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laylaswriting · 3 years

Text

You Belong With Me

Title: You Belong With Me

Pairing: Bo Burnham x fem!reader

Word count: 2.9k

Warnings: None

Tags: fluff, h/c, friends to lovers, college au I guess?

Prompt: “I don’t think my heart can take watching you love someone else again.”

A/N: I read all your crazy good Bo fics and got inspired so I wanted to write one myself, I've never written anything with him so bear with me if this sucks lol. 🥺 Heavily inspired by @pseudonympls 's amazing work. 😳🎃 Also please let me know if you find some silly grammar, English is my second language! Love yous!

3 years earlier

She walked through the classroom door with a shaky breath. Every pair of eyes were glued to her once she did, the teacher raising his eyebrows at her. She hated to be late, but it wasn’t her fault – the weather was insane and public transport went crazy. Her hair was dripping wet from the rain as she just stood there, being super uncomfortable with the situation.

‘Miss (Y/L/N), I presume, would you mind to sit?’ The professor asked, gesturing towards the crowd of students in the auditorium, urging her to finally move after a few awkward seconds. She looked at her classmates, searching the room for an empty spot. She walked towards the back, and stopped at the edge of the long desk. There was one spot next to a guy she hasn’t seen at the orientation.

‘Um-, excuse me!’ She said in a low voice, making him look up from his notes. His hair was dirty blonde, a little scruffy, like he just woke up. His blue eyes found hers and after what seemed like a few seconds, but was mostly like a fleeting moment, he answered, looking a bit lost himself.

‘I’m sorry, please take a seat!’ He said, standing up from his chair, letting her take the one next to his. She leaned back, and let out a loud sigh. Being late on the first day of Uni. Great start – she thought.

‘Rough morning?’ He whispered, trying not to bother the others who were paying attention to the class. She scoffed.

‘A way to put it.’ She said, a small smile on her face, looking at him. ‘Such a cliché to be late on the first day, isn’t it?’ He let out a small laugh and put out his hand towards her.

‘My name is Bo.’ He said, looking at her.

‘(Y/N).’ She answered and shook his hand.

Nowadays

‘Goddamnit, Bo!’ She said laughing. ‘This is our last Halloween party before graduating, and you don’t want to dress up?’

‘No!’ He said, a wide smile on his face. ‘I’m planning to dress up as a miserable asshole, who just happens to look a lot like me, duh!’ He crossed his arms, leaning against her desk. They were in her dorm room, talking about the Halloween party on Friday.

‘Oh, come on!’ She mimicked his movements. ‘You can’t do that!’

‘Ugh, okay, okay, calm down. I’ll think about it, alright?’ He surrendered. ‘What are you dressing up as, anyway?’ He asked with furrowed brows, and she felt like a blush was forming on her face. It’s not like she was keeping it as a secret, but she didn’t know what to tell about her date to the party. It’s not like he would mind, right?

The truth was that (Y/N) was madly in love with Bo. Every time she saw him, her heart skipped a beat and butterflies formed in her stomach. He was her best friend since freshman year, but it didn’t take a lot for her to fall for him. He was funny, sweet, caring and extremely handsome. Through the years she studied every inch of his face, his gestures, how he carried himself, how he acted when he was happy, when he was sad. But even like this, she was oblivious to the fact that Bo loved her too. They were both seeing others during college, mostly just brief dating as it never seemed to work out for either of them. This shouldn't have been that different, right?

’I actually got invited to the party by Liam, and we’ll dress up together.’ She scoffed at the idea, rubbing her fingers against her forehead. It sounded extremely cheesy. It was in fact extremely cheesy. But it could’ve been cute with the right person. Her heart clenched at the thought of doing the same thing with Bo. She couldn’t help herself but smile thinking about it.

‘Oh, that’s cool.’ He said hesitantly, forcing a smile on his face. ‘You seem excited about it.’ He added, referring to the wide smile now spread across her face.

‘Oh, yeah. It’s going to be great, I guess. I haven’t had a date in a while.’ She said, messing with her fingers in her lap. She felt weird about feeling this bad about this whole thing. They weren’t a thing, he wasn’t her ex. He was her friend, and he’d be happy for her right?

‘So, Liam, eh?’ He asked, smiling at her. ‘I didn’t know he was your type!’ He teased.

‘He’s not!’ She quickly answered, only realizing after how stupid that might’ve sounded. She furrowed her brows while he let out a small chuckle.

‘Hey, I hope you’ll have a great time!’ He said, still smiling. But under the facade his heart felt like it was broken into a million pieces.

‘Do you want to grab some food?’ She asked after a few seconds of silence. She didn’t realize Bo’s awkward reaction because she was too busy with her own thoughts about the situation.

‘Actually I have a thing to take care of this afternoon, so-‘ He answered, running a hand through his hair. He used to do this while thinking, and it always drove her crazy. She didn’t hate it when he did this – she only hated how much she loved it. She stood up from her bed, walked towards him and hugged him.

‘See you tomorrow then?’ She asked, looking up at him with a smile, his expression unreadable.

‘You bet.’ He answered, and left her alone in the room. She covered her face with her hands, dropping down on her bed as she let out a shaky breath. She couldn’t help but think this was a stupid idea. She loved Bo, but she didn’t want to make a move on him and risk losing his friendship. He never really showed interest in her during their years at college, and he dated – no matter how briefly – other girls as well. A small lump started to form in her throat as she let her thoughts wander. She felt tears starring to gather at the corner of her eyes which she quickly blinked away and sat to her desk, opening a book and starting to read it.

***

‘So, will I see you there?’ She asked, holding her phone to her ears while digging through her closet.

‘Yes, of course!’ Bo answered on the other side of the line. ‘I will meet you at the party, don’t want to third wheel on your date with Liam.’ She wanted to object, tell him that he wouldn’t be a bother, that she would want to be with him instead, but that would sound weird. And she definitely understood that it would be weird for him to ‘third wheel’ on the date. But still she kind of wished she could spend more time with him tonight.

‘Okay, promise?’ She furrowed her brows, waiting for his reply.

‘I promise, (Y/N).’ He answered in a soft voice, which made her heart swell. They spoke a few words and then she hung up. She was looking for a green t-shirt she knew she had somewhere. The idea of their costume was some super casual Mario & Luigi costume. She thought going as Mario and Peach would’ve been a bit too much for like their second date. She wasn’t sure at all how she felt about this. She just knew she can’t keep waiting and being devastated about Bo all the time. She thought this way she could be over him sooner, but deep inside she knew she didn’t want to be over him. She never wanted this bittersweet feeling to go away.

She put the ‘costume’ on – a green t-shirt with denim overalls and sneakers. Liam said he’d bring the hat for her with him. She looked at the clock: 6:20. He would come pick her up in ten minutes. She paced the room in that time, furrowing her brows, messing with her fingers. She was nauseous from being nervous all day.

‘(Y/N)?’ She heard a knock on her door, snapping her out of her thoughts. She took a deep breath and opened it. Liam stood in front of her, his brown hair hidden by his Mario hat, a black fake mustache on his face which made her laugh. He was a sweet guy, he was handsome and a bit taller than her. Probably under other circumstances she would’ve fallen for him already.

‘Are-a ya ready Luigi?’ He asked faking a Mario voice, handing her the green hat he brought. She laughed and took it, putting it on her head, twirling a little to show her costume, which he awarded with a wide grin.

‘Let’s go!’ She said, locking the door behind her. She still felt weird, but Liam being cool calmed her down a bit. He was funny too – not as funny as Bo though. They walked to the party and on the way, laughter filled the air, she was nervous but he was sweet, didn’t push her boundaries. She couldn’t help but kept checking her phone, waiting for a text or call from Bo.

At the party she saw all her friends, and as soon as they arrived Liam disappeared to bring some drinks for her. Her eyes scanned the room restlessly, looking for her best friend.

‘Have you seen Bo?’ She asked her friend, Tessa, who shook her head and shrugged. The music was too loud, so there was no point in really trying to have a conversation. About an hour passed with mingling around the party and he was nowhere to be found. It was still early – she thought, he could be here soon. Liam was sweet and attentive, always asking what she wanted to do, getting drinks, dancing with her. But she couldn’t help checking her phone every five minutes, the alcohol slowly creeping to her head was no use either.

‘I’m sorry, can you give me a minute?’ She asked, trying to speak over the loud music.

‘Are you alright? Are you feeling sick?’ He replied with a question, worry in his voice. She shook her head.

‘I just need some fresh air, if that’s ok?’

‘Sure thing. Want me to come with you?’ He asked, nodding towards the door. She just shook her head and held her fingers up, showing that it will only take five minutes. He nodded, then turned to their friends while she made her way towards the door. Phone clutched in her hand, heart beating in her throat. He promised he’d be here.

She felt the cool October breeze on her face, which made a shiver run down her spine. She dialed Bo’s number, and it started ringing. Actually, it started ringing very close to her. She turned her head towards the direction of his ringtone, and she saw him – walking towards her in the dark, hands in his pocket, head hung low. Looking at his phone, then looking at her. She hung up the call, tears gathering in her eyes, which she wasn’t sure why. She could swear her heart was going to jump out of her chest any second.

‘You’re not wearing a costume.’ She said, voice barely above a whisper as she smiled at him. He responded with a faint smile and a shrug.

‘I told you I’ll come here as a miserable asshole.’ He answered, messing with his hair, but there was no joking in his voice this time. She felt her heart skipped a beat.

‘Bo please.’ She said, putting a hand on his arm. ‘Tell me what’s wrong. I know something is, please let me help.’ He finally looked up on her face. She could see he was troubled, his brows were furrowed, lips trembling, but barely noticeable. Probably no one else would’ve noticed other than her.

‘(Y/N), I’m sorry, but –‘ he started, but cut himself off, pressing both his palms to his eyes in frustration.

‘Please, Bo.’ She pleaded, taking one of his hands in her own, pulling it away from his face. He ran the other through his hair, gripping at the roots. Then he looked at her.

‘I don’t think my heart can take watching you love someone else again.’ He finally said, which made her heart stop for what felt like an eternity. She blinked a few times unconsciously, her mouth fell open just the tiniest bit. Tears started to gather in her eyes as she furrowed her brows and shook her head a bit.

‘What?’ It was all she managed to say to him. His face was unreadable for her. His lips pressed into a single line, eyes searching her face.

‘Come on (Y/N)!’ He scoffed, looking at his feet. ‘Don’t tell me you don’t know what I’m talking about. You’re so smart. How can you not see that this is killing me?’ He asked, gesturing with his hand. His words slowly registered in her brain. Love someone else – he said. Someone else.

The tears that sat in her eyes up until now started flowing, as she closed the space between them. She threw her arms around Bo’s neck, which he willingly helped by pulling her up by her hips. She pressed her lips on his, they were just as soft as she imagined them for all these years. His big palm pressed against her lower back, with his other hand he cupped her face and held the back of her neck while he deepened the kiss.

He poured all his emotions into it – it was desperate, sad, excited, happy, hungry. His lips explored hers like he never wanted to let go, like any second, she could disappear. He wiped her flowing tears away as they broke the kiss to catch their breath. He pressed his forehead against hers, their noses touching each other, lips barely separated. She could feel his sweet breath on her face, the scent of his aftershave and couldn’t help but laugh as her tears wouldn’t stop falling. The overwhelming emotion taking over her body, she pressed another kiss on his lips.

‘I love you Bo.’ She said, hand tugging on his grey t-shirt at his waist. He put his other hand on her face as well, now cupping it from both sides. His baby blue eyes would never leave hers for a second, and she could swear there were some tears glowing in them. His smile spread across his whole face, it could’ve lit up the whole town. Hell, even the whole universe.

‘Are you serious?’ He whispered, never letting go of her. She nodded, tears starting to flow again. Her chest felt like a fire was consuming her heart, so overwhelmed with the emotions. He pressed his lips against hers again, this time with more urgency. He was an amazing kisser – his lips and tongue danced in perfect harmony with hers.

‘I love you too.’ He said between breaths, pulling her into a tight hug, arms wrapped around her shoulders, his chin resting on the top of her head. ‘I’ve loved you since freshmen year, (Y/N). Do you remember the first time I saw you?’ He asked, not expecting an answer. Of course she remembered.

‘You were standing next to me, drenched from the horrible rain from that morning. I immediately thought you were so beautiful. And then I found out soon enough that you were funny too.’ He said, his palms caressing her back, while she was hiding her face in his t-shirt, devouring this moment so she could remember it forever.

‘Why didn’t you say anything?’ She asked, her voice muffled into his chest. He scoffed, lifting her chin to meet her eyes.

‘I didn’t want to ruin our friendship. I thought –‘ He stopped for a second. ‘I thought you deserved so much better than me.’ It was her time to scoff.

‘You are crazy.’ She said, standing on her tiptoes to plant another soft kiss on his lips. He raised his hand to plant it on her neck again. The kiss was interrupted by someone scratching their throat next to them. It was Liam.

‘Oh shit’ Bo exhaled, absolutely forgetting about the situation at hand. Just as (Y/N) did.

‘Liam, I –‘ She started, but she got interrupted by him.

‘It’s alright, (Y/N).’ He said with a laugh in his voice, raising his hands in surrender. ‘I would lie if I’d say I didn’t expect something like this. No hard feelings here.’ He said, extending his hand towards her. She took a step away from Bo, she felt his hand linger on hers as long as it could, fearing that if he’d let her go, she could disappear. She threw her arms around Liam, giving him a warm hug.

‘Thanks Liam.’ She said, and let him go back to the party. Bo stood behind her, his hands rested on her hips now, hunching down to nuzzle his face into the crook of her neck.

‘Do you want to go back to the party?’ He asked, his breath giving her goosebumps.

‘No way.’ She answered, turning towards him. He cupped her face and pulled her into another kiss.

‘I’m glad you didn’t have a fake mustache as well.’ He said, his grin wide across his face, his dimples showing. His blue eyes sparked with happiness, and she felt her heart burst. She laughed, and wrapped her arms around him.

‘Let’s go home.’ She said, and Bo took her hand, leading her towards the dorms.

#bo burnham ff #bo burnham fanfic #bo burnham inside #bo burnham x reader #bo burnham fluff #bo burnham/reader #bo/reader #fluff #h/c #oneshot #imagine

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mrsnegan · 3 years

Note

I am here with another request. It’s where college student!reader desperately tries to seduce her college professor(Negan), and after a full semester of trying she quits. Until she bumps into Negan in the hallway and he asks her why she stopped or something and they have sex.

Please and thank you💛🌟

[I'm sorry this took so long to write, life got in the way and in the last few days I finally found the time to work on your request. Professor/student AU is one of my favorites, so I had lots of fun writing this for you. I hope you enjoy reading it! 💛]

Warnings: smut, swearing, rough blowjob, bodily fluids, unprotected sex

One full semester you had tried to get his attention. One full semester of hoping to make him notice you, want you. You sounded desperate, even in your own ears, you knew, but you couldn't help yourself. He was the wet dream of any student, tall, dark and handsome with a deep voice and dimples which made you swoon. And he was your professor, a fact which you often tried to ignore. Your attraction towards him was borderline obsessive by the point the semester reached its end. So the only thing saving your sanity was to stop this desperate shit show of a seduction. He wouldn't notice you anyway. Of course your clothes didn't define your worth but they helped to get attention from time to time, so you wore all the sexy outfits your wardrobe had to offer. What a bratty behavior, you thought to yourself, though it hadn't stopped you to wear those skirts and tops which made you feel absolutely irresistible in front of him. To your dismay, he didn't seem to notice, a fact which frustrated you greatly. So your skirts got longer again, your tops less revealing.

As the days went by, your lectures with Professor Negan turned out to be the same as always, and by the end of the last one for the semester, you even felt relieved to have a break from staring at this handsome devil for hours. Despite him not even looking at you once, you had a hard time looking at him without drenching your panties.

You decided to return your books to the library but Helen, a friend of yours, invited you for a coffee in your favorite place not far away from campus. By the time you both said goodbye after a super relaxing afternoon of talking and laughing, you remembered your books. Checking the opening hours of the library, you had half an hour left to get business done. So you walked back, returning the books just in time. What you didn't expect was to run into Professor Negan on your way out, nearly knocking his coffee out of his hand.

"Ugh, sorry, Professor", you said, cheeks turning red in embarrassment. You always made a fool of yourself in front of those people who you found attractive. And up close, he was even more attractive than behind his desk during lectures.

"It's alright, Y/N, no need to apologize." He winked at you with this million dollar smile of his, accentuating his dimples.

You gulped visibly, nodding absently while walking past him to exit the library. What you didn't expect was to hear his low voice behind your back.

"By the way, where did your sexy as fuck skirts go? Laundry day?"

You whipped around, flabbergasted.

"Excuse me?"

He took one step in your direction, smirking wildly.

"I wanted to know why you don't wear those nice skirts anymore. I loved watching your ass in those."

With your mouth slightly agape, you just stared at him. No way did he notice your attempts without you noticing it. Had you been this blind?

"I...I thought you..."

"You thought I wouldn't notice? Oh sweetheart, I'm just good at hiding it, couldn't risk someone seeing my boner whenever your lovely tits more or less dangled in front of my face."

There was no way for you not to turn bright red under his heated gaze.

"Are you...making fun of me?" you asked, insecure about this whole situation.

He laughed lightly, emptying his coffee and throwing it into the bin a few feet away effortlessly. Everything he did, how he moved and talked seemed effortless to you.

"I would never make fun of you, Y/N. Not my style. Especially not when you're reacting this cute even if you must have known how absolutely naughty your whole behavior has been."

You couldn't stop your arousal at his words, him flirting with you made your heart nearly jump out of your chest.

He took another step towards you, then another until he only was a breath away from you.

"You need it bad, don't you, sweetheart? Need to be fucked real good by someone who knows how to handle you."

The moan leaving your lips didn't surprise you at all. His voice alone did things to you, you couldn't believe this was happening for real.

"How often do you imagine me inside of you, huh?"

For the first time since running into Professor Negan, you looked into his eyes. You could swear the desire in them would swallow you whole.

"Too...too often to count", you answered truthfully.

Without any other word, Professor Negan grabbed your hand, dragging you with him towards the part of the library which was used by staff and university teachers only.

He unlocked a door to a room with bookshelves, some desks and chairs in it and locked it after the both of you were inside.

At first, you just stared at him with wide eyes, your thoughts running wildly in your head, then he took determined strides towards you, pushing you against the opposite wall with ease. The kiss that followed drove the air out of your lungs. He claimed your mouth forcefully, kissing, you senseless with his talented mouth. He tasted better than you could have imagined, so you met his ministrations with equal fervor, groping at his strong arms to find some leverage.

His tongue felt incredible inside of your mouth and you couldn't stop the thought of him kissing you down there.

His hands also wandered down your body, up again, touching as much of you as possible.

"You have no idea for how long I wanted to do this. Fuck, you drove me mad all those months."

You stared at him with bedroom eyes, his words sounded too good to be true in your head.

"I thought you didn't care, Professor", you whispered breathlessly, chest heaving.

"It's Negan for you and care I most certainly fucking do." He attacked your neck with kisses and licks, teeth lighty sinking into your skin. He was rewarded with your moan, his name leaving your lips, tasting the sound of it on your tongue.

"You know you've been a bad girl, don't you? Teasing me relentlessly and then stopping like you changed your fucking mind from one second to the other."

"Negan I...", you tried to explain, but he silenced you with his index finger against your lips.

"Non of that. I know you need to be fucked badly and I'm more than glad to fuck you senseless, sweetheart. But I need to punish you first. Your little outfits and all that eye-fucking could have gotten us into real trouble."

"Punish me? How? But this...this here could get us in trouble too."

Negan just smirked at you, attacking your lips once again before answering you.

"Maybe I will bend you over one of the desks and spank your gorgeous ass until you beg me to stop. Or I will choke you on my cock and make you thank me for it. And yeah, it could get us in a lot of trouble but I don't care anymore, though your little games out in public need to have consequences. So what will it be, sweetheart?"

You gulped down nervously, but aroused nonetheless. His heated gaze burned your skin in the most delicious way and as tempting as getting spanked by him sounded, you really wanted to be fed with his cock. At this point, him finally in front of you, you couldn't suppress your inner slut, so you dropped to your knees without further ado, looking up at him through your lashes.

"Fuck, dirty girl", he commented your choice, letting you open his belt, the fly and push his jeans down. You freed his glorious cock which was standing at attention the minute he ran into you. He was everything you ever dreamed of, thick and long, definitely intimidating at first sight, but you didn't care. You wanted to taste him, to please him. So you experimentally closed your hand around his base, jerking him slowly while you placed the first little kiss to his tip.

Negan hissed at your ministrations, looking down at you in awe as you worked him leisurely.

His left hand came crashing against the wall for support as you took him into your mouth. His right collected your locks into a lose ponytail, guiding your movements. After bobbing your head a few times, tasting and feeling him on your tongue, you swallowed more of him, earning a rich moan in return.

"Yeah, fuck, let me fuck your mouth", he said above you. You wouldn't want it any other way, your panties felt drenched at this point, so you happily obliged, grabbing his strong thighs for support.

He pushed his hips forward, pushing your head further down his cock in return. You gagged, of course you did, just as he said he would make you, so you tried to breath through your nose steadily, while his thrusts came quickier and more forceful. Your spit dribbled down your chin, tears rolling down your cheeks from the intrusion, but you loved every second of your punishment, of being used like this.

Negan pushed you down until your nose nearly hit his pubic hair and you sputtered around his length. The moan above you made you feel dizzy with desire and then finally, he let go of your hair, so you could pull back and suck in much needed air into your lungs.

"T-than-k y-ou", you stuttered out of breath, throat deliciously burning from his rough handling.

"There you fucking go, sweetheart, you took me so well, such a fantastically filthy mouth", he praised, helping you up on shaky legs. He kissed you once more, passionately and forceful, like he couldn't get enough of his taste on your tongue, then guided you to one of the desk, sitting you down, legs dangling off the edge.

Now it was him kneeling in front of you, opening up your legs to his hungry eyes.

"Shit, getting your mouth fucked should have been a punishment, instead your panties are fucking drenched. Dirty girl", he said smiling mischievously, rubbing you gently through the fabric of your panties.

Your hips bucked involuntarily against his hand, you wanted more, everything, all of him.

He stripped you off your panties, pushing your skirt up some more so he could spread your legs wider.

Without any other comment, his face buried itself between your thighs, surprising you with a broad link from your hole to your clit. You gasped, hands gripping the edge of the desk.

"Such a delicious pussy, ready to be fucked."

