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carnal-lnstinct · 1 year

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Pairing: TP Goku & SS4!TP Goku x TP!Reader Warning: competitive & possessive behavior Content: 5k words. m/f/m. rivalry. fluff. humor. confession. first kiss A/N: Tiny reminder that ss4!TP Goku is not xeno goku, i just love the fit and accept it as his Time Patrol outfit ♥ This was supposed to be nsft but yall seen what I've been fixated on lately, just didn't get that far. Happy (late) Birthday to my himbo king 😭♥♥♥

What the hell is going on?

You stared up from your position, shadowed by the two figures above you. Butterflies in your stomach fade as your eyes bounce between the mirrored glares all while your wrists remain pinned on each side of you by a different hand. You were trapped while the two saiyans stared daggers at each other in a bitter display, one pair of eyes flashing a wild, golden color and the other a searing blue.

There was always a playfulness in the tension between the duo of Gokus in Conton City. But something about it had shifted after a while. Despite the shared passion for battle often overwhelming their better judgment, they could always be brought back to a place of peaceful neutrality that made them a delight to be around in the end; All that was pleasant about the earthly saiyan was doubled. However brief that peace could live when it came to rivaling saiyans, there was no animosity in trying to surpass each other even when they were the same person. Only now it seemed they were intentionally pushing for a rise out of the other.

Prior to the change in history that brought you all together, each Goku lived a relatively similar life— Shared the same lessons, sacrifices, and faced the same foes— until their next level of potential was unlocked from training with Whis. Further dividing their path into the realm of the gods and becoming the foundation of their rivalry.

By the will of the kais overseeing the Time Patrol, both saiyans were corralled into the lifestyle under separate circumstances and given a new responsibility of protecting the universe. What it entailed for their innate thrill of battle brought another, greater benefit of the job: The pleasure of working directly with you.

The Hero of Conton City!

Goku was your training instructor, handpicked by The Supreme Kai of Time herself to help you on your journey to becoming stronger and protecting the history of the universe. You’ve had your share of instructors in the past to help you get to a place where you could stand your ground with a Super Saiyan God and beyond, but there was something else deep down about Goku that made him so exalting to learn from. He was very clear about getting you stronger so he himself could battle you without either of you having to hold back, but there was also a tenderness he had for you that made him...dreamy ♥. He was always impressed by your growth and praised you as his prized pupil. It conflicted your feelings, to say the least. As his trainee, you didn’t want to think of his innocent affection as anything more than a means to inspire you to become your best self. But beyond the roughness, the experience has been as beautiful as it has been enlightening. A companionship with someone like Goku truly made your heart restless and left your spirits high. No one’s made you feel like that before. You kept such sentimental feelings to yourself, of course. No time for romance when you’re The Supreme Kai of Time’s go-to patroller.

But you would continue to always have Goku by your side. When battles became more than you could handle alone or missions too challenging that not even Trunks and his partner could help, The Supreme Kai of Time would set him up as your time patrol partner as well. Granting Goku something he’s always wanted after hearing about what you do as a patroller.

The other Goku came to your side under a particularly special condition. The result of a forced change in history by the mysterious Fu who meddled with the timeline for…well, fun. Posing as Whis, no less. In the timeline where this Goku along with Vegeta were to obtain the Super Saiyan Blue transformation, Fu’s tampering made it so the two saiyans became Super Saiyan 4 instead and sicced them on you. Faced with an entirely new power, your instructor didn’t hesitate to show off to his counterpart what a true super saiyan beyond a Super Saiyan God looked like and sparked the battle between Super Saiyan 4 and Super Saiyan Blue. Consequently, the power of their clash gave Fu exactly what he was really after, the power generated from changes in history.

You didn’t return to the Time Nest completely empty-handed, however. As soon as you thought it was over, The Super Saiyan 4 Goku accidentally hitched a ride back with you both to the Time Nest. He wasn’t satisfied with making the most of his new transformation and sought to continue his battle with your partner. Before you knew it, the rift holding the change in history had been absorbed by the demon, taking with it all his alterations like it never happened. But the extra Goku was still here! In the Time Nest! Fu wasted no time revering his own handiwork and thanked you for your help before suddenly vanishing without a trace. Leaving behind a single proof of his experiment. A change like this never happened before. The timeline was indeed fixed now for the most part and there was no longer a rift, but there was also nothing that could be done to return the Super Saiyan 4 Goku without causing more drastic changes.

There was a lot to be worried about a Super Saiyan 4 that could channel god ki and still so much unknown about Fu’s intentions, so joining the Time Patrol was the best of a bad situation.There was no denying the trouble two Gokus would cause to the timeline if he was “put back”, but the same could be said for two Gokus in Conton City. Naturally, as Goku, he was easy to get along with and more than willing to help where he could to right the wrong he unintentionally spurred on. But he got a sharp new gi out of it (mostly to avoid confusing the two) so he rolled with whatever came his way. Stumbling along, however, with taking in the other aspects of being a time patroller.

Which is why The Supreme Kai of Time didn’t hesitate to entrust you with showing the new recruit the ropes and, more importantly, holding down the order between the competitive duo. As if your plate wasn’t packed enough lately, but you were all fortunate to have “4!Goku” as yet another reliable partner for you. It was a spin on the norm, where your interactions with the Goku you were already familiar with were that as his pupil, you were now the one teaching him (even if it was just a variant of him) a thing or two. Oh, but it was still the same Goku charm you found irresistible, just wrapped in a new red and black bow. The eagerness to assess a situation in the hopes of getting his hands dirty, you expected. What surprised you was how robust and graceful he was once engaged in a battle. Something beyond his instincts drove him to fight with mischievous precision, yet his power never gave a sense of something malicious. Just…powerful.

You would be lying if you said you weren’t impressed with the new rookie patroller. It came with suspicions of the power of Super Saiyan 4 and Super Saiyan God may have awoken a cockiness in 4!Goku that you initially worried may insight another visit from Fu, but it was hard to focus on the “what ifs” when a super saiyan 4 looked damn good doing his job. That, and still very much being the core of the object of your affection, you would hate to miss out on having him as a partner. You found yourself barely able to look him in the eye while he was transformed, stuttering your words when you did speak and trying to mask your crumbling disposition when that rugged voice hit your ears. His allure was intimidating, and thankfully he was oblivious to your reactions.

Once he figured out how all the cogs work in the job, you soon found yourself with more free time to do as you like. Even your instructor “Xenoku” was able to take on more students to train between the hunt for Fu. Though, the two Gokus never failed to find a reason to turn a get-together into a friendly spar that would go overboard. Not even your own training sessions were safe. Admittedly, there was something enjoyable in watching a super saiyan 4 and super saiyan blue trade blows with each other. That very difference between them is what made them the perfect rivals to push for the next level in their strength. But it does lose its spark after a while of too many city violations.

Over time you found it less tedious with only one of the saiyans with you at a time, however you never denied yourself the pleasure of enjoying both their company when you could. A selfish desire to indulge your withheld feelings a little. You thought trying to work around your crush on Goku was hard enough. Two of them consistently winning over your heart at once, the same presence of wisdom, jubilance, and every sense of what made you attracted to who Goku is, was torture sometimes. Spoiling yourself with both of their presence was the best you could do to keep yourself from losing it. It was as if the Supreme Kai of Time knew exactly what she was doing saddling you with both of them. They were a handful, yes, but they were fun and they were handsome to look at. There was nothing you would not do for them. And, in some way, they were yours.

But the more time you spent with them together, the more you noticed the change. Their harmony was interrupted by something that seemed uncharacteristically ominous for someone like Goku. The charm of their harmless mischief could easily get lost in the bragging and snide remarks. Very little would set them to transform into their respective red and blue forms and you’ve had to physically get between them to keep them from going all out more than once. You couldn’t figure out why, naturally you just knew you had to fix it. But asking them directly got you nowhere. The two would exchange a look as if talking in some secret language through their eyes and then change the subject, becoming passive once again like nothing ever happened. You’ve seen Goku do some weird things before, but this was definitely the strangest. It’s often the things he does not say that should worry you and they’re both keeping a tight lip about it.

If only you knew they were already aware of your little crush. Goku is always more intuitive than he gives away, and two of them spending enough time with you do well to take notice of your attraction. You are as much a rival as you are their student and partner, so their awareness of your power is fine tuned to you and watching you closely was just as natural to them as your feelings for either of the saiyans. They took it as a cute quirk of yours that you just seemed to turn 3 shades darker the closer they stand to you, the way you fidget and try to hide your smile the longer their eyes stare at you. It was easier for you to assume otherwise as they came to the decision to continue to overlook it, since you just didn’t seem ready to be truthful with your feelings. But they liked it. Getting to know you so well over time and having this instinct to protect you, it just seemed fair to let you do it on your own terms.

“Maybe I do like (Y/n), too.” One of them muses out loud to the other, an idea they have both pondered to themselves, never really feeling necessary to admit. Of course he liked you. You're his partner.

“Yeah…me too.” The other would openly admit between them. Speaking it into existence like this cleared the intentions of their own feelings and now it was like knowing you in a new light. All that they knew and shared about you in confidence just pushed you into their hearts. You like them, and they like you. The two saiyans now look at each other wondering who it was you would admit your feelings to. You couldn’t have both of them in that way, could you?

It wouldn’t be much longer until you got to the bottom of it. With the right bait, you would come to find the truth, and wind up in your current predicament.

"I got some good news, found out something pretty neat on my last mission!" You brought up over today’s lunch. You waited until both were almost halfway through their own respective stacks of lunch boxes before springing this on them, prepping yourself to go into the next detail. "While I was working undercover on Frieza's ship, I snuck away to Planet Vegeta."

Their eyes lift towards you in a synchronized reaction, blinking curiously. “Planet Vegeta?” Your instructor repeats with a mouthful.

“Did you find another strong saiyan?” 4!Goku adds in after a big gulp, proceeding to chase his food with his large drink.

You shake your head, grinning with barely contained excitement. “Nope. Even better! I promise it’s a good one! Hang on.” You held up a finger to pause the convo for a sec as you slid another food box from behind you, a little bigger than the lunch boxes. Your smile grew once you popped the lid open for a peak inside, but held off lifting it back to reveal what it contained just yet. Instead you turn it their way and push it forward encouraging them to open it, looking back up between the two for their reaction. They look over it for a brief moment before inching closer together, one of them not wasting time and lifting the lid back all the way. Their eyes light up at what they find.

There was a large cake inside, decorated with borders of icing and cute little drawings of the two saiyans in their corresponding attires.

“Ta-da! Happy Birthday Gokus!” You announced as they read it across the center of the cake with excitable smiles. “I found out on Planet Vegeta that today is your birthday. I-It took some help deciphering the old saiyan language but once it was figured out I wanted to show my appreciation for you both being born today.” You explained, already displaying the first shade of a shy temperament in your features.

“Really? This is amazing, and it looks tasty! Did you know today was our birthday?” Xenoku turns to his counterpart with a thoughtful look.

“No, I never even thought about it before.” 4!Goku admitted after briefly searching his own thoughts. “Wow, today’s really my birthday. You really did this all for us, (Y/n)?” He looked back at you with a sweetness returned to his expression.

“M’hm! You both definitely deserve more than a cake but it was all I could do with the time I had.” You also did not want The Supreme Kai of Time with her “broad tastes” to get involved lest she decide to make the cake herself. “I feel silly asking, but have you ever celebrated your birthday before?”

This time, your training instructor spoke up. “I’m sure it wasn’t my real birthday now but I remember when I was still a little kid, back when it was just me and my Grandpa, we had a special day we celebrated that he said was just for me.”

“Yeah, me too! We would go to a place in the mountains and he would make his special meat stew and dumplings. That was usually enough for me but he always gave me a gift, too. That’s how I got the power pole.” 4!Goku adds, pointing to his back where the power pole was normally worn in his younger days.

“Sounds like a birthday to me.” He nodded with a proud smile.

"Oh…yeah, actually.” You nod, as well. “That sounds exactly like a birthday.” Though now you were prickled with brief moment sorrow that the special celebration may have completely stopped after the old man’s passing. It’s not like any of his birthdays came up before your discovery and you never saw either Goku celebrating it. You hate the idea that he just never did it again. You take in a deep breath and continue to wear your smile, shaking off the feeling. Today was not the day for frowns. “Well then, I’m glad to help you start a new birthday tradition for yourselves. Maybe with a touch of the old if we’re lucky!” With that, you gathered a utensil in each of your hands and dug up a large piece of cake, careful not to take from their decorative drawings. “Come. Say ahh!” You instructed, holding out each serving to the birthday boys.

Raring to taste their special cake, they grin and crawl closer to you. Once again moving in sync, they learn forward with their mouths open. Xenoku clamps down catching a mouthful of sweet flavor, a delighted hum vibrating back to your fingers. But 4!Goku takes a different approach, grasping your hand and bringing his serving closer as he inched in to fill his own mouth. His dark eyes watched you until he slips the utensil free of his lips with a soft, yet rousing smile. As expected, you were jolted by the more intimate approach and the second, darker shade of color filled your expression. Your instructor takes notice of your change in demeanor and cuts a glance at his counterpart and his pleased expression. His brow knitted to his eyes for a moment, a small wrinkle above his nose before he lightened his expression for you.

“Mmm, mmm! Oh,(Y/n)! That is something really delicious!” The orange-clad Goku complimented you in a boisterous manner, licking his lips emphatically. He closes both hands around yours affectionately, further holding your stolen attention as you look at him doe-eyed. “Did you make it yourself? If so, you’ve got great tastes.” You fall into his flattery, a shy laugh all you can respond with when your heart starts racing. 4!Goku’s eyes shift between the two of you. In a single breath, he was consumed with a feeling that he has been shut out from you and narrows his eyes just the same. His own lingering hand on yours slips to hold your wrist to him and a bright grin returns to his features as he focuses on you.

“Can you feed me some more, (Y/n)? It’s better than I imagined!” He pleads politely, leaning closer to you with a toothy smile. “Pretty please, for my birthday?”

His tail whipped behind him and his smile only seemed to widen as he successfully claimed your attention, watching as your eyes faltered when you noticed his hold. “Oh! O-Okay, sure.” You agreed, lowering your arm from his grasp and gathering up more cake. Before you could even carve out another piece with your utensil you feel your instructor’s hold squeeze your other hand a little.

“Me too? Pleeeease!” He asks with the same grin though more eager to be heeded. You give a nod and once your other hand is freed you dig it into the cake once again. Preoccupied with maneuvering the cake pieces to hang onto each utensil, you completely miss the tense exchange of dark eyes above you, the duo flashing glares at each other and dispelling them when you lift back up. You proudly display each gathered piece to them again and this time they both accept it the same way: a quick chomp scooping the large helpings into their mouths and emulating Whis’s mannerisms when the perfect taste hits his tongue. It’s odd, but you don’t think much of it, though how they both tried to out moan each other in their delight almost made you hesitate to continue. But you do, and it somehow turns into a speed eating race of who you fed the most before the cake was almost gone.

Xenoku takes your wrist again when another scoop of cake is held to him only to guide it to your face. “You should try it, too.” He encouraged, ghosting the piece of cake over your lips. “There won’t be much left if you keep giving it to us.” The sweet smell catches your nose and it entices you to open your mouth for it. But sharing a utensil was so intimate and surely that final stage of flush engulfed your face at the thought.

Another serving is shoved in your face by your captured hand, this one bearing the likeness of 4!Goku on it and lightly smeared icing on your lips. “Here, now you say ahh!”

For good reason, you hesitate to open your mouth. There was suddenly an anxious feeling they would try to shove it down your throat in an attempt to be the first to feed you. You look up to the two saiyans and give them a suspicious look. “I don’t think so.” You answer in a dry tone. “What are you two up to now?”

“See? She doesn’t want yours.” Xenoku declares proudly and ignores your query, sticking his tongue out at his counterpart. In response, 4!Goku swipes the piece given to you by your instructor, shoving it in his own mouth and chewing it up with a smug grin. The surprise on both your faces said it all and that seemed to be the last straw for them both. As they locked eyes, you felt the air shift around them. The color in their gaze alters with their rising power, the two saiyans now controlled by their innate motivation to “settle” things. You sense their ki skyrocket in no time and as their visible scowls met once again their power released around you, the two transformed into their respective forms.

In meeting eye-to-eye, their grip on your wrists tightened and you were pushed back as they physically butted heads, unrestrained. Neither sought to let go of you however in spite of your struggle, simply holding you at bay from their savage display.

“Hey!” Your voice sharply calls out, tugging back on your arms in an attempt to free yourself. “We’re still in the city, you lunatics! No fighting!” You couldn’t quite slip free, so instead lunge forward gripping a round ear from each of them in a painful pinch and pull. Effectively breaking things up as the two Gokus sought to free their ears from your hold. “That’s enough! What the hell is wrong with you two?! Do you have to turn everything into a challenge?!” You tightened your pinch in your annoyance and your wrists are freed as they howl in pain. “This was supposed to be a celebration!”

“Ow ow ow! Okay, let go!” “Ow, ow- (Y/n), That really hurts, let go!” The two plead for mercy until you finally release them, tucking your arms at your chest with an impatient grump.

“Spit it out right now, what is going on with the both of you?!” You demanded. There was no way of changing the subject on it this time, you needed to get to the bottom of this. Like before, the two saiyans turned to each other as they nursed their ears and in some silent delegating, they both sighed coming to a defeated agreement. Even they knew they couldn’t keep this up forever, there was no use hiding it anymore.Yellow and blue eyes turn back to you.

“(Y/n), we got something to tell you but you gotta answer a question first.” The Super Saiyan Blue Goku lightly pouts, but is ready to spill the truth. You arch your brow first, but nod once in anticipation to what was on their mind. Xenoku turns fully to face you, sitting flat in the grass now and asks without hesitation. “Why do you want to keep hiding how you feel around me?” There’s a stern look in his eyes from his transformation, but they soften as he presses on. “Are you embarrassed?”

“What?” You answer with widened eyes, feeling your heart jump from his direct approach. You certainly got what you asked for, but the last thing you expected was your feelings to be involved in this. You glance at 4!Goku as well, who looked at you with the same demand and you realized they both knew how you felt. You felt a little breathless with the rush in your chest and continued to look between them. “What… does how I feel have to do with this?” The words slowly fall from your lips.

“You did this to us.” The Super Saiyan 4 admits. With a droop in the tip of his tail representing his own pout, he joins his counterpart's side on the ground and folds his arms against his chest watching you. “We already know you have a crush on us. Problem is, we both have feelings for you too and realize you would have to choose only one of us you like enough to confess to.”

Xenoku nods at this. “I guess we just wanted to prove which one of us it would be in the only way we knew.” It definitely seemed silly now, the two seeming to remorse over their clashing. Even against the likeness of himself, Goku knew there were better reasons to scrap with each other than for some envious desire to do what they believed was needed to be the one you gave your heart to. It rotted their fun. Only you could decide what to do with your feelings and they can’t control that no matter how strongly they fought for it. But now that it was all out in the open your instructor saw no further reason to delay your answer. “So which of us is it? Me or the other me?”

“-H-How can you ask me something like that?!” You quickly snap back at his lack of tact, feeling your face flush in the urgency put upon you. This was not an easy choice, they weren’t exactly like apples and oranges. Regardless, they both watch you with their doe-like eyes shining through their transformations in anticipation. Things like that continuing to make this difficult. You give a sigh and cross your legs where you sat, thoughtfully staring into the grass beneath you. “How do I possibly choose? You’re both…you!” You muse over, looking up now and tucking your arms to your chest again. “I mean there are some differences but…”

It’s still Goku. It didn’t matter who caught your eye first or who made the better impression when they both effortlessly sweep you off your feet by simply being the best of who they are. Splitting hairs on it wasn’t going to help you pick one Goku from the other. A frown grows in your expression and you lower your eyes again. “I guess… I shouldn’t have either of you if it makes you want to hurt each other for my affection. I don’t think I have it in me to pick one of you when it could hurt the other’s feelings.” That felt to be a fair answer, though after saying it out loud it didn’t seem fair to either of their feelings. But you won’t pick between them.

Your answer catches them off guard, for sure. They give each other a defeated look. Safe to say they’re not fans of that option. It’s rare that something could affect Goku so deeply like this, but when it does it just pushes him to seek his desires more. Ever the optimist, the two could only seek a means to make it favorable for all of you or at least try. A light bulb seems to go off for them at the same time and cheerful smiles rise in their features as they both move in closer to you.

“So if it doesn’t matter which one of us you pick, then-” Xenoku started, 4!Goku finishing the thought.

“-Accept both our feelings. Only seems fair and it won’t change much between all of us.”

The two are immediately met with an incredulous look from you, but their enthusiastic expressions show they mean it. Like them initially, you don’t immediately see that as possible. Some doubt in that logic making it seem wrong. “That seems greedy somehow..” You utter your thoughts out loud, unconvinced. The temptation doesn’t stop there.

A heavy hand comes down on your shoulder from the Super Saiyan 4, causing you to look up at him to find his reassuringly warm smile. “We already like you.You’re a kind person and an admirable fighter. If our hearts are in it, all we need is yours.”

“...I must be dreaming.” And discovered yet another level of blushing in your timid approach to your own feelings. Though the time patrolling Goku only laughs fondly at your reaction. Your other side becomes occupied by your trainer, Xenoku taking hold of your hand also reassuring you there was no issue to be had.

“It’s not like you can deny us on our birthday.” He teased, bringing the special occasion back into the mix to goad you into it. Something he’s picked up from Bulma who never shies from doing the same on her birthday.

“-I can too!” You argue, though not so strongly. It widens both of their smiles as the idea seems to be wearing you down, shyly looking away from both of them in your fluster. “B-But…If that’s what you really want.”

“It only seems fair you take responsibility for making us crazy about you.” 4!Goku chimes in your ear, the husk of his voice sending goosebumps across your skin. “You don’t want us fighting in the city every time you give us a rush, right?” A knowing smirk grows in his face as he looks over to this counterpart, met with the same smirk as they both pull away from you preparing for yet another round of trading blows.

“I guess if anyone is going to pull that kind of anger out of me, it’s none other than myself.” Xenoku provoked with a challenging glare, making you look up between the two.

“I was just thinking the same thing.” Their playfulness is fully intact this time, no hint of that envy between them any longer. But you couldn’t risk it.

“Okay, okay!” You interrupted them. Rubbing a hand at your forehead, you huff and let a smile rise across your lips. “We can work this out. I’m in… Just no more fighting today.”

The two snicker amongst themselves with toothy grins and come back to you. Immediately, 4!Goku seals his lips to yours, your surprised face captured in his large hands. Xenoku is also stunned by his other half’s impulsive act. You were overcome with the warmth that filled your pounding chest and left breathless when he pulled away.

