#but hey it worked so?? also just noticed no technical mention of blood here. huh. but there definitely probably likely was blood yuh | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

honeylations · 8 months

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SON JIWOO x FEM!READER

Prompt: You attend a party in celebration of exams ending, only to find your crush being cornered by her ex boyfriend

Warnings/Notes: uni au, drinking, kissing, mentions of cheating, suggestive at the end

———

“Chanelle! Y/n! Welcome to the party-“ Yeji interrupted herself upon seeing your outfit tonight. “Wohohoho look at you Kwon Y/n~ Is this really you?”

You rolled your eyes playfully, unable to hide the proud smile creeping your lips. Yeji was right though, you had decided to go all out with your look, wanting to impress everyone (more like SOMEONE) with your visuals.

“Nerdy architecture student Y/n?! No this is womaniser Y/n!!” Chanelle did jazz hands as if you were her successful experiment. Which is technically true.

Upon finding out your crush was going to be at this party, you cried to Chanelle on the phone about dressing you nicely like a doll. Of course, she was more than happy to help you despite the 3 hours it took of actually finding an outfit in your dull closet.

Chanelle was also right on the ‘nerdy architecture student’ title because every lecture, every brunch, every dinner, you stuck with the same purple Champion hoodie that Yunah got you for your birthday 3 years ago. The colour had faded and some threading came loose but you refused to wear anything else as you quoted: ‘I am attending a 2 hour lecture. Not a fashion show’.

Your friends tried to convince you by using Son Jiwoo, your campus crush, as an excuse to dress better but your buildings are on complete opposite sides of the University so what was the point? It didn’t matter.

Well now it did matter. You had your hair down for once, revealing the outgrown wolf cut that Ruka offered to trim and retouch, and Chanelle organised a simple black long sleeve button up and slacks to help scream ‘lesbian’.

She suggested for you to wear your contacts but you remembered doing that last time while being absolutely wasted and you ended up forgetting to remove them before you passed out in bed. Wasn’t a pleasant morning afterwards, having to deal with sore blood shot eyes for the week.

“You dressed her well, Chanelle. I feel so proud of our Y/n-ie!” Yeji fake cried before letting you fully step into the loud dorm. It was dark but the little neon lights allowed you to see just how many people were here, recognising a few from your classes.

“Jiwoo is in the kitchen if you’re wondering” Funa said in your ear, making you jump.

“Don’t sneak up on me like that!”

The girl laughed and ran her hands from your shoulders down to your arms. “Wow you look great. So pretty but so handsome, rawrrr!”

What you didn’t notice was Jiwoo eyeing you from the kitchen doorway, shooting daggers at Funa who’s hands could not leave your shoulders. Taking a sip from her red cup, she walked back into the kitchen for more liquor.

“Are you drunk? You’re very handsy” You chuckled at Funa.

She gave your shoulders one last squeeze. “You work out so well, I’m jealous. And no, I’m not drunk”

You shrugged at her. “Gotta stay in shape or else the ladies won’t love me”

“Ladies? You mean Jiwoo” She winked. “Get yourself a drink, Y/n. You deserve it after studying so hard”

You nodded and bid her a goodbye before making a beeline to the kitchen that had lights on, being better for you compared to the dark noisy living room. Chanelle was already on her 5th cup, having a good chat with Minju by the drinks table. They both noticed your presence.

“Hey Y/n! I didn’t even recognise you!” Minju beamed, eyeing you from head to toe.

“I’m gonna get that a lot tonight, huh?” You smirked and poured yourself some vodka and sprite.

“Let loose Y/n-ie! Our future architect deserves a reward” Chanelle winked your way, being enough of a reason for you to chug your drink and pouring a second round.

For the next half an hour, the effects of the alcohol got you more extroverted than you usually are, talking with classmates to talking with strangers, most of them being pretty med students that marked you as their eye candy. But they weren’t Jiwoo so you turned down any offers of taking things upstairs.

Being on your god knows how much cup, you were leaning your back against the counter while chatting with Ryujin about your childhood together when Yunjin appears with her hand around Chaewon’s waist.

“Hey there, architect” Yunjin grinned.

“Hey lovebirds, enjoying the party?” You asked with a smiling Ryujin.

“Better question is, how come you’re not making any moves on Jiwoo, huh? You’re dolled up like this and not expecting to get laid?” Chaewon tilted her head at you mockingly.

“I don’t just go up to someone like that, Chae” You laughed.

The three started a whole new conversation when you looked over Yunjin’s shoulder and saw the girl you’ve been thinking of getting cornered by a guy. You sighed and took another big gulp out of your red cup, turning around to pour another. Ryujin slapped your arm

“Slow down there, Kwon. You’re gonna kill yourself”

“What’s the point. Jiwoo’s getting talked to by some dude that could’ve been me” you grumbled, drinking your new pour with ease, going straight for another.

They all looked at where Jiwoo was, Yunjin frowning as she realised the situation. “Uh, doesn’t look like she’s into it actually. She looks uncomfortable”

Throwing your eyes back to your crush, you could see Yunjin was right. Jiwoo had her shoulders up with a disgusted look while the guy was trapping her between the wall and his body.

“Isn’t that Hwan?” (OC character) Chaewon questioned.

“Didn’t they break up two months ago? What could he possibly want?” Ryujin questioned next.

“Look away” You simply huffed and set your empty cup down before walking your way to the two students.

“This is gonna be so good” Yunjin smirked, Chaewon and Ryujin joining in as a small audience.

“I’m back now, baby. It can be us again” Hwan whispered into Jiwoo’s ear, kissing at her ear before he got pushed away by your hand.

“Ever heard of consent?” You hissed.

Jiwoo could finally breathe, holding onto the back of your shirt while she hid.

“And you are?”

You gulped and thought of the first response that came to mind. “Her girlfriend. Is there a problem?”

Jiwoo’s eyes widened, clutching your shirt tighter as her heart rate quickened. Being called her girlfriend was something she dreamt of for way too long.

“Cut the bullshit. She needs a real man and I’m the closest thing to that compared to you” He jabbed a finger at your shoulder.

You took a step closer, killing him with a deathly stare that Jiwoo nor anyone hasn’t seen before, causing an uncomfortable aura around you. “Having a 3 inch dick doesn’t make you a man, Hwan”

His eye twitched before trying to reach around to grab Jiwoo but you aggressively pushed his hand away and grabbed at his polo collar. “Don’t you fucking touch what’s not yours” You growled.

Jiwoo gasped and was quick to grab onto your shoulder, trying not to distract herself from the yummy muscles she was feeling. The touch made you look at her.

“Y/n baby, please don’t. He’s not worth it”

Releasing a heavy sigh, you pushed Hwan away with your eyes piercing angrily into his. You snapped out of it when you felt arms slide up your neck, making you face Jiwoo who held you close. “Please don’t hate me for this” She whispered, not letting you question it the moment her lips pushed into yours.

Instantly closing your eyes, your hands went around her exposed waist while kissing deeply back. You opened your eyes briefly to lock eyes with an embarrassed Hwan as you squeezed Jiwoo’s waist. The man cursed under his breath and left the party.

Jiwoo gently pulled away, fixing your glasses that got wonky from the kiss. Your hands never left each other. “I’m sorry, Y/n”

“Don’t be, please. Just felt the need to save you. Who was he anyways?”

“My ex. He’s insane, don’t worry so much about him” She sighed and ran her hands over your strong shoulders.

“May I ask what happened between you two?”

“Cheated on me, that’s all. I don’t care anyways since I’m here with you. I’ve wanted you for a while now, Y/n” she smiled.

You were about to melt from the blunt confession. “Same here. I didn’t even know you knew my name”

“I’m mutual friends with Chaewon. The moment I saw you, I had to ask her for every detail”

“Stalker much” you joked, letting her head rest against your chest.

She went on her tippy toes to give light kisses under your jaw, marking it with her red lipstick. “You look so fucking good tonight. You don’t understand how crazy you made me, Y/n”

“Oh believe me, I’ve been worse”

She then placed lipstick marks on your cheek to the rest of your face. “Glad you’re out of that same purple hoodie you always wear” She giggled.

You looked at her shocked. “Hey, don’t be mean. I love that hoodie because Yunah gifted it to me!”

“If I buy you a new hoodie can you let that purple one go for once?”

“If it’s from you, I don’t mind anything”

Jiwoo shook her head from your cheesy words.

“Well Miss Son Jiwoo, how about we change this fake girlfriend thing to something real?”

She looked up at you and bit her lower lip. “Hm. If you make me forget everything tonight, I’ll consider it”

You noticed the seductive tone in her voice, easily intertwining your hands and walking towards Yeji’s spare bedroom.

“WOOOH YOU GO Y/N!” Ryujin yelled.

“GET IT BABY!!” Yunjin screamed afterwards.

A/N: Yes finally wrote for mommy Jiwoo :p I can write a smut part if y’all want😭

#Son Jiwoo #gxg #wlw #r u next x reader #r u next #Son Jiwoo x reader

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travlersjoy444 · 1 year

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An Unwanted Discovery

ROTTMNT Donatello x Yokai!reader

Part five to The Junkyard at the End of the World, Midnight Comics, The Aftermath (And Normal Blueprint-maker Math), and ....Yeah. Friends.

Summary: The shields are down. Oh no.

Warning: Mentions of blood and people definitely die. No major character death though.

4k words

***

I stitched a final yellow eye onto the left sleeve of Donnie’s hoodie as I monitored the tracker surveillance.

Most of the main group were out on missions today, with just Mikey and I left as the remaining commanders. Heck, even Splinter had a mission.

According to the maps, everyone was staying safe, which was a relief-

Huh. My nose was running. Weird, it still seemed a tad too warm out for that. Then again, it was December, so…

Oh, what?!

I looked at the tissue to see it was covered in blood?

“Well that’s new…” I mumbled, and set Donnie’s hoodie a safe distance away from the bleeding. “Bizzare.”

And it was. I never got bloody noses. Fantastic. At least Donnie wasn’t here to go ballistic about having a ‘biohazard near my tech!’ today, so I could continue hiding out in my nest of blankets and power tools.

“(Y/N)! (Y/N), COME IN (Y/N)!”

I jumped.

“Micheal? What’s going on at the base?” Donnie’s voice crackled through the comms.

“ISSUES! MAGIC ISSUES!”

I glanced over at the map to see Mikey’s orange tracker quickly moving towards me.

“I’m here Angelo, I’m here, what’s going on?!” I stammered into the comm. “Are you okay?! Is it bad?!”

“It’s bad, man, it’s real real bad-” He coughed.

“Angelo- I- I’ll meet you at the entrance!” I hopped up and ran towards the doors. Outside the window stood Mikey…and a good ten to twentyish humans.

And beyond that, the shield had glimmered into visibility. Which was helpful, considering had it not, we wouldn't have noticed the gash in the shield.

My mouth went dry as I shoved the door open to let everyone in.

“Angelo…go to the safe. It’ll recognize your face.” I said evenly, calmly, too calmly (Y/N) you should be screaming but no-

“Cass, lead the group to the basement.” I continued, and she nodded.

“Yessir.” She bowed in her own version of a salute. “OKAY, YOU HEARD THE BOSS. INTO THE EPIC BUNKER!”

The group nodded, following after her.

I swallowed as Mikey appeared behind me, safe in hand.

“Guys, what's going on?!” Said Raph’s voice over the comm.

“A…a lot.” I said, feeling the blood from my nose drip down into my mouth. Ugh.

But I didn’t have the time to deal with that.

For outside stood a small army of krang zombies.

“Angelo…get those mystic hands ready.” I said quietly, raising my fists. My wrist tech beeped, which meant at least someone on our team was back, but I tuned it out. “I’ll hold them off, you work on getting the shield back up, okay?”

“How are you gonna do that?!” Mikey squeaked.

I shrugged. “Water is powerful. You ever seen eroded rocks?”

He stared at me nervously still, brow-ridges knit together.

“Hey…trust me, okay?” I smiled weakly. “You may technically be a ‘better fighter’ or something, but you’re also like, a wizard, which we need. So save us with your wizard powers while I temporarily take the role of a European dragon!”

Mikey blinked, smiling. “You’re lucky I own a copy of the DnD monster manual. Otherwise I would not have understood that reference.”

I laughed, facing the zombies. “Tis an honor to serve with you, nerd. Now get inside! Save us all or something, I have faith in you!”

“Ditto!” Mikey yelled, ducking inside.

“Aight zombie dudes, let's see what water magic can do…” I said.

And with a deep breath, I hurled a wave of water at them, combining the molecules in the air.

“Hehehe, try dodging that ya assholes!” I grinned. “Wipeout- Surfing joke, boom!”

“Help!” Yelled a voice in the distance, by the zombies, in Huo Hall…

“Shit.” I hissed. The building was apparently not vacated…

Well…could I risk it? I wondered, pushing back the zombies with another wave. Was it worth the risk to try to save Huo Hall…if it meant going through them…Woah, the ground was spinning….

“(Y/N)! (Y/N)- What the heck is going on?!”

I looked up to see a familiar purple jetpack.

“Dee! Hey…” I waved, coughing. “I…I think I might’ve used too much magic.” I shrugged.

He landed next to me, propping me up with his metal arms. “You’re bleeding. Are you injured in any other way shape or form? How would you describe your symptoms? How-”

“Look out, moron!” I yelled, blasting a krang-zombie with ice-cold water.

Donnie looked over his shoulder. “Oh no.”

“Oh, and the blood is just a nosebleed Tello, don’t worry about it. I’m just…kinda low on mystic energy…” I added, shakily standing up.

Donnie glanced back at me, pulling me closer with the robotic arms until I was pressed against him. He swallowed uncomfortably at the contact, but tore his eyes away from me after a second.

“Mikey, how are the shields?” He said into his tech-bracer.

“No luck.” Mikey’s voice said weakly. “Our mystic powers still aren’t working- just (Y/N)’s are.”

“What the heck-” I coughed.

“You’re a dragon, (Y/N), you run on a different sort of power.” Mikey answered. “C’mon, I thought you read the monster manual.”

Donnie frowned, hovering off the ground while keeping me propped up with his mechanical appendages. “The monster manual is not a scientific source! Do we have any valid proof of that, Micheal?!”

“It’s in these scrolls. You should read them!” Mikey said matter of factly. “They have pictures.”

“I thought those were spell pages?! You read them?” I said in shock.

“Uh yeah. It’s just like the monster manual!” He said, and I could practically hear the grin in his voice-

And then suddenly the shield closed.

There was a beat of silence that hung over us as we stared at the wreckage.

Donnie swallowed. “Mikey, what did you do?”

“What? I didn’t do anything-”

“Oh hey,” I said weakly, looking out at the krang-infected-former residents of Huo Hall as they pounded on the outside of the shield, begging for mercy. “My nose stopped bleeding.”

And then it went dark.

***

Donnie carried me back into the engineering building in a blur, and the next thing I knew, I was on a cot in a room I didn’t recognize.

I sat up, looking around. It was a tiny home with purple lighting just like the lab….Donnie’s tiny home, probably. I pulled the purple blanket over my shoulders and turned on my tech-bracer.

“Hey…Dee?” I said, and my voice came out horse and scratchy.

“(Y/N).” His voice said through the comm. “You’re awake.”

“Yeah. How long was I out?”

“About eight hours.” He replied. “I put you in my spare room because the med bay is full- and absolutely crawling with germs, which is not only gross, but also…well, we’ve made some discoveries.”

“Oh….rad? I think? I guess it depends on the discoveries.” I mused.

“Uh…yeah, these are very….well, they’re discoveries, and the pursuit of knowledge is always positive?” He said lamely. “Nervous chuckle?”

“No…” I yawned. “...not if you’re in a Lovecraft novel…”

“...No. Not if you’re in a Lovecraft novel.” He agreed quietly. “I’ll send SHELLDON to escort you to the lab, okay?”

“Okay.”

On the cue, there was a knock on the window, and the turtle drone waved at me.

“Hi dude.” I smiled, swinging the door open.

“Hey (Y/N)!” Said SHELLDON. “How’re you doin’, bro?”

I shrugged. “That depends entirely upon whether or not I like what Donnie discovered.” I said bluntly, folding the blanket and tossing it onto the bed.

I stepped outside, taking in the damage that the zombies had caused. Huo Hall was empty with the exception of caution tape, which was…just fantastic, and the whole campus seemed devoid of people.

SHELLDON hummed ahead of me, occasionally checking back to see how I was doing. I gave him a dishonest thumbs up, and we trekked on.

Raph was at the door of the engineering building, and he let me in with a nervous smile.

“So…how’s it hangin’, (Y/N)?” He said, following me down the corridor.

I shrugged. “It’s….well, things are happening….?” I said, gesturing at the wreckage outside vaguely. “How was your mission?”

“We successfully brought a few Yokai safely into the base,”He said, but his smile was hollow. (Reasonable.)

“That’s rad, Raph.” I smiled genuinely. “I’ll see ya in a bit, okay?” I said, turning into the Lab.

“Cool….cool.” He said. “Look, (Y/N), if you need help with anything- we’re here for ya, okay? It can’t have been easy, what you and Mikey went through today…”

I smiled, looking back at him. “Thanks dude. I…I appreciate it- and ditto.”

He waved, and I stepped into the Lab.

“Hey Dee….you called?” I said, my voice echoing around the space.

“Yes. Micheal and Draxum had some quote-unquote ‘science’ to share with you.” He said, emerging from behind a stack of salvaged machinery. “I don’t understand this mystic nonsense, but…they do.” He added, a bit quieter.

“Okay…does it have to do with the shields?”

“Duh.” He scoffed. “Man, I just wish I’d been there myself for more than just the tail end of the action. Then maybe I’d be able to dispute or agree with their claims, but it’s all so frustratingly out of my realm of knowledge. Scoff. Stupid scientist wannabes….” He ranted, leading me towards a whiteboard covered in calculations and paragraphs of explanations.

“Woah.” I said, sitting on the couch that faced the whiteboard. “That’s a lot of exposition.”

“Scoff. They spent too much time on flowery language.” Donnie snorted, crossing his arms irritably as he sat next to me.

I patted his shoulder in half-ironic sympathy. “Tough.”

“Right?! See, you get it!” He exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air.

“Donnie, (Y/N)!” Said a voice behind the couch, and Mikey stepped forward. “There you guys are! Draxum gave me this script to tell you about our findings, which I shall read from….now.”

I glanced at Donnie, a hint of amusement in my eyes that was not reflected in his. His eyes remained narrowed as his brother stood in front of the whiteboard.

“Ahem.” Mikey coughed, reading from the script. “You're traveling through another dimension, a dimension not only of sight and sound but of mind. A journey into a wondrous land whose boundaries are that of imagination. That's the signpost up ahead - your next stop, the Twilight Zone- Heeeyyy, this is the wrong script!” He scowled, and Donnie scoffed again.

“You’re not a scientist, Micheal.” He said grumpily.

“Sure I am! I’m Dr. Science-man, mystic scientist!” He said cheerfully.

“That isn’t a thing.” Donnie groaned. “Now are you done with your juvenile presentation so we can talk about what the Baron told you?”

Mikey scoffed. “Did I just hear you dismiss Dr. Science-man? Did you dismiss Dr. Science-man, Donald?!”

“Uh, yeah, I thought that needed no clarification?” Donnie said bluntly.

Sigh.

“Boys, boys, you’re both beautiful, but I ain’t sittin’ through this.” I sighed, resting my face in my hand boredly.

“Oh right, my script.” Mikey smiled, bouncing back to his cheerful smile.

I nodded. “Yes. Gimme the diagnosis, Doc.”

Mikey flipped through the script, skim-reading it. “Uh…you’ve been diagnosed with…a lack of mystic energy.”

I snorted, a bit defensively. “Is that all? I…I feel like we already knew that, to be honest-”

“Yeah, shows me for letting him into the lab. “ Donnie sighed.

“No, you have literally zero mystic energy. None. Nada. Zip. None whatsoever.” Mikey elaborated.

I blushed, irritated. “I know! I can’t do much magic or fix the issues that are staring us in the face! You can quit reminding me!” I snapped.

Donnie nodded, glaring at him. “Yeah. Micheal, this isn’t new information, you’ve only succeeded at wasting our time.”

“No-guys, that isn’t-” He sighed, and shoved Donnie’s goggles down onto his eyes. “Just look, Donald.”

Dee raised his eyebrows, staring at me through the blue and red lenses. He tapped the side of them, furiously adjusting the settings before quietly giving up.

“But…but that’s impossible...” He stuttered.

“What?!” I snapped, standing up.

He raised the goggles. “You’re a Yokai, but you’re not showing up on my goggles that detect mystic energy. Mikey is, and so am I, but you’re not?! What is going on? This makes no sense! Clearly you have powers, what with the whole waterbender thing-” He continued rambling, staring at his goggles in confusion, but I mentally tuned him out.

I sat down, afraid that my legs would give way if I stood on them.

Mikey sighed, shoving Donnie back down onto the couch next to me. “See, this is what I wanted to talk about. You’re not mystic, you’re a different form of magic. You’re a dragon, (Y/N)...and you run on a different power source from the rest of us, which is why Draxum and I can’t affect the shield at all. Tada!”

He bowed.

“I’m sorry what?”

***

I sighed as I sat in the lab, this time the subject of examination rather than the examiner, much to my chagrin.

Donnie prodded my arm with his bo staff, muttering things and writing down stuff that couldn’t possibly be helpful. All the while, the sound of the meeting that was going on in the office played over Donnie’s monitor.

“So we officially lost Huo Hall.” Said April’s voice over the livestream. “But as my team was coming back in, we saw that the Krang zombies weren’t infecting people, they were just…taking them.”

Leo frowned. “So you think they have some sort of…ulterior motive?”

April didn’t reply audibly, but based on the deepening frown on Leo’s face, I assumed she had nodded from offscreen.

“Maybe they’re using them for free labor.” Mikey suggested.

Leo nodded, jotting something down in his notebook. “That is certainly a possibility. Any other ideas?”

“Torturing!” Cass’s voice said a little too enthusiastically.

“Torturing- valid point, they do seem like the type…” Leo added it to his list.

“Ransom.” April volunteered.

“Food?” Raph said.

“A bait to lure us out of hiding.” Said Splinter, coming onscreen.

“Good points, good points.” Leo swallowed and wrote them down. “Okay. Meanwhile, Mikey and Draxum discovered a connection between the shield powers and (Y/N)- something something ‘ancient magic powered by bloodlines or dragons or something’, excetera excetera, so on and so forth.” He said, doing air quotes. “So that…is not ideal. (Y/N) is currently in the lab to run tests on this theory.”

The livestream clicked off as Donnie stepped in front of me.

“So…(Y/N), I’ve got a few questions for you.” Said Donnie, finally setting down the equipment.

“Oh boy, questions.” I said unenthusiastically.

Donnie ignored my comment. “So. Where were you when the shield broke?” He said in a bored-sounding monotone.

“Here, pretty much. I was monitoring the scouting parties as Leo instructed me to.”

“Hm.” He said, typing something on his tech-bracer. “Okay. Did anything unusual happen before the events of this afternoon?”

“Uh…not that I know of- Oh! I got a nosebleed.” I said.

Donnie narrowed his eyes. “You didn’t get blood on anything, right? That is horribly unsanitary-”

“No, Dee, of course not.” I sighed. I would never! When I bleed I’m smart about it Dee-

“Good-”

Wait. Wait, when I bleed? When was the last time I had to deal with blood like that?!

“Hey, do you think- Dee, the shield closed when I stopped bleeding!” I gasped. “What if the magic is-”

“-Somehow linked to your physical health?!” He said, eyes widening.

“Exactly!” I said, jumping up. “Think about it- that was the first time I’d been physically weakened since I put the shield up in the first place!”

Donnie nodded, scratching at his forearms manically. “Yeah- yeah! We’d obviously need more evidence to say for sure-”

“-Obviously-”

“-But it’s a solid hypothesis, at least as much as it can be when working with magic!” Donnie said excitedly.

“Ohmigosh, I’m a genius!”

“Fibonacci, I’m a genius!” We spoke over each other, grinning.

I held out my fist, smirking. He matched my expression with a smug look of his own, and knocked his fist into mine.

“Boom.” We chorused.

***

I trudged into the commons as the night began to fall, having reached a dilemma- Huo Hall was…not someplace that I wanted to be in tonight. Which sucked, considering I had nowhere else to sleep.

Should I ask someone for help? I thought, fidgeting with my hoodie strings. I hesitantly glanced at my tech-bracer, considering the possibilities.

I could text April, she probably has room…no, no, April is probably busy. Uhm….there’s Raph, I’ve slept at his place before, but I don’t know, maybe he’s already asleep? Hm, Raph is…possible. Uh…Leo is way too stressed so that’s a definite no, and Donnie probably needs a break from me since I’ve bothered him enough today…uhhhhhh…

I sighed, looking out the window to the silhouette of the now-falling apart Huo Hall, and the craziness of the past twenty-four hours caught up with me.

People had died. And I couldn’t save them. What was the point of having cool powers if I couldn’t save people when they needed it?!

Woah there (L/N), you do help people. Said a part of me. If it weren’t for you, the base would have entirely run out of drinkable water by now, and more people would be put at risk trying to scavenge for it.

“If it weren’t for me getting a fucking nosebleed then thirty people would still be here.” I argued out loud, glaring at my reflection in the window.

That’s not fair, you’re only human- of course you’re gonna be fallible.

“But that’s the problem! I’m not only human, I’m a quarter dragon! It’s my job, my freaking evolutionary purpose to not be fallible!” I exclaimed, scowling into the mirror-like window. My reflection scowled back, unsurprisingly, and suddenly I was laughing.

“This is absurd.” I managed to choke out, grinning. I was a sixteen year old talking to my reflection in the wake of a horrible event- this was ridiculous!

“It’s the apocalypse, (L/N), blaming yourself is stupid. Go to bed.” I said, and my reflection beamed back.

I texted Raph.

You: Hey…sorry to bother you dude, but do you think I could crash at your place for a bit? My bedroom is kinda out of commission at the moment :,)

There was a moment of silence, and my phone dinged.

Dee :) : Yeah, no problem so long as you bring your own blankets.

Oh shoot.

You: Ahh sorry to bother you, Dee- I meant to text Raph lol

There was an unsettling bout of silence. I swallowed.

Dee :) : …Are my quarters not proficient? /hj

I smiled, tension lessening.

You: Nah, I just don’t wanna bother you lol

Dee :) : Again, (Y/N), if you were, I’d tell you so with very little tact. So don’t worry about it dear lab partner.

Dee :) : You know, since SHELLDON likes you of course. He added.

I smiled.

You: But of course.

You: Okay, just let me know when I should head down.

Dee :) : Now is good. Allow me to just grab a Jupiter Jim DVD from Leon’s collection.

You: Cool :)

***

“What do you think you’ll do when we run out of those?” I asked, glancing over at Donnie as he drew his eyebrows on with a sharpie.

His eyes flicked over to me before he looked back at his reflection. “...I’ll make some permanent ones with tech stuff, probably? What’ll you do when you run out of eyeliner?”

I shrugged. “Stop wearing eyeliner, probably. Hey, why do you draw yourself eyebrows anyways? None of your brothers do,”

“Well, I’ve been told that it can be hard to read my…emotions. So. They help with that.” He said simply.

“Huh. Like how you say ‘scoff’.” I noted.

“No, that one I started doing ironically. But then it stopped being ironic after a while.” He replied.

“Ooh. Reminds me of how I started stealing Leo’s aviator glasses ironically but now they’re a staple of my apoca-licious wardrobe.” I grinned at the mirror and flicked the stolen sunglasses onto my eyes.

“Exactly.” Donnie smirked, looking at my reflection. “Has Nardo noticed they’re missing yet?”

“Of course- did ya read what he sent to the group chat?”

Donnie pulled up his phone. “...No, I did not.” He grinned as he read Leo’s message. “Dearest Michealangelo, I know you took my sunglasses. Return them or die. Frowny face emoji.” He read it out loud dramatically, looking up at me. “Framing Angelo. Nice.”

“Yup.” I smirked, tossing my head dramatically. “I’m cool like that.”

“Oh god, no! Now you look and sound like Nardo!” Donnie bent over, laughing.

“Hm. Uh…I’m hot and beautiful and uh….tubular. Kiss me, beautiful men.” I said in a bad impression of Leo.

“Oh- oh that’s worse-” He gasped, burying his face in his hoodie sleeves.

I grinned, taking the sunglasses off to flop onto the bed next to him. “So- which film did you steal?”

“An Atomic Lass focused one, obviously.” He answered, reaching for the DVD.

I nodded in approval. “Yes, that shall indeed prove sufficient.” I said in a Donnie-impression.

It went over his head. “But of course. You know as well as I do that my taste is simply undeniably good.”

“Of course, of course.” I nodded, biting back laughter- knowing him, he was probably 100% serious and would be confused by that reaction.

“Man, I can’t believe we skipped Halloween this year.” I said as I regained my barings.

“What?” Donnie said.

“Y’know, we could’ve all done Jupiter Jim costumes. Too bad we were all too worried about that whole doomsday thing.” I smiled, only half joking.

“Snort. My incorrigible brothers would spend so much time fighting over who gets to be Jupiter Jim that we’d miss trick or treating.” Donnie smiled.

“We’d settle it by letting April be Jupiter Jim, obviously.” I shrugged.

“Ooh. She’d definitely like that.” Donnie nodded.

“But then that begs the question. Which one of us would get the honor of being Atomic Lass?” I said dramatically, putting the sunglasses back on.

“Gasp! You know full well she’s my favorite! This is a betrayal of the highest degree!” He said, clutching his heart as though in a soap opera.

“All's fair in Halloween wars.” I said darkly, but then he smiled so I had to smile back. “We’re being ridiculous.” I acknowledged, falling back onto the bed and splaying my arms out.

He fell next to me, still smiling, and I glanced at him before looking back at the ceiling.

“Hey, Dee?” I said softly, for once not overthinking my words.

“Yeah?”

“I’m glad we’re friends now.” I said simply, staring at the intricacies of the ceiling. “It’s nice, hanging out with you.”

Donnie hummed in reply, and his mechanical arm patted my hand.

“Likewise, my dear lab partner.” He said with a smile.

