#This is brought to you by my Scrambled Egg brain - slowly burning up as I try to finish a long comic for this AU.

[poorly-drawn-mdzs]

If I was in a lucid dream with a ghost, I would simply impress them with my blunt rolling skills

#poorly drawn mdzs #mdzs #wei wuxian #lan wangji #mdzs au #MDZS disco elysium au #This is brought to you by my Scrambled Egg brain - slowly burning up as I try to finish a long comic for this AU. #I hoped it would be done several days ago but I've changed things so many times....It is now Very Close to being done! #I probably should have just posted each page daily but at this point I'm just being stubborn. I want it complete and together. #Ruining the surprise a bit to say 'yeah its a digital art comic' #But its been tricky figuring out the style I want to use for it! #hence the swaths of MSpain(t) doodles that boil down to 'how would this look if I did X?' #I wanted to do a fully Black & White Ink style. But I scrapped it. Then I did small bits of colour. And scrapped it. Sigh. #This comic started out as just the first panel and then my brain went 'hold on. Its time to make a dumb joke' #Any disco elysium fans who finished the game probably know the scene I'm doing for the *actual* comic after seeing this <3 #Anyways I know in my heart LWJ would roll the worst blunts ever his first time. And then dedicate himself to the rolling craft- #-until he has finally mastered it. He would roll blunts so good that people would hire him and pay him a monthly salary for it. #But he declines. His master blunts are for his beloved and his beloved alone. #wwx would roll above average but after having lwj do it for him he can ever go back.

[crystal-chrysanthemums]

She hums a pleasant tune as she uses Molly's stove. Molly had convinced her to stay on the upper level, even though their guests hid themselves whenever the goddess came around.

The first time the goddess came, Molly had to clean up the aftermath of the destruction she brought. The little family he made was a mess, they were all so afraid of the goddess, and it wasn't hard to see why. So convincing her to stay up was better than not.

Now, as the goddess tries to make some simple scrambled eggs, Molly can feel the air around him slowly turning more and more hostile. A pit in his stomach grows larger and larger the longer the goddess stands there, humming a sweet tune.

Molly didn't ask why she was here, the answer was easy to guess. Though they did not expect her to be right there when they woke up. Maybe she thought this was easier? She was entirely out of touch when it came to sensitivities or privacy.

He hadn't realized he had been holding his glass to tight until it shattered in his hand. The goddess gasped, and to Molly's horror, grabbed it with care.

"Molly," she frowns, "you must be more careful. I can heal it but that is no excuse for you to hurt yourself like this." The goddess held his hand in hers.

There wasn't any point in moving away, she already had them in her grasp.

Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain. Pain!

It shoots through every muscle and tendon, every nerve and vein, all of it. The wound closes, the glass comes out, but it doesn't feel better. It feels like someone took a hammer to his hand over and over again until it was nothing but paste. But Molly deals with it. He's learned not to scream, it only makes this worse.

"Now, eat your breakfast, we can discuss this reasonably." The goddess hands Molly their eggs. She still hadn't quite grasped the concept of cracking it and removing the shell. But it's not the worst thing she's made.

The human sits down and glances to the side as they eat their crunchy eggs. The goddess looks satisfied with herself, presuming she did a wonderful job since Molly hasn't protested.

"Now, about last night-"

"No." There it was, the defiance.

The goddess sighs and folds her hands on the table. "Molly, I know you are upset but shutting yourself off is not the way to go. You finally had a friend."

"He is not my friend, we just happened to meet by coincidence." Molly stabs their fork into the eggs, the food suddenly seemingly better than the conversation.

"Alright, what about that doctor fellow? You seem to like him." She smiles radiantly.

"I'm breaking that off. He's only using me to get what he wants anyways. As soon as he gets that, he is gone." They mutter bitterly, it's why they haven't told him. They weren't even sure he could replicate it. Molly didn't exactly know the rules with what they do, but it didn't seem like something that could be learned. They were just delaying the inevitable leave, they loved him. Even if he didn't feel the same.

"Hm. Can't say I mind that really. I don't like him. But that's besides the point. You need to have someone there for you."

"I have the mourge."

"Living people, Molly. You know what I mean." The goddess places a hand on the human's wrist, intending to be warm and inviting. But all she ends up doing is burning Molly and seeming intimidating.

Molly tries to pull away and finds they can't. The grip only gets tighter. He swallows thickly and controls his expression. Has half a mind to call someone about this and ends up shoving the idea down. This is his hell and his alone. It was fine, Molly can handle this.

"The longer you push people away, the longer you will be here." She warns.

Molly bit back every comment their brain thought of in an instant. He wouldn't have to push people away if she wasn't here. He wouldn't have to constantly rip himself apart to keep the goddess away if she wasn't so stuck in her head. He wouldn't have to do a lot of things if he was in control of his life.

They were so tired of hurting, tired of getting hurt, tired of hurting those they like, but what other choice is there. She is a goddess with divine power. And Molly is just a human who is long past their expiration date.

"Molly." There is an audible pop as the grip on the human's hand tightens.

They glare up, refusing to let her see that hurt. "What." He instead directs the pain to putting anger into his tone.

That is enough to make the goddess sigh and stand. "I see you aren't willing to talk about this reasonably. Call me when you are... but not this week. I am busy." She waves her hand and disbursed in a cloud of mist. The mist promptly choking Molly for a few minutes.

Instead of screaming like they want to. Molly tosses out the rest of the crunchy eggs and lays down, not bothering to care for their hand or wrist. And of course, ignoring their phone when they receive a notification.

[peachsayshi]

Im sure someone has already said this lol, but I'd love to bring peach cobbler to the pot luck 😘😅

This was a tough one to narrow down, but imagine a fluffy scenario with Toji in which he tries to cook y/n breakfast in bed but ends up burning it. My brain is craving domestic Toji

🍑 Peach’s Pot Luck Party 🍑

Imagine: Toji cooking breakfast for his s/o in bed but ends up burning it. 

(minors and ageless blogs dni)

Tags: Newlyweds; Teasing; Fluff; Only alludes to smut

A/N: Thank you so much! ❤️ Surprisingly,  you’re the only one who actually brought peach cobbler :3 hehe but I accept this delicious treat happily, and hope you enjoy this scenario! - For requests, please read the blurb on my navigation on what I’m accepting ❤️

You woke up to the smell of burnt sugar.

Lids heavy and body a little sore, you stretched out your arms and extended your legs as your eyes slowly blinked open. You rolled onto your side, reaching out in the hopes to find the figure of your lover. Instead, your hand met with the rumpled bed sheet and you narrowed your gaze as you murmured his name softly into your pillow.

“Toji…”

That’s when your ears picked up on the clanking of metal and loud footsteps, a muffled string of curses escaping your partner’s lips which indicated that he wasn’t in the bedroom.

You sighed quietly, wishing that you could stay in bed longer before finally mustering up the strength to detangle yourself from the sheets and headed towards the bathroom.

You refreshed yourself and brushed your teeth, slipping on a pair of clean underwear and grabbing one of Toji’s tees. The material hung over you like a dress, and you sauntered lazily towards your kitchenette where you were met with a surprising sight.

Toji’s broad back blocked the view of the devastating scene before him. Your stovetop was a mess, raw batter covered the grills and ingredients were in disarray all over the counter. In between the chaos you watched smoke rise from your griddle as Toji opened the tap from the sink and allowed the water to rain against the flat plane.

“Fuckin’ stupid piece of shit…”

“Now what did my poor griddle ever do to you…” you responded with a pout, startling your partner as you snuck up on him.

“Fuck! When did you-” Toji groaned, covering his face with his hand in frustration as he turned on his heel to meet your gaze. “I didn’t know you were awake…”

“I didn’t know you were cooking,” you teased.

He leaned against the counter and you caught your bottom lip between your teeth to hold back an amused grin as you watched your lover tint in pink with slight embarrassment.

“Yeah, well…” he grumbled, his hands meeting your waist as he gave you a gentle squeeze. “It’s not really working out…”

You hummed quietly, peeking over his shoulder to look at the dirty dishes stacked perfectly on top of each other.

“Were you making scrambled eggs?” you mocked affectionately, giggling to yourself as Toji pressed you firmly against his chest and naturally circling your arms around his neck.

His lips straightened into a firm line, the front of his brows pinching together as he narrowed his gaze at you with annoyance.

“Pancakes,” he mumbled in a low voice, “…you little brat.”

You brought two fingers to his fringe, twirling the strands of his dark hair between your digits before brushing your lips against his cheek.

“There’s no need to get testy…” you whispered between a kiss, “I’m just playing around with you. We both know you don’t have the patience for cooking. What prompted the sudden interest?”

“Hmph,” he scoffed, averting his glance as he maintained his mopey expression. “Can’t a guy make his girl breakfast without it being such a big deal?”

“Yes he can, but…” you carried on, threading your fingers into his hair as you pushed back the layers to reveal his handsome face, “it is a big deal when my guy is doing it.”

“I wasn’t keen on the idea but you wouldn’t shut up about that chef last night on the cooking channel…”

Your chest warmed at Toji’s words, your fingers releasing his hair as your delicately placed your fingers underneath his chin. You angled yourself to meet his lips, pecking him chastely before smiling against his mouth.

“Were you jealous?” you carried on, “all this drama just because I mentioned how attractive it was watching a man cook…”

Toji rolled his eyes but neither confirmed or denied your statement. He finally relaxed against your touch, before returning a kiss with a sigh.

“Just trying to please you, doll…” he murmured.

“You already do, in every way possible…” you sweetly reassured. “…but, you should know that I hate waking up without you next to me.”

Your hands roamed down his strong pecks, over his abdominals before gliding back up to his shoulders. You could feel his own touch slide away from your waist, as he slowly lifted up his t-shirt to rest his palms on the curve of your rear.

“Hmm, I guess I didn’t say good morning to you properly, did I?”

You widened your eyes to emphasize your disappointment as you shook your head no.

The scar on the corner of his lip lifted when he smirked, and he leaned his head forward to capture your mouth in his. You felt his tongue swipe over your own, nearly growing weak in his embrace as he kissed you lovingly.

“Mornin’, gorgeous…” he whispers while playfully rubbing his nose across your own.

“Good morning to you too, handsome…” you giggle.

“I’m sorry about the mess,” he adds on, scratching the back of his head as his eyes scan his surroundings, “I’ll clean up and we can grab a bite somewhere else.”

“That’s an idea…” you concur, before cheekily perching yourself on top of your small dining table, “or we can stay in instead…”

Toji huffs under his breath as he raises his brow curiously in your direction. “It’s the weekend, you shouldn’t have to cook…”

He turns on the tap, readily picking up the sponge as he proceeds to scrub down the griddle. His distraction gave you the opportunity to casually hook your thumbs around the band of your underwear, and you slyly slip off the material before raising his t-shirt just above your belly button.

You clear your throat to gain his attention, and Toji glances over his shoulder once before completely shifting his body around to find you splayed out on the dining table with your panties dangling around the finger adorned with your shimmering wedding band.

“What if I told I already had something prepared?”, you smile, your face growing hot as you notice your husband’s eyes darken in a primal stare

A wolfish grin highlights his ruggedly handsome face, and he rinses off his hands before tossing the dish rag behind him.

“Come to think of it, I did work up an appetite…” he informs, sliding both hands deep into his pockets as he takes two strides towards you. “…but I can’t have you going hungry.”

You arch your brow, directing your gaze to the front of his pants before seductively replying, “with what you’re packing, I’ll be more than satisfied, husband.”

A roaring laugh erupts from his belly, and Toji rolls his eyes up to the ceiling as he shakes his head in disbelief.

Three months into your marriage and you still haven’t grown sick of addressing him with that title.

Everyone told you that the honeymoon phase would pass in the blink of an eye, but you and Toji were still blissfully entranced in one another.

You shiver feeling his hands knead the meat of your thighs, drawing your attention on the way he licks his lips as he focuses on the tempting sight between your legs. You swallow as you spread your thighs further apart, dropping your underwear onto the floor and sighing when you feel his hot breath on your skin.

“What have you done to me?” he breaths in a daze.

“I could ask you the same thing…” you moan.

He kisses your inner thigh, green eyes glancing up to meet yours as he softens his expression.

“I’ve got my hands full with you, my beautiful wife…” he grins, before spreading you with his fingers to finally satiate his sweet cravings.

#peach’s pot luck party #toji fushiguro #toji x reader #toji fushiguro x you #toji fushiguro x reader #toji x you #toji smut #toji fluff #jujutsu kaisen x you #jujutsu kaisen x y/n #jjk fan fic #jujutsu kaisen fan fiction

[toiletwipes]

and i'd give up forever to touch you

chapter eight. saturday, wait.

Summary: Will is waking up and smelling the roses, coming to grip and accepting that you're a huge comfort to him, though you seem to be in the middle of your own silent debacle.

ao3. ~1.7k. masterlist.

---

he wasn’t awake but he wasn’t asleep. in that middle part where it’s a floating feeling, as if you’re being lowered back into your bed after a night of flying dreams. not that he dreamt of flying, most dreams were incoherent and oftentimes, forgotten.

but he comes to as he tunes into the sounds of the waking world. a radio playing in the background, dishes clattering amongst other things, a soft voice humming, and feet shuffling against the wooden floorboards. and rolling in the soft, warm blanket, he finds himself reaching out beside him, looking for something, or someone, as his arm meets an almost cold space. as if someone had been long gone. taking a sniff, he doesn’t recognize the smell on the blankets or pillows and he begrudgingly opens the first eye, twitching till both of them are open fully.

it’s your bedroom, and the light is peaking in through the corner but your door is closed, as if someone had closed it after leaving him alone.

closing his eyes, he takes the moment to just cherish the way his bones melt in your mattress, sinking into the welcomed feeling.

and as the moment slows down and time seems to stop, he hears the front door slam and rosie’s voice echoing against the walls. “you won’t believe the shit that i had to go through this morning, guys.” guys? his curiosity peaked and then, as he looked the camera on your dresser in the eye and then the one tucked by the clutter in the corner, he decides he has to get up.

it was just the three of them when they got home- when they got here, wasn’t it? they hadn’t picked anyone else up, you were exhausted by the time you two entered the dorm.

had rosie invited someone over in the time you were gone? or, seeing as she just arrived, had she invited someone before she left? questions running through his head without so much as an answer for any of them, he tries to leave your bed before he’s shackled to the damn mattress with doubt.

tripping over his own shoes, he fumbles with getting a hold on anything before breathing heavily, and attempting to control it.

when he feels like he’s failed, he kicks the shoes away from him and out of the way, feet scuffling against the floor as he pulls the door open slowly, as if he didn’t want to be discovered leaving the room.

also failed at that.

“morning, will, you’re just in time for breakfast!” you cut off whatever rosie was ranting about, smiling at him as you wash some dishes from cooking whatever it was. seemed to be eggs and sausage and the bag of questionables rosie was holding in her tight hold, anger unknowingly festering.

rosie absently pulls out a chair next to him and waves him a hello.

he wants to tell his heart not to go wild at her actions but it’s already racing ahead, sitting himself next to the one girl he wants and tries to pay attention. and then someone sneezes behind him.

twisting his neck, he finds jared from the other day, curled under the thinnest blanket they had available, and his hair fashionably disheveled. not unlike how most actors wake up in a movie, he notes, as he turns back around with a wave of his own, acknowledging him.

jared. when did he get here?

“-so i’m telling this woman, who by the way has a tattoo of that baby from cloudy with a chance of meatballs on her wrist, you can’t just eat in here, this is the dressing room. and she has the audacity to tell me i’m not an employee so i don’t “have any authority” well, you should’ve seen her face when i brought the manager back there. they almost called the police because she was refusing to stop eating there. you should’ve seen it.” rosie finishes her story up as you begin to serve everyone, saving yourself for last as you lean against the counter, watching the two seated with careful eyes.

will swallows the first bite down with relative ease, and so do the bites that follow, eyes taking glances to rosie, who’s looking at her phone. and when he finishes, he moves to go wash it, ending up next to you, and you, you’re not even bothered, shoving an elbow in between his ribs as you give me a playful smile.

“hey, jared, don’t forget, we have to go pick up your mother!” rosie turns around to remind said college student, who groans and turns to smush his face into the couch, as if the couch absorbing him will save him from such a horror.

“why did she have to come visit now? it’s been barely a month!” will blinks, has it really? he turns to you as if asking you will confirm it, but you seem just as taken aback. both of you seemed to have lost time, but rosie seems confident in her time.

“yes, now get ready, i won’t wait for you, i do have to stream today,” she tells him as she swings off the seat, grabbing one of his surprisingly toned arms, and yanking on it.

he immediately whines, rubbing at his shoulder as he tried to bat her away, but she’s getting him on his feet, pushing him towards her room as she rolled her eyes. grabbing her keys, she tossed a hand up, waving as she passed them by, “i’ll be right back.”

silence sits for a few minutes as you two process what happened. and then he feels a burning gaze he doesn’t know if he wants to meet.

will swallows down something, not any of the egg or sausage, and turns to your prodding eyes, almost as if you’re looking for something inside of him, not particularly at him.

then pulling back, and turning around to wash your own dish, you bite your lips as if you mean to say something. but you end up putting your dish up and then turn to him with a smile he didn’t recognize, asking him if he didn’t mind doing homework with you.

and, well, he was in the same boat, but he didn’t exactly have his computer.

“my, my uh laptop is back at home, but otherwise i wouldn’t mind!” he answers, mind too scrambled from rosie next to him that he doesn’t know if they make any sense, and you nod.

“did you want to pick it up or did you want to be dropped off, or we could also go somewhere else entirely, just- it’s too early for me to make decisions,” you smile as you walk over to the couch, slipping some slippers on as he almost follows you, brain still ticking at a slow speed.

but he ends up making a decision, and as much as it’s a bad one, he can’t help but want to be back in his home and you make it yours like you’ve done everywhere you’ve been.

rubbing his palms as he thinks on it make him realize how sweaty they’ve gotten, so he pats them on his pants as he begins to speak, “well- what if we did our work at my place? i mean it would be much easier to do so, don’t you think?” he says, as if you were planning to decline his kind offer.

it lifts the edges of your eyes in your smile a little as you accept, moving past him with a mumbled sorry as you head back to your room, pulling out a backpack from behind the door. you grin as he gets his shoes, and as you two descend the stairs, you pass rosie and he notices the distinct smell on her and the smile she gives you two is different from the one five minutes ago.

“without me?” you joke as you call from the bottom of the second floor and she only laughs, and he knows. after all, it wasn’t that unfamiliar of a smell.

and then you’re running down the steps to the bottom floor and happily striding to your car, unlocking it and giving him a sliver of your smile, of your happiness.

though you don't see it getting in the car, he smiles to himself.

“to your apartment?” you say as you tuck your backpack in the back seat and he nods, leaning into the seat as you peeled out of the lot, turning the radio on as the sun slowly makes its way up into the sky.

the time passes by fast enough that he finds himself wondering if he had any trash in there as he was unlocking the door. it turns out not that dirty and you immediately sit yourself on the couch, pulling out your computer and asking for the wifi password.

and getting his laptop was the easy part. it’s taking the seat beside you, angling his body sideways as his laptop sits on his lap, unsure what will happen. he had closed it on the footage of you. with the sound on.

trying to breathe a regular amount, he opens it and immediately hits the mute button, watching as the screen lights up with the mute on and the image of your bedroom with rumpled blankets on them. just how you left them.

exiting the program, he pulls his classes up and internally screams at how much his professors hate him. and the time slips you two, typing fills the room and when it hits noon and you put your computer to the side, you ask where the bathroom is.

the real mess is in his room and he wonders if it's too much to ask to drive you to piss elsewhere, and that’s when he abandons all thoughts and just leads you through his bedroom, apologizing for the mess, and thanking whoever is in charge that it wasn’t as bad as he remembered.

sitting on his bed with his hands in his pockets, he wonders how much longer he’ll be glued to his computer till the workload diminishes completely when you open the door. you wipe your wet hands on the cloth on the sink counter when you turn completely to him.

“hey, will, can i ask you something?” you speak, and though you sound out of the blue, like you didn’t know that you were speaking yourself until you heard your voice, he nods, watching you and feeling like nothing bad could happen right now.

you were probably going to say that you’ve clogged the toilet with a huge shit, or something-

“do you like rosie?”

holy shit.

...

taglist: @fxnxtical @ghostburlovebot @ollie-overscore @marinaloveswomen @roygbivvie @beehive-syst3m @boiled-onionrings @mayempress @bringm3th3n1rvana @yui-san0 @comonlokbut2 @lurkey-lurker

#c: simpbur #simpbur #simpbur x you #simpbur x reader #simpbur x y/n #mcyt au #au: band #au: college

[ray-ray-writings]

drabble idea: after Wilbur is killed by Phil, Fundy finds a smol arctic fox hybrid reader and cuz they're both foxes and the hybrid child looks abandoned, he adopts them. Then Ghostbur shows up and Fundy doesn't want him to have anything to do with his child. maybe some other relationships for fluff??? i'm just craving this rn -💍

So imagines won right? I sit down and go to write the imagine, and I just end up staring at a blank screen for what felt like forever. I know I said I would give you the option but I honestly couldn’t put anything in my brain for it. And because I spent so long staring at it, I lost a lot of time and so this is the only post for tonight…. I feel so bad. I’m sorry guys, I should have more stuff tomorrow. <3

TW: Parental abandonment.

This idea is so cute though. 

So we all know that Wilbur wasn’t the best father. He really messed Fundy up and gave him some of those good good daddy issues to where he has a hard time trusting people. But I think that he would be out on a walk, clearing his mind, trying to think of anything but his father. He’d be in a snowy biome when he hears footsteps. At first he thinks it’s a mob of some kind, so he draws his weapon and creeps toward the sound. He catches sight of something white and at first he thinks it’s a skeleton, but then the thing moves again and he can very clearly see it’s an ear, a white fluffy ear… That’s odd. “Hello?” he finally decides to call out. There is a small squeak and a lot of rustling. When he wasn’t attacked, he figured it safe to move forward. He carefully approached and as he pushed some of the bushes out of the way to reveal a small child. In one quick glance he could tell this was no ordinary child. It was an arctic fox hybrid, the fluffy white ears and tail a dead give away. In his glance, he could also tell this child was in rough shape. Their clothes were tattered and torn allowing him to see just how skinny they were. His heart ached for the poor child, “Hello little one,” he greets softly, “What are you doing out here?” 

You’d been on your own for a really really long time now. Your parents had brought you out here, told you to stay put, and left. You listened and so you waited for them to come back. But as the days went on, you began to understand what had happened. But nevertheless, you sat there and waited. Munching on the berries of the bushes, but it never quite fills your stomach. One day as you’re moving from bush to bush, a voice calls out. It startles you and you can’t help but let out a squeak as you fall to the ground in surprise. The bushes shuffle a bit and from over the top you find an orange headed man peering at you curiously. His eyes scan you quickly before he speaks, “Hello little one,” his voice soft and comforting as he speaks, “What are you doing out here?” You give him a little shrug and allow yourself to look him up and down. You’re heart thuds a little faster as you notice that he is also a fox hybrid with orange and black ears, an orange and white tail, and sharp canines poking out from his lips. “Where are you parents?” he tries again. Again, you give a little shrug and figuring you can trust this man, you speak, “Gone… Let me here.” His heart breaks at your sad and defeated tone. “They left you here? All by yourself? When did they leave?” Another shrug, “Two… three….. Weeks.” you mumble, looking down to the berry bushes, your fingers grazing them carefully. Fundy’s heart burns in anger as he thinks about how horrible your parents were for leaving their obviously amazing child to die in the woods. He’s about to speak when your stomach grumbles loudly causing you to flush in embarrassment. “Hungry?” Fundy asks, then mentally smacks himself. Of course you’re hungry your stomach just rumbled. But you nod sheepishly, still plucking at the leaves. “How would you like to come home with me. I can fix you up some fish. I have lots of fish at my house. You could eat as much as you’d like and you could stay as long as you want.” Not even caring if this guy was lying to you, you accept his offer, simply desperate to get out of the woods. Your head slowly rises from the bushes as you stare at Fundy who is smiling at you ever so softly with an outstretched hand. Carefully you raise your own arm and gently rest your hand in his, shivering at the warmth that spreads throughout your palm. “Let’s get going then kiddo.” 

Fundy leads you out of the forest and towards his house. As you two walk, you two talk… Well he does a lot of the talking and you give small answers here and there. You tell him your name and he tells you his. He talks about where you’re going and how it’s extremely safe there and how he thinks you’ll like it. He leads you inside his house, sits you at the table, before making up some fish for you and him. He places the plate down in front of you and before he can sit to eat his own meal, yours is finished. To say he’s shocked is an understatement, but he quickly remembers you were out in the forest all alone for two to three weeks, maybe longer with nothing but berries. You’re looking at him super embarrassed, like you want to ask for more but are too scared too. “Hey, it’s okay,” he soothes, walking back over to you, setting his own plate down in front of you, picking up the empty one, “You don’t have to feel bad. Like I said, I have plenty of fish, eat as much as you like.” And so you do. You eat until you’re so full you can barely move. Your eyes are sleepily closing and then jerking back open as you try to force yourself to stay awake. Fundy notices this and laughs quietly to himself. Your eyes close for a little while, giving Fundy enough time to put his plan into action. He quickly stands up, moves to you, picks you up, and carries you to his bed. He carefully lays you down, tucks you in, and presses a kiss to the top of your head. “Sleep well darling,” he mumbles, not thinking much of it. “Thanks dad” you mumble back, clearly out of it. But the simple word stops Fundy’s heart before a huge smile grows on his face. He decides that he wants you to be his child, if you want. He can feel a connection and a strong desire to care and love for you and he wants to be that strong father figure that he himself did not have. The next morning when you wake up, you don’t remember what you said obviously. You also plan to leave and go back to the forest. You would thank Fundy for feeding you but you already feel you've overstayed your welcome. You make your way down to the kitchen, ready to tell the man who saved you, who you don’t want to leave, goodbye. Fundy is standing over the stove and at the sound of your footsteps his head turns and he grins brightly at you, “Hey kiddo! Have a seat! Eggs are almost done! I hope you like them scrambled!” Not wanting him to feel bad, you do as you’re told and decide to tell him after breakfast. True to his word, the eggs don’t take that much longer and soon he’s served you some eggs. You two eat together, talking a bit about how you both slept and stuff. And after you’re done, you’re just about to tell him but then he begins to tell you about his plans for the day and asks if you want to tag along and you do. You really do. It is then you decide that you’ll stay until Fundy asks you to leave, and if that means you’re staying forever… So be it. 

Okay on to some more general headcanons and less plot type stuff haha

You two help each other in grooming your ears and tails all the time. I feel like they can be hard to get perfectly clean by yourself so you two do it together as a bonding activity. You would do Fundy’s first because it takes less time. Fundy does a lot of it and you just get the hard to reach spots and stuff, and makes sure there is no spot left unclean. However, when it’s your turn, Fundy takes complete control. He will make you just sit there and let him groom and take care of you. He is so careful as he does it. He cleans your ears and your tail carefully, making sure no dirt is left. And then he takes the time to carefully brush out the hair and make it very soft and very fluffy. It feels so nice. I would imagine you didn’t have the nicest parents, they literally left you in a forest to die, so you never got this special treatment or attention for your ears or tail. So the first time you two did this, you would be so confused. You didn’t understand what was happening or why you were being treated so kindly, which broke Fundy’s heart. I feel that’s also partly why he doesn’t let you help because he wants to make sure that you know that you will be loved and cared for as long as he’s in your life. 

So that being said, you two are so affectionate with each other. Like you curl up together and cuddle on the couch all the time. It has a lot to do with the fox side of both of you. It feels really nice to be pressed against family of your own ‘breed’ so to speak. A lot of the time it’s a lot of you sitting on his lap or laying on top him while he holds you tightly. Again, he wants to make sure that you feel loved and wanted. 

I feel like it wouldn’t take you long to call him dad. Like you accidentally did the first night, but you weren’t really awake for it. But I do feel like it would be a slip of the tongue on your part again. Just he does something for you and you give a quick “thanks dad” before you dead stop and stare at him. His eyes are also wide and filling with tears. “I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to call you that. I don’t want to make you uncomfortable. It just that you have taken care of me from the moment I got here and I--” Fundy would cut you off by pulling you into a tight hug. “It’s okay Y/N. It really is. It would be an honor if you called me your father” he tells you. Your heart soars in your chest as you hug him back. “Okay… Thank you dad.” You two go to sleep that night with the biggest smiles on your faces that you’ve ever had.

…….. Speaking of dads….. Ghostbur comes back. One day there is a knock on the door. You’re both confused because no one should be coming over to your knowledge. But Fundy gets up and he opens the door and his confusion turns into anger. “What are you doing here?” He spits out. You slowly make your way to the front room, hiding behind a wall but peeking your head around the corner to see what was happening. There in front of your father stood an extremely pale man in a yellow sweater and a red beanie. “Hello Fundy!” the man greets, oblivious to Fundy’s harsh tone, “I came to visit you! I wanted to see my son!” A gasp catches in your throat, this was your dad’s dad. He hadn’t told you much about him, he just told you that he used to be close with his father but as he grew more obsessed with politics, that bond broke bit by bit until it was completely severed by his death. “Well that sucks because I don’t want to see you. Go away now” Fundy snaps back, waving him off. Ghostbur catches his harsh tone now and a frown settles on his face, “Fundy please. I want to talk. I want to mend what was broken. You’re my son and-” “And nothing. You should have thought about that before you went and blew up our nation and then got stabbed by grandpa… So goodbye now.” Fundy moves out of the doorway and goes to close the door. When he moved out of the doorway though, he accidentally gives Ghostbur a direct line of sight of you peeking around the corner. He lets out a gasp and points, “Fundy who’s that.” Fundy looks over his shoulder and pales a little but because oh fuck. This is the last thing he wanted to happen. He clears his throat and looks back to the ghost of his father. “That’s Y/N… My kid” “I have a grandchild?” “No you don’t because you are no father of mine. Now if you’ll excuse me” and before Ghostbur can respond, Fundy has slammed the door closed. You’re a little worried as to what he’s going to say to you so you speak first after you walk all the way in, “I’m sorry” you whisper. “No, no, no baby. It’s okay. It’s not your fault. Don’t worry about it.” The rest of the day, Fundy is a little off. He tries to act normal but you can tell something is off. You don’t call him out on it though, you just let him do him. 

But yeah. Fundy does everything in his power to keep you away from Ghostbur. He does not care a single bit if Ghostbur isn’t Wilbur, they were both still his father that practically abandoned him and so therefore he will not be around his child. His child will only be surrounded by those who love them unconditionally and will always love them. If you and him are out and public and Ghostbur appears, Fundy will take you back home. He doesn’t care if what he is doing is super important, he will leave and take you home. He also will not let Ghostbur in his home. Ghostbur does show up occasionally, hoping to catch another glance of you, but Fundy barely opens the door to the point where Ghostbur can hardly see him. Fundy will let Phil, Techno, and Tommy see you occasionally which hurts Ghostbur a lot, but there is nothing he can do about it. Fundy does not want his ghost father to be anywhere near his child. 

But Fundy would be an amazing father. He knows what it’s like to be/feel abandoned by a parent and to feel ignored in a world full of family. So he makes sure you never feel like that. He loves you so much and makes sure you know that. Fundy would do anything for you, give anything for you. He loves you so much. His precious baby child. 

Okay that ending sucked lololol. Again, I’m very sorry that this is the only post tonight. I got a much later start than I planned and it fucked everything. I’ll see you guys with more content tomorrow though (hopefully).

#mcyt #mcyt imagine #mcyt x reader #mcyt drabble #fundy #fundy imagine #fundy x reader #fundy drabble #ghostbur #ghostbur x reader #wilbur soot #tw: abandonment #💍 anon #anon #ray responds

[junosartsthetic]

Feel like I'm requesting too much 3 with Tenya Iida :)

“Have you ever felt like this before?”

Well, well, well, if it isn't my old friend getting carried away with writing. We meet again. But seriously. I love writing and you can never request too much. I love fulfilling requests. And this was super cute to write!

__

You could tell by the look in his eyes that he’d never been to a theme park before. Being that he was from a rich family, you were surprised. Though, being that Tenya was all work and no play, you shouldn’t have been too in shock.

