [1] | Chat Noir x witch!reader
Fandom: Miraculous Ladybug (Adrien Agreste/Chat Noir)
Summary: Y/N had been Chat Noir’s friend and moral support for a long time now. Even though she had magical powers too, she never liked getting involved with akuma attacks, but now, as Hawkmoth’s gotten control of the miraculous of creation, she couldn’t stay indiferent anymore. She had to save her friend and Paris!
Genre: Mostly angst? A little fluff
Warnings: canon typical violence, mentions of death/dying
A/N: This was requested, but as I was writting it, it got very long and I’ve decided to post it in 2 parts. I’m not gonna post the request just now, so as to not spoil the rest of the story but Part 2 will be coming out on friday!!!
Part 2
~~~
Chat was pacing around the room, waiting for you to be done with your potion. You had heard from your parents that there had been a new akuma attack today, but as the news reported, the two parisian heros took care of the problem in no time. For this reason, Chat’s presence at your house felt unusual. Normally he would stop by when he needed to rant, when he was in need of comfort and reassurance but the fight today went well, so what could possibly be bothering him?
“Ok, I’m done” you said, screwing the cap on the little bottle and placing it on your shelf “Wanna talk?” you asked, to which Chat gave you a shy smile
“Yeah, a little”
You made your way to your bed, motioning for him to follow you. You got under your covers and passed him his favorite plushie, a cat to no one’s surprise
“So what’s up? Is it about the fight today?”
“Well no it’s more like a...personal problem?”
“Oh…”
“Claws out” in a rush of light and electricity, the infamous hero vanished before you, transforming into Adrien Agrest
“Well, what is it?” 
Adrien revealed his identity to you months ago. You first met him as Chat, but when you really got to know each other, he decided you needed to know all of him. Well, he needed you to know all of him.
You listened to him rant until way past midnight. Until you were both too tired to stand up straight, so you laid down in your bed, covers up to your necks, muffled stories told in between yawns. You listened carefully, giving him your full attention. He fidgeted with the collar of the stuffed toy and you used your magic to make 2 hot chocolates. Eventually, everything that needed to be said, was said. You offered Adrien to watch a movie, since that always cheered him up, but he refused
“It’s late and I have a photoshoot early in the morning. My makeup team will be angry with my dark circles anyways, better not make it worse” he joked
Adrien transformed back into Chat and you cast a safety spell on him, which you did every time he left your house late at night. He always teased you about being ‘too protective’, but deep down he found it sweet how much you cared and wanted to know that he would get home in one piece.
“Night Chat” you said, wrapping your arms around the hero
“Good night Y/N!”
The next few days went by quietly. You hadn’t run into Adrien at all, but you texted a bit back and forth. Sunday evening however, things took a toll for the worst. You turned on your tv, ready to catch up with your show when you heard Nadja Chamack’s voice doing the news report
“It seems as though Rena Rouge and Chat Noir are struggling to stay on their feet! They have taken shelter under a fallen bus, leaving Ladybug alone to defeat Hawkmoth'' your pulse skyrocketed. As you watched the screen you could see Chat and Rena off to the side, struggling to catch their breath. Rena seemed to be in pain while Chat was trying to help. Ladybug was using her yoyo the best she could in order to protect herself from the supervillain, who was wielding his cane like a sword over her head. The fight was clearly going in Hawkmoth's favour! You grabbed your jacket and ran out the front door and onto the empty streets of Paris, towards the Eiffel Tower, where the fight was taking place. 
People screamed at you from their balconies to go home, warning you about the fight and the danger you were putting your life in but you didn’t care. All you could think about was how they needed you. Chat needed you! Every late night talk and every inside joke shared between you two replaid in your head like a broken record. Behind Chat’s tough mask, his alter ego of hero and protector, was the fragile figure of Adrien Agreste. The young blonde boy who cried during romantic comedies, who liked to have his hair braided and forgot how to speak when someone complimented him. If you didn’t help, the heros would loose and he would most likely die! Alongside Ladybug and Rena who, even though you didn’t know their real identities, were still young girls. As you ran down the street, you heard kids crying inside one of the homes. You ran past but at the last second you heard Nadia’s voice coming from their tv
“Ladybug was akumatized”
You approached the Eiffel tower from the side, where you could see everything going on. In front of the tower, right next to Hawkmoth, stood Marinette Dupain-Cheng, dressed in a tight, dark red suit, darker than Ladybug’s. Black butterflies replaced the dots of the heroine's suit and the purple butterfly mask of Hawkmoth’s control was shining over her face. Marinette was Ladybug! She did, in fact, get akumatized. On the other side, you saw Rena and Chat, struggling to stay up right. They were obviously in a lot of pain and extremely tired, but Hawkmoth was merely mocking them.
“After all this time” Chat spoke up, but his breaths were shallow and rapid “I thought you’d know one thing about us! We don’t give up without a fight. Never will. Especially not against you” and with that, the two ran at each other.
“It doesn’t have to end like this, you know?” he said “We don’t have to fight to death. I wouldn’t want to have that on my conscience. All you have to do is give me your miraculouses willingly. The town will be safe, you will be safe! It’s the most heroic option you’ve got. You won’t be any good to Paris if you are dead”
You knew this was not just another fight between them. This was it. Either the heros won or everything they’ve worked for would be lost. Hawkmoth would win and get his hands on both miraculous and god knows what kind of destruction that would bring not only upon Paris, but the world. You focused all your energy in one spot in the air, right between where Chat and Hawkmoth were supposed to clash but before they could reach each other, you sent a wave of energy that blew both of them apart, like a bomb. Hawkmoth flew back into the Eiffel tower while Chat hit the pavement with a thud. Confused and certainly disturbed, both of them began looking around for an answer as to what happened when, finally, Hawkmoth’s eyes landed on yours.
“Aha, miss Y/L/N. What a spectacular honor to finally meet you!” you didn’t reply, instead you stood tall, maintaining eye contact
“I know a lot about you. Seen a lot. Felt a lot of your emotions. None of them can compare to the powers I’ll have with the two miraculouses. With Ladybug’s earrings and the guardian under my control, I’d say my mission here is almost over’’
“Y/N get back!’’ Chat screamed but you were too involved now to run. This was your fight too.
“It is time you give up Hawkmoth. Paris is not yours, neither are the miraculouses. We will destroy you, no matter what it takes!”
“Listen to yourself, kid! <<Destroy me>>? The most you can do is pull a rabbit out of your hat…” before he could finish his sentence, you snapped your fingers in his direction and instantly, the ground around beneath Hawkmoth and akumatized Marinette, fractured. From within the cracks, many tangled plants came out, encapsulating the 2 villains. You sprinted towards Chat and Rena, ignoring the signs of struggle coming from the prison of weeds.
 Alongside the two superheros, you hid inside a corner coffee shop, which was now empty.
“Y/N, you need to leave!! You are putting yourself in too much danger!” Rena told you, as she collapsed to the ground from exhaustion
“Stop with that already! I am here and I’m not going anywhere!”
“Yes you are!” Chat looked at you. His voice was calm and yet, his eyes were filled with disappointment “You are not a superhero. This is our job!”
“You need help”
“No we don’t!” Chat had never, in all your years of friendship, raised his voice at you, let alone yell “ You need to stay safe! You could die! Hawkmoth doesn’t care about anything if it helps him get what he wants! I am ready to take that risk. Rena is too” you both turned to the red headed hero, only to see her slowly nod “But I can’t allow you to take it”
“You can’t tell me what to do”
“I don’t want you to die!” he screamed again “I love you and I will never forgive myself if you don’t come out of this alive!”