“I’ve been waiting to do that.” He grinned, tail swishing behind him happily as he nuzzled his cheek against your red face. “First kiss with (Y/n) is all mine.”

“Hey, that’s not fair!” The blue-haired saiyan contended with a jealous pout. Though, he also asserts his feelings and captures you away from him, With a hand around your body holding you close and the other full of your cheek he plants a full, eager kiss to your lips.The push your hopeless heart couldn’t take and sent your mind empty. Your legs felt weak in ways you only dreamed of.

“There. The best kiss with (Y/n) is mine!”

They’re both simply too much. But one could never be too much for another who couldn’t get enough of them.

#My writing #son goku x reader #goku x reader #goku imagine #dbz imagine #dbz fics #goku #goku's birthday

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phantomwarrior12 · 2 years

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Enthralled

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He's never distracted when he calls a Crucible match.

He's always present. Engaged. Enraptured, even, by the battles playing out before him on the view screens. He's always ready to offer words of encouragement or a gentle reprimanding to overzealous or foolish rookies.

But all of that changes on days like today.

When she's here.

When the Young Wolf arranges herself in a corner, a mat laid out beneath her knees and a data pad in her hand. She doesn't always read - more often than not, she studies some technique, some fragment another Guardian had unlocked and tries to implement it into her own Light.

Today, his Warlock is shifting an orb of Light. Searing orange to crackling blue to unsettling violet. Solar to Arc to Void.

She is shifting the orb between each subclass and Lord Shaxx is utterly enthralled with it.

He's hardly granted the opportunity to watch Warlocks perform such things. Often, Titans don't have the opportunity to shift their subclass mid-melee. It is a fist, a hammer or a shield. There is no morphing it mid-battle, let alone at close range.

But Warlocks. With their range and ingenuity - such a thing is possible for them.

Beyond the tactical advantage, there is something alluring about the way her Light moves. It's almost like it's breathing. Condensing and expanding in a steady, yet complicated rhythm.

He simply cannot take his eyes off of it.

Until it doesn't move. Until her eyes drift to him and the Light stills between her fingers.

She tilts her head and Shaxx squares his shoulders.

"That looks…complicated."

She smiles. It's warm, affectionate but holds a degree of amusement as well. She does enjoy his intrigue, his endless questions when she performs abilities like this. He knows that. It's why he doesn't feel the need to justify his curiosity.

She nods toward his consoles, the sudden alert of a match's conclusion drawing his gaze back to them.

"Excellent work! You annihilated them." He speaks through the comm before deactivating it and turning back to her.

Her brow has arched - she's intrigued now, too.

He moves toward her, kneeling down as his hand lifts to cup her own. Her skin is warm beneath his touch, and he can feel the radiating Light through her as his other hand lifts to touch it but she swiftly slaps his hand away, shattering any illusions he has of touching the orb.

He rubs the top of his glove, a soft chuckle slipping between them, "You're always always so pleasantly vicious, Guardian. I love that about you."

She maneuvers the orb off to the side so she can lean in, resting her forehead against his helmet for an instant in a show of affection before she leans back. She nods to the consoles again, her way of reminding him he needs to get back to the Crucible matches.

"I still have five minutes before the next one is complete." He tilts his head, gaze drifting back to the Light. "What's the purpose of this? Shifting it mid-form. An adaptable offensive? Perhaps combining aspects of all three subclasses for a stronger attack?"

She smiles. Not an endearing, affectionate sort. But one of amusement and mild annoyance as she shakes her head.

"Nothing like that, my love." The Guardian performs the Light shift once more and Shaxx's spine straightens at the myriad of colors before him.

It truly is breathtaking…much like her.

"So…what is its purpose, dearest?" His voice softens with curiosity, though his eyes never leave the orb.

"Balance. Guardians often become reliant on one subclass to aid them. To be able to shift between all three, adapting to any situation, mastering all the aspects - it takes a balance of the mind and soul, Shaxx." Her smile softens as she looks up at him.

It goes beyond the physical, of course it does. He always sees the tactical while his Warlock, ever the one for the spiritual - she finds the way to make such things possible but not for battle. For discovery. For curiosity's sake. For that piece of her soul that longs to balance the Light and Darkness.

He can't put into words how proud he is of her.

The alert sounds behind him and she gives an encouraging push to his shoulder with a playful smile.

His chest flutters a little as he rises to his full height and moves toward the consoles. Three matches ending, he makes the appropriate callouts before willing himself to remain at the console and not return to her side. The orb is entrancing - she probably doesn't mean it to be but it is.

Silence hangs between them, a comfortable sort that allows her to focus while he makes adjustments to the next roster.

He notes a few particles of Light drifting by him and it's enough to draw his eyes back to her. The orb has grown, casting a glow over her features and the Titan leans against his console. He takes his time admiring her, the subtle flicker in her eyes. The soft scrunch of her nose just before the Light shifts in color. The pleased tug at the corner of her lips after each success.

By the Traveler, she is beautiful.

His Warlock. His partner. His beloved.

The blip behind him forces his gaze away from her, as much as it pains him. He wants to give her his undivided attention - but the Crucible beckons.

Another few minutes. The soft buzz of the Light shifting has become background noise and undetectable beyond the roaring of the Crucible. He manages to get himself lost in one particularly competitive match before he feels her arms encircle his waist and her cheek rest against his shoulder blade.

"Are you finished?" He asks softly, laying a gloved hand over the two interlocked over his torso.

"For now." She returns, giving a gentle squeeze, "How close are the matches to being done for tonight?"

"There's still time enough for–" he pauses, noting the subtle downward shift of her arms. Her shoulders have slumped, her grip easing a fraction and his hand tightens it's hold on hers in response. "...perhaps these rookies could use an evening off to recover. It's been a long day, after all."

Her laugh vibrates against the metal plating and he can't help his smile in response.

"In fact, after this match," he continues, "I think the Crucible will conclude for today. I don't suppose your evening is cleared?"

"For you? Always." She disentangles herself and moves around him.

He's greeted with a broad smile and his chest flutters again. The waning sunlight dances against her skin - he's reminded of the Light orb and the way it illuminated her features in a soft, almost angelic sort of way. The sun doesn't quite compare but holds its own entrancing effect on his Warlock.

…he needs to stop getting distracted.

She is gripping his bicep firmly and jostling him with a twinge of concern in her eyes.

"I'm alright," he chuckles, "Give me five minutes and we can head home for the evening."

Her hand smoothes over his sleeve as she nods. She presses against his side, leaning her head on his pauldron.

"...are you sure you don't want to wait somewhere more comfortable."

Her fingers entwine with his, giving a gentle squeeze. "I am where I want to be, Shaxx."

His fingers curl a bit tighter around hers, "I'm pleased to hear that, dearest."

"Focus on your match," she scolds but there is a smile in her voice.

"As you wish," another squeeze to her fingers and the Warlord returns his focus to the match before him.

But he's impatient, eager to end the event for once. So when the final point is captured and the scoreboard ticks to 150, he calls the match and activates the portal out of the arena. He waits as the Guardians disembark before deactivating the portal and turning to his Warlock.

She's focused on some stats on another screen - always so hyper-aware of her surroundings, of any data though she doesn't find it nearly as thrilling as he does.

"Are you ready?"

Her head jerks up, a smile slipping into place as she nods.

"Excellent." He takes her hand once more, "Shall we return home?"

She nods again, squeezing his hand eagerly.

As the two of them depart the Tower, Shaxx allows himself to relax. To guide her along the more scenic route home. To take their time strolling through the City, visiting the closing market before they finally step foot inside and Shaxx closes the door behind them.

When he turns, his Warlock winds her arms around his neck and he sweeps her up into his arms.

Helmets vanish and the evening is spent with sweet kisses, comfortable conversation and warm cuddles.

His favorite sort of evening - spent at her side.

And that will never change.

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

Taglists are open! Send an ask/leave a comment to be added!

Forevers: @halo-2 @reaped-winnower @forgotten-by-the-stars @sugarcoated44 @cayde-6 @avrosaetos @niemands-bibliothek

Shaxx's Guardians: @ataraxia101 @squirrel-stars

#lord shaxx x guardian #lord shaxx #the young wolf #destiny 2 warlock #destiny warlock #destiny 2 #destiny #phantom writes

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magmacannon · 9 months

Note

3-7 for Yarrow, Reach, Dee, and Lanza :3c

yes... my Excellent Guys

Gonna do my best to make this understandable pff

3. Ask them to describe their love interest.

Yarrow - "Ohh well since we don't have all day, I'll just give you a little something. My dearheart is every bit the cliche 'knight in shining armor' with a nice fun streak of petty violence down the middle. He's got that distinguished sort of handsomeness about him whether he's in armor or lazing around in a nightgown that makes bothering him irresistible - he does like it, I promise! He knows me better than anyone else at this point; we've seen eachother through some extreme lows and have come out the other side stronger for it. I'm still a little amazed he's so genuinely enchanted with me - all of me, even when I'm doing pretty poorly! He makes me blush with how sweet he can be, which i can assure you is a feat at my age. Plus he's got fantastic big-dick energy and it's well-earned - wait where are you going? Too much? Ah well-"

Reach - "...I'd rather not say. He and I are on... uncertain terms. I'm trying to make things right. Somehow. I really don't know if it's possible. He's just... I need to repay him for all he's done for me, and I did the opposite of that, but. I'll do it or die trying."

Dehiscence - "Nelly? I don't have the words for that. She's perfect and kind. When she travels she brings me little cloth scraps and things to hold. She gets flustered easily. She hates blood even though there's so much of it in every person, including herself. I'd do anything for her."

Lanza - "Well thank you for ah, flattering me. I've got too much on my plate to be tied down right now, you see? I'm busy, come back in ten years or so and ask me again, capiche?"

4. Do they look good in red?

Yarrow - absolutely! Yarrow has the fashion sense and the time to make most any look work well, but red is one of the colors he prefers to wear (matches his eyes). It can be a little eye-searing at times, though.

Reach - He'd probably look really nice in some darker maroon-reds, but I don't think he has access to much red (or at least doesn't have it in his wardrobe??) I think he'd consider it too flashy.

Dee - Absolutely 100%, both when they have a red-toned mushroom growth and later when it's more brown/orange tones. I do think they'd prefer it as accents or (at most) a tank top - not too overwhelming

Lanza - out of all of these I think she'd have the most difficult time with making it work as she's got blue tones in her skin/hair.

5. Speech! Speech! Speech! Speech! Will they give one, and what about?

Yarrow - 99 times out of 100, Yarrow is prepared to give a short and effective speech at a party or some other social event. His ability to be Aware of the situation and vibe around him in those settings in nearly uncanny, so he very rarely has issues with these landing incorrectly! (when they don't go well it's a spectacular fumble)

Reach - He would NOT give one. Reach (especially in his older age) is extremely reserved and not really an orator. Unless he was in a small group of friends (genuinely at max 3 or 4 other people) he'd be too uncomfortable to speak - if the group was small though, he'd give a short two sentences about staying strong through cooperation or something similar to that.

Dee - You couldn't make Dee give a speech at their own wedding! Dee would write something thought-provoking but if someone tried to get them to say it they'd just Stare until the person left kfhfjdk

Lanza - At MOST Lanza would give a 5-word 'speech' in celebration or frustration with whatever event was happening. She has the confidence to roast someone if they keep pushing, too.

6. Who will they take advice from, no matter what it is? Who won’t they take advice from, no matter what it is?

Yarrow - Up until extremely recently, Yarrow would have answered this first question as "no one" - with a half-exception for therapists. Nowadays he's extremely wildly likely to listen to Kiro's advice, unless it relates to a few things that Yarrow thinks he handles better. Yarrow wouldn't take advice from anyone under 40 years old simply because they Do Not Know Enough, in his opinion. Also any paladin in his current city couldn't give him advice that he'd follow literally to save his life.

Reach - Without question, Reach would take advice from his higher-ups and from Sumet, his hunting partner and partner in all things (up until recently). Reach wouldn't ignore the advice of anyone, as he was trained to be big on cooperation and has a terrible need for answers in his current stage of life.

Dee - They're a very interesting case for this question because I think the only person they'd take advice from without question is Nelly's uncle, who has a very strong understanding of the issues Nelly is going through in regards to not following her family's traditional monster hunting job and who, while loved, is a bit of an outsider because (?) he took the same path. Other than that, Dee tens to weigh any opinion or advice against their own internal thoughts before acting on anything. They also tend to not take other people's advice at all unless they're someone they trust immensely.

Lanza - She's pretty strong-willed about a lot of things, so Lanza doesn't tend to trust anyone's advice implicitly! If they're an expert in something (personal or professional) that she doesn't know much about then she's likely, but not guaranteed, to listen to what they say. In her old setting I would have said she'd never follow the advice of her parents bc she was going through a 'rebel against old people' phase but honestly I don't think she's like that in other settings! She's just pretty headstrong still lol.

7. Describe them in three words. Now let them describe themself in three words.

Yarrow - I'd describe him as sharp, uncanny, and horny whereas he'd describe himself as "smart, gorgeous, and horny" or something along those lines pff

Reach - "Stubborn, misguided, and tired" are mine, Reach would likely call himself "worn, lost, and desperate". A younger Reach would have called himself sure, strong, and knowledgeable, though.

Dee - I'd say they're touch-starved, eerie, and like.... almost chivalrous??? perhaps like a loyal dog?? whereas they would describe themselves (if forced) as "reserved, tenacious, and steady".

Lanza - I get the privilege to call her a "fre-willed Italian butch(?)" whereas she'd call herself "free, skilled, and well-dressed"

#thanks for the ask!!!#I DID IT.... this one's big #c: Yarrow #c: Reach #c: Dehiscence #C: Lanza

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ushiko · 2 years

Text

ಌ cute turtle sticker on a train | aone takanobu

aone x gn! reader

synopsis: five moments on the train with aone where loved bloomed under the train lights with turtle stickers on phone cases.

word count: 3.0k+

a/n: i had to use the time skip photo for the banner, he's just so cute in it!

Riding the train every day wasn’t my favorite thing to do but people watching was a favorite pass time of mine. Seeing all the different people and aspects of life surrounding me. The tired woman probably going to her second job, the man who sleeps with his arms crossed from working all night, and the little girl playing on her tablet while her mom talks loudly on the phone next to her.

Then, there is him.

The boy with bright, white hair reflects off his pale skin and brightens his light green eyes. His eyes are sharp as he stares down at his phone which had a little turtle sticker on his clear phone case. He always wore a small frown on his face as he tightly held onto the school bag next to him as his eyes stared strictly down on the phone screen in front of him. The colors of his uniform told me that he went to the same school as me, Date Tech High. I’d never seen him before though most of the time I could barely remember anyone’s faces at school. However, I feel like I would remember someone like him. He had a strong build and seemed to have a tall stature since he was towering over everyone on the train. I couldn’t get over that such a stoic man had such a cute, turtle sticker with hearts all around it laying on his case.

The train stopped as most people prepared to gather their bags to get off. The white-haired boy shut off his phone and picked up his bag to his lap, throwing his phone inside. Moving my bag to my lap, I watch over the train to see the same people as always getting off the train. Except for this time, my focus was more on the brooding man standing as the train came to a stop with the doors opening widely. I was right, he was tall through as I got up to see him leave, I lost him in the crowd. I sigh and pull my bag higher on my shoulder as I move towards school, the same steps that he and his cute sticker are taking.

ಌ ONE

It was the next morning, and the train was lighter than most mornings. I decided to take one of the better sears on the train since it was easier that way. I settle into the seat while setting my bag on my lap and wait for the doors to close to move to the next stop.

“You go to Date Tech?” a deep-vibrating voice asks next to me.

My body jumps slightly with a silent squeal passes my lips to see the white-haired boy sitting next to me. I didn’t even notice he was there. Has he been there the whole time?

“Ah yes, I do,” I answer hesitantly.

I didn’t mean to answer so nervously but it was rare to talk to anyone at school or the train. He nods once and turns back to his phone on whatever video he was watching. I stare blankly at him as I try to process the last few moments between me and him.

How did he know I go to Date Tech High? I look around at myself to see nothing particular that wouldn’t indicate I went there until I saw the pin on my bag. In big bold letters says ‘Date Tech’ with the school's colors surrounding it. Now that question makes more sense but still…

How did I not even notice he was sitting next to me? I mean he is so big and tall I think it would be hard to miss him.

Either way, this gave me the chance to see him up close. His hair almost appeared brighter up close and his skin was flawless alabaster that made everything come together perfectly. The jacket stretched across his shoulders and his chest showing off his stronger stature. I feel my cheeks brighten as I realized I was staring at him with no self-regard. I turn back forward and try to focus on anything but the man next to me. If I had looked, I would have seen his skin turn a shade of light pink while he gripped tightly onto this phone that still laid a cute, turtle sticker.

ಌ TWO

It has been about a week and the white-haired boy from school hasn’t talked to each other since that first interaction. Those were the only words he has ever said to me and I was craving more. When we both got off, all he did was nod at me and leave the train into the crowd. Every time I would somehow lose sight of the tall man in the crowd and scramble to see where he went with no luck. I just wanted to at least get to know one classmate since we rode the train together every morning. How can someone lose a 6’3 man in a crowd?!

Today, the train was packed and there were barely any seats available. Everyone looking for a seat and scrambling to find one, but they kept missing one seat or more light they were avoiding it altogether.

Next to him. White-haired boy.

It appeared that everyone was avoiding sitting next to him as they refused to even look at the seat next to him. It was probably because of that unnatural frown all over his face. Well, I wanted to seat since my bag was extra heavy today with all the textbooks I had to carry for school. I wasn’t scared to sit next to him. He is not that scary or intimidating, he is softer than he appears to be. He just looks like someone not well aware of how his appearance can come off to some people. Last time, I didn’t even notice I was sitting next to him.

“Excuse me, is this seat taken?” I ask while pointing to the seat next to him.

He snaps his head up and shakes his head while shifting his body slightly to make some room though there was very little change.

“Thank you,” I whisper as I set down my bag on the ground and try to get comfortable in the seat.

“You’re welcome,” a small voice beside me whispers.

I glance over to him to see his eyes focused on his phone again like every morning. He was too cute as I watched his eyes shift over to mine every few moments. I couldn’t help the smile that passes my lips as the train creaked and speeds past the sunlight.

ಌ THREE

I wanted to know his name.

After about a month of riding on the train with him and even sitting next to each other from time to time, I still didn’t know his name. We even went to the same school, and I had no idea what his name even started with. My goal today was to at least get one part of his name. My head swivels around as I look for him eventually my eyes land on a bright, white piece of hair. Quickly, I move towards the back where he is sitting to see no one sitting around him, like usual, sadly. It broke my heart every time I saw people scurrying away after seeing that the open spot was next to him. He wasn’t that intimidating, to be honest, he just appeared to be like a shy, teddy bear. Without even asking, I sit down next to him and tap his shoulder lightly. Glancing up from his phone, he furrows his brows and stares widely at me.

“Hi, I know this is so random but what is your name? You know we ride this train together every morning and go to the same school so I thought we should know each other’s names. Mine’s (Y/N)!”

He keeps staring at me with a blank look in his eyes as the video on his phone fills up the silence surrounding us. My heart picks up as I finally look him in the eye to see the brightest green eyes I’ve ever seen. His eyes were even prettier up close. They had specks of yellow and brown in them that made me want to stare into them all day, they were beautiful.

“Aone,” he simply states.

I shake my head and pull myself out of the green pools of his eyes and the daydream that they pull me into.

“I’m sorry, what was it?” I ask shyly, rubbing the back of my neck.

“Aone, that’s my name,” he answers.

My lips split into a smile as he turns his attention back to his video, but I was focusing on the light-pink color that was illuminated on his pale skin.

Aone, perfect.

“Well, Aone, it’s very nice to meet you.”

ಌ FOUR

Everything was pretty much the same ever since learning his name. Though every time I got on the train, I would sit next to Aone and we would sit in a comfortable silence as he continued to watch his phone and I would people watch. There was a rare time that words were passed between us. I wanted to change that. I wanted to know what was behind that rough exterior and get to know who he truly was.

“I like your sticker, by the way. It’s very cute,” I tell him as I point to his case. It was a small sticker with a small turtle having little pink hearts surrounding it while smiling. I believe this was his true being on the inside. Just a small turtle waiting for someone to bring him out of his shell. That baby pink blush covers his cheeks as he glances up at me.

“Thank you,” he whispers before going back to the video on his phone. I hum and decide to be noisy and see what was on his screen. What is always watching every morning on his phone? Seeing out of the small corner on his phone to see a volleyball game on it.

“You like volleyball too?!” I enthusiastically ask.

I lean closer to him to see which game he was watching on his screen. I tried playing the game but I never got the knack for it and the skills never developed naturally. For years and years, I trained until one day I realized that I just didn’t have the skill to play it so I would watch game after game but that made it worse.

“I play it, actually,” he answers while pointing the small words on his jacket. The small words said, ‘Date Tech Volleyball Team’. I read the words over and over again. I swear I need glasses; how do I not notice these things?!

“Oh wow! If I knew you were playing for Date Tech, I would have come to watch a game a long time ago!”

I rarely went to any games since the school was always in the way and crowds were never my favorite thing plus watching volleyball made me realize what I couldn’t do which was play it. But now that I know someone amazing playing it, I couldn’t wait to watch.

The next few moments were silent as Aone slowly moved his phone lower that way we both could watch the game playing across his screen. I was so enamored by the video that if I had looked up, I would have seen Aone flushed with color contrasting against his skin and silently hoping you couldn’t hear the way his heart was pounding out his chest.

ಌ FIVE

“Aone, look at this!”

I shove my phone in his face to show him the Karasuno v. Date Tech game again. I couldn’t get over the game and kept watching it over and over again. Aone looked so graceful in the game even though it was mostly just blocks and spikes, but his speed and timing were so perfect.

“Mhm, yes. That was a hard spike to block from their ace,” he states flatly.

I pout and pull the phone to my lap, “You should be more excited, Aone. You looked so cool! I can’t believe you shut that spike down like that!”

He blushes and rubs the back of his neck, “It wasn’t that good.”

“Yes, it was, Aone! You were amazing! I can’t wait to see the next game!”

“You want to come to the next game?” he asks shyly as his cheeks turned brighter.

I nod enthusiastically, “Of course! I have to cheer on my train bestie!”

The color of his face turned darker as his blush deepened on his skin as the train creaks to a stop and people came off and on. Aone and I both grab our bags and head off the train. We walk next to each other as our steps match together and the back of our hands brush against each other. My heart skipped every time I felt his hand touch mine and feel our skin touch for one moment. Every moment with him felt lighter than the next, I never wanted this to end.

“Aone?” I ask quietly.

He hums while looking down at me with those green eyes I always got lost in.

“Can we be friends?” I shyly ask while smiling up at him.