You, being the daredevil you were, dragged him straight to the most intense coaster in the entire park. Lucky for you, Tenya had managed to buy some fastpasses, thus you ran straight to the start of the ride, bouncing excitedly.

“Are you positive these rides are safe,” he mumbled to you. You shot him a look.

“Umm, yeah?” You noticed he shook slightly. “Are you scared or something? We could have planned something else to do for fun, ya know.”

You nudged his arm. “We’re friends. You can tell me if you don’t wanna be here. I won’t be mad or anything.”

He shook his head, giving you his usual friendly smile. “No, it’s okay. I want to try something new. And I want to spend time with you.”

One of the operators gestured to the two of you, pointing to the front of the coaster. “Alright, the two of you get row 1.”

You squealed happily. “Oh yeah, this one is especially great in the front row because you can see the giant drop before you start going!”

Iida’s smile lessened. “Sounds… great.”

You sat down, Iida taking the seat next to you. You pulled down your restraints, locking yourself into place. “Just pull it down over your head,” you said. “They’ll come and double check you’re strapped in.”

He did as told, and after a quick check, you heard the main operator give the all clear.

“Have fun, folks,” she called. “And enjoy the 300 foot drop!”

“The WHAT?” Iida cried, nervously looking around. You put a hand on his leg.

“It’ll be fun,” you reassured. “Don’t worry.”

The car began to climb up the hill slowly, chains rattling as you were pulled higher and higher into the air. You could see the entire park, and you made sure to note the locations of the other popular coasters.

Meanwhile, Tenya looked around helplessly.

You heard the pull chain stop, and looked down at the massive drop dead ahead. “Alright, now be sure to pose for the camera. It’ll be at the middle of the drop!” you yelled.

Tenya didn’t have time to respond, the car roaring down the hill. You felt your butt leave the seat, and whooped excitedly. You managed to throw up a peace sign as you passed the camera.

You turned towards Iida as the car squealed up the first loop. His eyes were wide, and he gripped the sides of his glasses to keep them from flying off his face. Despite this, he had a large smile on his face.

“See! It’s fun!” You yelled. “It’s like using your quirk but you get to go upside down and stuff!”

His shoulders relaxed when the coaster slowed at a plateau, preparing for another massive drop. “You were right, these are exhilarating!” he yelled back to you.

His voice quaked with nervousness, but he was buzzing with excitement.

When the coaster finally pulled back into the station, he was smiling widely, clapping. You’d never seen him so relaxed before. “I see what all the commotion is about!”

“I told you!”

You wasted no time in leading him to all the best rides in the park, and by the end of the day your brains felt like scrambled eggs, but your adrenaline and excitement were unmatched. “We need to get souvenirs!” you said, gesturing to a shop beside the coaster you just rode. He nodded.

“Of course! I’ll pay for them!”

Normally, you would argue, but you decided to let it go. Afterall, he was rich.

You walked in, perusing the different shirts and hoodies they had. You spotted one you liked and grabbed two of them. “Here,” you said. “We can match!”

You set them on the counter and smiled at the employee. She smiled back. “D’aww. Matching shirts. Cute.”

Iida swiped his credit card.

She bagged the two shirts, handing them to you. She leaned in close. “Girl, he’s a keeper. These are overpriced as hell.”

You blushed. “Oh, umm, we…” you decided to simply smile and nod.

You and him exited the store, and you immediately threw on the shirt, telling him to do the same. “C’mon,” you said. “We gotta take a picture and post it. Let our friends know that I actually got you to ride a roller coaster.”

You pulled out your phone, smiling widely as you threw up a peace sign. Iida did the same. “Say cheese,” you said, snapping the picture.

You posted it to Instagram with the caption, ‘A fun day with the prez. P.s. @Denkichu I told you he’d enjoy it!’

You slid your phone back into your pocket, looking towards Tenya. “The park is almost closed so we should probably head towards the entrance.”

You noticed he was looking around in awe. “Wow,” he muttered. He clutched his shirt. “Have you ever felt like this before? I feel so happy. This has been the most I’ve smiled in a long time.”

You gave him a nudge. “I know. You’ve been smiling all day. You can always come here again, as often as you want, if you enjoy it. Maybe you can take some of our other friends along. I’m sure they’d be in shock at how much you like it here.”

He shook his head, turning towards you. “I don’t think it’s just this park. Being here with you is what really makes me smile.”

You clutched your chest. “Aww, you make me smile, too. That’s what friends are for!”

He suddenly looked away. “Yes. Right. Of course.”

You grabbed his arm. “Hey. You okay?”

He moved to grab your hand, pulling you towards the first roller coaster you rode. “Let’s ride this again. I need to tell you something before we leave here.”

You shrugged. “Alright.”

It didn’t take long for you to be off, creeping up the giant hill. This time, you could see the night sky, lights of the park shining below you. You were tempted to pull out your phone to take a picture but decided against it.

You looked towards Tenya. “Alright, so what did you want to tell me? Quickly, before we drop 300 feet and I start screaming.”

He gulped. “Well, I don’t want to make you uncomfortable, and I appreciate you dearly. You’re a wonderful friend, and…”

The drop drew ever closer.

“I’m flattered,” you said. “But maybe get to the point a little faster…”

He clutched his eyes shut as the car stopped, starting to tip over the edge. “I think I’m in love with you!”

Your eyes widened, and the car careened downwards.

“Tenya!” you screamed over the sounds of the track. “Did you just say ‘I’m in love with you’!?” You couldn’t be sure.

“Yes!” he yelled, gripping onto his restraints as he dangled upside down. You noticed his glasses slipping off and clutched the sides of his face to keep them steady. “I don’t want to pressure you into anything but this trip made me realize it! I believe that telling you is the best thing to do! I understand if you don’t reciprocate my feelings!”

The second drop was quickly approaching, and as the car slowed, you smiled at him. You brought his face closer to you. “Don’t be stupid, Tenya!” you said. “Of course I reciprocate your feelings, you nerd!”

He placed his hands atop yours. The car dropped, speeding down the second drop. “Do I have your permission to kiss you!” he yelled.

“Yes! Hurry up before we pull back into the station and get kicked out for PDA!”

With that, he closed the gap.

You pulled away from him just as you slid to a stop. Your cheeks were burning, and your adrenaline was pumping wildly through your veins. That was the most heart-racing thing you’d ever done.

You cleared your throat as you pulled back into the station. Quickly releasing your restraints and hopping out of the car, you dragged him out of the coaster and back onto the main walkway.

“For such a formal person,” you quipped, leaning against his shoulder. “That was quite the confession.”

“Well,” he responded, fixing his glasses awkwardly. “You’re quite the person to confess to.”

You smiled softly, pecking him on the cheek. “Let’s get outta here. We still have time to get ice cream tonight.”

He nodded, grabbing your hand and squeezing it. “Of course. Anywhere you want to go, I’ll go with you.”

#fluff #fluffy #tenya iida #iida tenya #mha #bnha #my hero academia #x reader #reader #iida x reader #tenya iida x reader #ingenium #mha x reader #bnha x reader #over 1000 words #fanfiction #fanfic #one-shot #oneshot #1k words #confession #mutual pining #cute #happy ending

[saiqherrr]

.could not be tainted part two (s. getou)

.pairing suguru getou x fem!reader

.content warning mentions of death, jjk 0/gojo's past arc spoilers, angst, fluff :)

.synopsis "that voice. you... heard it somewhere before. it was...it’s his. that’s suguru’s voice. why did he sound so distant to you? why did he sound so far away? why did he sound so unfamiliar? why did he say that?"

.a/n i don't have a lot to say but i am very invested in what i wrote so i wrote a lil part two. i don't see a part three... maybe that'll change. we'll see.

IF YOU DID NOT READ PART ONE, READ HERE.

“PLEASE STOP LOVING ME AFTER TONIGHT, Y/N...”

that voice. you... heard it somewhere before. it was...it’s his. that’s suguru’s voice. why did he sound so distant to you? why did he sound so far away? why did he sound so unfamiliar? why did he say that?

you felt invisible sensations of lips being pressed against your earlobe, cheek and neck. “stop fighting it.” you felt as if your body was being controlled by someone else, your hands reaching to do something until some sort of force is pinning them over your head.

“suguru...” you called out to him out loud, your face strained with your eyes closed. beads of sweat accumulated on your forehead and you laid in your own pool of it on the bed. your hand unconsciously lifts up, reaching for something in the air that wasn’t there. “suguru...?”

“y/n?”

with a large gasp, you hastily shot up in the bed, trying to catch your breath. you placed a hand over your racing heart, feeling it pulse against your hand over and over. the voice that had called your name was the man laying beside you with a baby on his chest.

suguru.

“are you okay, y/n?” he asked you, a concerned look on his face. your one year old daughter, sumiye, laid on her stomach on top of chest, rising and falling with it each time he took a breath. her face was turned away from you and her small arms hung lazily on either side of him.

you eventually steadied your breathing, wiping away the sweat on your forehead with the back of your hand. “i-i’m okay...i just..had a bad dream.”

suguru cocks an eyebrow. “really? you were saying my name...”

unusually, you remembered every last detail. normally, you forgot about your dreams the moment you tried to remember this. this wasn’t a dream you wanted to recount though. the dream felt more like a memory rather than some random scenario your brain had randomly came up with.

“i don’t remember it,” you lie in a soft voice. you couldn’t bring yourself to tell him the details. you look over at your child, leaning over to smooth her black hair down with your hand. “did i wake her?”

suguru shakes his head, no and closes his eyes as he relaxes in bed again. “you were moving a little. i didn’t want her to get squished in between us, so i moved her,” he answers you with a yawn. a relieved smile spreads across your face, adoring how he was always mindful of your daughter.

you were reminded of your physical state when you felt your shirt sticking to your back due to you excessively sweating. you sighed heavily as you swung your legs from under the covers and stood up from the bed, stretching your arms, yawning.

“i’m gonna take a quick shower,” you tell him before trudging to the bathroom. you felt icky, gross, and you needed to further relax yourself from having such an intense dream.

you still couldn’t get over how...real it felt. the way it lingered in your brain didn’t feel right. the dream was too realistic. it felt like deja vu to think about it. as you undressed yourself in the bathroom, you ran your fingers across your forearms as if something was something to be there, but there wasn’t anything there. you felt like you were in someone else's body. nothing felt right to you. nothing felt normal this morning. why?

you hoped that maybe the shower would clear your mind, but it didn't. it only caused you to ponder about it even more. dreadful images of a cold glare staring down at you flashed in your mind. thinking about the sensations of a rough hand around your throat had you struggling to breath through the hot steam that came from the shower. your hand frantically turned the water to a lower temperature, however, the coldness of the water matched the coldness of the words that were said to you in that dream.

“stop fighting it.”

you gave up on taking a relaxing shower, sighing heavily as you turned the water off and pushed the wet, glass shower door aside and stepped out, your toes welcomed by the mat that was in front of you as it absorbed the water that rolled down your legs.

as you dried yourself with a towel and took care of your hygiene, you could hear distant crying on the other side of the door. sumiye. you went still, trying to hear what was happening and you could hear suguru's voice trying to sooth your daughter, followed by a "shhhh, shhhh, shhhh."

you smiled to yourself, blessed to be with such a nurturing and caring man. you never found him to be family-oriented, but maybe that trait came after you had sumiye. you tried to reminisce about what it was like while you were sitill pregnant, but the memories came in like static. everything was noisy, fuzzy. when you could clearly imagine a clear image of when you were pregnant, it didn't have suguru in it.

what the fuck. you felt like you were losing your mind ever since you woke up.

you put on your bra and underwear and wrapped a burgundy, silk robe around your body before looking in the mirror. you body jolted when you saw an almost clear picture of suguru standing behind you, looking disheveled and...malicious. there was an evil glint in his eye that kept your body frozen in place, gripping onto the bathroom counter before you and gulping.

“just because i’ve lost my mind, does not mean i do not love you.”

those words circled around your head like dizzy stars. they were a part of that dream you had. for fucks sake, you really had to get out of your head. with a simple blink, suguru was gone. you waited a bit before moving again.

you rub your temples in circular motions, trying to ease yourself before you came out of the bathroom. your nose followed the smell of bacon that came from the kitchen. you were greeted with the sight of suguru sitting in a dining chair, feeding soft, scrambled eggs to sumiye and bacon was sizzling in a pan.

how long were you in that bathroom?

sumiye brought her attention to you once you entered the room, a blank expression on her face. the corners of your mouth turn upwards as you smile at her.

"hi, pretty mama," you cooed at her, approaching her high chair to pick her up. sumiye responded with a gummy smile and gurgled gibberish. you giggle as you beam at your child, looking back at suguru who had a soft smile on his face.

“i think she doesn’t like scrambled eggs,” he comments with a sigh, getting up after putting the plastic baby spoon back onto the plate. he makes his way back to the stove to check the bacon.

you laugh at his comment and shake your head as you sit yourself in the seat he was previously sitting in. sumiye sat on your lap and you took a spoon of the eggs and pressed it against her slobbered, small mouth until she opened it and swallowed the food. “or maybe she’s just a mama’s girl,” you teasingly respond to suguru.

he turns around, seeing that sumiye was happily eating the eggs while you made silly faces and baby-talked her. “she must be,” he mumbled. he turned over the bacon a couple more times until he was satisfied and placed it all on a plate. by then, sumiye had finished her food and you had placed her in her bouncer. you plated yourself your own breakfast and sat at the table while suguru did the same. you both ate in silence, occasionally bringing your attention to sumiye to make sure she was alright.

suguru had left to go to work shortly after breakfast. the rest of your day was lazy, watching and playing with sumiye. that dream still lingered on your fucking mind. you still kept seeing glimpses of a dark shadow around the apartment, mimicking suguru's silhouette. that evil, twisted version of his voice was playing in your head non-stop. you couldn't catch a break. why was a simple nightmare eating you up so fucking much?!

you put sumiye down for her nap before taking melatonin and falling asleep on the bed to take a decent nap, letting all your worries drift away. you got two hours in before the empty side of the bed sunk in from someone else's weight. your eyes shot open and you rolled over, laying on your back and turned your neck to see... no one.

as soon as you went to turn back around again, there he was, hovering over you.

“please stop loving me after tonight, y/n,” he whispers in your ear as he inclined down and began to kiss your earlobe, moving to your cheek and then your neck. your eyes augment at his sudden words.

that's when it finally clicked. this was all a dream. and as expected, some strange force owned by the universe had pulled you out of such a deep nightmare and had you gasping for air in your bedroom, drenched in your sweat even though vent above your head was blowing freezing cold air. your eyes burned with warm, fresh tears, threatening to dribble over and roll down your flushed cheeks.

a hand was placed against your beating chest as you hiccuped while you tried to recover from the dream, looking around your room to grasp everything - this was reality. even though you knew he wasn't there, you still looked over to make sure the other side of your bed was empty.

you slowly got out of your bed, standing on your feet and took small, cautious steps towards your bedroom door. you opened it, clammy hands anxiously twisting the doorknob. when you finally stepped out of the room, it finally registered that you were home in satoru's apartment. sumiye.

your feet moved on their own as you found yourself quickly making your way to your daughter's room. you opened the door slowly, still being careful not to wake her. besides the moonlight that had seeped through her window blinds, the room was just barely illuminated by a pastel blue nightlight that was plugged into an outlet by her crib.

inside of her crib, there she was, being held by satoru. he had crammed himself in the decently large crib, legs bent while his arm laid over sumiye's small body which was obviously an endeavor to calm her down earlier. his lips were parted, drool seeped through the corner of his lips and he lightly snored. your daughter was peacefully sleeping in the arms of her godfather. this was reality.

even in your dreams, your perception of the evil, wretched man you once loved could not be tainted. deep down you knew that you wanted that dream to be a reality so desperately, for suguru to come home and shower sumiye with kisses - for him to be there.

yet he died happily knowing you were safe, that sumiye was safe, and that you'd be able to live happily without him.

#jujutsu kaisen getou #getou suguru x reader #getou suguru smut #getou x reader #getou suguru imagines #getou x you #suguru geto #jjk suguru #geto suguru #suguru getou fanfic #jjk x reader #jjk fanfic #jjk imagines #jjk smut #jujutsu kaisen x reader #jujutsu kaisen smut #jujutsu kaisen

[perseusjackson-jasongrace]

Dumbass got stabbed III

I really thought I had finished with this two shot but after a request from @/booksrlife300 on ao3 asking for the aftermath I really couldn't resist making it a three shot. And my writing demon certainly agreed because it really went wild during my plane ride.

Anyway here is part three (and i think the final part) to dumbass got stabbed.

Recap (since it's been over a year):

Percy gets stabbed by a monster after coming back from the movies with his friends and the first place he goes to is Jason's house. Jason nearly has a heart attack after Percy collapses on his door and then he pulls him inside and stitches him all up.

This fic starts with Percy waking up the next morning.

[image has alt text]

Percy wakes up to searing pain. It spills across his skin like an upturned sowing box. He doesn't know where it's coming from because it feels like it's coming from everywhere. He can't even take stock of his body because he feels like one big pincushion. He supposes being stabbed makes him a pincushion.

He doesn't want to open his eyes. He can feel the light behind them. Too bright. Too loud. Too not how he feels.

He feels like deep darkness. Like the darkness just before a star explodes. The darkness before the sky erupts. The kind that blankets all of his senses except the one that pings danger. That's red and wailing at him. But then pain so untamed it turns his vision orange lances across his side and his eyes snap open with a low howl.

He can see white ceiling. He can see black dots. He hears scrambling, clothes rustling and something falling over. And then he can see blue eyes. And then he can see skies and oceans and glass bottles and concern like mothering hens staring down at him.

"Percy," His name is a growled gasp. Sleep still clinging to the strings of his friends voice box, scratching it's way down his throat.

"Hello, I'm in immense pain." Vaguely he notes that he sounds like an automated machine relaying it's faulty inner workings. That's half how he feels now that the burning-orange pain has lessened to a caution-yellow.

"Here," A golden hand, fingers wrapped in individual bandages, long and racing with green veins, holds out a square to him. It is small and unassuming. Nobody would guess it holds the food of gods. Then again nobody would guess those gods existed.

His mouth feels as though he's been eating his clothes for sustenance the last week. All heavy tongue, dry saliva glands, and teeth too smudgy to be healthy. He considers turning the square away for some toothpaste and a glass of water. But neither of those are going to magically cure the wound marking his side. So he opens his mouth, his jaw, and let's Jason drop the square onto his tongue. Warm fingers brush his lips as they pull back and he wants to chase the lightning-blue zing that they leave behind against his sarcastic mouth.

Instead he snaps himself shut and chews slowly. Only half interested in the cookies, then brownies, then soda— which he somehow knows is blue— disappears down his throat. He feels the magic working through his veins, skin stitching itself together. A headache he didn't know he had disappates.

With a long exhale he relaxes back against cotton cushions and finally takes a good look around the room. He has every detail of it already memorised, having spent many a day and night in this position bothering his friend endlessly. There's the singular shelf that houses old trinkets tattered and bruised from years of moving; the single arrow from Thalia's set— given in protection and as a reminder that she would always be there, for real this time; there's the gaudy new York taxi keyring he had given the blonde, now without the ring part, so of no real use; and the snow globe from Piper when she visited Paris. The soft yellow wall— lemon drizzle if you want to get specific— sits in perfect contrast to the charcoal grey of the rest of the room. It sort of embodies Jason's whole presence. The desk, well used and scattered with books and paper and Chinese takeout containers, sits in the corner opposite the bedroom, right near the window. He says if he can see the city he can breathe a little easier. He knows what he's working towards. Percy thinks it's so he can see the sky and know there's always a way to escape.

Him and Jason are good at that. Escaping. From bad situations, from big feelings, from each other. There's always something left unsaid between them. It drives their friends mad, but it's all they can do to stop from becoming hurricanes and devouring the entire universe.

"How are you feeling?" The blonde is sitting in his swivelly squeaky desk chair, leaning over him with all sense of care and concern. It makes him feel like duck egg blue.

"Much better thank you." He attempts a grin. He hopes it's not a grimace. "No matter how many times I get stabbed it doesn't seem to hrut any less."

Jason narrows his eyes, "I wonder why."

See that's what Percy likes. Everyone else is always giving him disapproving looks and worried scoldings when he says things like that but Jason? Jason indulges him, makes it feel not so suffocating to always be injured and bruised and relying on little squares of God-food to get him through the month.

"How do I look?" This time it's definitely a grin. He can feel the green of his eyes go emerald with amusement.

"Very pretty as always." The reply is solemn, but there's a twitch of pink lips and it's all he can do to not reach over and touch it.

"Want to tell me what happened?" A frown replaces the amusement and he wants to rewind the last few seconds again and again. "You were a little...out of it when you showed up."

"Yes I suppose getting attacked by a monster makes all the smart chemicals in my brain go a little foamy."

"You don't know what attacked you?"

And he is pinned to the bed, to the room, to the world. Because nobody can read the words behind his words the way Jason can. Can read the emotion behind his pauses and the expressions behind his masks. He is neon purple.

"It was dark." He resigns himself to the story. When he's done, laid all the boring details bare, he studies the floors.

The silence stretches around them, cocooning them into something too delicate to touch. It feels almost awkward, or it would if he knew anything about that when he was here. Instead it's just quiet.

"Can you stand? You need a shower."

"Oof Jase," He puts a hand to his chest, hurt painted like clown's make up falling across his face. "I can't look that bad."

There's a precious smirk, full of quick whips kicking up in his friend. "It's the way you smell actually."

He takes an exaggerated whiff and nearly gags. "I smell like I'm decaying." He shudders.

A laugh bursts from the blonde and Percy doesn't want to move in case the music ends. He feels candy floss pink in that moment.

"Right up you get. I'll sort out breakfast and then you can entertain me for the day."

"You don't have to take care of me." He rolls his eyes, sitting up with a hidden wince. His feet settle on the floor. He's grateful neither of them acknowledge that he came here in a haze. That Jason did take care of him. That when his mind was nothing but blinding pain this was the first place his legs took him.

"I'm not taking care of you. I'm using you for entertainment."

What his friend doesn't realise is that Percy can read all his hidden scripture just as well. How "entertain me" means I'm keeping an eye on you. How "mind helping me with this" means I can do it just fine by myself but I want company. How winks mean "it's a joke between us" but smirks mean "it's honesty but gently". It warms his heart to know he can do this. It's a sunshine yellow thing to know someone the way they know each other.

"You good?" Jason stops at the door when he still hasn't moved from the bed.

"Yes just preparing to haul my very large body into your very small shower." He feels the eye roll more than see it. It tugs a smile onto his face.

"I'll remind you that I'm an even larger body and I make it work."

"How on earth do you ever have shower—"

"Percy Jackson!" He is snapped into a laugh.

And then he's in the bathroom and his mouth is full of mint bubbles and although there are circles as deep purple as squished plums under his eyes they shine with contentness. He doesn't fear or worry. Not here. At home, in his mother's house, he's the protector from monsters only he can decimate. At camp he is the protector from monsters that are determined to destroy. But here. He is just Percy. And his protector is cooking pancakes in the kitchen. He is just Percy. And he is sage green as he steps into the steam of the shower.

He looks down, catching the fading wound on his abdomen. His brown skin let's droplets of water rest briefly before rippling and they go racing down to the tiled floor. He stands there for a good minute just staring blankly. But then he hears the sound of a kettle whistling and it jolts him into action as he scrubs the grime and gross of yet another something trying to kill him, off his body.

By the time he's done— sweats and a loose tee rummaged from Jason's closet draping over his too hot skin— the pancakes are neatly stacked on two plates and fresh steaming coffee sits to the right of their food. He feels honey brown.

"Looks delicious."

"I know the way to your heart." The blonde shrugs.

"It's more of a journey than most bargain for." He laughs quietly.

"Dont worry I've brought my hacksaw and my hiking boots I'm willing to run through Amazonian forests."

"Well that's relieving," He grins around his mug. "I was beginning to think I'd be stranded in my stone tower forever."

"All alone?"

He snorts, "No I've made friends with all manner of being. I can't be alone, you know that." He bites into his pancake, blueberry slipping off his fork with a thudding splash into the syrup.

"I do know." The blonde's voice is all buttery and melting. And the truth that comes with it knocks a new vein into Percy's heart.

They're quiet for a few minutes as they devour their breakfast. When there's mere sips of coffee left he settles back in his chair and regards his friend.

"What manner of entertainment am I providing today?"

"Whatever you want but I'm not leaving the house."

"Oh good I don't know if I can make it ten steps out your door without half crumbling to dust these days."

"You wouldn't."

"Mhmm," He hums distractedly, gaging the weather to decide if they're going to huddle up with movies and far too many blankets or throw playing cards at each other while drowning in lemonade. It's a movie sort of day, he decides.

"You wouldn't turn to dust." Jason is saying. "You're too much god and too much good to die like monsters." There is that silent reading again.

"Maybe I was." Percy shrugs, "Before you know..."

And he doesn't need to add anymore because the big space the catches onto that sentence no matter how much time separates those events from the now still means the same thing. Before Tartarus. Before he made a ventriloquist puppet out of a goddess. Before he became unhinged.

"You are not a monster for protecting yourself. Or others." Golden voice is firm. Solid.

"You may be the only one who knows and thinks that."

"Doesn't matter it's still true."

"Okay enough seriousness." He doesn't have the energy for their circling conversation. "Shall we binge Pirates of the Caribbean?" For a stormy grey second he thinks his friend is going to keep their talk going but then he sees the surrender behind the blue eyes and a part of him unwinds.

"We can." There's a raised eyebrow accompanying the agreement and he knows there's conditions attached. Like a damn insurance plan. "If your promise to let me walk you home this evening."

"My big bad wolf." He teases.

The blonde responds with a low growl that makes his whole body turn a violent azure blue. "Fine. We shall stare at Captain Jack Sparrow and then you can valiantly walk me to my front door and shake hands with my mother."

"Wonderful. Now let's get some blankets down."

Jason smiles as he stretches on his tiptoes to reach the fluffy ones. He feels the soft material under his palm but the there's a hand over his brown one and it's tugging the blanket down. He sticks his tongue out at his friend.

Percy is ocean blue.

#Dumbass got stabbed #Part 3 #PJJG fanfic #PJJG series #Percy jackson #Jason grace #Jercy

[neutron-stars-collision]

The Art of Inversion

Neil x Reader

Chapter 18 - Holy Ghost

Masterlist; Chapter 17

Summary: First few days in Tallinn are like a calm before the storm, while you and Neil are getting used your new dynamic. It proves to be rather surprising...

Warnings: 18+ (yep, she did it again because these two wanted to); swearing.

Author’s Notes: So ummm... I’m not sure what happened here and you’ll be the judges of that. All I can say is that I’ve been inspired by the skewed tie and that Tallinn will take at least two more chapters because they keep getting distracted. Hope you’ll enjoy! Feedback is always welcome as I’m not sure what I’m doing...🙈

The lovely edit has been provided by my amazing and talented friend @sh3tani​ (thanks for putting up with my bs 💕)

Despite technically being a Tenet agent for a while, the dramatic changes of pace in your life never failed to amaze you. After that careless morning in London, mere hours later you got the text from TP, sending you and the Cavalry to Tallinn. Minutes afterwards, Neil burst into your room saying that the younger TP called, giving him directions to run a few lab tests and then to meet him in the capital of Estonia, as well. Neither of you had any clues as to why but then that was rather expected. 

That is how you found yourself in a safe house in the suburbs of Tallinn. For security and convenience, you have joined Ives’s squad there while Neil booked a hotel room nearby to keep up the appearances before TP. For the first few days, the boss has not yet arrived in the city, and therefore, as Neil put it, there was much more room to maneuver. Whatever that meant.

Estonian safe house was a relatively vast apartment on the ground floor of an old brick house. It had six bedrooms furnished with simple Ikea beds, bedside tables, and a small wardrobe. There was also one bathroom (hell of an inconvenience for nine people occupying the place) and a kitchen opening into a living room with sofas and tv. The space was nearly barren save for the objects needed to survive for however long you were bound to stay there. On the day of your arrival, Ives sent you and Wheeler to the shop for the supplies, reasoning being that apparently you two had most brain cells in the whole team. You enjoyed the possibility to charge your introvert batteries before days spent with eight people, of which only two you actually knew. With close to no information concerning the point of the mission, the days have been spent idly chatting, playing games, and watching television. In Estonian, naturally. For you, a crucial part of the survival became continuous reception and the ability to reach out to Neil when needed. Which was often and soon became a passing joke among the rest of the company. Once Henrik tried to steal your phone and ended up with a bread knife pressed against his neck, the innocent fun ended. That was on day two.

Luckily you got your own room, while the others were forced to share. This you owed to the fact that you were not part of the squad and hence had the right to privacy. It proved rather useful the day when unexpected company came. You were busy trying not to burn the scrambled eggs on a scratched-up pan, half humming a song you heard on the radio. Despite the early hour, everyone was up and either moving about or outside on a run. If there was anything you have learned from the experience so far, it was that Tenet soldiers started the day early and were shit at cooking. Eggs, instant noodles, and oven pizzas were the menu staples. Sighing, you picked up the only clean plate left when you heard a commotion in the hallway. Not long after, a voice called out:

“Y/N? You’ve got a visitor” you did not like the amused undertone in that information.

“Yeah…?” hesitantly, you stepped into the hallway.

The cheeky grin was quite the sight at 9 am.

“Good morning, sunshine” you resisted the urge to break the plate on Neil’s head.

At least he brought coffee.

“Hey,” warily you looked at Michael, who was loitering next to you, interested in the situation “Should we…?” looking at the door to your room, you met Neil’s gaze.

“Naturally” he smiled and followed you in.

Only once you closed the door behind you both, blocking out the curious stares, you breathed out the air you did not know you were holding. You set the plate on the bedside table and grinned as Neil carelessly threw himself onto your bed.

“Thought I’ll get a kiss or something for all that awkwardness out there” you commented, eyeing the man sprawled on your mattress.

Briefly, you marvelled at how you have managed to become this comfortable with each other. But then almost having sex was bound to count for something. Supposedly.

“You will if you come here” Neil raised his head and extended a hand in an invitation.

Mournfully you glanced at your abandoned breakfast and crossed the space, intertwining your fingers with his. You were not surprised when Neil pulled you down onto the bed, only just managing not to lie on him. Feigning disappointment, he huffed and leaned in, kissing you slowly. Deepening the kiss, you tangled your fingers in his hair, bringing him closer. With legs interlocked, half-lying on the narrow bed, it was all too real. In moments like this, it was easy to believe that maybe it was meant to be. Breaking up the kiss, you opened your eyes to stare at Neil. In the soft light coming through the opened shutters, you could clearly see the darker rims around his blue irises. In the morning, his eyes resembled the colour of an ocean. The long eyelashes framing the eyes and the eyebrows, furrowed in concentration, gazing back at you. Your eyes then landed on his parted mouth, the corners turned down slightly, and the shape of his lips. You wondered how someone this beautiful could choose you among all the people in the universe.

“Your breakfast and the coffee are getting cold” he murmured, breaking the comfortable silence.

“Do you want me to get up?” running your fingertips over his temple, you reveled in the intimacy of the moment.

Neil smiled and raised your joined hands to kiss your knuckles.

“Not really. I like having you this close so I can stare” he admitted with a sheepish grin.

“Same, actually,” you mirrored his expression, dragging fingers through the golden hair.

It seemed like your London evening full of important conversations gave you more confidence. Suddenly it was not that scary to share your thoughts and feelings with him because there was a chance he will understand. Or at least not ridicule you. As though Neil was reading your mind, he asked:

“What are you thinking about?” you could tell he was genuinely interested.

That was enough to make you feel a surge of feelings towards him. Maybe it won’t hurt to say something… Taking a deep breath, you warned:

“Just don’t laugh,”

“I’ll do my best” Neil bopped your nose quickly, making your brain short-circuit for a second.

What even. Focusing all your attention on him, your eyes wandered over his face. Resting on all the features that made him the man you loved.

“Sometimes I just can’t get over how beautiful you are… like a bloody masterpiece” you cupped his cheek “And I’ve no clue why you’re so fixed on me” sighing dejectedly, you awaited a response.

If the slightly widened eyes were any clue, he was surprised by your admission.

“That was probably the best compliment I’ve ever gotten” Neil stumbled over the sentence.