Before you could say anything, you saw Hawkmoth and his minion, through the cafe window, cutting through the last of the plants and escaping your trap. You grabbed Chat’s arm and pulled him to the floor, from where you could not be seen
“We’re in this together now” you said in a stern voice, looking the blonde kid right in his eyes “Whether you like it or not '' this time, he simply nodded.
You stuffed your hands into the pocket of your jacket and pulled out 3 little bottles, containing a mate, green liquid. You had prepared one for each of the heros, now you’d only need two.
“Here, drink this!” You handed each of them one “Regeneration potion. Should put you back on your feet.” as soon as they finished drinking the brew, you could see color coming back to their faces
“Where’s Marinette’s akuma??” 
“Her necklace” replied Rena “It’s a gift from her kwami”
“Got it. You deal with Hawkmoth. I’ll bring Marinette back!”
Chat and Rena exited through the front door, grabbing Hawkmoth’s attention. He called out to Marinette to attack, but before she could take a single step in your direction, you had snuck up behind her. Using a simple invisibility spell, you managed to exit unnoticed behind the two heros. It finally felt like the fight had truly begun. From the corner of your eye you could see Chat and Rena doging Hawkmoth’s attacks while you, were doing your best to get your hands on the stupid necklace! Even though she couldn’t see you, Marinette seemed to almost always know what your next move was. She would expertly block all your attack and would keep you an arm’s length away at all times. Finally, you had enough and in one swift motion, you pinned her back to your chest, ripping the necklace away. A wave of black and purple took over the both of you and when it vanished, all you were left with was a half unconscious Marinette in your arms. You dropped her to the ground slowly as she was coming back to her senses. You wanted to talk to her but your thoughts were driven away as you heard Chat scream bloody murder.
On the opposite side of the platza, you saw Hawkmoth rip Chat’s ring off his finger, forcing him to detransform. The exhausted figure of Adrien Agreste fell to the ground with a thud. Hawkmoth had, indeed, gotten his hand on both the miraculouses.
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belphies-wife · 3 years
Text
What Naps Are Like With Them (Everyone)
In celebration of my first post kinda blowing up, I wrote a little something for all the characters, including Luke! (platonically for him, of course)
Again, thank you guys for all the love on my Satan Reacting to Montero fic <3 I’ll be working on requests after this.
Also, no beta we die like Lilith.
»»————- ♔ ————-««
Lucifer
➼ Never sleeps, e v e r
➼ His brothers would destroy the House of Lamentation in his sleep
➼Took a while to convince him to take a nap with you because of this
➼ His brothers listen to you more than they listen to their older brother, so you begged them to behave for a few hours so that their older brother can rest for once
➼ You will use your pact if you have to, just please let this man sleep
➼ You made sure to pick a day where you know Lucifer hadn’t slept the night before due to his workload
➼ Seriously, you had to talk to Diavolo about that
➼ You both got into your comfiest pajamas and played some soft classical music for ultimate relaxation
➼ You thought about taking a picture of hm while he slept
➼ He saw it coming and had you sleep facing away from him with his arms wrapped around you so you couldn’t turn around
➼ Smart bastard
➼  If you complain about it he’ll laugh at you
➼ Hey, at least you get cuddles
➼ Luci here looks so calm and peaceful while he sleeps, it’s adorable
➼ No wonder everyone tries to take a picture of him sleeping
➼ He’s a heavy sleeper, so you end up having to wake him up after a few hours
➼ He thanks you
➼ He’s well-rested and in a good mood for the rest of the day
➼ His brothers obviously take advantage of that
»»————- ♔ ————-««
Mammon
➼ Unlike most of his brothers, he actually has a decent sleep schedule (most of the time)
➼ However, if you wanted to take a nap with him, he wouldn’t say no
➼ Well, he’d say no, but then say yes immediately after
➼ “Whaddya mean you wanna take a nap with me? Do I look like Belphie!?”
➼ Blushing like crazy while complaining, as usual
➼ “Fine, I’ll go nap with him, then.”
➼ “Oi! Come back here! I changed my mind, I wanna take a nap!”
➼ Tsundere baby
➼ Obviously, you tease him about it
➼ “Jealous, huh? I thought that was Levi’s thing.”
“Shut up! Are we gonna cuddle or not?”
“I said nap, not cuddle.”
➼ Cue the pout
➼ The definition of the 🥺 face
➼ Please love this child
➼ “I’m kidding, of course we’re gonna cuddle.”
➼ Usually a little spoon
➼ Unless he’s in a jealous mood
➼ If he is, he will hold on to you like his life depends on it.
➼ More teasing, obviously
➼ If you think about it, Greed and Envy are very similar
➼ Poor baby wants love
➼ New drinking game: take a shot every time I call Mammon a baby
➼ I shot of water, I know you’re dehydrated
➼ Anyways, naps with Mammon = cuddles
➼ Either you’re holding him to you or he’s holding you to him
➼ f o r e h e a d  k i s s e s
➼ Mammon gets nightmares about what happened with Belphie sometimes, so lots of comfort cuddles
»»————- ♔ ————-««
Leviathan
➼ “Levi, did you sleep at all last night?”
➼ Obviously not
➼ He was up all night binge watching the latest season of “The Magical Ruri Hanai: Demo Girl”’s  spin-off series
➼ Why would you even ask?
➼ “Levi, did you stay up all night?”
➼ He looked away, a little embarrassed. “Uh, yeah.”
➼ “Levi, honey. You need to sleep. It’s not good for your health to be staying up so late.”
➼ Leviathan.exe has stopped working
➼ You’re worrying about him?????
➼ And you’re calling him honey?????
➼ Are you trying to kill him?????
➼ “You must be exhausted. Wanna take a nap?”
“Oh, uh. Yeah. I guess I could use a nap.”
“Alright. We should go to my room, since there’s more room on my bed than in your tub.”
➼ Wait you meant a nap together????
➼ You’re really trying to kill him.
➼ Usually, he’d make fun of you and call you a normie.
➼ But he was currently too busy dying.
➼ If somehow you managed to resurrect him and get him to your room to nap, then you’d know this shy boi is a little spoon.
➼ Does this really come as a surprise to anyone? It shouldn’t.
➼ He’s blushing like crazy the whole time.
➼ “Levi, if you can't sleep with me here, I can leave.”
“No!”
➼ He does sleep eventually.
➼ Sweet baby cuddles you in his sleep.
➼ Wholesome af
»»————- ♔ ————-««
Satan
➼ As the most responsible one in the family, he has a pretty good sleep schedule, so he doesn’t normally take naps.
➼ However, if you ask him to, he’ll agree. 
➼ If it makes you happy he’ll do it <3
➼ He’s not really touchy-feely and won’t initiate any cuddling.
➼ Dude that you asked to nap because you were tired and wanted to sleep.
➼ Nah bro, you just want cuddles.
➼ While he won’t initiate any cuddles, if you make it more obvious that you want some, he’ll give them to you.
➼ Big spoon
➼ If you want him to be the small spoon, he will, but he’ll be flustered af.
»»————- ♔ ————-««
Asmodeus
➼ “Asmo, wanna sleep together?”
➼ Could you have made a poorer word choice?
➼ No, you could not.
➼ This boy literally made the lenny face.
➼ “Asmo, I meant a nap.”
“Well, I suppose that’ll satisfy me for now.”
➼ You then proceeded to smack him with a pillow.
“Hey! Don’t mess up my hair!”