He stops in his tracks as the bag almost slips off his shoulder to the ground. His eyes widen as the redness covers his cheeks to his ears making him look even cuter than before.

All of a sudden, he bows and loudly states, “I accept your friendship, greatly.”

I giggle lightly as I watch him bow in the middle of the station. People were giving us strange glances, but I didn’t care, I was too focused on the person in front of me.

“Thank you, Aone. I’m glad we are friends now but let’s go we don’t want to be late to class,” I chuckle as he stands firmly back up and nods harshly. He stands beside me again as we move away from the station to Date Tech. The sun shined brightly above us as we left the memories of the station behind and began news ones under a new light.

ಌ FUTURE

"Takanobu! Dinner is ready!” I yell across the home as Aone came from work and was ready to lay down flat on the couch, but he first needed food before any of that. I hear his groans as he makes his way into the kitchen as I set the steaming plate on the counter. He sat with a bright, white shirt on and grey sweatpants laying on his legs. He was still as perfect as he was in high school even though throughout the years his muscles have softened but he was still as beautiful as he was on the train when I first saw him.

“Thank you, love,” he says as he starts digging into the bowl.

I smile sweetly at him and press a small kiss on top of his head and sit across from him.

Over the past couple of years, our relationship has grown slowly after that day on the train where I asked him to be friends. We rode the train together, walked to school together, and I would try to come to every game Date Tech had if I could. As time went on, we became attached at the hip and feelings blossomed till they toppled over one day. It happened on a rainy day to school where Aone gave me a matching sticker as he has on his case. The feelings were overwhelming and bubbling to the surface when I announced my love for him. He was silent for a few moments until the same words spoke from his lips that day where he asked me to be his in the middle of the train station. It was also the day when it became traditional to get the cute turtle sticker on every phone case we got.

“What are you thinking about?” a deep, flowing voice asks.

I snap my eyes up from the bowl to see Aone already looking at me with those bright green eyes staring back at me. I could stare at them forever its like I have nature in front of me forever.

“Nothing, just thinking about the past.”

“Mhm? What about the past?”

“Just when you gave me one of your stickers,” I say as I point to the sticker on the back of my case.

He smiles slightly and pokes at the turtle sticker on my phone that was a small one with its lips shaped in the form of a kiss and lip stains of kisses all over. He also had the same sticker on his phone since he allowed me to decide on which one to get for the both of us.

“I’m very glad you accepted it. I was so nervous that day. I was scared that you weren’t going to accept it,” he reveals honestly.

Aone wasn’t one to talk about his feelings but when he did it was beautiful. It was hard to keep my heart from racing when he whispered those words to me late at night when the moon reflected off our skin and we would talk low to each other till we were wrapped up in one another and our heartbeats lulled us to sleep. Now, under the sunlight, my heart still pounded just the same and my face warmed with my fingers tingling from the words leaving his lips. The words flowed so naturally for him it was hard to believe that he was so shy when he is so perfect with his words.

A small giggle passes my lips and puts my hand over his, “I would never. It might not have been obvious, but I liked you a lot back then. My heart jumped out of my chest when you gave me this. It felt like you were giving me a piece of you.”

He blushes and intertwines his fingers into mine, “I give you everything and more, my love.”

He always had a way with romantic words that flowed seamlessly from his lips and it makes my heart race each time.

“I wouldn’t want anything less. And I’ll give you all of me.”

He smiles brightly at me and presses a kiss to my palm as we look at each other and think of the old times. The moments when words weren’t spoken, and only small looks and actions were displays of our love. The moments when your hearts pounded in silence and glances were our form of looking at each other without each other finding out.

Now, we showed our love through turtle stickers and words that bloomed under the lights of a creaky train.

©️ushiko; do not copy, steal, or plagiarize my work!!

#♥︎ taywrites #aone x reader #haikyuu #haikyu #aone takanobu #haikyu x reader #haikyuu x reader #aone takanobu x reader #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu imagines #hq fluff #hq x reader #haikyuu x you

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lena-in-a-red-dress · 3 years

Text

Stronger Together

"Dreamer!"

Lena's alarm sears across Nia's senses. She registers the danger at the corner of her eye-- a Brevakk ripping off his sleeves to expose the keratinized spurs protruding from his arms. One sweep of his arm and she'll be dead, skewered in a spray of thick quills sharp enough to penetrate her suit and lacerate any organ they could reach. But she's locked in battle with a K'hund attacking from the front, so all she can do is brace for the inevitable impact.

Suddenly, Nia's view of the Brevakk is eclipsed by the shadow of Lena's back.

"NO!"

The force of the thorns' impact knocks Lena fron her feet, slamming into Nia and causing them both to go down with a cry. Lena's gauntlet fires once, stunning the Brevakk with a glancing blow. Nia throws her own arm out towards her opponent in a desperate bid to gain some ground. The blast of dream energy sends him flying, and when Nia doesn't notice that he doesn't rise again. Her attention is locked on Lena, and the half dozen quills that have found a home in her chest.

"Lena, Lena, oh my god." Nia's hands shake as she climbs out from under Lena and kneels beside her on the pavement. "No, no, no..."

Lena's eyes are glassy and dazed. She looks down at the horns, reaching drunkenly towards them only for Nia to pull her hands away.

"Why did you do that?"

Nia's suit wouldn't have helped much, but it was better than Lena's blouse-- a silly silken thing now ripped and torn, digging into the edges of the wounds around the quills. Lena had no protection beside her gauntlet, and still she had jumped between them.

"N-nia..." Lena's voice crackles in her throat. She coughs, and blood spatters across her chin, staining her berry-red lips a color far more sinister.

Nia's heart lurches with panic. Her head whips up in search of Kara, but Supergirl isn't here. She's on the other side of the city with J'onn, fighting further unrest there. Her eyes lock on another figure, black leather instead of blue.

"ALEX!!"

Nia's shriek cuts through the din, and Sentinel's head whips towards her. In an instant, the pistol in her hand shifts into a warhammer, and Alex slams it down on her opponent, all thoughts of mitigating casualties forgotten. She skids to her knees beside Nia, nearly elbowing her out of the way to crouch over Lena.

"Lena? Jesus... Lena! Can you hear me? Look at me, look at me--"

Lena's eyes track to Alex, and Nia chokes on a sob when she sees the fear in them. But Alex only calms.

"Good, you're okay," Alex tells her, stroking Lena's hair once with a gentle hand. "You're going to be okay."

With her free hand, Alex fumbles for the watch on Lena's wrist, flipping open its face and silently pressing the symbol embossed there. She doesn't take her eyes off Lena for a moment, and when the signal is active Alex slides her palm into Lena's, which curls tightly around hers.

"H-hurts--"

Lena's breath begins to quicken, and the corners of her eyes pinch with the onset of pain. The shock is quickly wearing off, leaving nothing to dull the pain. Alex nods, giving Lena's hand a squeeze.

"I know, but it's going to be okay," she promises. "We're going to get you somewhere safe--"

Supergirl touches down at the moment, pavement cracking beneath the force of her panic. "Lena!!"

Kara kneels opposite her sister, taking in the damage with wide eyes. She grips Lena's free hand tightly, even as she looks to Alex for instructions.

"Hospital," Alex says simply, urgency clipping her tone. "Now."

Kara nods, and gently maneuvers Lena into her arms. Lena cries out, the sound sharp in Nia's ears. When Nia blinks, tears dampen the fabric of her mask.

"I'm sorry," Kara murmurs, pressing her nose to the side of Lena's head. "I'm sorry."

"K-kar--" Lena gasps for breath, coughing up more blood. Her back now visible, Nia sees that one of the thorns has penetrated so deeply that it tents the back of Lena's shirt.

"It's okay," Kara echoes the well-meaning lie of her sister. "I've got you."

In a burst of wind, Kara takes off, and Nia sits dazed in her wake. It's long moments before she registers Alex's insistent hands tugging her up.

"It was supposed to be me," Nia intones, flat with shock. "She--"

"I know," Alex cuts her off, not unkindly. She tugs Nia to her feet then shoves her into a run. "But we need to go. Now!"

Together, they make their retreat, leaving the alley and the unconscious aliens behind just as the distant wail of approaching sirens cuts through the air.

---

Nia wastes no time in stripping off her costume and changing back into her civvies. But before she can reach the exit, Alex cuts her off. "You can't go to the hospital."

Surprise jolts through Nia, before its quickly replaced with anger. "Are you insane?"

"Nia--"

"I can't just wait here-- she-- those barbs were meant for me, Alex! She's hurt because of me. I can't not be there!"

"Kara just called."

Time seems to freeze. Nia feels ice pool in her veins as a lump climbs to her throat and lodges there. "No..."

Alex rushes to reassure her. "No! That's not-- no, Lena's still in surgery. But-- the police are there."

Nia's relief that Lena is alive cuts short with confusion. "What? Why?"

"They're there to take Lena into custody."

"They can't do that!"

"She's aided and abetted known vigilantes," Alex explains. "With everything that's been happening lately--"

"It's not right!"

"Lena will be fine. Truly. Kara is going to CatCo to get Andrea to make the arrest as public as possible. Between that and the Luthor reputation, my guess is that they'll question her about our identities and then let her go."

"That's-- that's--" Nia struggles to find words through her growing rage. The helplessness of the past few months, the rising anti-alien sentiments, the crackdown on Supergirl on her friends... it all comes to a head, and Nia can barely breathe.

Alex reaches for Nia's hand. "If you go now, you'll only risk exposing yourself. Lena wouldn't want that."

Nia sucks in a breath, but it comes in a sob. The next thing she knows, Alex's arms are around her and she's crying into her shoulder, huge lurching sobs that feel like the world is quaking around her.

"It's okay," Alex promises.

"It's my fault," Nia gasps. "It's all my fault..."

"Lena's going to be okay."

---

Nia may not be able to go to the hospital, but she can't stay in the Tower either. In the end she goes to CatCo, ready to throw her weight behind Kara's pitch to fry the police in the press. Luckily, Andrea doesn't need the convincing.

"I want both of you on this," their boss delivers with a coolness sharpened to a razors edge by the glint of rage in her eyes. "William too. I want you to dig up anything you can find about the arresting officers. Any whisper of corruption within the NCPD that you might have been sitting on, now is your time to air it. CatCo won't stand for this."

Nia and Kara both nod solemnly before retreating to their desks. But instead of diverting to her own desk, Kara follows Nia to hers.

"How are you holding up?"

The gentle question threatens a resurgence of tears. Nia looks away, only for her eyes to catch on the photo of her and Lena on her desk, taken at one of their sister nights the year before. Nia can't remember the last time they've hung out, just the two of them.

Blinking furiously, Nia flips the picture down and opens up her laptop. "Fine."

"It's okay to not be fine..."

"Do you want to know if I'm angry that my friend is alone in the hospital because of me? Fine! I'm angry!"

Kara's features soften. "Nia..."

"It's my fault she's there in the first place!" Nia hisses. The lump returns to her throat, and her eyes burn with unshed tears. "She just, just... she just jumped between us! I should've--"

"Hey." Kara calms her with a hand on her shoulder. Nia sucks in a breath, then another, trying to steady herself. Finally, Kara's features pinch into a bemused smile. "You know Lena... There's no line she won't cross, for the people she cares about."

Instead of comforting her, Kara's words only makes Nia grit her teeth. She turns back to the computer. They better be willing to do the same for her.

"Let's get to work."

----

The first article runs the following morning, skewering the police department for rampant anti-alien abuses while highlighting Lena's charity and outreach. While it's not quite enough to banish the police presence from the hospital, it does get a single visitor in to see Lena. Nia expects Kara to take it, but to her surprise Kara simply nods her towards the door.

"Go," Kara says softly. "Give her our love."

Nia doesn't stop to ask twice. She's ushered into Lena's hospital room by a kindly looking nurse, glaring at the officer posted outside the door on her way in. The second her eyes land on Lena, rage swells in her chest at the side of the handcuffs tethering Lena to the bed.

"Is that really necessary?" she demands, balling her hands into fists. "Where is she going to go?"

"Nia..." Lena's soft voice from the bed interrupts her before she can gather much steam. "It's okay."

Nia huffs, eyeing the way the officer slowly moves his hand from his sidearm when Nia turns back to the room. But then all she can see is Lena, hair limp and torso bulky with bandages under her hospital gown.

"It's not okay," Nia says, sitting in the chair thats been placed next to Lena's bed.

"It's just a misunderstanding," Lena insists, her gaze sliding towards the door. The door itself remains open, denying them any sense of privacy. But Lena doesn't seem to mind when her gaze returns to Nia. "You okay?"

Nia chokes on her own tongue. "Am I--? Lena, you're in the hospital..."

"And I'm okay." Lifting her cuffed wrist, Lena silently reaches for Nia's hand, which Nia offers without hesitation. "Promise."

All of a sudden, the tears come back, pressing against her eyelids as she squeezes her eyes shut. "I promised myself I wouldn't cry--"

"It's okay," Lena assures her. "I'm okay."

"You shouldn't have--"

"Been there in the alley? When that guy tried to mug me?" Lena asks pointedly. Clearly, she's already established her cover story. "You're right, I should have known better." She pitches her voice loud enough to carry to the door. "I'm just lucky Sentinel and Dreamer were there to help me."

They wait a moment to listen for a response, but when none comes, they devolve into a fit of giggles.

"Ow," Lena grimaces with a cough. "No laughing for a while."

Nia tightens her grip on Lena's hand. "I... Lena, I'm so sorry--"

"I'd do it again," Lena returns, softly this time. Her words are for Nia alone. "That's what friends do."

---

Alex turns out to be right. As soon as Lena is well enough to leave the hospital, she's taken to the precinct for interrogation, but between CatCo's articles stirring up enough local support that a crowd forms around the precinct to protest the arrest, and the kind of lawyers a Luthor can acquire even after abandoning the family legacy, Lena is released without charge in a matter of hours.

Nia stays at the Tower hoping to see her, but Lena doesn't come.

"She's guessed she's probably being watched," Alex tells her. "She'll being laying low for a while til the heat dies down. All the better, honestly. It'll give her time to heal."

Nia swallows thickly. "Where is she?"

"Home. Kara's with her, but I'm sure she'd love to see you."

Nia approaches Lena's condo without much of a plan. She's armed with snacks and movies, but she knows that having Kara there won't give Nia the time with Lena she needs. She misses Lena, all more the more since she realized how long it had been since they'd just been... friends. More than allies, more than teammates, just... friends.

It feels like Maeve all over again.

But she swallows her nerves and takes the elevator up. Kara opens the door just as Nia lifts her hand to knock.

"Hey," Kara says quietly. She steps aside to let Nia in, and though she can hear the tv from the next room, they linger in the foyer.

"Is everything okay?" Kara asks.

Nia nods. "Yeah. Um. I just--"

She doesn't have an explanation either. Nia stares at her feet, until Kara breaks the silence.

"Look, I have a favor to ask..."

"Yeah?"

"Would you mind staying with Lena for a few hours?"

When Nia looks up, she finds Kara scrubbing the back of her head with one hand, looking sheepish.

"Yeah," she continues, "I've been kind of... hovering? And I think it's getting on her nerves a little. So I figured I could get some stuff done at CatCo--"

"Yes," Nia blurts. "Yes, of course. I'll stay."

Kara grins. "Thanks. She's in the living room now, if you want to..."

"Right. Yeah, I've got this. Go."

Kara thanks her with another smile that makes her whole face shine. "Call if you need anything."

She slips out the door with a wink, and locks it behind her. Nia walks to the living room on wooden legs, and finds Lena laying on the couch against a pile of pillows, propping her up to take the pressure off her wounds.

She looks up when Nia enters, and though her eyes are tired, her features crease into a smile. "Hey..."

"Hey."

Lena struggles to sit up, prompting Nia to close the distance swiftly. "No, no, no, stay comfy."

Relenting with a sigh, Lena groans. "Not like I have much choice these days."

"It'll get better."

Silence follows. Nia stands awkwardly, hands gripping her bag of candy tightly until Lena regards it with curiosity.

"What's all this?"

Nia starts. "Oh. Uhm... I thought-- well, I was wondering..." She trails off, shoulders slumping. "It's been a while since we've had sister's night."

When Lena doesn't answer, Nia risks a glance up to find Lena blinking in astonishment, before her features soften to warmth. She smiles.

"Well, there's no time like the present."

Lena lifts her arms, making playful grabby motions with her hands.

"What'd you bring me?"

----

Hours later, Kara returns home to find Nia seated on the couch with Lena's legs across her lap. It's as close to cuddling as Lena can get, with her injuries, and the way Nia's hands are spread over Lena's shins tells Kara that the contacr was very much needed.

Lena sleeps peacefully, the tv low in the background. Nia looks up at Kara from the shadows, the light reflecting in the tear tracks painted on her cheeks. Without a word, Kara slips in next to Nia, working her way under Lena's ankles to wrap one arm around the younger girl's shoulders.

Nia hugs her back, shaking quietly with the effort to keep her crying silent.

"It's okay," Kara whispers. Nia nods against her. So long as they were all together, they could get through anything.

"We're going to be okay."

#supercorp #nia and lena brotp #kind of a continuation of sister sister #alternate universe #but could have conceivably happened if lena had been part of the superfriends during the col storyline #that sort of atmosphere #let me know what you think

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asthmark · 4 years

Text

❝ 10 things i know about you ❞ l.jn

synopsis → there are ten important things you learn about lee jeno during your time in quarantine.

request → “if you're still accepting requests, can u make a domestic roommate!jeno? 🥺🥺 thank you and have a nice dayyy”

word count → 7.1k (bruhhh)

sharing an apartment with lee jeno isn’t ideal.

it’s not that he’s a lousy roommate or that you disliked him in any way; you just didn’t know him. you had first met through a mutual friend. they knew jeno was looking for someone to split rent with and that you happened to need a place to stay. they promised you he would give you privacy and assured jeno you were excellent roommate material. with that, arrangements were made and soon enough you moved in together. of course, it was a bit awkward at first but you two eventually got used to each other’s presence. although you were never in the same room for too long and oftentimes went days without speaking, you coexisted.

for a long time, you only knew a couple things about your roommate. for example, you were aware of his strong love for cats, especially his pet calico, seol. you also knew he kept the freezer stocked with pizza rolls that he would use as energy when he stayed up all night playing video games.

what you didn’t know, however, was that you would be spending the next couple months locked in your apartment with him. on top of that, you would begin to learn more things about him—his life, his personality, his feelings.

there are ten important things you learn about lee jeno during your time in quarantine.

1. he’s a heavy sleeper.

at 10:28 in the morning you find yourself seated at the dining table in the kitchen, spooning froot loops into your mouth. as you stuff your face, you scroll through your phone for entertainment. you decide to open instagram first but you quickly find that to be a mistake. as soon as you open the app a picture of lucas and who you thought was his ex-girlfriend greets you. if that was bad, the caption hits you like a ton of bricks.

@lucas_xx444: should have never left you

in only five words, lucas has completely erased the months you spent dating. it meant nothing to him. sure, things hadn’t ended things the best way but going right back to his toxic ex and even admitting to missing her—now that was a new low. was this his way of getting back at you? his way of making you hurt just like he had throughout your entire relationship? the thought alone leaves you feeling sick.

you decide you’ve already had enough social media for one morning so you decide to check your messages instead. your friends usually left a couple of them overnight. to your surprise, you find that your main group chat has accumulated 241 messages.

[10:48 am] you: good morning i see u guys have been vry chatty

[10:49 am] yeji: ur finally awake!

[10:50 am] yuna: we thought u died lol

[10:50 am] lia: YUNA

[10:50 am] lia: NO

[10:51 am] ryujin: the timing for that joke could not be worse

[10:52 am] yuna: humor is my coping mechanism leave me alone

[10:52 am] you: ??? what happened

[10:53 am] chaeryeong: we left msgs for a reason dummy read them!!

[10:53 am] you: umm there’s over 200 and im not abouta read all that

[10:54 am] yuna: well then lemme break it down

[10:54 am] yuna: the world is ending :)

[10:55 am] you: welp it was about time

[10:55 am] lia: why r u guys like this

[10:56 am] yeji: there’s been a covid-19 outbreak and it’s spreading like wildfire so the government issued a stay at home order :/

[10:57 am] you: omg WHAT

[10:57 am] ryujin: ikr it’s crazy we literally can’t go anywhere

[10:57 am] chaeryeong: and we can’t get boba today either ;( i was so looking forward to that

[10:58 am] ryujin: let’s pls take a moment of silence for all the current and future boba dates that will have to be cancelled

[10:59 am] yuna: no way am i gonna let some wannabe flu make me go boba-less i’m still going out >:(

[10:59 am] lia: ...ur joking right

[10:59 am] yeji: what color casket do u want yuna?

before the groupchat can distract you any further, you place your phone down on the table. you sit back in your chair and let the newly revealed information sink in.

you were stuck inside.

you sigh before standing to clean your dishes. as you’re scrubbing away at your bowl, you feel something brush against your leg. you smile, not even having to look down to know it was seol. the cat would often wander into your room or sleep next to you when you watched tv on the couch. in fact, you were pretty sure you spent more time with seol than his owner.

you gaze at jeno’s room. as always, the door is shut. you wonder if you should let him know what was happening. you two usually kept your distance but you figured that the circumstance you found yourself in was an exception. you quickly dry your hand and shuffle towards his room.

you knock once, quite softly. you assume he’s asleep so you try again, this time a little harder. still, no avail. the third time you put even more force into it. by this time, seol has found his way beside you and claws at the door.

“jeno?” you knock a fourth time. “jeno! lee jeno!”

after more shouting accompanied by incessant meowing, you hear some muffled movement. moments later the door knob twists open and there stands your roommate with disheveled hair and a robe that had obviously just been thrown on his body. seol has taken the open crack in the door as an invitation inside the bedroom.

jeno blinks a couple times as he watches the feline get himself comfortable on his bed. he turns back to you, looking slightly disoriented. you’re not sure if he’s half asleep or your sudden presence has thrown him for a loop. his voice comes out raspy when he asks, “was he, um, bothering you or something?”

you shake your head, vigorously. “that’s not why i came. it’s just that my friends told me that there’s been some kind of virus outbreak and we’re supposed to stay home. so, i thought i’d let you know.”

his face softens. “oh, cool.” suddenly, the look changes. “not the virus thing! that’s totally not cool. i meant, it’s cool that you let me know and stuff. you just saved me a huge freak out so, uh, thank you.”

you smile and nod. “no problem.”

jeno’s eyes linger as you retreat back into your room down the hall. the sound of his door shutting is heard only once you’re out of his eyesight.

