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sweetsbfreex · 3 years

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the cat burglar

“I’m excited for you to meet her,” you laughed, taking your key from your clutch.

“I’m excited too lovie,” Harry whispered, bending– his upper body– down to wrap both his arms around your waist into your ear.

You pushed yourself back playfully, laughing at the small grunt Harry had let out, as he laughed out a ‘menace’ your way biting the love of your ear softly.

You had both just came from a night out, filled with touches, laughs, and giggles. You had asked him to not only come to your place for the first time, but stay through the night as well. You had a special furry friend you had wanted him to finally meet in person, holding the introduction back for a while.

Opening and entering through the threshold, you put your clutch down on the small rounded table near the door, toeing your sneakers off.

“Kiko, come here cutie,” you say, puckering your lips out as you make quick kissing noises.

At that, the Russian Blue kitty made its way to you, emerging from the dark hallway, meowing as she sped up.

You smiled down at her, reaching down as you picked up her up to lay in your arms. Her head perked up. One arm holding her up from the bottom while the other stroked her back.

“Meet Harry cutie,” you say smiling at Harry who you could see smiling down at the feline in your arms, reaching his hand out to pet her forehead moving down to her chin.

“Hi,” he said, introducing himself sillily.

“Ooh got a purr from her, impressive,” you said.

Kiko reached a paw outwards Harry, laying it flatly over Harry’s face precisely over his dimple.

“She likes you,” you murmured, kissing Kiko on her head.

“She’s very sweet” Harry stated, rising to his full height. Kiko’s paw falling from his face, bringing his hand once again to pet the top of her head.

You weren’t surprised at all with Kiko taking a liking to Harry, she has basically liked anyone that came over. But, looking at the way her and Harry interacted you could feel the boulder levitate off your shoulders. You watched as he whispered compliments to her.

“Do you wanna go upstairs?” you asked him.

He smiled at that, “Lead the way.”

That said, you set your cat on ground, in result getting a disapproving meow from her. Grabbing Harry’s hand you lead him down the hallway to your bedroom. On the way you could hear Harry chuckling.

“Are you okay?” you ask, looking back at him over your shoulders.

“Yea...,” he laughs some more “Kiko’s just trying to trip me it seems.”

You look down, and there crawling in between his moving legs was she. Meowing as she followed you both.

When you had made it to your bedroom door, you let Harry shuffle behind you to enter your bedroom. In the meantime, you used your foot to block the grey cat.

“Not you,” you whisper to her, squatting down as you pet behind her ear. “I’m glad you like H, but you can’t come in,” you inclined quickly, kissing her head before entering your room closing the door after yourself.

“Everything all right?” he asked, walking over to you.

“Oh yea she’s just used to coming in here whenever she pleases.”

“Perfect,” he said, speeding the rest of the way towards you. He lifted you up swiftly, placing his hands under your thighs.

You supported yourself, holding onto Harry’s upper arms. “Nice” you leer, squeezing him between your hands.

“Glad you noticed” he chuckled lowly, laying you flat on the bed abruptly.

“You ready?” he asked, his fingers gripping loosely on the hem of your top.

“Mhm,” you replied, one hand reaching to his zipper.

You both hadn’t started yet, his mouth was on your neck, and only your top was off when Harry pulled away abruptly.

“Do you hear that?” he asked breathlessly, looking down at your stupefied expression.

“No, what is it?”

“Listen.” Bringing one finger to his ear.

A loud, stretched out meow brought you out of your confusion. You had no doubt it was Kiko at the door, probably pawing at the door.

“It’s fine. She’s just dramatic” you inclined, pulling him down by the back of his neck.

He pulled away from you again, a look of slight embarrassment on his face.

“Angel” he hummed, kissing your forehead.

“Hm”

“I lost my stiffy,” he sighed, sitting up on his knees.

“It’s fine,” you laughed, sitting up. “I don’t blame you for no wanting to have sex with a bunch of cat sounds. Do you mind if I let her in?”

“No go ahead. Let her in” he got off the bed, reaching down for his discarded tee. While you walked over to your closet, pulling some random shirt onto you. Once you had that done, you walked over to the door, pulling it wide open for Kiko. She had breezed past you quickly making her way to your bed.

‘You freaking cockblock’ is what you thought to yourself as she walked past you as if you were a dirty litter box.

You rolled your eyes, turning away as you closed the door softly, walking over to really the picture-perfect painting.

Harry was laid on his back feet crossed. As Kiko purred soothingly, her head laid on his upper arm (She was definitely your baby.) While Harry’s arm wrapped around her body so his fingers combed through his soft coat. His head angled so he could eye the cutie.

“Glad to see she’s happy now,” you mutter. Laying down on your back, turning your head to Harry.

“Three of us could cuddle for the night?” straightening the arm that was petting Kiko to make a grabby gesture towards you.

You laughed shyly, bringing yourself as close to Harry as you could with Kiko in between the two of you.

Not the most typical first night over, but what did you really expect.

It was the next morning; You had woken up to a gravelly high-pitched morning voice. Opening your eyes bewildered as Kiko was laid on her back her paws playfully attacking Harry’s hand who was teasing her as he lowered, but quickly pulled away, his hand from her stomach.

“Good morning,” you said lowly, bringing the blanket higher to hide half of your face.

“Good morning. Why are you hiding beautiful?” he asked, hooking his finger into the space where the blanket hid around your nose.

Kiko pounced up from the sound of your voice, crawling over, giving you her version of morning kisses. Reaching your hand up to pet her under his chin. “Hi cutie,” you hummed.

“And I’m not hiding. I just woke up, can’t have you breaking up with me so quickly,” you laugh at the look of offense on his face.

“You are something else,” he laughs with you. Leaning over, pulling the blanket down to kiss you slowly on the lips.

“I thought you had something planned today?”

“Was I that bad of a house guest?” he asks back, laying on his side, his head supported up with his knuckles.

“Shut up” you sigh, looking as Kiko had jumped over and back, Harry’s torso, as if he was a hurdle.

“I am...Just didn’t want to leave without saying bye to you”

“It’s like some Troy Bolton spirit entered you. Thirteen year old me would’ve freaked” you cringed when the words left your mouth. But, the embarrassment subsided when Harry laughed.

“I’m wayyy better than that guy.”

“Of course you are” you started sitting up, taking hold of his hands, and interlocking them. “You want breakfast before you go?”

“Yes please,” he sang, taking you with him to the kitchen.

Now you were both stood in front your door, full on the breakfast Harry had helped you make. He had his face in between your hands, holding it still as he kisses your cheek repeatedly.

“Harry!” you laughed, bringing your hands up to hold onto to. his forearms.

“I’m gonna miss you” he expressed inarticulately against your cheek.

“I’m gonna miss you too” you cooed. “But can i kiss you kiss you now”

He let go at your special request “I’m all yours,” a bright smile on his face. Waiting for his round of kisses with his arms spread out wide. And you would’ve if it wasn’t for the former cock-block that couldn’t help but try with all her might to climb up Harry’s jeans.

The pads of her feet and crescendoing got his eye, so he leant down to cradle her in his arms. “Couldn’t forget about you. Could I?” he mumbled, petting her tummy softly all while Kiko purred in pleasure.

“Okay. Okay me time now.”

Harry snickered, keeping one arm to coddle Kiko to his chest, as he brought the other to wrap around your neck pulling you in for exactly three long kisses.

“I gotta go. I’ll see you tomorrow though, baby,” he said while settling Kiko to the ground. He kissed you one more time turning around as he opened the door.

“Bye, I love you.”

He smiled loving those words that left your mouth easily. “I love you too” he shouted walking backwards then turned around once he finished the words of affirmation.

He waved from his car, backing away as he drove off quickly. You slammed the door then.

The incessant sad meowing was what made you looked down. Kiko standing on her back paws as the front ones supported her, as she laid them against the door. Meowing non-stop after Harry was your guess.

“I know. I know” you muttered bitterly, picking her up so you both were face to face. “I miss him too, but he is my boyfriend missy.”

She meowed as a rebuttal ‘Yeah well I want him’

“We’re not fighting about this, he’s mine baby” you told her kissing her head, she definitely didn’t like the sound of that as she meowed once again in disbelief.

You set her back down. Expecting her to quickly dash to the scratching post she loved so much, but instead she revolved herself so she was facing the door, meowing (most likely for Harry to come back).

You stood there shocked at her change in behavior. You had only caught her acting like this when you left for work on the security camera.

Pulling your phone from your back pocket, you called Harry quickly.

“Only gone for five seconds miss me already“ from the distance in his voice and all the scratchiness in the background, you knew he had been using his Bluetooth.

“You broke my cat!”

“Excuse me?”

“Kiko has been bawling at the door ever since you left my place.”

“Just the Styles charm baby!”

Harry came back the next day. Greeting you with a kiss and placing a box of sweets into your hands. The sound of Harry’s deep voice catching the eye of Kiko who had sprinted from the living room all the way to the front door. Running laps around Harry, her tail touching his leg softly.

“Go ahead into the living room. I’ll get the food ready.”

You walked yourself to the kitchen. There lay both of bowls of snacks you had for the both of you. Turning your head slightly, you Watched Kiko follow behind Harry, as if he was the line leader.

Though it had only been less than twenty-four hours, you were nothing but elated to just lay down next to or on top of Harry– as long as you were close– and just indulge in whatever you both chose to watch.

When you had finally walked into the living room. Setting the bowls and drinks on the coffee table near Harry’s feet. Just as you set the bowls down and were meant to sit next to Harry the view you had saw had bursted your heart.

Harry was slouched into the couch. His feet kicked up on the coffee table– Crossed. His hands cupped the content feline’s face– fingers rubbing wherever they could reach. Whom at the time was stretched vertically in Harry’s lap. Legs stretched out and her paws laying over his chest.

They got along very quick.

You smiled at the pair, walking towards them. Sitting next to Harry. You reached your hand down to pet K’s head with your finger softly. When you were finished giving her your full attention, you looked towards Harry going to put your arms around him, when a small paw was placed on the side of your torso and a meow of discontent was echoed in the air.

You pulled away bamboozled. Harry tries to hold back his smile and the newly possessive cat.

“Did she just?–” you stopped there, deciding to test the waters again, leaning into Harry for a kiss when the same exact thing happened again.

When you pulled away again, she eyed you carefully, meowing for an extra measure, placing herself higher on top of Harry, so her head was nestled into his cheek.

“I can’t believe this” you slant your head closer to Kiko’s “You boyfriend stealer” pointing your finger right at her, which she had fun-lovingly batted away. Turning her attention back on Harry who had a stupidly cute smirk on his face.

“Got your mum jealous. Impressive,” He said to Kiko, bringing his finger up to boop her nose.

“You guys are unbelievable” you rolling your eyes, huffing to yourself.

For weeks and years to come of you being together K’s possessiveness of course lightened. But, if she ever caught you and Harry in some sort of embrace, she’d be quick to sprint to Harry’s lap. Side eying you as Harry gave her his affection. Throwing it in your face more. Looking at you smugly– if you could say so yourself– as you sat astonished and to yourself.

Or the times you and Harry gave each other space instead of cuddling on the couch together. She would lay on Harry, eyes wide, as she eyed you carefully. Just making sure you weren’t going to try anything on her man.

#harry styles #harry styles x reader #harry styles imagine #harry styles blurb #harry styes fluff #harry styles one shot #harry styles reader insert #harry styles x y/n #harry styles fanfic #harry styles drabble #harry styles fanfiction #boyfriend! harry #boyfriend harry styles #harry styles x you

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amphxtrite · 3 years

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remus lupin x fem!reader

warning: Swearing, spelling/ grammar mistakes

summary: You and Remus have had a rivalry since the day you met, what happens when the two of you start to feel more?

word count: 3.1k

enjoy<3

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You and Remus Lupin had a… Complicated history, It wasn’t anything really bad, just a childhood nemesis, someone to always be better than. That was all it was for a couple years, a strange rivalry between two children. It all began back during first year, in your very first Defense Against the Dark Art class. You were ecstatic to begin your very first lesson. You sat right at the very front of the room and quickly brought out and organized all your parchment, quills and textbooks, patiently folding your hands onto your desk and waiting with a smile on your face for class to begin. You heard a snicker behind you, and turned to see four boys enter the class, all laughing and whispering behind their hands, you turn back around as the professor walks into the room to begin the lesson.

“Hey would you mind if I sat next to you?” you heard a small voice call from beside you as the professor scribbles something on the board. You look over to see one of the loud students who’d entered the class, a sandy-haired boy with scars littering his face. “Of course,” you say with a smile, thinking this was a chance to make a new friend, but you were proven wrong when the boy simply nodded, put his stuff down and turned to the table beside theirs, to talk to the boys from before. You hid your disappointment by turning back to the teacher.

“Welcome to your first Defense Against the Dark Arts class students!” Professor Sterling, as you learned his name was, called out, “In this class I will be teaching you about defensive spells and possible beasts you could face, to protect yourselves from the dangers of the dark arts, now!” He clapped his hands together. “Who can give me three examples of creatures that will be talked about in this class, hm?” He questions. Two hands shoot up. “Yes Miss L/n?” He points to your hand. “Boggarts, Vampires, and Werewolves.” You state confidently, “Good, 5 points to y/h. Now, what about three spells that will be used in this class?” He questions again. The same two hands shoot up. “Mr. Lupin?” He points to the boy next to you. “Flipendendo, Expelliarmus, and Verdimillious.” He replies, you drop your hand defeated. “Splendid! 5 points to gryffindor.” The boy smiles shyly. The class continues like this, the professor asking a question and the two of you racing to answer before the other. It was an unconscious thing, the two of you hadn’t realized you were competing until you felt your heart race, as a question was asked, and the feeling of anger replacing disappointment when your hand wasn’t picked. It was frustrating to say the least, you were so excited to show off your knowledge in this class and now here was this boy stealing your thunder. You could tell he felt the same though, the frustration in his face when Professor Sterling chose you gave it away.

