#sorry for almost the exact same post in a row | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

thatfeelinwhenyou · 5 months

Text

KINDRED — 31

It’s your final year of highschool, and your only goal is to graduate top of your cohort, as usual. Except as student council president, your advisor can’t seem to leave you alone. What happens when you take Decelis Academy’s top student, their star athlete and put them in front of a camera?

smau + written (2.0k words)

❥･• episode 31 — the name above me

tw! y/n’s mom

The two-week break flies by rather quickly, and you find yourself back in your school uniform on a Monday morning, realising that nothing has really changed. You had already half-convinced yourself that post-midterm would be different for you, you had hoped for clarity regarding your plans after high school. Alas, uncertainty clings to you like an unwelcome companion.

Walking onto campus, you encounter a throng of students gathered in front of the ranking boards. Right, your results are released today.

Oddly, though, the weight of your grades hasn't been preoccupying your thoughts these past two weeks like it would in the past, marking the first time in your life that you haven't been consumed by overthinking your grades or endlessly reviewing test questions, as if every time you did it you didn’t get the same exact answer.

No, you actually enjoyed your break. You allowed yourself to breathe, to embrace the carefree spirit of a high school teenager.

You went café hopping with Bora and Jungwon again, only this time you ensured a mango juice mishap did not befall you. The Powerpuff girls, including yourself, enjoyed a truly relaxing girl's day where everyone dressed up just for the joy of it. Then there was that unforgettable excursion to the amusement park; you rode the Ferris wheel for the first time as it had been a long-standing prohibition from your mother, citing its unreliability akin to your father's. Though fairly insignificant, you record as it as a ‘win’ in your books.

Before you knew it, your final term at Decelis Academy had already begun. The documentary is in its concluding stages, with tasks remaining on the itinerary, including capturing your and Jungwon's reactions to your grades, the student council's senior farewell party, Jungwon's upcoming competition, and then the final confessional.

Arriving on campus, you initially worry about being way too early but lucky for you, the camera crew had arrived hours in advance and established their vantage point on the left side of the ranking boards—the higher-scoring side. Despite their meticulous preparation, you inadvertently squeeze yourself into a group of students gathered in the middle, unintentionally defying their plans for the perfect front-row view of your reactions from every angle.

Your eyes scan the list.

74 ***

75 ***

76 ***

77 Yang Jungwon

Found it.

You let your fingers glide over the paper, seeking out his Mathematics scores. 105 out of 150. Relief floods through you, a broad smile gracing your face at his passing grade. Not just barely but with a decent score, just enough to pull him up to a C, securing his spot in the competition just 15 days from now. You’re smiling so wide, the joy evident without even knowing how you did for your own papers.

And as if you were sharing the same brain cell, you find Jungwon standing at the front of the board, his expression tense as he gazes at a name at the top. Concern brushes your thoughts, but you manage to conceal it from the cameras as you cheerfully call out, "Wonnie! You passed your Math paper, you’re going to compete in the Asian Championships!"

"I-I’m so sorry, Y/N," he stammers, a heavy silence lingering between you. Reluctantly, you follow his gaze, and there it is.

1 Lee Haerin

2 Park Y/N.

Your name, usually perched at the top, now finding itself below another.

You know Lee Haerin, she’s a familiar face from the book club, and you know this having seen her in the library more times than you could count. And you were there almost every day. You also recognise her name as someone who was consistently ranking below you, but how the tables have turned.

You don’t loathe her; surely, it isn’t her fault that your English Literature scores fell short, causing you to drop in overall rankings. Besides, it's only mid-terms, and you still have your preliminary exams to pull your grades up before the CSAT… Right?

You sense someone settling down beside you on the ledge you've chosen to occupy on the roof. You had chosen to forgo lunch, knowing you can barely keep anything down your throat at the moment. Shifting your gaze from the clusters of shops just outside the school gates, where the popular takoyaki stand beckons memories of post-school visits with your friends, you turn your attention to the person you had already half-expected to be Jungwon.

“You should eat something, even if just a little.” Jungwon places a piece of custard bread, banana milk, and a packet of your favourite gummies on your lap, almost pleading with you to eat.

“You didn’t have to.”

“Not when you look like as if the world is ending tomorrow.” Jungwon jokes, only to cough awkwardly when he realises you didn’t respond to his jokes, even with an eye-roll like you usually would.

“It might as well be. I just know my mother is going to KILL me.” You make sure to emphasise the word ‘kill.’ Because you aren’t wrong; if the world isn’t going to kill you tomorrow, your birth-giver will.

Unbeknownst to you, tears well up in your eyes, threatening to spill over. Witnessing you in such a vulnerable state tugs at Jungwon's heart; the girl he likes is breaking down in front of him and he doesn’t even know what to do. As he battles his inner thoughts, contemplating the best way to console you, he senses you clutching onto the sleeves of his uniform blazer. Pouting and fighting back tears, you say, “I’m going to be okay, right?”

“Yes, crybaby, everything is going to be okay.” You feel him begin to gently stroke your hair down to your neck, rubbing circles into the back of your ears as he makes another crybaby joke in an attempt to cheer you up.

“I’m not a crybaby,” you manage to say between hiccups and sobs, prompting Jungwon to emit a small snicker. The irony strikes you—a few weeks ago, you were in Jay’s garden comforting Jungwon as he held back tears, and now he's here comforting you in your most vulnerable state. The situation doesn’t go unnoticed by Jungwon, as he also recognises the irony of it, judging by the bittersweet way he smiles.

“Just because you fail once, doesn't mean you're gonna fail at everything.” Jungwon holds your cheek and tilts your head to face him, his thumbs swiping away fresh tears staining your cheeks.

“I don’t know… the one thing I’m good at, and I just flunked it-“

“Shh! Believe in yourself because if you don't, then who will? Life’s beautiful, and there's so much more to it than numbers on a piece of paper, Y/N. I hope you see that.”

In that moment, you realise you never really did look at your scores for the papers. Then you realise it wasn’t the scores that had you feeling worthless. Thinking back, you had already forgone looking at your scores a long time ago, as long as you stayed in that number one spot, as long as you didn’t disappoint your mother. You wanted to satisfy her, try to get her to praise you, but as your heartless mother has once said: “Why would I praise something that is supposed to be a given?”

You've spent your entire life routinely studying, evolving yourself into the machine your mother probably wished she had instead of a breathing human child—you.

In the echo of your academic routine, the fear of losing her approval looms larger than the tangible rankings you've held. The relentless pursuit of excellence, though driven by an inner desire for acknowledgment, is entangled in the web of your mother's expectations. So, what scares you isn’t the fact you no longer retained the number one spot; what scares you is disappointing the one person you craved validation from. What were you expecting? Because when the given is taken away from you, will she praise you then?

No. She’ll criticise you, blame your father, blame the documentary, and undoubtedly, she’ll gun after Jungwon. Because nothing is ever really her fault, and you knew sometime along the way that nothing will ever satisfy her, but you still try anyway. You try because you don’t know what else to do other than sticking to the status quo. Until, at least, the documentary featuring Jungwon happened.

What was initially supposed to be a pawn in your masterful plan to build your portfolio for University becomes the very documentary that breaks you out of your shell, as the looming prospect of your mother’s disapproval, like an oppressive cloud, pushes you to strive for success, even when you know it may never be enough for her.

“Eat.” You come back to your senses to find Jungwon has opened the packet of bread and shoved it into your mouth. He then watches you bite into it before he lets go to open the bottle of banana milk, handing them to you between bites of the bread.

Again, Jungwon with his overly friendly gestures that graze the delicate line between friends and something more than that. Jungwon, who once again, manages to empty your mind by babying you and treating you like a princess who needs rescuing. And he was the prince, of course, needless to say.

“You’re confusing me.” The words fly out of your mouth before you even get the chance to rethink

“Doesn’t mean I’m feeding you like a baby that you are actually one.” He teases, and you watch him as he takes a sip out of the banana milk, from the same straw you used. Pushing away the thought that you’ve just indirectly kissed him, you're just glad he didn’t catch onto the intention behind your statement.

“I feel bad that you’re here comforting me, when you should be celebrating having passed a certain Math paper after all that hard work.”

“It was your hard work as much as it was mine, Y/N.” Jungwon takes his thumb, wiping at the corner of your lips where custard from the bread had oozed out and stayed. He then brings it up to his own lips, eating it off his finger. You just indirectly kissed him, again.

Your heartbeat quickens, a symphony of excitement drowning out any lingering worries about exams or your mother. Your mind is a canvas painted with thoughts of Jungwon and his unexpected gestures that got you contemplating the possibility of him being interested in you. Surely, Yang Jungwon isn’t known for being a romantic guy, but once again, you're proven wrong; he is that guy.

This certainty solidifies as he opens the packet of gummies, deliberately picking out the red-coloured ones first, knowing that you ate them in the colour of the rainbow; a subtle detail that shows he pays attention to your preferences.

At first, they were really subtle gestures that made you realise how horribly you have misjudged him. Then came the heartfelt actions, revealing a caring side that made you question if he had always been this way. The tipping point was realising these gestures were exclusively reserved for you, unveiling sides of Jungwon that remained hidden from everyone else. While others perceived him as mundane, cold, and mysterious, you alone saw a different Yang Jungwon.

And when you see the scoreboard, someone else’s name above yours for the very first time, it shocks you to the core that you, in fact, did not care. That the first thing you sought was Jungwon’s rankings on the board, eager to know if your efforts in tutoring him paid off, if he can participate in the competition that has become crucial to him and, by extension, vital to you.

For the first time, someone else's grades mattered more than your own. This epiphany stretches beyond academic priorities, signifying that Jungwon holds a place in your life beyond the confines of friendship; that he is more than just a friend that you make him out to be.

You like him, more than you let yourself on.

prev | masterlist | next

♡。·˚˚· ·˚˚·。♡

authors note: i kept my promise yall 😁😁🤟 and yes yn mom needs a whole ass tw. i’d say we are a good 10 chapters away from the finale and i’m currently considering next projects but we’ll see 👀 also do expect more written chapters, i rlly tried to reduce them as much as possible but it’s so hard to write without going into detail… BUT i’ll defo make it up with super fluffy and sweet chapters 🤭

perm taglist. @hajimelvr @s00buwu @urmomssneakylink @grayscorner @bubblytaetae @mrchweeee @artstaeh @sleeping-demons @yuviqik @junsflow

taglist open! @uuzhanggggggg @jayhoonvroom @missingemobeomgyu @jiawji @ocyeanicc @s7noo @asterizee @nwjws @noascats @yunwonie @saturnmooonxx @enhaz1 @jiaant11 @clairecottenheart @i2lain @miumiuoi @zhounauts @hoey2k @neocockthotology @nanuer @yenqa @ahnneyong @chanhee-hee @yanqiiuver @yujmelon @beomsbeanie @sloobydooburmomjungwon @keiisu @jaeyunniesimp @jiamini @jihanniee @lilriswife4life

134 notes · View notes

givemea-dam-break · 1 year

Text

since so many of you wanted a part two to this fic:

"" please, could you write something were the reader is part of kipps crew and lockwood is like obsessed with her. anytime they encounter he goes out of his way to be nice to her and kipps finds it so weird because she is like is best friend or sister even. that would be so cool! also love the new things you’ve posted earlier!!! ""

a/n: i am here to deliver! i have to say, i did not expect many, if any, requests for a part two of this piece (named Anthony on my masterlist), but here you go! thank you all for your support and love on not just this piece, but my other fics i love you all <3

warnings: angst, brief mention of suicide (for a case) female reader (few pronouns used)

part one

Your day could not get any worse, not even if a ghost appeared out of nowhere and killed you. No, in fact, that would be preferable to having Kipps screaming in your face.

"I told you to stay away from him! And now you tell me that you want to join his agency? You have got to be kidding me. This is some kind of prank, right? Is Bobby in on it? Ned? Surely not Kat."

You can't bring yourself to look at the guy who you have relied on for most of your life. The guilt is tearing you apart.

"No, it's not a prank," you say. "But, I'm not happy here, Kipps. I feel so... constrained. I don't want to keep having to follow a system that is so pick-and-choose with what they do and who they send. I want action. I want freedom."

Kipps looks like he's going to tear his hair out. "Freedom? You won't be getting freedom when DEPRAC arrests Lockwood and his little friends, you right along with them, for breaking the rules! God, do you ever listen to me?"

It feels like your heart is sinking, attached to a heavy weight. "Do you listen to me? I've told you I'm not happy here. The team barely speaks to each other, and all we seem to be doing is trying to show up Lockwood, George, and Lucy, and that's not what all of this is meant to be about. What happened to saving the world, Kipps? Isn't that what you used to tell me we'd do?"

And there it is: the breaking point. You've never seen him look so hurt, so betrayed, but you feel the exact same. He was meant to be your biggest supporter, and he can't even do that. Instead, he's so caught up in his pride, his love for the Fittes agency over his love for you, that he won't acknowledge how you feel.

"Hand in your notice by the end of the day," he says, his tone hard and his teeth gritted. "I want you gone by the morning."

"Kipps -" you say, but he's already lost interest and is walking away.

Asshole, you think, but there's no malice to it.

You can only watch as he, the only family figure you ever had in your life, leaves you behind.

"Oh, (name), we didn't expect to see you so soon," Lucy says upon opening the front door of 35 Portland Row. "I've almost finished setting up your bed in the attic with me, but - Wait, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, I'm fine," you say, but it's not overly convincing. "Just thought I'd leave before I got caught up in any big cases."

"You fell out, didn't you?" She ushers you inside, softly shutting the door behind you. "(name), I'm sorry -"

"I'm fine, Lucy," you insist.

She nods, but the look on her face tells you everything. Even if she doesn't know you that well, she's a little worried. With an attempt at a comforting smile, she leads you up the stairs, pointing out the boys' bedrooms and the bathroom, along with a room that no one enters - "We've been in it before, but only because Lockwood let us. You'd best wait until he's comfortable with you going in before finding out what's in there." - and, then, finally the attic.

It's a big space, crowded with over-large furniture. A double bed in the centre of the wall on the right, a wardrobe over on the other wall near the window, and a dresser beside. A small door leads to a tiny, cramped bathroom. Your bed, a fold-up one with a mattress haphazardly thrown on it, is squished in between the door and the wardrobe and, as tightly-packed as everything is, you smile at the cosiness of it.

"I'll just finish up on your bed -"

"I can get it, Lucy," you say, dropping your bags down at the foot of the bed. "Thank you. Are Lockwood and George here? It's awfully quiet."

Lucy snorts. "No, they're out at the moment, doing something or other. Do you want me to go put some tea on?"

You manage a smile. "Yes, please."

As it turns out, Lucy makes nicer tea than Geroge, and she's also kind enough to give you a bigger mug, although there are a few chips on the top. You suppose that's the norm with most of their things.

It doesn't take long for Lockwood and George to return from whatever they were doing. They trudge into the kitchen, arguing about something, but stop short in the doorway. Lucy gets up from her seat, halting her conversation with you, to pour them some tea while you sit, clutching your mug close in both hands.

"(name)!" Lockwood says, plastering on his infamous smile. "I didn't know you were here."

George shuffles past Lockwood and reaches into a cupboard, grabbing a biscuit. "She wasn't meant to be here for another week or two. Isn't that how notices work?"

"Uh, well." You shrug awkwardly, opting to stare at the scribbles on the thinking cloth, as you've been told it's called. "Things changed."

"Kipps made her leave sooner," Lucy says, and though she's worded it a little more gently than you had while talking to her over tea, it still hurts to hear. "Fell out."

"Well, you're here now," Lockwood says cheerfully, sitting down at the head of the table, just diagonal from you. "You'll have none of that from us."

Soundlessly, you move a plate slightly to reveal in loopy handwriting: "Lockwood is a prick and I hate him" next to a poor drawing of his face with devil horns. You raise your eyebrows, but he only laughs.

"What actually happened?" George asks. He looks a little too eager.

You purse your lips. "Told Kipps I wanted to leave, gave him a load of solid reasons, and he shouted at me a bunch. It's whatever."

Lockwood is watching you carefully as if watching and waiting to catch the pieces of you when you inevitably break. You offer up the best smile you can muster, but it doesn't seem to convince him.

"I'm fine, I promise," you say. "What about you guys? Any interesting cases lately?"

"Well," Lockwood says. His usual expression has returned - the cocky grin and sparkling eyes - but there's something a little subdued about it. His eyes still haven't left you. "George and I have just come back from the Archives doing some research for a case we've got tonight -"

"You mean George did the research," George grumbles. "You sat and daydreamed the whole time."

Lockwood only rolls his eyes. "Either way, you're welcome to join us on the case tonight - we could use an extra pair of hands."

Sipping your tea, you shrug again. "Might as well, as long as you're all fine with it."

George looks a little apprehensive about it, but Lucy nods. "What do we know so far?" she asks.

"Ms Diven, the client we met with this morning," George clarifies, glancing at you, "told us that there's a presence in her house, something she can sense but can't see, obviously, and that it's causing trouble. Well, that leads us to believe it's a Type Two, but who?" A smile splits his face, clearly very in his element. "In the Archives, I found some information on previous owners of the house, but only one of them seemed worth noting." He slides a newspaper cutting onto the table.

"Heidi Kairn," Lucy reads. "But, who was she?"

"Famous singer in the forties," George says. "The industry messed her up. A lot of stuff went down, and she ended up..." He drew a finger across his throat. Everyone got the message. "She's the only notable death from that house."

"Any clue what the source could be?" Lockwood asks. You notice how his hand on the table has moved slightly closer to yours. "Surely there won't be anything left from when the death occurred."

George shrugs. "It could be anything. A floorboard, a piece of furniture. We'll have to scout it out when we're there."

"Well!" Lockwood grins widely. "I suppose we should get our equipment ready."

Staring up at the house in front of you, you can't help but feel guilty. Not even a whole day since leaving Fittes, since leaving Kipps, and already you're on a case. Maybe Kipps was right to feel betrayed.

A hand closes softly around yours. When you look, it's Lockwood, looking straight on at the house with a grin.

"It's still daylight, so we'll scout out the house, use our Talents to see if we can figure anything out, and do our usual setup: iron circles in the main rooms, temperature readings. In half an hour, we'll all meet up back here on the porch."

You have to admire the confidence he speaks with. Kipps, for all his pride, would shout orders and stay behind with a facade of confidence, but it was easy enough to hear the fear lingering in his words. But, Lockwood doesn't show fear. Whether he even feels it right now is beyond you.

"George, Lucy, you guys take the bottom floor. (name) and I will take the top."

Lucy looks like she's trying to suppress a smile, glancing between you, Lockwood, and your clasped hands. "Got it. See you guys soon. Come on, George."

The pair trudge into the house, immediately taking a right into what you assume is the living room.

"Are you alright?"

You look back at Lockwood. "Hmm?"

That careful look is back. "It wasn't your fault, you know, yours and Kipps' argument. If anything, it's mine."

"That doesn't matter right now," you say, but you appreciate his words nonetheless. "Come on, I'd like to get this case over with as soon as."

It appeared to be harder than you thought. Lockwood and Co, though using many Fittes techniques for their procedures, also did some things very differently. They used the Fittes grid technique for temperature readings, but where they placed their iron circles was entirely different from where you would've done so. And, while you were glad that orders weren't being shouted at you by someone who didn't have the full scope of what was going on, the silence made you uneasy. The investigation of the house took a lot less time than it would've at Fittes, and even though everything that needed to be done had been, you couldn't get that pit of dread out of your stomach.

It was a moderately sized house, not large in any sense, but grand enough to have guest bedrooms which, in your eyes, said enough. The rooms were all relatively simple, with plain-coloured walls and light and trodden carpets. There were two kids' bedrooms, both concerningly beige, and the bathroom was about the size of the kitchen back at Portland Row.

"You've got Sight, too, right?" Lockwood asks, opening the door to the master bedroom.

"Yeah. Not as good as my Touch, but strong enough."

"So you see that deathglow, too?"

You step into the room, only to stop short. Lockwood pulls a pair of sunglasses from his coat, placing them over his eyes. A deathglow hovers over the ground, blindingly bright in the growing darkness of the room.

"Sense anything?" Lockwood asks.

Shuffling back slightly, you touch your hand to the doorframe and open your senses.

Crying. Someone is sobbing hysterically as they run into the room, throwing themself onto the bed. There's a strong chemical-like smell, something that has your gut twisting. A faint figure, one you can barely see, pushes itself off the bed as horrid cries escape their lips. The sound is heart-wrenching. They reach for something on a dresser that is no longer there, clutching at their chest and putting a hand to their mouth. Shortly after, they collapse, seizing.

Gasping, you tear your hand from the doorframe, stumbling back. It hurts to breathe.

"Anthony," you manage. Your heart is pounding in your chest.

Lockwood's face appears before yours, hands gently touching your face as he repeats, over and over, "You're okay. You're safe. You're with me."

It's at times like this that you hate your Talent. Sometimes, Touch just gives you the echoes of the past you need to hear to locate a source or figure out who the Visitor really is, but, other times, it feels like you're being sucked back into the past. Everything, all the emotions, feel amplified.

"Hey, you're okay," Lockwood repeats. His forehead presses against yours as his dark eyes meet yours. His gaze is so reassuring that you can't look away. "We need to get back outside, tell the others whatever it is you've seen. Can you do that?"

Taking a deep breath, you nod.

"You don't have to continue with this case," he says. "Lucy, George, and I should be able to manage on our own."

"I'll be okay," you say, your voice quieter than you thought it'd be.

His eyes close momentarily, then his hands fall from your face and he steps back. "Come on," he says gently.

George and Lucy's findings are very limited. The temperatures in each of the rooms are relatively normal, except for the office which, judging from the layout of the house, is just beneath the room with the deathglow. Lucy had heard nothing out of the ordinary, not until the same moment you had used your Touch.

"Horrible crying," she says. "Full of pain. I couldn't make out any words. It was very faint."

"(name)?" George says. "What about you?"

You take a sip of tea from your flask to soothe your nerves. "The same, but I was dragged back to that moment, if you get what I mean. I could see her faintly - Heidi, that is. There was a really strong smell, something chemically, probably some kind of drug. I saw -" It takes you a moment to get the words out. "She overdosed in the master bedroom. As she... you know, she was holding something on her chest, a necklace, maybe."

Lockwood's hand closes around yours once more. You can't look at him, any of them. "You don't have to carry on with this case. That's a horrible thing to have to see."

"I've told you already, I'll be fine." Another sip of tea. "George, does that give you any clue what or where the source is?"

George takes a minute to think, biting down on a block of chocolate from Lucy's bag. "Well, it could well be a necklace. If I remember correctly, a lot of newspapers commented on her outfits a lot, and she wore the same necklace everywhere. A string of pearls, I think."

Lucy groans. "Yeah, because all that women cared about back then was what everyone wore." She breaks off another chunk of chocolate for herself. "Surely, she would've still been wearing the necklace when she was buried, or whatever. Why would it be in the house?"

"God knows," Lockwood says. "We're not here to figure that out. We're here to secure it and get rid of the Visitor."

You glance at the sky and then check your watch. Summer means that the days are longer, so Visitors take longer to gain strength. "Nine p.m. Getting dark."

Lockwood grins, and it helps ease you. "Let's go jewellery shopping."

A lantern on the dimmest light setting is placed in the master bedroom to give George some light as he scours the room for the suspected source.

It's better to keep light usage as low as possible, a fact you're more than aware of, but the darkness of the landing that seems to stretch on endlessly is making you anxious. Even with Lockwood to your right, and Lucy just behind, making sure nothing comes at George from inside the bedroom, you can't help but feel worried.

It takes all of your power to pull those emotions together and shove them deep, deep down. You can't afford for the Visitor to feed off of them.

"Ghost fog at the end of the hall," Lockwood announces. "George, you any closer to a source?"

"Not yet. I'm about to start prying up the floorboards. Luce, you have any gum? Miasma is starting to taste horrid."

There's a sound of crinkling wrappers, then silence again.

"Crying is back," Lucy says. Slowly, she draws her rapier, and the sound of the metal unsheathing gives you comfort. "Getting louder."

"There's a faint figure appearing," you say. "It's her."

The weight of the salt bomb in your hand is familiar, soothing. This is no different from every other case you've been on, it's just a different team.

Slowly, the ghost of Heidi Kairn becomes more and more visible. She wears a summer frock that reaches her knees, patterned with polka dots, and her hair reaches her shoulders, slightly curled and neatly styled. Her face is beautiful in a timeless sort of way. A string of pearls hangs around her neck, glittering in the other-light she produces.

For a moment, you believe she's harmless. She approaches curiously and cautiously, eyes doe-like. You don't want to hurt her. She's causing no trouble. She's so, so sad, and so lonely...

A shriek of rage pierces the air, and the ghost shoots towards you and Lockwood. Out of pure instinct, you throw the salt bomb, preventing her approach momentarily, and Lockwood keeps her back with a continuous movement of his rapier. His arm reaches out, slightly in front of you.

"I've found it!" George shouts.

"Well, get it out!" Lucy says, throwing another salt bomb at the ghost.

The ghost wails, floating around desperately to find a gap to dart through, but she's kept at bay by three rapiers and a few more salt bombs.

"My arm is stuck!" George says. "Lucy, help!"

Lucy hurries backwards, and Lockwood moves back to cover her space slightly. You throw another salt bomb, earning another shriek of anger.

Fighting Visitors is what you've spent most of your life doing. This is the easy part, for you. It takes almost no time for you to fall back into a routine of rapier manoeuvres and throwing salt bombs, and, soon enough, you and Lockwood are working in tandem.

"Got it!" Lucy says.

Heidi Kairn's ghost wails once more, darting straight for the master bedroom, but she never reaches it. She's cut down by two rapiers and before she can fully reform, her source is wrapped tightly in a silver net.

There's a moment of silence, and then Lockwood, Lucy, and George burst out into laughter. It's contagious and before long, you're laughing, too, leaning against the wall.

Already, they feel like family, and the realisation makes you smile even wider.

#lockwood x reader #anthony lockwood x reader #lockwood and co x reader #lockwood and co fanfiction #lockwood and co #lockwood and co netflix #anthony lockwood #lucy carlyle #george karim #x reader #fanfiction #givemea-dam-break

300 notes · View notes

prager-lover · 11 months

Text

uCat Fight

Recoms

Did I see @idkjupiterdraws post about this and cry of laughter? Yes. Go check out their blog its funny as shit

Content Warning: Fist fighting between 2 blue kitties, swearing, egging on violence, Quaritch acting like a dad

a/n Bro dont even got waves but for the sake of the fic he does

Brown should have left it alone

He should have shut the fuck up and went to bed but no, his ass just wanted to start trouble. You know, you cant blame him, he's bored out of his mind. That explains why he started bugging Lopez. Now, Lopez was a very "dont fuck with me or i'll slap the shit outta you" kind of guy. Thats what made him such an easy target for Brown.

"Hey kitty cat."

He walked up to Lopez who was trying to sleep on a chair, flicking his ear which responded with a twitch. Lopez opened his eyes with a jolt. All of the recoms were sitting in a common area, there was nothing to do but sit alone in your room, so why not hang out with people you knew? There were six sets of bunk beds, one for each of the recoms. Fike, Prager, Walker, Zhang and Warren were dozing off, tails swishing lazily. Whoever designed the space made a bad decision for a shared sleeping quarter, because nothing but trouble was sure to come of it. Ja was playing cards with Mansk, Z-Dog and Lyle. The Colonel was off in his private room, probably doing paperwork despite how late it was.

Lopez closed his eyes again after giving Brown a glare, trying to gain his peace back. Brown wasn't having it. He snuck up behind him and gave his tail a little yank. With a startled yelp, Lopez jumped from his seat. The noise woke up Warren, who had fallen asleep on a bottom bunk.

"What the fuck man." Lopez hissed.

"Sorry kitty cat." Brown jumped back from Lopez, who had kicked his leg out in hopes of tripping him.

“Watch who you’re talking to tú pinche raton.” Lopez walked towards him now. The two of them had moved to almost the middle of the room, circling each other like they were in a ring. Brown was still smiling when Lopez hissed at him, a low and dangerous sound. Every pair of eyes were on them now, but they all knew better than to get inbetween them. Lopez was feisty, he wouldnt stop a fight just because someone tried to intervene. Lyle gave Mansk and Z-dog a look. Were they actually gonna fight?