#rottmnt x reader #rottmnt donnie x reader #donatello hamato #rottmnt donnie #rise of the tmnt #rise of the tmnt x reader #rise of the teenage mutant ninja turtles #leonardo hamato #donatello #donatello x reader #donnie x reader #rise donnie #rise donnie x reader #rottmnt #the junkyard at the end of the world

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softkuna · 3 years

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Yuuji Itadori | Sukuna || Interest || Fic

Everyone always says that they would absolutely enjoy and accept Sukuna taking over Yuji in heated moments. But what if someone didn't? What if they pushed him away, wanting and waiting for Yuji to come back?

Content ║ Yuuji Itadori x Insert x Sukuna. The curse within startled, chin lifting from clawed fingers. The brat had an interesting question. For someone so idiotic, his emotional competency was a fascination. Had Sukuna been too blatant in his emotions? Had he let thoughts escape into the nether that was their shared mind space? He had protected his own realm with his domain… surely Yuuji couldn’t have snuck his way into it without Sukuna noticing. The inner dwellings of his mind had ceased as her crystalline voice graced ears that weren’t entirely his.

Count ║ 1,660 words.

Consider ║ Pole Dance. Part 2-ish of Dancer. Mention of sex work. Mentions of sexual assault (not explicit but as a topic). Fem insert. Third Person (she/her).

Creator ║ Aight let me express real quick that this inspired me to continue part of that dancer fic so if it’s a little confusing please. I’ve also decided that the dancer series will probably be disjointed stories revolving around the same insert. I won’t put in names and shell retain she/her and third person. Hope you don’t mind! Also, this fic in particular doesn’t wholly answer this ask, but spoiler it will come. I was just naturally going with the flow here. I really hope you don’t mind.

She stood off to the side of the pole, hand pressing to her mouth as Yuuji climbed the beast. It was quite impressive. He used pure arm and grip strength. It didn’t take him long to realize that he couldn’t get any leverage when it came to jeans. His hand gripped at the rafter connecting to the pole, humbly showing off as he did a single pull up before completely dropping to a crouch on the ground, “Did I do it?!” the puppy-like excitement teetering in his words was beautifully accompanied by the toothy grin.

“Ah, sure,” She pressed her lips to the side, swallowing back laughter as he pouted, face scrunching into some sort of a scowl, “What?”

“C’mon! What didn’t I do?”

“You really want to know?”

“Yes!”

With false exasperation, she whined, “Fine,” She approached the pole, both hands gripping the steel, “for one thing, you didn’t climb it pretty enough. Sure, you climbed it, but it’s got a different vibe.” Lean arms pulled her up in a seemingly effortless motion, core tightened to maintain her posture, legs together. Forearms braced the leverage on the pole, “Lifting like-whoo” she dropped back to the ground with an exhale, “that, is different from a climb like this,” Her right arm reached up so that the pole made one leg of an ‘x’ with her forearm, “Your fist should be just above your line of sight.” Her bare shin of the left leg made a similar ‘x’ with the pole, “Your opposite leg should be raised so it makes a 90 degree angle with your hips.”

Yuuji watched, enraptured by the instruction. She spoke so clearly and was so well versed in ~the ways of the pole~ that its general sexual context was nearly gone. Then again, she did say that it was more than just ‘erotic’. He watched as her right leg came so that the ankles compressed the pole between them, “Is this why strippers wear underwear?” It was a revelation! The light bulb went off!

She shot him with an incredulous bullet from her position. It was something like a squat, weight distributed between the leverage of her leg while her grip kept her from leaning back, “It’s not underwear, you neandrathal! It’s costume. Although some girls wear lingerie for their shows…” Her expression fell flat, “You know what, that’s not important right now.” Her hand lifted from the pole, waving off the debate topic for another time, “you wanna learn how to climb this or what?”

The pinkette nodded, taking a seat and criss-cross apple-saucing his legs. She continued, telling him the importance of a pointed toe. Much of it was more than he’d ever thought about before. It took a lot of skill and concentration. He even learned that there’s more than one division of pole dance: Exotic (the sexy shit), Flow (the spinny shit), and Strength (self explanatory shit). For competitions, there were levels. So much of it was so far above his head, he’d need to climb to even reach it.

As she continued, there was a languid fluidity to her limbs. Something that he only half took note of amidst the awkward staring during her first performance that he saw. He recalled an odd sense of déjà vu and the bizarre way in which Sukuna had acted. While they didn’t wholly share thoughts, the entanglement of their beings bled through from time to time. The King of Curse’s indifference often led to nothing, but when it came to her, he seemed to be ready for anything. It created an unease in the pit of Yuuji’s stomach.

“Hey…” His voice trailed, a hand coming to clasp the back of his neck, “You know I’m Sukuna’s Vessel, yeah?”

“Uh-huh, what about it?” She pulled her body close to the pole, right arm now by her chest, legs straight. Left arm now crossed the pole. Both legs swapped their previous position, creating an elegant illusion of ribbon unfurling. She continued to climb.

“Have you been around one of his fingers before?”

The curse within startled, chin lifting from clawed fingers. The brat had an interesting question. For someone so idiotic, his emotional competency was a fascination. Had Sukuna been too blatant in his emotions? Had he let thoughts escape into the nether that was their shared mind space? He had protected his own realm with his domain… surely Yuuji couldn’t have snuck his way into it without Sukuna noticing. The inner dwellings of his mind had ceased as her crystalline voice graced ears that weren’t entirely his.

“Don’t think so, why?” Muscles worked as she placed a hand under the coccyx of her tailbone, thumb pointed down. Her legs straightened horizontally to sit along the pole, as though it were nothing but a lounge chair.

Yuuji scratched his cheek, “I dunno. I get a feeling that he knows you. Or maybe I saw you walking down the street? Sometimes I feel that déjà vu feeling when I’m with you.” He didn’t bring up the awkward bodily response he got that surely wasn’t his own like the melancholic heart ache.

Sukuna was silent, awaiting a response. He knew he could speak for himself, but he felt no need to. This situation was new and he needed to acclimate to it. This vessel was experiencing him second hand. The swirl of memories and emotions this woman brought to the forefront of the now-curse’s contemplations leaked out to the vessel. A pot to hold ashes. Would she be able to feel the connection behind the ceramic?

The woman tipped so that she rest along the pole upside down, hair flowing with the weight of gravity pulling it down. A pink flush came to her cheeks as blood followed the same course, “Honestly, you reminded me of an ex.”

Sukuna’s eyes flickered open. Ex? Was that like the English letter Yuuji had to study? There were so many modern words he was unfamiliar with. He closed his eyes, focusing purely on her words, “The thing is, I didn’t date anyone,” there was a somber lick to the tone, “I saw you and felt… *something*. You know when you watch a movie and you know something bad is going to happen? Like that.”

Yuuji’s head tilted one direction before flipping to another. His expression was contemplative. For someone who seemed so filled with unbridled energy, it caught her off guard whenever he showed this side. It hadn’t been all that long since she joined Jujutsu Technical College, but her blossoming relationship with Yuuji came about as naturally as bees made honey. The kid was about as sweet as it, too.

Her attitude had been bitchy after the first full day. During work, she chat him up – was saccharine sweet. It was her go-to. Maybe I can get a buck out of him, she had thought. When she couldn’t and when they left, she caked herself in the mud that was her bitchy personality. She didn’t particularly enjoy being the way she was, but it was necessary protection. Despite this, Yuuji still dug through the dirt to get at her core.

“Hey, can you do that flagpole thing?”

“Yeah. It’s called a western flag.”

“Show me! Please. You know… if you have time.”

Men always made her cautious. She like the attention of it all, the lustful looks she’d get during a performance, the way men would try and literally buy her time when she play-flirted. She was a top performer both in talent and in business. People requested her, savored slots of solo shows. In her line of work, while she didn’t partake in the more lewd activities herself, it was still assumed that was her position, especially when they paid well.

“Sorry bucko. No private showings.”

“No no! Not like that. I really want to learn how to do that! I wanna see Megumi’s face when I show him that I did it first!”

Her brows scrunched up, lips pressing into a suspicious perch. If the guy were a dog, it didn’t entirely seem like he was barking up her tree that same disgusting way. His genuine interest was so whole heartedly pure.

“Fine.”

“Haha! Yes!”

After a moment of silence, Yuuji rose, placing his calloused hands along either side of her cheeks. His dashing smile riled up squeeze in her chest, gaze averting his. He pressed his forehead to hers, “I don’t want anything bad to happen to you,” His voice was soft, whispered almost, “His interest… I just want to be careful.” While she couldn’t see, she knew that his lips would be pressed into a line, eyes probably trained on a shoe scuff on the hardwood.

“Don’t worry. I have no interest in a murderer.”

Sukuna saw through Yuuji’s cheerfully slit gaze, the gorgeous expression of the woman he once knew. Proud. Independent. She always did throw caution to the wind, even when he would say her life was on the line. Even so, his chest ached. Not with sorrow or desire, but knowing those were the words she had said to him when she was brought to his shrine. Said in the same way, with the same disinterested glint in her eyes.

Bonus:

Yuuji’s lips connected with hers, gently pecking and barely touching. As he pulled back, the remnants of his prior expression melted into a smile, “Need to get down, Mary-Jane. I’m getting dizzy hanging like this.”

He barked a laugh, hand grasping the pole as he bent at a 90 degree so that his back exposed to her. She used her core strength to pull her legs away from the pole, minding her shoulder’s ability to rotate. As hand released their grasp, she landed on his back, legs wrapping around him. Yuuji came to a stand, his new-found partner wrapped at his shoulders and waist, “Does that mean you’re spiderman?”

“I shoot white stuff and get a spicy kiss? Hell yeah it does!”

Taglist:

@auroria @wasabito @juliansbby @missalexbaskerville @3rdgymbros

#⛩.fic #⛩#🍺.fic #🍺#sukuna #ryoumen sukuna #sukuna x reader #jujutsu kaisen #jjk #itadori yuuji #yuuji #yuuji itadori #☄️.fic #☄️#jjk x reader #jujutsu kaisen x reader #yuuji x reader

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lov3nerdstuff · 3 years

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Voluptas Noctis Aeternae {Part 7.22}

*Severus Snape x OC*

Summary: It is the year 1983 when the ordinary life of Robin Mitchell takes a drastic turn: she is accepted into Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Despite the struggles of being a muggle-born in Slytherin, she soon discovers her passion for Potions, and even manages the impossible: gaining the favor of Severus Snape. Throughout the years, Robin finds that the not quite so ordinary Potions Professor goes from being a brooding stranger to being more than she had ever deemed possible. An ally, a mentor, a friend... and eventually, the person she loves the most. Through adventure, prophecies and the little struggles of daily life in a castle full of mysteries, Robin chooses a path for herself, an unlikely friendship blossoms into something more, and two people abandoned by the world can finally find a home.

General warnings: professor x student, blood, violence, trauma, neglectful families, bullying, cursing

Words: 4.7k

Read Part 1.1 here! All Parts can be found on the Masterlist!

______________________________

The two weeks that followed upon the dancing class were no different than Christmas time at Hogwarts always had been: it was snowy beyond reason, cold as hell, but the decorations that were put up actually brightened most people's mood and rendered everyone almost disgustingly cheerful. However, there were differences this year, and no matter how subtle they were, Robin still had no trouble pinpointing them with a striking accuracy.

One, both Cas and Jorien had chosen to stay at school over the holidays, mostly due to the fact that they were now in fourth year and thus officially allowed to attend the ball even without being someone's plus one. Besides that, they wanted to spend Robin's last ball at Hogwarts here with her, just once, all six of them together. Well, seven technically, but Robin still didn't know how she was supposed to get Snape into that equation.

Two, Robin spent significantly less time working for Sprout or Hagrid than she had during the last years (she did already work with them in the plenty during the school weeks at this point after all), and instead spent significantly more time with Snape, playing wizard's chess or reading during the days when the work was done, and drinking mulled wine, firewhisky or plain old coffee in his rooms at night.

And three, the two previous changes in addition to the revelations that had come up during lunch after the dancing class now made it near impossible for Robin to get the girls' words out of her head. Did Snape really look at her all that differently than at other people? Well, he certainly did, but that after all might merely be due to the fact that she was his best friend, just like he was hers. It didn't mean anything that his eyes followed her through the halls during meals, or that she slinked through the corridors on her way from his room to her own in an increasing frequency and like a bloody first year trying not to get caught after curfew. It didn't mean anything that he would sometimes just observe her with an expression that made her skin tingle while she rambled on about whatever had caught her attention now, and it most definitely didn't mean anything that he had gifted her that Japanese dictionary she had been trying to get her hands on for over a year now for Christmas. Without losing a word about it, of course, and in complete denial that it had anything to do with the holidays.

Put shortly, Robin couldn't help keeping her eyes open now that Jorien had so bluntly prompted her to. And every little thing she discovered made her want to sink back into deep denial indeed, and build a twenty feet brick wall around herself. Sometimes being the god of a universe of illusion is easier than being a peasant in the hell that is reality.

Honestly, she had never before actually considered that she might be scared to see the reality she found herself in, and found in herself. That she was scared to death not only of his true feelings, of being rejected, but also very much of her own emotions. It had been quite blissful to live in the easy fixed knowledge that she loved him, without actually paying attention to the reality of her feelings. And in reality, she felt something so intense and overwhelming that it terrified her to pieces. If only things were as easy as saying she loved him… Because if she was keeping her eyes open now, not only to her surroundings but also to herself, it was so much more than that. He was her best friend after all, her family and home, and after seven bloody years, there was no denying that he had also become a part of herself. Sure, she would be able to live without him, but what really mattered was that she would move heaven and hell to ensure she would never have to. Bloody hell, what a mess that would become once she left school in no more than half a year… And then, she could only hope that he would want to keep her in his life as well.

"Earth to Robin!" Jorien waved her hand in front of Robin's face, which was the first thing Robin noticed when she snapped out of her thoughts. "If you keep daydreaming like that, we'll be late to the ball!"

"We still have three hours until it's time to head up there." Robin huffed while rolling her eyes, but still shut the book in her lap she'd been failing to read for the last thirty minutes anyway. "I don't plan on sitting around in my dress until then."

"Are you sure that you want to wear the same one as last year?" Cas inquired in what sounded close to a whine. "I still stand by my offer to lend you one of mine!"

"Pff, yeah, Robin in a peach coloured glittery dress…" Jorien snorted, shaking her head at her friend. "You might be close to the same height, but your style is entirely different."

"I know that!"

"Obviously you don't. And Robin has a completely different body shape than you do, in addition to that."

"Hey, it's not my fault that I have muscles in my body!" Cas huffed with a glare at her friend. "Making the Quidditch team and staying on the team requires at least some level of physical fitness."

"Hey, I do have muscles!" Robin protested immediately, but she couldn't say that she felt offended by the girl's words. It was no secret that Cas definitely was the athletic type, whereas Robin's virtues were of a more academic nature.

"Yes, that, and I was actually referring to the fact that you are quite a bit more gifted in the upper regions than Robin." Jorien added with a pointed look at Cas, who crossed her arms over her chest with a blush and a pout.

"Guys, it doesn't matter, alright? I'm actually very much looking forward to wearing the same dress as last year." Robin tried to mend the field with diplomacy and an easy shrug. "The only reason I'm wearing a dress in the first place is so that I fit in a bit better."

"With Snape or with the crowd?" Cas returned with a smirk, all embarrassment forgotten. "Because while the former is quite the success with your dress, it logically eradicates the possibility for the latter to be too."

"That sounded way too Simon of you." Jorien snorted, then dodged the pillow that came flying her way. "What! It's not my fault that you guys are adopting each other's speech patterns more and more."

"So what's the plan for tonight?" Robin barged in before Cas could come up with a reply to get their bickering going again. There had been enough of that at breakfast. "Simon obviously is Cas' date, Gideon asked Lisa and Micheal's still trying to find someone. What about you, Jorien? Any prospects?"

"I asked Melissa." She shrugged casually in return, then started picking at her nails. "She'd rather go with a boy than with me. Better a date than a friend-date, and all that… Perhaps I should set her up with Michael, if both are so desperate to find someone to bring along. Quite pathetic, if you ask me. I'd rather go alone than be someone's last resort."

"Going alone is perfectly fine, I haven't ever had a date to the ball either." Robin shrugged with an encouraging smile. "You can be my date, if it means anything to you."

"You've been someone's unofficial date for all the past years, from what I was told, and I'm not getting in between that!" Jorien held up her hands in defense, and Robin rolled her eyes. "Upsetting Professor Snape wasn't on my agenda for tonight."

"Anyway…" Cas said after a few seconds of weird silence. "My plans for tonight include lots of dancing, hopefully some spiked drinks and of course some casual snogging."

"Cas!" Robin tried to sound scolding, but her laugh betrayed her exasperated tone. "That's nowhere near appropriate behaviour for a school dance!"

"Hey, I'm no saint and I never said I was!" The girl laughed in return, and the mischief that settled on her face should've been more disconcerting to Robin than it actually was. "Who knows, perhaps we'll visit the fifth floor hallway if things go well enough."

The mention of that make-out spot alone made Robin pull a face in distaste, and she couldn't help frowning deeply at her friend. "I would like to think that Simon has a bit more class than that."

"What, and I don't?"

"You just suggested going there, without a concern in the world. So please excuse me if I question your standards."

"She's got a point." Jorien added with a snicker and a shrug, and Robin gave her a high five with a smirk. Two against one; nobody was going to the fifth floor tonight.

"Fine…" Cas groaned and crossed her arms again. "But wherever else should we go, huh? Being classy while being a student isn't all that easy if you're not entirely immune to every boy's charme like Jorien or best friends with a bloody professor like Robin! How am I supposed to have fun, can you tell me that?"

"I'm not giving you pointers on how to snog your boyfriend, Cas. Or worse." Robin replied calmly, for she couldn't decide between being flustered and laughing at the girl's exasperation. "If you guys want to sneak around, you better do it without my knowledge. You know I can't lie, and chances are high that I would have to if I knew what you're up to."

"The alcoves are said to be a pretty good spot for making out." Jorien shrugged, completely ignoring Robin's previous statement. Great… now Robin would have to actively not listen to both of them. "And there's always our room, if you wanna go all out. With some sixth year charms work, it shouldn't be too difficult to find some privacy in the dorms… And I'd planned to sleep over at Melissa's tonight anyway. To hear all about her conquests."

"I did not just hear that, nope, absolutely didn't." Robin sighed to herself under her breath and turned on her heels, deciding that it was due time to take a shower. She'd gotten through puberty without too many losses, if she'd even had one in the first place, but she would be damned if she got dragged into her friends' shenanigans now as a late payback for that. So she grabbed her things and fled the room, after triple checking that everything she needed was safely tucked under her arm. She would not be smelling like pineapple tonight.

… … …

Luckily, when she returned to her room an hour later, the conversation had moved on and the girls were now discussing Cas' options for the dress she was to wear tonight. That was a topic Robin could very well live with, could very well ignore, and so she went back to reading like she'd originally tried to do before her thoughts had strayed. With a content sigh, she stretched out on the bed and focused on the article in front of her, until a light tap on her shoulder drew her eyes up and away from the page.

"It's just ten minutes until we're leaving, so you might want to get ready now at least." Jorien said to her with an amused smile, which only broadened when Robin's jaw dropped.

"But I literally just started reading! It can't be that late!"

"Yeah, well, that was two hours ago." The girl chuckled, then turned around to Cas for her to close the zipper of her dress. Both of them were already done with their preparations, in full makeup and beautiful hairdos, just a smile away from ready to go… and Robin was still in her pajamas.

With a groan under her breath, she flipped the book shut before tossing it onto her nightstand, then she scrambled to her feet to dig out her dress from the trunk at the end of her bed. Ten minutes; ridiculous, impossible… Well, not if she screwed decency for now. Without wasting any of the precious time on contemplation, she just went with it and shed her Queen shirt first, then her flannels without a second thought. Should they see her in her knickers, who cared at this point. They'd known each other for years now. Still, what she hadn't considered was the very reason why both girls gasped now and stared at her even as she stepped into the heavy black fabric of her dress and pulled it up her body with one swift move.

Robin sighed under her breath; she could very well imagine why the girls looked at her like that. It was one of the reasons why she never changed in front of anyone, and even less let them see her in any state of undress. "It's just a scar, guys. No need to be weird about it." She stated before either of them could say anything that would make the situation even more uncomfortable. "I told you that I was stabbed last summer, it's no big deal. Not a pretty sight, I know, but it is what it is."

"Didn't that hurt?!" Cas was the first to blurt out her thoughts. "I know that you told us about it happening, but… somehow I never really thought about the implications of that."

Robin snorted at the question, while she moved her hair out of the way to let Jorien close the many tiny buttons of her dress now. "Obviously it hurt. I almost died from blood loss, that's not going to happen from just a scratch. But it healed well for what it is. The scar really is a small price for my life."

"It's so weird to think that you've gone through something like that! I mean… you're just Robin, a bookworm too smart for her own good. To think that all those adventures you told us about actually happened is like imagining Professor Sprout in a wrestling tournament." Cas gestured wildly as she spoke, and Jorien just snorted at her friend's dramatics.

Robin shrugged all of it off with a smile that was as apologetic as it was evasive, then straightened her dress and put on the one pair of more or less dressy shoes she owned; they'd be covered by the dress for the most part anyway. Then she twisted her hair up with her wand like she usually did, and that was about it. Makeup still wasn't getting anywhere near her face, or any other body part for that matter.

"Wow… You look amazing! Powerful and dark and… pretty damn hot." Jorien commented when she got a glimpse at the front of the dress as well. "Like you're the essence of night itself."

"Right! That's exactly what I said last year!" Cas grinned and nodded in agreement, while Robin simply tried not to blush. Compliments about her wit and brains were fine… compliments about her looks however were just unusual and therefore weirdly uncomfortable.

"Thanks guys, but I'm really just trying to fit in." She shrugged, and both girls frowned at her in an instant.

"Fitting in is actually the last thing this dress does for you, I think." Jorien smirked as she slung her small bag around her shoulders, seconds before all three girls made for the door. It was time they got going, after all, and thus they mostly hurried through the common room and out into the hallways. "If anything, you'll draw attention. Make an impression on some people. Seize a few hearts, and steal a soul."

Robin just snorted while rolling her eyes at the comment, but Cas caught straight on to it.

"YES! Absolutely! Robin, you've got to take advantage of those killer looks… Try to seduce the subject of your affections!" Cas beamed, in a way that spoke volumes of her excitement about meddling in foreign affairs. "Use your womanly charm and go for it! Make him fall for you!"

"I love you, Cas, but do shut up."

"She's right though!" Jorien obviously had to side with her friend, and Robin groaned under her breath upon having both girls plotting against her now. "If he doesn't find you delectable now, he's truly as undeserving of you as every other male in this castle."

"And who would you be talking about?" Snape's deep voice made all three girls jump all of a sudden, and they each spun around to stare at the dark figure in the middle of the hallway behind them. They hadn't even made it out of the dungeons yet; they should've known better than to talk this loudly.

"Professor!" Cas shrieked, eyes wide and cheeks flushed as if she'd been caught doing something terribly wrong. Robin sighed under her breath and resisted the temptation to roll her eyes; so much for getting the two sides in her life a little closer together tonight.

"Nobody!" Jorien was quick to reply, and even quicker to regain control of the situation. "We were just on our way to the ball, actually."

"Obviously." Snape and Robin replied at once, and Cas snorted in return. Oh, this was going great alright… more fuel to their flames.

"Yes, it is fairly obvious, isn't it? So we should return to doing just that, or we'll be late." Jorien flashed a quick smile, then turned on her heels and grabbed Cas by the arm to drag her along while looking back over her shoulder at Robin. "You go ahead, and we'll find the guys and meet you in the hall later, yes?" With that, the two girls disappeared down the hallway and around the next corner mere seconds later, leaving Robin frozen to her spot with a frown on her face.

"Is it me or are they being even weirder than usual?" Came Snape's dry remark from just behind her then, and Robin's eyes flew to meet his while an involuntary smile pulled at her lips.

"Oh, they're absolutely bonkers. Delusional, really, if they seriously believe that I am looking delectable to anyone tonight." She chuckled, in the honest hope that he hadn't heard more of the girls' pep talk than that. But then again, he knew how to take their ridiculous ideas and teenage delusions by now, so it really didn't matter all that much. "It would take a blind man to find that mess on my head attractive."

"If you say so." He quirked an eyebrow at her in amusement, then offered her his arm instead of the usual subtle hand on the small of her back. "Let's make an effort to make it to the ball before we miss the headmaster's great speech, shall we?"

Robin's smile brightened before she could help it, and she didn't even hesitate to accept. This was the closest thing to a date she would ever have. "We shall indeed."

They arrived in the great hall just seconds before Dumbledore rose to gain everyone's attention, and luckily therefore nobody paid them much mind. A few glances here and there, more likely than not accompanied by frowning faces that studied the sight of the two dark figures in the shadows by the doors, who looked almost indignantly bored. And boy, the headmaster could talk and talk forever if he fancied it, about courage and justice and kindness and all those nimble ideals Robin fancied a more practical approach to. But finally his words faded into applause, and the crowds began moving and talking again.

"Is it me or does the speech get more righteous every single year?" Asked Robin, while she let Snape lead her towards their usual table in the far corner, only to find a group of adults sitting there already. In immediate confusion, they halted in the middle of the room, and her eyes found his in a silent question. Good thing it had become almost a bit of a routine that whenever she failed to take notice of something that was going on around her, he would know exactly what she had missed and could fill her in.

"Dumbledore opened the ball to a larger public this year." He explained, with a quiet yet undoubtedly disdainful tone. "Parents, important families, retired professors, ministry officials and the like."

"Why on earth would he allow them at a school ball? I mean… isn't this technically supposed to be for the students' enjoyment?" Robin inquired, while they continued moving through the room in search of an empty table, but finding none.

"Remember what I told you about the reasons for bringing this ball into existence in the first place?" Snape mused, and his eyes continued scanning the room, but not for a table anymore. Robin wondered who he was searching for.

"Oh. Yes, I do remember that."

"Well, let me assure you that this decision on the headmaster's end has something to do with the very likes of it."

"Great…" Robin sighed under her breath, and finally they settled for just standing at the edge of the dancefloor like everyone else who hadn't yet put a claim on a sitting spot. Somehow, the entire thing didn't seem like a fun night with friends anymore, but the very thing that was prone to make her anxious. Too many people, too many strangers mostly, and no certain place to sit and endure it all from the ranks… this was going to be hell. Or maybe, not entirely.

"May I have the first dance?" Snape asked, just when the occasion was announced and the musicians got ready to lead the way through the night. He held a hand out to Robin, in an expression of calm neutrality rather than the usual scowl even though they were surrounded by hundreds of people. Robin's heart skipped a beat, and she had to remind herself not to grin like a fool while yet her lips parted in surprise. Had he actually just asked her to dance? With words, in public, and for the first dance out of all the possible ones tonight?

"Isn't the first dance just for important people and their dates?" She quirked an eyebrow at him in mild amusement at last, choosing humour over astonishment and tingles, which would border dangerously on allowing herself to hope again.

"It is also reserved for the professors and overall staff, and even if you rightly so keep ignoring that, this group also entails me. As it is, I do not dance with anyone but you, so they will have to bear with the two of us, or live with neither." He replied so smoothly that Robin had no time to doubt or question his words when she placed her hand in his and let him lead her onto the dancefloor. Bloody hell… now all eyes were on her indeed, and she actually couldn't care less for once.

They got into position as did the other couples around them, some of which Robin knew and some of which she hadn't seen before, but when the music started, the world faded in return and left only Robin and Snape and the music behind. This wasn't hell, she found, but rather a piece of heaven on earth. Just the two of them, moving through the open space while never once looking at anything but each other. And in the very spirit of two weeks prior, Robin yet again couldn't help the smile on her lips as she held his gaze. The only thing she missed was the warmth of his hand on her back, the almost scorching touch, as now the thick fabric of her dress dimmed it down quite a bit and left her to feel the comforting pressure of it more than the heat. How nice would it be to have his fingers dancing across her skin? To dwell in his warmth for a bit and let it burn out the cold winter within her? She could only dream.

"I believe we make quite the sight." His quiet voice broke through her haze of excited, calm ambivalence, and the world regained it's hard corners and outlines. Gone was the dream, delayed to haunt her in her sleep tonight.

"We simply know how to dance." She replied with a subtle smirk, and found that the world wasn't quite so bad either if it still entailed the two of them together. "They probably don't get to see that all too often."

"I was thinking more along the terms of our common choice of… unusual wardrobe, but yes, I agree with your assessment as well."

"What other than unusual would they have expected of the dungeon bat and the insane girl?"

"Is that how people think of us?"

"I believe so." Robin smiled, but it took everything she had not to show the true effect his words were having on her. Was she so far gone by now that all it took was an 'us' ghosting past his lips to unravel the walls that contained her emotions? It seemed so.

The music stopped then, fading off the last strings as their flowing moments came to a halt as well. Too bad it was over. But perhaps they could do this again, now that the first dance had officially proclaimed them as partners for the night. It was an official custom after all, right? Robin held onto that string of hope at least as they made their way off the dancefloor and straight towards the far corner where their usual table lay empty now. Too bad for whoever had vacated it; now it was Robin's to keep.

They sat down to face the hall as always, and while it was significantly more crowded this year than it had been in the years prior, that also gave them quite a few more victims to observe and comment on. They got exactly two hours to themselves before their social invisibility was broken by the still distant but determined appearance of Cas. In her tow the other six people, who looked a lot less eager than her to get anywhere near Snape tonight. Robin sighed to herself in mild disappointment before anyone even spoke up; she would have to make a choice between her friends and her best friend now, and she hated that beyond measure. Why did life have to be so unfair at times?

"I know what you're thinking." Snape said then, quietly even though the ground of people still had to come anywhere near the table. "And you shouldn't be concerned, I understand the problem fairly well. I will leave if they wish to spend time with you."

He was already up on his feet and ready to just walk away when Robin caught his hand, and held onto it so tightly that his eyebrows lifted up when he looked back down at her.

"Don't think it's a decision I want to make, okay?" She asked with a sadness she didn't bother to hide. "It's not a decision I can make, actually, and I simply would've told them to deal with it or be the ones to leave if they've got a problem with your company."

"I know. And since it isn't a decision you should have to make, I made it for you now, by offering to leave."

"I don't want to spend the evening without you…" The words spilled past Robin's lips without any restraint now, and she was glad for that. It made the corners of his lips curl upwards for a fleeting moment at least.

"In that case, I might have to come and rescue you from their fangs in two hours for another dance. Good solution?"

"Make that one hour instead and we have a good solution indeed." She smiled up at him, and only now realised that she was still clasping his hand like a lifeline. Reluctantly but necessarily she finally let go. "I can't have four teen girls and three boys around me for much longer than that."