2. he can cook better than you.

most of the time, you would go out to eat dinner with your friends in the evenings or at least stop by a drive thru. obviously, this was no longer possible in the midst of a pandemic. you found that to be incredibly frustrating as you sat on your bed, stomach empty. no matter how badly you wished to fix it, your laziness had gotten the best of you. apart from that, you already knew how unlucky you were when it came to cooking—the memory of burning noodles at lia’s house one night had been permanently seared into your brain.

you almost believe your mind is playing tricks on you when you catch a whiff of pasta in the air. for a moment you think it’s your next door neighbor, taeyong, cooking again. you knew he was quite the chef. but, the smell is getting stronger by the second and you decide it must be in your apartment.

you wander into the kitchen, only to find jeno standing over the stove. he’s stirring red sauce in a pot when he notices you watching him.

“oh, hey,” he greets with a polite wave.

you can only stare at the rest of the kitchen—pots, pans, and ingredients all over the place—in utter awe.

he chuckles, awkwardly. “yeah, sorry about the mess. i’ve been told i’m a decent cook but i can never seem to get the tidiness down.”

“no, it’s not that. this just all seems so... professional.” you sniff the air once more. “smells amazing, too.”

he smiles, sheepishly. “thanks. are you a fan of spaghetti?”

you nod.

“good. i wanted to make something you’d like.”

“you really didn’t have to,” you say, leaning against the fridge. “i mean, i’ve never done anything for you.”

he uncovers a pot to check on the pasta. you watch as hot steam rises out of it. “what about this morning?”

you can’t help but laugh. “that most certainly does not count. you’re making an entire meal. that takes a lot of effort.”

he waves a hand, dismissively. “i used to cook a lot with my old roommate, doyoung. the guy was an asian gordon ramsey, i swear. so, yeah, this is nothing too crazy. and i really do enjoy it.”

“well, i’m still gonna repay you.” you fold your arms.

he looks away from his dish to raise a brow. “is that so?”

you nod in confirmation. “definitely.”

“tell you what, if you wash the mountain of dishes that are gonna be left over, we’ll be even.”

you stare at the sink that’s already overflowing with dirty kitchen tools. that wasn’t even half of it. “uh, sure, sounds good.”

he laughs at hearing the uncertainty in your voice. “that’s the spirit.”

3. he’s allergic to cats.

the familiar sound of soft purring is what pulls you attention away from the movie playing on your laptop. already knowing exactly who it is, you launch yourself off your bed to allow your furry guest inside.

“hey seol. what’ve you been up to?”

the calico meows, almost as if he were responding to your question. you close your door and go back to your original position. you notice seol sitting directly in front of your bed, looking up at you with wide eyes.

“come on up.” you pat your sheets, invitingly.

he obeys and stretches before laying down beside you.

“have you ever watched ‘avengers’?” you ask, eyes going back to the explosive fight scene on the screen.

this time, seol doesn’t even bother humoring you with a meow. he stays silent with his head tucked into his paws.

you scratch his head and his tail wiggles. “i’ve gotta stop asking you questions.”

both you and seol’s heads snap towards the door when you hear a knock.

“come in!” you call out.

jeno swings open the door. his eyes briefly scan the room before landing on the furball on your bed. the unmistakable look of adoration shines in his eyes when he sees how lovingly you caress him.

“seol! what are you doing in here? bothering y/n?” the cat jumps off your bed and towards his owner standing in your doorway. jeno scoops him into his arms and faces you. “i’m so sorry. he saw me running a bath for him and bolted.”

“it’s all good. he’s a great movie buddy. besides, i could always use the company.”

jeno curiously glances at your computer screen. “is that ‘avengers’?”

“yep. i’ve seen it like a dozen times.”

“same here.“ he pauses. “hey, if you ever need a movie buddy—like you know, one that talks—just let me know.”

your face lights up. “i’m gonna hold you to that.”

”i hope so. well, if you’ll excuse me, i’ve gotta give this guy a bath.”

seol yowls as if he understands the meaning behind the words and attempts to escape jeno’s grip.

“here we go again,” he mumbles under his breath.

you snicker at the sight. “looks like you could use some help.”

“oh, no. it’s fine. he can just be a little bratty someti—seol!”

in the blink of an eye, the feline has successfully hopped out of his arms and made a run for it.

jeno gives you an exasperated look before rushing off to catch his runway pet. you find yourself caught up in the excitement so you follow him, the two of you now in pursuit of the calico. you’re sure the image of you both chasing the fluffy animal around the apartment looks like something straight out of a comedy. even you and jeno can’t contain your laughter when he finally catches seol only for him to slip out of his hold a second later. this exact situation repeats itself a couple times before you finally get lucky.

“i got him!” you screech. “jeno! oh my god! what do i do?”

“bathroom, bathroom, bathroom!” he chants in response.

you head in that direction with jeno trailing behind you, ready to catch seol if he somehow manages to get out of your death grip. you bend over the bathtub, slowly lowering the cat into the water. it’s clear he doesn’t have a problem with making a fuss as he wails and flails his limbs around.

after a while, he finally calms down enough that you can lather him in shampoo. jeno insists on scrubbing him, arguing that you had already done way too much. you sit back on your heels, observing the way the seol leans into his delicate touches.

“looks like he likes it now.”

“he likes to make a big deal but he ends up enjoying it every—“ jeno cuts himself off with a sneeze.

“tissue?” you offer.

he shakes his head. “that’s okay, thanks. i’m used to it. i’m just surprised my allergies haven’t acted up ‘til now.”

“allergies?” you echo.

“yeah, i’m allergic to—“ another sneeze. “cats.”

your eyes widen. “really? and you still have seol?”

“i could never get rid of him. he’s too good of a boy. isn’t—“ sneeze. “that right?” he tickles seol under his chin.

“wow. you must really love him.”

“so much.”

“he’s lucky to have you.”

“what about you? you get both of us. doesn’t that make you the luckiest?”

you snort. “i guess it does.”

4. he makes a good shopping buddy.

“i have officially cooked everything we have.”

“i can order some takeout, if you want?”

he juts his lower lip out and gives you puppy eyes. “but i like to cook for you.”

you laugh at his expression. “oh god, you look like that one pouty emoji people use when they try to be cute.”

he sits up. “did it work?”

you nod and pinch his cheek.

he yelps. “ah, stop! you’re acting like my grandma!” he manages to get out of your grasp. he rubs his face, soothing the spots you had squeezed. “seriously, though, we really do need to stock up on food.”

“i’ve already been looking into it.” you show him the screen of your phone. “says here you can still go shopping as long as you wear a mask and try to stay six feet away from other shoppers.”

he cringes. “i don’t know if i like the idea of being so close to so many people.”

“i can go by myself, then,” you suggest with a shrug.

he doesn’t hesitate to deny you. “no way are you going alone.” his possessive tone has you staring at him curiously so he adds, “you know, in case you can’t reach something on the top shelf.”

the teasing comment paired with his innocent smile makes you gasp in disbelief. “lee jeno! that’s low! and to think i almost thought you were worried about me.”

“who said i wasn’t?” he smiles at you again before standing up. “i’m going to find us some masks and then we can head out.”

once you arrive at your local grocery store, you find it to be packed. everyone seems to be in a hurry, grabbing things left and right.

“wow, it’s already gotten crazy,” jeno mumbles, stopping to stare at the flood of people that rush by.

you don’t hesitate to scold him. “well, don’t just stand there! we gotta get our stuff before there’s nothing left!”

without another word you slip into the frenzy of people. jeno struggles to stay behind you. after almost losing sight of you a couple times, he walks a little faster to catch up and places his arm firmly around your waist once he does. you look up at him, your mask covering your slightly agape mouth.

being the gentleman he is, he apologizes. “sorry but i don’t want us to get separated.”

you can only nod and mumble, “good idea.”

jeno pushes the shopping cart with his right hand and holds your figure with his left. once in a while, you’ll break apart from each other to grab an item you need but once it’s in the cart, he’ll make sure you end up in the same position. after an hour or so, you’ve grabbed enough and you decide it’s time to pay.

despite the mask she has on, you can tell the middle-aged woman behind the cash register has a big smile on her face once she catches sight of you and your roommate.

“well, just look at you two.” she sighs. “how cute.”

“oh.” you glance at her then jeno then her again. “oh, no. it’s not like that.”

you attempt to move yourself away from jeno only to find his grip to be so incredibly strong that you almost begin to think he’s trying to hold you in place. once you finally detach yourself from him, you begin loading your groceries onto the counter for the employee to scan. she does so, but not before giving you a displeased look.

“oh really? he holds you like that because you aren’t together?”

jeno assists her in placing the scanned items in bags. “i didn’t want to lose her.”

she pauses scanning a can of tuna to stare him down. “darling, that sounds like a line from a cheesy hallmark rom-com.”

you can’t help but chuckle. “what he means is that there’s a lot of people here and we didn’t want to get separated.”

jeno adds, “desperate times calls for desperate measures.”

the woman adjusts her glasses. “well, you do certainly seem desperate to have her close to you.”

jeno doesn’t say a word as he continues bagging but his smile reaches his eyes.

5. he works out.

why did the pandemic have to hit in the middle of summer?

you often asked yourself this, complaining about how inconvenient it was. especially on the days that made your apartment feel like it was on fire. the days that required a thin tank top and shorts. even then, you found yourself to be drenched in sweat.

you sprawled your arms and legs farther on the sofa, the leather material proving to be very uncomfortable. it was either that or your bed with the warm cotton sheets that stuck to your body. just thinking about it brings you discomfort. the only relief you could think of was a cold shower. you would have already taken one if jeno hadn’t been hogging the one bathroom in the apartment.

“jeno!” you yell.

silence; other than the sound of the water running.

“lee jeno!”

the water stops, temporarily for him to shout back an answer. “what?!”

you wipe at the sweat that has accumulated on the bridge of your nose. “hurry up! i’m melting!”

the water starts back up again and you groan. hoping to distract yourself, you pull out your phone. the group chat with your friends is surprisingly silent so you go to instagram for some entertainment. this time, your ex-boyfriend’s post isn’t the first thing you see. it takes you some scrolling but you do end up seeing another one of his pictures.

it’s simply two intertwined hands with a black and white filter. you identify the one on the left as his and although you aren’t as familiar with the one on the right, it doesn’t take a genius to figure out who it belongs to. contrary to the last, this photo has no cheesy words for a caption, just a red heart.

but, your stomach doesn’t drop. you don’t feel hurt, either. obviously, you still don’t enjoy seeing him just because of all the awful memories that came with it but other than that, you feel unaffected by the image.

in fact, you feel so confident in yourself that you block him.

you’re surprised you hadn’t done it sooner. you had known you didn’t need him in your life any longer so why keep in contact? you feel like a huge weight has been lifted off your shoulders when you press the red button that would keep him and his girlfriend out of your life. you knew with your whole heart that you didn’t need to see either of them.

before, a bit if you had felt the need to keep an eye on him. to see how he was handling the breakup and torture yourself with the fact that he didn’t seem to care. now, you could say you truly didn’t either. you didn’t need him or his stupid pictures. you had other, better things.

your friends.

your cat (yes, you considered seol to be yours).

your roommate.

you had to admit, jeno was the best thing on that list. quarantine had brought you and him significantly closer and you were over the moon about it. he was so wonderful that you kicked yourself for having lived with him for so long without ever really getting to know him. but it was easy to say you two were making up for lost time seeing as you spent every waking moment together. the record long showers jeno took being an exception, of course.

the moment the door to the bathroom opens, you rush into your room and quickly grab an oversized t-shirt and loose pajama pants to change into after your shower. you nearly drop them when you’re met with jeno’s soaking figure in the hallway.

his hair is damp and you can clearly see how long it had become. his skin looks healthy and moisturized, lotion among other skin care products had probably been applied. what really has you in a shock is the fact that the towel barely hangs below his waist. the droplets of water that fall from his hair and down his neck trail down his chest and toned torso towards the only area he has bothered to cover up. his bulky arms are also slightly wet, his veins popping noticeably. he shakes his head in an attempt to rid his hair of any water. then he runs his fingers through it, his muscles flexing ever so slightly as he does so.

“dude!” you exclaim, without a second thought. “you’re ripped!”

he smiles, his round cheeks growing at the unexpected praise. the way he could have such a rugged body but soft-featured face puzzled you to no extent. “thank you. i lift sometimes.”

“sometimes?” you repeat. “don’t be so humble! you’re basically hercules!”

he clicks his tongue. “ah, c’mon. i’m just an athletic person.”

you keep admiring his physique. “clearly.”

“oh god,” he groans, obviously flustered. “you’re looking at me like you’re gonna eat me or something.”

you hold yourself back from making a less than appropriate innuendo. “no comment.”

his eyebrows shoot up in disbelief. “quarantine is really making you go crazy.”

you point a finger at him. “you try being stuck inside with your hot roommate!”

“trust me, y/n, i know all about hot roommates.”

you tilt your head, acting purposefully oblivious. “are you talking about doyoung?”

“what? no i—“ he sighs. “you know what, just take your shower.”

6. you can’t say no to him.

jeno ruffles his black locks with his hand and frowns.

you give him a disappointed look. “knock it off, you’re gonna get dandruff in your soup.”

he ignores your comment. “i look like a hobo.”

you pause, spoon halfway to your mouth. “this i know.”

“y/n, this is serious!”

“okay, okay. what’s the issue?”

“i already told you! i’m a bum!”

“you? a bum?” you pause to think about it. “i mean, mentally? maybe. but physically? no.”

“my hair, though. it’s so long.” he grabs a strand of it and pulls it to emphasize his point.

you shrug. “if having lots of hair is the standard for being a bum, i think most of the population is.”

“i want to cut it,” he announces.

“you should,” you say, pointing your spoon at him. “wanna know why? because if you mess up, no one will ever know. other than me, of course. but if you pay me enough i’ll let you forget it.”

he smiles at the joke for a moment before he leans forward and his face goes serious. “will you help me?”

“what? no way. i’ll mess up. and it’s only funny if you do it.”

he pouts. “please?”

you stir your soup around. “just watch some youtube videos. after three, you’re automatically a professional.”

“i want you.”

the statement has your neck snapping up from your bowl to him. the smug grin on his face lets you know that he was well aware of the double meaning behind his words. it was clear he was trying to fluster you enough to get a yes.

“you think you’re flirty enough to straight up brainwash me into doing stuff?”

“well, i wanted to say that to you anyway but... kind of?”

you feel a smile creep onto your lips at hearing the genuine tone in his voice. you down your last few spoonfuls of soup and quickly stand up. jeno looks up at you, eyes hopeful.

“finish your dinner. get the scissors. meet me in the bathroom.”

not even ten minutes later, jeno practically dances into the bathroom, a pair of red craft scissors in his hand. he sits on top of the toilet lid, figuring that’d be the easiest way for you to reach him. you walk in moments later.

“i’m pretty sure we’re not supposed to be using these types of scissors for hair,” he mumbles as he hands you the sharp utensil.

you twirl them in your hand. “oh, definitely not. do you want to wait then?”

he shakes his head, his shaggy bangs swaying with the movement.

“alright, let’s get this going then.” you thread your hands through his thick locks to collect some of it in between two of your fingers. you bring the scissors forward and snip the small amount just to test the waters.

you slowly begin to get more comfortable and once you feel like you’re in your element, things begin to speed up. you move and cut faster but with efficiency. you do the spots on the back of his head and work your way forward. when it finally comes time to touch up his bangs, your small bathroom proves to be an inadequate spot to be doing this.

you end up standing balanced inches above jeno’s thighs that he’s pressed together tightly in an attempt to give you more room. you’re constantly readjusting your stance and when he notices, his hands go to your hips. you know he’s just trying to help you stay upright so you do a decent job but you still inhale sharply at the feeling of his hands on you.

not long after, you’re standing next to jeno as he inspects himself in the mirror. his fingers flick his newly shortened bangs around.

“not bad.” he tilts his head in a new angle and nods. “looks super good to me.”

you tuck the scissors into your back pocket with a relieved sigh. “oh thank god. i didn’t want to tell you before we started but i only watched two youtube tutorials on trimming hair.”

he runs a hand through his hair with a chuckle. “now that’s truly worthy of praise. and a tip.”

you raise a brow. “oh yeah? what’s th—“

he cuts you off by pressing a chaste kiss to your forehead. he pulls back and drags his thumb over the skin that has come into contact with his lips. “thanks again.” with that, he leaves you standing in the bathroom, eyes wide and face warm.

7. he has six best friends.

“can i borrow your laptop?” asks jeno, from outside your door, nearly breathless.

you look up from your book. “uh yeah, sure.”

he rushes in your room and takes the item off of your dresser. “do you happen to have zoom on it?”

you shake your head and he groans. without another word, he disappears, running off into the living room. you hear his frustrated sighs as the minutes pass and he attempts to download the application. you finally decide to go check it out once it becomes too much to bear.

“it sounds like you’re in pain over here,” you comment.

he runs a hand through his hair. “i’m supposed to meet with my friends through a zoom call but it’s so complicated.”

you put a hand on your hip. “bet you five bucks i’ll be able to get it in five minutes.”

“are you kidding? i might be technologically challenged but i’m not stupid. i know you can do it fast, just help me out already, would you?”

“alright, grandpa.”

you type and click away at the screen, jeno watching you do so, entranced but equally as lost.

“well, i was wrong,” you say after a couple moments, leaning back in your chair.

“you couldn’t get it?” asks jeno, worriedly.

“no, it’s not that.” you click something on the screen and the app opens. “turns out i could do it in three.”

he rolls his eyes and shoos you out of the chair. he sits down and enters the code and password for the zoom meeting. it takes a minute, but he finally connects. you count six other people in the call. they all immediately cheer at seeing jeno and you hear them excitedly exclaim his name.

“hey guys,” he says, a smile already reaching his eyes. “it’s so good to see your faces.”

they all nod to agree. you get a good look at each one of them and realize they’re all boys. your eyes read over each of their display names.

mark me in ur heart

hyuckie~~~

moomin enthusiast

nananananana

chnele

lil huddy

“nice name, jeno,” ‘moomin enthusiast’ guy comments, snickering slightly. “glad to see you finally came to terms with it.”

‘jenojam’, his name reads. the rest of the group laughs, also teasing him about it. you assume it’s some kind of inside joke.

the self proclaimed ‘lil huddy’ furrows his eyebrows. “wait, did you choose that name yourself?”

jeno simply nods in response.

he glares into the camera. “donghyuck, you told me i had to put this as my name or else it wouldn’t let me connect!”

donghyuck—or ‘hyuckie~~~’, you presume—shrugs. “oops. guess i was wrong.”

you laugh at the humorous exchange. it seems like the sound has drawn some attention to you when ‘nananananana’ speaks up, eyes trained on you.

“um jeno? don’t you want to introduce your guest?”

jeno beams, dragging you closer into the frame. “i’m sure you all know about my roommate. say hi, y/n.”

you do so, waving and smiling politely at the group.

“you know, even though we used to always hang at jeno’s, i don’t think we’ve ever actually seen your face,” ‘chnele’ says, tilting his head.

you agree. “me neither. i’ve mostly just heard you guys.”

the ‘mark me in your heart’ boy sheepishly rubs his neck. “sorry. we tend to be a little loud.”

‘chnele’ lets out a high pitched screech of a laugh. “only a little?”

“i recognize that laugh!” you blurt. “i would hear it all the time!”

”that’s our little dolphin,” coos ‘hyuckie~~~’.

“oh god, stop. i hate that stupid nickname.”

“it’s well deserved.”

“i think you should apologize to y/n for being a nightmare to her eardrums.”

“and ours, for that matter.”

“what about all your little freestyles? i’ve had to sit through hundreds of them and i never got an apology!”

“because they’re not bad! could you do any better?”

“you’re a soundcloud rapper, i think anyone could.”

jeno turns to you as the bickering on screen gets louder and louder. “this is gonna be a long call.”

once the group has moved on from roasting the life out of each other, you’re able to engage in some good-natured conversation. jeno teaches you the names and the other basics about the group. some points that stand out about the group is that mark is the oldest, renjun specializes in contemporary dance, jaemin inhales six cups of coffee on the daily, and chenle is insanely rich.

“what about jeno?” you ask them. “anything i should know about him?”

“he’s allergic to cats but the idiot still adopted—“

“she already knows about that, renjun,” jeno chuckles.

“oh. well. that’s pretty much the only interesting thing about him.”

jisung pipes up. “oh wait! he works out religiously too!”

you and jeno share a look. you burst into laughter and he simply glances away, slightly embarrassed. “oh yeah, i know that all too well.”

“and what about the unhealthy cooking obsession?”

you nod at mark’s question. “that too. he cooks dinner almost every night around here.”

renjun purses his lips. “he already cooks for you? wow. he must really like you.”

“you think?” jaemin asks. “didn’t you read any of the messages in the group chat? he’s practically in love with her. his words, not mi—“

“okay! i think it’s time for us to go! bye guys!” jeno doesn’t even give you a chance to say your own goodbye before he’s clicking the ‘end call’ button in the bottom right corner.

you give him a confused look. “what was that all about?”

“they’re crazy.” he laughs. “well, if you need me i’ll be in my room screaming into my pillow for the next couple hours.” he dashes off leaving you standing alone, trying to comprehend what had happened.

8. he‘s a great listener.

jeno has officially replaced seol as your movie buddy, not that you have a problem with it. you thought it was nice to have someone you could actually converse with but of course, you make sure seol still sits in.

“what i’m saying is that iron man just wants to protect his team.”

“well, if they sign the accords, they basically surrender themselves to the government.”

“and?”

“you don’t see a problem with that? see, captain america knows what he’s doing. he’s literally an avenger—“

“so is iron man!”

“let me finish! so, he’s an avenger, right? he has the best judgment because he’s saved the world countless times. he knows how to operate his team and do the right thing.”

“okay but there’s casualties. and that’s what iron man is trying to fix.”

“how do you save the world and not have casualties?”

“you just—“ your phone rings mid argument and you raise your finger towards jeno. “this isn’t over.” you put the phone to your ear, not bothering to check the caller id. “hello?”

“sweetheart?”

you feel a chill go up your spine. was it him? no, it couldn’t be. you had blocked his number shortly after you did so on all your social media.

“baby, don’t be so shy. i know you’re there.”

you can’t hold back. “please don’t call me that.”

he chuckles, breathlessly. “oh, c’mon. you used to love it. you still do.”

“no, i don’t. actually, i don’t want to hear your stupid pet names or stupid voice or see any of your stupid posts. just go bother your girlfriend and leave me alone.”

you notice jeno perk up beside you out of the corner of your eye. he must have been caught off guard by your irritated tone.

as always, lucas is unaffected by you. “i’m being nice and giving you a second chance. i even called you behind soyeon’s back.”