“Here kitty kitty.” Brown lunged at Lopez, yanking harder on his tail this time. Lopez caught his arm and twisted it behind his back. The room erupted in to cheers. Ja climbed onto a high bunk with Prager. “We got the front row seats man.” They had all been a bit antsy, no one was used to sitting around doing jackshit for so long so this was a welcome burst of energy. Brown snarled as he fell to the ground, using his leg to kick Lopez in the tailbone.

“Cmon little bitch hit me.” Brown was laughing. Z-dog was laughing with Walker, but Mansk was still sitting at his table counting cards, thinking about how he didn't need this shit right now he just wanted to sleep. Lopez had managed to kick Brown off him, and in an instant they were standing again. they had their arms raised, but it was Lopez who hit first. Square in the nose, the crowd sucked in their breath.

“FUCK HIM UP LOPEZ.” Was met with a mix of “STRAIGHT THROUGH BROWN CMON.” The room was chanting for their sides, laughing while the two fought. Lyle had left the room but no one noticed. Lopez pulled the back of Brown’s shirt over his head, making him fold forward.

“GOT YOU, HIJO DE PUTA.” He laughed, tongue darting out of his mouth. He managed to rip Brown’s shirt off. Quite literally, it had ripped at the sleeves. Brown looked at it, nose bloody, his face frowned for a moment.

“I actually liked that shirt asshole.” Lopez faltered for a second. The fuck he mean he liked that shirt? He owned 5 copies of the exact same damn shirt. With him distracted, Brown pulled Lopez into a headlock and roughly started knuckle dusting his hair.

“WHERE’RE YOUR WAVES NOW BITCH?” He yelled, spinning in a circle to disorient him. The Latino snarled again, clawing at Brown’s arm, screaming curses in Spanish. Everyone was yelling and chanted for their team, it would only be a matter of time until someone ran into the room thinking some rogue Na’vi had infiltrated base. Lopez pushed his waist into Brown and used all his body weight to pull him over his shoulder. Fike let out a startled sound when Brown’s body hit the floor with a loud thunk that moved a deck of cards on the nearby table.

“Y’ALL ARE GONNA GET US IN TROUBLE SHUT THE FUCK UP.”

No one listened to him, this physical altercation was too funny. Both of the boys ears were flat against their skull, teeth bared like viperwolves. Lopez again lunged at Brown, knocking him to the ground. He began punching Brown again right as the door flew open.

“What in the ever-loving FUCK is going on in here.” A loud southern drawl called out, pissed off beyond usual. Shit it was the Colonel. He walked in the room, bending down so he didn't hit his head on the door frame, which was much lower than the ceiling. On his tail was Lyle, who's big eyes were scanning the room guiltily. Lopez looked up to see Quaritch’s angry face staring daggers at him. The colonel moved towards him as Brown’s head hit the floor, letting out a whimper as it did. Quaritch pulled both of them up by their ears, their whines filling the now dead silent room.

“ I LEFT, FOR HALF A GOD DAMN HOUR.” He was yelling at them, making a passing by scientist jump in fear. “AND I COME BACK TO A DAMN CAT FIGHT.”

His ears were flat as he berated the two of them, who looked at their shoes sulkily. “That's it. All of you,” He turned to look at the others, who had been watching him with big eyes, surprised by how paternal he was acting, even as their superior. “All of you, in bed. Now.” No one answered for a second, they didn't know if he was joking or not, they were grown fucking adults. “NOW.” The ones not already in a bunk quickly got to one. Z-dog punched Lyle’s shoulder as she passed him. “Snitch.” she muttered. “You too Lyle, you should have stopped them in time.” Lyle turned to his superior, about to oppose but Quaritch’s glare was enough to silence him. His ears drooped as he got into the bunk under Prager, who slapped Lyle’s head as he got into bed, calling him a snitch as well. Quaritch pulled Brown and Lopez to bunks, hoisting Lopez into the top one, who let out a surprised yelp again, but said nothing. The Colonel walked towards the door now, back stiff and arms at his side. He shut off the room lights, now being illuminated by lights in the hallway only.

“If I hear another peep out of this room tonight-” A few of the recoms started protesting.

“We’re grown damn adults Colonel what the fuck?” Z-dog called out.

“I didnt even do anything!” Fike said, sitting upright in bed.

“THE NEXT PERSON TO SPEAK CLEANS IKRAN SHIT FOR THE NEXT TWO MONTHS.” Quaritch shouted, his tail jerking around behind him. The room was silent except for Ja shuffling around in his bunk.

“If I hear another sound out of this room tonight, I swear you’ll be wishin’ you never woke up as a recom. Do I make myself clear?” No one answered him, the fear of cleaning up after the Ikrans was too powerful.

“I said, do I make myself clear Marines?”

“Yes Colonel.” Was the surly reply from them all. He closed the door behind him, leaving them in total darkness and silence.

Browns voice came out in a whisper, they could tell he was smiling. “Fuck you Lopez.”

“Que te folle un pez coño.” The room giggled at his reply before Lyle shushed them all.

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

I like to think im funny. tbh I could have done so much better but oh well, I just wanted to write this because why not. We live on a floating rock. Have a good day, drink water so you don’t die.

69 notes · View notes

soap-lady · 1 year

Text

Yes, I know I’m late again but in my defense, I’m exhausted.

Hey guys!

If you’re still reading WO, I’m incredibly impressed. This is the second month in a row that I’ve been late but I’m tired. Work is kicking my butt, there’s some real life problems with a friend’s dad and I’m planning a vacation. So it’s been hard to focus on fanfiction. Sorry, guys.

Thanks as always to @arylace

Taglist:

@fantasiame, @g-arya, @lavenderjunes, @charlietheepic7, @ahenix, @delectablycoolscientist, @kaseykay17, @vio-march-0327, @mewwitch, @vixen-uchiha, @coolspidermanmusicflower, @lady-bee-fechin, @raeuberprinzessin, @symwinter, @frieddonutsweets, @seraphkitty, @friendsofthefairies, @nickristus-dreamer, @khneltea, @jumpingjoy82, @fan-written, @woe-is-me0,@corporeal-terrestrial, @queenmjean, @theymakeupfairies, @dorkus-minimus, @idk-j-go-with-it, @aespades, @swiftie-miraculer13,@moongoddesskiana, @arty-shadow-morningstar, @ahalloweengirl, @the-navistar-carol, @bigpicklebananatree, @novicevoice, @nerd-nowandforever, @certainmuffinbagelcalzone, @irontimetravelflower, @jjmjjktth, @dopefestsuit, @morning-wolf-designs, @alcoholic-barney, @just-living5, @chocolatecatstheron, @another-cancer, @hammalammadamdam, @ichigorose

Worthy Opponent Chapter Twenty-one

Nathalie was going to make a full recovery.

Adrien had heard it at least five times from various members of hospital staff. He’d heard it from a doctor, two nurses, and the paramedics who had brought her in. Adrien had insisted on going ��with her to the hospital and no one bothered to object.

He sat in a white, uncomfortable plastic chair and waited for someone to tell him Nathalie could go home. Or…gone. Or she was going to be fine but needed to stay at the hospital for observation.

That scenario was the most likely but at least it wasn’t the worst case scenario.

He dearly wanted to fidget; move around, sneak something out of the snack machine or find a quiet bathroom and scream into the void. Of course, he couldn’t. He was Adrien Agreste, Face of The Brand. Well, at least Kagami was on set during modeling shoots to glare Lila away. Fortunately, he hadn’t had a shoot with her in over a month and he had plenty of cute shots of him and his girlfriend to post online. Now Lila couldn’t claim to be his girlfriend, especially if Father wanted to keep Mme.Tsurugi happy.

Father hadn’t even called. Adrien thought the woman who ran their lives deserved at least a call asking for a status update.

He had Nathalie’s phone and tablet with him. He knew how important schedules were to his father. Gabriel Agreste needed every minute planned for himself and his son. Heaven forbid something happened to him and the schedule was off by a nanosecond. Why, Father might not know where his son is for nearly thirty seconds! The horror! The scandal!

He almost laughed and then stopped himself. He knew why his father wanted him scheduled every minute of every day. It was because Mom went missing and Father was afraid his son would go missing too. Mom rarely if ever kept to a schedule; she chided Father when he tried and even their occasional disagreements were cute. Mom was kind and sweet but she had a stubborn streak and a temper that would shut his father down.

A smart man, his father had told him once, knows how to say, “Yes, Dear” and shut his mouth. That is, if he wants to stay married.

He’d laughed at the time, but didn’t feel like laughing now.

Because Nathalie had the same condition, the exact same that Mom did; pale skin, lack of energy, and dizzy spells right before passing out. Was it communicable or had Father hired Nathalie so he could study her condition and find a cure for Mom?

His thoughts looped in on one another and around and around his brain, finding no solution. He wished Kagami could be there with him; either for comfort or to smack some sense into him. Mme. Tsurugi insisted that her daughter be home by dark and so Gorilla had driven her home while The Tsurugi’s self-drive car was unavailable. He was sure the large man would be back to drag him home any minute now.

Adrien sighed. He was sure his father would be angry that he’d failed yet again to reconcile with Felix. He didn’t understand why his relationship with his cousin was so important. Did Father want the two of them to model for the brand? Did he want to invest in Graham Films? He realized he was naive but he doubted Father would suddenly want to repair familial relationships out of the goodness of his heart.

He was so lost in thought he didn’t realize he wasn’t alone until he felt a cold smooth object touch the back of his neck.

“Gah!” he yelped, then looked around guiltily. No one seemed to be paying attention to him so he looked around to see who or what had touched him.

Chloe Bourgeois stood in front of him, wearing a black top with gold trim, black skinny jeans, and a white blazer. A new pair of sunglasses with a hawk motif perched on her head. She didn’t look fawning or hostile. Just…sympathetic. And watchful, as if she were unsure whether or not she would be welcome.

“Hello. Hello, Chloe,” he managed to stammer out.

“Hey, Adrien,” she said finally, tone serious. She held out a white bottle topped with a miniature crown. “I figured they wouldn’t have any designer water here so I brought you some Fillico. Just give me the crown top. I’ve started to collect them.” He didn’t need to know she saved them to give to the kwami. Milvii especially loved wearing them, even if Griff called her a “commoner”.

“Thanks, Chloe,” he took the bottle from her, cracked it open, and handed her the top. She put it in her bag then looked at him. “Make sure you take the crystals off before you recycle the bottle. You can give them to Marinette or whatever.”

“Um…okay.” He felt a little nervous, unsure what to make of this new Chloe. She wasn’t demanding anything from him, nor was she making a scene. Neither was she all over him or yelling at him. He had no idea how to deal with her. There was something different about the way she carried herself, as if she no longer needed her parents’ approval and had somehow found her self-worth on her own. It was refreshing, but confusing. A part of Adrien, a small part felt odd at that observation; as if the idea of change had his heart seized for a moment.

“Let’s have a seat,” Chloe made a show of taking out a handkerchief and dusting off the seat next to Adrien’s but she did sit down.

There were probably many heartfelt, diplomatic things he could have said but all that came out was, “I’m surprised to see you here, considering…”

She huffed a laugh. “Considering we’re hardly on speaking terms and I’ve been busy living my own life while you make puppy eyes at your ice maiden? Yeah, well…” her expression softened and her eyes became more sympathetic. “We’ve been here before, remember? With your mom.”

The words were said uncharacteristically gently by Chloe but they still hit him like a shot. “Yeah.” He sank in on himself and neither of them said anything for a few minutes. The only sounds were the footsteps of the nurses, the beeps of medical equipment, and the occasional sips of water taken by Adrien.

He looked over at Chloe. She fidgeted a bit and adjusted her sunglasses. Every now and then she’d check her phone. Finally with a low growl she shot up and pulled him to his feet. “Come on.” She grabbed his arm and began to tug him along. It reminded him so much of the old Chloe he actually smiled.

He shook his head. No. He wasn’t going to be led around anymore. Not by her, not by anyone. He stopped and resisted being pulled. “Wait. I’m not going anywhere until you tell me where you’re taking me.”

She looked incredibly offended, much like she would have months ago; she had always hated being questioned or thwarted. She must have realized how she acted because she faltered a step. Seeming to mull something or other before she let him go.

“I thought you might need to talk. I know how you feel about making a scene and drawing negative attention to yourself so I thought I’d take us somewhere more private, like the chapel.” She stopped and then whispered, “and there’s a high chance you’ll end up crying. We don’t need any paparazzi or wannabe paparazzi taking pictures at that. You have a brand to protect.”

*****

The general ambience of the Chapelle de l'Hôpital Lariboisière was dark and funereal, but more importantly, empty and quiet. The perfect place for a private conversation. Adrien and Chloe dutifully lit candles for Nathalie’s full recovery and sat on a pew together. Both were careful not to perch too near the other. To anyone the eight centimeters seemed insignificant; but to Chloe and Adrien it felt chasmal.

Adrien opened his mouth to speak before the silence went on too long but as usual Chloe beat him to it. “Oh. Well, this isn’t awkward at all. You’d think after twelve years of friendship we’d have a conversation starter or two.”

He laughed. “Yeah. So..how have you been? How do you like being the official set photographer for Graham Films?”

She blinked, surprised at both the question and his genuine interest. “Love it. Getting lots of cool photo ops. It’s gonna be a great art book once the film is done.” She was quiet and then said. “You know, I’m thinking of going to school for cinematography. I think I’d be a good Director of Photography, probably minor in business to appease my parents.”

“That’s really cool,” Adrien replied, genuinely pleased. “I’m glad to see you’re finding something you love. It’s great that you have an idea about what you want to do with your life.”

“I know, right?” She couldn’t help but smile at his approval. She told herself she didn’t want or need it, but she enjoyed having it. “What about you?”

He shrugged. “Nothing really grabs me. I’ve thought about science, but I’m not passionate about it.” He faked a chuckle. “Maybe I should just marry Kagami. She can take care of me and I can be her househusband.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Sounds like something you’re qualified for. You already know how to do what you’re told.”

Adrien looked like he wanted to protest or deny her words but he just laughed. “True, but if you can grow beyond being a spoiled rich kid, why can’t I?”

Chloe sputtered for an answer then surrendered. “Yeah. I was a hard-ass bitch, wasn’t I?”

He hesitated. “I would have said bratty or egocentric, but-”

“Trust me, Adrikins. The correct word is ‘bitch’.” The old nickname slipped out and she covered it by asking, “So how's the lady who’s totally crushing on your dad?”

He cringed. “Gross, Chlo.” He exhaled slowly and then told her, “The doctors were still examining and running tests last I heard but supposedly she’s going to be okay. I’m just waiting to hear if she needs to stay overnight or if she can go home.”

Chloe looked over at his phone. “Do they know how to get a hold of you if they need to?”

Adrien also looked at his phone. “Yeah. They’ll text me an update when there is one.”

She nodded. “Okay. I’m glad I’m not taking you away if they need to stay in contact.”

Silence filled the chapel after that. Chloe was vigilant and alert, a stark contrast to Adrien’s doom and gloom. So many emotions warred in him. Trust Chloe? Be mistrustful of Chloe? A pendulum question that swung either which way and left him more and more confused each time he pondered it. The quiet was also something new, Chloe and Adrien tended to always fill their time together with noise. To be engaging, whether watching anime or arguing theories. Or Adrien being subjected to Chloe’s fashion critiques, she was actually not bad at those and would preen if he said she sounded like her mom. Quiet….quiet and Chloe plus Adrien was an anomaly. One he wasn’t sure how to broach until the quiet gnawed on him.

“Why are you really here, Chloe?” Adrien asked, catching the blonde heiress off guard. It was the second time he asked the question, but maybe in the silent and empty chapel he could gain true answers.

“You needed someone.” Chloe replied after a pregnant pause to focus on the window outside. No longer brave enough to look Adrien in the face. “You actually need someone who understands. Kagami won’t understand as much as she likes. There’s little experience in watching someone you love wither away like a dried flower that can be gained in the real world. In a strict household like hers? Ours? Non-existent. Your friends would be sympathetic….but you will spend the entire time focusing more on how you are perceived than getting actual support. They won’t understand.”

"They'd be here for me." Adrien tried to defend his friends, it sounded weak even to him.

"Oh please, if that was true you would've called one. I found you alone." Chloe remarked, hitting the nail on the head. Adrien pouted not wanting to admit Chloe was right.

"So who would be?" Adrien asked and Chloe had the gall to turn and look at him with an unamused snort and a raise of a perfect brow before turning away.

“Who’s going to be here for you? Your dad? Where is he, Adrien? Did you remember what happened last time? He isolates himself….has been isolating himself and you.” Chloe began to pick up bolder at every question she directed to Adrien. Still not actually looking at him, but the faint reflection of a mirror watching the dark sky. She saw how the truth hit him. How he hated it and probably her for voicing it. Too bad Chloe is used to scorn. Chloe quickly looked around to ensure that things were under control, they were talking with heavy emotions. Heavier than anything they ever did and she would be damned if an akuma came now.

“To be quite honest, there’s only three people you know who would understand you, and would stand by you. Aunt Amelie, Felix, and me. Aunty is busy trying to fulfill the last wishes of Uncle Geralt. Felix is too, and the bridge between you two is far more broken than ours. So I stay because I get it….and I promised I’d always be there for you. No matter what, best friends promise we pinkie swore and that's sacred.” Chloe huffed, hurt that Adrien continued to question her on her loyalty. The only true thing she’s ever been able to claim. It was that loyalty that had her go to the hospital when a large part of her wanted to disappear from Adrien and his judgmental eyes but she still came.“I know you don’t like this arrangement…but you need someone; and that someone is me. Because we were best friends once, and I won’t let you brave this again without me. So that’s why I’m here.”

Adrien was stunned, it was the first time Chloe had said so much. Not since pre Miracle Queen. That was the crux of it all, the brand of her rejection seared into his soul that at times all he saw was Miracle Queen. All he would associate with Chloe was Miracle Queen, and he hated her for it. Yet this floored him, he would have never known, never thought, never guessed the depths Chloe of all people would go for him. It was humbling and wrong to Adrien. He had been burned by her before, but in an identity she didn’t know; and in this hour he was grateful that Chloe was being like how he knew. Disregarding his initial no and doing it anyway…because it was nice not being alone.

“I’m….I…I heard some stuff—“ Adrien began weakly.

“A lot of people talk about me. A lot is true and a lot of it is bullshit. What was it?” Chloe asked.

“You….betrayed Ladybug and Chat Noir.” Adrien spoke the damming words and watched Chloe’s reflection this time. Saw how her jaw immediately clenched and her face crumpled. It was a surprise to Adrien to see defeat so clearly on her face as she crumbled into herself before tensing up again. It almost felt like regret…but Adrien wasn't sure.

“Did they say how?” Chloe asked softly. Sadness, regret, hatred collecting again in her veins but oppressing it because she wasn't here for herself. She was there for Adrien and if he wanted to peel off the festering scabs of her feelings and what she did. It would distract him enough to not think of the woman on a hospital bed so she'll endure because of her loyalty. Even if Adrien would never get how much it cost to voice stuff like that out.

“No…but they said that was why you couldn’t be a hero anymore.” Adrien lied through his teeth, and seeing Chloe hang her head he was glad they weren’t looking at each other. She could spot him lying easily…which is why he worked hard while Chat Noir around her. Then again a lot of the times it was during an Akuma scenario so she was distracted.

“I never had loyalty to them.” Chloe confessed which surprised Adrien, Chloe was a self-proclaimed Ladybug’s biggest fan.

“You were obsessed with them.” Adrien sputtered.

“I was enamored with the idea of them.” Chloe sighed. “I idolized them because our anime suddenly became true and they were special. Adrien, you’re like them in a lot of ways…Ladybug, Chat Noir, you. None of you will ever understand. You guys are like the sun, happy, warm, too nice for your own good that has you getting walked all over, and to a certain extent righteous. The sun will never understand why an ugly storm cloud would do anything to be seen and valued.”

“You’re not an ugly storm cloud Chloe.” Adrien spoke up, feeling that this was the only chance he might ever get to know why Chloe became Miracle Queen. It sounded like something Chloe would say, deflect or use metaphors instead of voice things herself. Chloe’s snorting dry laugh caught him off guard and had him blushing embarrassed and frustrated. “I’m being honest, you’re not.”

“Of course I am.” Chloe dismissed Adrien, looking at him with a pitying smile. “Little sunshine who was raised in warmth, doesn’t see how the world works.”

“Don’t condescend to me Chloe.” Adrien snarked, frustrated at her tone.

“I’m not, you just prove my point.” Chloe chuckled without humor. “Charismatic, charming people like you. Who were loved and attended to, down to the point it’s almost stalkerish and your dad needs a restraining order on you, honestly Adrien I can make an entire case for you—“

“Stop deflecting, Chloe.” Adrien remarked having heard that train of thought so many times in his earlier youth.

“That’s the thing. You waltz in with this golden retriever smile and instantly you’re cared for by everyone you meet. Always happened, as long as I can remember. Practically from when we were in diapers.” Chloe huffed. “The sun can never understand why the moon got tired of being a reflection. Of only being known and cared for as the sun’s reflection.”

She sighed at the look on his face and crossed her legs. “The sun just assumes the moon will forever be happy to be that odd reflection and shine when the sun wants it to. The sun will never really know the rejection storm clouds get, because rain and thunder destroy their happy mood. A song dedicated to banish the rain so the sun can come back. I wanted to be looked at….to be special. I thought playing the hero would be like when we would act out our favorite cartoon and anime heroes.”

“You wanted fame.” Adrien tried to meet her train of thought, the metaphor having him think about his cousin as the moon and Chloe as the storm cloud. At least that’s how she saw them in her mind. If more fame was what she wanted… Bitterness wound itself into his throat. Chloe would be selfish enough. Famous Chloe would be even worse.

“No…I wanted to be seen and have my mom look at me and think for once in her stupid life: ‘Wow….Chloe…not Clarissa, or Casserole, or Claudette, Clare, Chlorine,,, or Kylie. Chloe’s special’. To have people who automatically discredit me as a rich brat have to swallow their words—“

“You are rich though.”

“A brat too, but when we say it…it’s not thrown at you like an offense; and then everyone wants to extort things from you,” Chloe huffed. “You didn’t spend ecole primaire with kids who tried to act like your friends only to get stuff from you; or parents who would try to make it seem you were a bad kid so they could complain to your dad and get something.

“Then I noticed that Daddy was never busy when I was in trouble; but he was too busy for dinner or to help me with my schoolwork. So I decided if that’s all I’ll be recognized for, so be it. All of them were beneath me, and by being a bitch I’d get attention. Win-win; they paint me as their bad girl, and I am recognized. Even if it's infamy, it made me unforgettable. You, sunshine boy, are different because you were put into the spotlight but also cared for so you didn’t become a brat. Heroes like Chat Noir and Ladybug are good but they also ride their own high horse and make judgements based off of rumors. Ladybug never liked me from the beginning, I still idolized her. It was how it worked, you give affection and get scorned.

"I was a good Queen Bee, bitch aside, revealing my identity for Paris aside. I was driven and wanted to prove myself so bad…I would have done anything they asked. Sure I'd make it a dramatic deal I have to. But they could have said we'd accept you only if you I don't know killed Hawkmoth or retrieved the miraculous by yourself and I'd do it. I would have walked to hell barefoot on hot coals and broken glass to be recognized. It didn't work out so they said I can’t be a hero anymore. Fine, it’s not like I was rejected again.

“Then my parents got akumatized….and at that point I still gave a damn about them. I wanted to help, because I knew I could do it and it was personal. But I was overlooked again…and then someone looked at me…and Hawkmoth presented the bee miraculous. Something I thought I'd never see again. I was angry and betrayed so I decided to do what the one person who looked at me said I’d be good for.” Chloe confessed, the second time in her life. The first being to Milvii, Griff, and Felix when they asked about Queen Bee.

“I’m sure they didn’t mean to make you feel like that Chloe.” Adrien spoke conflicted…the side of him that was Chat Noir that grew to sprout hatred for the girl he once called friend felt like her reasons were not good enough. Yet the side of him who was purely Adrien, the boy and not the hero, understood a bit. The way someone like Chloe would rationalize it, as he didn’t fully agree with her. She did incredibly wrong and many people suffered for it. Her confession did not absolve her of sin, but uncovered some of the questions that festered in his chest like a wound.

“Adrien…I learned the hard way that intent is shit in the face of how it gets interpreted by the world.” Chloe tsked lightly. “I’m atoning for what I did, and if I get a chance with Hawkmoth I’ll drop kick him to the next century over messing with Paris and me. But this isn’t about me, this is about you.”

The conversation died again with a Chloe patented dismissal. Vulnerability on her part was over and the tension rewound itself into them both. Adrien had a lot to consider over what Chloe said. How she deluded herself into thinking that Hawkmoth saw Chloe and that’s why he offered the miraculous to her. Chloe sat there for a few minutes in silence waiting for Adrien to talk about another topic, or break down crying. When he didn’t she knew it was yet again up to her to keep the chat going. Sure, people might say she had been a pushy bitch to him and Felix but how else was she supposed to keep their friendships going? They never did anything themselves.

Finally she couldn’t stand it. “Still, it’s weird that your dad’s assistant has the same medical condition your mom did.”

“Yeah, it is,” he sighed.

“Maybe it’s something environmental? Like old drywall that never got removed or your mansion was built over an old radiation deposit?” Chloe snorted. “It would totally be like Uncle Gabriel to try to keep you indoors at all times when it was your house itself making people sick. Lead poisoning like the tin man from Wizard of Oz.”

She laughed and he laughed with her. “It would explain a lot. Father’s pretty shortsighted and convinced he knows what’s best all the time, even if evidence to the contrary is staring him in the face.”

"Could they have gotten sick from sleeping with your dad?" Chloe thought to which Adrien made a face of disgust.

"Chloe, he's my dad."

"I know but listen….he sucks the joy out of everything, Adrien. It's sad beige hours with him. I used to think that was classy but it washes me out. What if his sad beige boring powers just….sucked the life force of youthful women?" Chloe conspired.

"My dad isn't a villain." Adrien snorted.

"He hasn't paid you years worth of wages for your model work. I can bring up a case if you'd let me talk to a lawyer, Adrien." Chloe snarked.

"Look, he's not that bad." Adrien sighed. "He's gotten better."

"I'm a box blonde and I love the color pink." Chloe deadpanned with a face that had Adrien start laughing at how incredulous Chloe’s thoughts were.

Their laughter died quickly and to her surprise, he scooted close and lay his head on her shoulder. He sighed and she braced herself for screaming and wailing.

“I can’t go through it again, Chlo,” he whispered. “I went through it with Mom. She got sick and wasted away and then disappeared. Like a cat. Cats know when their time is near so they slink off in private to die.”

“It’s different this time,” she tried to reassure him, “she’s not your mom. You can’t get any cool character development from one semi weird maternal figure, who’s most likely sleeping with your dad so like eww. You’re prepared because you’ve already been through this. You know what to expect. You’re not going into this situation blind.” Good, that was more assuring and less cold-hearted. Empathy was hard. “There are probably treatment options available now that weren’t a few years ago.”

He threw his arms around her, almost nuzzling her neck. “And if…worst case scenario…?”

Chloe leaned her head on his. “Then…you have something you didn’t have a few years ago. A support network. You know, me…your girlfriend…Nino, I guess.” She sighed. “And even though he’s pissed at you for not being there when his world went to shit, Felix would be there for you too.I’ll drag him myself kicking and screaming, I’ve been working out, I can take him. But he’d be here regardless so I’ll never get a chance to do that.”

“You really think so?” he mumbled against her throat.

“Yeah.” She petted his hair for a few minutes and smiled almost lovingly at him because she knew he couldn’t see it. Thankfully Felix wasn’t here either to rub it in.

They’d been through a lot together. He was one of the few people who’d noticed how sad and bereft she’d been when Audrey had abandoned her life and family to pursue her own dreams. She in turn had held him when he cried over his mom’s disappearance and his father changed overnight. She thought they’d always be friends. They’d even pinkie-swore on it. Even as they drifted apart and he learned of her shame, she still came like she promised before. When hands tightened around her and she heard the telltale sniffle of tears, and felt them soak into her outfit Chloe held him closer. Gentle and unlike herself, softening her angles to catch a boy who hurt her with his casual rejections but was still for many years a bright light for her and tried to comfort as he cried. Whispering an odd ‘it’s ok’ or ‘I got you’ here and there, just like she did years ago.