His dirty talk drove you mad and as his mouth closed over your clit, sucking you into his mouth, you completely lost it. Your moans turned louder by the second while he pleasured you in the best way possible, driving you towards new heights. His tongue was joined by his finger, pushing itself into your quivering pussy.

"Shit, Negan", you groaned, looking down at him.

Your praise spurred him on, fucking into you with his finger, lapping at your clit. He pulled his finger out of you to quickly return with two of them, fingerfucking you faster and faster. Your body shook above him, too much pleasure to handle. You came with a scream while he sucked at your clit mercilessly and reached spots inside of you which you didn't know existed.

When he re-emerged from between your thighs, his grin seemed to be even bigger.

"You have no idea for how long I wanted to taste your pussy. Always imagined something this beautiful must be hidden under your short skirts."

"And you have no idea how many times I dreamed about you eating me out", you responded, still high from your orgasm.

"Luckily for the both of us we can finally fuck each other's brains out."

"You've got a condom?" you asked him breathlessly after another heated kiss.

"No, sorry sweetheart. But I'm clean, I promise you that. Are you on the pill?"

You nod your head yes, then pull him against your shivering body.

"Fuck me raw", you whisper in his ear, his moan traveling through your whole body like lightning.

You didn't have to tell him twice as he lined himself up with your center and sank down into your heat with one smooth thrust.

He swallowed both of your moans with a bruising kiss, setting a steady pace. He stretched you so good, it felt amazing, better than you could have ever dreamed of.

"Fuck, you feel devine, Y/N. Such a good girl for me."

You moaned at his praise, relishing in the way he fucked into you. Your hands found their way around his neck while his wandered from your hips to your breasts, groping you through your blouse.

"The next time we fuck I'm gonna worship those perfect tits of yours and will take my fucking time with your body", he whispered into your ear.

"The next time?"

"Oh fuck...sweetheart, you think I would let you go after all these months of torture...and feeling how absolutely perfect you fit around my cock now? No fucking chance..."

He picked up the pace, pounding into you mercilessly. His lips against your neck and his fingers all over you drove you to your breaking point. His thumb came down on your clit and you were done for. You moaned his name over and over again while he kept thrusting into you, fucking you through your second orgasm.

"Fuck, gonna cum...", he warned you just moments after your waves of pleasure ebbed away. He pulled out, stroking himself against your thighs and came with a loud groan, painting your inner thighs with his seed.

You felt alive, sated, dirty and glorious at the same time, pressing him against you to kiss him passionately.

After long moments of nipping on each other's skin, he retreated from you, pulling his jeans up, fastening them again. With a smirk, he leaned down to collect your panties. You looked at him with an arched brow while your lips curled into a small smile.

"Don't worry sweetheart, I will buy you a new pair if you want. I just fucking love the idea of you returning home with my seed between your precious thighs and no fucking underwear. I bet you will touch yourself to the thought of what we just did. And that fantasy alone makes me wanna fuck you all over again until you can't walk straight."

---

Taglist: @iluvneganandjamie @happysgal @negans-attagirl @you-a-southpaw-doll

#negan #negan smut #negan x reader #negan x you #jeffrey dean morgan #negan fanfiction #negan fic #fic request

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hunnybby · 3 years

Text

Chances

Pairing: Kunimi Akira x fem reader

genre: general/fluff

Confessing is harder than it seems. You try a few different ways, but it never seems right.

wc: 2.6k

a/n: Happy Holidays to everyone and and especially to @mimi-cee-hq! Surprise! I’m your Secret Santa for the @haikyuucreations SS event! :) I had a GREAT time being your anon, and I was super excited to write for you! May you have a blessed day, and may it be merry and bright!

Verbal

"Kunimi!"

The boy halts mid-step, already half way to the gym with his gym bag slung over his shoulder. He turns around, face expressionless (as usual) with no hint of annoyance (surprisingly). Adjusting his gym bag, he makes eye contact with you. "What's up, Y/N?"

"There's something I need to tell you," you say, forcing your voice to level out instead of shake. Your hands are stuffed inside of your jacket pocket and balled into fists to keep yourself steady. "It's important."

Kunimi lets his body turn towards you, facing you fully with his head tilted to the side and a hint curiosity in his usually disinterested eyes. "Shoot," he urges, bringing a hand up to signal you to continue.

You heave out a breath. "Okay," you start, opening and closing your fists still in your pocket as a ways to get ready, "I really like-"

"Oi, Kunimi! You coming or what?" You recognize Kindaichi's voice from afar, and immediately freeze up. Wasn't everyone supposed to be already in the gym? Shouldn't Kunimi be the only straggler today because you asked your friend to stall him from practice?

The call from his fellow team mate has him slightly turning his head to where the gym is located. But he turns back to face you. "Hm?"

You hear light jogging now. No doubt Kindaichi on his way to retrieve Kunimi for warm ups. How dedicated, you think in passing.

You start to feel your heart race. If you don't say it now, you might never find the courage to say it again. But Kindaichi might also hear you. What if Kindaichi hears you, Kunimi reacts in a non-favorable way, and you can't show your face again? Would you need to change schools? Change your name? Perhaps live a new life somewhere else-

"Y/N?"

You snap out of your thoughts, looking from the ground to meet his eyes once more. Kindaichi is already directly behind him. You've spent too long thinking, and you curse to yourself. What now?

"I really like...," it feels like your brain is grasping for straws, or anything to say. An excuse? You look behind Kunimi to find Kindaichi also looking at you expectantly. And you decide you can't do it when there are spectators around. So you need to make a statement now.

"I really like... your... middle part," you finally say, gesturing to your own head so that he knows you were clearly referring to his hair.

Saying this outloud would be too difficult.

Interlude I

“... and then I tell him how much I like his middle part,” you whine, handing over a full water bottle to the current captain of Aoba Johsei.

It’s uncommon for you to confide in someone, or anyone really, for something so personal and embarrassing. It’s especially uncommon for that person to be Oikawa Tooru. But when it came to it, you needed to tell someone sometime before the truth explodes out of you.

Oikawa makes a face. “Ugh, that is embarrassing. Everyone knows Kunimi’s redeeming quality is his nonchalance, not his middle part,” he states. You think you see him over-exaggerate a shudder and shake your head in disagreement. You don’t think his middle part is bad!

You practically yank the water bottle from his hand once he’s done chugging. “That’s not the point,” you almost hiss, keeping your voice a low whisper.

He bends himself down to your level, using the wall to support his weight as he rests before the break is over. “Oh?” There’s a curious smile that graces his features. “So were you trying to call him over to tell him how madly in love you are with him?”

You purse your lips together, both in thought and annoyance. Why is it that he could read you like a book? You suck in your teeth slightly, getting ready to retort back when Oikawa begins to speak again.

“Well, now’s your chance,” Oikawa snickers, positioning himself upright as he pushes himself from the gym wall and saunters off coolly.

“No, please don’t go-,” you say to the captain’s retreating form, arms rising to clutch at air before hanging your head down in defeat. A free hand comes up to your forehead to slap yourself softly. Preparation. That's what you're doing right now.

“Here you go. Thanks,” you hear Kunimi say from behind you.

You turn around to see him extending out an empty water bottle to you. Your eyebrows wrinkle together slightly at this, and you think yourself that he could have left it on a chair or a bench so that you could pick it up later. This is the first time he’s done this.

You take the bottle from his hands, taking care to avoid any physical contact. “No problem,” you say, and you can’t help but fill the will-be-awkward silence with your unnecessary commentary. “It’s good to stay hydrated with water- you know our brains are like 70% of water,” no you aren’t going to fact check this later, “so make sure you drink enough water to keep your brain big!” you finish off with a nervous laugh, your free hand going to rub your elbow.

He gives you a curious look. “Sure,” he responds to you. “Good to know,” he finishes off, not laughing. But he smiles a bit at you before running off.

You inhale and exhale quickly, not realizing you were holding your breath while waiting for a reply.

You start to think that maybe you need to go a different route- what’s easier than talking to someone you like face to face?

Written

“It’s cold,” Kindaichi says, taking one hand out of his pocket as if to test the air. “Very cold.”

“So?” you question, stuffing your own hands further into your pocket and digging yourself deeper into the depths of your oversized scarf. “It’s always cold in December. In the morning. On a Saturday. When you guys practice. In December. Why do you all practice Saturdays again?”

He snickers first before responding. “You know who gets cold easily? Kunimi,” he nods his head in said-friend’s direction. “You should share that monster of a scarf with him. It’s big enough to shelter the whole team from the winter.”

“Ha-ha,” you say dryly, puffing out air and watching the cloud disperse in front of you.

Kindaichi doesn’t respond to you, his attention now focused ahead. He lightly jogs forward, leaving you slightly behind to shuffle your way towards the gates of the school.

It feels like the closer you get to your destination, the heavier your steps become- almost as if your whole body is rejecting the plan you so thoughtfully concocted in your head the night prior.

In your pockets you keep yourself from balling your fist. You can’t risk crinkling the small stationery you had carefully picked out- the contents of the pretty envelope holding one sheet of pretty paper with valuable information meant only for the eyes of one person in particular.

Kunimi.

3 easy steps for success.

Step 1: find Kunimi.

And you find him almost instantly! It only helps you further that he's in the same spot he always is right before the start of the school day- leaning on his favorite pillar outside in solitude. No one in sight. Perfect.

You just need to make your way to him. The heavy steps coming to haunt you once again. Left. Right. Left. Right. Stop.

Step 2: Strike up a conversation

"Good morning!" you say in a rush, immediately regretting your volume and tone of voice. It's not /that/ good a morning, and you have to clear your throat. Two pitches, too high! Also too much.

Kunimi looks up from his phone and sets it in his pocket. "Hey. Morning," he responds to you, waiting expectantly.

"It's cold, huh?"

He raises an eyebrow and the corner of his lip upturns into a smirk. "How cold is it?"

"It's sooo cold, that the water in my bottle is frozen! A mini-you could probably ice skate in it," you joke, taking his intentional set-up for it as a go-ahead.

"I'm terrible at ice skating. I'd much prefer sitting and watching."

"Oh, yeah! Me too," you lie- but it's not a total lie. You recall in the back of your head that you can ice-skate for at least 5 minutes without falling over and eating ice.

He smirks. "Liar. I've actually seen you in roller blades before- I don't think that's any different."

A little heh escapes your lips. "You caught me!" You want to comment that there is a difference, but that isn't something you want to get into right now. What you should be getting into is your pocket. And in your pocket is where your hand starts to shake.

Step 3: Hand over the letter

You feel around, gently bending the edges of your letter. "I have... something... for you," you struggle to say. Your index finger and thumb smooth over the envelope.

He looks at you with full attention, waiting for your next move.

As you find the will to take out your letter, your eyes move up to his middle part again. You think for a second that you really do like his middle part, and that he makes it work for him. How effortless. So effortless you almost feel annoyed about it. You spend so long on your own hair, he probably spends 20 seconds on his every morning.

"Is it something you can eat?" he asks you teasingly.

Another small, nervous laugh leaves you. If you can eat my feelings, then yes!

But now you feel something else in your pocket. A smaller rectangle. Wrapped in foil. Gum. You let out a quick, shaky breath. The thought of having gum in your pocket is now making you regret this plan. This gum is a sign that you shouldn't be doing it like this! (What an excuse!)

When your hand finally leaves your pocket, hand it to him.

You hand him the gum that was in your pocket, but the thought of handing him a love letter makes you gulp anyway.

Kunimi looks at his outstretched palm, staring at the covered piece of unchewed gum, and then closes his hand around it and places it in his gym bag. "Thanks," he says, a confused smile on his face paired with his signature tone of unconcern and collection. "I don't think I can have this right now, but definitely later."

"Oh, yeah," you say, feeling the awkwardness of yourself leave your body through your mouth. "Later. When your breath kinda stinks. Wouldn't wanna talk to someone and then have them say something like why do you smell like onions, Kunimi!" you word-vomit, voice imitating what would sound like your best Kindaichi expression yet.

Interlude II

"I gave him my last piece of gum!" You whine in the equipment closet. "My last piece!"

Kyotani, the victim who has unfortunately found himself in the gravity of your unrelaxed aura, only grunts in response. He drops the net that you had asked him to carry to its place of rest and dusts his hands off o his gym shorts.

"I ended up ripping the letter in pieces and drowning it in water to dissolve the evidence," you admit, recalling the moment right before morning practice where you ran to the nearest water fountain to soak your feelings.

As much as Kyotani scares you, you find it easy to talk to him under circumstances where you feel like summoning a black hole to swallow your entire self whole. Doesn't say much, but he listens. At least you think he does. He's never given much facial expression that indicates his interest in anything. You're so used to a scowl.

He doesn't move from his spot in the closet, so you take this as the time to continue. "What do I do now? The letter was fool-proof. Do I write it again and give it to him later? What if I chicken out again? Do I throw it in the trash, then? Eat it this time so no one ever finds it?"

You turn to look at Kyotani, and notice that he's staring hard at the net he so neatly placed. "Do whatever," he comments.

You think you feel your ears perk up. Do whatever? Do whatever.

You let out a tiny gasp, "Oh my stars, Kyotani," you start, walking towards the closet exit and then walking back towards him. "You're right."

Kyotani raises a brow, visibly confused.

"I have to do whatever," you emphasis. "As in whatever it takes."

He nods slowly, still lost.

You make your way back to the door, ignoring Kyotani and deep in thought. You need to think about your next move.

Actions

"Kunimi, hey!" you greet, marching head first towards him and his favorite pillar yet again. Perfect is the first word that comes to mind. Because the pillar is the perfect spot to do this. It's only the only spot you had in mind for this to work. Also- you aren't tall enough to reach any door frames anyway.

"Y/N, what's up?" he responds, small smile appearing to brighten up your morning. The word perfect comes up again. And it snaps you back to your plan.

"Nothing much," you say, releasing one of your backpack straps from your shoulders to sling it over your front. "Got something for ya, though." Your fingers reach to unzip your bag. "But you need to close your eyes."

"It's not Christmas yet," he argues, but shrugs and closes his eyes anyway.

"Think of it as an early gift then?" you suggest playfully, the sound of tape ripping from its roll and paper slapping on cement pillar. "It's home made," you add, voice slightly shaking towards the end as your confidence falls from you. But you've already taped what you needed to on the pillar. You can't just rip it up now.

You position yourself next to him, leaning on the pillar now. "Okay- open your eyes and look up!" you say nervously, the speed of your words rushing towards the end.

But you didn't rush it fast enough. He has heard your request, and looks up. You study his face closely. He looks confused at first, squinting his eyes to view the picture better, but they widen out when he realizes that you've drawn a picture of mistletoe on a blank sheet of printer paper. With the little red berries and all. Very festive. "Very creative," he blinks a few more times, before looking back down to you and smirking. "Looks like holly more than mistletoe."

Your brows knit together and your lips purse in fake annoyance. "Aren't they the same thing?"

He shrugs at you again, taking his hands out of his pockets and begins dusting at your shoulders. "I don't think so," he replies, still looking smug. "So?"

You feel yourself rocking back and forth, spending extra time on your tiptoes. "So..."

His reaction gives you a boost of confidence, and you feel yourself getting warm and giddy. "Ready for the next part of your surprise?"

Interlude III

"She finally did it, huh?" Kindaichi asks, tossing a few volleyballs into the basket after practice.

From behind him, Kunimi comes up with a mop. There's an odd skip in his step, and he looks less tired than usual- almost lively. "I guess so," he tries to say as coolly as possible. He keeps his eyes focused on mopping, afraid that if he makes eye contact with his teammate he'll read him like a book.

Kindaichi knows this, and respectfully keeps his eyes on his own task. But that doesn't mean he'll end the conversation there. "So what's the next move?"

He sags a bit, thinking. He remembers the last confession he received in middle school. How awkward and embarrassing it was to stand on the roof of the school with someone who he only knew in passing.

He remembers your confession. How awkward it was but how genuinely nice it made him feel. So he says, "I surprise her next time. That's the move."

#haikyuucreations #secret santa #mimi<3 #haikyuu!!#my fic #kunimi #kunimi x reader

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powerosewaterpuff · 3 years

Note

YO ITS ME AGAIN , so um , some fear gas content in your au please , like fear gased dick and big bro jason comfort him

i genuinely have no excuse as to why this is so late, but oh my god school has been up my ass lately and i haven’t been able to get back into the groove of writing so I took this as an opportunity to build on that a bit. so tysm for the prompt! i rlly rly appreciate it hehe and again this had no excuse to be as late as it was ngl. but again this is my robin reversal au with jason being the oldest (i cant think of a good early hero name though ugh!) and dick being younger than him so enjoy! also so dick isn’t officially robin (he only does that when jason dies), but the persona still exists and he will join on major missions but bruce still has him in training so casual patrols are a no unless they have no other option for back up yk?

tw// there’s a slight mention of needles! it’s super short but i wanna be on the safe side as well as mild mention of cuts and scratches!

it took prodding. begging. and absolutely pleading to get bruce to agree to let jason and dick patrol together on their own. dick and or robin was not a constant on patrols with jason and bruce, as bruce wanted to ensure dick was fully equppied and trained before rushing into the field. it didn’t matter how much dick whined, or complained, or did as twice as many flipping kicks in training, the answer was always a solid no unless supervised or it was necessary. so it was a massive stretch to assume that bruce would agree to let them patrol together. they were practically in shock as bruce gave a nod after a few moments of silence. he even surprised himself. maybe it was the puppy eyed stare (mostly dick), or the reassurances that alfred would be on their comms the entire time, or even the full promise by jason that everything would be alright, but something made bruce say yes. more field training would be more than beneficial for dick anyways, (and that bright smile his youngest gave him and tight squeeze of a hug from his eldest didn’t hurt either).

the only promise jason was going to be able to fulfil was that scarecrow was going to rue the fucking day he decided to rear his ugly face out of arkham. it didn’t matter that bruce was beating the living shit out of him, holding no punches. jason was still brimming with rage. he hopped rooftop to rooftop, whipping his head around wildly as he searched for a fear gassed blur of neon colours. he wished he had been fucking a nanosecond faster, to reach out and pull dick from the blast of fear gas that swam through his nose and induced him in this fucking crazed frenzy. dick had just taken off his mask, right as jason was telling him to wait before bruce gave them the signal, and now jason was scouring the streets of gotham trying to find his brother. (he was going to fucking break scarecrow’s face, if bruce hadn’t already)

jason’s life was never one attributed with luck, it seemed like every possible slot in his pile was stacked firmly against him. except for when out of the corner of his vision he saw a stumbling mesh of a yellow cape climb onto a roof to his left. jason, took this as his initiative to attempt to stealthily sneak up next to dick, using his dark costume as an advantage.

he crept gently over to the building as he saw dick stumble onto his knees and he winced a bit as blood began to trickle down dick’s leg from the gashes beginning to form. dick was looking around wildly, almost in a desperate search for something. now, jason would’ve waited. he should’ve waited. bruce has drilled into his mind that dealing with victims of fear gas had to be done as meticulously and carefully as possible. dick shouldn’t have been any different, jason was able to hold to hold himself back. or he should’ve been able to.

it wasn’t until he saw dick scream out for his mother in a guttural rasp and leap towards the railings of the rooftop, did jason feel his legs take off as he stretched out, and managed to secure an arm around dick firmly. dick screeched even louder, wailing for his mother as he dug his nails into jason’s arms. jason gritted his teeth tightly but held on, because fuck that hurt. dick struggled and pushed, stamping his foot against jason’s leg and attempting to squirm out of his hold. but jason held on.

jason began attempting to reason with dick, he leaned his head down and gently placed it against dick’s. he murmured a bunch of fucking nothing as dick sobbed his throat raw. jason leaned closer to dick’s ear as dick began to shake in fear rather than anger and shut his eyes tight.

“dick? it’s jason, it’s just me. we’re on some fucking rooftop somewhere, and you are safe. okay? i’m holding you, and you’re safe, nothing is going to happen. bruce is gonna be here soon, and everything is going to be okay. i know you’re seeing god knows what, but i’m gonna get you out of this alright? i-i promise.”

jason couldn’t say he wasn’t dumbfounded when dick stopped angrily squirming around and began pressing his face into jason’s chest, with fat tears streaming down his face as he let out a wet sob. jason hesitantly wrapped his slightly bleeding arms around dick even tighter, curling up around him as he tried to push out the sound of dick’s sobs. he was never exactly good at dealing with dicks tears, he hated them so fucking much.

it didn’t take long for batman to arrive on the scene, but it was a scene he didn’t exactly like. his oldest son was cradling his youngest son as he heaved and sobbed. bruce silently stalked over, tapping jason on the shoulder as he waved his hands quietly, indicating that he could take dick off of his hands. jason was, not surprisingly, hesitant. (that untrustful hesitance was something, no matter how far jason did with his recovery, would always exist. that need to protect himself, or anyone he could care about no matter who it was against. that deeply rooted and innate need for self preservation, it marred jason’s soul with broad brush strokes. fading, but never leaving. )

jason almost shook himself into realization, realizing it was batman who was standing in front of him, and not someone of possible harm. he slowly unfurled his arms around dick, but was once again left dumbfounded when dick gripped onto the back of his uniform even tighter. the once muffled sobs got louder as dick desperately tried to hold onto jason. jason felt bruce’s stare, fucking digging into him, but he found himself not caring as he quickly curled back around dick. rocking back and forth, not bothering with the useless platitudes but keeping a firm lock on the back of dick’s neck and his waist. he peered up at batman and caught his gaze, and with a hushed agreement, they nodded at each other.

jason looped his arms around dick’s legs, his face twisting into a deeply set frown as dick’s sobs began morphing into hacking coughs, harsh and volatile. he managed to get himself standing upright as he pressed a kiss onto dick’s tear stained check, whilst still rubbing his back. the pain of others always had physically manifestions on jason. he fucking hated it. his mother would be splayed out on the couch, muttering incoherent fucking nonsense and jason would feel bile sting at the back of his throat, almost tempting him to kneel over and lurch as his body shook violently. and now, hearing dick’s fragmented breaths and shaky sobs, he felt like doing just that.

it had taken an effort, to get jason and dick safely off of the roof, and at the end bruce opted into scooping jason up who had dick clinging onto him like a koala, and simply carrying them both into the batmobile. alfred has already been long informed of the situation and had been able to promptly prepare an antidote that would be ready for their arrival. that did not mean, of course, that dick was compliant in taking the antidote. it took shushing and holding and soft whispers to get him to stop squirming enough for the needle to safely prick through his skin. alfred had opted to use little superman stickers afterwards, they were always dick’s favourite.

it had taken a while for dick to become conscious again, as alfred had added just a touch of sedatives to the antidote. just to help dick relax. when he did wake up, the world around him looking slightly fuzzy around the corners, he found himself encased in two sets of arms. was he in bruce’s bed? dick attempted to sit up but was met with a hand in his face pushing him back down, he turned his head to the side to be met with hazy lime green eyes and a lazy smile.

