#and so they huddle inside of one tent together soaking wet

[nyxhaven]

Seeking A Warm Body (gale x gn reader smut 18+)

On a frigid and rain-soaked night in camp, Tav's thoughts turn to the possibility of sharing a tent with their charismatic fellow traveler, Gale, purely for warmth. As the relentless downpour intensifies, Tav contemplates the unspoken connection between them, wondering if their camaraderie might evolve into something more. With a surge of courage, Tav approaches Gale's tent, seeking solace from the bitter cold, and in the cozy confines of shared warmth, they discover that sometimes, on a night as raw and unpredictable as this one, the line between friendship and something deeper blurs in the soft glow of lantern light.

Amid the persistent drumming of raindrops on the canvas tents, Tav sat by the flickering glow of a campfire, shivering slightly as the chill of the night seeped into their bones. They stared into the dancing flames, lost in thought. Across the camp, Gale, their adventurous and enigmatic companion, was huddled under a separate tent, their silhouette barely visible through the rain-smeared fabric.

Tav's thoughts wandered as they considered the idea of sharing a tent with Gale. It wasn't unusual for travelers to bunk together for warmth on such a cold, wet night. The rain had been falling steadily since the late afternoon, turning the camp into a mud-soaked quagmire. The campfire, though valiant in its efforts, provided limited respite from the pervasive dampness.

Tav stole a glance towards Gale's tent. Was it mere practicality that kept them apart, or was there something more? Gale was known for their cheerful demeanor and their charismatic tales around the campfire, but Tav had sensed something deeper in the glances and smiles exchanged between them. A connection that went beyond the camaraderie of fellow travelers.

The rain intensified, its pitter-patter on the tent turning into a persistent hiss. Tav felt a shiver run down their spine, and with each passing minute, the idea of sharing a tent for warmth became more appealing. They took a deep breath and gathered the courage to approach Gale's tent.

As they unzipped the flap and entered, the dim light from a lantern revealed Gale huddled in a bed roll, reading a weathered old book. Startled, Gale looked up, their eyes wide with surprise.

Tav cleared their throat, trying to sound nonchalant. "It's getting really cold out there, and my tent feels like an icebox. Would you mind if I joined you for a bit, just to stay warm?"

Gale's face broke into a warm smile, their eyes crinkling at the corners. "Of course, Tav, come on in. It's a tight fit, but I think we'll manage."

With a grateful nod, Tav zipped up the tent, now only realizing gales magic hes used to make the inside of his tent much larger then it looks on the outside and they settled in close, the warmth of the bed roll providing an instant respite from the bitter cold. The rain continued to pour outside, but within the cozy confines of the tent, Tav and Gale found them selves face to faces their noses grazing each others. Gale couldn’t help himself from smiling.

“you look very pretty tonight tav.” gale states holding his breath in response.

“thank you Gale, you’re always so kind to me. you’re not half bad looking either.” Tav jest getting a laugh from the both of them.

gale reaches over him, leaning himself close over the top of Tav. tav can feel his breath on their ear as he dims the latern down. “let’s make it more comfortable, is this nice?” gale says low and softly.

Gales voice sends a shiver down your spine. “Thank you for letting me stay the night.”

“stay as many nights as you wish in these walls.” Gale replies cupping tavs face, the water droplets on Tavs eyelashes fell to their face when they blinked. still damp from the elements gale wipes the water droplets off their cheeks. Gale noticed Tavs eyes for all they were illuminated dimly by the lantern. Gale chewed on his bottom lip. his hand slid back and begins to rub Tavs earlope softly. His hand slids its way down the side of Tavs body, stopping at his waist he pulls Tav in. Their bodies pressed close in the bed roll. “by the gods you are cold, You shoulda come in sooner.” Gale says caringly

Gale leans into kiss Tav pulling them in there lips meeting. Gales kiss start soft, and careful. Quickly they become sloppy and deep with passion. Tav doesn't see gale like this, possesive, he has your attention and doesn't want to loose it. Tav follows the tango with gales mouth, giving in to his urges. Gales hand explore Tavs back finding the small of it, pulling Tav into him, placing his leg between Tavs. Gales fingers find the hem of their shirt pulling the wet clothes over Tavs head exposing their bare chest. Gale immediately places kisses down their chest like he's claiming Tav all for his greedy self. Tavs hips grind against gales thigh placed between their heat. Luckily for Tav their pants are already partly wet as they are already wet with excitement.

Gales finger play at the waistband of tavs pants. Wanting to get the wet leather off their soft skin, he unbuttoned Tavs pants. Almost whining into the kisses begging Tav. Tav pulls the soft velvet tunic of over gales head. “Take your pants of Gale” tav whispers against his soft scruff.

Gale lifts his hips and pulls his trousers and briefs down kicking them off to the side of the tent somewhere. Tav follows suit balling up their wet clothes throwing them back into the cold. Now both naked gale lays over Tav holding himself up, looking down at them Gale reignites the passionate kissing.

“I want you Gale.” Tav says softly.

“Im all yours already, you just didn't see it.”

“Please just go slow, I haven't done this in a while.” (pov switch)

“No need to worry when you are in my arms.” Gale says kissing your lips. “Just watch me, now spit.” Gale says holding his cupped hand below your chin. Meeting his desires, he adds his own saliva to his hand before leaning back using his spare hand he pushes his hair out of his face painting, the gale that stood before you was not the gale you saw in the daylight with your companions, no, Gale was nothing but a acolyte ready to worship his God. Wetting his cock with the handful of your spit he using the remainder of your slick to wet the skin around your hole. You feel the calloused fingers of the scholared wizard tease you before slipping his middle finger into you, slightly pulling it out before reinserting it.

“You alright?” Gale checks in. You nod as your breath hitches as you tighten around his knuckle. “Wonderful”

Gale slips another finger into you stretching you out before setting a steady pace watching you pant, studying you like an ancient tome, learning where you like to feel his long fingers explore inside you. Pulling his fingers out he holds them up to his lips. Making eye contact his sucks yours and his juices of his fingers. Grabbing your ankle and setting it on his shoulder his pulls your hips into him. He places the head of his large dick on your hole. “Youre gonna be so good for me, I'll go slow, just breathe.” you realize how just how thick the girth of gales cock is as it rest, ready to enter you. Gale slowly prods the tip inside you, stretching you hole around the length of Gale. The heat of the moment fills the tent, the thunder in the back round rolling as Gale brought himself out and buried himself back again inside you.

You let out a flurry of deep breaths and gales name. Luckily the rain beat the canvas tent shielding your mess of joined moans from your companions sleeping in tents just feet away. Gales dick thrust into you finding the spot that makes you dig you nails into his arm. Gales pelvis slaps into your ass as he holds your leg up against him allowing him to enter deeper into you. Your walls tighten around him, looking up, gales hair falling into his face, his neck and pecks beaded with sweat. He has an intense look on his face as he focuses on making the person he's with feel pleasure. Feeling his full length in you brings the wave of your orgasm rushing in. Letting out a loud moan gales name makes its way to your lips you ride the waves of pleasure from your orgasm. Gale removes his cock pumping it over your center releasing a large load across your stomach. Gales hips buck into his hand as he leaks his final bit of semen.

Gale grabs his tunic he had thrown on he ground and cleans you up nicely and gently, tossing it back aside Gale settles back into the bedroll and holds you in his arm. He traces his finger over your skin as you listen to the rain and thunder. Gale whispers sweet nothings praising you for how good you did before dozing off ready for the next day. Thankful for the warm body Gale provided on a rainy night.

A/N had the day off enjoy this quick one shot, lemme know who to write next pls! I'm thinking probably halsin 🐻🍯

#bg3 gale #gale dekarios #gale of waterdeep #gale x gn!reader #gale x reader #gale x tav #gale baldurs gate 3 #gale bg3 #smut #fanfic

[sokkascroptop]

taylor! i am offering you this: prince! sokka and appointed knight! y/n. no, i will not be elaborating. -🌈 anon

this is it. this is the final piece of my blog and i can pass away happily with this thought only, swirling around my head.

rainbow anon, HOW have i never thought of this before. you're the only one who can be blamed if i write a drabble based off of this now.

in an atla AU where There Is No War, the southern water tribe can still be a dangerous place, and it's even more dangerous when you're the Crowned Prince of your Nation. Or that's what all the advisors tell Sokka, not that he'd know, he's never allowed out of the palace unless it's for sanctioned activity; some party or some other boring meeting he has to go to.

But Sokka always been so curious!! He's given the best tutors the SWT has to offer and then they ask for complacence from him? they teach him the wonders of the world that live outside of this frigid palace and expect him to not want to go there??!!!! so no one can blame him if he wants to see the great city of Ba Sing Se and the huge walls they built long ago, when the world was a much scarier place. It's only the tutors fault if Sokka wants to travel to all the Airbender temples and meet with his friend Aang and learn all about airbender culture from the airbenders themselves! (plus Aang says they have the best fruit pies in the whole world, and Aang's actually gotten to travel the world, so he would know). Why wouldn't Sokka want to visit Zuko and Azula and Mai and Ty Lee in the Fire Nation without guards flanking his every move??

But Sokka has no means, and no way to get out of the Water Tribe and onto a boat anywhere without getting caught. I mean he's smart, but not street smart. He only mentions wanting to leave for a bit ("Just to get away, Katara! Not forever!") to Katara once before she's knocking at his door three nights later with a scheming look in her eye. "You said you wanted to travel the world? I can help you with that."

In enters Y/N. Sokka knows that he's never seen her around before, he'd remember that, so where exactly did Katara find her?!

"She's a knight-in-training, but she used to travel a lot with her family and she's really good. I see her training when I'm out practicing my waterbending."

Y/N gives a little bow, but the smirk on her face makes Sokka blush because that felt really mocking. "So Prince Sokka, what do you say? Are we going to run away together?"

#and then they DID!! #it probably pretty buddy/cop at the beginning #y/n being all sarcasm and wit #but what she doesn't expect is that sokka only talks in sarcasm as well so they get along way better than she thought they would #but she knows that lord(?) hakoda is going to be /pissed/ when no one can find his son #so she makes sokka write letters home telling them that he ran away and is not dead in a ditch #and sokka is like #and dont worry i'm not dumb i brought a knight w me to keep me safe... here y/n say hi #y/n: ..... #and imagine the fun they would have wearing disguises!!!! #sokka thinks that shopping for disguises is the best part of the whole trip #and they visit all of sokka's friends!!!!! as they make their trip around the world #and they fall in love as they do it :') #ugh this is brain rot #oh fuck theres probably one night where they can't get to an inn in time and it gets too dark and y/n says they have to set up camp #but as soon as she gets one tent up it STARTS POURING RAIN and she has to abandon building the other tent #and so they huddle inside of one tent together soaking wet #and it's all very 'and there was only one bed' #but at this point both of them are pining hard #but y/n is like 'i can't he's the prince he could never like me like that' #and sokka is like 'i can't i'm a prince and y/n would never like me like that' #but IT IS IT IS LIKE THAT #and then they kiss because duh dude they're soaking wet from the rain and cuddled in a tent together #the end #taylor talks #rainbow anon

[sergeantsporks]

Another Shot At Life

Rating: General Audiences, Gen

TW: Child abuse, emotional manipulation

Ao3

Hunter accidentally makes his way into the human realm and can't get back home. But he's discovering that might not be such a bad thing.

Ch 3/7: Rainstorm

Ch 1, Ch 2

Vee wrinkled her nose at Hunter as she passed him. “Are you seriously never going to change?”

Hunter tugged his cloak more firmly around him, setting down his sketch of the portal door. “I like my uniform. It reminds me of home.” He pulled off his gloves. He’d need titan blood to get home—he couldn’t risk anything happening to the bit on his gloves.

“You’re going to start smelling.”

“Vee, be nice,” Camila commented as she strode by, “But—yeah, Hunter, I think she might be right.” She grabbed some odd… weapon, maybe? It was like cloth attached to a curved handle. “I’ve only got a couple of appointments today, I should be home soon. We’ll watch something together, I’ll make popcorn. You’ll like popcorn, Hunter.”

Hunter jumped up, skidding in front of the door. “Are you crazy?” he yelped.

“What?”

“It’s pouring out there!”

Camila blinked. “Uh… yeah? That’s why I have an umbrella? Sweet of you to be concerned, though, thank you.”

Vee giggled. “Oh! Hunter, the rain doesn’t boil here.”

That was what Uncle Belos had told him, but... Hunter glared distrustfully out the window at the water pouring down from the sky. “Are you sure?”

Camila stepped out onto the porch, holding up her cane weapon. It extended, forming a canopy over her head. She held a hand out to Hunter. “Come on, I’ll show you.”

He gingerly reached for her hand, and she grabbed it, pulling him under the… umbrella? She gently tugged him out from under the porch overhang, splashing into a puddle. He scooted closer to her, staying under the protective dome of the umbrella.

Camila held one hand outside of the canopy, the raindrops splashing harmlessly on her skin. “See? Not boiling. You try.”

Hunter tentatively reached out, his hand stalling at the edge of the umbrella’s protective area. Camila nudged his hand out, and he winced as the first raindrops hit his skin, reflexively jerking his hand back in.

It was fine. No burns. No heat. He poked one finger out, drawing it back in quickly. Still nothing.

Camila put her hand over his, and he tensed. She gave his hand a squeeze. “Hunter. I promise I won’t hurt you.” He reluctantly let her pull his hand out in the rain, flipping it palm-up, and cool, fat droplets splattered down on his open hand. “See?”

Hunter blinked at the rain, wiggling his not-burning fingers. “…Huh.”

Camila walked him back to the porch. “I have to go back now, see you two soon.”

She got in her car and drove off. Hunter stood on the porch, watching the rain.

“Are you going to come inside?” Vee asked in the doorway.

Hunter stuck his hand out in the rain, then pulled it back in quickly. Nope. Still not boiling.

“Hunter?”

Hunter took a deep breath, and stepped out into the rain, tilting his face up. Raindrops splattered down his face, and he was almost instantly soaked. He kicked a puddle, and a laugh escaped his mouth. It didn’t boil. It really didn’t. He whirled back around to face Vee.

“It doesn’t boil!”

She looked vaguely amused by the whole thing. “No, it doesn’t.”

Hunter jumped in a puddle, soaking his feet. “Ha!” He dashed up to the house and grabbed Vee’s hands, dragging her out into the rain. “Isn’t this great?!”

She kicked a puddle at him. “I’m cold-blooded!”

“Oh. Yeah. It’s not that cold, though.”

Lightning flashed across the sky, followed by an echoing boom, and Vee shrieked, disappearing into the house. Hunter gave the sky a regretful look, and followed her, closing the door behind him. Red fluttered to his shoulder, then chirped irritatedly at how wet he was, and flew back into the air, shaking water off of its feathers. Vee was nowhere in sight, but she’d left behind puddles of water that he followed up the stairs and to her closed door. He tried the knob. She hadn’t locked it this time.

Hunter poked his head in the room. “Vee?”

Her eyes blinked at him from under the bed, and she hissed.

Hunter reached under the bed. “Hey, what are you—”

Sharp, needlelike teeth pierced his hand, and he jerked back. “Ow! Hey, what’s wrong with you?!”

“I don’t want to,” she yelled, “Go away!”

Red landed on the ground, starting to hop under the bed, chirping softly. Hunter reached out and grabbed it. “No! She’s scared, she might hurt you on accident!”

Red warbled reproachfully at him, and gently pecked his fingers until he let go. The little palisman hopped closer to Vee, nudging her hand and chirping reassuringly that she was okay, and no one would hurt her—not that she could understand it.

“Vee?”

There was another peal of thunder, and Vee hissed again.

Hunter got flat on his stomach, peering under the bed at the basilisk. “Hey. Does Camila know that you’re scared of thunder?”

Vee shook her head.

“Okay. I won’t tell.”

Vee crawled out from under the bed, cuddling Red to her chest. She flinched as another peal of thunder echoed, but didn’t go back under the bed.  “Why would I want to hide it from her?”

Hunter sat up. “I—uh—I mean…” he thought about it. “I—I don’t know?”

Vee nudged him. “You’re soaked.”

“So are you.”

“Yeah, guess I am.” Vee stood up. “I’m going to change into something dry. You should do the same.”

Hunter squeezed water out of his cape. “I’m fine.”

“You’re going to catch a cold, and you’re going to get the couch soaking wet.” Vee opened a closet and threw a towel at him. “Get changed.”

Hunter made a face at her, but traipsed back down the stairs, picking up the clothes Camila had left for him. They were a bit big, but not so big he couldn’t just put his belt back on. Goosebumps rose on his bare arms. He did not like this. There was no defensive value to this outfit. He glanced regretfully at his dripping-wet armor. The padding on the inside of that would take a while to dry out. He shouldn’t have gone out into the rain wearing it.

There was another rumble of thunder, and Hunter heard a crash from upstairs. When he got up there, Vee was under the bed again. She didn’t hiss when she saw him, though—a little voice in the back of his head said it was because he wasn’t wearing the uniform of her abusers.

Hunter reached under the bed again gingerly, ready to pull his hand back if she tried to bite him again. “Hey—c’mon out, it’s just noise.”

Vee grabbed his hand, pulling his arm under the bed. “Whoa. You’ve got a lot of scars.”

Hunter yanked his arm away, tugging at the short sleeves he was wearing in a useless effort to cover all of his arms. “Hey! Don’t…”

Vee crawled out from under the bed, sitting next to him. She tugged up the sleeve of her own hoodie and held up her wrists, which had thick scars on them. “They kept us chained up, and the manacles rubbed away the skin.” She tugged the hoodie sleeves back down. “No matter what form I take, the scars still follow me.” She stared at him expectantly.

Hunter crossed his arms, staring up at the ceiling. “When I was… little… I didn’t listen. I was always getting into trouble. Emperor Belos, he… he has a condition. And… he gets these attacks. And… when I was still new, I… I wanted to help. And… he would lash out. It wasn’t his fault,” he added hastily, “He isn’t trying to hurt me, he can’t control himself during the attacks, and I kept getting too close, and… And then when I got older, I finally learned my lesson and stopped trying to help. It was my fault. All of them were—I never listened, I talked back, I was awful.”

Vee set Red in his lap. “Hey, Hunter? How many of those scars actually happened during an attack?”

“A-all of them.” Hunter scratched his palisman’s head, hands trembling. “I would set him off when I misbehaved, because emotion makes curses act up, you know, so when I made him mad, it would—”

“Hunter!”

He jumped. “What?!”

“That’s not—he hurt you!”

“It was my fault! I deserved it!”

Vee groaned, putting her head in her hands. “You need help.”

Hunter crossed his arms again, pressing his arms to his stomach so that the extra fabric of the shirt would hide the scars. “I’m fine.”

Vee sighed, opening her closet door and tossing him an over-sized hoodie. “Whatever you say.”

He tugged the hoodie over his head, and relief swept over him when his scars were covered up. “Um… Don’t…”

“Let me guess; tell Camila?”

Hunter pulled the hood of the sweater up, twisting the drawstring around his finger. “Yeah. That.”

“Hunter, Camila is… she’s a good person. You don’t have to hide anything from her. What are you scared she’ll do?”

“I—I don’t know, I just…”

“She won’t hurt you.”

“I know that, I just feel like…”

“Feel like what?”

“I don’t know!”

“Hunter?”

Hunter threw his hands up in the air, startling his palisman. “I just—I’m scared. Okay? I don’t know what I’m scared of, I’m just scared. And I know it’s stupid! I know you keep telling me that Camila won’t hurt me, I know she hasn’t hurt me, there’s no reason, I just… I just still feel like I need to hide.”

“Who are you hiding from?”

“Camila. Kikimora. Belos—I don’t know. I just…”

Red snuggled into his hood, chirping softly.

It’s okay. I’m here.

Hunter pulled his knees up to his chest. “Why do you hide from the thunder?” he shot back at Vee, “It can’t hurt you, it’s just sound, and hiding under the bed isn’t going to protect you from it.”

Vee sighed. “Yeah. Okay. That’s fair.” She stood up. “Did I ever teach you how to use the stove?”

“I know how to use a stove.”

“Okay, come on, then. I’m freezing—you owe me some hot chocolate.”

Xxx

Camila shook water off of her umbrella, leaning it against the door and stepping inside the house. Vee was huddled under a pile of blankets, Red the cardinal perched on her head, and Hunter was sketching that odd door picture again.

“Oh, hey, you got changed!”

He nodded. “My uniform got soaked.”

“Anything interesting happen while I was gone?”

Vee shot Hunter a very pointed glance that Camila wasn’t sure she wanted to know the meaning behind, and nodded. “It thundered, and it really scared me.”

“Aw, Vee, mija, I’m so sorry. I’ll pick up some earplugs the next time I go shopping, okay?”

“Thanks, Camila.” Vee extended a hand from her blankets and scratched Red under the chin. “Red helped me through it.”

“Really? That’s sweet.” Camila smiled at Hunter. “Thank you for sharing your palisman with Vee. That was very nice of you.”

His whole face turned beet red and he flipped his hood up, pulling the drawstrings tight and mumbling something incomprehensible.

Camila set her purse down. “Alright what do we want to watch? Tomorrow’s my day off, so we can stay up late.”

Vee brightened. “I want to watch Stephen Universe!”

“Again?”

Vee shrugged. “I really like Amethyst. Besides, I think Hunter will like it.”

Camila laughed. “Alright, Stephen Universe it is.”

Xxx

“I’m going to tell the emperor.”

You can’t hide from me, Hunter.

“Red!” Hunter snapped awake, fumbling for his palisman. The bird landed on his chest.

It’s okay. I’m here.

Hunter gently patted the bird, sinking back into sleep. “Yourrrrrre okay,” he murmured, closing his eyes again. “You’re…”

Don’t talk back to me!

Hunter, you cannot upset me! The curse will hurt you.

“Hunter?”

Someone shook him, and Hunter lashed out, punching Camila right in the face.

The blood drained from his face, and he put his hands to his mouth. Oh, Titan. Oh, he’d—oh, no. “Sorry,” he squeaked.

“Ow!” Camila fell backwards, holding her nose. “Ow—you’ve got a strong arm.”

Hunter didn’t move. He held stock still, eying her warily. Camila was nice, but he’d just attacked her. That wouldn’t just fly.

“Sorry if I startled you. It was just—you looked like you were having a nightmare.” She blinked at him, her face lit up by the blue glow of the TV. “Hunter? Hello? Are you okay? Say something.”

“Sorry,” he said again.

“Hey—it’s okay. Heck, I’ve gotten bitten by Vee when I startled her before. If anything, I should learn not to surprise people. Are you…”

Hunter curled his knees to his chest, resting his chin on his knees. “Just… a nightmare.”

Camila gingerly reached out, putting her hand on his shoulder. It was… odd. It felt nice. Comforting, even. “Hunter, I… I know you don’t like talking about your home life, but has Belos… does he hurt you?”

Hunter recoiled. Why did everyone keep going on about that?! “Not on purpose! I—it’s the curse, and if I make him mad, it makes him lash out, and—it’s my fault, really.”

“Hunter, he shouldn’t hurt you, curse or no!

“It’s not his fault!”

Camila shook her head. “There is no excuse, Hunter. None. I don’t care if he has a curse. He shouldn’t—and he certainly shouldn’t blame you for it.” Camila wrapped her arms around him. “I am so, so sorry that he made you feel like you were the problem. And I am so glad that you’re here now, instead of there.”

Hunter felt tears spring into his eyes. No one had ever… apologized to him. And Camila was just so… warm. And soft. And he hadn’t even had to do anything—she didn’t ask him to do anything, she didn’t need him to do anything, she just… wanted to help him. She was the exact opposite of Uncle Belos.

And it was worrying how much he liked that.

#toh #the owl house #toh fanfiction #toh hunter #camila noceda #vee noceda #my writing

[mostly-marvel-musings]

Stay

A/N: This is my entry for CJ’s Twisted Valentine’s Day Challenge. @hufflebucky​ I hope I did the character justice! ;))

Trope: ‘There’s only one bed’ & “I’ll have a drink but only if you’re buying.”

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Warnings: 18+ content, Smut, fluff, cheating?

Word count: 1945

Main Masterlist

Everything Taglist – @godofplumsandthunder​  @ladyacrasia​ @agustdowney​ @swaggysposts​ @littlegasps​ @little-baby-vixen​  @another-stark-sub​ @supraveng​ @kahlanmars​ @marvelgirl7​ @disappointmentofthefam​  @pandaxnienke​ @tom-hlover​ @just-the-hiddles​ @fyreball66 @asmigurub​  @avantgardium-leviosa​ @imerdwarf​ @gladiosamicitias​

 …

Rain.

Just perfect. 

Torrential rains seeming to appear out of nowhere from formerly clear skies had you and Steve sprint to find shelter in a nearby alley with a lone canopy lending refuge from the downpour. Then again this weather wasn’t unexpected since you were in London, a city famous for unpredictable showers. 

Most of the damage was done since you had a minor injury to your ankle and Steve didn’t want to leave you behind. 

Panting heavily as you leaned against the brick wall, Steve threw a concerned glance at your leg before mirroring your stance. 

“Is your wound bleeding?” 

“It wasn’t back at the building.” 

Your damp trousers made it a bit hard to peel them back to inspect the injury and so did the limited source of light, when you did, there was in fact a sizable cut and blood spewing from it, making it quite clear that you’d be needing first-aid. 

“We need to get that wrapped up. Our hotel isn’t far from here, you think you can walk?” Steve frowned, looking around to find no cabs, it was way past midnight and not a soul on the street. 

“Y-yes. I think I can manage.” 

You leaned on him for support and limped ungracefully, stopping every now and then before the Captain lifted you up bridal style and proceeded to hurry up the lobby to your hotel - a rather quaint bed and breakfast chosen for your stay for this particular mission. 

Chilly air made you shiver and huddle closer to his warm chest, though the two of you were soaked, he seemed warmer somehow. 

Maybe it was a super soldier thing, you wondered. 

After placing you on the wooden chair in your room and shutting the door, Steve asked permission to lift up your pants to reveal the wound which looked nastier than before, it had turned dark and had swollen quite a bit. 

“I’ll call for a first-aid kit from downstairs.” 

“Don’t. I have one lying in my bag.” You nodded towards the closet where you’d kept your kit just in case. 

He cleaned the injury carefully before wrapping it up in medical gauze and a roller bandage before smiling. 

“Were you prepared for this to happen?” 

“Hey not all of us have super healing powers. Besides, you know how clumsy I can be.” 

He chuckled before letting his fingers graze over the exposed skin of your leg, his blue eyes fixed on yours, making you forget that you were shivering and dripping wet. 

“Ah! I’m a fucking idiot.” You exclaimed suddenly.

“Whoa language (Y/N). What’s wrong?” 

“Should’ve taken a shower before this.” 

You muttered, pointing to your freshly bandaged foot. The weariness from your mission had begun to creep up on you and all you wanted was to bathe, eat and sleep, precisely in that order. 