By the end of the class you were almost seething, the only thing keeping you from hexing the boy was your common sense, and even that was running thin. You tried to keep your composure as you walked out of the class, but you were very obviously muttering curses under your breath. The only thing that got you to stop was the professor telling you on the way out of the class that you were a bright young witch, unfortunately followed by Lupin being complimented as well. You huffed.

That was how the rivalry between you and Remus began, you’d learned his name through Lily Evans, your first friend. She found it funny how competitive you were, not thinking you’d go this far on it. She spent a good chunk of her time prying books out of your hands or hearing you complain about Remus, and that happened a lot.

“I’m seriously starting to believe you fancy him, you speak about him so much!” She huffed out after a bad rant in your third year. “Me? And Lupin?” You scoffed and rolled your eyes. “I have no idea what you’re going on about.” But Lily could swear she saw a pink blush coming about on your cheeks and she knew for a fact that the warm fall air wasn’t the cause, she smiled and decided to let this play out.

For four years, four fucking years, you’d been at it with Lupin and both of you showed no sign of stopping. At any time both you and Remus could be seen reading DADA textbooks, books, and journals of famous wizards, With one goal in your mind, to beat one another. The two of you both started strong in this competition, but you had to admit you were tired of this petty rivalry and really had no problem with Remus, but for some reason you just wouldn’t let up, your competitive demeanor taking over every time you tried to resolve something with him. You decided it would be best just to slowly ease out of your tense situation with the gryffindor and try to focus on your studies instead of just beating Remus. You didn’t raise your hand at every question, spent more time socializing over studying, and didn’t make any sarcastic comments when he got an answer right, just simply continued on with the class. At first Remus thought he was victorious, that he’d finally beaten the y/h witch, deemed one of the brightest students at Hogwarts, and he was happy about it, but he felt he didn’t really care. In fact he missed the constant banter with you. He didn’t like the rivalry between you two either, but he still enjoyed playfully arguing with you over small things and seeing the competitive look in your eyes.

“L/n’s been pretty quiet recently,” James remarks, “I think you did it mate, I think you finally outsmarted her!” He laughs, clapping Remus on the back. The rest of the group looked unsure, especially Remus. Peter pipes up quietly, “I don’t know James, I saw her notebook just yesterday and she already had everything about today's lesson written down, there’s no way she could’ve been stumped.” Sirius rolls his eyes, “You guys can’t be that confused right?, y/n probably just got tired of this petty battle, they’ve been at it almost, what? Four years now? You can’t say you’re not tired, can you Moony?” Sirius rolls his eyes. Remus remains quiet, thinking it over. “I guess not, but for some reason I almost miss it, at least she talked to me then.” Remus sighs leaning back onto the couch in the common room. It was no secret to the Marauders that the shy brunette had accumulated feelings for his little rival over the years, secretly looking forward to DADA classes for the soul purpose of seeing you.

“Well you could try talking to her, y’know, normally?” James suggests with a shrug. Remus sighs “I guess, but you guys know I couldn’t, I could possibly put her in danger, or, what if I lose control and hurt her or worse-”

Sirius scoffs, “Oh sod off Moony, if this is about your, furry little problem, the last person you’d need to worry about is y/n, she’s a master in Defense Against the Dark Arts, not only would she be fine with it, but she she probably knows all about werewolves! Hell, I wouldn’t be surprised if she already knew.” Sirius finishes, avoiding his friend’s shocked eyes at his small outburst, but someone had to say it. “Well- you have to admit he has a point.” Peter says turning back to Remus. “I’ve worked with y/n before for a project on werewolves bites, and she actually finds werewolves are misunderstood.” He continues.

Remus looks between his friends, and sighs, “I don’t have a choice but to give this a go, do I?” James grins, “c’mon Moony, you know, you two are practically made for each other!” He nudges his best friend, wiggling his eyebrows knowingly. “James!” Remus shoves his head into hands, a red blush coating his cheeks. “W-what should I even talk about? What if she doesn’t want to talk? Maybe she still hates me and I’d mess this all up if I talk to her!” Remus begins to ramble.

“What are you twats going on about?” A voice calls out, Lily emerges from the portrait door, oh no. “Moony’s got a crush!” James calls out. Remus shoots James a death glare, cursing the fact he was head over heels for y/n’s best friend. “Oh really? Who’s the lucky girl?” Lily laughs, walking over to the other gryffindors. Remus speaks before James can say anything else. “It doesn’t matter! Haha, how are you Lily?” He tries to steer the conversation away from his love life, but is unsuccessful. “Good..? Remus, what’s got you so nervous? I won’t tell, you know that.”

Oh, I don’t know, she's your best friend that probably hates me, that I pretended to hate for 4 years, you know, just things I talk about on the daily. Remus thinks to himself sarcastically. Lily’s mouth drops open. Oh shit he said that out loud.

“You fancy y/n?” Lily’s mouth remains agape. Remus winces, “Maybe? Is that a bad thing?” He questions, crossing his fingers for a good answer. “Well bloody hell Lupin, I did not see this coming that’s for sure!” The red-head lets out a laugh. “y/n almost never talks about her love life though so I can’t say much, just know that she’s never hated you, just got caught up y’know.” She plops down on the sofa across from the boys, Remus nods. “So, when did this happen?” Lily questions fixing her eyes on the shy boy. “W-well it’s hard to say really,” Remus furrows his brows, in thought, one memory stands out.

“One day, while I was studying, in second year I think, I noticed y/n sitting at another table scanning a textbook, and well, I felt different, she didn’t seem like the annoying girl in Defence Against The Dark Arts anymore, she was beautiful, and from there it only got worse.” Remus feels himself think back to that day, how your hair cascaded perfectly down your face, and how your lips were slightly parted while you read. He remembered his heart speeding up before he dashed out of the library, very confused. “Aw, that’s so sweet Moony.” Sirius teases making kissy faces at his friend. Remus feels his face heat up again. “Sirius quit teasing him, it’s cute!” Lily scolds the dark-haired Marauder, when suddenly her face lights up. “You know, y/n’s in the library, right now, you should go down and talk to her!” Lily suggests. James stands up and tugs on Remus’s arm to pull him to his feet. “Excellent idea my Lily flower, let’s go now!” Sirius and Peter stand and follow behind, ignoring Remus’s small attempts at objection. Lily catches up to Remus and James as they make their way out of the portrait door.

“Just be casual Remus, everything will be okay.” She reassures. It didn’t help Remus’s racing heart.

The group steps into the library and spots you at a table by a window, slowly scratching a quill against parchment. They walk closer to you and poke their heads around to look at you. You glance up at the Marauders, “Um, hi guys?” you greet awkwardly. “Good to see you y/n, hate to interrupt, but Remus wanted to talk to you.” James pushes the adorable brunette forwards before rushing off followed by Sirius, Peter and… Lily, you narrowed your eyes, what was going on? Brushing it off you look up at the gryffindor boy. “You can take a seat if you want Lupin.” You offer, picking your quill up again. “Oh, thanks y/n.” He sits in the chair right beside you. “Now how can I help you? If you need help with anything you can just ask.” You state scribbling down some notes in your notebook. “A-actually, um, I’d just like to talk to you y/n, about… You.” Remus begins to panic, did that sound right? Oh Merlin he was an idiot. You turn to him with a shocked expression.

“Me? Um- sure Lupin, ask away I guess?” You give him a small smile, “as long as we can talk about you too.” You add, feeling bold. Remus lights up, “Yeah, yeah. That sounds great! Alright, where did your love for Defense Against the Dark Arts come from?” He asks, genuinely interested. “Oh,” Your eyes light up. “My father is an Auror and throughout my childhood he’d tell me all about his adventures, and his victories fighting dark wizards and all that sort. I thought it was amazing, so I started to read all about it, wanting to be just like him once I grew up.” You grin broadly.

Your conversation continues, you talk about your childhoods, dreams, goals, ambitions and your favourite books. You learn a lot about the shy brunette boy you never really gave a chance too. You learn he has a love for chocolate, every single kind. He also loves books, enjoying muggle literature in particular, and that he also wants to become an Auror, to protect people and to help the world from dark magic. You found this very admirable and saw that little boy from your first DADA class in a different light. He wasn’t the annoying boy who stole all your thunder anymore, he was the boy that was also just trying to follow his dreams and help the people he loved. You smiled as you listened to him go on about a book he was currently reading, watching his eyes sparkle and his smile widen, it was strange thinking of Remus this way, sure you’d thought the brunette gryffindor was cute, but you’d always tried to shut yourself down when you thought of anything more, so when you found yourself hanging onto his every word and glancing down to his soft pink lips every now and again, you knew something was up. Your past self would’ve kicked you for this, but you found yourself giving into those inevitable feelings for Remus Lupin, and it just felt… Right. This change of heart left no doubt in your mind, and a light flush made its way onto your cheeks.

Remus could’ve sworn he was on cloud nine when he saw the beautiful pink blush come onto your cheeks, was he right? Did you feel the same? He was so happy to be talking to you about anything and everything that he didn’t even realize the Saturday sun turned into night and soon Madam Pince was pushing them out the door. The two of you laughed, taking a walk around the castle, neither of you wanting the conversation to end. You decided to stay in the Clocktower Courtyard for a bit, sitting next to each other on a bench. Remus watches you stare into the night sky, he sees your face relax and he smiles when he sees you close your eyes and take a deep breath of the night air. He thanked his lucky stars there wasn’t a full moon soon, or he would’ve missed this magical day with you. He lets a couple words slip out of his mouth he didn’t intend to say today. “You’re so beautiful y/n.” He sees your eyes widen and your face go pink. “Thanks Remus.” You say smiling back. Godric, his heart swelled when he heard you say his name. Not Lupin anymore, Remus. He felt himself lean in, years of yearning getting the better of him, and felt his forehead touch yours. “I’ve fancied you since second year you know?” He confessed suddenly, “that day you saw me run out of the library was the day I knew.” He saw a smile spread across your face. “Oh Remus that’s so sweet.” suddenly your eyebrows furrow. “Listen, I’m sorry about my arrogance. I was annoyed that you were just as smart as I was and I let a kid’s jealousy get in the way of really getting to know you and I want to apologize for that-” Remus cuts you off. “Darling, it’s alright, we were children, what matters is how you feel now.” Remus cups your hand in one of his, searching your eyes for any sign he should stop, “I- like you too Remus, I think I have for a while, just been to dumb to notice it.” You giggle, looking down at your interlocked hand. Remus places his fingers on your chin and lifts your face so you’re eye to eye again. He pauses, silently asking if this is alright. You nod and he grins, pressing his lips to yours, a rush of heat flows through your body and you're overwhelmed with happiness. Remus can feel he’s practically beaming into the kiss, he can’t believe it, he’s kissing you, he’s actually kissing you! The kiss is chaste at first, but you soon cup his face and pull him closer to you, reaching behind his head to run a hand through his soft curls. Remus sighs at the feeling and you take the opportunity to explore his mouth with your tongue, taking in the taste of chocolate and minty toothpaste. You pull back after a couple seconds, taking steady breaths. “Wow.” You murmur smiling at the boy in front of you. “Can we do it again?” Remus asks, still in a daze with a stupid grin on his face. You lean in again and can feel his lips brush yours before you hear whispers.

“Move over Pads, I can’t see!”

“Shove off James.”

“Ow, Peter that’s my foot!”

“Oh My Godric they kissed!”

There’s a loud crash. You look over to see Sirius, James, Peter and Lily in a pile on the ground, all sporting guilty looks on their faces. “Um- Congrats you two! We were just heading back to the common rooms!” Lily stutters out, removing herself from the pile and quickly walking off with the rest of the group hot on her tail.

You and Remus look at one another before bursting into a fit of laughter, unable to get the look on the group’s faces when they were caught out of your heads. Remus slowly stands up, offering a hand to you, “We should probably get going, love. It’s getting real dark.” You nod and take his hand. Remus pulls you close to him and you stand there for a couple more seconds, “You know, I still don’t believe this is happening, that this isn’t a dream, you’re really here in my arms.” Remus confesses nuzzling his nose to yours. You smile gently and press a kiss to his lips. “Well, you better get used to it, cuz I’m not going anywhere.” You quip gently, wrapping your arms slightly tighter around the handsome gryffindor. You can feel him tighten his arms around you as well. “There’s nothing I’d love more.” he whispers into your ear.

#remus lupin #harry potter imagine #harry potter #remus lupin x reader #remus lupin imagine #andrew garfield #remus lupin fluff #fluff #marauders imagine #marauders era #moony wormtail padfoot and prongs #harry potter fluff #harry potter fanfiction #maraduers

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ladykissingfish · 3 years

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At The Zoo with the Akatsuki

*This was an anonymous request in my inbox. Whoever you are, thanks! This was fun to write 😊

Hidan

This guy goes ape for the monkey exhibits. Lemurs, baboons, marmosets ... but his favorite of all are the gorillas. He’s blown away by how intelligent the animals are, and how closely they act like humans. Hidan likes to stand by the glass in these exhibits and make a variety of gestures to see which ones they’ll copy. His favorites are sticking up his middle finger and scratching his behind, which he’ll laugh himself silly over when the gorillas mimic his motions. Besides the primates, he’s also fond of the giraffes enclosure. Once the group went to a zoo where they allowed people to physically interact with these majestic beauties, and Hidan wouldn’t let them leave this one exhibit for nearly two hours, because he couldn’t get enough of petting their long necks. He’s the type to ignore the Do Not Feed The Animal signs for most attractions, and in fact tries to start fights by throwing peanuts and other treats through the bars or over the glass.