“dickie, sleep. now. you’ll wake up bruce— dont look at me like that he’s a light sleeper and you fucking know it. now go back to sleep, we’ll talk in the morning.”

“I just woke up though, why am I going back to slee-.”

“sh. your voice is too loud this early in the morning.”

“you’re so annoyin—and get your hand off of me!”

“make me—slapping my hand isn’t doing anything, bud.”

“shut up. i didn’t ask.”

“you’re still not making me”

“i’ll kick you.”

“do it. c’mon. do it right now.”

“fine—stop pinching my cheeks, jay! ow, ow, ow.”

“stop kicking me, then i’ll stop pinching.”

“that’s not fair! who made you the king of rules, assh-.”

“boys.”

“sorry bruce.”

“i’m sorry, B.”

“i’ll whoop your ass tomorrow.”

“I’d like to see you try, you old sack of bones.”

and with a roll of the eyes, a feathery soft kiss was pressed into dick’s forehead. a soft smile curled at dicks lips afterwards, a warm fire nestling in his heart drove the lingering hazy darkness away. dick nuzzled closer into the bed sheets as the two sets of arms encasing him only held on tighter. all curled under the fluffy bedsheets as the morning sun began to rise on the horizon, seeping through the cracks of the dark curtains as a kaleidoscope of colours painted the early morning sky.

fin.

i rlly should’ve made this longer with a little more detail but i haven’t gotten back into the groove of creative writing yet so take this with a grain of salt lmao. but anywho tysm for reading and tysm for the prompt! again i rlly wanna get back into creative writing so hopefully i’ll written sm shit? hopefully? maybe? idk? but again tysm for reading and i am so so sorry for how long this took :]!!

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morri-m · 3 years

Text

Byakuya being scared of thunder and Makoto helping him:

Byakuya hated this. He hated sitting there, awake in his bed during some late and ungodly hour whilst rain lashed and thunder crashed outside his window.

He hated it even more however, when he was at Makoto’s house. The idea of anyone ever finding out about his fear made Byakuya want to keep it as hidden as possible, he didn’t want anyone viewing him as weak, because he was anything but.

Just than, another loud crashing sound of thunder came from outside, and the blonde flinched and whimpered a little.

Goddamnit. Now he was crying.

Byakuya forcefully wiped his salty tears away, trying to stabilise his shaky breathing and trembling body.

“Stop. You are not afraid of thunderstorms.” He mentally scolded himself, yet he still jumped when another deafening roar screeched in the cloudy dark sky.

“You’re not afraid of thunderstorms.” This time he muttered it.

God, how much he despised this stupid fear. He was a grown man, not a little child. He had absolutely no reason to be so afraid of a silly storm.

———

“Ngh..” Makoto groaned as he rubbed his tired eyes, sitting up in his bed. “Damn it. Stupid thunder.” He hissed as he found out what had woke him up from his amazing slumber.

He than noticed that his girlfriend was still sound asleep beside him, her breath was slow and her hands were lying on her pillow.

The green eyed boy smiled fondly as he gingerly kissed her forehead, stroking her hair at the same time. He was super careful climbing out of bed, trying to avoid waking her up.

———

Makoto was expecting Byakuya to be asleep in the guest room still, so he was kind of surprised to see him awake at 3:00 AM.

“Kuya? Why are you up?”

‘Crap.’ Byakuya thought as he desperately tried to come up with an excuse of why he was awake at such a late hour.

“Nothing, Makoto.” He said, trying to hide the anxiety in his voice.

“You’re lying. No ones awake at 3:00 AM for no reason. And why are your eyes wet?”

Oh no, Makoto had noticed.

“Ugh for goodness sake, I already told you, It’s nothing! Now go back to sleep, and stop annoying me!”

Of course, after he had said that, another horrifyingly loud racketing noise screeched from the pitch black and still cloudy sky, and stupidly enough, Byakuya let out a gasp of fear.

An understanding look that just screamed “oh” appeared on the littler one’s face, and surprisingly for the taller one, a sympathetic look of empathy formed on his face.

“Byakuya..” Makoto said as he flung his arms around his stomach. “It’s okay..”

‘Jesus..’ Byakuya muttered, embarrassed that he needed someone to cuddle him during a thunderstorm, something that he should not be afraid of.

The brown haired ultimate hope laid his head on his friend’s lap, snuggling into him and holding him with a firm and tight grip.

The blonde had to admit, Makoto’s embrace was super warm and welcoming, it was like sitting in front of a fireplace on a wet and cold rainy night with a blanket wrapped around your shoulders.

“So... You’re scared of thunder..?”

Byakuya sighed, he was desperate not to explain his absurd fear to his fellow survivor, but it seemed like he had no choice, Makoto pretty much had him cornered.

“Yes. There’s no need to tell me how completely illogical it is, I have absolutely no excuse for how pathetic it is, but yes, I am indeed afraid of thunderstorms.”

The blue eyed man was expecting cruel laughter, but instead, all he got was another smile.

“Hey! It’s alright! I’m scared of the dark! And I feel like that’s way more pathetic than thunder!” Makoto confessed himself.

Normally Byakuya would ridicule someone for when they would admit something like that, but he didn’t feel like he was in the position to do it as of right now.

“The dark? Of all things to be frightened of, why?” The former affluent Prodigy questioned.

“I guess it kind of reminds me of Hope’s Peak.” The green eyed boy explained.

“Well, I suppose that does make sense.” Byakuya nodded to himself as he said those words.

“So there! You’re not the only one who’s scared of something they think the shouldn’t be!” Makoto grinned as he went back to hugging him.

“Can you please stop that- AAAARGH!”

More thunder yelled from above, causing Byakuya to cry out in anxiety yet again, in return, Makoto held onto him even tighter.

It seemed like the younger one understood what the older one was going to say, because he smirked playfully as he replied, “no.”

“Makoto let me go.”

“No! I’m not gonna let you go until you admit that you like me!”

“Jesus Christ, fine, Mako! You’re my friend and I like you! Now will you let go of me!?”

“Nope! You have to say it like you mean it!~” The lucky one’s voice hadn’t lost its playfulness, and the stupid smirk was still on his face.

Byakuya sighed as the smaller one’s grip tightened on him, he tried wiggling himself out of it, but apparently Makoto was prepared for that, because he tightened his grasp even more, making a quiet little “mm!” sound.

“If you don’t say it I’ll start tickling you!” He warned, trying to make his face as serious as possible.

“Yeah right- hahahaha!”

Of course, Makoto began to tickle him without consent anyway, smiling even wider.

“HAHAHAHA! MAK-MAKOTO STOP!! YOU’LL WAKE- YOU’LL WAKE UP KYOKO!!- HAHAHA!!” Byakuya tried to wheeze out between his laughter.

“I won’t if you just admit your my friend!~”

“HAHAHA! OKAY! OKAY! F-FINE!! MAKOTO YOUR- HAHAHA! YOUR ONE OF MY CLOSEST FRIENDS AND- HAHAHA! “I-I DO ENJOY YOUR COMPANY!!”

“Great! I’ll let you go now!” Makoto finally let Byakuya escaped his embrace, and he breathed heavily as he tried to catch his breath.

“Terrible.. You’re terrible..” The blonde said with exasperated fondness.

“Do I need to tickle you again?!”

“No! No no! Don’t!”

“Haha! I’m only kidding!” Makoto laughed.

“Anyway, it’s 3:35 AM now. We should probably go back to sleep.” Byakuya declared.

“But it’s still storming. Won’t you be scared on your own?” The short lucky boy asked as he gave him a worried and skeptical look.

“I’ll be perfectly fine- KYAH!”

“Y’know... I don’t think you will.”

———

Makoto was now curled up under Byakuya’s arm on the couch, snoring softly. His face looked satisfied and happy, his chest rising and falling each second.

The former heir had to admit, Makoto did look sweet. And it was helping having him there to hold onto each time thunder crashed in the sky again.

Eventually, Byakuya was able to fall asleep. He tried to get Makoto off of him before hand, but he was clinging onto him too tight, and his face scrunched up and he grunted when Byakuya tried to put him down, as if to say “no.”

So the tall blue eyed blonde was forced to drape a blanket around the both of them, his arm still around Makoto.

“You are the most annoying and irritating person I have ever met.” Byakuya declared, though he held Makoto against his stomach anyway.

And soon, he fell into a blissful sleep, just like Makoto, who oddly enough, was starting to remind Byakuya of a little brother. Not that he knew what having one was like.

“Goodnight, Mako.” He murmured as his eyes closed at last.

#danganronpa #naegiri #brotherly affection #fanfiction #comfort #thunderstorm #makoto naegi #kyoko kirigiri #byakuya togami

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honeygingergemini · 4 years

Note

Henlo! Can I request Steve 'punishing' you by giving you a nice spanking? If you don't do smut then can I get a cute first date? Thank you🙏🙏

Okay hi :)))))) i didn’t expect to get a request at all so i was super excited and nervous. I hope you enjoy it! I’m sorry it took so long I was trying to figure out what you’d be punish for and little things like that. Steve is kinda dark and monotoned with minimal lines in this but that’s how imagine him giving a punishment. it’s my second attempt at smut so all feedback is welcomed!!! Im really bad at beginnings and endings so bare with me Also PLEASE excuse my english it’s not my first language so yeah here it is again i hope you like it. :)))

Warnings: Spanking and Mentions of sweat

Word count: 1.9k

I Didn’t Mean It.

You feel a drop of liquid leave your nose and touch your thigh. Unsure if it’s your tears or your sweat but you don’t move. Only one thing runs through your mind as you wait for Steve.

You didn’t mean it.

You had been kneeling on the floor of your shared bedroom for hours now. At first it was easy. You would count the minutes but as the uneasy feeling in your stomach started to spread to other parts of your body, and the temperature of the room created a dampness across your body, your mind was fuzzy and you could only think of Steve. Wherever he is, he must be so mad.

You hadn’t meant it. You’re usually so good. you follow his rules, before you do anything his stern face would pop up in your mind deterring you from doing something you’d regret, you're unsure why today felt different. As if your body is thinking the same thing a shudder runs through you. A determined line of sweat leaves the nape of your neck and travels the arch of your back.

Where is he?

You couldn’t take the torture. You knew this wasn’t your punishment. At least not all of it. Steve runs a tight ship, he has no tolerance for bullshit. You knew this and yet you still decided to disobey him. It hadn’t been on purpose. For whatever reason Steve had decided to change your normal routine and without question you agreed. You had almost lost yourself on the train when you realized you didn’t break one rule you had broken three. You were on your way rushing home but it was too late. You had already been caught. The phone ringing in your hand almost seemed like a death sentence. You knew better than to let him wait any longer.

“H-Hello Captain.” you stuttered awaiting his voice.

“What did I tell you?” Was all he said and you instantly felt fear.

“I’m sorry I lost track of-”

“I didn’t ask you that.” you heard slight shuffling in the background. “What did I tell you?”

“Don’t break any rules ever. There will never be an exception for making Captain mad.” You whisper in a hushed tone.

“Find your ass home. Now.” He hung up before you could even reply. You were already on the train back to your place but you couldn’t contain yourself. You started crying. Steve was a hard ass but with reason. A lot has changed in his world and he needed stability. He needed control and you were that for him. You tried so hard to stay in place, rarely ever slipping up this big. By the time you got home, the apartment was freezing. The clock read 9:15 and you already knew what to do. Though punishments with you were rare, they were extremely memorable. Imprinted so deep in your mind that whenever you wanted to step out of line you didn’t.

You follow the preset routine for punishments as if he’s right behind you. Sometimes you almost feel like he’s lurking behind the corner, watching you. He hadn’t explicitly said you would be punished, but with the tone in his voice you didn’t want to take any more chances. You make your way to your room hissing at the frigid feeling. You made sure the room was clean before removing all of your clothes and putting them away neatly. He was a stickler for tidiness.

You take your place at the foot of the king sized bed and kneel. Your knees burned from the texture of the rug beneath you. You hadn’t realized it at first, but he was controlling the temperature. The once frosty room has now resembled a sauna. You were on alert, hyper aware of everything since your phone call with Steve, and you were starting to resent yourself.

How could you be so stupid. He only gives you simple rules to follow and you can’t even do-

Your thoughts are interrupted by the familiar sound of your door alarm. He’s home. The floors begin to moan underneath his bulky body. He’s moving around the apartment but he isn’t talking. Your body is vibrating, awaiting what will happen next. The sound of your chamber door opens and Steve stalks through. He doesn’t even spare you a glance. Not that you expect him too.

He moves around the room removing his day and getting into the shower all while not acknowledging your presence at all. The shower water stops and so does your heart. He comes out of the bathroom dressed and sits in the large arm chair in the corner of the room. Your eyes are casted downward but you can feel his eyes boring into your naked body. He sits there unwavering for what seems like hours. Each minute under his scrutiny feels like an eternity.

“Stand up.” you follow his command quickly standing on shaky legs.

“Come to me.” You wobble over to Steve stopping right before him still not looking him in the eyes. You inhale sharply when you feel his finger trace the invisible passageway from your clavicle down your sternum before finally resting at your navel. Your shutter as he circles it.

“Look at me.” For the first time tonight you look at Steve’s face and your heart drops. Disappointment.

You want to speak so badly. Plead your case but you know that will only anger him farther. So you search his eyes hoping to show how remorseful you feel for letting him down. You hoped your eyes delivered the message your words could not.

I didn’t mean it.

“On the bed.” His clipped words increase your heart rate. As you make your way over to the bed he follows you. “Kneel.” You kneel on the edge of the bed and await him. Cool metal comes in contact with your wrist causing you to turn your head. A swift pop is given to the side of your face leaves you trembling.

“Eyes forward.” Not wanting to add to your existing punishment you follow instructions. The light clicks of handcuffs follow his words and your heart drops.

“I’m very surprised at your behavior today doll.” he rubs down your liquid covered arms. “You’re usually so good to me.”

I am good for you. I’m so sorry.

“Bend over baby.” You shutter. His kind words service to deceive you of what is actually to come. Your position is compromising, your hands are locked behind your back. Your face is to the plush mattress and your bum is high and mighty.

“Thirty hits. No noise. If I hear a peep out of you, I’m starting over. Okay?” You nod with understanding. Steve pulls the large leather covered paddle from the drawer. Small round metal studs cover the paddle specially made for pain. He waves the paddle around rotating his wrist to adjust his body to the extending member. “Ready?”

I’m so sorry.

The first round of hits take a lot out of you. You know he wasn’t hitting you hard but . He raises the paddle high in the air and brings it down quickly leaving you winded. You press your lips together firmly willing all sounds to remain inside in your chest. You had lost track of the number of hits around 13. Your mind was in a deep concentration only remembering one thing.

I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to.

“Five more…” He pokes at the raw skin of your back side. You so badly wanted to hiss at the pain but instead you bite on your tongue to distract yourself. You don’t want him to start over. “Is there anything you want to say to me.”

“I’m so sorry-” you rushed words were interrupted by the paddle running into you backside at pressure harder than the rest. That still doesn’t deter you from apologizing. “Captain, I’m sorry…” smack. “I didn’t mean too- ugh” another smack. “I’m still not used to the-” smack. That last smack took a lot after and your voice cracks as your pleas spill past your lips.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” your words were breathless.

“Shhh… baby I know, I know. You did so good” He peppers soft kisses to your back even though it’s covered in sweat.

“I’m so sorry Captain, I didn’t mean to.”

“I know, I know.” He reassures you understanding your dazed state “Let's get you in a bath, okay baby?” He uncuffs you and carries you to the bathroom. The usually cold surface of the sink is surprisingly warm serving as aid to your tender skin. You watch as Steve silently moves around the bathroom preparing you a warm bath. He’s like this after any session between the both of you, but he’s especially sweet after a punishment. You weren’t sure when Steve made his way over to the sink’s counter, but you weren’t complaining. His callused hands lightly trace your skin as his lips press soft but firm kisses into your face.

“How do you feel?” He always asked. Always. You think about your answer unsure if you can answer honestly. “Answer as you feel.”

“I…” take a deep breath. “I forgot about the change, that’s no excuse, but that’s what happened. I’m sorry I didn’t check in with you, I’m sorry I wasn’t here to greet you when you came home.”

“But how do you feel?” he brushes your soft curls away from your forehead. His lips meet your forehead and you sigh.

“Sore and guilty.” As you’re speaking he’s lowering the both of you into a warm water. Your muscles release the tension they’ve been holding on to and you allow yourself to melt into the body surrounding you. Your arms wrap loosely around his torso as he slowly rubs your tender bottom. Soon your legs follow suit and mimic your arms. Soft kisses on your body soon morphe into desperate mouth kisses. Your lower body moves at its own accord grinding on top of Steve's cock and a moan passed through you to him.

“Please Sir.” you sigh hoping your punishment is over. it is. Steve aligns himself with you and pushes into you slowly. He’s mindful of your current state, giving light open mouth kisses to your body and you feel hot. His hips roll into your velvet opening as you cry out.

“mmhhmmm” You moan wishing the profanity running through you mind could be said instead.

“Let go whenever you want to angel, you earned it.” With that he leans back and allows you to work for your reward. Your body jerks giving hints to your upcoming orgasm. His finger plays with your special button that leaves you seeing white. A soft sob leaves your lips and your body turns to mush against his broad chest.

Steve takes a hold of you, pistoning his hips upward. Water spills over the rim of the tub, but Steve doesn’t seem to care. His only concern is chasing his nut. His hips falter as his orgasm over takes him and he’s a sight to see. His golden hair is damp with mist. His head was tilted up to the heavens. His eyes were shut softly with his lashes fanning his cheeks almost as if he were sleeping. His mouth forms a perfect ‘O’ as he shoots his load into you. The hands on your waist hold you tight making sure you feel him deep. And you did. You feel him deep and love him deeper.

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supremesukuna · 4 years

Note

Part 2 of Jedi!Reader please? Maybe Jealous!Mando and uhh.. Smut (maybe) lmao I'm sorry

"So I’ve had this idea floating around in my head for the past couple of days. Could you write something where the reader just randomly gets kissed by someone and mando gets super jealous because he wants to be able to kiss them? I love your writing so much! It always makes my day when you post something 🥰"

Hope you dont mind that I put these two together! This was getting a bit long so the smut will have to wait until part 3 😅

part one

***

"I'll go and get the supplies. You wait here. I'm not sure how long this will take, so don't wander off." Din informed you.

You nodded. "I'll keep myself busy here." You smiled as you looked across the square of the little town you had stopped in. There was a small market which you could occupy yourself with.

You had taken your time looking across the various fruits, trinkets and foods for sale, many of which you had not seen before. You didn't have any credits on you to purchase anything, which had you kicking yourself, as you had already seen about 8 items you wanted to buy.

You were snapped out of your daze when you heard a familiar voice call your name. You turned to see who the voice belonged to.

"Tarver?" You questioned, a smile overtaking your face. "Is that really you?"

You rushed towards him and pulled him into a hug. He was an old friend of yours, you had both trained together and fought against the Galactic Empire together. You hadn't seen him since the fall of the Empire, when all the Jedi scattered.

"What brings you here?" He asked, his smile equally as bright.

"Just stocking up on supplies. You?"

"I live here. Moved here after our final battle."

"Have you seen anyone else? I haven't seen any of our Jedi friends for years!"

"A few, a lot of people pass through here."

"Prime spot for travellers I'm guessing?"

"Correct."

You continued catching up, talking about your old memories, your current lives, your future plans. It was comforting to have a reminder of where you had come from, it reminded you of how far you'd come, and how much your life had improved since choosing to travel with Din.

"I best let you go about your day."

You nodded in agreement. "If we don't go now, we'll be here all day." You joked. "See you soon, yeah? I'm sure I'll come this way again."

"See you too!" He leaned forward, which caused you to instinctively pull away. "Come on, you know I can't not kiss you."

You laughed, "you make it sound so romantic." You knew it was far from that.

Tarver came from a community who kissed friends and acquaintances goodbye, it was seen as offensive to avoid it. You had made many jokes about it in the past.

"Ugh fine. Make it quick. I don't want your germs." You joked, easily falling back into your old routines.

"Always so polite."

He leant towards you, pressing a quick kiss on your lips. You let him, but didn't pass up the opportunity to fake gag.

"That felt like kissing a sibling." You overreacted.

"Blame my ancestors for putting it into our etiquette."

"Curse you!" You waved your fist at the sky, causing the two of you to double over in laughter.

A sudden tight grip on your arm snapped you out of it. You looked up, seeing Din.

"Oh hi." You didn't bother to hide your surprise. That was much quicker than you expected.

"We need to go."

He didn't give you a chance to respond, moving his grip to your wrist and pulling you along, forcing you to fall in step behind him.

You yelled a quick bye over your shoulder, before concentrating on keeping up with Din's quick steps. Your heart was hammering in your chest. Something had really worried or annoyed him, hence your quick getaway, so you kept an eye out for any suspicious activity. Perhaps you had been followed to the little town, or Din had bumped into trouble.

But you only grew more confused when there was no sign of any commotion or any sight of people spying or trying to follow you. You couldn't sense anyone nearby either. It was when you had exited the town and started down the route back to the Razor Crest that you voiced your confusion.

"Din, can you please tell me what's going on? Are we in danger?"

"No." He responded, his tone clipped. Din's footsteps did not get any slower, nor his grip any looser.

"Then why are you so quick to leave?" You tried to pull your wrist away, but he didn't let up.

"Let's just go."

You dug your heels into the ground, forcing him to stop. Din swung round to face you, his posture showing annoyance.

"I'm not going anywhere unless you tell me what happened." He had a habit of hiding things from you, thinking it protected you, but it only made you ill prepared for when you inevitably ran into trouble. You had repeatedly asked him to start being more open, but knew it was difficult for someone so used to travelling alone.

He sighed loudly, tugging your arm, but you wrenched it away from his grip, crossing your arms.

"Stop being awkward. Let's go." Din stepped forward to reach for you again, but you took a step back.

"No, not unless you start being honest with me. What happened?"

"Nothing happened."

"Then why are you acting so odd? Something must have happened for you to be so rattled."

"I'm not... rattled." He didn't sound convincing at all.

"Well you're something."

"You wandered off. I told you not to do that."

Now he was making excuses. "You told me to make myself busy while you got our supplies. I stayed near to where you were, so don't blame this on me."

He didn't say anything, and an awkward silence fell over the two of you. You scraped your boots against the ground, waiting for him to explain, but he stayed silent.