➼ You had to wait for him to take off his makeup and change his clothes and stuff.
➼ It’s a process.
➼ Cuddle’s tf out of you.
➼ He’ll be the big spoon or the little spoon. It doesn’t matter to him, so you can decide.
»»————- ♔ ————-««
Beelzebub
➼ Takes naps with Belphie a lot and thought it was cute that you also wanted to nap.
➼ Pre-nap snack first, though.
➼ Then he’s ready.
➼ Sweet boi will enjoy the nap whether he’s a big spoon or little spoon.
➼ If you’re happy, he’s happy <3
➼ You kiss his face a lot.
➼ He thinks you’re the cutest little human ever when you do that.
➼ I’d say soft Beel, but when is he ever not soft?
➼ Not counting the custard incident
➼ He Likes to kiss the top of your head while you sleep.
➼ He definitely snores.
➼ It takes some getting used to, but you’re not gonna let keep you from cuddling your big boi.
➼ It honestly feels really safe and comforting to just be wrapped up in his arms.
➼ Equally comforting to have his head resting against you.
➼ Overall just really soft.
»»————- ♔ ————-««
Belphegor
➼ You don’t even need to ask. He’s the king of naps.
➼ Being around Belphie for an extended period of time makes you sleepy.
➼ You’re not sure if it’s because he’s sleep or if it’s because he has some sort of sleep-power.
➼ Any time you cuddle you end up taking a nap.
➼ Do I even have to say it?
➼ S m a l l  s p o o n
➼ The smallest spoon.
➼ As the youngest, he’s the most spoiled, so he’s really really clingy and just expects you to drop whatever you’re doing at any given time to nap with him.
➼ I mean, you’d probably do it even if he didn’t expect you to.
➼ He does this adorable thing when he’s sleepy and he sees you nearby where he’ll go up to you and wrap his arms around you and rest his head against your shoulder and just say “Sleep, please.”
➼ You will stop whatever you’re doing no matter what and go up to the attic to nap with him.
➼ Not an exaggeration. It’s happened while Lucifer was talking to you before he he was p i s s e d.
➼ It was obviously intentional
➼ But how can you say no to his cute face?
➼ He seems to be able to keep you from having nightmares and you sleep 100x better with him than on your own
➼ Softest boi
»»————- ♔ ————-««
Simeon
➼ While he may dress like a stripper, this man is an angel and is pure™
➼ Anything you want, you’ll get. How can he ever deny you a thing?
➼ He can’t.
➼ You want naps? You get naps.
➼ You want cuddles? You get cuddles.
➼ You want sleepy kisses? You get sleepy kisses.
➼ Hotel? Trivago.
➼ But seriously, sleepy kisses are definitely a thing.
➼ Especially forehead kisses.
➼ Big spoon. He likes to hold you.
➼ Sweet boy loves you so much 🥺
»»————- ♔ ————-««
Luke (Platonically)
➼ Purgatory Hall has weekly movie nights, and they invite you over a lot to join them.
➼ You and Solomon have a very long list of human world movies you want Simeon to watch, but the poor man can’t figure out how Devilflix works for the life of him, so group movie nights are the only way.
➼ Not that any of you mind, of course.
➼ Luke begged Simeon to let him join you guys (he has a pretty strict bedtime)
➼ Simeon lets him occasionally if the movie is appropriate.
➼ Luke insisted on sitting next to you and sharing any treats he made that day.
➼ Poor baby ended up falling asleep not even halfway through the movie.
➼ Solomon obviously made fun of him.
➼ “Looks like it’s naptime for the little chihuahua.”
“Don’t tease him!” You say, defending Luke.
➼ At some point, Luke shifts so that he’s leaning against you in his sleep.
➼ You coo at how cute the ‘lil cherub looks.
➼ Aaaand then you proceed to fall asleep as well.
➼ You woke up the next day still on the couch. You were pretty confused since Simeon usually carries anyone who falls asleep to their bed (or the guest room, in your case).
➼ Then you realize Luke still asleep and wrapped around you.
➼ HE IS THE MOST PRECIOUS BABY EVER
➼ You assumed Simeon didn’t want to attempt moving one of you and risk waking the other so he just left you too
➼ Whatever it was, you went back to sleep with the little cherub snuggling you
»»————- ♔ ————-««
Solomon
➼ Purgatory Hall sleepover!
➼ Everyone had already fallen asleep, so you asked Solomon if he’d be alright with you two sleeping together.
➼ Not a good idea.
➼ You’re both settled in his bed and you’re about to drift off to sleep when this silly little sorcerer decided to tickle you.
➼ You  s h r e i k
➼ “Solomon!”
➼ “Keep your voice down, dear. You wouldn’t want Simeon hearing and getting the wrong idea, now. Would you?”
➼ The  s m a c c  you gave him though-
➼ “Can I sleep now, or are you gonna keep bothering me?”
“You know you love me.” He grinned.
“Well, duh. But I also love sleep.”
➼ He does let you sleep after that.
➼ You fall asleep first, and one look at your sleeping face and he falls in love with you all over again.
➼ You’re so  p r e c i o u s.
➼ He held you close to him as you slept, pressing soft, featherlight kisses against our forehead and nose, careful not to wake you.
➼ He’s a bitch until you fall asleep, pretty much.
»»————- ♔ ————-««
Diavolo
➼ It wasn’t intentional for you to fall asleep, really.
➼ You’d had a long day, and you had been sitting with the demon prince at his palace as he told you about his day over a cup of tea.
➼ It wasn’t like what he was saying was boring.
➼ No, it’s just that you were so tired, and the sofa you were sitting on was so comfy, and Diavolo was talking so much.
➼ It didn’t help that the tea that Barbatos had prepared was especially soothing.
➼ You couldn’t help yourself. You dozed off.
➼ Diavolo continued talking, and probably would’ve gone on for a long while without even noticing if Barbatos hadn’t cleared his throat and gestured towards your sleeping form.
➼ If it had been anyone else, he would have deemed it disrespectful. 
➼ But it was you, and he had realized a long time ago that he was incapable of being upset with you.
➼ “It seems they’ve had a tiring day, my Lord. I suggest you let them rest.” Said Barbatos.
“Of course. I wouldn’t dream of disturbing them.” Carefully, he made his way over to you and pried the teacup from our hands so that you didn’t move and break it in your sleep.
➼ Then, he removed his suit jacket and draped it over you like a blanket.
➼ Not gonna lie, even Barbatos was a bit shooketh. 
➼ He didn’t say anything, though.
➼ Diavolo kissed your forehead lightly and had Barbatos bring him the last of his paperwork for the day, which he finished quickly while remaining by your side.
➼ After that he picked up our still sleeping form and brought you to his room where he tucked you in.
➼ He sent Lucifer a text saying that you would be staying the night at the palace then went to sleep after answering a few emails.
➼ He snores loudly, but you somehow managed to sleep through it.
»»————- ♔ ————-««
Barbatos
➼ Diavolo set up another palace retreat (because I said so)
➼ You had been assigned a room with Luke and Beelzebub that time.
➼ It went good at first, and everyone was sent off to sleep at around 10 p.m.
➼ At some point in the middle of the night, you awoke from a particularly nasty nightmare.
➼ You were more scared than usual when you woke up, since the room you were in was not your room at the House of Lamentation.
➼ It took a while for you to realize where you were and calm down, but even then you were to afraid to sleep.
➼ Slowly, you exited the room, careful not to disturb Luke and Beel.
➼ You made your way to Barbatos’ room and knocked softly.