"As you wish." He returned a knowing not-smirk for a second, then turned on his heels and disappeared in the crowds just when Cas reached the table.

______________________________

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kabira · 3 years

Text

08 | distance

pairing — spider-man!vernon x ofc

featuring — joshua, yeji (itzy), felix (skz), yangyang (nct)

word count — 2.5k

genres — spider-man au, marvel au, fluff, action, angst, humor

warnings — minor violence

note — ok so this was kinda later than scheduled (three WEEKS) but the next update will hopefully be on time so i can keep up! by which i mean sunday 6 am (ist). also, for the love of god, tumblr make this show up in the tags. pretty, pretty please.

go to fic masterlist | main masterlist

“Okay, so here’s what I found out about your Rhino guy,” Yeji said, jumping over the side of the rooftop and landing on another, hitting the ground with a roll before coming up on her feet. They were currently involved in a high-speed chase, which meant she had to yell at the top of her voice for Vernon to hear her—not that it mattered a lot. Up here, no one could hear you scream. “He’s Russian. Name’s Alexei Sytsevich.”

“Russian, huh?” Vernon yelled back. He swung over a tall rooftop garden, taking care not to accidentally knock over something he wasn’t supposed to. “Anything that could tie him to Osborn?”

“Not really!” Yeji yelled. “His identity is public, so anyone could get to him, and he must have happened to have been around when he attacked you. But there’s nothing concrete we could go after.”

The two of them were chasing Batroc the Leaper across the top of the buildings, having caught up with him just moments after he robbed a store. A basic assignment, really, but it was still a challenge to apprehend him before he got too far from the crime scene. One of their more casual operations, much like a training session, except this was the real deal.

“Anything of interest?” Vernon asked. They were close to catching their quarry, very close. Batroc wasn’t really that notorious in the underworld, but he was still a menace and technically a criminal. A more notable point of interest were the mechanical leaping legs attached to both his feet which allowed him to jump several feet high in the air, making for a good old-fashioned superhuman chase scene.

“He was experimented on with this gamma radiation technique to give him superhuman strength and durability, but it ended in an accident,” Yeji answered. Her voice, apart from the strain due to the yelling, sounded strangely relaxed for someone who was chasing a guy across the tops of buildings. Even after having time to get used to it, Vernon was still surprised by her resilience. “The suit he was wearing that day—remember how it was made of some kind of self-regenerating polymer? It’s literally stuck to his skin. Can’t get it off him.”

“Must be constipated; it explains the anger issues.”

Just then, Yeji caught up to the Leaper. She sprung off a ledge and onto the top of a water tanker, from where she dived towards the unsuspecting criminal, flattening him to the ground. Vernon swung up to her, landing on the ground next to her. Batroc tried to wiggle away, but Vernon webbed his hands and feet to the rooftop, successfully trapping him. “So,” he said, turning his attention back to Yeji. “Any idea where they’re keeping him?”

“If you’re wondering if he’s being kept anywhere close to Osborn, don’t worry.” She placed her hands on her hips. It looked strangely satisfying, her claws aligned with the gray markings around the waist of her white suit. “Rhino’s placed in the Helicarrier for now, but in a special ward designed specifically for the big guys, though th They have specialists looking into his, er, sticky situation, but he’s on an entirely different level than Norman. And I mean that quite literally.”

He nodded. “Did the files mention which specialists are looking into it?”

“Eez it perhaps—” Batroc started.

Vernon webbed his mouth. “Zip it,” he said.

“No. The only files I could access didn’t have much on him,” Yeji said, sounding genuinely sorry. “There was other stuff, like his eye color and his blood type, but I don’t think you’d be very interested in all of that.”

“You think right.”

“There might be more details in the confidential reports coming in from the Helicarrier holder itself, but getting them would be a lot of trouble,” she said. “Although if you really want them—”

“No, it doesn’t matter,” Vernon said, shaking his head. “Thanks for digging up the rest, though. I owe you one.”

“Consider it early payback for when your Aunt May teaches me how to beat your ass at video games.” He couldn’t see her face, but he sensed that underneath the mask, she was smiling.

“Hey, that’s an Aunt May thing, not a me thing,” he said, then paused, hesitating. There was something else he had wanted to ask her, but he didn’t know if he really wanted to follow through with it. “Hey, Tiger…” he trailed off. “Actually, never mind.”

“No, go ahead,” she said. “Unless you’d rather not.”

He shook his head slightly. “It’s not like that,” he said. “This might sound kind of intrusive, but do you know the deal with Fe—Iceman?” he asked. “Don’t get me wrong, he’s great and everything, but with all the brooding and the secrecy, I’m just a little—” He scrunched up his nose. “That does sound intrusive.”

“It does,” she agreed, but it sounded amused. “Look, I’d tell you. I really would. But it’s something I feel he should tell you yourself, you know? If and when he’s comfortable talking to you about it.”

“Did he tell you?”

“No, I just kind of figured it out.” She sounded a little sheepish. “And maybe I got it out of one of the IT guys.”

He looked at her, amused. “They have IT guys at S.H.I.E.L.D.?”

“Well, I guess they’re not IT guys in the strictest sense,” she mused. “There’s a hierarchy of ranks even within the record regulators, so it’s a little hard to explain. Not that it really matters, anyway.”

“It would be kind of cool if S.H.I.E.L.D. needed IT guys,” Vernon said, looking down at Batroc, except he wasn’t really looking at him, but through him. “Unrealistic, though.”

Yeji shook her head slightly, like she was unable to believe they were having this conversation. Or maybe he was just projecting his own amused disbelief onto her. But he noticed the tenseness of her shoulders and she let her arms fall to her sides, as if she was holding in a laugh. It was one of those conversations that took a turn that didn’t even have to be funny to make you laugh.

“Good talk,” she said, and this time he could actually hear the smile in her voice. “Now let’s get this guy back to the carrier.”

Luce knew something was up.

She had known this for a while now—about a year, in fact. She had only just started to suspect it when Vernon had changed, and Joshua had gotten secretive, and Harry had first started floating away. It had come one after the other, like the three of them were carrying out parts in a play and she was in the audience, watching but unable to take part. Change, and secrecy, and distance.

She liked distance. Luce had always been distant, someone who stood in the crowd and yet apart from it, unwelcome and unsettling for most around her. Eccentric, some called her, or strange, or downright creepy. It never really mattered to her, because for her, it had always been just the four of them—Vernon, Joshua, Harry and her—and even after everything that had happened, they still felt like four. Three people with a ghost in between, still shaking his head at their dumb jokes and still taking the best seat in the Parker living room when they had movie night.

Looking back, she realized that the cracks in their relationship had first appeared a year ago. Often, after Harry died, she thought about how they had collectively ignored those fractures in their friendship, that had come in the form of change and secrets and distance.

The first to change had been Vernon, of course—trading his glasses for unexplained bruises, his mysterious disappearances poorly covered up and rarely questioned. Then Joshua—the two of them with their heads together in the hallways, shooting each other knowing looks that shut everyone out. It felt like it was just the two of them sometimes, Luce and Harry often forgotten during their closed conversations. That was probably what had pushed them together, but now that Harry was gone, she was left alone. Still on the outside, trying to look in, but in vain.

She knew she couldn’t blame Vernon and Joshua for it, she had started to blend into the background a little more with every passing day. Catching one without the other was hard, so at some point she stopped trying, letting them find her whenever they felt like it. Sometimes she felt like a ghost, too, lurking in a ruined castle, only seen when a wanderer needed shelter.

Now, it was all happening again. The arrival of the new kids had seemed like a minor disturbance at first, like a tiny cloud on the wide horizon, but Vernon had warmed up to them surprisingly quickly after his initial coldness. It wasn’t that Luce didn’t like them—after all, she had been the one to initiate first contact—but she had still been taken aback by how quickly they had become a part of their little group of three (and a dead boy, but he didn’t take up seats anymore).

Except they didn’t feel like it. Not to her, and probably not to Joshua either, whom she had seen watch the new trio with lingering looks when he thought she wasn’t looking.

She was a little surprised by her own reserve, because the arrival of more people should have been a good sign. More people, even numbers, pairs, so she wouldn’t be a third wheel anymore. But it hadn’t worked out that way—she was still stuck outside, but this time Joshua was stuck with her.

It was hard not to be even a little mournful.

“Aren’t you forgetting something?” she called as Vernon walked past her in the school hallway after fifth period, looking distracted as he usually did these days. He turned, surprised, as if he hadn’t even noticed her there.

“Me?” he asked, looking confused, and she sighed internally. On the outside, she simply shook her head as if in amused exasperation, reaching into her bag and taking out a spiral notebook.

“Notes. From Physics.” She handed it to him, and he stared at the cover for a dazed little moment before looking back up at her. “You missed another class today.”

“Right,” he muttered, giving her a grateful smile. Fifteen seconds had passed already, about five seconds less than the longest conversation they had held in two weeks. He probably hadn’t even realized. “Thanks.”

“Don’t worry about it,” she said, meaning it. No point in moping after something that hadn’t been for months. She leaned against the locker door and folded her arms across her chest. The zips along the cuffs of her jacket pulled against the leather. “Going somewhere?”

“Not really.” He shrugged. The smile was still on his face, that stupidly delightful half-smile that still felt like it was behind a glass wall. “Are you?”

Am I ever? She shook her head. “Where did you go?” she asked instead of answering his question.

He frowned. “Where did I go…when?”

“During physics,” she clarified. “You’ve been disappearing a lot lately.”

“Oh, you know…” he started, trying hard to keep his voice casual. “Places.”

It was hard not to smile. “Like?”

“The principal’s office,” he said, sounding a little disappointed.

“The new guy?” Luce raised her eyebrows. “Did you do something to piss him off? Get a low grade?”

“Of course not,” Vernon said indignantly. “My scores are perfect.”

“I know. The rest of us on the curve are suffering because of it.”

“Sorry,” he said, not sounding sorry in the least. Instead, there was a small smile on his face that looked suspiciously like a smirk.

Almost a minute now. Luce let the back of her head hit the locker door, finally letting herself believe that he wasn’t going anywhere, not this time around. The feeling that came with it was so warm and delicious that it spread inside her chest like hot water, reaching her toes and fingers and the tip of her nose. “You’re not sorry,” she said with a smile, though she didn’t really mind. “Are we still on for Friday?”

Now Vernon’s smirk dropped, replaced by a split-second look of horror. “Friday?” he echoed. “This is going to sound bad, but I don’t—”

“Movie night,” she supplied. “And don’t worry, I didn’t expect you to remember. The last time we talked about that was a while ago, anyway.”

Movie night, or game night, was their irregular childhood tradition that had become increasingly infrequent over the past few years, but particularly so in the last year. Even then, they’d never gone this long without getting together at least once. The last time they’d done something like that together, it had been almost two months ago, when they had still been four.

When Luce finally mentioned it, she felt strange thinking about the prospect of movie night with only three people. It felt odd. Unnatural. Three felt like the wrong number, like fates and the prongs of a pitchfork. Too little.

“Tell you what,” she said, pulling herself out of her thoughts with difficulty. She did that too much, lose herself in her memories or some random vein of thought and manage to completely detach herself from the world around her. It got harder and harder every time, and sometimes she wondered if one day she was just going to be trapped in her own mind.

“What?” Vernon asked. He had that distracted look on his face again, his posture jumpy like there was extra energy wrapped into his body.

“Why don’t you bring Yeji and the others along this time?” she suggested. Six wasn’t that great of a number either, but it was definitely better than three. And maybe this way she’d be able to get to know the others a little better, pull herself back to reality. “I’m sure they’d like to. And that way, it’ll be an even team.”

“Not if May decides to join in again.”

She smiled. “Then maybe I’ll bring Hairball.”

He groaned. “Oh, no, not Hairball,” he said, eyes refocusing on her face. There was such a vibrant intensity in his gaze that it made her want to stand up straighter. Then he smiled, and she actually had to stand up straight. “You sure, though?”

Of course he would ask her. Vernon Parker, despite all his bodily changes, was still the same guy from fourth grade who always let her have the rest of his lunch—if he managed to keep it from Flash. Luce was almost tempted to reconsider, but she saw the earnest look on his face, the slight arch of his eyebrows, and swallowed the words that welled up in her throat.

“Of course,” she said. “Three’s already a crowd, so we might as well have a whole party.”

“A party, huh?” He winced. “That reminds me. Food.”

“We’ll order from Larry’s.”

“I’ll have to decide if they deserve it yet,” he joked. At least, she thought he was joking. “See you on Friday.”

37 notes · View notes

cosmojaem · 4 years

Text

Jack of all Trades [l.mk]

Summary: After saving an unknown and injured man from dying. All of a sudden, you’re under the protection of one of Seoul’s notorious mafia.

Genre: mafia!au, strangers-to-lovers!au, angst, fluff

Warnings: mentions of violence, blood, smoking, language, implied sexual content

Pairing: Mark Lee x f!reader

Word count: 7.4k

You have never been more relieved to go home after a long, gruelling day at your job. You’ve worked for a cafe for a while as a part time job, then became a full time thing after you’ve graduated to earn a little more cash to support yourself. After all, earning money is not easy.

During one of your breaks, you instantly remembered that the results for the Nursing Licensure exams are bound to be released today. Without missing a beat, you immediately pulled out your phone, a notification popped up the moment you typed in your passcode.

LOCAL MAFIA WRECKS HAVOC, POLICE ADVICE CIVILIANS TO STAY INSIDE:

Kim Sohye | May 4, 2020 12:29

You cleared the notification after and decided to read the article later. Crime is pretty high nowadays but you can confidently say that you live in a safe neighborhood because you've been walking home alone despite these happenings.

Refreshing the site for the result, your fingers typing your exam number rapidly. How you wanted to cry at that very moment. Luckily, you can still do a retake, but you have to wait for 45 days for the next exam which gives you more time to prepare.

As you neared your apartment, you fished out your keys from your pocket. As soon as you approached the door, you got startled by a body of a man lying in front. The man wheezed, forcing his body to stand up. Your instincts were yelling at you, telling you that this might be a red flag and he’s going to murder you.

But when you saw his badly injured body, you knew you had to help him.

“S-sir, I don’t think you should stand up. You’re badly injured.” You said, running towards his body and placing a hand on his shoulder.

“Leave me alone.” He commanded whilst removing your hand from his shoulder then let out a hiss.

“Don’t!” He replied immediately, shooting what seems to be like a sharp look but his pained expression betrayed him. “Just don’t take me to the hospital.”

You were confused, but eventually agreed to his odd request, “Alright, at least let me patch you up. Can you stand by yourself?”

“I’ll be fine,” he waved you off, attempting to stand up with the little strength that he had but eventually hissed at the pain from his knee. Even with his groaning and hissing, he refused to tell you he needed help.

Rolling your eyes at his stubbornness, you helped him up while opening the door to your apartment then walked inside and laid him on your couch. You opened the lamp near your couch to see his injuries.

“I’ll be right back, don’t even think about getting up.” You told him sternly before turning your back to fetch your supplies.

You returned with all the things you need, setting them down on the floor and kneeling down after. Attempting to take his shirt off to have a better look at his injuries was more difficult than you thought as he was flinching when you touched his arms.

“How much do you like this shirt?” You asked, grabbing the scissor from your supplies in hopes of making things easy for the both of you by cutting his shirt. A pained hiss draws from his lips, “Not that much”

After doing what must be done, you grimaced once you had a better look at the bruises, cuts and blood that littered his body and took a cotton pad soaked in antiseptic to clean his wounds. After almost 30 minutes of cleaning and dressing his wounds, you also stitched the deep cut he had by his abdomen.

When you finished up, you cleaned up all the blood soaked cotton pad and the things you used.

He whispered, “Thank you.”

“No problem, I never got your name. Can’t keep calling you ‘hey’ and ‘sir’ all time, can we? Mine’s (y/n).” You earned a low chuckles from your response. He seems fairly amused, “It’s Mark.”

“Well Mark, you’ve sustained a lot of injuries that needs healing so I suggest you stay here for the meantime since I’ll need to remove that stitch that I made.”

“What?!” He exclaimed loudly. You swear, your neighbors will be complaining the next morning by how loud he shouted. “Fuck, I can’t do that! I have to go, thanks for patching me up.”

Mark attempted to stand up from his state, only for him to let a pained groan which makes your statement correct. You shake your head at his stubbornness, “I told you. Now, stop being a stubborn ass and sit down or you’ll open up your stitches.”

Eventually, giving up all his attempts of moving, he decided to just lay down there. You turned back from him to return your things and heat some dinner because you were starving from all the work you did. As you returned your things and went to the kitchen, you heard a faint voice, specifically Mark’s voice talking through the phone in a hushed tone. You didn’t mean to eavesdrop at their conversation but all you heard was ‘base’, ‘Hyuck’ and another guy’s name you forgot.

Once you heard him end the call, you immediately shuffled to the fridge as if nothing happened.

“Uh (y/n)?” He called from the living room. “Can I have a glass of water?”

“S-sure, just a sec!” You stuttered as you hurriedly grabbed the leftovers and the pitcher of water. You poured him water then went back to the living room with two plates in your arm.

“Here.” You placed his glass of water then set down the plates before running back to the kitchen to get the leftovers. “I’ll be right back.”

Mark reached for his glass before gulping down its contents, he surveyed your apartment. It was normal, a few frames here and there along with furniture and some decorations. Squinting his eyes, trying to take a closer look to the diploma hanging on your wall.

‘(l/n) (y/n), Bachelor Science in Nursing’

That explained a lot with the amount of medical supplies that you have. Normal civilians don’t have stitches for wounds, right? He fumbled in his pocket for his phone then sent a text to Renjun. Hearing light padding of footsteps, he put his phone back in his pocket then watched you place the food in front of you two.

“Sorry, it’s nothing much,” you said sheepishly then looked up to him. “Go ahead and eat.”

Placing his portion of the food on his plate then added rice, handing him his utensil also. After giving his share, you went ahead to get your shared portion and both of you ate in complete silence. Hearing only the sounds of clanks from the utensils and plate, Mark decided to break the ice with a cough.

“So...” he trailed, which earned him a quiet hum from you. “You’re a nurse, huh?”

He immediately noticed that you looked at him hesitantly before opening your mouth to speak, “Not really. I failed the licensure exam so technically, I’m not a ‘nurse’ yet.”

“Technically, you are one. Just not one in practice.” You flashed a small smile at him before going back to finish your meal.

“So what do you do for a living, Mark?” You asked then you saw him visibly flinched at your question. “Are your bruises hurting again?”

Uneasiness crossed his face which was weird since you only asked what he does for a job but you shrugged it off instead. You were a stranger to him after all.

“Um yeah, they kinda are.” He admitted which made you stand up to get an ice pack then let out a sigh of relief that he was able to avoid the question.

You went back with an ice pack in hand, giving it to him so he can ice his bruises. Mark mumbled out a small ‘thank you’ before applying the ice on his bruises, hissing at the cold temperature. Picking up the plates then head back to the kitchen to wash and clean up. Once you finished, you dried your hands and got a fresh batch of extra bedsheets and pillows and set it beside the couch.

“You will sleep on the bed since it’s much more comfortable there than here.” You said to Mark as you set up the books you’ll be reading.

“How about you?” Mark asked

“I’ll sleep on the couch, don’t worry about me! You take the bed.” Convincing him which earned a sigh from him, you helped him up to your room then gently had him sit up to your bed.

“I’ll leave the door open so holler if you need anything, Mark.”

“Thank you for this, you didn’t have to but thanks. I’ll pay you back sometime.” Mark said before tucking himself in.

You turned off the lights then went back to the living room to do your usual reading before going back to bed. It was around 3 am when you were awakened by a sound of screaming, immediately getting up and going inside the room to find Mark panting and sweating.

“What happened?”

“Did I — I'm sorry, did I wake you up, (y/n)? Sorry about that, you can go back to sleep.” Mark said as you were about to turn your back, he let out a small whimper. Hesitation floods his eyes, “A-actually, can you stay?”

You were taken aback by his sudden request as he only ever showed that he was a tough and stubborn person altogether from your interactions from before. You contemplated for a bit then answered, “Sure, I’ll just grab the sheets and put my makeshift bedding here.”

You returned to the living room to get the bedsheets and pillow, setting them down on the floor beside the bed then tucked yourself in, drifting to deep sleep.

Mark woke up from the light blaring from the side of the curtain. He stretched his arms then felt that he was holding something, only to see your blanket in his hands. He looked down on the floor but you weren’t there. Gripping on the sides of your bed to support himself, pain jolting across his body then slowly got up to sit. You entered the room a few moments later, clad in your underwear.

Feeling someone was burning holes in your skin, you looked up to see Mark staring at you in shock before looking away quickly. Immediately realizing the situation, you hurriedly went to grab your clothes and ran out of the room without.

That was something. He thought, shaking his head to cool his warm cheek.

It took you a while to forget the incident that happened earlier, you cursed at yourself for forgetting that you’re not alone. Living alone has its perks and walking around in your underwear without anyone seeing is one of them but you can’t do that anymore since you have company now. You left earlier, telling him you had to go to work now and will be back in the evening.

“So you’re telling me, you’re stuck in there for days?” Hyuck said from the other line, trying his best not to laugh at Mark but failed miserably. The latter sighed, “I just said that, Hyuck. How’s everything there?”

“Chaotic as usual, here in the base. I had to stop Renjun from choking Jisung earlier. Report came in, there’s someone lurking in one of our territories, will need some taking care of though.”

“I’ll be out of here in a few days, just need to have this stitch removed. For the meantime, just continue reporting as usual to me and the hyungs. Also, tell Renjun to send me his findings.” Mark instructed the younger male, earning a hum on the other end before ending the call.

His phone vibrated, opening it to see the background check on you that he asked Renjun to send him a few days ago. Shaking his head when he saw the message before the attachment.

‘Interesting candidate for a girlfriend, hyung.’

You just finished an order, calling out your customer’s name to retrieve their order then went back to the register when you heard the bell chime.

“Welcome, what would- Mark? What the hell are you doing here?” You whispered harshly at him as he let out a sly smile at your direction.

“I’m hungry, (y/n). There’s no food at home so I decided to grab a meal, didn’t know you worked here.” He answered nonchalantly.

You argued with clenched fists against the counter, “You’re not supposed to be walking around, you ass! I told you that!”

“Please, I’m a grown adult. I can tolerate pain, dear.”

Your manager asked while giving you a sharp look, “Is there something wrong here, sir?”

“Nothing at all. Just having a chat with (y/n), that’s all.”

You tried not to roll your eyes but you weren’t up for a lecture about customer service from your manager so with a strained smile, you took Mark’s order while attempting to ignore the burning eyes from your manager.

The following days, whenever he had the chance to go out, he sometimes drops by the cafe to eat and then stays until your shift ends, despite your violent protests. Another reason is to meet up with one of the members, mostly Hyuck for reports on what’s happening. Today was no exception.

“Hyung.” Mark turned at the sound of the voice to see a familiar figure wearing a face mask, hiding the lower part of his face.

He pulled his cap lower and approached the figure who was seated not far from his line of sight.

“What did you get, Hyuck?” He asked as he sat in front of him.

“There’s disturbance in the shipment of our cartels, we’re still looking into it but Jisung says someone is doing it on purpose. Also, I found this too.” Hyuck handed him a thick folder with twine tied around it. “You might want to take a look at it while you’re at it.”

Untying the tightly knotted twine around the folder, he opened the folder carefully with his eyes scanning across the contents inside. His fists visibly tightened at the folder he’s holding.

“This bastard- I killed him off a long time ago!”

Hyuck looked at him grimly, “That’s what we thought too. Apparently, from the information that I’ve garnered… You did kill his brother, Hyun, the former boss but he had a brother that we didn’t know of until now. He’s gathered men and out for blood, hyung.”

“He’s after me.” Mark looked at him in realization. “What else?”

A moment of silence engulfed between them before Hyuck gives him another file out of nowhere then throwing it in front of him.

“We also found out about his name and whereabouts; his name is Lee Seung and he’s last seen along the ports of Busan last week.” The younger male said while pointing on the picture of a man dressed in black.

His face hardened at the new information. “I need to know who he is working with and all his activities. Call everyone, we’ll be having a meeting now.” Mark commanded while he pulled out his phone.

He stood up from his seat, creating a creaking sound while he picked up the folders and placed them in his arms. After a few rings, the other line answered.

“Hyung, it’s me. We have a problem.”

Hyuck stood up from his seat and followed suit while sending everyone an urgent text.

You unlocked the door to your apartment, expecting to see Mark lazing on the couch but strangely, he wasn’t in the living room.

He must be sleeping. You thought as you dropped your things on the ground and went to your room to check on him, only to find an empty room.

“Mark?” You called before you closed the door and went to the kitchen.

No answer.

You went to the bathroom and knocked on the door, “Mark?”

Again, no answer.

You called his name numerous times but there was no answer to your calls. The house was empty, but you remembered leaving with Mark still inside.

Did he go somewhere? But where? He’s still injured. Numerous thoughts started to run inside your head which eventually led you to think of the worst possibilities that could happen to him. Now, you regret not asking for his contact number.

Hours passed by, it was already pitch black outside. You’ve drummed your fingers against the table as you looked at the clock across you. Mark still hasn’t arrived, you’ve already searched around the neighborhood and asked your neighbors if they saw anyone come out the house but none.

It’s already 11 pm. Where the hell is he? Your worried thoughts still are not kept at bay.

Upon hearing the creak of your door, your train of thoughts were interrupted then heard a light padding of footsteps. When you saw Mark, you felt relieved and annoyed at the same time.

“Where the hell did you go? Do you even know what time it is?” You asked while your voice got louder to every question.

“Errands.” Mark replied, he tried to make his way to your room.

“I’m not done with you!” You exclaimed out of annoyance.

He sighed as he rubbed his temples, “Look, can we just talk about this tomorrow? I’m tired.”

“Oh so you’re telling me you’re tired? Did you know that I went around looking for you and sat here for hours, worrying about your whereabouts! Maybe the next time I see you, you’re already dead.”

“Thanks for the concern, (y/n) but no one asked you to do those! Who are you even? You’re not my mother! Hell, you’re only a stranger.” He argued, visibly angered that you won’t leave him alone.

Your jaw tightened as you shot him a glare. “Atleast I have the decency to tend your injuries and shelter you! What an ungrateful brat.”

The argument became heated and it slowly became a screaming match, insult after insult being thrown in the mix. No one would back down and lower their pride, your screaming match only ended when your neighbor shouted from their window to shut up.

“Whatever, don’t talk to me if you’re still going to be an asshole.” You whispered harshly in his direction.

“Fine!” He slammed the door behind him as you plopped on your couch and curled into a ball, ignoring the cold nip of air against your skin.

The next day, the two of you gave each other the cold shoulder treatment while occasionally grumbling incoherent curses and mumbles under your breaths. Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Busan, a man took a long drag from his cigarette from his window sill.

“Boss!” The man turned his head to the direction of the voice. “We found him.”

A devilish smirk crept on his lips, eyes gleamed with nothing but intent. Taking his cigarette close to his lips again before puffing a cloud of smoke. “Is that so? What else do you have for me?”

A folder was thrown across, he flipped into it and picked up a picture pinned into it.

“Interesting.” He said while examining the picture then turned back to his men. “Get her. I‘d like to settle unfinished business with the Jack of all Trades.”

A loud yawn escaped your lips as you ran your hands through your hair. You casted a quick look to your room before clicking your tongue.

Tch. As if I’ll apologize. You thought as you laid down on the couch, using your arm as a pillow before falling into deep slumber.

Mark can’t sleep, he’s been tossing and turning but to no avail, he just couldn’t close his eyes or feel sleepy. He woke up earlier from another recurring nightmare that he has been having recently.

I’ll go out for a while, maybe it’ll help me.

He tossed the blanket aside and grabbed his jacket before making his way out of the room. With light footsteps, he quietly prayed that you won’t hear him going out. You stirred in your sleep which caused him to flinch, hearing mumble in your sleep then later turned into snoring.

What a weird girl you are. He thought as he watched you snore in your sleep. With slow steps, he went to your direction and put his jacket on your shivering body before making his way outside.

You didn’t remember sleeping with a blanket on but when you woke up, you saw a jacket that was not yours on you. Scrunching your nose as you recognized who it belongs to. Of course, it had to be him.

Stretching your legs before making your way to the kitchen to get yourself some water. The last thing you wanted was a bread being thrown at your face, the plastic made a crinkling sound when it hit the floor.

“What the fuck?” You snarled whole picking up the bread on the floor. “What’s your problem?”

Mark hummed in response before biting into his food, “Well, I don’t know. Maybe if you stop acting like you have a stick up your ass then maybe, I’ll apologize. Also, you were supposed to catch that.”

“Do you expect me to catch that? Bitch, you must be fucking stupid.”

He heaved a sigh before ignoring what you said. You pulled a chair just across him while rolling your eyes.

“I’m sorry. There. Happy now?” You said with a strained smile before he lets out a triumphant smirk. “Men and their stupid ego.”

“I’ll ignore what you said but I guess, we’re good now.”

You two continued to eat breakfast, occasionally sending jabs before you continued on with your routine of leaving for work. Fortunately, you were let out early from your shift as your boss was going to celebrate anniversary with his girlfriend so you went home immediately.

“Can you stay still and stop moving? I’m trying to remove your stitches here.” You barked as you slowly cut the stitches, pulling out the thread slowly until there’s none left. “There, good as new.”

Mark stood up, lifting his shirt and going to the full body mirror to see a scar. From the past few days, his injuries were healed and the aching was gone, thanks to you changing the dressing of his wounds and nursing him back to health. He almost felt like a new person with the newfound strength he regained.

“Thanks (y/n), I feel a lot better now.” Mark smiled which made you return his smile. “I have to go back now.”

“Ah right.” You said, not hiding the disappointment in your tone.

Reality dawning to you, almost feeling like you have been hit by a ton of bricks. He has to go now and you’ll probably won’t see him again. It saddens you because, you’ve warmed up to him in the past few days, silence will be your company again inside this house.

“Do you really have to go?” You looked up to him with hopeful eyes, almost pleading to him.

He sighed, “Sadly, I have to. My family needs me.”

He took a few strides to you then hesitatingly placed his hand on your cheek and looked at you with a soft expression. You eyed him, engraving every feature of his in your mind; his starry eyes, cheekbones, button-like nose and lastly, his lips. You wondered was he always this handsome and felt your heartbeat ringing in your ears.