It must’ve slipped Cap’s mind too as he seemed to have an ‘oh shit’ face, before helping you stand up. 

“Call me if you need help in there.” He called out, making your eyebrows travel up at the boldness. 

“Look at you all flirty Mr Rogers. Thank you but I think I can manage.” 

‘Mr Rogers’ stirring something inside of him that secretly made him wish you would ask for his aid in the bathroom as he stared at your back before you closed the door behind you. 

You managed to take a shower somewhat awkwardly, careful not to disturb the dressing before another string of profanities slipped from your mouth. 

“Umm..Steve?” 

“Do you need a towel?” 

He answered before you could ask, his shuffling feet approached the door faster than you thought, giving you no time to cover your naked form. 

Like a gentleman, he covered his eyes before handing you the towel and turning around, not leaving the room. 

“You can leave, I’ll waddle out.” You said quietly, wrapping the fluffy towel around yourself. 

“Not a chance. You’ll end up tripping over something, let me help you change. I swear I won’t look.” 

He said with finality, eyes still closed, a little curt nod as if to warn himself not to peak. 

After helping you dress in comfortable sleepwear, Steve sat you on your bed and checked his beeping phone with his brows knitted together. 

“Something wrong?” 

“My plane got delayed.” 

“Oh.” 

Your face gave nothing away, but on the inside you were relieved that you wouldn’t be spending the night alone. You knew Steve was supposed to meet up with Sharon Carter, you also weren’t alien to him being old-school in so many ways, so much so that he hadn’t the courage to ask her out properly yet. 

“Are you getting a room here then?” You regretted asking the question instead of offering to share as realization hit Steve and he walked out of your room after muttering a quick ‘right, I probably should.’

Thirty minutes passed with you surfing mindlessly through channels on the television after having ordered room service, waiting to hear from Steve, when you received a text. 

Hey doll, turns out they don’t have any rooms left and it’s too late to go look for another hotel. I’m at the bar. You should get some sleep. - Steve 

Rolling your eyes at the message, you threw on a jacket over the pjs you had and made your way to the bar where Steve sat nursing a glass of scotch whiskey. 

“Alright what are we drinking?” You took a seat next to him, much to his surprise.

“I thought you were asleep.” 

“I couldn’t leave you here all alone and mopey about not having a place to stay. Besides, I could use a drink.” 

“So a pity stay?” He teased, downing the rest of the amber liquid. 

“Believe what you have to Cap. I’ll have a drink but only if you’re buying.” 

“Yes ma’am.”

You smirked, while the bartender brought you a glass of your favourite whiskey on the rocks, the fact that Steve knew your drink of choice was surprising. 

.

The clock showed 3:00AM when you and Steve returned to your room. Two glasses of liquid courage working wonders in keeping your body in a warm buzz while pushing Steve’s worries about sharing a bed far far away. 

Steve began peeling his clothes off while you made no attempts of giving him privacy to do so, getting under the covers and leaning against the headboard.

“Enjoying the view?” 

“I’d be lying if I said no.” 

A quick run to the bathroom later Steve got under the sheets next to you, wearing his white tank and dark colored bottoms. 

“Good night (Y/N). Thanks again for letting me stay here.” 

“You’re welcome Steve.” 

The bed suddenly seemed small now that a tall muscular super soldier was occupying it along with you. He turned to face you as you did the same, not quite done with the conversation yet but not knowing what to say either. 

Silence hung heavy as the berry scent of your shower gel filled Steve’s senses, the way your body heat radiated towards him, the way you were angled facing him almost close enough to touch, he was grateful for the sheets covering his tenting bottoms. 

“So how are things with your boyfriend? John was it?” He asked bitterly, staring down at his crossed arms. 

“Not great. Pretty sure I’m dumping him after we get back.” 

Your answer made Steve’s heart soar, a light blush appeared on his cheeks evident in the little light your room was bathed in. 

“Well I’m sorry.” 

“Are you?” 

“What?” 

He looked up to find your face closer to his, eyes flitting towards his lips, hot breath reaching his skin. 

“Then I shouldn’t feel guilty for doing this.” 

Steve’s hands found the side of your neck while his lips brushed against yours testing at first but when you captured his bottom lip with your teeth and shifted closer, his other arm found your waist and pulled you against his chest. 

He pushed you gently, laying you on the bed carefully and hovering over you, settling between your legs. Breaking the kiss abruptly, you stared into his lust-filled eyes, hardly in any blue left in those, breaths mingling as you both smiled panting, your fingers weaving through his short blonde hair at the nape of his neck. 

“I’ve been wanting to do this for a while.” Steve admitted, the blush on his cheeks returning. 

“Well I’m glad you did now.” 

You whispered, brushing your thumb against his cheek before he dipped down to kiss you again. Wasting no time in running his tongue along your closed lips, he deepened the kiss as your arms went around his shoulders, spurring him on. You sighed when Steve moved his lips over to your neck, placing feather-light pecks all over the skin before finding your junction and sucking there, driving you insane. 

He sat up on his knees to rid you of your clothing, before undressing himself down to his boxers and resuming his actions. 

“So beautiful..” 

His large hands palmed your breasts, kneading and pinching your hardened nipples before replacing his hands with his mouth. 

“S-steve. I want you.” 

You whined, pulling on his hair as you felt his clothed erection poking against your inner thigh. His hands slid down between the valley of your breasts, down to your stomach and reached your mound, stopping where you wanted him the most. 

Silently asking permission before your hips lifted off the bed granting it, Steve groaned when his fingers found your slick opening, wanting, aching for him. He brushed your folds, thumb grazing over your bundle of nerves before plunging a finger inside, eliciting a gasp from your lips. You clenched your walls around his digit to show just how much you needed him, while he chuckled against the skin of your neck. 

Desperately, you pushed his boxers down and wrapped your fingers around his cock, pumping a few times as he groaned against your ear before lining it over your entrance. 

Steve pushed in, slowly, intimately, inch by inch stretching you out as your warmth enveloped him, soon fully sheathed inside you. He gave you time to adjust for a moment before pulling almost all the way out and thrust back in, making you grab his shoulder as you cried out. 

Soon he set a steady rhythm, driving in and out of you at a pace that had you rush closer and closer to the edge as your pants and mewls echoed into the night. Steve snaked a hand between your bodies and rubbed your clit in circles, whispering words that sent your senses into overdrive as your orgasm washed over you, body trembling underneath his, back arching off the bed while he held you close, never stopping his thrusts. 

He chased his own end while you still rode out yours, hips slamming into yours at a rapid pace as your walls still fluttered around his cock. Hiding his face in the crook of your neck, he grunted loudly as you felt his cum paint your walls, cock twitching inside you. 

Steve cleaned you up before pulling the sheets over the two of you, kissing your forehead tenderly as you snuggled to his side. 

“Thank God your plane got delayed.” You mumbled sleepily. 

“Thank God you made me stay.” 

Outside, the sun began peaking through the horizon, the sky turning lighter by the minute as the two of you closed your eyes, sleep welcoming instantly. 

#steve rogers x reader #steve rogers smut #captain america x reader #captain america smut #steve rogers imagine #steve rogers fluff #steve rogers fanfiction #marvel writing challenge #fanfiction writing challenge #captain america fandom #marvel fanfiction #mostly marvel musings

[ppersonna]

wanna be yours - knj | m

if you like your coffee hot, let me be your coffee pot.  you call the shots babe, i just wanna be yours - i wanna be yours, the arctic monkeys

↳ summary- your camping trip with your date namjoon goes south, leaving you to camp in your car.  somehow, he helps you make the best of it.

↳ rating- explicit / 18+

↳ word count- 2.9k

↳ pairing-  namjoon x reader

↳ genre- smut, fluff

↳ warnings- public sex, penetrative sex, unprotected sex (be smrt friends!), dirty talk, creampie, smutty fluff man it’s cute as shit

↳ a/n- hi friends! welcome back to another fun fic with lindy!  i was in my feels tihs morning and this little piece came out.  i hope you enjoy it!  i also felt like making sure namjoon was well represented in more than just a hard dom way LOL.  enjoy babies!  feel free to comment, message me, etc etc.  i love you!

The sunlight pours in through the car windows with no care of disturbing you. It shines bright on your face and heats your skin. It’s uncomfortable—too bright. But, you’re unwilling to move from the warmth and safety of the arms encircling you, so you accept the punishment of the too bright light and remain rooted to your spot.

Sleeping in your car hadn’t been in the itinerary for your impromptu camping date with Namjoon. In fact, you had promised a tent and homemade meals, a campfire, and s’mores. But the torrential rain and downpour that never ended as soon as you arrived at your campground washed away those plans.

You had been distraught—your very new relationship with Namjoon was important to you and you wanted to give him a memorable night. You wanted to show him how invested in him you were, how much you enjoyed being with him. You hoped the night would end with him making love to you and asking to be your boyfriend.

Instead, it ended huddled in your car—soaking wet and eating cold cuts from your cooler, and falling asleep from utter exhaustion of the day. No romance, no passionate lovemaking, only lumpy sleeping bags and open containers of cheese strewn about the car.

Namjoon groans in his sleep as he finally registers the cursed sun pounding into his skull.  He wiggles around in the blankets, arms pulling you in tighter and grumbles about the sun being too noisy.  It makes you laugh—Namjoon always makes you laugh, and it pulls him even further from his rest.

He cracks an eye open and looks down at you.

“What’s so funny, huh?” He teases. His voice is rough around the edges from sleep and it makes your heart beat too fast.

“You said the sun was too noisy,” you giggle as you press your face into his chest.

He huffs a laugh and tries to feign insult.

“It is!”  His fingers dig into your armpits to tickle you, and it makes you squeal.  The ensuing tickle fight fills the car with laughter and you squirm to get away from the onslaught.  Namjoon turns you on to your back and hovers over you.  He has you pinned, and you’re whining for mercy through your laughter.

“Okay! I give! I surrender!” You pout through the tears of your laughter. 

Joon smirks in triumph and moves his hands down and away from your arms and settles them on your hips. 

A silent beat passes and you find yourself lost in Namjoon’s heated gaze. It warms you more than the overbearing sun pounding through the glass of your four-door sedan, and you feel your cheeks flush from the stimulation. 

“I’m sorry this camping thing didn’t really work out,” you mumble to dispel some fire in your chest. 

Namjoon smiles down at you. His eyes glitter with something unreadable to you, but it makes your stomach jump, regardless.

“It was perfect,” he says.  A hand comes up to stroke your head.  “I got to wake up next to you.  I’d say it was a successful trip.

Your throat loses the ability to function—you can’t breathe or form coherent words.  It all dries up on your tongue as you peer into Namjoon’s sincere gaze.

“I want to be with you,” he whispers as he continues to stroke your cheek.  “I’ve had the best time of my life over the last few weeks getting to know you.  I’d like to make you mine.”

Namjoon sounds so confident, so sure of himself and his feelings for you.  It’s intoxicating the way he’s able to be so open with his feelings. His bold first move to you so many weeks ago hooked you at the very start, and every overt attempt at continuing your blossoming romance pulled you further into his captivating orbit.

“I hope you feel the same way.  I’d like to keep getting to know you for the rest of my life.”

His words melt straight through you—you’re certain your heart is a puddle now.

“I’d like that to,” you murmur in agreement.  “I like you a lot.”

His megawatt smile lights up brighter than the gleaming billboards of Las Vegas and it stirs something inside you that has your core clenching.

 “I like you, a lot, a lot.”  

He doesn’t allow you to retort—instead he presses his lips to yours as he holds himself above your body.  

The kiss is so sweet.  There’s no tongue, no diving in for a taste quite yet.  It’s careful, yet confident.  He kisses you like he’s wanted to kiss you from the moment he set eyes on you.  Even though you’ve shared kisses since your first date, this one feels familiar and yet so different.  It feels like the start of something new.

You kiss him languidly, eventually allowing your tongue to slip through his lips and peruse the cavern of his mouth and slide over his own. He accepts it heartily and allows his own tongue to mimic your movements.  You note that despite his morning breath, he still tastes like something spicy, something sweet, and all together Namjoon and it has you weak.  

His hands move up your body, lifting at your shirt, and you’re eager to accept and let him undress you as his kissing turns hotter and more intense.  He sucks on your lips and smiles as the shirt comes off easily and reveals your bare chest.  You took your bra off the night previous and changed into a dry shirt, after spending an uncomfortable few hours in the rain trying and failing to set up a tent.  

He’s mesmerized by your breasts and the way the yellow light of the sun spreads across your pink nipples.  It nearly makes him salivate and you can feel a growing bulge in his sweats pressing into you. It causes you to feel even needier than you were before.  You’ve wanted this since the moment you saw him, and now you would finally get your chance.

Namjoon lowers his head down towards your chest and eagerly laps at your tits, perky nipples slipping into his mouth and being swirled around his tongue.  It shakes a groan out of you and makes your spine tingle.  He’s smiling around your buds now;  you can tell by the shape of his mouth against you, and it makes your own lips curl into a matching one.

The feeling of his mouth latched to your nipple has your core heated and you’re positive you’re soaking through the thin cotton panties covering you.

“Joon,” you sigh. 

He doesn’t offer a response, only hums around the nipple in his mouth as his other hand comes to pinch and pull at the neglected one.  He cups your breast too, squeezing the ample flesh there and enjoying the way it fills his palms.

“So good,” you encourage.  He doesn’t need much encouragement other than your pleased moans, but he likes that you’re talkative and eager to provide.  

He switches off, allowing the soaked nub to experience the pinch of his fingers as the other gets sucked into his warm mouth and nibbled on by his teeth.

“You’re so pretty,” he coos, eyes flickering between the reddened nipples and your blissful face.  “I’m so lucky.”

Normally, you’d roll your eyes at such a cheesy admittance but now that you’re here experiencing his magic mouth on your chest, it feels less corny and more romantic than anything you’ve ever heard before.

“Joonie,” you sigh again. “I want you.  Need you.”

You’re needy and unashamed of it now.  You can tell by the pleased look on his face that he likes it so there’s no need to hide how you feel.  

Your hand slips down to the growing bulge in his sweats and you grip it tight.  It makes him hiss through his teeth and he nods quickly.

“Yeah, I can see that,” he moans.  “I need you too.”

Your eyes stare into his—he nearly melts at your doe's eyes glossed over with adoration.  He’s sure he could lose all track of time and reality in your gaze.  

He’s tugging off your sleep shorts as quickly as he can, not bothering to take his time and unwrap you like a gift.  He’s past that point now—you can blame your breathy and desperate whines for more for his haste. 

You want to hide, to cover yourself, to not let your whole body be exposed in the blinding light of the morning sun, but when you see Namjoon gape at you like he’s just stumbled upon an angel, you feel the growing embarrassment stop in its tracks and retreat to the far, dark corners of your mind.  Namjoon doesn’t care about the freckles on your legs, the way you feel your body is too much or too little in places it should be different.  Namjoon is seeing you, all of you, and recognizes that he doesn’t think he’ll want anything else the rest of his life.

“I want to blow you,” you start as you sit up on your elbows.  “But, I think… lack of space is against us right now.”  Your cheeks flare red.  You’re bold, but only just enough to get the words out.  Now that they’re out, you feel the flicking flames of regret.

He pushes all embarrassed thoughts away with a sincere chuckle and a kiss to your forehead. 

“I wanna eat you out for a month straight but I might break my leg trying to do it here.  I think we’ll be lucky to do everything the old-fashioned way.”  He winks at you.  There’s no reason to feel stupid or too much around Namjoon.  It’s as if he’s molded, body and personality, to be your perfect match.  It’s complementary in nature and it spurs you into action.

“Fuck me, please,” you gasp.  If he’s phased at all by your plea, he doesn’t show it.  Instead, he smiles and presses you down to lie flat on the bed of your car.  It’s not comfortable—the folded seats aren’t the world’s most comfortable bed, and the blankets and sleeping bags bunch under you awkwardly.  But you don’t care.  It simply doesn’t even enter your thought process to care.  You’re too focused on how Namjoon is kissing you, caressing the skin of your obliques as he travels down to allow his finger to drag through the wetness gathering at the apex of your thighs.  It pulls a loud moan out of you as he skims a finger of your clit and your eyes widen in blissful pleasure.

He smirks against your lips and removes his hands.  He wants to play, oh does he ever want to play, but he thinks if he’s not inside you in the next minute or less, he’ll have an uncomfortable wet spot in his pants and some bruised dignity.  You’re so hot like this he thinks he’ll definitely bust in his pants before he even gets inside of you if he’s not quick.

He pushes the sweats down, kicks them off to some corner of your car and continues kissing you.

He pulls away for a moment as he grips his cock. 

“Shit, I didn’t bring any condoms.”

You bite your lip carefully.  You should have thought ahead but you foolishly always believe the man would be prepared.   He can tell by your features you’re lacking too.

“I mean, I wanted to bring some, but I worried you’d think I was presuming something and I didn’t want-... you know… I didn’t want you to think that’s all I was after.”

His confession makes you nearly cry and you’re thanking whatever god or higher power is up there that this beautiful, considerate, and honest man landed in your lap and soon, in your pussy.

“I’m clean,” you state. “I only have sex with partners.  And it’s been awhile.”  He leans down to kiss you but you interrupt one last time. “And I’m on birth control.”

He smiles at you and presses his lips to yours.  It’s comforting and sweet and still carries the heat of before but it’s held to a simmer.

“I’m clean too,” he replies.  “I actually have the printout of my test results last month in my wallet.”  He blushes at his admittance.  “Most guys carry condoms in their wallets and I just have my STD test results and a Costco membership.”

Uproarious laughter escapes both of you, and you cling to each other as you giggle together.  Your stomach hurts from the force of your laughter and you have to wipe away a few tears as you come down.  

“Maybe we can use that membership to get bulk amounts of condoms, then?” You postulate and it triggers another giggle session.

You’re not sure when the laughing ends and when his request for permission to slide into you starts, but you’re soon nodding your approval and allowing his thick cock to spear into you and stretch you wider than you think you’ve been stretched in your life.

You moan in unison, both overcome by the feel of your tight channel gripping his girth.  Namjoon stills inside of you once he’s fully sheathed and he wraps a hand around the back of your head and lets you rest on it like a pillow.

“Fuuuuck,” he nearly whines. “Shit, you feel so good.”

You whimper a reply, non-verbal agreement that the way he slots himself inside of you feels better than anything you’ve felt before.  He’s big and thick, and it feels like you’ve maybe bitten off more than you can chew but it mellows out to the perfect feeling of fullness and satisfaction.

You wiggle your hips to get him to move and he gets the hint.  He starts a pace that feels slow and gentle. You arch your back into him, press your chest against his.  The slow drag of his cock in and out of you is stimulating, it feels like it’s wired with electricity.  He holds you tight, an arm snaking around your waist and pulling you even closer.

“That’s right, baby,” he praises. “You look so good under me. Taking me so well.” 

Somehow Namjoon knew how much you needed the talking during sex, how you craved the interaction verbally as much as you needed it physically.  It spurs you on, gets you even wetter and you clench around him.  He notices and bites his lip.  He’s being rewarded for his gentle dirty talk and he’s encouraged to do it even more.

He picks up the pace and clings to you, eyes flickering between your face, your bouncing tits and the way his dick disappears inside of you and reappears covered in your creamy essence.

“Oh, baby,” he groans.  “You’re so good, baby.  Look at you making my cock all creamy.”

It’s impossible now to hold back your cries of passion.  He ups his pace, makes his strokes deeper and faster and it hits the spot inside you that makes your toes curl.  It feels like your every pore is soaking in every aspect of Namjoon.  Not only does your cunt accept him inside you, but your body craves to have him in your bloodstream.

“Yes, Joonie, yes!” Your hips match his pace and you’re spewing all the praise you can at the man above you. He feels so good inside you, feels like he’s lighting something you didn’t know was extinguished to begin with.

He pumps harder and moves his hands to your hips and grips tightly.  He watches as he continues to drill into you and it hypnotizes him.  The way you feel combined with the way your body sucks him in has him captivated.

Your combined breath heats the car, the windows steaming up from the heat in your pants.  Your skin feels clammy and the sheen of sweat appears on Namjoon’s forehead but none of it fucking matters.  All that matters is the way he pounds into you and pushes you closer and closer to the edge of euphoria that has you raking your hands on any surface of his skin you can reach, leaving trails of fire red lines in your wake.

“Close! Holy fuck, Namjoon!” You cry as your back tips up towards him again.  The coil in your belly is tightening impossibly—it feels like you’re cresting an enormous tidal wave.   “Gonna cum, Joon!”  

Namjoon goes even faster, determined to make you hit your high when he does and he’s nearly there.  Just a little more, a little longer.  

The increase in speed and intensity does the trick for both of you and the loud echo of your moans ring through the small enclosure of the car.  Namjoon pumps himself into your womb, suddenly grateful he knows you’re protected because he didn’t even comprehend a finish other than inside you.   You’re spasming around him and it feels so impossibly tight, tighter than a vice grip, and it makes him whine needily as you milk his cock for all he’s worth.

It takes nearly five minutes to regain complete consciousness and the ability to speak again.  Your breathing evens out from the heavy, gasping pants to light inhales.  Namjoon falls to lie beside you, pressing you into him as he pushes his sticky, sweaty hair out of his face.  

The sound of you laughing shakes Namjoon from his post-coital bliss.  He peers down at your curiously.

“Okay, what is so funny?” He asks.

You snort as you point a finger behind him.  He turns to look and sees an opened container of meat and cheese from your makeshift dinner the night before strewn about the car.  There're pieces of lunchmeat and cheese everywhere, stuck to the sleeping bag and the car seats.

“We fucked on top of cheese.”

Namjoon can’t help but laugh as he pulls you in closer and nuzzles his face into the crook of your neck.

Yeah, he’s found the one. He’s sure of it.

#bts smut #bts namjoon #bts fic #bts fics #bts rm #bangtanarmynet #hyungsmutclub #ksmutclub #btswriterscollective #plotsofpastel #heartsforbts #namjoon smut #rm smut #bangtan smut

[anncanta]

Behind the second highest peak

Fandom: Dracula (2020)

Characters: Count Dracula, Agatha Van Helsing

Relationship: Dracula/Agatha Van Helsing

Rating: Teen and up audiences

Warnings: None

Read on AO3

Or read below

@alma37 @hopipollahorror @khyruma

Note: 'Johnny, in my memory, she sits behind the second highest peak at this time of year, and she is quite red.'

Dracula woke up because he was cold. Shuddering, he stirred, moving away instinctively from the source of the cold, and only after that, he opened his eyes.

Tried to focus his gaze.

Raising himself, turned his head and sat down. A strange sensation. Strange and wrong. He had been cold before. Contrary to what had been said about vampires for centuries, he was able to feel the same as others... the same as mortals were echoed through his head. Sometimes even more intense. The difference was…

Dracula dropped his eyes.

The difference was that it didn't bother him before, he thought, looking at the pool of blood smeared on the table.

He spent days and weeks in rooms with stagnant air or almost no air (and in fact, at first he intended to travel in the hold on the Demeter ), with walls covered with frost – as in the corridors of a castle; in a molten haze under the roofs of Turkish tents. The conditions could be, in general, anything – he felt it all, but he was quite capable of surviving.

Now he was haunted by his own jacket and shirt, soaked through with blood.

Dracula tilted his head, listening to himself. Frowned. Licked his lips. Winced at the metallic salty taste that hadn't completely left them.

Hadn't completely left.

He turned, glaring at the female body lying on the table.

He bent down a little, peering into the serene, unconscious face.

Dracula has seen many dead in his lifetime. He knew well what they looked like. Some – many – he made dead himself.

She was alive. And she breathed. Dracula reached out and gently ran two fingers along her carotid artery, listening as he did on the seashore.

Her skin was warm and soft, and her pulse beat rhythmically. Below the artery, closer to the shoulder, there was a bite mark.

Dracula staggered back and slid off the table.

How could this be possible? What happened to them?

He was quite sure when...

He closed his eyes and shook his head. Memories seethed inside, colliding and superimposing, like translucent frames of motion pictures in a movie. Zoe Helsing... Agatha tears the curtain off from the window, the sun cuts the glass, Dracula writhes on the floor. Agatha's voice, mocking and stubborn. Her figure huddled in a chair in the shadows.

‘You will live forever... in shame.’

He vividly remembered how he had approached. Her body was thin and light, and her breath was barely felt. He looked for a suitable place and laid her down on the table. He remembered going down next to her. Remembered as he bent down, burying his face in her neck, and froze. His head was empty. All of his being was suddenly seized by a calm, deep, clear, warm, like the sunlight that had just returned to him.

And then he did the only thing he could – he shared this light with her.

Dracula's eyes widened.

What the hell is going on?

He looked again at the woman lying in front of him. Everything that happened after he bit her – or rather, after they found themselves together in this last dream, was slipping away. Maybe because thought Dracula, he was trying so hard to make these moments easier for her. It must have hurt, he thought, licking his lips, rolling the echoes of the bitter taste on his tongue. No matter how hard he tried, his consciousness stalled further.

Turning away from the table, Dracula pulled off his wet jacket and tossed it aside.

He agreed to die. He made up his mind. He did everything for this.

So why is he still here?

‘I knew that you would deceive me.’

Dracula looked around.

Squinting in displeasure, Agatha's eyes looked at him from the face of Zoe Van Helsing.

‘You calculated everything. Used Zoe, made her drink your blood and come here. Did you miss your toy? Did you want to enjoy it again? Prove that you defeated me?’

Somewhere inside, something awfully familiar fluttered. Warm, sharp, breathtaking. Compressing and releasing.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

‘It was not enough for you to kill me, it was not enough for you to bring me back – without my consent, as before. As always. You pretended to be different. Made me believe that your miserable life has become unbearable for you.’

An old book in an equally old house. In one of the countless cities, he visited about one hundred and fifty years ago. The owner was obsessed with vampires. He almost went crazy with happiness when he learned that he was hosting Count Dracula himself. Dracula found that book by accident.

‘If you hope... If you think that even for a minute you could scare me…’

‘Being a vampire is forever. Never again would he be human. And not even because his body is dead. And not because there is no way. But because the only way is too scary for them. If the ghoul once decides – no matter when it happens and no matter how old he is – to give his life to another – without regrets, doubts, and without a single thought of benefits, then, having died, he will be able to be born again. And again eat earthly water and food, and live without being ashamed of himself.’

Dracula laughed as he read this.

‘...underestimating me. But I swear to you, you will pay me for everything!’

The taste of blood was almost gone, but even a trace of it irritated him. However, the awakened hunger was much stronger.

Approaching the table, Dracula leaned over to Agatha and held out his hand to her.

‘Come on,’ said.

‘Where?’ She asked in amazement.

Dracula smiled with a shrug.

‘To the kitchen. I really want scrambled eggs.’