“is that something i’m supposed to reward you for?” you scoff. “congratulations, you’re now awful, toxic, and a cheater.”

he growls. the sound was familiar. in your relationship, if you heard it you knew he was going to snap at you until he had the satisfaction of making you cry. “i know you miss me so don’t say things you’re going to regret later. because even when you’re back in my arms, i won’t let you forget it.”

the thought of being back with him made you feel icky. but the fact that he sincerely thought you would crawl back to him set your entire body on fire. “are you joking? i was always aware of the fact that you treated me like the dirt you walked on but do you seriously think that lowly of me?”

you’re rendered speechless and apparently, so is he because the other line stays silent.

“i wouldn’t go back to you if you were the last person on earth,” you spit. “you treated me horribly, wong yukhei. i won’t ever forget it. move on. i have.”

you glance at jeno, his expression more serious than you’ve ever seen it. his eyebrows are furrowed and his eyes are trained on your cellphone. the glare he gives the device is so strong you wouldn’t be surprised if even lucas could feel it, wherever he was.

you hang up and block the number, wishing to never talk to him again. you toss your phone onto the sofa with an exasperated sigh. you find jeno’s gaze to still be focused intensely on it.

“if you gave lucas that look, i’m pretty sure he’d cry.”

he breaks his concentration, eyes going to you instead. his entire face softens. “all i’m going to say is he better pray we never cross paths.”

“well, if you happen to, call me up. i wouldn’t mind helping you beat the crap out of him.”

jeno chuckles for a second then lowers his voice to a whisper. “he was really bad to you, huh?”

you nod. “he messed me up. i hate to admit it ‘cause i know i was stupid to stay with him for as long as i did.”

your roommate shakes his head. “don’t say that. it’s not your fault he messed up the best thing that would ever happen to him.”

“i thought i was the problem for so long, jeno. i was so blinded by love. then, i realized there was no way he truly cared for me when he treated me like i had no heart to be broken.”

jeno scoots towards you and rubs soothing circles into your arm. “you have such a big heart. and i can’t tell you how sorry i am that he took advantage of that. i’m sorry that you were stuck with someone so insecure and ignorant. please, don’t think about him anymore.”

you hold in your tears. you refused to cry over someone like lucas. “i know. i try so hard not to.”

jeno holds your head into his chest. his arms are placed securely on your back. “oh, baby.”

when jeno uses this pet name on you, it feels so completely different from lucas. you could tell me meant it. he wasn’t using it to make you stay a little longer, to assure you he loved you. strangely enough, you do not need to be convinced of that. you feel like you have known it for a long time.

9. he likes to be the big spoon.

you’re not sure how he’s done it but you end up falling asleep in jeno’s arms. you assume it had been so long since you had been cradled and rocked so delicately that the foreign yet extremely delightful sensation knocked you right out. even seol is deep in sleep, laying down peacefully at your feet.

you relish in the feeling of jeno pressed right into your back. he fits so perfectly against you that it reminds you of a puzzle piece. to be exact, the moment when you connect the last two pieces and the full picture becomes complete. that was how you felt—complete.

with jeno’s soft breaths tickling the back of your neck and his soft snores filling your ear, you know there’s nowhere else you’d rather be. his arm that is wrapped around you makes sure you can’t escape his embrace. you are positive that even if you had the liberty of doing so, you would stay exactly where you were.

you lean farther back into your pillow, closing your eyes. you let every thought fade away as you try to fall back asleep as soon as possible. you wanted the moment you found yourself in to last as long as possible.

10. he has feelings for you.

jeno mumbles sweet nothings into your ear as he toys with your hair.

it just seemed right to him. like something he was meant to do with you. he had seen these types of things in films and shows before. it was intimate and touching, the scenes were always meant to tug at the audience’s heart strings and show how in love the two characters were. perhaps, even though you lay asleep in his arms, he wants you to finally know.

“honestly, being inside with you all the time is kind of the best. i know the whole virus situation is less than ideal but being able to spend so much time with you... that’s all i could ask for.” he pauses. “isn’t it so crazy how before this we were all weird and awkward around each other? well, i guess we still kind of are. that’s mostly my fault so... sorry. i just don’t know how to act around you sometimes. we’re barely getting close and i’m already this attached to you. as jisung would so kindly say, ‘i’m simping’.” he chuckles to himself. “all jokes aside, i really do like you. ever since you moved in here all cute and nervous, you’ve taken your own little place in my heart, as cheesy as it sounds. and these past few weeks, you just keep on taking up more and more room in there. not that i have a problem with it. i just...” he stops as if he doesn’t know how else to express his feelings. “really, really like you.”

“thanks.”

you feel him jolt then abruptly stop stroking your hair. there’s silence until he asks, “you don’t happen to be a sleep talker, do you?”

you shake your head.

“and did you hear like, a lot of what i said?”

“only the important stuff. like how awkward you are and how much you like me.”

“o-oh.”

“but don’t worry. it’s mutual.”

you feel his relieved breath hit the skin of your neck. “that’s the best thing i’ve heard all day.”

you tilt your head back and stare at him, confused. “what, did you seriously think i wasn’t into you?”

he shrugs. “i was too busy simping, i guess.”

you can’t contain your laughter at the use of the slang. “park jisung would not be proud.”

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walkerismychoice · 3 years

Text

Queen of My Heart - Chapter 36

Book: The Royal Romance

Pairing: Drake X MC, Liam X Olivia, Hana X OC Lydia

Rating: NSFW (I didn’t intend it but it just happened

Summary: Liam finally clears the air with Constantine, and we go to the Fire and Ice Ball at Lythikos, the final social season even before Liam chooses his future Queen.

A/N: Umm, I don’t even want to know how many years it’s been since I updated, but it is with the encouragement of you readers that I was compelled to finish. My tag list is probably way outdated and I’m sure I’ve missed some poeple who’ve asked to be tagged along the way. Feel free to let me know either way if you want to be tagged or removed from the list.

Tag List: @khakie4 @dreadpirateemma @ritachacha @blackcoffee85 @choices-fanatic @boneandfur @butindeed @simplyaiden-blog @bobasheebaby @traeumerinsworld @theroyalweisme @umccall71 @lizeboredom @debramcg1106 @enmchoices @jadedpixiescribbles @withice @viktoriapetit @mfackenthal @drakesfiance @drakelover78 @speedyoperarascalparty @silviasutton1989 @krisnicjack @devineinterventions2 @choiceswreckedme @notoriouscs @blackcatkita @hamalu @akrenich @drakewalkerfantasy @jamielea81 @andy-loves-corgis @jlouise88 @jovialyouthmusic @sleepwalkingelite @i-miss-trr @dragonball-luver @gkittylove99 @lovingchoices14

Word Count: 2861

Queen of My Heart Chapter Index

“Hello, Father.” Liam greeted Constantine as he walked into the hospital room. He noted the King's color was back to normal and he seemed in good spirits.

"My son, I knew you'd come!" Constantine reached towards Liam with arms outstretched.

Liam just shook his head and held up a hand to stop him. "This is not that kind of visit. I'm here because I know... I know everything."

"What-" Constantine choked out before a coughing fit ensued.

Liam fought the instinctual urge to comfort his father. "Enough with the theatrics. I know about Madeleine...about you threatening the show if they didn't help her win...as if me choosing the woman I plan to spend my life with is some political game to be won."

"How did you find out? I gave strict orders that my demands were confidential."

Liam scoffed. "Seriously? I just told you I found out you tried to have the producers manipulate me into marrying a woman I don't love, and that's all you had to say for yourself?"

"You have to understand," Constantine pleaded. "Madeleine is what's best for Cordonia, and what's best for Cordonia is what's best for you."

"Unbelievable!" Liam felt the anger rising in his chest like a simmering pot ready to boil over. "You may have told yourself that to feel better about choosing your commitments to Cordonia over happiness, love, family... Maybe you’ve lied to yourself for so long you’ve actually started to believe it, but it's one hundred percent bullshit. I know I'll be a more effective leader if I get to choose the woman I want by my side, and that woman is Olivia."

Constantine's jaw dropped and there was a long pause before he gained his composure to protest. "Absolutely not. You know her family's history. I'd rather have you on the same page as me, but I am still King-"

"Save your breath," Liam shut him down. "You should know that your perfect candidate Madeleine has displayed some behavior quite unbecoming of a future queen, and it is all on film. I know Cordonians are generally flexible with their views on monogamy, but I don't think Madeleine sleeping with the host of the show while she's trying to compete for my affection will look good in anyone's eyes. She has been eliminated from the show and is no longer in the running. That leaves only Riley aside from Olivia, and I know you know what's going on there."

Constantine's face fell momentarily in resignation, but then he perked back up again. "Well, then you can bring back someone else. Kiara is quite lovely and is fit to play the part."

"Enough!" Liam practically shouted much too loud for the thin hospital walls. "Not that I owe you an explanation, but Olivia is stronger, smarter, and more capable of ruling a country than anyone you could hope to pair with me. You seem to forget that I am the son who stuck by you and am now the rightful and only heir to the throne. Your reign is coming to an end, and you have no choice but to accept my decision."

Unexpectedly, Constantine's demeanor changed, a sly grin creeping across his face. "My boy, I've always been a bit worried you were too soft to be king. However, seeing you stand up for yourself today gives me hope. I still don't approve of your choice, but I will no longer stand in your way."

Liam shook his head and let out an incredulous laugh, reeling from Constantine’s sudden change of course. "Bastien will take you back to the palace. We can talk more when I know it's not just the medicine that's gotten to your head."

-----

“Well, this place certainly explains a lot about Olivia.” Riley mused aloud as she scanned the ballroom. Ornate floor to ceiling windows with deep alcoves were surrounded by walls with intricate, gilded accents leading up to a hand-painted ceiling measuring at least 3 stories high. The grandeur of the space was both intimidating and beautiful at the same time, much like its owner.

“Has she shown you all the toys in her armory yet? That too says a lot about Olivia," Drake chuckled at his own joke.

Riley laughed along. “No, but she does constantly remind me she keeps a dagger hidden under her skirt. Are you sure Liam knows what he’s in for?”

"Heh. Better him than me, that's for sure. Liam's warm and fuzzy exterior can make him seem like a pushover, but he can hold his own when it matters. Olivia needs someone who can roll with her mood swings but still call her on her bullshit when needed."

"You know, I admit I had a little trouble wrapping my brain around Liam choosing Olivia, but when you put it that way, it makes sense. Now I suppose I need to find Kat so I can figure out if I need to dance with Liam or something. Ugh, I cannot wait until all these balls are over.

Drake almost doubled over laughing. "Oh, Bennett, I hate to break it to you, but this shit never ends. Next will be the coronation, then some charity gala, Liam's wedding...the list goes on. Welcome to your life as a noble woman."

Riley stared ahead blankly as a giant wave of realization washed over her. It was all so much, so fast. She'd never had time to think past the next day to consider this was all ending soon, and then what? Did she stay with her new-found family and live this life that was still foreign to her in so many ways? What about her life in New York? Sure, she didn't have much going on at the moment, but she still had her aunt Susan and best friend Sarah along with some good friends at work like Daniel. Becoming a therapist was still one of her goals, at least it was until the day she left for Cordonia. Now everything was so unclear, and she could hardly breathe.

Drake must have noticed her face looking some kind of way because he placed a hand on the small of her back and guided her to an open doorway to a nearby balcony. "Why don't we get you some air before you go off and do your thing for the show?"

Once outside and around the corner of the wraparound balcony, Drake pulled Riley into his chest, holding her securely, and she was almost instantly calmed. All the what-ifs fell away, and it was just them. All she needed was the be with him, wherever that turned out to be, and everything else would fall into place.

But what if Drake didn't quite feel the same? They'd been talking as if they'd be together indefinitely, but in reality, they'd only known each other two months. The anxious fluttering in her chest started up again.

Drake pulled back to look her in the eyes. "Riley, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to upset you. You know, we're both still half American. We can move back to the states....or uh, I mean you can move back to the states if that's what you want." His eyes darted bashfully to the ground.

Riley's face lit up, the nervous thumping in her chest giving way to excited butterflies. "I like the sound of 'we' better if that's what you really meant. You'd really move back to the U.S. with me? I mean I've hardly had the chance to think about what I want, so that may be irrelevant, but you seriously see a future with me?"

"I do." Drake smiled earnestly. "I'm sure anyone who knows me will think I've gone mad, but whether it means being in New York City and putting up with cramped apartments and way too many people, living a quieter, simple life in Texas, or stealing moments away at dreadful Cordonian events such as this, I know we can make our own happiness...together."

"Wow, the Drake Walker I met two months ago would not believe what's coming out of your mouth right now." Riley touched the back of her hand to Drake's forehead in jest. "Are you sure you aren't running a fever?"

"Haha, very funny." Drake swiftly but gently pushed Riley back again the stone wall. "I'm not feeling ill, but I know how to make your temperature rise.

"You pushing me against duchy walls is becoming a thing, huh? Must have really enjoyed the almost public sex last time."

"Possibly," Drake teased as he slipped his hand through the side-slit in her icy-blue gown, gently gliding his fingers up her thigh. Riley braced herself as Drake neared the place she wanted him the most. Goosebumps gave way to a burning need before she remembered where they were.

"Wait." She pushed a hand against his chest. "We're not exactly alone here, and we've gone to such lengths to keep this under wraps. Someone could walk out here at any moment."

Drake shrugged. "I know it may be a bit reckless, but honestly at this point, I don't care. I just want you."

Riley opened her mouth to protest but nothing came out before Drake swooped in for a searing kiss. She instantly melted into him, Drake continuing his earlier action and deftly plunging two fingers inside her, his eyes widening slightly in surprise when he noticed there was no fabric barrier to work around. A strangled moan escaped Riley's throat as he stroked the exact spot he knew always left her at his mercy.

Drake pulled back with a satisfied grin. "Do you want me to stop? Just say the word and we'll go back in right now."

Instead of answering, Riley yanked him by the collar and crushed her lips to his. Drake responded by hoisting her up and over to the balcony. He perched her atop the railing, one hand grasped firmly around her waist and the other making quick work of undoing his pants.

Teetering on the narrow ledge two stories high, Riley clamped her hand tightly to the railing on either side of her and Drake noticed. "I've got you Bennett, no need to worry. I won't let anything happen to you. I'm just doing my job after all," he said with a smirk.

She smiled at his reference to what was now an inside joke between them. But all joking aside, he always made her feel safe. She released her grip, flinging her arms around his neck and her legs around his waist.

Drake eased his cock free and Riley could tell how hard he was just by sight, the skin stretched taught from his perfect proportion of thickness and length. He lifted her dress and she couldn't wait any longer. She pulled him in and he took the invitation to thrust inside her. Even as wet was she was, his size created just the right amount of fullness and friction to take her breath away.

Riley moaned and gasped with each thrust, which in turn seemed to turn Drake on even more. The thrill of being up so high with nothing but him to hold her only added to her excitement and when he began rubbing circles over her clit with his thumb that was all it took to push her figuratively over the edge. She tightened around him everywhere, her orgasm eliciting immense heat and pleasure with every pulse, resulting in Drake picking up his pace until his own release followed shortly thereafter.

Drake carefully set Riley down before putting himself back together. "I'm almost a little disappointed we didn't nearly get caught this time."

"If I don't get back in there immediately, that's still a possibility." Riley had no idea how much time had passed but it was probably more than she thought. "Fuck, Kat is going to be pissed." Riley straightened her skirt and started towards the ballroom door.

"Wait!" Drake puller her in for a quick kiss. "I love you. Just so you don't forget."

Riley rolled her eyes but smiled. "You know you have nothing to worry about. If Liam's charms haven't wooed me yet, I think you’re safe. But I love you too. Now go do your job." She smacked him on the ass before hustling back to the ballroom, Drake following shortly thereafter.

As expected, Kat was frantic when Riley found her. “Where the fuck were you? You were supposed to meet up with me twenty minutes ago?”

Overhearing Riley’s scolding, Olivia smugly sidled up next to them. “I mean, I didn’t mind getting extra time with Liam, but you know Jo and Kat and there ‘ratings’, Olivia said while gesturing with air quotes. She scanned Riley from head to toe and then glanced over to Drake on the perimeter. “Ugh, I can tell you exactly what, or rather who she was doing. Gross. I guess that just makes my position more secure, but really, couldn’t you have waited until after my ball to fuck him?”

Riley sheepishly smoothed her hair and adjusted her dress. “I just needed some air, that’s all. I was having a moment.”

Olivia scoffed and rolled her eyes. “Whatever you want to call it. Although I still cannot fathom why you chose Drake, I suppose I should be a little easier on you for eliminating yourself from the competition and allowing Liam to break free of his distraction of the shiny new object.”

“Aww, Olivia, that’s so sweet. Next thing you know we’ll be best friends,” Riley replied sarcastically.

“I don’t know about friends...but I do dislike you less than the rest of them.” Olivia tried and failed to hold back a smile.

“I’ll take it,” Riley said with a laugh before turning to Jo. “Okay, now tell me where I need to be.”

Jo set Riley up with Liam on the dance floor. It still wasn’t hard to pretend to be into Liam because it wasn’t all pretend, but there was no lingering pining between them.

“Well, I spoke to my father this morning.” Liam spun Riley around and brought her back to face him.

“Finally!” Riley exclaimed. “How did that go?”

“I’m still trying to wrap my head around it to be completely honest, but it went surprisingly well. I told him I knew everything, and he no longer had a say in my decision. He tried to argue with me at first, but somehow something I said made him respect me. He still may not agree with my choice, but I think this is finally all over! I am free to choose who I want without any threat or blackmail hanging over my head.

Riley pulled Liam in and hugged him tightly. “That’s amazing! I’m so happy for you, and for all of us.” The weight on Riley’s shoulders was suddenly ten times lighter. She hadn’t let herself think too deeply about how much was at stake, but now that the air was clear, she realized how stressed she had been. “Now all that’s left is for you to tear my heart to pieces on national television, and you get your fairy tale ending.”

Liam chuckled. “I’ll try to let you down easy.”

-----

Drake stood in his usual position off the side of the dance floor. This may not be the last of these events he’d have to endure, but at least it should be the last time he’d have to stand on the sidelines watching Riley dance with someone else. He was secure in what they had, but it still didn’t stop that twinge of jealously seeing her and Liam together talking, touching, and having fun. But it wasn’t a bad thing that his best friend and girlfriend get along so well. Girlfriend...that’s the first time he’d used that term for anyone he’d “dated”, even if only in his head. It was hard to believe everything was falling into place.

Drake took his eyes off Riley to scan the perimeter. What he saw didn’t immediately register as out of the ordinary, but then he quickly recalled this person walking towards the dance floor wasn’t supposed to be there.

“Bastien, check out three o’clock.” Drake altered Bastien via his radio earpiece. “How did she get in here without security clearance?”

“I don’t know.” Bastien replied. “I’ll check with the other guys to see who let her in. Keep an eye on her.”

Drake watched in concern as Madeleine marched towards the dance floor. She’d been banned from the rest of filmed events after her stunt. Not wanting to let her cause a scene, Drake was about to stop her from getting any closer, when she pulled out an unmistakable object. She had a gun and it was pointed right at Riley and Liam.

Before Drake could alert the rest of the team, people started to scatter. He heard a familiar click and knew he had to disarm Madeleine immediately, but it was too late. A shot went off and he didn’t hesitate. Drake dove between the bullet and his two best friends on the dance floor, and that would be the last thing he remembered before he hit the floor.

#QOMH #TRR #drake x mc #ns*fw #playchoices fanfiction #the royal romance #my fic

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viridian-wisteria-leaves · 3 years

Text

Saying Goodbye: Lonely Flame.

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

A life for a life.

Kyojuro Rengoku x Reader

•❅──────✧❅✦❅✧──────❅•

You could feel it before it happened, you always could. Your strong sense of intuition had always helped you along but never had it been this bad. Your body was screaming for you move, pain be damned. The adrenaline spike in your blood slowed the world down as you threw yourself into a botched sprinters position, ignoring the blond beside you as you clenched your jaw. You'd never been able to do what they do. Too stiff for water breathing, too fluid for fire breathing, not fast enough for thunder breathing. So you'd be forced to improvise, only to be barred and forbidden for the toll it took on your body.

It didn't matter any more of course, you knew you were done for, who knows how far the internal damage is? You suppose it doesn't matter considering what you're going to do next. You grip your sword, pulling away from the hand guard and tense.

"Life breathing, Last Chance."

It was ironic how one of the only forms you could truly perform the way you envisioned and have real function is the one you needed. Your adrenaline, while approaching the crash wasn't out of your system just yet so it was easy to get it jumpstarted as you launched yourself across the ground, sword drawn and arms poised to swing.

The look on Kyojuro's face was one of pure shock and under any other circumstances it might've been funny but you had to focus, eyes back of the demon as your swung your sword, a searing, ripping pain in your gut knocking you off kilter. Your stomach drops as the angle of your blade changes, swiping at an incline instead of simply horizontal.

You failed.

The demon's eyes narrowed, no longer in fear of death, and sneered. His hand wrapped around your throat but your hands wouldn't move, sword clattering to the dirt beneath you. Your vision blurred, lungs burning from the limited air. You'd only wanted to help, wanted to save Kyojuro but all you've done is sign you own death certificate and make things worse.

"Oh? And who is this trash that wears your colors? Surely the one chose wouldn't be so weak?" You can barely manage to hear anything, vision blurred to blobs of color as the world turns, back hitting the ground as the sunrise hits the horizon.

Kyojuro is breathing hard, exhaustion burns his lungs and bones but he won't stop, not until the demon is dead and the people are safe. He readies his sword, ready to use another form but the demon tuts, stepping on your mid section and causing him pause to think through it extra carefully.

"How shameful. First you deny my offer and now you let something so sad as fragile connections keep you at bay? Maybe I should end this pathetic human? They're not going to last long anyways, i can tell they're starting to go stale by the scent alone!"

His blood boiled in anger, angry at the demon, angry at the circumstances and angry at you for saving him. He'd wanted you to live a long and fulfilling life, not throw it away for him. He charged forward in desperation, first form heating the blade as he swung only for the demon to dodge back away from his blade and the rising sun.

"We'll see each other again, Kyojuro. Think about my offer. I would've even let you keep them had you as-"

Tanjiro swung his sword, the force damaging the trees beyond him as the demon fled, the sword following after it as Tanjiro channeled all his strength to throw it in hopes of damaging the demon further. He turned around, wincing when the familiar scent of death began to grow stronger.

Kyojuro was kneeled by your body, his haori respectfully covering the worst of your injuries despite the white cloth staining red. Your chest rose and fell softly but from the faded faraway look in your eyes paired with how cold you are he knew you didn't have long. He didn't know if you could hear him when he spoke to you but it didn't matter.

"Thank you."

His words clumped like wet paper, jumbled and tangled in the storm of his heart. He didn't want to lose you, but he no longer had that choice. He clasped his warm hands around yours, tears welling up at the temperature difference.