"Please just be honest with me." You half begged.

"Who were you speaking to?"

You were taken aback by his question, and his unnecessarily rough tone. "Someone I know."

"Someone you know?" He repeated.

"Yes." You spoke slowly, unsure what he was getting at.

"You know them well?"

"Define well?" You had no idea what an earth he was on about.

"Well enough to-" he stopped himself, but you knew now what he was getting at.

"To what?" You were visibly annoyed now, realising what he was probably getting at. But he didn't need to act like such a child.

"You know what."

"So you're spying on me now."

"If you won't be honest then I'll have to."

"How have I not been honest?!" Your voice raised in annoyance.

"Keep your voice down. And how can I keep you safe if you run off with other men?" He regretted what he said once it was out of his mouth, not realising how bad it sounded until it was too late.

"Seriously? Din, what the hell?" You sounded genuinely hurt, at it made his chest ache.

"I didn't mean that to sound so... accusing."

"Well it did." You tried not to sound so offended, but failed.

You continued, explaining yourself to stop him thinking the worst. "He's a friend, I trained with him. We were Padawans together. And if you'd just asked me instead of assuming everything, you would know that."

"...And the kiss?" His own insecurity caused him to ask. It's not like he was able to do that with you whenever he pleased. You'd never openly discussed what your relationship was prior to this moment, but you both knew there was an unspoken thing between the two of you.

"Din, it was nothing. It's a weird etiquette thing from his home planet."

"To kiss people on the mouth?"

"Yes." You were exasperated. "Honestly, he'd probably try to kiss you if I introduced you." It sounded ridiculous out of context. You reached for his hand, knowing that your touch helped ground him. "Din please believe me." You looked up at him.

"I believe you."

He hated how upset you looked, especially as it was his fault. You were blaming yourself for his own insecurity.

"I didn't mean to upset you." His voice was soft, trying to remove the hurt expression currently dominating your features.

You took a deep breath, but Din didn't miss how shaky it was. "It's fine. I get that this-" you gestured between the two of you "-is different for you, and for me as well. I wasn't thinking."

Din's chest felt heavy at your response. You were so good, always thinking of him over yourself. Even when he was most arguably in the wrong, you were the one apologising.

"Don't apologise. I overreacted."

"No you didn't."

Din cupped your face, forcing you to look at him. "Yes I did. I shouldn't have done that. I got jealous and stopped thinking straight. It's not your fault."

"Jealous?" You tilted your head questioningly, a gesture you'd unconsciously picked up from Din.

"I..." He hesitated.

"It's okay. You can tell me." You encouraged him gently. Your tummy was doing somersaults at his unspoken confession.

"I... care about you. And I like having you around. It's nice. I would hate for you to leave."

"Din, I would never leave you. Why would you think that?"

He shifted uncomfortably, and you realised he'd probably opened up more than he had done to most people. Discussing insecurities out in the open would not be at all easy or comfortable for him.

You approached him and wrapped your arms around his waist, resting your head on his chest. You pulled him towards you, squeezing tightly.

"I care about you too. And I love being with you. Please don't ever worry about me leaving. I would never."

"I know."

"You're all I have, you know? And the kid." You reassured.

His chin rested on top of your head, his arms wrapping around your back just as tightly as yours were around him. His hands felt warm against your back, and you loved having him so close, despite his beskar armour not being the most huggable material in the world.

"We can go back to the ship if you want to?" You asked.

"Okay."

You went to pull away but he kept one arm wrapped securely around you as you fell in step side by side, your own arm around his waist.

***

part three coming soon!

#mando x reader #mando oneshot #mando one shot #mando requests #din djarin x reader #din djarin requests #din djarin oneshot #din djarin one shot #the mandalorian requests #the mandalorian one shot #the mandalorian x reader

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blue-lions-baby · 4 years

Text

Operation Confession (Dimitri x Reader) [Ch. 1]

hi!! so sorry for the inactivity! i’ve been super busy preparing for college n stuff, so i didn’t really have time to write anything... but like i also didn’t want to go *another* week of not posting anything so lol

i’ve been working on this fic for almost a month now and as i was approaching the 5000 words mark, i figured it would probably be best to chop it up into more.... manageable sections ^^’ please enjoy~

spoiler-free and pre-timeskip fluff!

~*~

Oh, this was perfect.

Sylvain watched in pure amusement at the scene playing out before his very eyes. Dimitri Alexandre Blaiddyd, future king of the Holy Kingdom of Faerghus, reduced to nothing more than a blushing schoolboy antsy with the love bugs and raging hormones. He weakly disguised his chuckle with a cough when he saw yet another quill snap in the blonde’s hand, most likely in reaction to that adorable pouting face you had put up. You had absolutely no idea what type of effect and the severity of said effect you had on the prince.

Which made it all the more entertaining.

You didn’t mean to-- in fact, you weren’t even aware of the raging feelings Dimitri held towards you.

But Sylvain knew.

And you could bet your ass he was gonna do everything in his power to help his longtime friend man up and confess to the girl of his dreams.

Dimitri’s cheeks, once dusted with only a faint pink, suddenly became a hodgepodge of every shade of red when he realized that was the third quill he broke in this hour alone. His mouth opened and closed like a fish out of water, helplessly looking to his teacher for help.

“Your Highness... Have you broken another quill?” Dedue murmured beside him, concern eminent in his voice. Dimitri looked down at the large splinter running down its side and mentally banged his head against the desk.

“It appears so... I will request a replacement from the Professor.” He muttered back, silently rising to his feet and making his way to the desk up front. He was suddenly stopped on his 4-step journey when Byleth (with a crinkle in their nose and a sigh) redirected their frazzled student to a whole box of spare quills behind the blackboard. Dimitri-- very much aware that this box filled with ludicrous amounts of quills were entirely for him-- bowed deeply to the professor, picked up the feathery thing, and hurried back to his desk.

You looked up from your work to give your eyes a break from their swimming lessons and accidentally made eye contact with the returning prince. You both paused for a split second before you flashed him a heartfelt smile; a gentle warmth kissed the surface of your cheeks and you averted your eyes back to your studies.

A resounding snap reverberated throughout the quiet classroom.

“Dimitri?”

“Y-Yes, Professor?”

“See me after class.”

“Yes, Professor...”

♠ ♥ ♣ ----------------------------------------------------------- ♣ ♥ ♠

While the rest of the class huddled outside the door and watched their house leader write “I will not break another quill” line after line on the blackboard, Sylvain looped an arm around your waist and winked.

“Hey, (F/N). Mind if I steal you for a bit?”

“Um... Sure.” Wary of his skirt-chasing tendencies, you were reluctantly led away from your classmates and into a more secluded part of the monastery.

“This better not be one of your tricks again, Sylvain... I already told you, I don’t like you in that way.”

“Ouch. That hurt.” Sylvain’s lips formed into an exaggerated pout and you couldn’t help but laugh a little.

“Nah, this ain’t about me for once. It’s about a certain... someone.” He continued rather vaguely.

“A certain someone? Sylvain, are you sure this isn’t about you?”

“It’s really not, I swear.” He put his hands up in surrender and seeing him genuine for once, you decided to believe him.

“Well, before I continue, I just wanna know if you... y’know.” Sylvain’s eyebrows wriggled very suggestively and a teasing smirk splayed his features. Your heart thundered in your ear, already knowing where this was going.

“If I...?” You whispered, taut fingers knotting the fabric of your uniform.

“Like, like-like anyone?”

Sylvain wished with all his heart that he had some way to capture the look and flood of colors that quickly took hold of your face. He watched in silent amazement as your face shifted from a barely-there pink to strawberry red in a matter of seconds. Gotcha.

“W-Well, I mean--” You took a shaky step backwards and your jaw clenched so tightly you were certain you were gonna chip a tooth. “There is this guy... Wait, why am I telling you this?! It’s none of your business!”

You rammed past the tall male with enough force to almost knock him over as you promptly made your way back to where the rest of your classmates were.

Satisfied with the laughable drop in quality in Dimitri’s penmanship, Byleth finally let the poor male join his classmates outside. His fingers twitched in an unsightly fashion and his wrist throbbed and cricked with every motion he made. He let out a guttural groan, making small, crackling adjustments to his neck and shoulder. The only thing he had left to do today was train, but he’d probably just go ahead and retire to his bed, at least for a little while...

Past the sea of heads crowding around him, he saw a flash of (H/C) streak across his vision, followed shortly afterwards by a head of shaggy red. (F/N)...? What were you doing with Sylvain?

Crippling exhaustion transfigured into searing jealousy and his eyes narrowed at his childhood friend with cold suspicion. Sylvain could easily feel the scorned prince’s hard stare like a knife in the back.

Was he at all fazed? Not in the slightest.

In fact, thought Sylvain as he sidled right up next to you, he wanted to toy with Dimitri’s heart just a little bit more...

“Excuse me everyone, but I must speak to Sylvain immediately.” He emphasized the last word sharply, gently pushing his way through the crowd. While he brushed shoulders with Ashe and waltzed around Ingrid, he spun around and ended up face-to-face with... Oh Goddess, his legs were turning into jelly.

“Dimitri...? Is something wrong?” You breathed, fumbling with your clammy digits.

“O-Oh!” Said male rubbed the back of his neck and looked away. “Nothing, Belov-- (F/N). Please excuse me, but it is imperative that I have a little... talk, with Sylvain.”

He left you no room for response as he quickly latched onto the toothy-grinned noble and practically dragged him away on his heels.

“What seems to be the problem, Your Highness?”

“Let us discuss the issue in my quarters.”

“Your quarters? Oh ho ho.~”

“Stop it, Sylvain. ... We’re here now.”

Dimitri watched Sylvain plop on the edge of his bed, his lips upturned in a carefree fashion. Dimitri lowered himself on his uncomfortable desk chair, his hands anxiously squeezing his kneecaps.

“So what would you like to talk about, Your Highness?”

“It’s about (F/N).” Dimitri spoke resolutely. “Sylvain... I know this will sound nothing short of mad, but--”

“Let me guess. You like (F/N).”

Dimitri’s bodily organs ceased to function; every ounce of blood in his body mutated into sharp, prickling icicles that seized his heart in a snare of terror and dread.

“I-- Wait, how--?”

“Your Highness. No offense, but pretty much everyone knows how you feel about her. You’re not exactly... subtle.”

Dimitri? Not subtle? Even after the extraordinary lengths he went through to make sure you remained ignorant of his true feelings for you? His brain filed through each and every interaction he’s had with you, combing through each word and shaky glance and awkward blush exchanged between either of you. Well, sure, he’s no master of disguise, but he wasn’t that bad... right?

While Dimitri’s thoughts remained in utter chaos, Sylvain coolly continued.

“Hey, about that lil’ act earlier... I was just messin’ with you, Your Highness. (F/N)’s a serious cutie, but I’m really not after her. I swear.” Sylvain winked. “Plus, she doesn’t even like me. She actually told me she likes--”

“WHO?!” Before Sylvain even had time to process-- well, anything-- Dimitri was on his feet rattling the poor noble to and fro, completely forgetting the crippling strength his Crest bestowed him.

“Gah! Stop it! That hurts!” Sylvain cried, trying with all his might to pry Dimitri’s iron grip from his shoulders.

Coherency finally returning, Dimitri immediately unclasped his digits from Sylvain. An expression of apologetic horror shot through his eyes as he stumbled back, back, back against his desk. The chest of both men heaved violently; raspy and hasty apologies slipped out of Dimitri’s lips while pain-stricken groans and a few obscenities raced out of Sylvain’s.

“I’m so-... I’m so sorry, Sylvain, I-- I’m so, so sorry--”

“Augh, Goddess... You’ve got quite a grip there, Your Highness...” Sylvain chuckled weakly, feeling his skin swell and bruise.

“Allow me to fetch a healer for you!”

“N-No worries... Ugh... Just, I need to talk to you.”

“Sylvain--”

“Please. Seeing you skirt about this issue is far more painful than any bruise you could give me... But I’m not gonna lie, this one comes pretty close.”

Dimitri drew in a deep breath and settled in his desk chair, its wooden legs creaking slightly from his weight. He planted his elbows firmly by his kneecaps and rested his chin on folded hands.

“Lemme ask you a question, Your Highness. Do you truly love (F/N)?”

“Yes.” Dimitri answered unfazed, but suddenly realized the gravity of his response and drooped his eyes towards the floor.

“Then tell her!”

“I... I can’t. I’m afraid I lack the confidence to waltz up to a girl and profess my feelings to her. Especially with what happened to...” Dimitri shivered at the awkwardly painful memory and continued. “Sylvain, what if she doesn’t like me in that way? Then I’d have made a fool of myself in front of everybody. But most importantly, her...”

“Well, since she didn’t tell me exactly who she liked, there’s no surefire way to know...” Sylvain acquiesced. “But I’ve got a real good feeling about this. Trust me! If there’s one thing in the world that I can help you with, it would be something like this.”

“Well, I suppose you’re right...” Dimitri pondered, sighing in defeat. “But regardless of whether she likes me or not, I am unable to simply walk up to her and tell her my feelings. That’s...”

Dimitri trailed off, dejection glossing his pastel blues.

“I don’t deserve someone like her.” He breathed out just above a whisper. Poignancy took hold of Sylvain’s heart after hearing the sincerity in Dimitri’s voice. One look at the despondent royal was enough to tell him how much he believed those words-- how much Dimitri believed that he, a beast stained by blood and vengeance, could never have a beauty as tender and loving as you.

“Hey, come on Your Highness... It’s not fair on your part to be giving yourself so little credit.”

“Sylvain, look at me.” Dimitri cupped his throbbing head in his hands and he growled. “I am a monster. I can not drag someone as pure, lovely, and beautiful as (F/N) into...”

He paused, choosing his next words carefully.

“She deserves someone else-- someone who can bring her true happiness. Someone who’s... not me.”

Sylvain gritted his teeth from the dark and pulverizing atmosphere. Dimitri was spiraling. Further, faster into the void.

“Cheer up, Your Highness!” Sylvain bubbled half-heartedly, desperately trying to reel his friend from the abyss. “You’re a great guy! Hey. Remember when we went out to cull some bandits outta that one village? And some bad guy almost got (F/N)? You managed to swoop in just before that happened! You saved her, Deems. The look of pure adoration and gratitude in her eyes after the battle... It felt good, right?”

“I... suppose.”

“Oh! And remember when (F/N) was having a hard time grasping the concept of that battle formation the other day? Who came in, and spent the rest of their afternoon tutoring her until she could explain why you needed to send the flyers in first?”

“... I did.”

“Yup! And who’s the chivalrous, hard-working leader of the Blue Lions that everyone looks up to?”

“I am.”

“Atta boy, Your Highness! See? You’re a great guy! And the fact that you’re a prince doesn’t hurt your chances either.” Sylvain’s eyebrows danced smugly.

Dimitri’s chest rose and fell in laughter; Sylvain’s eyes lit up like a star. He managed to save him-- at least for now.

“Thank you, Sylvain. I really needed that encouragement. I... I apologize for--”

“No worries, Your Highness. ... I’m just glad I was able to help.” Sylvain clasped a hand on his friend’s shoulder and squeezed reassuringly.

“Um, Sylvain...”

“Hm?”

“How do I confess to her? Properly?”

Sylvain clapped his hands together and rubbed them gleefully.

“Don’t worry, Your Highness. I’ve got a plan.”

#fire emblem #dimitri fire emblem #dimitri alexandre blaiddyd #fe3h dimitri #dimitri x reader #x reader #x reader insert #x reader fanfiction #fire emblem three houses #fire emblem three houses fanfiction #part 2 coming soon!!#sylvain would make the best wingman ngl

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is0gild · 4 years

Text

Ice Cream and Fire Oven Pizza - Chapter 1

Pairing: Elsa x Lea/Axel || Side Pairing: Riku x OC

Summary: Modern AU. She's an introvert ball of nerves who works at Ice Palace, a mall food court ice cream shop. He's the outgoing, sassy goofball who works at the Pizza Planet across the way. Hilarity, snark, and fluffy romcom hijinks ensue.

Word Count: 5,353

NEXT CHAPTER || NEWEST CHAPTER

Credit for super friggin’ cute and super friggin’ amazing cover art goes to the super friggin’ talented @ky-jane

“Alright, Elsa, what’s the plan here?”

My reflection in the changing room mirror stared back at me with a pointed look.

“Me?!” My hand flew up to my chest, fingers splayed as I breathed out a strained chuckle. “You think I know what to do? You do realize who we’re talking about here, right?”

She frowned at me, eyelids drooping.

“Ugh, I know, I know I need to call them, don’t remind me!” I tossed my hands up and turned my back on the mirror as I began to pace in the tiny box of a room. I hugged one arm around my abdomen while I brought the other up so I could bite my thumbnail. “It’s just… It’s a lot to take in! They won’t understand, hell, I don’t even understand! I’m supposed to be the good girl! The one that always follows the rules and does as she’s told, the one that can do no wrong. They’ll…”

I froze mid step as my eyes fell on the heaping pile of alabaster silk, lace and tulle laying in a rumpled pile on the ugly carpet not a few inches from my feet. I winced. “...they’ll be so disappointed. Their perfect girl is gone.” Sighing, I shook my head and turned back towards my reflection once more, gripping the edges of the mirror. “I can’t talk to them right now, I just can’t. I should wait. Give them time to cool off and... and to process. Yeah, that’d be better, right? ...right?”

She stared back at me like a deer caught in the headlights.

I scowled. “Oh, you’re no help.”

“Hoo-hoo!” A sudden knock at the door made me jump as my heart leapt up into my throat. “Everything okay, deary? Who are you talking to in there?”

“Er… fine!” I called out. Was that a tremor in my voice? Dammit, girl, learn to keep your cool. Clearing my throat, I tried again. “Everything’s fine! And no one! Talking to, that is. I’m talking to no one!” Wait. No. That sounded crazy. “Uh… I mean, talking to myself!” I flinched, slumping back against a wall and lightly banging my head against it. Not much better. “Talking? What talking? There’s no talking going on in here!” Cue nervous chuckle.

Smooth.

“Oh? Must be hearing things then. Oh well!” I listened to his retreating footsteps until I couldn’t hear them anymore.

Releasing the small breath I’d been holding, I looked myself over in the mirror once more. The price tags were still sticking out of the powder blue sundress and ankle boots I was wearing. They’d just been the first things I’d grabbed on entering this store, I’d hardly even looked at them before running straight back to the dressing rooms. Thankfully, fate or luck or whatever you wanted to call it seemed to have smiled upon me, at least in that second, for they’d turned out to be in my size. Yanking the tags off, I then squinted at my platinum blonde hair in the reflection, still up in the tight, elegant bun from-

I grimaced, quickly shutting down that train of thought as I started yanking out all the bobby pins. After dropping what felt like a million of those wiry little jerks to the floor, the bun loosened and unwound into a thick braid falling down my spine. Sweeping it forward over one shoulder and brushing my bangs back, I then gave myself one last hard look. My skin was even paler than usual, making my faint freckles stand out for once against my face. I took a second to try and slap some color back into my drained cheeks before stabbing an index finger up against the glass, hissing, “Keep it together, you got this.”

Blue eyes blinked back at me owlishly.

“...I hope,” I muttered, shoulders slumping. But then with renewed resolve, I straightened up once more, cast one last sour look at the giant, fluffy garment discarded on the ground before turning my back on it and marching out of the changing room door.

“Hoo-hoo!”

I jerked back as the cheerful voice pierced the air, what little courage I’d manage to piece together already fluttering away like a frightened bird. Heart pounding in my ears, I looked past the racks and racks of secondhand clothing to the source, a burly, rosy cheeked man standing behind the register counter, waggling his fingers at me as he flashed a warm little smile.

“That looks very nice on you, deary, if I do say so myself,” he chirped. “And you’re in luck! It’s part of our big summer blowout, so it’s fifty percent off!”

Ah. Right. Munny. A means of purchasing goods. A thing of which I had very little in that exact moment.

None, in fact.

Not even so much as a credit card.

“Th-thanks,” I stammered, quickly looking away as I twisted my braid and tried to steady my breathing. Think, think, think… how was I going to get out of this? …I wished Anna were here. She’d know exactly what to do. She was always so much better at this whole… impulsive… thing. For now, I just needed to buy more time to think.

Act normal. I could do that at the very least, right?

Conceal, don’t feel. Don’t let him know.

“I… think I’ll just browse a little more… if you don’t mind,” I managed to get out, going to the nearest rack and idly thumbing through a few of the outfits on hangers.

“Of course, of course, be my guest,” he said, tapping his fingers together happily. “I must say, you were quite the sight when you came bursting in here! It’s not everyday someone rushes into my shop dressed in a-”

“Costume party!” I blurted out, my fingers spasming and knocking one of the hangers from the rung, the shirt draped on it crumpling to the carpet. I snatched it up and hastily shoved it back onto the rack. “I just came from a… a costume party, that’s all.” My hand trembled and I balled it into a fist, hiding it behind my back.

Don’t let him in, don’t let him see.

“Oh! How delightful, a party! Well, you must have been the belle of the ball, deary!”

I hummed out a soft, curt laugh, my lips pressed into a tight smile. “I just left it back there. In the dressing room. You can have it if you, ah, if you like. I’m not attached to it.”

His lips formed a tiny O, but then the smile was already back. “In that case, I'll knock ten percent off your purchase,” he proudly held up all ten fingers to emphasize what a deal he was offering. “Sound fair?”

“...sure.”

Now how to pay for the other ninety percent?

Forget it. Surprisingly, that was actually the least of my worries at the moment. I had much, much bigger problems to deal with. Like what on earth I was even going to do once I stepped out those automatic doors and back onto the bustling city streets. I had nowhere to go. No one to turn to. No-

I inhaled sharply, my eyes widening and my fingers flying to my temples as my breathing became shallow again.

...where was I even going to sleep tonight?

On the streets? That’s a thing some people actually did, right? But how to even pick the right street, a safe street? It’s not like the homeless left online reviews with a star rating system on which alleys were primo bunking spots.

...oh dear lord, was I homeless now?

“Focus, Elsa, focus! Get it together,” I whispered harshly at myself. Out of the corner of my eyes, I noticed my new friend behind the cash register giving me a funny look.

Reminder to self: act normal. Normal… you remember how to do that, right?

Okay, breathe in. Breathe out. Let’s figure this out, calmly and rationally. Let’s start with what city we’re in. Oh gosh, what was it called again? I’d only said and heard it a million times in the last few months leading up to this day, but now my mind was drawing a total blank. Started with a T… Twi… something. Twixt… Twisted… Twirling…

Twilight! That was it! Twilight Town.