#dracula 2020 #bbc dracula #count dracula #agatha van helsing #dragatha #romance #au

[kyoomiii]

♡ Rainy days [hcs]

- ✎ characters ❝ kuroo, nishinoya, akaashi, and yamaguchi❞

- [ trigger warning(s): none ]

- ⚘ genre ❝ fluff, crack ❞

 ❝ ngl akaashi’s did hit a little different, but nonetheless they’re all sickeningly cute ♡〜٩(^▿^)۶〜♡ ❞

-kyo  ♡

The gentle stream of water coming from the opposing side of the door draws to a stop. A trail of steam emerges from Kuroo’s bathroom as he steps out, a plain t-shirt, a pair of shorts hugging his waist, and a towel slung over his shoulders. His usual bedhead is droopy, dripping with water from his shower.

And despite his display of pure beauty, your mind is trailed elsewhere, eyes stuck staring out the window as dark clouds gather in the late afternoon sky.

“Look Tetsu… It looks like it might rain.”

“Wouldn’t be surprised, it’s been cloudy all day. Cold too, we should stalk up on blankets.”

With that, the two of you spend the next 10 minutes picking out the most comfortable blankets Kuroo owns, settling on one that Lev ‘s sister Alisa had made and another that Kuroo has had for god knows how long.

He even brings out this mini projector that he had bought specially for movie nights as the two of you cuddle under the blankets, deciding which movie you should watch (most likely a disney/pixar movie because I think they’d be a huge guilty pleasure for him- his favorite is probably monster’s inc)

“I bet our baby would be cuter…”

“Oh my god Tetsurou.”

“Ow-What? I’m just speaking the truth.”

It’s in the middle of the movie when the pattering of rain finally begins, the droplets falling onto the window and streaming in tiny trails.

However, you don’t really seem to notice as Kuroo shifts his weight, his head laying on your abdomen, arms wrapped around your torso as your fingers comb through his slightly damp hair. He’s warm to the touch, his body heat cancelling out the chill that’s brought with the stormy weather.

The overall atmosphere is soothing, even when the rain begins to get heavy as Kuroo’s hands wander over your body. His fingers eventually find your own with gentle caresses and the occasional kiss to your knuckles. 

Your eyes trail down to look at Kuroo who no longer seems preoccupied with the movie, instead he watches as the droplets fall.

“Hey y/n, you see that drop?”

“Yeah why?”

“I bet it could fall to the bottom of the window faster than all the others.”

“Bet!”

Somehow he’s right, even after the second, third and fourth round of the droplet race. And each time he wins he gets more and more smug, shooting you a sly grin that’s just begging for a slap.

“I guess I just can’t help that I’m such a winner- even if it’s something as frivolous as this.”

But as the night draws on, the rain makes something click in Kuroo, and suddenly he feels so soft. Maybe it’s the way you run your hands through his untamable hair, or the gentle touches you leave against his skin, but he feels unbelievably warm.

In this moment the rain nor the movie that has yet to end piques his interest. Instead his eyes focus on you.

He observes your features and the little things you do which in turn cause his heart to swell with the utmost adoration. He snuggles closer, his grip getting tighter ever so slightly.

“y/n… I love you.”

“Ehhh, who are you and what did you do with my Tetsu.”

“Hey- I’m being serious, I really do love you. With all my heart”

“I love you too Tetsu, don’t you ever forget that.”

Your finger’s lace themselves together with Nishinoya’s as you walk back home, the school day is finally over and for once he didn’t have practice on the count of the gym being used for other purposes today. 

However about halfway there, the sky begins to grow gray. Your conversation halts, a frown forming on your features.

“Well that can’t be good. I think it’s about to rain… And I didn’t bring my umbrella.”

“It’s okay y/n, I think we’ll be just fine!”

And despite the threat of rainfall, the reassuring grin on Nishinoya’s face sets you at ease, his presence immediately enough to cheer you up. 

So with hurried steps the two of you rush home (well it’s kinda more like he’s dragging you and you try to keep up because he’s pretty fast).

But despite your efforts at escaping the rain, they end up being pretty fruitless as the rain begins to fall before the two of you can get to your destination, resulting in both of you crowding together under the rooftop of a small family shop.

“Aw… Great, at this rate we’ll be stuck here forever.”

“Well- y/n I guess if you’re willing to take a risk we could get home in no time.”

At the mention of this said risk you’ve grown immediately suspicious. Nishinoya has always been what some may call a “wild child”. But he’s also someone who's trustworthy, and you have no doubt that he wouldn’t put you in a situation that would be dangerous.

“Okay Yuu, I guess whatever you have planned can’t be awful.”

“Let’s run through the rain. Your house is closer so we should be able to make it there in no time.”

At his suggestion you can only stare at him. It’s crazy but he does have a point- Neither of you know when the rain will stop anyway.

“...Fine”

So with your confirmation he takes off his jacket wrapping it around you as he grabs your hand, and drags you out into the rain, the widest grin on his face as the water begins to seep through his clothes and hair. His laugh fills the air as the two of you run through the empty streets.

By the time you get home you’re soaking wet, but even so you don’t go inside. Instead you stay out with him, jumping in puddles and playing games of chase through the streets like young children.

Your laughter can be heard throughout the neighborhood, as Nishinoya dashes through a series of puddles to get to you.

“Hey y/n!”

“Yes Yuu?”

“I love you!”

“-I love you too!”

And by the time the two of you finally decide to go inside, sopping wet, but wide happy grins on your faces, he pulls you into a hug.

“You make me the happiest y/n, I hope you know that.”

Needless to say the rest of the storm is spent cuddling close together trying to get warm.

“Hey Yuu- you make me the happiest too.”

Akaashi is well aware of the forecast for today. It’s a part of his morning ritual to check the weather before he starts the day- just in case. And as a result he is always prepared.

So after school and practice, when the clouds begin to roll in, he immediately pulls out his umbrella. And though he’s not a particularly touchy person he keeps you close, not wanting you to catch an illness from the cold weather. 

As the driver pulls up because in my head Akaashi is from a well off family he guides you into the car, making sure to keep you warm because he likes to show his affection and care through simple gestures.

Once the two of you get to his home, Akaashi makes sure to take care of you first before going to freshen up. He’ll brew you a warm cup of tea and set you up with a lot of blankets and pillows on his bed, maybe even put on a movie or a show if you want. 

And when he does come back from his shower, he’s immediately under the covers with you, his eyes catching the falling droplets of water. 

He’s always liked the rain, even as a child. There was something so calming and peaceful about the scent that came with it, and the gentle patter of it on the window panes. He wasn’t messy when he was young, but he did love walking in puddles, and despite having grown out of it by high school, his admiration for storms never truly ceased even with age.

So even if you aren’t paying attention to the way it falls like he is, he’s glad that he gets to share this moment with you, huddled under a shared blanket basking in each other’s warmth.

He’ll even go as far as grasping your hand under the blankets, bringing to his lips in a gentle kiss.

We all know Akaashi isn’t really one for words, so sweet moments like this are often quiet and peaceful, filled with small and soft touches along one another’s skin.

Eventually though, you two do end up snuggled together, bodies tangled and fingers intertwined as you listen to the sound of the rainfall, he’ll press kisses to the crown of your head as his fingers wander along the small of your back.

“Thank you for sharing this rainy day with me y/n.”

“Of course Keiji, I love you.”

“I love you too.”

It’s moments like this he cherishes the most. Where it’s tranquil, and just the two of you, there are no words that need to be said to convey how much he loves and appreciates you. Only little tentative touches of affection.

For him it’s the little things that count the most.

The gentle patter of rain begins in the middle of your study session with Yamaguchi.  The water trickling harshly against the windows as the night gets later indicating that the end of this storm is nowhere in sight.

“Getting home is going to be difficult…”

“- Ah, don’t be silly y/n, I couldn’t possibly let you leave in weather like this. Why don’t you stay the night?”

His words send a flare to your cheeks. It hasn’t been long since the two of you have made it official, and while you’re both comfortable with one another, this was a new step in your relationship. 

And while Yamaguchi is just as shy about the whole ordeal, he also doesn’t want you to catch a cold in this harsh weather.

“Okay Tadashi, I’ll stay.”

The night progresses slowly, a gentle calming atmosphere as you snuggle closely into one of Yamaguchi’s old sweaters that he had lent you. 

He thinks you look cute, cuddling close to his clothes. Yamaguchi is someone with a soft heart, and little things like this turn him to mush, especially if it’s in regards to you.

If you’re still cold he’ll  bring you a cup of tea or some other warm beverage to keep you from freezing, even offering his favorite blanket and fuzzy socks because I don’t doubt that he has a collection

His touches are a little shy and unsure, but throughout the night he does eventually find his way into your arms, holding you close as you talk, the rain falling into the back of your minds as white noise.

“And then Hinata threw up in Tanaka’s lap.”

“Poor Hinata…”

When it comes to people he cares about Yamaguchi is someone who’ll be very observant, he’ll pick up on the slightest of changes and learn that person like the back of his hand. 

So as he watches every expression you make, every little gesture, and quirk, he begins to realize that this is it. This is where he wants to be for the rest of your lives. In your arms nestled close together through the calm and the storms. He realizes that he’s truly and deeply in love with you.

And the mere thought makes his heart pound in his chest at a rate of 100mph. The sound thundering in his ears so loudly and dauntingly that it makes his stomach churn, and his mind drift away.

“Tadashi?”

The sound of your voice breaks his trance, and he looks at you with the most nervous smile, only to be met with your much more reassuring one. And with his cheeks the brightest shade of red, he’ll blurt three magical words for the first time.

“I love you y/n!”

“... I love you too Tadashi.”

#haikyuu headcanons #hq headcanons #haikyuu x reader #hq x reader #haikyuu x reader headcanons #hq x reader headcanons #haikyuu!! headcanons #haikyuu fluff #hq fluff #kuroo tetsuro x reader #kuroo x reader #nishinoya yuu x reader #nishinoya x reader #akaashi keiji x reader #akaashi x reader #yamaguchi tadashi x reader #yamaguchi x reader #kuroo headcanons #nishinoya headcanons #akaashi headcanons #yamaguchi headcanons #haikyuu imagines

[wlwhovian]

Lost

Thirteenth Doctor/Reader

Word count: 2119 Genre: Whump & hurt/comfort Summary: You’d hoped she’d be here by now. No Doctor and no TARDIS, you find yourself lost in the middle of nowhere with nothing and no one to turn to. Usually it would be fine, only the forest has things hiding in it that you would rather not meet face-to-face. You just hope the Doctor finds you in time. Warnings: Big bugs

It’s getting dark.

You shiver as the cold settles in futher, a chill running down your spine, and try to keep your teeth from chattering as you huddle up, trying to reserve what body heat you still have left.

You’ve managed to find an alcove in one of the trees that succesfully blocks most of the wind, but every now and then when the breeze picks up, it seems to puncture your meager shelter like paper. The forest is silent, save for stray critters skittering around, looking for food, and your own heavy breathing. You blow air into your freezing palms and rub them together. Fuck, it’s cold.

It’s been hours now. There’s no sign of the Doctor, or the TARDIS, and their striking absence is slowly forcing you to consider the chance that maybe she’s not coming, and if that really is the case, then you can’t afford to stay here and wait, slowly freezing to death. No, you have to do something. Right now. What that is, though, you aren’t so sure. Shelter is pretty high on the list of priorities, and you kick yourself for not thinking about any of this earlier, because now the sun is well past setting and finding anything useful will be, if not impossible, very, very difficult. Not to mention that you’d have to leave your meager cover and exchange it’s relative safety for a temperature that’s dropping lower by the second.

You think, once again, how the Doctor told you to stay close, to not get separated, to stay with the bloody group, but here you are all on your lonesome, lost in the middle of the woods. You just can’t listen, can you? You never can. And this time, it just might be the slow, unforgiving death of you.

You jump when something cracks in the distance. You quiet your breathing and try to remain as still as humanly possible, but you can’t keep your hands from trembling, and proceed to stuff them under your arms with a curse under your breath. You’re not sure if it’s the sudden surge of adrenaline or if it’s just the fucking cold.

You can see movement beyond a fallen tree, about ten feet away from where you’re hiding, and your stomach lurches when you get a better look at the source of the noise. It’s not the Doctor. It’s not even humanoid.

Halfway hidden by the treeline you can see a lengthy arching back, covered in some kind of plating, and what looks like dozens of little wiggling legs. Well, little might be an understatement. Try something more like the size of your forearm. They all move in unison with a thick, wet, squelching sound that makes your stomach turn. It slithers over the fallen tree, landing with a soft thump against the ground, and in the encroaching darkness you can see a pair of antennae wiggling in the air as it takes in it’s surroundings. When it gets closer you manage to get a better look and you can tell the creature is, in fact, a massive centipede, and it is headed right towards you with an uncanny determination that makes you wonder if it already knows you’re there. You need to run. Or hide. Anything. You can’t just sit here, for fuck’s sake! You shift your position against the tree, preparing to crawl through the foliage, or run for your life if you have to.

Your heart skips a beat when the ground crumbles under your foot and a whole patch of earth comes loose, sending gravel flying down the hill, cascading over the centipede in rock-hard rain. It turns it’s head on the spot and lets out a deafening screech that forces you to clamp your hands over your ears. The creature shoots towards you at an absurd speed, tiny legs shifting and scuttling and you back away as far as you can, but as your back hits solid stone, you have no choice but to admit that you’re trapped. You cover your face as the centipede rears up, throwing half it’s body in the air, and roars, slathering you in thick, gooey spit that smells like gasoline and spoiled food. You try to breathe in, but the air is heavy with the odour and your chest keeps tightening, like your lungs are being held hostage by your own ribs. You let out one final cry, a little high pitched hiccup, before the creature descends upon you, ready to rip you into shreds.

A flash of light. An electronic whirring. Very potent cursing spiced with a strong Yorkshire accent, followed by another screech from the insect before it crawls away into the distance. Hurried footsteps.

Something heavy and soft is dropped on your shoulders, and you dig deep into the warmth like your life depends on it. A hand lands on your shoulder, but you can’t bear to look up. Your neck is frozen in place, and you sit there, violently shivering, your entire body shaking with uncontrollable tremors. You hear rustling, before your head is gently guided towards someone’s chest, where it is held by a soft, warm hand. You try to breathe in, and listen to their heartbeat. Heartbeats. Plural.

”Doctor?” you manage to mumble, words coming out in a thick slur.

”Shh,” she says, and runs a hand through your sweat-soaked hair. ”It’s alright.” She bends down until her face is in right in front of yours, offering you a sympathetic smile. ”I’ve got you.”

A choked sob escapes from your lips, but it turns into a frenzied gasp that leaves you dry-heaving, and as you weakly nod in confirmation, your head lurches forwards. The Doctor grabs your shoulders and lets you rest in the crook of her neck, where you allow yourself to close your eyes for a moment. It doesn’t help though, because no matter how much you try to make yourself calm down, how many times you try to get yourself to just breathe, air refuses to enter your lungs and you’re left to claw at your throat with feeble, trembling hands.

The Doctor takes your hand in hers and gives it a squeeze, before she presses it against her lips. The simplicity of the intimacy in the gesture makes you press yourself tighter against her, as if you could burrow into her, somewhere she could always keep you safe.

”It’ll be okay. Promise,” she says. Her voice is strained and her brow is furrowed, and she looks so awfully sad that you want to kick yourself for not being able to do anything about it. ”You’re in shock. We need to get you somewhere warm and safe, ok? The TARDIS is just around the corner, we’ll be there in no time.” She pauses. ”Are you hurt?”

You shake your head what meager amount you can.

”Right. That’s good. Proper good.”

You wait for a moment, trying to get the words straight in your head before you try and actually speak them aloud. The Doctor’s chest rises and falls, and you try to focus on the motion instead of the swimming in your head. Eventually, you finally manage to open your mouth despite your tongue feeling dry as sand. ”I’m sorry.”

It’s such a small sentence, only two words, and yet, saying it feels like climbing a whole slew of mountains.

The Doctor shimmies you around until she has you in what she deems an acceptable grip, before rising to her feet, with you carefully secured against her. She takes a few tentative steps before settling into a steady walking pace. Once she’s sure that she’s not going to drop you, she looks down and makes sure she catches your eye. ”None of that now, love. There’s nothin’ to be sorry for.”

Her voice is so gentle, steady like a rock in the middle of a raging sea, that it makes you want to cry. You try to make yourself as small as possible, but all your extremities are numb and you’re not sure if moving would only make it harder for the Doctor to carry you. There’s a weight in your eyelids that’s getting harder and harder to resist, and you have to fight a losing battle to keep them from shutting.

The Doctor takes notice, and offers you an encouraging smile. ”Don’t you go fallin’ asleep on me just yet.” She speeds up to a jog, and you do your best to hold on to her shoulders, but your fingers keep slipping and your hands shake so bad that you can barely get them moving. ”We’re almost there.” She glances a the forest in front of you, before muttering under her breath: ”Really should’ve parked closer.”

You swear you had only closed your eyes for a second, but suddenly you’re being engulfed by the light flowing from the TARDIS, and Graham is ushering the two of you inside. The doors shut with a slam, and when your whole body is drowning in warmth and silken light, you find the world slipping away as deep, comforting darkness takes over.

You awaken to a great, throbbing headache and the scent of raspberries. It smells like safety, like home and saturday mornings spent with a cup of tea, and you let yourself bask in the quiet for a moment. Opening your eyes, you can immediately tell that you’re in your own bedroom, with the lights dimmed and softly playing music easing you back into the waking world. You’ve been stuffed under several thick blankets, but there’s still a persistent chill somewhere deep under your skin. You try taking a deep breath, and this time your chest rises and falls just as it should. The scent of raspberries only gets stronger with each draw of air.

”Gave us quite the scare, you did.”

You jump, but under the heavy weight, nobody but you can probably tell. You turn your head, wincing as pain shoots down your neck, and end up face to face with the Doctor. She’s sitting cross legged in a chair drawn up next to your bed from it’s usual place, holding what looks to be a cheap erotic romance novel, and a cup of tea in her hand. That explains the smell, at the very least.

You sigh. ”I’m sorry,” you say, eyes strictly trained on the frayed edge of the blanket. The Doctor places the book down on the armrest, before turning to fully face you.

”There you go again,” she says with a lop-sided smile. ”With the sorries and the apologies. I told you,” she pauses as she shifts to hold her cup more securely, ”You’ve nothin’ to be sorry for. Pinkie swear.” She holds out her little finger and you take it with yours. ”Unless you try to get up before you’re ready, in which case I’ll have no choice but to detain you.”

”Detain me?” you ask with a snort.

”Made you laugh,” the Doctor says, smiling mischieviously. You throw one of your pillows at her.

”Oh, shut up.”

”I’m serious!” she says. ”Bedrest is nothin’ to be laughed at, you know. Plenty of things get much better by having a lie down.”

”You’re one to talk. The last time I saw you in bed was probably two weeks ago.”

”But I’m not human, am I?”

You look away, sheepish. ”No.”

”And humans need their rest. Lots of it.”

”Fine,” you say, rolling your eyes. ”Have it your way.”

The Doctor grins at you. ”That’s more like it.” She drains her cup and stands up, giving her back a hefty stretch. ”You just try and sleep, alright? Doctor’s orders.” She turns to leave, and you find your hand shooting out from beneath the blankets to hold hers. The Doctor turns, surprised and a little confused. You can’t make yourself look her in the eye.

”Could you stay with me?” you ask, and you can already feel heat creeping up your neck, covering your cheeks in a flush. A second passes by. To you, it’s one too many, and you draw your hand back to where it was, an apology already on your lips, before the Doctor interrupts you.

”Of course.”

You’re not really sure what you expected, but upon being granted your request, you’re not sure what to do. The Doctor grins. ”Do you want me to hop on the bed too, or should I stay in me chair? I could read you this literary masterpiece,” she says, gesturing at the book that’s still open on the armrest.

”Come here?” you ask, your voice quiet and shy. The Doctor beams. She picks up the book and crawls over you, so that she’s leaning against the wall, her legs crossed on top of you.

”Right! Alright, so, in the previous chapter..”

You try to listen. You really, really do, but the comforting narration of the Doctor combined with the abysmal plot of the book has you falling back asleep in minutes. The last thing you remember before nodding off is her taking your hand in hers, holding it carefully as she lightly draws circles on your skin with her thumb. You only wonder how you ever got this lucky.

#thirteenth doctor x reader #13th doctor x reader #whump #doctor who #hurt/comfort #this is just a 2k words long excuse to be weak and get carried by the doctor

[tttinytrash]

Shelter from a Storm

So I’m stealing shit from @shamedump yet again. They were talking over on their blog about a version of Pokemon Snap with our favorite skeleboys in their various au and species presentations instead of the Pokemon, dubbed Skeleton Snap. So instead of standard pokemon, we get everything from bitties to giants, with an assortment of mers, nagas, and other such versions roaming an island with a lone human camped out taking pictures for science. In particular, an exchange about the skeles being helpful during a storm (found here) struck a cord with me. Using this and the surrounding asks about the situation, I got this!

You always have such a sense of satisfaction watching the loading bar steadily fill as your lovely photos upload to the shared drive with HQ. A tech on the mainland is on the line with you for confirmation of a successful upload, though your interaction is limited to lines of text on the screen.

The computer chimes, signaling completion and you await the tech’s confirmation. 

<<Data is uploaded, but some of your shots may be corrupted.>> They send.

<<Which shots? Are they all bad?>> You type, feeling a sinking in your chest.

<<No, most are fine. But the ones dated during the storm you reported have a blue filter. Oddly, the landscape looks fine.>>

You breath a sigh of relief and laugh, trying to figure out how to explain. You think back to the day in question.

-----

A storm was brewing, the thick grey clouds and temperature shift loomed as a warning. You scrambled to bring your equipment into the tent at basecamp or stash everything in their waterproof containers. You knew you weren’t going to get much research done today, so you set the tent up as comfortably as the plethora of boxed equipment allowed and prepared to hunker down instead. You went to seal the entrance to your tent, only to find a few bitties huddled at the “door.”

“Oh, hey little guys.” You greet.

They can’t speak, but one bitty with a bright blue bandana and starry blue eyelights looked up at you beseechingly, doing a spot on impression of puppydog eyes. He glanced into the tent briefly before fixing his hopeful, wide eyed gaze on you again.

“Oh, did you wanna stay in here? Come on in guys, I’m sure there’s room.”

The small gaggle of bitties rushed in, and found various places to hide amongst the boxes and mostly disappeared from sight. That was fine, these were far from the first skeletons to end up in your tent. Unlike his companions, the little blue bitty who’d acted as spokesperson seemed to not feel the need to hide away. He went straight to your sleeping area and found Chippy, a bitty companion of yours with a cracked skull, already hidden in your sleeping bag and cuddled up to him. Looks like you had two cuddle partners now.

You slipped into the bag with them, and the two ended up snuggling in on either side of your neck, likely seeking warmth. The blue bitty felt cold to the touch, but was quickly warming up, making you glad you’d let the gaggle inside. Light snoring from multiple places about the tent signaled most of your small friends had fallen asleep.

Now all there was to do was wait and try and get some sleep yourself.

-----

You jolted awake then water hit your face. 

The storm had rolled in full force by now, and the flaps sealing your tent from the gale outside had snapped open. You got out of your sleeping bag as quickly as you could without hurting either bitty that had been snoozing on you and rushed to the entrance. The wind was blowing the rain inside, and you struggled against it to get the door to close. You stepped outside to get a better angle even though you were being soaked. Ugh, the zipper had snagged, and the wildly moving fabric wasn’t helping! 

A few of the bitties saw your struggle and ran from inside, catching the flapping bottom of the tent entrance and using their combined weight to pull the fabric down enough for you to be able to zip past the snagged point. They ducked back inside and you were about to do the same when movement caught your eye.

One of the giants in the area was ambling by, shirtless for some reason. He stopped in the clearing nearby and stood, face up towards the falling rain and eyes closed in obvious contentment.

Oh, you had to get a photo of this.

You ducked back inside, threw your rain gear on over your warm PJs, and grabbed your favored waterproof camera. “I’ll be back, but I have to take pictures of this!” you called to those who were in the tent.

You were able to close the tent behind you, and scrambled a bit away from your tent onto an outlook that would allow for your candid shots. The flurry of clicks as you took shot after shot of the giant enjoying the rain was a familiar sound, and you knew you could sort through your photos later. 

You were mildly surprised when the giant opened his eyes and looked towards you, catching you in the act. You weren’t afraid of this giant by now, his territory was the closest by far to your camp and you’d seen plenty of each other. He’d even helped you after your pod crashed before. He was clearly amused by you watching and waved. You smiled and waved back. 

The interaction was cut short when you nearly toppled off your outlook when a strong gust of wind hit your from behind. 

You squawked as your loss of balance left you flailing and you went tumbling to the uneven ground. The first thing you checked was your camera, which you’d managed to shield from the fall. Thank goodness. Your skinned palms were less lucky, and you hissed a breath while assessing the damage. You felt the ground shake and knew the giant’s huge strides were making short work of the moderate distance between you two. By the time you’d looked up he was hovering over you in concern, on one knee to be more on your level.

“Hey big guy, I’m ok.” You assured, wiping your muddy hands off on your raincoat and revealing bloodied skin. 

He warbled in concern.

“I’ve got a first aid kit, it’s fine.”

A higher pitched warble from the tent caught both of your attention. The blue bitty had slipped under the entrance and was running up to you. Chippy hung back by the tent, but watched. He clambered over and joined in on inspecting your hands, making a concerned noise.

“Hey little guy. I’m ok, really, you guys worry way too much.”

The big one garbled something, which the little one seemed to understand, and with a nod to the he patted your leg before he ran back to the tent, getting Chippy to follow him inside.

The giant meanwhile, laid his open palm by you and gestured for you to clamber aboard. You trusted him to keep you safe and wanted to know where this was going, so you took up the offer and gingerly sat in his bony palm.

“Did you tell little blue there you were gonna help?” You asked as he gingerly raised you up to his face as he stood.

He nodded, relaxed smile back in place at your understanding. Once he wasn’t hunched over anymore, he gently used his free hand to gently brush a finger over the back of your hands, which had been laid on your thigh.

“What? You want my hands?”

He nodded, so you brought them forward, palms up. In response, he brought you closer to his face and lapped at your outstretched appendages with feather light pressure. The act was so gentle and foreign that you couldn’t help but giggle. You felt his magic knit your damaged skin together, remembering similar treatment after your crash. Apparently direct contact with their magic had healing capabilities, and you thanked the giant for his aid once again. This earned you a happy sounding hum of acknowledgement.

You had to quickly use your freshly healed hands to cling for balance when another gust whipped past, clutching his thumb desperately. Well, in all honesty you doubt you would have fallen, as the giant had cupped his other hand around you and brought you up to his chest in a protective manner.

The wind also left you rather chilled, so you weren’t sad about the proximity to his surprisingly warm ribcage. A light scent of chalk hit you along with the ambient petrichor with your newfound proximity. 

He seemed to take notice of your appreciation towards body heat and made a questioning noise above you. You gave him your attention.