So, it was worth saying. For another time, you left the discussion on how that could even be true.

“Have you seen yourself though? How could I not be fixed on you?” it was Neil’s turn to cup your cheek, making you blush.

The pure confidence in his eyes was too much to bear at the moment. Sitting up, you kicked him lightly, enjoying the affronted look.

“Now you’re being ridiculous” you moved to stand up, but Neil took hold of your waist, sitting up as well.

You were too close again, noses brushing. It was easy to lean in and kiss him. Only when you did, a knock resounded in the room. Fucking hell.

“Can I come in?” the cockney accent was a giveaway “I bloody hope you two aren’t getting up to stuff”

Despite yourself, you giggled with your lips still brushing over Neil’s, making him sigh. For a millisecond, he tightened his grip over your waist and then let go and moved an inch away. You looked at him for permission before calling out:

“Be our guest”

In an attempt to look as casual as it was possible, you grabbed the plate with your cold eggs and passed Neil his coffee. Sitting back down on the bed, you pasted a neutral smile onto your face. As if that would divert anyone’s attention from your tangled hair and Neil’s flushed cheeks. Ives opened the door and scrutinized you both quickly, not missing how you frowned upon the first bite of your breakfast. Then he gave Neil a quick pat on the back:

“Good to see you, mate” he perched on the windowsill for the lack of any other furniture “I was hoping you’d at least come to say hi” he gave you both a knowing glance.

Cursing your own inability to say no to Neil, you grudgingly finished the eggs and took another sip of the lukewarm coffee. Next time, food first, then kissing. No matter how irresistible the bastard might be.

“I was planning to, only…” the bastard in question shrugged before glancing at you shortly.

“Oh, I know. Priorities and all that” Ives smirked upon your deepening blush “I get it, believe me. Plus, seeing how often Y/N is glued to her phone, I reckon you two are doing good” he winked.

Sensing Neil’s growing discomfort, you shot back:

“Don’t talk about me as though I wasn’t here” it was hard to look threatening when staring at someone like Ives, but you did your best.

“Or?” he arched his eyebrow amusedly.

“I’ll shoot you”

The sudden tense silence got interrupted by Neil breaking into a laugh, collapsing against you. So much for pretending you could keep away from each other. Once he calmed down, he rested his head on your shoulder and said:

“And that’s why I like you”

You did not know it was possible to blush even more. And yet. Even though what he said was hardly a surprise, he never mentioned anything like that with others present. Before you could come up with any response, Ives commented:

“Aren’t you two cute, eh?”

Lord give me strength…  

“Ives” you warned, reaching for the gun you always kept in the drawer by the bed.

He laughed and raised his hands in defence.

“Okay, I’ll stop now” he glanced at Neil, who was comfortable enough, still leaning on you “Has he given you any more clues?”

You relaxed once the conversation steered onto more professional tracks.

“Not really. I ran the analysis on the gold bar he sent, and well, there’s literally nothing concrete there” Neil shrugged, “But I think it has something to do with the plutonium piece that went missing back in Kiev” he added.

“Is that part of the Algorithm?” you asked.

The topic has not really come up since your first conversation with TP in Boston, but from the information you got from Neil and others in the organisation, it seemed like the pieces were set in motion. In the Kiev Opera, another part of the compound has been lost. Maybe its purpose was to resurface in Tallinn so that you could take over.

“Yeah” Neil confirmed your suspicions with a curt nod.

“How… how do you know about this?” it was Ives’ turn to be confused, looking at you with palpable shock in his eyes.

Right… Sometimes it was hard to keep track of who knew what and why. And that was one of such moments. Straightening your back, you explained:

“TP told me. Apparently, I’ll have a role to play hence why I’m being dragged into this” glancing at Neil, who all of sudden looked rather sombre, you added, “Not only because of this idiot” giving in to the temptation, you ruffled his hair.

“…thanks” pouting, Neil moved away.

“Welcome” 

*** You have left the apartment and quickly checked the maps again. Neil set your meeting for a rather obscure park square in the downtown area of the city since that was where he was supposed to meet TP later. At first, you wanted to refuse, to tell him that it was risky to go for a walk with the boss nearby. But then, you knew there was not much point in saying no to something that tempting. It was enough that you might not be able to spend time together at all the next few days.

Just when you were sure you have gotten lost in the greyness of the apartment blocks and identical streets, you spotted him waiting on the bench. The icy wind was ruffling his hair as Neil stared at the pavement, unaware of your attention. You smiled at the sight of his brown and green outfit and those strange shoes; you have seen the brogues before in Oslo. Now that was something worth a call out later. Ending the scrutiny, you approached him and, as a means of greeting, brushed the hair away from his forehead. That worked, as it always did. The blue eyes snapped up to meet yours:

“Hello” you offered him a small smile.

“Tere, kallis” the grin combined with the strange words he uttered made you frown.

“I hope that was something appropriate”

He took your hand in his and pulled you down onto his lap. The happy sparks in his eyes were almost enough to make you ignore the cold and the embarrassment of the situation.

“I thought you said we’re going for a walk” forcing a stern tone was difficult with how Neil gently cupped your flushed cheek.

“That we are. But first, I wanted to get you up close and personal” he brushed his nose against yours tenderly.

“I see…” with the corner of your eye you could see an older woman observing you from the nearby bench.

With a start, you realised how very much alike a couple you must look to any passerby. Sitting on Neil’s lap, with his arm securing you around the waist and your faces inches away, there were no questions about the nature of your relationship. But, somehow, that was okay. A stronger gust of wind made you shiver, which he noticed straight away and pulled you even closer, your lips nearly touching. The blue of his irises and the depth of focus in them made you gasp. It was always like this with him, as though you were the only person in the universe that mattered.

“We’ll get going now, only…” Neil met your gaze with a silent question.

You nodded. He could do anything he wanted anyway. He met your lips in a slow kiss, relishing in the feeling for at least half a minute. You placed your hand on the back of his neck to bring him a little closer, suddenly grateful for the position he put you in. Then, just as the kiss threatened to get more heated, Neil broke the contact and leaned back, taking in your dazed expression. He always knew how to get to you.

“Now we can go” he smirked, and you had no choice but to slide off his lap.

As soon as you were both standing, Neil grabbed your hand again and intertwined your fingers. As usual. It did seem like neither of you wanted to pretend today, and instead letting yourselves explore the ‘not-quite relationship’ you got into. For once, the voices in your head were silent, seemingly agreeing to the new developments. You did wonder how long that was bound to last.

“Ives says hi, by the way,” you broke the silence, looking around the cityscape.

This part of Tallinn certainly was not as picturesque as the city centre, but it had to do. After all, your sole focus was Neil. Not much else mattered when you were together. If that did not confirm your feelings, then god knows what did. Sighing, you turned to look at the man in question.

“You told him we’re meeting up?” he asked with a slight crease between his eyebrows.

Confusion, then.

“No. I just said that I’m going out for a walk, and he told me to say hi to you” laughing at the idiocy of the moment you brushed your thumb over his knuckles.

In response, you got the signature Neil grin that was the beginning of your downfall all those months previously. Despite the absolute horror you felt during the initial conversation with Ives, now it was somehow less terrifying.

“Ah, I see” his tongue clicked thoughtfully, only making you laugh harder.

It was difficult to get the next sentence out.

“He also added that he’s surprised he’s not yet caught you sneaking out of my room at night”

The small snorting sound Neil let out made you want to kiss him right there, in the middle of the busy street.

“Why do I feel like he wants it to happen” he glanced at you quickly with an amused expression.

“Maybe it’s his thing” you retorted, savoring the laugh it prompted from your companion.

After that first morning in the safehouse, you have both decided to try and keep away from any rash actions or decisions while in Estonia. You certainly had enough of interruptions, and with the team sharing the space, it was all too precarious. Hence you have been meeting up outside, for strolls or lunch, talking about everything and nothing. Only now, that TP was around, it was bound to change, and you expected that this might be the last of those stolen moments.

“I’m sorry that we had to meet around here today” Neil interrupted your slightly melancholic thoughts “I wanted to take you out somewhere again, but he called, and I think it will be on soon” he lowered his voice to a slightly conspicuous tone, making you smile.

“It’s okay, at least that means I’ll know why the fuck am I even here” shrugging, you looked around at the shops you have passed by.

“For me?” Neil batted his eyelashes innocently while tightening his hold over your hand.

“Apart from that” this time you allowed him honesty “Don’t you ever get tired though? Of me?” the self-sabotaging voice contributed a question.

It was too late to take it back. But the way Neil looked at you then, with disbelief and fondness, was enough to excuse the moment on insecurity.

He stopped walking, making you freeze despite the streams of people going in both directions. You were like an island amidst a fast-flowing river. Neil forced you to meet his gaze by tilting your chin upwards. There was nothing playful in his eyes, just sincerity and love. And determination.

“Do you need me to remind you why that’s impossible?” you did not know when did his voice become so husky.

“Maybe” biting your lip, you searched his face, fascinated and curious.

Neil glanced at the teeth nibbling on your lower lip, and his tongue darted out, seemingly on reflex. Oh. When his eyes met yours again, you could see a hint of a new emotion there. He was hesitating for approximately 10 seconds before he started leading you again with purpose. Before you could ask a single question, he turned sharply into a non-descript alley between two crumbling buildings. It was empty save for a few pieces of trash lying around and a rusted door at the other end, with a metal padlock and a heavy chain. But your quick scan of the environment got interrupted by Neil wrapping his arm around your waist and pushing you at one of the walls. Just before your head could hit the bricks, he cradled the back of it, providing a safeguard. Ever so thoughtful. Wide-eyed, you glanced up at him to gauge the intention. The darkness and resolve you found were enough of an indicator.

“The walk will have to wait” he spoke before crashing his lips against yours.

The instinct kicked in instantaneously, making you respond by bringing him closer with your hand taking hold of his tie. Kissing Neil was like a fix for an addiction you did not want to fight against. No matter how urgent it was, you could always find a tempo that suited you both, neither fighting for dominance. It was like a dance where both were willing to lead and follow. Neil bit into your lower lip, drawing blood, tinting the kiss with that coppery taste. Fuck. You gasped into his mouth, shivering when his tongue ran along the split, licking off the droplets. It was enough to make you want more. As a payback, you caught his upper lip with your teeth, tugging at it lightly to remind him of the potential. But only when you pulled on his tie sharply, making Neil almost collapse against you, he broke the kiss with a groan. His eyes were hazed with lust, making you lightheaded the more you kept on gazing. The bloody shade of red on his lips made your pulse quicken. You still kept the hold on his patterned tie, making sure he was within your reach. His tongue darted out and licked off the remains of blood. That was a good cue to sober up. You released his tie and placed your hand over his heart, relishing in the way he was looking at you, as though you were a sight he could never have enough of.

“Huh…” you broke the silence and glanced at the entryway to the alley.

Thankfully no spectators.

“Is this all you’re going to say?” Neil’s perplexed facial expression made you laugh.

Sometimes it was fascinating to see him that disoriented after a kiss. Because it was a clear sign that not only you were affected by everything that transpired. Another reason to believe that maybe the feeling was mutual. Calming down, you started toying with his shirt collar. Even though heated kisses in dirty alleys were never your kind of thing, with Neil that too was exciting. And something you wanted to repeat.

“I mean… this is rather nice” you met his confused gaze and added, “Being with you like this”

Coherence for more complex sentences was nowhere to be found.

“I’m glad because I wanted that last hour of normalcy before we go back to the usual” Neil staggered over the sentence as well, making your heart stumble with fondness.

Pouring the feeling into your gaze, you grinned at him, running your hands over his shirt and lapels. You knew exactly what he meant. But still, with tongue poking out, you noticed:

“That sentence didn’t make sense, and yet I agree” the way his eyes darted onto your lips was enough to cause a resurgence amidst the butterflies.

Neil leaned in again, eager for another kiss. But you had other ideas, struck with the courage to tease him a little. You dropped your head and kicked him in the foot lightly. Just enough to bring his attention onto the subject of your scrutiny.

“The hell are those shoes though” you smirked upon his utterly lost gaze.

“What? You don’t like them?” the slight pout only made your grin wider.

With the hair in disarray, reddened cheeks, and pink lips, he was more than a sight to behold. And all that because of you. Wow.

“They look a little like you wanted to channel Pennywise or something” you laughed at his blank stare “Remind me to go through your wardrobe one day because you’re selling yourself short with those fashion choices” to emphasize the point you tugged on his tie again and frowned.

But it seemed like Neil managed to recover enough. He placed both of his hands on the wall, blocking your way out. The well-known smirk came back too. You had a feeling that you were about to lose this one battle.

“And yet here you are” he practically purred with a hungry look in his eyes.

You swallowed. Whenever he got like this, showing how much he wanted you, it was hard to think. Raking your head for a response, you settled on honesty again.

“That’s because I admire your soul” eyeing him intently, you added “And hair”

You tugged on the golden strands, making him whine in frustration. Good.

“And eyes” he met your gaze purposefully, a hint of a knowing smile on his face.

Of course, he’d know.

“Yeah” you raised your head.

A challenge he took without hesitation. Neil reached for the scarf wrapped around your neck and loosened it just enough to have access. Before you could do as much as exhale, his lips were on your neck and throat, attacking all the spots that were bound to make you gasp and search for something to hold on to. Cursing, you closed your eyes, letting yourself block everything that was not Neil and his touch. Soon his hands joined in with the exploration, brushing over your body, slipping inside the opened coat and underneath your blouse. Any resistance you might have had was slowly breaking. Blindly, you found his tie again and started to work on undoing the knot with shaking hands. Once you loosened it and undid the first three buttons, you slipped your hand underneath his shirt. You did not even know what you wanted to do. He was there, yours and in reach. That was enough to cause urgency. But any intent you might have had disappeared when Neil finished his study with a harsh bite over your collarbone.

“Jesus Christ…” you huffed and pulled him closer with a finger around his belt loop.

As his hips met yours, he raised his head and met your gaze shamelessly. Nothing but want and adoration. A sudden commotion on the street helped you remember the surroundings. Sighing, you pieced together a sentence:

“This is rather risky, don’t you think?” if anything, the unconscious way in which you bumped your hips against his again was a contradiction to the statement.

Your head was a mess. On one hand, wanting nothing but Neil, right here and now. On the other, doing anything like this in an alley spoke against the last bits of the reason you tried to preserve.

“Yes, but I quite enjoy the thrill” Neil brushed his hand over your stomach and smiled devilishly.

If your experience was anything to go by, and the way it felt when his crotch brushed over your hip, he too was rather invested. That thought gave you some needed courage to respond.

“You like being caught? Then I’m surprised you were so unsatisfied in Oslo” the cheeky smile and a quick touch of your hand over the front of his pants did it.

Neil swallowed hard and took additional few seconds to find words.

“More than being caught I like you. And everything we do... or could do” experimentally, he traced his finger along the line of your belt.

The goosebumps and rising tension within your core were good enough clues towards your feelings on the matter.

“Like what?” the breathlessness of your voice made you frown.

“Like this” in one swift motion, Neil undid the buckle.

Shit. That was enough to raise concern. You wanted him, urgently, but…

“Neil... do you seriously think fucking in an alley is a good idea?” you did know where that word came from, but it was pretty spot on.

“First of all, we’re not fucking. This isn’t that primal” for some reason the way he pronounced it only made matters worse, as did that smirk “Unless one day you feel like it and-” oh hell.

You placed one hand over his mouth, shutting him up, the other ventured into the pocket of your coat, where you always had the small hunting knife hidden.

“I’m going to stab you. Here they won’t find you for days” aiming for a threatening tone, you raised the hand from his mouth.

But not before he somehow managed to kiss your fingers. His eyes were dark, determined to make you break any internal rules you could have.

“Wow, you really have it bad for me” Neil whispered, getting ever closer, ignoring your threats.

Too lost in the strange conversation you have not even realised when he managed to unzip your jeans. Only once you felt his hand slipping between your thighs, you huffed with frustration. Thinking on reasons against letting him do it was getting increasingly harder.

“Neil” was the only warning you could manage.

All thoughts disappeared when he palmed you through the underwear. Searching for support, you put your hands on his shoulders.

“I just want to check if you’re still interested... still so eager,” the satisfied grin told you that it felt just as bad as you expected.

Like this, with him having direct access to check what was working for you, there was nowhere to hide. Once again, he managed to bring you to such a state with worrying ease. His whole body was pressing against yours, with one hand teasing you through the thin layer of clothing. The other has somehow managed to wrap around your throat. Not strong enough to apply pressure, but at the same time making you face him. And increasing the need you felt.

“You’re a bastard” the insult got muddled by the longing you could not hide from your gaze.

Neil caught it, grinning mischievously. The game was on.

“Well... it takes two and all that” he feigned nonchalance, arching an eyebrow.

You knew full well what he was implying. You could practically feel how drenched with arousal you were. Your underwear was wet to touch, thighs clenching around Neil’s hand. That was his cue to keep your legs parted by inserting his knee between them. Here we go again. You wanted him to do something. Anything. But he was resolved to keep you waiting, thinking about all the different ways to make the situation even more unbearable for you. To make you beg for whatever he was willing to give. Your futile attempt to grind on his thigh got stopped with a stronger grip around your throat and a glimpse of something darker in his eyes. You had enough.

“Why are you doing this?” the hoarse tone of your voice was rather shameful.

“Because I know that you actually enjoy it” Neil shrugged and met your gaze with playful sparks in the blue eyes.

You did not want to know how obvious it must have been for him. Then, he slowly stroked you there, earning a muffled curse.

“I would if you finished it for once” you breathed, letting the frustration take over.

The ache between your legs was nearly driving you over the edge now. It was too much. Neil was too close, and yet not close enough.

“I’m giving you food for thought, so to speak” he murmured.

His hand moved; thumb tentatively hooked around the hem of your panties. An offer to take it a step further any second now.

“That you are” you met his gaze defiantly.

If he was so determined to make you suffer, you might as well give him what he wanted.

“Have you been... dreaming about this?” Neil glanced down at where his fingers were getting closer to where you needed him most.

As though he needed to ask. Of course, you have thought about this scenario before. And many others too. After all, you had to somehow deal with those countless times when his pure existence frustrated you in every meaning of the word.

“Mhmm” you hummed, hoping that will be enough of a response.

The smirk was a reward.

“Good”

Unable to withstand the tension any longer, you kissed him hungrily, taking everything you could have. Soon enough, you were both gasping for breath, yet you did not want to let go. Biting, sucking, and nibbling on every part of his mouth available, he was your drug. With his hand still in a loose chokehold and the other so close to your pulsating core, Neil became the sole reason for your existence. Your knees buckled when he sharply tugged at your panties and touched you without the barrier of the undergarment. You broke the kiss and met his wild gaze, both shocked by the sheer pull between you. Only once he drew a finger between your folds, collecting some of the wetness, the moment got interrupted by Neil’s raspy chuckle.

“It’s quite flattering to see you like this and all because of me” you were not sure if you wanted to slap him or kiss him.

But then that was a usual thing with Neil.

“Just don’t get cocky…” it was hard to put together a string of words.

“Or?” his thumb touched your clit, and you hissed sharply “I already know how I’m making you feel”

To prove a point, he drew another gasp from you by starting a circular stimulation of the sensitive nub. You whimpered, suddenly aware of what a sight you must be for him. Utterly ruined because of kisses, touches, and words. You hated being at anyone’s mercy like this.

“Neil…” a weak plea made him meet your gaze “Please just…” helplessly, you tried to convey everything through the expression in your eyes.

He searched your face before letting go of your throat and instead cupping your cheek tenderly. The juxtaposition was enough to make your head spin.

“What do you want?” it was that question again.

Simple and yet not at all. Awaiting the response, Neil stopped all the movement, increasing your frustration and need. You knew that there was no way you could ever walk away from this as though nothing happened. You might as well have some relief.

“Help me before I lose my fucking mind” you breathed out, expecting the smug smile.

Instead, you got the most sickening grin you have ever seen on his face. But combined with the adoration in his eyes, you knew it was exactly what he wanted to hear from you.

“With pleasure” the words rolled off his tongue, and before you could prepare, he went back to stimulating your clit.

Your head almost slammed onto the wall behind when he picked up the pace. Even though you both knew that you hardly needed any additional preparation, Neil took his time, never taking his gaze off you. At the edges of your consciousness, you could feel the rising shame that was bound to consume you later. After all, this was the second time that you have asked him to help you like this. Surely, he would soon get tired of having to deal with your issues and never getting anything in return. But before you could follow that train of thought, Neil inserted a finger, and an unwanted cry rose in your throat.

“Jesus…” to stop yourself from being too vocal, you bit down harshly on your lip, bursting the barely sealed cut.

But Neil tilted your chin, meeting your gaze again.

“No need for that” he caught your lips in a short kiss “Don’t hold back”

Readjusting your hold on one of his shoulders, with the other hand you tugged on the tie you have messed up earlier. He took that as a cue to insert another digit. Too much.

“Christ, Neil” the breathless tone was a revelation even to you “You’re…” unable to finish the sentence, you moaned quietly.

Neil had no issues finding the perfect spot again, making you squirm and roll your hips, grinding down on that conveniently placed thigh. He thought of everything, it seemed. You did wonder how many times before he brought people to their downfall with those hands alone. But then, you would be lying if you would not admit that he had rather nice hands. And that you have not thought about this before Oslo.

“Glad it’s working, love” he commented upon a louder gasp from you.

For some reason, the nickname acted like a trigger. Feeling a surge of frustration, you bucked your hips against his, needing more.

“Don’t call me that” you spit the words out, relishing in the look of surprise in his eyes.

But he only needed a moment to shake it off before picking up the pace and curling his fingers inside you. Now it was close.

“What then?” Neil searched your eyes intently as though he was doing anything else but taking you apart with his two fingers and a thumb.

In response, you could only shudder, feeling your muscles tense in the anticipation of the near end.

“My love?” the proposition broke through the haze overwhelming your mind.

My god. Only with him, those two simple words could cause such an onslaught of feelings. There was something so achingly tender in his gaze that no matter the situation, your heart was set ablaze. He looked as though he was relieved to finally use those words. Suddenly, it was not just Neil lending you a helping hand in an hour of need. It was an act of love, further cementing your status as lovers. You were not sure whether it was that realization or what Neil has been doing to you that made the world explode before your eyes. Perhaps it was both. You only managed to breathe out a warning in the form of his name, but he understood.

“Look at me. I want to see what I did to you” he angled your chin again so you were forced to meet his gaze “So that I can remember this later” the husky whisper was the ultimate push over the edge.

Oh christ. You gripped his shoulder tightly and undid the tie, making it fall to the ground. Neil did not even notice, staring at you mesmerized. With the last bits of sanity, you took hold of his neck, bringing him close. The wave of pleasure made you tense up like a bowstring before you came with a shudder and a cry.

“Neil…” you got struck by the hope you saw in his eyes.

This time nothing was stopping you. No lips on yours to take over the words that were slowly choking you. The high he gave you took away all the inhibitions and worries. Neil was there, with you, a solid presence beneath your fingertips and an anchor to keep you from getting lost in your head. And that was enough.

“I love you” the three words were easy to utter for something you struggled to keep inside that long.

In response, Neil smiled and pressed his forehead against yours tenderly. The darkness in his eyes made way for pure happiness and conviction. Maybe this time it wasn’t a mistake.

“I know” he whispered and covered your lips in a sweet kiss.

Now that you were not holding back anything kissing Neil felt like absolution. You were never particularly religious, but he could be your eternal salvation, for the body and the soul. The only person you ever needed that much. 

Breaking the kiss with a sigh, Neil took a step back and retracted the hand that was still stroking your navel. You watched with a slight surprise as he glanced at a watch.

“Are you in a rush?” with cheeks burning, you took out a tissue and passed it to him.

He took it with a curt nod and cleaned his hand. As you observed him like that, with messed up hair, unbuttoned collar, and slightly flushed cheeks, the reality of the situation started dawning on you. Not only have you allowed Neil to finger you in a dirty alley, but also you have confessed your feelings in the heat of the moment. And yet, he was still there…

“Unfortunately, yes, the meeting is in ten, and I still have to get there” Neil picked up the tie from the ground and brushed off the dirt “Trust me, I’d love to continue with this…” carelessly he tied the knot and took a step closer again “But we should leave something for the future too” with playful sparks in his eyes he brushed the hair away from your eyes.

Oh my god.

“Can’t you for once… not do this” sighing heavily, you focused on readjusting the underwear and zipping up your pants.

Everything was better than looking into those blue eyes.

“Where would be the fun in that” Neil buckled your belt, just as quickly as he undid it previously “I must admit that after this, I’m curious to see how you’ll react once I do it properly one day… with my mouth and then…” he trailed off, fingers brushing over your stomach once again.

“Neil… don’t” using your own power, you brushed your hips over his “Or you won’t make it to that meeting” you glanced at his crotch knowingly.

“As tempting as that is… I’d rather not disappoint TP” with a final caress of your side, he took a step back again “Don’t worry about me though. I’ll deal with this later” he adjusted the trousers slightly “I’m used to it” the hint of a smile was enough to help you understand.

You gaped. It was hard to think straight again. Surely…not? Right?

“You- what? Because of me?” you stuttered, bewildered and perplexed.

“Yes, absolutely” Neil shrugged and attempted to smooth his hair “Pretty often, but then you’re quite the inspiration, my love” he winked, enjoying your sudden paralysis.

Now that sort of image was bound to keep you up at night. For some reason, you never thought that he would think about you like that, always assuming there were better fantasies to use in need. But maybe… maybe he had it just as bad as you did.

“I have to run” Neil kissed you on the cheek, bringing your mind back to the present moment.

“Does this… change anything?” you met his gaze, hoping he will catch on to the meaning.

“No, not at all” the soft smile contrasted the recent conversation tone “I’ll text you later”

“You better” you mirrored his smile, watching him disappear in the crowd.

Wow… Now that was an interesting walk. Sighing, you rested your head against the brick wall for a few minutes longer, trying to level your breathing.

*** You were not given much break from Neil that day. To clear your head, you went for a walk around the city centre, visiting curious shops, and spending time in a cosy café. Just anything that did not have to do with the blonde bastard was good enough to shut up your rebelling brain. After all, now he knew everything, and that was a dangerous situation. You did your best to ignore your phone for most of the day however when it buzzed on your way back to the apartment it was hard to resist checking. He did text just as promised:

“Did you miss me?” and then “I’ll have some news for you all later”

Maybe things, in fact, have not changed…

“Maybe a little” smiling, you keyed in the code to the door.

Inside, you quickly settled on the sofa with some indulgent crisps, about to tune into the team’s favourite Estonian soap ‘Õnne 13’, which you all watched every evening. It was terribly boring (especially when one did not understand a single word), and yet after a few days, you wanted nothing but to know what Alma will have for dinner that night. Oh, how the mighty have fallen.

The latest dose of drama from the shithole called Morna got interrupted by your phone ringing. Neil, of course. Ignoring the offended stares from the other eight people in the room, you picked up the phone:

“Hey”

“Evening, my love” you could hear how happy he was to use those words.

Your heart summersaulted, making you exhale.

“I like the sound of that” grinning you walked out into the corridor to hide from the curious looks.

“Me too. Is everyone there with you?” jumping straight into the business was probably good for you both.

“Yeah. You’ve interrupted our shitty soap” at your adjective, a choir of outraged voices rose in the living room.

“My bad. Can you put me on the speaker? I could give you a run over the plan”

“Of course,” you motioned for everyone to gather around the table and put your phone in the middle “You’re on”

“Okay, so basically TP wants to take over the plutonium piece that is being transported through Tallinn in three days on its way to a nuclear depot in Italy. The point is not to let it get into Sator’s hands who thinks we’re cooperating with him”

“How will it be transported?” Ives propped his chin on his hand, listening intently.

“Reinforced truck with police escort front and back. Tracked via GPS” leaning back in the chair, you listened to Neil’s voice “Any unplanned stop or different turn and in come the reinforcements”

“What’s his plan then?”

“I believe he wants to take it out on the move with the use of a fire truck. Among others”

The hint of a smile in that sentence made you comment:

“So, you’re not the only crazy one around” earning a few amused grins from the people around, you briefly felt victorious.

Briefly.

“Something tells me you’re into that. Judging by what you let me do to you in that alley”

Fuck. A sharp gasp you let out made everyone turn to look at you. Gripping the edge of the table, you wanted nothing but to disappear. Or die. All the blood drained from your face as you stammered.

“Neil- you-” there was not enough air in the room “I-”

Wheeler shot you a worried look after you let out a small choking sound and spoke:

“Anyway…  why are we needed?” the professional tone made everyone turn their attention back to the mission.

You had to thank her later for saving your dignity. And life.

“To be on hand if things get dirty. I’ll send you the brief now it lists the details of his plan” Neil resumed the topic as though nothing happened “Tomorrow, I’ll call to let you know what exactly I need. That’s it for tonight, enjoy your evening”

Before anyone could make a move, you snatched your phone from the table and muttered:

“You’re dead”

You ended the call and stormed off to your room, slamming the doors. You could not believe his audacity to say something like that with everyone on the receiving end. The bastard ought to pay for that. Unable to calm down, with hands shaking violently and your head in absolute disarray, you grabbed the coat and made beeline for the exit out of the flat. It was pretty late for a solitary walk, but you hardly had anything to lose. Before you could make a swift exit, Ives’ stopped you with a hand on the arm. You met his gaze with impatience:

“So… how was the alley?” while he kept his face straight, the amused tone was there.

Bloody men.

“Fuck off” you shook off his hand and opened the door “I’m going out, and hopefully I’ll get killed. Don’t wait up”

Before you slammed the door in his face, you heard the parting words:

“Have fun”

The cold Estonian breeze was a welcomed sensation for your tired and thoroughly pissed off mind. You put up the hood of your coat and wandered off into the night.

*** Unfortunately, no one was willing to kill you. Around 1 am, you grudgingly made your way back to the apartment, relieved when no one was around to corner you. Once you were safe in your locked bedroom, you took out the phone for the first time in three hours. Unsurprisingly there were two missed calls and three texts from Neil, plus one message from Wheeler. She was checking whether you were still alive, which was a rather touching gesture, and so you replied to her first. Then, sighing heavily, you went through the texts from Neil:

“I’m sorry” then “But I wasn’t entirely wrong, was I?” and finally, “Are you alright?”

That son of a bitch…

“You’re so going to pay for this” you typed back and lied down on the bed. He was quick to reply, which meant he stayed up. Potentially waiting for you to reach out. Talking about confusing signals…

“I was hoping you’d say that” you groaned.

“After that disaster of a meeting, I went for a walk. Found a perfect spot for murder in cold-blood. You won’t even know what hit you”

Maybe that will do the job.

“You did. Only a lot earlier than you think”

It didn’t. Sighing, you cursed your inability to leave him on read.

“I’ve had enough of you today, g’night”

“I seriously doubt that, but good night, darling” and then “I hope your dreams will be as good as our little moment”

That surge of frustration was only made worse when you found a stray short blonde hair on your blouse while changing for bed. The idiot not only had your heart, but everything else too, it seemed.

#tenet #neil tenet #neil tenet x reader #neil x reader #neil tenet imagine #neil tenet fanfic #tenet fanfic #robert pattinson #the art of inversion

[theangrycomet-art]

Early Mornings at the Atoms

Kaiden stirred, a drowsy fog over his mind as a familiar- but nevertheless strange- sensation drug him from his sleepy mindscape. Moist but not wet sandpaper rasped along the bottoms of his feet, wiggling in between his toes.

Blinking, his brain slowly registered that is was coming from not one, but three separate areas.

“ARrgh- BLT!” He griped, exasperated as he pushed her fuzzy heads away with a slobbery foot. “GROSS.”

BLT jumped back a step, unperturbed.  Bacon yipped, Lettuce nipped, and Tomato yawned at him as she stretched, tail rattling with excitement. Lettuce grabbed at his pajama pants, tugging them. 

She snorted as he pushed her away again. 

“Knock it off,” he groaned tiredly, burying his face in the pillow. Too soft, as usual, he felt as though he were drowning in the bed. Thinking of his quilt at home, he glared at the comforter covering most of him, slinking his foot back underneath. 

Maybe he could just stay in bed until the Weekend had come and gone. 

Patting the space beside him, BLT hopped beside him and launched off the bed. Running circles, her claws clacked loudly against the floor. Her barks echoing a bit against the bare walls, she slid to a stop beside his door. 