Wait… Twilight Town? There was something about that name… something from a long time ag-

Ah! Wasn’t Twilight Town where she had been from?

...oh wow, it’d been years since I’d even thought of her. Goodness, did she even still live here?

I glanced towards the salesman again. He beamed and wriggled his fingers at me in another tiny wave, “Hoo-hoo!”

I blanched, eyes snapping back down to the hanging clothes before me, heart hammering in my chest.

Dammit, girl, grow a backbone already.

Gulping down my anxiety, I looked to him again, plastering what I hoped could pass for a friendly, if somewhat shaky grin to my face and approaching the register. “Would you, um, would you possibly have a… a White Pages back there, maybe?”

“Of course, deary,” he ducked down behind the counter before coming back up, plopping down the massive book in question before me. “Take all the time you need, I’ll be right over there.” He pointed to a large box in one corner of the store packed high with clothes, probably in need of sorting and price tags. “Just give a shout when you’re ready to ring up.”

“Thanks,” I murmured, watching him walk off before pulling the phone book closer to me and cracking it open somewhere in the middle.

Let’s see… last name… it’d been Hewley, right? I began rapidly flipping through the pages until I found the one I was looking for, lightly running my index finger down the column as my eyes scanned.

Hewley, R… Hewley, R… ah-ha, there! Oh fudge, none of the first names had been fully printed, just that damn first initial of R. My lips pursed to one side as I squinted down at the page. Oh well, it wasn’t that big of a list. “Excuse me?” I called back to the man and he looked up, a dark turquoise dress folded over one arm and a pair of boots in hand. “Would I be able to use your phone? Er… please?”

“Ah,” he tsked sadly. “Sorry, deary, it’s busted!”

“Oh. A-alright.” I frowned back down at the list of names. Now what? Not like I could use a pay phone. Still had that whole munny problem, as in not having any. Did pay phones even still exist? Ugh, so not the thing to be focusing on right now! Maybe... I could ask someone on the street if I could borrow their phone?

My nose scrunched up and I shook my head. No. Hell no. Talk to a stranger? Me? Please. Even talking to this guy here was a major feat for me and he was paid to put up with me.

Sighing, I read over the list again, then blinked. Huh… addresses were included…

I looked to the employee on the opposite end of the store, who was currently faced away from me. Then my gaze flicked back down to the White Pages. Then at the doors leading outside. Back to him. To the book. To the doors. To the book. My eyes widened and my pulse spiked once more.

… I’m not seriously thinking what I think I’m thinking, am I?

“Hey!” he gasped. “What are you-?!”

Apparently I was.

For I’d already snatched the phone book up, clutching its open pages to my chest and pounding my soon-to-be officially shoplifted boots against the carpet as I bolted for the sliding glass doors. I yelled over my shoulder, “I’m sorry! I’m so sorry! I… I’ll bring it back! All of it, the book, the clothes, everything, I promise! I just, I need to borrow them, just... just for a bit!”

“Get back here!” He charged after me, somehow suddenly looking ten times bigger and ten times more intimidating.

I squeaked, eyes forward once more as I forced every last ounce of speed out of my legs that they could muster. The doors glided open just enough for me to squeeze through in time and I stumbled outside, staggering into a sharp turn before booking it. Luckily, the sidewalks were crowded and I’d had just enough of a head start. It wasn’t long before I managed to lose him, ducking behind the corner of one building. I pressed my back against the wall, panting heavily.

So, so sorry, you oddly super nice yet super terrifying man! But I was really going to return it all, I swear!

I just needed to find her first! Which shouldn’t take long, right?

After all, it wasn’t like I was going to have to check every name on the list, right?

Answer: yes. I’d had to check all of them.

Every.

Single.

Last.

One.

On the whole goddamn frigging list. And every single last one? Hadn’t been her. I didn’t even want to think about the sheer number of intercoms I’d buzzed or doors I’d knocked on, each one more nerve-racking than the last as I waited, chest tightening and hands clammy, to hear or see who’d answer. And each one a disappointment. I shuddered as I recalled the last one, still disturbingly fresh in my mind. He’d looked me up and down, given me a smile that’d made my skin crawl and told me while he didn’t know anyone by that name, he’d gladly give me a place to sleep tonight and I could call him anything I liked.

And here I’d thought I’d sprinted with everything I had when I’d swiped this phone book, but my legs had proved me wrong in that second when I immediately turned and gave Speedy Gonzales a run for his munny to get away from that creep. Bleh!

Sighing, I glanced back down at the book, cradled close in my arms and still open to the same page. There was only one name left at the bottom of the list. This was it. My last chance.

Looking up again, I hesitantly crept down the hallway inside the apartment building, my eyes shifting from one door to the next, searching for the unit number that matched the address in the phone book. I passed a window, outside of which it was dark save for a few stars sparkling here and there. Night had already fallen. I’d been at this all afternoon. My legs were tired, my feet sore, and I was just about ready to collapse.

“Three seventeen… three eighteen… ah! Here it is, three nineteen!” I stopped in front of the door, taking a deep breath before slowly releasing it. Then balancing the White Pages in one hand, I curled the other into a fist, raised it towards the door and-

-stopped just short of it.

For it’d just suddenly struck me...

...what… was I going to do… if this wasn’t her either? My hand, still hovering just an inch from the door, began to quake. This… really was it. I had no other options. I couldn’t go back. There was no way, just no way. Not even Anna could help me, otherwise I might just drag her down with me. My vision began to blur as I felt a wetness at the corner of my eyes. If… if I-

No. Stop it. Suck it up, hold it back. Just… hold it back.

I angrily swiped at my eyes, blinking several times until they cleared once more. Then squaring my shoulders and lifting my chin, I rapped my knuckles firmly against the door. And I waited.

Everything would work out. It’d all be fine. This would be her. This had to be her.

I heard a click on the other side of the door and my breath hitched. Slowly it creaked open and there, standing in a faded black tank top and sweatpants, was…

...a man.

An admittedly quite pretty man, with his bright blue-green eyes and ashen hair down to his mid back currently pulled back into a loose ponytail.

But still... a man.

He cocked an eyebrow at me. “Can I help you?”

It wasn’t her. Because she was a she, and this before me was very much a he. And she wasn’t a he.

...not unless she’d made a very big, very life altering decision…

But no, he looked nothing like her, not even the same eye color. This couldn’t be her.

“Uh… hello?” he squinted at me, waving a hand in front of my face and I jerked back, blinking a couple times. “Anyone in there?”

Oh. Right. Talking. That was a thing I should be doing.

I cuddled the book closer to my chest, shifting my weight from one foot to the other. “Um, h-hi. Is… Living here, is there a…” I stopped, my mouth going dry.

What was the point of even asking? I already knew the answer he’d give me. It’d be the same answer all the other names on the list had given me. She wasn’t here. She wasn’t anywhere. It’d been a long shot, I don’t even know why I’d gotten my hopes up. She’d probably moved out of town years ago.

I… was all alone with no place to stay.

I felt my eyes start to brim over and my bottom lip quiver.

He blanched. “Oh shit, are you okay?” he asked, an awkward hand stretching out towards me, but immediately halting and wavering, clearly at a complete and utter loss for what to do.

I couldn’t hold it back anymore.

The metaphorical dam burst, tears pouring down my cheeks as I sunk down to the ground and buried my face in the pages of the phone book.

I hardly even heard it as he called over his shoulder, voice distraught, “Honey? Could you come out here for a minute? Please?!”

I was going to have to live in a box on the streets. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad. Maybe it’d be a nice box. A box with a view. A deluxe box. A fancy box, with like a Prada or Rolex logo printed on the side.

“What is it? Why are you-” a new voice joined the conversation, cut off by a gasp and a stuttering of footsteps. Then there was a loud, distinctive smack, followed by the man emitting a pained grunt. “What did you do?!”

I was going to have to get a roommate so I wouldn’t be lonely in my Rolex box. That roommate would be a cockroach, of course, since I’d be living on the streets. Her name would be Carol.

“Whaddya mean, what did I do?!”

“There’s a woman sitting on our welcome mat weeping into a phone book, Riku! I ask again. What. Did. You. Do?!”

Carol would probably hog the shower every morning. Sounds like something Carol would do. Carol always seemed like a selfish hag.

“I didn’t do anything! I just opened the door!” Another thwack and another yelp. “What was that one for?!”

“It must have been how you opened the door! You have a very off-putting way of opening doors!”

But then, it was a Rolex box on the street, so it wouldn’t be so much a shower as a grimy, gutter puddle. Wouldn’t make a difference to Carol though. Ugh, that wretch Carol. Always such a puddle hog.

“How?! How does one be off-putting when opening a goddamn-”

“Shush! What’s she saying?”

“No clue, she’s just been sobbing incoherent gibberish this whole time.”

Crud, had I been saying all that stuff aloud? At least it had been drowned out by all my blubbering, otherwise they would have thought me insane. Well… more insane than they probably already did, what with me being the whackjob wailing uncontrollably on some random strangers’ door step.

“Wait… hold up…” the second voice lowered hesitantly. “Is that… you? ...Elsa?”

I stiffened, my eyes snapping open and my head jerking up. Next to the guy now was some chick, her long, messy black hair framing her face as she bent forward slightly for a better look at me, her gold eyes wide and searching.

Was it… really her? Was it…

“...Rayne?” I croaked out, punctuated by a sniffle.

Her hands flew up to her mouth. “Oh wow, it really is you!” Brow furrowing now, she tentatively reached for me. “Sweetie, what’s wrong? Why are you-”

“Oh my god, Rayne!” I bawled, on my feet in a flash and throwing myself at her. She caught me, stumbling back a step as I threw my free arm around her to clutch at her shoulders while the other still grasped the now thoroughly soggy book between us. “It’s you, it really is you! Thank god! I’m so happy! Now I don’t have to live in a box with Carol!”

“Um, I’m… happy for you?” she gingerly patted me on the back, glancing to the guy, who merely shrugged. “But… what’s wrong? What on earth are you doing here?”

I pulled away, fingers digging into one of her sleeves now as the words started to rush out of me. “I couldn’t go through with it! I just couldn’t! It was all too much! The music, the chandeliers, the people, the, the… him! Especially him! Because that’s all it was going to ever be, was him! Just him! That’s it! The end! It's what he wanted, and it's what they wanted but what about me and what I wanted? Oh sure, I thought it was what I wanted at first, but then I started to think about it, really think about it and I didn't know anymore and I just got scared and it just… I didn’t, I couldn’t... I couldn’t do it, I couldn’t stay! I had to get out of there, to run, to escape! Anna helped and-” My breath caught in my throat and I folded my fingers against my lips, pressing hard, making my knuckles turn white. “Oh no! All those people! What will they think? What will they say? Wha-” Another pause, this one with a scowl and a shake of my head. “No. No, no, no, I don’t care! I don’t care what they’re going to say, they can take their hoity-toity opinions and shove it up their hoity-toity a-”

“Elsa!” she snapped, grabbing me by the shoulders. “Elsa, Elsa, stop! You’re not making any sense! Slow down, breathe! Words generally make more sense when they have spaces between them, you should try it sometime.”

I clasped a hand over my mouth, inhaling and exhaling rapidly through my nose.

Her eyelids drooped and she sighed, reaching out to wipe some of my tears away. “Just… come inside and sit down so we can talk.”

She took my hand in hers and led me into the apartment, the guy stepping in after and clicking the door shut behind us. The flat was modest, with a little kitchenette off to my left. The living room had blue carpets and sandy colored walls decorated with island paintings and what looked to be some sort of yellow, star-shaped fruit preserved in resin hanging in a glass case. I numbly followed behind her as she gently pulled me towards the nearest couch.

There was a cold hardness that I suddenly became aware of pressing into my palm and I looked down at where Rayne’s hand held mine as she tugged me along. That’s when I saw it. The plain, elegantly understated little silver band.

Wrapped around her ring finger.

I came to a screeching halt with a gasp, yanking her hand up to my face and forcing a yelp out of her as she stumbled back towards me. “You got married?!”

Scratching her cheek with her free hand, she shrugged. “Uh, well, ye-”

“I didn’t know you got married! You!” I dragged her over to the man, shoving the beringed hand in front of his nose. “Did you know she got married?!”

He staggered back a tiny step, his wide eyes darting from me to Rayne and back. Then he tentatively raised his own hand and pointed to the matching band he was wearing. “...sorta the one she’s married to.”

My eyes were welling up once more. “That’s… that’s… Congratulations!” I was all but attacking her with another tight hug and she wheezed out an oof. “I’m so happy for you!”

“Thanks,” she chuckled softly. “Also… kinda have a baby on the way too, actually.”

“A baby?!” I tore myself away to gape at her. Then at her stomach. She was hardly even showing. “A baby!” I looked to her husband. “Did you know she has a baby?! In there?!” I pointed at her belly.

He glanced away, scratching the back of his head with the barest hint of a blush and pleased little grin twitching at one corner of his lips. “...sorta the one who put it in there.”

“Riku!” Rayne hissed.

“What?!”

With a grumbling huff, she turned her back on him and stomped the rest of the way over to the sofa with me in tow, putting her hands on my shoulders and pushing me down to sit. She then plopped down across from me, using the coffee table as a makeshift bench.

“Enough about me. Let’s try this again. Why are you here? Don’t get me wrong, sweetie, I’m delighted you’re here, but I haven’t seen you since we were kids. Tell me what happened, why are you crying?” I opened my mouth and took a deep, deep breath, but then she poked an index finger to my lips, silencing me before I’d even begun. “Hold it. Hmmmm,” she narrowed her eyes, pressing her hands together and bringing her fingers up to her mouth. “...let’s try more specific questions, shall we? Let’s start with where the phone book came from?” she said, carefully removing said item from my grasp and handing it to Riku, who blinked and frowned but took it.

Alright, let’s try not to overwhelm her this time. Put a muzzle on the motormouth. Keep it concise. To the point.

“I stole it,” I said simply.

“You…” her eyebrows shot up into her bangs before she shook her head. “Okay, why did you steal it?”

“Because the phone was busted.”

Her head tipped to one side. “The phone…?”

I nodded earnestly. “These clothes too.”

“Those clothes…” her gaze flicked to my sundress and boots before meeting mine again. “...are… also busted?”

“No. Stolen. I stole them too.”

“Oh.” She and Riku exchanged a glance. “Alright... why?”

My shoulders bobbed. “Because I had no munny.”

“Had no…?” her head rocked back at that. “But… but you’re you, how could you possibly-” she cut herself off, scrunching up her nose with a sour twist to her lips. “Okay, just… help me out here and walk me through this. What happened? From the beginning.”

From the beginning? Really? Well alright, she asked for it.

“We - he and I, that is - knew each other from childhood. Our families were close, so it only made sense that we played together, grew up together, spent time together. Then in high school, we started- well, of course we did, it only made sense, right? Everyone said it made sense and that it was only a matter of time and I figured they were right, so I did. We did.”

I shot up from my seat and began pacing, Riku having to stumble back to get out of my way. My words started blurring into each other, tumbling out faster and faster as I wrung my hands together.

“Before I knew it, years had gone by and we were in our senior year of college and he was asking me and I was saying yes. I mean, of course, I said yes. He was him, I was me, his family was his family, my family was my family, it only made sense, right? And oh, my parents would be so thrilled, they liked him so much and sure, I liked him too I guess, so…” I shrugged, flinging my hands up, “...why not?”

Rayne had stood up by now, attempting to interject, “Sweetie, sweetie, calm down,” as her fingers snatched for my arm, but I absently evaded as my pacing quickened.

“So we graduated and we planned. Oh my god,” I groaned, “so much planning, so many people, I just couldn’t, ugh- Luckily mother handled most of it, you’d think she was the one who was- Anyway, it was all falling into place. The musicians, the catering, the cake, the flowers, the dress, the place, the- oh my god, the place! Radiant Garden! What a lovely building, the perfect venue, so gorgeous with all those fountains and leaves and vines and marble, right in the middle of the beautiful city of Twilight Town and- Twilight Town! That’s what brought me here, right now, to you! Is I recalled that’s where you were from! Remember, you told me, back at our first year of summer camp? You remember camp, right? What was that one counselor’s name,” I snapped my fingers repeatedly in quick succession, “oh, Anna loved him so much… Olaf! That was it, right? The short, pudgy one with the thinning hair and big nose and adored everything about summer and liked warm hugs and-”

“Elsa!” Rayne grabbed my face, squishing my cheeks together, getting me to stop for a second. “I-”

But one second was all she was going to get.

“Right. Off topic.” My expression hardened as I yanked my head free of her grasp and resumed pacing once more. “Back track. Rewind. So. It finally came. The day. You know… The Day. And I was there. I was in the back, by myself, in my dress, in my makeup, thinking this is it. This is what it all comes to. This is my life. My future. Then it hit me.” I halted mid step, spinning on my heel to look her in the eye and said dead serious, “He hates dogs.”

She blinked once, then twice. “He…?”

“Hates dogs, yes. Oh sure, he claims he’s allergic, but I’ve seen him around dogs before and he hasn’t sneezed. Not once. And I love dogs. I’ve always wanted one. A giant white one bigger than me that’s just pure fluff on four legs with floppy ears and a curly tail and I’d name it Marshmallow because how perfect would that be and- Anyway, I realized that was never gonna happen now, not with him hating dogs! And who hates dogs anyway?! They’re dogs, Rayne! Dogs! And that’s… that’s just when it all started falling apart!”

Was I hyperventilating? Pretty sure I was hyperventilating.

“And I just… I suddenly had so many questions! Was this really what I wanted? Why was I doing this? Because it’s what he wanted? Because it would please my parents? Because it’s what everyone said would happen? Because it made sense? Do I even love him? And it just struck me… no! No, I don’t think I do! I don’t think I ever did!”

My steps began to falter, the room felt like it was spinning.

“That’s when… That’s when Anna came to get me, and she took one look at me and she... she just knew! Somehow, she knew! And she didn’t even have to say anything, she was already helping me. Before I realized it, she’d managed to jimmy open a window in the back, this really teeny-tiny window, I don’t even know how I managed to get through it, big poofy, frilly dress and all, but I did and I just started running and running and-”

Rayne grabbed my hands and jerked me into a staggering stop, shouting, “Elsa!” I looked at her, eyes round and panting, wobbling slightly where I stood. She returned my gaze, brow furrowing and saying gently, “Are you… Were you going to get… Was today supposed to be your… wedding day?”

“I…”

Was it getting darker in here? I was suddenly feeling so tired.

“I…”

I blacked out.

Author’s note: So in this AU, Elsa is an antisocial emotional basket case and when she loses control of her emotions, instead of unleashing a burst of ice, she unleashes a burst of nervous babbling xD Sorry, no Lea yet this chapter, I feel like there’s no harm in telling you all now, he doesn’t show up until the end of chapter 3! Please be patient with me for a couple chapters while I do some setup first to get Elsa where she needs to be before the fluffy romcom shenanigans can truly begin. Please just stick it out until the end of chapter 3 and I'm pretty sure you'll be sucked in by then :) Oh, and Rayne is my friend’s OC, much love and many thanks to her for letting me borrow her!

NEXT CHAPTER || NEWEST CHAPTER

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jess-rewatches-prodigalson · 4 years

Text

Episode 8: Family Friend

Things are getting intense.

SPOILERS

0:16 - Martin has a nameplate that reads “Dr Martin Whitly” in his home office. That is maybe the most egotistical, narcissistic thing I have ever seen. Seriously. WTF Martin.

1:14 - So this phone in the basement has a different phone number than the rest of the landlines in the house? Seems odd. I guess Martin set it up as a business phone so it needed to have a different number?

1:21 - This conversation is really cool. Malcolm is scared - you tell by the way his voice cracks a little at 1:22 and by his eyes in the beginning of the conversation. However, you can also see that Malcolm has been trained by the FBI to be an investigator. Listen to his interview skills. He’s calm, professional, and he’s speaking in careful, calculated sentences. It’s impressive. I’d really like to see him in this position more often. Another really interesting part of this scene is Jessica’s reactions in the background she looks positively terrified. She’s hugging herself and looking around in horror. I’m not sure we’ve ever seen her this frightened.

1:23 - So Watkins has been watching Malcolm right? For how long? Because he recognizes Malcolm’s voice. And presumably he recognized Malcolm’s face at the junkyard? Creepy.

3:35 - Ainsley is going through the interview footage with a disturbing amount of admiration and joy in her eyes - while her bf in unconscious because her dad orchestrated a stabbing during her interview. Also though, is she editing the video footage? Seems like that’s not in her job description?

4:40 - I love everything about the initial moments when we see Gil, JT, and Dani enter the Whitly house. First of all - Jessica is clearly still shaken and terrified. Secondly, Gil (even though he does look concerned for Jessica) looks so comfortable in that house. It really makes you wonder how many times he’s been there over the years because honestly, the house Gil was almost murdered in shouldn’t be a place he feels comfortable in. Finally - JT and Dani. hahaha they walk into the room with faces that are clearly trying to hide how awestruck they are by how rich the house is. JT actually has an expression that I’m interpreting as “Damn. Rich people have a lot of weird useless crap.” AND look how Jessica’s demeanour immediately changes from terrified to welcoming, considerate hostess the moment she sees JT and Dani. That is the result of years of rich people manners being drilled into her as a child. I’m sure of it.

5:12 - Look at the way Malcolm looks at his Mom as she pours a drink. He’s a mixture of exasperated, concerned, and embarrassed that her alcoholism is being so blatantly exposed.

5:24 - Malcolm giving the abridged house tour to Dani and JT is awesome. He’s clearly trying to make them feel a little more comfortable in a world they aren’t used to while simultaneously trying to make clear that he doesn’t love the fancy house - it holds bad memories and he’d trade it in for a life without trauma. Also - Dani’s reaction is perfect. She’s trying to make Malcolm just as comfortable as he’s trying to make her. I love it.

5:50 - How come this bald, black, police officer dude doesn’t have a name yet? He’s had speaking parts in most of the episodes. At this point he’s practically part of the team.

6:15 - Gil checking up on Jessica is super sweet. ALSO the irony of keeping a gun in a hollowed out copy of War and Peace is hilarious.

6:50 - Another Gil and Malcolm moment to fuel my heart. Also - Gil looks exhausted. Can someone please give this man a vacation? He does nothing but worry about our shaky-handed boy, Jessica, the Team, and Ainsley. Seriously - Gil needs some time off.

7:21 - So it’s the next day. Am I to believe that Gil somehow convinced everyone to go home, shower, and come back in a few hours? Because it’s daylight now and everyone is in a fresh outfit. Something tells me Malcolm would not have done that willingly.

7:22 - Something about the fact that Gil is the only one who ever drinks coffee during the case briefings is hilarious to me.