Sasori

He mainly thinks that zoos are boring, and doesn’t really get why the others seem so enthused to go. The one thing he does enjoy are reptile houses; he’ll move slowly through the dark rooms and gaze at the different snakes, lizards, colorful frogs, and whatever else is being showcased. Is more of a people watcher than an animal watcher, and finds the reactions of those looking at different species more entertaining than the animals themselves. Will spend the most time walking around with Deidara; he finds the blonde’s childlike enthusiasm to be refreshing, and it’s one of the few rare times that the two can be together without arguing about art.

Deidara

Deidara has an odd, odd grudge against hippos. He’s told the others ad nauseam about a memory he has of when he was a little boy, and his father taking him to a local zoo. According to Deidara, his father wasn’t watching him, Deidara slipped down an embankment and landed in a hippopotamus hole, and the beasts charged at him, teeth bared. He was rescued by the zookeeper, so he says, and he remembers getting “a lot of free shit” because of the incident. But the others doubt that any of this happened, and try (unsuccessfully) to convince him that this was just a vivid dream. But Deidara doesn’t buy it: he’ll stand at the top of a hippo exhibit and hurl insults down below, until the others can drag him away. Aside from this one weird tic, Deidara actually really enjoys the zoo, and spending time with the others in such a calm, relaxing environment. He especially likes the bird houses, and could spend hours whistling at or cooing to the beautifully colored, winged creatures.

Kakuzu

This guy tries to pretend that going to the zoo is a waste of time, too expensive, etc etc ... but in reality he loves this particular outing like no other. He’s never told anybody this, but when he was a very young boy, he lived with his parents on a farm. Exhibits of “common” animals such as sheep, goats, pigs and bulls or bisons puts him in mind of the happier, simpler times of his life. He may be the oldest but he moves faster than anyone in the group; the others think this is because he’s in a hurry to get the trip over with, but really it’s because he’s enthused (and impatient) to see each and every exhibit that there is. Still, Kakuzu is ALWAYS going to be Kakuzu ... he’ll snap at the others if they ask him for money for souvenirs, and he’ll have to be physically dragged from the snack shops once he sees (and starts yelling about) how high the food prices are. “$13.99 for a cheeseburger?! It better be the entire f*ck*ng cow on that plate!”

Kisame

Going to the zoo is always a duality of emotion for Kisame. On the one hand he’s part animal himself, so it bothers him to see other animals locked up and on display like prisoners. But on the other hand, he has the alpha-like mentality that being part human elevates him beyond the level of the others, therefore it’s ok for him to go and look at the “lesser beings”. Although he has fish DNA, by contrast, his favorite things to look at are the big cats. Lions, tigers, leopards, jaguars ... Kisame admires these beauties to no end. “Jokes” so much about climbing the barricades and riding one of these kitties that the others start to take him seriously and someone keeps one hand on his arm while near these exhibits. Walking along in the sun is nice for awhile but after several hours of this he begins to get tired and dehydrated; there’s been several times when he’s been caught taking “a quick dip” in open-water exhibits such as the penguin tank.

Itachi

Lions? Tigers? No, it’s Bears for this boy. These furry mammals provide him with hours of watching delight. He’s especially fond of polar bears, and could spend forever watching them walk around on glaciers and go for swims underwater. One time he and Kisame were sent on a mission to a foreign country. They were supposed to return within 2 weeks, but they didn’t make it back for almost a month. Kisame covered and said it was because they ran into extensive traffic difficulties ... but the reality was the place they were sent to had a zoo with an interactive koala exhibit, and Itachi went every single day to have the little cubs crawl all over him ... even going so far as to put the owners of the zoo under a gengetsu in order to maximize his time limit.

Zetsu

Depends on what kind of mood he’s in, as to whether he’ll join the others at the zoo. If he goes, he is always mistaken for being a wildlife plant mascot, because of his unique foliage. His hobby is trying to sneak into as many exhibits as he can, posing as a plant, before the others (or the animals themselves) notice that he’s there. He doesn’t quite have a favorite animal but finds himself attracted to the gracefulness of flamingoes. He can’t stay with the others too long, however, as all that natural sunlight gives him a “brightness overload”, as he calls it. An ideal zoo day for him would be one where it’s partly cloudy and/or lightly drizzling; but the others prefer to go in the full sunlight.

Konan

Absolutely loves going to the zoo with the others. She’s the one who will read the zoo map and try and put them on a schedule to ensure that they see everything there is to see. Also the only one who will think to bring a bag filled with water and small snacks for the others (which Kakuzu appreciates more than anyone because he hates them wasting precious money on the in-zoo snack stands). Is fond of all the animals but her favorites are elephants. She often tells the others how highly intelligent and sensitive these creatures are, how they look after and care for their mates and their families. Tobi tells her that she reminds him of an elephant, which the others will smack him for because what woman wants to be called an elephant? But Konan will smile and hug him, because she understands what he means. One time as a group they surprised her, and found an elephant sanctuary where one was allowed to play with elephants. Konan spent a full day there laughing and getting sat on/cuddled by playful baby elephants. At the end of the day everyone received a muddy hug and kiss from her, which they tried to act grossed out by but were really happy about. Also should be noted that when at regular zoos, the heeled sandals that Konan wears often quickly tire her out, so more often than not she’ll be offered a ride on Kisame’s shoulders, or (if Sasori is walking around in it) on top of Hiruko.

Pein

Doesn’t particularly like the zoo, because he isn’t the fondest of animals, caged or not. Will only go with the others if Konan insists on it, as she feels Nagato needs to experience some pleasant imagery once in a while (through the Pein body). He’s the type to pick up every single pamphlet or brochure outside of each exhibit, study the information carefully, then quiz the others later on different fact about what they saw. Since he’s not a fan of animals he really doesn’t have a favorite, but he most enjoys watching wolves. He can always identify which one is the alpha male, and he observes the way it leads its pack around for future inspiration for his own group.

Tobi

When they go to the zoo as a group, somebody has to be assigned to this guy, to keep an eye on him. He gets so enthusiastic with the different animals and sights that he often throws caution (and common sense) to the wind, which allows for dangerous situations to happen. Once, he managed to break the gate on the tiger enclosure because he said it looked like they weren’t warm enough where they were, and would probably like to be outside with the people. Chaos and a wide panic ensued, and the rest of the group had had to get him out of there before they were all arrested. Tobi claims he likes all animals the same, that “they’re all Tobi’s friends!”, but his favorite-favorite are penguins. He loves the way they waddle, and will walk around the whole day after they visit this attraction trying to imitate that walk, until Deidara yells at him to “walk like a grown man, Tobi, hm!” He also really likes the snacks that they offer at the zoo and will likely run through his weekly budget as he buys tons of popcorn, candies, and ice cream to munch on as he walks around. Always cries when it’s time to go; usually takes 2-3 other members to drag him out by the arms.

#the akatsuki #the zoo #konan #pein #tobi #deidara #sasori #itachi #kisame #hidan #kakuzu #zetsu

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jungshookz · 4 years

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ok anyway build-a-bear employee!jin who meets y/n bc she comes in to make a new friend after a breakup and he teases her for being an adult by herself in the store and after she starts tEARING UP he’s like okok no!!!! and helps her make the cutest lil guy and records a cute message to put inside

➺ pairing; kim seokjin x reader

➺ genre; employee!jin, i brought you to build-a-bear so obviously this is going to be very floofy (sfw!!)

➺ wordcount: 4k

➺ what to expect; “…turning twenty-two soon and you’re buying yourself a teddy bear?”

➺ note; when i told u guys that jin always gets the cutest drabble requests i wasn’t LYING!!! i have my own bear from build-a-bear named blu (he’s dark blue with white stars!! at the age of eight i was not very good at coming up with creative names) so obviously i had to write something for him and his homies

»»————-　🧸————-««

jin has a love-hate relationship with his job

you would think that working at build-a-bear would be pretty fun - and it can be, sometimes! - but jin can confirm right here right now that it’s not aLL that great

on one hand, he loves the dramatics of build-a-bear because he’s given the chance to act like the whole store is whimsical and that the tiny little heart that he stuffs inside of the bear is full of magic and hope and happiness (he majored in acting in university so his degree is surprisingly very useful here)

but on the other hand… he works at build-a-bear.

this isn’t where he thought he’d be!!! not at all!!!

he’s basically almost thirty and he works at a frickin build-a-bear

this wasn’t part of his plan!!!

his plan was to graduate from university, get famous from acting in a small commercial because of his devilishly handsome face, and then immediately get signed onto some fancy hollywood acting deal and become internationally known

but, no!

he graduated from university, didn’t get any roles in any small commercials, and had to find a way to make money so had no choice but to find work at his local mall

and to make things worse, his boss is literally five years younger than him

he has this bratty little twenty-two year old constantly up his ass and he haTES it

“you forgot the whipped cream on my frappuccino.” jungkook looks up at jin from where he’s sitting behind the counter before raising his drink, “am i blind or are you just bad at listening to instructions? where is the whipped cream, seokjin? WHERE?”

jin clenches his jaw before leaning forward, “they were busy, i guess they just forgot. and i’m not your slave. i only got you that drink so you’d give me a day off tomorrow.”

“well, since there’s no whipped cream on it, you don’t get a day off.” jungkook kisses his teeth before shrugging

“wha-“ jin resists the urge to reach down and wrap his hands around jungkook’s neck, “are you kidding me right now?? i spent forty-five minutes out of my fifty minute lunch break lining up at starbucks to get that for you! forty-five minutes!!!”

“i don’t know what to tell you,” jungkook hums as he kicks his legs up onto the counter and leans back against his chair, “now get back to work. and remember to smile! after all, build-a-bear is where best friends are made-“

“the new slogan is ‘the most fun you’ll ever make’.” jin raises a brow, “you don’t even know our slogan! how did you become the manager?”

jungkook takes a slow sip of his drink while maintaining direct eye contact with jin

sChLuuUuRrRRRr

jesus christ

his life sucks

jin rolls his eyes before turning on his heel and heading back to the main area of the shop

today’s saturday, so the store is a little busier than it usually is - which is great, because jin works off commission and he thinks he’s pretty good at selling teddy bears

on his best day he managed to sell thirty-eight bears in one day

he also convinced most of the kids that their brand new furry friends needed new clothes and a personalised recorded message in place of the usual little red cloth heart

he doesn’t like looking at the parents whenever he’s egging their kids on to buy even more things because they always look at him like they’re going to kill him

anyways

he could’ve ordered like forty frappuccino’s from the money he made on that day

before he left for lunch today he sold eight which really isn’t that impressive

but, to be fair, the mall usually gets busy after lunch, so now is the prime time to make some sales

jin lets out a breath as he scans the store for any newcomers or anyone who’s noT already being bombarded by his co-workers

he can’t help but snicker to himself when he notices yoongi at the stuffing station conducting a heart ceremony

“-and now you can go ahead and give your heart a little kiss-“

he looks up for a split second and jin takes the chance to blows a sweet little kiss at him

he snorts to himself when yoongi’s eye twitches

yoongi hates giving heart ceremonies but he’s actually pretty good at it!

he’s good with children whether he wants to admit it or not

alright, enough making fun of yoongi >:-)

time to hunt down a new customer…

jin sucks his bottom lip into his mouth as he walks around the store slowly

ooh, a little boy and his family just walked i- aaand they’ve been swept up by jimin

okay, no problem!

how about those twin gir- nope, too late, taehyung’s approaching them

damn

that would’ve been a good sale, too

it’s fine

he’ll get someone!

oh, wow

build-a-bear has really upped their game since the last time you were here

to be fair, the last time you were here was like more than ten years ago, so you’d hope that they make some changes to the store

…are those star wars themed teddy bears??

that is most definitely a princess leia teddy bear

and she even gets her own little light sabre!

wow

this is a whole new world

“excuse me, sorry…” you manoeuvre your way through the crowd as you continue looking through your options

is it weird that you’re in here by yourself?

the thought of trailing behind a random child in order to blend in with everyone else crosses your mind for a split second

although… a grown woman creeping behind a child they don’t know probably isn’t going to sound good to the judge when you’re standing in court, so maybe you shouldn’t do that

okay

you know what

it’s fine

it’s totally fine that you’re in here by yourself!

stuffed plushies are for people of all ages!!

it’s not just a kiddie thing

you’re FINE

and you have a perfectly legitimate reason to be in here

the only reason why you’re even in here is because…

well, the short and sweet version is that you got dumped two weeks ago.

which means that you’ve been cooped up in your apartment for the last fourteen days

which means your bedroom was starting to smell a little ripe so you thought it’d be good to air out the place and give your poor bed a break

(also, please, for the love of god, remember to wash your sheets when you get back home later today.)

anyways

you thought that a trip to the mall for some retail therapy would make you feel better!