➼ Briefly, you wondered if he was asleep, but then he opened the door.
➼ You silently panicked when you realized your hair was a mess and your clothing was rumpled from sleep, but your disheveled appearance didn’t seem to faze him.
➼ “Hello. I was just about to prepare for bed. Is something the matter?”
➼ Suddenly, you felt very, very silly to come to such an ancient, powerful being for help with a little nightmare.
➼ “Sorry, it’s nothing. I apologize for bothering you. I’ll leave.” You said, your cheeks flushing with embarrassment.
“You never bother me, my dear. Would you like to come in?” He asked, opening the door wider and stepping aside.
“Yes. I would like that.”
“Is something bothering you?”
You blushed. “I had a nightmare. I couldn’t go back to sleep after that. I know, it’s silly.”
“Of course it isn’t.”
“Can I... Can I stay here with you tonight?”
“If it would make you feel better, you may.”
➼ Barbatos tucked you in then sat next to you, gently running his hands through your hair. He began singing an old song in some ancient, forgotten language. His voice was soft and soothing as he sang, and you found yourself unable to stay awake even if you tried.
➼ “Goodnight, my dear.” He whispered, pressing a kiss to the top of your head.
»»————- ♔ ————-««
Thank you so much for reading!
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egcdeath · 3 years
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ways to say i love you without saying “i love you”
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pairing: steve rogers x reader
summary: you and steve explore love languages
word count: 5.1k
warnings: fluff, a little angst because of miscommunications, reader & steve being idiots, good intentions but terrible delivery, mentions of other characters
author’s note: this fic has been sitting unfinished in my drafts for so long. this fic is like, ancient. this fic was almost destroyed because it was briefly in the library of alexandria. when i reopened the document with this fic, there were mold spores growing on it. (p.s. steve’s love langauge is acts of service, and the reader’s is quality time)
you can find my masterlist and taglist here
Prologue
Steve was a multitasker. You knew this well. Perhaps too well.
That never seemed to bother you before, but if the man who was supposed to be taking a serene nature walk with you checked his goddamn flip phone one more time, you were completely sure that you’d lose it. 
You paused your story about your obnoxious coworkers for a moment, stopping in the middle of the gravelly trail you two were making your way down. 
“Steve, seriously, are you even listening?” you griped, ushering him towards the side of the pavement as a man on a bike flew by. 
He guffawed a bit at this, “of course I am. You just said something about…” he paused, and you gestured with your hands for him to continue. “Okay, sorry,” the blush on his face was becoming more and more apparent.
You involuntarily scoffed, rolling your eyes as you did so, “I’m glad to know that whatever you’re waiting for on there,” you gestured to his pocket, “is more important than spending quality time with your girlfriend, who, must I remind you, took time off to be here with you.”
“Nothing is more important to me than you, I’m just on call. I’m probably going to get called to go on a mission any moment now.”
“Steve!” you huffed, “you literally just got back, like, two hours ago. Can’t someone else go? Tony? Vision? Anyone?”
“I might’ve volunteered myself-“
“You’re unbelievable, Steve. Are you getting tired of me or something? You’ve been avoiding me like the plague ever since I moved in with you. If I upset you, or you’re gonna propose to me or something, can you just tell me?”
“I promise you it’s not personal at all,” he reached for your hand and gently held it. “Everything’s just been crazy. I mean, these Hydra bases have been popping up left and right. Just give me a little grace, okay? I don’t get upset with you when SHIELD starts making you work those ungodly hours.”
You opened your mouth to debate him, but surely enough, the canny and familiar ringtone of Steve’s work phone interrupted you before you could even begin. 
“Okay… Yeah. I’ll be there in thirty.”
You frowned at Steve as he spoke on the phone and shook your head disapprovingly, “unbelievable,” you muttered, storming in the direction of your home. 
——
Steve was no fool, he knew when he messed up, and he was more than willing to take responsibility for such. Now was one of those times. He knew that he should’ve been making more time for you. He was well aware that he shouldn’t have gotten defensive when you pointed this out. 
He just had no idea how to apologize.
You weren’t exactly making it easy for him either, taking much longer hours in an attempt to avoid him. While he could understand your frustrations, it became a little more difficult everyday for him to properly apologize to you in a way he felt was meaningful.
Eventually figuring to use your avoidance as a tool, Steve devised a plot to make an apology for you so considerate, so superb, that you could never be angry with him again. A plot that included a several course meal, all concocted by himself. 
He could imagine the look on your face as you came home from work, shocked, but the good kind of shock. Pleasantly surprised that your sweet boyfriend had put in such a huge amount of effort to say sorry. 
He couldn’t help but imagine the scenario: you would relax into your seat at the table after Steve pulled out the chair for you, hum in content as he poured your favorite wine. Moan happily at the taste of a homemade and rarely prepared salad dressing, before complimenting the melt-in-your-mouth entree he had spent an unknown amount of time laboring over. Finally, you’d gush over the dessert that Steve hadn’t had the chance to cook in years, tell him that he worked far too hard putting everything together, especially for a little argument. Steve would scoff, tell you you’re being too kind, and you would pull him in for a red wine and dark chocolate flavored kiss. 
The thought of you, your genuine and warm smile after a long day at work, and an even longer week worth of unspoken tension between you both, was enough to keep Steve motivated through the hours he spent preparing your meal.
He greeted you at the door like an excited puppy as soon as he heard your keys jingle. Sure, work had kept you a bit longer than he’d expected, and your food was likely a little cool by now, but he was excited to make amends. 
However, you did not seem to share the same enthusiasm as Steve. 
“Welcome home, gorgeous. Come sit,” Steve nudged you into the dining area, and you sluggishly followed, exhausted from a tiring day of training new agents.
“What’s wrong?” he inquired, pulling out a chair that you didn’t even attempt to sit down on. 
“I had a really long day. I kinda just wanna get to bed,” you shrugged before rubbing your creased temple.
Steve internally cringed at the thought of all of his hard work going to waste. For some reason, he’d not envisioned this less pleasant outcome before. “Sweetheart,” he began in a nearly whiny tone, but you weren’t in much of a mood to be persuaded.
“I’m sorry. Weird things were happening at work that I don’t care to get into now, and honestly, I’m not even that hungry,” you reached out and gave Steve’s hand a little squeeze. “But it all looks and smells so good! I Promise I’ll warm some up tomorrow for lunch.”
“I-,” he paused, “please. Maybe you could just take a few bites of everything. It took me a really long time to get everything prepped and ready.”
You frowned at the plea, feeling a bit guilty but almost… satisfied at the same time. Steve struggled to make time for you because of his work, and now he was getting a little taste of his own medicine. 
“I really am sorry. But hey, now we’re even?” you offered with a playful wink, slipping away before you gave your partner a chance to respond. You truly didn’t have the energy for a four course meal that night, let alone another argument. 
——
Wanda was silent for a moment as she sipped from a mug of coffee, watching you with a suspiciously focused look on her face. 
“Wanda?” you prompted, seemingly snapping her out of whatever trance she had found herself in. 
“Oh my God, I know exactly what you guys need,” she just about blurted, reaching across the café table to grab your hand. 
“Were you reading my mind?”
Your friend didn’t respond, but the devious smirk on her face was enough of an answer. 
“What happened to telling me before reading me?”
“You just looked like there was a lot on your mind. And absolutely no way that you’d tell me,” she shrugged nonchalantly.
“Of course I was gonna tell you! Why else would I ask my friend in a cute relationship to meet me for coffee?”