"Thank you for your believing in me, it is thanks to you and, and your sacrifice that I am able to resume my duties. My debt to you is endless."

He paused to wrangle his heart together, dragging each sharp and jagged piece to force it together, memories of you flooding his mind. He knee that he was most likely going to die young, a majority of demon slayers don't get the chance to live a long life but the time he spent with felt like a life time. You were a promise of a life he could only have for fleeting moments in soft hugs and spending time together under the lie of patrols and now you were gone, taking that love and hope with you.

"My love, I-"

It's the first time he's proclaimed his affection for you so publicly but rather than embarrassment he's hit with the regret that he should have done it sooner.

"Mr. Rengoku."

Tanjiro's hand rested uneasily on his shoulder. He knew, you'd stopped breathing minutes ago but he couldn't let go.

"You weren't meant to die, especially not by a demon, or your own techniques. You were meant to live a long ,prosperous life. One that I could only hope to be a part of, standing by your side. Y/N L/N, Thank you for your service, the demon slayer corps will never forget you efforts to keep humanity safe "

He struggled to keep it professional, folding your hands together, hands he'd never hold again as he sat back, reaching up to close your eyes so you'd rest peacefully. Kyojuro could see the sun rise , light climbing across the dirt but he no longer felt it's warmth, not without you.

#kyojuro rengoku x reader #demon slayer x reader

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waywardimpalawriter · 3 years

Note

“I’m done. I’m done trying so hard only for you to never even look in my direction.”

With Marcus Pike? Maybe BFFs to lovers because I want it to end happy? Thank you 🙏

Love of his life

Pairing: Marcus Pike x best friend!Female Reader

Characters: Marcus Pike,

Setting: five years after the last episode Marcus was in.

Rating: PG:13

Warnings: 2,774

Summary: Conversation overheard leads to feelings of regret at the chance not taken. Will he take that risk and go for who he wants or let it slide away just like the past?

Word count:

Notes: Written for the lovely @hnt-escape asking for the prompt “I’m done. I’m done trying so hard only for you to never even look in my direction.” Will be in bold in the story. I hope you enjoy sweetie.

Tag List:

Forever tags: @chickensarentcheap @jedi-mando

Pedro Pascal tags: @evyiione

Staring into the caramel colored liquid ceramic mug warming your hands, thoughts clouded by a certain brown eyed man and how to handle the feelings you’ve harbored since grade school.

“Trying to divine this weeks lotta numbers from you coffee sweetie?” Soothing southern accented voice breaks through the fog smile in the sweet lilt.

Head snapping up to look towards the blonde, grin firmly in place over her ruby lips, “I wish, would donate at least half to research the antiquities we have that no one’s cataloged yet.”

“Wow devoted,” chuckling, walking over to the Keurig k-cup spinner to pluck the last Colombian dark roast pod. “What or should I say who’s on that gorgeous your mind that’s got your brow furrowed deeper than the Mariana Trench?”

Not wishing to discuss your thoughts right now, you deflect to ask, “Those things waste so much Donna and bad for the environment. Why don’t you just buy the bulk grounds?”

“Great way to keep from answering the true question,” baby blues lock, sincerity written deep and meaningful. Knowing she’s only trying to help having confided many times your dilemma those feelings you’ve held on to for so long brings about. “I don’t know why you haven’t told him sugar I mean you came to DC…”

“For this job Donna, Marcus turned up later… not much later,” last few words muttered into cooling coffee you try to hide behind while taking a sip. “I didn’t upheave my life for a man,” not sure who you’re trying to convince more yourself or Donna.

Established in your position at the museum a month before Marcus’s transfer and at the time he’s heavily invested with one Teresa Lisbon. Memories flood through like film reel before your eyes. Of that very night he comes to you heartbroken bags in hand with no one beside him and no real place to go. Promising yourself to shove your feelings aside and help him get back on steady legs. Even letting him stay till his place became ready to move in.

Loud snort greets your ears, breaking you from memory lane. “You keep telling yourself that and while you’re at it keeping him friend zoned when your clearly in love with him does neither one of you any good. He ain’t gonna wait around forever sugar trust me on that one,” hurt coloring her tone speaking volumes of her own pain. She looks away to watch the final drops of coffee land in her mug. You know exactly why she’s not looking at your right now, the hurt she tries to hide behind the bubbly personality. Fixing her coffee up just the way she likes to hide her own pain she’s shared a few times.

“How,” licking your lips slowly, mug placed beside you on the counter to clasp your hands in front of you. “I’m not even sure how or where to start Donna. He’s my best friend knows me inside and out I don’t…”

“Do you love him?” Simple question with no easy answer as grey blue eyes land on and pierce you with their intensity.

“I…” wringing those hands her question chases thoughts around your head. Finally giving the heart answer, “I love him, just unsure if he loves me in the same way. I don’t know if I’m strong enough to change the dynamics of our relationship and loose what we have for a what if.”

“Oh sweetheart I know it’s not easy to bank on what if’s but trust me when I say that man loves you in ways I’ve never seen and I’ve seen a lot.” Giving you a teasing wink then sobering, “Why do ya think I haven’t tried to snag him up myself?”

“Cause he’s not your type?” Joke sounding stupid to your own ears, glaze dropping to your shoes. “What if… what if I’m not his type? I mean you’ve seen the women he’s gone out with before. I’m hardly in the same league.”

“No your in a league of your own sugar.” Head nodding in understanding Donna comes over resting a hand on your bicep giving a gentle squeeze. “Compensating maybe even trying to replace the one he truly wants sweetheart. Don’t let a good man slip away especially since you love him.”

“I do, he’s,” head shaking at a loss for words to describe Marcus. “Amazing and sweet, the kind of man that’s so easy to love and care for. I’m lost truly without him.” Happy tears blur your vision for a moment thinking about him. How he’s always at your side just when you need him without notice at times. Sixth sense when you need those late night pancakes from the best diner in town. Watching old movies after a crappy break up, snuggled together with popcorn and beer, snacks of all kinds. Snap shot of his face filters across your vision, “I’m gonna tell him in fact,” glancing down at your watch finding end of day fast approaching. “Would you close down for me Donna I need to tell him now before loosing my nerve.”

“Don’t have to ask me twice sugar go get your man,” nodding towards the doorway you start for, coffee long forgotten in favor of someone more sweeter. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t.”

“There’s things you wouldn’t do?” Cheeky grin highlighting your features, the sound of crinkling plastic reaching your ears so you look down. Frown replacing the smile at finding a small bouquet of blue tipped carnations laying on the ground. Bending to scoop up the beautiful flowers knowing only one man would’ve brought these. “Shit,” curse flying from your mouth while your feet start to eat up the distance towards the back doors bouquet held firmly in your grasp.

Missing Donna yelling about your keys and belongings, to not forget about the storm rumbling in the background. Wide smile forming watching you go hoping you’ll catch Marcus just in time.

While you pray with each step taken you’ll catch him in time to explain. Thoughts running rampant wondering what he heard and didn’t. If the reason for the dropped flowers has to do with the fact he thinks you love someone else. That last thought spurs you on into a run, thankful for the flats you wore today instead of customary heels you normally wear. Eating up the distance you burst through the back doors into a curtain of rain meeting your eyes as more curses fly from your lips. You pause eyes narrowing through the gloom looking for Marcus’s car, his back, hair surely plastered to against his head. Something to point you in the right direction. At the right moment a flash of lighting illuminating the darken skies, makes you jump but press on determined to find him. While stepping out into the pouring rain, clothes soaked through low rumblings of thunder taking your calls out for Marcus away with the howling wind.

Tears form and slide down cool cheeks, still franticly looking around but coming up empty till you catch the flash of grey out of your periphery. Whipping around you head in the direction calling out his name praying there’s a break in the rain so your voice carries to his ears.

And for a moment that one split second he catches a sound other than the storm raging around him. Sweet desperate voice calling out his name, giving him pause in dragging footsteps. Looking around but seeing nothing but the driving rain, drops soaking his suit and blurring his vision. Before turning to resume his path the voice calls out again, nearer and stronger than the last time.

His doubts cloud the mind, accusing him of hearing things the wind brings from other parts of the parking lot. Till a vision dressed in black slacks, creamy silk blouse, hair and clothes plasters to your body appears in front of him. Hand raised in the vain attempt to keep the rain from your face as you search for him.

Eyes lock surprised deep chocolate orbs meet the relief in yours, “You’re gonna get sick sweetheart go back inside.”

“No,” single word yelled out as you near Marcus, gripping his bicep and moving closer to speak into his ear. Warm breath making him shiver despite the cold rain trying to drown the both of you. “Why’d you leave?”

“Saw you busy didn’t want…” shaking your head Marcus swallows catching sight of the flowers in your free hand.

“You dropped these why?” Hurt lacing the tone in your voice as you bring the small plastic wrapped bundle up between you. “Thank you.”

Eyes dart between the flowers and your eyes unsure how to answer your question as so many of his own chase around his mind. Wanting the truth Marcus gather’s his courage to ask, “Do you love him?”

Confusion coats your veins, drawing up your brows with the same emotion till it clicks. “Yes, very much in fact you just doesn’t know it.”

“I’m done,” pain etched into his voice heart aching behind its prison of bone and flesh. Misunderstanding the look in your eyes and the words your spoke. “I’m done trying so hard only for you to never even look in my direction. I just can’t do it anymore it’s so much worse than any of the other.” Taking two steps back from your touch that sears the skin under heavy suit jacket and starch white cotton dress shirt. Gaze dropping to concrete unable to look into your eyes a second longer knowing he’s lost the chance. Internally cursing himself for waiting so long, letting other’s in his heart when the one woman he’s wanted all along stood by him through all life’s ups and downs.

Frowning at the loss of touch, his words sinking in you step forward he matches with one back. “Marcus,” soft achingly tender voice reaches out towards him. Heard now the rain has slowed to light drizzle. “Do you know how long I’ve waited to tell you I love you? Not as a brother or best friend, but in love with you.”

“What?” Single word choked off on a gasp, eyes reaching your smiling orbs trying to find the jest. Only seeing genuine love backed by worry and fear that he doesn’t truly have the same feelings. “You never told me.”

“You didn’t tell me either Pike so we’re kinda in the same boat,” carefully reaching out for his nearest hand tugging him back towards you. “So many times I’d try to tell you, to explain, to see if there’s a chance for us. Every time someone else got my shot. I gave up almost for good this time.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” Moving closer, warm palm coming up to cup your cheek from apple to jawline. Thump brushing slowly over soft delicate skin drowning in your eyes as you rubbing your cheek into his large palm. “Never would’ve guess you felt the same way.”

Not sure how to answer the first question, so you joke instead. “Not only good at picking out a fake piece of art but putting on a good show.” Trying to infuse a little lightheartedness into the tense moment. “Gonna call Oscar see if they’ll give me one of those little golden guys for my performance. Not Ingrid Bergman worthy but I can hold my own,” nervous little laugh leaving your lips that Marcus brushes his thumb over the bottom lip. Stuck dumb by the action breath shallow before held while trying to depict the emotions running through those sweet brown eyes. “Say some Marcus.”

The tremor in your voice shakes the shocked cobwebs from his mind to focus his thoughts. Picking up that you haven’t answered his first question, “Why didn’t you tell me?”

“Which time?” Breathy sigh leaving your mouth as you try to gather the right words. “Not to mention your my best friend Marcus I didn’t want to fuck that up especially if you didn’t feel the same way,” taking a breath fresh rain mixes with the warm subtle cologne Marcus wears. “Couldn’t risk loosing you and changing our relationship for a what if.”

“And now?” Cupping the other side of your face, keeping your chin tilted upward, eyes searching the depths of yours. Finding the peace he’s missed out on with everyone who came before. Home written in your embrace, sweet light flora scent wrapping around his senses reminding him of just who he needs.

Swallowing, pink tongue coming out to wet your lips, a path he follows with rapt attention. “I recently became enlightened by a good friend reminding me sometimes you need to take those chances.” Both arms wrap around his neck, flowers still clutched tightly, free hand carding through rain soaked strands at the back of his head. Blunt nails scratching gently over Marcus’s neck receiving a shiver that vibrates through your body and has nothing to do with the cool air or wet clothing.

“And you want to take that leap with me?” Inching closer with barely a millimeter’s breath between your lips. Eyes still wide open assuring each other and finally showing the truth and need.

“I think this is the beginning of a beautiful love affair,” cheeky smile splitting your face at the crinkles appearing at the corners of his eyes. Knowing full well you’ve gotten the quote wrong on purpose.

“Here’s looking at you kid,” deepened voice sending tingles of excitement racing down your spine. Slightest brush of his chapped lips to yours bringing a sigh and parting your mouth that’s captured and devoured.

Angling your head just right as he licks into your sweet coffee tasting mouth mixing the minty freshness of his. Low groan whispers between your lips, which moves and changes. Nibbling his bottom lip, slipping your tongue over the bruised skin to sooth before sliding back into the warm cavern of his delectable mouth. Dreams having no merit on the real kiss that makes your toes curl a moan of your own existing to join with the groan he’s let loose. Air becoming much needed and you part to rest foreheads together.

“I love you to have for a long time,” admitting his feelings frees a part of him held back for so long. “I’m sorry for all the missed opportunities but if you’ll let me I’ll make them all up to you.”

“Start by taking me home to change then out for pancakes,” bright smile blooming over your lips that press into his. Unable to stop yourself from giving another tender kiss while wrapping your arms around his shoulders tighter. “And kisses lots more kisses,” mumbling the words into his mouth while initiating another kiss for emphasis.

Only breaking when someone clears their throat you both turn to see Donna standing there with your purse in hand. “No making out in the parking lot you two take it home,” grinning extending your purse towards you. “Just remember don’t do anything I would,” before turning to start back towards the museum. “Congratulations by the way took y’all long enough.”

“There’s things you’d do I wouldn’t Donna,” you call after her shaking your head before looking back up at Marcus. Catching the look burning in his eyes, “I’m guessing pancakes won’t happen tonight huh?”

Soft smirk slides over those kiss swollen lips, “Later but right now I have other plans.” Tugging you against his chest for one last deep drugging kiss that leaves you weak kneed and panting.

“Care to share those plans?” Snuggling into his arms as you both head the last short distance to his car.

Opening then crowding you into the corner of the door hands braced on either side to lean in placing a soft chase kiss to your cheek. “Making up for all the missed time and then later,” pausing to brush his lips over your ear. Whispering the last words with gentle puffs of air floating across your skin. “I’ll make you those pancakes and lick the syrup from your lips afterwards and any other place you’ll let me.”

“Only if you’ll let me return the flavor,” mischievous smile stretching across your lips, ducking under his arms to slide into the car. Finding him still standing there, you tug on his jacket gaining his attention.

Darken eyes meet yours, “I’ll even paint you like one of my French girls,” sending you a playful wink while closing the car door and running around to the drivers side. Marcus slides in, key slipping into ignition, simple flick of his wrist the car flares to life and he’s backing out heading for home and a new start filled with promise.

#Request #Marcus Pike x Female Reader #Marcus Pike x FemReader #Marcus Pike x F!Reader #Marcus Pike Fiction #Pedro Pascal Character fanfiction #The Mentalist Fiction

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sunnysviolin · 3 years

Note

i am curious about the violin (soulmate au), so Basil doesn't have that mark and sunny does if so i want to know who is the secret soulmate lol (you don't have to answer if you don't want to)

Hi dearie! I love to answer y'all don't even worry about that! I might not always answer because life kind of imploded on me, but I treasure everything you guys send!! As for this, well it's one of my favorite twists in Broken Melodies, so let's get into it. I'm just really hoping people follow along with me, because this could get misinterpreted. Also TW: Sunny/Basil Fight and everything that comes with it

Romantic soulmates are the most common, but they aren't the only kind of bond a person can have. Platonic soulmates are not unheard of, and in fact well known.

These kind of bonds usually happen between a parental figure and a child, but they can also happen between extremely close friends, or even siblings. There isn't an across the board way of distinguishing one bond from another, but those who share the bond are always in agreement on what kind of bond they have- whether platonic or romantic. Regardless of the type of soulmate, losing them is still the worst pain a person can go through and still live.

There is one kind of soulmark that is extremely rare, a kind that almost never happens- a trauma mark

Trauma bonds are rare because they only happen when a person is in mortal peril, long after a person is born. These types of marks aren't natural, they're created during moments of extreme stress. There isn't a lot of research into how exactly trauma bonds are formed, but these are not the same as other soulmarks.

The unfortunate reality was that most trauma bonds are short lived, as most people who form a trauma bond succumb to whatever had caused enough emotional distress that their soul had linked itself to another.

For those that do survive, the connections between soulmates are stronger than any other type. The link between them is forged not by blood or whatever force there might be, but by a person's trust in the other to protect them. To save them.

That night during their fight, Sunny was more frightened than he had ever been. The night of the concert, he hadn't had time to be frightened, he had been thrust deep into White Space before he could fully process his horror. But seeing Something surrounding him and Basil, having Basil swipe at him with a silver pair of shears...Sunny was completely caught in the icy grip of terror. He couldn't breathe, he couldn't calm, there was nothing but fear. He couldn't begin to think, couldn't even start to try and rationalize what was happening.

Basil tackled him and pinned Sunny down underneath him. Sunny blindly thrust his arms up pushing against Basil who was pressing down on him. Sunny's arms, already weak from years spent doing nothing but lying in bed, were screaming in exhaustion. He was going to lose. He was going to die. Basil kept saying Everything Was Going To Be Okay, but it wasn't. Sunny was going to die. He couldn't save them. He was going to die.

Sunny felt the same feeling he had in the lake, when Something was holding him under, wrapped around his ankles like a vice. It was the same darkness, the same cold. When it had him, Mari had saved him. She had pulled him back into the light. Mari couldn't save him now, he had killed her. He had killed her, and now he was going to die too, because he had made it so she couldn't save him.

Except. Except Mari hadn't saved him. Not this time. He had thought it was her, the arms pulling him up to the surface had felt like hers, but they weren't hers. It was Hero. Hero had saved him yesterday, Hero had pulled him out of the water.

Sunny wanted Hero here. Sunny needed someone else to save Basil, to save him. His wrist blazed in a searing burn, and Sunny gasped, his arms giving out from the strain and the hurt.

At the same time, in the quiet and peace of the living room, Hero shot up with a loud shout, somehow not startling the rest of the house into waking.

He was gripping his own wrist in a bruising grip. The strange fire on his arm settled almost as soon as it had come. Hero blinked through the sudden tears of pain and looked down.

There was Mari's mark, as black and empty as it always was. Her music notes drifting down the back of his hand, limp and lifeless. But under them was something new. Hero flipped his hand over, staring down in bewilderment.

Starting at his wrist and extending down his forearm was a violin. It wasn't a large mark, it was barely as long as his palm, but it pulsed with a throbbing ache. It was a soft brown color, not grey like new marks should be. Hero shouldn't have any new marks, yet somehow he instinctually knew who's it was. There was only person that made sense.

But Sunny didn't have marks. Sunny. Hero looked across the room. Kel was snoring next to him. Aubrey was on the couch, her face uncharacteristically soft and vulnerable.

Hero heard a loud cry of pain from behind him in Basil's room, and his right eye exploded in agony, starbursts flodding his vision. Sunny.

He was up and running before Polly, Kel, and Aubrey even woke up.

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hnychn · 3 years

Text

𝐒𝐄𝐄 𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐄𝐀 [𝐀𝐑𝐌𝐈𝐍]

summary : armin stood on the beaches shore as the salty breeze cradled his face, and his mind could only wander to you.

warnings : character death, mentions of blood

word count : 2300+

a/n : i am so sorry to armin for writing this, but i love him sm

navigation || attack on titan masterlist

"Let's see the sea together, Armin!"

Armin got off his horse and relished in the feeling of the salty ocean breeze cradling his face, and his mind could only wander to you.

The two of you grew up together. Your mother had introduced you to a shy blonde boy when you were younger, he hid behind his grandfather’s leg with only half of his face showing, but it was enough for you to see his brilliant blue eyes. There was something about them that gave you hope, despite his timid and recluse nature, whenever you looked into his eyes you felt like you could take on the world.

It was easy becoming his friend, especially after you found him reading one of your favorite books in an alley. The two of you bonded over your shared interest in books, admittedly Armin had a stronger interest than you and would often ramble for hours about the plot of books and the underlying meanings behind characters and their developments, but the shine in his eyes whenever he spoke filled you with a feeling your seven year old mind couldn’t put a word to; but if there was one thing clear to you, it was that you liked the feeling. And you’d do anything to feel it until your last dying breath.

Eren and Mikasa were another easy addition to your duo. It was easy for you to bond with Mikasa over your shared protection over the two boys, and Eren was overall an easy person to get along with. Armin introduced the idea of seeing the sea to Eren one afternoon near the river during sunset.

Armin had brought the book he borrowed from his grandfather and told Eren all about the beauties of the outside world, the same excited blush and shiny blue eyes filled with hope and wonder on his face when he told you the exact same.

Of course, Eren hadn’t believed the ocean was filled with salt, and neither had you. It seemed too far fetched for a body of water as large as Armin claimed to be filled with never ending salt. But the excitement and hope in his eyes stopped you from arguing with him, only nudging Eren with your elbow, a cheeky smile on your face.

“C’mon now Eren, you’re telling me you don’t believe in that when there’s literal titans walking around our world?”

Eren only scoffed and nudged you back a bit harder, “Well it’s better than believing dead people become butterflies.”

Your ears burned in embarrassment as you crossed your arms, a pout on your lips as you sent Eren a half hearted glare out of the corner of your eyes, turning back to the sunset the two of you were watching, “I happen to like believing in it very much.”

Eren shrugged, “what was the story again?”

You smiled, “My mother told me our souls are all butterflies and when we die, they’re set free into the world. She said that when a loved one dies, their butterfly will come visit you to say goodbye before flying away and they visit you again when you need it the most.”

Armin stared at you as you retold the story for the millionth time; but no matter how many times you told it, he always paid close attention. Your eyes would shine brightly and there would be a smile on your face he rarely ever saw, so every time you would smile, he committed it to his memory until the next time he saw it. He never told you, but he believed in the story too, sometimes he finds himself wishing he had told you.

The four of you joined the Training Corps together after Wall Maria had fallen and later the Survey Corps. There were many hardships and surprises as the four of you fought for the freedom of humanity and raised in the ranks of the military.

You teased Eren relentlessly after everyone found out he was a titan, which only led to play fights and roughhousing in the middle of the Mess Hall. Mikasa never broke these fights apart and Armin stopped worrying about either of you getting hurt, they knew this was your own curious way of encouraging the other to fight their hardest.

But it was during the retaking of Wall Maria that changed everything.