He slowly moved his hand away from himself, so you could see his face. He proceeded to open his mouth (a rare sight for half the population on the island) and pointed inside, then patted the blue barrier between his ribs and pelvis. 

That was absolutely not ASL, but you understood his meaning.

You hesitated, but eventually said “Uh... yeah. That sounds good to me. Thank you.” You’d done this once before, also at the crash, so you knew this was safe. A cold, wet tent wasn’t very appealing anyway.

He brought you back to his face, so close you could have laid a hand on his nasal bone, and opened his mouth again. A dim blue glow came from the tongue laid across the bottom of the cavern before you and from the depths at the back. 

Then he waited, allowing you to enter on your own. You had to steel yourself a moment before you could will yourself onward, but ended up army crawling your way in. Instead of fear when he closed his teeth behind you, you found yourself relieved to be out of the rain. Honestly, it hadn’t occurred to you how pervasive the constant sound of watery impacts on your hood were until they were delightfully silenced. You tossed your hood down onto your back and took in your surroundings while laying belly down on his tongue. 

Your observation was brief, as once you were in, he didn’t leave you waiting long. The room tilted until you began to slide backwards, and you and gathered up your camera to shield it, knowing what was coming next. You heard and felt the strong gulp once you hit the gullet at the back. 

The pressure around you was steady, but the pliable material kept it from being uncomfortable. In a moment, you slid into a more open space noting he’d leaned his body to prevent you from dropping into the pit of his stomach. Your camera greatly appreciated the lack of impact.

You readjusted after he had sat down against a cliffside, hopefully as comfortable as you were. If the happy sigh from above and around you was anything to go by, he was pleased by the whole situation. 

The tissue around you was warm, soft, and translucent. This meant you could see the outside world, and excitedly took the opportunity to snap a few more photos of the landscape. After a few more minutes, you shut your camera off and settled comfortably. 

You looked up, seeing the shadows of his ribs moving in and out with his breathing. Taking a photo of that view, tempting as it was, felt like an invasion of privacy somehow. You settled for taking a mental photograph instead. 

The noise in the background was a softened version of rain hitting a roof like back at home, but there were soft burbles added to the mix that reminded you of where you were. The combination was surprisingly pleasant. 

You sat, listening to the quiet ambient sounds and watching rivulets of rainwater cascade over the blue tinted bubble around you. Honestly, you didn’t even remember falling asleep, just a warm feeling of safety.

-----

You were brought out of your reminiscing by the tech pinging you again asking if you were still there.

<<Yes, still here. The blue tint is just from an improvised rain protector.>> you assured, deciding this was adequate explanation.

<<Understood. Keep up the good work out there!>>

<<You bet!>>

You signed off with a smile. Gosh, you loved this job.

#undertail vore #safe vore #soft vore #extreme cuddling #willing prey #willing vore

[ciderxi]

Hongjoong- Only Mine

Jealous!Hongjoong x Reader

Warnings: Smut, Jealousy, possesiveness, PWP

Word count: 2.5k

Hongjoong watched from the couch as you and Keonhee were in the kitchen getting drinks. Hongjoong had invited Oneus and Stray kids to hang out again. The living room was naturally loud, laughter and shouting coming from everyone as they fought for which group Mingi was a part of. You quietly excused yourself to go get a drink, followed by Keonhee. “I swear we might just have to borrow Mingi '' You laughed, pouring yourself a nice tall glass of Dr. Pepper. “So what’s Oneus like, are they always this loud?”

Hongjoong watched from the edge of the couch, not being able to hear your conversations due to how loud everyone was. He just sat and watched as you playfully slapped Keonhee’s arm, and then proceeded to marvel at his collarbone. “Man you could eat off that thing” you joked, then going to touch it. Only to feel your hand being yanked away by your very pissed off boyfriend. “Y/n, what do you think you're doing”

“Yooo Hongjoong, are you okay? Do you want a drink” the significantly taller man asked, hoping to defuse whatever situation had arised. “She’s coming with me” Hongjoong grabbed you by the wrist, pulling you away from a rather dumbfounded Keonhee.

He fragged you to his bedroom, being the closest one to the living room, slamming the door behind you. “What’s going on? Why are you being like this?” His hands were already feverishly running along your body. His own being overrun with jealousy. “Maybe if you weren't so desperate to touch him, you would realise what you were doing” his hand traced down to the hem of your shirt, fingers snaking their way under it. “I’m the only one who can touch you Y/n”

“Hongjoong! They’re right outside the door, they’ll hear us! you’re being irrational,let's just talk about it” but you already knew, there was no way you were going to talk him out of this

“I’M IRRATIONAL?” Hongjoong growled, gripping your waist as he pinned you to the wall. His fingers traced along the edge of your chin.”by the time I’m done with you, everyone will know exactly who you belong to” he lifted your chin up to make you face him. “And you know damn well that you don’t belong to Keonhee.”

Shivers ran down your spine as you remained still under his grip. “Joongie you know Keonhee and I weren't doing anything!” you whined, wiggling under his grip. You couldn't help but squeeze your thighs together at the mere thought of what he was going to do” 

“Get on the bed, now”

“Joongie lets-”

“I said now Y/n” he pulled away from you, his eyes never leaving your figure as you walked past him. You felt a familiar pit in your stomach, trying to ignore the wetness already permeating your underwear. “Okay Joongie~” you teased, making sure to walk slowly towards the bed. You slowly stripped off your dress, maintaining eye contact with him as you did. You could hear him groan from across the room, removing everything but your underwear. 

Hongjoong angrily made his way towards you, holding your chin up to face him. “First you flirt with Keonhee, and now you're going to be a brat? Are you sure that’s really what you want to do Y/N?” He traced his fingers around the red thin lace cups of your thin bra. He ‘gently’ pushed you down onto your knees and maybe you face the bed. He let out a soft groan as he eyed your matching lacy underwear. “Were you wearing this for me kitten?” Hongjoong growled out as he lustfully watched your kneeling figure, head on the ground and ass raised up“hm? Oh I had no clue red was your favorite color~” You replied,unable to deny the excitedness in your voice. It wasn't that often that you’ve seen Hongjoong this jealous, but you couldn't help but love it when he did.”It’s only mine to see after all, right?” he growled, as he kneeled down behind you,before you felt his strong hand palming your ass, running up your back before twisting his fingers into your hair and tugging, lifting your head off the ground.

“That’s right kitten. You belong to me, every.single.inch” you let out a yelp, feeling his hand swiftly collide with your ass. “Of course I do!” was all you could think of in response. 

“But you still made me watch you flirt with him, and you know what that means don’t you?” Hongjoong asked and you nodded,the anticipation bubbling up as you felt him slowly grind himself onto you. His hands may have been small, but he made up for it elsewhere. 

“Am i going to get punished?” You responded with a breath moan,causing the tent in his pants to grow harder.

“That’s right kitten, you get punished. Now count” He ordered, releasing your hair before drawing his hand back, spanking your ass hard with all his might.“One” You screamed, you twitched as you felt the sharp sting hit your ass. Not expecting him to start off as hard as he did.”Stay still, and down lose count” he was infinitely more pissed than he had let on.He needed everyone to hear you scream his name, so that they would know that you belonged to him, and only him.

The second spank came almost immediately after the first as he refused to give you any time between. By the fourth he was sure you wouldn’t be able to sit down for the next week. By the tenth, tears were pooling in your eyes, and by the tenth one they were freely rolling down your cheeks, your makeup dripping down along with it.

“Even in the dark, I can still see how beautiful your ass is. Maybe next time you’ll know not to flirt with other guys”

“Hongjoong I wasn-” your words cut off with a scream brought up another spank. “I hate it when you lie to me, don’t make this worse for yourself”he bent down, placing soft kisses on the red surface. Watching as you winced and whimpered.\

“Joongie please” You begged, hips moving to grind into his hardened length.

“What do you want, kitten?” he asked, his hand pulling down your panties till they were around your thighs, licking his lips at your soaked entrance.

“I need you to forgive me” You whined, bucking back into hips harder.

“Oh? And how should I do that?” he feigned an innocent smile, wanting you to say it

“By fucking me, so you know I belong to you”

“Damn right you do” the huskiness in his voice definitely not helping. His eyes fluttered shut at the sensation of you grinding into him. He bent down kissing down your neck and back, tracing kisses down your spine until he reached your ass. You reflexively moaned, pushing back against him as you wiggled your hips, begging for more. He spread your cheeks, before bending down and licking from your clit up to your slit, swirling his tongue around your dripping hole. You bit on your lip, suppressing a moan from leaving your lips. Wondering to yourself if you should make him jealous more often.

“Mm,please” You gasped, pushing your ass against his mouth as he continued teasing your entrance. “Who do you belong to?” 

“You! Now please fuck me before i asked Keonhee to help me instead” you instantly froze at the realization of ewhat you had said, knowing for sure that you had just dug yourself into a deeper hole. You braced your ass for the oncoming impact, but nothing came. You just heard him laugh, before he poked his tongue roughly into your entrance, then pulling back to focus on your clit. Waves of pleasure hitting every time he moved his tongue.

He pulled your clit into his mouth, nipping and suckling it as you continued to buck against his face. His arms shot out to hold you still as he continued expertly working your clit, flicking his tongue on it every now and then. He could feel your thighs begin to tremble as your orgasm approached. You let your moans fill the room, not giving a care about who heard.

He plunged his tongue as deep into your pussy as he could and you stilled immediately, your muscles locking with pleasure before you screamed out his name, cumming around his tongue. You began squirming uncontrollably as he held on to you, his tongue still swirling around inside of you. He continued lapping, drawing out your orgasm until you were nothing but a shivering mess below him.He placed a kiss on your pussy before kissing up your spine, flipping you over onto your back before pulling you into a kiss. “You taste so good” he smirked through the kiss, knowing that he for sure had gotten everyone’s attention now, hearing them huddled up and shushing each other against the door.

He stood up before undoing his belt and roughly pulling his jeans and boxers down to the floor, tossing them to the other side of the room. Immediately after whipping out his hard pulsing cock. You let out a slight moan at the sight of his cock, mouth-watering. Hongjoong let out a sly smirk at the sight of you, your eyes fixated on his cock,wanting to pleasure him.

“Put that pretty little mouth of yours to work Y/n” Hongjoong purred and you immediately got back onto your knees, crawling over to him. His fingers threaded through your long hair as you kissed the tip of his erection, smiling before slowly opening your mouth to take the tip. Hongjoong thrust his hips, needing you to take in more of him. Watching through half lidded eyes as your tongue swirled around the engorged head. You began bobbing your head, taking in more and more of his hardness as he thrusts against the back of your throat, causing you to choke.

“Fuck Y/n, take it all, just like that“Hongjoong moaned once again thrusting roughly until you were talking him in fully, almost gagging as he groaned at the sensation. He watched you with his hands still roaming through your hair, trying to hold back his impending orgasm. He let his moans grow louder as your eyes locked onto each other. His fists tightened around your head and pulled you down harder; once again making you choke and gag.

“You’re all mine, and only mine” Hongjoong purred, punctuating each of word with a thrust. He slowed down his thrusts, He bent over slightly, moving his hand to squeeze your red ass. Causing you to mewl around his cock, the vibrations causing him to hiss with pleasure. “Fuck Y/n, I need you, now” you tried your best not to gag as he thrusted faster into your, his eyes never leaving your face as he lets moans slip freely from him mouth. “I fucking love you” he groaned, unable to hold his orgasm back any longer.

“Fuck Y/n, don’t you you dare miss a fucking drop” He thrust his hip as hard as he could, forcing you into swallowing his cock before cumming, spraying his cum down your throat. Making sure every inch of your throat was coated with his cum.. He pulled out of your mouth with a pop, his cock still hard and ready to go.

“On your back kitten, Daddy’s going to give it to you hard” Hongjoong ran his hand through his hair, taking a few breaths as he watched you lay on your back. He moved your thighs apart and immediately positioned himself at your entrance. “Hongjoong wait I need a mi-”, he starred directly into your eyes and he mercilessly thrusted inside of you, bottoming out immediately. You let out a loud guttural moan, wrapping your legs around his waist, and your hands around his neck. Your eyes widened and back arched at the slight pain of the stretch, his thick cock not giving you even a second to adjust. He quickly pulled out and slammed back in as he pulled you in for a kiss, your sudden scream muffled by his lips. He didn’t allow you a minute to adjust and continued thrusting hard, continuously pounding into your willing body.

“Who do you belong to, kitten?” Hongjoong growled, moving one of his hands down to play with your clit“fuck.. I ...belong...to...you” he grinned, purposely thrusting harder so he could hear you struggle to speak. He adjusted himself slightly, causing you to let out a cry/moan hybrid. He smirked, knowing he had found your sweet spot like always

“Cum for me baby. I want everyone to hear you scream my name” Hongjoong whispered into your ear, causing your back to arch, immediately cumming around him. 

“I’m not done with you yet” Hongjoong hissed, placing a kiss on the tip of your nose. He pulled out of you, making you whimper before picking up your limp body and pushing it up against the wall. You wrapped your arms around him as he lifted you, pounding relentlessly into you. His lips moved to leave hickies all around your neck, making sure not to leave any spot unmarked.

You stayed there, a stuttering moaning mess as you felt your stomach begin to churn again. Hongjoong groaned as he watched that familiar look come on your face again, giving him more motive to keep his pace.”Cum on my cock again baby, let everyone hear my name” you shook your head no, biting your bottom lip, not wanting everyone to hear you. Especially now that he was fucking you up agasint the wall. “HONGJOONGIE~” Your moan caused him to cum inside of you once again. Continuing to pump into you a few more times, before carrying you to the bed, and collapsing next to you. The sound of your heavy breathing being the only sounds in the room. 

He wrapped his arms around you, bringing you into a tired kiss. “I love you, but if you ever do that again, i’ll fuck you in front of everyone.”

“N-no that’s okay, we heard enough” in your tired haze, you both didn't notice 22 boys all pressed against the door, shoving each other to try to get a glimpse. 

Mingi popped up in the front and burst in the room, his eyes widening as he realized what was going on. “I thought you were killing her, Hyung.” Mingi mumbled, closing his eyes as he tried to erase the images from his head. 

“Why are you guys still here? Do you want a turn?” Hongjoong laughed, as you were already safe under the covers, you could hear some of the guys whispering between each other. “Are you serious Hongjoong?” a brave Keonhee replied, followed by a few eager men. Some already unbuckling their belts.

“I meant with me! Did you guys not hear me say she’s mine?” his laugh bellowed as he heard simultaneous groans of disappointment, as they all left, except Seonghwa. 

“Seonghwa I swear if you ask me to call you Oppa one more time” he glared, laughing as Seonghwa left with a huff. Hongjoong turned back to see you trying to hold your laughter. “Shut up, let's go clean up and sleep. I love you baby”

#Ateez #Ateez Smut #ateez x reader #Hongjoong #kim hongjoong #hongjoong au #jealous hongjoong #smut #fluff

[atinytokki]

Dreamer

ii. Mermaid Song 

(Just a reminder that several of Jongho’s thoughts about blame and ways of coping in this work are not healthy!!)

Jongho hated thunderstorms. Where he lived, they were common, occurring several times per week. Ever since he was small, the flash of lightning that invaded his bedroom and the following loud thunderclap that shook the house sent him diving under the blankets with his heart pounding.

But the worst part of the thunderstorm was the fact that it forced Jongho to stay inside.

He had made a horrible mistake neglecting to buy rice yesterday, and compounded with the negative mood of the soldiers’ unexpected visit, the guilt of the incident weighed heavily on him from the moment he awoke.

It was a dreamless sleep— at least if he had dreamed, he didn’t remember it. Feeling unsettled in his stomach, he lay under the blankets for a few minutes just listening to the rain hit the roof tiles and trying to go back to sleep.

The sounds of Father moving around in the kitchen reached his ears and he stayed put until he surmised breakfast was made and finished and Father had moved into the smithy to begin the day’s work.

It had been too much to hope that there would be food waiting for him, though sometimes Father did so after a punishment in a gesture of apology. Today, he must be busy making new weapons, possibly to gain the favour of the Navy this time.

Jongho simply toasted some bread and took it back with him to his bedroom, huddled under the blankets where the thunder could not touch him.

He finished his schoolwork as quickly as he could, plowing on even through the subjects that didn’t come as easily to him so that he could flip through his book of sheet music and try to decipher it.

The book was a secret purchase, one he had lied to Father about, saying it was required for school and managing to get away with it. Lessons or an instrument to put the music to use could not be so easily obtained, however, so Jongho settled for turning through the pages and doing his best to follow along, putting names to symbols and tunes to words.

“A Mermaid’s Song,” he read in a whisper when he turned to the next page for him to scan. There was a short note above the staff that he read as well, curious that an origin story should appear where usually there were only performance instructions. “Sung to me by an old pirate, long ago taken by the sea.”

Excited at the prospect of discovering what to him was nothing short of treasure, Jongho quickly went about discerning the proper key and rhythm for the song before picking out the notes from their intervals and stringing them together one by one.

He was interrupted halfway through by the sound of the front door opening and Father entering the kitchen, and hurried to stow his music away underneath his mattress and check the time.

Somehow it was noon already, midday’s light hidden behind storm clouds, and there was still no rice for lunch. Wincing at the irritated huffs he could hear from his father, Jongho went to peek out his bedroom door at the sight of him trying to throw together a meal.

He stumbled dizzily over himself and had the bottle in his hand, so Jongho swallowed thickly, hoping he hadn’t been seen, gently closing the door and pulling on his shoes.

It was still pouring rain, but it didn’t matter. Jongho couldn’t stand waiting around at home with an angry father while it was his fault there would be no food on the table.

He would just have to go out and buy the rice anyway.

Careful to remain quiet, he unlatched his window and escaped through it, shivering the moment a particularly cold stream of water ran down his back from the eaves of the house. He was a fast runner, and the market wasn’t far. He may even be back before Father finished cooking.

It would have been preferable to bring a coat with him, but instead Jongho tried to run along the cliff face, hoping some overhanging rock would shield him from the bulk of the rain.

Under the tents in town he received some respite, and, shivering, counted out his coins to pay the rice merchant with and prepared to haul the stuffed bags home with no wagon and without letting them be soaked.

“Do you think it will let up soon?” He asked the seller with a small grain of hope.

The man shook his head and pulled his own cloak closer. “My bones tell me it’ll rain all day and most of the next.”

Frowning, Jongho shouldered the bag and sprinted back out into the storm. To make up for the rice weighing him down, he picked up the pace and ran faster, a decision he regretted as soon as his foot caught on a loose rock and he came crashing down face first.

Scrubbing away pained tears, he grit his teeth and rose to his feet again, thankful that the bag had not leaked and returning to the path in the hopes of arriving soon.

He had made a decision and he’d have to live with it. There was no sneaking in through the back this time, front door thrown open and rice bag deposited in the kitchen.

Father was sitting at the table and scowled when he saw his son soaking wet and dripping rain in the entryway, but his expression eased as he took notice of what had been brought.

Wordlessly, he rose to open the bag and cook some of the rice, adding it to the meat he’d already grilled while his son was out and Jongho waited patiently for the verdict.

Father may not be speaking to him at the moment, but he would address him soon, Jongho could tell.

When Father sat himself down with a steaming bowl and finished the long awaited first bite, he finally looked up at his son, still dripping in the doorway.

“Thank you,” he said simply, and Jongho’s eyes filled with happy tears.

Hurriedly he blinked them away and bowed his head respectfully before returning to his room to look for a towel.

There weren’t any clean ones. The housekeeping lady was still visiting the archipelago until next week.

Feeling the afternoon lull take him over with a sudden warmth, Jongho dropped his soaking clothes in a pile on the floor and wrapped himself in blankets instead, holding his eyes open as long as he could but inevitably drifting into sleep as his shivers subsided.

It was nearly nightfall when he awoke from what felt like a very well earned rest. Hungry and craving some attention, Jongho dressed in dry clothes and ventured into the main room to see a sight that spiked his sleep-addled brain into full awareness.

Father was sitting at the table with a scowl again, the bottle in his hand. An empty bottle.

It was too late to reconsider, so Jongho crept forward until those darkening eyes landed on him and narrowed.

“Where have you been all afternoon?” Father snapped, motioning to a bowl of stew that sat, uneaten, on the other end of the table. “I rang the bell for supper and you did not come. Is this how you treat your Father?”

Jongho’s mouth fell open as he glanced at the bowl, and he didn’t know what to say in his defence.

He had made him supper. Father hadn’t done that in months.

“I was… asleep…”

Father scoffed.

“Asleep? I thought to be merciful and show you forgiveness but here you are dragging your feet when you should be thanking me.”

“I’m sorry,” Jongho began to apologise. “I don’t mind eating it cold, I truly am thankful—”

“No,” Father snapped, getting to his feet and snatching up the bowl only to dump it out the window, washed away in the rain. “You missed your chance. To bed without supper, and I’ll see to it you don’t sneak out.”

Father grabbed him by the arm, a sharp pressure in his skin from where he dug in his nails, and marched him back to his bedroom, locking the window and then the door behind him.

Jongho sat, stunned for a moment before falling back on his bed.

He couldn’t believe he had let such an opportunity pass him by.

It was Father’s way of showing him kindness by making him food and waiting for him to claim it, and Jongho had slept through the bell, an ungrateful child.

There was nothing to do now except wait until morning and pray for a second chance.

Jongho had a small stash of oatcakes in a bag in his top drawer saved up for emergencies, and when he’d remained still for an hour and deemed it safe, he tiptoed to the dresser and pulled them out, eating silently.

It wasn’t the first instance of being banished to his bedroom, but the first time in awhile.

Once, Father had been tired of looking at him and locked Jongho in the smithy for an entire day with nothing to eat. He had to be grateful that wasn’t the case this time, and nor was a beating and chores.

Instead, he looked around his room and brushed the crumbs away, settling in to sleep so that at least he could forget his shame.

Sometimes the room was a refuge, sometimes it was a prison. He did not cry. This was his life, after all.

Jongho awoke the next morning sniffling and with a pesky sneeze that wouldn’t go away.

Just as the man in the market said, it was raining still— though less than yesterday— and Jongho had contracted a cold as a result of running around in it.

It was a slow morning again once he arose, and Father had been in the smithy an hour at least before Jongho emerged to make himself breakfast.

Careful to check frequently for Father, he continued poking through his sheet music for the rest of the morning, too wrapped up in the mermaid song to put it aside for school.

“Come beyond the silver flash,” he read aloud in a whisper. “Fear not the grave and sunken deep. Over tide and ocean splash, dream my song and love to keep.”

It gave him chills to sing it quietly with only the silent house and the rain as witness. The song was starting to sound as it was intended, a haunting melody to lure sailors to their deaths.

The sound of the back door sent Jongho scrambling to hide the sheet music in his room, and when the coast was clear to return to the table, he saw Father had left a note for him.

“Buy bread and vegetables,” Jongho read in a pout, trying not to sigh too loudly and pocketing the money that was left alongside the message. So it was another trip to the market.

At least the rain had let up, though cloudy skies remained.

Old woman Soomi happened to be at the bakery when Jongho was, and he greeted her politely with thanks for the recipe she had offered the other day.

“My pleasure, boy,” she smiled at him gently before glancing up at the overcast sky. “Hope all this rain doesn’t force the athletic tournament to be postponed.”

“Athletic tournament?” Jongho perked up at that, mind straying to those runners he’d seen on the beach the other day. They had appeared to be running just for sport, but the thought that it had been a training exercise for an even more exciting event was a pleasing one.

“Yes, the whole town will be turning up for it,” Soomi chuckled at his excitement. “Except you and your busy father. Always holed up in the smithy, you boys.”

“Right,” Jongho remembered, biting his lip as he considered his options. Father would never let him go, it would be better to give up the idea now before he dwelt on it too much. “I suppose I won’t be coming this year.”

“Well, if you’re interested then you should go,” Soomi snorted before bidding him farewell to saunter to another stall. “Life is more than survival, you know.”

Her words stayed with him all the way home.

Perhaps that was what life ought to be, but his life was survival first and foremost. It was an endless cycle of being beaten for being useless, and continuing to be useless because he was being beaten.

Soomi had always been kind to him, ever since she found him wandering in the market, a mere six year old lost and left behind by his father when he couldn’t keep up on the walk home by the cliffs. She’d pointed him in the right direction, that day and ever since.

The confidence to ask Father for permission to participate couldn’t have come from anywhere else.

“You think she pities you for being beaten?” Father said when he finally paused his pumping of the bellows. Jongho had done his best to explain that he wanted to go, hiding behind Soomi’s recommendation in the hopes that Father wouldn’t deny them both, but didn’t know how to respond to such a question.

Father shook his head with a sly smile and continued with his business. He knew Jongho was only inclined to ask at all because he felt supported in that request.

“Old Soomi has lived much longer than you or I, she knows the way of the world. Insolent boys have been punished for generations, Jongho. I was beaten as a delinquent youth and it taught me obedience and discipline. I didn’t wail and look for pity, I took the lesson to heart and became stronger for it. If you’re going to hide behind her skirts, you had better hope she actually wants to defend you.”

It was harsh but true. Even if Soomi knew what Jongho’s life was like at home, there was no certainty she would rescue him, and Jongho had to do everything in his power not to appear in need of rescue.

“Stronger…” Jongho whispered. Father’s speech wasn’t unusual, but the suddenness of it, the way of switching tacks to another conversation, betrayed his fears about something; being judged for beating his son despite how commonplace it was in their day and age.

Jongho had a choice; play it safe and abandon his desire, or use Father’s fear against him, risking greater reward but also greater punishment.

“I do want to be stronger,” Jongho admitted. “I don’t want to be seen as the boy who’s locked in the smithy every day. Let me train and run, not to escape punishment but because I want to be part of this town. I’ll only go after everything else is done.”

Father snorted and put down his sword.

His face was unreadable, just as it almost always was when Jongho was speaking to him of his own volition.

“Very well,” he said after a moment. “Represent the family well, or there will be consequences.”

Not that any of Father’s threats were empty, but this one had much greater impact.

Gulping, Jongho thanked him profusely and went down to the beach to have a run. He had a few hours until supper time and didn’t want to push his luck, even if he was vibrating from the excitement.

There were the cliffs, still a bit slippery from the deluge of days past, but waiting for him to sprint across. He passed his little palm tree and followed the curve of the coast, deviating slightly off the path to run on the beach.

Jongho kept a rhythmic pace with the tune in his head, the mermaid song for some reason instead of one of the many work songs also found in his book.

He slowed down as he reached the very tip of the peninsula, the easternmost point of the mainland, to take a few deep breaths and rest his burning legs. Despite all the lifting of rice bags and dragging of wagons he did back and forth, he didn’t often run as fast and as far as this.

The view was spectacular, and the sound of the wind and waves battering Ulso’s cliffs was striking.

Another sound carried over the ocean to him, and he wondered at first if it was his own voice singing the mermaid song aloud instead of silently like he’d thought he was doing.

The tune was unmistakable and the words could just barely be heard, but Jongho followed along until a cloud crossed the sun and snapped him out of it.