She allowed him to cry now in silence while she continued to pat him. She wished she was good with that sympathy crap like Allen. Or making people laugh like Claude. Allegra would have bopped some sense into him by now. All she could do was listen and hug. And order room service. After what felt like eternity of subdued silent tears, and quiet static like silence filled the room Chloe knew it was time to distract.

Chloe gently pushed him away. “Okay, okay. Jeez, quit slobbering on me.” He sat back up and gave her sad kitten eyes.

“Hey, Chloe?”

“Yeah…?” she answered hesitantly. She hoped he wasn’t about to ask her to bare her soul as well.

Adrien didn’t answer at first, just looked at her for a while. “Tell me about you. Your life right now. Nothing too personal!” He waved his hands as if fending off her objections. “Nothing confidential or about Felix. Or about anything that makes you feel uncomfortable. I just…” he raised a shoulder. “We don’t talk. I think we can work on fixing that. Tell me about your life. Anything you want.”

Chloe sighed and began to speak. She told him about Felix buying her a camera and learning about photography. How light and composition changed the feeling of a picture. There was an art to it beyond selfies or Instagram posts. She even told him a very condensed version of using her camera to diffuse an akuma situation on set. His face managed to look both proud and disappointed at the same time.

She didn’t feel like bringing up Lila or Dupain-Cheng. (She could call her that in her mind.) Instead, she talked about learning to play D&D with the Quantic Kids or how Mylene had come a long way since “Horrificator” in her acting. Adrien listened without interrupting until she finally ran out of things to say.

“Come on,” she stood up and reached for his hand. “Sharing feelings makes me hungry. Let’s see if the cafeteria has anything that won’t poison us. If it looks horrible, I know a place nearby that does delivery.”

*****

Gorilla was waiting for them near the entrance of the hospital cafeteria. He didn’t speak but didn’t seem angry or hurried. Adrien drooped even lower until he saw the rectangular box in the man’s overly large hands

Adrien brightened, hands reaching out to take the object from his driver/bodyguard. “Is that a genuine bento box?”

The man nodded but didn’t give the boy the box.

“From Kagami?” Adrien’s hands went to the box but didn’t take it away from the man who’d guarded him nearly half his life.

The man nodded, then grunted and pointed at a nearby seat. He was drawing attention and preferred to fade into the background but the boy’s delight made it difficult.

“Ugh,” Chloe rolled her eyes and dragged his friend to the table. “Come on…he’s telling you to eat it here because your dad will take it away and force you to eat three leaves and an acorn.”

Gorilla nodded and gently nudged the boy along. “Okay, I’ll eat it now but I should FaceTime Kagami later to say thank you.”

“And you know…talk about your feelings or whatever,” Chloe put out a hand to stop him before he interrupted. “Yeah, I can’t believe these words are coming out of my mouth either but one of the cool things about having a boy or girlfriend is to have someone to confide in, right?”

Adrien just smiled, letting her know without words how much he appreciated her being there for him.

There was no way in hell she’d let him know she was touched. “Shut it, Agreste.”

*****

Wednesday was clear and calm. With no reshoots to do, Marinette found herself with the rarest of gifts; free time. Her designs for the ball gowns were finished and turned into Mme. Jennings for pattern making. She’d learned all her lines and could rehearse with Luka, Felix, and Allan tomorrow. The bakery was closed for a week and her parents were away at a bed and breakfast. They had M. Haprele come by every day to check on her and Captain Anarka promised to let her come over during the day for “supervised” visits. Yes, there was an adult on board but Luka and Marinette would be mostly on their own.

“Ahoy, Liberty!” Marinette called out when she reached the dock. “Permission to come aboard! Lower the gangplank, if you please!”

She heard the patter of running shoes on a wooden floor when Luka appeared above deck, trying to look as if he hadn’t been running at all. Her eyebrows rose in appreciation. He was wearing black skinny jeans and a matching vest with shoes. There was an aqua blue shirt under the vest and his usual assortment of jewelry.

All he needs is a teal bracelet, she thought to herself and then sighed. Luka could never be Viperion again…but perhaps another sort of reptile?

Marinette imagined Luka dressed in the red and black of the Dragon Miraculous. He’d look incredibly handsome wielding a sword…and some cute little horns…

Luka saw her staring at him with unfocused, dilated eyes and grinned. “Do you like what you see?”

“Yessss,” she drooled and then snapped out of her fog. “Yes! You look great!” She looked him over with a critical designer’s eye and approved. “I like the new outfit.”

He struck a pose and winked at her. “Mom and I found a goldmine when we went thrifting last week.” He looked her up and down. “You look pretty great yourself.”

Marinette gave him a mock curtsy, pleased he’d noticed. She’d paired a high-waisted pair of jean shorts with a pink shirt with navy horizontal stripes and some old pink canvas shoes that had been her mother’s. She lifted her foot so he could see them. “Vintage nineties.”

He nodded in approval. “They suit you.” He lowered the gangplank. “Permission to come aboard granted.”

She boarded the ship and unslung her backpack from over her shoulder. “I brought some snacks from the bakery. And a few sketchbooks. You know, in case I get inspired.”

“I do the same thing with this guitar app on my phone. Just in case I’m ever caught somewhere without Euterpe.” Euterpe was the name of Luka’s acoustic guitar, the one he’d built himself.

“Ah, Euterpe,” she sighed. “All other women pale beside her. The love of your life.” She giggled and nudged his side. “Even when you get a girlfriend, the poor girl would still only be your side piece.”

Luka just smiled, unoffended. “Not at all. Anyone I end up in a relationship with would understand Euterpe’s place in my life and not feel jealous.”

Marinette paused for a second as she processed this information. “Anyone? Oh, ok. Well, as long as they’re treated as an equal partner, like Euterpe.”

He laughed. “At the thrift store I found a copy of Crocodile Heart on DVD. Wanna watch it?”

Her eyes lit up. “Does Fang have scales? Of course I do!” She grabbed on to him. “Is it the special edition? With Jagged’s commentary? Eeeee!” She wiggled with excitement at his nod. “I can’t wait!”

Luka shushed her gently. “Hey, my mom’s home. You know how she gets when she hears his name.”

Marinette quieted immediately, hands over her mouth. “Sorry! I mean…sorry,” she whispered. “It’s still awesome that she played in a band with him.”

“I know, right?”

*****

"You are?.." "You are?.."

Marinette shifted as she considered the answer. “Is it…’you are the popcorn of my life?’ “

Luka chuckled before throwing a piece of croissant at her. “It’s…’you are the donut of my life.”

She caught it in her mouth and chewed it before swallowing. “Right! From his ‘Candy Apple’ album. Every song was related to food somehow. Next?”

They were lying together in a haphazard clump on Luka’s bed. Jagged Stone’s first movie was playing but both of them were too busy eating and asking each other trivia questions to watch it. It was a rather silly tale of a man and his crocodile traveling through the Australian rainforest in search of adventure and the last known copy of a pioneering rock star’s first record. Ordinarily Marinette would have pointed out that exposure to the kind of moisture rainforests are know for would ruin the album but the movie was fun and dumb and she knew it well enough to quote lines.

Luka sighed, content with Marinette snuggled up to him. He enjoyed filming and thought Felix and the others could all be friends after the movie but he preferred the peace of home. He could also admit to himself he was selfish enough to want Marinette all to himself. He blessed the day she came tripping into his life with her warmth and creativity and intelligence. He only regretted that she, Rose and Juleka had been too afraid or worn down by Chloe Bourgeois to become friends earlier. If she had met him before Adrien Agreste, would she have had a crush on Luka instead?

His better self insisted he was being greedy but he felt less guilty than he would have a year ago. Adrien was firmly in a relationship with Kagami, who was helping him grow a spine. Felix? Felix was smart, cunning, ruthless when he had to be but warm and loving to those who’d earned his loyalty. Felix reminded Luka of a cat while his cousin was more like a friendly golden retriever. Was there a Dog Miraculous? Adrien would be perfect.

“Here’s another one,” Luka said finally, ‘I gave up everything…’ “

“But my dreams!” Marinette answered happily.

“Another point to House Dupain-Cheng,” he smiled down at her. She smiled back.

Marinette was quiet and then said, “My turn. ‘My guitar…’ “

“ ‘...is my only family,” Luka interjected, “From his ‘Alone On the Road’ live concert. I love that song.”

She was clearly impressed. “Whoa, twenty to twelve, in favor of House Couffaine.” She booped him on the nose and handed him the last strawberry macaron. “You sir, are officially the world’s number one Jagged Stone fan.”

He accepted the macaron with all the poise of a gracious winner. “I accept your bribe and allow you one more question: ‘Under the moonlight, by the sea…’ “

She flailed as she thought about her answer. “ ‘Under the moonlight, by the sea’…I almost have it…it was his first song…’kiss me!’ ”

“Well, if you insist…”, he joked and leaned in closer.

She giggled and then her eyes flew wide open as she realized how close he was.

Luka had lovely eyes the color of the summer sea.

Marinette wondered what it would be like to kiss his soft pink lips and feel his heartbeat under her hand. She knew being a delivery boy kept him in shape. What would he look like without his shirt?

“G’day, Ruby! How is the most beautiful vet in all of Northern Australia?”

“Don’t try and act all sweet to me, you British git! What has that garbage disposal of a croc swallowed now?”

The two teens sprang apart, feeling embarrassed and strangely disappointed. “I forgot that the movie was on,” Marinette’s words sounded dumb and lame, even to her own ears but it was better than sitting in silence.

Luka almost wished he’d taken the initiative but didn’t want to rush her or do anything without her consent. “Me too. I wonder what happened to the woman who played Ruby?”

Marinette smiled at him gratefully. “I think she had a brief career as a pop star in Australia before making a few movies and then writing a series of young adult mysteries.”

“Good. For her.” Awkward silence descended again and he cleared his throat. “Uh…it’s getting stuffy down here. Let’s go up to the deck.”

*****

“I’m so glad you finally agreed to try this.”

“I can’t believe I never thought of this before.”

“Well, maybe you just weren’t ready. Let me show you the position I like to use best.”

Luka sat on the deck then crossed his legs, one after the other. He straightened his spine and rested his hands on his knees, palms up and closed his eyes. “Now all you do is breathe.”

Marinette copied his pose and tried to focus on nothing but her breath. “Do I need to…focus on a thought?”

“Or a goal. Or nothing at all.”

She sat quietly and concentrated on inhaling and exhaling. She did her best to keep her mouth closed and breathed through her nose.

Thoughts swirled chaotically around her head; projects she wanted to try, skills she wanted to learn. The accident where she almost died. Mlle. Sancoeur collapsing. She imagined all of them turning into pieces of cloth. Then she folded them up and put them into individually labeled drawers to be dealt with one by one.

Now with her thoughts filed away she began to design her own gown, the only dress she hadn’t designed already because she put her “clients” first. Well, she’d design something amazing for herself this time. It was Felicity’s right as a main character and, if Marinette was honest, she just wanted to do something fancy for herself. At least this once.

She began to imagine a pink dress and first but shook her head. She wore pink so much it was practically her signature color. What would Felicity want?

Medium blue, like her eyes. Something soft, flowy and easy to move in in case of an emergency during the dance. Organza perhaps. Layers and layers with floral applique embellishments; like roses. Some climbing roses would look pretty, perhaps in cream and pink. Or silver and dark blue. Maybe all four. Then an off the shoulder neckline with short winged sleeves. Lacing on the back of the bodice would fit the Victorian aesthetic. She could wear low comfortable heels and…

Rebuild her hero team.

She thought about how they looked on Heroes Day when Chloe was still trying to become a true hero. She thought of Ryuuko standing up to her mother. Viperion and his determination to save his family. Or most of the team working together to defeat Party Crasher.

Just because Hawk Moth is taking the summer off doesn’t mean he’s gone. What are you doing to defeat him? What are you doing here?

Marinette gasped as her eyes popped open and she looked at Luka. For a moment Viperion’s mask was superimposed on his face. It almost made her want to cry. He’d been such a good hero. It wasn’t fair that he had to retire because of her negligence.

He must have felt her gaze on her because his eyes opened and looked at her. His eyebrows raised as looked over her with concern. “Is something wrong, or did you have one of those epiphanies of yours?”

“Something like that,” she demurred. His calm, patient gaze coaxed her into telling him her idea about her ball costume. “I know what I want to design for myself now! I’m thinking something soft and flowy, with rose embroidery and a full skirt. In organza.”

“What style?” he asked.

She couldn’t help but smile at him. One of the things she lov-liked about Luka was he didn’t just sit and nod politely when she talked about design. Even her parents did it. Luka always asked questions, even if he didn’t know much about fashion. He was willing to learn; maybe so he’d have something to talk to her about, or just to expand his own knowledge about the world.

“I bet it’s blue,” he grinned, “to match your eyes.”

Marinette was sure she was blushing. He could go from learning about her hobbies to flirting with her so effortlessly. Or, was he just being nice? She found herself hoping he was flirting. She felt her resolve to ask him out after the movie wrapped to be slipping. Would it hurt to ask him out now? Yes. She should wait a little longer to make sure she was over Adrien. Luka deserved that.

But did he have to have such pretty eyes and kissable lips? It just wasn’t fair.

She blinked and decided to distract herself from wishing she could kiss Luka.

What should she think about? The movie? Costumes?

Felix popped into her head for some reason. She was starting to like him, even if he acted like a creepy toolbag when they first met. Hell, he still acted like a toolbag sometimes but he had his good points too.

He was clever and creative. He had drive and ambition but didn’t feel the need to step on people to achieve his goals. To the contrary, he wanted to take those he considered talented with him. He was a loyal friend and son and had facets to his personality she never would have noticed before working with him.

But unfortunately he was also hot. Distractingly hot, with soft peach lips and sexy green eyes. Like his cousin.

Whoops! Time to think of something else!

“So…if you don’t mind me asking, why did you take up meditation?” she asked her friend. “Was it because your mom is…kind of chaotic and you needed some calm?”

At first she thought she’d offended him but he chuckled and responded, “Kinda. Yeah. Mom’s great but she can be a little over the top.” He thought for a moment and then added, “kinda like Jagged. Maybe that’s why their relationship was so volatile and they stopped playing together.”

Marinette giggled and he continued. “But there’s more to it than just that.” He sighed and his face became more serious. “You see, I needed it.”

Her eyes widened as she looked at him. “But…you’re so calm and level-headed! I’ve only seen you mad-”

He nodded. “Silencer. Yeah.” He unfolded his legs and lay on the deck with his hands on his stomach. Marinette copied his new pose and lay beside him. She looked him in the eyes and nodded at him to show she was listening.

Luka went on. “See, when I was younger, I had a lot of anger issues and resentment.” She must have looked surprised because he laughed. “Yeah. I know. But it can happen to the best of us.”

She fought the urge to interrupt and ask questions. His eyes went unfocused as he recalled embarrassing memories.

“I never knew who my father was. I can remember occasional raised voices and glass breaking but other than slammed doors, nothing. Not even a name.” Marinette scooted a little closer and put her head on his shoulder to show support. He went on.

“It made me angry that she wouldn’t tell me something so important. Jules and I deserve to know who our dad is and why he left us, even if he doesn’t want to be part of our lives.” He sighed and looked at the sky.

“You can imagine some of the shit we heard in school. Kids can understand death and divorce but not even knowing who your dad is? People just assume your mom’s a slut and as the kids of a slut, you’re no better.”

“The people you went to ecole with were…assholes,” Marinette nearly tripped over the curse word.

Luka couldn’t help but smile, both at her defense and using a word that made her uncomfortable to make him feel better. “Yeah, they were.” He sighed. “So, I was angry. Not just at them, but at the man who abandoned us and the mom who was such an anarchist she moved us onto a boat to avoid property taxes she couldn’t afford and neighbors who gossiped about us.”

“Times were tough and we didn’t have a lot of stability back then. Sometimes,” it made him feel disloyal to admit it, “I was angry at Mom for not being a normal parent and taking care of us. I resented Juleka because it felt like I was raising her along with myself and I had too much responsibility for a kid my age.”

They laid there quietly for a few minutes then Marinette prompted, “so…what happened?”

He laughed but it became a sigh. “There was a big kid in our class. Hugo. What he lacked in smarts he made up for in fists. He picked on us and that was ok, we were used to that. But one day he decided he wanted the lunch I’d made for Juleka and he grabbed it out of her hands, then punched her in the face for threatening to tell the teacher. He made her bleed and almost knocked out one of her baby teeth. I…lost it.”

He seemed to be debating with himself whether or not to tell her the rest. She tried to console him. “You don’t have to say anything else if you don’t want-”

Luka nuzzled the top of her head. “It’s okay. I think I need to. To make a long story short, I punched him hard enough to knock him down. Then I knocked out two of his teeth and punched him in the ribs. It took a couple of teachers and a janitor to pull me off him.”

Marinette said nothing but the idea of a Luka angry enough to punch someone until they bled made her shiver a little.

She stole a glance at his face. He looked tired and ashamed. She could tell he hadn’t enjoyed beating up a bully; the kid could have had a crappy home life too. Still the boy had crossed a line when he hurt Juleka. “You were just defending your sister,” she told him.

He laughed but it sounded bitter and cynical. “That might have been true at first but the truth is I think I was taking out all my aggression and resentment on him. Yeah, he messed with my sister,” he frowned, “but I crossed a line too.”

She lay her head on his shoulder and let him vent. She could sense he needed to get this all out. This was probably something no one outside his little family or the other people involved had ever heard. She was honored that he’d chosen to confide in her.

“Needless to say, his parents and the principal got involved. They’d wanted to have me expelled but the principal brought in Hugo’s file and showed them how many times their son had bullied other kids and they’d done nothing to correct his behavior. So, they backed off pretty quickly and both of us were sent to psychological counseling.”

His eyes softened a bit, remembering. “My counselor was this great lady named Doctor Smythe. I think it was the first time an adult listened to me and my problems. She didn’t judge or get angry with me but she suggested meditation as a way to cope. She told me I might not be able to control my environment or the world around me but I could control how I reacted.

He looked down at her. Marinette’s eyes glowed with interest and compassion. He was glad his story hadn’t chased her away. “I’m not proud of how I acted back then, but what I learned has helped me gain better control of myself.” He smiled into her eyes. “I think meditation could help you with your anxiety. Learning how to relax and not take on so much would help too,” he chided gently.

She couldn’t help but laugh. She’d give anything to be able to take some of the burdens off her shoulders, bring Master Fu back to be The Guardian, get more hero help. She smiled back at him. “Would you like to teach me?” Would you be my new Dragon? “Maybe that would help.”

Luka stared at her cerulean eyes, her full lush pink lips. He wanted more than anything to kiss her, hold her close to him, maybe feel her bare skin and put her hand on his chest so she could feel his beating heart…

No. Nope, Nuh-uh. He was rushing things and she was just barely over Adrien. Plus, she worked with Felix, who, despite becoming a friend, looked just like Adrien. It wasn’t time yet.

“Sure,” was all he said, “maybe after a nap.”

*****

Anarka found her son and his future girlfriend (suck it, Amelie) cuddled together in sleep. She slipped pillows under their heads and took a picture before sneaking away.

Ah, lad. You could’ve stolen a kiss, at least.

*****

Adrien checked the hallway leading to his father’s atelier. The man had been barricaded in there ever since Nathalie had been admitted to the hospital. He’d ignored his son even more than usual so the boy took advantage of his inattention to blow off his piano practice to FaceTime his girlfriend.

He dialed her number and was pleased to see her face appear after a few seconds. She was dressed casually in a pair of white capris and a red button-up with three-quarter sleeves. She smiled warmly at him; the smile that she saved for those closest to her. It made him pause and stare every time.

“Wow!” He exclaimed as he looked her up and down. He blinked to make sure he didn’t imagine seeing her in something besides her class uniform, fencing garb or that lovely kimono at the Miraculous premiere. “That looks amazing on you!”

She laughed and said, “Thank you, I know. Marinette made a Spinterest board full of outfit ideas for me. I bought this online and had it shipped along with some fencing equipment. Mother was none the wiser.” Her smile turned sly and, to Adrien’s mind, very very sexy. “Mother thinks I am practicing the violin at the moment. What about M. Agreste?”

“Oh. Father thinks I’m practicing the piano.” He winked at her. “Of course, with Nathalie away, he’s a lot more preoccupied than usual.” It hurt him a little to think of her all alone in the hospital but he didn’t know anything about her family so there was no one he could call. She’d called him that morning; she sounded weak but ok. For some reason she wanted him to be sure to tell his father she had all her personal effects with her except her tablet, which Adrien had given his father. She was being monitored around the clock and had little privacy but was well taken care of. She assured him she’d be back in the morning but in the meantime he should remind his father to eat and not just live on coffee.

“How is Mlle. Sancoeur?” Kagami asked and he beamed at her in appreciation. His girlfriend might not be as outwardly expressive as someone like Rose or Alya but she was as kind and considerate as Marinette.

“She’s doing a lot better,” he assured her. “Her vitals were good, the doctor said, but she needs to work on managing her stress better. She’s also vitamin deficient and needs to stay hydrated.” He sighed and then confided, “Father works her too hard.”

Kagami nodded. She was familiar with stress and hard work but if the woman was not taking in enough nutrients then she clearly was neglecting her health. “Humans can be unreliable. I think that’s why Mother employs AI whenever possible.”

“Does that mean you also have a robot butler who brings you little drinks and snacks?” Adrien wanted to know.

She blinked once. “Of course,” she answered stoically. She then frowned seriously and asked, “Why? Don’t you?”

They stared at each other for a minute and then laughed.

Adrien sighed happily, feeling some of the tension of the past twenty-four hours slip away. “You are so funny!” He said. He smiled a bit wistfully at his girlfriend. “I wish all my friends knew how funny you are.”

“Well, comedy isn’t something I can force,” she replied thoughtfully. She didn’t want to tell him that most of his friends were predisposed to dislike her because they were upset she had torpedoed the “Adrienette ship” so thoroughly. “Although Marinette has said I’m funny as well.”

Marinette had morphed from a girl who was no more than a rival to be vanquished to a cherished friend. Kagami tried not to cringe when she remembered how she had so casually told Ladybug that even though she didn’t want to hurt Marinette, she had no trouble doing so if it meant winning Adrien. Her actions shamed her. She had always detested girls who would backstab their best friend if it meant the boy they liked chose them over said friend. Women had enough obstacles from men without the girls who should be their sisters competing with them too.

To learn that she was little better than some grasping, conniving schoolgirl who wanted senpai to notice them was humbling. She was very lucky Marinette was getting over Adrien on her own and moving on, perhaps to Luka. He seemed to notice and appreciate her friend and his calm steadiness balances Marinette’s manic frenzy.

Really, those two were perfect for each other. Two little blueberries in joyous harmony. Seeing Marinette and Luka interact so happily made her feel a little less guilty about taking Adrien for her own. True, Marinette had hesitated but it was also possible the girl had anxiety. Perhaps once Luka and Marinette were officially a couple she could put her remorse aside and move on. She looked forward to the day she could whole-heartedly support “Lukanette.”

Kagami didn’t realize she’d been staring into space for fifteen seconds until Adrien spoke up. “What’s wrong, ‘Gami?”

She shook her head. “I don’t know what you mean. Why should anything be wrong?”

He frowned, making himself look like a concerned puppy. “Do you honestly think I don’t know you well enough by now?” He grinned and rubbed his forehead. “You get this little wrinkle in your forehead right above your nose when something’s bothering you. Come on,” he coaxed, “you’ve listened to me rant for hours about Father, Felix, having to model with someone I can’t stand, all that stuff.” Adrien’s smile was warm and comforting. “It’s my turn to be the confidant. Someone you can talk to and lean on when you need to. Now,” he sat back a bit and settled into his “listening pose”. “What’s on your mind?”

I feel as if I took advantage of another girl’s doubts and fears to win you for myself. She wasn’t my friend at first but now she is my best friend besides you. It’s made me feel incredibly guilty, like I behaved dishonorably. What should I do? Kagami hesitated, then said, “there are some things…I would like to share them with you but I’m…ashamed.” She looked down at her lap and couldn’t look at him in case he could see her guilt.

“Hey…it’s okay. Don’t share if you’re not ready,” he soothed. “But…if there’s something that I could help you with, even if it’s just to listen, you can. Or…you know…we could sit and stare at each other while we think about how cute we both are.”

She chuckled. It wasn’t a very funny joke, but he was trying. “Well, allow me to tell you about what I can talk about.” She sat up a little straighter. “I think I mentioned Mother wanted me to study some traditional arts, like tea ceremony, flower arranging, and calligraphy.”

He nodded. “Yeah, I remember you mentioning that.”

“Well,” she began and almost stopped. No, she would not allow herself to hesitate. Not even once. “I somewhat enjoy the tea ceremony. It’s rather meditative and the precision and care calligraphy requires is not unlike fencing. However…”

“But..the flower arranging?” Adrien prompted.

“Is…boring!” she burst out.

He started as did she, surprised at her own words. The proverbial dam had broken and she couldn’t stop if she wanted to. “I cannot stand flowers! And you have to be so careful because every color has significance. An uneven number of flowers is lucky while an even number is unlucky. Plus having thorns in the arrangement can have meaning, so can stems and leaves. Plus you have to be aware of symmetry and you basically sit quietly for hours doing nearly nothing while you contemplate the meaning of adding sticks. It’s just…a waste of time to me but Mother loves it and wants me to love it too.”

She slumped a bit, embarrassed at her show of emotion, of her boyfriend seeing her at less than her best. What must he think of her now?

“Hey, Kagami?” Adrien’s earnest face filled her phone’s screen. “Trust me, I understand. You're a woman of passion and action and your mom doesn’t understand you’re not just a perfect copy of her. It’s okay.” He smiled. “You’re amazing, just the way you are. It’s great that you’re trying things you don’t like to make her happy.”

She smiled, feeling reassured and happy and seen. She wasn’t a cold ice queen with no emotions, just a girl who struggled with self-expression after being sheltered all her life. She longed to break free and do what she wanted and be who she wanted without feeling as if she were letting her entire family line down. She looked at Adrien and judging by his sympathetic expression, he understood because he was under the same pressure of expectations.

“Would you…would you like to see what I really want to do?” Kagami asked shyly. She trusted him enough to be a little vulnerable now and then.

He nodded eagerly. “Yes, please!”

Adrien wondered what Kagami could possibly be passionate about. Did she want to be an acrobat like Cirque du Soleil? Did she secretly want to play basketball or be a dancer? He couldn’t wait to see it.

Kagami grinned, looking incredibly young and adorable to his eyes. She pulled out a hardcover sketchbook and held it up to her phone’s camera for him to see.

He gasped as she slowly turned the pages to show him her work as best she could. She’d drawn him! Not just him but Gorilla standing guard, face soft as he looked up kitten videos. There was also Nathalie looking irritated at something Bob Roth was saying. His father looking at their family portrait with such a look of raw longing for his mother Adrien could almost feel it.

As the pages turned he saw that girl Allegra and her boyfriend being sweet when they thought no one was looking. Ivan spun Mylene as they danced in a hallway on set. He saw Felix, several versions of him; furtive, angry. Amused, mischievous and then he saw him squaring up against Marinette. Both looked determined and strong, refusing to back down. They looked like opponents who were evenly matched. To his surprise, they looked good together.

Kagami turned again and on the last page was Marinette and Luka. She leaned against him and looked up, her gaze soft and trusting. Luka looked down at her as if she were the most important, the most precious thing in the world and he’d do anything to keep her safe.

They would make an amazing couple. He had always thought so, ever since that day at the ice rink.

Adrien looked up and saw Kagami staring at him, hopeful yet nervous.

“So…” she fidgeted a bit, which she rarely did. “What do you think?”

“It’s gorgeous!” He looked at her with awe. “You could be a professional.” He had the world’s most talented girlfriend and he wanted to brag to all of France about her. “Is there anything you can’t do?”

It seemed to be the wrong thing to say. Kagami shut her sketchbook and slumped a bit, looking defeated.

“According to Mother, Art,” she sighed. She sat up and looked at her boyfriend. “She says art might be an acceptable hobby depending on the form but not a career.” She shrugged. “I am a Tsurugi and though I am allowed to fence and play music one day I will take over the family business and I must prepare myself for that.” It was an old argument she’d had with her mother several times. “Being a Tsurgi means there is no time for personal dreams.”