Before everything had started, you and Armin snuck out in the middle of the night to stare at the stars and just talk. Peaceful moments like those were few and far between, the weight of jsjdf weighing heavy on both of you.

“What color do you think the ocean is?”

You never looked away from the stars above you, your head tilting to the side at Armin’s sudden question. You could feel the build up of hesitation in your chest as your mind went to war of how to answer. Would you allow yourself to speak with your heart and answer his question truthfully?

You shrugged, “Maybe it’s clear like the rivers.”

You could tell Amrin was a bit dissatisfied at your less than creative answer, you were disappointed in yourself. You should have been honest. Perhaps you’ll tell him what color you think the ocean is after you retake Wall Maria.

It all went to hell. Most of Hange’s squad had died when Barthold had turned into the colossal titan and you had been heavily injured when you pushed Sasha out of the way of Reiner’s attack. Nobody had been able to get to you fast enough, and you felt your bones crack when you collided with the ground.

You heard your friends call out to you, Mikasa’s voice louder than the rest, and your body ached for rest, but you got up. You refused to die by the hands of a traitor.

You couldn’t die. Not here. Not now. Not after promising Armin to see the sea together. So you fought on. You fought against Reiner, the screeching of your nearly destroyed gear fed into the dizziness you felt from the impact; you fought against the ache in your bones and soul that pleaded for you to stop, to rest; you fought against the pull of your body into unconsciousness, you couldn’t pass out, not here; you fought against the searing pain you felt when you were once again slammed into a building, your body meeting the familiar crunch of the ground; you fought against the tug of your eyelids and the sleep that threatened to consume you whole and never give you back.

You fought against it all - for Armin.

The rest of the squad continued to fight, sparing you glances every now and then, but they fully expected you to get up again. They knew you were a fighter - knew you had plans for after they retake Wall Maria - but after agonizingly long minutes of your body laying still on the blood stained floor, blood of your own beginning to pool around you, panic set in.

Mikasa was at your side in an instant after a desperate call of your name. You hadn’t responded. When she got to you, she could hear your shallow, desperate attempts to fill your lungs with air, only to choke on the blood pooling in your throat. Hastily placing her hands against the gaping wound on your stomach, she tried to stop the bleeding, her eyes hazy with unshed tears and fear for your life.

You could just about make out her figure above you through the combination of the bright sun blinding you and the haziness of sleep threatening to overtake you.

“C’mon, y/n, stay awake.” Her voice was muffled, almost as if your head was underwater, “don’t die, don’t die, don’t die.”

Weakly, your hand wrapped around her wrist, pulling slightly to remove her hands from your wound. She shook her head, her tears now falling in clumps down her face, landing on your blood stained cheek, “You can’t die.”

You smiled up at her. She had always cared for you like a mother would, making sure you were fed, making sure you were safe, making sure you were loved. It brought you comfort, especially now that your gasps became louder and your heart pounded loudly in your ears from the lack of oxygen. You would have preferred not to be in this situation at all, every memory you had since birth flashing before your eyes as your body grew cold, but her presence made the process just a bit easier.

Your eyelids bobbed as you tried to keep them open, but your energy was fading and so was your life, and the only thing you could think to say to the girl sobbing above you, pleading for you to just stay with her was, “thank you.”

Mikasa could only sob harder as your grip on her wrist went limp and your eyes dulled. She sobbed for her lost friend, the friend she swore to protect the moment she laid eyes on you. She sobbed for Armin, and she couldn’t bear the image of his reaction to your death.

It was only after the fight, after Armin had been turned into a titan to save him, did Mikasa feel a foreign clump in her pocket. Her hands were still stained with your blood, but she pulled it out nonetheless. It was a letter.

A letter addressed to Armin.

Armin pulled out the worn paper from this pocket of his trousers. The edges were frayed and the paper browned with age, but he still kept it.

Dear Armin,

If you’re reading this, it means I didn’t survive the battle. As I’m writing this, you’re asleep next to me, having fallen asleep on the roof during one of your star gazing nights. Nights like these are what keep me going. Everyday before an expedition, I always think back to these moments, and they fill me with determination to experience another with you.

But tonight was different. You asked me what color I think the ocean is. I laughed and said I had no clue, they were probably clear like the rivers. I lied. I don’t think the ocean is clear like the rivers. It’s blue.

I say that because whenever I think of the ocean, I think of you. I think about how you always get excited to tell someone about the outside world and what that book your grandfather had hidden said. I think about how blue your eyes look when you talk about it, and how they shine with such brilliance and hopefulness to see it for yourself. I think about how deep and emotion filled they are, how some parts of your eyes are a darker blue than others, how they change shades depending on your mood or the lighting.

How they fill me with a feeling that terrifies me.

I know I probably shouldn’t write this, especially if you do end up reading this because it might cause you more pain than my actual death, but I’m going to be selfish for once, and I hope you can forgive me.

Armin, I love you.

And I know that’s such a shitty thing to say in a letter you’ll receive after my death, but I do. I love you, and I’m sorry I didn’t say it sooner. I’ve felt like this since the moment I met you when we were seven, but I couldn’t figure out why my tummy felt all weird around you. It was when we got into the Training Corps, we were doing hand to hand combat training and you gave me a big hug later that night, proud of yourself for finally being able to take down your opponent. It was then that I could figure out what I was feeling. And it terrified me. Because there we were, training to give our lives to humanity, training to fight against the very beings that took our families from us.

And, call me selfish, but i don’t think I could heal from losing you, but I know you can heal from losing me. So I didn’t tell you. I lived with this secret for years, and sometimes I felt like telling you and getting this weight off of my chest, but just the image of you not coming back from an expedition plagued my mind, and I never could tell you.

Do you remember the story I told you? The one about the butterflies? I hope you do, because I’ll be visiting you and you better not squish me, or I’ll haunt you.

I’m sorry I broke my promise. I’m sorry we couldn’t see the sea together. Maybe in another life, where we don’t have to worry about titans or being eaten or fighting for our lives and our freedom - maybe then, we can see the sea together.

Forever yours,

Y/N L/N

A teardrop fell on the browning paper. Armin hadn’t even realised he was crying. After he woke up on top of the newly reclaimed Wall Maria, he first inquired about you, hoping to celebrate taking back your hometown with him. That’s when Eren told him everything. Armin was sure he had never cried as much as he did then, never felt pain as painful as losing you.

They were able to recover your body, Mikasa made sure they did. Armin only sobbed harder when he held your hand, its usual comforting warmth replaced with a coldness that still haunts him, even three years later.

Mikasa and Eren stood a few paces behind him, giving him some space to take everything in while they reminisced about their own memories of you.

The salty breeze of the ocean cradled his face, and his salty tears tasted bitter against his tongue. He felt something soft flutter against his cheek, and gasped when he saw a blue butterfly land on the frayed end of your letter. Armin smiled for the first time in a while.

“I guess you were right, y/n. . . the ocean is blue.”

The salty breeze of the ocean cradled his face and the butterfly flapped its wings and flew off after a strong gust of wind. Armin was a bit sad to see it go, but he smiled nonetheless.

Because he knew, you had seen the ocean, too.

a/n: sorry if it doesn't make sense in some parts this is my first time writing a full imagine work thing, and actually publishing it, so i'm a bit worried this hadn't come out the way i wanted it to. either way, i hope you all enjoyed this :)

#attack on titan x reader #attack on titan #armin aot #aot x reader #armin x reader #armin arlert #armin arlet x reader #character death

210 notes · View notes

studioxlii · 3 years

Note

18 and Junhee pls!! Xx

"to be fully seen by somebody, then, be loved anyhow is a human offering that can border on miraculous."

proof read: kinda

warnings: none

note(s): the format might be garbage, im mobile.

Love is a weird thing but so are the conditions that come with it; the limits that people decide need to be in place. You understood boundaries or not wanting to take too many steps before you knew the relationship would hold but some things never sat right with you. It took a few years but it wasn't until you overheard some of your project group talking that it finally hit you; most people you knew didn't want to date their best friends for two reasons.

1. It could ruin their friendship. This reason was obvious and of course you understood.

2. They'd seen way too much.

You remember hearing those words and your head lifting, confused and wondering what that could even mean. When you were in a relationship that would eventually progress, weren't they just going to see those things anyway? You never could let that thought go, not once you decided that would only make it better; it would make a relationship stronger. Well, in your eyes.

Dating was something that seemed to come easier to you before those thoughts started polluting your mind; no one seemed to understand or see you in a way you really wanted. The ideal person for you was someone who saw everything; the bad days, the good days and the maybe okay but not so great days. It was really starting to mess with you. By not wanting to date certain friends, were you restricting yourself from the relationship you really wanted?

Only one person, one friend, knew you better than you knew yourself, you were positive of that. Your best friend of nine years, Junhee, had probably been through almost every bad thing possible in life with you. You began recalling all the situations you'd been in with each other that were memorable; the things you wouldn't have faced with anyone else because you didn't want anyone else to see.

'Do you remember when you got your belly button pierced?'

And that's when it began.

The question came out of nowhere, breaking the silence of your apartment and leaving Junhee to look up from his book confused and blinking. 'Uh.. yes?' His response came out slow, hesitant like he was missing some weird in-between the lines meaning of the question.

Your head tilted, finally looking over at him. 'Do you remember the way you squeezed my hand to the point it was purple because it hurt so bad you nearly passed out?'

His features flushed at the ridiculous memory being forced back into his head. 'You mean the same day you had to cling to me, crying because your first tattoo felt like your leg was being seared off?'

You hated crying in front of people for any reason but you couldn't go alone; you'd never go alone for something like that. You just nodded in response before returning to your own book, continuing to read like you hadn't brought the subject up at all.

Your first date after you began recalling things and getting far too deep in what could only be sentimental thoughts went okay. A friend of your friend's, Sehyoon, who was an art major and knew of you but didn't know you; he'd never really integrated himself into the small friend circle on campus but Byeongkwan spoke highly of him.

He was sweet; a gentleman. Pretty much anything you could really ask for but you noticed little things; minute things that didn't even matter. You felt like you were being unreasonable or judgmental despite only picking out things that didn't match. Didn't match what, exactly?

He wasn't Junhee.

The realization had you suddenly shooting up from your seat, interrupting the poor male's answer to your question about his major and spilling out several apologies as you even fought to put money down for your own food. It took quite a few more 'I'm really sorry's before you were speeding out of the small restaurant; you'd make sure to call him later.

You found yourself in the only place that made sense: banging hard on the door of the RA for your building, hardly caring if you disturbed anyone else.

'What?' was the greeting you received from a very frustrated Donghun, wanting nothing more than to be left alone again. And yes, you called each other your friend.

'We have a really, really big problem.'

Being a mutual friend and despite not wanting to get involved in anyone's "drama", he spent two hours talking you out of it, down from it and against it, reminding you just why your newfound feelings for your best friend were a problem. He even reminded you of your comment, three years ago, about how you could never possibly like Junhee; how he remembered that and you didn't, you didn't care to ask.

You returned home a wreck, tired and wanting to burn your own emotions. Were you really uncovering some unconsciously buried feelings or did you just like the fact that he /saw/ you? He'd seen you nearly on your deathbed sick.

He'd seen you living in a depression nest for two weeks, barely able to get out a bed and eating nothing but honey buns and cereal.

He'd seen you grieve family members and pets; seen you walk into the rain and scream at the top of your lungs because of how lost in despair you'd been.

He'd seen you drunk and stupid; he'd seen you the night after a one night stand and hungover to the point you wanted to fight the sun.

He'd sat by you absolutely throwing your guts up.

He had seen every single side of you and you'd seen the same from him but it only started to stack further and further.

You knew his favorite songs because God forbid he only have one. You knew his favorite color, favorite food and his weird retirement plan that involved a tiny petting zoo of his own that he refused to just call a farm. Your pins for everything were each other's birthdates and he was the only other name on your bank account. Why?

Staring down at the menu you'd seen over a hundred times, you were sure, you couldn't decide on just what sounded good and part of you just wanted everything. Those moments staring at words that started to blur, you noticed Junhee hadn't touched his menu and kept shifting around, visibly uncomfortable for reasons you couldn't possible figure out.

'It's unlike you to not be going off about the food here.. or already having ordered your favorite drink that, I recall, you said you'd die without if you didn't have it every time you came here,' you began, closing the menu and setting it down with narrowed eyes, 'what's going on?'

'It's stupid. Just.. order and get some food, I'll probably just eat later. I'm not really hungry.'

That was a bold faced lie and you knew it, the concern growing. 'And, what's the oh-so-stupid reason, exactly?'

It took him a minute, shifting more and acting like a child who had gotten in trouble. 'I, uh.. I can't really..' he gestured around, lips pursed and growing even more upset by the second, you could tell by the way he was trying to stop himself from frowning. 'Can't really afford it.' You were college students, it wasn't the world's biggest secret if you couldn't afford something.

'Do you really think I'm just going to eat in front of you?' You snorted, avoiding any comment that would further his being upset over the situation, 'Don't worry about it and order, okay?'

Financial struggles were no quiet matter between the two of you and never had been since you started school. Junhee lived off campus in an apartment with two shitty roommates, a terrible part time job and parents that pretty much didn't care if he perished on the side of the street somewhere. You, on the other hand, which you didn't like bringing up, were doing fine but only because your parents dropped something of an 'allowance' into your account for foods and necessities.

You ignored his attempt to argue and told him if he didn't order something, you were going to do it for him; he shut up.

The next day, you took a trip to the bank.

You could feel eyes on you as you splayed across the couch, staring at the ceiling and contemplating life and all of it's annoyances. No question left you but even if you wanted to say something, you were cut off.

'So, are you going to tell me what's going on? For the past.. three weeks? You've been asking me all sorts of weird stuff,' Junhee inquired, frowning thoughtfully, 'Are you testing me or something? Trust me, yes, I remember every single second I've spent with you. I remember every word you've said, the names of every guy you've been with and the ones I'd like to fight. I remember every birthday and gift I've given you and the ones you've given me. Yes, I remember your favorite things and everything so, what's the deal?'

It sounded sentimental at first but then you noticed that all too familiar waiver in his voice and out of the corner of your eye, you noticed his hands fiddling with the chain bracelet that had adorned his wrist for five years; he wanted to cry. A crying Junhee was something no one ever wanted on your hands and you briefly recalled a phone call from a very panicked Byeongkwan because of just that but you were letting your thoughts get off topic.

'I think I'm in love with you.'

'If you don't want to be fri-'

You were both cut off as your head turned to finally look at him, soaking in the unreadable expression on his features when someone busted through the door; 'Look!'

Both of you looked towards your two friends that invited themselves into your door, one holding a new cat and the other looking just as pleased with the announcement but it gradually dropped. 'Shit, did we interrupt something?' Of course, you always knew when you finally and truly confessed to someone that it would be Byeongkwan who ruined the whole thing; you used it as an escape, though, reminding yourself of what the confession could do to your friendship.

'New minion, I see,' you chimed, sitting up and ignoring the question, both of them, as you rose to greet Donghun's new pet. You were ignorant to the looks shared between the three boys and you were happy about that.

Now, you just had to avoid it ever coming up again until it was forgotten.

Junhee, however, didn't want that to happen.

After about an hour of chitchatting and ignoring the gaze of your best friend, you excused yourself under the excuse of having a meetup for a class, despite it being your dorm, and managed to weasel your way out. There was really nowhere to go, no one to talk to and you surely didn't have any plans for the next week; you ended up at the café on campus. It was quiet and filled mostly with a few students doing work and the two members of staff behind the counter, one eventually joining you at the table. He didn't say anything, waited for you to stop your dramatic Disney scene and acknowledge him.

'Would you date me, Yu?'

Taken a bit off guard, he ended up snorting. 'I can't tell if this is a trap or you want the genuine answer,' he replied, crossing his arms atop the table, 'but, on the hand that it's serious.. probably. I mean, I definitely wouldn't turn you down. We've known each other for a few years, hang out on a regular basis.. get along and have a lot of similar interests. So, yeah.'

The answer made your lips draw into a deep frown and you tapped your fingers against the cup, soaking up every word. 'Even though we're friends? What if we broke up?'

A soft 'ah' came from him as he realized what was really going on and he shrugged, thinking it over for a minute or two. 'We're both adults and I don't believe either of us would do something so that the breakup would be something that could ruin our friendship. I understand it would be like.. friends then it being intimate then back to friends, but I think both of us are mature enough to deal with that and not let it bother us too much.' He spoke like he'd been through it several times and in reality, it had only been once, a small fling with a mutual friend but they still seemed pretty okay. 'Is this about Jun?'

'Does everyone know?' You groaned out, releasing the cup to lean back and rub your hands over your face in defeat, 'I.. I told him I think I love him then Kwan and Donghun showed up and I bailed because now I don't actually want to face him or admit to ever actually saying it. I do! I do love him! I don't.. I don't want to lose him, you know?'

You could see the way the latter looked at you, sympathetic and calculating what words wouldn't just stress you out further. 'Look.. I know you don't want to hear it from me or anyone else for that matter because you want to keep saying it'll ruin your friendship when in reality, you don't like the idea that you could hurt each other, I was the same way with Donghun, so I understand.. but, you should really see all this from an outsider's point of view. Junhee looks at you like you hung the moon and you look at him like he painted the stars; yes, it's been like that since I've met you and a reminder, it's been years. I don't know what took you so long to realize it or if you've just avoided it this whole time but anyone would have to be blind not to see it. Now,' he sighed deeply as he finished and straightened, 'I think you should probably go and talk to him about it considering you just confessed then ditched but it's your choice. I don't think you have anything to worry about.. for either of you. You're the most loyal person I know, so I have no doubt you'd ever hurt him in a way that would ruin you guys and he can barely swat at a fly or sit still through hearing thunder, you think he's going to do something? Regardless.. one of these days, soon, you'll have to face it and I really hope you don't go into it with the cliché reason of your friendship being ruined.'

The words sank in slow and you wanted nothing but to cry your eyes out because he was right; he always was and you hated it. It took a while for you to speak and he seemed okay with that, briefly leaving you to fill a couple orders before returning. 'I know you're leaving for break tomorrow.. tell him before then.' Those were his last words before he bid you good luck and a good night, heading back to his own dorm, most likely to call Donghun now that he'd projected just a little bit.

Irrationality was a word that would be in your character description box and the word stupid could very well be right next to it because when you got home, you packed your bag and decided to leave early, not bothering to let any of your friends know. You needed time and you were being selfish, so selfish to the point you thought maybe he'd just hate you when you got back.

Oh boy were you wrong.

Two days into being back home and confiding in your mother who promptly smacked you upside the back of the head, you found yourself sitting on the porch and moping, split between what to do. You suspected the boys were a bit angry with you when you noticed the ample amount of texts, voicemails, social messages and phone calls that had gone ignored; you caught a glimpse of the absolute book Yuchan took the time to send you, leaving you kind of scared to even open it. It didn't take long for the guilt to set in but you chose to wait until you were back on campus to deal with it.

Or at least, that was your plan.

'So, I know you've never been a fan of confrontation but.. you've never been the type to run away.'

The sudden voice startled you as you hadn't even noticed anyone pull up and of course, upon looking up, you were met with the face you were trying to avoid the most. Junhee stood at the end of the sidewalk looking pitiful and shifting his weight in a nervous manner. You didn't bother trying to speak, not knowing what to say but you did wait for the rant, the berating that you deserved; that wasn't who he was though.

He even stayed quiet for a minute or two, making his way closer to sit on the steps, looking up towards your figure. 'Did you mean it?'

You could have answered right away, poured your heart out and let out the tears you'd been holding in since the moment you left. Instead, you stayed quiet and pulled your knees closer to your chest, not trusting your own voice. He didn't relent though, reaching out to lightly nudge your knee.

'That's all I need to know.. did you mean it? If.. if you didn't I can just leave and we don't have to bother with it again.'

'And, if I did..?' Finally finding your voice, you looked over to him, chewing hard on your lower tier, nervous and kind of wanting to throw up.

You could see him thinking it over before a faint smile showed up. 'I'd most likely cry.. but I'm going to cry either way,' he began, shrugging his shoulders while moving up to sit next to you, 'I'd also tell you that I love you, too and I've been trying to tell you that for years now.'

The confession made your heart flutter, your skin burn and the butterflies being kept back burst in delight in your gut. 'Even.. after everything we've been through? Everything you've seen..?'

Junhee nodded. 'Mhm. I'd go through it all again and what do you mean? I've seen nothing but you.'

#fairieswritings #a.c.e #junhee #clicheprompts #a.c.e scenarios #a.c.e reactions #a.c.e x reader #a.c.e imagines #a.c.e drabbles #kpop #kpop scenarios #kpop drabbles #kpop reactions #kpop imagines

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stellarstarwarsimagines · 3 years

Note

75 and 94 with Sith Anakin :)

Thank you so much for requesting this because this has to be one of my favorite Anakin stories I’ve ever written. It’s super sad, but I still hope you enjoy! :D

This was not how you wanted today to go. It wasn’t supposed to be a difficult mission. Get the supplies, and get out. Was it a dangerous place? Of course, but everything was these days with the Empire marking their territory wherever they went. But never in your wildest dreams had you expected there to be Inquisitors hiding there, and never had you expected to have to deal with two. As good of a Jedi as Ezra was becoming, he wasn’t able to take on one by himself yet, and you had done the best you could to make sure he was out of harm’s way before surrendering.

You knew Kanan would kill you for it if you ever saw him again, but you cared more about Ezra staying alive than getting killed yourself.

They had stripped you of your lightsaber and cuffed you, leading you to a star cruiser that they mentioned belonged to Lord Vader. They seemed to enjoy talking about what he was going to do to you, and how they hoped they would get to watch.

Having heard of Lord Vader, the atrocities he had done, the only thing you could do was hope that you could find a way to annoy him enough to make your death as quick and as painless as possible. After all, you didn’t fear death anymore.

Not when it would bring you back to the love of your life.

You showed no resistance as you were shoved into an interrogation chair and strapped in, all fight drained out of your body. What was the point? Unless the Ghost Crew could pull off another miracle, you were about to die. You just had to make sure you didn’t give up any Rebellion secrets while you were doing so.

Eventually the two Inquisitors left you with your thoughts, and you took this moment to close your eyes in meditation, saying a final goodbye to those you loved. Obi-Wan, your oldest friend who had saved your life more times than you could count, Ahsoka, the girl you had watched become a warrior with the kindest heart you knew, Rex and Rutt, the two clones who had laid down their lives for you. Then there was the newest, but some of the most important members of your family. Hera, the sister you never knew you needed, Zeb who always could make you smile no matter what the situation, Sabine, the selfless and talented woman who always put others first, Ezra, the young and incredible Jedi you had been helping to train, and then there was Kanan. Sweet, amazing, Kanan who had done more for you in the past few years than you could remember.