“I’ll miss you, you know.” You mumbled but his ears perked up at what you said, letting out a sad smile on his lips.

“I will too.” Mark said then he leaned close, your noses almost touching. “Can I?”

You gave him a nod before he leaned closer to your face, feeling his breath fanning across your face as you leaned slowly and closed your eyes when you felt his lips touch yours. You placed your hands on his chest, your lips moving against his, slow and careful as if he was going to disappear.

The two of you pulled away, panting then he leaned on your forehead before opening his eyes to look at your flushed face.

He unclasped something from his neck, you felt a cold metal being clasped around your neck after then he looked at it then you. You looked down on your neck to see his silver cross necklace around your neck, gently cradling it in your hand.

“Just something that will remind you of me when you’re missing me.” Mark cheekily said before ruffling your hair.

Rolling your eyes then you hit his arm playfully, “As if, Mark.”

“Can you give me your phone?” He asked as you handed him your phone with visible confusion then typed in his number before handing it back to you. “Here’s my number so if you miss me or you get into trouble, you call this number.”

You both let out a joyous laugh before you two head out to the door, bumping each other’s shoulder. A comfortable silence engulfed you two as you made your way out.

“I guess, I’ll see you later then (y/n)?” He said before giving your forehead a soft peck which received a hit from a flustered (y/n).

“Yeah, see you when I see you.” He turned his back and started to walk away but stopped midway. “I’ll pay you back somehow, just you wait”

He continued to walk til his figure disappeared from your sight, you let out a loud sigh before closing the door behind you. You’re alone again, something you were used to before but not anymore. You clasped the cross on your neck, giving it a soft kiss. Days turned to weeks then months, your life returned to normal— it didn’t feel the same without Mark.

“So, where’s your boyfriend?” Yves pipped from the counter while you wipe the cups clean.

You blushed, “He’s not my boyfriend.”

“There’s no denying it, (y/n)~ Your face says it all.” She teased, nudging your shoulder with a knowing smile. “But have to admit, you two look cute together.”

You puffed your cheeks as you finished wiping the cups clean, shrugging off at her comment. Your eyes briefly glanced at the necklace he gave you. Looking at your wrist watch to see that your shift has ended. You went to the back to change out of your work clothes and fetch your stuff. You went out with your bag as Yves was busy typing her apron.

“I’ll be going now, Yves. I’ll leave the rest to you.” You announced as you made your way to the door.

“(Y/n)!” She called which made you stop in your tracks and turned around to look at her. “There’s a lot of criminal activity going on lately, you sure you can walk alone? Do you want me to call someone to accompany you?”

You waved off your hand at her, telling her you’re fine before you bid her goodbye again. She shot you a concerned look before slowly waving back at your direction.

Maybe you were starting to regret not listening to Yves’ warning because once you were walking towards your usual direction to your apartment, you felt heavy footsteps behind you. You didn’t think about it too much until you made a detour from your usual route which confirmed all of your suspicions of being followed.

With your phone in your hand, you immediately tried to dial the number on your speed dial.

“Hello?” Mark answered on the other end, tears welling up from hearing his voice and also, out of fear. “Who’s this?”

“I-it’s (y/n), I need help.” You whispered through the phone. “Um… I-i think-”

Before you could even speak, your arm was immediately grabbed by someone which made you drop your phone. You tried to resist from his hold but it only got tighter as you did so. With your free arm, you pinched him with all your might on his side as he shrieked in pain, letting you go. You immediately scrambled on the pavement to retrieve your phone but both of your arms were pulled back, you cried for help which only made him let out a sinister grin.

“That’s right, sweetheart. Cry for help, no one will come and save you.” He replied as he tried to stop you from wriggling in his grasp.

You stopped resisting, already too tired as you let out a sob. Tears rolled down your cheek as you silently prayed for someone to help you. The man whistled, his cronies coming out from hiding as one immediately carried you on his shoulder like a sack of rice. You thrashed around, hitting his shoulder in an attempt for him to put you down.

“Stop moving around, little bitch.” The man growled as he tightened his grip on your thigh as you let out a pained scream.

They stopped in front of a van, opening the back and quickly tied your wrists and feet together. Caressing your cheek then when his hand neared your lips, you bit his hand. Only for you to get slapped across the cheek.

“Bitch, that fucking hurts!” He screamed before crouching to get a roll of duct tape then held your cheek on one hand as he stuck it to your mouth, muffling your cries. “That’s right, be quiet.”

He slammed the door in your face, you tried to move your wrists but the rope only tugged on your skin, making it even more painful. You surveyed around to look for a sharp object but to your luck, there was none in sight. You leaned back, crying as you thought about all the horrible things these men can do.

Your ears perked up when you heard someone from the other side talking, there was another voice talking to them, a voice that seemed much younger and familiar.

“Open the goddamn door or else.” The voice threatened then an eerie silence followed.

You heard a gunshot which made you shut your eyes with a squeal. Light met your face when the door was being opened. You squint your eyes, looking up to see Mark, concern written all over his face as he climbs on board in an attempt to free you.

“Oh my god, I’m so sorry-” Mark puts a hand on your cheek but was interrupted when he was being thrown out of the vehicle, landing on the ground with a thud.

Your eyes widened at what happened, your screams muffled by the stupid tape on your mouth.

After that, you heard gunshots and shouts from outside. Your heart pumped rapidly, scared of what is going to happen to Mark then next thing you saw is a younger male with sun kissed skin, breathing heavily.

“Hello (y/n), I don’t think we’ve met but let’s save the introductions for later.” The young stranger said with a small smirk. “But for now, I’ll need to get you out of here.”

He went inside of the van, pulling something from his boot then cutting you free from the ropes tied around your wrist and feet.

“This is going to hurt a lot.” He immediately removed the tape around your mouth.

You hissed at the painful sensation then shot him a narrowed look, “Goddamnit, could’ve you been more gentle? That was fucking painful.”

He rolled his eyes at your response, “Seriously? Not even a thank you? How ungrateful.”

“Thanks.”

Your ‘savior’ helped you out of the van, you saw a sea of red against the pavement with a few more men who were panting, sweat dripping down their cheeks. Your eyes met with Mark then he came running to you, pulling you into a tight hug.

“M-mark?”

“Shh.. It’s alright, (y/n). You don’t have to speak.” He coaxed, rubbing the small of your back as you sobbed on his shoulder, relieved that he was here.

“I-i was so scared-”

The last thing you saw was being placed behind Mark’s back in a protective stance. Peering from his shoulder, you saw a visibly older man in a suit with more companions.

“Stay behind me, (y/n).” He instructed sternly.

“If it isn’t the Jack of all Trades, I’ve been hunting you down for years and now. Finally, finally, I have finally found you!” Seung mocked then looked behind Mark. “Oh? What’s that I see behind you?”

The moment Seung mentioned you, Mark and the others immediately pointed their guns at the person talking in front of them without hesitation. He continues, “Let’s not be too hasty, gentlemen.”

Mark immediately turned to the younger man on his left who was standing beside you. They both nodded at each other, almost like a silent agreement between them, and the last thing you heard were someone pulling the trigger of a gun.

Everything was happening too fast, the young male broke into a sprint, pulling your arm as you also sprinted with him as he occasionally turned behind him to shoot.

“Mark!” You shrieked as you two continued sprinting away from the scene.

“Don’t just stand there, you idiots! Get them!” Heavy footsteps followed you two which made you two sprint faster.

Adrenaline rushing through your veins, your breath was ragged while you forced your legs to catch up with the younger boy.

“Just keep running and don’t look back, I’ll cover for you.” The younger male continued, looking behind you.

Haechan shoots with shaky hands as he tries his best not to loosen his grip on you even by a slightest. You two took shelter on a dark alley, immediately hiding behind the walls as the men chasing you two ran past you. He let out a sigh of relief then tucked his gun in the waistband of his pants.

“Name’s Haechan. You okay there, (y/n)?” He asked as you continued to wheeze, feeling a bit lightheaded from the sudden sprint.

You breathed out, obviously shaken up. “I-i’m scared, Haechan. But what’s happening, who are those men? Why are they running after us? W-what did he just call Mark? I-i’m so confused.”

He fiddled his fingers then sighed. “Those men are just cronies of a resident mafia. They’re after us, but they mostly want Mark hyung.”

“H-hold up, you’re what? How about those people from earlier?” You asked while rubbing your temples then you looked up to him in surprise. “Mark is your what again?”

Haechan’s face contorted into an amused look then he answered. “Take it easy with the questions, but yes, we’re a mafia group and Mark hyung is our leader.”

You two sat on the floor, you hugged your knees as he leans against the wall while occasionally looking out.

“But why was Mark called… what was that again?” You furrowed your eyebrows in confusion, trying to take in all the information.

“Jack of all trades. Oh, about that… From what I know, hyung got that alias from his enemies. I don’t blame them, his smartass is too sly and skilled.” He explained. “Don’t tell him I said that or I’ll never hear the end of it.”

“Many admire him but many also fear him. Killing him would mean power and glory as he has a huge bounty on his head.”

Your eyes widened in realization, putting everything together. The injuries, the frequent outing, the calls and the way he flinched when you asked him about what he does for a living.

You croaked out a reply, “S-skilled in what?

Haechan hesitated before whispering his answer which startled you more than ever. “Gambling but I think you know what he’s capable of.”

You didn’t know how to feel; you felt scared, anxious and betrayed but you remembered his ‘rough around the edge’ thoughtfulness, stubbornness of not having you change the dressings, the kiss you shared before parting and the necklace.

“The necklace.” You mumbled as your hands clutch on the silver necklace on your neck, the cross sitting just above your chest, glinting all its glory.

Hearing a clicking sound, you crouched behind him while he cocked his gun in his hand while eyeing the wall warily. You heard footsteps then stopped but then the footsteps turned into rhythmic stomping before Haechan came out from the wall, gesturing you to stay put.

Ten minutes have passed since he asked you to stay put and keep quiet. You crawled from your hiding place, “Haechan?”

Peeking from behind the wall, you saw him being tackled on the ground who is obviously in pain then there’s a tackled Mark who kept a straight face but his eyes showed how furious he is.

“Let him go.” Mark grunted while the man cackled at him while motioning his cronie to inflict pain on the boy on the ground.

You covered your mouth in shock, tears threatening to fall down your cheeks then a small sound slipped past your lips. Pressing a hand on your mouth, in an attempt to prevent any sound from slipping again. Unfortunately, it seemed like someone heard your slip and now, you’re being thrown across the ground.

“Look who we have here.” The man’s hand went to your chin, forcing you up and lifting your face for everyone to see as you struggled from his grip. “If it isn’t your precious brat.”

His eyes widened when he looked at you and whispered, “N-no.”

“Such a waste that I’d have to put a bullet in her pretty head.”

Feeling a cold metal press against the side of your forehead, hearing a click which made you gulp from your position.

“What’s all the crack about the Jack of all Trades? I thought you’re more powerful than that, huh? You’re making me laugh, kid! That’s all you got?” He said before letting out an ugly cackle.

Mark looked at you before his lips quirked into a sly smile then returned his gaze to Seung with the same smile, irking the said man as he pressed the gun closer to your temple.

“I’d watch what you’re saying if I were you, Lee Seung.” He said and soon, bullets rained down and Seung’s cronies fell down on the ground immediately.

Seung looked startled when he realized what’s happening. Without missing a beat, he snapped out of his gaze and forced you to stand up with a gun behind your head. “Up on your feet!”

Mark and Haechan pushed the dead bodies, grunting at their weight before chasing after Seung and the captive. Mark pulled out his gun, aiming it at Seung’s direction before pulling the trigger. An ear piercing scream followed, Seung’s pace slowed down as he limped at the hit his leg took. He roughly grabbed the back of your shirt, pushing you forward in a rough manner.

All of you stopped running when you reached a river, everyone was panting heavily while you trembled as felt the gun pressed against your temple while Seung toyed with the trigger which made you even more terrified and anxious at the sounds.

“Come any closer or I won’t hesitate to shoot!” He threatened as he pulled you closer, closing your eyes at what will happen.

Mark raised his gun. “This is between you and I, Seung. Leave her out of this!”

“Or what?”

“Or else, you won’t like what I’ll do next.”

The tension was heavy between the men, it was silent that you can hear their breathing and the sound of the river nearby. The last thing you heard was someone yelling your name and a menacing laughter as you struggled against the river’s current. Your breath gets ragged as you grapple around to get more air, slowly losing your consciousness.

Meanwhile, Mark the man while Haechan immediately jumped into the river before it was too late. He was livid, not sparing mercy to his opponent while he landed blow after blow until he was sitting on top of him, beating him up senselessly.

“I won’t rest until I avenge my brother. I won’t lose!” Seung said weakly at him, reaching out for his neck in an attempt to strangle him.

He tried to pry it off but felt the grip getting tighter while his vision started to get hazy, his left hand snaked under his jacket before letting out a crooked smile.

His fingers held onto four ace cards, mockingly showing it to his opponent whose face showed visible confusion and horror. “I-i won.”

With a swift flick of a finger, the knife hidden underneath the cards came into a view. Without wavering, he made a deep incision on the left part of his neck. Blood started to seep from Seung’s mouth and neck, his hands falling unto his sides lifelessly. Mark stood up, satisfied with what he did and started to walk away from the body.

He’d have to make sure to call Jisung to dispose of this later.

Mark ran up to see Haechan kneeling beside your body. “How’s (y/n)?”

“As you can see, she still hasn’t woken up.” He replied as he gently placed his palm on your forehead, still cold to the touch.

A few moments later, you started coughing up all the water you’ve had before you slowly opened your eyes to look at Mark and Haechan looking back at you in relief.

“D-did I die?” You wheezed which earned a low chuckled from both of them.

“I like her already, can we keep her?” He shot Haechan a look before the said man raised his arm in surrender.

Placing his hand on your cheek and leaning his forehead against yours, ignoring your drench and cold form while he looks at you directly in the eye.

He mumbles as you feel his lips ghosting yours as he speaks. I’m glad you’re alive and safe.”

“I should be the one saying that to you. You’ve saved my life now, Mark.” You responded which elicited a small smile on both of your lips.

Your hands made their way on his jaw before you pulled him into a slow, gentle kiss. Almost forgetting what happened earlier due to the amount of overwhelming feeling of longing and affection you both felt for each other.

“Hyung, I’d appreciate it if you turned your mic off. You do know I can still hear you.” Renjun spoke from the earpiece.

The both of you pulled away, Mark flushed in embarrassment before he argued and jabbed incoherent insults to the person he’s talking to before helping you up on your feet.

Eight people crammed inside the van, it took a while for all of you to get inside as the others had important errands to do before hopping in. They were all interesting and rowdy individuals, even Mark got tired of telling them off. Your eyelids started to droop from fatigue.

“You should sleep, (y/n). It’s a bit of a drive to get back to the base.” Mark said as he adjusted his position so you can lean on his shoulder. “You can lay down on my shoulder.”

You moved a bit before placing your head on the slope of his shoulder. “Better?” He asked which earned a small nod from you.

“I’m good now. Thanks.” You muttered before drifting to sleep as you felt him rub circles on the back of your palm.

Mark tapped your shoulder when you all reached the base, everyone started to pile out while you two waited for your turn as you two sat by the back of the van. Courtesy of Chenle calling shotgun on the front seat where Mark usually sits during their missions.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to take you home?” He asked as he helped you get out of the van, closing the door behind.

“With everything that just happened, I might get recurring nightmares.” You admitted, stretching your sore limbs.

Mark lets out a sigh and takes your hand into his, “I’m sorry for dragging you into this mess.”

“I’ll be fine, don’t worry about it.” You intertwined your hands with his before giving him a reassuring smile.He looks you in concern before he looks from afar before you two went inside the base, hand in hand.

It was a comforting, the feeling of his palm that radiated warmth despite knowing what it had done to unfortunate enemies that crossed his path and his fingers that slipped into yours. His shoulder occasionally bumps into yours, making you laugh. Maybe, you’ll get accustomed to this, being with him and entering his world.

#mark lee #cznnet #nct mark #nct dream #nct mafia au #nct 127 #mark fluff #mark angst #nct fic

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rohad93 · 4 years

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Moonlit Masquerade: ch 5

It started on Monday morning.

Amity got to school early so she could have some peace and quiet away from her siblings and classmates to study for an upcoming test in her abominations class. The twins had been especially chaotic all weekend while their parents had been out of town for business, blasting music and just being a general nuisance, though not directly to her.

Of which they informed their children with a simple note on the counter when they had discovered when they had come home from school on Friday afternoon. No goodbyes or anything.

Nothing unusual about that though.

At least Edric and Emira hadn’t bothered her much, while their parents were away the twins took the opportunity to play; which suited her fine.

She’d spent most of Friday evening trying to decipher Luz’s sudden… touchiness. Not that she was complaining. She didn’t think it was a human thing, Luz had always been physical with her affections but Friday just seemed extra.

Or she was just seeing what she wanted to see. The thought caused her to frown. Every time Luz got close she sent her into a spiral. All she could think about was how kind and amazing she was and how much she wanted to be near her, which caused the inevitable panic as so many emotions flooded her at once. Ones she wasn’t well equipped to manage, apparently.

This was ridiculous, she could be completely calm and the second Luz’s stupidly cute face and smile popped into view, it felt like her heart was going to beat right out of her chest as it slammed against her ribcage.

Somehow, someway, she needed to get a handle on this, Luz probably already thought she was a spaz after she had fled from her Friday and tossed her entire lunch tray across the cafeteria, splattering a few students when Luz just set a hand on her shoulder.

She sighed and shook her head. The fact that no one, much less Luz, had caught on to her strange behavior was the one silver lining here she supposed.

The idea of trying to tell Luz how she felt made her feel like she had swamp-flu; nauseous, clammy, and fevered. Her fear of being rejected by the object of her affections was still alive and well, a shadow on her heart.

Trying to ask her to grom had been a disaster in and of itself.

Though it did have the unintended perk of getting Luz to dance with her anyway, even if it wasn’t exactly the circumstances Amity had hoped for. She’d never admit it, but when she had crafted her gromposal she had envisioned something a little more… romantic. Her cheeks flushed pink at the thought.

Partly embarrassment and part disappointment for having allowed herself to believe for one minute that such a thing had been possible.

Yes, Luz had technically gone to grom with her, she loved every moment of their dance and taking down Grometheus together, and she would always hold that memory fondly in her heart, even if it was tainted with the bitter disappointment she felt at the words Luz had said after saying she would go to grom with her.

‘That’s what friends do.’

Something in her twinged at the memory just as it had when those words had passed Luz’s lips.

Luz had taken pity on her and her cowardice at not being able to just hand that little slip of paper over to the one person she wanted to see it more than anything.

She shut her eyes tightly, clutching her books to her chest at the ache there. With another sigh, she pushed the thoughts aside as she walked down the hall to her locker.

There were no students around at this time of morning and the halls were quiet as she walked up to it, already beginning to open her bag as she stopped in front of the locker.

Before she could reach out to tickle the creature into opening its mouth, it opened, promptly spitting something out at her.

She shrieked, holding up her hands to ward off the projectile.

Whatever it was bounced off her harmlessly and fell to the floor.

Blinking, Amity lowered her arms to look at the bouquet of Blood-Blossoms at her feet.

“Huh?” she said aloud to the empty hallway before reaching down to pick them up.

The large, bell-shaped flowers with bright yellow centers and petals the color of, well, blood, were beautiful.

Why had someone put these in her locker? Blood-Blossoms were expensive and traditionally only given with romantic intentions.

She turned the bouquet around in her hands before noticing a small slip of paper tucked between the stems. She pulled it free and unfolded it. Her face heating up as she read the words written in a gentle sloping hand.

‘Amity,

These flowers could never be as beautiful as you, but I hope you like them anyway,

Your Secret Admirer.’

A little heart dotted the ‘i’ in her name.

Her flush spread to the tips of her ears in a wash of crimson

She folded the paper and looked back at the flowers, reaching out a careful hand to run her fingers over them.

The petals were soft and smooth under her finger tips as she examined them. She took a tentative sniff. A deep, sweet, floral scent filled her senses.

She couldn’t help the soft smile that had worked its way onto her face as she gazed at them.

At the far end of the hall, a pair of dark brown eyes peeked around the corner, out from under a hood.

Luz grinned stupidly to herself before quickly dashing down an adjacent hall, feeling giddy and cheeks pink at the thought of the look on Amity’s face as she examined the flowers fondly.

That was more than worth having to get to school at an ungodly hour to ensure she made it before Amity, who was notorious for arriving even before their teachers at times.

Also the snails she would need to pay Eda back by making potion deliveries all of Saturday, as well as her mentor’s subsequent teasing when she had told her what she needed the money for. Despite that she had handed it over readily.

Her heart fluttered in her chest.

So totally worth it!

That night Amity put the flowers in a vase on her desk, admiring their beauty as she worked on her homework, the note was slipped into one of her desk drawers.

Even if she was completely enamored with Luz, it was still flattering that someone went through the trouble for her and they were beautiful.

“Hey, Mittens.” Amity tensed up, whipping around to see her sister leaning against the door frame, but not her brother.

“What?” Amity asked, exasperated already.

“Good evening to you too,” Emira chuckled as she walked into the room and immediately noticed the new addition to her sister’s desk.

“Oh, those are pretty, someone gave you Blood-Blossoms?” Emira turned to look at her with a cocked brow. “Who's that brave?” she asked teasingly.

Amity rolled her eyes but relented, one twin wasn’t usually too bad, it was when her brother and sister were together and feeding off each other that they could become unbearable.

Also, they were twins, but there was a certain bond she and Emira shared being sisters, there were things she could, on a rare occasion,share with her sister that she just couldn't share with Ed.

“I don’t know.” she shrugged. “They were in my locker this morning, from a secret admirer.” She watched Emira reach out and touch the petals with gentle fingers, admiring their beauty.

“Oh, mysterious, wonder who has the hots for you…” Emira grinned as Amity’s cheeks reddened. Her little sister always was so easy to fluster.

“I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter,” she grunted, turning back to the papers sitting in front of her.

“Aw, you're no fun, why not?” Emira pressed, poking her sister in the arm. Amity violently swatted at the offending appendage with a growl, making Em grin.

“I don’t have time for that sort of thing and I’m not interested in anyone like that,” she huffed and Emira chuckled, making Amity look up at her with narrowed eyes.

“Come on, Mittens; we both know that’s not true.” She smiled knowingly and Amity felt herself seize up at the words. She had to be bluffing, there was no way Emira knew.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” She frowned and Emira rolled her eyes as she crossed her arms over her chest, cocking a hip as she stared down at her little sister with a knowing look.

“Hey, it’s okay, I get it; those dark brown eyes and round ears are pretty cute.” She grinned as Amity burned red at her words.

With a twirl of her finger, a pink spell circle appeared and her door slammed closed as she jumped up.

“Does Ed know too, who are you going to tell, what are you planning?!” she all but snarled and the amused smile on her sister’s face fell away.

A wave of guilt washed over the older girl that Amity’s first reaction to her revealing that she knew about her crush on Luz was panic and fear did not make her feel great, not that she could blame Amity.

She and Edric had been a little much there for a while. They both agreed that the diary incident and the danger Amity had faced afterward because of them had been over the line and they needed to do better.

They loved to give their straight-laced little sister a hard time, but they did love her and never meant to really hurt her, physical or otherwise.

“Hey, hey, relax, Amity.” Emira held up her hands and Amity paused at the use of her name. “Ed doesn’t know.” she rolled her eyes. Her brother could be a dork at the best of times and occasionally as oblivious as Luz. “I’m not going to tell anyone,” she promised. Amity slowly relaxed, all her tight muscles going slack.

“You’re really not going to tell anyone, not even Ed?” she asked with suspicion still lingering.

“Nope, keep it just between sisters.” she smiled, walking over to the door. “You could do much worse, Luz is pretty fun, not to mention cute.” She winked at her sister over her shoulder before leaving just as quickly as she had come.

Amity huffed to herself before turning back to her desk and trying to focus on her work.

Now all she could think about were warm brown eyes and that bright smile.

~ ~

Tuesday Amity had class with Luz, and she both adored and hated it in equal measure.

Well, maybe 80/20 with adored eeking out the win by a hair

On the one hand, working with Luz and her antics was fun, doing silly impressions of their abominations professor, passing her notes with cute doodles and making wonky abominations from her messed up abomination slurry never failed to make her giggle like a schoolgirl…

Which she supposed, she technically was.

On the other hand Luz distracted her. A lot.

When she was around it was a task to get anything done with her smiling at her like that, or nudging her with her elbow to show her something every few minutes.

She sighed as she walked into class, surprised to see Luz already at their normally shared table.

She was flipping through the book Amity had given her last week with rapt interest and jotting notes into one of her notebooks.

She smiled, glad that Luz was actually using it, she had been nervous that she had only accepted it to be polite, but she had her face buried in the yellowed pages, eyes scanning the words with rapt attention that was rare for her.

She didn't even notice Amity walk up to the table or set her books down before sliding into the seat beside her.

“Hey, Luz,” she called, making the human jump, head whipping to face her in surprise.

“Oh! Amity, hey!” She rested a cheek on her fist and forced a grin, hoping the witch couldn’t tell how nervous she was.

‘Remember what Willow said, be patient, play it cool…’

“Are you ready for the test?” Amity asked as casually as she was able while she arranged her notes on the table.

“Test?” Luz blinked.

Amity turned to her and could see the confusion slowly morphing to panic on her crush’s face.

“Oh, crud, I forgot about the test!” she hissed. Slapping her hands against the sides of her face and squishing her cheeks in a panic. Luz’s panic shouldn’t have been funny but her face, smooshed between her hands, was too cute for Amity to resist the quiet chuckle that escaped under her breath, Luz caught it though.

“It’s not funny, I completely forgot to study this weekend, I’m gonna fail…,” she groaned, dropping her face onto the book's open pages with a thump.

“No, you’re right, I’m sorry. What were you doing all weekend?” she asked.

“ Um…,” Luz hummed from her face down position as she thought about how she, Gus and Willow had spent most of Friday night and Saturday brainstorming things she could do or give to Amity to win her over and Sunday she’d had to help Eda collect potion ingredients in the woods. “Errands with Eda…” she settled on, looking up at the gold eyes peering down on her, which was partially true.

“I guess it couldn’t be helped then,” she sighed, sliding her notes to the middle of the table between them. “We still have some time before class starts, we can cram,” she offered, looking back at Luz, who was smiling at her in a way that made her stomach do a somersault. She forced away the heat that she could feel crawling up her face.

“Thanks, Amity.”

The witch nodded jerkily, staring down at her notes and suddenly feeling bold, scooted her chair closer to Luz. Just so they could both better study her notes of course.

‘Play it cool… play it cool!’ Luz chanted in her head as she tried to focus on Amity’s class notes.

Amity seemed totally unperturbed, but diving into class work, she was in her element and totally oblivious to Luz’s internal struggle.

This was going to be harder than Luz thought.

#Lumity #Luz Noceda #Amity Blight #Willow Parks #Gus Porter #Eda Clawthorne #Edric Blight #Emira Blight #Moonlit Masquerade #fanfic #The Owl House

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angstyaches · 3 years

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Charlie’s Hoodie

Alright, so here’s the first fic where Shayne is living in the Aldridge townhouse with Elliott and Felix (and Nancy and Ryan), which is in a city about three hours away from where Charlie is still living (Mulberry). This is about two days into his stay. It’s a slow-burner and very Angsty. I hope you guys enjoy!

CW; stomach ache from stress, emeto, anxiety, food mention, refusal of food, parental death mention, abusive guardian mention

Swallow the World: Three Boys in a Townhouse

He was supposed to be studying at his brand-new desk in the corner of his brand-new room in the Aldridge townhouse, but Shayne couldn’t recall how long he’d just been sitting there, hands in his lap, nails digging into his palms. It would have been a great time to get some thinking done, if thinking didn’t make his stomach ache.

He’d had a dream that morning, after falling asleep for about twenty minutes between nine and nine-thirty – probably the most sleep he’d had since arriving at the townhouse – and had woken up thinking he was with Charlie, in Charlie’s bed, in the Mulberry house.��

Remembering where he was, how far away he was, felt like a hand reaching down his throat and squeezing everything it could grab. The room had felt cold after that, not that he could do anything about it; it had a radiator, but he’d never learned how to use one.

He’d pulled on the hoodie Charlie had given him; reluctantly, as the more he wore it, the more it smelled like him and not Charlie.

Thinking about Charlie came with its own stages. The first one was easiest to deal with because it crept in like a warm memory, or a dream.

A second later would come the rug-pulling moment, as horrible words and disinterested looks would wash through the memory, turning it grey and making the Charlie in his head turn coldly away from him.

The bargaining stage would come next, and Shayne would wonder if he could fix this still; and then he would remember that Charlie needed Charlie Two more than he needed him, and Shayne was a danger to Charlie Two. Plus, Charlie and his parents would be moving soon anyway.

And he would tell himself this was good, this was the best thing, for him to be here with the Aldridges, but at that point he’d be overwhelmed by the gurgling in his belly and he’d have to stop himself from thinking altogether.

A knock at the door made him jump, and the sound of a particular voice made him wince.

“Hello?”

More time must have passed than Shayne realised though, otherwise Felix wouldn’t be coming into his room to look for him. Shayne gulped and turned his desk chair to the side to see him tiptoe inside.

“Nancy and Ryan are all settled in,” Felix said gently, hanging back, halfway hidden behind the door. “They should be ready for dinner in about ten minutes, if you want to come wait downstairs with us.”

Shayne gulped again. He’d known he’d be meeting with Ryan and Nancy – who were technically his new guardians now – that evening, but he hadn’t thought about the fact that there would be food, and blood, involved.

He’d managed to fight his nausea until now, but the thought of having to perform and force food down made his stomach feel like it wanted out of him, right there and then.

“Hey.” Felix stepped further into the room and closed the door behind him, leaning back on it with his hands. “You look a bit washed out. Are you feeling okay?”

Shayne frowned, a painful kind of relief flooding his chest as Felix visibly stiffened.

“You know, it’s – it’s normal to not feel like yourself after leaving home,” Felix said, clearing his throat. “It was a long time ago, but I remember my first few days here, when it was all new and I started realising it was my new life.”

Shayne lowered his gaze again, and heard Felix sigh lightly. The mint-haired boy shifted his feet, like he’d been about to come closer, but hesitated. Like he was nervous. Scared. Good, Shayne thought, turning his chair gently. He’d be happier knowing Felix was scared of him; anything was better than being felt sorry for.