Nosing at the desk chair situated beneath the door handle, she whined, licking at the brass door knob. 

So much for that. 

“I’m coming.” Sitting up, he palmed at the night stand, waiting until his glasses clicked in his hand. With a yawn he shoved them on his shirt, not bothering with putting them on. 

Wasn’t like there was anything he wanted to see in this house beside BLT.

Kaiden tried to ignore the tightening in his chest as the sounds of the house made it to his ears. 

With a low whine, BLT exchanged a look between her heads before meandering over, nosing his leg. Smiling weakly, he scratched at the base of her neck.

His body at this point decided that it was in fact awake and that it needed to be tended to. He groaned again, cursing the near empty water bottle on his nightstand as he shuffled his way across the floor. 

BLT’s saliva made his feet sticky against the flooring, but he didn’t particularly mind. It was just some sealed stone, just like the rest of the house. It’s not like it would stain or anything. 

Moving aside the simple wooden chair, BLT wriggled in excitement, tail rattling as he unlocked the door. Once it was open, she still. Poking her heads out, Bacon looked left, Tomato looked right, and Lettuce checked the ceiling. When she’d decided the hallway was safe, she trotted happily to kitchen. 

“Good girl.” He said, trying to ignore the conversation from the opposite end of the hall as he closed his door, locking it behind him.

Feet padding silently, he forcibly steadied his breath as BLT waited for him at the kitchen entrance. The scent of caramel coffee drifted along the air, almost too sweet on his nose. She waited until he was nearly at the entrance before checking the room, same as she did the hallway. 

He managed a smile- 2 in one morning, that had to be a new record- and followed after her as she signaled the clear.

“Morning, Mr. Grim.” Relaxing, Kaiden waved at the skeleton reading the news as he sipped his coffee. How he did so without lips, much less a digestive system alluded him. However, he did not have to figure out the visual conundrum, seeing as the great Grim Reaper had his human disguise on. “Hair cut?”

“Very funny.” He said dryly, though his teeth flashed him a wry grin as Kaiden rummaged through the cabinets for some plain coffee. Flicking, the tied back dreads, he mused. “But I do think I like the new look.”

BLT sat next to him hopefully, eyes large and pleading as she begged for some eggs.

“I like it- it suits you better than the last one.” Poking his head from behind the wooden door, Kaiden held his chin theatrically, amused. “It’ll be a real hit with the ladies.”

“Oh hush and enjoy your nasty black coffee.” He chastised, smiling as he flipped out his newspaper. Watching him out of the corner of his eyes socket, his smile faltered, staring at the inky marks splattering up the young mans neck.

Frowning, he opened his mouth, before shutting it with a clack of teeth. 

No, better wait him out. Neither Kaiden or KD liked being interrogated. They’d come to him eventually. Still, if he was right, he should say something. 

“Any plans?”  He asked instead, assessing the boy as he punched the little plastic cup of grinds into the machine.

Tomato licked Grim’s knee as Lettuce and Bacon had yet to take their eyes off the plate.

“Just practicing evasive maneuvers, as usual.” Kaiden answered with a strained cheerfulness. The coffee dribbled out just as he slid his mug beneath. Glancing at the silver machine, he frowned at his reflection before adjusting his shirt higher up his neck. “You?”

“Dunno- it’s my day off. I might have me some fun.” 

“Good luck. Bon Bon has plans and I’m pretty sure your gonna be dragged into them if you aren’t fast enough.” His voice echoed as he brought the mug to his lips. “BLT, no begging. What do good doggies do?”

BLT whined and begrudgingly spun in a circle until she was facing Kaiden. Sitting with poise, she lifted her paw and tilted her heads cutely. 

“Good girls.” Smiling, he reached into his pocket and pulled out three bone-shaped biscuits, tossing one to each head.

“Blegh.”  Glancing at the hell hound, Grim sighed and split his remaining eggs into three. “Here, you mutt. I don’t have time for them if I’m gonna avoid that brat’s chores.”

Rattles filled the air as BLT’s tail helicoptered, taking the eggs with abandoned glee. Kaiden chuckled as he made his way out of the kitchen. 

“If you rinse that off I’ll wash it later,” he said as Grim straightened, popping his back. “You get out of here while you still can- I’ll stall Pinky and the Brain for as long as I can.”

“You’re such a good kid,” Grim watched Kaiden wave his hand in acknowledgement as he made his way down the hall. Once out of sight, the bringer of death kneeled down to the hell hound. 

“Keep an eye on him,” he ordered, scratching each set of ears before he took the plate back, rinsed it off, and made his escape.

Kaiden, for his part, surpressed a groan as he made his way down the narrowish pathway, all too familiar voices teetering down the hall. He ignored the pictures along as the bored holes into his back, gripping his mug tightly. Taking a sip, he let the drink burn his tongue as he made his way to the bathroom. 

Kaiden’s nose pinched at the scent of espresso and the ever current smell of ancient algae that came with Drake’s presence. It wasn’t his fault, and Kaiden knew he did his best to cover it and that most people couldn’t even detect it. But with his sense of smell, it was all Kaiden could do some days to stand near him. 

Making his way to the doorway, he raised an unimpressed brow at the spectacle. 

“For the last time if you don’t put your nasty tentacles away I’ll make you.” Bonnie snarled. 

She had been up for at least an hour, seeing as her hair was in a presentable state as opposed to a frizzy rats nest. Headband keeping the orange strands in place, he glanced at the mirror to find her- surprise surprise- glaring at Drake. 

For his part, the Nergling remained understandably unimpressed by such sentiments as he sipped his coffee. Politely ignoring her, he continued getting ready, his tentacles handling trivial things such as brushing his hair and pulling up his pants as he reserved his hands for more important things, such as his caffeine intake. 

“Mornin’, Drake.”

The one holding up his hoodie perked up at seeing Kaiden. Drake whipped his head around to see his brother yawn, fangs flashing.

“Kay! Well this is a surprise!” He said in delight, handing over his cup to a tentacles, empty-handed now that his pants had been taken care of. “Normally you try and sleep the day away.”

“You mean hide away in his room.” Bonnie frowned suspiciously at her eldest brother.  

“Good morning to you too Bonnie, see you’ve woken up on the wrong side of the bed per norm.” He resisted the urge to slip into his customer service mode as he remembered something helpful. Sipping his coffee, he leaned in the door way, nodding to Drake. “Hey, do you still have that theater brunch thing at the Diner this weekend?”

“Uh- yeah.” Eyebrows flying up, Drake tilted his head in confusion, expression as exaggerated as ever. His tentacles paused, turning towards Kaiden. “It’s in an hour, why?”

Yeah Kay, why? He wasn’t really sure if it was KD or Kaiden chastising him. Swirling the dregs of his coffee, he scrambled for an answer that would keep him busy.  

“If you want I can drop you off-” Kaiden internally cringed as Drake lit up. 

“REALLY?!” Kicking himself, he watched him buzz with happiness. Fluttering around the bathroom, retreating tentacles knocked Bonnie into the counter. 

He was worse than a puppy with the zoomies.

Why on earth is he so excited for a ride on his bike? Marveling, Kaiden blinked wide eyed as Drake made incomprehensible noises. It was too early for this- and yet he had signed himself right on for it. 

Bonnie, for her part seethed. Smacking the tentacles out of her face, she crossed her arms, scarlet irises glaring up at him in spite of the step stool. 

“Since when do you offer rides on your stupid bike?” She asked bluntly, crinkling her nose.

God why can’t she be stupid? KD griped as Kaiden scrambled for an excuse. Luckily, he didn’t have too.

“Shut up!” Drake hissed at her. With an irritated huff, he continued, poking her in the chest. “It’ not stupid it’s dashing!”

Kaiden raised an eyebrow as Drake turned back towards him, continuing as though the exchange didn’t happen. 

“I would LOVE a ride.” Flashing a sharp smile, he glanced at his hoodie. “I just need to find the proper jacket!” 

With a giggle, he... there wasn’t another word for it, scampered off to exchange his clothes, nearly tripping on BLT in his rush.

“HISS!”

“Sorry baby girl!”

Scratching his head, Kaiden watched Drake disappear into his room, clothes being flung out into the hall way.  

“He is way to excited for 5 minute drive.” he deadpanned, before glancing at Bonnie, who continued her death glare. 

In spite of the concrete slab of dread settling in the pits of his stomach at the oncoming drive, he smiled at her around his mug. 

“Now, now, Bon Bon, don’t be jealous.” Her glare intensified as she began to sputter in outrage. Waving to her dismissively as he walked down the hall, he smirked. “Green isn’t a flattering color on you after all.”

“I am NOT jealous.” Stomping her foot, her stool toppled out from under her with a clatter. Yelping as she hit the ground, she scowled at the doorway as both her brothers chorused.

“This is why you don’t stomp on your step stool.”

“Oh when I get my growth spurt.” she muttered, pushing herself back up. 

#CN Gen 2 #Kaiden Kincaid #BLT the Hellhound #Grim the Reaper #Bonnie Atoms #Drake Atoms #Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy #Ok KO Let's be Heroes #RRB #TheAngryComet WRITES #TheAngryComet ART

[purplehairedwonder]

Hearts With(out) Chains Chapter 13

Fandom: One Piece Rating: PG-13 Pairings: Gen (eventual Lawlu) Words: 4261 Characters: Trafalgar Law, Monkey D. Luffy, Robin, Sanji, Nami, Chopper, Usopp, Nami, Franky, Smoker, Tashigi, Sengoku, Sengoku’s goat ;) Notes: I’m taking my turn at the Corazon!Law AU because my brain won’t leave me alone until this is written down. Tags will be updated as the chapters come out.

Summary: Law is reclaimed by the Family when he's 17 and, with Doflamingo holding the lives of his crew as collateral for his good behavior, eventually becomes the third Corazon. Years later, trapped by his impossible situation, Law finds a strange connection to Monkey D. Luffy, which offers a glimpse of something he's repeatedly had ripped away from him: hope.

Previous chapters: Prologue | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12

Read also at AO3 / FF.N

Law slowly came awake, having slept the dreamless sleep he only ever had after draining himself to the point of unconsciousness. He grimaced before slitting his eyes open; his body ached, his mouth was cottony, and his head throbbed. As the fuzzy world came into focus around him, he realized he was on the couch. He frowned. When had that happened? The last thing he remembered was sitting with Luffy on the floor…

He threw a hand over his face and groaned as he remembered that Luffy was the one who’d found him during his panic attack. Bepo, Shachi, and Penguin were the only ones he allowed to see him like that; they’d seen him at his worst when Cora-san’s death was still a gaping wound, and his body was still marred with Amber Lead. They’d been there for the screaming nightmares and suffocating panic attacks. For anyone else to see him that way…

Well, Law hadn’t been able to afford such shows of weakness around the Family.

But Luffy had simply smiled and offered that he had his own demons as well.

Law swallowed, unsure of what to do with that bit of kindness. It settled uncomfortably somewhere behind his breastbone.

Taking a breath, he pushed himself upright and glanced around. Luffy was nowhere to be seen. Vergo’s body was also gone. That meant someone—likely Marines—had come in while Law was sleeping to remove it. The idea of being defenseless while Marines were in the room made his stomach turn. Yet they’d left him alone, undoubtedly on Smoker’s orders.

Shaking his head, Law grabbed Kikoku from where she’d been placed on the table and pocketed his Den Den Mushi. He had no idea what time it was—and there were no windows in this metal monstrosity of a lab to give him any hints—but if the Marines had removed Vergo’s body, there was a good chance the back-up ship had arrived, meaning it was morning.

Rather than aimlessly wander around the lab, Law reached out with his haki to look for the Straw Hats… and was immediately struck by the overwhelming presence of Luffy. After a moment, he was able to discern the chaotic energies of the other Straw Hats as well; they were gathered a few halls over. The Marines, including Smoker and his second, were on the other side of the lab, near the entrance. He could sense more Marines than he thought had been there previously, which seemed to confirm his suspicion.

Law left the control room and followed his haki. The closer he got to the gathered group, the stronger the smell of cooking food became—which made perfect sense when he found the crew in the dining hall.

“Torao, good morning!” Luffy called, waving his hand as though Law wouldn’t be able to pick him out from the small group. They were all seated at one long table that they seemed to have pieced together from several smaller tables.

“Straw Hat-ya,” Law greeted with a sigh, head already aching from the enthusiasm. Whatever time it was, it was too early for this.

“Sanji’s cooking breakfast. I hope there’s lots of meat!” Luffy said, eyes glazing over.

“Of course, you do,” the cat burglar said, rolling her eyes. She then turned and looked Law up and down without any hint of subtlety. “There’s coffee in the kitchen,” she said, lips twitching.

Law considered flipping her off, but coffee sounded amazing, so he simply nodded and headed back to the kitchen, where Black Leg was working. He raised an eyebrow at Law’s presence.

“Coffee?” Law grunted.

Black Leg nodded and broke off from the task he was doing—scrambling eggs, from the looks of it—and poured a cup of coffee.

“Take anything with it?”

Law shook his head, accepting the undoctored mug of precious caffeine.

Black Leg snorted. “Why am I not surprised?”

Law shrugged and took a sip. The bitter liquid burned at his scratchy throat, and it was heavenly.

“Any dietary restrictions?” Black Leg asked as he went back to the meal.

“No bread.”

Black Leg hummed. “Gluten allergy or just not a fan?”

“Gluten,” Law acknowledged around sips.

Black Leg nodded. “I can work with that.” He turned to another task but looked over his shoulder at Law. “Tell those idiots it’s almost ready, will you?”

Law took that as being kicked out of the kitchen, so he jerked his head in a nod and grudgingly returned to the rowdy collection of remaining Straw Hats.

“It’s almost ready,” Law relayed as he sat down at the end of the table, as far from Luffy as he could place himself. He could still feel a crawling sensation under his skin as he thought about the night before, and sitting as far away from its source while he worked through his thoughts seemed like his best bet.

“Was there meat?” Luffy asked, mouth practically watering.

“There’s always meat, you shitty piece of rubber,” Black Leg said as he brought several platters of food out from the kitchen.

After dropping off the platters, Black Leg went back to the kitchen several more times and returned with an impressive array of breakfast foods for the crew to share. The remaining Straw Hats, particularly those seated close to Luffy, seemed to have a well-practiced system in place to eat their meals while avoiding Luffy stealing from their plates, including knocking their captain upside the head when he got too close. Luffy merely grinned and laughed before returning to his own heaping plate.

Law managed to grab some eggs and fruit amidst the melee, and, as he ate, he considered how different the dynamic was from his own crew’s. Though, Law supposed with no little regret, he hadn’t eaten with them with any regularity in the last few years. Ever since Shachi’s injury, Law’s guilt had pushed him away from his nakama, and, when he did eat, he usually ended up eating alone or with the Family—Sunday dinners, for instance, were required for every executive who was not away on a mission. Though the Family was hectic in its own way, manners were still expected—and not just because their captain was also a king. Table manners had been preached even when Law had been with the Family at Spider Miles; just because they were pirates did not mean they were savages, Doffy had said, and they were expected to act like it.

That had made a lot more sense when Law had learned that Doffy was a former Celestial Dragon—many of his quirks had come into focus with that information, in fact.

It had also been revealing about Cora-san, though Law hadn’t been entirely ready to open that Pandora’s Box, despite knowing about it for six years.

“How did you sleep last night, Torao-kun?”

Law started, pulled from his thoughts by Nico Robin’s smiling face across the table from him.

“Luffy went looking for you last night after dinner, but then he didn’t come back until this morning,” she elaborated, still smiling.

The expression set Law’s teeth on edge. He narrowed his eyes, certain that she was screwing with him. “Fine,” he said curtly then deliberately took a sip of coffee, hoping to discourage the conversation. Still. Did that mean Luffy had stayed? He was obviously the one who had moved Law to the couch, and that was humiliating enough, but the thought that the other captain had stayed with him…

Law’s eye twitched.

But Nico Robin just kept smiling. “That’s good to hear. After all, we’re heading to Dressrosa today.”

Law put his cup down slowly. “Yes,” he agreed, not sure what she was getting at.

“We’ll need everyone to be at their best to face Doflamingo,” she said, expression never changing. “I’ve heard the rumors about him.”

“Until tomorrow, little bird.”

“He’s worse than any rumor,” Law ground out before pushing himself up and away from the table. He grabbed Kikoku, knuckles going white from his grip. He needed air.

“Torao?” Luffy called after him, but he ignored the other captain, practically fleeing the room.

Recalling the blueprints of the lab, he navigated the hallways to the front entrance and practically exploded out the door, stumbling onto the front stoop as he shoved the door open with more force than needed. He put a hand against the wall and sagged, sucking in lungfuls of icy air, the cold tamping down on the heat that had risen in his face and helping him to collect himself.

After a few more deep breaths, he felt his head clear, and he looked out over the island. He’d been so caught up in his own mind that he hadn’t noticed the Marine vessel being loaded in the port a few hundred yards away. He shook his head; he needed to get his shit together if he was going to deal with Doflamingo today.

Law leaned back against the wall and crossed his arms against his chest, watching various Marines scurry about like little insects whose nest had been disturbed while others barked orders.

After a few minutes of Law watching his men, Smoker climbed the steps and took a seat on the top step, leaving distance between himself and Law.

As the two watched in silence, several soldiers marched the chained Caesar and Monet toward the ship. Caesar continued making high-pitched protests—“Do you know who I am?”, “Do you know who you’re messing with?” and the like—while Monet remained silent. As if drawn to Law, she turned and their eyes met briefly, that look of betrayal still in her gaze. Then she was pushed along toward the ship and the connection broke.

Law exhaled, only then realizing he’d been holding his breath.

Once Doflamingo learned of their arrests as well as of Vergo’s death—he had more spies in the Marines than just Vergo, though even Law didn’t know all their identities—he would undoubtedly retrieve his subordinates and Vergo’s body. He would leverage his connections, and even the Fleet Commander couldn’t refuse the Gorosei.

Law could only hope he’d receive that news once Law and his nakama had escaped Dressrosa.

“What will you do now?” Smoker asked as they watched a string of Caesar’s men, buoyed by strange balloon devices, escorted to the ship by another group of soldiers. “Doflamingo will kill you if you return to Dressrosa.”

That… was not actually true; Law might wish he were dead if Doffy got wind of his betrayal before he and his crew could flee, but he would live until he performed the Perennial Youth Operation. Only then would he be allowed to die—for the sake of Doffy’s immortality. No, it would be his nakama (and Luffy’s crew, now that the crazy captain had decided to involve himself in Law’s affairs) who would pay the ultimate price. But Smoker didn’t need to know that.

Law raised an eyebrow at Smoker’s back. “Why do you care, White Chase-ya? I’m just a no-good pirate.”

“Maybe I don’t like being in debt to pirates,” Smoker retorted. “And if you die, I can’t pay it back.”

Law snorted. “Apologies if my impending death is inconvenient for your conscience.”

Smoker grumbled in response.

They sat in silence for several more minutes, and, surprisingly, it wasn’t an uncomfortable silence. Smoker seemed to have come to some kind of conclusion about Law, and Law simply had too much on his mind to bother with antagonizing the vice admiral. And, if Law were being honest with himself, while he hated the Marines on principle for their part in Flevance’s fall, Smoker was one of the few who had ever shown even an inkling of honor; it was a very grudging sense of respect he found budding toward the vice admiral.

They watched the ship’s continued loading until the lab’s door opened once more, and the Straw Hats spilled out onto the stoop. Law noticed two more figures had joined the group: Kin’emon the samurai and a boy dressed in similar garb. A son? They had shied off to the side of the group on the other side of the doorway from Law.

“Oh, there you are, Torao!” Luffy said, spying Law off to the side. “And Smokey!”

“Straw Hat,” Smoker grumbled, pushing himself to his feet.

“Where are the children?” the cat burglar asked, putting her hands on her hips.

“Tashigi is with them,” Smoker said.

“Well, we’re not leaving until we see them off,” Chopper added, coming up next to his crewmate at the front of the group, doing his best to sound authoritative.

Smoker lip curled in annoyance, but he was saved from having to reply by the emergence of the captain and the children from a side entrance of the lab. The swordswoman, with a bright voice and wide smile, directed the children toward the ship. The children laughed and jumped around as they boarded the ship.

“Tashigi!” Smoker called.

The swordswoman looked up from her charges and took in the group standing next to the vice admiral. After murmuring something to the remaining children waiting to board, she headed over to the lab steps.

“Smoker-san,” she greeted.

“These idiots won’t leave until they know the children are taken care of. Tell them where we’re taking them.”

Long Nose and the cyborg protested at being called idiots, but the cat burglar and Chopper ignored them. Their eyes were focused on the swordswoman.

“We’re taking them to be treated by Vegapunk himself,” the captain replied, adjusting her glasses. “He’s agreed to look at the long-term effects of the drugs and work on a treatment. Once they’ve received the care they need, we’ll take them all home. We’re also in the process of contacting their families.”

“That’s a relief,” Chopper said, smiling.

The swordswoman looked at the cat burglar. “I meant what I said earlier; I will protect the children with my life!”

The cat burglar nodded, her expression softening. “I know. Thank you.”

The two women shook hands, and the captain glanced at her superior before heading back to the ship. The children were making their way onto the deck of the ship, calling at the Straw Hats with their thanks. Law was startled to hear even a few thanks hollered in his direction. Considering he hadn’t wanted to get caught up with the children in the first place, he didn’t think he deserved any.

Smoker shook his head and glanced back at the gathered group, eyes meeting Law’s one final time, before he headed back to the ship, corralling the remaining soldiers who had yet to board. The Straw Hats waved as the ship eventually pushed off from the dock and set sail.

“All right!” Luffy called out, grabbing the attention of his crew. “Let’s go! On to Dressroba!”

“Dressrosa,” Law grumbled.

“Shishishi,” Luffy chuckled. “Whatever. Let’s go take down that Mingo!”

He headed off in the direction of the Thousand Sunny, and the rest of the group followed—including Kin’emon and the boy, Law noted. He’d have to account for their presence in his plan. Luffy continued chattering on, mostly to Zoro and Long Nose, though he’d turn back every now and then to meet Law’s eye with a grin.

As they walked, the cat burglar came up next to Law. “I can navigate using the maps we found in the lab, but if you have a better way…”

Law reached into a pocket on the inside of his coat and pulled out an Eternal Pose for Dressrosa. It was the same one Doffy had given Law nearly a decade earlier in the North Blue. He carried it on every mission away from the island. For a moment, Law’s grip tightened on the wooden frame as he considered that there was a good chance neither he nor his nakama would ever leave that island again. Swallowing, he forcibly loosened his fingers and offered it to her. Her eyes lit up.

“That will make things easier!” She looked at the pose for a moment then glanced back at Law. “You said it should take half a day?”

“Yes.”

The cat burglar—Nami—peered up at the sky and narrowed her eyes consideringly before shaking her head. “We’ll have to get further away from the conditions on this weird island before I can get a sense of the weather.”

“Dressrosa is a summer island,” Law supplied. “The weather is rarely poor around it.”

Nami hummed thoughtfully. “That’s promising.”

Law hesitated before adding, “Avoid skies with clouds as much as possible.”

“Why?” Black Leg asked from Law’s other side. He took a drag on his cigarette and raised a curious eyebrow.

Law glanced at him before turning back to Nami. “Doflamingo can use his Devil Fruit to travel in the skies. He uses clouds to do it. If he has any suspicion that I’ve betrayed him, he’ll be out looking for me.”

“Will he have any suspicion?” Black Leg asked as Nami’s eyes widened.

“I… don’t know.” Law had played the call over in his mind repeatedly and still did not know if Doffy had been bluffing. Even if he hadn’t been, there was no telling how quickly he’d hear from his Marine spies about what had happened on Punk Hazard. “Best to assume he does.”

Black Leg pursed his lips but didn’t say anything.

Once they boarded the Thousand Sunny, the Straw Hats spread out to complete their respective jobs for setting sail. Law leaned back against the wall and was joined by Kin’emon and the boy as they stayed out their hosts’ way. Law and the samurai eyed one another. Law didn’t know anything about Kin’emon, other than, as a samurai, he was likely from Wano and that Doffy wanted him kept alive. If Kin’emon was from Wano, Law idly wondered if Doffy’s orders about the man came from Kaido but put the thought out of his mind; it didn’t matter to the task at hand.

Once the Thousand Sunny had pulled away from Punk Hazard and started toward Dressrosa, Law’s Eternal Pose pointing the way, the Straw Hats reconvened on the lawn in the center of the ship. They turned to Law.

“Tell us, Torao-kun,” Nico Robin said, speaking for her crew. “What awaits us in Dressrosa?”

Law took a steadying breath and started to speak.

-----

Two Days Later

Smoker found the Inspector General in his favorite spot, a perch overlooking New Marineford, absently sharing snacks with his beloved goat. He hadn’t been entirely surprised to receive a summons from Marine HQ after the prisoners he’d brought in and the damning report he’d filed about another vice admiral, but he thought this might be a bit more personal, considering the source.

“Inspector General,” Smoker greeted as he came to a stop next to the seated man.

“Smoker,” Sengoku replied, nodding at him.

“You wanted to see me?”

“Ah, yes,” Sengoku said, adjusting his glasses briefly. “I read your report about the events on Punk Hazard.”

Smoker’s original report had been heavily edited so that the official report had, much like the Alabasta report, given him far more credit than he deserved for what had transpired. It also whitewashed some of the uglier truths Smoker had learned about the base commander of G-5 and the experiments being conducted on the island. But Smoker had a feeling Sengoku was referring to the unedited version. Semi-retired or not, a man like Sengoku would have his ways of getting his hands on that document.

“Sir,” Smoker said neutrally.

Sengoku offered his goat a cracker before glancing at Smoker. “You don’t seem pleased at the accolades being thrown your way for uncovering a traitor so high in the ranks.”

Smoker snorted. “If you read my report, you know I didn’t uncover shit. Sir.”

Sengoku nodded, absently scratching behind the goat’s ears. “Corazon revealed Vergo’s true nature.”

So, he had read the unedited version. “Yes.”

“Tell me, Smoker,” Sengoku said, something careful about his tone that Smoker couldn’t quite place. “What were your impressions of Vice Admiral Vergo? Before this? You worked alongside him at G-5.”

“I thought he was a good leader and a good soldier,” Smoker admitted. “I respected him.” He’d had no reason to suspect the man; his reputation was spotless, and the men of G-5 admired him. It grated on him that he hadn’t noticed the rat. Surely there had been something amiss that Smoker had missed…

But, no. Vergo’s act had been flawless.

Sengoku nodded thoughtfully. “And Corazon killed him.”

“Yes.”

“And what did you make of that, Vice Admiral?”

Smoker frowned. “What do you mean?”

“The second in command of the Donquixote Pirates killing a particularly important spy for his own crew among Marine ranks. Surely that was surprising to you.”

Smoker, even in his unedited report, had skirted around what he’d heard about Corazon’s history. He wasn’t sure why he was keeping the man’s secrets other than the debt he owed him, but something hadn’t sat right in his chest when he’d attempted to make note of all he’d heard. He’d learned to trust his instincts over the years, and they’d told him he’d be better served holding onto that information. Even—maybe especially—the Marines were prone to politics, and Smoker knew that information could be leveraged. He found the fact distasteful, but it was true nonetheless.

But those same instincts were also telling him now that Sengoku was the right person to tell, considering his personal connection to the Donquixote Pirates. It was known amongst the longest-serving Marines that Sengoku’s adopted son had been killed by the Donquixote Pirates while on an undercover mission infiltrating them. Smoker had never met Rosinante, but he’d seen the plaque on the wall of fallen soldiers.

“There seemed to be bad blood between them,” Smoker said after coming to his decision. He didn’t have a full sense of what he’d witnessed between the two men, but he knew enough about long-standing grudges to recognize one when he saw it. “Going back a long way.”

Corazon couldn’t be older than his mid-twenties but had held the title of Corazon for half a decade. Only someone who’d been with the Family for a long time could have risen to second in command—Doflamingo only surrounded himself with the best, which was part of what made his crew so dangerous—so for Corazon to have risen so high so at such a young age likely meant he’d been with them as a child. It was common knowledge that the Family recruited children and raised them to be loyal soldiers, so that would not have been surprising.

The slightest twitch in Sengoku’s eyebrow told Smoker that he was on the right track. Considering the timeline, then, there was a good chance Corazon knew Sengoku’s son and might have answers about the circumstances surrounding his death, which had remained under high level security clearance in the years since. Most Marine lifers felt Sengoku had never truly moved past Rosinante’s death (though they’d never say it in the man’s earshot), but now perhaps he could get some answers—especially if Corazon was attempting to leave the Family and had no reason to keep their secrets any longer.

“I see,” Sengoku finally said, offering the goat another cracker. He offered the bag to Smoker wordlessly, but Smoker shook his head.

Smoker hesitated only a moment before adding, “Corazon let something slip during the fight.”

Sengoku simply nodded at him to continue, obviously recognizing Smoker had left whatever it was out of his report.

“I think he’s a survivor of the White City.”

Sengoku paled, though Smoker had a feeling it wasn’t for the reason most did when Flevance was mentioned. He’d been Fleet Admiral when commands had come from above even him to wipe out the country and everyone in it due to the highly contagious Amber Lead Disease that was killing entire generations.

It was genocide and a shame on any Marine with a sense of honor.

“There were no survivors,” Sengoku said finally, voice curiously choked off.

And even if anyone had managed to escape the slaughter, they should have died years earlier due to Amber Lead Disease. But somehow, Corazon hadn’t.

The more he thought about it, the more Smoker had a feeling it had to do with that Devil Fruit of his. The Ope-Ope no Mi was a miracle surgery fruit, after all.

“There seems to be at least one,” Smoker replied, remembering the fury in Corazon’s voice as he’d railed against what had happened to his family and his home, sheer rage taking over the normally composed man. It was clearly a slip he regretted making, considering the way his expression had soured once he’d realized what he’d said. “It sounded like his parents were doctors, but they were killed with everyone else when Flevance fell. Including a sister.”

Sengoku ran a hand over his face, suddenly looking his age. “I see,” he said after a long moment. He turned to Smoker and gave him a wan smile. “Thank you for telling me.”

The dismissal was clear, but Smoker had one more thing to add. “The traitor, Vergo, didn’t call Corazon by his title. He used a name.”

Sengoku raised an eyebrow. “Oh?”

“He didn’t use a surname. But he called Corazon Law.”

“Law,” Sengoku murmured, as though trying out the name.

Smoker left Sengoku with the name on his tongue, wondering what the former Fleet Admiral would do with the information but deciding it was above his paygrade.

Next chapter

#Tomorrow is my birthday #So a quick update is my gift to you #We're leaving Punk Hazard in this chapter y'all #Trafalgar Law #One Piece #One Piece fanfic #One Piece fanfiction #Caitlin's fic

[fixxofvixx]

CHASING HONGBIN - CHAPTER 12

I know it's been forever and a DAY since I updated this fic but I was finally able to finish the chapter. Hopefully now that this chapter is out of the way, my brain can relax and I can write more for it. Just lemme know what you think and if you liked it~ I hope everyone has a good day!

🦊🦊🦊🦊🦊🦊🦊🦊

In a matter of seconds, Hongbin's lips covered yours. This definitely wasn't the barely-there kiss he'd given you last night. No....this was slow, deliberate, and sensual. His lips moved slowly over yours and his hand cupped your cheek as he moved forward. You returned the kiss this time and you heard him growl for the second time since you'd known him. His free hand wrapped around your back and pulled you closer to him. He was still kneeling in front of you and now you were teetering on the edge of the sofa. Even with him on the floor, he still towered over you.

You jumped when his tongue glided over your lips. The feeling brought you back to reality and you pulled away slightly, desperate for air. His face was still inches from yours and you could see the soft glow from his orange eyes. He took a deep breath and spoke.

"Please tell me you'll let me do that again."

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

Deep-rooted fear bubbled to the surface and it made you realize what you had done. Your mind raced and you couldn't focus. Standing abruptly, you moved away from Hongbin. He stood slowly, confused at your reaction but noticing that your emotions were in an uproar.

"What's wrong?"

"I....I shouldn't have done that. Um.....I need to.....yeah, I need to prepare for....work."

"But you don't have to go until a couple more days." He moved toward you and you backed away immediately.