8:22 - You know I’ve always laughed at this seen because JT says, “I can’t with this.” but I’ve been missing the best part of the scene!! Look at Gil’s face. hahaha it’s an expression of total disbelief. He’s so done with working with these children.

9:29 - Just how many jackets does Malcolm have?!? I know he’s rich but I really want to see his closet. He doesn’t strike me as a rich person who cares about appearances or the money itself. So - what does his closet look like and who is buying him all of these jackets?!?

10:15 - Anyone else wonder how the hell someone managed to bury a winnebago without anyone noticing? It just seems like it would’ve drawn a lot of attention?

10:47 - *sigh* Gil is so resigned to the fact that he can’t control Malcolm. Poor guy looks exhausted. Trying to save Malcolm from himself is not an easy job. This particular case is also probably really hard for Gil too. I mean, Gil caught the Surgeon. If this killer worked with the Surgeon, Gil is probably questioning his detective skills. Questioning whether or not he missed something all those years ago that would’ve had this killer behind bars years ago. Also Malcolm has gone manic again. Yikes.

13:25 - Ainsley. Ugh. Girl - your bf is in the hospital with a stab wound. Stop trying to find a story to further your career and worry about him. Honestly. Why is she even dating this guy? She clearly doesn’t care much about him.

14:24 - Katcha? Another one of the Whitly family employees. WHY ARE THERE SO MANY OF THEM?!? We’re up to 4 now (Louisa, Katherine, Alfonso, and Katcha).

15:51 - Look at Eve in this scene. Initially she is annoyed, then concerned, then curious but by the end of the conversation you can tell that Eve is scared of what Jessica tells her.

18:40 - haha look at Gil’s face here. He’s so pleased and amused that JT is teasing Malcolm. It’s precious.

18:57 - Malcolm’s comment about how the Junkyard Killer has been killing for over 20 years, which is longer than the Surgeon, has me curious. How long did the Surgeon kill for? Did Martin start killing before he got married? Before Malcolm was born? After Malcolm was born? After Ainsley was born? I really want to know. ALSO Gil looks so concerned after Malcolm makes that little comment. Generally Gil shoots Malcolm a concerned look whenever Martin is brought up. I love it.

19:02 - How long did the front desk have that box? No one noticed it was bleeding? AND that blood is seeping out really fast. There’s no way JT could’ve gotten it to Malcolm before it started bleeding. Ugh. The things I excuse/ignore because I understand episodes have a time constraint and things need to happen a certain way to forward the plot.

19:43 - I don’t know a lot about how quickly the human body decomposes or anything BUT father Leo’s hands did not look that beat up a few minutes ago. Check out the severed hand’s finger nails? They’re in terrible shape. Biology nerds: does this kind of stuff happen to severed limbs? I’m curious but too scared to google (I don’t want pictures).

21:00 - This is another instance where we can see how good Malcolm is at interviewing....well until Watkins brings up the girl in the box and Malcolm kind of loses his mind. I love this.

21:36 - Gil looks scared here. A rare look for him. Also - really makes me wish I could’ve seen the moment when the story behind the girl in the box was explained to Dani and JT.

22:30 - Look at Malcolm’s eyes. He looks haunted. Broken. Scared. I’m genuinely surprised he didn’t descend into a full blown panic attack. He looked really close to one.

22:50 - This conversation between Malcolm and Gil is everything. You can tell that Gil feels guilty - like he might’ve worsened Malcolm’s trauma. You can tell that Gil is also concerned about Malcolm. But check out the way Gil is speaking to Malcolm. Gil is so honest with Malcolm yet simultaneously reassuring. I respect that.

24:38 - The moment Malcolm decides that his need for answers is greater than his wellbeing. He could’ve called Gil right here. He could’ve walked away and waited for backup. But he didn’t because knowing the truth is more important to him than his physical health. That’s genuinely concerning. This is a passively suicidal act.

25:34 - “You even smell like him.” This line has always struck me as bizarre. What exactly is John referring to? Does Malcolm smell like fear? Or like desperation mixed with determination? Is that how he smells like Martin? Because I promise you Jessica Whitly would lose her mind if Malcolm was wearing the same cologne his father used to wear. If Malcolm smelled like Martin due to his personal hygiene products I’m sure Jessica would’ve put a stop to it. And I’m sure Malcolm would’ve listened to his mother in this instance because he’s so desperate to be nothing like Martin Whitly.

26:21 - This is sad. Malcolm is being honest here. He really believes that he is like his father even though he desperately doesn’t want to be like him.

27:22 - Gil is pissed. This is peak Dad behaviour. I’m shocked that he didn’t punish Malcolm himself or call Jessica because he knew that her overbearing presence would be punishment for Malcolm.

28:23 - Malcolm is spiralling. Look how manic he is. How desperate he is for answers. Look at how much pain he’s in. This whump is thawing my cold, dead soul (also semi-shirtless Tom Payne is attractive).

29:05 - Jin has the appropriate reaction to this. Ainsley does not. If a murder is on the loose you should be at lest mildly concerned for yourself and sympathetic for the victims and their families. Not excited at the prospect of a story.

30:02 - 1. Tom Payne without a shirt is...wow. and 2. He’s using frozen peas as an ice pack...so he does have food in the house?

30:25 - Yep. When he opens the fridge here you can see he has some other frozen vegetables in the door.

30:27 - This is interesting to me. Malcolm is clearly attracted to Eve and he doesn’t want her to think he’s crazy (even though their first conversation was about how he got high at work) so he hides his pill bottles. When Dani’s come over Malcolm has never hidden his pill bottles from her. Because Malcolm is comfortable with Dani. Just something to think about.

31:00 - Eve said she got Malcolm’s address under “false pretences”. The only false pretence I can see Jessica giving out Malcolm’s address to Eve is because Eve told her she was going to ask Malcolm out. But the false pretence implies that Eve has no intention of ever dating Malcolm. Huh. Either way, I would’ve really liked to hear that conversation. The one where a drunk Jessica Whitly gives a woman her son’s address because she thinks he’s going to get laid. It’s both upsetting and hilarious that this happened.

32:15 - Gil looks like exhausted. Holy crap. Why is everyone so worried about Malcolm when Gil is looking like this?!?

33:25 - The acting throughout this entire phone conversation is phenomenal. Tom Payne’s facial expressions really convey Malcolm’s desperation, fear, and determination to get answers. Lou’s tone of voice really conveys Gil’s worry over Malcolm and tired, desperation to solve this case. And Michael Raymond-James’ confident, controlling voice is just the perfect amount of creepy to be a believable killer.

34:40 - Are you telling me that Gil wasn’t hearing this conversation in real time? Why wasn’t the police recording this conversation for evidence? Also how is Malcolm’s cell phone connecting to Gil’s radio?

35:53 - “Damn it. Ainsley’s there.” This line is beautifully delivered. That is believable big brother concern. This whole sibling conversation is great. I love how they interact.

36:30 - Can no know in this family follow orders?!? Honestly. Ainsley stay in your room. These Whitly’s really need to learn to listen to the people who want to keep themselves safe. BUT SIDE NOTE: Malcolm’s desperate cries to Ainsley as she runs from the Junkyard Killer are haunting.

38:21 - THANK YOU JIN. SOMEONE WHO SEES IT MY WAY. AINSLEY DID YOU DIRTY BROTHER.

39:15 - “How’s Ainsley doing?” Love this. I’m so desperate to know the extent of Gil’s relationship with Ainsley. We know that Gil was a big part of Malcolm’s childhood. I want to know how much contact he’s had with Ainsley through the years.

40:35 - hahaha I love this scene between Jessica and Malcolm. It’s honest, sweet, and sad. You can really see the role that Malcolm put himself in. He’s the self-appointed family protector. He’s probably felt that way most of his life. You can see Jessica’s determination, guilt, and fear. It’s beautiful.

Ahhhhhh I love this show. Thanks for hanging out Prodigies.

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korra-the-red-lion · 3 years

Text

Unnatural Affairs. Chapter 9: Locker Room Ghost.

(Ally + Lyn + Michael)

Ally.

Unfortunately, I had to spend the last couple of days catching up on my schoolwork.

As it turned out, you still had to do the work even if all your classes were cancelled. After my night in the library with Lyn, I realized with sickening dread that I had forgotten to finish my assignments. So, I spent all of Thursday and Friday frantically catching up on my work.

We had to do our presentation of Miss Julie this Monday, so Michael, Mags and I spent all day Friday practicing our lines and doing the write up. I got to caught up in all the researching and ghost speaking that I nearly forgot that the whole reason why I was here was for school. Oops. Professor Kinkly didn’t seem like the kind of person who would take any kind of excuse as to why things were handed in late.

After that, I lugged myself back to my room and worked away at a paper I had for my Anthropology class. I had to write about cultural adaptions in other countries, so I picked beauty standards in Japanese culture. I was only allowed 700 words, which didn’t give me a lot of space. I wasn’t very good at limiting myself.

Sarah was back now, after she went home to visit her parents when classes were cancelled. She was typing away on her bed, also working on something. Eventually she groaned loudly and slammed her laptop shut.

“I hate my sociology class so freaking much,” she whined.

I took my ear bud out, turning my chair to face her. “What’s the issue?”

“I have to write this like, super judgy paper on underdeveloped neighbourhoods,” she complained to me, shifting on her bed until she was hanging upside down. “Except the film they made us watch a movie that was like, totally made by privileged people who like to blame people for issues they can’t control.”

I frowned in distaste as I listened. “Ugh, sorry to hear that, Sarah. That’s so frustrating. They need to update that course ASAP.”

“Right? Like, why do people blame the poor and underprivileged?” she glared at the weird stain we had on our wall.

“Probably for the same reason we don’t make things accessible for people with disabilities and chronic illnesses,” I remarked, a tinge of annoyance lacing my words. “The world is run by rich, able bodied, white assholes.”

“Valid point.”

“I have those sometimes.”

She snorted before rolling onto her stomach. “I’m going to grab something to drink. You want something?”

I shook my head. “I’m good, thanks.”

“Okay, suit yourself,” she said with a shrug. I waved her goodbye as she left before I turned my attention back to my dumb paper.

Of course, it didn’t take long for my thoughts to drift back to my conversation with Janna Kawada from a couple of days ago.

“Hey, are you the student who did an interview for the student paper about the showers?” I had asked as I approached the team who was finishing their practice from the looks of things.

She eyed me suspiciously as she took a sip from her water bottle. “Yeah. Who’s asking?”

“I’m Ally Holland, and I uh…I’m writing a paper about what happened,” I lied nervously, hoping it would work.

Janna raised her eyebrow before shrugging it off. “Whatever, I guess. What about it?”

“Do you mind just telling me exactly what you saw?”

She sighed dramatically. “I already told this all to Anna, why do I need to repeat myself? It’s in the paper.”

I swallowed hard, attempting to make myself look serious. It was a little hard when you were short and had a bit of a round face. I looked like a big child. “Please, I need to know.”

“Seriously?” She searched my face before sighing again. “I was changing after practice because I left early when I heard a bunch of screaming coming from the showers. I went over to see what the hell was going on and saw all the swim girls covered in blood. They were totally freaking out. I thought it was some shitty prank until I saw a couple of them crying. Then I looked and the showers were still spraying out the blood. That all you need?”

It was nearly identical to what she had said in the papers. I frowned, mostly in disappointment. I was hoping there was more that she had to share. “Um,” I started hesitantly.

“Yeah?”

“Was that the only thing you saw?”

She stared at me with a strange look. “Why do you ask?”

“Well…” I chewed the inside of my cheek, “the article in the paper suggested that there was more, that the team was cursed. I was just wondering if you noticed anything else that seemed strange.”

Janna was silent for a very long time. I was getting a little disheartened when she gave a shaky sigh. “Listen, I’ll tell you this but no one else hears it,” she said with a slight tremor, “got it?”

I nodded quickly, pulling my pen and notebook out. She eyed them with disdain before shaking her head.

“I thought I saw a strange face in the mirrors.” She looked around uncomfortably. “I thought it was just one of the girls, but I didn’t recognize her at all. Not that I know all those girls, but she was really hard to focus on. When I looked again, there was no one there. I just figured I imagined things since the whole situation was freaky as shit.”

I wrote this all down as quickly as possible. “Thank you, Janna! This really helps!”

“Well,” she looked at me suspiciously again, “good luck on that paper then.”

This basically confirmed to me that there was a ghost haunting the women’s locker room. I looked up at the ceiling as I completely forgot about my paper as I got deeper in thought. Since most ghosts lingered in the spot they were killed in, that meant this ghost was at the very least killed in the Athletic Centre. I thought maybe Amelia Turner was our suspect, but I wasn’t so sure. The obituary Lyn found made it sound like she committed suicide, meaning that the cause of death had to match that. It just didn’t connect in my head quite right.

I suspected that there was a different person haunting the locker room. I bit my lip, trying to piece together this puzzle. Blood showers, attacking a student, mirrors. Usually a vindictive yet harmless act, like the showers, was an indication that this ghost was trying to get attention, or so claimed the supernatural book I read the other day. An attack suggested aggression, maybe vengeance. But by all accounts, Jackie had nothing to do with this. She was a victim of circumstance more than anything else.

Maybe the ghost was losing itself? I read that it could happen to someone who was being forgotten. If a spirit still had familial attachment to this world, they were less likely to go feral. But if there was no one to remember the spirit, or in this case the soul of the person, as they once were, they lost themselves to the darkness. Was this the case here? Was the Locker Room Ghost being forgotten? If we could help them pass on peacefully, then it doesn’t matter if their last attachment to this earth forgot them. However, that meant we needed to help them soon. An angry ghost was much harder to pass on then a normal one, because they became corrupted with negative feelings.

I wasn’t sure how long I stared up at the ceiling, lost in my thoughts before my phone buzzing on my desk startled me back into existence. I nearly fell out of my chair as I scrambled to answer it.

“Hello?”

“Ally!” Michael’s voice boomed out.

I winced as I turned down my volume. “Yeah?”

“What are you up to? Are you busy?”

“Um,” I spared a guilty glance at my long-forgotten paper, “nothing. What’s up?”

“Can you text Lyn and meet me up at the pond?”

“Yeah, sure. Right now?”

“If you don’t mind!”

“No, I can,” I said glancing at the time on my laptop. I wasn’t sure if Lyn was at practice or not. I thought she usually was there for 4:30. “I’ll be there in a few. Bye.”

“Bye!” he said cheerfully before we both hung up. I sent a text to Lyn before grabbing my coat and purse.

I closed my laptop, whispering “Sorry” before heading out. I will finish that horrible paper tonight. But for now, it must remain unfinished.

XXX

Michael.

October was one of those months that made zero sense in Canada.

Yesterday it was so freaking warm that it was regretful to wear pants, but today was chilly coat weather. I didn’t know whether to blame climate change or if this was just typical of this province, but it never did this back home. Yuck.

I dropped my backpack as I sat down waiting for Ally and Lyn. I originally was going to suggest the big tree, but I kinda wanted to be away from ghosts for the time being. I had a plan tonight involving ghosts and I wanted to stay spirit free for awhile.

It wasn’t long before Ally got here. I thought it was really funny that she was wearing a coat and scarf yet refused to wear pants. Homegirl was committed to her aesthetic and I loved that. Her socks legit went all the way up her thighs, leaving only a sliver of space between her way too long coat and the top of her socks.

I grinned at her in greeting as she sat down next to me. She adjusted herself to a comfortable position.

“Lyn said she’d be a few minutes, but she couldn’t stay too long,” she explained as she loosened her scarf.

“All good. I just wanted to share this really quickly.”

She nodded as she relaxed. I poked her in the face when I noticed she was wearing her thinking face again. She looked at me confused as I shrugged in response. She rolled her eyes and leaned back. The fact that we could sit silently like this was nice. There wasn’t a lot of people I could just sit with, but Ally was one of them.

Eventually Lyn jogged over to join us. She plopped down immediately and said, “What’s up? I gotta head to the pool in like 10 minutes.”

“It won’t take long,” I promised as I reached for my bag. Ally and Lyn watched me curiously as I opened it up, digging around for a bit before I found what I was looking for. With a triumphant smile, I pulled out the bag of jewelry I got from Talia.

“Ta-dah!” I presented them with a huge grin.

Lyn reached over and picked on up gingerly. “You called us here…” she said examining it slowly, “…for some rocks?”

“Not just any rocks,” I said happily. “Special rocks!”

Ally picked one up as well, turning it over between her fingers. “These are gemstones, right?” she asked, looking at me.

“Yes!” I beamed. “I got them for protection! Those black ones are onyx, and they’re suppose to protect us from any attacks. These are for you,” I put the amethyst and onyx in Ally’s hand, “and you,” I dropped the onyx and quartz in Lyn’s.

Lyn eyed hers skeptically as Ally put on the bracelets. “Aw, thanks Michael,” she said as she examined it in the sunlight.

“How the hell did you know my ring size?” Lyn questioned as the quartz ring fit her perfectly.

“So that’s the extremely creepy part,” I said. “I didn’t realize it until I got home but somehow just by your names alone, Talia knew who you were.”

“Right.” Lyn slipped the ring off and put it in her pocket. “That is very creepy.”

“Maybe she’s a witch or something,” Ally joked.

“If you tell me that werewolves are real, I’m heading out.”

“There’s no proof that they aren’t real,” I pointed out. Lyn groaned as she pushed herself to her feet.

“Is that all? I gotta bounce otherwise.”

“Oh! One more thing!” I said quickly. “Tonight’s the full moon.”

Realization dawned on Ally’s face as Lyn looked between us to explain. I said with a wave of my arm, “Supernatural powers are enhanced by the moon. I think we should go to the locker room tonight and see if we can talk to the ghost in there.”

“Uh-huh,” Lyn said slowly as she crossed her arms. “Wouldn’t that mean the ghost will be stronger or something?”

“Yeah.”

“So, the ghost who has already proven itself as dangerous would be more powerful, and you want us to go on a ghost hunt?”

“That sounds about right to me, yeah.”

Lyn gave me a hard look. She glanced at Ally and asked, “Are you okay with this?”

Ally looked over at me, and I nodded seriously. “I can get DNA samples if we get them at their most solid.”

She nodded and turned back to Lyn. “I trust Michael. Besides, we have these for protection now,” she said, holding up her wrist. “I don’t know if any time is a good time, so now is better than waiting for another student to get hurt.”

Lyn looked between us again before sighing deeply. She threw her hands up in defeat. “Yeah, okay, sure. This is so bonkers anyway. We’ll go tonight around 11, how does that sound? I’ll even get us a key to the building, so we’ll be the only ones inside, just in case.”

“Thanks Lyn!” Ally and I chimed together, smiling at her. Lyn rolled her eyes, but her lip quirked upwards slightly before she grumbled off to practice. Ally watched her go until she made her thinking face and got lost in thought.

I gave her a couple of minutes to stew. I wasn’t kidding when I told her she’s always thinking. She must have dozens of thoughts bouncing around in that head of hers at all times. It wasn’t until I saw her draw her lip in for that thoughtful bite she always did that I poked her in the temple, drawing her back to reality.

“Whatcha thinking about, Ally?” I asked with a chuckle. “You’re making your thinking face.”

“I don’t have a thinking face,” she replied.

I laughed. “Yeah, you do.” I pulled my eyebrows together and pulled my lips in. “It looks like this.”

“You look stupid.”

“It’s your face.”

“Hey!”

“You walked into that one.”

She looked over at me for a second before she fell back with a groan. I poked her again when she didn’t say anything, causing her to groan louder. Finally, she muttered, “It doesn’t make sense.”

“What doesn’t make sense?”

Ally looked up at the waning sun. “The Locker Room Ghost.”

I fell back with her and linked my hands together over my belly. “Why doesn’t it make sense?”

“Because Lyn found another woman who died on campus, Amelia Turner. What doesn’t make sense to me is the obituary. It sounds like she died via suicide, but a locker room isn’t a place I would do that in.” Ally’s face scrunched up in frustration. “Especially young women in the 90s. I feel like the place would be more private, like a bedroom or even a bathroom. But an open space locker room where anyone could have walked in on it? That’s where the disconnect lies.”

I frowned in thought. That was actually a good point. “Gosh, Al, you’re good at this. I don’t think I would have noticed that.”

“Fat lot of good it will do,” she grumbled. “But I’m really worried that the ghost in there isn’t Amelia, which means we’re dealing with someone else entirely.”

“Did you ask Dahlia about it?”

She shook her head. “It came to me this morning. Plus, I was so focused on catching up to that stupid assignment for my Anthro class and the write up for Drama that I haven’t had time to go talk with her. Maybe I should…”

My eyes drifted absently to where I know she was residing. I shuddered slightly when I thought about the pressure that area brought on when she revealed herself. “Maybe not today,” I suggested.

Ally looked over with a question in her eyes. I propped myself up on my elbow as I faced her. “I just…it was hard to breathe when you talked to her with me. If my theory of the full moon giving them a boost is true, then she must be freaking strong right now.”

Ally hummed in thoughtful agreement as she closed her eyes. “Yeah, I guess that makes sense. Anyway, maybe I’m overthinking it. I could be totally off. Also, you’re not sure on the whole full moon thing?”

“Not exactly, but most of the books I read seemed to agree with the theory,” I said. “It’s worth the risk, I think.”

“I agree.”

We laid there for a little while, watching the sky get dark. I wasn’t sure what was going through Ally’s head at the moment, but I knew I was starting to feel a little anxious. I really hope that this worked out for us and that we could solve this quickly. Unfortunately, I had a bad feeling this wasn’t going to be resolved by Thanksgiving.

XXX

Lyn

“I’m heading out, Nura,” I said with a yawn. “Don’t wait up for me, ‘kay?”

“Where are you going?” Nura asked.

My hand wavered between my parka and my bomber jacket as I decided between the two. “I’m just meeting up with some friends for a bit,” I said as I grabbed the bomber and threw it on.

“A party?”

I snorted as I redid my ponytail. “You know I would never. I have a swim meet in a couple of weeks.”

“Oh right,” she chuckled. “I forgot, you don’t do that.”

“Rarely,” I said dryly. I pulled on my tattered old Converse and tied the laces tightly. “Okidoki, see ya. I’ve got my keys and phone, so seriously don’t wait up for me.”

She wished me goodbye as I closed the door behind me. I pulled my tuque from the pocket of the jacket, jamming it on my head before stepping outside. It was obnoxiously cold tonight, but I always loved the smell of Autumn air. It didn’t take me long to get to the AC, where Ally and Michael were waiting.

Michael was wearing a backpack that looked to be pretty full. I raised a brow at it, and he grinned.

“Supplies,” was all he said.