Felix gave a low hum. “I felt sick to my stomach all the time, too.”

Shayne hadn’t even realised he’d put a hand on his stomach until he saw Felix’s eyes dart downward. His instinct was to move it away, and he did for a few seconds before he realised it was pointless. He let the hand rest on his belly again, keeping his eyes pinned on the pale wooden floorboards.

“Though for me, it was because of the blood,” Felix chuckled. His voice seemed to get higher in pitch, the more he talked. “It took me a long time to get used to it. Eventually they just had to start slipping it into my tea… Though, I – I guess this isn’t about that.”

Shayne’s stomach took a harsh dive towards the floor, and he had to tense his fingers even more just to keep control of the nausea. If the colour had drained from his face, Felix might not have noticed, or at least didn’t comment on it.

“I was already half-blooded when I got here,” Felix went on, “so I felt like I was bonded to Ryan before I even met her. Not – not that you have to worry about that. You’re practically family already, right?”

Shayne frowned and bit his lip against arguing; Felix was just trying to be nice, and possibly didn’t know anything about the Devines. But paperwork didn’t mean family. Hours clocked under someone’s roof didn’t mean family. Leaving someone in a bad situation didn’t mean family.

“I understand it’s not the same though,” Felix said. “I also had Elli when I came here, so it - it must feel weird, being here without your friend.”

The fact that he’d said ‘friend’ singular, and not ‘friends’ in general, meant that he was talking specifically about Charlie. The name hit as hard as though it had actually been said. Shayne breathed deeply as he felt his stomach churn against his hand.

“You want to talk about it?”

The natural thing for Shayne would have been to make some defensive remark, but he didn’t even want to open his mouth just then. He swallowed thickly and gave a sharp shake of his head. No, he absolutely did not want to talk about anything. How long did he have to sit here in silence before Felix fucked off?

“Buddy, you’re feeling really sick, huh?” Felix’s eyes softened when Shayne looked up at them again. “Hey, I’m positive Nancy and Ryan won’t mind if you take one more evening to rest. They’re reasonable ladies. Most of the time.”

Shayne was suddenly reminded of the heart-lifting relief of being told, as a kid and before his real parents had died, that he could stay home from school if he was feeling too sick. After that, Madelyn and Watson had always decided, on their terms, whether or not he could stay in bed. He felt the admission of weakness burning hot behind his eyes, but decided it would be worth it if he could just go to bed and try to forget the sick feeling in his stomach.

“I’ll say something to them, if you like.”

“You don’t have to,” Shayne mumbled. He cringed at hearing himself automatically try to reject the help that Felix was offering.

But Felix just flashed his little fangs again. “That doesn’t usually stop me. Look – I don’t know. If you’re up for it later, I can come back. We can talk, or – or we can move to my and Elli’s room and just watch T.V. Whatever you feel like.”

Shayne faintly shook his head, barely considering the offer. Guilt clung in the back of his throat, like his words were echoing inside him before he’d even said them. “Just leave me alone, Felix.”

Felix turned his head to stare at the floor too, so silent that he might have stopped breathing altogether. “Sure,” he chirped after a few seconds. “If – if that’s what you want.”

Shayne waited for Felix to leave before lying down on top of the blankets. He spent a few minutes like that, muscles clenched but not quite shivering from the cold, before finally getting into the bed.

He lay on his front and closed his eyes, trying not to let his thoughts wander any further from the four walls surrounding him. It worked, in a way, but then he just found himself wishing Charlie was inside those walls with him, and that was beside the point.

He tried listing the history topics he’d been supposed to revise that afternoon, imagining bullet points in his head until it all spun together and made him feel nauseous again. He told himself thank god he hadn’t had to go to that dinner, told himself to remember to thank Felix later, and apologise for being short with him. He had to be careful, now that he knew how badly it hurt when he messed up his relationships.

Restlessness and queasiness drove him out of bed again, and he dragged himself to the small ensuite bathroom attached to his room. The mirror showed him exactly how awful he looked, and it was no wonder Felix had offered to get him out of going to dinner.

The dark circles under his eyes were deeper than usual, probably since he’d barely slept since the night at Mulberry, the night with Charlie, the night before the kiss, the night before he’d said those awful things –

No, no, no.

He ran cold water over his hands at the sink, ignoring how they shook, and took a few sips from his palm. Small sips, barely enough to wet his lips, for fear of how the cold liquid would feel on the way down.

Oh, but Charlie would make him drink, wouldn’t he? Charlie would be upset if he knew Shayne had barely had anything to eat or drink in so many days, he’d look so sad – if he even cared at all anymore, after hearing what Shayne had said to Elliott about him.

No...

Shayne clutched the edge of the sink in shock as he gagged, keeping his mouth clamped shut and closing his eyes. His legs had turned to mush all of a sudden, and he felt like he might sink through the floor. He shakily eased himself closer to the toilet, only letting go of the sink when he could put his hands on the cistern instead.

He retched over and over again, until he managed to choke up a pitiful spatter of bile and acid. He lowered himself gradually so that he was kneeling down on the tiles, shaking and quietly sobbing and wishing for his friend.

___

Felix once again knocked before coming in. Shayne was still retching emptily when he found him. His stomach had emptied, and his throat had dried so quickly that it now just felt like fists clamping around his insides.

“Hey,” Felix said with an air of urgency. “Oh, gosh, is – is it alright for me to be here, Shayne? Do you need to be by yourself?”

Shayne’s chin trembled as he gasped to catch his breath. He wanted to speak, but his tongue was too heavy in his mouth, and all he could manage was a low whimper. He laid a hand on the floor next to him, fingers reaching weakly in Felix’s direction.

“Alright, I’m here.”

He felt Felix’s hand rest lightly on his shoulder, almost like he had feathers instead of bones. Shayne shivered at being touched, though he couldn’t tell for sure if it repulsed him or not because his body was too busy fighting the nausea.

“Relax, bud, I don’t think there’s anything for you to bring up,” Felix said softly. “Try to catch your breath, okay?”

When he finally got his breathing under control and the retching slowed, Shayne turned towards Felix, eyes glassy and pinned to the ground. The smaller boy helped him up from the floor and guided him back through to the bed, pulling back the blankets for him with one hand.

“Doing okay?” Felix asked softly as Shayne sat down.

“Mmhmm,” he replied. He didn’t feel overwhelmed with nausea anymore, but his belly was aching horribly, muscles tense from the dry heaving.

Felix slid onto the end of the bed and pulled his legs underneath himself. He sat and watched Shayne carefully from there. Like a puppy. Shayne slowly eased himself under the blankets, careful not to jostle Felix or himself too much. His voice was hoarse from coughing up acid, and he couldn’t bring himself to clear his throat. He leaned his back against the headrest.

“How was – how was the dinner thing?”

“Aw, bud, you probably don’t want to hear me going on about food right now,” Felix said. His eyes brightened. “But Nancy and Ryan weren’t mad, if that’s what you were worried about. They said to tell you not to worry, and they’ll see you sometime tomorrow.”

Shayne pulled at the sleeves of Charlie’s hoodie, covering his wrists and the palms of his hands. He felt Felix follow his gaze towards the thick red fabric.

“I was thinking, and – when I mentioned Charlie earlier, I hope I wasn’t overstepping or anything.” Felix was starting to sound nervous again. “I have a tendency to do that, and it can be a tad overwhelming for some people.”

Shayne bit the inside of his lip. He felt a gurgle begin in his stomach before it sounded off, and he let out a little whine alongside it.

“Sorry,” he mumbled, realising Felix must have heard it too.

“Aw, buddy, it’s fine. Look; see if you can drink some of that.”

Shayne spotted the steaming teacup next to the bed. He had a vision of Charlie bringing him tea in bed, and had to suddenly blink back tears as he looked at Felix.

“It’s just ginger tea.” Felix’s eyes widened. He frowned and played with his own hands. “I know I said earlier they used to hide blood in my tea, but it’s not – it’s not spiked or anything.”

“No, I – thank you.” Shayne reached carefully for the tea and hoping his stupid shaky hands weren’t about to spill it all over the sheets. He gulped hard, willing his breath to become steady, his eyes to become dry. “F-for coming back, too. Um, seriously.”

“Hey, it’s nothing,” Felix muttered, averting his gaze as he blushed.

Shayne let the mug rest in one hand for a few seconds, while he pressed the cuff of Charlie’s hoodie against his eyes. The sleeve brushed across his cheeks, and his head spun for a second with that familiar scent. Fuck. He screwed his eyes shut for a second before lifting his face and trying to focus on the tea, on Felix, on things that were warm.

“If you still don’t feel like talking,” Felix said slowly, “I – I thought, maybe, I’d tell you how I became an Aldridge, if Elliott hasn’t already told you.”

“He hasn’t,” Shayne admitted shakily. “I, uh, didn’t, um, didn’t even know your name until you told me yourself.”

“Are you serious?” Felix pressed a hand to his head. “Gosh, I would have made a much grander introduction for myself if I had known that.”

Shayne shook his head; with the state he’d been in when they’d first met, he was relieved Felix hadn’t tried anything more extravagant. He tentatively wrapped both hands around the mug, ignoring the handle, grateful for the warmth.

“I could have had five hot guys jump out and unzip their jackets to reveal t-shirts that spelled out F-E-L-I-X.” Felix bounced a fist against his knee. “Gosh, wasted opportunity is like – is like sashimi without soy sauce, you know what I mean?”

Shayne gave Felix a look over the rim of his mug, a look that hopefully conveyed that he had absolutely no idea what he meant. He took a slow sip, and although it was a little too hot for his tongue, his whole body seemed to thaw a bit as the heat curled down through him.

“Never mind,” Felix laughed. “Okay, well, let’s see – I guess the first thing you should know is that my name wasn’t always Felix. Only Elliott knows my real name, and it’s important that it stays that way. I’m not even sure Ryan and Nancy know I ever changed it.”

“What?” Shayne muttered as he blew gently on his tea. His stomach gave a low growl, though this time it wasn’t voicing nausea, but its anticipation of more of the warm, comforting drink. “Were you running from the law?”

“Not at the start,” Felix said, leaning back a little as he got comfortable. “I was a bit like you, actually. I was running away from home.”

#swallow the world #three boys in a townhouse #shayne #felix #sick shayne #caretaker felix #sickfic #emeto sickfic #anxiety sickfic #emotional sickness #emotional emeto #emeto boys #sickfic boys #my ocs #upset stomach #stomach ache fic #stress stomach ache fic #stress stomach ache

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sapphirewolf1122 · 5 years

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True Nature (part 1)

Part 1 | Part 2

Warning: Reader has thoughts of and attempts suicide.

Summary: Your quirk causes you to hurt the people you love and you have lived in loneliness for years because of it. You finally decide to end it one day but an explosive hero gets in your way.

Word count: 4,607

You weren’t really sure where you were going. You had just suddenly really needed to get out of the house, away from the loneliness that had been your life for years now. You weren’t even paying attention to what direction you walked in; you just let your feet move on their own, taking random turns. It wasn’t long until you had gotten completely lost.

Finally looking up after walking for a while, you found yourself standing in front of an alley. Frowning, you looked around to try and determine exactly where you were. The street was pretty much deserted but you did manage to spot a sign that told you about where you were. You raised your eyebrows in surprise; had you really walked this far?

This was a district that had been experiencing a rise in crime. It had started off as small, petty crimes but those soon escalated. There have even been some deaths. The hero agencies here had even started asking for help outside of the district so as to stop the villains before it got even worse. Something about the way the victims had died was really concerning them.

Looking down the alleyway, you remembered hearing that some of the deaths had occurred in the alleys. It was starting to get dark…without really thinking, you took a step into the alley.

As you slowly walked through, a small part of your mind screamed at you to turn around. Only someone with a death wish would do something this stupid.

Exactly, you told that voice.

You had been alone for so long now. It was the only way to ensure the safety of everyone else. Growing up, your parents had kept you pretty isolated. You had spent the majority of your childhood in your house in the country, where there were few kids your age. They even homeschooled you. But finally, you had had enough and left them and that house that had been more like a prison than home, behind.

At first, you thought you could be like everyone else, so long as you were careful. But then you’d fallen in love. They could handle the small drawbacks. A small papercut, a cold. They told you that they’d bear it for you. But one day they came home after you had burned yourself cooking, their hand wrapped in a bandage.

Furious, they screamed at you for being so careless. They told you were selfish for thinking it was okay to put this burden onto somebody else. What right did you have to love somebody when all you did was hurt them?

They had left and you, knowing they were right, vowed you would never do that to someone again. You became cold and aloof, keeping everyone at bay, not even allowing a friend.

And you were done. But you didn’t have the courage to do anything about it yourself. What if there was still a shred of love somewhere for somebody? What would that do to them?

But maybe...maybe there was a way to not have to do it yourself. If you were caught somewhere you shouldn’t be and it was made to look like an accident…

You emerged at the other end of the alley. Blinking at the sudden brightness of the street lights, you looked around. This street was a lot busier than the one you had left behind. Looking back, you saw the dim light of the other side. Just your luck.

With a sigh, you started crossing the street. It wasn’t until you heard the screech of tires that you looked up to see a massive truck careening towards you. It was clear that if you didn’t move, it wouldn’t be able to stop in time. Perfect.

Closing your eyes, you waited for your fate.

Bakugo watched the busy street before him, looking out for anything suspicious. The agency he worked for had been one of the ones that were called to assist with the villain situation here. And of course, they had sent the best.

But it had been days of undercover work now and he was getting fucking bored. The police in this shitty district had said too many heroes walking around in their costumes might only scare the villains into staying hidden. And while that was technically a good thing, they couldn’t keep this level of security forever and eventually, they would come back in earnest. So the goal was to catch them, unsuspecting.

At the time, it had sounded like a good plan. But now he just wanted to find the fucking bastards and blast them.

Looking over at the cop that he had been assigned to patrol with, he said, “Don’t you guys have any better ideas than this? It’s fucking been days and there have been no signs of the assholes.”

Not bothering to look up from the paper he was reading, the cop said, “We have no idea where the perpetrators’ hideout is. We can’t just go knocking down every door, hoping that we happen upon the right place. Our investigative team is working to figure that out but until then, this is what we can do. Be glad it’s been quiet, kid. That means nobody else has gotten hurt.”

He did glance up as he finished that last part and Bakugo looked away angrily.

“Tch.” He hated when he was spoken to like he was some naive newbie. Was it so bad he wanted to catch the fuckers?

At that moment, he heard the squeal of tires and snapped his head around to a truck trying to stop. Frowning, he looked ahead of it until he saw why. There someone stood, not moving as they faced the truck heading towards them.

“What the hell are you doing?” he muttered, shooting up from the chair he had been sitting in. His partner looked up in confusion but before he could say anything, Bakugo was already running. Would he make it in time? He could use an explosion to get him there faster but that would risk hurting somebody else in such close quarters. God dammit, he wished he had Iida’s engines right now.

Fuck, did he seriously just wish for Four-Eye’s quirk? That really made him angry and caused him to growl with a new determination.

“Get out of my fucking way, extras,” he yelled at the crowd. Bewildered faces turned towards him but they did as he said. This gave him the room he needed.

Propelling himself forward and up with his explosions, he passed over the idiot’s head, grabbing their collar and pulling them out of the way of the truck.

However, in his attempt to get to them faster, his explosions ended up being a little stronger than he meant them to be. Because of this, the landing was rougher and while he was able to do it fine, the person he had just saved landed hard on the pavement. He thought he even heard the crack of their head hitting the ground.

Spinning around, he looked down at your face. You seemed dazed, your eyes searching but not seeing. Hovering over you, he placed his hands gently on either side of your face and said, “Hey, are you okay? Did you hit your head?”

While you seemed to register his voice, you didn’t respond. He searched your head with his hands and sure enough felt the warmth of blood. Looking up, he saw his partner standing there, his eyes wide.

“What’re you staring for? Call a fucking ambulance!”

That seemed to snap him out of it and he hurriedly took out his phone.

Bakugo looked back down at you. Seeing that you had lost consciousness completely now, he stayed with you and waited for the ambulance to arrive.

You woke to the sound of something beeping, your head throbbing a bit. As you regained full consciousness, you noticed it sounded very similar to a medical monitor. With a frown, you opened your eyes; it took them a moment to adjust to the sudden bright light so everything was blurry for a bit.

Looking to the side, you thought you saw a person next to you. As your eyes finally focused, you were able to see their face. It looked very familiar; was he famous? But why would somebody famous be by your bedside?

Seeing that your eyes were open, he smirked. “About time you woke up.”

It was his voice that made you realize who he was. The hero agency he worked for was in your district and you often saw him on the news. Though usually he was yelling at the top of his lungs or looked like he wanted to kill somebody.

“Ground Zero?”

His eyebrows raised at the sound of his hero name, his smirk widening a bit.

“Outside of work, I go by Bakugo Katsuki.”

Huh...he seems nicer than he appeared on TV. Not as rough. The sound of his voice again took you out of your reverie.

“Are you okay? How’s your head?” He was peering at you with a small frown on his face now; you were starting to notice that he was quite expressive.

At the mention of your head, your hand went up to touch it, finding the tender spot and the stitches. “It’s fine, I think. What exactly happened?”

“You don��t remember? You nearly got fucking creamed by a truck. I was nearby but barely managed to pull you out of the way. Why didn’t you move, idiot?”

You felt yourself get a little indignant at the last part. “Excuse me, not all of us have incredibly fast reflexes and flashy quirks like you. We can’t all be heroes, you know.”

Your tone seemed to take him by surprise; even you noticed how bitter you had sounded. Trying to move past it, you continued, “Also, I have a name. It’s—”

“____ ____.”

You blinked. “How do you know that?”

“We had to check your ID for information.”

“Oh...right.”

There was a long silence. Your hand kept creeping up to the tender spot on your head; you felt like there was something you were forgetting. As your fingers dug, a sharp pain went through your head and it occurred to you.

“Shit, is there a phone around?! I have to call, make sure no one else got hurt. Stupid, so stupid, fucking selfish…”

“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Bakugo held up his hands, making calming motions. “Nobody else got hurt. I may have had to push a few people but nothing more than scrapes, I’m sure. Who would you need to call? Was someone with you?”

“No, I—I was alone.” You were always alone.

“Okay….what did you mean ‘selfish’?” Bakugo was studying you now, as though he was trying to put something together.

You shook your head, hoping to veer him away from the subject. “It’s nothing. Probably just still confused from hitting my head.”

He looked unconvinced. “Right…” He seemed to contemplate something for a second before asking, “___, were you—”

At that moment, a nurse drew back the curtain around your bed.

“Ah, Miss ____, you’re awake. Good, good. How are you feeling?”

“I’m fine. Can I go home?” You were starting to get uncomfortable with the way Ground Zero was looking at you, as though he were searching for something.

The nurse chuckled. “Soon. We just have to do a couple of tests to make sure you don’t need to be observed overnight.”

“Oh, please no.”

“Don’t worry. You seem to being doing well; I’m sure we’ll get you discharged in no time. Of course, this wouldn’t be necessary if a certain young, exuberant hero hadn’t gotten carried away.” She gave a pointed look to said hero, who sputtered.

“I-I needed to get to her quickly! Would you rather I let her get fucking ran over?!” he replied indignantly. There was more of the Ground Zero you were used to seeing on TV.

The nurse just made tsking sounds. “It’s done now. But I think it’s time you left, Ground Zero. Do heroes usually show such interest in those they save?”

“Are you fucking serious?! But—” Bakugo was stopped by the nurse’s stern look. He glanced at you, perhaps trying to find some help but you looked away. Finally, with a glare he got up and left, muttering as he went, “Fine, but I’m going to the fucking waiting room.”

Once he was gone, the nurse got to work. “I swear, young heroes these days are so hot-headed. They get a few praises and they think they’re on top of it all.”

You didn’t respond, which caused the nurse to look up at you. “Are you sure you’re okay, dear? Is there anyone we can call for you?”

You shook your head. “No. No one.”

True to her word, the nurse had you checked over and ready to be discharged shortly after. You were prescribed some painkillers to help with the tenderness but other than that, you were cleared. Once you had signed the papers, you made your way out of the emergency room.

You were considering whether to call a taxi or walk home, when Ground Zero ran out from behind you, calling your name.

With a sigh, you turned towards him, only semi-trying to hide the discomfort on your face. Hoping to maybe get him to leave, you said, “What are you still doing here, Ground Zero? Hoping for me to thank you and sing your praises?” You put as much annoyance in your voice as you can muster.

That stopped him in his tracks. “No, I was going to walk you home, to make sure you get there safe. And I told you to call me Bakugo.”

You rolled your eyes, hoping you weren’t overdoing it. “I don’t need you to walk me home.”

“Well I think you do, dammit. It was my fucking fault you got a concussion, I want to make sure you don’t fall or pass out or…” He trailed off, looking to the side. You narrowed your eyes; what was he going to say?

The two of you stood there, standing in silence. You noticed he had a small pout on his face. Getting the sense that if you didn’t give in, it would just make things more difficult, you sighed and said, “Fine. But only to my house and that’s it.” Guess you were walking...

At that, he looked at you, as though he hadn’t really expected you to say yes. With a grin, he said, “Great.”

“Whatever. Just don’t expect me to do a lot of talking.”

“Believe me, that’s fine.”

“What is that supposed to mean?”

After what felt like one of the longest walks of your life, the two of you finally made it to the front of your building.

“Well, this is me…what’s wrong?”

You had turned to Bakugo to find him frowning at the building before him. “This isn’t an apartment building...this is fucking a bookstore. You trying to pull my leg?”

You rolled your eyes. “No, it’s my bookstore; though technically it’s a book cafe. Anyway, I live above it.” You pointed to the second story, where your apartment resided.

“How did you come to own a bookstore?”

“Book cafe. And I bought it off an old couple who were looking to retire for pretty cheap.”

“But why a bookstore?” His tone wasn’t judgmental, just curious, but you were still getting annoyed.

“Book cafe...and why do you ask so many questions? Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s been a rather long night and I would like to go to bed.” With, that, you started heading up the steps, sure you had finally managed to get him to leave.

However, you hadn’t made it halfway to the door when you heard, “____...wait.”

Ugh, can’t this guy take a hint? Without turning to the hero, you said, “What?”

“Fucking promise me you that aren’t going to try anything fucking crazy.”

That got you to turn around. “What the hell do you…” You trailed off when you looked into the blonde’s eyes. They had a fierce light to them, as well as a slightly knowing look. Looking at him full on like this, you saw just how young he was. Though you were pretty sure you were about the same age, he seemed younger, at least in that moment.

You thought you felt the shadow of a smile pulling at your lips; you couldn’t remember the last time you had smiled. “I think I’ve had enough crazy for tonight. Trust me, I’m just going to take a shower and go to sleep.”

He looked into your face for a while longer before seeming satisfied that you were telling the truth. “Right, I'll be holding you to that...guess I’ll get out of your fucking hair then. Gotta get up early for patrol duty anyway…” With that, he finally started walking away. But this time it was you who called out.

“Thank you, Ground Zero.”

He didn’t turn around as he responded but you could hear the smirk in his voice. “I fucking told you already, when are you going to get it through that stubborn head...my name is Bakugo.”

“Bakugo…” You found yourself thinking of the blonde hero for a long time that night.

In the days after he had rescued you, Bakugo found himself thinking of you quite regularly. So much so that he started thinking of about checking up on you at your bookstore. He told himself that it was only to make sure you had kept your promise.

However, the case continued to keep him busy; the higher-ups were saying that the investigation team were close to finding out where the bastards’ hideout was. His skin crawled and he grinned at the thought of finally being able to fucking destroy them.

Because of this, he didn’t get a chance to pop in on you until about a week later, after one of his night shifts. He had looked the place up and had been surprised to find that it was actually open pretty late. It was almost 10 p.m. when he walked in.

Inside, it was warm and he instantly caught the smell of hot chocolate, tea, and coffee, along with something that was baking. All of the walls were lined with books, from floor to ceiling. The only section that didn’t have books was the bit with the cafe part. There, he saw you, your back turned to him. It looked like you were in the middle of making something for one of the few customers here.

With a smirk, he wandered over to the counter and sat himself down. Hearing the scrape of the chair, you called, “I’ll be right with you.” He noticed that your voice sounded strangely emotionless; there wasn’t a hint of excitement or warmth or even annoyance.

Finishing with the order, you turned back and saw him for the first time since he’d walked in. Upon seeing him, you stopped abruptly, almost dropping the cup of tea in your hands. He had to resist the urge to laugh out loud at the look on your face as you struggled to compose yourself.

Avoiding eye contact with him, you brought the cup to your the customer, who paid and went back to one of the reading nooks that were dispersed throughout the shop. You then stood at the register for several moments, as though you were trying to convince yourself that he wasn’t there. Bakugo was almost crying from holding back his laughter.

Finally, you turned around, and glared at him. Walking over, you hissed, “What the fuck are you doing here?”

Adopting an incredulous look, he replied, “Heroes need fucking coffee too, y’know. I just got off a goddamn double shift and I’m supposed to go back soon.”

You blinked a little at that. It was a moment before you responded. “Okay, fine. But why here? There are several coffee shops between here and the district you’re working in.”

He shrugged. “You were on my way home.” The shop was actually in the opposite direction and you didn’t look like you believed him.

After another few moments, you asked, “Fine, what do you want?” He gave you his order and you walked away, muttering something about how this was borderline harassment and why did he have to come here.

“Well I also wanted to make sure you’d kept your promise.”

That stopped you. Without turning around, you said, “What, are you watching me now?”

“You could say that.”

“I don’t need a fucking babysitter.”

“Well I don’t need my fucking rescue to be in vain. I saved you and I’m gonna make sure you fucking stay saved.”

You did turn now, anger in your eyes. “My life is none of your business.”

“Maybe not. But I know when to follow my instincts. And someone once told me that a meddling where I don’t technically have to is what makes a hero.” Fuck, he did he just repeat something Deku had told him? What the fuck?

You shook your head as you went back to making his order. “I just want to be left alone. That’s what’s best for everybody.”

“Why?”

Turning back to hand him his cup, you said, “If you’re gonna insist on hanging around, fine. But don’t expect me to answer questions about myself. My business is my business.”

The blonde held up his hands in mock surrender. “Fine; deal.”

Weeks passed and Bakugo became a regular customer. Due to his irregular work schedule, he came at all times during the day and night. Despite yourself, you found that you had started looking forward to his visits.

The banter between the two of you started to become a regular part of your routine. You found that you were starting to feel lighter. However, you continued to rebel against this, because you knew what it could lead to.

You couldn’t help yourself with following his hero work though, which mostly consisted of the investigation going on in that district. One night, while you were cleaning the station behind the counter, you saw him on the news, in full hero costume. After watching a bit longer, you realized that they had finally found the villains’ hideout and he was part of the infiltration team. You could see the almost murderous excitement in the explosion hero’s eyes.

Guess he won’t be coming in tonight, you thought to yourself. Though you tried to deny it, you could feel the inkling of disappointment in your chest. You told yourself it was the sneeze you were currently trying suppress. However, when it finally did come out, the feeling was still there.

Trying to distract yourself, you busied yourself with tidying the store, rearranging books, picking up trash, and dusting. You realized you had been rearranging the same set off books for almost 20 minutes when you suddenly heard an explosion from the TV and a small gasp from the customers in the cafe.

Running to the dining area, you stared at the TV, which showed a building in flames with several heroes and police officers surrounding it. The reporter behind the camera was describing the scene. “....an unexpected turn of events. It seems that the villains had a weapon up their sleeve that the heroes had not prepared for. Reports are coming in saying that several heroes, including Ground Zero, are still fighting inside.”

At that moment, another explosion ripped through the building. It was so large that it sent a large gust of wind all around the perimeter, causing the camera to be knocked over and the scene to go black. The anchor at the news station came back on screen, exclaiming about the escalated crime scene and that they would get eyes back on the scene as soon as possible.

“That looked intense,” you heard one of your customers say. “You reckon anybody inside survived that explosion?” The rest just murmured.

The thought stayed with you though and you worried for the rest of the night. There were some reports about the crime scene, how the criminals had been suppressed and caught but the fight had sent some of the heroes to the hospital. Names were withheld.

For the next couple of days, Bakugo didn’t show. With each day that passed, the seed of worry continued to grow. It also seemed that you had caught a cold so you were doubly miserable.

You had gone up to your apartment to take some of your cold medicine and drink some herbal tea. When you came back down, you were walking into the cafe while fixing your the medical mask on your face, only to stop in your tracks. There he was, sitting at the counter like he always did. You noticed that there were bandages around his arms still and he had a mask of his own on.

A sudden anger overtook you and you flew at the blonde. He didn’t see you coming until you were almost upon him and at that point, it was too late. You were smacking him, muttering about how could he let you worry like that. He could have at least called.

“___, what the fuck?! Stop it...my fucking arms…oooowwww…fucking stop, God dammit!” He grabbed your wrists, his grip still strong despite his injuries.

“What the hell did you just attack me for?!” Your faces were mere inches apart. You realized that you were on the verge of tears. You found yourself scanning every inch of his face, making sure no other part of him was hurt. However, the mask was in the way, so all you could see was some slight redness and puffiness around his eyes…

Wait. Redness and puffiness? And he was wearing a mask? On closer inspection, you saw that it was in the same areas as you. No, no, no, no, no, no. This can’t be happening! Not again.

Breaking his grip, you backed away from him. He watched you with an incredulous look that you normally would have found funny. Shakily, you asked, “How long have you been sick?”

Now he looked really confused. “Huh? I don’t fucking know...a few days? Since after the raid? What the fuck does that have to do with anything?”

This time, the tears really did come. “I think you need to leave.” You could barely speak above a whisper.

“What?!”

This time, you screamed. “LEAVE! GET OUT! AND DON’T COME BACK! YOU HEAR ME? GO!”

Completely bewildered at this point, he shouted back, “WHAT? NO, TELL ME WHAT THE FUCK IS GOING ON!”

“I SAID GET OUT! GO! BEFORE I MAKE YOU!”

You didn’t even care that you were making scene. However, Bakugo was still aware enough to take note of the situation and came to a decision. Getting up, he said in a calmer tone, “Okay, fine. But I am coming back and I expect an explanation.”

“If you know what’s good for you, you’ll stay away.” The tears were rolling freely at this point.

Shaking his head, he turned around and walked out the door. It was several moments before you moved again. Looking around at the dumbstruck bystanders, you apologized and told your workers that you would be taking the rest of the day off.