There was no one singing but him, and it was time to turn for home.

___

A/N: What a rollercoaster ride! The chapter took a long time mostly because I took it upon myself to actually write the song for some reason. More spinoff chapters on the way in the near future but let me know what you thought in the meantime, here or on Twitter (@tiny_tokki)

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#kpop #ateez #atzinc #atzeditors #ateez fanfiction #ateez fanfic #ateez fic #kpop fanfiction #kpop fanfic #kpop fic #ateez series #ateez scenarios #ateez imagines #ateez au #ateez pirates #ateez pirate au #ateez pirate fic #ateez jongho #choi jongho #jongho fanfc #angst #ateez angst #dreamer #dreamer.ii #treasure spinoffs #treasure series #tokki writes #domestic violence #child abuse

[irwen-s]

Could you please write Seungwan taking care of sick Hybrid bunny Joohyun? Joohyun was startled by something so she ran outside blindly into the rain and it took some time for Seungwan to find her. By that time Joohyun was very feverish and weak. Hybrid bunny joohyun is so soft and adorable:)

me, frantically shaking hades by the shoulders: kitchens? kitchens??? how do they work

seungwan had set joohyun up in the living room, curled up in a bundle of blankets with a documentary playing on the tv. although she had sat with joohyun for a bit of the film, hand absentmindedly rubbing her temples as joohyun snuffled and sighed against her shoulder, eventually she’s called away to assist mr. son in the garage. 

after giving her a soft kiss on the forehead, seungwan gets up to go, leaving joohyun alone in the warmth of the living room. it’s late in the evening with rain pouring down outside, contributing to a cozier atmosphere as joohyun snuggles deeper into the blankets wrapped around her. on the tv, blackspotted sweetlips swim across the screen as the narrator describes their living habitats.

all is well, until it isn’t.

seungwan and her dad are searching for a new lightbulb in the garage when there’s a muffled boom that comes from inside the house. startled, seungwan stumbles and nearly loses balance on the ladder step, though her dad quickly props her back up in time. “what was that?” she asks, alarmed, but he can only murmur in equal confusion as he helps her to the ground.

a few moments later, the fire alarm begins to blare loudly. the both of them exchange worried glances before rushing toward the living room.

smoke from the kitchen and the ear-splitting noise of the alarm greet her as seungwan arrives, but the sight that causes her the most horror is the empty couch and the wide open front door, the thunder of rain crashing down onto the front porch. “joohyun,” she whispers in terror, before her dad is pushing her forward. 

“she couldn’t have gone far, take an umbrella and go find her,” he yells over the alarm. “i’ll take care of the kitchen.” a series of coughs overtake him then, but he pulls his shirt up to his nose before hurrying toward the source of the smoke.

seungwan watches him go, heart pounding against her ribcage, before grabbing her rain jacket off the coat rack and one of the umbrellas by the door. her hands are shaking as she ties the laces on her sneakers, but she only grits her teeth as she stands, moving outside. 

rainfall pounds down onto her umbrella upon stepping out from beneath the porch. seungwan peers up and down the street through the curtain of rain, anxiously wondering in which direction joohyun could have run off in. eventually, she begins trekking leftward, moving as quickly as she can while taking care not to slip. it’s in the direction of the center of town, which joohyun has been to on a few occasions; seungwan is hoping that even in her panicked state of mind, joohyun had chosen the path most familiar to her.

as she slogs through the downpour, carefully sidestepping puddles as she goes, seungwan cups her mouth and calls for the hybrid, gaze swiveling left and right in search of her. she tries to push it down, but the fear climbs in her stomach and slowly squeezes her chest with each increasing step, seeping in like the cold of the rain. 

she could have already passed joohyun. she could have gone in the opposite direction. she could still be on the run, growing farther away from seungwan with every passing second.

gradually, the suburban houses along the street begin to shift into convenience stores and shops leading toward the heart of town. biting her lip, seungwan continues forward, glancing into each dark alley she comes across before continuing on. her hope is beginning to dwindle, and she’s about to consider turning back, when out of the corner of her eye she catches a streak of white in the far back corner. 

she comes to a halt, heart in her throat; moving slowly, seungwan steps beneath the alleyway overhang. at the sight before her, a shaky, anxiety-wrought exhale drags its way out of her lungs. 

joohyun. crouched beneath cover, hands wrapped around her knees, bunny ears slumped lifelessly over her head. thoroughly soaked and trembling uncontrollably.

seungwan places her umbrella down and slowly kneels before her, a tear trailing down her cheek as she attempts to still the tremors in her hands. “hyun,” she whispers softly. 

joohyun seems to freeze up for a second, before the shivering returns in full force. she shrinks in upon herself, the ears atop her head cowering in anxiety. seungwan quickly begins to strip off her rain jacket, murmuring, “hyun, it’s wannie. i’m going to touch you now, okay?”

she receives no reply, but a feeble whimper spills from joohyun as seungwan drapes the jacket around her shoulders, gently moving her out of her crouched position. her eyes are squeezed shut, and her lips are turning blue; she’s a concerningly paler shade. her arms are freezing as seungwan carefully guides them into the jacket sleeves before zipping it up, pulling the hood over joohyun’s rain-matted hair and ears a moment later. then she wraps joohyun up in a close hug, the hybrid immediately slumping into her hold. 

“you’re okay, baby, i’ve got you,” seungwan soothes, feeling joohyun hiccup weakly against her shoulder. without her jacket, seungwan is rapidly growing colder as well, but she ignores it in favor of letting joohyun burrow as close to her chest as possible, cooing softly and rubbing her back. her other hand fishes her phone out of her pocket, quickly dialing in a number.

her dad picks up after the second ring, sounding slightly out of breath as he greets her. “i found her,” seungwan says, hearing him sigh in relief. “we’re by the hardware store in town, do you think you can pick us up?” 

he murmurs an affirmation. “text me your coordinates. i’ll get going now.” 

they say goodbye before seungwan hangs up and proceeds to do as told, receiving a thumbs up from him a minute later. the whole while, joohyun continues to shiver in her arms, curled into her and sniffling wetly. seungwan lightly scratches the back of her head through the hood, then carefully sits down on the ground, guiding joohyun to settle in her lap. 

while waiting, she inspects joohyun’s feet, sucking in a breath at how grimey and scratched up they are; she can’t imagine the kind of pain joohyun must be in from running through the rain barefoot. her hands are gentle as they cradle delicate ankles, soothingly kneading the cold skin there as joohyun flinches for a moment before relaxing, mewling into her collarbone and clutching tightly onto her shirt. 

the next few minutes pass by quietly, the both of them huddled together for warmth while listening to the steady drumming of the rain around them. upon hearing joohyun sneeze, seungwan pulls her in closer, tucking her head into the crook of seungwan’s neck. she glances worriedly at the time on her phone, silently begging her dad to hurry.

he does arrive a bit later, a familiar car slowing to a stop at the curb by the alley. as her dad clamors out and rushes over, seungwan gently tries to coax joohyun away from her chest, only to wince when joohyun digs her nails into her and refuses to budge. “just for a second, hyun, i can’t stand up while carrying you,” seungwan says, pained. she knows joohyun isn’t comfortable with anyone picking her up except seungwan.

there’s a long, heavy pause where joohyun doesn’t move, but then her grip on seungwan slowly slackens. carefully, murmuring a quiet apology, mr. son leans down and takes joohyun from her hold, the hybrid immediately letting out an anxious whimper. seungwan scrambles to her feet though, and a moment later joohyun is passed back into her arms, trembling and sniffling into her shoulder. soothingly, seungwan presses a kiss to the side of her head, carrying them to the car.

the interior is comfortably heated on the ride home, yet joohyun continues to sneeze and cough against seungwan’s side. seungwan can only hug her close and rub her shoulder soothingly, her other hand enveloping both of joohyun’s icy ones, trying to transfer warmth into them. in the rear view mirror, she meets her dad’s eyes as he briefly glances back at them. 

“the bathtub is filled with hot water, and i left spare clothes on the counter. you know where the first aid kit is,” he says.

“i do,” seungwan answers with a nod. “thanks, dad.”

his gaze slides over to joohyun, obviously warm with affection, before returning back to the front. “she’ll be fine,” he adds gently. 

seungwan sags in her seat, releasing a heavy breath she didn’t realize she’d been holding. “yeah,” she agrees tiredly.

when they arrive back home, her dad parks inside the garage as seungwan climbs out, then carefully unbuckles joohyun’s seatbelt and gathers her into her arms. joohyun’s eyes are still closed, and her breathing is weak and strained as seungwan carries her into the house.

once inside the bathroom, seungwan shuts the door behind her and gently places joohyun down on the toilet seat lid. as her dad had said, the bathtub is already filled, the water still sufficiently heated when seungwan experimentally dips a finger into it. “hyun,” seungwan says softly, squeezing her hand. “i’m going to help you take your clothes off so i can bathe you, okay?”

joohyun’s eyes flit open for the first time, heavy with fatigue. there’s a feverish, hazy look reflected in them, and seungwan feels her stomach lurch uneasily at how ill she appears, but she looks at seungwan for a tentative moment before faintly nodding. 

her rain jacket is easy to remove, but beneath it, joohyun’s own clothes are wet and heavily stuck to her skin; seungwan has to spend a bit more time on peeling joohyun’s shirt and underclothes over her head, quickly followed by her leggings and underwear. she takes care to not linger her eyes anywhere for too long, helping guide joohyun into the bathtub as the hybrid begins to shiver from the chill. 

“watch your feet, hyunnie,” seungwan reminds her, guiding joohyun to dip her legs in first as she flinches and hisses quietly. a small sigh of relief leaves her a moment later once joohyun completely submerges her body, relaxing in the water, her eyelids fluttering shut in contentment. seungwan, kneeling beside the tub, gently shifts joohyun to face away from her so she can begin washing her hair.

she massages shampoo into joohyun’s dark tresses, carefully avoiding her drooped bunny ears the whole while. joohyun’s breathing has already calmed, and shivers no longer wrack her small frame, much to seungwan’s relief. aside from occasional soft huffs and sighs, her ears twitching in pleasure, the bathroom is quiet as seungwan finishes soaking her hair in water.

she gently cradles joohyun’s wrist in her hand next, raising it above the water so she can run the soap bar over her skin. the same process repeats for joohyun’s other arm, then her upper back and shoulders. for her torso, seungwan coaxes joohyun to surface from the water so she can scrub over where needed, moving as quickly as possible to avoid causing joohyun discomfort. “sorry about this, hyun,” she adds softly, but joohyun only exhales, seeming undisturbed, pliant and relaxed beneath her hands. 

lastly are the injuries on joohyun’s feet; seungwan has her turn around in the tub so her ankles can rest on the edge of the tub, feet hanging out. now clean of dirt and grime, seungwan can see that the cuts are all fortunately shallow. she gently pats them dry with a towel before grabbing the first aid kit, dabbing ointment onto each injury and finishing up by wrapping them in gauze. 

“okay, we’re done,” seungwan says happily, scooping joohyun out of the tub by her armpits, the hybrid mewling quietly in response. she places her gingerly on her bandaged feet, steadying joohyun where she wobbles shakily, before swiftly wrapping her up in a towel, then helps sit her on the toilet seat so she can dry her hair with another.

as for her bunny ears, seungwan gently runs over them with a damp cloth, feeling joohyun almost immediately shudder and slump into her chest at the attention, sensitive as ever. seungwan gives her an extra little rub around the bases of them, just to hear her squeak helplessly with pleasure.

seeing as joohyun is still too weak to change on her own, seungwan helps her into her underwear, quickly followed by her sleep shirt and pants. under the light from the bathroom, she takes notice of how the color has returned to joohyun’s cheeks, though she still appears sick and woozy, eyelids heavy and demeanor too disoriented.

joohyun’s hands reach out for her with a soft whine then, and she snaps out of her thoughts to swaddle her up, this time in a purple blanket, before picking her up and carrying her out of the bathroom.

when seungwan enters the living room, she sees her dad seated at the kitchen table, a steaming bowl of soup and two cups of hot chocolate placed before him. he gestures her to take a seat, and with joohyun still curled against her, breathing drowsily into her neck, seungwan carefully settles down across from him.

“hyunnie, dad made some soup for you,” she says gently, coaxing joohyun to blearily peek out from where she’s tucked against. a small whimper leaves her lips, and seungwan’s gaze softens. she must be exhausted, seungwan thinks, giving joohyun a comforting scratch behind her ears. “can you try a little bit, hyun? for dad and me.” on the other side of the table, mr. son gives her an encouraging smile.

reluctantly, joohyun opens her mouth. seungwan feeds her a few spoonfuls of soup then, cooing softly as she obediently swallows it all. a bit of strength seems to gradually return to joohyun with each spoonful, much to seungwan’s relief, until the hybrid is hungrily seeking out more of the soup, whining in distress whenever she’s too slow in feeding her.

she squirms in seungwan’s hold as well, but bundled too securely up in her blanket, joohyun ultimately isn’t able to do much, eventually caving in to the warmth and comfort once again. 

after finishing the soup, much to joohyun’s obvious disappointment and mr. son’s resulting pleased but also amused look, seungwan blows into one of the cups of hot chocolate before gingerly holding it to joohyun’s lips. 

she sniffs at it curiously, and upon instantly realizing what it is, joohyun eagerly leans forward to drink. seungwan has to chuckle at her evident delight, gently petting her ears and reminding her to sip slowly. 

by the time joohyun drains the entire cup, her eyes are sleepily drooped and she’s snuffling faintly, turning to press her face back into seungwan’s neck with a low mewl. seungwan raises a hand to her head, rubbing soothingly along the base of her bunny ears as they quiver and flop limply at her touch. she can feel the way joohyun goes boneless in her arms, quietly squeaking and sighing until eventually she succumbs to both the pleasing sensation and her own exhaustion, falling asleep. 

after a few moments of listening to joohyun’s even breathing, seungwan picks up the remaining cup of hot chocolate, taking a long sip before exhaling heavily. she’s worn out, and making eye contact with her dad, she can see that he is as well. 

“you’ll tuck her in?” he asks softly, nodding toward the dozing bundle in her lap. at seungwan’s affirmative answer, he gives her a proud smile. “are you hungry? there’s more soup.” 

seungwan slowly shakes her head. “i’m good, dad. this is enough for me,” she says, raising the cup in her hand before drinking from it again.

her dad nods, murmuring a quiet “all right.”

a comfortable silence falls upon them as seungwan slowly finishes her drink, feeling more relaxed and at ease, especially with the way joohyun is nestled in her hold, warm and cozy against her. she takes her time, even as she can feel herself growing a bit drowsy as well. “what happened in the kitchen?” she asks eventually, taking another sip. 

her dad looks sheepish, clearly guilt-ridden. “i left the stove on high instead of turning it off. the cast iron pan cracked.” 

seungwan bites her lip, watching the way her dad wearily rubs at his eyes. the lightbulb in the kitchen had died, and so her dad had enlisted seungwan to help him go find a replacement one in the garage. while they were gone, there must have been oil in the cracked pan that caused the fire and smoke. knowing her dad will want to avoid discussing the problem as he reflects on it himself, seungwan doesn’t push the subject.

when she’s done with her drink, her dad gestures for her to go. “i’ll clean up and wait for mom to come home. bring joohyun to bed, and go to sleep too.”

keeping joohyun tucked securely close to her chest, seungwan carefully gets to her feet, nodding. “i will. thanks, dad. good night.” 

with an answering goodbye from him, seungwan pads off toward the hallway, the hybrid cradled in her arms breathing quietly against her collarbone. 

—

her head feels dizzy with nausea and stuffiness as joohyun is slowly dragged into consciousness. through the dull throbbing in her skull, the first thing she grows aware of is the warmth she’s enveloped in, both too much and too little at the same time. conflicted, joohyun stirs weakly, cracking her eyes open before quickly shutting them again when her vision swims before her.

lying still for a moment, joohyun begins to notice the gentle rise and fall of the softness she’s pressed against, ears twitching as the quiet breathing of seungwan becomes apparent above her. she’s cradled to her chest, seungwan’s arms wrapped around her, the both of them tangled together beneath joohyun’s own blankets. 

the pleasant calmness that had settled inside her is abruptly shaken by a rattling cough, joohyun’s eyes watering up. sniffling wetly, joohyun begins to slowly push away from seungwan, her arms trembling with effort as she struggles to move. 

she doesn’t realize seungwan has stirred awake, too busy trying to hold back her tears. “hyun,” she hears seungwan croak hoarsely, and her wrist is gently cradled in a warm hand. “is something wrong? do you want to throw up?”

another coughing fit takes over joohyun before she can respond, and joohyun blindly kicks out, backing further away on the bed as she covers her mouth with her sleeve. remorse floods through her when her feet make contact with seungwan, hearing her suck in a breath at the impact.

“i’m sorry,” is all seungwan whispers. even without seeing, joohyun knows the room is dark, hushed as they face one another on opposite sides of the bed. “i thought you’d feel . . . it would feel nicer to not sleep alone. i’m sorry. i—do you want me to go?” 

her head hurts, and every limb in her body burns and aches. joohyun presses a shaky hand to her own chest, then gestures vaguely in seungwan’s direction. “sick,” she rasps weakly. silently, she begins to cry, trembling. 

there’s a shaky, watery exhale from across the room, and then she feels the bed dip. a moment later, joohyun feels herself being lifted up and settled in seungwan’s lap, against her chest. a choked sob leaves her as joohyun lets her back be gently rubbed, too tired to move any longer. 

after a few minutes, seungwan carefully eases her away from her chest, using tissues from the nearby nightstand to dab at her cheeks. she grabs the glass of water and tablets lying adjacent to the container. “let me help you take your medicine, hyun,” seungwan says softly. 

joohyun can only sniffle and let seungwan tilt her head back, guiding the glass to her lips until she swallows the pills down with water. when she’s finished, seungwan pulls her back in again, tucking joohyun close to her neck.

she feels the blankets being pulled up around her and enveloping the both of them in their comfort, drawing a tired, sleepy sigh from her as she melts into the warmth.

it’s quiet for a beat, and then joohyun feels the base of her ears being gently rubbed, causing a pleasant tingle to shoot down her spine as she shudders and goes pliant in her arms. “i know you don’t want me to get sick,” seungwan speaks up at last, voice low and soothing. “and i know you feel guilty for what happened. but that wasn’t your fault at all, okay? there’s nothing to be sorry for, hyunnie. and i’m not going to leave you alone.”

her eyes feel heavy with fatigue. the combined pleasant sensations of the light petting of her ears and the vibration of seungwan’s voice against her are slowly lulling her to sleep. she mewls quietly with each touch, finally calming as seungwan’s words settle in her. 

“i’ve got you, baby, you’re okay. just sleep now. i’ll be here when you wake up.”

#wenrene #wendy #irene #hybrid au #red velvet #answered #sfw #do you know how long this is #its like 3.5k words #fun times #sorry for answering this so late! #i hope it was okay? #good contribution to my hybrid au too #its a really nice prompt #so yeh #also thank you to hades for explaining . . . #how kitchens work #and dealing with all my plot holes wheeze #Anonymous

[impala-dreamer]

Midnight Movie Marathon

SPN FanFic

~Dean finally gets some time alone to kick back in his mancave and watch his favorite movies on the tube, only, he comes to find... he's not actually alone...~

Dean x Reader

3,295 Words

Warnings: NSFW. Masturbation. Voyeurism. Teensy bit of Dom!Dean, but not really. Awkward, Blushy!Dean. Multiple, Wet Orgasms. Oral. Doggy. Loads of... ahem... cum. Enjoy!

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Dean smiled proudly as he looked down at his creation. 

The bread was crisp, the lettuce shredded to perfection, just a hint of tomato, and turkey for days. Sam would have rolled his eyes at the good three inches of sliced turkey and deli Swiss cheese that towered inside his sandwich, but Sammy wasn’t there. 

Dean was alone for once. The Bunker was empty. He was happy. He was gonna sit in his man cave, eat his impossibly perfect sandwich, drink some beer, and watch the Back to the Future marathon on TBS. 

Just so he didn’t have to get up for a while, Dean tucked four beers under his left arm and a fresh bag of chips under the other. He was prepared. 

He was not, however, prepared to find that he was not alone, and that his Fortress of Deanitude had another occupant. 

Y/N was huddled underneath her fuzzy purple blanket, sitting in his favorite recliner. 

“Oh, hey, Dean,” she mumbled softly when he came in, jumping a bit as if he had startled her. 

“Hey,” he sighed back, realizing that his alone time was null and void. “Didn’t realize anyone else was around.”

Y/N bit her lip and scooted upwards a bit. Her knees dropped and the blanket shifted down from underneath her chin, exposing a bit of her plain white tee. She swallowed hard and took a breath. “Neither did I.” She smiled but found it hard to make eye contact. “Thought you were going out with Sam.”

Dean clicked his tongue and sat down on the couch across the way. Since the addition of more occupants to the Bunker, they’d added a few more seats, though the lazy boy on the right was still his favorite. “Was gonna say the same to you.” He set the sandwich down next to him and the chips by its side. 

“Nah, I… opted for some quiet time,” she said meekly.

Dean pursed his lips and shrugged. “Same.” Three of the beers lined up at his feet and he extended the fourth towards Y/N in offering. 

Her hands were still hidden beneath the blanket and she shook her head. “No thanks. I’m good.” 

“Cool.” 

The pair fell silent for a while and Dean cracked open a bottle. The television glowed as the channel came back from commercial and he grinned. 

“I didn’t miss it!” 

Y/N looked over with a smile. “Nope. Just started like five minutes ago.”

Dean took a sip of beer and sat back, spreading his knees as he got comfortable on the couch. “I didn’t know you liked these movies.”

“How dare you,” Y/N gasped in mock disgust. “Why don’t you make like a tree and get out of here?”

Dean laughed at her quote, nearly spitting beer back into the bottle. “OK, OK,” he chuckled, “my apologies.”  

Y/N nodded and then looked away, snuggling back down underneath her blanket. Dean turned his attention to the screen as well and popped open the bag of Lays. 

The movie was comforting and familiar, and they both watched quietly, occasionally laughing over Dean’s crunching. Y/N had gone utterly silent, her knees back up, the blanket tented over her. 

It was an odd way to sit, but Dean only eyed her vaguely as he picked up his sandwich, turning it around to find the perfect place to sink his teeth. Just as he spied the spot, Y/N took a heavy breath that caught his attention. His eyes floated over to her and she stretched backwards in slow motion, her eyes fluttering shut as her tongue darted out to cover her bottom lip.

Dean stared for a moment, wondering if he was just imagining things, but Y/N’s shoulders shuddered so violently for a moment that he was sure he wasn’t wrong. 

The sandwich hung in limbo before his lips. His jaw dropped but caught no food. His eyes grew huge with curiosity, and a bit of lettuce cascaded down into his lap like tinker tape at a parade. 

“Uh, Y/N?” 

She startled and sat up a bit, her cheeks flushing as she turned her face to his. “What’s up?” Her voice cracked and her lips shook. 

“I was gonna ask you that,” he said slowly, his eyes sliding down the plush blanket. “You OK over there?” 

The smirk was beginning to light his lips, but Y/N bit her lip and turned back to the movie. “I’m fine.”

“Uh huh…”

Her head snapped back. “What do you mean, ‘uh huh’?”

Dean carefully placed his sandwich back on the plate in his lap and licked a bit of mayo from his middle finger. “I know what you’re doing over there.”

Her eyes widened slightly as she tried to retain her attitude. “I’m watching a movie.” 

“Bullshit.”

“Excuse me?”

Dean leaned in, not caring that his sandwich was crushed momentarily. “You’re clickin’ the mouse, aren’tcha?” 

Y/N’s jaw dropped and she stammered to find a reply. “That’s… what! Who… you’re...no. Ew.”

Dean nodded, a knowing smile polishing his lips. “Oh, yes you are. I know that face. You’re petting the cat.” She scoffed. “You’re dialing the rotary phone.” She gagged. “You’re choking the hot dog…”

“OK!” Y/N hollered, sitting up fully and ripping a hand out from under the blanket to wag at him. “First of all, I don’t have a hot dog to choke, as you’re well aware. Secondly… you’re disgusting.” 

Dean licked his lips and zoned in on her scolding digit that was clearly shining with wetness. “Am I? I’m not the one rubbing one out to Back to the Future.”

Y/N huffed. “I’m not ru- I wasn’t… You’re not supposed to be here!”

“This is my room!” Dean laughed, sitting back in amazement. 

“It’s a common area!”

“You’re even in my chair!” 

“You want me to leave? Fine!” Y/N stood up in a huff, kicking the foot of the recliner down hard with her heels and letting the blanket fall away. Beneath it, she was half naked, pale gray cotton panties peeking out from under her shirt hem. And from what Dean could see… they were soaked. 

His gaze fell to the darkened cotton and his mouth watered. “H-how long you been in here?” he said with a gulp. 

She followed his stare down to her thighs and clenched them together, quickly picking up the blanket to cover herself. “I… well… you weren’t supposed to be here,” she said again, a slight whimper in her voice. 

His lip was mysteriously snagged between his teeth, pulled there by some magical force. It popped out slowly as he looked up at her. “I can go,” he said softly, voice just as strained as hers. “Or…”

Y/N backed up slowly and let the blanket fall down a bit, exposing the tops of her thighs again. “Or?”

Dean let out a heated breath and went for it. “Or you could...keep going.” The smirk was on his lips but not in his voice; it wavered a bit at the end, unsure how she’d react. 

“Oh…” She let out a breath and chewed her cheek as she moved back to the chair. There was a rhythm to her movements now, a look in her eye that made Dean relax and throb at the same time. “And what are you going to do?” Y/N asked softly, her lips curling around each word as her eyes narrowed upon him. “Watch?”

An enormous lump lodged itself in Dean’s throat and he coughed around it, unable to breathe for a long second. “Uh…yeah,” he finally confirmed, doing his best to control the color of his cheeks but failing miserably. 

Y/N smiled at the bright pink of his face and flicked her wrist, sending the blanket billowing down to the floor like a parachute. “What would you like to see, Dean?” she teased, lifting her fingers to the bottom hem of her shirt. 

His eyes fell to her thighs as she curled the fabric around her fingers slowly. “Th-that would be nice…”

She laughed sweetly. “Maybe this?” The shirt rose a little higher and Dean gasped at the sight of her panties in full. Wet, thin, perfect. 

“Yeah. That.” 

“These?” 

Her nipples were hard, breasts full and delicious as they fell free of the shirt. Y/N pulled it fully away and threw it at him. 

“Oh, those too,” he drooled, barely lifting his hands to catch the shirt as it smacked him in the face. 

Hooking her thumbs in the elastic of her panties, Y/N wiggled her hips a bit, daring him to ask to see more. 

Dean stopped her. 

“Leave them on,” he whispered, leaning forward, gaze still transfixed by the dark gray cotton. 

Y/N blushed and nodded. "OK...” Her hands fell to hang by her sides, patiently waiting.