"I....I need..." Tears threatened and you felt the world closing in on you. You tried to take deep breaths but you felt like you were suffocating.

"Y/N....let me help--"

"Don't!" You backed up against the wall when he came near you. "Please, don't."

"Y/N? What is it? What did I do?"

Hongbin didn't move, knowing you'd bolt if he did.

"Y/N, talk to me. What is it?"

Your words were stuck in your throat. You couldn't even tell him what you wanted to say. You didn't even know yourself. After he'd kissed you, really kissed you, your mind scrambled to understand why you'd wanted it so badly. Foxes were the enemy. They only wanted to bring pain. You didn't have feelings for one. It went against everything you'd protected yourself from all these years.

You knew you needed to leave. You couldn't stay in this apartment so close to him. You couldn't fall for a fox.

"Y/N.....I'm sorry if I did something you didn't want. Maybe that was too fast. I shouldn't have done that. I'll let you have your space. I've got practice tomorrow so if you need me, just call me. Just.....let me help if you need someone." He hesitated only for a second and then quickly walked out the door.

His last sentence broke the dam and you slid down the wall until you sat slumped on the floor, sobbing. Why was this so hard? He left like you wanted but why did you feel so sad? Why did you feel like your world was falling apart? You'd only known him for barely a week but you knew your heart was attached. But your head was causing the problems. Everything you'd told yourself to keep safe over the years crumbled when you were in his presence. He somehow broke through your guarded walls. But you couldn't let that happen. It was just a temporary feeling. He would get bored with you eventually and you would be alone again. Or, he would realize his instincts as a fox and would come after you.

You needed to quickly find a place to stay. Perhaps the distance from Hongbin would help you stop wanting him around.

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

Two days later and you hadn't seen Hongbin since he left the apartment. When you left this morning to go to the flower shop, there was a bag hung on the door with different snacks and a sandwich. There were also a couple of candies in the bag so you instantly knew who it was from. You smiled at first but then the sharp pain in your heart returned and a frown took its place. No...you weren't supposed to be happy because of his care. It was temporary.

You quickly walked to the flower shop and looked around for the owner. You finally spotted her in the far corner of the shop arranging some flowers.

"Oh, y/n, I hadn't realized that you'd come in! I'm so glad you're here. I received an order yesterday for a large event and I need your help!" She flitted around the shop like a hummingbird, muttering things as she went. You had never seem someone with so much energy. You honestly had to admit that you liked it. She kept your mind off other....things. The fast paced environment made the time go by quickly. You blinked and it was suddenly lunchtime.

"Whew! That was a large order! That would have taken me all day even if the shop wasn't busy. I daresay you're a perfect fit for this job. We'll close up for lunch so go take a break." She grabbed her phone off the counter and went to the door to switch the sign to closed.

Heading out the door, you went in search of a place to have lunch. You had eaten the sandwich for breakfast but you'd quickly burned through the energy it provided. You stumbled upon a cheap eatery that provided a variety of dishes. Most importantly, they had omurice. Your mouth watered at the thought of perfectly fried rice tucked lovingly inside a fried egg. It had been a while since you'd had one and you felt that today was a perfect excuse to have one.

The place didn't seem too busy and the atmosphere looked welcoming. Stepping inside, you found a small table in the corner and sat down. In no time at all, you had a piping hot place of heaven sitting in front of you. At the risk of burning the insides of your mouth, you began eating right away.

Twenty minutes later, you stepped out of the restaurant full and content. You touched your belly, relishing the fact that you had eaten such a wonderful meal. You knew you would be coming here more often. Heading back down the road, you passed by the alleyway that would lead to the grocery store that Hongbin had taken you to. You forced yourself to avoid looking down the small street. You had been so busy all morning that you hadn't thought of him. You took a deep breath and walked the rest of the way to the flower shop.

"Y/N! Did you find something good to eat?" The owner called out to you as she came down the opposite road towards the shop.

"I did! I found a nice little restaurant!"

"Great!" You smiled at her and followed her back into the shop.

The rest of the day went by quickly. You busied yourself with orders and learning the pricing system. All too soon, it was time to go home.

"Do you live far?"

"No, not really. I'm living with a friend right now but I need to start looking for my own place once I can gather up enough money."

"I can help you look, since you're new here. What exactly are you looking for?"

"It doesn't have to be much, just big enough for me. I live minimally so I don't have very many possessions."

"That shouldn't be too hard to find. I'll let you know if I come across something!" You followed her out the door and waited while she locked the door.

"That would be great, thank you!"

After a bit of discussion, you both parted ways and you headed back towards the apartment. You almost hesitated thinking about whether Hongbin would be there. You knew he would probably object to you getting another place to stay but in all honesty, you couldn't continue to stay at JiYoon's apartment. You needed to be independent and far away from the hybrid world. That was the only way to survive.

#vixx #hongbin #hongbin fic #vixx fic #hybrid hongbin

[theotheroccassionalfanficwriter]

the rumor concerning a certain demon lord and me

Summary: I am the Celestial Realm’s Liaison for Devildom, my duties include reporting the results and minutiae of the Exchange Student Program, and fostering a good relationship with the Devildom’s government. I am the paragon of virtue but somehow...can anyone tell me where did the rumors that I was dating a certain Demon Lord come from?

Tags: Oblivious Reader, First Person POV, Angel!Reader, slow burn, Mammon falls in love first...or does he?, only fluff, no angst, no intellectuals in this house only queer people who share one brain cell.

A/N: If anyone thinks that it’s impossible to get into a relationship without your knowledge I want to share to everyone that it happened to me and I was a sugar baby for like 1 whole year and only realized it 5 years later. Sequel in the works

Rated: G

--

As an Angel, living in the Celestial Realm was what the humans would call a Socialist paradise. Our working hours were few and the pay was high, all Angels regardless of rank could afford housing and have enough money to spare. Everyone was free to pursue their interests and I was no different. I had set my goal from an early age, slowly and steadily built up my skills and worked diligently.

All the senior Angels praised me for my good work ethic and I was relatively well-liked among my peers. It wasn’t that I had no shortcomings, it was just that I was able to hide my shortcomings and pass it off as quirks. You might be wondering, what my goal is. It’s a secret~

Hehehe...right now that isn’t important, what’s important is that after a long time my goal is already half-way done. That’s because~starting today I am the Celestial Realm’s Liaison for Devildom~

Teehee! Is what I’d like to say but the truth is, I’ve lost all happiness I gained from that promotion. 

Ever since the Second Lord, Mammon, became my body guard I’ve lost all happiness. In the morning, I’d wake up and trip on the plush carpet because of a gold bar, on my way into the bathroom to wash my face I’d slip from stepping on pearls left carelessly on the marble tiles of my bathroom floor. Then on my way to the kitchen to eat my breakfast my cute ceramic mug had been replaced with a chalice made of gold.

Isn’t this just harassment? Isn’t it cruel of him to plant evidences to insinuate I’ve harbored the sin of Greed? I badly want to throw the gold bar on his face but the two golden rules I follow held me back. Aren’t I good? Aren’t I kind? Therefore I’ll keep on enduring that cute foolish Second Lord but the moment an opportunity to take a little revenge on him comes...yeah I’ll just go and confess my sins after.

--

The opportunity to take revenge came when we had our daily brunch routine at Cat’s Eye. It was a cute cat cafe that I stumbled on and had stupidly mentioned to Mammon, at that time I had foolishly trusted that he would be kind towards me and spare me of the odd ways of the demons, that it’d be nice to come to it with someone familiar.

“In that case, I, the Great Mammon will take you there every morning!” His toothy grin and bright aura of happiness made my pure angelic heart quiver.

...but only a little bit okay? It wasn’t like it made me want to give him all the gold in the world and see him be happy alright? 

“Mammon-sama, thank you!”

He blushed fiercely and for some reason it made me want to squeeze him a little bit. Thus the daily routine of eating together came to be and every day I’d end up sharing half of my food with him while he hand fed me half of his food. You might be thinking, “Yo! Little Angel isn’t that too fast?!”

And I agree with you but have you ever been on the receiving end of his puppy dog eyes? Have you ever felt the feeling of having someone smile at you sweetly for something so meaningless? In all my life as an Angel, it’s my first time meeting someone who’d grow so attached just because I shared my food, gave him the first taste of my cream puffs I’d buy, gave advice to so they’d succeed in a business venture, and randomly giving them trinkets I bought on a whim.

Ahhh...Sorry for getting riled up, this is also one of the side effects I’ve been experiencing since becoming friends with Mammon. When it comes to that cute fool, I can’t keep my calm. Probably because he just makes my Angelic nurturing instincts tingle.

Now, you must be wondering what sort of revenge I had planned, the thing is simple. 

Mammon likes spicy stuff and he knows that I like to try spicy foods as long as it doesn’t get too spicy, therefore, today I’ll order scrambled eggs and strawberry pancakes! And pay for it with his planted marked money!!!!

With that in mind, I happily ordered my brunch while holding his hand, happily took out the planted marked money from my wallet and paid for both of our foods. Then Mammon brought the tray to our usual table and we sat side by side and began the daily routine of feeding each other...I sneakily took a glance at him and he only had a look of extreme smugness...

As expected of an Avatar of Sin...this level of revenge...meant nothing to him.

๐·°(৹˃̵﹏˂̵৹)°·๐ So frustrating!!!

--

Hello everyone! Several years had passed since my unsuccessful revenge on Mammon and as a result his harassment only grew...my soft and comfy cotton padded pink comforter has been replaced with 100% Egyptian cotton sheets...my cute pastel tea set had been replaced with ones from Chelsea...Everyday he’d give me trinkets worth a fortune and I’ve learned not to ask how he acquired it if only so I could have a peace of mind...

I’ve also gained a new habit of praying for my sins every night as opposed too once every few nights...Father even sent a letter asking me if I was alright ever since the frequency increased.

It made me want to cry a little bit.

Nevertheless I bravely continued on, and wore my head high as the Celestial Realm’s Ambassador to Devildom.

Hehehe... that’s right from Liaison to Ambassador it was quite a jump.  And it had just been officially announced recently, and now 500 years later, I can finally celebrate my promotion!!!

After being appointed as the Ambassador to Devildom, I was temporarily sent back to undergo training that for some reason or another also included Mammon as my training partner. Yep! That’s right! Normally, a period of separation would occur in this part of the story right? right! But what happened was!!!before I could even do a tearful parting between dear friends and then have a joyful and tearful reunion between close friends...

-

Mammon had his luggage with him and he was holding my left hand as he and the rest of his brothers looked nervous. Listen, I understand you all rebelled and lost but can all of you lighten up and explain to me why Mammon is coming with?

I glanced at Diavolo, who became one of my closest friends in Devildom after Mammon, and silently begged him with my eyes. Hearing my pleas, Diavolo nodded and then said,

"Now, now, there's no need for any worry after all Mammon would be well protected by our Little Angel?"

I can't help but retort, "This year I grew by two millimetres and the top of my head is just an inch below Mammon's shoulders."

I knew that I begged for help but Diavolo...there's no need for a personal attack on my height. Besides that, you didn't even explain why my training includes Mammon. Also, why are all of you sending Mammon off as if he was a bride?, I'm talking about you Lucifer-sama.

Please stop looking at me as if I was a good-for-nothing sibling-in-law.

"...I’ve been looking after him from the start...I wouldn’t stop doing it now...” I mumbled, averting my gaze from their intense looks.

I know its arrogant of me since Mammon has been taking care of himself since the aftermath of the Celestial War but by now, I’d only end up worrying if anyone other than Lucifer and me can take care of him right. Millennia of cleaning up his messes and busting him out of trouble had led me to develop anxiety over his general well being, it had led me to buying him his own set of toiletries and clothing and even household items just so I wouldn’t worry about where he stayed on nights he didn’t want to be with his brothers.

Being conscientiously kind and helpful really is hard.

“In that case, I’ll leave my brother in your care” Lucifer-sama told me solemnly, in his usually cold and stern eyes was a small trace of warmth.

I don’t understand why you’d suddenly look like that to me but, “Thank you.”

Yep. Let’s just thank him and be done with this.

--

What separation? What tearful and joyful reunion? Bullshit!!! We arrived at the Celestial Realm and it felt like I was someone who came home for the first time since getting married! Also, I know I said I’d take care of Mammon but why does it have to be that we would share one bed?!

Look! He’s blushing all the way to his ears! His face is so red it looks like it’s his natural skin tone!

Is this what’s going to make me Fall? Huh?! Isn’t it a bit pathetic that I became a demon because someone decided to redecorate my house without my permission?!

“I-i didn’t expect they’d be this welcoming...” Mammon mumbled cutely.

Okay, let’s forget about it. Since, Mammon didn’t mind but just in case, it’s better to at least clear it up to prevent any misunderstandings.

“Well...it’s probably because you’re the first...” I trailed off, saying he’s my first friend that I made on my own would be pathetic right?

“Anyways, let’s set your stuff up. Do you want to rest a little bit or should we go shopping for the things you’d use here?”

Mammon didn’t seem to mind the abrupt changed of topic but why is your face redder than before? If you’re embarrassed by this I’d end up embarrassed too! Look! I can already feel the tips of my ears heating up!

“I-I want to have you all to myself for now...”

I simply nodded and took away his luggage and had him rest on the bed while I shed off my human form and brought my wings into the physical plane. I began organizing our shared closet and silently decided to just ignore the fact that Mammon’s earlier words made it seem like we were dating or something.

Mammon probably never had any friends before me too. After all, other than me and his brothers isn’t his number blocked by everyone back in Devildom?

Reassured with this thought, I easily and happily began rearranging my clothes to accommodate Mammon’s stuff and ignored the prickly feeling of Mammon staring at me. We left in the afternoon and I led Mammon around the places that had the best of everything I know.

Each Angel would look at us, whisper a little bit, before coming forward and congratulating the two of us. I’m glad they aren’t discriminating Mammon or looking at him with contempt but there really is no need for the entirety of the Celestial Realm to congratulate me for having a friend okay? I kept to myself out of choice and the knowledge that I knew my limits.

If you lot kept up with this then I’ll really go ahead and Fall! Look, Mammon’s being bashful! 

Ah! Fuck it! Never mind then! Since this congratulations spree makes him happy, I’ll turn a blind eye.

--

By now, you’ve all probably noticed how weird it was right? right?! Every time I would treat Mammon the same as I did back in Devildom I’d feel the intensity of the stares from my fellow angels, and then Mammon would make it weirder by blushing and looking at me coquettishly. Keep that up and everyone would start thinking we’re a couple out on a date! By the way, this just brought up the painful fact that other than my abhorrent almost null platonic relationship, I also never got into any romantic relationship with my fellow angels...anyways who cares I have Mammon now.

I had no intention of hiding our friendship but just how much did Mammon doubt me that he had to look so pleased whenever I didn’t deny our relationship. I know my shortcomings when it comes to the emotional side of the relationship but even I’m not that unreliable okay?! So please! Mammon! Stop looking so cute whenever I’m considerate of you!!!

This is a normal angel thing!!! You can even ask Simeon!!!!

Ah...I apologize that I went off on a tangent, anyways it’s time to go back to the original point which is! Mammon and I are out celebrating my promotion right now. And since we’re celebrating he told me that I can do as my heart pleases.

So now, I’ve decided to up my revenge! If last time spending his money was nothing to him and making him eat overly sweet stuff was useless, I’ll take him to a bistro I’ve never been before and eat there with him! A place with no guarantee of being delicious! A place that had no assurance that our money won’t be wasted! Wouldn’t that make his liver hurt? Wouldn’t that make his Goldie bleed? Wouldn’t that make him mad?

Gosh! Being evil is so easy, I better pray to Father and repent for my sins after this dinner date.

And so, I took him to Restaurant la Penyora in Girona, Spain. Instead of using the normal routes of transportation to the Human Realm, I just snapped Mammon and myself into the Restaurant with the use of one of my allotted miracles. Our table was nicely furnished with a lit candle, and the ambiance was nice. Perfect!

I looked at Mammon and teased him, “Isn’t this place perfect?”

He looked at me with an impassive face and asked, “Have you been here before?”

“How can that be? Every time I leave Devildom aren’t I with you?”

That was the sad truth, every outing I had to play around included Mammon...I did try making friends with other demons and it would succeed for awhile but later on...they’d break off our friendship and each time I’d run into Mammon to vent.

Of course there were times I couldn’t do it, all of those times had to do when he would get picked to be a human’s first demon, and that only drove to further make friends. It wouldn’t be nice if I resented a human for taking my only friend after all. Somehow, that cold look on Mammon’s face disappeared and I breathed a sigh of relief. 

I really thought he’d figured out my revenge plan now.

The atmosphere eased up and I bravely ordered what I could think I could finish. Worst case is I could just miracle away the organs of this vessel. It’s not like we actually need those to function. And so under the wonderful ambiance, Mammon and I ate a splendidly delicious meal, had a wonderful conversation and deepened our bonds of friendship.

Haha.

My revenge plan failed.

The two of us strolled about in the streets and just existed. Mammon held my hand and I silently sulked that my revenge plan failed.

“I thought I was the only one who sulked in this relationship” He gently teased me.

The city lights in the background combined with Mammon’s rare soft smile made my heart clench. For some reason I thought about the humans he occasionally became fond of and it hurt just a little bit that I might not just be the only one who knows this side of Mammon.

“I’m not sulking” I lied and looked away from him. Squeezing his hand tight and staring intently at my feet as I walked.

“If you’re that jealous of a human, I’ll start turning down Lucifer when he asks me to be the one to ease them up.”

I blinked, “You don’t have to...” 

He’d probably end up in trouble with Lucifer and then I’d be friendless for a few days. I frowned at the thought and suddenly felt something soft and warm press to my forehead.

“Huh?”

Mammon had a fond smile and weird look in his eyes. It made my non-human heart start beating rapidly.

“If I explain it to Lucifer, he’d let me off ‘sides you’re more important to me than the exchange student program.”

I blushed and covered the wide smile on my face. Yep. It wouldn’t be good to show to the world how happy I was to hear that. I’m glad that Mammon treasured our friendship that much.

“E-even so, don’t let me be the reason why you end up not doing work, okay?” I mumbled and Mammon only let go of my hand to wrap his arm on my shoulder and bring me closer to him.

...I think I need to pray longer and harder this time to Father. It isn’t good for an Angel to be greedy after all. Hopefully this would banish all thoughts of wanting to keep Mammon to myself. I am after all the Paragon of a Perfect Angel.

--

After that date on Spain, somehow, Mammon and I became closer. What used to be where I wouldn’t even drop by the House of Lamentation became weekly scheduled dinners where I would bring food for the seven of them for dinner and then a sleepover in Mammon’s room. It became a weekly ritual and thus I ended up growing closer with the rest of Mammon’s brothers...Demons who used to be my fellow colleagues.

It was odd, especially since they seem to know something I don’t and think that I know it as well.

Mammon didn’t even give me a heads up on what was happening. Which brings me to my current predicament:

The new Celestial Realm exchange students were fairly young and even younger than me. Waaay younger than me. And now I had to go and answer the question,

“Are you really dating the Demon Lord Mammon?”

Before I could even answer, I felt Mammon's familiar aura and found myself embraced by him. I know we've known each other for a while now but even so why does he have to wrap me in his arms??? I'm maybe the paragon of virtue but I've never been this intimate with anyone!!! At most...at most I've held hands...

(/ω＼) Even the Holy Mother was more experienced than me.

"They're mine!"

I blinked at Mammon's proclamation and simply let myself be led away by my very grumpy friend. It is important for you to know that he was still holding my hands, firmly might I add, and his hands were bigger than mine, calloused from all the sword training we went through and slightly scarred from,what I assume, Falling.

"Mammon?" I called out to him softly.

If this had been in the past, I would have been able to perfectly hide my worry for him but as it was, with training together and spending so much time together, it was inevitable that I would end up being unable to hide my worry for him.

“Next time, you don’t have to hesitate!” He ordered me, looking very much like an angry bird. It was not at all frightening and yet my heart was beating fast and though I felt no fear, I knew that I was shaking.

“Wha-what do you mean?”

He looked at me in the same way I had seen our baby crows looked at something puzzling. He grinned a feral smile that made me wary and yet whatever angelic training from the Celestial War that had been trained in me did not activate. He leaned close to me, our breaths mingling, and I can only get lost in his ever so familiar eyes that makes a part of my soul sing, that makes my aura reach out to his.

“Angel, haven’t you noticed that our wings beat as one?”

Oh.

Oh.

“Fo-foul fiend!” I stuttered and this time didn’t bother to hide the fact how easy I melted in his arms.

...It seems that the rumors about him and me...came from me...how embarrassing. His deep chuckles reverberated through his chest and I could only burrow my face deeper into his chest as his arms hugged me tightly. His aura reaches out to mine and entangles with it.  

I sighed, “No wonder Lucifer-sama looked like a father giving away his precious daughter when we left for the Celestial Realm.”

Mammon choked and warily told me, “Even now...you still don’t have any sense of fear towards Lucifer...”

“Eh? What do you mean?”

I stopped and hiding and pouted at him but Mammon only looked at me fondly and unabashedly letting his deep love for me bleed through his eyes. I blushed and squirmed in his grip. Please forgive this Angel for not being well-versed in love...after all Mammon is my first...and only...hehe.

“It’s fine if you don’t remember” He told me and then kissed me sweetly and deeply on my lips.

I’m definitely telling this to the Holy Mother once we take a vacation in the Celestial Realm...that would shut up even that cheeky Holy Son for teasing me with my inexperience! 

#mammon x reader #obey me mammon x reader #mammon x mc #obey me mammon #obey me mammon x mc #obey me

[thdorkmagnet]

Marco’s Birthday Blowup Blast

Hey everyone! Today I’m bringing to you all something a little different. This was just a fun idea I’ve been working on for a while now thanks to a request I received from an anonymous source and I knew I had to make this when they gave it to me. I don’t normally take requests but this idea was too good to pass up!

So today is Marco’s 16th birthday and Star is determined to make it the best birthday Earthni has ever seen! Haha, I hope you all enjoy, especially my awesome requester who helped me out with a bunch of the ideas for this story! 

Disclaimer: Star vs and all it's characters are owned by Daron Nefcy and Disney. All rights go to them.

Marco's soft snores echoed around his dark room, the boy's curtains closed tight to prevent any horrid light from flooding in and disturbing his peaceful dreams. The boy mumbled incoherently in his sleep, clutching the stuffed rabbit he slept with closer, a line of drool beginning to slowly spread on its cotton face, as he settled down deeper into the welcoming warmth of his pillow. At his feet, his litter of laser puppies were all curled up into balls as they snoozed, even the normally hyper dogs not wanting to be disturbed so early in the morning.

The door to Marco's room creaked softly open, a blond head slowly appeared in the doorway a second after, a bright grin on her face as she took in the adorable form of her boyfriend. She held in the coo she felt rising at the back of her throat, her Marco just too cute for words when he was asleep. She silently tiptoed closer, being careful not to jolt around the tray of his freshly made breakfast and accidentally alert him to her presence. She set the tray down as quietly as she could on his desk, before creeping closer to the teen so she was now standing over him. Her eyes shimmered as she just took a few minutes to watch him sleep, sighing softly to herself. Even though it had been months since the Cleaving, Star still couldn't believe sometimes that Marco and her were finally together. It felt like just yesterday they had confessed their love and yet at the same time, it was as if the two had already spent a lifetime together. These last few months had been the best of her life and she was determined to show her boyfriend just how special and important he was to her by throwing the best birthday party possible! He was sixteen now, after all. She had to make sure everything went perfectly.

Speaking of perfect, what was the perfect way to wake Marco up? Star frowned as she tried to think of the best way for her Marco to start his day. Finally, an idea came to her and a bright smile lit up her face once again. She slowly reached out a hand, placing it lightly on his shoulder, before giving him a small shake. "Marco," she whispered. "Would you like me to kiss you awake?"

The only reply she received was a groggy yawn, but that seemed to be the right answer as Star slowly began leaning closer to him, loose strands of her hair falling onto his face. As she got closer to her target, she closed her eyes, her lips puckering as she prepared to plant a loving kiss on his cheek.

Marco giggled softly as Star's blond locks tickled his skin, his heavy eyelids lifting slightly as he checked to see what could possibly be disturbing his dreams. But the moment he saw the form hovering over him and moving steadily closer by the second, he panicked. His groggy brain was unable to decipher what who or what it was that was so near to him, his instincts quickly taking over as he was jolted awake by the scare.

So he did what any rational person would do when in a similar situation... he screamed. He tried to scramble away from the stranger, his body flailing wildly as he tried to get out from his tangle of sheets (nearly sending the startled laser puppies flying), before he reached the end of his bed where he fell to the floor, letting out a loud oof when he hit the ground.

"Marco!" Star cried in distress, quickly climbing onto the bed so she could peer over and see the state of her bestie. The boy just blinked up at her, the startled look clear in his brown gaze, panting heavily after the scare. "Star?" he groggily squeaked out, his still tired brain struggling to understand what was happening.

"Hey," Star said sheepishly, waving hesitantly down to him.

"Wh-What happened?" he asked, propping himself up on his elbows as he stared up at her with uncertainty, the blond almost able to see the gears turning in his head as he made sense of it all.

"Sorry, I was trying to give you a kiss to wake you up," she explained while shooting him an apologetic smile.

"Oh," the boy said, letting out a steady breath as everything finally clicked into place.

"Guess maybe I should have just let you wake up on your own," Star admitted, tapping her index fingers together guiltily.

But Marco only laughed, though that was most likely in part by the dozen or so ticklish puppy tongues that were licking his face as he did his best to push them away. "Well, I appreciate the thought anyway, Star," the hooded boy said sweetly, shooting her a loving smile. "Besides I've definitely had way worse wake up calls. I mean, these little guys used to laser blast me awake basically every morning," the hooded teen continued, picking one of the puppies up to show Star exactly who he was talking about. His voice switched to an overly-sweet coo as he said to the little dog, "Didn't you, Barko Diaz? You and your brothers and sisters used to be a big handful, didn't you?"

Star giggled at her boyfriend's actions, especially as the little pups' barks grew louder in reaction to the change in their owner's tone and they began licking him more furiously than before causing Marco to laugh. He did his best to hold them off, but it was a losing battle as for every puppy he managed to move away, another took its place. Finally, he gave his girlfriend a pleading look, squeaking out, "Help."

Star came to his rescue, grabbing hold of Marco's outstretched hands before helping him back up on the bed, the boy letting out a relieved sigh. "Thanks," he said, shooting her a grin, which she returned with one of her own.

"No problem," she replied. She looked back down to see the puppies had begun wrestling with each other without their owner to keep them entertained. Since the Cleaving, the laser puppies no longer shot laser beams anymore (they should really think of a different name for them now) which was honestly, a huge relief for the Diaz's furniture since singed and burnt couches and tables were not very appealing to look at.

"So what's up, Star? You usually don't wake me up this early without a good reason," Marco asked, giving his bestie a questioning look.

"Uhh did you seriously forget," Star said, playing jabbing his side with her elbow. "It's your birthday, silly."

Marco's eyes lit up as the memory returned, saying thoughtfully, "Oh yeah, that's right. That is today."

"Yep, you're officially sixteen now, Marco!" Star squealed, pulling him into a tight hug. "Aren't you excited!?"

A giant smile flooded Marco's face as he just clung onto his eager girlfriend. "Yeah, it is pretty great."

Star quickly pulled out of the hug, holding his shoulders at arm's length as she told him with shimmering vision, "And as your girlfriend, I am going to make sure you have the best possible birthday in the history of birthdays!" She giddily clapped her hands together as she added, "Just wait until you see what I have planned, you're gonna love it!"

Marco laughed, finding his girlfriend beyond adorable as he said in a flirty tone, "I'm sure I will. You always know just what to do for me, Star."

"Aww, Marco, you are too sweet," the girl cooed, cupping his cheeks in her hands. Marco started to lean in for a kiss but the girl suddenly let go of his face and jumped off the bed, causing him to fall forward with a short yell and face-plant directly into his soft sheets. Star didn't notice this though, as she went over to the tray of food she had brought in, lifting it slowly, careful to not spill anything as she turned back around to face her boyfriend. "Speaking of which," she began with a hinting edge to her tone, Marco watching her quizzically as she walked over to him. "I made you breakfast!" the blond exclaimed, before setting the tray down in his lap.

The boy looked down at his breakfast in surprise, staring at the plate of fresh bacon, purple eggs (okay that was a bit alarming), and pancakes, as well as a glass of orange juice, and his gaze softened, touched that his girlfriend would be nice enough to make him breakfast. But then a thought occurred to him and he quickly turned back to Star, asking, "You made this?"

Star nodded. "Yep, only the best for my favorite bestie slash boyfriend!" she said, shooting him a wink.

The boy gave her a thin smile, eying his meal cautiously as he tried to indiscreetly check and make sure it was safe to eat. After all, he loved Star but her cooking skills were... well, she didn't really have any to speak of. Somehow, beyond Marco's comprehension, the blond managed to burn or ruin even the simplest of meals and he would rather not have to deal with food poisoning on his birthday. He gulped, trying to stall for as long as he could as he asked her hesitantly, "So did you, uh, make this yourself?"

"Nope," Star replied, sitting on the edge of the bed, as she gauged her boyfriend's reaction closely. "Eclipsa helped me out, since I'm not exactly an expert when it comes to cooking and I wanted to make sure your breakfast was perfect."

"Wait, Eclipsa knows how to cook?" Marco asked, raising a skeptical eyebrow.

"Apparently," Star shrugged, sounding equally as shocked. "And she's pretty good at it, too. Try a bite."

The boy now satisfied that he wouldn't get sick from eating his meal, grabbed his fork and picked up one of the eggs, stuffing the whole thing directly into his mouth. Star held her breath as she just waited for his reaction. He chewed on it thoughtfully for a second, before humming in approval, his taste buds going wild with every bite. "Oh man, Star you were right, this is delicious!"

Star sighed in relief, glad to know her boyfriend was satisfied with his breakfast and her eyes shimmered like her name-sake as she watched him quickly devouring his meal hungrily. "You really think so?" the blond asked, her heart swelling with pride.

"Oh yeah, this stuff is incredible," the boy said with his mouth still stuffed with food, not even bothering to swallow as he spoke. "Especially these eggs! I've never tasted anything like them before."

He picked up a piece, ready to take a bite of it, before Star said, "Oh yeah, that was Eclipsa's idea, she said dragon eggs were full of nutrients and flavors you can't get anywhere else."

The boy froze, stopping mid-bite, the fork inches from his mouth as he turned to Star with a worried expression. "Did you say dragon's eggs?"

Star nodded in confusion. "Uh, yeah, why?"

"Because I have a dragon cycle and Nachos would hate me if she knew I was eating her own kind!" Marco exclaimed.

Star scoffed, waving an arm in the air. "Dragons are a totally different thing than dragon cycles, Marco," she matter-of-factly explained. "Everyone knows that."

"Well, I didn't," Marco admitted sheepishly, poking at his half-eaten plate with his fork.

The blond just giggled, cupping his cheek in her hand once again as she told him, "You still have so much to learn, Marco."

The boy gave her a loving grin, his cheeks heating up slightly as he locked gaze with her startling blue, his heart thumping away in his chest like crazy. "Thanks for the breakfast, by the way, this was really nice of you."

"You think this is good, just wait till you see what other surprises I have cooked up for you," Star told him, shooting him a sly grin. "I'm going all-out for your birthday!"

Marco's eyes lit up with intrigue at that, but it quickly vanished, replaced instead with a determined expression. "So, uh, Star, speaking of surprises" he coyly began, setting his tray aside as he leaned closer to her. "I know you're whole plan to wake me up didn't really work out... so how would you like to make it up now, instead?"

Star's eyebrows raised as she playfully asked, "Oh ho ho, are you asking me to kiss you, Diaz?"

"Maybe," he said mischievously, purposely not meeting her eye.

The blond leaned even closer to him, till their foreheads were practically touching before saying, "Well, y'know, I would love to, but..."

Marco gave her a confused frown. "But what?" he asked, unable to keep the disappointment out his voice.

"But..." she continued, the smirk on her lips causing several of Marco's brain cells to fry. She whispered gently into his ear, "...your face is coated in dog drool."