so far you’ve only been the food court but you helped yourself to a cheeseburger, some onion rings, and a vanilla milkshake

food always makes you feel better

you could honestly go for another round of onion rings right now

there’s nothing quite like the pain of having your heart broken nudge you towards the direction of binge-eating the pain away, is there?

you were about to head into a victoria’s secret to splurge on pretty panties (that no one but yourself will be seeing for a long time) but this build-a-bear caught your eye

a cuddle buddy you could ugly-cry into for the simple price of $35?

obviOUSLY you had to come in

the only issue now is that there are way too many options to choose from

who do you want to take home??

pawlette the bunny?

toothless from how to train your dragon?

you could even take pikachu home if you wanted to

“timeless teddy…” you mutter to yourself as you dig out a teddy bear skin (also, it’s very unsettling that they’re called ‘skins’. like, you know that’s what they technically are, but the phrase ‘i’ve picked out my skin!’ just makes your skin crawl.)

you lean forward a little to read the label on the wall

teddy bears are a timeless way to share love with every hug! timeless teddy is a classic teddy bear with shaggy brown fur and an adorable smile. personalize this classic teddy bear with outfits, sounds and accessories for a huggable gift they'll cherish forever!

perfect!

a classic teddy bear sounds perfect

there’s nothing wrong with going back to basics

also, you’re assuming the ‘they’ll’ they’re referring to here is a child

…

you are doing this

you will buy this teddy bear!

your other option was to go and adopt a cat from the shelter but you can barely take care of yourself right now so that wouldn’t be a good idea

“hello!” you jump three feet into the air when you’re suddenly being greeted by one of the bright-eyed workers, “can i help you find anything?”

you turn around quickly while clutching your teddy’s skin (gag) to your chest with wide eyes, “h-hello!”

hello indeed

you feel your heart drop a little when you realise that you probably look disgusting right now

you weren’t expecting to bump into a veRY attractive super handsome boy today!!!

very attractive super handsome boy with sweet brown eyes and soft-looking hair and the poutiest lips you think you’ve ever seen in your entire life-

thank god you decided to wear the sweatshirt that doesn’t have any stains on it, right?

the one thing you remember from your previous build a bear experience (once again, 10+ years ago) is that the workers here are usually overly perky sixteen year old girls

this guy is not an overly perky sixteen year old girl

well

maybe he’s the perky part

but everything else??

wowie

he smiles brightly at you before tilting his head, “hello. i’m jin!” he points at his name tag, “i’d love to help you out today. were you looking for anything in particular?”

“hi! hello, jin. i’m, um, i’m y/n. i was, uh-“ you clear your throat, “i was actually just browsing, so…”

“oh, perfect!” jin claps his hands together, “let me tell you all about our collections. there’s the summer fun collection, the rainbow friends, the promise pets, the heartables, the classic build-a-bear collection-“

yeah okay

he’s definitely nailed the perky part of the job

“-DC comics, dr. suess, marvel, my little pony, how to train your drag-“

“you know, i-“ you smile sheepishly after interrupting jin, “thank you so much, but i’ve actually already made my decision, if that’s alright.” you hold your teddy’s limp, hollow carcass up before pressing your lips together

“of course that’s alright!” jin takes the skin from you before shrugging lightly, “i figured i’d just let you know of all the other options in case your younger sibling wanted something more extravagant than just our timeless teddy. follow me to the sound station!”

you don’t get a chance to say anything before jin spins around swiftly to head to the back of the store

he thinks this bear is for your younger sibling

okay, you can work with that!

you can pretend like you’re in here for your non-existent younger sibling and certainly not for yourself

“you can choose a pre-made sound from here,” jin gestures to the bins of plastic hearts (there’s a sound option for an ‘into the unknown’ snippet from frozen 2 which is insane), “or we can go ahead and record a personalised message. what’s your sibling’s name?”

you look up at him immediately

“wha- um, why… why do you need to know my sibling’s name?”

“oh! i was just asking so i could give you an example.” jin hums as he tosses the skin over his shoulder and places his hands on his hips, “like, you could say, hey there… sibling’s name, it’s me, your big sister! i love you! or something like that.”

“ah, right!” you nod to yourself, “that makes sense! my sibling’s name is totally normal information that i have no problem giving to you.”

jin raises a brow when he notices you continuing to ramble about how your sibling’s name is something that you will be telling him soon because you definitely know the name of your younger sibling whomst’ve this bear is for

you’re cute but you’re a little odd

“-my younger sibling’s name is… paulette!” you catch a glimpse of a pink pawlette bunny being stuffed before looking back over at jin, “yep. that’s her name. sweet, sweet paulette. sweet little angel.”

“hey, our iconic bunny is named pawlette!” jin beams, “wouldn’t you want to get paulette her own pawlette? instead of a bear?”

the smile immediately drops from your face

oh god

you’ve never been very good at lying

one time in middle school when you wanted to get out of PE you told the teacher that you were in pain and that’s why you couldn’t do anything on that day

and when he asked you what hurt, all you said was ‘…bleeding out of my butt?’

you don’t even know why you said that!!

you could’ve told him you had a headache or something but nO

you told your teacher your asshole was BLEEDING and that’s why you couldn’t participate in baseball

so yeah

lying has never been your forte

but you don’t want pawlette!!

you want this bear!!!

although, it would make sense to get paulette her own pawlette because that’d be an adorable coincidence…

what are you-

what are you even sAYING

PAULETTE DOES NOT EXIST

“okay, you got me!” you raise your hands in defence and jin’s eyes widen in surprise, “paulette isn’t a real person. i don’t have a younger sibling. i’m in here for me. the bear is for me. the timeless teddy is mine.”

“oh…!” jin purses his lips before nodding slowly, “alright! totally get it. the bear is for you.”

why has everyone he’s ever been attracted to turned out to be a little cuckoo?

the expected demographic of build-a-bear are children aged 3-10 (a child aged below three isn’t interested in stuffed teddies because they don’t really do anything but sit there and a child aged over ten isn’t interested in stuffed teddies because… they don’t really do anything but sit there.)

and you… well, unless you’ve experienced some kind of insane growth spurt, you certainly don’t look like someone aged 3-10 years old

“phew! it feels good getting that off my chest.” you breathe out as you lean over and place your hands on your knees, “there was a lot of pressure there to keep lying to you but-“

“how, um, how old are you, by the way?”

jin doesn’t mean to sound like a judgy bitch

he’s just genuinely curious as to why a 21-23 year old would willingly go into a physical build-a-bear store to buy themselves a stuffed plushie

you could’ve purchased one off the online website

also, aren’t there better things to spend your money on?

like… literally anything besides a stuffed plushie??

“turning twenty-two soon!” you get back up onto your feet, “why do you ask?”

“…turning twenty-two soon and you’re buying yourself a teddy bear?” jin snorts before raising a brow, “i mean, really? didn’t you graduate this year?”

“ah, well…” you reach up to scratch the back of your neck as you feel the tips of your ears beginning to heat up, “i mean, yeah, but like…”

“i’m not judging! some people go on grad trips to party and get wasted after they graduate, and other people go to the mall to build themselves a $35 teddy bear-“ jin laughs to himself before turning around to plop the skin down on little counter attached to the stuffing machine, “anyways, were you thinking about choosing a sound or recording something?”

he spins back around and his eyes widen when he notices that your eyes have gotten red and are starting to water

uh oh

what’s going on?

what’s happening??

are you…

are you crying??

why are you crying??

he was totally kidding!!!

that wasn’t supposed to be mean!!

that was supposed to be playful banter!!!

“oh- oh, god no- wait-“ jin immediately walks over so that he’s standing in front of you and jungkook won’T be able to see that he just upset a customer, “don’t cry!! i was kidding!! i have, like, ten plushies on my bed! i’m twenty-seven and i work at a build-a-bear, if anything, i should be the one crying-”

“i just-“ you reach up to wipe at your eyes as you begin to blubber, “my boyfriend of one year b-broke up with me two weeks ago and i- i just th-thought that a teddy bear would make good company because god knows i’m not in the right mental state to be taking care of a real animal-!”

jin winces when you let out a particularly loud sob and he quickly drags you over so that the two of you are behind the stuffing machine and out of sighT from everyone

crap

he doesn’t even have any tissues on him!!!!

maybe he can pull some fluff out from the machine and you can dab at your tears with that

actually, the cotton might stick to your cheeks if you try wiping your tears away with a fistful of stuffing, so maybe not

“i-i know it’s stupid and humiliating for a grown-up to be in here buying a stupid teddy bear for herself but there’s so much in my life that’s just out of my control right now a-and making this teddy bear seemed like the only thing i could control and i just-“

“y-yes, of course!” jin pulls you into a tight hug (your sobbing is getting a little loud and people are starting to notice so this is the only way he can think to muffle your crying) and strokes the back of your head comfortingly, “i’m so sorry, i had no idea! that makes total sense, of course you can get this teddy bear for yourself…”

he continues to hold you until your sobs reduce to little hiccups and gives a warning look when yoongi mouths whether or not they should call mall security on your ass

when you pull away your eyes are a little puffy and the tip of your nose is red

if jungkook asks, maybe jin can get away with saying that your allergies acted up in the middle of the store

you don’t look like that because he made you burst into tears

not at all!!

“how about we… record a special message for your new friend?” jin digs through the tub to pull out an electronic heart

“i-“ you hiccup, “i don’t really h-have anything i want to say…”

jin purses his lips in thought

stuffing the bear with a heartbeat heart seems way too basic

this is an important bear!

ah!

“why don’t you let me take care of it, okay?” he reaches over and rubs your shoulder gently, “you wait here and i’ll take care of everything. for his stuffing, would you like a soft cuddle bear or a plump one?”

your bottom lip starts to quiver again and you let out a light laugh, “a soft cuddle bear sounds really sweet.”

“then a soft cuddle bear it is.”

“and this is for you.” jin hands you the box over the counter and you take it from him with a grin, “thank you for your purchase! and… sorry about making you cry-“

“oh, god no-“ you snort, “i’m sorry for bursting into tears and loading all of that on you-“

“it’s totally fine!” jin shakes his head, “you’re definitely not the first person to start crying in a build-a-bear, so there’s absolutely nothing to feel bad about.”

“right! right, of course.” you nod and press your lips together, “anyways, thanks for helping me out today, jin.”

“of course! it was a pleasure.” jin clears his throat

it’s pretty clear that the two of you want to continue talking to each other, but…

jin doesn’t usually practice his flirting skills when he’s at build-a-bear, so pardon him for being a little rusty

“so… see you around!” you chirp, “i’m just gonna-“

“wait, uh-“ jin wipes his hands down on the back of his pants, “i… i don’t know if maybe this is a little too soon for you or… and it’s totally fine if you don’t want to, but… maybe i can treat you to an apology corndog or something sometime? i don’t know. this mall doesn’t really offer fine dining, so a corndog is really all i can-“

“yeah, i would love that!” you nod enthusiastically, “an apology corndog with you sounds great. i mean, a regular corndog would be fine too, but- d-do you… want my number?”

also

this isn’t you rebounding or anything

this is the first time in two weeks where your mind hasn’t been clouded with thoughts of your ex-boyfriend

this is the first time in two weeks that you’re actually happy

jin seems genuinely sweet and you wouldn’t mind getting to know him :-))

also you’re glad that hE was the one who asked

because if you were the one who asked, it’d probably make you look that much more pathetic

and you’ve already made a fool of yourself once today!!

you sigh happily as you slam the car door shut

you’re about to shove the key into the ignition when suddenly you remember that your bear has a personalised message inside of him

“oh, right!” you reach over to open up the cardboard house that he’s been shoVed into

!!!

you wonder what soundbyte jin picked out for you!!!

you pull him out and smile fondly at the sight of his chubby arms dangling over your hands

cute :-))

this was money well spent for sure

okay, now how do you activate the sound…

there’s a bit of squeezing and poking but you manage to find the little heart inside of him

you perk up when you hear a muffled crackle

“hi, y/n! it’s me, your furry friend… uh… jin bear! if you’re listening to this, it probably means you’re super sad… cry into my stomach to muffle the sound of your violent sobs! …oh, god, probably shouldn’t have said that- anyways, um, i hope you feel better soon! and remember to give me plenty of cuddles - i promise it’ll make you feel better!”

that was actually a pretty good message

(you hope jin texts u soon)

“okay, jin bear.” you murmur quietly as you buckle him into the passenger seat, “time to take you home.”

help me help you make your wishes come tru (aka send me a request)

requested drabbles masterlist

354 notes · View notes

dc41896 · 3 years

Text

Grown Up

Happy belated Thanksgiving🦃! I wanted to post this before or on the actual day, but time got the best of me. Hope you guys like it!

Pairing: Chris EvansxBlack Reader

⚠️: None, all fluff☺️!

Following the delicious smell of ham, turkey, dressing, and other Thanksgiving dishes, River’s stomach growls peeking on his tip toes over the table at the various foods spread across it. Ever since the three of you flew in the day before, he couldn’t wait to dig into all his favorite foods and eat until his little belly felt swollen.

“Mommy, can we eat now?,” he asks as you walk by with yet another dish in your hands to put on the table.

“Not yet, but everything’s almost done. I’ll come get you when it’s time okay?”

“Kay.” Sighing, he makes his way to the living room hearing his cousins going back and forth as they shout out random directions leaving him confused.

“What’s that?,” he asks standing beside his two older cousins, Nick and Kira, sat on the leather ottoman.

“Fortnite,” Nick answers not taking his eyes off the screen in front of him. “No! Don’t go that way, meet me by the lake.”