A tear dripped down your face as you could almost feel the man through the Force, a flicker of anxiety and turmoil from miles and miles away. You knew he wouldn’t want you to give up, you knew he would try to save you, but if it was time . . . It was time.

Your only regret was knowing that you were leaving behind the most important -

You heard him before you saw him, his boots were heavy on the shining black floor. The darkness surrounding the man in the Force was suffocating, and you dropped your head, trying not to drown in it. “A Jedi, surrendering . . . I never would have expected it.” Was all he said from behind you, the voice diluted with a modulator from the mask you knew he wore.

“What did you expect? Me to let you kill my friend? I suppose that’s what the Empire would do.” You responded, your voice shakier than you would have liked.

He chose to ignore your words, his footsteps pacing back and forth behind you, allowing you just a glimpse of black and the silver flash of your lightsaber in his hands. “Where did you get this lightsaber?” Vader asked.

Was that the question that he wanted to open with? You would have assumed there would have been some threatening, the usual, tell me what you know about the rebellion, where is the secret base, blah, blah, blah. Not where you got your lightsaber. After all, that answer was so obvious you didn’t feel the need to respond.

“Do I need to repeat my question?” Vader asked once more, his voice calm, and didn’t even give you a chance to respond to him. You felt a pressure around your throat, growing stronger with every passing moment until you couldn’t get any air into your lungs. You started coughing, your hands trying to fly to your throat, but unable to strapped down at your sides. Tears of panic formed in your eyes as you struggled against an unforeseen force, but then as quickly as it had arrived, it was gone, leaving you gasping for air. “Where did you get this lightsaber?”

You were scared. You hated to admit it, you knew that Jedi weren’t supposed to feel it, but you were. The darkness Vader seemed to emit almost smothered you in your entirety. You had never felt someone so dark, and your fear, as it always had when it reared its ugly head, made you lash out. “Where do you think I got it? A market? I made it! Went to Ilum, found a crystal, constructed it myself -” You choked out before he interrupted you.

“You’re lying!” The sudden burst of emotion in his voice shocked you. From what you had heard about Vader he was always calm, precise, even when he was in the midst of torturing someone. “I know the woman who made this, and she is dead!”

“Oh, so I’m dead? Good to know. It’ll save us a lot of trouble here then won’t -”

You felt a hand grip your hair, tugging it up sharply until you were face to face with the mask Vader hid behind, and in that moment . . . something changed.

The dark, terrifying, intimidating, Darth Vader gasped out your name in a low, weak voice and collapsed to his knees in front of you.

This version of Vader frightened you even more than the one you had seen earlier. “W-what are you doing?”

He didn’t answer you. For several moments, he stared at you through those black lenses, and you wondered how he could even see you through them. You knew he was though. You could feel his gaze piercing your skin like a glacier, sending chills all the way from the top of your head to the tips of your toes. You didn’t want to look at him any longer, hating the way it made you feel, and that was when his head dropped. You watched him with confused eyes as his gloved hands went to his helmet and began to lift it off, something you knew he never did, to reveal a head of dirty blonde waves, the ends of them brushing the shoulders of his dark robes.

Then, he lifted his head, and you were met with achingly familiar eyes, even with their change of color.

That was when the fragile pieces of your life came crashing down around you. For several years now, all you had ever been sure of, was that Anakin Skywalker was dead. Your Force connection with him had been so strong. It was the only explanation for it blinking out of existence the way it had, ripping what felt like a part of your soul along with it. Obi-Wan had told you that he was dead. That the Emperor had killed him.

Yet here he sat, on his knees in front of you, looking as fragile and distraught as you felt. You had stared into that handsome face too many times to confuse it with anyone else. You knew every single inch of that man, he had been seared into your memory, and there was no doubt in your mind that despite everything you believed, it was Anakin in front of you.

“The Emperor . . . he told me that you were dead. That Obi-Wan had killed you.” His gloved hand went to your cheek, touching you as if you were made of glass. “If I had known . . .”

His touch, something that you had longed for, dreamed of for so long, tore you apart. It couldn’t be real. It couldn’t be happening no matter what you were seeing. Was Vader putting these thoughts in your head somehow? There were three people in the whole universe who knew how deep and strong you and Anakin’s love had been. How could he have found out something so personal to torture you with? Because that’s what this was, the deepest torture you had ever had to endure, and you knew, if Vader kept this vision going he could get whatever he wanted from you. As long as he let you stay here with Anakin. Tears started filling your eyes once more as you looked at him, his face even more vibrant than it was in your memories. “I wish this was real,” you whimpered, your fingers itching to touch him, but unable to in your secured state. Instead you leaned into his touch, nuzzling against his gloved palm. “All I’ve ever wanted was to see you once last time.”

Then something incredible happened. Anakin reached out, and undid your restraints, catching you in his arms as you collapsed. “This is real! I am real!” He said, squeezing you so tight in his arms he could have broken your ribs, but you didn’t care because it felt so good. You were right back where you belonged, safe, comfortable and free in Anakin’s arms.

Free . . .

He had let you out of your straps. Vader never would have let that happen, even in a vision. It would be too dangerous. Your eyes shifted to the helmet that lay at Anakin’s side, and your world collapsed once more. “No . . .” You murmured, shaking your head. “Please no, no, no,” you murmured the word over and over again, tears dripping down your face in a stream as your hand reached for the helmet, holding the cold metal in your hand. You pulled back enough to look into those eyes, those red and orange eyes that now seemed so different. “Anakin, please tell me you’re not Vader. Tell me you’re not the one -”

“It doesn’t matter,” His hands cupped your cheeks, forcing you to look at him. “It doesn’t matter, don’t you see? You’re alive, and now we can put everything behind us! We can do what we always dreamed of doing -”

There was so much desperation in his voice you felt your heart shattering again. It was too much, trying to reconcile the man you grew up with, the man you loved, with all the things that you knew Vader had done. “You’ve killed so many . . . Killed Jedi . . . People we knew . . . destroyed villages . . .” You couldn’t look him in the eyes anymore. Your emotions were drowning you, burying you underwater with each and every new atrocity that you remembered Vader had committed and bringing you to a conclusion that left a giant, gaping wound in your chest. “Anakin, you’ve become a -”

“No!” The anger and frustration in his voice had you cringing. “Don’t you understand?! I had nothing! Ahsoka was gone, Obi-Wan was gone, you were gone! What was I supposed to do?”

“Not turn to the dark side! Anakin, you’re breaking my heart all over again . . . How could you do those things?” You sobbed, trying to pull away from him when every bone in your body craved to keep being held by him.

His grip became tighter, crushing you to his chest. “You were dead, and it was the Jedi’s fault. They deserved everything they got.”

His words shook you more than anything else he had said. He had done all this . . . Because of you? He had turned to the dark side, destroyed villages, people, tortured hundreds . . . because he thought you were dead.

Despair ripped through your body, as you came to the realization that all of this was your fault. If only you hadn’t believed Obi-Wan when he told you Anakin was dead. If you had gone looking for him yourself instead of escaping to Tatooine to hide from the Empire, none of this might have happened. “But I’m not dead, Anakin . . . I never was.” You looked up once more, meeting his gaze through your tears. “What other lies has the Emperor been telling you?”

You watched as he absorbed your words, but his face was unreadable.

“Lord Vader!” A panicked voice broke through the bubble the two of you had created and you flinched as Anakin’s hand shot out and sent the intruder flying backwards against the wall and pinned him there.

“What do you want?” Anakin hissed at him from behind the chair, and it was then that you realized why he had pushed the guard back in the first place. He hadn’t wanted him to see the two of you.

“Rebels!” The man croaked out, and you glanced over to find Anakin’s hand clenched in a fist, choking the man the same way he had done you. As soon as Anakin saw where your gaze had gone, his fist immediately uncurled. “There are Rebels on the ship. They’re trying to take the bridge!”

You couldn’t even be grateful. You knew who it was. Kanan’s Force presence was getting stronger with every few seconds that passed, but all you could feel was pain, and not just your own either, now that you knew Anakin was alive, you could feel him. Not like earlier, when you had both been Jedi, the dark side shrouded him in too much blackness for that, but you could feel something . . . pain and confusion that echoed yours. “Stay here.” He instructed you, reaching for his mask.

You grasped at his arm, stopping him. “Ani,” you gasped out, the first time the nickname had been directed at him in years made him stiffen. “Please don’t. Please. I’m begging you not to hurt them. They’re trying to save me, that’s it.”

Anakin stared at you and for a moment his gaze softened, but as soon as you had seen it, it vanished again. “You have always been mine. I’m not going to let them take you away from me again.” Anakin leaned forward and you shivered as you felt those soft, familiar lips press against your forehead. “I’ve lost everything. Now that I know you’re alive, I won’t lose you too.”

He stood up, pulling away from you, and placing the mask back on his beautiful face. “You were always mine too, Ani . . . Can you still say that?” You whispered to him.

Anakin didn’t respond, merely stood there and stared down at you for a moment before leaving you, shutting the door behind him.

You collapsed onto the cold, unforgiving floor, you fist hitting it as you screamed and sobbed out your pain. Never had you realized how cruel fate could be. First it had tortured you with his death, and now it had done something even worse. To have him dangling in front of you to snatch him away again was pure torture. It seemed as if you had now lost him even more than you had all those years ago. You were so lost in your own grief you didn’t hear the door opening, didn’t hear the call of your name until you were hauled off the ground and upright. “It’s me! It’s me! We’ve got to get you out of here!” The familiar voice said, shaking you somewhat to grab your attention.

Finally, your vision cleared enough, and you saw the man crouched in front of you, concern in every line of his face. “Kanan . . .” You gasped out, flinging your arms around his neck. “Please, please get me out of here.” You pleaded, clinging to him as if he was your lifeline.

“Hey, it’s okay,” You heard him say, gripping you tightly in his arms. “We’ll get you out of here. The Ghost is waiting.” And without another word, the man lifted you up into his arms as if you weighed nothing. “Sabine! Clear a path!” He called out to the woman you hadn’t even noticed.

Relief filled your body for the briefest moment until you remembered something. If Kanan and Sabine were here . . . “Who’s on the Bridge, Kanan?! He’s going after them! They’ve got to get out of there!” You almost screamed in panic, flailing for a moment as you tried to get out of his arms.

“Nobody!” He tightened his grip on you. “It’s R4 and Chopper! They made a distraction, and then they went back to the ship. Everyone’s safe, we’ve just got to get you out of here.”

You collapsed against him in relief, burying your face in his shirt as you clung to him and closed your eyes. You didn’t want to see anything. You didn’t want to risk seeing him because you knew he must have felt you leaving. Your suspicions were confirmed as Kanan ran up the ramp to the Ghost and it began to close as soon as you were all clear.

He screamed your name, loud and broken through the Force, and it forced your eyes open, staring into those black lenses from across the ship once more until the ramp blocked your view and Hera shot the ship into hyperspace.

Kanan had heard it too. In fact, Ezra, who had joined the two of you, was covering his ears. “What the hell was that?” He asked, but you couldn’t bring yourself to look at him, all you did was hold on to Kanan, burying your face in his shoulder as more tears fell down your cheeks.

Never had you felt so broken, so tortured, so weak. You had been crushed by everything that had occurred, and you had no idea what to do about it. The only thing that managed to pull you out was a fragile voice. “Mom?”

You lifted your head from Kanan’s shoulder, shock filling your eyes. “What are you doing here?!” You made Kanan put you down, running over to the little boy and gripping his shoulders, checking him over for any injuries.

“He stowed away.” Kanan answered you. “He overheard that you were kidnapped and wanted to make sure you got home. We never let him out of the ship though, I promise.” He assured you.

“Who was that man? That was screaming at you? I felt weird when I saw him . . .”

Leaning forward, you pressed your forehead against your son’s for a moment, and then pulled back, looking into those familiar blue eyes that you had seen the dark version of moments earlier. “Don’t worry about it, Ani. Why don’t you go with Uncle Ezra for a bit. You two can practice lifting stuff, okay?”

Anakin nodded, concern still on his little face, but he allowed Ezra to lead him back up the ladder. You brushed your tears away as you watched them go, turning back to Kanan when you felt his warm hand on your shoulder. “I’ve never seen you like that before . . . What did Vader do to you?”

You placed your hand on top of his, giving it a squeeze. “I’ll tell you later, but first we’ve got to get back to base. I’ve got to talk to Ahsoka.”

#anakin skywalker #anakin skywalker x reader #anakin skywalker x you #anakin skywalker imagine #star wars imagine #Anonymous

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a-world-in-grey · 3 years

Text

Sola/Calling for Rain

@secret-engima and, months later, the snippet I promised!

Karin’s first memories are her mother’s grave and her sister’s sick bed.

She knows more than that of course. She knows how her mother died, forced to use their family’s healing ability until they’d drained her chakra dry. She knows her older sister nearly followed their mother that night, eight years old and already scarred across her arms and shoulders.

But that knowledge isn’t seared into her memory the way her mother’s gravestone is, the bamboo marker plain and unmarked, nothing like the stone markers bearing carved names for the village shinobi. That knowledge doesn’t paint itself across her closed eyelids like Kyoho’s frail form, skin too pale, breaths too shallow, wild hair tumbling across the pillows like a splash of blood.

Karin remembers when Kyoho first opened her eyes, how her sister had looked to find Karin first, and hadn’t settled until she could clearly see Karin was well.

Karin doesn’t know how much Kyoho’s near death changed her older sister. She can’t remember what Kyoho was like before, can’t remember a time when Kyoho didn’t braid their hair with little painted beads and thin cords of braided thread. Can’t remember a time when Kyoho didn’t hold her close at night and whisper bedtime stories in words that sound like thunder and rain.

Stories and Songs and meanings just for the two of them. Braids and beads hidden beneath hair and cloth, Clan secrets told in the dead of night in a tongue only they knew. Teaching Karin to dance, to fly.

Teaching Karin to survive.

Kyoho trains with the determination not to learn, but master every skill she can. Taijutsu, weapons, healing, ninjutsu. She claws her way up the ranks of Kusa’s shinobi, genin at nine, chuunin at eleven, jounin at fifteen.

Kusa’s own little prodigy. A match for Konoha’s Uchiha Itachi or Hatake Kakashi. Or so Kusa likes to think.

There’s a lot Kusa doesn’t know.

They don’t know of the fuuinjutsu, of the basics learned from their mother that Kyoho took and reinvented on her own. The black tattoos spiraling across Kyoho’s skin hidden from sight under dark green clothing.

They don’t know about the chakra chains Kyoho painstakingly learned to use. Chains Kyoho learned to modify, to shrink to the size of a fine gold chain, to enlarge to the size of the massive chains that once rose from the waves to close Uzushio’s ports.

They don’t know of Kyoho’s sensory abilities, so fine tuned she can pick out a shinobi’s specialization from the feel of their chakra alone. They don’t know of the weapons Kyoho can wield beyond her glaive and curved shortswords.

They don’t know Kyoho’s taught Karin everything she knows. They don’t know Karin isn’t the fumbling, lackluster genin overshadowed by her prodigal sister’s brilliance.

“My name is Uzumaki Naruto, and I’m going to kick all of your asses!”

The room goes silent, every genin present turning to stare, and Karin feels her breath freeze in her lungs as the chakra signatures around her spike with anger and disbelief.

Karin buries her own chakra, smothers it down to a spark so small even Kyoho has difficulty detecting, hiding the surprise and recognition and the tangle of emotions she can keep off her face but not out of her chakra. And she knows she shouldn’t focus her attention solely on the loud Konoha genin as his teammates and comrades converge to scold him for his recklessness. There are others in the room far more dangerous than the rookie too dumb not to draw the ire of the rest of the competition before the Exams have even begun. And yet-

Uzumaki.

He doesn’t have the red hair. But that’s the mon on his shoulder, black and purple instead of the black and blue variant Kyoho’s stitched into their clothes, in places easily hidden because there’s Clan Pride but then there’s announcing to all the Elemental Nations that they’re female kekkai genkai bearers.

Karin lessens her hold on her chakra, reaching her senses past the thunderstorm-shadow-river feeling of the three genin standing beside him.

Warmth. Bright encompassing warmth, intense but not painful, the ocean breeze across her skin on a clear sunny day. Swirling reserves deeper than she’s ever sensed, even deeper than Kyoho’s hearth-fire chakra.

Karin suppresses her chakra the moment the blond’s thunderstorm teammate glances her way, glancing away and digging her fingernails into the back of her hand so hard she’s surprised she doesn’t break skin.

She swallows back a sob.

Uzumaki. He’s Clan.

But not Galahdian. Not a child of the Storm-Father, not someone who grew up with the Clan Laws and the certainty in their bones that even if the world fell apart, the Clan would always have your back.

The Uzumaki are a shinobi clan. Karin can’t… how can she know if she can trust this wayward Uzumaki? How can she know if he will hold that same fierce loyalty that blazes in her and Kyoho’s souls?

She shouldn’t. Oh, but by the Storm-Father, Karin wants to. This long lost kinsman who wears Freedom and Protection across his shoulders. Who looks at the world with Protection in his eyes and crowned with Love.

Karin knows the Colors don’t apply to the natural world. To things that are mere happenstance and genetic chance. But-

(‘Sometimes the Gods paint us with specific Colors,’ Karin remembers Kyoho telling her, ‘A message and a warning, for souls so strong the physical has no choice but to reflect it.’

Karin had looked into Blue eyes framed by Red hair, and never asked if Kyoho spoke from experience.)

For the first time in nearly ten years, Karin hopes.

She has to try.

And that means staying in Konoha long enough to get a measure of Uzumaki Naruto.

Karin is perfectly happy not knowing how something gets named the ‘Forest of Death.’

Unfortunately, as the location of the Second Exam, Karin’s not going to get a choice.

Kyoho would love it, Karin thinks as she miserably fills out the liability waiver. Kyoho had spoken of many places in her past life, but none so fondly as Galahd, deadly and wild and all the more beautiful for it.

She lets her ‘teammates’ take the lead as they scout through the forest. Her head’s busy planning her next step. Should she focus on passing the Second Exam? Kyoho told her how the Third Exam was always an exhibition for clients, so she’d have plenty of time during the preparations to track down and try to get to know her kinsman. Perhaps with Kyoho’s help even - surely her mission would be finished by then?

But that assumes Karin and the two idiots she’s assigned to play chakra-battery for can pass at all. They aren’t the weakest team in the forest, even counting Karin’s careful pretense, but there are a lot of teams stronger than they are. Stronger, and all too willing to kill.

Karin could ditch the idiots. She’s kept track of where she last sensed Uzumaki Naruto’s chakra, so she could find him and get to know him in the time before the Second Exam ends. Maybe even steal the Earth scroll and bring it as a good faith gift.

But she’d be on her own, carrying a high value target, and gambling on her kinsman caring enough about a cousin he didn’t know to trust and protect her.

Karin tugs on the loose ends of her hair in frustration. Why is this so hard?!

Kyoho would know what to do.

Kyoho’s not here, Karin firmly reminds herself. She has to figure this out on her own.

In the end, she chooses to stay with her teammates. There's too many unknowns for her to risk running now.

Two days later, staring up at the bear taller than her house, Karin's regretting her decision to stay.

They left me!

Stay and hide, they said. You'll be fine.

If they're still alive when Karin finds them, she's going to throttle them. Hiding her chakra doesn't matter when enemies can find her by her scent! The bear snarls, and Karin gives up any pretense of hiding her abilities. She's out of her depth, anything less than her full skill will only end up with her dead-

("Above all else," Kyoho had whispered the night before Karin left for Konoha, "survive.")

She reaches for her supply of explosive tags (way more than anyone thinks she has, way more than she probably needs, but they're the easiest seal to make and Kyoho always says there's no such thing as overkill) and prepares to turn the bear into a pile of charred meat and fur.

Only, there's movement above her, a blur of black and purple, a flash of silver-

Thunder. Lightning and rain and the howling storm as she huddles by the warmth of hearth, each flash of light in the sky accompanied by the rolling drums that echo in her chest; an invitation, a challenge, to face the storm and laugh in the embrace of the sky.

Uzumaki's dark haired teammate lunges from the trees like one of the jungle cats of Kyoho's stories, dropping down onto the bear with a spinning, flying kick, and Kyoho freezes.

Kyoho knows that kick.

(Karin stares wide-eyed as Kyoho all but flies through the air, leaping and spinning with the grace of a breeze through the prairie grasses. Kyoho's been teaching her how to dance, but those jumps have nothing on the ones Kyoho is doing!

"Will I learn to do that too?" Karin asks. Nerves flit in her gut like butterflies. She's trying to learn everything Kyoho can teach her, but those leaps are so high.

Blue eyes soften as Kyoho ruffles her hair. "You don't have to - it's not part of the Ostium Dance."

Karin blinks. "It's not?"

"It's Ulric, our sister Clan." Kyoho says. Her gaze grows distant. "Clan of Sky and Storm, Coeurl-kin, first of the Storm-Father's children."

Karin's touch on her arm brings her back to the present. "Were you Ulric first, before you were Ostium?"

Kyoho laughs. "I was Furia, Clan of Sea and Horizon, but I learned the Ulric Dance because I was Sky-born instead of Sea-born.")

She can't see a braid, but- Black and purple. A pair of well worn kukri at his back. The aerial combat she's never seen anyone but Kyoho use.

Her fingers tremble around the string of explosive tags as the genin checks to make sure the bear is dead. Then he turns to her with an easy grin. "You're an Uzumaki, right? Do you want to meet your cousin?"

And Karin has been so keyed up over possibly having Clan, over being in hostile territory with no one to watch her back, with desperate hope dogging her heels for the past three days of finding someone she can trust-

(“You can always trust the Clans. Even the most bitter rivals will protect a Clan child, if they are threatened by Outsiders.”)

"Are you Ulric?" She blurts.

Dark eyes sharpen. "How do you know that name?" But his gaze flits to her temple, to the black braid joiner peeking out from her hair. Karin removes the grey hitai-ate and pulls her hair back to show him her braids. The Ostium Braid and the Mourning Braid for her mother, unlike Kyoho who also wears Marriage, Hero, and Revenge Braids. Braids Karin and Kyoho have never shown anyone but each other.

But the boy's eyes widen in shock and recognition, and pale fingers pull the Ulric Braid threaded with the purple ribbon of a Chief from its hiding place behind his ear.

("And if you get the chance, run. Before Kusa kills you too.")

Karin sobs.

This boy is Clan. He's safe.

#A Shadow of Heaven's Light #fusion #naruto #Calling for Rain verse #Uzumaki Karin #Uzumaki Kyoho #Nyxsuke #Kusa doesn't know how badly they screwed up #Kyoho's worn a Revenge Braid since Kusa killed their mom #she's just been waiting until Karin is safe to be able to take that revenge #Kyoho's not had a Braincell for almost ten years #she might be a touch feral

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