“Because you like me?”
“No, never that. I just needed advice,” the two of you shared a laugh for a moment.
“Well don’t waste your breath. When Vis and I had a rough patch, we just had to learn each other’s love languages. You’d be surprised just how much that synthezoid values those acts of services.”
“And you?”
“I’m a words of affirmation girl myself,” she shrugged. “You should find out yours, and try to figure out Steve’s. I guarantee it’ll be helpful in the long run. I can send you guys a test, if you want?”
“Oh god no, please don’t tell him that I told you about us. Actually, I didn’t even tell you! You were digging around in my brain, and I don’t appreciate that. Just do me a favor, and don’t share this with anyone, okay?” You paused dramatically, then leaned in to speak to your friend in a whisper, “but send me that test when you get the chance.”
Gift Giving
“A little reality-warping birdie told me you’ve been having some relationship problems,” Tony said teasingly once Bruce left the conference room, leaving him and Steve alone. 
Steve paused for a moment, trying to decide whether he should lie or fess up to the allegation. “How did she know?” Steve finally responded, standing up and pushing the chair he was sitting on behind him. 
Tony shrugged dismissively, “I don’t ask these kinds of things. I just hear in passing that the geriatric is having a hard time and tune in.”
Steve shook his head slightly, rolling his eyes to mask his clear embarrassment. 
“Well, is it true?”
“We’ve just been having the occasional… rift. A little more than occasionally.”
Tony nodded, fake pondering the situation, “well, I always know what I do for Pep, at least after I tell her I’m getting rid of the suit. Go buy her something nice. Really nice, like jewelry, or a purse if she’s into that kind of thing. I would say a car, but I know that Social Security check isn’t getting you too far. You know what? Put it on the company card. My treat.”
Steve wanted to scoff, turn his nose up at the offer like it was a terrible idea, but it really wasn’t. Maybe a material surprise was the way to win you back. He made a soft ‘hmph,’ noise as he mulled it over. “That’s definitely not your worst idea. Thanks,” he gave his teammate a soft smile before collecting himself and heading out of the conference room. 
His first stop after work was some local jeweler. Steve threw on a (not very) inconspicuous outfit before entering the building, where he browsed for a good hour, searching for something that he believed you’d like. After looking at more jewelry than he had ever cared to see in his life, he decided on a necklace with a thin golden chain with a decent sized diamond hanging off of it. It was a little pricier, and you’d be able to tell— but he hoped it would help the gift mean more to you. 
——
When you arrived home late that night, Steve was sitting in the living room waiting for you. It was almost daunting, the sight of him sitting alone on the couch mostly in the dark, only the television illuminating his face. He kind of reminded you of a parent waiting to confront their child who just snuck out, or a concerned friend seconds away from staging an intervention with you. 
Walking past the room, you peeked your head through the doorway, and observed the flat, small box in front of him on the coffee table. 
“Hey, Sweetheart,” he greeted, standing up so he could greet you with a hug and grabbing the little box as he did so.
“Is everything okay?” you probed, speaking into Steve’s shoulder.
“Of course. I just wanted you to know how much I love you, and that I’m sorry for not having as much time for you as I should,” he pulled away before holding the box out for you. 
You hesitantly took the box and opened it, letting out a gasp when you viewed the delicate looking gold necklace. 
You were having mixed emotions, because it was clearly beautiful and you were grateful to the gesture. But you knew that this must’ve been expensive, and that it was so unlike Steve to have done something like this. Your frugal, Great Depression era guy wasn’t exactly the most material. 
“I love it,” you gushed, admiring the jewelry. 
“Can I put it on you?” Steve asked, and received a nod in return.
Steve set the box down on the table and lifted up the necklace, bringing it up to your neck and focusing on clasping it in the back.
“Babe, how much was this?” you blurted, not even being able to filter the words before they left your mouth. 
“Hmm? That doesn’t matter,” he dismissed, then stepped away from you to admire your clavicle. 
“It just feels weird letting you spend so much on me.”
“It’s a gift, though. You’re not supposed to think about those things,” he hummed, pressing a chaste peck to your nose. 
“Steve, I got you a Nespresso for Christmas and you wouldn’t stop complaining about how expensive it was. I love it, I really do. It’s beautiful and I’ll always think of you when I wear it. I just think that maybe we should have the same standards for each other,” you stood up from your seat and sidestepped him. “I need a shower.”
Steve watched you walk off, letting your words simmer in his thoughts.
That was the last time he would take relationship advice from Tony. 
Words of Affirmation
This conclusion probably shouldn’t have taken you this long, but you were almost completely sure that this would be the love language to win Steve back over. You felt bad for some of the occurrences between the two of you lately, with sour exchanges and sweet moments that turned bitter on a whim.
In all honesty, you were concerned that Steve doubted your love for him. And if his love language really was words of affirmation, this would certainly convince him otherwise. 
You sat at your desk the night before Steve departed for a two-week mission, trying to write a nice message for him. You tapped your pen on the stock paper in deep thought as you tried to figure out the best thing to say. 
I’m sorry for arguing so much with you lately. You and everything that you do mean the world to me, even when you get on my nerves. I love you more than anything and that will never change. 
The words looked cramped and unkempt on the little note. Your handwriting got messier as you went. You groaned at it, crumpled the paper, and tossed it in your trash bin. Time to start over again.
I’m sorry for arguing with you. I love you a lot. Can you stop picking up your phone when we’re spending time together?
You groaned at the passive aggressive tone of your message. That certainly wasn’t going to get you anywhere. Straight to the bin it goes.
I love you so much so don’t die on your mission or I’ll be pretty upset. Be safe out there xx.
The tone was even more off now. You needed to think of something that would really make Steve remember you while he was gone. For a second, you considered snapping a nude with a polaroid and attaching it to the letter.
I’m sorry that things have been so bad nasty for us lately. I promise that I love you, despite our ups and downs. Nothing will ever change that. I’ll miss you more than you know while you’re gone. Make sure you call me every day, my love. 
A little cheesy, but you signed off with your name regardless, and contentedly looked at your work. The spacing looked correct, the tone wasn’t harsh, and you knew for a fact that Steve would appreciate it.
You stayed up a little later than normal, waiting for Steve to get home and change out of his ‘work clothes’ so that you could slip the note into his utility belt. 
You folded the note to a small little square and set it beside an granola bar in a pocket you’d assumed he frequently used. Content with your work, you laid back in bed until your partner slipped in bed beside you, and sleepily cuddled into you until you were both unconscious. 
Around two weeks had passed since Steve had seen you last, and he had decided to stop by the office and finish up paperwork before coming to see you. It had been radio silence on his end, despite the note in his clothing that clearly requested daily contact. Part of you wondered if Steve had seen it at all.
Steve had just finished signing the documents when he finally noticed it, reaching into a sparsely used part of his belt to have a quick snack. His hand landed on a folded piece of paper, and he cringed as he unfolded it, the letter becoming clearer and clearer as he did so. He wondered just how long the message had been waiting for him. 
He read your sweet words with a frown on his face, the guilt from not opening it sooner overriding the sweet feelings that he would otherwise have. He grabbed his phone and considered texting you, but abandoned that thought altogether. 
“FRIDAY, any idea where Y/N is right now?”
“I was told not to share any information about Ms. L/N, Captain Rogers.”
“Whose orders?” Steve pressed.
“Hers,” the bot quipped back. 
Steve groaned aloud. He was really in for it tonight.