I shrugged before glancing at the darkened building and frowned. “Right, guess we’re going in.”

“Yeah,” Ally said quietly beside me.

“It’s just a ghost, yeah?”

“Hopefully.”

I looked down at her. She only offered a noncommittal shrug. Yeah, that makes me feel totally safe. I stuck my hands in my coat pockets and sighed.

“Sounds like we’re good to go,” said Michael as he headed for the front door. I reached over and grabbed his shoulder to stop him from moving forward. “Huh, what?”

I shook my head. “I forgot, but the building lights are activated by motion,” I explained.

Michael looked slightly confused, but before I could explain the issue, Ally piped up.

“That means people would know there was someone inside. Security would come by and see what’s going on.” She looked at me. “Is that correct?”

“Yup.” I started walking off. “But there’s another way in. Follow me.”

We walked around the building until we got to the back door. I knelt down in front of the door and opened my own bag. I pulled out a shoehorn. Michael and Ally both shot each other a confused look before Ally opened her mouth to ask about it. I shook my head to stop her as I turned my focus on the door.

“Don’t ask,” I muttered as I jammed it under the door. “I got into a lot of trouble when I was younger.”

Like I suspected, they didn’t lock the back door. It was something they did often. A lot of the guys who worked at the desk were on the football team, and they would leave the doors unlocked so they could sneak in to use the pool for partying. I slowly pulled it open enough that I could hook my fingers around, grinning as I did.

I stood up as I opened it wide. “After you,” I said with a mock accent, bowing to them two of them.

Once we were in, I closed the door gently just in case. I wasn’t sure if there was anyone still left inside or if the guys snuck in tonight. A Friday night pool party wasn’t an uncommon occurrence. I listened for a minute, waiting to hear the sounds of guys talking or splashing. Luckily, it seemed like we were alone for now.

“This way,” I whispered. I lead them down the hall, using the key to open the door to the weight room. The lights flickered to life as we cut through, humming softly. I unlocked the other door and ushered them through. A short walk later, and we were in the women’s locker room.

“What do you want to see first?” I asked, looking around for some supernatural signs. So far nothing, though I wasn’t even sure I’d be able to see anything.

Ally’s eyes flickered to our locker room before connecting with mine. “The mirrors, actually.”

I lead them into the bathroom. Ally walked over to the mirrors and began searching around them. Michael joined her, poking around the sinks as well. I stood off to the side, not really sure what I should do. What I did notice, however, was how freakishly cold it was in here. Don’t get me wrong, the locker room was sometimes really fucking cold, but not like this. I could see my breath in here. That freaked me out, just a little.

Ally shivered as she stepped away, her eyes searching for something that wasn’t there. She was muttering to herself under breath, little white clouds puffing out as she did. Michael had wandered into the showers to see if he could find anything interesting. I stepped closer to Ally almost unconsciously.

“Are you cold?” I asked.

“Huh?” Ally blinked, clearly knocking herself back into reality. “Oh. Yeah, a little.”

I pulled my tuque off and put it on her instead. She reached up and brushed her fingers against it lightly. She looked at me quizzically.

“You look like you need it more than me,” I said lightly.

She smiled. “Thanks.” I didn’t fail to notice the blush on her face, and I looked away, thankful for the darkened room. I felt like my ears were on fire.

Suddenly, her eyes snap back to the mirror. I froze, searching. I couldn’t see anything, but Ally started approaching the mirror cautiously.

“Ally…” Michael stepped over, his voice quivering.

“What’s going on?” I asked, trying to stop the panic that was creeping up my throat.

Ally placed her hand on the mirror, staring at nothing but clearly seeing something. “What do you mean?” she asked absently.

I don’t understand what was going on. Michael was staring at the same spot, but there wasn’t anything there. Ally was clearly having a conversation with someone.

“Why shouldn’t we be here?” Ally asked, tapping her finger against the glass. “Please, tell me.”

What the fuck…I stepped back in fear. I could feel a growing tension as the lights flickered on and off. Michael dug around his backpack before he pulled out a flashlight, turning it on. He whipped the light towards me.

“Lyn, are you wearing that ring I got you?” His voice was tight with control.

Confused, I shook my head slowly. He urged me to put it on as the lights finally settled. I slipped it on, but I didn’t notice a difference. Ally was stepping away from the mirrors, looking around panickily.

My heart was thudding in my ears as I looked around, but I’m pretty sure whatever happened was over now. Shit, I wasn’t going to be a lot of help here, was I?

“Ally, what happened?” Michael asked.

Ally was breathing quickly. She forced herself to take a deep slow breath before looking over at him. “She said we shouldn’t be here.”

“Who?” we both asked at the same time.

“I’m-” Ally glanced at the mirror in a mix of confusion and fear, “-I’m not sure.”

Oh. Cool. Cool. Coooooooool. We were already dealing with some unknown ghost and now there was potentially another fucking person to deal with? My legs were shaking but I forced myself to lean into the wall.

“Ally,” my voice cracked, “should we go?”

She looked at me, her pupils large with fear. It looked like she was racing through a ton of thoughts at once before she settled on one. She shook her head, swallowing thickly before saying, “No. I wanna see the locker room. Unless…” she hesitated, “…you guys wanna go.”

Fuck yes, I wanted to go. I was scared shitless. But some part of me, some crazy part of me, said to stay. We needed to see what happened to Jackie. So, despite the screaming protest in my head, I shook my head. “It’s this way,” I squeaked.

I brought them over to the entrance of our locker room. With a shaking hand, I punched in the passcode and opened the door. I turned on the lights so we could see. I haven’t been in here since the attack. The wall was covered in a tarp, to cover up the writing on the wall I suspected.

Michael stepped in and pulled the tarp off. I was holding my breath but released it when I saw what was there.

It was mostly gibberish. There wasn’t a coherent sentence in the words, but I did pick up a couple. Help. Death. Here. Ally pulled her phone out, taking a picture of it. Michael pulled a swab out of his pocket and ran it against the wall. He pulled out some oozing goo, which looked really fresh. He carefully put the swab in a tube with a mixed look of disgust and interest.

“Are we good to go?” I asked nervously. I had both hands over my ears, squeezing them anxiously.

“I think so,” Ally said in mild disappointment. She looked around one last time before sighing. “I guess she left.”

“Who?”

“The ghost in the mirror,” she answered. I stepped out first, waiting for them to follow after me. Michael was the last one to leave. Before I closed the door, I felt something wet drip onto my hand. I stared at it blankly, my mind not comprehending what it was. It was dark and slimy. The lights flickered as I looked up slowly.

Hanging from the ceiling was some demonic looking creature. Its eyes were glowing green in the dark, and when we made eye contact, it cracked its head all the way around before opening its toothy mouth, howling at me.

I screamed.

XXX

Ally.

I heard Lyn scream. I heard something else scream too. I looked over as she slammed the door shut. She whipped around towards me and Michael, shoving us forward.

“What was that?!” I asked frantically.

“I-I-I have no fucking i-idea! Lyn stammered out, looking behind her shoulder. An arm punched through the door, ripping a hole as it retracted.

A head poked out. The face was distorted and inhuman. Bloody salvia dripped down its face as it linked eyes with us. It howled again as it dragged its body through the hole it made. It was human shaped but wasn’t at the same time. The limbs were disjointed, the torso large and barreled shaped. But something really stuck out to me.

Those eyes looked so sad and lost.

It jumped at us, but we managed to turn the corner before it hit us. “This way!” Lyn yelled, running down the hallway we came up from.

Michael pulled a bag out of his pocket and threw it at the monster. It screeched in pain as it reeled back. It clawed at its face, blood spraying as it tore into flesh.

“What was that?” I asked as we ran.

“Salt!” he cried.

Oh, that made sense. I should have brought some. It only slowed it down a little bit, before it launched itself at us again. This hallway seemed for much longer the second time around. It felt like we ran forever and ever as it stretched in front of us. Was what going on? I tried to think about all the books I was reading before this, but my mind was coming up blank. It took a swipe at us, howling in pain. Lyn shoved me to the floor as the claws raked her arm. Blood sprayed in an arc as she shouted in shock and pain.

“Lyn!” I said as I scrambled to my feet. “Are you okay!”

“I’m fine!” she gritted her teeth. She held her arm, blood oozing through her fingers. “Michael, do you have more salt?”

Michael watched the beast approached us with horror. His eyes flickered to her before nodding. “Two bags left.”

“Hold it off for a minute,” she growled. She plunged into the weight room as the beast reared up on its haunches, taking another swipe at us.

We both ducked to avoid having our heads be taken off. Michael threw some of the salt on the floor and tossed the rest at the monster. It screamed in frustration and pain as its flesh burned from the salt. I screamed as it reached over for us, its clawed hand grabbing me and lifting me into the air. It knocked Michael aside, knocking his head into the wall. He slumped to the floor boneless.

“Michael!” I shrieked. I wiggled against the grasp, but I could barely move. “Lyn!”

The monster yowled in my face, spittle and blood splattering me all over. I winced, trying to get away. It did it again, squeezing me tightly. I whimpered as I felt my bones creaking, unable to draw a full breath of air.

“ARRRGGHHHH!!” Lyn roared as she ran over. She swung a weighted bar like a bat, smashing it against the arm of the beast.

I fell to the floor as it roared in agony. Lyn swung again, hitting it in the face this time. It smashed into the wall, writhing in pain. Lyn reached down and helped me to my feet. She was breathing heavily as she backed up.

“Is Michael…?”

I shook my head. “Just knocked out.”

“Are you able to lift him?” She eyed the monster as it pushed itself out of the wall. I shook my head again. “Fuck…okay. Ally, hand me that last bag.”

I reached over and took the salt off of Michael, who groaned in pain. I muttered an apology to him as I shoved the salt in her hand. Lyn took the salt and rubbed a bunch of it over the weighted bar. She shouted as she swung it, hitting the monster one last time before she dropped it on it, pining it place.

She scrambled back as it shrieked so loudly that the overhead lights shattered. “That’s not going to last!!”

Together, we hoisted Michael over her shoulders and made a mad dash to the door. I pushed it open, and we ran outside, the cold air feeling like a blessing on my sweating face. We kept running until we were far enough way to feel safe.

I spared a fearful look at the Athletic Centre, but the demonic beast hadn’t followed us. I collapsed to the ground, my tears mixing with my sweat. I shook uncontrollably as Lyn laid Michael down gently and sunk to the ground herself.

My breathing was getting shorter and catching as I tried to take in air. My vision was spotty as I brought a trembling hand to my face, trying to get the blood off. Lyn must have grabbed my hand, but I wasn’t sure when.

“Ally, can you hear me?” she asked calmly.

I looked over at her. I think I nodded.

“Okay. What are five things you can see?” Her voice sounded so muffled.

“F-five things?” I hiccupped.

She nodded. I blinked a couple of times, trying to refocus. “M-Michael. Grass. You. Lamppost. S-scoreboard.”

“Okay, good,” she smiled softly, turning my gaze back on her. “Now four things you can feel.”

“G-grass.” I shakily raised my hand to brush her hand. “Your hand. The b-b-breeze. My leg.”

“You’re doing great,” she murmured. “Can you list three things you can hear?”

My breathing was slowing down a little, allowing me to take deeper breaths. I nodded to answer her question. “Michael groaning. The bugs.” I locked eyes with her now. “You.”

Lyn’s eyes shone with something as she nodded. “Yup. Two things you can smell?”

I took a deep breath through my nose. As I did, Michael had rolled over and vomited all over the grass. My face scrunched out a little in disgust. “Vomit…shea butter?”

“My lotion,” Lyn chuckled softly. “Can you tell me one thing you can taste?”

I shook my head. My mouth felt extremely dry and sandpapery. Lyn reached into the non tattered pocket of her jacket and pulled out a candy. Her hands shook as she unwrapped it. She pressed it against my lips, which I parted slightly so it would go in.

After a couple of seconds of sucking on it, I said quietly, “Caramel.”

“How do you feel now?” she asked hesitantly.

“A b-bit better,” I took another deep breath. “Thank you.”

She nodded. “We needed to get going,” she tried pushing herself up, only to wince and gasp in pain. We both forgot about her arm in the heat of the moment. She fell back, pressing her hand against the wound.

“Is everyone alive?” Michael asked groggily, his face in the grass. At least he scooted away from the vomit spot.

“Yeah,” I answered. I was still shaking, my head was still pounding, but I could breathe. I looked over at the building again, but I didn’t sense any negative energy coming from there. What was that thing? Was that a vengeful spirit? If it was…that wasn’t what I expected.

I shook my head, forcing myself to refocus. Lyn and Michael needed medical attention, and my panic attack wasn’t completely dealt with. I shakily got to my feet, fighting a wave of nausea. Once I was sure I wasn’t going to fall over, I helped Lyn to her feet too. Together we lifted Michael up, my heart sinking when I heard Lyn hiss in pain.

“Are you okay?” I asked concerned.

“I will be,” she said through gritted teeth. There was a sheet of sweat on her face and she was shaking way more now. “The adrenaline is just wearing off now.”

I didn’t completely buy it, but we needed to get Michael help. I was pretty sure he was concussed. I bit my lip, regretting that as soon as I did because there was blood on it. I spat on the ground. “Okay, where do we go? The hospital I guess?”

Lyn frowned. “They’ll ask questions, but it makes the most sense…”

I silently agreed with her. I didn’t want them to ask what happened, but we had very limited choices. Why couldn’t life be like books and TV? Heroes always get these wild injuries that magically were fine a couple hours later. Oliver probably should have died like 7 times an episode in the early seasons of Arrow, but he always turned out fine. Totally unfair.

The only major issue is we had no way to get there unless we walked. I wasn’t sure any of us were going to be able to make it there without passing out. Lyn sighed through her nose as she looked around in thought. “Fuuuuck, okay. I’ll call someone.”

“Who?”

“That’s the question,” she muttered. She pulled out her phone and dialled. “Olivia, hey. Can you pick me up?”

Lyn’s face dropped as she listened to the person on the other end for a few agonizing minutes. “Liv, okay. Yeah, hmm. Fuck, okay, I’ll come home Thanksgiving. I just need you to drive me and my friends to the hospital, no questions asked.” She rolled her eyes as she huffed in annoyance. “No, don’t tell mum and dad. Thank you.” She hung up without saying bye, dropping her injured arm with a groan.

I wanted to ask who that was, but I was able to put the pieces together. I adjusted Michael, who was starting to stand on his own power a little bit more. “Should we just wait here?”

Lyn nodded sullenly. “Yeah, my sister is coming to pick us up. We might as well sit while we wait.”

She lightly settled back on the ground, making sure Michael was comfortable first. I sat next to her and put my head on her shoulder. She stiffened slightly at the contact before slowly relaxing. It was so strange to think that we could be sitting here rather serenely even though we just avoided death not too long ago.

I guess life does always move on, even through tragedy.

#unnatural affairs #ua #ally holland #lyn hart #michael yamamoto #paranomal #mystery #murder mysteries #romance #ghosts #tw panic attack #tw violance #tw blood mention #wlw #sapphic lead #original story #original fiction #writing

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merinathropp · 7 years

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Tanz der Vampire - Hamburg 2017: Detailed Breakdown

It’s official, folks: I have finally, finally seen Tanz der Vampire live. After 17 months of hoping, dreaming and saving - my little dream came true, and I flew to Germany to see the show. So! In loving memorial, I’ve written up a stupidly long review of my experience below. I saw the show twice, but have combined the entire experience into this one post. If anyone has a particular question about a scene or song, please just shout at me :) I’m up for any excuse to talk more about this show, being the obsessed fan that I am...

First night - from stalls left Second night - from stalls front row, right in the middle Graf von Krolock - Mathias Edenborn Alfred - Tom van der Ven Sarah - Maureen Mac Gillavry Sarah - Anja Wendzel (alternate) Professor Abronsius - Victor Petersen Herbert - Kiryll Zolygin (alternate) Magda - Sara Jane Checchi Chagal - Jerzy Jeszke

GENERAL

- This trip was worth every dang penny. Hands down one of the greatest musical theatre experiences of my life I encourage everyone to save up, spend the money and fly to Germany to see this musical live, at least once your lifetime. You will not regret it.

- What blew me away the most about my entire experience was coming to the realisation that Tanz der Vampire is a legitimately spectacular musical at its core, more so than I had ever given it credit for. Everything comes together to create an entirely immersive experience that sweeps you off your feet for 3 hours, and a shaky camcorder bootleg can never, never match its true glory.

- Orchestra was full and luscious, to my ears. No idea what all the complaints are about, Hamburg has definitely pulled out all the stops in this regard. There was a killer pianist banging out some stuff I’ve never even noticed on the CD! - The lighting was pure magic. My word, this show does not get enough credit having some of the most awe-inspiring lighting I think I’ve ever seen onstage. Highlights for me were the gleaming moonlight that floods the back of the stage during Tanzaal and the eerie golden glow of sunrise in Carpe Noctem.

- The sets are unearthly and gothic and stunning; the rotating cottage blanketed in snow, the graveyard swimming in mist with its wrought-iron gates in silhouette, the cavernous ballroom with its winding staircase, the maze of bookcases draped in cobwebs and dust...gosh, there are too many to name. I’ve always leaned more towards the Kentaur Revival sets, but having seen these ones live, I’m starting to seriously reconsider my opinion.

ENSEMBLE

- Is it just me, or are the German casts always uncannily brilliant when it comes to their mirror doubles? I swear this is one thing the Russian casts never managed to pull off. Even from the front row, it still looked like Alfred’s reflection was dancing with an invisible Herbert. And the trio at the end were perfectly synced, right down to drawing breath in unison. Absolutely ingenious.

- Roten Stiefel was sublime, especially the first time I saw it. The ensemble seemed to be dancing on air, every movement just flowed and Sarah literally flew around the stage like she was on cloud nine. I don’t think I breathed for the entire sequence.

- The coordination of the choreography in Ewigkeit blew me away. You just don’t know where to look during that number, it’s such a visual spectacle! Like a literal load of rotting corpses, each trying to keep themselves in one piece long enough to feed. One guy clearly had a case of Nearly-Headless Nick, one guy kept ‘popping’ his arms back into their sockets, one lady was totally spastic - they’re all so individual and creative!

- Nightmare!Alfred and nightmare!Sarah were haunting and lovely. Every movement between them was so gentle and full of longing. The way nightmare!Alfred looked at her, guh - tender and sweet, yet oddly aloof and mysterious, he was so interesting to watch! And his snarling at the end was vicious, like a mad dog or something, really chilling stuff.

- Nightmare Solo 1 was replaced by HERBERT HIMSELF! Yes, it was HERBERT who appeared on top of the bed and introduced Carpe Noctem, cementing his ‘puppet master’ role 100%. He was so graceful and controlling throughout the entire number, moving his hands like he was ‘guiding’ each dancer into place. And I loved that the replacement meant that Herbert was the first and last character to leave the nightmare, he remained on the bedpost gazing down at sleeping Alfred until the very end of the singing, before drifting off upstage. Ugh, so many new Carpe Noctem headcanons...

- I was disappointed with our Black Vampire. He never threw himself into his movements, there was no power or danger in anything he did, just...perfectly okay dancing, and one really odd lacklustre jump. Bit of a let down :(

KROLOCK (Mathias Edenborn)

- You know how everyone in the fandom says you never forget your first Graf? Well...shoot, turns out they’re absolutely right. Mathias was magnificent and blew all my expectations away; I’ve never thought much of him, in the videos I’ve seen, but watching him live was an incredible experience. He was electrifying from the moment he glided onstage, and commanded the attention of the whole theatre. His Krolock was refined yet animalistic, powerful yet broken, charming yet icy cold, passionate yet subtle. He could also be raw and human when he needed to be, and for the first time, actually made me FEEL for the character. And he has this massive booming powerhouse voice to boot.

- During Vor Dem Schloss, he was very intent on Alfred, standing right up close to him and wrapping his cloak around his shoulders. He also did a lovely elegant gesture where he traced the outline of Alfred’s face with his fingertips. Tom was reacting so well to him, the two just played off each other beautifully throughout the whole scene, just this constant push and pull, like there was a magnetic force between them - brilliant stuff. That chemistry, I Am Here For It.

- When he was talking about Die Fledermaus, he went: “Genial! (deadpan sarcasm, staring straight out into the audience) ...Ich war gefangen.” Ouch :)

- During Einladung, he examined the planks of Sarah’s door and ran his fingers over them in a mocking sort of way when he sang the word ‘sicherheit’ - like he was sneering at Chagal’s efforts and how feeble/useless they were.

- During Totale Finsternis, he did something very interesting; every time he turned away from Sarah, he seemed to be secretly struggling with himself, not from thirst, but almost as though he was overwhelmed by the sin he was committing, and feeling some measure of conflict over it? He’d reach towards her, and then shake his head and pull back at the last minute, and turn away from her with this broken expression and put a hand to his heart. Finally, at the very end of the song, when he turned to face her and saw she’d bared her throat - his face went entirely blank, cold and decisive, like he’d made up his mind in that moment. Such an interesting take on the number, turning it into a moral dilemma for Krolock even as he’s drawing Sarah into his web!

- During Tanzaal, at the very beginning when he first appeared at the top of the stairs, he greeted the retinue of vampires with a German word I couldn’t catch, and then held out a hand in Herbert’s direction, and announced “Sohn!” with great solemnity and I absolutely loved it :’) all the family Krolock feels.

- He had so much adorable interaction with Herbert throughout the rest of the number, it warmed my heart. They would laugh together and Herbert tapped his shoulder when Sarah entered the room, then leant over to say something to him and they grinned together like two gothic super-villains, it was AMAZING. When Sarah came down the stairs and revealed her full dress, Krolock glanced back at Herbert and raised his eyebrows, like he was saying “See? Told you she was something.” and it was the most adorable thing I’ve ever seen a Krolock do.

- When Alfred almost collided with him at the end of the minuet, he reached out a hand and sort of flicked/stroked Alfred’s open fingertips with one of his nails. It was so creepy and menacing, like Alfred was a mouse on a cat’s claw.

ALFRED (Tom van der Ven)

- Mixed feelings on Tom’s Alfred. I found his first performance dull as dishwater, he had this odd vacant expression for about 50% of the show and it was maddening how bland he made Alfred, even though his chemistry with Sarah and Krolock was fantastic. But! Low and behold! His second performance was much better: more reactive, more expressive, more everything. He brought the character to life, at least in most scenes, and won me over against all the odds.

- I know I’m preaching to the choir here, but oh my word, he is the absolute cutest of cute Alfreds. If him and Sergey ever starred in Tanz together, the theatre would implode from sheer cuteness overload. He’s so small and slender with these big wide innocent eyes, you just want to hug him every time he walks onstage. He also puts on an oddly plaintive high-pitched voice for Alfred, which I found ??? initially, but I do think it works with his performance. Also: my relatives said his accent was distracting, but I didn’t notice.