When she didn't move for a while, Dean took a giant leap, sucked in a deep breath and said firmly, "Get back on the chair."

Y/N sighed deeply and smiled. 

Dean watched in happy amazement as Y/N backed up to the recliner and sat down, never once taking her eyes off of him. They'd fooled around a few times, but it was always Trench Love, this was something else, something…

"Awesome," he whispered under his breath, mind frantic to catch up with reality. As Y/N waited, he cleared his throat and pressed on. "Turn towards me and spread your legs. Hook one over the side."

Y/N immediately moved, gracefully shifting in the cushioned chair and spreading her legs wide. Dean leaned his elbows on his knees and took in the sight, his jeans growing tighter by the second. 

"What now...Sir?" Y/N teased, slowly testing out the word, watching carefully as Dean's emerald eyes ran the course of understanding. She'd always wondered about him…

He sat back and slung one arm casually over the back of the couch. "Show me what made those panties so wet." He hit the T hard and he swore it made her shiver just a tiny bit.

Y/N bit her lip as she complied, slowly lifting her hands to paw at her tits. They fit so perfectly in her hands, fingers digging into the soft flesh of each globe. Her eyes rolled when she tugged hard on her nipples and Dean had to readjust his seat.

"That's nice, Y/N," he said, voice smooth and deep. "But that's not what you were doing when I walked in here."

She licked her lips and lifted a sexy eyebrow, making sure to take her time. She dragged her hand slowly down her bare tummy, nails scratching gently, and turned her fingers downwards to lay against her panties. 

Dean watched on as she pushed at the crotch of the wet cotton, shoulders trembling as the cool cloth rubbed her flesh. She let her eyes fall closed as she rocked her hips steadily up against her hand, fingers teasing her hole as her clit met the heel of her hand.

She moaned softly.

"That's it," Dean growled. "That's the face you were making when I got here."

His voice made her legs tense and the soft flesh of her inner thighs shook temptingly, but Dean held firm. 

"Feel good?"

"Yeah," she breathed. "Feels so good…" Her back arched off the side of the chair and her toes curled under.

Dean's right hand slid to his thigh, thick thumb teasing the line of his erection through the denim as he stared. "You're not gonna cum, are you?"

Her voice was as shaky as her legs. "I...I...fuck."

Dean chewed his lip and let it pop out slowly as his hand moved over another inch. "How 'bout you slip those fingers underneath?" 

Y/N sighed in relief and then mewed as her hand touched skin, fingers dipping into the slick heat of her hungry cunt. "Fuck! So wet. Oh my God, Dean."

He palmed his dick, pushing down hard and rolling his hips. "Nice and tight, baby?"

The gravel in his words made her melt. "Yeah," she gasped, pumping her fingers roughly. "So tight. Fuck!"

He watched her hand move beneath the gray, the speed increasing as her breath caught in her throat. She was ready to pop. He curled his hand around his dick and swallowed the mess of drool in his mouth.

"Go ahead, Y/N," he said gently. "Cum nice and hard for me."

She let out a cry through clenched teeth and Dean's jaw hung as her body shook. The dark patch of gray grew wider and Y/N seemed to settle, but her hand kept going.

"Dean," she whimpered. "I need…I…" Her head lifted and she met his gaze with pleading eyes. 

His bottom lip quivered. "What, baby, tell me what you need."

She growled in frustration and rubbed at her swollen clit, wet fingers sliding easily. "Need to cum again. Fuck!" Her legs closed inwards and her entire body pulsed with pleasure. 

"Do it!" He tried to keep the enthusiasm at a minimum but to hell with looking cool. This was hot as fuck. 

"Gahh!" Y/N shouted as she came again and a stream of wetness soaked through her panties and dribbled onto the floor. 

Dean lost his mind. "Fuck. Did you just?"

Y/N whined desperately. "Yeah…" She twisted on the chair and kept rubbing. "Need...more. Shit."

"F-fuck. Do it." He pushed up against his hand and moaned, his cock painfully full. "Let me see."

Y/N wiggled around, struggling to peel the soaked cotton from her body, nearly falling off of the chair in the process. 

"Don't hurt yourself, Y/N…"

"Shut up, Dean!" Back in place, she opened her knees wide and spread her pussy lips with two fingers, moaning as the cool air hit her. 

"Fuck, you're a mess." He gave in, opening his belt. Her cunt was glistening, dripping, calling to him, but he kept his seat.

"Dean," she breathed, chest heaving as she shoved three fingers deep inside.

"I'm here, baby," he assured, yanking leather from metal.

"Dean…" Her body locked tight as she frantically fucked her pussy, fingers curling deep. 

"Do it!" He popped his button.

"Fuck!" Toes and shoulders curled inwards as she came, squirting like a fountain, cum splashing down onto the floor in a little puddle of release. 

Dean moaned loudly and ripped his zipper down. "Shit!"

Y/N didn't stop. She pumped even faster, other hand slapping at her aching clit until the tension crested again. "Dean!" His name echoed and the stream was heavy, spilling down into her cupped hand and flooding down her ass onto the chair. 

Still, she kept going. "Can't...can't stop!" she cried, left hand clawing at her tits as she rubbed her dripping cunt. 

Dean couldn't wait any longer, couldn't sit back and jerk off while such a beautiful pussy was in need.

He tried to stand but his knees were weak, so he crawled, hands and knees carrying him to her in a daze. His mouth was watering, his ears ringing. 

Y/N gasped when his lips hit her clit, sucking fast and hard as her taste flooded his mouth. He moaned happily and devoured her, licking up her mess before shoving his big tongue into her pulsing hole. 

"Fuck, Dean!" She let go, moving her dripping fingers to his head, spiking his short hair with the wetness. 

He mumbled into her pussy, greedily lapping at her flesh, desperate to feel the surge against his face. 

It didn’t take long. 

He lifted his eyes as he replaced his tongue with two thick fingers and watched as she broke, her body flailing as she came again. It shot out of her in a hot stream as her cunt tried to push his fingers out, and he closed his mouth around her, drinking it all down. 

Her hand dropped from his hair and tugged on his ear, trying to pull him up. Reluctantly, Dean pulled away and rose up to meet her hazy gaze. 

Y/N sat up and lunged at him, kissing him hard and moaning at the taste of herself on his lips. “Fuck.” 

“Agreed,” he laughed when she slid away. 

She looked drunk, head wobbling on her neck, face flushed, lips ruddy from her teeth. She reached down between their bodies and slid her fingertips into his already open jeans, groaning as she felt his hard cock. “Need it, Dean,” she begged. “Need to cum on your cock. Please. Please!”

“Fuck, baby.” Dean’s heart was racing as he backed up for a quick pause, just long enough to drop his pants. He was hard as a rock and he fisted the base, growling at the pressure. 

Y/N wasn’t waiting much longer. She stood up when Dean did and flipped over onto her stomach, bending herself over the arm of the recliner. She wiggled her ass for him, spreading her legs as wide as she could and presented her leaking cunt for him. 

“Need you,” she begged again, arms stretching across the chair to hold on to the other side. 

Dean bit his tongue and grabbed her ass, gently kneading the meaty flesh as he lined up. 

“Please!” Y/N pushed back and impaled herself, moaning loudly as his cock filled her up. 

He slid right in, Dean’s knees shaking at the slick heat that engulfed him. She was tight and wet and hot; his mind couldn’t take it. 

“Damnit, Y/N, fuck!” He gave her ass a hard crack with his left hand and held onto her hip with his right. 

“Hard, please…” she moaned, her face falling into the cushions, muffling her voice. “Fuck me hard.”

“You got it.” The hand on her ass migrated up, tangling in her hair and giving it a firm tug. Her head snapped up and back and her moan was enough to get Dean moving fast. His thighs slammed against her, his cock ramming into her juicy cunt again and again until her voice rang loud. 

“Jesus, fuck!” 

He felt her cumming, cunt closing in on him, resisting his thrusts as it tightened. He slammed in hard and she came, the flood soaking his cock, running like a river down his thick thighs. He couldn’t breathe. “Fuck, Y/N!”

She shook against him, body weak and finally spent. He let her hair go and her head lolled back down, a pull toy whose string was too slack. 

Dean locked his hands around her hips and grunted as he came, shooting into her slick cunt so quickly that a wave of dizziness stuck him and he fell forward, covering her naked spine with his soft flanneled chest. 

Y/N sucked in a refreshing breath and gave his head a nudge with her shoulder. “Kinda crushing me, dude…”

He laughed and pushed up, wiping a bit of shine off of his cheek. “Holy shit, Y/N/N…”

She moaned as he pulled out and another shower drenched her thighs. “Uh… yeah.” 

Dean staggered backwards, nearly tripping over the jeans hooked on his boots. “That was…”

Y/N stretched and smiled. “Yeah.”

He looked down, eyes still clouded, lips turned in a dumbstruck smile. “I like you,” he slurred. 

Y/N laughed and patted his cheek. “I like you too,” she said, smiling up at him sweetly. “Now go get a mop. You made a mess.” 

“Me?” Dean gasped, clutching imaginary pearls. 

“Well, it wasn’t Marty McFly!” 

Dean raised his brows and dipped his chin. “Come on, it was a little bit Marty McFly…”

Y/N shrugged him off but laughed over her shoulder as she turned away to grab her panties. “Yeah… maybe a little…”

2019 Forever Tags:

@akshi8278 @amanda-teaches @arses21434 @because-imma-lady-assface @burningcoffeetimetravel @colagirl5 @cosicas-cuquis @cosmicfire72 @courtney-elizabeth-winchester @covered-byroses @crashdevlin @dean-winchesters-bacon @deansenwackles @deansgirl215 @dubuforeveralone @emilyshurley @emoryhemsworth @ericaprice2008 @eternal-elir @feelmyroarrrr @flamencodiva @focusonspn @gayspacenerd @herbologystudent252 @hobby27 @ilsawasanacrobat @justcallmeasmodeus​ @katymacsupernatural @lastactiontricia @maddiepants @mariekoukie6661 @meganwinchester1999 @missjenniferb @mrswhozeewhatsis @our-jensen-ackles-love  @peridot-rose @pisces-cutie @risingphoenix761 @roonyxx @roxyspearing @sandlee44 @shadowkat-83 @spnbaby-67 @spn-dean-and-sam-winchester @spnficgirl  @supernaturaldean67 @supernatural-took-me-over @thehardcoveraddict @tmiships4life @wegoddessofhell @winchesterprincessbride

#spn fanfic #dean x reader #dean winchester x reader #smut #one shot #awesome

[quicksilversquared]

Under the Umbrella

Marinette first fell for Adrien under an umbrella. And, well, that wasn't the only important moment in their relationship that happened with umbrellas.

A series of snapshots involving Adrien, Marinette, and umbrellas as they go from classmates to friends...and then something more.

links in the reblog

1. Fall in Love

All it took, really, was an apology, a confession, a earnest look in Adrien's eyes as the thunder rolled overhead.

He wanted to let her know that he had been trying to remove the gum, not add it to her seat, and that he hadn't managed to say that before because he was new to school, it was his first day. The look in Adrien's eyes told Marinette that he wasn't lying just to try to get on her good side, and then he had been kind enough to offer her his umbrella so that she could get home without getting soaked by the rain. He himself would get damp on his way to his car, of course- and oh, Marinette could have kicked herself later for not offering to walk him to his car at least as thanks so that he didn't get wet at all!- but he didn't think of himself at all, only of how he could help her.

And then the umbrella closed on her, startling both of them. Marinette cringed for a second- oh, she looked like an idiot, she was sure- but Adrien surprised her again. He didn't laugh at her, just in startled amusement.

His laugh wasn't mean like Chloe's, harsh and cruel and mocking. It rang clean and amused, and he only laughed after it was clear that she wasn't hurt. There was a small smile on his face as he waved good-bye, and Marinette could only smile and stutter back, watching as Adrien headed down the steps and to the waiting car. It pulled away, splashing through a couple puddles before rounding the corner and vanishing from sight.

It was official: Day Three of school, and Marinette was in love.

Adrien's umbrella kept Marinette dry as she scampered home, avoiding the puddles that dotted the sidewalk, and she shook it out gently before heading inside, carrying the umbrella upstairs with her. It was set by the door next to the shoes to drip-dry, and Marinette smiled at it before continuing on her journey upstairs. Thunder kept rolling overhead, louder and louder as the main part of the storm moved over the city, but even the too-close flashes of lighting couldn't spoil Marinette's mood like they normally did.

She couldn't wait to see Adrien again tomorrow.

  2. Field Trip

"Oh, no, it's going to rain!"

Adrien glanced up at the sky at the groans that went around the group of students. Sure enough, the clouds overhead had turned dark and threatening, and he could see where the rain had started falling across the city. The line of rain was getting closer and closer, and all around him people dug in their backpacks for raincoats and umbrellas. Adrien frowned for a second- he hadn't thought to check the weather before leaving that morning- and then felt Plagg nudging at his side. He glanced in his bag, and- oh, Nathalie must have stuck in an umbrella before he left. That was kind of her. Adrien pulled it out and opened it, just in time for the skies to open up and start pouring down on them.

Thank god for Nathalie and her eternal state of preparedness. Already rain was rolling off of his umbrella, falling in fat droplets to the ground.

A groan nearby made Adrien glance over. Marinette stood huddled miserably next to Alya, who was shrugging on a raincoat. Marinette had neither coat nor umbrella, and she had already been looking chilly in her slightly-too-light (but very cute) top before the rain came. Without even needing to think about it, Adrien started moving towards her, maneuvering around a couple of his other classmates so that he could hoist the umbrella over both himself and Marinette before she could get too wet. His classmate startled at the sudden lack of rain before turning a beaming smile to him.

"Thanks, Adrien!"

Adrien smiled, moving closer to Marinette until their arms pressed together so that neither of them would get wet with the gusts of wind. "It's no problem. I didn't look at the weather, either, so it's really only thanks to Nathalie that I have an umbrella at all."

Marinette nodded and squeaked something incomprehensible. Adrien paused for a moment, trying his best to decipher it, but he really couldn't make anything out of the jumble of syllables. It was disappointing, really- he had hoped that he and Marinette could be good friends after he cleared up the gum misunderstanding- but she didn't seem to dislike him, either. She had smiled, so that- that was something, right?

The rain came down as the class continued through the park, looking at the different signs around them. Adrien stuck close to Marinette, doing his best to keep her dry for the entire field trip. As they went along, Adrien decided to see if he could strike up a conversation with Marinette. He wanted it to be lighthearted, of course, in hopes that Marinette would start relaxing around him, so he threw in a pun or two.

Or three or four or five, he wasn't counting. A small smile had started sneaking onto Marinette's face by the second one, and by pun four he even got a tiny eye-roll while a small smile played at the corners of her lips.

Success.

By the time that they finished up their field trip, the downpour had lightened up to a light patter and Marinette had managed several full sentences around him. Adrien was grinning, feeling over the moon as they talked about one of the sculptures that they had seen in the park. He still had to do a bit of sorting out of syllables to fully understand what Marinette was saying, but most of her words came out in order, and the fire-alarm blush had faded back.

Maybe it was baby steps- and maybe he still wasn't sure why Marinette stuttered so much around him- but it was progress, and progress was good.

  3. Photoshoot

Assistants hovered at the edges of Adrien's photoshoot, umbrellas clutched in their hands. They were walking a thin line between getting a stormy backdrop and actually getting stormed on for this shoot, and clearly the photographer was not happy about it. So far, Marinette had overheard him complaining about lighting problems (they brought in more lighting equipment and shifted some angles to keep things from getting too dark), about the gusts of wind that periodically ruffled Adrien's hair out of its carefully arranged dishevelment, and about how these were ridiculous working conditions because what if the rain started all of a sudden and all of the equipment got wet and ruined?

Which were all valid concerns, admittedly. Particularly the last one. Why Mr. Agreste didn't just, oh, use a greenscreen were beyond Marinette- surely it would be easier to get the look that he wanted without all of the environmental concerns?- but maybe it was just artistic preference or something.

Maybe it was because it was free publicity and gave the ads a more genuine feel or something when they were shot in familiar spaces and both Adrien's fans and Gabriel fans could see the shots in progress. Marinette would ask Adrien, but... well, she was still having trouble making full sentences around him most of the time.

She just- she couldn't help it! Adrien was so kind and polite and handsome and her crush just tied her tongue up in knots. There had been a few times when they had managed to have something almost resembling a conversation, but most of the time...

Well, most of the time Marinette ended up daydreaming about asking him out and then she got wrapped up in her head with worries about how she should ask, where they should go on their first date, how he would react, how she might react if he said no...

And then her tongue tangled into knots and she was left stumbling over her words while Adrien looked puzzled.

For now, Marinette contented herself with watching Adrien's photoshoot as she ate her lunch. Nino had mentioned it in passing before classes let out for the morning, apparently knowing that it was something that Marinette would be interested in, and so of course she had grabbed her umbrella and headed out to the park. Adrien wasn't the only model there, which was a little unusual- apparently his father preferred to keep Adrien on individual photoshoots so that he wouldn't be exposed to the pandemonium that was a normal photoshoot- and Marinette watched eagerly as both Adrien and the other, older models worked. There was a definite difference in how they worked- the older models went through what seemed to be a pre-set series of poses quickly, moving from one to the next in fast succession. On the other hand, Adrien tended to do less conventional poses, getting encouraged to move from one to the other by the photographer and his assistants instead of changing on his own.

And then the first sprinkles started coming down. Marinette reached for her umbrella, opening it up to keep herself and her sketchbook dry. The assistants moved into place, covering photography and electrical equipment. A couple more people set up tents to cover the bulk of the equipment, while a few others followed around the moving photographer so that his camera was safe. The models were left out in the rain, though, which had Marinette frowning. Were they trying to get the clothes wet?

The answer, apparently, was yes. Marinette sat forward, interested, as the models displayed the clothes in new poses, apparently unbothered by their soaked-through clothes. The shots continued through several clothing changes until the photographer was finally satisfied. Marinette watched as the models, including Adrien, scampered off to the change tent to get into dry clothes. Now that the camera wasn't on him, Adrien looked frankly miserable as he pushed his sopping-wet hair back out of his face.

Marinette's heart squeezed in sympathy. Being wet was no fun, and he hadn't been allowed to move out of the rain at all so that they could get their artsy shots. There wasn't that much time to get dry and warmed up before afternoon classes, either, which meant that Adrien would probably be chilly during afternoon classes.

Maybe...maybe she could do something for him. She could bring a thermos of hot chocolate and some hot pastries from the bakery so that Adrien could start the afternoon off right.

Yes, that was what she was going to do, Marinette decided as she gathered up her things and dashed for the bakery as the rain got even heavier. Maybe she couldn't gather up the courage to ask Adrien out yet, but she could manage a nice gesture.

(Fifteen minutes later, when the class was filing in to their first class of the afternoon, Adrien positively beamed when he came in to find the treat on his desk. The smile that he flashed Marinette made her heart race and her face flush and it lit up the entire room.)

  4. Let Him Go

The best thing about Nino and Alya dating was that it provided lots of opportunities for them to push Adrien and Marinette together. The worst thing about them dating was, well, that it provided lots of opportunities for them to push Adrien and Marinette together. And Marinette knew full well that there was an expectation that she would at least try to ask Adrien out or at least confess her feelings during those opportunities.

Her tongue was still tying itself in knots when she even thought about doing so, and then the resulting stammer just made her even more nervous. At some point, surely, Adrien would figure out why she was so nervous around him and then- what? Would he want to date her when she couldn't string together a sentence in front of him half of the time?

Marinette chanced a glance over at Adrien, who was holding their shared umbrella over them as they headed down the street ahead of Nino and Alya. He was looking in the opposite direction, waving to Kagami as she approached in the opposite direction, carrying a red umbrella to match her uniform. She smiled in return and hurried towards them, a spring in her step. Adrien was grinning, and Marinette's heart sunk.

She... she knew that he had confessed that he had a crush on Kagami before, but Marinette had thought that it hadn't really gone anywhere. They had gone on their date, after all, and then... nothing. Adrien hadn't said anything about being in a relationship and to the best of Marinette's knowledge, there had never been a second date. Not an official one, at least.

But maybe there had been and Adrien just hadn't told anyone. He was a pretty private person, after all, so it wouldn't be completely out of character.

She thought, at least. Marinette had to admit even to herself that she didn't exactly know Adrien like Nino did, so maybe it would be completely out of character and she didn't know.

Adrien was talking to Kagami now, a smile lighting up his face, and for once she looked cheerful as well. Kagami didn't hesitate at all as she talked to Adrien, no stammer anywhere in sight. She was confident and comfortable, the exact opposite of how Marinette often found herself feeling around Adrien.

It was probably no wonder that Adrien was more interested in Kagami, then, Marinette thought, trying to swallow the lump that had suddenly appeared in her throat. Even though she knew that Adrien considered her a friend of sorts, she had to admit that they didn't really act like it all the time. Or she didn't, at least. Friends were supposed to be able to have conversations with each other, and they... well, sometimes they managed it. Not often.

Kagami finished her exchange with Adrien and waved good-bye, heading off as their own group resumed their trek towards the library. Marinette glanced back at Nino and Alya and caught Alya's sympathetic look at her. Alya had made no secret of her distaste for Kagami in the past, grumbling that Marinette had been interested in Adrien for far longer and so the other girl needed to back off.

While Marinette wanted to agree with that, she and Tikki had been talking a lot recently, and she had forced herself to recognize that Adrien was apparently interested in someone else and she couldn't change that. But her friends kept on insisting that she should at least try to confess, because maybe all it would take to change Adrien's attention was to realize that Marinette was right there and interested in him. That was why Marinette had kept on trying.

But trying over and over and over was getting old. Marinette was tired of feeling tongue-tied and uncomfortable and nervous in Adrien's presence. And she knew perfectly well that sometimes a confession didn't result in realized feelings, like Nino's (botched) confession had with Alya. Chat Noir had confessed to Ladybug a couple times now, and that hadn't changed her feelings at all. And Marinette had "confessed" to Chat Noir, and that...

Uh. Well. That certainly hadn't had a certain cat-eared boy changing the target of his affections from Ladybug-her to Marinette-her, which was definitely for the better.

Marinette glanced over at Adrien again. His attention had drifted to his phone, his gaze flicking up regularly so that he wouldn't accidentally step in a puddle as they walked. While sometimes she and Alya sometimes checked their phones while walking together, normally they were just chatting together about something or other. The fact that Adrien wasn't even trying to strike up a conversation... well, that said something. He probably suspected that any attempts at conversation would end up her stammering again, and, well, Marinette could see where trying to spend the energy to parse out words amongst the stammering might get tiring sometimes.

At this point, she had been in love with Adrien for over a year. During that entire time, she had tried working up the courage to ask him out, time and time again. None of those attempts had worked, and instead just made her a tongue-tied mess around Adrien. He was far more patient than she probably would be in the same situation, but even his patience had to hit a limit sometime.

She wanted to be proper friends with Adrien. They could talk when she wasn't nervous about potentially asking him out. So maybe...

Maybe she should stop trying. Maybe she should give up on her crush, focus on being friends, and just see where things went. It would be less emotionally exhausting for sure- trying to come up with plans for her to ask out Adrien ate up so much time and caused a fair bit of anticipatory stress, which she really didn't need- and she did want to be able to spend time with Adrien. If they were friends- real, proper friends who hung out with each other- she could spend time with him, no problem.

Marinette sent one more look at Adrien up ahead. He was smiling at something on his phone, and she couldn't help but smile fondly at the sight. She couldn't just drop her crush entirely- that certainly wasn't going to happen overnight, and her heart seemed to like defying logic- but she wasn't going to keep trying to ask him out. Just the decision seemed to put her more at ease, letting go of the nerves that had built up in her stomach, just like they always did when she hung out with Adrien.

They would just be friends. That was enough for now. No more getting jealous or being petty because Adrien liked someone who wasn't her.

Adrien was allowed to like who he wanted, and Marinette was going to be happy for him.

  5. Friends

Marinette, as per usual, had forgotten her umbrella at home. Adrien laughed, snickering harder at the pout that she sent him before offering up his arm so that they could share his umbrella, just like they had all the other times that Marinette had been caught unaware.

It was becoming a sort of tradition for them, it seemed.

(Not that Adrien could judge, really- if it weren't for Nathalie handing him his umbrella before he stepped out the door, he wouldn't have an umbrella most of the time, either.)

"Father needed the car today, so we'll have to walk to my house," Adrien told Marinette as they headed towards the door. He quickly checked his bag to make sure that he had everything that they needed for their project before stepping outside. "I would suggest that we just go to your place instead, but Father insisted that I come straight home even though he isn't going to be there."

"Well, at least it's not raining that hard," Marinette offered. "With the umbrella, we should be fine."

That was true, Adrien had to admit. It had been pouring earlier, gusts of wind occasionally making the windows rattle, and now it had lightened up to a barely-there drizzle. It wouldn't be fun without an umbrella or rain coat, but they had that.

Adrien couldn't help but smile as he and Marinette headed down the street together. He wasn't sure what had changed in the past couple of months, but Marinette had gone from nervous and unsure around him to relaxed and joking. He absolutely adored the change, because Marinette was so much fun to hang out with. Since Nino was ditching him to hang out with Alya more and more often, it was nice to have another friend to spend time with and pair up with for group projects. When Nino and Alya were distracted with each other, he and Marinette could hang out and joke around. She had a similar sense of humor to him- even if she did pretend to be exasperated by his puns- and understood when their hang-outs had to be working on homework together instead of playing games, instead of getting frustrated like Nino sometimes did.

The two of them didn't hurry as they headed along the sidewalks towards the mansion. Marinette was telling Adrien about something that she was designing for Jagged Stone- apparently Penny had commissioned it for the rock star, and it sounded super cool- and Adrien knew that as soon as they got inside the mansion, Nathalie would be on them to make sure that they were focusing on homework and homework only. So they took their time, enjoying the cool spring air.

Until a car zipped by, splashing through a puddle and sending an absolute tidal wave of dirty water right at Marinette.

"Oh my god, are you okay?" Adrien exclaimed as Marinette spluttered. He sent a glare in the direction of the responsible car before returning his attention to his bedraggled friend, ushering her past the puddle before another car could come by. "I can't believe they did that! My driver always slows down if he can't avoid a puddle so that he doesn't splash anyone."

Marinette bit her lip as she wrung out her shirt. "I- I think I'll have to go home and change."

"I've got plenty of clothes," Adrien assured Marinette quickly, drawing her close to him. She had definitely caught the worst of the splash, with him only getting a few splatters. "They might be a little big on you, but you can make anything look cute. And I rarely remember to clean out my closet, so I probably have some stuff that's small on me anyway. That way, you don't have to go home first."

Marinette managed a thankful smile as he led her down the street. "That would be perfect."

Adrien made a beeline for his closet once they got to the mansion, conscious of Marinette shivering behind him. He twisted the hidden knob to his closet, making his climbing wall crack open and revealing the hidden walk-in closet behind it.