Physical Touch
“Have you tried touching her more?” Thor casually queried. The water that Steve had just consumed nearly flew out of his nose, and his cheeks reddened instantly. 
“Pardon?” he asked, looking away from his friend instantly. 
“I understand that you and Y/N have been having troubles lately. Perhaps she does not feel held by you. Maybe she wants you to show her off in public, to hold her hand, hug her,” he suggested. 
Could Steve even be blamed for going there? He was having a chat with a god of fertility. Who wouldn’t think the same? 
“Stark’s gala tonight. Show the world that she’s yours, and I guarantee that she’ll love every moment of it.”
——
You were confused. Really confused.
The night began with some simple touches, hand holding as you entered the building, a casual arm around your waist as you chatted with donors and politicians you hadn’t seen in months, a playful match of footsie under the table while waiting for food. But it came to a head when Steve had decided to rest his hand on your ass and grope you in the midst of a conversation.
Now, in any other situation, you would welcome this affection. But both you and Steve had never been a fan of PDA, and this was a bit too far. 
As subtle as you could manage, you pushed his hand away, offering him a sour look as you did so. 
“Excuse us,” you told some rich old man in an artificially sweet tone before ushering Steve off to his office for a bit more privacy.
“What was that about?” you questioned, sitting down in the padded chair behind Steve’s desk, and running your fingers over your necklace in a bit of a nervous tick. 
“What do you mean?” he retorted, standing across from you at the desk and setting his hands on top of the clear table.
“Why were you groping me in front of people? That’s really... unlike you. And it made me uncomfortable.”
Steve frowned genuinely, looking down at the table in embarrassment. “I’m really sorry. For making you uncomfortable. It sounds ridiculous but I was just trying something new.”
“Apology accepted, but are you sure? You weren’t like, jealous of those guys or something? You know you’re the only hundred year old I have eyes for,” you set your hands atop of his and squeezed.
Steve chuckled at this, the flush of his cheeks only highlighted more by the laughter, “it’s just that, uh, Thor told me I should try showing you off more. Or something like that.”
“So you groped me in front of our guests? That’s silly. And a little unprofessional,” you glanced over at the cork board on his desk sitting next to his desktop, and amongst the neatly arranged scratched out to-do lists and random reminders, you couldn’t help but notice the creased paper of the note you’d left for his mission. Your chest warmed when your eyes fell upon it. 
“When did you find this thing?” you asked, pointing to the note. 
“I meant to say something, but when I found it, FRIDAY said you didn’t want to talk to me. SO I was going to bring it up when I got home, but you were still working. After that, I kinda… you know-”
“Forgot?” you finished with a hearty laugh, “It’s fine. You’re such a dork. C’mere so I can get my own groping in,” you chided, grinning to yourself when Steve wrapped his arms around you in a tight embrace. 
Acts of Service
Steve was quietly folding your laundry in your bedroom when it finally occurred to you, but when it did, it hit like a ton of bricks.
Steve’s love language was acts of service!
Things suddenly began to make sense to you, the way that he initially attempted to apologize by spending hours cooking one meal, how he consistently worked to make your life as comfortable as possible, and his great insistence to do house chores, despite you being more than capable.
Steve set down a stack of folded sweatshirts by your calf, snapping you away from your brief retrospective daze. If that really was the case, and Steve’s love language truly was acts of kindness, you had to come up with some sort of plan to communicate to him just how much you cared about him in a way that he really appreciated.
Luckily for you, you were a quick thinker. Before you even knew it, a week filled with random acts of kindness before he was off on yet another mission was quickly hatched.
——
You were up at the ass-crack of dawn. Really. Steve liked to get up earlier than the sun in order to run, or train, or whatever the hell it was that superheroes did. You were seriously regretting your decision to wake up around the same time as him in order to do some favors for him in the morning. 
By the time Steve was back from his run, his favorite coffee was brewed and cooling, and you were in the laundry room at the dryer, preparing to give Steve a warm towel after his shower.
Despite the three mugs of coffee you’d just downed, it was becoming more and more difficult to keep your eyes open. It didn’t help that your eyelids felt like they weighed fifty pounds each, and the warmth of the dryer next to you was providing you with just enough comfort to drift off.
And drift you did. In fact, half an hour later, you’d missed the frantic calling out for you from your boyfriend as he searched for you around the apartment. 
You finally awoke when he shook your shoulders, his amused voice bringing you back to consciousness. 
“What’s going on here?” Steve grinned, pushing some hair out of your face. 
“Mmm,” you began, “Iwantedtogetawarmtowel,” you slurred sleepily and incoherently.
“Even with super hearing I couldn’t decipher that. Let’s get you a mattress, okay?” Steve hoisted you up like you were nothing, and carried your half asleep body all the way up to your bedroom. 
The next thing you knew, you were buried under your favorite comforter and propped against a mountain of feathery pillows. A gentle forehead kiss and an incomprehensible sentence about calling off of work for you later, you were back in a deep sleep. 
So much for warm towels.
You were going to do better this time. That’s what you told yourself as you strolled through the grocery store, the same store that you hadn’t shopped in since moving in with Steve, as he preferred to do the shopping himself.
Equipped with a short paper list and sheer determination to make the trip as short and accurate as possible, you gathered all of the groceries that you believed were necessary— just enough to restock the fridge, and fill some gaps left in the cupboard. 
Your time at the store was indeed brief, as you found yourself in the checkout lane after just twenty minutes (you definitely weren’t going to brag about that to Steve later. Definitely not), and back home with just enough time to unload the groceries, and further prep yourself to go to work. 
You’d honestly forgotten about your trip to the store by the time that you arrived home, up until you found your boyfriend arm deep in your pantry, hellbent on finding… something.
“Can I help you?” you poked with a laugh, coming up beside Steve and peeking over his shoulder.
“I’m just… Did you happen to grab any protein bars while you were at the store?” he asked, pausing his search to look back at you.
“I don’t think so. Why? It’s not like you need any more protein,” you teased, squeezing a bicep to demonstrate your words.
“They’re pretty convenient when I’m out in the field. Don’t worry about it, though. I’ll just swing by the store and grab some before my mission tomorrow. Actually, I should probably go now. Y’know, before I forget,” Steve was already grabbing his car keys from the counter by the time his sentence was finished, leaving you to fight off your disappointment at your minor grocery store failure.
You looked at what you now knew was an insufficiently filled pantry and pinched the bridge of your nose. You had seriously underestimated the ins and outs of shopping for a super soldier. 
Well, third time’s the charm?
After this week, you would never complain about waking up early again. You were now up at an absolutely ungodly hour, scrambling eggs, flipping pancakes, and spreading jam on toast for a sleeping, unsuspecting Steve.
You placed the plate on a sturdy wooden tray, poured orange juice and an extra glass of water, and set a nicely folded napkin, along with utensils, next to the items.
You hoped that the scent of bacon wafting up to your bedroom would eventually pull him out of his slumber, and seeing how bacon was the only thing left to finish cooking, you took a little break. 
A round of Candy Crush turned into two, then three, and goddamnit, why can’t you beat this fourth level! You got so wrapped up in your mobile game that you didn’t even notice when the scent from your kitchen became slightly rancid, and when you rushed over to the oven to check on your now extremely burnt bacon, the smoke detector wailed.
You grabbed a kitchen towel and waved your arms like a madwoman near the smoke detector, the shrieking eventually stopping, but not before Steve was halfway down the stairs.
“Y/N, where are you? Is everything okay?” he nearly shouted, racing down the stairs and barreling through the smoky kitchen to find you. When he reached you, he wrapped his arms around your waist and began to pull you out of the kitchen. 