You barely managed to make it back upstairs before the sobs overtook you. All you could do was climb into your bed and wrap yourself in a blanket, curling into the fetal position as you cried. You don’t know how long you lay like that; all you wanted was to go numb. It felt like hours before you became so exhausted that you finally fell asleep.

#bakugo katsuki #bakugou katsuki #bakugo x reader #bakugou x reader #bakugo katsuki x reader #mention #depression #suicide #female reader #reader has a quirk #suicidal thoughts #fluff #angst #loneliness #falling in love

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need-a-new-hobby · 4 years

Text

dead man’s party

s1 e03

‘how can shadowhunters be better than what you call mundanes?’ well, the leather jackets and badass tattoos for one thing.

‘kay, clary kinda does have a right to be salty right now, but i gotta defend izzy. she left simon in the van to protect him. bringing a mundane into a fight would have been worse. but alec’s response to her salt is so funny

‘there is some truth to the idea that human beings should have a modicum of common sense.’ this is so in character with him, but seriously he could have a little compassion for the guy abducted by vamps

i don’t like clary’s salt anymore. i dunno how to explain it but she’s very hyper. (see ‘oh but there’s like this magic cup i hid on the planet bongo)

‘i can’t turn into what you are overnight’ the first correct thing she’s said all day, well all night really, but who cares? in this universe it’s day for like 5 minutes

alec just wants the mundanes out of his institute right now. ‘what are you, her spokesman now?’. i don’t envy his position, all he wants to do is just report back to the clave so they’re safe from scrutiny. he still hasn’t reported any of this.

RAPHAEL!!!! sorry, i get very excited but s1 raphael doesn’t live up to expectations (possibly cause he dead)

‘kay, i know clary wants to find simon asap but she can’t run into things head-first without a plan (which she keeps doing throughout the show). and if anyone really needs to know why i prefer alec, it’s cause he’s so level-headed, though to be fair, it’s not his best friend that’s been kidnapped.

‘right, seelies have their charms apparently.’ cue jace’s stupid grin. ‘izzy can tell you about them, she’s got a thing.’

raphael has had simon for 10 minutes and he’s already 100% done with him. ‘i really hate fidgeting.’ what would raphael look like with squirrels?

‘kay first point, did simon just throw a knife perfectly right into raphael’s chest? second, has this kid not watched vampire movies?

aight, camille is super creepy but her lines are gold. ‘how sweet. you’re bleeding.’ WHO COMES UP WITH THIS STUFF?!?

‘typical mundane failure of imagination’ hahaha, s1 alec is so salty. where’s magnus, alec needs to light up?

izzy’s so done with her brother being miserable and i love it.

oooh, alec got in trouble with jace.

‘kay, this episode kinda sets the tone for the rest of the season, especially with clace. i mean most of this season is just alec and izzy doing their jobs and jace ‘being there’ for clary. literally every 10 minutes, clary pulls jace from her job to talk about how miserable her life is becoming. whiny clary is boring and annoying

wooah. ‘are you so desperate to get laid that you’d risk killing us?’ yikes, alec, even i know that was a low blow.

‘beloved servant? who puts that on a headstone?’ - yeah, clary wouldn’t know anything about serving others.

‘don’t touch that, you don’t know how to use it’. haha, that sounds like something i’d say to my brother if he tried to use the electric whisk.

‘what, like in pandemonium, when i killed that demon?’ technically you held a sword and freaked out when jace shoved the demon into it.

first thing i noticed was alec’s dialogue is super clipped. i replayed the scene a couple times and you can kinda tell that alec’s really resigned to helping clary, probably because he knows it’s only gonna get them into trouble.

okay, jace training clary is giving me pain. its so cliched ugh

also is using a sword really that complicated?

‘could i even do this without you?’ jesus clary, you’re just waving a glowing sword and if she’s friends with simon, chances are she’s watched star wars. personally, i played with mock swords all the time as a kid. it ain’t that hard. but that might just be me.

‘alec doesn’t like anybody’. for the record, that’s true. i’m not sure where, but in the books, cc kinda mentions that alec doesn’t really like people, they just annoy him until they don’t, which is what happened with clary and jace (although personally, idk why she doesn’t annoy him anymore). the cutest thing though is that magnus never annoyed him. so technically, he likes magnus, ‘cept he hasn’t met magnus, yet...

‘why would he help me?’ who’s gonna tell her?

‘there’s no human bond that compares to what alec and i have.’ clary proceeds to compare that bond to her and simon. though, technically in the books, they become parabatai, but that whole plot-line is non-existent in the tv show since simon never becomes a shadowhunter.

simon apologising for trying to murder raphael is really funny

haha, subtlety is not alec’s best asset. no-one would doubt the acting head of the institute if he didn’t look so damn shifty. also, why not just grab the arrows and start runing them literally anywhere else?

hold on, clary can see jace even though he’s using a glamour but not the vampires?

noooo, simon, not camille ugh. watching camille and simon is painful.

again, alec with the unsubtlety. for someone so used to being responsible for jace’s misdemeanours, you’d think he’d be able to lie better. also for someone who’s meant to be like family, no-one seems to really care about hodge’s punishment rune literally scorching him. alec kinda just looks like the guy deserves it (which he does.)

omg, now he’s antagonising jace and alec’s relationship? bold move. also hodge slapping alec’s neck sounds so painful. like you can literally hear the slaps. but also, i feel like hodge does poke at a very central aspect of alec’s relationship with jace. alec’s always been responsible for his siblings and i can’t blame him if he’s frustrated by it. jace and izzy constantly get to do whatever they want, damn the consequences. except the consequences always seem to damn him, not the others.

how is it that jace can ride a motorbike, but can’t drive a car? i’d assume motorcycles are harder to ride than a van?

again, the soundtrack is flawless and ruelle is a goddess; the song for when they’re on the flying bike is invincible by ruelle

hahah, alec’s little ‘okay’ is slaying me. ‘great job izzy. you have fairy dust on your dress. and i hate being the distraction.’ cue dreamy sighing at grumpy lightwood.

also i love when emeraude toubia’s voice has that accent but the way she says frigging with the accent, chills.

they keep cutting to simon and camille making out, and i don’t wike it. it is gross and creepy. also her neck is bleeding and i’m very unhappy as to where this is going.

i have to admit, it’s surprising how well clary takes to the runes considering jace is literally burning her skin. although, at a certain point, if the heat is high enough, it just feels numb, or cold even. anyway, just to point out that in the books clary doesn’t get any runes until the city of glass. guess that’s impractical for the tv show.

surprise surprise, clary’s ‘not your typical girl’ and doesn’t see the romance in vampires. although it’s not really vampires as much as robert pattinson and i was always a jacob gal. i haven’t really watched all the movies though so don’t @ me, i don’t know enough. on top of that, it’s hard not to see clary as a sort of bella swan. having to deal with a love triangle between a childhood friend and a tall blond stranger and being practically useless in battle, even after she becomes a vamp. nope, no similarity whatsoever.

oh noooo, jace has never been in love. reeally heart-wrenching huh. and it’s not like clary has either. in the books, jace is like her first boyfriend, other than simon but we don’t talk about the disaster that is climon here. call me cynical but falling in love isn’t really that big a deal anyway. a lot of the time it’s just sexual attraction and i really don’t see the fuss. i dunno how to phrase it but clary feeling pity for a loveless jace is kinda icky.

haha, he doesn’t understand friendship? what’s alec, a distant cousin? cue her comparison of having a parabatai and having a best friend (see ‘there’s no human bond that compares to what alec and i have.’) and besides, you don’t know you’ll die for each other until you actually do. alec would actually die for jace and you see it multiple times throughout the show and vice versa.

i’m assuming the seraph blade works a lot like a normal sword in which case, again, i think he’s exaggerating the trick bits of it. but again, i grew up playing with pretend swords so....

i love how izzy talks about alec’s feelings while they’re trying to find vampires to distract. a lot of people tend to see this as a complete flip of normal priorities, but casual banter during what would normally be a very stressful situation is really important for me, personally. you finally get to see how izzy, alec and jace have grown up in situations like this, where they don’t know if they’re gonna make it to the next day. and yet they’re talking about their feelings. aaah im overanalysing again. sorry.

again with the banter! i love it. ‘whoever said the pen was mightier than the sword was an idiot.’ ‘when you’re right, you’re right.’ i love one pair of lightwood siblings

izzy looks way too excited to be killing vampires

ALEC WITH A BOW!!!! I LOVE MY ARCHER BOY 😍😍😍

also kudos to whoever came up with the idea of a whip as a bracelet

alec looks so happy with his arrows. aaaaaaaaaa!

okay, i love how clary kicks that vamp in the balls, but why doesn’t she just stab him? and why doesn’t she have her blade out yet? jace has to literally remind her, ‘hey you have a glowy sword in your back pocket’. this matchstick irritates me so much.

my archer boy has returned. am i the only one who thinks he was tempted to just shoot through clary? maybe it’s just me. also, you have to commend how alec thinks on his feet. i mean who’d have thought to nail an arrow through the wall to kill that vamp.

‘i killed him.’ ‘he was already dead.’ THAT’S STILL MURDER JACE! that’s what i don’t like about the shadow hunters, and it’s not just jace too. they all think that downworlders are somehow lesser beings because of their blood, but im guessing that most of them didn’t ask to be vamps or werewolves or warlocks and most shadowhunters (i.e. jace) were brought up to believe that blood somehow makes you a lesser being. that’s what i hate about shadow hunter society. but clary? she just falls into the same beliefs despite her father figure being a werewolf and her best friend being a vampire. she’s introduced to this world of angels and demons, she sees the discrimination that occurs and is silent about it, until simon becomes a vamp. reason #14 as to why i dislike clary

im sorry, but i laughed so hard when clary said, ‘thanks, but it’s not about me.’ for the record, alec had to save her from that vampire and the second one had already been punched to the floor by jace. also my tol bean is just standing in the back, waiting for this shitstorm of a mission to be over.

simon keeps punching the wrong people man. stop messing with raphael. also i love how raphael keeps thinking of the long game. camille is going to endanger the whole clan with the way she keeps breaking the accords and antagonising the clave. for non-book stans, raphael doesn’t particularly care about...well, anyone. except his clan. he cares about his own vampires, protects them like they’re his family and that’s only part of the reason why i love raph. the other reason is that his annoyance with other people is really funny for me.

i know the scene of the 3.5 shadowhunters walking in sync is meant to be like this cool badass scene, but i can’t help laughing at how they’re all dressed in black and izzy’s in this hot pink mini dress. we stan one queen.

watching climon is physically painful for me. i hate unreciprocated love.

watching jace and alec fight is physically painful for me. i hate family conflict

izzy just walks away, which is such a youngest sibling thing to do.

‘i’m older than you jace. i’m not in your shadow.’ aaaaaaaaaa my baby, noooo

‘if you really feel that way about her, why’d you help us tonight?’ JACE, YOU ACTUAL MORON. now that that’s out of my system, he is such a moron. first of all, if that mission went south, that would all have been on alec. this episode actually had me start disliking jace. in his race to help clary, he’s undervaluing the role alec plays in saving their asses. sure, alec’s not the strongest, or the fastest, or the fiercest. but when the clave comes down to rip them a new one, jace can’t save them. shadowhunters, just like police officers, have to follow the law. they have to think objectively and so far, alec’s the only one who’s been doing that. jace can fight vampires and demons all day, but he can’t fight the clave.

well, that episode was a hot mess. numero 4 coming up soon.

#shadowhunters #tsc #alec lightwood #alec #jace wayland #jace #izzy #isabelle lightwood #clary #clary fray #clary fairchild #anti clary fray #anti clary fairchild #anti clary #anti jace

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rainbhrts94writes · 3 years

Text

Tephra 03

Hello! Here’s the next thrilling instalment, hope you enjoy the banter as much as I do! :)

POV: Taehyung Warnings: None this chapter Word Count: 2.7K Rating: PG

Master List

Tephra 03

Namjoon had been acting weird, and not his usual weird, weirder than normal weird. Since he had started looking for that girl from the landslide, Joon had become hard to get ahold of, or when Taehyung had managed to find his brother, he always had somewhere to be. Taehyung hadn’t thought anything of it, though, until he caught sight of his brother breaking the curfew, not once, not twice, but three times. Sure, he wasn’t exactly abiding by it either, but for Joon not to follow the rules, something had to be going on, so Taehyung did what any good brother would do. He followed him.

It was that awful time of year where it was cold when you woke up and warm as classes let out for training. He never knew how to dress, but Taehyung had always hated being hot, so tonight he was wildly underdressed for the weather. As wonderful as his trusty flip flops were, it was moments like this where he wished he had inherited fire magic instead.

Shaking the thoughts from his head, Taehyung kept up with Namjoon as he headed towards the training grounds. After-hours training, specifically unsupervised after-hours training, was one of the worst rules you could break; anyone who was caught was expelled. This had to be important for Namjoon to be risking expulsion.

Taehyung watched curiously as his brother knocked on the large wooden doors to the grounds; he didn’t get to see much, though, immediately encased in stone in his hiding spot. He had been caught.

“You are literally the least conspicuous person I’ve ever met.” A voice poked fun at Joon.

“I’m not sure I follow.” He could hear the confusion in his brother’s voice.

“Gods, you’re just lucky he cares about you enough to follow you instead of telling a teacher.” The voice sighed, clearly exasperated as the earth shifted beneath him.

“Oh.” When Namjoon turned around, he looked stunned, and it took everything for Taehyung not to laugh.

“Hi, Hyung.” He smiled. “Hello, Hyung’s friend.” he recognized her from the landslide. At least Namjoon found who he was looking for. What were they both doing out past curfew, though?

“YN, you can call me YN.” She introduced herself. “I believe we’ve met before, briefly.”

“The landslide,” Taehyung confirmed with the shake of his head and a smile. “Thanks for taking care of him.”

“All part of the job.” She bowed slightly and shifted, so her badge hit the light. That explained why she hadn’t been in any of the classes. Though Taehyung was still confused, what was Joon doing out past curfew?

“Friendship isn't supposed to be considered a job.” Namjoon finally piped up.

“It is if you’re going to get yourself followed here every other night.” YN laughed, “Technically, it is still my job, though, friends or not.”

“So, uh, as comfortable as I am. Is there a protocol for this situation? Am I in trouble? Do I pretend I didn’t see anything? Can I come in for snacks? Do you even have snacks?” Taehyung asked the now bickering pair.

“I, crap, give me a second.” Without waiting for an answer, YN jogged back into the training grounds shutting the door behind her.

“I didn’t peg you as the illegal activities sort of guy.” Taehyung poked fun at his brother.

“I can have fun too.” Namjoon countered, looking a little peeved. “What about you? You had to be out past the curfew to have noticed me, let alone follow me here.”

“See, I AM the illegal activities sort of guy. I was just sitting on the roof admiring the sky when I noticed my plucky older brother wandering somewhere he shouldn’t be wandering.” Taehyung enjoyed watching his brother bristle.

“Taehyung, you are a member of the Atlas royal family now. How many times do you have to be told there are rules we have to follow.” Namjoon’s words were staccato, even though his eyes didn’t match the harshness of his tone.

“Technically, I’m only legally royal. The minute they find out if our younger sister can use magic or not, I’m immediately less important.” Taehyung tried to shrug, but his shoulders got caught on the rock surrounding him.

“Just because you're last in line for the throne does not mean negative actions on your part don’t affect the family.” Namjoon sighed.

“I’m not so sure about that; I’m not related to the royal family by blood.” he relaxed against the cool stone. “I’m sure they’d just disown me and move on. Reese would take my place in line with her legitimate magic and all that. I could write to my mom, maybe find my sister?”

“You make it sound like you’ve planned this out?” Namjoon questioned, now obviously warry.

“Not in an, ‘I’m going to do something illegal and get kicked out of school and the family,’ kind of way. I’ve always prepared myself for the possibility that I’d be removed from succession if someone questioned my lineage enough, though.” Taehyung said honestly.

“Just because you’re not related to us by blood doesn’t mean you’d be so willingly discarded,” Namjoon spoke, clearly trying to reassure his brother. “Besides, father had your old estate searched for any remains years ago. They never found anything; what makes you think your sister made it out alive?”

“They never found anything.” Taehyung’s voice grew serious. “That whole estate collapsed and was burned to the ground. They found my dad; why wouldn’t they have found her?”

“I don’t know Tae; I wouldn't get your hopes up about that. Even if she was alive, wouldn’t she have tried to find you by now? Or at the very least, your mom?” Namjoon tried to sympathize.

“What if she can’t?”

Before his brother could answer him, the stone surrounding Taehyung disappeared, and the large wooden doors swung open.

“Okay, you’re clear. He says you can come in.” YN skipped over towards the two of them. “There’s some ground rules though, before you do.”

---

Taehyung had never been one for rules, but technically by following these rules, he was breaking some pretty major ones. So he let it go. The entire situation was odd; not only were there a few hundred people from families just like his, the Academy was willingly training these people against the law. It was badass. If Taehyung had any shot at finding his sister, he could start here.

Yoongi had explained when he was brought in that this needed to be kept under wraps. None of the instructors from Atlas knew about what was happening when the bells rang, and it needed to stay that way. Joon had basically signed his life away to the Min family by agreeing to keep all of this a secret, so Taehyung followed suit. He was distantly related to Yoongi after all; maybe if his life came crashing down around him in the future, this interaction would win him favor and refuge in the Adiyan Empire. That’s where his dad was from, so he had always wanted to visit.

“Hello, Earth to Taehyung.” YN’s hand waving in front of his face snapped him out of his thoughts.

“Huh?”

“There he is.” She snickered before continuing. “Does this all make sense? Do you have any questions?”

“I’ve always got questions,” Taehyung responded with his favorite boxy smile.

“Do you have questions we can answer?” Yoongi sighed as he leaned back in his chair.

“Probably not.” Taehyung shrugged as he drummed his fingers on the desk.

“Okay then, you can come by whenever you want, or never. It doesn’t matter as long as you don’t get caught by professor Rittenhouse.” YN spoke plainly. “I’m on nighttime guard duty for a week at a time, once every month, but I frequent the grounds during the day when I’m off duty if you ever need me.”

“How is that off duty?” Namjoon asked the question Taehyung had been thinking.

“If I see something stupid, I can get someone else to deal with it.” YN chuckled. “I’m more of what you’d call reserve forces.”

“Still have no idea how making rounds during the day is considered off duty, but maybe I'm not understanding something right.” Taehyung joked.

“He’s got a mouth on him, doesn’t he?” YN smirked as she deferred to Yoongi.

“Runs in the family.” Yoongi mentioned nonchalantly.

“What? Is everyone at this table related to each other?” Namjoon smoothed the wrinkles out of his forehead. “You should find a better joke.”

“Nah, I kind of like it.” YN continued, poking at Joon’s arm.

“Of course you do.” Namjoon rolled his eyes.

“All that aside, you’re free to join us on training days.” Yoongi offered. “They rotate through instructors from Adyia, Cordelia, and the Arribellian Alliance. So we get a pretty interesting training regiment.”

“Do you spar with each other?” Taehyung wondered aloud.

“We do, unlike the other classes here, we’re a healthy mix of people from all nations. So we work with what we’ve got.” YN stated proudly. “You may come to find that the style of magic students here use differs greatly from what you see in your field training and exercises, though.”

“Sounds like fun; when can I start?” Taehyung sat up a little straighter in his chair.

“We start in about twenty minutes. This one here was coming early to spar with YN.” Yoongi pointed to Namjoon.

“Before you even ask, YN is part of the Academy’s night watch and Head Mistress Cecilia’s personal retinue. She is plenty skilled in non-magic based combat arts.” Namjoon boasted.

“So she can teach me how to use a sword,” Taehyung asked in excitement.

“I could, but that’s definitely the face of someone who shouldn’t have a sword.” YN laughed out loud as she answered his question.

“But I’ve always wanted to use a sword. If not a sword, what about a lance? Or something stealthy like assassin knives.” Taehyung’s voice grew with his enthusiasm.

“Again, yes, but also no.” YN’s eyes crinkled as she smiled.

“I’m more concerned about your choice in weaponry.” Namjoon sighed, shaking his head.

“Eh, they’re pretty standard choices.” YN shrugged. “I’m just glad he didn’t ask about a broad sword. Those things are heavy, and I’d hate to be the one to break the news to string bean over there.”

“Hey!” Taehyung shot out of his seat. “I’m perfectly capable of lifting a broadsword! I can manipulate metal, too you know.”

“Oho, big man on campus.” YN straightened herself and gestured towards the door. “Let's see what you got then.”

“I’m not getting trained tonight, am I?” Namjoon whispered to nobody in particular.

“Nope.” Yoongi shrugged and followed the pair out into the ground to join the other students. “Should’ve thought of that before you got her all riled up.”

“I didn’t rile anyone up!” Namjoon argued.

“No, but you brought dumb to dumber, so it’s sort of your fault.” Yoongi smiled to himself “Do you wanna train or talk?”

“Train, I want to train!” Namjoon spoke as he ran after Yoongi.

—-

It’s not that Taeyhyung thought they had been lying, just that he didn’t expect the training courses to be so different. He’d been exposed to magic at a young age, and had the privilege of learning from a private instructor for most of his life. Sure he wasn’t the best, but he didn’t expect to be this covered in dirt, let alone panting after one day of new exercises.

“You ready to tap out?” YN asked from across the field.

“Never!” Taehyung smiled, straightening himself and preparing for another round of attacks.

Once the ground started flying his way he threw up a shield, hoping to deflect a majority of debris. The problem Taehyung had always had with the style of magic taught to most earth mage’s was it was way too defense heavy. Sure you could take a beating, but unless you were fighting against another earth mage it was difficult to take an offensive position once you began defending.

“I keep telling you, you’ve got to redirect, not deflect.” YN spoke beside him and Taehyung felt his soul leave his body.

“How did you get that close that fast?” Taehyung asked, bewildered.

“I made a tunnel.” YN shrugged and took a stance in front of him. “Now, stand like this.”

“Isn’t that a water mage stance?” Tae asked.

“Good eye.” YN only paused briefly before continuing. “Water mages have exceptional offensive and defensive capabilities.”

“You’re sure that’s not just because it’s easier to see through water than it is earth?” Taehyung asked.

“That may be a part of it, but not all of it. Watch Nik.” YN pointed at the tall, dark haired male working with the other earth mages. “When you use water magic, it’s about fluidity. Part of that is being able to take the momentum of your assailant’s attack and use it against them. Taehyung watched carefully as YN mimicked Nik’s movements, it was almost as if they were dancing. Not shy he joined in, carefully matching YN step for step.

“That’s good, just like that.” YN encouraged. “Watch your hands though, they look like limp noodles and that’s not gonna redirect anything.”

“You don’t know that.” Taehyung stood up, placing his hands on his hips.

“I do, but if you don’t believe me we can have you try for yourself.” YN smiled and took a few steps back.

“You know, I’m starting to think you’re the reason they tell people who smile like I did earlier that they can’t have swords.” Taehyung snickered as he took the new stance.

“Perceptive.”

Taehyung didn’t have time to respond before YN started with another round of projectiles. Her control over the earth was astoundingly good, so he had been surprised when YN had mentioned she wasn’t very good with metal based magics. He’d never met someone who could move the earth that efficiently who couldn't at least utilize metal magic. Something was very weird about YN, but he couldn't put his finger on it, not that she left him much time to think about it now.

The first few flying rocks were deflected, mostly out of habit, until Taehyung remembered what the point of this exercise was. Redirect. Switching his feet he moved into an unfamiliar position and did his best to remember the new movements.

It was messy at first, and the few stones that made it through stung as they bit into his uncovered arms. Eventually though, one of them moved right. Sort of, the projectile spun around Taeyhung like it was caught in some sort of orbit, before careening off to the side in the opposite direction of his target.

“You need to relax! Use your momentum!” YN called as she sent another round of rocks.

Taehyung took a deep breath and let the tension in his shoulders leave with the exhale. When he opened his eyes the projectile YN sent was nearly there. He was sure it wasn’t graceful looking, but despite the awkwardness of his movements, when his hand made contact with the earth he spun it around and launched it back in her direction. Even though YN caught it without hesitation, Taehyung couldn’t help the elation that bubbled up and out of him.

“Yes! That was it, wasn't it?!”

“It was,” YN smiled at him proudly and gave him a thumbs up.

“Again, let’s do it again!” Tae took his stance matching YN.

The longer the exercise went on the larger the flying rocks got. Taehyung was enjoying the challenge YN provided, and when he knocked her down he whooped.

“Nice shot!” YN laughed as she rolled onto her stomach. “You’re fast.”

“Of course I am.” Taehyung wiggled his eyebrows at her and gave her a boxy smile.

“You two are having too much fun.” Namjoon commented as he and Yoongi walked over.

“No such thing.” YN smiled up at Joon as he offered her a hand.

Taehyung watched the pair, the tiniest pangs of jealousy bouncing around in his ribcage. That made no sense though, he’d only just met this girl, why would he be upset?

“YN!” Taehyung called to get her attention. “Can I help you with your metal magic?”

She blinked at him in disbelief, “You can try.” She answered.

“I like a good challenge.” Taehyung expressed as he jogged over to join the other three.

“You may be in over your head.” Yoongi grimaced.

“You don’t have any earth mages here right?” Taehyung asked, knowing the answer. “Maybe I can help fill the gap?”

#tephra 03 #BTS au #bts fantasy au #bts reader insert #bts taehyung #bts yoongi #bts namjoon

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lifewithlemons00 · 4 years

Text

The Stark Internship P2

PART 2 OF 3

PART1

MASTERLIST

Synopsis: You worked really hard for an internship you thought you were a shoe in for. Turns out, a certain boy from Queens takes the opportunity from you.

Words: 1704

Triggers: Swearing, mentions of bullying

_______________

“D-do you think I should call her? Or no, maybe I should wait? It’d be weird if I called now, right?” Peter scratches his head as he stares at the number in his phone with the name Y/N attached to it.

It was the day after the party, and Peter was already anticipating calling the girl he met. For some reason, he seemed drawn to her, like a moth to a flame. It was weird, considering he had only met her once, and well, the fact that she screamed at him in the middle of the party, that made it pretty weird too. Even then though, Peter couldn’t help but see her ferocious e/c shine and her shiny h/c sway with every movement her body made while she insulted him.

‘Is that normal?’ Peter thought.

Definitely not, he concluded in his mind.

“You just met her dude, there’s no way you should call her already. She’s probably in class right now anyways.” Ned reminds as Peter puts his phone back inside his back pocket.

“Yeah… you’re probably right. I should talk with Mr. Stark first anyways.” Ned raises his eyebrow at Peter.

“I thought you didn’t have his number.”

“Well.. I don’t technically have his number, but I have Happy’s number, and Happy, well, he’s pretty close to Mr. Stark.”

“So in other words, you can’t get her an internship.”

“Of course I can! Well… Maybe. Everything I tell Happy goes directly to Mr. Stark, so if I ask Happy to ask him, then... Probably?” Ned rolls his eyes at the brunette sitting beside him.

“I hope you know what you’re doing, Peter.” The curly haired brunette sighs at this as he leans his head on the palm of his hand.

“Honestly? So do I.”

——————————

You were already on edge with anticipation. Peter had messaged you after school to let you know his number, and to let you know that he would talk to Tony Stark tonight about the internship. You were finally getting what you wanted, but the weird thing about it? It was the last thing on your mind. You couldn’t stop thinking about Peter Parker. It confused you, considering you had just met him last night, you were never one to think about boys before your future, but there was something about his kind gesture that made your mind reel of only thoughts about him.

“Y/n? Are you even listening to me?” Your friend Delilah nudges you slightly as she looks at you with confusion.

“Sorry. I just got a text from Peter. He’s going to ask Tony Stark about getting me an internship today.” You smile slightly at her.

“For someone who’s only talked about this internship for months, I would have thought you would be more excited for this, what’s up?” She slings her arm around your shoulder as you continue walking towards your apartment building.

“I don’t know… I just can’t stop thinking about him, is that weird?”

“Is it weird that you’re finally starting to think like a teenage girl? Absolutely.” You roll your eyes at her sarcasm as you let out a chuckle.

“I’m serious.”

“Honestly? I thought you were kidding. You like this guy, huh?” Your face scrunches at her question.

“I don’t think so? I mean, I really appreciate what he’s doing for me. But… it’s a bit too soon to say I have feelings for him, I don’t even know him.”

“Sometimes a kind gesture is all it takes.”

“You think? I’m not so sure.”

“Oh yeah. I’m sure by the end of the night you’ll be texting him your confession of love.” You raise your eyebrow at her statement, a playful look on your face.

“Oh yeah, and then I’ll ask him to marry me, i’ll live happily ever after with some random guy.” She chuckles at you.

“You never know. Love works in mysterious ways.”

——————

It was the next day, and you were constantly checking your phone for messages from Peter. You sigh as you see no notifications on the home screen, resulting in you regretfully tucking the electronic into the blazer you had to wear for school uniforms.

“Will you stop checking that thing? I’m sure he’ll call you after school or something.” Delilah chuckles are your frazzled state of mind.

“You’d think he would have messaged me last night. Maybe it didn’t go well.” You look down at your shoes as you take steps toward your next class.

“I’ve never seen you this nervous. It’s humorous, honestly.” You give her a playful glare for her comment.

“You’d be nervous too if you hadn’t heard from the guy who told you he was talking to Tony Stark about you.”

“Look, all I’m saying is that it’ll do you no good to keep staring at that thing.” She quickly sticks her hand in your pocket and grabs white handheld device.

“What are you doing?” You reach to take it back as she stuffs it in the inner pocket of her blazer.

“Nope. You get this back after class. Now focus on school, you can’t slack off just because of this. You don’t even know if you’ll get the internship.”

“Fine. But if he calls and I’m not there to answer, it’s on you.” She rolls her eyes at your statement.

“Oh no. Whatever will he do? It’s not as though you can just call him back or anything.”

You both walk into class and take your seats before the bell rings. All throughout class, you couldn’t help but think of your phone being held hostage by your best friend. It hardly even clicked when the teacher asked you to answer some questions. You had to admit, she was right about one thing. You shouldn’t rely on Peter getting you that internship. Hell, he was an intern himself, so how in the world would Tony take his advice and hire you for the job? The more you thought about it, the more worried you got.

As the bell rings, signaling the day was over, you rush toward Delilah, as she hands you your phone. You quickly take the device, and notice you have 3 missed calls from Peter.

“Shit, he called me three times.” Delilahs face scrunches up in confusion.