“Didn’t your mother want to be an actress once?” Adrien reminded her.

“Yes.” She breathed in, then out slowly. “Yes, so you would think she would be a little more sympathetic towards my need to…”

“Rebel? Sneak away so you can be your true self?” He suggested.

She looked up at him with a smile, glad to see he understood and didn’t judge her for her little acts of disobedience. A kindred spirit.

Adrien grinned. Kagami was one of the few people in his life who understood him. It was both comforting and incredibly freeing. He just wanted to ask her something.

“You look great in red but how do you feel about teal?”

*****

Marinette waited until her parents went to bed, waited another thirty minutes to make sure they were asleep and then turned to Ladybug before slipping out via her trapdoor and making her way to the Eiffel Tower.

To her surprise her partner was already there, sitting down and scrolling through images on his baton. She decided to play a little prank and tried to sneak up on him.

“Hey, Ladybug.”

She stopped trying to sneak and straightened up. It had been weeks since he stopped calling her “Bugaboo” or even “M’Lady”. She didn’t miss the stupid nicknames but she didn’t miss the easy banter they used to have.

Still, his civilian life seemed to be a bit better. He had a girlfriend, an actual girl and not just someone made up to make her jealous. He was happy and she was happy for him, even though every now and then she mourned the death of her crush. Still, it wasn’t healthy and she was nearly incapable of talking to him for the longest time. Besides, there was Luka.

She realized her partner was waiting for a response and stuttered out, “Oh. He-hey, Kitty! How’s your-” she broke off as she noticed his posture.

Chat Noir looked slumped, defeated. She sat beside him and put an arm around his shoulder and drew him into a sideways hug. He rested his head on her shoulder, seeking comfort. Neither spoke for a few minutes until she cajoled. “If you need to talk or take a break, we can try again tomorrow or the next day.”

“But we need new teammates,” he spoke into her collar bone.

Ladybug reached up and petted her partner’s head. “Not at the risk of our original team. Self-care, remember? You’re always telling me I need to take time for myself or have fun. Don’t push yourself if you’re not feeling it.”

He surprised her by pulling away from her hair-stroking and scooting away. “No,” he sighed. I need to get away from home for a few hours. Right now I need something to keep my mind occupied.”

Dozens of questions ran through her head but her reply was, “You got it, Kitty. Now, do you have someone in mind for the Snake? Is it someone you can trust? Don’t tell me who it is!” She held up her hand when he opened his mouth. “I trust you and if you trust them that’s good enough for me.”

He stood up and pulled her to her feet. He tried to smile but it fell flat. “Thanks, Ladybug.” His usually cocky demeanor was gone and she never thought she’d miss it so much. “It means a lot to me to have your trust.”

They shared a grin. He was irritating and went overboard on puns but he finally was growing up and getting over his entitlement. It was a long time coming and she hoped he wouldn’t revert if he and his girlfriend broke up. She already had a plan in place to deal with that.

He cleared his throat. “Okay, um…team bonding moment over.” He held out his hand. “If you don’t mind, may I have the Miraculous now? I want to have time to train my purr-fect candidate before twenty-one hundred.”

She rolled her eyes out of habit but spoiled it by smiling at him. She opened her yo-yo and pulled out the Snake bracelet. It changed from rose gold to silver as she handed it to him. “I’ll meet you and your new trainee back here at Twenty hundred hours. See ya later, Kitty!” She jumped off the deck of the Eiffel Tower.

Chat Noir grinned; a little in awe, a little ruefully. “No matter how many times I see her do that, it never gets old.” He deployed his baton and hopped away into the night.

#Worthy Opponent AU #marinette dupain cheng #adrien agreste #felix graham de vanily #kagami tsuguri #chloe bourgeois

20 notes · View notes

tacroyy · 10 months

Text

fyi—posted part 2 of “information gathering” earlier this evening. (fic description: discworld, very rated e, vimes/vetinari slowburn; initial vimes/omc, transmasc sy[bil], an au in that i don’t believe the actual discworld is this queerphobic, sort of a case fic but not really.) i have a couple thoughts ill post tomorrow; had An Evening and am not coherent enough to say what i’d like to say now.

here’s an excerpt:

He showed Vimes into a small, bright kitchen, overflowing with pots and pans and hanging baskets of dried rosemary and garlic bulbs and rhubarb, and disappeared through a closed door. The clapboard walls were painted a wondrous, indistinct flowery pattern in yellows and oranges and pinks; vines swept over lintels and onto the sky-blue ceiling. Vimes stood next to the tiny table, which was half cleared and half piled with papers and books and scraps of sketches of animals and bowls and mugs and the detritus of a well-lived life.

Vimes stared at the window sill. There was an odd, flat sort of plant growing there, all made of circles, in a butter-yellow pot. Next to it was a row of thimbles leaning against the window, each with a tiny green sprout sporting a single circular leaf poking out the top.

His brain started clawing at itself and he had to sit down at the little table and focus on breathing.

A minute later, the door opened and the man came in, looking apologetic. “He’ll be a moment, sorry,” he said. “Tea?”

“Thank you,” said Vimes. “Sorry to drop in like this. I need Mr. Harris’s help with an important matter.”

“Yes,” said the man, clearly not wanting to get involved but nevertheless being unable to restrain himself, in the grand tradition of spouses everywhere. “I understand. Henry’s work can be rather dangerous sometimes.”

Vimes said casually, “Certainly less so, now that the guilds are official.

“Oh, you would remember before that, your grace. Henry’s a bit young, really,” the man said, busy at the stove. “Yes, certainly less so. Rosie’s been such a boon, and Lord Vetinari.”

“You approve of him?”

“Certainly, certainly,” said the man, measuring out tea into an antiqued silver diffuser. “Bringing in all these species, making sure Henry’s work has protections, cleaning up the streets—as it were. I do miss the old stench, of course. The thickness has gone out of it, you know? But it’s all worth it.”

“Not everyone agrees.”

The man laughed, a bright chuckle, almost youthful. “In Ankh-Morpork? I would hope not!”

Vimes had to grin. “A man after my own heart, then. Things start getting too calm and my hackles go up.”

“Wise reflexes,” the man said. He came to set cream and sugar on the table. “I’m Boniface Pitt, your grace.”

“Good to meet you, Mr. Pitt. What do you do?”

“I’m an illustrator,” said Boniface, picking up one of the sketchbooks on the table and handing it to Vimes. “Black and white, generally, drawings for books and magazines and such. There’s a lot of work in portraits for breeders.” He flipped to a section that seemed to consist of the exact same cow eight different times. “This one’s Dasiline Gracey Blatford-Stuy, a show-quality Bletchley Pink, and her whole maternal line back to the Year of the Hydrated Titmouse. People really care about these things. Want them immortalized, you know. Her last calf sold for twenty thousand dollars.”

Vimes thought of Sy and his dragons. “Yes, there’s something for everyone,” he murmured.

#discworld #tacroy fic #original flavor

3 notes · View notes

meme-streets · 2 years

Note

im so sorry if i accidentally sent you a hastily written ask before, tumblr glitched and had a heart attack- but:

we almost have the exact same taste in music, do you have any good writing inspiration music in general? and/or for vito and henry because im still waiting for a fic idea to write out lmao.

honestly i never know how to answer the question of music for writing inspiration because like...a few days ago my idea of that was the same slayer song 85 times in a row (it did make me very productive though), and honestly a lot of the time i just queue up a few songs and then let autoplay go after that, but for specifically what you’re looking for–i know people have made playlists on both spotify and (i think) youtube for the mafia 2 radio stations, i feel like ‘50s EDLT and ECNR would probably work well? or just searching something like “1950s [party/roadtrip/etc]” might turn up results

also this is generally much older music but the channel nemo’s dreamscapes on youtube has long mixes of muffled oldies with sound effects (rain, train sounds, white noise, take your pick) that i’ve personally found helpful.

(on a side note: i saw you mention barrett strong on another post, he’s awesome)

#i have very specific vibe playlists i've made but tbh they take me a while to compile and idk how to explain them so i feel like that might #not help all that much #ask

3 notes · View notes

wintergojo · 2 years

Text

sweet like cinnamon (dad!gojo x mom!reader)

Synopsis: you spend the valentine’s away from your husband and son, and they bake you a cake.

Tags: fluff, slice of life, domesticity, married couple, baking, bby gojo is a messy baby, mostly just shenanigans, it also gets kinda emotional at the end lol

Word count: 3.5k

navi

Note: I finally got this done ㅠㅡㅠ i’m sorry for not posting anything for almost oh my god 3 weeks. our health break ended :’) but pls enjoy this late valentine fic 😙😙

valentine's with gojo during the early years of your non-existent relationship consisted mostly of him, dragging you around on random places for so-called “dates” and you, letting yourself be dragged because you have nothing to do aside from watch couples and curse the higher-ups for not giving you any missions on the godforsaken day.

the two of you never went on official dates—namely dates wherein the both of you would really make yourself presentable because you’d be going to a nice, romantic restaurant that does not accept guests without reservations—because your exact relationship with each other never became clear until he asked you if you wanted to get married.

and when you did get married, the old hags started making sure either one of you or both you had missions that would get you occupied for the whole third week of february, making you unable to spend time nor see each other for the 14th.

you feel terrible, honestly. you’re not a big fan of valentine’s, but your husband seems to really enjoy being with you in taking advantage of every pastry shop’s couple promo he comes across.

it's honestly not a big deal, but you tell yourself you’d try to at least return him the favor of initiating your valentine’s date, since never once in your marriage have you had the chance to.

sure, you’ve given him some homemade chocolates along with some overly cheesy letter you cannot believe you yourself managed to easily write (“i didn’t know you were this sappy, babe. you really love me, don’t you?”) but it’s not enough.

that opportunity you never got the chance to have just got farther and farther when you unexpectedly got pregnant and gave birth to a 6.7 lbs. healthy snowball twenty-seven months ago (who—now that you think about it—was made in the same month too).

which is why on this mission, you’re cursing the old farts a lot more than usual—not only is this the fifth time in a row you’ve missed the occasion with your husband, this is also your first time being away from your little boy on the same day.

it’s february 14th, yet you’re only on the second day of the four days five nights grade 1 curse hunt the elders made you play—on kagoshima, nonetheless.

while you’re being miserable on your mission, your husband is in the kitchen standing proudly in front of his son sitting on his high chair. seishiro just finished eating his breakfast, staring questioningly at his father with blue, wide doe eyes and food smeared all over his face.

the older man places his hands on his hips, beaming down at his child as he talks, “it’s valentine’s day, dumpling! do you wanna bake mama a cake?”

the toddler squeals, raising his messy hands up. “cake! cake!”

satoru grins, lifting the boy off his chair before carrying him in one arm.

“okay! what kind of cake should we give mama?”

seishiro stops moving as he puckers his lips in a pout and scrunches his eyebrows. satoru softly smiles at the gesture, proceeding to walk towards the bathroom as he lets his son think.

the walk wasn’t long, what with his long legs, so he arrived in a short time. he puts the boy down and lets him stand on the floor, crouching down as he starts undressing the toddler.

“what a dirty little dumpling you are!” satoru jokingly says as he unbuttons seishiro’s white silk pajamas, now stained with red from the bread and jam he ate. the toddler sheepishly snickers, holding onto his father’s shoulder as he raises his one foot up to help satoru get rid of the pants.

“dada… stwobeyi cake!" he exclaims when the taller man gets on his other leg, making satoru look back at him and grin, ”you wanna bake mama a strawberry cake, dumpling?”

the toddler nods and cheers, “heawt cake!!”

your husband laughs, “strawberry heart cake?”

seishiro, now in his diapers, starts stomping his foot and raising his hands alternatively while slowly turning around, “heawt! cakee! heawt! cakee!”

after the bath, your husband and son are back at the kitchen, the latter now freshly dressed in a long-sleeved pink shirt with cartoony tomato and matching pajama pants. he’s sitting on the tabletop, playing with a whisk and a glass bowl. satoru gave it to him first because he knows his little dumpling’s going to get bored waiting for him to finish gathering the ingredients and equipment.

aside from his personality, gojo satoru is absolutely perfect, so of course he’d know how to bake. he only learned it from you when the two of you started spending more time with each other, then found out he was extremely good at it on the first try—just like at everything else he does.

he smiles as he remembers how he’d always make you cakes when you were pregnant, always making sure he refrains himself from pouring in too much sugar despite your requests to make it extra sweet (and laughs every time he remembers how you developed a sweet tooth during your pregnancy then came back to hating sweets after giving birth).

although he’s extremely good at what he’s about to do, this is the first time he would be doing it with his one and only ball of energy, but he’s pretty sure how this is gonna go (so it makes him all the more excited).

he glances at said son while getting the heart-shaped cake pan from the cupboard, warmth filling his chest as he sees seishiro humming a mysterious song while whisking an imaginary batter in the bowl. your husband smiles as he starts picking his pace up, now teleporting around to get everything he needs. (he didn’t mean to do it, but it made seishiro start giggling as he watched the white-haired shaman change positions in the kitchen).

satoru decided to make you a strawberry mousse cake with chocolate moist cake at the bottom, hence the pack of strawberries sitting beside his son who is now happily munching on the fruit—bowl and whisk disregarded. the father leans in before opening his mouth and lets out a "dumpling, ahhh" while looking at seishiro, whose face is once again smeared with juices (so much for giving him a bath less than 20 minutes ago).

the toddler stops eating and slowly looks at the man, before looking back at the half-eaten strawberry in his chubby little hand.

he thinks for a while, and was about to resume shoving the berry in his mouth but giggled and raised the fruit to satoru’s mouth. “dada, eat!”

your husband smiles, leaning in to eat the strawberry when your son suddenly retracts his hand and places the fruit inside his mouth instead. the toddler’s reaction was instantaneous—face adorably scrunching up, eyes closing, and body shivering from the combined sourness and sweetness of the strawberry. he opens his eyes and gives his father a hehe right after, before resuming his meal.

satoru opens his mouth in an exaggerated manner, before leaning further in and kissing his son’s nose. “dada will let you off because you’re cute! but don’t finish the strawberries, okay?”

seishiro nods guiltily as he acts in a cutesy manner, grabbing one more strawberry before answering, “yees. i wove you, dada!”

“go mix it, dumpling!” your husband cheers, holding the glass bowl steady as your toddler uses his strength to stir all the dry ingredients together. it’s messy, really messy.

it’s probably been only 15 minutes or so since satoru and seishiro started working on the base. yet the child is already covered in flour and egg yellows despite his black 'dada’s little sous chef' apron, while the man’s 'wifey’s force labored sous chef' apron is rigged with small white handprints.

satoru anticipated it wouldn't be peaceful trying to bake with his spawn, but he didn't think it would be that chaotic. he failed to account for his son's short attention span, which ended up in seishiro messing with everything he could touch.

it probably would've been fine if the ingredients were in unsealed bags, but everything was in glass containers which could be opened by either twisting the lid or straight up using force to unlock them.

and your son is strong, not to mention smart. which is why even though he encountered some containers for the first time, he managed to open them with ease whenever his father wasn't looking and started spreading them on his hands and face, exclaiming "seishi's baby powder, dada!" with eyes absolutely gleaming with innocence and lips turned into a wide smile.

as for the eggs, seishiro assumed they were hard-boiled eggs and wanted to eat one so he proceeded to use brute force in smashing them against the counter, probably hoping to create a crack on it.

the baby is strong, but he doesn't know how to control his strength yet, causing the poor eggs to splatter undefended all over the tabletop and his clothes and apron.

even now, with seishiro whisking the flour, salt, baking powder and soda, cocoa, and sugar, the force is not consistent and there are a lot of spills on the edge of the bowl going to the shaman’s hands and to the counter. he’s sure all the powder would go all over the place if he wasn’t holding the glass so he’s gripping onto it tight (he actually wouldn’t normally mind, but he doesn’t want his son’s effort go into waste).

the toddler is sitting in a seiza position on the tabletop (because he’s too short to reach for the bowl if he stands at the floor) and is using his two little hands to hold the handle, almost as if he’s mixing some witch’s concoction.

his father continues cheering him on, but the toddler looks at him with sad eyes and scrunched eyebrows after a while.

“dada… arms… huuurt.” he whines while still slowly whisking the bowl.

satoru coos as he tells his son to stop, gently grabbing his two short arms and kissing them all over, making his son giggle.

your husband presses a kiss on your son’s sticky cheeks, before ruffling the toddler’s snow-white hair and staining it brown in the process. he beams, “good job, dumpling! you mixed it well!”

the older man helped seishiro in doing the next steps—namely adding canola oil, brewed coffee, and milk into the bowl his dumpling massacred. the child made sure to dip his fingers in every bowl he pours (spills), before putting it into his mouth.

he gave no reaction when he tasted the oil, but winced and stuck his tongue out when he tasted the coffee, squealing “sour!” (he liked the milk though and pouted when satoru didn’t let him drink it).

when everything was properly blended with the hand mixer and eggs were added, your husband asked his son to give him the heart-shaped baking pan. seishiro complied, but not before tracing the pan's edges with his finger while saying “heawt for mama!” and “want to see mama.”

satoru watches the corner of his son’s mouth turn down, clearly getting sad that you’re not with them in doing this activity. something about seeing seishiro upset always ignites something within the father, especially now since the reason for the boy’s emotion is due to the higher-ups’ meddling. damn those old fools and their sad love lives.

“do you wanna brush the oil into the heart, dumpling?” he asks instead, holding the pastry brush on his right hand and the baking pan on his left.

seishiro immediately lightens up, making grabby motions at the man. your husband sets the pan back into the counter before proceeding to hand his son the brush. the toddler enthusiastically takes it from him with his sticky hand and brushes the pan without dipping it into the small bowl of canola oil. so now he’s just happily smearing air into the cake pan.

satoru laughs as he watches your baby before showing him what to do using his fingers. seishiro ooohs the entire time, then proceeded to do what he saw. he ignores the pastry brush and dips his whole hand into the oil and he wipes it into the pan.

your husband defeatedly lets him, sardonically admitting to himself that it’s his own fault for not using the tool in the first place for the demonstration. the toddler needs another bath anyway.

it’s almost dinnertime, but you’re too tired to go out of the door and eat in one of the hotel’s restaurants or buffet, so you opted for room service. you spent your lunch and afternoon traveling from one cemetery to another, as well as abandoned schools, exorcising curses.

you only got the chance to talk to your boys right after you plopped down to your comfy 4-star hotel bed, when you texted your husband that you’re officially done for the day. he called you immediately with seishiro at his side, who kept shoving his face into the phone and attempting to grab it from his father.

you don’t know why, but when you told satoru you’re about to call for room service he told you to order food for them too, not to order any dessert, and to call him back if your food already arrived.

you’re just assuming all of his demands are because he wants to watch you eat, feel like he’s dining with you, and not be jealous of anything sweet you’d consume. nevertheless, you acquiesce.

when the room service attendant arrived, you made sure to dial satoru as soon as they left (but not without glancing one last time inside your room probably due to the amount of food that is definitely not for one person). your husband answered the call, looked at the screen, and said “oh! the food’s there!” before calling for his dumpling and ending the video chat, leaving you confused (but not surprised) over his behavior.

just when you were about to open the cloche of your food, you felt an alarming surge of cursed energy filling the room that quickly alerted you. you scanned the area. was there a curse in the hotel? how come you never saw nor felt it? you’ve been here for two days, is it a spe—

“surprise!!” a highly familiar voice called out from your behind, followed by a squeal of “suwpwise, mama!!”

you slowly turned around, staring dumbfoundedly at your husband and son on your bed with the former holding... is that a cake? and the latter wobbly standing up as he hands you a bouquet of origami flowers?

you comically accepted the flowers seishiro is handing you, still in shock over their sudden appearance.

“mamaaaaa, carry!” your son whines, raising his arms up at you.

you recover from the shock, instantly scooping the toddler in your arms and smothering his soft face with kisses and some nibbles. you hear his delightful giggles and suddenly every irritation and frustration you felt from your curse hunting earlier disappears. you thank him for the flowers, making sure to praise its appearance.

you then looked at your husband holding the cake, who you see is expectedly gazing at you with a pout. you kneel into the mattress and set the boy in your arms into the bed (who climbed down and started exploring the hotel room) before crawling in front of satoru.

you greet your husband first, pressing a kiss on his lips and whispering “happy valentine’s day, ‘toru,” before inspecting the cake. it’s a whole heart-shaped strawberry cake—you assume from the color—perched on a low, white cake stand you got as a wedding gift. it contains some sort of scribble from the top that you can’t make sense of, and a message written so small at the right upper half saying ‘happy birth’, nothing else follows.

you laughed at the unfinished, seemingly wrong message before beaming over the gesture. you take the cake from your husband’s hands and give him another long kiss on his lips (god you missed him so much).

satoru grins as he teleports (again) beside the trolley and starts removing the cloche, exclaiming “i’m so hungry!” as he sets the plates into the bed. so that’s why the manchild asked you to order more food. you make sure to put the cake in the middle before calling seishiro, who you saw was pressing his whole face and body into the floor to ceiling window at the foot of your bed.

you then proceeded to inspect the bouquet your baby boy gave you. it’s wrapped in a yellow washi, and inside is three origami roses in colors blue, red, and purple. they all have some type of torn and crumple in them, but still absolutely beautiful and you’re pretty sure you’re going to keep it for the rest of your life.

while eating dinner with satoru (seishiro already ate his one and a half hour ago, his bedtime is in 30 minutes), you later find out that the messy cake scribbles were made by your son who wanted to write i love mama in his own way, and the writing on the top was messed up by satoru who meant to write happy valentine’s! but was thinking of ‘happy birthday!’ instead.

you also find out that it was baked by your husband and son, so you made sure to praise and thank seishiro, even more so your husband. it tasted exactly like one of your cake cravings when you were pregnant upon tasting, not to mention your son helped make it, and your husband simply has a sweet tooth, so it was no wonder the cake was gone in less than 10 minutes (you were honestly impressed the two managed not to eat half of it at home, though little did you know they made two whole cakes and ate the other one).

when there was absolutely no food left and the two of you parents felt like your bellies would explode and seishiro is once again a messy baby with strawberry mousse and chocolate crumbs all over his face, you decide it was time for a short bath for the baby (after resting for a few minutes).

when the three of you were settled onto the king-sized hotel bed and your son is asleep on your chest, you turn to your husband who’s lying on his side with his right elbow propped on the mattress and cheek resting against his knuckles.

“your surprise was really sudden and out of the blue, but thank you, ‘toru. i’m really happy.”

he gives you a wide smile. “that’s why it’s called a surprise, baby—” you roll your eyes “—and i’m glad you liked it!”

you smile back as you think how convenient his ability sometimes is. from tokyo to kagoshima, it’s 16 hours by car, 6 hours by train, and 2 hours by plane. but they were done within seconds of teleportation. and not to mention he made the effort to bake a cake and teach a 27-month-old origami in order to make you happy when in japan, valentine’s are supposed to be for males.

“stop thinking about that, honey. you know i would’ve done this even without the occasion.” satoru’s voice snaps you out of your thoughts, and you’re mildly shocked with what he said when you did not tell him anything.

you sigh. oh well, no point in not being honest.

“i just… i don’t think i’m making enough effort in doing the same for you, ‘toru. i mean, when was the last time i initiated a date between the two of us? i don’t even think i’ve ever done it!” you whisper-shout, making sure not to wake the sleeping snowball on your chest.

your husband flashes you a soft smile, one that you see whenever he’s feeling particularly sentimental or vulnerable. “babyyy, you’re already doing so much for me. you’re taking care of our overly energetic son 24/7, cooking us food, cleaning the house even though i told you i’d hire a housekeeper, while i’m mostly at work and hardly help you with anything.”

you were about to reiterate and say what he’s doing is far more important than helping you with some household chores, but he cuts you off with his index finger on your lips.

“ep ep ep, don’t say what i’m doing is for humanity or some other stuff. i’m saying this as your husband and the father of our child.”

you, once again, sighed. you don’t know why you’re making such a big deal out of this. it’s not like satoru ever once told you he finds you lacking or pragmatic. in fact, he teases you about how much you’re such a sap for him in every little gesture you do to and for him.

you then feel his big, warm, strong hand touch your left cheek, gently stroking it and making you lean into that touch. that smile is still on his face, except this time his gorgeous ocean irises hold a certain warmth.

“besides, you love me. that alone is more than enough.”

Ps. I’ve only baked once, and they’re cookies for our home economics class, so i’m really sorry if some processes weren’t accurate. i love watching baking & cooking shows though! :DD

Thank you so much for reading! 🤍 Feedbacks and reblogs are appreciated! And happy valentine's day! <33

917 notes · View notes

jesslockwood · 3 years

Text

SOUR | T. Holland

Word Count: 1.7k

Pairing(s): Tom Holland x Actress!Reader

Warnings: angsty af, swearing

Summary: y/n and tom broke up, and when tom comes around with his new girl 2 weeks later, y/n is sour.

A/n: I was hesitant to post this due to everything going on with tom lmao but yk, fuck it lol. anyways lmk if you want a part two cause I this was pretty short and I have ideas! also I didn’t edit this much lol so sorry for the mistakes!

His brown guilty eyes were enough to know that he moved on, in two weeks to be exact, after you broke it off. He was spotted recently with a girl he said he was just friends with, what a damn lie.

You try to not let the tears out as you see them making their way on the red carpet of the movie premiere. He looked you straight in the fucking eyes, yet couldn’t even give you a heads up he was bringing a date tonight. You worked together for six months yet he didn’t have the decency.

He betrayed you. He didn’t cheat but he betrayed you.

You had even mentioned her by name before, yet he said you were paranoid and had nothing to worry about. What bullshit.

She was just a new trophy for him, one that he’d put on the shelf later, or smash like it like you were broken.

It started out so sweet and innocent. You had met working together and had started dating under the radar, and you fell in love with him so quickly, even at his worst, but it didn’t matter. He moved on with you still in the picture and that’s what hurt the most. But he would never see or care about how much you hurt. He wasn’t sorry.

Isn’t it funny how someone you thought could love you the way you loved them, was a damn traitor?

He played all these twisted games with your mind, thinking that he felt the same way about you, or at least cared.

God, you wanted to scream, she was sleeping in the bed you lied in and made with him. But she couldn’t care less, she got the prize, a shitty one at that.

You didn’t get it, he couldn’t have fallen in love with someone that quickly, not after what you had.

All you had done for Tom, it didn’t apparently matter to him, cause he’s dating her. He gave you his fucking word, that you were the one who meant something to him, you guessed he just used you.

She was gorgeous too, and she made you feel so small, unimportant and the paparazzi all turned to them, and barely any was paying any mind to you, the star of the movie. It sounded selfish but you put the blood sweat and tears into this movie, and all she had to do was walk with the man you put blood sweat and tears into, and she had all the attention.

He just had to bring her and was showing her off like a new trophy. God, you hated him. You hated him for hurting you like this. And yet, if he asked for you back, you would probably jump at the chance.

He seemed so genuine and true when you had first met him. Brown doe-eyed, attentive and listening to every word you said like it was the most important thing in the world, then things got ugly. He would play all these twisted games with you, making you feel like nothing one moment, and then his everything the next.

He even gave you his fucking word and a promise ring that he would always love you, But Isn’t it funny? He’ll never feel sorry for breaking you.

Suddenly one of your friends, well tom’s brother, wraps his arm around your waist, whispering to you, asking if your okay, before the paps get a few snaps in of the moment. Harry starts leading you away from the commotion before you cried. No one had asked you that until today. Which kind of shell shocked you, because you weren’t and he was the first person who seemed to care.

Harry at the moment couldn’t care less about the out-of-character way his brother was acting, especially towards you. Yes, he loved his brother but hated how he was acting. He couldn’t see how he could treat someone as lovely as you like that.

Tom didn’t even notice the way you were destroyed. He let you go, Harry couldn’t understand why because tom seemed so happy with you, until nearing the end of the relationship.

“Thank you, Harry.” you sniffle, once reaching the inside of the building.

“You shouldn’t be thanking me. I should be apologizing for my brother.”

You smile weakly at him. He wipes the tears from your eyes, before suggesting,

“After they have you up on stage for the thank you’s and stuff, we should just ditch this and go back to my hotel and get room service and raid my candy stash, if you’re up for it.”

“I’ll think about it,” you say with a more genuine yet sad smile.

“Let’s get in there, shall we?” he puts his arm out for you and you link yours in his.