The boy froze, his eyes wide with shock as his cheeks lit up red in embarrassment, while Star burst out into laughter at the cute look of surprise on her Marco's face. Finally, the boy shot the litter of puppies a dirty look as he grumbled to them, "Thanks a lot."

…

After Marco cleaned up his face and changed into his typical attire of hoodie and jeans he made his way downstairs, where he was greeted by the smiling faces of his parents, who wasted no time running over and wrapping him up into a super tight hug. "Happy Birthday Marco!" they said in unison and the boy just laughed and hugged them back. "We can't believe you're already sixteen!" Angela exclaimed.

"Thanks mom, thanks dad," the boy said sweetly.

"It seems like just yesterday you were still in diapers and trying to stuff nacho chips up your nose when we weren't looking," Rafael cried with glee, his eyes welling up with tears.

Marco blushed and immediately whispered to them, "Dad, not in front of Star." He inclined his head over to the staircase where Star was watching the display with a silent grin.

"Oh, don't mind me," the blond said, maneuvering around the Diaz's and slowly backing away toward the sliding glass door that led to the backyard. "Keep having your family moment, I'll just be outside if you need me," she continued, plastering on the most innocent and trustworthy smile she had. "And uh, maybe don't come outside for the next like thirty minutes or so, give or take." Once she was at the door, she reached behind her and slid it open, never once breaking eye contact with her boyfriend and his parents. She took a single step back and started to close the door back but not before pausing to give Marco a warning glare, quickly adding, "I mean it Marco, no peeking."

"No peeking, I promise," the boy said, with a short nod.

The smile returned on Star's face as she said in her typical Star cheer, "Okay!"

She finished closing the door, before a large sheet was hung up over it, preventing Marco from even trying to look outside. But it didn't keep him from hearing his girlfriend's very loud shout of, "Okay people, hurry up! We only have half an hour to make the best dang birthday party Earthni has ever seen!"

"But um, Star, Earthni has only been around for a couple of months," came the hesitant voice of Alfonso.

"Which is why we are gonna make this one so great that no birthday in the future will ever compare, got it?!" the girl practically screamed, followed by an immediate, "Yes ma'am."

The boy just chuckled shaking his head at his girlfriend's antics before turning to his mom and dad and asking, "So uh, where's Mariposa?"

Just as he said that he felt a tug on his pant leg and he looked down to see his one-year-old sister staring up at him, her arms stretched out, fingers trying desperately to reach her big brother despite the obvious height difference, saying in her little baby coo, "Biii Bwover, upie, upie," which Marco knew translated to "Big Brother, up, up."

He laughed, not even hesitating as he reached down and scooped the little girl up and into his arms, saying to her, "Okay, Mariposa, okay, if that's what you really want." Once she was safe and settled in her big brother's arms, the boy tickled her underneath the chin in the exact place he knew would get a giggle out of her, as he cooed, "Guess what, Mari. Your big bro is 16 years old today, isn't that awesome?"

His baby sister just laughed and clapped her hands together, still finding talking difficult and so mostly relayed her emotions by either clapping when she was happy, crying when she was sad, or scowling death glares at whoever dared to make her angry.

Angela sighed, putting her hands on his shoulders as she told him, "Oh Marco, you are such a good big brother."

"Thanks mom," the hooded teen replied, not taking his eyes off his sister as she grabbed his finger in both tiny hands, staring up at him with shimmering eyes.

"And we have no doubt you're going to be an even greater dad," Rafael quickly added.

"Thanks dad," Marco replied instantly, not really thinking too much about what his parents were saying, his focus more on Mariposa than anything else.

"And Star is gonna make a great mom, as well," Angela said cheerfully and the hooded teen made a noise somewhere between a groan and a squeak, whipping his head over to face his parents, exclaiming with flushed cheeks, "Where did that come from?"

"Just stating a fact," his mom said nonchalantly.

Marco's eyebrow slowly raised as he asked suspiciously, "Have you and Mr. and Mrs. Butterfly been talking again?"

Both of his parents laughing nervously as they clearly tried to cover up their secret intentions. "No, of course not, Marco," his mom said, in a very fake tone. "We just think you and Star are very cute together and if you ever did end up having kids, we'd be happy for you."

"Uh-huh," the boy said doubtfully. But his voice retained its regular cheer, as he added, "Well when we end up having kids than I'm sure Star will be a great mom. After all, there's nothing that girl can't do."

There was a loud boom outside, one that caused the whole house to shake, the Diaz's looking around with concern, fearful of their home being damaged, while Marco just stared ahead calmly (he had grown numb to this sort of thing in the several years he had known Star), but making sure to hold Mari just a little closer to him than before. Once their home has stopped shaking, the family turned to the back door with worried looks. "Star, you okay?" Marco called out to his girlfriend, shifting his hold on his baby sister as she laughed and clapped her hands at the funny house shivering.

"Yep, everything's great! Nothing to worry about!" came Star's muffled response.

Marco sighed in relief, thankful his girlfriend wasn't hurt, he couldn't help but still worry over her at times. She was the most important thing in his world, after all. He didn't know what he would ever do without her. The hooded teen quickly shifted his attention to his parents, who both still looked a little startled by what happened. "Um, sorry guys. You... know how Star is," Marco said giving them a nervous grin. Although Star's antics never bothered him in slightest, he didn't know if his parents felt the same and he didn't want to ruin their shining opinion of her. He wanted his family to approve of the woman he loved, see her for the incredible, mature individual she was and had become and not just the wild, explosion-happy blond that had lived under their roof back in the day. There was much more to Star than that, he just hoped his parents could see that too.

But to his surprise, the two burst out into laughter, Marco looking between them like they had lost their minds. Finally, their sudden laughing fit ceased and Angela very calmly told him, "Oh Marco, you don't have to apologize. You know we've always loved Star's energy."

"Even if it did sometimes result in destroying our house," Rafael added as chipper as ever.

"So wait, it really doesn't bother you?" he asked hopefully.

"Of course not," Angela replied. "Do you know how many times we've had stuff explode in the backyard? At this point, we're used to it." She smiled reaching over and cupping his cheek in her hand, as she added, "Besides, if it means seeing you this happy, then it's worth it."

Marco smiled over at his mom, telling her, "Thanks mom. That means a lot to me."

"I know it does," Angela said. "And I have a feeling we'll have a lot more craziness to expect in the future, won't we?" She winked over at him and Marco laughed and nodded.

"Yep and I wouldn't have it any other way," he said, feeling a relief fill his chest. It didn't matter to them whether she was a mature adult or just a crazy teenager, they accepted his Star either way and that was the best gift he could have asked from them, especially as his dad added, "Neither would we."

…

"Okay Marco, just keep walking forward," Tom instructed him since the boy was currently blind with his friend's purple hands pressed tightly over his eyes.

"Is this really necessary?" Marco asked as he allowed himself to be led through his house, his parents following behind them, Rafael now holding Mariposa.

"Hey, Star gave me specific instructions on what to do, okay?" Tom told him, continuing to guide his friend outside.

"Yeah but I already know about the party, it's not exactly a surprise," Marco pointed out.

Tom shrugged. "Tell that to your girlfriend, not me," the demon boy said and Marco just sighed.

"Okay fine but why didn't Star come do this, then?" the hooded teen asked.

But instead of receiving an answer, Tom just moved his hands away, leaving Marco blinking in the sudden sunlight, as a crowd of people began all shouting to him, "Surprise Marco!" and "Happy Birthday!" and one voice even loudly proclaiming, "Surprise Turd!! You're most favorite person in the universe is here, so y'know you can be happy now!"

Marco resisted the urge to roll his eyes at Pony Head's undeflated ego, turning his attention instead on the rest of the party and party-goers, saying brightly, "Thanks everyone!" while taking everything in. When Star said she was going to going all-out for his party, she wasn't kidding! The backyard had been transformed into a massive fiesta (complete with a mariachi band) all forms of decorations coated the area: balloons, streamers, banners, the works. Marco even spotted a box of fireworks set off to the side, which gave him an uneasy feeling as he worried Mariposa or Meteora might find it and Mewni knew those girls and dangerous explosions didn't mix. The hooded teen also spotted a huge object hidden under a tarp and Marco felt his interest peak again, curious what other surprises Star possibly had in store for him.

Finally, his eyes landed on a table set up in the grass with more presents than Marco thought he had ever seen before in his life, especially at one of his birthday parties. Until right then, Marco hadn't realized just how many friends he had made the last couple of years and seeing the sheer amount of gifts brought a tear to his eye, touched that so he had so many people caring about him now. The hooded boy felt deep gratitude fill his chest as he knew it was Star he had to thank for this, without her, he never would have met half the people standing here before him and the others he probably never would have had the courage to talk to if it weren't for his wonderful, amazing girlfriend.

Speaking of which... the boy did a quick scan of the smiling faces that surrounded him, looking for a flash of golden hair or shimmering blue eyes but spotted neither, Star completely absent it seemed from his sight. Marco frowned, turning to Tom and asking, "Uh, where's Star?"

Before the purple-skinned boy could get out a word, Jackie spoke up, telling Marco helpfully, "She said she left something at her house and needed to go get it."

"But she told us to go ahead and start celebrating without her," Janna pitched in.

"Oh," Marco said, unable to keep the disappointment from leaking into his voice. He had been hoping Star would be there so he could thank her for the party. Plus, it just felt weird celebrating without her there, everything a little less bright without her beautiful smile to help brighten his spirits. He and Star had been practically attached at the hip since they had started dating. Not that he was complaining, every second he spent with Star felt like a fairytale and filled him with a warmth that only his bestie could provide. He truly did love her.

"Don't worry, dearie, I'm certain she'll be back soon," Eclipsa reassured him as her and her husband moved to where they were standing next to him, Globgore's beefy arm draped around her shoulder as he gave the boy a sympathetic smile, while their daughter squirmed, trying to get to her best friend who she had spotted in Rafael's arms.

The boy gave the ancient queen and Monster a thin smile, before confessing, "Thanks it's just weird not having her around." He rubbed at the back of his neck sheepishly, as he hesitantly added, "I know it's stupid, but ever since I thought I lost her forever it's been hard... being apart, y'know?"

Eclipsa and Globglore shared a knowing look, momentary sadness flooding their features, before they turned back to the hooded teen, Globgore telling him softly, "Probably better than anyone else, Marco." The queen laid her head on his shoulder and the Monster quickly returned the affection by tightening his embrace, bringing the love of his life closer to his side.

Meteora, though, had finally had enough, letting out a loud cry to gain their attention and the three looked down at the baby with surprise. "What is it, Meteora?"

The half-Monster child began fighting in her mother's arms, her small hands reaching out toward the Diaz's. Eclipsa, quickly picking up on her daughter's needs, set the child down on the grass, where she immediately began crawling away, her little devil's tail waving back and forth like crazy. Rafael, seeing the child approaching put Mariposa down as well, the girl able to walk the few steps over to Meteora before falling, but she wrapped her arms around her best friend as she did, pulling her into an adorable hug that had both families and most the crowd awwing at the adorable display.

Tom, seeing his friend successfully distracted and no longer thinking about Star, turned to Ferguson and Alfonso and gave them a short nod, signaling them it was time to begin. The two gave a quick salute before running off to go grab Marco's next surprise, while Tom just came up behind Marco and put a hand on his back. "So Marco, I hope you're ready," he began and the hooded teen raised a worried eyebrow at his friend.

"Why? What's happening?" he asked, knowing that any sentence that started like that couldn't be good. He knew from personal experience.

"Oh, nothing..." Tom continued, trying to act nonchalant but Marco could easily see he was just trying to stall for something. "Just a little surprise Star cooked up."

"In this case literally," Janna suddenly spoke, appearing beside him out of nowhere and causing both boys to let out a cry of surprise.

"Janna, don't sneak up on people like that," Marco scolded her.

"Yeah, you might end up giving someone a heart attack," Tom added, busy panting while he clutching a hand over his racing heartbeat.

The creepy girl didn't look even slightly sorry as she simply shrugged the whole thing off, only responding with an emotionless, "Eh, whatever."

Marco frowned but rather than engage in a pointless argument with Janna, he instead decided to focus on Janna's earlier line. "Wait, what did you mean by 'literally'?" the hooded teen asked, raising a curious eyebrow at the girl.

The beanie-wearing teen immediately pointing somewhere behind the two boys, telling Marco, "See for yourself."

And as Marco did just that, his jaw almost hit the floor as he spotted the giant, multi-layered chocolate cake coated in small little pieces of candy, it seemed, which all glittered in the sunlight and was decorated with 16 identical candles which were not lit with flames but were instead shooting off miniature fireworks. The boy's eyes shimmered as he stared starry-eyed at the delicious looking dessert being slowly and meticulously carried in by Ferguson, Alfonso, Oscar, and Sensai. "Is that... for me?" Marco asked, his eyes never once leaving the cake as he watched the four guys straining to carry the heavy treat another step.

"Yep, only the best for you, buddy," Tom said with a smile, wrapping an arm around his friend's shoulder.

"What's that stuff all over it?" the hooded teen questioned.

"Star insisted we cover it with bits of Captain Blanches Sugar Seeds since it's your favorite cereal," Janna explained.

"So wait, you mean she made this herself?" Marco gasped out. Since when did Star become such a good cook?

"We all pitched in, but Star was in charge of making sure you'd like it," Tom explained. "She said it was more personal if your friends made it, instead of someone else."

At those words, Marco felt his eyes well up with tears, unable to stop the goofy grin from invading his face as he was once again left amazed by something his girlfriend had done. Star was just too good to him sometimes. Just when he thought she couldn't get any sweeter or more incredible she managed to outdo herself and the boy felt a deep, tender warmth spread through him as he once again wondered to himself how he had gotten so lucky as to meet a girl like Star. "It's perfect," the boy whispered, his voice cracking against his will.

"Marco, are you crying?" Tom asked in concern.

The boy sniffed and wiped the tears from his eyes with the back of his sleeve. "Maybe just a little." Tom and Janna shared a knowing grin before both patted their friend gently on the back. After that, the group just watched in silence as Globgore stepped over to help the struggling humans, taking mercy on them as he lent his strength to the effort. The Monster grew some in size so he was able to easily lift the massive cake from the weak human's arms, before single-handedly moving it over to the large table without breaking a sweat, Eclipsa fawning over him every step of the way. The others could only gawk in surprise and awe, Sensai even muttering under his breath, "Whoa, I think I just met my new hero."

Marco, Tom, and Janna went over to the Monster king once he was done, the hooded teen telling him gratefully, "Thanks Globgore, I really appreciate it."

"Anytime, Marco," the Monster said, shrinking down to his normal size, before stepping back and allowing the boy to get a closer look at his cake. It was even more enormous up close, towering over Marco and for a moment the Latino worried there was more there than even a whole crowd of people could finish. As he looked closer at the cake he noticed the inscription written in frosting, lining a few of the layers, reading, "Happy Birthday, Marco! Blow out the candles for an extra special surprise."

Marco's eyebrow slowly raised at that, wondering what that could possibly mean. These were clearly magical candles (hence why fireworks were bursting out of them every two seconds) which meant he had no clue what blowing them out could possibly result in. Really it could be anything, heck the cake could even explode for all Marco knew.

"So hey, Marco, you should hurry up and blow out those candles, don't you think?" Tom asked awkwardly, poorly trying to act nonchalant and cool but he failed miserably, only confirming to Marco that they were definitely up to something.

The boy shot his friend a suspicious look but was stopped from saying anything as a hand was suddenly on his arm and he turned to Jackie giving him a smooth smile, as she told him, "Yeah dude, do it. I wanna get me some of that cake."

Marco couldn't help but chuckle as the girl raised a clenched fist dramatically. Jackie was still just as cool and awesome to hang out with as ever, one of the few things he was glad had stayed the same since Earthni's creation. He was thankful that the two of them had been able to stay friends.

The birthday boy's thoughts were interrupted as an arm wrapped around his shoulders, Janna saying in a warning tone, "But seriously you should really hurry up and blow out those candles."

"Why?" Marco asked, even knowing he wasn't going to get an answer. It was a surprise, after all.

"Just trust us, dude," Tom spoke up, while the hooded teen was gently pushed forward so he was now in primary position for blowing out the candles. The boy let out a sigh, knowing there was no getting around this, he had to blow out the candles... whatever the consequences. So, Marco just sucked in a deep breath, preparing his lungs for what he needed to do, before blowing as hard as he could in the direction of the sparkling candles. The magical flames went out in less than a second and the boy couldn't help but smile to himself at his accomplishment. But then out of nowhere the cake suddenly exploded, coating Marco head to toe in cake frosting, as well as the rest of the crowd, all except Janna and Tom who pulled out matching umbrellas holding them up in front of them to block the messy explosion.

To say Marco was caught off-guard by this was an understatement, the boy was paralyzed with surprise, his eyes wide as he just stood there dumbfounded. But to his greater shock (if that was even possible) what was once a mega-sized cake now stood his one and only girlfriend, Star Butterfly, Marco watched mesmerized as the top layer of cake landed perfectly on her head, somehow staying balanced up there.

"Wha-Wha-Whaaa," was all Marco was able to stutter out, before Star suddenly shouted, "Surprise!" She threw her arms wide, doing a little jazz hand flourish as her shimmering gaze studied his face. "Bet you weren't expecting that, were you?"

The hooded teen only dumbly shook his head. The girl did a little fist pump, whispering in celebration, "Yes, nailed it!" But as the girl stopped and looked around at her family and friends coated head to toe in cake mix she cringed, a guilty look on her face. She turned to Tom and Janna, chuckling nervously as she said with a sheepish grin, "Oops, guess I put in a little too many exploding berries into the mixture."

"You think?" Tom said sarcastically.

Marco was still just paralyzed in shock, staring wide-eyed at his girlfriend taking in her new appearance. She had apparently changed outfits while she was away, her hair now tied up into pigtails with twin buns on either side of her head both of which seemed to have unlit sparklers in them. Her devil horns had been replaced with a yellow headband that had stars rather than horns.

She wore a short sleeve dress with a pink top and a red and blue striped skirt. The side of the skirt had a yellow firework design. Around her neck hung a red heart necklace that seemed to gleam in the sunlight and her left arm had a star bracelet that matched her headband. Her leggings were now pure white and she had on dark blue boots with butterfly patterns on the front of them.

But the strangest sight of all though (and that was saying something) was the giant purple cigar in the girl's mouth, which had sparkles, magic dust, popcorn and all manners of things shooting out of it and the boy couldn't help but raise an eyebrow at the weird-looking object.

"Star, what's going on?" the boy asked, his head still spinning with questions. "Why were you inside my cake?"

"Oh I saw it in a movie once and I wanted to try it out," the girl said nonchalantly, her voice slightly muffled by the cigar. She took the cake off her head and set it down on a plate next to her, before turning back to the boy with her hands on her hips, trying to judge his shocked reaction. Marco, meanwhile, just asked the next of many questions he now had, "Well, what's with the cigar?"

"Well, first of all, this isn't just any cigar," she began, pointing to it with a bright grin still on her face.

"Think he gathered that," Tom whispered to Janna, the two sharing a small chuckle.

Star ignored them, though, explaining, "This is a mystical razzle-dazzle cigar! It's a tradition on Mewni for boys to have one on their sixteenth birthday. They say the light that comes from it helps them to bring good fortune for the rest of their lives."

"Wait, then why do you have it?" the boy asked.

"I'm just testing it out to make sure it works," the girl explained. "Plus, it makes me look super cool!" Star struck a dramatic pose, while Marco laughed at his adorable bestie, finally recovering from his shock as he just enjoyed being near his girlfriend. "Well that's not entirely true since you look cool all the time, Star," Marco told her with a flirty look and the girl seemed to melt.

"Aww Marco," she gushed, before leaping off the table and wrapping her arms around Marco's neck, holding him in one of her signature tight hugs. The boy froze up for only a second, afraid one of the bright sparkles would set him on fire or something. But nothing happened, Star careful to turn her head in a direction so that the stream of magic that seemed to be coming from the cigar wouldn't hit him.

"So what did you think?!" she asked him, screaming at the top of her lungs. "Did you like your surprise?" The hooded teen couldn't help but laugh as he gave the girl a gentle squeeze around her small frame, burying his head into her shoulder. "I loved it," he replied softly, kissing her softly on the cheek.

"Aww, Marco I'm so glad!" she squealed in delight. She pulled out of the hug, before plucking the cigar out of her mouth and sticking it into his, causing the boy to blush bright red, as he became distinctly aware that his had been inside Star's mouth not a moment before. "Oops, almost forgot to give this to you."

"Um, thanks Star but I-" the boy began, having trouble speaking around the massive cigar but was interrupted as the girl gave him another tight hug, her head now leaning against his chest, nearly causing him to lose all the air in his lungs as he let out a strangled cough. Star didn't notice this though as she just started rambling to him, "Oh wow, Marco, you look awesome! I was so worried I wouldn't be able to find one of those for your birthday after the whole... y'know magical dimension getting destroyed. But luckily, it looks like only the spells and stuff like that were destroyed, while a lot of the magical objects and things are still around and work just fine. Which is great, since those aren't really all that dangerous. So anyways, what do you think of it? Isn't it sooo pretty?"

Seeing the twinkle in Star's eye, made Marco pause, as he looked down at the stream of glitter and bright lights coming from the thing sticking out of his mouth. It was really pretty he had to admit. And Star did seem to trust it? Maybe he should just relax. Earth and Mewni were permanently linked now, he should probably get used to stuff like this. Even without magic being provided from the magical dimension, it was still a pretty crazy and hectic place to live. "It does look pretty cool," Marco told her, giving her a small smile, well as best he could, his eyes having to do most of the conveying. His eyes were quickly drawn back to the cigar, though, as he just watched the colorful display. "What's all in this, anyways?"

"Oh y'know, just a bunch of magical stuff," Star told him waving her hand nonchalantly in front of her.

"So, uh, what's with the popcorn, then?" Marco asked, raising an eyebrow as he pointed to the small fluffy kernels that repeatedly fell out of the cigar along with the magic stream with a noisy pop.

"Oh, what that," the girl said, before explaining to him matter-of-factly, "That's because the whole thing is just a corn on the cob wrapped in corn husks and magic and other stuff."

"Huh, neat," the boy said. That didn't surprise him too much... what with Mewmans bizarre and slightly unhealthy obsession with the vegetable.

"So the cigar is really cool and all and not that I don't appreciate it but well... you think maybe you could put it out for now so I can maybe actually eat my cake instead of getting covered in it," he asked, the slight teasing in his tone causing Star to giggle sheepishly as she looked around at the damage to the crowd and even her own now chocolate-covered dress.

"Yeah, sorry about that. Guess my baking skills still aren't what I want them to be," she told him with a hesitant smile. This quickly turned back into a grin, though as she added, "But hey, look on the bright side, now you smell great!" She leaned closer, gently sniffing his hoodie before giving him a satisfying grin. "Mmm, chocolate, the perfect fragrance!" Marco just rolled his eyes, shaking his head at his wonderful girlfriend's antics, a twinkle in his eye as he was just happy to have her near.

The girl did oblige his request, taking the cigar out of his mouth and expertly putting it out, before slipping it into the pocket of his hood to wait to be used later, her mind already scheming how to re-lit the cigar later, since she had to be sure to keep Marco impressed. She was still hoping to make this the best birthday imaginable... which meant it was crucial everything was as cool and over-the-top as possible.

After that, towels were quickly passed around to everyone so they could all clean up before the cake was sliced and handed out to the group of friends and family, who all settled down on the grass to enjoy their meal, even if they had been covered in it a moment before. For most, it was far from the strangest birthday party they had ever been to since both Star and Marco combined always made for some sort of odd, unexpected experience. Besides being covered in cake was far from the worst thing that could have gone wrong where lit candles were involved.

Marco sat on the grass next to Star, their hands remaining constantly intertwined, the two talking and chatting like usual as they enjoyed bites of the delicious birthday treat (who knew cereal and chocolate went so well together) the blond overzealous as she went on and on about how much Marco was going to love his present since it was quote: "Super incredibly awesome" and Marco just laughed and told her he was sure he would since it was coming from, quote again: "The coolest girl in the universe". As they spoke his gaze slowly moved to his baby sister, Mariposa busy smearing her hands with cake frosting before slapping them together and creating a giant mess, mimicking her friend Meteora's example as the young half-Monster was doing the same thing... only somehow messier. The boy smiled as he watched his mom beginning to fuss over cleaning up her daughter with a wet towel, before turning his attention back on Star, taking a second to admire her unbelievably cute face as she stuffed way too much cake in her mouth at once, before asking, "Hey Star, so what exactly is that thing you have hidden under the sheet?"

"Wha-" the girl mumbled around her bite of food, her chipmunk cheeks causing Marco to once again chuckle at his girlfriend. Could she seriously get any more adorable?

"Y'know that massive thing you have just sitting over there," he explained, pointing it out to her.

Star followed his gesture, swallowing down her dessert before telling him, "Oh that thing? That's your extra super secret surprise. It's for the grand finale!" She gave him a wink that made his heart leap into his throat for a second.

Now Marco seemed even more curious, leaning closer to the girl, laying his elbow against his knee before resting his head on his hand, staring at her with a twinkle in his eye. "Oh really? Soo then you maybe want to give me a tiny hint or anything?" the boy asked, flashing her a hopeful smile.

But his girlfriend just shook her head, shooting him a playful look as she replied, "Nope. You're just gonna have to wait and see, Diaz." She gently booped his nose, which only seemed to encourage Marco as he moved in to plant a kiss on her soft lips and the blond closed her eyes to do the same.

But the boy halted, upon feeling a small hand reach into his hoodie pocket and his eyes flew open in panic as he jerked his head around to see his baby sister now holding the giant cigar in her tiny fists, shaking it around with an infectious giggle. "Ahh, no Mariposa that is not for playing with?!" he screamed, diving for the girl, intent on taking the dangerous item away from her but she was quick to crawl away, leaving the boy crashing to the ground with a loud oof. He could only watch in horror as the one-year-old reached her friend, settling down next to her as she and Meteora took turns hitting it against the ground, laughing all the while.

Marco now looked on the brink of hysteria, his face turning pale as he imagined every possible worst-case scenario in his head, only to feel Star's hands on his shoulders. He turned around to see Star smiling down at him, the simple expression enough to draw him back to reality and calm him down some. "Relax, Marco, it's totally harmless," she told him, reassuringly. She paused, for a moment rubbing thoughtfully at her chin, before adding, "Wellll, so long as you don't touch it when it's lit. Or have it near anything that might explode. Orrrr put it in the wrong way, trust me swallowing that much magic dust can't be good for you."

The boy gulped, now looking even more worried as he just held up a finger and told her in a small voice, "Be right back." The boy raced over to his sister, coaxing her to give it back to him, before sighing in relief and walking back over to join his girlfriend. As he did, he overheard River saying to his dad approvingly, "Ahh, I remember my first magical cigar! I nearly set the entire castle on fire."

"Oh my, well that's nothing compared to the time Angela and I came home to find the house completely destroyed by Star and Marco after your daughter created a hurricane above the house," Rafael replied in his typical cheerful tone. "It took us all weekend to clean up the mess." There was a pause before the two dads shared a hearty laugh, while Marco resisted the urge to roll his eyes. How could they seriously joke about stuff like that?

When the boy finally got back to where Star was his mouth dropped open to see Janna now sitting in his spot, Tom's arm draped around her shoulder, giving him a sheepish expression as his girlfriend was finishing the last bite of Marco's cake. "JANNA!" the boy screamed furiously, his hands clenched and shaking at his sides as he glared at the beanie-wearing girl.

"What? You weren't finishing it," Janna said with an uncaring shrug of her shoulders.

"I was going to," Marco said with an exasperated sigh.

"Sorry, dude, I tried to stop her," Tom told him nervously. "But y'know how Janna can be sometimes?"

The hooded teen just pinched the bridge of his nose, before saying, "Yes Tom, I'm well aware of just what Janna is capable of."

"Don't worry Marco, you can have the last bite of mine, okay?" Star told him, offering him her plate of half-eaten cake. The boy smiled taking the plate before sitting down next to Star, picking up a bite with his fork before offering it to her instead. "Okay, but only if you let me share it with you," he told her sweetly.

Star blushed but eagerly took the bite of cake off his fork, Marco doing the same thing for himself. The two just enjoyed chewing their dessert while leaning their heads against one another as they cuddled lovingly for a few minutes.

Tom and Janna simultaneously gagged at the sight, the former saying, "Man, am I glad we aren't that kind of couple."

"Yeah, me too," his girlfriend agreed. "Sappy stuff just isn't my style."

"Really," Tom asked in a teasing tone, wagging a knowing eyebrow at her. "Cause you were pretty sappy back when you first asked me out or did you forget that you started crying when I said yes?" The boy had a proud smile on his lips at the memory that was until Janna reminded him with an emotionless deadpan, "Actually Tom, you were the one who started crying."

The boy's whole body seemed to deflate at the memory. "Oh," he said in a tiny voice.

"And then you started blushing like crazy when I kissed you," Janna continued, every word causing Tom's face to grow a brighter and brighter shade of purple. "And you cried at that movie we watched-"

"Yeah okay!" Tom whispered harshly, slapping a hand over his girlfriend's mouth to keep her from embarrassing him any further, looking around in a panic to make sure nobody overheard. Realizing it was safe, though he let out a sigh of relief and removed his hands, before shooting Janna a scolding glare. "Let's not talk about that where everyone can hear us, please?"

"Suit yourself," the girl said with a shrug, but the smirk on her lips was unmistakable proof that she had been enjoying messing with him... as usual.

…

A short while later, Marco found himself with a mountain of presents to open, making his way slowly but diligently through the stack, box after box ripped apart as he gushed and fawned over each and every one of the special gifts his friends had all gotten him. Star the whole time hovered around him, seemingly trying to make sure he was enjoying himself at all times. The moment things started to lag, usually when Marco was taking the time to thank someone for his gift, the blond would immediately fling the next present into this hand, wanting to as she put it, "Keep things as exciting as possible!" Marco had his suspicions though, that it had more to do with the fact that Star had insisted she go last and her impatience was getting the best of her, wanting to hurry things along so she could give him her gift.

Still, Marco wasn't too fazed by this, enjoying unwrapping every single gift he was given. Jackie and Chloe had given him a cool looking beret that the skater said would make him look 'cooler than ever', which Star had agreed while instantly gushing the moment he put it on. River had given the boy a giant leg of meat which Marco wasn't sure he wanted to know what creature he had hunted down to get that for him. Moon had given him a much more practical gift of a wallet, but to the boy's surprise, it was colored plum, which turned out to be because Star had explained to her mom the whole incident in Quest Buy. Eclipsa and Globgore got the boy a beautiful looking badge that was inscribed with the symbol of the Mewman's most elite knights, proof of the hard work he had put in. Pony, being Pony gave him an autographed picture of herself and had been sure to make sure the whole thing was being recorded for the next episode of 'The Pony Head Show'. Oscar had given him a card, Alfonso and Ferguson had given him a new die for their favorite game, and Sensai gave him his entire collection of the "How to Karate" VHS series since he had been insistent Marco go for his black belt now that he was back on Earthni, even though he probably knew more about combat than anything those tapes could provide him. His parents got him a new fanny pack with the words "Best Big Brother Ever" sewed onto it which had made Marco tear up and give both of his parents a hug over.

Finally, that just left two more gifts on the table, one from Tom and one from Star. The hooded teen carefully picked up the first one, not taking too much time to pause and study it (seeing Star's eager grin out of the corner of his eye) before he tore through the thin wrapping paper and found himself gawking at the gift hidden underneath the layers. The boy gasped, his eyes shimmering as he said in a voice shaking with excitement, "The Mackie Hand limited edition, complete collector's box set including the original Swedish versions and with additional never-before-seen deleted scenes!" The boy clutched the present close to his chest, before exclaiming, "I love it! It's just what I wanted!"

"I knew you'd say that," Tom said with a wink, looking quite proud of his purchase.

"Thank you so much, Tom!" the boy shouted gratefully, hugging his friend tightly.

"Hey, what about me?" Janna pointed out, crossing her arms in front of her chest in annoyance.

"Uhh, what do you mean?" Marco asked in confusion.

"Duh, this gift if from Tom and me," the creepy teen explained as if the answer should be obvious.

"Yeah, we decided it would be best if we went on a joint gift for you," Tom added, shooting his girlfriend a loving smile.

"Oh really, why's that?" the hooded teen inquired, looking between his two friends for an answer.