“Obsessive much? Why’d he call you so many times?”

“Do you think something’s wrong?” Your question makes the redhead shrug.

“Call him back and find out.”

You quickly press the call button and put the phone to your ear. It hardly has time to ring before you hear his voice on the other end.

“Y/n? Finally, where are you right now?”

“Um, just leaving class? Why?” You look over to Delilah and you exchange confused looks.

“Uh, I’m outside your school, could you maybe meet me outside?” Your eyes widen in surprise.

“Yeah, sure. Is everything okay?” You could picture him nodding his head quickly at your question.

“Yeah, totally, just something I need to uh, talk to you… about.”

“Okay? I’ll be out in a minute then.” You hang up the phone and start piling books into your locker.

“What’d he say?”

“He’s outside the school right now waiting for me. He wants to talk to me about something? He sounded weird.” She chuckles at this.

“Maybe he’s asking you out.” Your cheeks turn a tinge pink at her comment.

“I’m sure that’s what he’s doing, Delilah.” You roll your eyes at her, as she chuckles at your rosy face.

“I’ll message you later.” You give her a tight lipped smile as you shrug your bag over your shoulder.

“Go get em, tiger.” She smirks at you one last time before walking in the opposite direction of you. You finally make it outside, and see an awkward looking Peter Parker standing by the gates of your school.

A small smile makes its way to your face unconsciously at the sight. You make your way over to the boy quickly.

“Peter.” You tap him on the shoulder which makes him jump a bit.

“Oh! Hey, you’re here.” A nervous smile makes its way to his face.

“You alright? You look… Pale.”

“Uh, you know when you said you would do me a favor in return for asking Mr. Stark about your internship?” Your head tilts at this.

“Yeah? And?”

“Uh… well, I kinda… need that favor now.”

“By the look on your face, it doesn’t sound like a good favor.”

“Well. I kinda… told my bully you were by date for homecoming.” The last part comes out quickly, you almost didn’t catch it.

“Your… what?”

“I know it’s weird, I totally freezed because whenever he-“

“You have a bully? What’s his name?” This makes Peter’s eyes grow confused.

He wasn’t sure why you weren’t freaking out like him, and why you only focused on that part of his confession.

“Uh… Flash, why?”

You couldn’t understand it, being you just technically bullied him at the party, but the thought of someone bullying him to the point of lying so he could save some embarrassment made your blood boil. You couldn’t stand bullies who just teased others for fun. Frankly, it made you sick to your stomach.

“I’ll be your homecoming date, Peter. It’s no big deal. But I also want you to introduce me to Flash.”

“So wait, you’re not mad?”

“Why would I be mad at you? If anything, I’m mad at Flash. He teases you often doesn’t he? I mean, he wouldn’t be ‘your bully’ if he didn’t, no?” Peter looks away, feeling a bit embarrassed you now knew about him being the biggest dork in his school.

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

“Peter, look at me.” His chestnut brown eyes meet your e/c ones.

“Don’t be ashamed of that, you don’t have anything to be embarrassed about. Own that shit, it makes you stronger in the end because you’ll be able to deal with a hell of a lot more than him in the future. Honestly, I think it’s more embarrassing that Flash gets pleasure from making you feel small.” He gives you a grateful smile, as you pull him into an embrace.

“Let’s show that dick who he’s messing with, yeah?”his arms wrap around your waist hesitantly.

“Oh! before I forget.” you look up at him, an inquisitive look on your face.

“I talked to Mr. Stark about your internship.”

“I don't’ wanna worry about that for now, lets just focus on homecoming, yeah?” your arms loosen around his neck as look him in the eyes.

“Yeah, alright.”

TAGLIST

@marvel-is-a-mood

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silent-killer-0227 · 4 years

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Love By Chance on CRACK - Part I

100 Love By Chance INCORRECT quotes that might as well be correct.

I do not take any credit on these quotes. All I did was to compile and arrange them in a way that they’d follow a timeline.

ENJOY THE EFFECT OF MY BOREDOM!

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001

Ping: What's your default reaction when you see someone who's just too good-looking for this world?

Pond: I stare.

Pond: I smile.

Pond: Then I put down the mirror.

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002

Pete: What's the first thing you notice when someone comes up to you?

Tin: The audacity.

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003

Ae: You can't make everyone like you. You're not Pete.

Pond: What? Not everyone likes Pete.

Ae: Who doesn't?

Pond: Well -

Ae: Names, now. Give me their names.

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004

Can: That's one of my biggest fears.

Good: What is?

Can: If I ever, like, woke up as a doughnut.

Good, gasping: You would eat yourself?

Can: I would not even hesitate.

Techno: YOU DRAGGED ME OUT OF THE FOOTBALL FIELD JUST TO HEAR THIS?!

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005

Ae: I started school with straight A's.

[ Pete walks by. ]

Ae: Now I'm not even straight.

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006

Techno: I think you should-

Champ: I am not taking advice from someone who pronounces "g" in lasagna

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007

Ae: Can I talk to you for a minute?

Pond: Oh, no... Am I in trouble?

Ae: Take a guess.

Pond: No?

Ae: Take another guess.

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008

Technic: You need a hobby.

Kengkla: I have a hobby.

Technic: Obsessing over my brother isn't a hobby.

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009

Pete: Do you have any bags I can borrow?

Tin: The only bags I have are the ones under my eyes, and they're specifically designed to carry the burden of my existence.

Pete: ...

Pete: A simple 'no' would have sufficed.

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010

Ae: *holds the door open for Pete* After you.

Pete: No, after you.

Ae: I insist, after you.

Pond: *pushes past both of them* After me.

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011

Tin: Love is dead. It never existed. Anyone who thinks otherwise is a fool.

Can: *does something stupid but cute*

Tin: Hold up a second -

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012

Techno: Ae said he has butterflies in his stomach.

Can: Why would he eat butterflies?

Good: How will they come out?

Can: Even I wouldn't dare to eat butterflies.

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013

Ping: So is this thing between Ae and Pete supposed to be a secret?

Pond: Hardly. The only people who don't know Ae loves Pete are Ae and Pete.

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014

Type: Has anyone ever told you that you're damn smart?

Techno, grinning: No.

Type: At least you're surrounded with honest people.

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015

Pond: Ae can't be that good in everything. There's got to be something he's bad at.

Bow: Maybe he's a bad kisser.

Pete: No, he's good at that too.

Pond: ....

Ping: What?

Bow: What?

Pete: What?

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016

Pond: You kissed Pete?

Ae: In my defense, it was dark and Pete was looking utterly adorable.

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017

Tin: Are we fighting or flirting right now?

Can: I just told you I hate you.

Tin: Unclear.

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018

ChaAim: Don't say a word.

Pond: Fergalicious.

ChaAim: I said no words!

Pond: Oh I see how it is. Two weeks ago, playing Scrabble, it wasn't a word, but now it is. How convenient for you.

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019

Can: How come "you're a peach" is a compliment but "you're bananas" is an insult? Why are we allowing fruit discrimination to tear society apart?!

Type: Where do you even come up with these thoughts??

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020

*Techno does something stupid*

Kengkla: What an absolute idiot.

Kengkla: Can’t believe I’d kill for them.

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021

Ae: Pete is really good-looking.

Chompoo: Don't be jealous, P'Ae, you're good-looking too.

Ae: I am not being jealous, Chompoo, I am being gay.

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022

Pete: Will you two stop arguing?

Tin: We're not arguing. We're having a discussion.

Can: We too are having an argument!

Tin: Discussion.

Can: Argument!

Tin: Discussion.

Can: Argument!

Ae: Can't believe they're actually having an argument about if they're having an argument

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023

Officer: Okay, what are your names?

Good: Don't tell him, Can.

Officer, writing it down: Can.

Good: Oh...

Can: Way to go, Good.

Officer: ....

Can: Shit.

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024

Techno: Why are you two holding hands?

Ae: Studies show that holding hands relieve stress.

Techno: Oh, I thought you were dating or something.

Pete: We are. We're also very stressed.

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025

Pete: Are you alright?

Tin: Yes, why?

Pete: You asked the woman at the store if damage repair shampoo also works on emotions.

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026

Can: I wasn't even that drunk.

Lemon: You were watching the television and laughing.

Can: So?

Lemon: The television wasn't even on.

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027

Pond: I dare you to kiss the first person who walks into this room.

Ae: That's stupid. I'm not going to-

[ Pete walks in ]

Ae: Well, I mean, a dare is a dare.

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028

Can: In my defense, I was left unsupervised.

Techno: Wasn't Good with you?

Good: In my defense, I was left unsupervised too.

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029

Techno, tearing up: My cramps are so awful. I hate mother nature.

Kengkla: I'll screw mother nature up!

Kengkla: *throws trash everywhere*

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030

Pete: You don't want to admit it but if anyone else is mean to Can, you'd beat them up.

Tin: *scoffs* Not really.

Can, coming into the room with a pout on his face: Pond said he's gonna kick my ass.

Tin, standing up: Not if I kick his first.

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031

Pond: Are you alright?

Ping: Do you feel like you're going to pass out?

Ae, bleeding out: I can't. I have a date with Pete tonight.

Ping: ....

Ping: We need to discuss your priorities.

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032

Pete: I know you actually care for your supposed enemy, Can.

Can, internally: Act dumb.

Can: Who's Can?

Can, internally: not that dumb.

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033

Techno: I miss hanging out with Champ.

Type: Well, I'm still here.

Techno: It's not the same, Type. I can talk to Champ about the things I can't talk with you.

Type: Like?

Techno: Well, for instance, the annoying things you do.

Type, glaring: Techno...

Techno, pointing at Type: See? I can't talk to you.

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034

Technic: You're really bad with boundaries.

Kengkla: Name one boundary I've crossed.

[earlier]

Kengkla, picking the front door lock of No and Nic's house with a paper clip: Hey, can I come in?

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035

Pond: I know I have been talking about ChaAim all morning. But another thing I love about her is she just gets me.

Ae: Can she come get you right now?

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036

Can: What type of person do you like?

Tin: Small-eyed, loves food and football, dumb, sometimes cute, sometimes annoying, overprotective of their friends.

Can: That sounds just like me, except I'm not a girl.

Tin: Did I mention 'dumb'?

Can: Yeah...

Tin: Just making sure.

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037

Bow: Is that a hickey?

Pete: No... It's a mosquito bite.

Ae: *walks in* Hey guys.

Pond: Hi, mosquito.

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038

Techno: Love is dead and never existed. All you did was betray me as I lay sick and festering. You are the definition of dread.

Champ: Are you okay?

Techno: Ai'Can stole my fucking french fries!

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039

Pond: Wanna hear a joke?

ChaAim: Not really.

Pond: Oh, c'mon, please?

ChaAim: Fine.

Pond: Knock knock!

ChaAim: Come in.

Pond: ...

Pond: Seriously…

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040

Pete: Are you sure you aren't dating Tin?

Can: If I am, I certainly wasn't informed of it.

Pond: To be fair, if anyone of us were dating someone without realizing it, it would be you.

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041

Tar: I would die for you.

Tum: I'd die for you first.

Type, shouting across the field: No one here is dying!

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042

Techno: What's up, Ae?

Ae, after another day of dealing with Pond: My blood pressure, Captain.

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043

Tin: I've never had a best friend in my entire life.

Can: I'll be your best friend.

Tin: Now that I think about it, I've never had a boyfriend either.

Can: ...

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044

Ae: You know when I was your age...

Kengkla: You know when I was your height...

Ae: ...

Ae: Listen –

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045

Ae and Pete: *staring at each other lovingly*

Pond: *pops soda can open*

Ae: We were having a moment.

Pond: Yeah, and I'm having a soda.

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046

Can: You like me? You like my personalities?

Tin: That’s a normal reaction. I'm surprised too.

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047

Technic: What's this?

Kengkla: It's my to-do list.

Technic: Wow, that's cool! So you're starting to be-

Technic: ...

Technic: This just says 'Techno'

Kengkla, smirking: Yeah.

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048

Pete: Having something or someone to take care of has the ability to improve your mental health!

Techno: Like a kid?

Pete: Well yeah, or perhaps a plant, or-

Techno: I already have Can and Good and I don't see how it's improving my mental health in the slightest.

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049

Pond, texting: Where are you and Pete?

Ae: WE'RE FUCKING

Ae: GETTING [not delivered]

Ae: SOME LUNCH [not delivered]

Pond: OK, nvm

Ae: NO, WAIT [not delivered]

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050

No: I'm such an idiot.

Nic: ...

No: ...

Nic: ...

No: ...

Nic: If you're waiting for me to argue with you, P', it's gonna be a long night.

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051

Tin: *holding Can's hand*

Pete: FINALLY!

Pond: Who asked who?

Tin: I did. Kept it nice and short.

Can: You yelled, "Listen here, you little shit. I have feelings for you and I know you have feelings for me and it's goddamn time we acknowledge them!" drunk outside my house.

Tin: Nice and short.

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052

Can: Tin and I are no longer friends.

Tin: That's the worst way to admit we're dating, Cantaloupe.

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053

Kengkla: P'No, I think we should be more than friends.

Techno: Best friends?

Kengkla: No, more than that.

Techno: Mega best friends?

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054

Techno: FOUR MONTHS!

Champ: What?

Type: Oh my god, you finally figured it out.

Techno: YOU WATCHED ME WATER A FAKE PLANT-

Champ: Huh...

Techno: - FOR FUCKING FOUR MONTHS!

Type: Your misery brings me a great joy.

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055

Pete: The food's too hot. I can't eat it.

Pond: …

Ping: ...

Ae: you're hot and I'd still eat y-

Bow, slamming her hands on the table: One meal. One peaceful meal is all I ask for.

Click here for PART II

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master-sass-blast · 4 years

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Children of the Gods -Part One.

OOOOOOOOOOOOH BABY I HAVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS ONE!!!! THIS HAS BEEN MY LITTLE PET PROJECT FOR OVER A YEAR!!!!

Summary: There's a new force to be reckoned with on the horizon, a force that goes by the name of Allison Ricci. Having lost her family, she's out for blood and vengeance --specifically, Frank Castle's. And, having taken Karen Page hostage, it seems like she's liable to get it. By teaming up with Frank to save Karen, can you and your friends and family stop Allison's quest for revenge? ...Only one way to find out.

Rating: T for moderate violence, gun violence, and mention of death.

Pairing(s): Piotr Rasputin x Reader, Nathan Summers x Wade Wilson, and Frank Castle x Karen Page.

Set after Hunter and Hunted.

Taglist: @marvel-is-perfection, @chromecutie, @super-darkcloudstudent, @girl-obsessed-with-things, @starman-canos-thorsus-jock

You eye the abandoned looking warehouse with grim determination. “You’re sure about this?”

“Dead sure,” Nathan says as he checks his gun over. “She’ll be here.”

Your Dad-in-every-way-but-biological and Wade had called in a request to have the X-Force help them with a mission earlier today: rescuing a kidnapped person, retrieving a potentially violent mutation for rehabilitation, nothing too out of the ordinary.

It wasn’t until you, Piotr, Ellie, Yukio, and Russell (the newest X-Men trainee cleared for field work) had gotten on the jet –Neena was hitching a ride with Wade—that Nathan had sent you the rest of the details: that the kidnapped person was Karen Page, the potentially violent mutant was a “victim” of Frank’s punishing sprees, and that Frank was also present to rescue his girlfriend.

Because, you know, nothing’s ever easy.

“You’ve got five seconds to get moving, Summers, or I’m gonna blow this place open,” Frank growls, clad in black and his spray painted tack vest and looking angrier than you’ve ever seen him.

“Patience,” Nathan fires back. “We can’t rush this.”

“I’m gonna rush a few bullets up your ass if you don’t hurry the fuck up.”

“If it counts for anything,” Neena says, eyeing the warehouse uneasily, “I’ve got a bad feeling about this one.”

“Easy, Kenobi,” Wade says as he holsters his pistols. “Or would you be Han Solo?”

“I’ve always seen myself as a Leia.”

Wade nods. “Who wouldn’t want to be Carrie Fisher.”

“Wilson, shut your fucking trap or I will shut it for you—”

“Hey.” You step between Frank and Wade before Frank can slug your adoptive brother. “Give my dad two minutes. He’s probably just making sure we aren’t walking into any traps or massive amounts of back up. Karen’ll be fine. Hell, she’s probably already found a way to free herself.”

“Won’t be any back up,” Nathan says as he scans the warehouse. “The target’s name is Allison Ricci, daughter of Andrew Ricci. His recent death—”

“Courtesy of Captain S-and-M here,” Wade interjects, gesturing over at Frank.

“—means that she doesn’t have access to the money that hires extra muscle, considering Mr. Ricci’s accounts were frozen upon his death for criminal investigation.”

“Then what the fuck are we waiting for?” Frank hisses.

“Is there even point in my saying ‘language?’” Piotr asks in a resigned, albeit pointed, tone.

“Probably fucking not,” Ellie says while she taps at her phone.

You bite back a laugh while Piotr merely shoots his mentee a look.

“We’re waiting,” Nathan interjects, regaining control over the conversation, “for me to locate where Allison and Karen are. The less time we waste on this, the better.”

“We’re already wasting time, Summers,” Frank snarls, stomping away from the group. “Fuck it, I’m going in by myself—”

“They’re in a storage room on the West side,” Nathan pipes up. “There’s a bay door there used for unloads. We’ll use that one.”

You quickly follow after Frank as he books it over to the West side of the warehouse, flying low over the ground to keep up with him. “Try to not rush into this. Dad didn’t say anything about Allison’s mutation, which means we don’t know what we’re up against.”

“Don’t tell me what to fucking do.” Frank tries a regular door next to the massive bay door on the West side of the warehouse, then rears back to kick it open when it winds up being locked.

“Holy fuck!” You dive between Frank and the door before he can hurt himself. “Dude! Chill the fuck out for, like, two seconds.” You focus your powers on the doorknob, and within five seconds the lock clicks and the door swings open.

Frank brushes past you brusquely, gun sights aimed on the empty hallway. He scans the space, then advances down the hall when he deems it safe.

You cast a glance over your shoulder to make sure that everyone else is following along, then head in after Frank.

Two steps past the door and you can hear Karen talking to someone else –someone with a higher pitched, noticeably feminine voice.

“That’s gotta be Allison,” you whisper to Frank, who nods back before closing in on the loading bay.

You fly after him –so as not to make added noise—and brace yourself for any number of possible threats: guns, grenades, an arsenal of pointy objects…

But what you see in the loading bay is nothing like what you expected.

Karen is there, yes, sitting on a folding chair and looking pretty good, all things considered. However, the only other person in the dusty concrete and metal room is a young girl with a severe, thin face, dark eyes with darker undereye bags, and dark brown curly hair. The girl –presumably Allison, if Nate’s intel is anything to go by—has a pistol in her hand, aimed at Karen’s head. She looks like she hasn’t slept in a few days, possibly longer.

You blink, stunned. She can’t be older than thirteen.

Frank seems to be taken aback by the sight of the girl as well. He freezes in the shadows for a moment, then lowers his gun a tick before stepping into the light. “Karen.”

The girl’s eyes widen when she sees Frank, and her face contorts with rage as he walks towards them. “You! You fucking bastard—” She presses the muzzle of her gun against Karen’s temple, which makes Karen grimace. “Don’t come one step closer, or I’ll paint the floor with her brains.”

“Easy, kid,” Frank says, much calmer than he would normally address anyone threatening to hurt Karen, which you suspect has everything to do with the fact that he’s facing down an actual kid. “No one has to get hurt.”

“People are already hurt, shithead!” the girl fires back, teeth clenched. “One more won’t make any fucking difference.”

“Hey, hey.” You quickly step between Frank and the girl, hands outstretched. “Let’s just take a deep breath, okay? You must be Allison, right?”

“Who the fuck are you? Are you with him? Stay the fuck away from me, or I’ll—”

“I’m not with him,” you interject quickly, doing your best to be soothing. “My name is Y/N, and I’m with the X-Men. I’m here to help you. Are you Allison? I’ve heard a lot about you.”

“No, you haven’t,” Allison fires back, face screwed up in a defiant sneer. “And the only way you can help me is by killing him.”

“No can do, babyface.” Wade skips into the room, borderline irreverent. “The Mutant Boyscouts are pretty big on the whole ‘no killing’ thing. Also, you’re so tiny! You’re practically a fetus! Nate, you didn’t mention we were picking up a literal infant, you inconsiderate dickhole. I would’ve brought the baby clothes from the last time I got my legs ripped off!”

“Sorry, sweetheart, I’ll make sure to mention it next time,” Nathan says, eyes focused on Allison. “Put the gun down, Allison. Enough people have been hurt already.”

“The only person hurt here has been me!” Allison shrieks, erratically aiming her gun at Karen’s head, Nate, Frank, you, then back to Karen. “Stay back! I’ll fucking do it!”

Russell steps forward, looking decidedly nervous but simultaneously determined. “Look, I know you’re hurt. I know you’re scared. I’ve been where you are; I’ve wanted the same kind of vengeance. So take it from someone who knows, it doesn’t help anything. Only innocent people wind up getting hurt instead.”

“You don’t know jack shit,” Allison hisses, eyes narrowed into slits.

“Put the gun down, Allison,” Russell persists, hands shaking but shoulders squared. “The X-Men are good people. They helped me, and they can help you. It doesn’t have to end like this.”

“Oh, this isn’t about ‘have to,’” Allison spits out, voice hoarse and gravelly. “This is about going to. And ‘this’ is going to end with her brains all over this fucking floor!”

“Hey, hey, hey!” Frank shouts, drawing Allison’s attention to him. “I’m the one you’re mad at, okay. Me! Not her. You’re angry at me, and I understand that, but you don’t have to take it out on her.” He nods at Karen. “She didn’t have anything to do this.”

“Did my mom have anything to do with your murder spree? Huh? Did my brothers have anything to do with it? No, no. I wake up, and I find my mom’s and my dad’s and my brother’s brains and blood everywhere, and I find their faces and bodies obliterated by your fucking bullets, and I see your skull fucking spraypainted on the dining room wall, and… no. No! You have to understand, Castle! You have to understand what it’s like to lose everything you ever loved!”

“Isn’t his whole backstory technically about understanding just that?” Wade mutters.

“Shut up!” Allison screams. “All of you!” She cocks the gun, then presses the muzzle against Karen’s temple, holding the other side of the woman’s head to keep her from flinching away. “This conversation is done!”

Karen closes her eyes, lips pursed and brow furrowed but otherwise remarkably calm.

“Hey!” Frank shouts, holding his hand out. “Put that gun down!”

“Yeah, for fuck’s sake, you’re gonna shoot your own hand off if you do it like that!” Wade adds.

The look Frank shoots your brother is nothing short of murderous.

“What? I’m not wrong.”

Fortunately, before Allison can kill Karen or Frank can –temporarily—kill Wade, the loading bay door rolls open, heaved up by none other than your husband.

The ruckus distracts Allison, which gives Nathan the opportunity to yank the gun out of her hand and knock her away from Karen via telekinesis.

Karen practically dives away from Allison as soon as the gun’s away from her head, quickly darting away from her captor and towards Frank.

Frank quickly latches onto Karen and shoves her behind him, effectively acting as a standing shield between her and everyone else. “You okay?”

Karen nods, gaze still fixed on Allison—

Who looks like someone kicked her puppy and stole her ice cream. If the context were different, the expression of frustration on the teen’s face would be adorable.

“God, she’s like some type of… murder baby,” Wade stage whispers. “Cute, yet deadly. Like an ocelot.”

“That is enough of violence and aggression,” your husband says as Yukio and Ellie step out from behind him. “Please. Come with us quietly, and we can help you—”

“I don’t want your fucking help!” Allison snarls as she scrambles her feet, quickly backing away from everyone. “You’re helping him!” She points an accusatory finger at Frank. “He fucking murdered my family!”

Piotr grimaces before quickly regaining his composure. “I assure you, that is not case.” He takes a step towards Allison, hands held up reassuringly. “If you would just come with us—”

Allison bares her teeth in a vicious snarl –and then her eyes start glowing blue. “Stay the fuck away from me!”

“Uh, what do you do when the baby starts glowing?” Wade asks, head whipping between you and Allison.

Before you can answer –or react to Allison’s sudden light display—the thirteen year-old unleashes a blast of energy from her hands, whipping it like a softball straight at your husband’s chest.

Piotr rockets through the bay door with a guttural yell, ripping the sheet of metal off its tracks with a horrific, deafening screech. He bounces across the concrete parking lot, groaning and grunting as he goes.

“Holy shit!” Russell shrieks.

“Uh, Houston?” Wade babbles nervously, drawing his katanas while Allison’s eyes start letting off wisps of blue smoke. “I think we have an angry baby Kryptonian on our hands –shit!”

You duck as Allison shoots a bolt of energy from her eyes, taking a chunk out of the concrete wall behind all of you. “Fuck! Allison, calm down; let us—”

Allison shrieks, then whips another blast of energy at all of you before aiming a beam of energy from her eyes at Karen.

You wind up with Frank and Karen as you all try to stay away from the scorching stream of energy. Concrete chunks fall off walls and rain down from the ceiling, and you shove Frank and Karen out of the way from a truck-sized piece before sending a gust of wind at Allison –only hard enough to knock her off balance. “Allison! Stop! That’s enough.”

Allison responds by gritting her teeth –then screaming before slamming her fists against the ground.

Blue light shoots along the floor and up the walls –and then the building starts to crumble.

“Let’s go!” Frank shouts, partially hunched over Karen to protect her. “This shithole’s coming down!”

You direct Russell, Ellie, and Yukio out the broken bay door –with some help for your husband, who’d gotten up in time to hold part of the collapsing wall up—then turn back to Allison. “Allison! Come on! We need to go!”

By way of response, Allison merely sends more pulses of energy into the ground, speeding up the collapse of the warehouse by ten. “I’m taking you fuckers with me!”

“Kid, we need to go!” Nate yanks on your arm, forcing you to follow him, Wade, Neena, Frank, and Karen out through the steadily collapsing bay door. “Come on!”

Piotr ducks away from the warehouse as the rest of you dart out, then quickly hunches over you and the teens, shielding you all from any flying chunks of rock or rebar.

The warehouse shakes, groans, then collapses with a gut-clenching crunching noises, spewing dust and shards of glass into the air.

You peer over your husband’s steel shoulder when the worst of the cacophony finally settles. “Shit.”

“Did she…” Russell looks up at you, eyes wide. “Could she… is it even…”

You grimace.

The color drains from Russell’s face, and he gulps. “I think I’m going to be sick.”

“Try to find some grass to upchuck in!” Wade shouts as Russell darts away from everyone. “It’s less likely to splatter against your face if you don’t puke on asphalt!”

“Shut up, dipshit,” Ellie grumbles as she brushes dust and dirt off her uniform. She stands, eyes the wreckage of the warehouse, then shoots a concerned look at her mentor. “Did she… really take herself out?”

Piotr sighs heavily. “Loss can do strange things to people. She was already heavily agitated when we reached her. There likely was nothing we could do.”

You wrap an arm around Ellie’s and Yukio’s shoulders, then glance over in Frank and Karen’s direction.

Surprisingly enough, Karen seems to be the one holding Frank up right now, even though she was the one that was abducted and had a gun held to her head.

But, then, perhaps it isn’t surprising at all. Wade’s told you chapter and verse about how Frank does not like hurting innocents. If he’d thought he was facing off with an adult –someone fully brought into the Ricci crime family—and found himself staring at a teenager instead…

A teenager that appears to have just committed suicide after losing her family to a Punisher spree…

Yeah. This whole situation is fucked.

Neena grimaces, gaze still fixed on the warehouse as she hands newly returned Russell a water bottle. “I don’t know. This doesn’t feel done just yet.”

“Seems done to me,” Frank murmurs hoarsely, looking somewhat shell-shocked.

“We should probably leave,” Wade says, slowly sheathing his katanas. “Don’t wanna be caught near a collapsed building with a dead kid’s body in it.”

Everyone slowly makes to leave, heading towards respective vehicles—

Except Nathan, who is fixated on an electronic readout mounted to his techno-organic arm. He’s frowning, flipping through various future records and completely oblivious to everyone else.

“Nate-y-kins,” Wade says in a sing-songy voice. “We’re leaving. Vamoosing. Gettin’ a move on, pardner. Come on, Gramps, it’s toaster strudel time.”

You brow furrows when Nathan doesn’t respond; he always responds to Wade, and you also know for a fact that Wade just busted out two nicknames that Nate isn’t particularly fond of in front of everyone else. “Dad? You okay?”

“Yeah…” he mutters, still distracted as he keeps flipping through electronic files. “Just… checking…”

“What’s the earliest onset age of dementia for robotic geezers?” Wade stage whispers to you, which gets a few giggles out of Yukio and Russell.

“Neena’s right,” Nate pipes up, silencing Yukio’s and Russell’s laughter. “Something’s wrong. There’s no death date for Allison in her records.”

“Maybe the Matrix is taking its sweet time to update,” Wade suggests, rolling his eyes. “She dropped a building on herself, Cabes. Only person who can come back from that is me.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure about that,” Nathan mutters, redrawing his gun as he starts towards the warehouse. “We need to recover Allison’s body and confirm her death.”

Before he can so much as take another step, though, there’s a brief flash of light around Karen’s feet –and then Allison pops halfway out of the ground, grabs Karen’s legs, and starts yanking her under.

Karen lets out a startled shriek and flails desperately for the closest handhold. “Frank!”

Frank lets out a desperate howl of Karen’s name, diving for her and catching her. He hooks his arms under her armpits and hugs her close, holding her up so everything above her hips is still above ground.

Allison snarls. “Let go!”

Frank catches a bolt of energy to the chest and goes sailing backwards with a grunt, knocking into you and Wade and taking the two of you down to the asphalt with him.

“Oh, god,” Wade groans. “This is not how I wanted to get Frank Castle on top of me. Dude! What did you eat for breakfast? Despair and cement?”

Nathan’s the next closest, since he’s the only one that can fend off Allison’s blasts of energy with his telekinesis. He manages to grab Karen’s arm before her shoulders disappear underground. He clasps something around her wrist, says something in her ear—

And then he releases his grip, and both Karen and Allison disappear underground.

The scream that Frank lets out is heart wrenching, somewhere between a wounded animal and the sound of grief incarnate.

“Why did you let her go?” he seethes, advancing on Nathan in a storm of rage. “I’m gonna fucking rip your limbs off, Summers; I’m gonna—”

“We weren’t going to get her out of the transportation spell without ripping her limbs apart,” Nathan spits out, quickly backing away from Frank while raising a telekinetic shield. “I put a tracking device on her wrist so we can follow her wherever Allison takes her.”