What you didn’t realize is that tom saw harry wiping your tears while doing an interview, and saw you link your arms together when he got inside. To say he was fuming doesn’t even cover how enraged he was.

Once getting in, you realized you and tom would be sitting next to one another, something you truly wished you could get out of.

“You’d better wish me luck.” You point to the seats.

Harry got the bright idea to just take his brother’s spot. He wouldn’t care anyway, he had his new girl Zabrina.

You and Harry had a small conversation about what both of you had been up to after he was Tom’s assistant for filming. You saw him almost every day when you and tom would hang out, harry being the third wheel. You had spent a decent chunk of time with him and definitely preferred the company over being alone, or with your ex.

“I can’t believe you dropped your SD card down the drain! Photos are your life, so you should have paid attention!” you laugh with him.

“Harry, You’re in my seat.” Tom interrupts, with a scowl on his face.

“Can’t you just move down one? Y/n and I are talking here.”

“Tommy I can’t see from that seat!” Zabrina pouts like a child.

“If she can’t see why do I have to sit there? I actually worked behind the scenes on this movie!”

“Harry, don’t make me-”

“You know what! Harry and I were leaving after we thank everyone. So you two lovebirds can have the whole row!” you say venom seething from your mouth.

“There you go, Tommy. Have a nice night you two!” Harry follows up, really sick of the attitude his brother was having.

Tom’s face turned red under the makeup he had on. He was enraged. His brother was betraying him.

“Have a nice time, fucking around” he said, seeing red. he saw your face soften, from anger to confusion, to sadness. You didn’t think he thought so low of you.

“What the fuck tom! We aren’t-”

“It’s not worth it Harry, he’s not worth it,” you say sadly. Standing up, Turning to go towards the stage.

That hit tom with a pang in his chest. He was just trying to get over you, to move forward. But maybe that was the problem. He just left you in the dust (peter parker is that you?) to navigate the way you felt over losing one of the best things you ever had. God, you wished you didn’t fall in love with him before he betrayed you. You wished he just would have thought it through before he ruined you.

Your director motioned over to you and Tom to go up on the stage.

“I’ll meet you outside, Y/n/n.”

That was tom’s nickname for you. He came up with it and he was the only one who could call you that. You were his and he was yours. But yet he knew that long-distance was so fucking hard. He couldn’t put you or himself, so he found someone who was fine with the distance. Zabrina barely paid attention to him unless he wanted attention for herself, but he didn’t realize how he broke much more of you than the surface showed.

“She’s really pretty, I hope she makes you happy,” you mention bitterly, hoping in a terrible way, he’d never be as happy as he was with you.

Before Tom, you scream out no one would make him happy as you did. Your director cut tom off.

After your director said thanks to everyone and the film started you grab your bag from your assistant, before heading to the exit, tom hurriedly tried to follow you, being caught by Zabrina, asking Tom to take a selfie with her, so she could commemorate her ‘prize’ when truly, Tom was using her as a rebound.

“Zabrina, I need to talk to harry!” he whispers yells.

“Why? He literally is taking to your wretched ex?” she says with venom in her voice.

Tom jogs around her, trying to get to you and Harry, While Zabrina dramatically calls after him.

He was too late, though, he saw you from the doors, you were already getting in your getaway car, with Harry. He ruined everything.

Harry and you were sitting in the limousine that was rented for you, before harry states, “He’ll be the one who crying, I promise you.”

“I always knew this is how He’d leave me. He found someone more exciting, and better than me. I was used a discarded like nothing.” you laugh through the tears.

“You’ll find someone who finds you exciting Y/n, and you’ll be their whole world.” he comforts you.

“Good for him I guess, but it’s like we never happened. Like what the fuck is that?” you ask.

“He’s acting like a damn sociopath.” harry shrugs.

You laugh at that one.

“So what do you want to watch Y/n?”

“Would you hate me if I said legally blonde?”

“Not if we can watch fight club after.”

“You have a deal, Sir!”

Tom however was stuck, watching you and him on screen. Reminiscing of how he fucked up.

It was getting close to an intimate scene, probably his favorite one he’s ever done. All he could think about was someone else getting to touch you, and be with you, he wanted that but at the same time, he couldn’t deal with all the shit of being with you. The relationship was too good, so much that Tom thought sometimes he didn’t deserve someone like you. It was probably crazy of him for thinking like that, but he couldn’t bring you down with him, not when he was so fucked up. He wished he could be the one but he couldn’t so he just hoped you were okay.

Tags:

@spideyspeaches

@greenorangevioletgrass

@queenofthepouges

@minejungwoo

@keithseabrook27

@lolooo22

@webmeupspiderdaddy

@harryhollandsgirlfriend

#tom holland #tom holland x reader #tom holland x y/n #tom holland imagine #tom holland fanfic #Tom holland fic #tom holland fanfiction #Harry holland

171 notes · View notes

random-imagines-blog · 3 years

Text

Post Red {Viktor Krum x Reader Oneshot}

Requested by: Anonymous Wordcount: 3072 Summary: At a time when he should be focused on the game, Viktor Krum is distracted by you, his childhood best friend, and a blonde-haired boy who won’t stop flirting.

The Quidditch World Cup. You came just about every year, getting pretty okay seats with your best friend Viktor and his family. His parents and yours were good friends, which instantly meant that you were best friends. And with his father holding season passes to every Quidditch world cup, no matter where it was, this had become a yearly tradition. “I’m going to be on the Bulgarian team one day,” Viktor would always state as you watched the players fly. Bulgaria was always his favorite. Home country pride. It was yours too, but sometimes you liked to cheer for other times to mix things up. You would always grin and nudge him to point out something a player was doing, but not this year. This year, you were at the top of the stadium, standing next to the Minister of Magic in a special area, watching Viktor Krum play in Bulgaria versus Ireland. He was achieving his dream.

Every time that he flew past you, you jumped up and down, waving the flag of his team. He had become the star seeker of the team so quickly, it made your head spin. But you were nothing if not supportive. You used up your allowance to buy his merchandise, even though he could get it to you for free. It almost became a joke between the two of you, how you would always show up to his house wearing a sweater with his face on it, bright and smiling. You always made the joke that he was smiling on the sweater because it was the closest that he would ever get to your chest. He would make the joke in return that he was just smiling because he finally was looking at someone good looking - himself. He was actually very funny for a serious looking man.

You weren’t the only one high up in the stadium. Sharing a box with you was the Minister of Magic himself, and a man with his son. The boy was two or three years younger than you, you would assume by his size, and his hair was as silver as snow, just like his fathers. You had no interest in them. You weren’t here to make friends. You were here to support the best one that you had. But you did give a friendly hello and smile to the Minister, as it was better to have a friend in him than an enemy.

The other boy though, he wanted to have more than a friendly hello with you. He kept moving closer to the part of the box that you were occupying. He spoke to you with a very snobby voice, and though it would be considered rude and your parents would be disappointed in you, your direct reaction was to pretend that you didn’t know English.

“I’m Draco Malfoy,” He said, sticking his hand out to shake yours. “We’re here with the Minister of Magic. Are you here by yourself?”

Rather than shake his hand, because you honestly didn’t want to touch him for too long, you tapped yours against his in a high-five. “Ja, go fast!” You said, pointing at one of the Bulgarian Chasers who just flew past you.

The look on Draco’s face was worth it. But there was still a long game ahead of you. It could go on for hours. For days. Hopefully for the former though, because Viktor was a really good seeker. You had full confidence that he would get the snitch before it turned midnight.

Draco went and stood by his father for a little bit, and the two had quiet conversations. You didn’t pay him much attention. You were too busy watching the game. Even during lulls when it was just Chasers fighting over the ball in the middle of the pitch, you were intrigued. You didn’t pay attention to anything else - except for maybe making faces at Viktor when he passed by you on his way to catch what he thought was the snitch. He was darting back and forth so quickly though, it was hard to tell if he had seen you.

Since the World Cup was officially sponsored by Butterbeer, it kept being brought up to your box by people who worked for the Quidditch federation. It was enough to keep you warm as the game went into the nighttime. The skies seemed to threaten rain, but you didn’t care whether it fell or not. You were having fun, regardless of the weather.

The Irish scored the first goal. You booed, even though the others in your box seemed to be very supportive of the green team. You smiled apologetically at Fudge as he gave you an odd look, but didn’t pass a glance at the other two. However, the young boy came and stood beside you again, leaning over the box to look down at the people below in the lesser seats. He was sneering at them, like they had done something wrong by just existing there. That was worth a look to you at least. He caught your eye, and that sneer turned into a smile.

“Is this your first time at the Quidditch World Cup?” He asked. You shook your head, still feigning not knowing any English. “We come every year. But this is the first time that we’re in the Minister’s Box. So how did you get up here anyway? Who are you?”

He wasn’t letting up. You tried to look up at the players again, but the war for the Quaffle was going on in the middle of the pitch which meant there wasn’t much to look at right now. He nudged your side, so you finally answered, giving him your first and last name.

“Sounds exotic,” He said, which made you have to turn away and roll your eyes. Leave it to someone from England to think that your name was exotic, when it was commonplace where you were from. And not like he had the right to judge - what sort of name was Draco?

There was finally some action on the pitch, which took his attention from you for a little while. Unfortunately it was Ireland again, scoring the second goal of the game. Your eyes scanned the pitch to look for the familiar frame of your best friend and you saw him across the stadium. He was balanced on his broom, sitting on it in a way that made it look easy. Comfortable. You always admired how effortless he made it look to fly, while you were always hunched down, holding on with both hands until your knuckles had started to hurt. You waved at him when you thought you caught his eye and he smiled back at you. You chuckled as you heard a few girls in rows below you start to squeal because they thought that it had been at him.

“He’s overrated,” Draco muttered beside you.

“Krum?” You asked - before realizing this was very close to exposing yourself as a fraud.

“Yeah. He’s not even that good. In fact, I’m better than him. I’m the Seeker on the Slytherin Quidditch team. I got in second year, which is really rare, actually.”

You let his voice go in one ear and then out the other. This boy seemed to like to talk about himself an awful lot.

Ireland scored a third goal, and you groaned loudly, cutting off Draco in the middle of a sentence. “Oh, are you cold?” He asked.

Either he didn’t notice that you were shaking your head, or he didn’t care. He moved in closer to you and tried to put his arm around your shoulders. In your discomfort, you took a few hasty steps away, and ended up bumping into the Minister himself, stepping on his robes which almost pulled him down.

“I’m so sorry,” You said in horror as you realized what you had just done. You helped him to upright himself, and he gave you a wary look, like he should have expected this.

“It’s quite alright,” He said, but he did wander to the other side of the box, far away from you. You watched, feeling a bit bashful about what just had happened. At least, until there was a cheer from the fans. Ireland scored yet another goal. You sighed, and put your gaze back on the game. Viktor had moved since you had last seen him, and you began to scan for him once more, only for him to pop up not too far from you.

“I knew you spoke English,” Draco said from next to you. You almost forgot about the little twerp, but here he was, making himself known again. You never met anyone so infuriating before. He just couldn’t pick up a hint. “Come on, talk to me. Do you go to Hogwarts? I felt like I would have seen you there.”

“I don’t go to Hogwarts,” You stated. “You have not seen me before. And after this, we shall not meet again. Please, leave me alone.”

“I’ll be telling my father about your rudeness,” He said, finally turning away from you. You let out a sigh of relief. Maybe you could finally get into the game.

There had been a few close calls of Ireland getting the snitch. They were winning by quite a lot, and you could feel Viktor’s frustration from where you were standing. He kept looking at you, and you didn’t have much to offer him except for crossing your fingers.

“I think you should come to have dinner with us after the game,” Draco said, strolling back over to you after a while.

“The game could go on for hours, or even days,” You said, clenching the fence in front of you. You had never felt the urge to punch someone before but it was growing slowly and steadily. Something about his ferret like face.

“Well, we’re taking a break soon. We brought our new house elf. It’s an alright cook, it’ll do for the occasion. And you’re going to join us, aren’t you?”

“I’m fine here, thank you,” You said, scoffing at the idea of a break. You had no intention of leaving the game until it was over, even if that meant starving or peeing yourself. You were dedicated to stick it out for Viktor, at the very least.

He was flying not too far, eyes peeled for the stitch. But he looked at you. He was able to smile once more, but a hand grabbed yours and pulled you away from the fence. In your astonishment, you had let go. “Come on, we’re going to have something to eat.”

There was a sound of awe from the crowd at the exact same time that something went soaring by your head. You just barely managed to duck before it turned around and came back. A bludger. But how in the hell did it-

It went returning the way that it had come from, flying across the pitch. That was when you saw Viktor again, a little closer to you this time, holding a beater’s bat. He tossed it back to the beater, who went soaring after the bludger, while Viktor looked over at you. You put your hands over your heart as a thank you. He had always been a little overprotective of you, but right now, you were grateful for it. You were able to snap your hand away from Draco’s grasp, who was still ducking from the bludger attack. “I said I’m fine here. And if you, or your father, have a problem with that, you can shove it up your rear!” You shouted. The Minister overheard this part of the conversation and let out a little ‘oh my’ in surprise.

You didn’t even care. Enough was enough. If he grabbed you again, you would be telling everyone that you were being assaulted, and put him on full blast. Though he looked rather shaky after the encounter with the bludger, so you had the feeling he wouldn’t actually be bothering you again. You returned back to the fence so you could overlook the pitch again, and wrapped your hands around it so no one would be able to drag you back again.

The game finished with Bulgaria’s loss. You were disappointed, but it wasn’t Viktor’s fault. He still managed to catch the snitch, so he had done his job. It was the Keeper that you were disappointed with, and you would be bringing that up to him later.

You descended the endless flights of stairs, blending in with the crowd after the game - many were celebrating but there were quite a few who looked the same as you felt. Damn Ireland, you were thinking to yourself. And damn the Bulgarian Keeper! He hadn’t been able to do his job properly. Even Viktor would have done a better job, and it was his least favorite position!

You managed to veer away from the crowd to go to your own little campsite. Much like the others around yours, the tent was much bigger and roomier on the inside than it appeared on the outside, thanks to a little magic. You marched on through the flaps to go inside, and change out of your clothes. It had been a long game, and you had definitely sweated at least a little bit. You wanted to be much more presentable when Viktor would come along and join you.

The flap came open once more, and Viktor strolled in, just as you were fastening the button on your bottoms. He had perfect timing - now at least, maybe not so during the game. His jaw was clenched, you noticed, and he looked very angry. He’d lost games before, but still reveled in the fact that he had been playing. This was not a mood that just came from the game.

“What’s wrong?” You asked, watching as he walked past you to the armchair that was in front of the budding fire. Thank heavens for magic - a fire and a tent would never have worked otherwise.

“That boy who was touching you-” He said, sinking into the chair, and spit directly into the fire with disgust. “What’s his name?”

“Oh, we don’t need to worry about him, Vik. I think you scared him enough with the bludger. He wouldn’t even come close to me after that. Turned white as a sheet,” You chuckled at the memory, but his anger seemed to rage on.

“No, tell me his name.” Viktor demanded. You sighed, and walked to where he was sitting. The chair wasn’t big enough for the both of you, but it had rather wide arms and you planted yourself right there. You leaned your head against the top of his, the bristly growth of his hair tickling your forehead. “Y/N...”

“He was a stupid, petulant child who I am never going to lay eyes on again, Viktor Krum. Why did it make you so mad?”

“No one should be touching you. No one should be dragging you...” He said, moodily. He was staring into the fire, not at you at all.

“Tell you what. I’ll let you know his name after you calm down, how about that?” You suggested. It would take some time - he had a temper like a bonfire that would just keep on burning until the morning.

“Fine,” He grumbled. He said nothing more, and the two of you sat in silence, staring at the fire as it crackled, and listening to some of the cheers from outside. People were still celebrating the Irish win out there, and it gave everything a joyous atmosphere. “I’m not angry anymore.” He said after a few more minutes.

You pulled away from him, and took a look at his eyes to see if he really was in a post-red mood. He still looked grumpy but the worst of it seemed to be over. “His name was Draco Malfoy. His father is friends with the Minister, which is why I didn’t do much about it myself. You took good care of me, Vik. Just be happy that it ended the way that it did and we could move on with our lives.”

“If I see him again, I’m punching him,” Viktor grumbled. You shrugged, alright with that since the likelihood of it seemed so low.

“That is a price that he will have to pay then,” You smiled, moving back towards him and fell into his lap. Before you could try to get up, his arms went around your waist and started to tickle you in the way that he knew you hated. Fingers digging into your skin, it was a horrible feeling but the closeness that it brought wasn’t entirely terrible. “Vik - come on, stop...”

“I like it when you call me that,” He said, finally letting a smile come across his usual gruff features. You smiled in return, and lightly ran your fingers across his sculpted jawline, feeling the bone beneath his skin. His breathing hitched, and he held you closer, tighter.

You grew closer, until you could feel the heat of his breath on your lips. Viktor was so close - and you hadn’t realized until this moment that this was something that you wanted. You had always been friends, and your parents had teased since the beginning that they were planning your wedding to each other. But this was the first time that you had seen what they had been seeing.

Screams came from outside, and they were far from being the joyous kind. There was serious fear in the female voice that you had heard. And then came others. More and more screaming. The tent seemed to move as people were rushing past it. You could just see it through the crack between the flaps which acted as doors.

“Stay with me,” Viktor said, getting up immediately. You agreed to this without question, and when he offered you his hand, you took it. Whatever danger was out there, you were certain that you could face it together.

#Viktor Krum #Viktor Krum x reader #Viktor Krum oneshot #Harry Potter #Harry Potter oneshot #request #oneshot #viktork #x reader

436 notes · View notes

nessinborderland · 3 years

Text

Between Apple Pies and Chocolate Cosmos (01)

Pairing: Aguni x Reader

Genre: Fluff, Character Study

Words: 6.4k

Summary: Aguni first laid eyes on you in the greenhouse. After that, he simply couldn't take you out of his mind.

Warnings: Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Feelings, Eventual Romance, Denial of Feelings, Slow Burn, Other Additional Tags to Be Added

Notes: This was inspired by the wonderful @aghostsrantingcorner ask. For reference, there’s some things in this fic that were inspired by these posts by @hatterstan-shameblog. This will be 2-3 parts max. Hope you enjoy it as much as I do <3

Aguni first laid eyes on you in the greenhouse.

It was a rainy morning, and the Beach was as silent as you would expect after a night of deadly games and partying. He always took advantage of the silent mornings to have a walk around the place, breathe some fresh air, and – most importantly – attend to his garden.

He had started working on it soon after he and Takeru found the Beach, still in the early days when it was only them. He never saw a reason why he shouldn’t. Since he was stuck there for an indefinite amount of time – since he would probably die there – he might as well keep up with the only hobby that brought him some resemblance of peace.

So, he did it. Every single morning. It kept him grounded; reminded him of who he was.

His Eden – as he liked to think about it – was a medium-sized glasshouse near the kitchens, surrounded by land where he had replanted a variety of fruit trees and berry bushes that he had found around Tokyo. It needed some remodeling, but it was perfect as soon as he was done fixing the broken glass and built a system to expertly use the rainwater. He loved the place. Its variety of colors and smells, the silence, and – what made him the happiest – being able to watch the literal fruit of his labor grow.

It was his little piece of heaven in the hell he was trapped in.

Now, one thing about the greenhouse: no one was allowed inside the place beside him. Everybody knew it. It was not like anyone had any real interest in plants or vegetables but, still, people knew that that was his place. Even the old ladies responsible for the meals knew to not go inside; if they needed any ingredient, they asked him.

So imagine his surprise when he got closer to the glass walls of his greenhouse and heard soft singing coming from inside. It was barely audible, the tip-tap from the rain hitting the glass making it harder for him to understand any words. But he knew someone was in there.

His first thought was to barge in and kick out whoever was disrupting his garden. He could feel his anger grow as he stared at the blurred figure on the other side of the glass, messing around with his stuff. He took a deep breath before opening the door and stepping inside.

The air inside the greenhouse was warm, with light condensation already sliding down the glass walls. The intruder – a woman, he noticed – was with her back turned to him, humming a song that was more than familiar due to Takeru’s taste in music.

“... lay all your love on– ” you gasped as you turned to him, no doubt startled by his presence. The vase in your hands shattered as it hit the floor with a loud smash, and you let out another startled sound. You crouched to clean up the mess, a row of apologies already escaping from your lips. “Oh my god, I’m so sorry, please don’t move while I–”

“You shouldn’t be here,” was all he said as he stood there, stoic and cold expression looking at you from above. Your face was vaguely familiar to him – like every other face at the Beach – but he knew nothing about you. He noticed when you froze and slowly looked up, locking eyes with him. He saw the exact moment you recognized him, eyes growing wide and mouth agape as you held broken pieces of clay in your hands.

“Aguni–”

“Clean up your mess and leave,” he mumbled as he walked past you to access the damage you had done to his greenhouse. He noticed how several of his previous empty vases were now occupied by small plants and flowers that he had meant to work on that morning. You had just done his work for him. And perfectly, he could tell. Or as perfect as he could expect from someone that wasn’t him. He felt his anger subside. “The chamomile is supposed to be planted next to the tomatoes,” he said as he started carefully removing the small flowers from the vases. “We have no need for tea here.”

“Hmm...I thought you were using those for medicinal purposes?” you hesitantly asked. He kept his back to you, focusing on the task at hand as he waited for you to leave. Leave, however, you did not. "I'm sure they could be useful if–"

"There are only two kinds of people here," he interrupted in a cold tone. "The living and healthy, and the dead. If you're wounded, you belong to the latter. The tomatoes, though, could use some–"

"But couldn't we start an infirmary here?" Your question made him stop what he was doing, and he raised a brow as he looked at you over his shoulder. No one interrupted him; ever. You clearly didn't notice his hard stare as you continued to talk, "We could use garlic and oregano oil for infections, and aloe vera for–"

"You shouldn't be here," he repeated, now in a tone slightly louder than he liked to use. You halted mid-sentence, the small smile on your lips changing into a frown. "I'm not repeating myself. This greenhouse is off-limits. Leave."

He gave you one last glance before focusing again on his task, listening as you gathered the broken vase. A whimper made him look back at you, watching as you stared at your bleeding finger, droplets of blood falling on the rich soil underneath you. He sighed before grabbing a roll of paper towels from a shelf above his head, turning to hand you one.

"Thank you," you said in a low tone as you accepted the help and involved the tissue around your finger, hissing from the pain.

Only then did he notice what that broken vase had been carrying. At your feet, in the middle of a small mountain of dirt, was a chocolate cosmos. It wasn't one of his flowers, he was sure of that. He had never even seen a live specimen before.

"Weren't those extinct?" he asked before he could stop himself.

Your eyes widen at his question before you looked at him with a soft smile on your lips. He felt the tips of his ears get warm; why in the hell were you smiling at him?

"Mhm, I think so... You can still find them in captivity, though," you said as you gently picked up the reddish-brown flower. You looked at him for a moment before nodding to the table behind him. "Could I get another vase, please? It's just that she's been staying in a box since I got her and I just wanted to– oh, thanks!"

You smiled at him again as he handed you another small vase without a word. Aguni averted his eyes, focusing on your hands as you arranged the pretty flower in its new home. He felt... uneasy, is the word. His usual relaxing morning had been ruined by some random woman with a nice smile.

He didn't like that one bit.

"Well... I'm gonna go now," you awkwardly started as you made your way to the door, before stopping and turning around as if you forgot something. "Oh, by the way, did you...did you do all this?" you asked, gesticulating around you. He nodded once and you smiled again. "It's beautiful. Good job."

With those words, you finally left him alone.

Aguni was sure he wasn't just blushing in his ears now. His whole face was warm. He never had anyone compliment him on his gardening skills before. Yeah, Takeru told him several times he was good at it, but no one had actually shown interest. It made him feel some kind of way.

He shook his head and got back to his work. He could still enjoy his quiet morning before a council meeting if he was fast enough.

»«»«»«

You were there the next morning.

The sun had barely risen when he approached the greenhouse, a warm cup of coffee in hand while he whistled a tune that had been stuck in his head since he woke up. He hadn't even noticed you until he went to open the door, your voice making him jump slightly where he stood.

"You like ABBA too?" you asked from behind him.

He looked over his shoulder to stare at you. You were sitting under a tree not far away, that same nice smile on your face. You were holding something in your hands – something that he noticed was hot – as steam was visible in the chill morning air.

He felt his ears get warm again; damnit, he hadn't even realized that the tune he was whistling was the same song he had caught you singing the day before. He took a deep breath and shook his head.

You both stood there, clearly waiting for the other to speak first. He was never a man of many words, though, so he just nodded once in your direction before getting inside his greenhouse and closing the door behind him.

A knock on the door not long after made him roll his eyes. He walked away from his work table with a sigh, cursing at his lack of peace and quiet; all the man wanted was to drink his morning coffee in solitude.

"What?" he asked as he opened the door to find you there, holding something wrapped in paper in his direction. He had noticed the steaming thing earlier. "What's that?"

"I wanted to thank you," you said, almost stumbling over your words as you signaled him to take it from you. "It's a pie."

"A pie?" he asked slowly, raising a brow in distrust.

"Yes, apple pie," you sent him a small smile as you tried to get him to accept the baked good. When he just stood there, arms crossed, your smile fell. He almost, almost, made a move to grab your offer then. "Hmm, Mrs. Yamamoto from the kitchen lets me use ingredients sometimes to bake stuff, and as long as I clean everything after–"

"I don't eat breakfast," he interrupted, arms still crossed as he looked you up and down with furrowed brows. He was trying to understand your intentions towards him. What was your move here?

"Oh, but you should, you know?" you said in a raised tone. "It's the most important meal of the day! A-and this one was made with your apples, so I thought you would–"

"What do you want from me?"

Even though Aguni was a man of few words, he never had any problem being direct. When you just looked at him with big, confused eyes, he was even more weirded out by your manners. You were either being genuine or were a really good actress. He didn't know what made him more uncomfortable.

"I just want to... to thank you for the vase?" you hesitantly answered, arms lowering.

His hand snapped towards your arm before he even realized, suddenly aware that he did want that pie. However, a pained gasp made him release you immediately upon touching you over your jacket.

"Are you hurt?" he asked, secretly hoping he hadn't actually hurt you.

"I- I'm fine," you answered with a shake of your head. "It was just a small injury from yesterday's game."

"Let me see," he ordered.

You stared wide-eyed at him, and it almost made him backtrack and send you away. Why should he care if you were hurt?

Aguni was about to do exactly that when you gingerly extended your arm in his direction. He focused on your arm as his fingers lightly grabbed your wrist, pulling your sleeve up to show a burn mark roughly the size of your palm. It didn't look too bad, but he could see that you hadn't put anything on it.

"Come," he said as he gestured at you to follow him inside the greenhouse.

He worked fast as he prepared something that would help you with your burn. He didn't know much about medicinal plants, but he knew enough.

He gestured at you to sit on the table as he carefully applied a mix of aloe vera and oats to your injury with light feather-like touches. It was all done in silence until he heard a noise from you, something resembling a barely huffed laugh. He glanced up to notice you looking straight at him, that same damned smile on your lips. He quickly focused back on the injury, hoping you wouldn't notice his red ears.

"I thought I was part of the dead now," you said, clearly referencing what he had said the day before. He grunted with a shrug, now at all interested in talking about his change of ideals. "You know...I never thought you were the type," you kept talking, and he kept addressing your injury. "To like plants, I mean. This place is amazing."

"What type am I, then?" he caught himself asking. Not that he particularly cared about your answer, but curiosity got the best of him. You laughed at his words and shrugged.

"Hmm, I don't know... the type that punches tigers?" He had to control the will to smile then, hiding his face from view. "I really wasn't expecting tall, big, and stoic Aguni to be so good with plants. I'm pleasantly surprised."

His movements halted for a second as he processed your words. He was sure he was red all over his face now, damn you. He continued what he was doing before he could overthink your words too much.

"Never judge a book by its cover."

He cringed as soon as those words left his mouth. What a corny thing to say. He decided then that your burn was sufficiently covered in aloe, and immediately retracted his hands, turning his back to you as he cleaned his fingers and tried to get his blush under control.