Watching the animated characters jumping and running about as they sporadically built things to hide in, he found himself drawn to the screen and wanting to participate himself since they seemed to be having so much fun laughing and high-fiving as a different character disappeared.

“Can I play?”

“Um maybe later River, we still got a while before this game ends,” Kira answers taking a break to push her glasses higher on her nose before returning to her hurried button mashing as an armed group approaches them.

“When’s that?”

“We don’t know.”

“Why?”

“Because-dang! Quick revive me!”

“I am! River go sit down, we gotta focus. Plus your mom and dad may not even want you playing since you’re too little.”

“Am not,” he pouts crossing his arms across his chest.

“Are too, you’re only four. This game is for big kids like us,” Nick countered making River even more upset.

“I’m big boy too!”

“And I’m tired of y’all going back and forth!,” another one of his older cousins, Mary, interjects from the couch with her feet propped up. “I’m having an important conversation over here.”

“What important conversation? You’re just talking to your boyfriend,” Kira teases making her roll her eyes before placing the phone back up to her ear.

Clearly his cousins wouldn’t be letting him play anytime soon.

So with a huff, he turns around heading back to the kitchen until he hears groans and cheers erupt from the basement, where those who weren’t helping in the kitchen watched the football game.

Carefully stepping down the steps while holding onto the railing, he finds his dad, oldest cousins, uncles, and some aunts all spread out in chairs and on the sectional couch chatting about the last play as they drank from red plastic cups.

“Hey bubs!,” Chris smiles patting his knee for him to join him. “You okay?”

Lifting his arms so he could be picked up, he shrugs his shoulders playing with his father’s bigger hand.

“What’s wrong?”

“I can’t play.”

“Play what?”

“For tight.”

“For tight?,” he asks raising an eyebrow. “What is that?”

“A game daddy. You jump and and hide and go bye.”

Before he could press any further on this very unique sounding game, the loud cheers steal his attention as he looks up to see a 49ner’s player run an intercepted ball in for a touchdown making him groan and River cover his ears from the commotion.

“Chris you might as well give it up man, the Pats not coming back anytime soon,” your younger brother, Carter, smirks sipping from his cup.

“I wouldn’t get too cocky yet. Remember we’re the top team at second half comebacks,” he retorts matching his smirk.

“You mean you were the top team. Now that your precious Brady is gone y’all haven’t had too many comebacks.”

“Okay yea losing Brady was a bit of a hit, but we’re still good! We just gotta get use to the new quarterback.”

“Hm are you really still good though?,” Carter asks cocking his head to the side.

“Like the niners are doing any better! You have the same record as us!”

Rather than sit and listen to his dad and uncle argue over teams, he hops down eventually meeting you halfway up the steps.

“Food ready now?”

“Yes sweetheart everything’s ready and you can eat,” you giggle watching him excitedly bounce up and down. “And everyone else in here, food is done! Come eat!”

“Mommy, I sit with you and daddy?”

“No bubs, you sit at the kids table with your cousins remember? Like last year.”

“I want to be with you and daddy.”

“Sorry love, there’s not enough room at the big table. Daddy and I won’t be far away though.”

Following you up the stairs and to the dining room, he wished the kid table never existed. All of his cousins were older than him by at least six years, so he felt alone as they tapped on their phones and told jokes only they understood. Not that they completely ignored him, it’s just their conversation with him wasn’t as long as the conversations they had with each other. As he watched you, Chris, and the other adults talking and laughing he wasn’t really in the mood for food anymore and wished the three of you were back at the hotel, or home even.

“Ma, we’re going outside to play!,” one of his cousins excitedly announced as they rose from their seats at the kids table barely pushing their chairs in.

“Aht! Did y’all throw away your trash first?,” his aunt Jackie asked making Kira sigh clearly wishing they could be outside already.

“Yes.”

“Alright go ahead, and be careful,” she answers as the older kids rush outside.

“Mommy I play too?,” River asks walking over to squeeze between you and Chris.

“Sure sweetie. After I’m finished we can go play.”

“No mommy, play with them.”

“Oh,” you reply looking outside to see the bigger kids, and a couple of the adults splitting up into teams as a football was casually tossed back and forth. “I don’t know River, they’re playing football and-,”

“I like football!,” he beams making you giggle.

“I know bubs, but you’re smaller than your cousins and I don’t want you getting hurt.” At your words, his smile falls and head hangs slightly. You, his dad, and even his grandparents always told him how he was such a big boy now, so why he couldn’t do these things not only confused him, but made him frustrated.

“But I’m a big boy...”

Turning on his heels, he stomps to the living room throwing himself on the couch hiding his head in one of the furry throw pillows beside him.

“You know mommy is just trying to look out for you right River?,” he hears as Chris approaches his spot on the couch, eventually squatting down beside him.

“Yes,” he sniffles turning to look at his father with red tinted eyes.

“Your cousins play a little rougher than what we play in the yard at home bud. That’s probably not a game a four year old should be in.”

“I wish I was old.” Softly chuckling, he wipes his son’s tears before leaning over to kiss his forehead.

“I know it seems fun, but trust me when I tell you to stay a kid for as long as you can. Honestly, I wish I was little like you again.”

“Really?”

“Yep,” he nods. “Being little comes with a lot more perks than you think. Like you can get all the toys, sleep in as much as you want, and you don’t have to worry about bills.”

“Bills?,” River asks sitting up.

“Yea they suck. Like how you feel about going to the dentist every year.”

“Ohh, yea bills are the worst,” he agrees shaking his head and making Chris laugh. “You can play games though. I can’t.”

There’s momentary silence as River fiddles with his hands and Chris looks at his son, taking his time to think how he could make everything better.

“Come with me,” he smiles holding his arms out so River could wrap his around his neck attaching himself to his dad.

“Hey, everything okay?,” you ask as they enter the dining room.

“Almost, I have an idea though that might help.”

“Chris...?”

“Trust me, it’s nothing crazy,” he chuckles kissing your cheek before heading out the back to meet with those playing in the yard.

———

Now finished helping wash the dishes and putting away the leftover food, you step outside in search of your two boys who surely had to be tired after spending over an hour outside. Plus with it getting late, you wanted to get back to the hotel before dark.

Sticking your head out the door, you see Chris and River running from one tree to the other trying not to be seen by everyone else playing. After whispering in his ear, Chris darts out shooting his Nerf gun at Kira and Nick each trying to reach the flag in the middle of the yard.

“Freeze! I got you!”

“Dangit!”

“That’s it, next round Chris is on my team.”

“Not if I get him first!”

As the two kids argue, River manages to dodge the shots from his other cousins reaching the flag and excitedly jumping up and down as he holds it over his head.

“Look! I got it daddy!,” River smiles as his dad jogs over to pick him up smiling himself.

“I see bubs! Good job!”

“Chris! River! You guys ready?,” you shout turning their attention towards the house.

“Mommy, I got the flag!,” River shouts back waving the bright orange, flimsy plastic in front of him.

“I see, congrats love! You guys ready to go? It’s getting late.”

“Aw do they have to leave already auntie Y/N? What about one more round?,” Nick asks wiping the sweat from his forehead.

“She’s right guys it’s getting late, we can pick it up tomorrow though,” Chris replies as they groan.

“Fine, we’ll play again tomorrow. This was a cool game idea River!,” Kira smiles giving him a high-five.

“Yea! It’s like our own version of Fortnite,” Nick adds making his little cousin shyly smile setting his forehead on his Chris’ shoulder.

Giving hug filled goodbyes to your remaining family members still hanging around, the three of you eventually get in your car ready to return to the hotel so you could get ready for bed. Not even 10 minutes in your ride, the sound of soft snores cause you to turn around finding your son peacefully sleeping with head slumped forward.

“Looks like your idea also tired him out,” you giggle. Peeking in the rear view mirror, Chris softly chuckles before letting out a short yawn himself. “Oh, is it past your bedtime too?”

“Um, did you just call me old?,” he smirks with hand on his chest.

“No of course not. I’d never disrespect my elders like that,” you tease causing him to gasp extending his arm to tickle your side. Covering your mouth to avoid waking River with your laughs, you’re finally able to push his hand away after a couple tries. “Stahp!”

“Don’t call me old.”

“I didn’t, I said elder which you technically are being older than me.”

“Well...then...don’t allude to me being or getting old. That’s not nice,” he pouts as he puts the car in park, turning to look at you with those heart melting blue eyes.

“I sowy. Forgive me?” Watching you bat your lashes trying to seem as innocent as you could, he can’t help but laugh bringing your face closer to his.

“Hmm...I guess,” he smiles pecking your lips.

“And thank you for fixing everything with River.”

“Babe you don’t have to thank me. It’s just part of my job being the world’s best dad,” he shrugs nonchalantly.

“And right now, most annoying,” you joke kissing his lips one more time.

Taglist: @fumbling-fanfics @honeychicanawrites @honeychicana @lady-olive-oil @themyscxiras @melinda-january @lovelymari4 @maxcullen @literaturefeen @damnitaa @curlyhairclub @plokyu23 @fullofmelaninsarcasmandepression @nunubug99 @felicity-x0 @ellixthea @jojolu @jnk-812 @brwn-sgr @captainsamwlsn @wildfirecracker @nina-sj @iammyownlover @chaneajoyyy @scoop93535 @secretmysteriousperson

If anybody wants to be tagged, has asked to be tagged but don’t see your name, only want to be tagged for certain people I write for, or no longer wish to be tagged just let me know🤓!

#chrisxblackreader #chrisxwoc #chrisxreader #chris evans

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revasserium · 3 years

Text

運命なんて

commission for @mika-ze; thank you so much for commissioning darling, i hope you like it u__u

things like ‘fate’ hirugami sachirou; 3,016 words of fluffy fluff fluff

one. he remembers it like recalling a dream just dreamt, the image so clear a moment ago and yet fading by the second -- he watches as if through a running stream, the water crystalline in the way it distorts the memory. he doesn’t think so much as he knows that the two of you will be friends, or perhaps more, for a very long time.

he’s all of six years old.

“what’s your cat’s name?”

you look up with eyes the color of molten chocolate, the spark in them just as sweet, just as shy and curious and perhaps, a little apprehensive. your glasses are a bit too big for your face, but you push them up with a finger as you frown up at him, the sketchpad splayed in your lap, charcoal dust smeared across your hands.

“tiger.”

“huh?”

“her name is tiger.”

he blinks.

“why?” he asks.

you shrug, glancing over at the large tabby cat in a walking vest, tethered to a long leash, currently pawing her slow way around the base of a rather ginormous tree. at least, compared to the both of you -- most things are ginormous compared to the both of you.

you frown even harder, and he plops down on the bench next to you; the dog park is filled with, well, dogs -- and one leashed cat. yours.

“because that’s what she’ll grow up to be.”

hirugami squints at you, unsure if he should be the one to break it to you that your cat, large and orange though she is, will not grow up to be a tiger.

he decides that he’ll leave that daunting task to someone else, so he just shrugs and looks back at his own puppy, yipping as he chases a stray tennis ball down the length of the park. neither of you mentions the large sign by the door that says only dogs allowed.

two. middle school is a mess, as middle school is wont to be. but hirugami thinks that if he does what he’s supposed to, practices all the right things, studies hard enough, that everything will be fine. everything should go just the way it was meant to go all along.

he’s almost right. almost.

“everyone say hi to mika, she’s transferring in as of today.”

hirugami blinks, because he needs to (basic bodily function -- he learned that in science the other day, something called biology; he’ll have to ask his parents about it when he gets home), but also because he’s surprised.

it’s you.

“mika,” he says to himself, frowning slightly to himself as he familiarizes himself with the shape of your name in his mouth -- he thinks it’s a nice name. cute. sweet. with a little kick.

he spares a moment wondering why he’d never asked for your name all those times he saw you at the dog park with your cat, tiger. then he spares moment musing upon the fact that he knew your cat’s name before yours but you hadn’t seemed to mind.

“hirugami-kun? do you mind showing mika-chan around school during break today?”

he gets to his feet, his back straight as straight can be, shoulders back, chin up -- posture perfect. he bows and says yes, sensei, of course. when he gets back up, it’s the find you standing by his desk, staring at him with your eyes (your glasses are still a bit big for your face; he spares a moment to wonder if they can grow with you before ridding himself of so ridiculous a sentiment).

“didn’t know your name was... that,” you say, sitting down in the desk next to his.

he looks over, slightly distracted by the charms on your backpack (are those even allowed in school?).

“didn’t know your name was that either,” he says back, because he’s feeling a little childish today. one of the very few days in a week, if he may say so himself (he says so).

break comes as it always comes, and he pushes out of his seat, waiting for you to follow. instead, you give him a brief bow before scurrying off out the door, faster than he can stop you.

“hey -- !” he chases after you, because the teacher had put you under his care, at least for the duration of break, and he’s not about to slack on such a show of trust. you’re surprisingly fast, he thinks as he follows you up four flights of stairs, at the end of which he finds a door clearly labeled do not enter, swinging. he pants as he pushes through it with cautious hands.

“hello? are you up here?”

you turn on him with a scowl on your face.

“shh!”

he’s about to frown at you, about to tell you that it’s not okay to just race off like that and it’s also not okay to go through doors labeled do not enter but he’s halted in his tracks.

hirugami blinks.

clutched in your arms is a very, very large tiger.

no, not an actual tiger -- your cat tiger. but he does have to admit that tiger is starting to look very much like an actual tiger. a small one perhaps, but for a cat, she is very large indeed. her vest looks just as fitted as it did before, and he wonders if things really can grow with the people (or cats) who wear them.