Marinette's jaw dropped.

"I had to hide it somewhere," Adrien told her with a laugh. "D'you want to pick out an outfit, then take a quick shower to warm up and wash off the dirty water before you change?"

"I- sure, that sounds good."

Adrien smiled as he headed into the bathroom to pull out a couple towels and a hairdryer for Marinette to use while she picked through his closet. He had no doubt that if this had happened a couple months ago, she would have been an uncomfortable mess at the suggestion that she wear his clothes and use his shower, but it seemed to be no problem now.

"You have so many clothes in here!"

Adrien grinned when he went back to the closet and found Marinette still sifting through the piles and racks of clothes, wide-eyed as she glanced at the designer labels. Clearly she hadn't actually made any progress in picking out an outfit which really, he should have expected. "You're going to get sick if you look at everything in here before you warm up and dry off."

"I know, but I've never seen some of these lines before!" Marinette lifted up a smart-looking vest, looking at it. "This looks way too small for you."

It definitely was. Adrien recognized that particular piece from several years back, before he hit a growth spurt. It would fit Marinette well, though, so maybe he should just pass it on to her to alter as she saw fit.

"Okay, so maybe this and then- Adrien, I'm not sure that this shirt is even big enough for me."

"I get it, I get it, I have to clean my closet," Adrien told her with a laugh. "I don't have time to sort through stuff today, though, so it'll have to wait for another day."

"Why do I get the feeling that you've said that at least a couple times before?"

...he had, but Adrien wasn't going to admit that.

Marinette put together the rest of her new outfit quickly, then dashed off to the bathroom to wash off the remainder of the puddle-water and warm up in the shower. Adrien settled down at his desk, keeping an eye on his phone. Nathalie had texted him to let him know that she and his father were on the way back to the house and would be arriving shortly. Adrien considered passing the information on to Marinette through the door, then decided against it.

Even if he and Marinette were proper close friends now, he thought that might be pushing it just a little bit.

A minute later, Adrien heard the hair dryer in the bathroom, and he nodded in approval. Even if Marinette was dressed in dry clothes, sitting around with wet hair when it was a bit on the chilly side was a good way to get sick. He had set the dryer out for exactly that reason.

"Are you just going to give the clothes to Marinette?" Plagg asked, appearing next to Adrien. "And are you going to tell Nathalie why Marinette is wearing your clothes? I bet that she'll have something to say about that."

Adrien frowned, puzzled. Sure, yeah, Nathalie would probably notice that Marinette's outfit was tailored for a boy and remember not long after that that the clothes had been Adrien's, but why would she care? Marinette had gotten soaked, he had offered up his closet in response. End of story. "Yeah, I figured that Marinette could just keep the outfit, since all of it was too small for me anyway. But why would Nathalie care?"

Plagg groaned. "Oh, you are dense."

Marinette popped out of the bathroom, fully dressed and dry just as the buzzer rang to alert Adrien that his father and Nathalie had returned, meaning that they would get checked in on soon. She had her hair down, which was different but definitely cute with the smart button-up/vest/narrow pants combo. "What's the buzzer for?"

"My father and Nathalie are back," Adrien told her, standing up to fully take in the outfit. Honestly, he didn't think he ever would have thought to use that particular combo, but it was amazing. "Good timing, and fantastic outfit combo. You're making it look better than I ever did."

Apparently he could still make Marinette blush.

  6. Akuma

One of the amazing things about Ladybug, Chat Noir decided, was how creative she was. She could look around a normal room and see tools and solutions and potential weapons. With her at his side, he knew that they wouldn't lose.

Even if she had lost her yo-yo in the battle and therefore they were down a weapon, at least until she could slip past the akuma to reclaim it. And with the akuma in question...well, slipping past would be difficult.

Undeterred, Chat Noir dove into the fray, knocking the akuma back a pace to give Ladybug a little breathing room while she figured out what to do next. It was hard to fight on the restaurant rooftop seating area- the tables got in his way, but as long as he was on the offensive then he wasn't in that much danger of tripping over chairs and tables alike.

Thank goodness Ladybug's Miraculous Cure would fix all of the plates and glasses that he and the akuma were knocking to the ground as they both pushed to gain ground. Glass and china fell to the ground and crunched under their feet, and he cringed at the thought of what that price tag would be if not for Ladybug's magic.

"How long before your weapons goes too, Chat Noir?" the akuma taunted. "Then there'll be nothing to stop me from taking your Miraculous!"

Chat Noir gritted his teeth, blocking a blow from the (very strange) oversized chicken leg that the akuma was wielding like a sword. "Not going to happen!"

"What's a superhero without her weapon?" the akuma taunted. "Half a superhero? A third?"

The akuma was just trying to get under Chat Noir's skin, he knew that. He wasn't going to let that happen. If worse came to worse and Ladybug decided that she needed her yo-yo and they couldn't get to it, she could just slip away for a couple minutes to detransform, maybe recharge a little, and then transform again, getting the yo-yo back by magic.

He hoped that it didn't come to that. Chat Noir didn't exactly want to fight this akuma on his own.

And then Ladybug plunged back into the fight out of nowhere, one of the patio umbrellas clutched tight in her hands like a sword. She clearly wasn't trained to swordfight like he was (or, well, trained to fence like he was), but since when did that matter to Ladybug at all? With enough fierce determination, anything could work as a weapon.

The akuma yelped in surprise as he was battered into submission. A blow to the shoulder was followed by a hit to the back of his knees, another to the middle of the back, and then it was finished up by a volley of hits to the akuma's head that had Chat Noir wincing in sympathy.

And then the akuma recovered enough to fling a table at Ladybug. Chat Noir cringed- Ladybug could block that with her yo-yo normally, but she didn't have it- but there was no need to worry. Ladybug just popped open her umbrella, blocking the table easily.

...somehow Chat Noir was getting the feeling that Ladybug's contact with the umbrella was magically strengthening it, because he had seen patio umbrellas like that before and they definitely weren't that sturdy.

"Umbrellas for weapons, what's next?" Chat Noir called over, bounding over to the akuma to re-join the fight.

"Bunnyx had an umbrella and so did Stormy Weather!" Ladybug called back. "They're useful!"

Chat Noir grinned. "Are we going to see less of your yo-yo from now on, then?"

"Ha, ha, very funny."

The umbrella-turned-shield proved to be pretty useful. The food-based akuma kept throwing things at them and Ladybug blocked them all, letting Chat Noir hide behind the umbrella and then bounce out to launch an offensive attack. They worked their way slowly forward, until Ladybug could duck down and grab her yo-yo without the akuma noticing. Then- well, then it wasn't long before the possessed item was smashed and the akuma purified, and then Paris was put back to rights. Chat Noir grinned as Ladybug headed across the rooftop patio to put her umbrella back, spinning it merrily against her shoulder before plonking it back in its holder.

"You look like you're posing for a photoshoot," Chat Noir teased, watching Ladybug straighten the umbrella before stepping back. "Summer goals."

Ladybug just laughed, stepping forward to bump her fist with his. "Get me some ice cream, and then that would be goals."

"I think that can be arranged."

  7. Warmth

Of course the Gorilla was sick on the one day of the week when it was pouring, Adrien thought grumpily as he stood under the overhand above the school steps. And of course it was also the one day when, for once, Adrien didn't have an umbrella.

Walking home in a torrential downpour (and in the chilly fall air) with neither raincoat nor umbrella didn't sound like any fun at all, especially not when he was already shivering without being wet at all in the damp chill. Adrien would transform and head home like that, but his father and Nathalie would be expecting him to come in the front door. That meant that he would have to find somewhere to detransform and he would get wet anyway, so he might as well not even bother at that point. Particularly when he knew that there were no good places to detransform close to the mansion.

Sighing, Adrien readied himself to step out and get soaked. He was just about to try to make a break for it when he heard his name being called and he paused, glancing in the direction of the call.

Marinette was hurrying across the street with an umbrella, just barely identifiable through the downpour. She only just missed stepping in a large puddle on her way over- Adrien could see her little skip-hop to try to avoid getting her shoes wet- and then rushed up the steps towards him, clutching tight to the umbrella as a gust of wind whipped down the street.

"You are an actual angel," Adrien said gratefully as she finally came to a stop next to him, pink-cheeked and out of breath. "I had resigned myself to getting soaked and sick."

"I saw you hovering over here from my window," Marinette said by way of explanation, handing her umbrella over so that he could hold it over both of them. "You can come hang out at my house until the rain lets up a bit. It's supposed to get even stormier for the next hour before tapering off and you'll get soaked even with an umbrella if you try to go for more than a block or so."

Adrien hesitated. "Usually Father prefers that I come straight home. He doesn't like not knowing where I am."

"So text Nathalie to let him know." Marinette looped her arm through his as they started forward, glancing up at him out of the corner of her eye. "We have hot chocolate and fresh cookies."

Adrien's resolve cracked at once. "Well, I suppose they would want me doing what's best for my health and not getting myself sick."

Marinette's triumphant little grin made him laugh. She looked so proud of herself for persuading him to join her, and he didn't have the heart to tell her that it really hadn't taken much at all. He just needed a little bit of an excuse to go to the bakery.

Only the bottoms of their pants and their shoes were at all wet when they slid into the bakery. Adrien shook out the umbrella outside before closing it and stepping fully into the warmth of the bakery. Mrs. Cheng called a greeting to him at once, and Adrien grinned as he returned it, heading over to give her a hug.

One of the fantastic things about becoming better friends with Marinette was that he got to go over to her house pretty often, and he got to know her parents more. They were so friendly, it was impossible to feel cold in their house.

And of course, the treats didn't hurt. Not at all. Adrien bit into his cookie and closed his eyes in bliss as warm, gooey chocolate coated his tongue. In the little kitchen, Marinette heated up milk for their hot chocolate. She had shed her damp socks and shoes at the door to dry, sticking them in front of the baseboard heater, and Adrien had done the same. It felt a little odd to be barefoot in his friend's kitchen, but Marinette didn't seem at all uncomfortable as she wandered around.

Maybe it was just something that her family did, though they hadn't the last few times that Adrien visited.

"And ta-da, your hot chocolate is ready!" Marinette announced, plopping a steaming cup down in front of Adrien. "Do you want marshmallows in that?"

Adrien perked up. "Marshmallows? That sounds amazing."

(It was.)

An hour later, Nathalie brought the car around to pick Adrien up. Marinette sent her umbrella with him, plus a bag with a couple more goodies. It was a bit of residual warmth as he headed out the door and slid into the car to head home.

Adrien smiled as he tucked the bag into his backpack. His afternoon had looked bleak and cold after he left his extra fencing practice, but instead it had been fun and full of warmth.

And it was all thanks to Marinette.

  8. Inside-Out

In Marinette's defense, she had brought an umbrella. She had been prepared.

And then a gust of wind flipped it inside-out and ripped a hole in the fabric, rendering it useless. Marinette had groaned loudly, doing her best to wrestle the umbrella into some sort of shape that she could actually use.

It was...kind of a lost cause, at least in Adrien's eyes. But then Marinette dodged into a shop to buy some duct tape and set to trying to get the umbrella back together before the rain got too heavy. Nino and Alya exchanged a half-exasperated, half-amused look as they watched, but Adrien frowned as he watched Marinette struggle to use her duct tape on the damp fabric, with a light mist coming down even as she tried to fix it.

So he moved to stand over her with his own umbrella, protecting her from the light rain and keeping her umbrella dry when she dried it with her sleeves. Marinette sent a brilliant smile up at him in thanks, leaning back against his legs as she worked.

Even with largely dry fabric, the tape was not exactly sticking brilliantly well.

"You should have just bought a new umbrella, Marinette," Alya said with a sigh as she watched her best friend work. "I know you like saving and reusing things, but after a good rainfall that tape is just going to peel off and you'll have a giant hole in your umbrella again."

"I know, but we have too many umbrellas at home because Papa always forgets to bring one when he goes out, and if he gets caught in the rain he just buys another one." Marinette snipped another piece of tape and pressed it down. "So I just need it to last for today, and then I can just toss it."

With one last length of tape and a little wrestling, Marinette stood up with her hastily repaired umbrella held over her. She tucked the tape and her scissors back into her purse, then flashed a smile at her friends. "Okay, I'm ready to go!"

They continued on their walk to the library, with the rain slowly getting heavier. Marinette kept a firm grip on her umbrella, keeping it from flipping inside-out, but even her best efforts couldn't keep the first piece of tape from peeling off as the skies really opened.

And then a second, and a third, and then Marinette made a displeased noise as water started dripping through the fabric. Adrien glanced over to see Marinette twisting the umbrella so that the undamaged part was over her backpack.

"The thing is, it probably would actually have worked if I had been able to let the umbrella dry all of the way before I taped anything," Marinette complained. Up above, another piece of tape was peeling. "But the fabric was damp, so the duct tape couldn't make the full seal."

"Here, we can share again," Adrien offered right away, before more of the umbrella could give away and soak Marinette and her backpack full of homework. He hoisted his umbrella higher so that Marinette could duck underneath. "Good try, but I think that umbrella is pretty done."

"I might be able to figure out how to make the skeleton into a sun umbrella or something," Marinette said thoughtfully, turning her now-collapsed umbrella over in her hands. "I mean, the structure of it is pretty good still, and I've been thinking of experimenting a bit."

Adrien grinned. Marinette's unending creativity never failed to amaze him. "That sounds really cool! I'd be interested in seeing that process, actually. I'm curious about how you would do it. I don't even know where I would start."

Marinette smiled. "Well, I thought I would start by getting the current fabric off and using it to pattern my sun umbrella's fabric. It shouldn't be overly difficult then."

"Not overly difficult, she says. That sounds difficult to me." Adrien smiled, though, unable to help but feel proud of Marinette. She was always pushing to try a new technique or experiment with different things, and it really showed. There was a reason why she was getting commissions from established music artists at such a young age. "And I bet that I'll still think that even if I watch you doing it."

"Flatterer." Marinette flashed him a bashful smile, though, clutching her broken umbrella tighter. "It's not that big of a deal, really."

Adrien could only shrug as they headed up the steps of the library together. Whether she acknowledged it or not, Marinette was really awesome. He could already tell that she was going to get far in the fashion world, no matter what track she decided to take.

No matter what happened, Adrien was proud to have a friend like Marinette.

  9. Wingwoman

Marinette shouldn't have agreed to this, she knew that she shouldn't have. But Adrien had asked so hopefully and she- well, she couldn't say no.

For the second time in just over a year, Marinette was helping Adrien plan a date with Kagami.

Maybe she had given up her plan to try to ask him out months ago, but that hadn't meant that her crush had gone away. Instead, now that Marinette was hanging out with Adrien and actually talking to him all the time, she had fallen for him more.

And now she was helping him think up ways to apologize to Kagami for the way the last date had gone (apparently he had been hung up on yet another girl and so hadn't really been able to give her proper attention) and ask her out again. It sounded like Adrien was trying to move on from the other girl properly now since she wasn't interested, and Kagami had said to reach out when he had decided to change targets. Which was now, obviously.

It was super, super frustrating to realize that she was apparently still not even on Adrien's radar as someone he might possibly be interested in, even now that they were actually talking and talking a lot. But Adrien was allowed to date who he wanted and she wasn't going to- well, she couldn't say that she wasn't going to be jealous, because that was a lie. But Marinette wasn't going to act on her jealousy. Not this time.

(Besides, as Marinette's parents had reminded her, not all lycée relationships lasted. Most didn't, even. It wasn't as though Marinette was losing her chance for once and for all, at least not in theory.)

So Marinette sat down with Adrien and helped him brainstorm ideas for a date (the movies, or a concert, or going to a restaurant) and ways to ask Kagami out (don't do anything fancy, you dork, that just creates opportunities for things to go wrong, just go and apologize and ask her) and put a quick end to Adrien's idea that they turn it into a double date sort of thing again.

She was not going to do that again. Aside from the fact that she had decided that she didn't actually like Luka like that and it wasn't fair to him to pretend otherwise, Marinette had no desire to sit around and pretend that she wasn't affected by Adrien and Kagami being all close and cuddly a la Alya and Nino.

If Adrien wanted to double date, he could ask an actual established couple to come along with them. It wasn't as though there were a lack of them in their class.

Marinette sighed as she stared across the Trocadero. She was sitting on the steps, hunkered down under the largest of her family's umbrellas as she tried to distract herself from what was no doubt going down at the school right now. Adrien had decided that he was going to pair up with Kagami during fencing class and then ask her out right after class, once they had changed back to their street clothes and the rest of their team had filtered out. She knew that the lesson was going to be ending soon, and Adrien would no doubt be texting her to let her know that Kagami accepted any minute now.

Marinette was trying to stay positive, but it was hard not to wallow at least a little bit. At least the weather was perfect for wallowing.

Above her, rain pattered down lightly on the umbrella. The plaza was pretty empty, with only a couple people hurrying across on their ways to the bus stop or to their cars. Marinette watched them go, trying to not think at all.

She hadn't been anywhere near this crushed the last time that Adrien had asked for her help with asking Kagami out. Marinette had thought that she would be able to use her reaction then to estimate how affected she would be this time, but it wasn't anywhere as close.

Surprisingly enough, there were no texts yet. Marinette briefly glanced at the time- she had remembered when fencing let out correctly, right?- then let out a long sigh.

"I bet that they went directly from fencing to a date," Marinette said moodily, propping her chin up on her fist. Her umbrella had sunk down until it was practically sitting on top of her head. No doubt it was getting tangled in her hair now, but she would deal with that later. "Otherwise Adrien would have texted by now."

Tikki just burrowed into her hair in comfort.

The rain got heavier, and Marinette hunkered down further under her umbrella. Around her, puddles started forming on the concrete. The crowds had almost completely cleared off now, and Marinette wondered if she should do the same. But she didn't want to deal with her mom's concerned looks, not yet.

Footsteps approached her umbrella, but Marinette just ignored them, figuring that it was just a passing pedestrian. It wasn't until the corner of her umbrella lifted and someone slid in next to her that Marinette startled and turned to face the intruder.

It was Adrien.

"Your mom said that you were out here," Adrien said by way of explanation, keeping his head low so that it wouldn't bump against the umbrella. He set his own umbrella down on the pavement next to him, collapsed so that it wouldn't blow away. "And to just look for an umbrella that was big enough for your father. It was pretty good instructions. This thing is huge."

Marinette just nodded, puzzled. Shouldn't- shouldn't Adrien be either headed home right now or out on a date with Kagami? He had just asked- or had in theory just asked- Kagami out, and so he should be focusing on that right now. Right?

Unless he hadn't asked. Maybe he had gotten nervous last minute or something. But he had asked Kagami with no problem the first time, so-

Marinette couldn't even finish the question in her mind. She knew exactly why it might be different this time, and it was the same reason as why she was more affected this time, too: he was more invested this time around, and-

"She said no."

Startled, Marinette whipped around to look at him, only to yelp in pain when her hair, tangled with the umbrella spokes, yanked on her scalp. Adrien blinked in surprise, then caught both the umbrella and her head in his hands, gently maneuvering both so that her hair wasn't yanking at her scalp. Then he leaned forward, reaching around her head to oh-so-gently untangle her hair from the umbrella.

Marinette almost stopped breathing. He was just so close and with the umbrella right overhead and hiding them from the world and the area pretty much empty on top of that, it just felt so intimate. Which was completely inappropriate, because Adrien had just asked out a different girl and it was pretty obvious that he didn't think about her like that. He was just trying to help her not rip her hair out of her scalp.

"Gotcha," Adrien said quietly after a minute, freeing one last strand of hair and passing a hand over her head to make sure that there weren't any other strands, his fingers brushing lightly over her hair. He took the umbrella from her, lifting it high enough that he could straighten up without hitting his own head. "You might need to redo your pigtails because a bit of hair got pulled out, but you're free."

"Thanks." Marinette took a deep breath to steady herself and then refocused on Adrien. "Kagami said no?"

"Yeah." Adrien let out a long breath. "Apparently she's moved on. I took too long to decide to ask her out."

Marinette couldn't help the way that her heart gave a hopeful jolt, but she focused on keeping a straight face. She slid one arm around Adrien and rested a hand on his opposite shoulder. "I'm sorry."

"It was my fault for not acting soon enough and staying hung up on someone who wasn't interested." Adrien was leaning into her side, eyes half-closed. "If I had been willing to move on sooner...but I guess we all work at our own pace and I wouldn't- I wouldn't really have been ready earlier." He grimaced. "And that wouldn't have gone well. Kind of how it screwed stuff up the first time around."

Marinette could only nod. She had concluded the same thing about when thinking about moving on from Adrien. If she tried to force it, to push her feelings into a box and move on- well, it would have come around and bitten her in the butt eventually.

"I mean, it's a pity, but I'll move on," Adrien added with another shrug. He rested his cheek against Marinette's shoulder and she hoped that he couldn't hear her heart racing. "But enough about me. What are you doing out here? It's pouring."

Marinette resisted the urge to shrug, since it would only knock Adrien off of her shoulder and if he was being cuddly today, she wasn't going to discourage it. "It was nice and quiet and a good spot to sit and clear my mind a bit."

Adrien shifted, turning his head so that his chin sat on her shoulder instead of his cheek. "Everything all right?"

She wasn't about to tell him the truth, not when Adrien had already been rejected today. He wouldn't want to reject someone on top of that. So Marinette stretched the truth, just a little bit. "Yeah. I- I'm just a little stressed with school and exams and whatnot and I needed to sit and chill for a bit."

"Ah." Adrien wrapped her up in a hug. "Well, if you ever want to work on homework together, I know my father would allow it. He likes you."

Marinette managed a smile, returning the hug. It was maybe a little awkward with the umbrella handle between them, but it was warm and comforting. "Thanks."

"No problem."

They sat there for another half-hour, heads resting against each other as they watched the rain come down around them. Marinette let her eyes drift shut, enjoying the steady warmth at her side.

Maybe they were just friends right now, but Marinette had to say that she was thrilled to have Adrien by her side.

  10. Sunshine

Marinette had replaced her torn umbrella fabric with a cheery pink cherry blossom fabric that matched her summery dress. Gold embroidery created accents on both dress and fabric, catching the sun.

And speaking of Marinette's dress- for the first time (in Adrien's memory, at least), Marinette had gone for spaghetti straps. They exposed lovely freckled shoulders, and combined with Marinette's half-updo...

Adrien had known that his friend was cute. It was impossible to miss and impossible to deny. But now...

Now, it was undeniable: Marinette was gorgeous.

Adrien was doing his best not to stare as Marinette giggled with Alya. The umbrella kept the sun off of her shoulders but threw pink light over her instead. It looked gorgeous- and who was he kidding, she didn't need any help looking absolutely gorgeous- and was absolutely picture-perfect.

...would it be creepy if he asked her to pose for a few photos in a sort of mini-photoshoot? Maybe not, since they were friends, but...he wasn't sure. Even after being in school for several years now, there were parts of the whole socializing thing that Adrien was still a bit unsure about.

It would probably be even creepier to snap a picture without Marinette knowing.

"You're staring," Nino sing-songed in Adrien's ear. "You liiike her."

Adrien flushed. "I- she just looks really good today. Like, that is an amazing outfit- the amount of work that went into that-"

"You should ask her out," Nino suggested. He was smirking. "You two are super-close already."

"I just asked Kagami out barely a month ago," Adrien retorted. "With Marinette's help, I might add. That's not- it just doesn't seem like a good idea to me."

Nino groaned, rolling his eyes. "I can't believe you even did that, dude. Like, I know that you and Kagami are friends, but I never really got that 'oh I've got a crush on her' vibe from you. And you and Marinette have become way closer anyway."

Adrien glanced away. He had to admit that Nino had a point. Over the past month since his failed attempt at asking Kagami out, he had realized that he really had never been that cut up over her rejection. He had been surprised, sure- after all, she had been interested in him at one point, enough to pretty much imply that she would be waiting for him to change his mind and move on from Ladybug, and she had been (he thought, at least) as friendly as always since- but not upset. He had automatically gone to Marinette to tell her, but he hadn't done it because he needed support or anything.

No, he had decided to ask Kagami out because he had thought that she would say yes. He had thought that she was a safe choice to ask. Sure, he admired her- she was a really talented fencer- but there weren't feelings there. What he had felt before was probably better classified as a crush, or maybe just admiration for her skills gone a little too far.

"Seriously, at least think about it," Nino told Adrien after he didn't get a response right away. "Like, I can see where maybe you have a point about not asking Marinette out right away 'cause she knew that you were interested in Kagami, but don't leave it forever."

Adrien let out a small huff. "Since when are you the relationships expert?"

"Since I've been in a relationship for a couple years now, whereas you have yet to kiss a girl." Nino shot finger guns at Adrien, then stepped back and towards Alya. "Seriously, think about it."

Adrien watched as Nino headed across the park to join Alya. Marinette stepped back from her friend, leaving the couple on their own to cuddle (and presumably scheme) and heading over to join Adrien. He managed a smile as she came over next to him, but he couldn't fully ignore the way that his heart rate picked up.

"It's so warm today," Marinette said with a sigh, coming to a stop near Adrien. "And so sunny!"

"Does the umbrella help?" Adrien asked curiously, tapping the edge. Up close, he could see where Marinette had used her sewing machine to do some basic fill-in embroidery with thin gold thread. "It looks like it gives you a little shade, at least."

"It does! It's not super-thick fabric so it doesn't completely block the light or anything, but it helps." Marinette slid closer with a small smile, lifting her umbrella off of her shoulders so that it cast a shadow over Adrien, too. "Better?"

"I don't think it matches my outfit as well as it matches yours," Adrien said with a laugh. "But the shade is nice, yeah." He dallied for a moment, debating, then asked, "Can I take some pictures of you? That outfit with that umbrella is 100% photoshoot-worthy."

Marinette turned pink but she looked pleased. "Of course! Do you want me to pose, or...?"

"Could you?"

Nino sent Adrien a knowing look as he snapped a few quick photos of Marinette and Adrien did his best to ignore it. Marinette needed pictures of that outfit, she really did. He was just being a good friend by making sure that she had some good shots.

The fact that he would definitely be keeping copies of the pictures for himself was entirely beside the point.

  11. Hawkmoth Defeated

It was over. The battle was done, and Hawkmoth was defeated at last. Ladybug just wished that Hawkmoth's identity hadn't hit so close to home.

Chat Noir was silent next to her as they turned Nathalie over to the police and gathered up a bit more evidence from Mr. Agreste's office, and he was just as quiet as they headed up to what remained of Hawkmoth's lair to see what was left there and to look out at the scene below.

There wasn't much there, honestly. There were some weapons that the police would definitely want to look at, but all of the evidence had (surprisingly) been in the office. Ladybug glanced up from her investigation of one of the weapons (a missile, it looked like; she did not want to know if her suit was resistant to something like this) to see her partner standing at the front of the lair, staring down at the scene below. She abandoned her task at once to go stand next to him, one hand lifting to rest on his back.

Down below, paramedics were still bustling around, readying Mr. Agreste for transport to the hospital. They were calling back and forth, tone urgent.