"Hmm, I guess you're right…" you said as he heard you stand up. "Well, thank you again, for this." He nodded and grunted in acknowledgment without turning to face you. "And the pie is here, just in case you want to try it." You hesitated, "...Hmm if you don't want it, you can always give it to Last Boss. He- he caught me in the kitchens once and I promised to bake him stuff if he helped me clean up after. He doesn't talk much and he's kind of scary, but he's nice." He turned to you then, and the expression on his face might've told you that you were overstaying your visit, so you quickly rushed for the door. "Mm okay, bye!" you said as you sent him an awkward wave and left.

He wondered if you thought he was scary but nice.

»«»«»«

A piece of chocolate cake was left by his greenhouse the day after.

The day after that, a croissant.

The gifts were always accompanied by small notes written in pretty handwriting. Some were simple recipes; others were small facts about medicinal plants he knew nothing about. He kept them all, safely hidden in a can on his worktable. A week went by where he expected a new pastry or sweet to welcome him. And, without fail, there it was. He never saw you around though, in the mornings or throughout the day, which he found odd. He didn't even know your name, but he found himself searching for you throughout the Beach, or in the games at night. But he never saw you. He would've thought you were dead if it weren't for the consistent gifts you left at his door.

Now, he wasn't lying when he said he wasn't a man for breakfast. He really wasn't. But after trying a piece of that apple pie, he saw himself devouring almost the whole thing. The same with the cake and the croissant. They were probably the best baked goods that he had ever tried. He was even more excited to start his mornings.

This morning, however, he arrived at the greenhouse to find nothing by the door. No box, no note, no wrapping. Nothing. He furrowed his brows, feeling disappointed, but quickly shrugged the feeling off as he got inside. Your pleasantries had to stop someday.

It bothered him, though. And he hated the fact that it bothered him. He hated the fact that he cared. He spent the day thinking about it. Thinking about you. Where could you possibly be? What happened? He didn’t even know your name. He didn’t know what bedroom you lived in, and it was driving him mad.

He had zoned out throughout the morning meeting, lashed out at several of the militants, and was now fully ignoring Takeru as his best friend went on and on about something he didn’t care enough to even pretend to be listening.

“Mori, hey!” His friend snapped his fingers in front of his face, forcing Aguni out of his thoughts. He stared at Takeru with a frown.

“What?” he asked, taking a sip from the glass of water in front of him.

“The first time all week that we’re having lunch together, and you’re quieter than usual,” his friend said, nodding at the plate of barely touched food in front of him. “You’re not even eating. What’s going on?”

“I’m fine,” he shrugged, stabbing a piece of roasted rabbit with his fork and taking a bite. He chewed as he thought of a good excuse. Takeru could be annoyingly perceptive when it came to other people’s emotions, especially his. “Just have a lot on my mind, that’s all,” he finally said.

His friend looked at him for a moment before setting his elbows on the table, supporting his chin on his palms. Oh no, he knew what that meant. He was about to be questioned to death.

"Are you in love?" he asked, a slight smirk on his lips.

Aguni choked on his own spit at the man's question, violently coughing as he vehemently shook his head.

"What the hell are you talking about?!" he asked after easing his cough, throat burning, and eyes teary from the effort.

"Well let's see," Takeru started, hand raised as he prepared himself to make a list. Aguni instantly regretted his question. "You've been late to meetings almost every morning for the past week, you barely pay attention to anything I tell you and I'm pretty sure I heard you hum 'Lay All Your Love on Me' by ABBA the other day. I've never heard you do anything close to singing," Takeru said as he wiggled three raised fingers before raising a fourth. "And a little bird told me that they heard you talking with someone inside your garden house." The smirk on his lips turned into a grin as Aguni averted his eyes. "So, tell me; who is she? Or is it a he? C'mon, you know you can tell–"

"I don't know what you're talking about," was all he said in what he hoped was a nonchalant tone.

Takeru wasn't easy to fool, though.

"You know what, I know you're full of shit, but I will allow it," he said with a fork pointed in his direction. "For now, at least. Now it's dessert time!" Takeru licked his lips as he pulled a tray to the center of the table. "I've been wanting you to try this for days, it's delicious!" He opened the tray to uncover two perfectly sized individual pies. Not just any pies, either. Aguni knew exactly who made them.

"Where did you get this?" he blurted out, staring at the perfectly cooked pastries. Takeru looked at him with a confused look.

"Huh, the kitchen? Where else?"

"Yeah, but who made them?" Aguni pressed further, wanting an answer that would show him that you were actually alive. "Were they made today?"

"Uh, I would hope so, yeah. And I don't know who made them, old Yamamoto just said it was one of her helpers," Takeru retorted with a shrug. "They're amazing, though, you should try it."

Aguni almost felt himself sag in relief. If these were made today, that meant that you were alive. It also meant that you definitely had stopped leaving gifts at his door. He tried not to focus on how he felt a little hurt by it. It was not like you owed him anything, anyway.

He still couldn't stop thinking about you as he finished his lunch with Takeru. He hated to admit it, but he felt bad for how he had treated you when you first met. He felt like he owed you at least an apology, and – not like he would ever admit it to himself – he wanted to see you again.

He always went for a short walk after lunch before having to proceed with his duties for the day. He wasn't exactly surprised to find himself by the kitchens, peeping inside the large double doors to take a look – part of him hoping to see you there.

What he saw instead were the so-called Food Ladies, a group of old women that had taken upon themselves the important role of cooking for everyone at the Beach. They were now chilling and having their own meals after the lunch hour rush. He spotted Mrs. Yamamoto, the oldest of the bunch – that also happened to be the boss – leaning by the doors that led outside, smoking her usual cigarette. She spotted him too, with small dark eyes that made him want to run away. It was strangely similar to the way his grandmother used to look at him when he misbehaved as a child.

“Oi, boy, c’mere,” she called him before he could walk away. The laughs and conversations of the other women ceased immediately as he entered the room. They eyed him for some time, one of the old ladies elbowing another before whispering something he couldn’t hear. His brows furrowed; he hated all that attention.

“Mrs. Yama–”

“You have to learn how to control your militants, Aguni,” she said as soon as he got close enough. “Two of your boys were disturbing one of my girls this morning. God knows what they would’ve done to the poor thing if I hadn’t shooed them away.” He had to control his facial expression; was she talking about you? “That girl gets up before dawn to cook sweets for so many people in this godforsaken place, and that’s how they repay her?” The old woman shook her head, before adding, “The rude boy with the piercings on his face and the odd one with the katana. See to it that they don’t get close to her again, do ya hear me?”

He nodded once before turning to leave, anger already simmering inside him. He had the urge to use his fists on a very specific someone.

He found whom he was looking for on the roof, as he expected. Last Boss was the first to notice him, eyes going wide as Aguni power walked to the man next to him.

“...and Chishiya– oh fuck! What the hell?!” Niragi screamed as Aguni pushed him toward the edge of the roof before forcing him to lean over it.

He held the man by his collar, almost making him lose his balance and fall to his death. Part of him really wanted to let go. He knew what Niragi was capable of.

“What were you doing in the kitchen this morning?” he asked in a cold, emotionless tone. The younger man looked down before visibly gulping and staring at him with a furrowed brow.

“T- The kitchen?...” he asked back. Aguni took a deep breath before loosening the grip on his shirt, making Niragi yelp and grab his arm. “Look look, it was his idea to go there, I didn’t do anything!”

Aguni looked back at Last Boss, and the man raised his hands while shaking his head.

“He- he just followed me there, I didn’t ask him to come with me,” the tattooed man said, stumbling on his words. “If you’re talking about the old lady, she kicked us out, but we didn’t do anything, I swear.”

“The girl?” he asked through gritted teeth. He was starting to lose his patience. The younger men shared a look between them before Last Boss started talking.

“Y/N?” he asked for clarification. So that was your name. “We didn’t touch her. Niragi just took some pies and we left.”

“Is that so?” Aguni asked Niragi, the man still in his grasp. He knew what he was capable of, and he wouldn’t put it past Last Boss to lie for his friend. “Cause that’s not what I heard…” his fingers loosened once again around the man’s collar, making him tighten his grip on Aguni’s arm.

“Fine, fine, I- I might’ve teased her a little,” the man confessed. “But I didn’t mean to make her cry, and we left right after. I didn’t do anything, I swear!”

Aguni considered his words for a moment, before pulling Niragi off the edge and pushing him to the ground. The man cursed something under his breath that Aguni preferred to ignore as he now focused on Last Boss.

“Do you know her last name?” he asked. The man shook his head. Aguni sighed; he would have to check Mira’s records if he wanted to find her room. “You both better stay away from the kitchens and from that girl,” he said, now keeping his stone-cold gaze on Niragi. “Is that clear?”

Both men nodded.

Without another word, Aguni left the roof.

»«»«»«

It was surprisingly hard for him to find your room.

Mira had immediately denied any access to her records, claiming invasion of privacy. Which it was; he would probably do the same thing if he was in her place. But he pressed on, and she eventually gave in, simply saying that you lived in the south wing of the Hotel, somewhere on the second level. He accepted the information and forced himself to ask around for you, as inconspicuously as he could. Surprisingly, practically no one recognized the description he gave of you, and no one knew your name. He was almost giving up when finally...

“Oh, Y/N?” a couple of young women said. “Yeah, she lives next door to us, room 237.”

He finally had your room number.

Aguni spent five minutes gathering the necessary courage to knock on your door, hesitating and almost leaving every time he lifted his knuckles against the door. He made a frustrated sound, annoyed with himself.

“You’re an idiot,” he mumbled under his breath.

“Hello?” someone greeted behind him. Aguni froze before looking over his shoulder. There you were. Dressed in shorts and a light jacket, hair in a braid over your shoulder, and a hesitant smile on your face, you looked pretty in his eyes. It really made him wonder if Takeru was right; he did have a crush on someone. “Hmm, is everything okay?”

“Yeah, uh- hey.” He cleared his throat as he realized he had been staring. He could feel his face getting warm. “Hm, how’re doing?” he asked, before grimacing. Ah yes, Morizono, very nice. You raised a brow as you looked at him for a moment.

“I’m... fine,” you answered with a hesitant smile. “Were you waiting for me?”

“Yes, I- I wanted to apologize,” he cringed at his stuttering. But there it was. Direct and clear. The fastest he could get himself out of this awkward conversation, the better. “I heard about what happened this morning with two of my militants, and I just want you to know that they won’t bother you again.”

“Oh, that was just a misunderstanding!" you say as you shake your head. "I was just talking with Mrs. Yamamoto about that. Nothing happened."

"That was not what I heard."

"No, no, I'm fine, they didn't do anything to me," you reassured him. "Niragi just… said some mean things, but Last Boss stopped him. Mrs. Yamamoto thought they were hurting me and I'm really sorry." You shrugged and gave him an awkward smile. "I just cry sometimes. I even went to talk with Last Boss about it, but I think Mrs. Yamamoto really scared him, 'cause he keeps avoiding me." You said with an awkward chuckle. "But I'm okay, really."

Aguni grunted with a nod, convinced that you were telling him the truth. Still, he wanted those two, Niragi in particular, as far from you as he could.

"If they mess with you again, let me know, all right?" You nodded at his request, and he almost had the urge to smile back at you. "Okay then," he said with a nod before making a move to leave.

"Hmm, did you enjoy today's pastry?" he heard you ask in a hesitant tone. He turned around, confused. There was no pastry waiting for him today. He said so to you, and your brows furrowed. "Uh, no, I'm pretty sure I left you something. Strawberry pie with a chocolate crust?"

"There was nothing when I got there," he said. There were butterflies in his stomach, though. You hadn't stopped baking stuff for him, after all.

"That's odd…" you said as you bit your lip, wondering what could've happened. "Well," you shrugged, "I'll make sure you get it tomorrow morning, then."

He nodded without a word and watched as you smiled at him before moving to open your door.

"How's your arm?" he blurted out before he could stop himself. You froze by the door for a moment before showing him your arm, skin looking much better than it was just a week prior.

"That aloe mix you gave me helped a lot. Thanks, again," you said with another one of those smiles that made him want to smile back.

"You know…" he hesitated for a moment before taking a deep breath and saying what he meant to say, eyes on your feet, "If you ever want to, you can show up by the greenhouse, sometimes. There are these new seeds I got that might interest you. I don't know, but the offer stands."

He shrugged, like what he just said meant nothing. He finally focused on your face, and his stomach did somersaults as he found you grinning at him.

"I would like that very much."

»«»«»«

You were there the next morning.

And the next. And the next. And the other one after that. Always with a smile on your face, always carrying a new sweet that you would both share.

The first days were as awkward as you could imagine. He almost feared looking you in the eyes, feeling like a teenager again with all the blushing and weird sensations in the pit of his stomach. All he needed was a smile from you to look as red as one of his tomatoes.

At first, you would eat in silence, until you eventually broke it by mentioning something about plants, or what flowers you were expecting to bring the next time you went scavenging. Then it would be just you doing most of the talk as he stuffed his mouth with whatever deliciousness you had brought him that day, nodding, and grunting on occasion. He realized he liked hearing you speak. Hearing your voice.

Then he would start working on whatever he had planned the morning before, and that's when you would watch him as he went around his garden showing you things. You would give him ideas from time to time, always following him as you attentively listened to his words. He realized he liked the attention. Your attention.

It didn't take long until you were more comfortable around each other. Then you would both talk freely, almost always about plants. He would be lying if he said he wasn't curious to know more about you, but he didn't have the courage to ask.

"What did you do... before?" you asked one day, about a week into your morning rendezvous. You were sharing a quiche today, and he took his time chewing before answering.

"Was part of the SDF," he said. You nodded like it made sense that a man like him had a job like that. "Nothing too interesting, though,” he said with a shrug. “You?"

"Worked at my family's bakery," you said, a small smile on your face as you seemed to think back to those times. "My grandma taught me everything I know. She made the best quiche in Tokyo, you know? Mine has nothing on hers."

He couldn't control his chuckle then, nor he meant to say the words that got out of his mouth next.

"Takeru would love to hear that."

"Who?" you asked, brow raised as you chewed a piece of the salty pastry. There were flakes of crust on the corner of your mouth, and he had to control the urge to wipe them away with his thumb. He shook his head instead.

"Just a friend from… from back home," he said. "The man can't cook to save his life but bakes one hell of a quiche. Yours is better, though."

You smiled at the compliment and proceeded to eat in silence. He didn't want to waste the chance to get to know you more, though.

"What do you do all day?" he asked. You raised a brow, and he specified what he meant, "I mean, I barely see you around and no one seems to know you, so…"

"Oh, I just stay in my room all day," you said as you shrugged and let out an awkward chuckle. "I'm not really a people person and I spend most of my nights awake, so I mostly just sleep."

"What do you do when you're awake, then?"

"I go to the games, I bake and, well, now I spend some time here with you." He could swear his heart beat a little faster at your words. He felt strangely honored that you decided to spend time with him.

"Yeah, I'm not much of a people person myself," he said. "Plants are much better, aren't they?" He tried to send you a small smile but immediately regretted it as it felt more like a grimace. You smiled back at him, though, so it probably wasn't as bad as he thought it was.

"Hmm, you're right, but I don't mind some people."

He didn't know what to make of your statement.

»«»«»«

A month passed when you met every morning.

Your joined morning routine had taken a comfortable rhythm for both of you, where you ate, talked, and worked without that awkward vibe of the first few days. With you joining him in the work, his crops flourished. It was the best part of his day, without a doubt.

He realized several things during that time.

The first was that you liked to sing while you worked. Didn't matter if you were planting potatoes, watering the flowers, or preparing herbal remedies – that you had eventually convinced him to be useful – you were always humming a tune under your breath, or singing the words aloud.

The second thing he realized was that he liked it.

He liked to hear you sing so much that the songs would stay in his head for the rest of the day, and he would wake up with your voice still echoing in his head. He had even caught himself whistling at times. Once during a council meeting, where he had zoned out again and was completely oblivious to the fact that he had been humming 'I Want to Break Free’ by Queen until Takeru snapped his attention and everyone was looking at him like he had grown two heads. All except his best friend, that had a knowing smirk on his lips.

The third thing he realized – and, to his shock, didn't surprise him – was that he had totally developed a crush on you.

"So, am I ever going to meet them or what?" Takeru asked over his glass of golden whiskey, taking a sip when Aguni took too long to answer. "You can't keep them a secret from me forever."

"I don't know what you're talking about," was all Aguni said as he took a gulp of his own drink, avoiding his friend's eyes and looking at the moon up high in the sky. His friend really had the best view for late-night drinking, especially after a stressful game.

"Fine, don't tell me," Takeru shrugged like he didn't care, but Aguni could tell he one hundred percent did. What was he supposed to tell him? There was no relationship for him to talk about.

"Okay, listen…" his friend's eyes shined as he focused all his attention on him, making Aguni want to hide from his scrutiny. He took a deep breath before saying, "There's nothing to talk about. There's no relationship."

"Ahh, but you're in love, aren't you?" Takeru let out an excited laugh, and Aguni could feel the corners of his mouth pulling up. "In all the years we've been friends I saw you like what? Three people? And you never behaved like this." He drank whatever was left of the drink in his glass before filling it up again. "This one sure looks promising." There was a pause where they just drank in silence before he asked again "So, what's her name? It’s a she, isn't it?"

"Y/N," Aguni mumbled, loud enough for him to hear. Takeru's eyes widen comically at the name.

"The pie girl?!" he asked in a raised tone. "You're head over heels for the pie girl?" He laughed then, and Aguni furrowed his brows in annoyance.

"You know her?"

"Yeah, I mean, old Yamamoto wouldn't tell me who the miracle baker was, so I went to see for myself. She's cute," he let out a mean chuckle, "I knew you were getting thicker around the waist. She's feeding you well, I see."

"Yeah." Aguni gave him a full-on smirk as he said the next words, "She makes the best quiche I've ever eaten."

The shocked and offended gasp that left Takeru's mouth almost made him laugh.

"You take that back!" the man punched his arm once and drank the remaining of his whiskey in one single gulp. "You just ruined my night. Get out and think about what you just said. I'll be expecting an apology by morning."

Aguni laughed then, the only kind of laugh that he could only make when he was around his best friend.

"Yours is good," he shrugged, still laughing. "But hers is better."

»«»«»«

->Next Chapter

#alice in borderland #alice in borderland fanfic #ima wa no kuni no alice #aguni morizono #aguni x reader #aguni fanfiction #aguni imagine #aib fanfic

182 notes · View notes

honeynutouran · 3 years

Text

Me too (Kirishima x Reader)

Summary: You have had a crush on Kirishima since you started going to UA but you never said anything. Now third years you have a long weekend and you and your friends decide to go on a road trip.

Word count: 1.8k

Kirishima x GN reader

Y/N = your name

A/N: I haven't written in a hot minute so I wrote this up feeling the need to write. Sorry if its not the best I just wanted to post something for you guys. Also I suck at endings so I apologize.

Warnings: some cursing, one bed and fluff. (If there are any other warnings please reach out to me so I know)

UNEDITED

Being best friends with Bakugou Katsuki had its perks like he would help you study because “If you won’t leave me alone might as well keep up with me.” (His exact words) And you got to hang out with his other friends and his other best friend, Kirishima.

Bakugou has noticed that you have had a liking for Kirishima and would not drop it. “God, just say something to shitty hair already, I am sick of you staring at him all the time. I’m trying to teach you this new move listen dumbass.” He said to you when he caught you staring at Kirishima during training.

“I was admiring his form, shut up boom-boom boy.” You spat back, hitting him with your quirk.

“Yeah right, his form, and that didn’t even hurt.” He laughed brushing off where you had hit him.

“I wasn’t aiming to hurt you, dumbass.” You said this time aiming at his head as he tried to dodge your oncoming attack.

A few weeks had passed and you and the rest of your group were planning what you would all do on your next long weekend. Mina insisted you all go on a road trip stopping at her house one night since she had enough room for everyone as long as everyone was cool with sharing sleeping spaces. Everyone agreed it seemed like fun, well almost everyone.

“Why would I want to spend a long weekend with you extras?” Bakugou questioned.

“Bakugoubro, you’ll have a great time with us.” Kaminari smiled a toothy grin to Bakugou and Kirishima joined in.

“Yeah, it wouldn’t be very mainly to skip out on time with your friends," Kirishima added.

“Plus, if you don’t hang out with us, who else will put up with you?” Sero chimed in causing everyone but the boy in question to laugh.

“Fine, so you guys stop annoying me.” He gave in and you smiled to yourself thinking about a weekend with your friends and especially with Kirishima.

After getting permission from Aizawa to leave the dorms for the weekend and Sero borrowing his family’s minivan the plan all fell into place.

“We can take turns driving every couple of hours!” Mina exclaimed climbing into the passenger seat next to Sero in the driver’s seat. Behind them in the middle row were Bakugou and Kaminari. You and Kirishima were in the very back because Bakugou claimed he would get car sick in the back (a lie he came up with so you could sit next to Kirishima, unknown to you) and Kaminari claimed he would be best in the middle so he could charge everyone’s phones fairly.

“let me know if you need more room, it would be unmanly of me if I made you uncomfortable.” Kirishima smiled at you as you guys got situated in your seats.

“I’m okay, thanks, Kiri.” You smiled back at him.

After a few hours, you started to feel yourself get more and more tired despite it now being Mina's driving shift and she was not the most graceful driver.

“Hey, Y/N you look pretty tired,” Kirishima whispered.

“hmm.” You nodded in reply your eyelids becoming heavier. You tried to fight the tiredness, but you failed, finally letting the sleep take over.

Kirishima was frozen in place as your head plopped onto his shoulder, he knew that if he moved and woke you up it would be super unmanly. He would never let anyone wake up because of him, especially you. Mina looked in the mirror and smiled at the sight of you and whispered to the rest of the car to look. With that Kirishima blushed when the rest of the boys turned towards you two Kaminari giving him a thumbs up. Bakugou rolled his eyes at the sight but he was secretly happy for his best friends.

After some more time and everyone having driven, you had finally arrived at Mina’s house. “Welcome to my humble abode!” Mina smiled while gesturing toward the house. “It is a little cramped but, we have 2 spare rooms.” She explained.

“So two rooms and six of us?” Sero asked.

“Well three rooms including mine, so two per room. I’m assuming Y/N in my room then the rest of you can split up.” Mina suggested.

“No way am I sleeping in the same room as any of these loud idiots. I’ll be with you raccoon eyes.” Bakugou complained.

“I am not sure my parents will be okay with you in my room Bakugou.” Mina started.

“Parents love me-“ started but was cut off by your laughing.

“Bakugou my parents have known you since you were in diapers, and they cannot stand you sometimes.” You laughed even more.

“Shut up ditz, I don’t want to be stuck with you all night either. I’ll talk to raccoon eyes parents. Also, sparky you cannot room with Y/N last time you guys had a ‘sleepover’ you short-circuited and shocked Y/N and you both had to see recovery girl.” Bakugou reminded you before walking into the house to convince Mina’s parents of his sleeping arrangement.

“Hey, that was awesome, and we were fine.” Kaminari protested.

“It’s okay dude, we can room together, finish out the smash bros tournament we started in the van.” Sero offered, and Kaminari happily agreed.

“Looks like we are roomies.” Kirishima smiled at you pulling his stuff and yours out of the van.

“I can take that.” You said pointing to your bag but, Kirishima shook his head and insisted he got it. “Thanks, Kiri, you really don’t have to though.” You say feeling bad that he is taking your stuff.

“It’s okay Y/N you’re stuck rooming with me, it’s the least I can do.” He offered smiling, a faint blush dusting his cheeks.

“I am not stuck with you, Kiri you would have been my first choice.” You smile back your face starting to heat up. Kiri looks at you a little too long before he realizes he is holding both your stuff and his own.

“I should go bring these to the room then.” He coughed out walking into the house.

“Well, that damn blasty brat convinced my parents that he would be the best to sleep in my room, so I guess I will show the rest of you where you will be staying.” Mina sighed not looking forward to her sleeping arrangements.

“Hey, I am a delight.” Bakugou yelled from somewhere in the house.

“Yeah, can’t wait. Anyways Kaminari and Sero you guys can take my brother's old room since you won’t mind the smell. Kirishima and Y/N you guys can take the guest bedroom.” Mina said pointing to each room. Kirishima nodded and took your stuff into the guest room upon entering he turned to you his face matching his hair.

“Uh Y/N… there is only one bed. I can ask Mina if she has a spare futon or something if you want me to, it would be super unmanly to make you share the bed with me an-“ you cut off his rambling.

“Kiri, it is okay, the bed is pretty big anyways there is plenty of room I wouldn’t want you to be stuck on the floor. I promise it is okay.” You say hoping he does not realize your face is on fire from the idea of sharing a bed with the boy you have been in love with since your first year at UA.

“Well, if you are sure it is okay.” He says a little unsure himself.

“It is.” You reassure him.

When it was time to go to bed Kirishima was panicking when he was changing into his pajamas, what if he did something to make you uncomfortable or what if he does something stupid, but what he didn’t know is you were having the same worries as you changed in the bathroom. After you finished changing you knocked on the door to see if it was okay to come in.

“I’m changed, you can come in,” Kiri said, turning towards the door when you came in. “What side of the bed do you want?”

“Oh, uh I don’t care either is fine.” You said walking in and closing the door behind you.

“Okay, I will just take the side closer to me then.” He said getting into bed, practically on the edge.

“Kiri, you can move over some more, you don’t have to worry. I would be worried if you fell off the bed.” You laughed at his attempts to be as respectful as possible.

“I just don’t want to make you uncomfortable.” He explained once again.

“Kiri how many times must I tell you? You could never make me uncomfortable.” You said moving closer to him.

“Are you sure, because what if I like ended up cuddling you or something?” he blushed.

“I would be okay with that.” You admitted hiding your face under the sheets to avoid any further embarrassment. But your surprise Kirishima grabbed your waist and pulled you closer to him.

“This is okay?” he asked.

“It is more than okay.” You replied molding yourself into him.

“I’m glad.” He smiled into the back of your head making himself comfortable against your touch. You two quickly fell asleep in each other’s embrace.

At the moment you two were way too happy to be with one another you forgot about the four other members of your group. You were still in Kirishima’s embrace by morning, only have gotten more entangled with each other.

“Shitty hair, ditz get up!” Bakugou yelled as he opened your door. You both bolted up and backed away from each other only to have Bakugou scoff and close the door. “Don’t be late for breakfast.” He said from behind the door.

“We should probably get down there,” Kirishima said scratching the back of his neck.

“Yeah but first I gotta do something.” You said scooting closer to Kirishima.

“Do what?” he asked as you got closer.

“This.” You smirked, closing the distance between you two by crashing your lips into his, he quickly caught on and deepened the kiss letting the feelings across that you two have shared for each other for years. “Been wanting to do that for a long time.” You smiled when you broke apart.

“Me too.” He smiled back in his crooked smile. “So does this mean we are dating?”

“I hope so.” You said grabbing his hand and pulling him out of bed.

“Then it does.” He replied as you walked hand in hand to breakfast.

“I CALLED IT!” Mina yelled when you two walked into the kitchen.

“Sero owes me five bucks.” Kaminari said smirking at you two.

“Technically no, because we do not know when this happened.” Sero said to Kaminari making him frown.

“Who cares, can we eat,” Bakugou complained but you could have sworn when no one was looking he smiled to himself. “Told you, you should have told him.” He said to you under his breath.

“Did you know this whole time Katsuki?” you asked.

“Tch, know what?" He replied taking a bite of his food and refusing to keep talking on the matter. Kirishima grabbed your hand once again giving it a small squeeze and smiling at you when you turned your head towards him.

“I’m glad we went on this trip.” He smiled.

“Me too.” You smiled back Kiri.

#eijiro kirishima #kirishima eijiro #kirishima x reader #gender neutral reader x kirishima #mha kirishima #bnha kirishima #mha x reader #bnha x reader #my hero academia x reader #mha #mha fluff #sfw #mha x y/n #kirishima x yn #eijro x reader

114 notes · View notes

yourlocalfictionalenthusiast · 3 years

Text

IN LIFE, IN DEATH...

PART EIGHT

:Masterlist:

Warnings: just swearing, I think :)

A/N: oof I’m bad at posting on time but here’s part eight! thank you all for your feedback on the last part and feel free to let me know what you think about this part too <3

October 1994

“Ow.”

You groaned as you collapsed in the middle seat of the back of Bobby’s car, so tired that you practically fell asleep the second you got off your feet. It was your second weekend in a row of playing all day shows, and every part of your body was screaming at you in exhaustion.