“wh -- you --” for the first time in a very long while, he finds himself at a loss for words.

nothing he’s ever read or practiced or learned or studied or accidentally overheard his parents talking about has prepared him for this.

after a moment, you grin, swinging tiger slightly in your arms. she meows, licking lazily at her own mouth, seemingly unfazed by the way you’re holding her, her legs hanging straight down, almost skimming the ground of the rooftop the both of you are currently on.

the wind picks up and you walk towards him.

“wanna pet her?”

“uh...” hirugami stares as you bring your cat towards him, holding her out with both arms. tiger regards him with an languid sort of look before yawning.

he doesn’t have time to answer before you’re dumping tiger into his arms, almost knocking him off balance because wow he didn’t know a cat could be quite so heavy.

“she’s cute, right?” you grin as you pat tiger’s head now that she’s firmly curled against hirugami’s chest, purring loudly. he gulps, looking down at the large cat. and he can admit that with her round face and her orange fur and her big, green eyes, she could indeed be considered cute. so, he nods.

you laugh, a delighted sort of noise, which startles him, because he’d never really heard you laugh before either.

(at the dog park, he mostly sits next to you while u scribble or sketch, him occasionally peering over and pointing at a random blob with a that’s nice and you answering with a grunt of something that sounds vaguely like thanks.)

“i think she likes you,” you say, scritching tiger behind an ear. tiger mewls, apparently pleased and closes her eyes, folding herself into hirugami’s arms.

he thinks it’s weird, the feeling of feeling a cat’s purr rumble through him. like a tiny little furry motor running, running, running. it makes him shiver and he finds himself smiling.

he forgets to tell you that it’s against the rules to bring pets to school.

three. you go to a game of his, and you don’t really cheer, because you don’t really like places with a lot of people, but you go. and he thinks that it means a lot that you did. you find him after with your smile (that he’s now familiar with) and your glasses (which are still a bit too big) and a milk flavored popsicle (which he’s actually never had before but always wanted to try).

“here,” you say.

“thanks,” he says.

he takes it, studies it for a second before taking a bite. it’s cold against his teeth, but it feels good sliding down his throat; he’s still sweating from the match after all, but they won, so it’s all good.

“my mom’s making okonomiyaki for dinner tonight, wanna come?” you ask.

he takes another bite of icecream.

“didn’t she make that last week?” he asks, frowning when he realizes that it’s a terrible question because he was there last week, and he remembers. and it was delicious.

you nod anyway, because you don’t seem to mind stupid questions.

“yep! and you had a lot, so she’s asking if you wanna eat some more.”

he looks down at the now half-finished popsicle.

“sure, if your family doesn’t mind.”

you laugh, a sound he’s also now familiar with. a sound that he thinks he likes.

“of course not -- we wouldn’t invite you if they did.”

he nods. right. stupid question. he seems to do that a lot with you -- he wonders why. but he finds that he doesn’t mind. because after all, you don’t mind.

and he likes --

“sachirou!”

he turns to find his sister smirking at him. he tries not to scowl, not because he doesn’t like her, but he really doesn’t like her boyfriend -- and she’s always got a boyfriend.

“oh, is this the famous mika-chan? hi there, i’m shokou, sacchi’s older sister,” she grins, offering you a hand.

hirugami feels a wave of heat wash into his cheeks and he’s not entirely sure why. probably because she’d just called him sacchi, a nickname that he really doesn’t like because one of shokou’s boyfriends gave it to him and it stuck. shokou thinks its funny. hirugami, decidedly, does not.

“hi. yes, i’m mika. nice to meet you. are you the one with the boyfriends?” you ask.

hirugami’s eyes go wide as he whirls back around to look at you.

you’re blinking up at his sister like it’s a perfectly normal question to ask someone upon first meeting them (it’s not, but he probably won’t tell you that later either).

shokou laughs, ruffling hirugami’s hair. he shakes it out after, huffing slightly.

“yep, that’s me. so he’s told you about me, hm?”

you shrug, apparently losing interest in her, “just in passing. anyway, i was inviting him over for dinner. mom’s making okonomiyaki and he had a lot last time, so she’s inviting him over for more.”

“yeah, i’ll come,” he says, blurts out, more like, his cheeks feeling hotter than ever. he refuses to look at his sister as he grabs his sports bag and heaves it over his torso.

“i won’t be home too late,” he says, waving over his shoulder as he brushes by shokou, his eyes trained somewhere on the floor in front of him. to your credit, you fling yourself into a hurried bow before dashing off to catch up to hirugami. he’s a fast walker when he wants to be, and right now, apparently, he wants to be.

four. high school is an even more of a mess, as it is wont to be. but he finds that it’s not so bad with you.

he still goes to the dog park with you, and tiger. although tiger seems to be getting on in years. she doesn’t move so nearly as much as she used to, and the hairs around her face are turning a distinctly whitish-grayish color.

“that’s nice,” he says, pointing at your sketchbook. your drawing has gotten much better, and you’re thinking of going to design school. he thinks you should; he doesn’t tell you that it makes him feel a little queasy to know you won’t be in the same school as him anymore.

you smile up at him (some time ago, that smile had started to look like home).

“thanks.” you reach up to tuck a hair behind your ear, your glasses no longer too big for your face because he’d insisted on getting you a new pair last year for your birthday.

you go back to your sketch of a boy -- they never have faces, the people you draw. and when once, he’d asked who they are, you’d gone a strange shade of red and shook your head --

“no one -- th-they’re no one! just... just random people.”

he’d wanted to ask why they looked like him sometimes, but he figures that artists, you know? (he doesn’t know, really. but he pretends he does because it makes you happy.)

he doesn’t know how it became like this, with you -- comfortable, he thinks. and in all honesty, it’d never been uncomfortable, so he supposes that by that logic, it’s always been comfortable. but still, it’s a thing more than mere comfort -- a thing that’s like... settling into a warm bath, or taking the tape from his fingers after a whole day’s practice (sometimes, you come to his practices, and you still don’t cheer, but he thinks that it means a lot you’re there).

“i think tiger’s gonna die soon.”

he blinks, because he needs to.

he blinks again, because he’s surprised you’d said it so plainly, without even looking up from your sketch.

he doesn’t know what to say (and that’s okay, he’s learned), so he keeps quiet instead.

your fingers pause; you turn to look at him, there’s something in your expression he doesn’t quite recognize. maybe... fear, or perhaps sadness of a kind that he’s never come into contact with. a kind of sadness that sinks its claws into your very soul and squeezes till every drop of blood is gone -- you purse your lips and swallow.

you look back down at your sketchbook, but you make no move to start sketching again.

hirugami hesitates for a moment before putting his arm around you. it’s the first time he’s done anything like this, but it feels like the right time to do it, his body tells him, before his mind can quite catch up --

you lean into him, and you sniffle. he pats your arm before sliding his large palm along your back.

“i’m just... scared,” you say, still not looking up.

“what’s there to be scared of? death isn’t that scary, y’know -- its supposed to be just like falling asleep,” he says, looking down at the top of your head. he can smell your shampoo -- sweet, vanilla. you used to use green apple, and then you used lemon-orange for a while. but he likes the vanilla too. he likes it because it’s you.

“no -- it’s not that...” you shake your head.

he waits.

“i -- i’m scared cause... tiger’s always loved me, y’know? we grew up together... and she’s always been there for me. when i was happy, when i was sad... and...” you hiccup and he pats you on the back, “and if she dies then... who’s gonna love me that much?”

hirugami lets out a small laugh, and finally, finally, you look up at him.

he meets your watery eyes with a steady gaze of his own.

he smiles.

“i will.”

you blink up at him. probably because you need to. but also probably (he’s a actually very, very sure) because you’re surprised.

he cocks his head, “objections?”

you blink again.

he hums happily as he tucks you into his side again, a large, floaty feeling filling his chest (he thinks he knows what it is, but he’s in no hurry to give it a name).

“good. now let’s go get some dim-sum. the place you like is doing a promotion.”

he gets up, reaching down to take your hand. you let him. and he thinks that that must mean something.

(it does.)

five. “i’m going out!”

shokou peers at him from over her sunday morning coffee.

“going to see your girlfriend again?” she teases.

hirugami hasn’t told her yet, because there isn’t much to tell, really.

so he smiles, and instead of his usual answer of not answering at all, he gives his head a firm nod.

“yep.”

he steps into his shoes as his sister nearly chokes in the kitchen, the sounds of her coughing echoing down the hall.

“wait -- what? you actually asked her out?”

he turns and fixes shokou with a smug look, “what do you mean? i hang out with her every sunday.”

shokou sputters, and the sight of it brings him more joy than it rightly should.

“y-yeah, but you never admitted that she was your girlfriend before!”

he cocks his head at her.

“what difference does it make? not everyone feels the need to announce their relationships like you do.”

shokou scowls even as he sends her a cheery wave over his shoulder, opening the door and stepping out into the mid-september chill.

you’re waiting for him outside the gate, like you always are. you open your hand and he takes it, the pair of you setting off down the street.

you peer up at him and grin.

“did you tell shokou?”

“not in so many words.”

you laugh, nudging him slightly.

he laughs too, swinging your hands between you.

the pair of you pause outside the gates to the dog park, looking over at the ginormous tree under which the pair of you first met, under which tiger is now buried, safe and sound, with her favorite vest and leash and your solemn promise to love her forever.

and hirugami’s equally solemn promise to love you forever (for her, but for himself too. mostly, he thinks, for himself).

after a moment, you set off towards the dim-sum place.

“i think i’m gonna become a vet,” he says.

you nod, “good. just make sure to pick a school close to mine, okay?”

hirugami laughs again, letting the sound breeze through him like the autumn wind (the best wind, you say).

“i don’t like the thought of not going to school close to you,” you say.

he nods, firmly. certainly.

“yep. me too.”

#haikyuucreations #haikyuu!!#hirugami sachirou #hirugami x reader #haikyuu scenarios #haikyuu imagines #hirugami sachiro x reader #hirugami sachiro #hirugami x you #haicuties #hirugami #floofy floof floof #commissions #woof! that w as fun!!!!#i actually rly liked writing hirugami's character - idk how close i am to his actual character a la furudate sensei's imaginings #but i tried! and !!! pls ! notice ! the way ! he treats u! vs how ! he treats! everyone else! (his sister)#the boi is WHIPPED From dAY NUMERO UNO I TELL YOU #and mika <3333 thank u for #commissioning me!!! this is my first official commissioned work ! and im very happy with it #so i hope you like it too #pls tell me if u have thoughts!!! feedback is important for any writer <3 #and i told u the glasses are a nice thing :D i love thINGS that can REOCCUR like REOCCURING THEMES and YES #anyway i feel like its a very hirugami thing to do to just be like 'yah i'll love u what of it' LMFAO #and then give his sister shit :)#anyways yay!!!!!! first commission done!#oh and for those of u wondering the pronunciation for the title is #unmei nante #idk i thought it was a very... hirugami thing. i could be wrong haha but it sounds nice

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imma-potatoo · 3 years

Text

Property

Blond Janus AU

Summery: Now that Virgil is out of the picture. The Darks have decided that Janus needs to be put in his place.

Set just after AA

Warnings: Drugging, passing out, minor panic attack, forced branding, unsympathetic dark side oc, sympathetic Janus, questionable Virgil, gagging, tying someone up, graphic abuse, food, rats, burning, Apathy is really really creepy, starvation, ask to tag

BE CAREFUL READING THIS ONE!!! This made me have to take multiple breaks during the writing process. I'm serious. Read the warnings.

Word count: ~4319

AU masterpost

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Janus was nervous, Janus was always nervous or scared or something along those lines. But this time it was worse. He felt watched and studied like an animal in a zoo. Virgil had only disappeared a few days ago, he hadn’t been seen since and it was starting to worry the teenager.

Janus slowly creaked out of his bedroom, the ancient floorboards creaking and groaning in protest as the side lightly pressed his weight on them. Idle chatter filed in from somewhere else in the enormous house. The others were loud that day, yelling and screaming, Wrath had always been particularly touchy but today he was just being ridiculous, Apathy had been particularly invasive too. Watching him from the corners of rooms and flicking his lighter open whenever the yellow side got close, and Depression was just gone; no clue where he went.

Janus felt almost like the callous side was planning something, but he needed to eat something. His stomach was churning and painfully seizing in with every breath as it started to digest itself. He hadn’t been able to eat anything in three days, which was a problem, he was beginning to feel faint and weakened. Chilling shivers shot down his spine at the very premise of being completely vulnerable to the much stronger sides. So regardless if Depression had been weirdly sparse that day, or if Apathy was planning something, or if Wrath was going to ambush him in the central hallway, he needed food.

The yellow side kept his steps even and slow, his breath even slower as his fight or flight response kept screaming in every step. But he kept himself calm as he could, the yellow side glanced through the double doorway, seeing Depression walk through the living room to the ballroom; the yellow side waited in bated breath for the blue side to enter the black and gold covered room. Janus managed to slip past unnoticed. He peeked carefully into the kitchen, listening for any of the other hallway doors to open. The large old house settled with an ear-shattering crack. Janus could feel his heart rate spike, he edged the kitchen door open carefully with a creak accompanying it.

Empty.