"Well for starters Tom knows you better than I do, so I figured he was guaranteed to get you something you'd like," Janna admitted honestly, lightly elbowing her boyfriend's arm and shooting him a wink.

"Aw, come on Janna don't say that," Marco began, not wanting his friend to be so harsh on herself. "I'm sure I would have loved whatever you would have-"

Tom loudly cleared his throat from next to him, interrupting the boy and he turned to see his friend violently shaking his head and mouthing the word 'no'. The teen then stared back over at Janna and seeing the creepy grin slowly spreading across her face, suddenly remembered who was dealing with, swallowing loudly. "Actually, y'know, I think I'm good with just the... Mackie Hand stuff. Thanks," he awkwardly squeaked out, his eyes shifting hesitantly between the couple.

"Yeah, that's probably for the best," Janna said with a quick shrug. "My gift probably would have given you a heart attack or something."

Tom leaned closer to Marco so he could whisper dramatically into his ear, "She's not lying, dude. I saw her present myself and trust me... you dodged a bullet there."

"Okay, time for my present!" Star screamed hyperly, literally appearing between the two and shoving the present into her boyfriend's hands. Marco, struggling to process what had just happened, stood their dumbfounded for a second while Star practically bounced on the balls of her feet, waiting impatiently for him to unwrap her gift. "Open it, open it, open it!" the blond began chanting, losing any and all semblances of restraint/sanity as she continued to move closer and closer to the boy, until she was squeezing his cheeks between her hands, her eyes shimmering like her namesake. Marco couldn't help but laugh at his girlfriend, this was probably the craziest he had seen her in a long while, he hadn't realized just how much more reserved she had become in the couple of years he had known her. Now though, it was like the old hyper Star had returned full force and he was glad to see his bestie could let loose sometimes and still be the wild, amazing girl he had first fallen for.

"Okay, okay Star, you can stop now, I'm opening it," Marco said, still laughing at his girlfriend's antics, while gently pushing her hands away so he could concentrate on his present. Star did as Marco asked, lowering her hands back to her sides, but her goofy grin persisted as she watched her boyfriend's every move with intense but shimmering eyes, not daring to blink in case she missed a second of her bestie's reaction. Marco looked down at the present in his hands and couldn't help but smile at his girlfriend's wrapping attempt, although it was no doubt sealed in layer upon layer of tape and paper, he could still clearly see from the size and shape that it was a sword. He began to steadily unwrap the gift, moving slowly and delicately despite Star's intense watch on him, not wanting to accidentally cut his hand open on the sharp blade, while thinking to himself how thoughtful it was for Star to get him a new sword. He had been sadly without one since giving up El Choppo for Nachos and he had badly been wanting a new one. And of course, his awesome bestie would know exactly what to get him, at this point she probably knew him better than he knew himself.

But somehow Star had still managed to surprise Marco with her gift. The hooded teen discovering this the moment he ripped off the last of the paper and stared open-mouthed at the sword held in his hands. The blade was made of a thin piece of metal perfectly shaped to more closely resemble the blade of a scissor, while the handle was made of a smooth, turquoise blue material that Marco would recognize anywhere, the now black crystal embedded in the center of a circular base along with the bat wings protruding out of either side, giving it away in an instant. It was Marco's wand, converted to act as both guard and grip for his new weapon and the boy had to blink a few times just to make sure he was seeing it right. "I-Is this..." Marco began softly but found he was at a loss for words due to the lump in his throat.

But he didn't need to finish for Star to understand, nodding her head vigorously as she squealed, "Yep! I've been saving it ever since the Cleaving, I wanted to make it into something special for you and this just made sense to me. Figured this way we could actually get some use out of that thing after all the trouble it caused." She frowned for a second before the smile returned as bright as ever. "And now whenever you use this sword, you'll remember when we first got together."

Marco laughed, pulling his girlfriend into a tight hug as he told her sweetly, "I don't think I could ever forget that, but I love the sword, Star. Thanks! You're the best bestie a guy could ever have!"

"Aww, Marco," Star cooed, squeezing the boy tightly back. "You're the best, too!" For a moment the two just clung tightly onto each other, neither wanting to break their hold as they just silently enjoyed being this close to one another. Finally, though, Star broke the silence as she asked the boy in a whisper, "You know what would make this even better?"

"What?" Marco asked in a blissful sigh. He felt like he was in heaven being able to hug Star like this and he couldn't imagine anything making this moment any better. But suddenly, Star pulled out of the hug, flashing him a loving smile that caused several of the Latino's brain cells to fry. The blond leaned in close and he could feel his cheeks growing hot as he realized there was a kiss heading his way. He closed his eyes and puckered his lips as he waited for Star's lips to meet his. Only to rear back in surprise when something was instead shoved into his mouth and his eyes flew open to see Star grinning ear to ear and the magical cigar now trapped between his lips. "Give you back your super awesome cigar!" Star shouted, her enthusiasm and energy now reaching an all-time high.

Marco, however, could only stare down in shock at the object, wondering how his girlfriend had managed to catch him off-guard with this, especially since he hadn't even felt Star pull it out of his pocket in the first place. But the blond took advantage of his momentary distraction as she suddenly pulled out a brightly lit sparkler from seemingly nowhere, while shouting, "Now hold still while I light this baby up!"

This managed to snap Marco back to reality as he shouted out (or more like mumbled out since the cigar was really hard to talk around), "Wait, what?!" But he didn't dare move as his girlfriend dramatically flung the sparkler outward, holding it up to the end of the cigar. After a couple of seconds, the cigar came to life as the same array of sparkles, dust and popcorn began shooting out of it and Star smiled proudly at her accomplishment, putting her hands to her hips as she admired her work. "Yes, now that's more like it!"

Marco gazed thoughtfully down at the cigar, before asking, "And you're sure it's not too... showy?"

"Of course not," Star loudly exclaimed, giving the boy a loving smile. "It's your birthday, Marco. You deserve to show off a little!"

Tom seemed to look over to them at that exact moment and he gave his best friend an approving nod, shouting encouragingly, "Looking good, Marco!"

"Yeah, pretty cool, dude!" Jackie added via yell, giving the boy a wink and thumbs up. And Marco couldn't help but blush at the praise.

"See, Marco? You look awesome," Star said, gesturing over to the two with a confident smile.

Marco didn't respond, his cheeks turning red with a blush but a smile now spread across his face (not that it could be seen past the massive cigar). He really appreciated the effort Star was putting in for him, still finding his girlfriend's antics as enduring as ever. She really was going above and beyond to give him a perfect party and he couldn't imagine what he had done to deserve someone as special as Star in his life. Sure her methods were a bit extreme and over the top but that was just one of the many, many things he loved about her.

Still, he was a little disappointed he hadn't gotten a kiss from her after all, but there was still plenty of time for that. Something told him the party was far from over yet.

And this hunch was correct, as Star suddenly shouted to the other party-goers, "Alright, guys, who's ready for some fireworks!" to which everyone loudly cheered.

Marco smiled as he watched his girlfriend happily bounce over to where she had the fireworks stashed, scooping up a bunch from the pile and bringing them over to Marco. She plopped them down on the ground, before looking up at her boyfriend with an eager grin, saying, "Alright, Marco are you ready?"

The birthday boy froze, not quite sure what Star meant by that. "Ready for what?" he asked in confusion.

But he got his answer a second later as Star suddenly held up one of the fireworks, where a quick spark from the cigar lit up the end of the fuse and the blond released the rocket, sending it streaking up into the air. This was soon followed by a loud bang and an explosion of beautiful colors, causing everyone around to ooh and aww at the sight, some even clapping at the display. "Wait, are we using the cigar to light these?!" Marco shouted in surprise, pointing down at the pile of highly dangerous, explosive devices.

"Of course," Star replied as if the answer was obvious. "What else would we use?"

"Uhh, how about the demon boy who can literally light himself on fire?" Marco reminded the girl.

Star shook her head, saying, "Nah, Tom gets to do this kind of stuff all the time, but this is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Marco! Come on, don't you want to live a little dangerously?!" The girl clenched her hand into a dramatic fist, flashing the boy an excited smile that melted the boy's heartstrings in an instant.

The hooded teen let out a sigh. It was hard to argue with Star, especially when she was so enthusiastic and eager about something, Marco wanting nothing more than to keep that look of joy on her face. Plus, he had been missing some danger lately, without real magic existing things had just been kinda mediocre, something he hadn't experienced a day of since the moment Star walked into his life and it was jarring and weird. Sure, it was never a dull moment with Star but things felt unnaturally slow and mild in comparison to the life he and Star had been living on Mewni. A part of him kinda missed the chaos and he would be lying if he said he didn't find the prospect of danger exciting.

"Okay, you win, let's do this!" Marco exclaimed and Star clapped in joy.

"Yeah, that's the spirit!" Star cheered.

The two spent the next several minutes lighting the fireworks together, the sky soon filled with the steady bursting of bright colors and lights, the crowd all enjoying the show as they watched the brilliant display. Marco and Star took turns setting each firework off, Marco either maneuvering his cigar over them or Star holding a fuse up for him to light. The two were having a fantastic time setting rocket after rocket off, laughing and just having a great time together and for a moment it felt like the good old days when it was just the two of them fighting Monsters and goofing off as best friends, almost as if no time had passed at all, days, weeks and years melting away until it was just Star and Marco, besties against the world.

"Heeeyyy Marco, bet you can't light one off in mid-air!" Star challenged the boy, tossing a rocket up and down in the air in a show-offy way and the boy smiled and dropped into a ready stance.

"Bring it on, Butterfly!" he replied playfully. Star grinned before throwing the firework his way and Marco watched it closely as it descended. He took a step back, letting the rocket fall directly in front of him and kicked a leg out, catching it on the end of his foot and sending it flying upward. The boy wasted no time as he quickly grabbed onto the cigar still in his mouth, allowing him to aim it right at the firework, a sudden burst of magic hitting the fuse at just the right angle and setting it ablaze. Star watched in wide-eyed wonder and amazement as the now-lit firework zipped away into the sky, going off in a beautiful explosion of blues and purples.

"Top that," Marco said smugly, shooting his girlfriend a victorious grin and Star gave him a teasing glare back.

"Alright fine," Star retorted, suddenly pulling out duel rocket, both attached to a ridiculously long fuse, from behind her back and saying, "Hit me up, Diaz!"

The boy obeyed, stepping over and lighting the end of the fuse with his cigar. Star waited a few seconds as the fuse grew shorter and shorter until finally she held both out directly in front of her and screamed, "Duel Rocket Blast!" letting both go at the last second before they shot forward sailing over the heads of the memorized crowd before exploding into a barrage of pinks and reds, all of them in the shape of a heart.

Marco nodded approvingly. "Pretty cool, pretty cool," he commented and Star bowed over and over again in front of him.

"Thank you, thank you, I'll be here all day," the girl said dramatically and her boyfriend giggled. "And now for my next trick..." Star began and Marco gave her a confused look as she carefully placed a stick of dynamite in between her lips.

"Uh, Star, what are you-" the boy began to question only to cut himself short as Star out of nowhere leaned closer, causing Marco to freeze and his cheeks to flush bright red from the close contact. He didn't dare move or even breath as his girlfriend leaned in more and more, until the tip of her firework touched the end of his cigar, effectively making the two objects "kiss". There was a second of silence, Marco just shockingly staring into Star's mischievous blue. Then the dynamite's fuse suddenly sparked to life, a small trail of fire quickly burning away at the explosive. Marco was about to shout something to Star, when the girl simply leaned her head back and spat the firework out, letting it sail over their heads before exploding with a small pop.

"There, now I'm done," Star said, proudly puffing out her chest.

"You know that was incredibly dangerous, don't you?" Marco asked in a near scolding tone, an eyebrow slowly rising.

Star just scoffed, waving her arm as if dismissing the accusation altogether. "Oh, please, I used to be magic, remember?

"Emphasis on the 'used to be'," Marco pointed out and Star gave him a tiny frown.

"The point is, I can handle a few minor explosives," Star continued, crossing her arms in front of her chest. She gave Marco a flirting smile as she added playfully, "Besides, this coming from the guy who was stabbed by a unicorn and just walked it off like it was nothing."

Marco flushed, coughing once into his hand as he muttered under his breath, "Well that was different."

"Sure it was," the blond said with a knowing wink.

The hooded teen began looking around for a way to change the subject, stopping a small pile of fireworks all marked, "Warning: Extremely loud". A mischievous grin spread across his face, rubbing his hands together in anticipation as he said, "Alright, now it's my turn." He quickly set them all up, sticking each one into the ground, before tying their fuses together, he then moved both him and Star far enough back so that he didn't have to risk himself or his girlfriend being blown up. He then set the fuse on fire, covering his ears and Star quickly following his example as they watched the fuse slowly maneuver over to the waiting rockets. Each of them were then sent streaking up into the sky, where they all went off in a fantastic cascade of explosions and the crowd let out a cheer of joy. Star's eyes shimmered as she just grinned up at the beautiful flash of colors, Marco watching her reaction closely and feeling his heart race over how adorable she looked right then. There really was no one quite like Star and the birthday boy felt perfectly content just being able to sit next to her.

Finally, though the last of the fireworks went off in a burst of spiraling blues, leaving the sky empty and eerily silent. A cheer rang out from the crowd of party-goers, all of them clapping for the entertaining display (well all except Pony Head, who had no hands). "Wow, that was awesome, Marco!" Star cried, giving the boy a quick hug around the waist.

"Thanks," Marco said while standing, before offering his girlfriend a hand up as well, which Star eagerly took. Once the two were both on their feet, they both found themselves just staring into the other's eyes, Marco not yet releasing his bestie's hand. The moment seemed to last a lifetime (as their moments together often did), Marco trying to memorize every detail of Star's face, until finally, the blond asked in a loving coo, "So now what are we gonna do?"

Marco shrugged, his eyes still not leaving Star's as he responded in a similar flirting tone, "I don't know, what do you want to do?"

"Hmmm, well I think I have an idea," Star said, tapping a finger to her chin in pretend thought.

"And what's that?" Marco asked, leaning an inch closer to the girl.

"Welll, how about..." Star began softly, only to scream at the top of her lungs, "You light this rocket I have strapped to my back!!"

"What?!" Marco exclaimed, finally breaking off eye contact as he realized that Star was telling the truth, she really did have a massive firework half the size of her attached to her back. How had Marco not noticed her putting that on? Had he really been so preoccupied staring at Star he had somehow missed that gigantic thing?

"Come on, Marco! Light me up I'm ready to head for the stars!!" Star shouted, poising with a fist dramatically in the air as if she were flying.

"Ooohh no, not happening!" Marco said, shooting the idea down in a heartbeat. The two had already been pushing his safety instincts with their game, but not in a million years would Marco ever willingly set off a rocket attached to his girlfriend. There was just no way that was ever going to end well.

"Oh come on, Marco, I'll be fine, I'm a Mewman, remember? I can handle my explosions," the blond pressed, the look on her face telling the birthday boy that she was not taking no for an answer.

"Yeah, except you don't have magic now, remember?" Marco argued, putting his foot down on this idea.

Star deflated a little at that, pouting as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. "Okay, fine," she mumbled, her cheeks puffing up in such a cute way that Marco was sure he felt a few brain cells fry just from looking at it.

"Well in that case," a voice said, appearing behind Marco, causing the sixteen-year-old to scream. He looked over his shoulder only to see the smug face of Janna, who snatched the cigar out of his mouth before he could even blink. "Mind if I have a go?"

"Hey, Janna! What are you doing?!" Marco shouted angrily over at the girl who quickly stuck the cigar into her own mouth without a second thought.

"Aw, relax, Marco," the creepy teen said, giving him a reassuring grin that did nothing to reassure Marco in the slightest. "I'm just testing this out is all."

"Oh cool," Star said, her eyes filling with hope again. "Hey Janna Banana, think you can give me a light?" The blond turned to display the rocket a little better.

"Sure thing, Star," Janna said, taking one step forward, before Marco held up a hand, blocking her from taking another step.

"For the last time, nobody is setting off any rockets that are attached to my girlfriend!" the hooded teen said in a warning tone.

Janna held up her hands in surrender taking a few steps away from him. "Suit yourself, Diaz. It's your party, after all," she said, her voice hiding a cryptic layer to it as she inched closer and closer to the remaining pile of fireworks. "I'll just have to do something even more memorable," the girl added, her evil grin now obvious.

"Janna, what are you doing?" Marco asked suspiciously.

"Just this," she said with a casual shrug, before turning and letting out a big puff of the magic cigar, the resulting burst of magic landing right in the middle of the fireworks, several of the fuses already lit and depleting fast.

"Ahhhh, Janna no, get away from there," Marco screamed, running at the girl but it was too late as a huge explosion of bangs and flashes and colors were set off at once. The entire backyard soon bombarded by streaking rockets as party guests dove for cover, trying to avoid being caught up in the inevitable detonation of the air-born bombs. All except for Tom, who just sat calmly in his spot, sipping at his punch, Eclipsa and Globgore doing the same next to him. Mari and Meteora just laughed and clapped at the bright and noisy display, while Angela and Rafael did their best to shield the babies from any possible dangers.

One of the fireworks headed right for Star, who was busy gawking at the explosions open-mouthed, not noticing until it was too late as one went right into her mouth, making her swallow it in confusion. There was a short pause before Star's stomach imploded, her belly expanding and then returning to its normal size the girl standing there with a dazed look on her face.

"Star!" Marco screamed in concern, ignoring the danger as he raced over to check on his girlfriend. He grabbed her by the arms, gently shaking her as he asked in a panic, "Are you okay?! Do you have internal bleeding? Do I need to call the hospital?!"

"Marco, I'm fine," Star reassured him, gently peeling his hands off of her. "Like I said before, I'm a Mewman I can handle my explosions." Then, out of nowhere, the girl hiccuped, a puff of smoke exiting out of her mouth, before she covered it, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment.

Marco stared at his girlfriend in shock for a second, before turning and glaring over at Janna. "And see, this is why I didn't want you messing with fireworks," he told the beanie-wearing girl.

Janna just shrugged. "Aww, come on Marco, she's fine, Star's way tougher than you're giving her credit for."

Marco sighed, massaging his forehead with his fingertips. "That's not the point, Janna," he said tiredly.

"Then what is your point?" Janna asked, raising an eyebrow. "Cause as far as I can tell I just made your party unforgettable."

"Yeah, but not for the right reasons," Star pointed out, frowning at the girl now too, putting her hands on her hips. "You could have hurt someone."

"But I didn't," Janna corrected them.

The young couple just let out a simultaneous sigh, Marco face-palming, before turning over his shoulder and shouting, "Tom, please explain to your girlfriend why doing that was stupid and dangerous."

"Um, right," Tom said, standing and approaching Janna. He stopped a few inches in front of her, ignoring the smile on her lips as he cleared his throat and said scoldingly, "Jan, that was a really risky thing you did back there, even if it did look cool."

"Tom!" Marco shouted and the boy quickly corrected himself, "I mean, what were you thinking Janna?" he wagged a disapproving finger in her direction for emphasis, but Janna seemed unfazed by any of this.

"Well to be perfectly honest I just wanted to show off for my awesome boyfriend," Janna admitted, giving the boy a flirty look.

"Awww, babe," Tom said, his cheeks flushing a dark purple as he gave his girlfriend a goofy grin, causing Star and Marco to facepalm.

"Besides, that puny thing was nothing compared to what I can really do. You should have seen the explosion me and Eclipsa set off to try and blow up Mina," Janna explained, Tom staring at the girl with a shimmering gaze.

"I love you so much right now," he whispered, putting a hand gently and lovingly on her back.

Star and Marco both sighed in defeat, before a smile spread slowly between the two, unable to stay mad at Janna when she and Tom looked so cute together. Besides, Janna was Janna, there was nothing anyone could say or do that would change that girl. "Soooo what now?" Marco asked, turning to his girlfriend in anticipation.

Star grinned mischievously, rubbing her hands together in anticipation. "Well, I think it's about time to reveal the grand finale."

"Wait, seriously?!" Marco squealed in excitement. "It's happening now!"

"Yep!" Star replied brightly. She put both hands on either side of the boy's face, moving till her face was inches from his own as she said, "So, Marco Diaz, are you ready for your big surprise!"

"Uh, heck yeah, I am!" the boy shouted, pumping his fists into the air.

"Okay then..." Star began suspensefully, before suddenly pulling out a massive, colorful foam mallet from nowhere. "Then heads up, Marco!" she screamed, before full-on smacking him with the object, the thing releasing a small squeaky sound as she did, Marco screaming as he was sent sailing harmlessly through the air. The hooded teen tried not to panic as the ground beneath him grew farther and farther away, until they vanished beneath a layer of clouds. He had just barely crested the top of one of the fluffy clouds when gravity took hold, his stomach lurching as he began his rapid descent.

Star, meanwhile, watched with pride at her skyward boyfriend, the hammer propped on her shoulder. She noticed the boy beginning his fall and quickly shouted over to where Ferguson and Alfonso stood, awaiting her orders, "Okay guys, uncover the surprise!"

The two teens grabbed the large sheet and pulled it off, revealing the giant blue cannon underneath. "Move it a little to the left!" Star shouted and the boys obeyed, pushing it into its new position.

"I don't know Star, I'd say a little to the right would be best," Tom commented and the two teens obeyed.

"Nah don't listen to him girl, it's fine where it is," Pony declared, Ferguson and Alfonso moving it back.

"Perhaps you should move it more toward the fence," Eclipsa helpfully suggested.

"No left!"

"It should be more right!"

"I'm telling you, girl, it was fine where it was in the first place."

Ferguson and Alfonso were beginning to grow weary and annoyed at all the constant directions from the bickering group, the two sending them all glares. All the while, Marco's girlish screams grew louder and ever closer.

"Would one of you make up your mind?!" Ferguson shouted.

Star looked up, quickly judging the distance before racing forward and hitting the cannon with the hammer as she yelled out, "Super Hammer Swing!" pushing it back a few inches, just before Marco landed inside. The boy took a few deep breaths (clearly out of breath), his eyes wide and his hair messier than usual.

"Surprise!!" Star screamed in excitement, her smile incapable of growing any wider, dropping the hammer and throwing a small bit of confetti into the air.

The birthday boy just blinked once in disbelief, before he asked nervously, "Uhh, Star, no offense but why am I inside a cannon? And what was with the whole hammer thing?"

"Well, first of all, I know that ever since we destroyed the magic you've been really missing going on adventures and doing quests in the Neverzone and stuff like that," Star began, the pride in her voice still as clear as day as she leaned back against the cannon, looking completely calm despite the precarious situation the love of her life was in. "So I figured why not let you re-experience the thrill of adventure again with this baby." She patted the cannon lovingly.

"And the hammer?"

"Uhh, dramatic effect," the girl replied as if the answer were obvious.

Marco sighed. Should have known. "Don't you think this is a little unsafe?" Marco asked, his safety instincts resurfacing once more.

"Ohhh no you're right, Marco," the blond agreed, her face flashing with doubt as she walked slowly over to him. "I mean what was I thinking?" she scoffed, smacking a hand against her head. Once she was in front of him, she pulled out a helmet, quickly shoving it onto his head, before saying in a sing-song voice, "There, now you're all ready to go!"

Marco looked up at the helmet once, before fixing his girlfriend with a curious stare. "Where did you get a cannon, anyways?" Marco asked, slowly raising an eyebrow.

"Mom made it," Star replied immediately.

"What?!" the hooded teen exclaimed in disbelief.

"Oh yes, she's been making the neighbors jealous with her skills, haven't you, Moonpie?" River asked, pulling his wife a bit closer.

The woman blushed, modestly replying, "Oh it's nothing more than a hobby, really."

"Aw come on, mom, this is like the coolest thing you've ever done," Star told her, before turning back to her boyfriend. "Sooo Marco, are you ready to blast off to who-knows-where?" The blond asked dramatically, her eyes glittering with joy and affection as she waited for her bestie to answer, the boy biting the inside of his lip at the adorable look on his girlfriend's face. To be honest, he wasn't all too sure about this idea (even though the thought of an adrenaline rush had his body tingling with anticipation) but he also knew that there was no way he could say no to that cute face staring back at him. So he swallowed whatever safety instincts were telling him this was a terrible idea as he simply replied, "Yes."

"Great!" Star exclaimed before skipping over to the long fuse, picking up the end and handing it over to Janna, who still had the magic cigar in her mouth. "Okay then Janna, would you do the honors?"

"Sure, why not?" the beanie-wearing teen replied with a small shrug.

"Great!" Star exclaimed. Janna took in a deep breath, filling her lungs up as much as she possibly could, leaning in closer and closer to the waiting fuse, before stopping just short of it. She gave a small little puff into the cigar, causing only a single spark of magic to spring out, which landed precisely on its target, instantly igniting it. The small flame began to eat away at the long cord, the cannon growing and expanding to almost cartoonish levels as it made ready to spit out its unwanted occupant. As the fuse continued to burn away, Star watched it with curious interest, keeping her hands pressed tightly against her ears, but the smile still never straying from her lips.

Suddenly, though, Star remembered something, shouting over to her boyfriend, "Oh, yeah and remember, Marco, the best way to avoid losing a limb is to-"

But before the girl could finish her warning there was a loud bang as the cannon fired, sending an unprepared Marco streaking through the air. The entire group gathered in the backyard all watched as the boy grew farther and farther away, hands cupped over their eyes to try and spot him better. Soon Marco was nothing but a speck in the distance, vanishing from sight with a twinkle.

"Aww and there he goes," Star muttered softly to herself, putting her hands on her hips, her body covered head to toe in soot but she didn't seem to notice.

"Um, Star," Jackie suddenly spoke up. "Don't you think Marco went up a little high?"

"Nope, he's fine. It's all going according to plan," Star replied in a heartbeat.

"Well, what about your rocket?" Jackie pointed out. "Is shooting yourself off into space also part of your plan?"

Star laughed, waving a hand in the hair as she said, "Silly Jackie, the rocket isn't even lit, so it can't possibly-" But the words died on Star's tongue as she turned and saw the rocket was indeed close to igniting, the small flame inches away from reaching the main part of the explosive. "Oh," was all the girl had time to say before flames began shooting out of the bottom of the firework and she was launched into the sky. "AHHHHH!!!" came a distant shout, before the shooting Star disappeared into the night sky with a twinkle and a flash.

Jackie watched in disbelief as her friend vanished from sight before turning to stare at Janna who had a proud smirk on her face, holding the cigar dramatically between two fingers. "Pretty sure that wasn't part of the plan," Jackie commented in a warning tone.

Janna shrugged, before quipping, "It was part of mine." The girl brought the cigar back up to her lips, adding confidently, "She can thank me later." She started to take a deep puff when the cigar suddenly exploded, a colorful burst of magic dust and burnt popcorn filling the air around the teen, Jackie taking a step back and shielding herself from the blast with a raise of her arms. Once the dust cleared, Janna was left standing, covered head to toe in soot, the tip of her beanie on fire as she just stared blankly forward, seemingly unaffected by the explosion that just went off in her face.

"Uhhh, are you okay?" Jackie asked, concerned for her friend's safety.

"Oh please, you think I haven't had things explode in my face before?" Janna asked with a scoff. "I mean, I'm dating Tom for crying out loud, I deal with stuff like this on a daily basis."

"Actually, I'd say it's more the other way around," Tom corrected her with slight annoyance.

Janna smiled mischievously, telling her boyfriend in a voice thick with flirtation, "You know you love it."

Marco, meanwhile, was floating somewhere in space, his eyes wide as he looked around in shock, his brain struggling to understand how he was breathing all the way up here. But then again, this was Earthni, it was better not to question anything, he should just be happy he hadn't suffocated. Still, as he stared down at the long drop waiting below, his keen eyes unable to even spot his house (or his entire town for that matter) from this height. He let out a long sigh, as he realized he was now faced with a serious conundrum. Sure being fired out of a cannon had been thrilling and fun (if not slightly terrifying) but once the initial adrenaline rush wore down he realized he was stuck here, hovering in the atmosphere with no way to get down. He reached slowly for his phone, intent on calling one of his friends to come and pick him up with Nachos when he heard a loud shout echoing through the stratosphere.

He recognized the voice in a heartbeat, knowing Star's sweet tone anywhere since it had permanently engraved itself into his mind, just like anything having to do with his amazing bestie. Marco smiled, listening as his girlfriend's initial cry of fear turned to one of exhilaration and delight. Looks like he wouldn't have to make that call after all. Of course Star would come and get him, his girlfriend would never leave him hanging like that and his heart pounded in his chest in anticipation for her appearance. But his heart came to a sudden stop as he did finally spot the girl and realized that she was being blasted into space via giant rocket... and she was headed right for him.

Marco screamed, flapping his arms in an awkward attempt to avoid getting hit, but it was futile as the two lovebirds collided, the rocket exploding into a giant array of colors.

Down below on Marco's backyard, Oscar noticed a flash in the sky, saying nonchalantly, "Whoa, cool. Nice explosion."

Everyone all turned to see what the boy was talking about, only to gasp in shock as they too spotted the explosion, which soon formed into a giant pink heart made of light and fire, followed by another of different shape and size and then another and then another. The crowd all gaped at the sight, before clapping and cheering at what was surely meant to be the grand finale for the event. Mariposa and Meteora both giggled and cooed at the pretty display, while their parents all hugged their respective partners close. Ferguson and Alfonso pulled out their phones, snapping pictures of the sight. River was busy stuffing down as much food at the snack table as possible while nobody was looking, while Moon just sighed in annoyance. Pony was giving over-exaggerated expressions with Seahorse's camera posed on her. Jackie and Tom both looked up with concern at the colorful display, the skater asking, "Do you think they're okay?"

"I'm sure their fine, those two have handled way worse," Tom pointed out and Jackie nodded in agreement, a smile finally spreading across her face. Next to them Janna was nodding in satisfaction, seeming pleased with the results from her efforts, "And see, this is exactly why you guys should trust me with stuff more often. I just did Star a huge favor!"

"How is almost blowing her and her boyfriend up a favor?" Tom asked with a raised eyebrow.

Janna rolled her eyes before explaining, "She wanted this party to be as memorable and over-the-top as possible, right? Well, what's more memorable than that." The girl jabbed a finger in the direction of the quickly fading explosion. She crossed her arms smugly in front of her chest before adding, "Plus, those two even get some alone time together. So I'd call this a win-win."

Jackie and Tom shared a look as they realized that Janna was actually right. And neither were quite sure how to process this. Suddenly, Janna appeared between them, putting her arms around their shoulders as she led them over to the snack table, saying, "Now come on, guys. Let's grab some of Mr. Diaz's food before Star's dad eats it all."

…

Star and Marco said nothing for a moment, as they just floated gently next to each other, both forms now fully coated in soot and ash. Their eyes were wide as they stared blankly ahead, not even aware of their weightlessness, as they just hovered there. They were so out of it that neither saw a small laser puppy float by them, yapping happily or an open and empty chip bag sail past. Finally, the young couple's eyes met and they burst out into laughter a second later.

The two stayed like that for a few minutes, their chuckles growing louder and more rambunctious with every passing second until tears were falling from their eyes and Star was clutching her stomach, making her spin around in a lazy circle. Their giggles filled the void, causing their own voices to echo back at them, which only made them laugh harder, finding their partner's chuckles infectious.

Finally, the two were able to get a hold of themselves, their laughter slowly dying down into nothing more than breathless gasps as they struggled to breathe normally again. "Oh man, that was so exciting!" Star screamed, pumping her fists into the air.

Marco chuckled again, finding his girlfriend's enthusiasm as enduring as ever, "Yeah, I gotta admit that was pretty fun, even if it did get a little scary back there when you came at me with that rocket."

"Aw, come on, Marco. Did you really think I would attach something that dangerous to my back? You know me better than that at this point," Star told him and the hooded teen smiled, reaching out a hand to her.

"Yeah, guess I do," Marco replied, his cheeks tinged pink.

Star grabbed his hand and allowed him to pull her in close until they were in a tight hug, their bodies wrapped warmly and snugly around each other, slowly rotating in the lack of gravity though neither of them noticed nor cared. Marco couldn't remember the last time he was this happy, it felt so right having Star in his arms and it made his whole body tingle with a warmth only his Star could provide him.

"So did you like your surprise, Marco?" Star asked and Marco chuckled, squeezing her just a little bit tighter.