- I love, love, love how truly sincere and ardent he plays Alfred, during any interaction with Sarah. Wirklich Sehr Nett was a real love-at-first-sight moment for him: he spoke so softly to Sarah, he was tentative and gentle, but so genuine. He clearly meant every single word he said, and he gazed at her like she was the sun and moon and stars. My heart, it hath feelings.

- Another Sarah-related thing that he kept up through the entire show: whenever he was singing about Sarah, thinking about Sarah, even remembering Sarah in Ein Guter Tag (“Heut oder nie finde ich zu ihr!”) or Der Gruft (“Denk an Chagal’s Tocher!”) - he got this dorky, dreamy, crooked half-smile and gazed off into the distance like he’d been momentarily transported to Heaven itself and oh my gosh that smile could melt the coldest heart I swear...

- During Tanzaal, he didn’t recognise the Professor at first and just stood awkwardly beside him for a bit...before doing a double take, like “Oh Professor, it’s only you!” which was ever so cute. Then during his little step-toe dance across the stage, he picked his feet up SUPER HIGH like he was trying extra hard to be a Fancy Vampire and it made me giggle so much.

- Any Krolock/Alfred shippers in the house must have been having a field day, because he was so FOCUSSED on Krolock during Vor Dem Schloss, I don’t think he took his eyes off him for a moment. He’d take little stumbling steps towards him like he couldn’t help being drawn in, but then he’d shrink away and sort of ‘hunch’ in on himself in defence when Krolock came close. But when Krolock came right up behind him and shadowed him with his cloak (“Ich lehr dich was es heißt zu leben”), Tom actually turned his head over his shoulder and tilted his face up to gaze at Krolock, VERY reminiscent of Totale Finsternis (paralells!!!!! my favourite thing!!!!!) which was just awesome.

- Der Gruft was a highlight of both shows, Tom was legitimately hilarious with perfect comic timing, but still so sincere that it broke my heart. When he dropped the hammer, he gazed out at the audience in total horror for a few seconds, before squeaking “Ich kann das nicht” in this tiny high-pitched voice that made the audience laugh so much. Then he delivered “...Aber ich kan dass troztdem nicht!” even higher and squeakier and the audience laughed again and a lady near me went awwww, because it was just so pitiful and sweet.

- I also liked that he went to stake Herbert’s coffin first, out of complete instinct, before the Professor called him back. Interesting that he would consider Herbert most dangerous on a purely subconscious level, even before the events of Wenn Liebe.

- During Draussen Ist Freiheit, when Sarah booped his nose with her finger, he blinked and raised his own hand to touch his nose in wonder, like “Oh, she nose-booped me :3” and it was just. so. freaking. adorable.

- HE TRIED TO KISS SARAH AT THE END OF DRAUSSEN, A PROPER KISS ON THE LIPS, MY BRAVE SON...and he mirrored the gesture in the Draussen Reprise as well, right at the climax of the song, he went for a big sweeping kiss right before Sarah bit him. My heart, it hurts. #GiveAlfredHisFirstKiss2k17.

- He also had a fantastic reaction to the bite. He was choking and lolling his head, jerking from side to side and crying out but not quite screaming; he made it believable that the Professor would never hear :(

- His voice has improved, he belted out the latter half of Fuer Sarah with all the warmth and passion in the world. He had a huge grin on his face, and after the end of the song, he let out his breath and collapsed back against the bed, like The Emotion had just overwhelmed him completely <3

- During Wenn Liebe, his delivery of “Ich zittere niiiiieeeeeee!” was hilarious, his voice was so squeaky and he drew out the last vowel like pleeease noooo.

- He spent the whole dance with Herbert going ‘oof!’ and ‘ah!’ and brought out the protective mother bear in me, because he’s such a delicate guy and needs to be Handled With Care but alas, this is not a concept Herbert understands...

- One acting choice I will never understand from Tom: his very mild, bland facial expressions during certain scenes where the focus isn’t placed chiefly on Alfred, e.g. the whole Chagal-vampire-staking sequence and Wenn Liebe. It’s almost like he doesn’t think anyone will be watching him, during these scenes? But I find it very distracting. For example, when he and the Professor discovered Chagal was missing, he looked...vaguely surprised, rather than shocked/terrified. And during Wenn Liebe, most of the time he’d just stare blankly out into the audience, even when when Kiryll mock-kissed him or declared his love. I think Alfred’s reactions are a HUGE part of what makes these scenes work, and it feels like something is missing without them.

HERBERT (Kiryll Zolygin)

- Kiryll was fine, but he wasn’t my kind of Herbert. He was cold, vain and predatory. He strutted around the stage like a peacock, smoothing his hair back and sticking his chin up and posing just like his father. Very refined, very confident, very intimidating; definitely the Graf’s son through and through. There was nothing amusing about his Herbert, he was cool and prowling and Wenn Liebe played like a sinister game of cat-and-mouse.

- He was also hard to read at times; his expressions were oddly closed-off and there were times when I honestly didn’t know what Herbert was supposed to be thinking/feeling. When he saw Alfred for the first time, he simply looked steadily at him, his face smooth and expressionless. Even throughout Wenn Liebe, he didn’t seem very besotted with Alfred, just amused - which made his groping extra-creepy and his declaration of love seem more ironic than sincere.

- Speaking of ironic, can someone tell this guy it’s okay to cosy the heck up to Tom when they’re dancing because I swear he was keeping about 3 feet of space between their chests and idk why Herbert von Krolock would ever keep Alfred at such a chaste, safe, heterosexual distance from himself...

- He had the sweetest, most delicate, most Herberty-y giggle I have ever heard in my life, it was perfect and made me smile every time I heard it.

- During Vor Dem Schloss, he did this amazing piece of catwalk nonsense in front of Alfred, striding back and forth like “yes admire me human, behold my glory” whilst Tom stared in bewilderment. My poor son, so confused :)

- He cracked appallingly in Carpe Noctem, both nights. I physically winced. The second time I saw him, he also broke off one of his notes way too early, which was obvious to everyone because Magda held hers perfectly. Poor guy.

- During Wenn Liebe, he mocked-kissed Alfred in the middle of the dance, but Tom didn’t react at all, and I felt bad for him because that’s actually quite a daring thing to attempt, but Tom’s lack of reaction made the moment fall flat.

- This is a bit yikes but I have to mention it: he very slowly and obviously licked his lips whilst watching Alfred run away into the audience, which definitely takes the jackpot for Creepiest Herbert Gesture Ever.

- During Tanzaal, he came down to the front of the stage and looked RIGHT DOWN AT ME THE AUDIENCE and sneered down at us like we were all Mere Peasants who were unworthy of his presence. I actually shrank back in my seat a bit, it was incredibly intimidating!

- One VERY interesting addition: he deliberately turned around and watched Alfred dragging his Ewigkeit vampire off-stage to steal his costume. He didn’t react much, just gazed after Alfred like "Hmmm..." - but it was interesting nonetheless, I’ve never seen a Herbert do that before.

SARAH (Anja Wendzel)

- Both my Sarahs were fantastic, but Anja truly did steal my heart. Bursting with energy and emotion, radiating chemistry with anyone she shared the stage with, and her belt was to die for (plus the sweetest, prettiest head voice too).

- She was such a SULTRY Sarah! I couldn’t believe how flirtatious and sensual she was with Alfred during Wirklich, it was almost too much to watch, and Tom’s Alfred was a complete wreck by the end of it :’) she was also very teasing during the bathtub scene in Act 2, waggling her finger and leaning in towards him when she talked about having one dance free. Poor Alfred.

- During Draussen, she also did this hilarious thing at the beginning of the song: she’s tiptoeing around outside, and suddenly Alfred starts belting “UNTER DIESEM DAAAACH” and she panics and gestures frantically like “nonono shhhhh SSSHHHH!!!!!” and it was so fresh and absolutely hilarious :)

- During Red Boots Ballet, she’d gaze off into space and move in perfect unison with her dance double, lifting her arms a bit or swaying backwards and forwards, basically play-acting the entire dance sequence going on behind her.

- During Gebet, she did something so beautiful, it moved me almost to tears. When Rebecca started singing, she froze in place and her face lit up with recognition, and she whispered “Mama!” so softly. Then she unfolded her shawl, knelt down to pray, but as she prayed, she was shaking her head and trembling and fighting back tears, and finally she couldn’t stop them any longer, and she stopped praying and started sobbing - actually, properly sobbing. It was almost like she was grieving the life/family she was leaving behind. And then as the song built and built, she stopped crying and got this new expression of strength and determination, like she’d finished her mourning, and now she was ready to make her move and start her new life, and finally by the end of the number, she was belting out the final notes with so much passion, her voice was exploding off the stage in front of us, and it was breathtaking.

SARAH (Maureen Mac Gillavry)

- This woman had a belt that could rival any Elphaba, and her Sarah was so vivacious and likeable, I think she made the entire audience fall in love with her alongside Alfred, which is my very favourite kind of Sarah tbh.

- She ADORED Alfred, she seemed so giggly and awww over him during their interactions together. Even during Draussen, she clearly still thought he was sweet, she bopped him on the nose and it was simultaneously super cute and a bit patronising all at once - such an effective little gesture!

- She also made me tear up when Chagal was beating her, she full-on sobbed and cried out at the top of her voice, and then begged him with clasped hands. It was very upsetting, the most harrowing rendition of the scene that I’ve ever watched, she was so raw and desperate in that moment, you just knew you’d do anything to escape if you were in her shoes.

PROFESSOR (Victor Peterson)

- This guy was was...argh. Not my cup of tea. A very unsympathetic Professor, he came off as plain selfish and annoying. His self-obsession was unbearable in Wahrheit, there was nothing endearing about it at all, he was so shrill and simply came across as obnoxious and over-the-top, like he wanted the whole world to worship him. And half of his jokes didn't land, I swear the audience laughed more at Tom during Der Gruft than they ever did at him.

- His relationship with Alfred was downright cruel in places. He pushed him around and hissed at him really aggressively and pinched his cheek and gosh it was just Not A Good Time. No wonder Tom struggled to show any kind of real devotion to this guy; I usually live for the Professor/Alfred dynamic because it’s so heartwarming, but this was...gosh. This made me almost (almost!) want Alfred to leave him and serve Krolock & Son instead.

- His voice was brilliant. I cannot deny this, it was brilliant. He handled the falsetto sections with absolute confidence and every note was perfect.

MAGDA (Sara Jane Checchi)

- Magda belted stunningly twice...and belted badly twice. I think perhaps she had a bit of a cold, as she seemed to be straining on some of the high notes.

- That being said, her portrayal was wonderful in every other regard; she was so sweet, so cautious and observant, and seemed to really like Alfred. She spent the whole of Knoblauch trying to get his attention, and seemed to find his ogling very endearing and sweet. Strange, because the patrons of the inn also ogle her like crazy, and grab her skirts etc. which she clearly hated. Maybe she saw Alfred’s ogling as more involuntary and therefore more innocent? (though tbh Tom could make robbing a bank look innocent, so maybe that’s moot point)

- She also gave Chagal a few little smiles during Nie Gesehen which was very unexpected, almost like she was disapproving of his behaviour on principle, but deep down thought he was quite amusing. Interesting take on that relationship.

- During Wahrheit, she and Rebecca were signalling back and forth, across the yard; Rebecca wanted her to eaves-drop on Alfred and the Professor whispering together, but Magda couldn’t make out the words as she was too far away. I love the idea of these two characters being in ‘cahoots’ so to speak.

CHAGAL (Jerzy Jeszke)

- I want to mention that Chagal was not only hilarious, but also slightly less lecherous than other performances I’ve seen. His voice was also fantastic, a very strong full sound, which made his more honourable moments (e.g. “Ich bringt sie wieder!”) surprisingly impactful. Good job, my dude, good job.

#tanz der vampire #dance of the vampires #tanzblr #the fearless vampire killers #bal vampirov #vampires #musicals #germany #merina rambles #save #calcu-lass #theadventuresofacatholicnerdling #I finally wrote The Thing

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teachingoutsidethebinary · 7 years

Text

Absolutely Anything

Summary: Y/N Stark lost her leg in a car accident as a teen. Her boyfriend, Bucky Barnes, helps her dad design a new prosthetic. To celebrate, they head to the beach, where some of Y/N’s insecurities resurface. Bucky decides to help Y/N beat her self-doubt by facing some of his own fears.

Characters: Bucky Barnes, Tony Stark, Reader

Warnings: mentions of a car accident, insecurities, an insane amount of teeth-rotting fluff

Word count: 2063

A/N: Thank you so much for the prompt @fuckkoffcourtney !!! I hope I did it justice!

One Shot Masterlist

Bucky carefully guided you down the steps to your father’s lab with his hands covering your eyes. His heart was pounding in anticipation with each tap of your shoes on the metal staircase. When you both finally reached the bottom, Tony Stark was waiting bouncing with excitement.

“Okay, doll, open your eyes,” Bucky said, excitement filling his voice.

“Um, Bucky? You kinda need to take your hands off my face first,” you replied, cheekily.

“Oh, right!” Bucky fumbled. He removed his shaky hands and you found yourself staring at a metal leg.

“What’s this?” you asked, turning between Bucky and Tony.

“Well, honey,” Tony replied, “you’ve been complaining about your prosthetic for months now, so I made you a new one.”

You gasped and covered your mouth with both hands. A horrific car accident had left you short a leg when you were a teenager, and you had been struggling to find a prosthetic that could keep up with the demands of your job as an Avenger.

You walked over and carefully examined the leg. It was a sleek silver, and it had metal plates running down the entire length. It almost reminded you of…

“Is this vibranium?” you asked Bucky. “Like your arm?”

Bucky nodded shyly. “Do you like it?”

You traced your fingers over the smooth, cool metal and grinned. “I love it,” you answered confidently.

“Buckaroo here let me scan his arm to help me make the prototype,” your dad informed you. “So congrats! You match!”

“And this’ll hold up in the field?” you asked, skipping right from sentiment to practicality. “I mean, it looks amazing, but will it last longer than this one?” You pointed to your jean-covered plastic prosthetic leg.

“Will it hold up?” Tony scoffed. “Of course it will! I built it!”

You stared at Tony blankley and blinked several times. “Let me ask again-”

“Yes, it will hold up!” Tony replied, exasperatedly. “My god, I know how to invent things.”

“Just checking!” you said. “Remember that one time you SWORE those propulsion boosters wouldn’t melt the plastic from my last leg?”

“One time!” Tony exclaimed. “I make a mistake ONE time and you can’t let it go, can you?” You both smiled at each other, and Bucky knows all of your comments are said with love.

“So you like it, doll?” Bucky asks, bringing your attention back to the matter at hand. “You really like it?”

You walked over to Bucky and wrapped your arms around his neck. “I love it,” you repeated. “And I love that it came from a part of you.” You pulled him in for a kiss, and you were both lost in the heat of the moment, much to Tony’s dismay.

“Ew, gross. Mushy,” he groaned, making his way back up the stairs. “No sex in the lab!” he called before disappearing completely.

You giggled as you broke the kiss. Walking over to your new leg, you picked it up off the stand.

“So what do you say we test out the flexibility of my new leg?” you asked, quirking a suggestive eyebrow up at Bucky. You waved your leg a bit and got a chuckle out of him.

“Actually, I have a better idea,” he countered. “Let’s go to the beach.”

“The beach?” you asked. “Why the beach?”

“What better way to celebrate your new leg than with a little relaxation?” he replied, taking one of your hands in his. “Plus, it’s been forever since I’ve been to one,” he added.

You carefully considered his offer, and nodded your consent. A break did sound nice. Bucky beamed, and you were certain his smile was going to crack his face in half.

Talking about going to the beach and actually going to the beach were two different stories. You had barely managed to switch out your legs before an alarm about an Avengers mission blared through the compound. Thankfully, your dad had been right, and your leg was fantastic in battle. Not only did it help you run a bit faster, but it could handle a heck of a lot more impact that your old leg.

The second time you tried to get to the beach, a tropical storm raged through New York, making it impossible to get out of the city. You and Bucky spent the night putting your leg through other...rigorous tests. You were both pleased to find out that it held up just fine.

A few months later, it appeared that the third time was the charm. You and Bucky arrived at the beach with a cooler full of food and an umbrella big enough to provide shade for the entire city of Manhattan.

When it came time to get out of the car, though, you hesitated.

“This is going to be awesome, doll,” Bucky gushed as he unbuckled his seatbelt. “We couldn’t have asked for a better day!”

“Uh huh,” you nodded, absently, staring at the beachgoers who had already gathered on the sandy shore.

Everywhere you turned, it seemed like all you saw were gorgeous women in string bikinis without a blemish, or metal leg, in sight. Confidence in your body had never been a huge issue, even after your car accident. But your old prosthetics had blended a bit more, and this one was so...shiny. Despite having a Stark personality, you were never one to really enjoy the spotlight, and you were basically going to be drawing attention to yourself like a super-sized magnet. Maybe this had been a mistake. Maybe-

“Doll, I can practically hear the gears in your head turning,” Bucky said, interrupting your thoughts. “What’re you thinking about?”

“Nothing,” you lied. “I’ll get the cooler.” You went to open the car door, but Bucky locked it before you could even pull on the handle. You sighed and looked at Bucky. “You know, in order to get to the beach, I kind of need to be able to leave the car, love.”

Bucky ignored your sass and continued to stare at you expectantly. He didn’t need to say a word, and you soon crumbled under his intense gaze.

“Ugh, fine!” you finally exclaimed. “I’m nervous, alright?”

Bucky tilted his head. “Nervous?” he asked. “About what?”

You swallowed and looked down at your hands. “I just...I don’t show off my leg that much. I’m nervous that people will stare.”

It was true. You had always been one to opt for wearing jeans or pants whenever you went out. You wanted people to see you more for who you were as a person, and not for what you had on your body.

Bucky was silent for a few moments, and you were afraid you had offended him. You knew how self-conscious he was about his arm.

“I’ll make you a deal,” he said, breaking the silence. “I’ll take off mine, if you take off yours.” His eyes shined with a bit of nervous excitement, and you couldn’t help but stare at him.

“You’d take off your shirt?” you asked, uncertainly. “For me?”

Bucky leaned across the seat and kissed you chastely on the lips. “I would do absolutely anything for you, doll,” he whispered. His gaze flicked up to yours, and you almost combusted from the look of complete adoration you saw staring back at you. You kissed him again with more intensity, and your hands wandered down to the hem of his shirt.

“Um, doll,” he said between kisses. “What are you doing?”

“I’m just helping you take your shirt off,” you replied innocently as you peppered his neck with soft kisses.

Bucky groaned and banged his head against the back of the seat. “You are going to be the death of me,” he chuckled.

You winked and pulled your pants off to reveal your polka dot bikini and silver prosthetic. “Shall we?” you asked.

Bucky yanked the shirt over his head and tossed it in the back seat, his arm on full display. “We shall,” he grinned.

The sun was high in the afternoon sky as you and Bucky dragged your supplies across the sand. A few people stared as you scouted out the perfect spot, but you both kept yourself distracted by threatening to dunk each other in the ocean once you were unpacked. You finally settled on a spot in the middle of the beach fairly close to the water.

“Make sure you secure the umbrella,” you instructed as you laid out the blanket. “We don’t need it blowing away on us.”

“I’ve got this,” Bucky replied, using the force of his arm to jam the umbrella in the ground.

You giggled and spread out on the towel. The warm sun felt amazing on your skin, and you could feel the stress from the car melt away. You sighed and opened your eyes to find Bucky staring down at you.

“Water?”

“Water,” you confirmed, nodding your head. You bolted off the blanket, yelping as Bucky picked you up and barreled into the ocean with you on his shoulder. You spent almost an hour splashing, making out, and just floating in the waves. You couldn’t remember the last time you had had this much fun. All of your insecurities has disappeared by the time you walked back to the blanket for lunch. You stretched your leg out proudly as you munched on the sandwiches you had packed earlier this morning.

“You doing okay?” Bucky asked, pulling you close against him. You knew the double meaning behind his question, and there was no hesitation in your answer.

“I’m having an amazing time,” you answered, honestly. “Thank you.”

You were about to lean in for a kiss when a small voice interrupted you.

“Excuse me?”

You and Bucky both looked up to find a little boy standing at the edge of your blanket. He wore bright blue swim trunks with dinosaurs on them, and he couldn’t have been more than seven years old. He held both arms behind his back and teetered back and forth on his tip toes.

“Hi there!” Bucky said, cheerfully. “Do you need help?”

The boy shook his head shyly. “I just wanna show you something,” he said in a small voice.

You raised your eyebrows at Bucky before sitting up. “Okay,” you replied, not sure where this was going. “Go for it.”

The boy looked over his shoulder, and you saw a woman, who you guessed was his mom, giving him a thumbs up. He took a deep breath and whipped his hands out from behind him. You gasped when you saw his a red and gold prosthetic arm where his right arm should have been. You had no idea how to respond, but thankfully, Bucky had your back.

“That is so cool!” he exclaimed. “You have an arm just like me!” He waved his metal arm at the boy, who giggled in response.

“I was nervous about comin’ here ‘cause sometimes people stare,” he said. “But then I saw your arm and leg and I wasn’t nervous no more.”

You choked back tears and smiled at the boy. “I was nervous too,” you admitted.

His eyes widened with shock. “Really?” he gasped. You nodded. “But you’re not nervous now?” he asked.

You shook your head. “It’s a part of me, and I like who I am. So there’s no reason to be nervous.” You paused and intertwined your fingers with Bucky’s. “Thank you so much for showing us,” you added. “My dad’s favorite colors are red and gold, you know.

“Cool,” the boy whispered in awe. He waved at you and Bucky one last time. “Bye!” he called as he ran back to his mom. She gathered him in her arms and squeezed tight. She mouthed a teary “thank you” to you and Bucky before leading her son to the water.

Bucky looked at you proudly as you watched them play in the ocean. You were his rock, his everything, and he couldn’t imagine his life without you. You made each other better people, and he liked the person he was around you. He wanted to give you the world.

Without disturbing you, he reached for the small black box he had hidden in the cooler earlier this morning. He took a deep breath as he prepared to show you just how much he wanted to do for you for the rest of your lives.

TAGS: @buckyappreciationsociety

#bucky x reader #fluff #so much fluff #Bucky Barnes is a cinnamon roll #james bucky barnes #bucky fic #beach trip #tony stark #sassy tony stark #love yourself #metal arm #metal leg #overcoming insecurities

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