Sneaking past the door quietly, Janus started to dig around in the cabinets. Janus felt what little pride he had fallen as he caved to the gnawing feeling invading his every thought. Normally he could become numb to that feeling that eroded his stomach, every single night he could practically taste the savory flavor of steak and potatoes or the intoxicating smell of hickory-smoked salmon or even the captivating scent of buttered vegetables that the others ate but he wasn’t permitted to. It made his stomach twist with every trace of the alluring scents.

He took wary steps to the cabinets, opening them softly. Most of the food that he had access to was either stale or coated in black and white mold like a charmel apple at a carnival fair. Janus could feel the burning bile rise in his throat when his ungloved hand grazed the infected food. Deep shivers ran down the sides spine when he touched something furry at the back of the cabinet.

Its fur was as black as the mold on the food, the fibers matted together with oozing brown puss. Its face was narrow where its brown stained nose led up to glaring beady dark crimson eyes. The teeth were sharp as knives, they pushed past the edge of the creature's mouth, dripping thin strips of saliva.

Janus jumped back with the creature bared its teeth and let out an unnatural sound of threatening intent. He crashed into the counter when wide afraid eyes as the demon-like critter scampered off with the last of the food, sliding down to the cold tile when the room started to grow fuzzy and started to spin. The young side put his shaking hand to his chest and followed the breathing exercises his father taught him. Eventually, the sound of his own breathing didn’t overstimulate his ears, the scratching of the other rats didn’t fill his brain with mind-numbing static, the sound of a lighter flicking open and closed didn’t set off his fight or flight, and the spinning of the fan above him allowed fo- wait….. What lighter?

Janus raised his head slowly, at first seeing the polished dress shoes, then the perfectly pressed jet black slacks, the bold white dress shirt illuminating the room better than any dim bulb could, the black suspenders a harsh contrast. The yellow side brought his eyes up to meet the other sides.

The cold unfeeling black eyes of the apathetic side looked down upon the teenager. His face empty and devoid of any emotion, he was eerily still, the only movement his repeated opening and closing of the lighter. The clicking of the lighter shutting blended with the scratching of the rats in the walls as Janus scrambled backward. His nails scraping against the cracked tiles, already stained with blood but cutting open his fingers none the less on the sharp edges, Apathy watched in twisted enjoyment as the yellow side hit the wall with a small groan. “A-Apathy! When did you get here?”

The taller side chuckled lowly, it was fake of course. Everything about Apathy was fake. “Don’t stutter, what are you, Three?” the blank side mimicked a smile, “ I came in when you were using those ridiculous breathing exercises from Paranoia” He looked Janus up and down, “well? Get off the floor Deceit.” The younger side stood up, gripping the counter for extra stability as his legs tumbled and shook. Forcing himself to keep his breathing even and calm, Apathy was known for his dramatic mood swings, one second he’ll beat you to the pulp, the next he’ll help clean and tend to the wounds that he caused “Are you hungry?” Apathy looked down at the yellow side, who barely reached his shoulders, the null side was tall. And imposing, with far too much strength compared to the thin, gaunt, and weak in muscle mass; Janus. Mostly due to the younger side being denied proper nutrition.

“Wha-” Validity didn’t even get to finish his sentence before hearing a low guttural growl coming from the taller side.

His teeth were bared, eyes burning ice into the young side, “Answer the question.” Apathy hissed through his teeth, his eyes glowing a blaring sign of danger which Janus couldn’t see. Janus nodded, his eyes drifted down to avoid the null ones blaring into his soul. The taller side made a small note of feigned happiness, “Sit. I’ll get you something.”

Janus knew better to say no to the second in command, he hopped slightly and sat on the counter with less than a second thought, trying to watch what Apathy was doing but being unable to see due to the height of the side. Janus eventually gave up and resigned to just watch him prepare it.

With his focus placed on the food that the null side was preparing, he missed when Apathy slipped something into a glass of water, but all he could focus on was the starch-filled baked goods that filled his senses. Jannus watched as Apathy sliced two slices of bread from the loaf, flinching when the knife hit the cutting board, the null side opened the fridge and grabbed a few more items before assembling the sandwich, “Have you heard anything from Paranoia?”

Janus rubbed his arms, flinching when he rubbed a bruise a little too hard, “no. I haven’t. I haven’t heard anything from da- Paranoia.”

Apathy hummed slightly, a twisted grin hidden from the yellow side. “Hm, well. I guess he didn’t love you as much as you thought he did.” Janus tightened his grip on his arms. His brow furrowing in thought and concentration.

Janus felt his throat close up, his eyes starting to burn, the hair on the back of his neck standing up in a way that Janus feels is painfully obvious. Apathy could sense the smaller side tense up and grow quieter. He made a mental note of the effects.

“Well! It’s no matter! You’re a dark side anyway. Not like you could ever be accepted anyway!” Apathy turned around with a completed peanut butter and jelly sandwich and a glass of water. “Here. take it” Apathy stared at him with eyes cold and unfeeling. His grin was too sharp, too much teeth, his eyes were filled with too much malice to be completely trusted.

Janus knew this. But Janus was hungry. So so hungry. His stomach lurched at the promise of food, practically begging him to just reach forward and grab the plate. So against his better judgment, Janus took the plate. His mouth nearly dripped with saliva at the very premise. And it wasn’t coated with mold, or rat droppings, he wouldn’t get violently ill even though he tried his very best to prepare the food with the utmost diligence. Janus only spared Apathy a single glance before he took a huge bite.

The taste of strawberry jam and peanut butter overwhelmed his senses. He barely even chewed it before swallowing and taking another huge bite. He could feel Apathy’s eyes on him but couldn’t bring himself to care as he devoured the sandwich like it might be his last meal. To be fair, every meal might be his last in the dark household.

The sandwich was gone as soon as it was given to him, his stomach still ached for food but Janus knew that that would be enough for another day, or two if he really pushed it. He barely had a chance to take a breath before a tall glass of water was shoved in his hands. Two hesitant eyes looked up at the taller side. The contact he was wearing burned his eyes, made it hard to see, made sneak attacks too easy. But he managed to make eye contact with Apathy, eyes still cold and emotionless. Not even an ounce of fake kindness as Apathy starred at the Deceit. His mind was blaring warning signs, everything was too much. The fluorescent lights messed with his already messed up vision but he could tell that this was wrong. Everything was wrong, his mind was screaming at him to stop. Stop, don’t drink the water. He brought the glass to his lips, mind still screaming at him that this would only end in tears and pain and heartbreak. That he should run, run back to his room and lock the door, try to break the iron bars that held him inside like a pathetic pet only to play with and hurt. The water was cool against his throat, it tasted sweet, like berries. He wanted to stop drinking the liquid but his body begged him to continue, to accept the water with a feigned smile and fearful eyes. And he did.

Janus finished the glass, panting slightly. He looked up at Apathy, “Thank you…” Apathy looked down at him with a blank expression.

“No need to thank me, I’m just helping a fellow dark side.” Janus nodded as he hopped off the counter and started for the sink. He took in a large breath as the room started to spin. His mind growing fuzzy as he started swaying back and forth, his breath growing heavy as he started to hyperventilate. The glass fell from his hands, shattering on the floor. His breath started to quicken, even more, eyes watering as he stumbled, attempting to run away with all his strength. Trying to reach the kitchen door to run to his room. His mind was screaming for him to run. Running has saved him so many times. But he couldn’t.

His feet tripped as the room continued to spin, crashing to the cracked floor with a yelp. The tiles slitting open his hands and ripping his shirt as he tried to crawl away. His eyes filled to the brim with horror as his limbs grew still against his will. He tried to move but his limbs cried in protest. They burned an aching fiery pain as the yellow side tried to crawl to the door. All while Apathy watched in twisted fascination.

Janus went still, still very much awake but immobile. The haunting clicking of Apathy’s black dress shoes was haunting as the side knelt down and lifted his chin, he was entirely dependent on the apathetic side and it was terrifying. His wide ghastly eyes were fogged as he made eye contact with him. The kitchen fan above whurred at the same pace it always did as Apathy said something he couldn’t make out. Shaking and trembling in fear as tears made their way down his cheeks to the cold floor.

He succumbed to unconsciousness.

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Janus was hot. He was overwhelmingly warm, he could feel his hands bound together with tight constricting knots, like a snake; Janus was aware of the irony in that comparison. A thick piece of cloth was shoved in his mouth, acting as a gag. Janus slowly slid open his eyes, the muscles spasming at the effort. Janus was used to being so cold that his body was sluggish and couldn’t pick up a pencil let alone defend himself, but the burning heat of this room was almost unbearable. Janus looked up from his position on the ground.

He was in the dark side boiler room, it was behind the fireplace. And was dark besides the glowing flame from the furnace, the air smelled of burnt flesh; which made Janus cringe from old memories, the ceiling was sagging slightly too. Fallen behind in disrepair due to no one wanting to fix the stupid thing. Janus remembered what led him to his arrangement too.

His own stupid choices. He never should’ve accepted anything from Apathy. He should’ve denied every offer of food or help from a side that constantly burned and beat him, he should have run away to his room at the first sight of the taller side; he knew that the side was dangerous with his temper, he should have defended himself, he should’ve left to go find Vee not try to deal with everything himself. he should A huge bubble of shame grew in his gut as the side stared into the fuming furnace in front of him. It was old. Very very old. Covered in rust and an antique model in construction, Janus could see the burning embers fuming from inside, entranced by the dancing flames.

He was brought back to reality with the door opening and closing with a click. The yellow side looks up with little surprise to see Apathy, he shifts away from the side as he draws closer. The clicking of the dress shoes stopping when Apathy was only a few feet away, “Look at me.” The voice was so cold and uncaring. Janus shakily raised his head but couldn’t make eye contact, in response the null side kicked him in the ribs harshly. A sharp intake of breath and a whimper of pain was muffled by the gag. The kick sent Janus to the floor, landing on his side. Janus could feel the large bruises start to form amongst his sides as the apathetic side pulled away, “Look me in the eyes bitch.” Janus raised his foggy tear-filled eyes to look into Apathy’s dark ones, almost black in colour. Panting for breath as Apathy smiled.

The taller side walked to another part of the room. “You know, you’d think after all these years you would finally do what we say and stop fighting us.” he was digging around in a box, metal scraping and clanging as he dug around. “Now that Paranoia is gone, well. We can finally make sure that you never forget that fact.” Finally finding what he was looking for, Apathy turned back to face Janus. The yellow side wanted to scream in horror.

In his hand was a long piece of metal. A rubber grip on one end to make holding it easier, the opposite end was larger. It was a hefty rectangle, Janus couldn’t read the cursive writing that sat inside of it but he knew that it held nothing but pain for him. Janus tried to back away from the branding iron, hitting the wall as he tried to wrestle out of the rope binding his hands, muffled pleas filled the room as Apathy heated the iron in the furnace.

Janus’ mind was foggy from the drugs, but the laugh that came from Apathy could pierce through any smog in his mind, “beautiful. Isn’t it?” Apathy was staring into the flames as a child stared at the stars, completely fascinated. “The flames, they are truly the most beautiful things in the mindscape. And now, you’ll have a piece of the flames with you too.” Janus wanted to scream. He wanted to yell and tell Apathy that if he loves the fucking flames so much then he could go die in them. He wanted to cry and curse and fight every single person and decision that had led him to be in this position where he’s going to have a brand permanently etched onto his skin like he was nothing more than cattle on a farm. Janus wanted to scream for Virgil, for Vee, for his father, but he couldn’t. He couldn’t because he was tied up with a gag lodged firmly in his mouth, successfully muffling all of his screams as Apathy talked on and on about the beauty of the flames. The rope tying his wrists burned and scraped. Blood staining the ropes as mangled bloody flesh winded throughout the fibers. He wanted to scream and call Apathy an insane bastard for every scar, burn and cut. But his jaw was hurting from being forced in a position to hold the torn piece of fabric.

Apathy chucked at his attempted pleas, “keep singing like that, and maybe I’ll give you another gift~” Janus felt his heart grow cold despite the flaming heat of the room. Another brand? Janus pulled his knees to his chest. Tears staining his shirt and pants. Repeatedly shaking his head as Apathy left the flaming iron from the furnace as he turned to Janus.

Apathy walked up to the cowering side like it was just another day. He pulled the weaker side from his hiding spot without a single care of what harm he might cause, dragging him to the center of the room, the concrete floor scraping at his already torn pants; bringing small pinpricks of the crimson liquid through the snake like sides flesh, tying him to a table with hefty knots, Janus was screaming into his gag as Apathy took a knife from his back pocket and cut off his shirt. Throwing the now shredded shirt in the furrence, Apathy looked over his scar covered skin. Scales on one half of his body in patches, some of the scales were a slightly lighter green; signifying that they recently grew back in after being ripped out, the other half of his body was scar covered. Bandages covering a large section of his top half but were now stained in blood as the wound reopened. Janus watched in petrified horror as Apathy grabbed the branding iron.

It was illuminating a horrendous red and orange. The dark room only being lit by the burning furnace and gleaming iron. Janus could only scream into the cloth as Apathy stepped closer to him, tears streaming down his face, repeatedly shaking his head no. but the apathetic side didn’t care as his eyes scanned over the emaciated side.

The yellow side was struggling. The ropes digging into his skin as more and more scarlet liquid dripped down his hands and wrists, tears streaming down his cheeks in bitter agony. The taller side gripped Janus by the scalp and pulled his head back to keep him in place as he positioned the branding iron just above his heart. “Are you going to sing for me, little songbird?~” Janus shut his eyes tightly, he couldn’t bear to look Apathy in the eyes as he permanently maimed his skin, he heard Apathy chuckle but couldn’t process it as he felt something hot touch his flesh with a sizzling noise.