“Remind me why we’re happy about this gig again?” Alex grumbled from the passenger seat, stretching out his no-doubt sore fingers.

Next to you, Reggie had slumped in his seat. “I can’t feel my legs.”

Even Luke, who was usually still full of adrenaline after a performance, looked a little deflated as he secured his guitar into the trunk and piled into the car. As soon as he sat down in his usual seat on your left, he dropped his entire weight on you, making you fall into Reggie.

“You okay there, Lu?” You asked as you sat as up-right as you could with him still leaning on your shoulder. He muttered sleepily in response and you laughed. “Guys, I think Luke’s dead.”

“I don’t blame him. I’m pretty sure that’s the hardest we’ve ever played.” Bobby sighed as he pulled out of the parking lot and started to drive in the direction of Reggie’s house to drop him off. You relaxed into your seat, watching the lights fly by the window. You all sat in comfortable silence until Bobby pulled up to a red light and turned around to look at all of you. “Votes for just crashing at the garage?”

You agreed immediately since the studio was a lot closer than any of your houses, and having Bobby drive when he was tired probably wasn’t the smartest idea.

“I could definitely go for not going home.” Alex said and you smiled at him sympathetically. Reggie agreed and turned to ask Luke, but all he got was the sound of quiet snoring in response. You all laughed as Bobby turned around and started driving to his house.

The quiet rumble of the car on the road and the warmth of Luke’s skin against yours was making you more and more tired by the second. You leaned over and rested your head on top of his and closed your eyes.

The drive to the garage was shorter than you thought, but by the time you got there, you were practically ready to pass out.

It took all your energy to gently coax Luke out of your shoulder and hop out of the car to help Bobby unload the equipment out of the trunk and back into the loft. While you were up there, you grabbed a pile of sleeping bags and blankets to give to the boys who were now arguing over what to watch.

They settled on The Empire Strikes Back, per Reggie’s request. You watched it absentmindedly from your spot on the couch, wrapped up in a cocoon of blankets. The more time went by, the more your tiredness faded away, leaving you restless and frustrated. When the movie reached the halfway point, you had officially given up on sleeping.

You didn’t realize that you were sighing until Luke, who was laying on the floor under your head, opened his eyes. “You okay?”

“Yeah, sorry. I didn’t mean to wake you.” You muttered.

“It’s okay, I can’t sleep either.” Luke said. “Not when Alex snores like a bear.”

You laughed, looking over to Alex who was sleeping deeply across the room, his snore blocking out the sound of the movie. “Yeah, thank god he’s the only one that does that.”

“Are you trying to say that I snore?” Luke gasped, squinting when you laughed and nodded your head at him. After a minute of silence, Luke looked up at you. “Can I ask you something?”

“Yeah, of course.” You said.

“Why didn’t you want to go home?” He asked. “Everything okay with your mom?”

“Yeah, she’s just been working a lot lately and it feels weird being home alone.” You said. “What about your mom?”

Luke was quiet for a minute, so quiet that you almost thought that he fell asleep until he let out a deep sigh. He had told you that things were getting rockier between him and his parents everyday but you could tell by the grimace on his face that something more was going on. “She threatened to make me quit the band.”

“Wait, what?” You said a little too loudly.

“I got an F on a test and she flipped out.” Luke explained. “But if I pass the next one, hopefully she’ll stay off me for a while.”

“I’m surprised that she even let you stay here tonight.” You said.

“Yeah, about that.” Luke cringed. “I didn’t exactly ask her.”

You sighed and shook your head. “You know she’s gonna kill you when you go home tomorrow, right?”

He rolled his eyes but then quickly switched to his puppy-dog look. “Come with me?”

“What? No, I’m not gonna be your accomplice.”

“Please?” Luke begged. “She loves you, and there’s no way she’d kill me if you were there.”

You sighed, cursing yourself for not being able to resist his stupid face. “Fine, but you owe me.”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Luke beamed.

You reached your arm from the couch and pushed his face lightly. “Go to sleep, weirdo.”

2020

Being dead was boring.

You had poured over your songbook a dozen times, walked laps around the studio, and absentmindedly threw darts against the wall.

Normally, you would drag Alex out into the city or make Reggie sing country songs with you, but everyone was off getting ready for the gig tonight.

So with nothing better to do, you decided to visit Julie at school. You closed your eyes and poofed into the crowded hallway. You spotted Julie putting books into her locker and you phased right next to her.

“Hi.” You greeted and Julie jumped, letting out a quiet squeal.

“(Y/n)! Normal people don’t do that and ghosts definitely shouldn’t. “What are you doing here?” She asked, smiling awkwardly at people who were giving her weird looks as they passed down the hall.

“Well, I think we should decide what song we’re going with tonight.” You said and Julie tilted her head at you and squinted, knowing that you weren’t telling the whole truth. “Okay, and I was also really bored at the studio.”

“So I’m your entertainment?” She questioned as she dug her phone out of her pocket and raised it to her ear so it didn't look like she was talking to herself.

“Yep, you’re stuck with me.” You smiled sweetly.

“Who knew ghosts were so clingy?” She joked, struggling to hold back a smile when you pouted back at her. “Aren’t you supposed to be hanging out with that mysterious guy from the café last night? Teddy?”

“I figured I’d be too busy getting ready for the gig so I just swung by and told him to come to the show.” You explained, making Julie raise her eyebrows. “What?”

“Nothing.” She clicked her tongue. "I’m sure Luke is gonna love that.”

You rolled your eyes. “Yeah, well, Luke doesn’t get to have an opinion.”

“I don’t get to have an opinion on what?” A voice asked from behind you and you whirled around to find Luke leaning against the lockers with a smile. You had been so distracted talking to Julie that you didn’t even hear him phase in behind you.

“The fact that we’re doing ‘Edge of Great’ tonight.” You said quickly, desperately hoping that he bought your lie. Thankfully, he seemed to believe you.

“Sweet. That’s what I was thinking anyway.” He turned to Julie. “Hey, why not ditch school today? Let’s go rehearse!”

“What? No, I can’t. I promised my dad that school comes first. Plus, I have the dance with Nick today.” She reasoned and you smirked, thinking back at the way that he was staring at her at the dance.

“Ooh, Nick.” You teased and Julie glared at you. After a brief second, her eyes widened. You turned to see Nick walking towards her and you quickly grabbed Luke’s wrist and dragged him to the side so they could talk. "Speak of the devil."

“Hey, Julie!” Nick smiled warmly. “Ready for our performance?”

“Yeah, we’re gonna do great.” Julie shoved her phone into her bag, clearly trying not to look over at you and Luke who were watching with rapt attention.

“I’m glad you’re confident. I think that after three classes, I just got worse. But good thing I have my secret weapon.” Nick nervously shoved his hands in his pockets and you couldn’t help but smile at Nick’s way of awkwardly flirting.

Next to you, Luke whooped. “Oh, I think someone’s got a little crush on our Julie.”

You cringed a little as you looked over at him, expecting to see jealousy on his face. But if anything, he looked the exact opposite. Amused and eager to tease Julie about it, the same way he did back when Reggie tried to hit on girls after a gig. He caught you looking at him and softly smiled, a dramatic shift from the teasing smirk he had on a second ago.

“Shut up,” Julie said to Luke, cringing when Nick frowned at her. “I mean, shut up.”

“No, seriously, Molina. I’m nothing without you.” He said. You walked behind Nick, peering over his shoulder to make kissy faces at her which made Luke laugh.

"I'm sure you'll be great." She pushed his shoulder, making you jump back a little. “See you in there?"

“Yeah, I’ll be the guy trying not to make us look stupid.” You watched him walk away before turning to Julie.

"Julie, he totally likes you!" You laughed excitedly.

"Boundaries." She reminded you, but there was a smile on her face. You and Luke both raised your hands in surrender and she waved over her shoulder as she walked away. "I'll see you guys after school, okay?"

Once she was gone, Luke shook his head dramatically. "They grow up so fast."

You snorted. "C'mon, dork. Let's go rehearse."

After getting back to the studio, you immediately snapped into pre-gig mode.

You collapsed on the floor near the couch, sticking your legs up against the armrest next to Reggie as you all listened to Luke go over the song, he ran his pencil along the paper. "So we add the echoes and then the girls come in with the melody.”

You nodded. “Julie gets home in like an hour and then we can start rehearsing.”

Suddenly, there was a loud thud on the garage door and you spun around just in time to see Willie’s head disappear. You frowned and looked over at Alex for an explanation but he just shook his head.

“Again? What’s that about?” Reggie asked but Alex had already poofed out to chase the other boy. You frowned as you stared at the space where he was just sitting, thinking about how happy he was about Willie not even two days ago.

Just as quickly as he left, Alex came phasing back in with a hurt look on his face. You immediately sat up to question him but he just strolled over to his drums and suggested starting practice.

You all agreed reluctantly and got into place. Luke counted down and started to play, stopping almost immediately as Alex started going off course, slamming on his drums a little harder than necessary.

“Al, you okay?” You asked gently as he set down his drumsticks.

“Yeah, why?”

“I know it’s tough, man. They say you never forget your first ghost.” Reggie tried to reassure him. “But I’m sure there will be others.”

“Yeah, and you’re a great drummer and an even greater guy.” You added. “Don’t let all this get in the way of your music.”

“I don’t know. Sometimes a little fire can make things better on stage.” Reggie said, pointing between you and Luke. “Like you guys.”

You were thankful that Luke was behind you and couldn’t see the look on your face. You glared at Reggie but he just smirked back at you, and you made a mental note to kick his ass later.

“What’s your point, Reg?” Playing dumb probably wasn’t your best move, but you could you really didn’t want to make things awkward with Luke again.

“I’m just saying when you play your little on-stage game,” Reggie said. “You guys ooze chemistry.”

“You should never say ‘ooze’ again, but yeah, I agree.” Alex piped up from behind his drums, giving you a shit-eating grin. Great, now you had two asses to kick.

You looked back at Luke to find him already staring at you as he rubbed the back of his neck. You shared a bashful smile before looking everywhere but each other.

“Yeah, but I have chemistry with everyone I sing with.” Luke reasoned, sounding a little panicked. “Watch.”

He walked over to Reggie and sang directly in his face, making you and Alex struggle not to laugh.

“I see chemistry.” Alex joked.

“That was pretty hot.” Reggie admitted as Luke kissed his fingers and pressed them against Reggie’s lips, making him sputter awkwardly. “Girls, am I right?”

Luke laughed as he walked back over to his spot and tugged his guitar strap over his shoulder. “Yeah.”

“No.” Alex said with a smile, making you burst out laughing.

Hours later, you stood on your tip-toes, peering out at the crowd that had grown enough to fill the entire driveway.

As they all waited for the show to start, you reached down and felt the outline of your parent’s photo shoved in your pocket. You patted it for good luck, the way you always did before a performance.

Julie stood in front of the garage doors as they were pulled open. There was a wave of applause and Julie settled behind her mic, greeting everyone before starting her solo. Her voice rang out clear over the soft piano, and everyone watched intently, waiting for the rest of you to appear. On top of the balcony, the fake projector clicked on and you took your cue, smiling at the crowd as your voice joined Julie’s.

Just like every time you made your entrance, everyone gasped in surprise and cheered.

You did your best to pose as you sang and danced around, trying to get everyone hyped up. A few people held up their cameras and took pictures, one girl holding her phone so close to your face that you were a little worried that it would go through your head.

Out of the corner of your eye, there was a sudden bright light. For a second, you thought it was just another person taking a picture with their flash, but then you looked over to see Teddy leaning against the wall. He waved a little and you gave him a small smile before going back to the song.

Just as Luke’s verse started, he followed your eyes and saw Teddy, his usual charming smile faltering for a second before locking eyes with you.

Then it was time for your verse with Julie, so you turned away from Luke and strolled towards the piano, watching as Julie crawled on top of it. You followed her lead and sat on the edge, facing the audience and launching into the lyrics.

You could hear Teddy cheering loudly to your right, catching the attention of the whole band, but mostly Luke. As the music softened, Luke suddenly abandoned his spot behind his microphone and was now slowly walking towards you.

He started playing a solo that definitely wasn't planned and almost drowned out the sound of both your and Julie’s voices. When you turned around, you found that he was only a few feet away.

Luke put on his flirty, on-stage face as he slowly inched forward until he was right in front of you. But there was another layer under it. Something sharper and completely unfamiliar. You must’ve seen a hundred different expressions on Luke's face but he had never looked at you like that before.

You tried to look over Julie, who was looking at the two of you with a smirk, but Luke seemed determined to keep your attention. You were extremely grateful that you couldn't blush because you would've been bright red.

The bubble was broken as the chorus started up again and Luke smirked at you one last time before walking back to his microphone. The crowd roared and you took a breath, mentally cursing him and his stupid face for distracting you.

The soft piano came back in and the boys phased away as you and Julie finished the song. You bowed and disappeared, poofing back into the garage.

It was just after dark when the last of the crowd went home.

Julie stayed around for a while but she eventually went inside too, leaving the four of you alone in the cold night air.

You sat on the concrete of the driveway, your songbook propped up on your knee as you watched the boys play basketball. You cheered them on and absentmindedly scribbled doodles on the corners of pages of your old songs.

There was a sharp pop in the air and you looked up to see Teddy standing at the end of the driveway, his hands in his pockets as he walked closer.

You had been so caught up in Luke during the performance and then celebrating with the band afterward that by the time you went to look for Teddy, he had disappeared. You quickly got up and brushed off your legs before running to meet him.

“Hey! There you are, you kinda disappeared.” You said and Teddy cleared his throat.

“Yeah, sorry. Uh, can we walk somewhere? We really need to talk.” Teddy said and you cringed when you realized that it suddenly went completely quiet behind you.

You looked back at your friends who were all watching you with different expressions. Reggie looked almost nervous as he fidgeted with the basketball in his hands. Next to him, Alex stared Teddy down with his trademark intense glare and Luke just stood there with his arms crossed as he stared into the street behind you.

“Yeah, okay.” You said quickly, hoping to avoid any more awkwardness. You went to lead Teddy away when suddenly the boys stumbled back, groaning painfully as they were hit with another shock. “Shit!"

Without fully meaning to, you ran to Luke first, quickly inspecting him and watching him carefully as he winced in pain. You glanced over to Reggie and Alex to make sure they were okay before turning back to Luke.

“It’s getting worse.” Luke told you as he rubbed his chest.

“Why is this happening to us?” Reggie asked.

Suddenly, a familiar voice cut through the air. "It’s because you guys are in serious trouble.”

You whipped around to see Willie nervously wringing his hands as he stepped into the light.

Alex took a step closer to him, looking dazed like he couldn’t believe what he was seeing. “Willie?”

“Like I said,” Teddy said suddenly, making everyone look at him. “We need to talk.”

Even though you weren’t supposed to be able to get cold anymore, a chill overtook your whole body as you walked down the street.

You could hear everyone talking in front of you but your brain had shut off after Willie explained the basics the first time. Not only was he secretly working for an evil club owner, but Teddy, who you thought was your friend, was teaming up with him in order to steal your soul and make you and your best friends play in a house band for all eternity.

Your brain was so full that you felt like any more information would make you short-circuit.

“So, all these shocks are because of the stamps that Caleb put on us?” Luke asked, pulling you out of your thoughts.

“He’s threatened by you,” Willie explained as he stopped in the middle of the sidewalk and whipped around. “You’re the only ghosts that lifers can see without his help.”

Alex, who had been just as quiet as you this whole time suddenly spoke up. “And you let him do this to us?”

“I can’t stop him.” Willie tried to defend himself. “He owns my soul!”

“He owns half of Hollywood’s souls.” Teddy butted in. “It’s kind of his thing.”

Willie took a deep, unsteady breath. “If he even knew we were here talking to you…”

He didn’t finish, but from the pained look on his face, you could tell that he couldn’t have been going anywhere good with that sentence.

Next to you, Reggie crossed his arms. “So if we don’t join his club, this power outage keeps going on until there’s no power left?”

Willie nodded and Reggie scoffed. “And what exactly happens when the power goes out?”

Teddy cleared his throat. “You disappear forever. No crossing over, you just...stop existing.”

“So we have no choice?” Luke snapped as he glared at Teddy. “We have to leave our friend, our band, behind to work for Caleb forever?”

“There is another option.” Teddy said. “If you could figure out your unfinished business, you could cross over in time and be free from all of it.”

“Okay, so what’s our unfinished business?” Luke asked.

“I don’t know.” Teddy gestured to all of you. “But since you all died at the same time, it’s probably something you have to do together.”

“Why should we listen to anything either of you has to say?” Alex said as he glared at both Teddy and Willie. He sounded so betrayed that it made your stomach turn.

“Because I care about you, Alex.” Willie pleaded. “I hate that it’s my fault that you and your friends are in this mess.”

It was quiet for a minute before he looked around anxiously. “I can’t be gone any longer. I’m sorry.”

With that, he disappeared.

“Don’t be too hard on Willie,” Teddy said once he was gone. “He wanted out of the plan the minute Caleb told us everything.”

“And what about you?” You asked, trying to contain your anger and Teddy sighed.

“(Y/n), I know that being your friend started out as a lie,” He pleaded. “But it’s not anymore.”

“You really expect me to believe that?” You scoffed.

“Look, I know you don’t know me, but I know you.” He ran a hand through his hair. “I know how much Cece cared about you, and I know that this isn’t what she would’ve wanted.”

As if everything wasn’t enough, being reminded of Cece made you feel even worse. Teddy was your last connection to her and now you couldn't even stand to be near him. “I think you should go.”

“(Y/n), please-” Teddy tried to take a step closer to you but Alex fixed him with a look so intense that he backed up almost immediately. With a sigh, he phased away, leaving the four of you out on the street alone.

“This is all my fault.” Alex said, his voice breaking a little. “I met Willie, and he introduced us to Caleb.”

“Alex, no.” You shook your head. “This isn’t anyone’s fault.”

“We have to tell Julie.” Reggie said, washing a new wave of sadness over all of you.

“We can’t.” You said. “She’s lost too much already.”

“If we don’t want Caleb to own our souls, we need to figure out our unfinished business.” Luke started walking further down the street.

“And how are we supposed to do that?” Alex asked as you all followed him. “There was so much that we wanted to do.”

Luke suddenly stopped in the middle of the sidewalk, his eyes trailing up to the buildings. “The night we died, there was one thing we wanted to do together.”

You followed his eyes to see the Orpheum’s sign casting a blue glow on the street. “Play the Orpheum?”

“Getting that gig was impossible,” Alex said. “We had to call in favors and impress who knows how many club owners. It took us years.”

Just as the last word got out, they were hit with another shock. You cringed in sympathy and rested your hand on Alex’s arm.

“We don’t have years.” Luke said through a groan as he clutched his chest.

Everyone went their separate ways once you made it back to the garage.

Reggie went up to the house, and Alex barely sat still for five minutes before he left to go on a walk, leaving just you and Luke.

You sat on the rungs of the loft's ladder, staring up at the ceiling as you tried to process everything that's happened. Getting so close to living out your dream only to die and become a ghost, finding out that people could still hear you play, Bobby betraying all of you, meeting Julie and Teddy. It all felt so unreal.

There is no way you’d believe any of it if someone told you all this would happen back when you were alive.

Suddenly, Luke appeared at the base of the ladder, frowning up at you. "Uh-oh. You’re perched up there again.”

“What?” You questioned.

“In your thinking spot.” Luke laughed. “Why do you think we all called you ‘Batman’ in seventh grade?”

"How could I not be thinking right now, Lu?" You said as you carefully slid down to the floor, and Luke backed up slightly to give you space. “I mean, we just found out that we have to play an impossible gig and cross over or you guys will-”

The words died in your throat. You couldn’t even bring yourself to talk about possibly losing any of them. Just thinking about it opened a black hole in your chest.

But there was something else on your mind too. Even though you told Alex that it wasn’t anyone’s fault, you couldn’t help but feel guilty about trusting Teddy. But for Cece’s sake, you wanted to believe that he was actually your friend.

You wanted to tell Luke everything you were thinking, or at least try to explain why you didn’t take his advice. But of course, Luke already knew what was going on inside your head.

“None of this is your fault, Squeaks.” He reassured. Your lips quirked up slightly at the nickname. You almost couldn’t remember the last time he called you that and hearing it again immediately made you feel warm. "Besides, your unique ability to blindly trust people is one of my favorite things about you."

You snorted and Luke fought a laugh before continuing. “Well, that and your snort.”

“If you’re gonna be mean to me, I’m going back up to my perch.” You jokingly turned towards the ladder but Luke was quick to grab your hand, turning your back around and pulling you closer to him.

You looked up at Luke as his fingers intertwined with yours. You had held hands with Luke countless times, and you hated the fact that it affected you as much as it always did. It was normally just a way of comforting each other. But after the way he acted during the gig, you couldn’t help but wonder if…

“Hey,” Luke said. “We’re gonna figure everything out.”

“How do you know?”

Luke gave you a smile as he pulled you even closer and wrapped his arms around you. “When have I ever been wrong?”

You laughed and Luke squeezed your hand playfully in response. Your head was still spinning with everything that happened tonight, but the guilt had lessened a little as you tucked your head into his shoulder.

You don't know how long you stayed like that. It felt like hours and seconds all at the same time, but when you finally did pull away, you found yourself frozen in place. Your arms still locked each other, your face now just inches away from his.

“(Y/n), I…” Luke started, his voice uncertain as his eyes drifted down to your lips.

Holy shit.

You blinked up at him, actively trying not to freak out while you waited for whatever his next move was going to be. Were you hallucinating or was Luke about to kiss you?

Just as he went to speak again, there was a bright flash and Alex poofed in just a few feet away. As soon as he saw your and Luke’s position, his jaw dropped and he mumbled nonsense for a few seconds before clearing his throat.

“Hey.” He said, sending you an apologetic look as you and Luke separated so fast that it made you dizzy. “(Y/n), can I talk to you for a second?”

You slowly nodded and smiled awkwardly at Luke before grabbing Alex’s arm and dragging both of you out of the studio. All your thoughts from earlier disappeared and were replaced with one simple question:

What the hell just happened?

In Life, In Death Taglist:

@ifilwtmfc @instabull @wanniiieeee @tenaciousperfectionunknown @charliegillespiewife @merceret @itismeasmolpotato @lilostif16 @dangerouslyclose @iainttakingshitfromnobody @givemebooksorgivemedeath @sunsetcurvedotmp3 @askgeoff @mayleenicole5676 @puppy11148 @vampire7595 @wackyworrieruniverse @reallysparklychaos @lovelydaydreams15

JATP Taglist:

@caitsymichelle13 @sunsetcurvej

Let me know if you want to be added!

#luke patterson #luke patterson imagine #luke patterson x reader #Alex Mercer #Reggie Peters #julie molina #jatp fanfic #jatp

106 notes · View notes

harrywritingsbyme · 4 years

Text

Kisses In The Rain

Anonymous Said: can you do one where it’s like their third date and its raining so bad so they end up stuck in harry’s range rover and talking til the rain calms down, and in the mean time she asks for some gum and he spits his in her mouth then they make out & gives h a blowie in the back seat?🥺

Based Off Of This Ask

A/N: This is the latest I’ve ever posted and I’m so sorry! But this one is a big ball of fluff and smut with a bad ending. Enjoy🙃

To most, being stuck in the rain is considered to be a pain in the ass and one of the worst things ever. But for you and Harry, getting stuck in the rain was a bit of a blessing in disguise.

The two of you were leaving from you guys’ third date which was absolutely amazing. Even though it was only the third date, both you and Harry were completely hooked on each other. This third date came right on the heels of you guys having two dates in the week prior to this one, and almost a month after meeting each other for the first time. There was just this connection and spark that couldn’t keep you two away. And when you and Harry were together, the both of you made sure to soak up every second of being in each others presence.

This is exactly what was happening with you two tonight.

Harry managed to secure a reservation at one of your all time favorite restaurants and you were beyond excited. Maybe a bit more than Harry. He was so excited to see you again that he changed his outfit three times before eventually settling on something. He even got to your place a bit early so that he could spend more time with you. Luckily for Harry, your excitement matched his and you weren’t at all phased by the fact that he got a front row seat to watch you run around like a chicken with your head cut off as you were trying to get ready for you guys’ date.

After kicking Harry out of your bedroom so that you could actually get dressed without any distractions (not that you at all minded him being there with you), you were finally get ready and walk out of the door with him. Luckily, the two of you were able to beat the traffic and get to the restaurant just in time to make the reservation. Once you two sat down across from each other, you and Harry were in your zone. Even though you guys had been spending a pretty good amount of time together over the past couple of weeks, now going into a month, you and Harry were still in the getting to know each other stage. So there was plenty to talk and laugh about together. So much that the two of you spent almost three hours at the restaurant during you guys’ dinner date. When the waiter brought the check over to the table and said take your time, you two really took that to heart. Instead of promptly acknowledging the bill, about twenty minutes passed before you and Harry paid any type of attention to it. The entire three hours was filled with conversation, laughs, little touches here and there, and since you two were in the more private area of the restaurant, the two of you also shared a few pecks from across the table to each other.

Even though everything was still a bit fresh for you two, both you and Harry felt very optimistic and hopeful for what was in store for the future of you guys’ relationship.

After finally settling the bill, that is after battling over who was going to actually pay it of course, the two of you finally get yourselves ready to head out. While you two were packing yourselves up to leave, you could hear some rumblings of thunder outside, signifying to you and Harry that it was time to hurry things along.

But you guys weren’t as fast as you would’ve hoped.

As if the rain realized that you and Harry were outside, it immediately began to drizzle when Harry handed the ticket over the valet. Luckily for you both (more for you since you just got your hair done), there was a bit of an awning for you both to stand under until the car came around. After waiting for a couple minuets and standing in the rain that was getting a bit harder, the car finally came around, prompting you and Harry to make a dash to the Range Rover that was awaiting you two. Once you and Harry are are safe from the rain (and the cameras that managed to find out where Harry was), Harry wastes no time pulling off from the restaurant. He wasn’t even a good ten minuets out before the real rain began to pour out of the sky. Since it was night time and it was already dark, and now add onto that the heavy rain, Harry decides to move off to the side of the street he just turned on.

“This might be a while.” Harry huffs. Once the car is parked, he undoes his seatbelt and relaxes in his seat.

“Yeah, but at least I’m stuck with you.” You hum in agreement, mirroring his actions and undoing your seatbelt. You were tying to make the situation a little bit brighter for you two. More time to spend together right?

“I couldn’t imagine being stuck with anyone else.” Harry says through the smile that was forming on his face. When he turns his head in your direction, he’s immediately welcomed with a warm and soft smile from you. As cheesy as it sounded (and Harry was so thankful that he didn’t say this out loud), even though it was just about pitch black and gloomy outside, your smile managed to brighten up and bring warmth the entire situation. That warmth managed to infiltrate his entire body, and push him to lean over the console separating you to bring his lips to yours. When his extremely plush and pillow soft lips touch his, a jolt of electricity runs through your body. It was the same electricity that would come when you two were completely alone with absolutely no eyes watching your every move. Harry could say the exact same thing. Even through you two were in his car that was parked on a random street, the rain along with the now foggy windows from the cool air that was once flowing through the car and the warm air outside created a makeshift shield from you both. And having this privacy made you and Harry want to explore each other a bit more and be close to each other in the same way as if you two were at home. After moving your lips against each others for a little while longer, you decide to make the first move and pull away.

“Can we cuddle in the back seat? This thing is kind of in our way.” You ask, motioning your head down towards the console between you and Harry.

“Only if it means that I get to kiss you some more.” Harry bargains, pushing his lips back against yours for another peck. He couldn’t lie that he was completely addicted to kissing you. So addicted that he was dying to not only kiss your lips, but the rest of your body.

“Are you trying to have a backseat make out session with me Styles?” You tease him, bringing the hand that had made it’s way up to his shoulder, further up to his cheek to give him a little squeeze.

“Only if you want it to be a backseat make out session.” He continues.

“Well I’ll make sure to leave my shoes up here when I crawl back there. I know you’re crazy about your cars.” You reply to him, pulling yourself completely away so that you could undo your shoes. Once your shoes are off, you recline the seat a bit and strategize on how exactly you were going to get back there. “Now I’m gonna crawl back there. I don’t want you to be a little perv and look up my skirt while I do it.” You tease, wagging your finger in his direction with a “serious” look on your face before moving to crawl into the back seat. Even though you told him not to sneak a look at the treats underneath your skirt, Harry couldn’t help himself. Even though it was a short time frame, he still got to get a little peak at the situation going on under your dress. He thoroughly enjoyed the sight and hoped that he would be able to venture out and explore down there a bit more.