“Steve, relax. Everything is okay. Except those pieces of bacon,” you rubbed your now sweaty palms on your pajama pants before breaking away from him to crack open the kitchen window. 
“Christ, what happened? And why are you up so early?”
“I was trying to make you breakfast in bed,” you admitted, rather embarrassed by the dramatic scene you’d accidentally created. “Sorry,” you muttered.
Steve wrapped his arms around you once more, this time in a reassuring bear hug that left your cheeks pressed to his chest. “Don’t be. I really appreciate this, and everything else you’ve done this week. It’s the thought that counts, right?”
“I guess,” you mumbled into his shirt. 
“Besides, everything else looks delicious. And you tried your best for me while trying something new. I think that’s really sweet of you.”
“Really?” you pried, looking up at him.
“Really,” Steve confirmed.
“Well, I think it would be really sweet of you if you went back to bed and got all cozy so I can take care of you.”
Steve chuckled softly, pressed a little kiss to your nose, then nodded, “yes ma’am.”
Quality Time
Steve had been in a bubbly mood since getting back from his mission, and for no particular reason. It wasn’t like you weren’t happy that your partner was happy, but feeling like you were out of the loop was slightly concerning.
Before you could let your thoughts run too wild, you decided to pop the question during one of your evening walks. 
“Okay Steve, what is going on with you?” you asked, veering to the side of the trail when a biker rode past you. 
“Nothing big. Nothing too important. I’m just out of service for the next three months,” Steve said casually, playing it cool. 
“What?!” you paused, your brows raising and eyes widening in surprise as you searched his face for sincerity. “You’re serious?”
“Serious as a heart attack.”
“Steve!” you gasped happily, nearly roaring out his name in excitement. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I was going to tell you before wining and dining you, but you beat me to it. So…?”
“…So I’m happy to have you back. I may need you to negotiate some time away from work for me in the next few months, then. I don’t wanna miss this preview of stay-at-home-dad-Steve.”
“Hey, don’t push it.”
“Oh, I’m planning on pushing it.” 
Epilogue
The sun was beating down on you, but the soothing breeze that flowed past your checked blanket every so often provided a pleasant antidote to the summer heat.
You’d truly picked the best day for a picnic.
Despite spending a good amount of time with your partner, the last month and a half had truly felt like a whirlwind. You casually started looking for a forever home, found yourselves making plans for an early retirement, and you had a new, sneaking suspicion that a proposal was on the horizon.
In the midst of it all, Steve had suggested that the two of you take a midday tryst at your local park and throw yourselves a little picnic. Of course you obliged, because when your greek god of a boyfriend suggests going on a spur of the moment date, you agree.
You now watched the nearly cloudless sky with pure, unadulterated feelings of content and joy while Steve set a slice of cheese on a cracker, leaning over your body to feed you. As you opened your mouth, Steve paused abruptly at the soft vibration coming from his pocket. 
Steve resumed as if nothing had changed, popping the cracker into your open mouth and letting his phone continue to ring.
“Don’t you wanna get that?” you questioned.
“It can wait,” Steve stated nonchalantly, slipping his phone out of his pocket and pressing decline with absolutely no hesitation before tossing the device to the edge of your blanket.
You didn’t realize how long you’d been waiting to hear those three words.
-------
a/n: this could’ve been solved in like 20 minutes by sitting down and taking a love language quiz together
367 notes · View notes
hanazuma-inactive · 3 years
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defrost (nsfw) kaeya x top!male reader
pronouns: he/him
warnings: ice play!! slight degradation, orgasm denial/ edging, top male reader, bottom kaeya
a/n: this was edited by @kamihara, she really outdone herself in this one, professional kaeya simp lol
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“to think such an honourable knight such as you, the cavalry captain of mondstat, is now begging to cum. how shameful of you,” you let out a low chuckle as a provocative smile broke out on your lips, “i wonder what citizens would say if they saw their beloved and oh so admirable kaeya in this position?”
as a captain of the ordo favonius, you were a bright figure to the people of mondstat. a person who aided in saving the city from destruction, one of the heroes that defeated storm terror. of course, other knights had nothing but respect for you as your skill and talent was nothing short of impressive. many looked at you with a high regard due to your strength and position, this meant that many were intimidated by your presence and therefore fear approaching you.
however, there was one person who disregarded this and stuck by you anyways, kaeya alberich, the cavalry captain. out of everyone in the knights of favonius, you were the closest with kaeya. you enjoyed his company a lot, he was an interesting person who knew how to keep a conversation going, and while you're with him you could never find yourself feeling bored. he was as charming as he was cunning.
kaeya found himself enjoying your company too. the two of you have done lots of things together. going on missions, getting away with “knighty” duty, babysitting klee, and drinking at angels share. you know, all the fun things in life.
kaeya was a secretive person, and while you were curious about him, you respected his boundaries. perhaps this was the reason why he drew you in, besides his blaringly good looks of course.
there was no doubt that the man was attractive from head to toe. his silky navy blue hair fell down his shoulder with grace, his fringe complemented his smooth, flawless sepia toned face. his periwinkle eye held the sheen of a crystal, glistening as his long eyelashes framed it with poise. the diamond shaped pupils his eyes possessed could leave you in a trance forever. his open white shirt left his cleavage on display, contrasted with the black corset around his slim, slim waist. his slender legs brought him around with confidence and charisma.additionally, the intricate accessories he wore suited his personality well. all in all, kaeya was a pretty little thing.
all of this lead up to you harbouring romantic feelings for the cavalry caption. how could you not feel anything? he was perfect in every way.
the sound of kaeya’s voice snapped you out of your thinking. “y/n, any missions today?”
“nothing for you i don’t think, i gotta help jean with the paperworks though.” you sighed at the thought of a mountain of paperwork.
“great, well i’m off then you have fun doing whatever.” kaeya smirked at you, poking fun at your dread.
he started to turn around and walk off but you had other plans.
“wait. kaeya-” you speak quickly.
“hm?” he hummed out.
“angels share? 9pm?”
a quizzical look washed over his face before he masked it with one of his cunning smiles.
“alright.”
little did kaeya know you had more in mind than just drinking with him tonight. today would be the day when you finally told him about your little crush on him.
night quickly arrived after a day of working with jean. you were pretty exhausted but still excited about what's about to happen later tonight. when you entered the bar, Kaeya was already waiting for you at the counter talking with the bartender, charles.
“ah, i see mr.l/n is here too. Your usual today as well sir?”
“yah that’d be nice, thanks charles.” you said as you took a seat next to kaeya
“you got it.” charles said as he left to go get your drink.
angel's share was the place you and kaeya loved the most. the kind of noisy background with people chatting. cyrus and jack talking about their gains for today, six-fingered jose still playing his lyre, the song was getting a little old but you didn’t mind, in fact if he changed the song you probably wouldn’t be used to it.
“so, what’s the special occasion for today? you usually don’t invite me to drink on weekdays.” kaeya said while swirling his drink and glancing over at you.
kaeya’s eyes always amazed you. you didn’t know the name of the grey-ish color but you could gaze into them forever. his smooth skin glowed under the dim lighting in the bar. you loved everything about the man, his dark blue hair, his perfectly shaped body, and the fact that you could see a little bit of his clothing. what kaeya said on the first day when you guys met was true, you did feel something for him.
“hm? can i not invite fellow knights to share a drink once in while without a special occasion.”