Frank’s hand shakes as he points at Nathan. “If –if anything happens to her… I swear to God, if anything happens to Karen—”

“They’re at Spring Heights Memorial Park,” Nate says once the display on his techno-organic arm pings. “And Karen’s still alive.”

“What direction?” you ask, extending a hand to Frank. “I’ll fly the two of us there. The rest of you can catch up.”

“Northeast, ten miles.”

You nod, then loop your arm around Frank’s waist. The two of you get a running start, then take off into the night sky.

You just hope you make it there in time.

***

The Spring Heights Memorial Park is dark, completely abandoned, by the time you and Frank reach it –but you can hear Karen arguing with Allison as soon as you land at the cemetery’s entrance.

Frank bolts towards the sound of Karen’s voice, weaving through the rows of headstones and plaques with the ease of someone who makes running around in the dark a regular habit.

(You, a person who does not make running around in the dark a regular habit, opt to fly to avoid tripping and faceplanting onto one of the headstones.)

“I understand that you’re hurting, but that doesn’t give you the right to hurt others—”

“You’re dating the fucking Punisher! All he does is hurt people because he got hurt!”

You follow Frank around another tree, then practically run right over Karen and Allison.

(Well, Frank does. You don’t because… you’re flying… yeah.)

Karen has Allison’s gun –she must have wrestled it off of her at some point—and is aiming it at the ground, gaze locked on Allison. Allison looks like she fell and hadn’t thought to get back up yet, and looks somewhat startled by the entire situation.

“Easy, easy,” Frank says when Allison’s face screws up at the sight of him. “You stay right where I can see you.”

“Or what?” Allison challenges, sneering. “You’re gonna shoot me? You’re gonna fucking shoot a thirteen year-old girl?” She scoffs when Frank’s face twitches. “Yeah, didn’t think so. Fucking coward.”

“Here.” You pick up Karen and hover above the ground, well out of Allison’s reach. “That’s that handled.”

There’s the sound of the jet thrumming overhead, then a gentle thump as it lands at the entrance of the cemetery.

“Myshka?”

“Over here, honey,” you reply, projecting your voice so they can hear you.

“To the left!” Wade announces. “Bibbity-bobbity –ah fuck! My fucking shin! Owie! Fucking headstone, getting in my fucking way –ah shit! Branch to the eye! Oh, God, that smarts.”

“Here.” Neena’s voice echoes through the Memorial Park. “I brought a flashlight.”

“Oh, that was lucky of y… dammit! Fucking lazy writing!”

“Get a fucking move on, Wilson!” Frank shouts.

“Suck my cock!”

Allison’s lip curls derisively. “You work with that nutjob?”

“He’s sharper than he looks,” you bite out, somewhat offended on Wade’s behalf.

Nate reaches your little group first, gun already aimed and ready. He stops a few feet away from Allison, eyes locked on her. “Piotr’s outside. He wasn’t sure he wouldn’t break the headstones.”

You can’t help but smile, just a little. That’s my baby.

“Enough’s enough, Allison,” he continues, slowly inching towards the young teen while Wade, Neena, and the trainees catch up. “You’re outnumbered and outgunned. Stand down.”

“Fuck you,” Allison growls before flinging her hands towards the ground.

And then the dead start crawling out of their graves.

“Jesus fucking yellow penguins!” Wade shrieks, whipping out a pistol and shooting at the rotting corpses. “Castle! You were a zombie killing cop in another life. Do something!”

“What the fuck are you talking about?” Frank shouts back, bludgeoning one of the skeletal bodies off him with the butt of his shotgun before shooting it in the head. “Don’t answer that! I don’t want to know.”

“Just shoot them, Shane! Nathan! Why the fuck didn’t you tell me we were dealing with a class five Necromancer?”

“I didn’t know!” Nate shouts back.

“Unlikely! You’re so sleeping on the couch tonight, buster!”

Your head whips back and forth as you try to keep up with all the action –but there’s not much you can do while you’re holding on to Karen. “I need to pass you off for the moment. Piotr!”

Fortunately, your husband’s already close by, having been drawn over by the sound of gunfire. “What is going on –bozhe moi.”

“It’s a bootleg version of the rapture. Here.” You float over the fence and hand Karen to him. “Keep her off the ground. I’m going to get the trainees out.” You quickly lift Ellie, Yukio, and Russell out of the cemetery, then turn around and quickly analyze the fray.

The sheer amount of reanimated corpses is overwhelming –and, worse still, shooting them doesn’t seem to do anything other than slow them down.

They stop working when they’re too broken apart, you realize when Frank shatters a particularly ancient looking skeleton with an onslaught of gunfire –and that gives you an idea.

You stretch your arms outward, creating a shockwave of air that sends the unsteady skeletons flying across the cemetery, bashing into headstones and breaking apart until they’re just rattling bones on the ground.

You grin, triumphant –then grimace when you realize that, while you’ve stopped the undead army, you’ve also spread countless remains across the park. “Oops. That’ll be a lawsuit.”

“Not if we don’t get caught,” Wade points out.

Off to the side, Allison collapses to the ground, panting and covered in sweat. Her eyes revert back to their normal color, and she looks like she’s two seconds away from passing out.

“You about done throwing your tantrum now?” Nate asks.

Allison glares up at him and bares her teeth in a vicious snarl. “Fuck. You.”

And then she tips her head towards the black sky, lets out a guttural scream, and unleashes a shockwave of blue energy.

You recoil, throwing your arms up to brace yourself –but it washes over you harmlessly, less of an attack and more of a smokescreen.

And, when your eyes adjust and you see part of the ground fusing back together, the way it did at the warehouse after Allison took Karen a second time, you realize that’s exactly what it was.

“She’s most likely done for tonight,” Nathan reassures Frank when the black clad vigilante starts scanning the immediate area for the next sign of danger. “She was tired at the end of it. Wouldn’t have had enough left in her for another attack.”

“She’s still out there,” Frank says.

“And that’s a problem for another day,” Nathan fires back, heading towards the Memorial Park’s entrance. “We need to get out of here before the cops show up.”

***

“Her name is Allison Ricci, daughter of Andrew Ricci—”

“Yeah, we know that, skip to the part where she can literally raise the dead!” Wade snaps.

“For the last time: I found out about that when you did!” Nathan fires back.

The lot of you –meaning Wade, Nate, Neena, Frank, Karen, your husband, and you—are gathered at yours and Piotr’s house, post being examined and released by Hank and his team. You’re all sat around the dining room table, in various states of irritation, frustration, and exhaustion.

The last one chiefly goes to Karen –who, after being kidnapped twice and having a gun held to her head, has earned a good nap and a glass of wine (the latter of which you procured for her as soon as she stepped into your home).

As for the other two…

Wade and Frank are arguably the angriest, mostly at Nathan for seemingly having withheld information about Allison and the mission.

You, Neena and Piotr are also irritated, largely for the same reasons –though Piotr is especially pissed that Nate would bring trainees on a mission this dangerous.

All in all, it adds up to your dad having a lot of digging out to do.

“In my time, she’s an agent of Bishop, one of Apocalypse’s henchmen,” Nathan continues quickly, before Wade or Frank can start arguing with him. “I only recognized her name due to her father’s obituary. She preferred staying distant from all of it, staying unseen –which is why I didn’t know about her full set of powers to begin with, and also why I thought it would be okay to bring along Russell, Negasonic, and Yukio. The information just wasn’t there.”

“This isn’t the first time you’ve come up short on a mission,” Frank points out, tone lethal. “You could’ve told us –fuck, you could’ve told us she’s just a kid, Summers. That would’ve been good to know.”

“You weren’t in the headspace to listen to anything I had to say, Castle,” Nathan fires back through gritted teeth. “You threatened to snap my neck if I didn’t step to at your fucking pace. I’m not going to waste the time talking if you’re so single minded—”

“The two of you can settle your issues later,” you interject. “Right now, we still need to know what we’re dealing with when it comes to Allison.”

Nathan sighs heavily, scrubs his face with one hand. “I was hoping we’d be able to pull with her what we did with Russell. Get her the help and support she needed, change the course of the future. But, since her official kill count hasn’t changed by much, I seriously doubt we didn’t pull that off tonight.”

“‘Hasn’t changed by much?’” Neena repeats, arms crossed over her chest and brows spiking towards her hairline. “What the hell does that mean?”

Nate’s mouth twists into a deep grimace. “Technically… Karen was supposed to die tonight.”

Frank’s face goes pale, and Karen takes another long sip of wine while she holds Frank’s hand.

“About a year later, she would’ve taken out Frank, too. Obviously we managed to save Karen tonight, and considering that Allison’s down two listed kills and there’s no… imminently listed death dates for Karen and Frank –no, I’m not telling you,” Nathan quickly says, shooting a stern look at Frank. “Last thing you need to know is either of your death dates. Anyway, since she’s down two kills and the dates aren’t anywhere in the near future, I’m willing to wager we’ve managed to take you two off her list. The rest of it though…”

“How many does she have left?” Piotr asks, hesitant.

“A little over fifteen thousand,” Nathan sighs heavily.

Shock ripples through the room, evident on everyone’s faces.

“Holy shit,” Frank breathes, face going slack with surprise and horror.

“How is that even possible?” Karen asks, brow furrowed.

Wade shrugs. “Give me enough explosives and I could probably do it.”

“Shut it, Wilson.”

“She asked!”

“You saw her in action tonight,” Nathan interjects, sitting back in his seat. “She’s only going to get stronger as she goes. And once she’s in Bishop’s keep, she’s going to have even more means and opportunities to kill. Not to mention that the number on file is comprised only of officially listed kills. In reality, it’s undoubtedly higher.”

“So, essentially, we’re trying to flip a teenager with comparative lethal abilities of a bomb, whose parents were just killed by him,” Neena says, pointing at Frank.

“We did it with Russell—”

“Russell was an orphan, looking for a family and someone to care about him, and had a strong connection to Wade,” Neena states, staring Nathan down from across the table. “Allison lost her whole family execution style, is trying to cope and grieve on her own, and is clearly more than a little unhinged if tonight’s anything to go by. These are two entirely different ball games.”

“We cannot let child become mass murderer,” Piotr speaks up, conviction strong in his voice and on his face. “She deserves better future.”

Silence hangs in the room as everyone arrives at the same conclusion at their own pace.

Neena sighs heavily. “This barely worked with Russell. And you—” she points at Wade “—had to get shot twice for it to work. He’s—” she jerks her thumb at Nate “—out of time jumping charges, and I seriously doubt that shooting him—” she nods at Frank “—is gonna have the same effect with Allison.”

“We’ll find something,” Karen says, properly joining the conversation for the first time that night.

Neena raises an eyebrow at her. “What makes you so sure?”

“Because we have to,” Karen says quietly. “It’s fifteen thousand plus people that need us to.”

There’s a beat of silence, and then Neena sighs heavily. “Alright. Count me in. We’re gonna need all the luck we can get with this.”

“We’ll help as we can, too,” you say, pointing between yourself and Piotr. “But I’m not sure how much the X-Men will be able to assist since the Punisher’s tangled up in this.”

“I will contact my mother,” Piotr adds. “She may be able to help with this.”

Nathan nods, then looks over at Wade. “What about you?”

“I’m with you in all of this, Cabes. Always.” Wade leans over, gently kisses his partner’s cheek, then stands with a groan. “Now, if you’ll excuse me, the Wade-mobile needs to make a pit stop.”

“You could’ve just said ‘excuse me,’” Neena calls out as Wade heads towards the bathroom.

“Hey! It could’ve been worse! I could’ve said that I’m gonna take the mother of all piss breaks –which, as it so happens, I am!”

You all groan, a mix of annoyance and disgust.

“I’m also gonna take a shit!”

“I think we get the picture, handsome,” Nathan says with a roll of his eyes. “Just –please use the restroom and stop telling us about it.” He waits to make sure that Wade isn’t going to keep talking –or, worse still, narrate his “pit stop” experience—then sighs and looks at everyone else again. “Thank you. Everyone. Allison is a key component in Apocalypse’s upper ranks in the future. If we can flip her to our side, we’ll put a major dent in his abilities to take over the universe.”

“Fucking Christ,” Frank grumbles, pinching the bridge of his nose. “Just –this kid. Is she gonna keep coming after Karen and me?”

“Possibly. I’ll keep my ear to the ground, and if I hear anything, I’ll let you know,” Nathan promises.

“You’ll let me know everything,” Frank amends, jabbing an accusatory finger in your dad’s direction. “No more of this vague bullshit –or it’s going to be my gun up your ass.”

“Ooh, kinky!” Wade shouts from the bathroom. “Can I get in on that?”

Nathan shakes his head at the same time Frank grimaces, and then he nods at Frank. “Everything I know. You have my word.”

“Your word doesn’t really mean shit right now, Summers,” Frank growls, shoving his chair back as he stands. “Come on,” he says to Karen, voice considerably softer and more caring. “Let’s get you home.”

“You’re coming home, too,” Karen insists.

“Yeah,” Frank agrees, putting his hand on the small of Karen’s back as he escorts her out of the dining room. “I’m going home, too.”

“I will get door,” Piotr murmurs, quickly following after them to escort them out the front door.

Neena stretches, rolls her neck, then sighs. “I’m beat. Think Xavier will mind if I crash in one of the empty rooms?”

You shake your head. “He won’t care. You’re welcome here for breakfast in the morning.”

She grins. “Sounds good.” She hugs you gently, presses a sisterly kiss against the top of your head, then heads out the front door.

You watch her go, then circle around the table and sit down next to your dad. “You can’t keep holding back essential information.”

“I’m not trying to,” Nathan says tiredly, rubbing his temples. “There just genuinely wasn’t much to go on tonight. Plus, telling people information about the future is dangerous. It can alter the course of things irreparably, change the outcome of millions of lives on a catastrophic level. I’m just… I’m trying to figure out the balance of it all. What I can and can’t share.”

“You’ll get it figured out,” you reassure him. “I know you will.”

A ghost of a smile tugs at Nathan’s lips, and he slings an arm around your shoulders. “Thanks, kid.”

***

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah, I’m fine.” You blink at the darkness, then roll onto your side and wriggle across your and your husband’s massive bed until you’re nestled up against his side. “Are you alright?”

“Da.” Piotr wraps one of his massive, muscular arms around you, hugs you against his side, and kisses the top of your head. “Tonight was just… intense. I wish young ones did not have to go through.”

“We’ll know better for next time,” you reassure him. “And Dad legitimately didn’t know all of what was up with Allison. He didn’t mean to get the teens involved.”

Piotr huffs. “Ya znayu.”

“But?”

“I just… Cable is reckless.”

You purse your lips; you know he’s annoyed since he’s using Nathan’s code name. “He doesn’t mean to be.”

“Perhaps, but he forgets we are not all soldiers. That we do not all operate as he does. He is good person –good for you and Wade—and good trainer, but not always good leader. Not for… not for everyone.”

“Not for everyone,” you agree. “But he’s amazing for Wade, you have to admit.”

“I would not deny,” Piotr says, fingers playing absently with your hair. “Cable balances Wade, and verse vice-a. But he is too reckless for X-Men.”

“Which is why he’s not an X-Man—”

“Not my meaning. He may be too reckless to work with,” Piotr clarifies. “We have to meet certain standards to keep licensing to run school, work with children, act as enforcers against mutant criminals. If Cable jeopardizes that…”

“One step at a time,” you remind your husband when his voice trails off. “Nathan takes what we do here seriously. If he sees himself jeopardizing that, he’ll be the first to bring it up, and he’ll be the one to step away so we can keep doing what we do. You know that.”

Piotr sighs. “That much is true.” He tucks you closer to him, then kisses your forehead. “You should rest, myshka. Sleep is very important.”

“I was,” you tease him, smile evident in your voice. “But I had to soothe my husband’s woes first.”

Piotr chuckles, then presses a kiss against the top of your head. “Spokoynoy nochi i sladkikh snov, lyubov' moya.”

“Love you too, sweetheart. Rest well.”

#sass writes #piotr rasputin x reader #colossus x reader #nathan summers x wade wilson #frank castle x karen page #tw: gun violence #tw: death mention #ooooh baby i have been WAITING FOR THIS ONE!!!!!!!!!!#x men fanfiction #deadpool fanfiction

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thewhumperinwhite · 4 years

Text

Café: Treetops

Previous: Teaser 1, Teaser 2, Hospital/Squad Car, Empty Bar, Used Car Lot 1, Used Car Lot 2, Gas Station, Roadside 1, Roadside 2, Forest

TW for: illness/fever, mention of decapitation/murder, smoking mention, very lightly implied parental neglect, Thing That Seems Like Deadnaming For A Second But Take This As My Personal Guarantee That Sol’s Deadname Will Never Be Said Out Loud In This Story.

Also i’m not gonna check but i think this might be the first chapter where Sol smiles? so look forward to that.

@whumpitywhumpwhump

----

Rainwater is dripping from Sol’s hair down the bridge of his nose and soaking into his shirt collar, even though if you asked him five minutes ago he’d have told you his poor abused work shirt had absorbed literally all the liquid it could physically hold.

“Just for the record,” Kent says in a slightly breathless voice, “when I used the phrase ‘huddled in trees,’ that was sarcasm.”

Sol thinks about rolling his eyes, but given that nobody would see it from this angle, he doesn’t bother and just leaves his eyes closed instead.

“Funny,” Pax snaps, sounding, at least, no longer pretend-cheerful. “When I told you to shut the fuck up, I was serious.” Sol can hear them shifting, but doesn’t turn to look, partly because he does not care and partly because he thinks he might fall out of the tree if he tries.

“I think you should both shut up,” he says flatly, knowing he’s wasting his fucking breath.

It does earn him almost a full minute of silence, which is a step up, technically.

“The bleeders are too clumsy to climb trees,” Pax says testily, apparently unable to help themself. “Therefore, being the wonderful, coordinated living beings that we are, we are taking advantage of that weakness.”

“I know that,” Kent says, also sounding slightly testy, but even more tired and kind of in pain. “I am aware of the logic, but I gotta say that I am not feeling super coordinated at the moment.”

“I know that,” Sol growls. “I was the one who had to help you up, and since we are all fuckin’ exhausted from that little ordeal, how about we all just go the fuck to sleep, huh?”

Kent makes a noise that is probably supposed to convey irritation but just sounds sort of— pathetic. “I can’t sleep. I don’t understand how either of you can sleep when it’s so hot up here.”

Sol blinks his eyes open. That— does not sound like a great sign.

Careful not to overbalance and throw himself off the narrow branch currently supporting his ass, Sol cranes around the trunk of the tree to squint through the driving rain at Kent, who is leaning back against the tree with his eyes closed. Sol half-carried him up this bigass goddamn tree and set him with more care than he wants to admit in the stablest position he could find, at the fork of two large branches, but at the moment his perch there looks kind of precarious.

Checking to see that Paxon, on the opposite side and several branches higher than either himself of Kent, probably can’t see— not that he cares what they think— he leans carefully forward to lay his wrist against Kent’s forehead. It’s hard to be sure of anything when the freezing rain has turned his hands and arms into icicles, but the heat coming off Kent’s face almost makes him jump.

“Aw, great,” he mumbles, grabbing hold of his own branch so he can lean forward a little more to examine Kent’s face, which, now that he’s looking, does have kind of a greenish cast to it. “Hey, man,” he says softly, giving Kent a gentle poke on a part of his cheekbone that doesn’t seem to be bruised yet. “How ya feeling?”

Without opening his eyes, Kent heaves a tired sigh that turns halfway through into a cough. Sol freezes like a popsicle, going very quickly back over the last several hours to try and determine whether one of the bleeders could possibly have bitten him without Sol noticing— but Kent’s brief coughing fit fails to bring up any red-flecked phlegm, so Sol tries to reel in his panic. He doesn’t sound crazy, anyway— just sick.

“Not very good,” Kent croaks, letting his eyes drift open. They look kinda glassy, but Sol sees with knee-weakening relief that they are not particularly bloodshot. “Too warm. And also shivery.”

“I fuckin’ bet,” Sol says. “You look like microwaved dogshit, dude.”

Sol chews his lip, something uncomfortably close to worry churning in his stomach. When he doesn’t move away, Kent laughs faintly, though it turns into a cough at the end.

“You sure you want to get that close?” he asks, smiling a little, though it doesn’t come close to reaching his eyes. Sol doesn’t think Kent’s smiles usually do, actually.

Sol blinks. “Huh?”

“Aren’t you worried I’ll suddenly decide to take a bite out of your arm?” Kent says, and it sounds like it’s trying to be a joke but isn’t quite making it.

Sol stares at him for a second. Then he snorts.

“Please,” Sol says, smirking. “You? I could definitely take you, crazy or not, you fucking stick. Besides, look.” Sol fishes around in the pockets of his sopping-wet jacket, ignoring Kent’s look of utter confusion.

His lighter is freezing and dripping wet, and who knows if it’ll still work as an actual lighter after this, but it makes a serviceable mirror, in a pinch. He holds it up so that Kent is blinking into his own wide blue eyes.

“See?” Sol says, and is surprised at the softness of his own voice. “Not a drop of blood in sight, man. You’re probably just feverish from running around in the mud with open cuts and stuff.”

“Heartening,” Kent says, reaching up to change the angle of Sol’s grip.

“That’s what I’m here for,” Sol says, smirking.

And then Sol suddenly realizes that Kent’s hand is wrapped loosely around his own, and is horrified to feel his own cheeks heating up, which is--so fucking stupid.

“Who’s ‘Rina’?” he asks curiously, blinking down at the lighter, and Sol starts badly, jerking his hand away like Kent’s question burns his fingers.

“No one,” he barks, shoving the lighter back into his pocket, leaving Kent with his hand still outstretched and lips parted slightly in surprise.

“Oh,” Kent says, blinking. “Uh, sorry, I didn’t mean to— “ He pulls back, looking carefully anywhere but at Sol’s face. “Sorry.”

Sol stares at Kent. Kent stares at the unnervingly-far-away ground.

Goddammit, it’s like kicking a puppy.

“Ugh,” Sol growls, running a hand through his hair. “Look, fine, whatever, don’t look at me like that— Karine is my little sister, okay? She always hated it when I smoked, so she used to steal my lighter all the time. That’s why it’s— that’s why.”

He had been very mad at the time, in high school at some point, when he had finally wrestled his lighter back from her— after almost a week of searching and shouting half-hearted threats at her when their father wasn’t home, which was often— only to find that she had scratched Sol Sux Shit on one side and her own big girly signature on the other, with a big fucking heart around it. He didn’t talk to her for a few days after that.

He didn’t throw the lighter away, though, either. That was junior year, or thereabouts; he’d been Sol for a short enough time that seeing the name scratched permanently into metal was--something, even if it was followed by the words “sux shit.”

It’s been— Christ, almost four years since he’s seen her, which means she’s all grown up and definitely has at least two boyfriends by now. That thought makes him unconsciously ball up his fists, and then he’s distracted by the sound of Kent laughing at him.

“Wha— what are you laughing at?” Goddammit, is he blushing again?

“I’m s-sorry,” Kent says, amid honest-to-god giggles. “I-it’s just— your face—!”

Sol just barely resists the urge to cover his cheeks, trying to will the heat back out of them. “Sh-shut up, I was just—” He pulls up short. “H-hey— are you okay?”

Kent is doubled up with hard, damp-sounding coughs, so much so that Sol has to dart out a hand to keep him from falling forward off the branch.

“Kent— hey—”

As he’s readjusting himself to hold up Kent’s weight without falling off his own branch, there’s a rustling in the branches above them, and Paxon Field drops abruptly onto the end of Kent’s branch, like an enormous pink cat.

“Let me see your hand,” they say sharply. When Kent doesn’t immediately respond, they reach forward to tug his hand away from his face.

“Hey!” Sol snaps, trying to shove them back, “what the hell are you—”

“Shut up,” Pax says, turning Kent’s hand over so they can examine both sides. Finding no blood on it, they relax, their hand sliding off the hilt of their sword.

“Idiot,” they say, not unkindly, and reach up to lay their wrist against Kent’s forehead. Kent, his coughing fit finally starting to subside, lets them, his weight pressing into Sol’s chest in a way that is— neither embarrassing nor pleasant but in fact entirely neutral, fuck you. Pax sighs. “You’re burning up, you dumbass.”

“That’s not exactly his fault,” Sol snaps, to his own surprise more than anyone else’s. Pax raises their eyebrows at him. Kent’s eyes flutter shut. “Well,” Sol goes on, into Pax’s surprised stare. “We’ve been wandering around in the rain for a long time. He’s got— broken bones and stuff.”

Paxon gives Sol a look he can’t quite read, and then frowns down at Kent, whose cheek now sits just under Sol’s collarbone, like coughing has used up all his remaining energy. “How long have you been feelin’ the shivers, sunshine?” they bark.

Grumbling like an annoyed child, Kent turns away from Paxon, which involves burying his face against the sodden front of Sol’s shirt. Sol freezes, a violent electrical current making its way up his spine. When Kent mumbles his answer (which is unintelligible but seems to contain the words “the car”), Sol can feel his lips move against his chest, and would readjust if he could move. ...probably.

“Then it’s entirely your fault, you daft idiot,” Paxon snaps, annoyed. “Why the hell didn’t you say anything?”

Kent turns back, opening one blue eye. “I suppose,” he says coldly, “I was worried you’d decapitate me.”

Paxon, to Sol’s surprise, starts like they’ve been hit. There’s a very awkward silence. Sol is afflicted with a bizarre desire to laugh.

Then Paxon growls, long and low, and starts their descent out of the tree.

“Uh,” Sol calls after them. “Where are you going?”

“To get sunshine some medicine, I guess,” they shout back, bitterly. “Since neither of you is in any way equipped for survival, apparently.”

Sol stares down at the top of their head as they make their weirdly nimble way down out of the tree. Then he looks down at Kent, who is also frowning down at Paxon’s retreating form.

“Someone should go with them,” Kent mutters.

Sol shifts uncomfortably. “You can’t stay in this tree by yourself.”

An embarrassed flush makes its way into Kent’s pale cheeks, and he shoots Sol an apologetic look from under his lashes. Sol’s brain stops working for a second and he misses what Kent says next, but makes an educated guess that it’s some variation of “sorry for the trouble.”

“Don’t be dumb,” he says, biting his lip.

Sol runs through their options in his head, and from the unhappy look on Kent’s face he suspects the blonde is doing the same.

“Fuck,” Sol mutters, and then, making sure Kent has a firm grip on the tree trunk to go with the confused look on his face, turns himself very carefully around on his own branch so his back is to Kent, the blonde’s bony knees digging into his back slightly.

“Um,” Kent says.

“Shut up,” Sol snaps. “Put your arms around my shoulders. Try not to choke me or we will both fall and die.”

“Um,” says Kent.

Sol takes a moment to bury his rapidly-reddening face in his hands and groan because why does shit like this keep happening to him. “Paxon shouldn’t go by themself, and you can’t stay here or climb down. This is the only fucking solution, okay? I don’t like it anymore than you do, so shut up and get on.”

There’s another terrible silence, which Sol uses to pray to anybody who might be listening to give him a fucking break already.

Moving carefully, like he’s waiting for Sol to stop him, Kent slides his slim arms around Sol’s shoulders, knitting his fingers together around Sol’s chest and being careful to avoid his windpipe. After a moment’s hesitation, he moves closer, awkwardly scooting forward so his legs are wrapped around Sol’s waist.

Sol, very aware of Kent’s chest and biceps and thighs, clears his throat loudly.

“Okay,” he says, trying his very best to sound businesslike. “I need my hands to do the tree-climbing thing, so hold on, yeah?”

Sol can feel the heat coming off of Kent’s face where it’s buried against his shoulder even through the thick wool of his jacket, though he can’t tell how much of that is the fever and how much is embarrassment roughly equivalent— if there is a loving god— to his own.

“Yeah,” Kent mumbles miserably into Sol’s jacket. Sol feels a slightly insane giggle building in his chest.

“Okay,” Sol says slowly. “I am now moving to the next branch over. You good?”

“Perfect,” Kent says in a very muffled voice, and shifts slightly against Sol’s back. Sol clears his throat again, and reaches out for the next branch, shifting so that he’s carrying most of Kent’s weight.

“Christ, do you ever eat?” he says before they can stop himself. God, maybe they will make it to the ground, after all. “My sister’s cat weighs more than you.”

Kent, his face very warm indeed, chooses not to respond. In fact, he keeps his mouth mercifully shut for almost the whole awkward, painful climb down, and Sol’s left foot is actually on solid ground when he finally mumbles, so low Sol can’t be entirely sure of the words, “Thanks, Sol. You’re wonderful.”

Sol freezes with one foot still on the lowest branch, feeling an unfamiliar sort of heat spreading in the center of his chest. Before he can stop it, his mouth twitches into something that feels suspiciously like a grin.

The feeling fades pretty quickly when he turns and sees the color Pax is turning from trying to hold in their amusement. Seeing Sol’s fiery glare and immediate, violent blush, they give up and throw their head back, sending bright peals of laughter up into the still-raining sky.

Sol bristles, his hands tightening under Kent’s thighs. “Sh-shut up! Don’t— don’t laugh at me!”

Pax laughs hard, holding their stomach. “Your face!” they crow delightedly. “You’re turning purple, babe!”

Sol’s blush doesn’t get any worse, but probably only because there’s no more blood left in the rest of him. “Shut up!” he squawks. “It’s your fault for leaving us up there, anyway!”

Pax shakes their head, grinning. “I didn’t say you had to come with me,” they point out.

“Kent didn’t want you wandering off by yourself,” Sol snaps, looking over his shoulder. “Did y— oh.”

Kent, his lips slightly parted and rain making his long lashes sparkle a little in the moonlight, has rested his head against Sol’s shoulder and is breathing long and steady, his breath making faint snuffling noises through his broken nose.

Sol stares a little.

“What’s up with sunshine?” Paxon says, a trace of worry in their voice. “He’s not dead, is he?”

“No,” Sol says, a confused smile spreading over his face. “I think he’s fallen asleep.” Looking carefully anywhere but at Paxon’s stupid smug grin, he clears his throat. “Let’s just go. I’ll carry him. He isn’t heavy.”

#hurt/comfort #original whump #original hurt/comfort #the café at the end of the world #sickfic #fever #piggy back ride #Emotionally Fraught Gay Piggy Back Ride

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