Once you’re back there and your seat is up, it’s Harry’s turn to make his way back there to join you. He follows suit with what you did and takes his shoes off before reclining and eventually crawling back there with you. Since he’s significantly taller than you, his journey to the backseat wasn’t as graceful as yours but he got the job done and was right beside you in the pretty spacious backseat. Once the two of you were comfortable back there, you and Harry pick up right where you two left off in the front seat. The two of you waste no time bringing your lips back to each others. For the next ten or fifteen minuets, neither of you bother to even try your hands at coming up for air. The both of your are completely engrossed in each other. Neither you or Harry wanted to stop sponging the soft and wet kisses to each others mouths. The way your tongues glided against one another was purely euphoric to you and Harry.

Who knew that such a simple act like kissing had the power to evoke such feelings out of someone? Or maybe it was just the simple fact that you and Harry were addicted to each other.

“Do you have another stick of gum? I feel a a little bad for making out with you right after dinner. Don’t wanna give you the dinner and wine breath.” You pant at him after abruptly pulling away.

“Yeah, I have some gum.” Harry chuckles at your statement, completely amazed at how one person could be as adorable as you are.

“Thanks!” You reply happily, moving back to give him some room to move around.

But Harry seemed to have other plans; or at least the little voice in his head did.

Without even thinking, Harry removes one of his hands from your waist and brings it up to your face. He then softly cups your jaw, forcing your mouth open. Before you could question him, his mouth is on yours and you could feel his tongue agains yours as he pushes the gum into your mouth. When he does this, your head immediately begins to spin. When he does this, you immediately wonder if he’s a mind reader. How would he know that you liked it when your partner spit into your mouth or did something like that?! You were throughly amazed and thoroughly turned on. He then lets go of your jaw and pulls away from your mouth. You were still in complete shock, trying to wrap your head around it all, and Harry was trying to figure out whether or not he grossed you out and scared you off.

“Thanks for the gum.” You shakily whisper to him. Now that you’re looking at him and thinking back to what he did, you’re immediately overcome with the strong desire to just jump his bones. So thats what you do. With the position you and Harry were in, you two sitting next to each other with your bodies turned in one another direction, you didn’t have to think much on how you were going to be closer to him. So without leaving much time in between now and the gum swap, you reach out to pull him back to you by his neck and you fall back onto the seat behind you. Your lips are frantically moving against Harry’s as his body falls on top of yours. At this point, you could’ve cared less about the dinner and wine breath if it meant that it would still give you the opportunity to have this man on you.

You didn’t even have to tell him that you were into what he did. Simply from the way you looked at him before you pulled him on top of you was enough for him. He was so glad you liked what he did because he couldn’t get the vivid images of him using his mouth to do the filthiest things to you. That includes spitting into your mouth. And now being on top of you and between your legs, those thoughts only intensified. As the kiss continued, you and Harry both were getting turned on beyond belief. After a while, your legs wrapped around his lower back, pulling him down closer to you; all of you. You could feel his growing bulge pressing up against your panties and you weren’t mad at it in the slightest. You had an idea of how big he was, which according to his mannerisms and how he moved around, you’d say pretty big. But feeling him against you was a completely different story. You were starting to think that you were underestimating his size.

As the use of tongue grew, your moans and movements against each other grew as well. It went from soft licks into each others mouths, light gasps and moans, and light, sporadic ruts against each other, to full on deep kisses with a very healthy amount of tongue, louder and deeper moans, and full on dry humping against each other. It was pretty spectacular too. The fireworks were going off in your minds and the both of you wanted to keep this momentum you had going. Then again, for the third time of the night, you pull away from Harry. You cup his cheeks and softly push his head up from yours.

“The little voice in my head is screaming at me to suck you off right now.” You bluntly whisper up to him. When you say this, his cock immediately jumps for joy in his pants. If there was one feeling that Harry was dying to feel, it’d be the feeling of your warm and wet mouth, along with your pillow soft lips, and your smaller, warm, and incredibly soft hands around his cock.

“I like to listen to that little voice sometimes.” Harry says shakily. To Harry, you were like a mystical creature. Completely unreal, unbelievable, and perfect.

“I think that me listening to the little voice involves you being on your back.” You whisper to him softly, lowering your hands down from his face and to his shoulders and unwrapping your legs from him.

“I think so too.” Harry whispers smugly before lifting himself up off of you. After moving from on top of your body and giving you some room to move around a little, Harry ends up lying on the seat with his legs spread for you to be in between them. Before you get in to playing with his cock, you move so that you’re hovering over Harry. You then bring your mouth down to his, pushing your tongue past his parted lips. You then push the gum he once gave to you, back into his mouth before pulling away completely.

“I need you to hold onto that for a little while.” You whisper to him before moving down his body and between his legs. At this rate, there was no doubt in Harry’s mind that he was going to cum after a couple minuets of having your mouth on him. He just knew it.

When your mind processes that you’re between his legs, a little bit of nervousness washes over you. You were a little nervous to see his cock and just how big he was. “Just take your time baby.” Harry reassures you, reaching down to stroke your cheek to ease the nervousness he was picking up on. You give him a small smile in return to say thank you, take a deep breath, and you then reach up to undo his pants.

As you undo his pants and everything, Harry was bursting with excitement. He was beyond ready and excited to feel you on him. He watches as your hands fumble with his pants as you undo and now pull them down his legs along with his boxers. He lifts his hips a little to help you being them down and pull them off. Once the pants are out of your way, your focus is completely redirected to his cock that was proudly standing up in his lap. You really underestimated this time. He was huge. It was a bit intimidating , but an even bigger turn on. You were pretty curious as to how you’d fit him in your mouth or inside you at all.

You decide to quit staring at his cock, and just take him into your mouth already. You come in closer between his legs and you reach out to wrap your hand around him. Your hand barely fit around his entire girth. You were definitely in for something you’d never experienced before. When your hand touches him for the first time, Harry couldn’t stop himself from jumping and gasping at the feeling. It was like your hand was made to be wrapped around his cock.

“M’sorry, your hand just feels really nice ‘round me.” Harry pants, trying to calm himself down.

Seeing his reaction to you was a definite and major confidence booster. You were confident that you would be able to pleasure him and really make him feel good. You give him a couple tugs and you bring your head down closer to his cock. You then part your lips and you take the thick crown of him into your mouth. It felt nice. It felt really good to have his warm and big cock in your mouth. As you begin to suckle on the sensitive and thick crown of him, swirling your tongue around and pressing it into his slit, you squeeze and move your hand up and down his shaft. Even though you hadn’t taken him fully yet, Harry was feeling really good. He was dying to feel more of your mouth on him.

You don’t focus on the head of him for too long because you want to feel just how full your mouth can be with his cock. So you push your head down a little bit more, taking more of his length into your mouth. When you do this you get a better idea of just how big he was. But this didn’t stop you. You continue to take more and more of him until you feel him getting closer and closer to the back of your throat. Instead of stopping, you continue on all the way down until you gag around him and the tip of your nose is touching the hairs surrounding his cock.

“Oh my- Y/n!” Harry gasps loudly. When he looks down he couldn’t believe his eyes. You have a hand squeezing his thigh as you take every last inch of his cock down your throat. After managing to hold him there for a few more seconds, you pull your mouth off of him. While you’re struggling a little to catch your breath, you don’t stop what you’re doing to his cock. You continue to tug at his now soaking wet shaft and you even test the waters of playing with his balls a little. Most of the guys you’d been with weren’t immediately receptive of this, so you were pleasantly when Harry’s moans got even louder and his hips even lifted up into your hands at the feeling.

“Feel good?” You ask him, keeping your focus on his cock.

“I usually last a lot longer, but you just feel so good.” Harry whispers timidly through a whimper.

“Just call me magic mouthed Y/n.” You hum jokingly before bringing your mouth back down onto him.

“Absolutely-“ He wanted to say absolutely not, but the way your mouth was moving against him right now definitely warranted that nickname. The way you were sloppily yet expertly touching him was extraordinary to Harry. Your mouth was perfectly warm and wet and just amazing. What you do next though sends Harry through the roof and right over the edge. You pull your mouth off of his shaft and you push his cock up towards his stomach. You then lick around his balls and you even suck them both (one at a time of course…they were pretty big too) into your mouth. Once you’ve paid some attention to his balls, you lay your tongue flat against the underside of him and you lick all the way up to his head. You bring your eyes up to lock with his and you wrap your lips back around his now beyond sensitive and leaky head. Keeping your hand on his shaft, you bring your free hand down to his balls and you give his cock in it’s entirety a squeeze. By using your mouth and both of your hands, you milk his cum right of his cock and into your mouth. “Fuck Y/n!” Harry shouts as he lets go. The tight and burning release that was bubbling in the pit of his stomach finally overtook him. He couldn’t hold it anymore, you were too good.

As he came, you kept your mouth on him. You wanted to taste his cum in your mouth. You weren’t typically a swallower, but you felt like Harry’s cum would taste better than the rest (even though you hadn’t tasted many). And you were right. It wasn’t completely horrible.

Once he was all done, you swallow the pretty large load he left in your mouth and you use your tongue to clean up any remnants of the thick substance that didn’t make it into your mouth. You then press a small kiss to the head of his now limp (but still pretty big) cock and you begin to get him redressed. You could see that you really sucked the life out of him with that release so you do your best to get his clothes back on without asking him to do much. After getting his boxers on you move on to his pants but he quickly stops you.

“Don’t worry about those, just wanna cuddle.” Harry slurs. That was what you two were supposed to be doing after all. You drop his pants and you press one final kiss to his cock through his boxers and you lift yourself up from where you were between his legs to his upper body and you lay yourself down against him. “Thank you so much. That was the best I’ve ever had.” Harry mumbles, still completely out of it.

“I’m glad I was able to make you feel good.” You hum proudly, lifting your head to press a small kiss to his chin. “Since were a bit closer to your house, can we go there instead of all the way to my place?” You ask softly. “Don’t wanna get trapped in the rain again.” You continue, trying to make a plausible or moderately decent reason for your request. Even after two make out sessions and a blowie, the rain still hadn’t let up much.

“Maybe getting stuck in the rain isn’t so bad after all .” Harry whispers optimistically.

“Maybe you’re right.” You whisper.

Masterlist

#Harry Styles #harry styles smut #harry smut #harry styles imagine #harry styles imagines #harry styles one shot #harry styles one shots #harry styles blurb #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles fic #harry styles fanfic #harry x reader #harry styles x reader #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x you #harry styles writing #my harry writing #concepts of h #harrywritingsbyme

796 notes · View notes

ilikekidsshows · 3 years

Text

@sparklyaxolotlstudent wrote:

Sorry but no.

I agree with everything in here except for this bit... which is the main point, but still...

“The very idea that the class does something wrong in ‘Chameleon’ is salt.“

Nope, sorry but nope.

Yes, it’s not their fault they believe Lila’s lies.

Yes, it’s totally in character to be benevolent to someone that they believe was disabled and needed the accomodation

But that’s also the only point were they willingly (but not maliciously, one hope) fucked up.

Lila needs to be at the front because of her tinnitus. Ok, that’s the info they had, that’s what they needed to accomodate.

There are four seats at the front, meaning that Chloe, Sabrina, Nino or Adrien were the only ones that actually needed to switch places.

And what happened?

It’s ambiguos, it might not even had been Lila’s idea to begin with, but everyone decide to switch seats to be with their best friends/boyfriend/girlfriend!

And send Marinette to the back.

Which was also not necessary by any means.

“Oh Marinette I’m sorry you have to be on your own, but you’re going to sit behind Nino and me and in front o X and Y”

Nope

“Oh yeah, you weren’t here, but we decided to switch seats so you’re vanquished to the back row. Sucks to be you amirite?”

Anyone is free to think whatever they want about the seat, some people have argued that the seat is meaningless, that Marinette was overdramatic, etc, etc. Bullshit. She wasn’t made a part of the seating decision, she wasn’t even given a heads up about the seating decision.

Again, you(general you) might think whatever you want, but this was enough to upset Marinette almost to the point of akumatization

“Oh, she should have speak up that she disagreed”

She tried, and the class almost lynched her. She dares to question this, the others glare at her with such hate you could think she just murdered their grandmas.

So yeah, if anything, the class changing the whole seating arrangment without everyone agreeing to it (It’s heavily implied that Adrien was also not aware. Chloe and Sabrina could go either way, but it’s not like she would care) IS something they did wrong and SHOULD apologize. (And no, Alya’s “ You didn't think I'd let my BFF sit all by herself, did you? “ is not an apology)

It’s not salt to point out narrative flaws.

I'm sorry, but what you wrote is literally salt. You're using the exact same arguments salters have been using for years now and it doesn't matter how many times you repackage them the rest of us are still not convinced. In fact, you're so stereotypical, you're even using the cliche salter opener "sorry but no" and replacing actual arguments with nothing more than “nope”. Because your arguments are literally "well, I personally disagree so you're wrong."

Even though we've seen this dance a million times, I'll repeat the counter steps.

1) Your use of hyperbole creates a bad faith argument. The class at no point “almost lynched” Marinette. Stop making things up. You’re trying to argue your point, not make a rant post.

2) You're holding everyone not named Marinette to a completely unreasonable standard of behavior. Fictional characters are flawed as people because otherwise it would be harder to keep stakes up for an engaging story. If the non malicious intentions of the class shouldn't be taken into account and they should be forced to apologise to Marinette, Marinette should be forced to apologise to Lila because she was literally bullying Lila in that episode by your own unreasonable standards of people always having to be perfect and always having to take other people's potential hurt feelings into account.

Or do only Marinette's feelings count? In your view they probably do, because you're such a stereotypical salter.

3) The story not going exactly like you want it to is not a "narrative flaw". That's you having expectations and treating anything that doesn't hit those expectations as bad and wrong is entitled. Then again, salters tend to be entitled so I guess you're playing true to type.

You're free to project and salt and whatever and not even just for self-therapy reasons but because you like it, but don't come at me telling me that's an actual analysis of the show. I have a degree in this stuff and your biases are obvious no matter how much you repeat the same salt discourse that's been around since 'Chameleon' aired.

You get a 0% for this assignment for misrepresenting the purpose of this exercise, and for presenting somebody else’s work as your own.

#ml fandom salt #dats chats #this is literally what I meant when I said salters mimic each other #I thought this was a parody account with how accurate the 'salter stereotype' was #ml salt #since I actually showed the salter's arguments in full in the spirit of presenting the opinion I'm countering

67 notes · View notes

blitheringmcgonagall · 3 years

Text

My Gallant Lad - Part I

So I got a wonderful anon today telling me this is their favourite Lily Rescues James fic, it’s part of my canon marauders fic We Can Be Heroes. But, because it works as a stand alone, I’ll be posting it in 4 parts here. I hope you enjoy it (Lily is very BAMF here but tbh so is James). Set during First Wizarding War...

James slammed the palms of his hands down on Dumbledore’s desk.

“What the fuck were you thinking?” he said, his eyes a hot mess of emotions.

“Get your oafish hands off my desk, now!” Lily said, recovering from the initial shock almost immediately with a flash of anger.

“Your desk?” James said, taking his hands off the desk, nevertheless.

“I’m using it now, yes, I need to get these mission forms finished and signed before bringing them for filing in the Room of Requirement,” Lily said, looking back at James angrily. “What the hell is your problem, Potter?”

“My problem?” James was furious. “I’ll tell you what my problem is, Evans. My problem is that my bloody wife thought it sensible to visit Walburga Black, the same woman who thinks nothing of throwing a Crucio at her children, whose husband tried to kill Sirius, who detests muggleborns, who tried to – oh fucking hell, Lily! What the absolute, ever-living fuck possessed you?”

She had never seen him so angry. She folded her arms defensively and glared back, wondering how he had found out.

“I’ll tell you exactly what possessed me, Potter,” she said coldly. “My problem is my dickhead of a husband who nearly got himself thrown into Azkaban by the Blacks, but then thought it sensible to attend a Black family funeral, and to top it all, decided to call over to chat to Orion’s heir, as you do! Do I need to explain it further? What exactly was I meant to do? Let you read the letter and let you waltz back in there so that bitch could finish you off, once and for all?”

She was standing up now, and he couldn’t quite understand how someone so slender and uncommonly kind could look so intimidating and fierce within the space of a few seconds.

“That letter was addressed to me, damn it!” James said, his voice rising with irritation. “You had no right opening my post!”

“I don’t care!” Lily said, looking more agitated and feeling guilty. “If you think I would have let you just go there, you’re even more stupid than I gave you credit for!”

“You’re a muggleborn, Evans, fucking bloody fucking…” James’ words ran out as he waved his arm about with rage. “You could have been killed, do you understand me? Killed, damn it!”

“Yes, well, so could you, at least I have more sense! Remus and I knew what we were doing!” Lily shot back, feeling angrier by the second.

“You clearly didn’t, Evans! What you did was grossly irresponsible and wilfully sly! I don’t care what you say, you could have been killed, Evans, for fuck’s sake! When I see Moony, I’m going to kill him!”

James made a frustrated noise in the back of his throat and slammed his fist against the wall. Damn it, he was furious and livid and scared out of his wits and fucking sick of this shit.

“Remus didn’t have any choice, I told him I was going, and he decided to come with me, surely a safer bet! Don’t you dare drag Remus into this!” Lily said.

“Don’t you dare, ever, ever go behind my back like that again, ever, do you hear me?” he shouted.

“You can scream all you like, Potter, you don’t get to tell me what to do!” Lily said, her voice rising angrily.

“Don’t you dare act like you’re the innocent one in this Evans, for fuck’s sake!” James said.

“Don’t you dare raise your voice at me, Potter!” Lily said. “Get out!”

Her voice was starting to wobble which made her even madder.

“You know what? Fine!” James said, gripping his wand tightly and watching as furious sparks flew from his wand tip. “If you want to tell yourself that this is my fault, if you want to lie to yourself so you can – ugh! Lily, don’t you dare defend this!”

“I’m not listening to your ranting any longer!” Lily said, slamming the book shut and flinging her quills and parchment into her well-worn bag.

She marched past him, livid and upset and boiling with rage. They hadn’t spoken since. James had slept at his parents’ house for a while and now, with Sirius and Remus gone, James had taken to sleeping in his friends’ bedroom. He didn’t like leaving her with only Wormy for protection. They avoided each other at mealtimes. Peter had cringed and disappeared into the relative safety of his bedroom. There was simply no way he could win if he took sides. They were both still furious.

***

“Looks like you swapped into an easy shift,” said Edgar Bones, loosening his collar and placing his cloak over his arm. “Nothing much happening, no handover.”

“Thanks,” said James curtly.

“Lily, James,” Edgar said, tipping his hat at them, sensing something was amiss but too polite to bring it up in conversation.

“Edgar,” said James.

“Bye, Edgar, see you soon,” Lily said, smiling at him half-heartedly.

“If it stays this quiet, I’m going to try going for a kip,” said Frank Longbottom, looking at the fireplace one last time and throwing a blanket over himself.

James nodded absent-mindedly, his left hand restlessly tapping on his thigh, shooting Lily fleeting glances when he knew she wasn’t watching. He hated whenever they fought, and this had been their worst row ever. The night stayed quiet, Lily dozed off on the armchair and James watched her. He was worried about her too, she looked pale and she seemed off her food for weeks now. It added to the leaden feeling of guilt he was carrying. It was his fault. He was right, he was damned well right, and he had nothing to apologise for, but he probably would. Because he knew what he was getting himself into when he married her, didn’t he? And wouldn’t he have done the exact same thing in her place, he told himself for the umpteenth time? He transfigured his jumper into a warm, thick blanket and placed it over her gently, doubling it up and kissing the top of her head tenderly. He watched the magical fairy lights on the tree twinkling merrily. He couldn’t have felt less Christmassy. He fell asleep eventually, having transfigured the rug into a scratchy blanket.

He was woken up by a loud shout emanating from the fireplace.

“You better get your sorry arses down here immediately! I’ve just intercepted intel that a couple of Death Eaters are planning an attack on a muggle school bus in the vicinity of Newcastleton!” Dedalus Diggle’s voice crackled.

“Where’s that?” said James, his voice still croaky from sleep.

“Border between England and Scotland. Dumbledore has left a special portkey in his room that means you should be able to get anywhere, immediately. Hurry! There’s nobody else around.”

“Great!” grumbled Frank, sitting up reluctantly, but shoving his feet into his shoes without hesitation. “Typical Dumbledore, never around when you need him!”

“Get some water and rations and let’s go,” Lily said, standing up and sitting back down rather suddenly.

“Alright, Evans?” James said, with a concerned frown.

“Fine, just feeling a bit sick, probably need to eat something,” she said.

“Maybe you should stay behind?” James said.

“No!” Lily said, forcing herself to stand. “It’s fine. We can’t risk it. It’s children, James!”

James nodded immediately. He wanted to apologise, but not in front of Frank.

“Dedalus, can you try and contact a few of the others in case anyone is available to join us? We’ll be with you in a jiffy,” he said.

“No can do, I’ve also had word of another attack planned in Wales, I’m trying to get in touch with Moody as we speak!”

“Got it,” said Lily, looking at Frank and James. “Don’t worry, we’re on it!”

***

“This place gives me the creeps,” said James, peering up at the tall trees.

The air felt thick and heavy, the branches seemed to vie with each other to block out the sunlight, suffocating. Thick moss, grey and faded, clung to everything, dried twigs and branches snapped loudly beneath their feet, disturbing the numerous birds whose harsh cries filled the air, as though spying on them, he thought, watching their acrobatic flight.

“Jackdaws,” he said quietly, moving closer to Lily.

Lily gave him a quizzical look.

“That’s their call - a short, loud, ‘kya’ sound, and they have distinctive, beady white eyes,” he added.

“Is there anything you guys don’t know?” grumbled Frank, shooting James a friendly grin.

“Nope,” James grinned back.

He moved closer to Lily, protectively, feeling a threat in the fabric of the forest, ancient memories, secret and forbidding. He had transfigured the portkey into a muggle leather bracelet, insignificant and worthless to any potential Death-Eaters, which he had placed on Lily’s wrist despite her protestations.

“They must be here somewhere,” Frank whispered, holding his wand aloft. “If we just keep walking, we’ll increase the chances of them seeing us.”

“Let’s split up, I’ll hide in there,” Lily said, pointing to a decrepit, large pine, whose gnarly trunk was rotting and held space for one person. “You two get on higher ground. We can all see the road from here. If you spot anything dangerous, send your signal.”

James’ was an owl hooting, Lily’s was the snort of a frightened deer, Frank’s was the harsh screech of a magpie.

“Alright,” James said, turning to look at Lily, feeling awkward and unsure. “Take care, please.”

“You too,” Lily said, her face unreadable.

“I’m glad Alice isn’t on call today,” Frank whispered after a pause, as they moved on carefully. “We just found out she’s pregnant. Bit of a shock really. Took us ages to figure it out, despite her feeling nauseated for a couple of weeks, being off her food, feeling dizzy and tired, you name it!”

He looked excited and pleased.

“Frank!” said James. “Wow, that’s… that’s brave of you, and rather wonderful news.”

He didn’t know what to say.

He stopped short.

Took us ages to figure it out, despite her feeling nauseated for a couple of weeks, being off her food, feeling dizzy and tired, you name it!

The night of Sirius’ twentieth Birthday. They had both forgotten to cast a contraceptive charm. Could that explain…?

“Frank, I forgot something, I need to run back to Lily, go ahead!” James said.

“You okay?” Frank said, seeing James’ face turn grey.

But he was already gone.

***

“Lily!” James said, catching his breath.

“What is it?” Lily said, wand ready to shoot.

“Lily, have you done a pregnancy charm?”

“A what?”

“To see if you’re pregnant?”

“No, why?”

They stared at each other for a moment. Understanding dawned on her.

“James,” said Lily, her green eyes searching his anxiously.

“Let me,” James whispered, taking hold of his wife’s slender wrist and turning her palm upwards, he pointed his wand tip at her pulse point. “Gravidam!”

They both watched as James’ wand tip glowed green.

“Fuck,” he said hoarsely, staring at her.

“What does that mean, James?” Lily said.

“It means… it means you’re pregnant,” James said, running a hand through his hair in agitation. “Fucking bloody fucking…”

Lily’s eyes were wide as his words sank in. As his reaction sank in. She turned away from him and swiped hastily at the tears that fell down her cheeks silently.

“We need to…” James said urgently. “Fucking Merlin… fuck, fuck, fuck!”

“I’m sorry, alright?” Lily’s voice broke as she spoke, her lower lip trembling. “I should have been more careful. I didn’t mean this to happen now, God I really didn’t mean this to… I understand if that’s how you feel, James, but I-“

“What?” James said, turning her around to face him and taking her face in his hands tenderly. “Lily, Merlin, I don’t mean –“

The screech of a magpie rent the air and they both jumped.

“Incarcerous!” numerous voices shouted, as thick ropes coiled themselves swiftly around them, James’ wand dropping to the floor.

“Expelliarmus!” a recognisable voice added, James’ wand flying through the air. “Where’s the other one’s wand?”

“Mulciber,” James said, the blood draining from his face.

“I said, where’s your wand, bitch?” Mulciber said, grabbing Lily by the throat.

“I dropped it earlier on,” Lily rasped, staring back at him defiantly. “I can’t find it.”

“Accio Lily Evans’ wand!” Mulciber ordered, pointing his wand at Lily.

Lily’s wand flew out of the thicket behind them. Mulciber leered at Lily.

“Grab hold of them and set anti-apparition wards around them! And get them to de Soulis Castle, now!” Mulciber said to the other Death-Eaters who surrounded them. “The Dark Lord will be very disappointed to find that it isn’t Sirius Black we have captured, just a useless blood-traitor and a vile mudblood. The information we received must have been incorrect.”

“Shut the fuck up, Mulciber!” James sprang forwards in fury.

“Quiet!” Mulciber said, coming right up in front of Lily and grabbing hold of her Jacket collar. “Or she gets hurt.”

James swallowed.

I tried to laugh about it Cover it all up with lies I tried to laugh about it Hiding the tears in my eyes 'Cause boys don't cry

***

The weathered remains of the castle loomed, malevolent, as they crossed the bridge over the moat. Fragments of a tower emerged, the holes in its walls reminiscent of a skull. While the forest around it was dry and parched, wilting and unseasonably warm, as they neared the castle gates mist descended on them. The inside of the castle felt damp and cold. Much colder. Mulciber’s breath condensed in front of him as he spoke, frost clung to the corners of the walls, there were no windows in the great hall.

He had seen this room before… where?

The heavy double doors leading into the main banqueting hall swung open, and four men entered, none of their faces were masked.

“Villiers, Wilkes, Rosier, Snape,” said Mulciber, with a cold laugh. “Your very closest allies, I believe? I failed to retrieve the disowned Black heir, but I found these.”

Villiers and Wilkes giggled. Silence descended as another figure entered the room, the five men bowing immediately. Muciber pushed James and Lily forcefully and they fell forwards onto their knees. James watched as Voldemort approached slowly, with a gleeful expression. He zoned in on Snape, Snape who was watching Lily with terror on his face, before carefully schooling it into neutral.

The room.

McGonagall’s grim tones echoed in his mind.

“So, a group of Death Eaters, who appear to have captured Lily Evans, in an unidentified location?”

Divination class. His vision. He had forseen this.

“Lily,” he said quietly, speaking through his teeth. “Do you trust me to get us out?”

He was sure Voldemort could hear his heart pounding.

“If you have an idea, I’m all in,” Lily murmured, watching Voldemort as he drew nearer.

“Leave it to me,” he whispered.

Taking a deep breath, he turned and locked eyes with Severus Snape.

“Fuck you, Severus Snape! You absolute bastard! Stay the fuck away from my wife, do you hear? Don’t you dare go near her, you fucking piece of shit! I despise you, Snivellus! You fucking coward! Bastard cursed Death Eater! Stay the fuck away from her or I’ll kill you with my bare hands!” James screamed.

#My Gallant Lad #WCBH one shots #BAMF!Lily #BAMF!James #Lily rescues James #first wizarding war #angst and adventure #anti sneep #not for you if you like sneep #jily fic #canon Jily #marauders era

72 notes · View notes