If Mr. Agreste survived all the way there, it would be a miracle. He had stepped backwards off of the rooftop to try to avoid Chat Noir's claws going for his Miraculous, and each of them had only partially succeeded in their goal.

The Miraculous had come partway off, dangling by a pin tip to Hawkmoth's suit. It hadn't stayed secure enough, though, and Hawkmoth's transformation had been coming undone as he hit the ground, leaving him only just barely alive. The superheroes had jumped down and reclaimed his Miraculous, then called up both the police and the ambulance.

"I can't believe him," Chat Noir said quietly, fury clear in his voice. "I just- I don't understand." His voice broke, and Ladybug wrapped her arms around him, resting her head against his shoulder. "Why would he become a supervillain? He has tonsof money. He's successful. I mean, the only thing I can think of would be Mom, but she wouldn't approve at all, I know she wouldn't."

Ladybug just nodded. She had figured out Chat Noir's identity partway through the final battle, just based on his reaction to discovering Hawkmoth's identity, and- oh, gosh. Her poor partner. Her poor kitty. She couldn't imagine finding out that one of her parents was the Big Bad and needing to just- to just ignore that to focus fully on the fight.

"And Nathalie, too," Chat Noir continued, and Ladybug felt something drip against her shoulder. She craned her head and spotted the tear tracks running down his face. "I just- I can't-"

"We'll get our answers soon," Ladybug said soothingly, glancing up at the sky as more drops hit her shoulders. It was starting to rain, and she had to be thankful that it had held off long enough for them to finish their fight. Rain made rooftops slippery, and even though their kwamis tried to account for that, it just wasn't as easy to fight as when things were dry. She let go with one hand to reach for her yo-yo, pulling her umbrella out of it like Mary Poppins pulling a coat stand out of her bag before popping it open over the two of them, protecting them from the weather. "We can go to Master Fu and have him pull Nooroo out and ask Nooroo all of our questions."

Chat Noir nodded into her shoulder. "Okay."

"And I can take care of any press for today. Any press, and whatever questions the police need answered right away. But I'll ask that we get a couple days at least to recover." She hugged him closer as the rain started coming down harder. Down below, the paramedics finally got Mr. Agreste loaded into the ambulance and it peeled out of the gates, sirens starting up. The patrol car with Nathalie in it followed. "I can come up with a reason if they ask."

"Thank you," Chat Noir breathed. "I'll- I'll come to terms with it eventually, I know I will. But today..."

"You need time. I get it." Ladybug pulled her partner closer. The rain pattered overhead, the city slowly getting consumed in grey. Press vehicles were already starting to pull up in front of the mansion gates, and she frowned at them before returning her attention to her partner. "Do you want to go to Master Fu right away, or should we go to my house first?"

Chat Noir's gaze flashed to her, eyes wide and green and disbelieving. "But my Lady- our identities-"

Ladybug gave him a fond nudge. "You've already given your identity away, kitty cat. And with Hawkmoth defeated, I think it's safe for me to reveal my identity, too."

"Then I want to go home with you," Chat Noir decided, burying his face in her shoulder again. "Please."

"All right, Chat Noir." Ladybug pulled her partner into her arms, handing him the handle to her umbrella. "Then let's go home."

  12. First Date

Adrien scowled up at the sky as his car drove towards the bakery. He had hoped that today would be sunny, so that he and Marinette could have lunch at an outdoor cafe and then walk around hand-in-hand and then maybe get some ice cream together. It was the perfect plan for their first date: simple, cute, relaxing, and very them.

And now it was raining.

Adrien hopped out of the car with a quick thanks to the Gorilla once they reached the bakery, popping his umbrella open as he did so that his outfit wouldn't get wet. He didn't hesitate to head for the door as the car drove away, knocking before standing back and waiting. Marinette answered at once, a bright smile on her face.

That expression on her made his knees weak, honestly. And when he considered that Marinette was both his unfairly pretty longtime friend and the superhero partner that he had been in love with for years... well, it was a miracle that Adrien was still standing, really.

He could hear Plagg sniggering in his collar.

"Maman, I'm headed out!" Marinette called over her shoulder, pausing for a reply before stepping out and joining Adrien under the umbrella. She beamed up at him. "Hey, kitty. How are you today?"

"Since I'm with you, fantastic," Adrien said cheerfully, hooking his arm around hers. "I was hoping for sun for our date, but the weather isn't cooperating."

"It's supposed to storm later," Marinette said, sounding oddly cheerful about that. She peered out from under the umbrella, watching the rain fall around them. "I love the rain."

Immediately, Adrien's lingering annoyance about the rain vanished. If his Lady liked rain, then they would work around the rain. He glanced down at her as they started to walk. "Anything in particular that you like about the rain?"

"Well, I fell in love with you in the rain," Marinette said, and Adrien startled. She had? When was that? "In a thunderstorm, actually. And then we've shared an umbrella so often..."

Adrien winced as he remembered their last umbrella-sharing incident. It had been during the final battle, only a couple hours before the police informed him about his father's death. Granted, the memory wasn't all bad- even if he had been reeling from the discovery of Hawkmoth's identity and had been pretty sure even then that his father probably wasn't going to survive, finding out Ladybug's identity and getting to stay with her- well, that made up for a lot of the other stuff.

And then, hours later, they had found his mom and now Master Fu was working on a cure. So that- that was good too, Adrien thought. So far, they didn't have any reason to believe that Mrs. Agreste had been up to anything unsavory while using the Peacock Miraculous, so once she came back, Adrien would have one parent again. This time, it would be the good parent.

But now that Marinette mentioned it, Adrien was remembering other things, too. The times when one of them forgot their umbrella and so they shared one umbrella. The time when Adrien had just been rejected by Kagami and they- well, they had pretty much cuddled for a while after that, all alone on the Trocadero plaza under Mr. Dupain's giant umbrella while rain poured down all around them. The time when Adrien realized that oh no, he had a crush on Marinette.

(The fact that that last one was a sun umbrella was beside the point.)

"Well, I can admit that rain can be calming," Adrien admitted after another moment. "It adds atmosphere. But I was hoping to get to eat outside at a cafe today as part of our date, and the rain puts a bit of a damper on that."

"We'll save that idea for our next date, then," Marinette said cheerfully. "For now, I think something warm sounds tasty. And I have the perfect place in mind, too. It's nice and cozy."

Cozy with his Lady? That sounded purr-fect. His date plan could wait for another day, because with Marinette, there would be another date. Even if this first one didn't go perfectly- well, everyone's definitions of perfect were different. Even as the first rumble of thunder rolled overhead, Marinette looked perfectly content next to him. Somewhere in the back of his head, Adrien wondered if it was too early to start planning a mid-thunderstorm under-the-umbrella proposal. Of course, to get to a proposal, they had to go on this date first. And to go on this date- well, they had to actually get started.

So Adrien smiled down at Marinette, gesturing ahead of them. "That sounds pawsitivly purr-fect. Lead the way, my Lady."

And she did.

#Miraculous Ladybug #My writing #adrien agreste #marinette dupain cheng #adrinette

[strawberrymigraines]

Without the Sun

Pairing: Arthur Morgan X Reader

Prompt: 22 - “Don’t call me ‘princess,’ asshole.” Requested by @tinkerpistol

Warnings: Angst, Jealousy, Swearing 

Word Count: 1,555

Part II

It had been three days. Three days since you got stuck in this God forsaken storm in the middle of your hunting trip with Javier Escuella. The two of you wanted to find some deer, and bring them back to camp. You were only supposed to be gone for half a day at the most. But, here you were, stuck in this tiny cabin on its last legs, waiting out the storm. The stables beside the cabin were actually sturdy, so you didn’t worry too much for your horses. In fact, you weren’t too worried at all. For a flirt, Javier was quite the gentleman. He gave you your own space, and when it got chillier, he would ask if you’d like to keep warm under the blanket he had found in the cabinet. It smelled old, but it certainly got the job done. What absolutely killed you was the boredom. There was only so much you could do in that small space. It was too cold and soaking wet to go outside, unless it was to check the horses. You already cleaned your revolver, your repeater, and your Calvary dagger. But, that had only occupied a small bit of time since you had been here. The two of you were growing bored and restless. Five Finger Fillet was dull now, and the playing cards you had with you were too soaked to play with. You mostly stared at the ceiling or out the window, and your thoughts drifted. You thought about how you needed better spurs, a new hat, Arthur Morgan, a new blouse since your favorite got soaked in O’Driscoll blood, Arthur’s big hands, throwing knives— Your face burned a bright red, as you sat up from the bed you had been laying on. You swallowed hard, realizing how much you thought about that ruggedly handsome gunslinger. He was on your mind more than usual lately. You knew you had a crush on him. How could you not? He was tall, handsome, sweet, and actually kind of funny. Even now, when your mind was empty, he came up effortlessly. You couldn’t help but give an audible groan as you shifted to lean against the window beside the bed, watching the rain pelt the side of the small building. Your face and chest felt warm, your mind wandering to Arthur being stuck here with you instead of Javier. “It should be letting up soon.” Javier said from across the room, leaning against the wall and whittling something with his knife. It brought you out of your daze. “That’s what you said yesterday.” You grumbled, irritated. You wanted to see the cowboy. You missed him. “I know, I know.” He gave a small chuckle. He walked over to you for a minute. “Ten.” You turned your gaze away from the window, and looked up at Javier. He held something in his hand. You blinked, and he gently gestured for you to take it. You took the item from his calloused hand, and smiled over it. It was what he had been working on the past two days with his knife. He had grabbed a branch on your way inside three days ago, and worked on it until he got it into that songbird you had pointed out to him on the way out of camp. It was your favorite. Your cheeks flushed as you looked it over, unable to contain the large smile on your face. “Finally, you smiled for me.” He remarked, standing up straight. He returned your smile, and you felt a new warmth bloom in your chest at the sight of it. You cleared your throat, standing up and holding the small piece of art to your chest, feeling a bit flustered. Honestly, you were a bit shocked at the feeling. Nobody besides Arthur had made you feel like that. Huh. “Thank you!” You smiled at him again. You hurried over, wrapping it in cloth and then sliding it into a pocket on your satchel to prevent it from getting wet. You turned around to say something more to him, but he quickly put his hand up to silence you. You blinked, and he pointed up to the ceiling. “The rain is letting up,” he said. He bolted for the door, and opened it wide to see the clouds breaking slightly. The rain wasn’t nearly as hard as before. It was actually the lightest it had been since this all started. “If we mount up now, we may be able to beat it before it gets worse. What do you say?” You quickly nodded. You gathered your things while Javier extinguished the fire in the fireplace. The two of you ran to your horses, checking them over quickly to make sure they were okay, before bolting out of there.   The two of you rode along the trail. The ground was soaking wet, and incredibly dangerous. Javier called out to you to slow down to a steady pace so the horses wouldn’t slip. You pushed your steed a bit by not stopping to give him a break, afraid to get caught once again in the storm if it returned. You arrived at Horseshoe Overlook just as it was beginning to pick up again. People were scurrying into tents, securing down stuff that had almost flown away. Arthur was making sure the horses were huddled in a safe location when he saw you two ride in together, laughing wildly at the fact that you two were free from the confines of that tiny cabin. You jumped down from your horse, and Javier did the same. You cheered loudly, and he came over to you and brought you into a large bear hug. You hugged him back, as he spun the two of you around. He only set you down because you both got dizzy. You couldn’t help but laugh. Finally! You were back at camp! No longer trapped in that tiny cabin! What a relief! “Go get dry! I’ll go put the horses with the others.” You told him, leaning up to speak so he could hear you as the rain began to pick up. “Gracias, Y/N. No te tardes.” Javier buttoned your coat for you, and you nodded up at him. You led the horses to the others, and smiled up at Arthur. You couldn’t contain the fluttering of your heart at the sight of him. He wore his coat, his worn hat, and his boots were covered in mud. He was tending to the horses, wearing leather gloves to keep his hands warm. Your cheeks flushed, unable to hide how happy you were to see him. You put a hand on your head to keep your hat down as the wind picked up. He walked over to you, reaching for the reigns in your hand. “Sorry, Javier and I got stuck in the—“ Before you could continue, Arthur cut you off. “Look who finally decided to grace us with her presence, the princess and her knight in shining armor!” His voice was thick with sarcasm, feigning excitement at the sight of you. He took the reigns from your cold hands, and turned his back to you as he led the horses with the others. Your eyebrows pinched with frustration. Your mouth opened in shock, and you watched his back as he settled the horses in. The wind picked up further, and there was a ball forming in your throat. The excitement of seeing him was gone, and replaced with a bitter taste in your mouth. You had been quietly hoping he would be excited to see you. Why wasn’t he excited to see you? “Don’t call me ‘princess’, asshole.” You said rather harshly, taking a step forward. “Or what? You goin’ run off for another three days with Javier?” He retorted, raising his voice at you slightly, turning his head, but keeping his back to you. You didn’t like the way his words cut into you and what they implied. There was something in his tensed up back that made your stomach churn. His reaction to seeing you were okay was not at all what you had expected. You had been gone for three days, and he hadn’t been worried? He wouldn’t even give you the chance to explain yourself. You looked up at him, frustration and disbelief as clear as day on your face. He still faced away from you. You scoffed, and stomped away from him, feeling your throat become dry. “Hell are you goin’?” He demanded, calling out to you. “Away from you!” You snapped, your voice cracking slightly. Tears began to sting your eyes, and you had never been more grateful for the harsh wind and rain currently pelting your red cheeks. You went over to your tent, slipping inside. You kicked off your muddy boots, and shook off your coat. You placed it on the chair to dry, and went over to your chest. You removed your wet pants, and slipped on some dry ones after rummaging through your wardrobe. You crept into your cot, pulling the blanket over your head to hide your crying face from anyone who would peek inside. You felt like such a fool for believing Arthur Morgan could ever care enough about you to actually worry. Such a damn fucking fool...

#arthur morgan x reader #arthur x reader #arthur morgan x female reader #arthur morgan x female! reader #red dead redemption 2 x reader #red dead redemption x reader #red dead redemption 2 #red dead redemption spoilers #arthur morgan #javier escuella #angst #tinkerpistol #javier escuella x reader #fanfic #fan fic #mine #prompt #request

[fullmetalscullyy]

Could you write something that takes place during Roy's apprenticeship with Berthold Hawkeye shortly after he started and he doesn't get along with Riza even though he tries to. One day they start fighting, Roy calls Riza a bitch, Riza gets mad and tells him that his parents only sent him here because they hate him and don't want him around and Roy is upset and leaves, Riza finds him later crying about it and he tells her that his parents are dead and she feels bad and apologizes.

oooohhhh i liked this one! thank you! i hope i did it justice though kjnfssf and i hope you enjoy it 

Tensions were high in the Hawkeye household and it wasn’t becauseRoy’s first alchemy exam - courtesy of her father and his intense way ofteaching.

Well, that hadsomething to do with it.

It was because Rizaand Roy were currently walking on eggshells around each other after dumbargument they’d had that morning. It was so petty that even now Riza feltridiculous, but then she remembered his words and felt another surge of anger.

They’d never really seen eye to eye on a lot of things. He was tooloud and demanding for her liking and she was too quiet and apparently “stuckher nose up” at everything he suggested. Riza had been outraged to hear thatwas how Roy thought of her, because it wasn’t true at all. Just because she didn’twant to listen to him loudly boasting about idiotic things like how he could runthe fastest out of all the boys in his neighbourhood, didn’t make her stuck up.It made her irritated hearing him trying to put her down by asking whatachievements she had to her name.

He’d tried to strike up a friendship, and so had Riza, but shethought they just didn’t work. They didn’t mesh well together. He was a pompousand arrogant idiot that Riza had no time for.

However,they’d reached a truce a few weeks ago when Roy had complained about how stupidand unfair this exam was, not knowing that Riza had just entered the room tohear him. He’d jumped and scowled, but there was a panicked look in his eyes, afraidshe might run and tell her father.

Instead,she approached the kitchen table and quietly took a seat.

“Sometimes, he’s too much for me too.”

They’dbonded over their mutual frustration regarding her father’s teachings andupbringings, and so begun a tentative friendship.

Now,that was in tatters.

Riza had been helpingthe stressed teenager study and asked him how he could havepossibly gotten a simple question wrong - meant more as a playful joke thananything else, and the first one Riza had ever made in his presence - but Royhad snapped back, stating that at least he could do alchemy,unlike her. Riza had stated at him, slightly dumbfounded. He then went on tostate that no wonder her father had chosen him over Riza to teach alchemy. She’dstood abruptly, the textbook falling off her lap and landing with a thumpon the floor. Roy didn’t even look up. She stormed out the room trying to fightback the tears without so much as an apology from the boy she’d been trying tohelp.

Riza remembered thedays when her father had tried to teach her alchemy. She remembered the yellingand the berating.

“I can’t believe I was cursed with such a child who’dnot only taken my wife’s life away from her, but was also so useless at alchemy,she is unable to carry on my legacy.”

Shortly after thatconversation, he’d brought on Roy as an apprentice.

That’s why, initially,Riza wanted nothing to do with this damned science. It could burn in hell forall she cared – and that opinion remained – however, being cooped up in thehouse with only her recluse of a father and another teenager, Riza hadnaturally sought out companionship. Alchemy came part and parcel with her fledglingfriendship with Roy.

It was also another way she could try and please her father, byhelping the boy succeed, however she’d never openly admit that to anyone.It took a lot for Riza to even admit that to herself.

Now it was two days later,and the exam was tomorrow morning. This would determine whether Roy would bekept on or not. Naturally, he would be nervous and stressed, but that didn’texcuse being mean when she’d only been trying to help and lighten the mood.

Riza entered the kitchen after dinner for a glass of water only tojump in fright at the sight of a dark figure sitting, slouched, against thetable. The door creaked loudly, the hinges yelling their desperate plea forsome maintenance and care. Roy started in his chair, sitting bolt upright, apiece of paper stuck to his face with his drool.

She wanted to laugh at the absurdity of it all, but his angrywords remained, clinging painfully to her chest. Without a word she continued onher way and retrieved a glass from the cupboard. Roy only coughed in response, followedby the sound of paper rustling.

Time seemed to stretch for an eternity and for some reason theconstant sound of paper moving reallybegun to grate on Riza’s nerves.

“You had no right to say what you did,” she managed to announce tothe silent room, the anger inside her belly overcoming the nervousness in theface of confrontation. It was time for her to stand up for herself and Riza Hawkeyewas more than ready because it was a long time coming.

“Neither did you,” Roy stated, voice hard.

Riza whirled around, the running water forgotten. “I was trying tohelp you. I have been since you startedpreparing for this exam, in case you’d forgotten.”

“Why did you volunteerto help if you were only going to make fun of me?” he fired back.

“I was trying to lighten the mood! And, because I don’t want youto go!”

Silence filled the room and for once Riza was proud of herself. She’dfinally managed to render the great Roy Mustang mute.

“I don’t care,” he sniffed. “It sucks here anyway. I don’t care ifI get kept on or not.” His tone was petulant but teenage Riza was unable to distinguishthat. She only felt hurt in her chest as the one person who was the closestthing to a friend for Riza stated they didn’t care about staying here with heranymore.

“Fine,” she whispered. “Screw this up. See if I care!”

“Fine, I will!” he shouted back. No doubt this whole conversation haddisturbed her father but Riza didn’t care. “It will save me the hassle ofputting up with the crazy bastard in the other room and his bitch of adaughter!”

Riza’s expression was cold and unforgiving as she replied. “The onlyreason you’re here is because your parents hate you and didn’t want to put up with youanymore,” she replied, just as hatefully as Roy’s retort, but there wassomething different in his face. “Good luck crawling back to a home where noone wants you after you fail this exam!”

Roy’s mouth was parted and Riza – dare she say it – thought shesaw his eyes becoming wet.

He was gone and out the room in seconds, the back door slammingloudly.

Where pride had found her before, now there was only regret. Shewasn’t proud of what she’d said in the slightest. It wasn’t nice, it was mean,and that was not the kind of person Riza was. Even though Roy had initiated itwith his unkind words, Riza didn’t need to add fuel to the fire. However, she wouldn’tjust sit back and take his abuse – she’d done that enough in the face of herfather and had vowed that it would happen no longer.

Standing up to her father was still incredibly difficult, butstanding up to a someone she didn’t really know that well? She could do that.

WhatRiza couldn’t understand was why her words had caused such a reaction?

Oh.Oh no.

Werehis parents…? Was everything all right back at his home in Central?

Rizahad only seen his Aunt drop him off here, but she just guessed that was becausehis parents were maybe busy with work or something. She’d never ventured to tryand put two and two together and Roy never mentioned anything about them.

Thundercracked outside – the sound making Riza jump in fright, that’s how loud it was.A fork of lightening streaked through the sky and dived down behind the trees ofthe forest outside her home.

Roywas out there in the storm.

Hewas probably upset because of her comments. Riza knew she was.

She’dhad a hand in causing this.

Grabbingboth her and Roy’s rain jackets from the hook by the front door and a torchRiza took off into the night.

*          *          *

Itwas dark before she found him. Riza was soaked through to her bones, shiveringuncontrollably with her teeth chattering loudly. Roy looked much the same, hunchedover on an old tree trunk that had fallen down a few years ago in a thunderstorm.He looked as drenched as Riza felt. Hair plastered to his head and down hisneck, his clothes shining with moisture.

Therain had been relentless as it fell while Riza had moved through the forest.Here, at this old fallen tree, it had lessened as they were more sheltered. Thecanopy above was thick, however fat drops dripped off the leaves and onto theirbodies as the rain continued to fall high above them.

“Roy?”she called apprehensively, her teeth almost biting her tongue. His back was to herand Riza wasn’t sure what she would find when – or if – he turned to face her.

Hedid turn, but only after she called his name again and a little louder. Roylooked up at her, confusion plain on his face, but it also held an immensesadness. His eyes were desolate, his face wet. What were raindrops and what weretears, Riza couldn’t tell.

You caused this.

“Areyou okay?” she asked. Her chest tightened at the sight of him. He looked sosmall and sad – a shell of his usual arrogant self.

Heshook his head.

“Here,”Riza offered him his jacket. Roy stared at it before looking back up at her fora brief second. Then, with finality, he shivered and turned back around tostare into the inky blackness of the trees.

Abrief internal debate later, Riza draped his jacket over his shoulders and huddledon the fallen trunk next to him. Roy stiffened but didn’t say anything when shepressed her body up against his. She shivered next to him, a large shudderracking her body and causing it to bump against him. With a mumbled apology shelooked ahead with him, formulating the correct words she needed to say in hermind.

“I’mso sorry,” she whispered. Thunder cracked again, making her jump, but Royappeared to not have heard it. “What I said… I’m sorry if it was insensitive.”She risked a glance up at his face. He continued to stare straight ahead intothe trees, unmoving and unflinching in the rain.

“Myparents died.” Riza felt her blood run cold, the regret in her stomach knowing awaypainfully as his words registered with her. Oh,god. It was worse than she thought. And she just had to go and put her foot in it and say something like that.

“Roy,I’m sorry, I truly am.” Her tone was earnest, desperate for him to understand.She felt like such an idiot. She was the worst person on the planet, throwingsomething like his dead parents back in his face.

Shefelt awful.

Appearingto have snapped out of whatever trance he was in, Roy shook his head, waterslipping off his sodden hair and hitting Riza’s skin.

“Youdidn’t know.”

“Thatdoesn’t excuse what I said –”

“Riza,please, just…” He trailed off, suddenly looking and sounding a lot older thanhis sixteen years. “Let’s not talk about it.”

Shedidn’t want to leave it be. Her words had been hateful, but so had his, shereminded herself. She’d basically stated his parents didn’t want him anymore that’swhy he was here with her, but his parents were dead.

Thatwas so much worse.

“I’msorry too. For everything.”

“Foreverything?” Riza repeated, confused.

“Iwasn’t the most open when I first arrived,” he elaborated. “It wasn’t intentional.Growing up where I grew up… Arrogance came as part of the deal. I had to becauseif I didn’t then I would’ve gotten eaten alive for being the scrawny kid withno real talents except his brains.” He laughed to himself but Riza knew therewas nothing funny about it. “I had to lie my way through a lot with the otherkids because they… Well, they weren’t the nicest. The area I used to live in wasn’tthe nicest, but it was home,” he added, an almost wistful smile on his face.

“Strategyand alchemy have always been my strong point so at least I was able to getmyself out of some rough situations.” Riza’s heart constricted at the thoughtof her friends being left to fend for himself like that. It didn’t sound pleasantat all. “Now, it’s just a habit. A defence mechanism. So, I apologise if I cameon too strong with you. I know how irritating that behaviour can be.”

“Itwas a little much,” she whispered, bumping his shoulder with her own. A smallsmile tugged at his lips and Riza counted that as win, even if his face did dropagain. Roy wiped his nose with the back of his hand, rubbing at his eyes.

“Canwe… Can we just, start over?” he asked, expression earnest as he finally turnedhis body to face her. “I… I’m not proud of what I said, and it was unfair. Ithink…” He sighed heavily, dropping his gaze. “I thought you were making fun ofme like the kids back home used to do. That’s why I snapped.”

“Iwas trying to lighten the mood,” Riza explained. “I didn’t mean to –”

“It’sokay,” he reassured her with a real smile this time. “We could be here all dayhanding out apologies for every little thing we said in anger. I’m really sorryfor that. And, if you’re willing, I’d like to start over, because I really likeyou, Riza.” His eyes widened as he spotted her blush. “No – No! Not like that,”he stuttered. “I mean, you’re really lovely, and a really nice person, notstuck up at all like I said before –”

“Roy,”she interrupted, still embarrassed by the blush that had appeared on her face. “We’regood on my end,” Riza stated, telling him all was forgiven. Now, she waitedwith bated breath to hear if the feeling was mutual for him, and not that she’dmade the biggest mistake of her life by driving probably the only person shecould call a friend away from her with some angry words.

“We’regood on my end,” he repeated back with another smile. He turned away and sighedin relief, completely missing the way Riza’s face turned pink again at thesight of his smile. “I’ll cut the shit and work on being more bearable,” he offered,a strained smile on his face as he turned back to face her.

“That’sall I ask,” she stated solemnly before breaking out in a grin, nudging hisshoulder to tell him she was joking. “Come on, we should get back before we gethypothermia,” Riza offered.

Shestood, offering her hand to Roy. He stared at it before looking up at her eyes.Riza remained steady under his scrutiny. Obviously, it had been hard for him totrust thanks to his upbringing – something she was intrigued by and wanted to learnmore about, should he offer – so that explained the hesitation.

However,Riza felt a thrill of happiness as he gripped her hand tightly and hauledhimself up to his feet. With a sigh, another sniff, and a wipe of his eyes, Roynodded and was ready to return home. Riza gave him a quick smile and the tworushed into the rain and back to her home as quickly as they could.

#royai #royai fic #royai fanfic #ask #anon #emma writes #fic request #writing prompts