"Yeah, I did," the boy whispered, his voice soft but filled with love. "Thanks for throwing me such an awesome party, Star. I'll never forget it."

"Sure thing, Marco," Star said, thrilled to hear that Marco had enjoyed himself. Her party was an all-around success. Sure there were problems here or there, but so long as Marco was happy then she had done her job perfectly. "Anything for you."

Marco went silent, letting the wonderful moment wash over him. He knew that soon he would have to call Jackie and tell her to bring Nachos to pick them up, but right now he just wanted to stay here with his girlfriend, his bestie, his Star just a little longer. He did, however, pull out of the hug, Star giving him a curious look as their eyes met. "But there is one other thing I'd like for my birthday."

"What?" Star asked, her eyebrows scrunching together in the cutest way that Marco had to fight the urge to swoon at the sight.

"This," he whispered softly, before closing their distance between them. His lips met Star's and it was like another firework had just gone off, the spark the two felt real and perfect and so, so right that it left both of them breathless. Star gasped lightly against his lips before closing her eyes and deepening the kiss, her lips moving in perfect sync against his. For a long time, the two just floated there like that, their forms hanging high over the world they had created together, Marco enjoying the greatest gift he could have ever received. Star's love.

#Star vs #Star vs Fanfic #My Writing #Starco #Marco's Birthday #Jantom #Request

[dontdietwd]

Day 65, part 1

Daryl was snoring. Not too loud, I could probably go back to sleep if I tried, but the contrast with the deep silence of the shared room and the corridor woke me up with a start. For a second I couldn’t picture where I was, the shriek cry of a baby that had been only in my dreams fading to nothing as I looked around trying to understand the singing crickets and cicadas’ absence. On the couch by the cot, now not reeking any sort of smell, Daryl didn’t even more a muscle, his low, constant snoring lulling my heart back to a normal beat.

A clock on the wall above the door showed it was early morning. At camp, the group would be up and about by now, woken up by the growing heat inside the tents. The silence showed it was not the case this morning. I thought it was good; these people deserved a lie in to get some rest.

I got up, though, and padded silently to the tiny adjoining toilet, where I found a small pack with disposable toothbrush and paste. Making a mental note to put it in my bag later if we ever had to leave this place, because the toothpaste I had brought from home was being scrapped out of the package already, I brushed my teeth, drank water from the faucet and washed my face before tying back my headful of dreads. Daryl was still snoring when I quietly left the room.

Jenner was in the cafeteria, the same we all had had dinner the previous night, behind the counters filling a mug of fresh coffee.

“Good morning,” he told me with a small, forced smile. “I think I probably shouldn’t offer you coffee.”

“Oh,” I said as I stood on the other side of the counter. “’Cause pregnant women shouldn’t drink coffee?”

“Well, yeah, people say. I wouldn’t know, I’ve always focused on other areas of medicine.”

“Right. Yeah, it’s – so you got the result then.”

“Yep,” he popped after a sip of coffee.

“Right. Yeah…” Ilooked down with both hands on the counter.

“Mazel Tov,” he said saluting with his mug and I looked at him again, snorting a laugh.

“Yeah, thanks. Fuck…”

Jenner went silent, staring at me with his brows creased. I didn’t know him at all, but it seemed to me that he was worried and thoughtful, maybe.

“Hey, I’m the girl in trouble here having to give birth and raise a child during the end of the world. Why’d ya look like that?”

“Well... it’s, uh… That’s it, isn’t it? A child, the dead…”

“Yeah, I’m a bit more positive now that we’ve found shelter,” I crossed my arms and stared up at him. “Right? We didn’t talk about this, I know, but I was wondering how this works. I got a big group, an elder man, a child, these women who are just now learning how to defend themselves… And now I got a bun in the oven confirmed, so I’d be kinda worried if we got to go back out there. This place might’ve saved our lives,” I paused and looked at Jenner for a moment. He had rested his mug down, still staring at me. “If we don’t stay, well... Gotta be prepared for this, anyway, you know, women’ve had babies for hundreds of thousands of years in nature, living in caves, defending helpless kids from animals and whatever…”

I then took a deep breath, suddenly nervous about the prospect, contrary to my words. Having it confirmed and my otherwise flat stomach showing turned everything even more real, scarier, and the timing of the unfortunate accident this pregnancy was just stunned me.

“I must say,” Jenner started after a few seconds of silence. “I’m impressed by your positivity. Really,” he looked down, nodding to himself, lips tight.

“Okay, what is it, Doc?” I lost it, but tried not to be rude. “I ain’t blind, alright? You ain’t just worried about some random pregnant person who you met. What is it? What you worried about? You ain’t gonna let us stay here, is that it?”

He looked up quickly holding out a hand to me, “Hey, it’s – it’s nothing, ok? Just –” he started walking backwards, away from me. “Don’t worry about it now. I just – I have work to do. Excuse me.”

I tried to say something but he was gone before I could think of how to persuade him to tell me that the hell was happening in his mind. Something was seriously wrong and, with an icy feeling on my stomach – maybe the child had felt it too – I was certain this shelter was not what we had dreamed of. Entering it had been a miracle, and there were no more miracles these days.

And holy fuck, I really was fucking pregnant!

“Hey, you alright over there?”

Startling out of my reverie, I saw T-Dog having just arrived, standing by the counter. I smiled, giving some poor excuse and greeting him with a smile, not mentioning any worries. Together, T-Dog and I started fumbling in the cafeteria cabinets as to find something to make the group breakfast. The man was by the stove doing his best to prepare powdered eggs and I was mixing some artificial juice when the others began to flow into the space, most of them quietly. Glenn looked the worst, eventual groans demonstrating just how bad he felt. Dale, Andrea, Lori and Carl were also sitting with bowls of old but still good cereal.

“Dude, did you puke yet?” I asked Glenn as I stood behind him, a hand on his shoulder. He groans louder and hangs his head. Carl, a mouthful of cereal, laughs at him. “If ya haven’t you should, trust me, you’ll feel better.”

Rick joined us just as T was serving scrambled eggs that surprisingly seem to be good and Lori was handing Glenn some aspirins. As they all started to eat, I leaned against the counter, sipping on my glass of juice. I was quiet with a smile so it would seem like I was following the conversations and quiet teasing going on by the table, but my mind is only half there.

I knew I was pregnant, I was sure ‘bout it, why was I feeling this now? I needed to tell them. They had to know, life was about to get shittier for everyone with a knocked-up woman and then a screaming baby. Where was Daryl, still sleeping? The eggs kinda smelled good, I wished there was bacon. Damnit, bacon.

Interrupting my thoughts, Shane passed in front of me like a storm, walking fast and hunched, quickly dismissing the good morning wishes. At the table Lori flinched, looking down at her eggs, and seemed to shrink unbeknownst to anybody other than me, the only quiet and observing one.

“Fell as bad as I do?” Rick, at the head of the table, asked his friend.

“Worse,” is all he said before turning around and heading to the table.

“What the hell happened to you?” T-Dog asked as he met Shane on his way. “Your neck?”

Shane sits nearly across from the Lori, who purposefully busied herself with her food. “Must’ve done it in my sleep.”

“Never seen you do that before,” Rick questioned as I was slowly abandoning my position at the counter and stepping around the table to stand close to Lori without having planned to do so.

Standing there I could see what T-Dog had asked about. Shane had scratch marks on his neck, as perfect as nails. The rest of the table was silent and I was glad I wasn’t the center of attention. Blood had risen to my face and my throat was tight. I was sure Lori had made the marks, simply by her reaction to Shane’s arrival. She’d had to defend herself from him, and that certainty burned on my chest like a physical blow. I remembered Ed slapping Carol – where are Carol and Sophia? Gotta go find them, see if they’re okay – and the desire to do to Shane the same I did to Ed was almost stronger than me.

“Me neither,” Shane answered and stared directly at Lori. “Not like me at all.”

I then took a step closer to Lori’s back, staring at Shane, whose eyes slid up from Lori straight to me. I stopped there and held his eyes hard, my own narrowed and head turning slightly to the left, daring him to say or do anything else or, I don’t know, breathe.

Jenner returned to the cafeteria just then, finishing the subject. I held Shane under my gaze for seconds longer, though. I wanted him to know that, if no one else did, I had noticed and that I’d keep an eye on him. His look going even harder than before told me he got the message.

 ***

 Seeing the image of the brain dying, and then returning to life, though only in few parts, was not exactly news to anybody. It was impressive to see the transformation occurring on the inside, though. Extraordinary brain or not, it was how happened to everybody. It had happened to Amy, it had happened to Jim by now. But we had seen it in real life, we had shot freshly transformed people in the brain to put them to rest. Andrea had done it to her own sister. The mood in the room was now densely gloomy, verging hopelessness. Though he explained the procedure in detail, Dr. Jenner never mentioned a cause.

“You have no idea what it is, do you?” Andrea voices what was everybody’s impression.

“It could be microbial…” he started, vaguely, his answer to the question very clear. “Viral, parasitic, fungal.”

“Ain’t there nobody who’d know that?” I asked from where I was perched on a desk by Daryl. “Other centers, wherever, nobody could take the – the thing and analyze it to know what it is?”

“And how to stop it – kill it, more importantly?” Rick completed my question standing closer to Jenner

“There are others, right?” Carol also added her question. “Other facilities?”

“There may be some. People like me. There’s no way to be sure, though. Everything went down, communications, directives, all of it. I've been in the dark for almost a month.”

“So, it's not just here,” Andrea’s chin trembled as she spoke. “There's nothing left anywhere? Nothing? That's what you're really saying, right?”

The doctor didn’t answer. Instead, he lowered his head as he nodded, and for long seconds nobody spoke a word.

“Well, fuck,” I whispered making the others come out of their shock. Daryl stood up pressing the heels of his hands to his eyes, mumbling to himself that he intended to get drunk again.

Behind the group, among the next row of desks and computers, Dale’s voice came changing the subject and alerting the others for something that hadn’t been noticed yet. “Dr. Jenner, I know this has been taxing for you and I hate to ask one more question, but... That clock,” he pointed to a wall further away and the whole group looked at its direction. A red digital clock had just marked one hour. “It's counting down. What happens at zero?”

Once again, like it was beginning to be customary for the doctor, he took seconds to answer, looked around as if in doubt of how to phrase something. “The basement generators... they run out of fuel.”

“And then?” Rick asked him, his voice grave, but it had no effect on Jenner. He just lowered his head again and started walking away, completely ignoring the question. Rick looked up at nothing, as if talking to God, “Vi, what happens when the power runs out?”

“When the power runs out,” the robotic voice started. “Facility-wide decontamination will occur.”

 * * *

 When Daryl entered the room we had shared the previous night, I was already shoving whatever personal belongings I had back inside my backpack.

“Hey, what ya doing?” he asked as he leaned against the doorframe, a bottle of whiskey in hand.

“Just making sure, leaving the bags ready to take and go,” and I entered the touled, collecting the toothpaste. “I don’t like this no-generator-power-fuel thing. The way the guy didn’t even answer what’ll happen – I don’t know. I told the others to have their packs ready too.

“’Kay, I’ll just –”

“Yours’ done already,” I cut him and pointed to his bag on the floor. “Didn’t have much out.”

“What you figure is gonna happen?”

“No fuckin’ clue,” I zipped the bag forcefully and rested my hands on my hips. “But just think ‘bout it, we’re underground, not a single window, if there’s no power at all how’re we gonna have air? You know?” I pointed up and Daryl looked at the vent on the ceiling.

“No lights, no fridge for the food, no air circulating…” he completed my though.

“Nope, don’t seem to me like a place we can be for long. ‘S why I told the others to get ready, Jenner’s gonna have to explain what the fuck we’re gonna do if when the guys come back they say there really ain’t no more fuel.”

Just as the last words filled the tense air of the room, the light went off, leaving only a faint emergency glow coming from the corridor, and the silent place became even more silent as the air from the vents stopped flowing. Everybody was out in the corridor at once, asking questions at Jenner, who had just appeared and was walking resolutely along the hallway. In seconds, the whole group was back in the control room, Rick, Shane, Glenn and T-Dog back from the lower levels informing there really wasn’t any more fuel in the barrels. With his already infamous half-words, Jenner explained shallowly that the system of the building made the decisions, not him, and that air and light were not as important as keeping the computers running until the very last second.

“Alright, that’s it!” I raised my voice above all the others. “Back to the rooms now, everybody, grab your things and we’ll get the fuck outta here!”

For one or two seconds, everybody was following my orders, running towards the door, but everyone froze in place again at the loud, deafening alarm sound and blaring red light that took hold of our senses.

“30 minutes to decontamination,” the robotic, cold voice informed.

“Everybody, you heard Sam!” Rick shouted at the top of his lungs, “Let’s get out of here, now!”

A metal door rose from within the ground just as he spoke, closing the only way out of the room. It had looked like there wasn’t any door there at all, but now it seemed like it was a solid, metal wall. Fear on the verge of despair washed the group like an ice-cold waterfall, screaming and cries and Daryl trying to attack the doctor, who now was calmly sitting down on his fancy chair.

“Jenner, open that door now,” Rick tried, sweat rolling down his face.

“There's no point. Everything topside is locked down. The emergency exits are sealed.”

“Well, open the damn things!” Daryl yelled from where he was being held away by Shane.

“That's not something I control. The computers do,” Jenner spoke firmly, but still carrying and annoying calm on his words. “I told you once that front door closed, it wouldn't open again. You heard me say that.”

“We heard you say they’d stay closed, not that we’d be locked in even if we wanted out!” I yelled, despising how my voice trembled. “You were not very clear ‘bout that, doc!”

“It's better this way.”

“What is better?” Rick asked. “What happens in 28 minutes?”

He didn’t answer, once again, turning away and trying to type something on his computer. There was yelling once again, the men around Jenner trying to get him to talk clearly for once. He finally did, getting up from his chair and screaming and spitting that the whole place had been designed to protect the public from horrible deceases, to keep viruses, bacteria and parasite inside and to just destroy everything in case any of it could ever get out. Calming himself down like what he was about to say was the most calming and reassuring thing, he explained how the system did that.

“It sets the air on fire,” he practically smiled. “No pain. An end to sorrow, grief... Regret. Everything.”

“You mean an end to your sorrow,” I shouldered though the men and got closer to Jenner. “You’re sitting there accepting your fate, the end to your grief, but making us stay when we want to go?”

“Open the damn door!”, Daryl yelled from the door, where he’d started kicking it. Shane approached the door with an axe he had found somewhere and they both attacked it, grunting and making sparks come out of the metal.

“You should've left well enough alone. It would've been so much easier,” Jenner said from his chair, watching us like he’d watch a movie. “You know what's out there... A short, brutal life and an agonizing death!”, he tried to convince us. Looking at Andrea, he proceeded. “Your sister, you know what this does. You've seen it,” and he looked back at Rick. “Is that really what you want for your wife and son?

“I don't want this!”

“There is no hope. There never was…”

“There's always hope!” Rick was nearly crying in anger. “Maybe it won't be you, maybe not here, but somebody somewhere –”

“What part of ‘everything is gone’ do you not understand?” Andrea cried from her spot on the floor.

“Listen to your friend. She gets it. This is what takes us down. This is our extinction event,” Jenner said with a final tone, like the end of a discussion.

“This isn't right,” Carol was openly crying with Sofia on her arms. “You can't just keep us here!”

“One tiny moment... a millisecond. No pain,” the doctor carried on.

“What the fuck are you trying to convince us about, doctor?” I spoke again. “You want us to sit and accept the air around us will blow up and we’ll die?”

“Wouldn't it be kinder, more compassionate to just hold your loved ones and wait for the clock to run down?”

“Wanna hear what’d be kinder? Cause I don’t think you know much ‘bout it,” I bent a little to look at him. “Compassionate would be to let us choose our fate for ourselves. Lock people in and tell them they’ll die ain’t compassionate, it ain’t kind!”

“You may not see it, but I know what I’m talking about. There is nothing else out there other than dead people walking and ready to eat your flesh! Nothing!”

“You’re a fuckin’ liar, you know that?” I angrily whispered, but loud enough for everyone around to hear. “You didn’t kill yourself like the others. You stayed and you were still trying, weren’t you? Why is that, huh?”

“I didn’t stay alive because I wanted to!” he stood up making me straighten my back. Jenner pointed at the screen where he’d shown the image of the transforming brain before. “I made a promise... To her. My wife.”

“Test subject 19 was your wife?” Lori asked him.

“She begged me to keep going as long as I could. How could I say no? She was dying. It should've been me on that table. I wouldn't have mattered to anybody. She was a loss to the world. Hell, she ran this place. I just worked here. In our field, she was an Einstein. Me? I'm just... Edwin Jenner. She could've done something about this. Not me.”

I snorted a bitter laugh. “Good. You kept your promise to her right to the end. And then you fucked it all up. Bravo!”

“What is that supposed to mean?” Jenner took a step towards me just as Daryl restarted banging his axe on the door.

“You promised, you stayed, you researched, you did all of that. And then right at the end, in the very last minutes of your fuckin’ miserable life, you go and turn yourself into a fuckin murderer. Poor 19… Poor woman who’ll have a murderer for a husband.”

“Murder? Is that what – That’s not what I’m trying to do here!” he screamed and looked around trying to defend himself. “I’m helping you! You all came to me begging for help, and I’ve given it to you! You’re all going to die out there, a suffering, painful death, I’m being compassionate here –”

“Bullshit!” I yelled at his face. “You’re killing us! You’re lockin’ us in and giving us no choice! This is murder, plain and simple. Our lives are not yours to decide. If we wanna go back out there and die fighting to our last breaths, so we should be able to! These children’s lives are their mothers’ to decide about!” I cried out pointing at the direction where Lori and Carol held their kids. Then I pointed to my own stomach. “This child! My child! This life here is mine and I will fight like hell to save it. If we’re gonna die, we’re gonna die fighting. You don’t make this decision for us!”

Nobody seemed to be breathing now. Daryl’s banging on the door had ceased. Jenner stared down at me, eyes on mine for long seconds. Then he shook his head and walked towards the other side of his desk again.

“I told you topside's locked down. I can't open those,” and with a simple card and password, the metal door loudly slid open.

“Come on!” Daryl shouted from the threshold.

“This is the right thing to do,” I pointed at him. “Goodbye, doc!”

“Come on, Sam, let’s go!” Daryl called again as everybody else ran towards the exit.

“We have less than four minutes!” Glenn informed as he reached it.

On my way, I grabbed Jackie, who’d been standing motionless on her spot, and dragged the woman with me. On the rise that led to the door, Jackie stopped.

“No, no, I'm staying. I'm staying, sweetie.”

“What?! No, Jackie!”

“No, it's okay, I know. For the first time in a long time I’m sure about something. I'm not ending up like Jim and Amy.”

“You’re not, Jackie, we’re fighting for –”

“There's no time to argue and no point, not if you want to get out!”

“But Jackie –”

“Just get out, please Sam, you have a baby there! Just please, go!”

“Sam!”, Daryl returned from the hallway where he’d already reached. “Come on, Sam,” he said urgently, though in a muffled voice. “We gotta go now, come on!”

With a last look at Jackie, who nodded and smiled at me, I turned around and let Daryl drag me away.

 * * *

 Carol had a grenade.

Yep. Carol had a fucking grenade.

When the doors upstairs didn’t bolt even at gun shots, she suddenly took a grenade off her pack and handed it to Rick. He placed it by where the glass had been slightly cracked and everybody fell to the floor waiting for the explosion, Daryl right on top of me covering my whole body with his. The whole world shook as the glass broke at the explosion, the group climbing through the hole and out of the condemned building. Walkers outside fell like leaves at our shots, just not as scary as they had been just hours before. With seconds to spare everybody was inside the cars, ready to get out of there even before the explosion. Daryl pushed shoved me in before him into the truck through the driver’s door and just as he closed it we saw Andrea and Dale leaving the building, climbing out and running away, though not fast enough.

“Dale!!” I all but climbed over Daryl to be able to scream through the window. “Andrea! Get cover! It’ll blow – get cover!!”

There was still a moment to see them run and dive behind the sandbags before I was shoved down to the floor of the truck, Daryl over me and the deafening explosion, the heat on our skins threatening to burn everything around, an earthquake destroying anything that was still standing. For minutes we stayed like that, shaking, fearing the cars would not be enough to protect us, until it all started to fade, sound slowly lowering, heat cooling down degree by degree, faint cries coming from the other cars slowly reaching my ears.

“It’s over,” Daryl whispered from somewhere above me. “You okay?”

“Yeah! Yeah, you?”

He sat up on the driver’s seat, still bent down to look at me on the floor, curved into a ball. “Fine! Come on, get up,” he reached for my hand and pulled me up. “You fine. It’s okay.”

“Good, good, we’re fine… They’re all fine?”

“All cars whole, Dale and Andrea just entered the RV. Everybody’s fine.”

Being pulled up by Daryl, I didn’t stop moving until I was all but over him, clutching to his shirt and sobbing into his shoulder. I didn’t plan to do it, my body acting on its own volition. I didn’t pay attention to him starting the truck and it moving away from the burning building, my emotions completely out of my control. Daryl didn’t say a word; he held me against him with one arm as he awkwardly drove away following the other cars, only Shane’s jeep behind us.

#twd #twd fic #twd fanfiction #twd fanfic #twdfanfic #twdfanfiction #The Walking Dead #the walking dead fanfic #the walking dead fic #the walking dead fanfiction #thewalkingdead #the #daryl #daryl dixon #daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl twd #daryl oc #daryl x oc #original female character #Daryl Dixon x Original Female Character #daryl original female character #daryl dixon original female character #sam danes #daryl sam #daryl dixon sam danes #daryl x sam

[axiumin]

Extracurricular Activities | The Morning After

Thanks to the anon who politely demanded a continuation for Extracurricular Activities, I’m finally posting the second part! I honestly adore the idea of teacher!Jinyoung, so I’ll definitely be playing with this universe in additional stories. 

If you’re interested in reading the first part, check out the masterlist on my blog!

Pairing: Jinyoung x F!Reader

Rating: T

Genre: Fluff, AU

Words: 2.1k

You awoke to a brilliant beam of sunlight spilling in through the window and settling directly on your face. Honestly, as pretty as the sunrise was, you always firmly believed that it had no right to wake you up, so you were always careful to make sure you didn’t get an apartment with bedroom windows that faced east. You grumbled and buried your face into the pillow, dissatisfied that the sun seemed to spite you by rising in the west today.

It took a moment for your brain to catch up and inform you that no, the earth had not changed its direction of rotation; you were just not waking up in your bedroom today.

It took another moment for your brain to helpfully remind you exactly whose bedroom you were in.

Your eyes snapped open and you scrambled up into a sitting position. The room was utterly peaceful despite the pounding of your heart, and you noticed that you were by far the most disheveled thing in there. Nothing was out of place, and even the clothes that had been carelessly tossed on the floor the night before had been sorted out. A moment of searching revealed that your clothes— including your shirt, previously discarded in the living room— were folded neatly at the foot of the bed. Beside them, a clean t-shirt and sweatpants had been laid out in clear invitation.

Jinyoung was nowhere to be seen, and the bed beside you had long since grown cold. But once your heart settled down enough for you to be able to hear something other than its pounding, you realized that you could hear sounds of cooking coming from the kitchen.

Your stomach decided to get with the program and growl right at that moment, and you spared a moment to despair the fact that your stomach was always a bit keener than your brain. Sighing, you excavated yourself from the blankets and slowly stood up, testing the slight burn of your thighs that served as a memento of a night well spent.

You eyed the t-shirt and sweatpants, deciding quickly that they were a much better alternative to your rumpled clothing from the night before. They were soft and definitely not the right fit for you, and they smelled of Jinyoung, which made your stomach flutter with butterflies despite yourself.

Unfortunately, there didn’t seem to be any sort of mirror in Jinyoung’s bedroom, and his bathroom was down the hall and would require you to venture outside the relative safety of his room, so you were left to run your fingers through your hair and hope that you didn’t look too rough. Taking a deep breath and gathering your courage, you padded out into the short hallway that led to the kitchen.

Jinyoung stood with his back to you, fussing with something on the stove. He was also wearing sweats and a t-shirt, and you took comfort in knowing that you wouldn’t be underdressed. You lingered awkwardly at the edge of the kitchen, wondering just how you should announce yourself, but Jinyoung turned around before you had the chance to make up your mind.

He smiled when he noticed you, and your shoulders released the tension you hadn’t realized you’d been holding.

“How’d you sleep?” he asked, subtly looking you up and down. He either seemed pleased to see you wearing his clothing, or you were just projecting. Maybe both.

“Good. Maybe too well, honestly. How long have you been awake?” You nodded towards the frying pan, and Jinyoung shrugged and turned back to the pan, poking at its contents with a spatula.

“Not long,” he said over his shoulder. “Just long enough to get started on breakfast.”

You padded closer and looked over his shoulder to see scrambled eggs. “Wow, you weren’t kidding about being an impeccable host,” you said.

Jinyoung scoffed. “Hospitality isn’t something to joke about.” He gave the eggs a final stir and cut the heat. “These are just about done. Go ahead and take a seat. Do you want coffee?”

Once the food was dished up and you were both sitting at the table, you were struck by how comfortable it all was. You certainly felt a bit awkward when you first woke up, but now that you were face to face with Jinyoung again, everything felt unexpectedly natural. How did things feel this natural?

Your confusion must have seeped into your expression because Jinyoung interrupted your train of thought. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

You sighed and shook your head. “It’s nothing, really. Just. This should be awkward, right? So why isn’t it awkward?”

Jinyoung raised his eyebrows. “Am I making this too easy on you? Sorry about that. It’s just tricky to play hard to get when I like you.” He was smiling at you, the same warm, teasing smile as ever.

You sighed again, cracking a rueful grin. “I’m overcomplicating this, aren’t I?”

He shrugged, smile dropping into something more thoughtful. “It depends. Are we on the same page here?”

Slowly, you set your fork down and sat up a bit straighter. “Depends. What page are you on?” you asked.

“Last night, you said you wanted us to get to know each other better. You said you wanted to get to know all of me.” He paused and looked you in the eye. “Do you know everything you want to know?”

You were shaking your head before he even finished asking. “Not at all,” you said honestly.

Jinyoung nodded once, his lips slowly tugging into a smile again. He looked a bit relieved. “Good. Then we’re on the same page.”

You chuckled and shook your head in disbelief. “That easy?”

He shrugged. “Why not?”

Well, you couldn't argue with that— not that you would. You lapsed into silence as you considered what he said. You really did want to get to know him. In some ways, you did know him— intimately. And there were other things you learned about, too. That he was considerate, that he was kind and took care of you. That he could make a decent breakfast, too. But there really was so much that you didn’t know about him. Last night, he asked you out on a date, but you were the one who suggested to speed things up a bit. You couldn’t help but wonder if you were doing things backwards now.

“You’re doing that thing again,” Jinyoung said, starting you out of your thoughts for the second time that morning.

“What thing?”

“The,” he paused and reached across the table, pressing a thumb against the furrow in your brow, “over-thinking.”

You raised your eyebrows, and he dropped his hand. “Over-thinking? Who’s to say it’s not just normal thinking?” you challenged.

He looked unconvinced. “The last time you looked like that, you were trying to convince yourself that you should feel awkward.” Well, okay, you couldn’t argue with that.

You held his gaze for a moment before finally giving in. “Okay, you’re right,” you sighed. “I was just thinking that I really don’t know much about you aside from what I’ve seen during our interactions together.”

Jinyoung leaned back in his seat, looking satisfied. “Is that it? Why don’t you just ask me, then?”

There he went again, making perfect sense. You swore that once you weren’t feeling so off-balance, you’d be able to match him word-for-word. Maybe you’d get there after a shower, or once you weren’t wearing his clothing, sitting and eating breakfast at his dining table.

Maybe.

Either way, until then, you still had to concede that he had a good point. You decided to start off simple. “So, what do you do when you’re not educating the youth? Got any special extracurricular activities?”

Jinyoung chuckled. “I think most people would call those hobbies,” he teased gently. Before you could sass him back, he continued. “I guess just the usual? Watching movies, going for walks, listening to music. Things like that. What about you?”

You hummed thoughtfully. “I guess the same. I read a lot— and write even more, though I don’t know if that can be considered a hobby.”

“What do you mean?” he asked.

“Well, it’s kind of more of my job now. I work in copywriting and editing.”

He hummed. “Ah, that was going to be my next question. But what kind of writing did you do before?”

You shrugged, feeling your face grow warm. “Not much. Just a couple of short stories. Nothing of interest, really.”

Jinyoung scoffed. “I don’t believe that at all.”

“No?” you asked, cocking a brow. “And why’s that?”

“Look, I can already tell you’re bright. I’m sure you have something meaningful to say through your stories.”

You considered this. “You know what? Maybe you’re right. After all, who knows? Maybe you’re looking at the next E.L. James,” you teased.

Jinyoung paused and made a face. “I… don’t actually know who that is. But from your face, I’m guessing it’s not a good thing.”

You chuckled. “Depends on your private life.” Jinyoung looked skeptical, but you pressed on before he could ask. “Anyway, tell me about how you became a teacher.”

The two of you settled into an easy conversation from there, talking about everything and nothing until the morning grew late and the coffee was long cold.

During a comfortable lull in conversation, you glanced at the clock over the stove and sighed. “It’s almost noon. I should really get going.”

Jinyoung echoed your sigh. “You’re right. But let me give you a ride home.”

It didn’t take long for you to change back into your clothing in spite of Jinyoung’s protests that you looked great in his sweats, and soon you were sitting shotgun in his car, watching the city pass outside the window.

A light weight on your knee brought your attention back to Jinyoung and his hand resting on your leg.

“Hey,” he said, glancing at you before looking back at the road. “I wanted to let you know that I had a good time last night. It’s not how I expected things to start between us, but I don’t regret a single part of it.”

You smiled and laced your fingers in his. “I agree, actually. It’s not how I usually start things.” You hesitated to call it a relationship just yet, though the word was on the tip of your tongue. “But I had a lot of fun.

“You truly are an impeccable host,” you added, with just a hint of teasing.

Jinyoung nodded solemnly. “Thank you for acknowledging the truth.”

You chuckled and went back to looking out the window. “You know, if your offer from last night is still on, I’d really like to go on that date with you soon.”

His hand squeezed yours. “It’s still on,” he said softly.

You saw your grin reflected back at you in the car window and knew you were well on your way to being gone for this man. When he walked you to your apartment door and departed with a soft, undemanding kiss, you knew that you were already closer to falling for him than you’d thought.

You closed your apartment door and leaned against it with a heavy sigh, scrubbing a hand over your face and trying to remind yourself of what it was you were going to do before the feeling of Jinyoung’s lips against yours managed to make you forget pretty much everything else.

Your hand came away from your face streaked with the remnants of your mascara from the night before, and you grimaced. Right. First, a shower, and a promise to yourself to never fall asleep in your makeup again.

The hot water was heavenly against your back, easing the remnants of the aches from your night with Jinyoung. It was incredible, you mused, how much your thoughts could be occupied by one person. You thought about his fingers in your hair as you rinsed out your shampoo; you thought about the careworn softness of the shirt he loaned you when you got dressed in your own lazy-day clothes.

Even as you finally fished your phone out of your purse and scrolled through the many texts from your friends from the night before (overwhelmingly congratulatory, and yeah, you knew they were going to be asking for details and you’d have to dish), you couldn’t help the way your eyes honed in on the texts from Jinyoung.

You huffed out a quiet laugh when you read them and quickly typed out your response.

Shaking your head fondly, you finally decided to let your phone charge so you could focus on other things. But even as you settled into the cushions of your couch and started flipping through different shows on your TV, you couldn’t help but think about Jinyoung still.

You’d managed to learn a lot about him in your short time together, but you found that the things you did learn only made you want to get to know him even better. Anticipation mingled with the butterflies that fluttered pleasantly in your tummy, but you knew you had to be patient. After all, you had plenty of time.

#got7 #got7 imagines #got7 scenarios #got7 reactions #got7 one shots #kpop #kpop imagines #kpop scenarios #kpop one shots #jinyoung #park jinyoung #jinyoung fluff #jinyoung imagine #jinyoung one shot #jinyoung reaction #got7 fluff #kpop fluff #me: the story is written and i will post soon!!! #also me: *posts the story like two weeks later* #my apologies.