“well, not wrong there but…you seem like you have ulterior motives for tonight from the way you’re dressing.” kaeya said, smirking at you.
it was true, you purposely chose one of your best outfits today for kaeya, you wanted to impress the man not only from your combat skills, but also your looks. there was no secret you could hide from kaeya. he knew you too well and he always looked right through you. it could have just been kaeya’s observant nature but you like to hope it was something more than that.
“you’re right there, you really do know me too well, maybe i need to start hiding things from you a little huh?”
“you can try but i highly doubt it’ll work in your favour, mr.honorary knight.”
both of you looked at each other with a slight smirk as charles arrived with your drink. after drinking for a good while you could tell kaeya was getting a little tipsy. his movements were unstable, he shaked a little while walking and his eyes started to become hazy. what better time than right now to reveal your true plans for tonight, you were gonna fuck the shit out of the beautiful man. you wanted to hear him scream your name in pleasure as you break him, over and over again.
“why don’t we go somewhere else? y’know, somewhere more, quiet” you suggested while scooting closer to kaeya.
“i wouldn’t mind that.”
as soon as you heard those words you immediately got up and left with kaeya. your plan was going perfectly and the best part is about to come soon. kaeya wasn’t stupid, he was an adult afterall and he knew what you were trying to do. dressing up all sexy like that, getting drinks, going somewhere more “private”, what else could it have been.
the two of you arrived in your house and headed straight for your bedroom. kaeya has been to your house many times for many reasons and he knew where everything was so he didn’t trip or fall.
you placed a light kiss on kaeya’s lips while he laid on your bed.
“wait here~ i’ll be right back.”
this was where things would get, interesting
you opened your fridge to grab a small wooden bowl. the content inside was covered by a small white cloth. after grabbing that you went to grab some rope from a drawer you hid them in because you didn’t know what to say if someone saw those items in your house.
after bringing the items back you put them on the side and pushed kaeya down.
“what’re those?” he asked
(its a surprise tool that’ll help us later.)
“don’t worry about it sweetheart, just lay back and let me do the work alright?”
you brought a blush to kaeya’s face with your flirty words as he gave you a small nod, signalling you consent and approval. you kept invading kaeya’s mouth over and over again, you’re tongue so skillful kaeya was sure this definitely wasn’t your first time. the kisses ended after a while leaving both of you panting and a half an erection in your pants. wanting more, you began to take off kaeya’s uniform. his skin is so beautiful, you could also see his well defined body, just the perfect amount, not too buff, not too skinny. you licked your lips a little bit and looked up at kaeya with a smirk. when you put your mouth onto kaeya’s pink nipples, he squealed a little out of surprise but soft moans soon began to escape from his mouth.
“a-ah~ didn’t know you had this in you, honorary knight.”
“oh i know a lot more tricks that can make you feel good~” you teased.
as you continued to suck on kaeya’s smooth skin, you decided to spice things up a little bit. kaeya yelped as he felt a slight pain around his nipples. you remove your mouth to see a bite mark around it.
“to mark you as mine~”
“tch, you cocky little bastard.”
seeing the tent building up in kaeya’s pants, you decided to take them off and grant it some release. after you took off kaeya’s jeans you saw a small stain at the top of his boxers, showing that he felt good earlier.
“alright... this is where the fun part begins.” you said as you grabbed the ropes you initially put on the floor.
“restraining me? go ahead, let’s see if the honorary knight is all talk or he actually has something up his sleeve.” kaeya taunted
not liking his attitude, you forcefully tied kaeya’s hands behind his back and pushed him to the end of the bed facing you with nothing on but his boxers. now, the mighty kaeya alberich, is at your mercy.
“alright, we can do this in two ways. one, you listen to me, second, i don’t think you’ll like what’ll happen,”
kaeya raised his head a little and looked you dead in the eyes.
“i choose the second option”
you knew kaeya was the bratty type and it’ll only add to the fun to tame him. after hearing his choice you pushed kaeya back to where he was before and uncovered the bowl you had prepared earlier on the side. the bow was filled with medium sized ice cubes and it was till now that kaeya finally realized what you were trying to do.
“ice cubes huh? bring it on.”
“you asked for it~”
you grabbed one of the ice cubes and started to rub it on kaeya’s pecs, making circular motions and slowing moving towards the center where his nipples are.
“f-fuck that’s cold.”
you saw kaeya’s cock twitch a little when you first reached his nipples and you knew he was feeling good. moving on with your plan, you rested the ice cube on kaeya’s nipples and lifted his boxers where his cock is still covered but his asshole is exposed to you. right after that, you grabbed the lube that has been sitting in your nightstand and spread them on your fingers. without mercy you put 2 fingers into kaeya, trying to find his pleasure spot. sooner or later when kaeya started to let out tiny moans you knew you hit your target.
“feels good huh baby boy~”
“y-yah, and so what o-oh fuck~”
kaeya was sure feeling it, to a point where he started stuttering.
the constant teasing got kaeya close to his limit. he couldn’t hold it any longer. but you’re not gonna let him cum that easy are you? of course not, he needed to be punished for what he did earlier.
“a-ah y/n i’m gonna cum i’m gonna cum so hard- wait why'd you s-stop?” kaeya asked
“you decided to be a brat earlier didn’t you~? bad boys get punishment.” you said with a smirk on your face.
kaeya stayed silent, not a word coming out of his mouth, head hung low feeling embarrassed.
“to think such an honourable knight such as you, the cavalry captain of mondstat, is now begging to cum. how shameful of you,” you let out a low chuckle as a provocative smile broke out on your lips, “i wonder what citizens would say if they saw their beloved and oh so admirable kaeya in this position?”
“maybe~ if you begged a little i might reconsider, don’t you think so, pretty boy?”
kaeya finally lost his composure at this point, all he wanted was to cum from your touch.
“fine... i don’t care anymore.” kaeya growled.
“p-please y/n.” kaeya looked up at you with pleading eyes. “i want to c-cum, i want to cum so bad. i should’ve been a good boy from the beginning… i promise i’ll be obedient from now on, j-just please, let me cum…” kaeya begged
“that’s what i thought.”
satisfied with kaeya’s begging, you decided to grant him his release. you added another ice cube to the other side of kaeya’s chest while stroking his dick through his boxers. of course you didn’t forget to keep teasing kaeya’s prostate while you were at it. all these different stimulations made kaeya lose his mind. the male came through his boxers all over the place. semen spilled on his own stomach and chest followed with moans so loud the entire mondstat could hear him.
after he settled himself down a little, kaeya waited for you to untie him. you exchanged a kiss with him while you were doing so, smiling at each other thinking about what just happened. neither of you cared about the mess that you made because you guys were tired. listening to the birds chirp, you fell asleep with the dark blue haired male on your bed.
the two of you woke up in the afternoon to the noises of mondstat. you woke up a little before kaeya and from your point of view he was literally a sleeping beauty. you stroked his hair a little bit, causing him to wake up.
"y/n…good morning handsome."
"right back at you."
both of you giggled a little while holding hands.
"hey kaeya?"
"yes y/n."
"i've been meaning to get this off my chest and i don't think there will be a better time to say it than now."
"well go ahead, i'm all ears."
"you were the only one that ever stuck with me in the knights, everyone was afraid of me due to my strength except for you. you listened to me, you talked to me, and if it weren't for you i probably would've quit the job at the knights already." you took a deep breath and let out the words kaeya were waiting for.
"kaeya alberich... will you he my boyfriend?"
kaeya gave you a small scoff as a reaction and a light kiss to your lips.
"what reason do i have to refuse such a perfect man?."
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