Janus screamed into the gag as his eyes flew open involuntarily, eyes wide and full of fear as Apathy watched with a grin.

It started lightly, only slightly touching his flesh but the sizzling was none the less torture, Janus wailed in pain; the gag acting as a mild sound buffer. Only for the iron to be pressed deeper into the young sides flesh and deeper and deeper. The iron was pressing almost to the skin’s limit, Apathy continuously pushing it harder and deeper into the younger sides already mangled flesh. The burning was akin to a million wasps all stinging in one area. The side was screaming as his skin was seared, the gag was practically useless as he could feel his voice growing loader with every second. The iron dug deeper, the skin grew a dark irritated red. Apathy held the sides scalp tighter as he pulled the iron away.

The smaller side was panting, skin pale, his arms weak, eyes glanced over as his body stopped fighting; resigned to tremble in fear and in sobs. Apathy looked down at the side with amusement. “Well, you certainly sang. Didn’t you?” Apathy let go of Janus, letting him collapse to the floor, the side knelt to the floor, gazing into Janus’ new brand and the side’s broken eyes. “Aww, aren’t you pretty like that. What do you think songbird, wanna go again?” Janus’ muffled pleas were ignored as Apathy chose another branding iron.

Janus was branded a total of three times that night

----Two weeks later----

Janus stood in front of a mirror in his room. His fingers hesitantly raising to touch the scabbed over skin. One was on his upper right bicep; reading ‘monster’, another on his left ankle of his symbol and finally the one on his chest. Janus trembled at even imagining the look in Apathy’s eyes as he held the glowing iron to his skin. A quick hushed knock breaking him out of his staring contest with himself. Janus threw on his shirt; doing up the buttons as he made his way to the door, leaning against it to hopefully make out who was on the other side. “Baby snake?” Virgil.

Janus unlocked all the deadbolts as fast as he could, unlocking the door and throwing it open with hopeful glass like eyes. Happy for his father to be back, he could be back to protecting him. Virgil would never let Apathy do anything like that ever again. Janus opened the door with a smile and dragged the purple side into the room. Relocking everything before turning to his father. The pinstripe purple dress shirt was replaced with a black hoodie with purple patches. His striped tie gone, replaced with a thundercloud patch

The purple side looked sheepish, looking to the floor in shame. Janus felt his mouth dry up, words becoming unable to form; light sides had patches. “Dad… wh-what happened?” Janus’ voice was breathless, shocked from the sudden change of clothing and from his father avoiding his gaze.

“I got accepted.” Virgil sounded almost uncaring to the repercussions of this revelation. “I need you to accept my acceptance so my room will move” Janus couldn’t tell if Virgil was blocking his emotions to the situation, or if he just didn’t care. Janus looked at him with wide eyes and mouth gaped.

“What?” tears started to spring to the smaller sides eyes.

“I said that I got accepted and I need you to accept that so my room will move.” Virgil couldn’t meet his child’s eyes, “Thomas needs me.”

Janus’ voice was refusing to work with the fact that his father was leaving him, “but….. You can’t leave me here.. Alone…” His voice was breaking, “what about Wrath? And Depression? An-” his speech cut out, “ a-a-and Apathy?” The lump of lead in his stomach was only growing heavier as he gazed into Virgil’s eyes.

Virgil looked at his child, “Do you trust me?” the yellow side nodded almost immediately, “Then you have to let me go. I promise I’ll come back for you, but just because I have your trust, doesn’t mean I have the other’s.” Virgil walked up to his child and put a hand on his shoulder, not noticing a shudder “Now, you have to let me go and trust that I’ll come back for you.” Virgil let out a small smile as Janus nodded, tears falling down his cheeks.

The dark house groaned and creaked as Janus let Virgil go. As soon as the side was there, he was gone and Janus was left all alone once again.

Janus locked the deadbolts once more as Virgil left. The younger side limped back over to the bed and sat down. He looked back into the mirror and couldn’t help himself as he unbuttoned his shirt once more.

His eyes raked over the marks permanently marked on him. His symbol on his ankle he could possibly accept, probably not, but he might be able to figuratively heal. The word ‘monster’ on his bicep was nothing more than his internal thoughts ingrained on his skin, the scales that mocked him and made him permanently stand out even more than he already did with the blond curls. No, the one that we could never recover from was the words etched on his chest. His eyes raked over the words, a sob coming from his throat even though he couldn’t stop himself from reading it again and again.

‘Property of The Dark Sides.’

Janus could only sob choked tears as his fingers traced over the brand.

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@mother-snake , @writerstrashbin , @psychedelicships , @cryptidwriterdotcom , @idkanameatall (ask to be removed or added)

Guys..... I'm sorry...

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checkurwindow · 3 years

Text

ten ways

Book: Open Heart

Warning: So sweet your dentist would be concerned Rating: General Pairing: Bryce x F!MC Word count: 6500+ Author’s note: I finally wrote something that isn’t angst and oh god is it long. I spent so much time on this so please please consider reblogging and let me know what you thought of it, and maybe check out my masterlist while you’re at it.

There was truly no better way to start off senior year than arriving late to her first class.

In her defense, she had left the house early. For once in her life, she was actually going to be early to school. She was so proud of herself, and was so certain that she had extra time that she allowed herself to stop at a drive-thru and get a drink as a reward to herself. Everything was going according to plan.

That is, until the lady in the car in front of her decided she wasn’t pleased with her order and made the barista redo it; and to make sure he didn’t mess up her order a second time, the barista was extra careful. And extra slow.

She groaned as she watched the time tick pass minute by minute. Just her luck.

She watched the barista hand the drink to the lady in front and breathed a sigh of relief. Yet, the car didn’t move, not a single inch. The drink was already in her hand, but the lady just had to continue to talk with the barista.

She cursed under her breath and banged her head on the steering wheel in frustration. She must’ve been more aggressive than she was expecting, because her horn went off, and loudly at that.

She jumped back in shock at the noise. The lady poked her head out of her car window and immediately began lecturing her on how rude she was being. At least, that’s what she assumed she was saying, she really couldn’t hear her with her windows rolled up. She bit her lip, gave a little wave, and mouthed an apology.

Eventually, the lady finished her rant and left the drive-thru. She got her drink, no longer a reward and more of a consolation, and sped to school.

There weren’t any other students in the parking lot by the time she got there, only a reminder of just how late she was. Shoving all her things back inside her backpack, she locked the door and hurried into the building.

Of course, her first class just had to be with Mr. Anderson. Any other teacher would have just let her tardiness slide, but not him, never him. She opened the door to his classroom, and any conversation that had been going on stopped.

More than a dozen pairs of eyes turned their attention to her, and she wanted to melt into the floor right then and there.

“Nice of you to finally join us,” Mr. Anderson addressed her. He narrowed his eyes at the nervous student, leaning against his desk as he sized her up, “if you’re done being a distraction to my class, I’d appreciate it if you would take a seat.

She swallowed roughly and nodded. He went back to lecturing the class on how his classes would be conducted, and she did her best to find a seat as quietly as she could. Instinctively, she made her way over to where her friends were sitting.

Bryce moved his backpack off the desk next to him and quietly whispered, “I saved you a seat.”

She gave him a grateful smile and mouthed back a ‘thanks’.

Sienna leaned forward, “Anderson really wasn’t amused with you, huh?”

“I swear he hates me,” she insisted.

Bryce rolled his eyes, “he doesn’t hate you, Boo.”

“Bryce is right,” she said, “everyone knows he just hates women,” she stressed the last part with exaggerated disgust.

Late-night study sessions had evolved to become code for hanging out at Danny’s house and messing around.

Sienna was dating Danny, so naturally, she had become friends with him and his friends by association. Sienna, Aurora, and her were actually trying to study. Danny and Elijah were discussing the school football team’s chances of winning their next game, and Jackie and Bryce were in the kitchen getting snacks and undoubtedly bickering about something completely irrelevant.

“Okay, Sienna,” Aurora held up a flashcard, “what can you tell me about the defenestration of Prague?”

“Uh, people were thrown out of windows for fun?” She replied, barely having read that chapter of the textbook.

“No- well, actually, I suppose you’re technically not completely wrong.”

She let her body fall back against the back of the couch and closed her eyes. If she had to stay there any longer, she would’ve thrown herself out the window.

It wasn’t that she didn’t want to hang out with her friends, it was just that after a long day of school, she wasn’t exactly thrilled to spend more time with the people she had already spent most of the day with.

“Sorry I’m late, I just spent the better part of the last hour trying to explain to a group of freshmen that I won’t be dating or teaching “my ways” to any one of them,” he shuddered dramatically as he walked into the living room where everyone was.

“Ah yes, I almost forgot I was friends with the Bryce Lahela,” she said overdramatically.

He rolled his eyes but decided to amuse her nonetheless, “what can I say, I’m just clearly superior.”

She scoffed but refused to dignify him with any further response. Instead, she closed her eyes and pretended she was back at home under her warm, soft covers.

“I brought you food.”

That caught her attention. Cautiously opening an eye to see if he was telling the truth, she was met with the sight of him holding up a bag of fast food that he must have picked up on his way over. She couldn’t help the growing smile on her face as she sat upright.

“For me?” She asked.

“Of course, Munchkin” he handed the bag over to her, “you skipped lunch to finish up the science project you were behind on and I’m certain you haven’t gotten around to eating anything yet,” he said confidently.

She happily pulled an order of large fries out of the bag, “have I ever told you how amazing you are, Bryce?”

He smiled, “not often enough.”

“Well, you are. So amazing.”

She had just finished the fries and was looking through the back to see what else he had gotten her when Danny called out to her.

“What are your thoughts on Rafael?” He asked.

“Aveiro?”

“Yep.”

She tilted her head, “he’s okay, pretty cute. Why?”

“He told me he likes you, even wanted me to ask if you were single?” Danny said nonchalantly.

Sienna immediately got invested and joined in on the conversation, “she is very single, and I for one think they would be a great couple!”

She could feel her cheeks begin to heat up, and suddenly she found the hardwood floors very interesting, “I don’t know…he actually likes me?”

“That’s what he told me,” Danny replied, “can I give him your number?”

She weighed her options before giving a careless shrug, “Yeah, why not?”

“You and Rafael? I knew this day would come,” Aurora commented.

“Okay, we’ve talked about this long enough. We need to study,” she insisted, pulling out her textbook.

“I’d rather not fail this test,” Bryce agreed.

Everyone begrudgingly went back to their previous activities, and Bryce took that opportunity to fill up the space next to her on the couch. She flipped through pages of her textbook before coming to a stop. She passed the textbook to Bryce and pointed to a large picture on the page.

“This one’s my favourite,” she said.

“Wanderer above the Sea of Fog,” he read, “you’re a fan of Caspar David Friedrich?”

She shrugged, “I guess I’m just a fan of the Romantic moment in general. Everything was so creative and beautiful. I just think it’s crazy how this painting holds so much emotion.”

Bryce frowned, looked at the painting, then back at her, “it certainly is romantic.”

She gave the painting one last look before she began flipping through the pages of the textbook again. Bryce watched her curiously as she read over the vocabulary words for that week. After a while, he decided to say what was on his mind.

“So,” he broke the silence, “you and Rafael, huh?”

“Yeah,” suddenly, the furry carpet on the floor looked beyond interesting, “I used to have a crush on him in middle school, remember?”

His mouth broke out into a smile, “Sienna and I used to tease you about it all the time! No wonder you’re so bad at chemistry,” he joked.

“I happen to be pretty extraordinary at chemistry, thank you very much.”

“Hm, I think that botched experiment that nearly killed Mrs. Durnam tells a very different story,” he said, and she playfully punched his arm.

“She’s still alive, isn’t he? Plus, you were the one who didn’t make me double-check!”

He had an amused look on his face, “keep telling that to yourself, babe.”

He was tired, the sheets were too hot. It had been a long day, his body was exhausted. The air in his bedroom was too cold, his mind was tired, too. If he would just close his eyes and stop thinking, he’d be asleep in mere minutes. Now the sheets were hot again, so he kicked them off. Then the air was too cold, so he pulled the sheets over him again. Not thinking ironically proved to be harder than perceived. Go then if you must, but remember, no matter how fooli- damn it, Sophocles, damn your terribly beautiful words.

Bryce threw the covers onto the other side of the bed and sat up. He wasn’t going to get much sleep that night no matter how hard he tried, anyway, no need to lie to himself. He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes, if there even had been any sleep in the first place.

There was no doubt that he was tired both mentally and physically. But emotionally? His heart was eternally restless when it came that. He crossed his room and sat down at the expensive wooden desk, fully accepting that getting any rest that night was no longer a viable option.

The bright light from his computer was a harsh contrast to the darkness of the room, but his eyes adjusted soon enough. Bryce didn’t even know what he was doing on his computer in the middle of the night.

But his subconscious knew. His fingers opened up the application and started scrolling. No, no, yes. God, no. yes, definitely, perfect. And that went on for an hour or so, though Bryce wasn’t exactly keeping track of time. He’d be near-dead at sunrise, but he wasn’t going to get any sleep until he finished.

When he actually did finish, he smiled contentedly to himself. A wave of calmness washed over him, and before he knew it, he was face down and lost in his dreams asleep.

He looked terrible the next morning. Well, as terrible as Bryce Lahela could look. He still dressed as great as always, even styling his hair with a little more volume than usual. He was still sharp as ever in class, but anyone who really knew him could tell that he was a total mess.

“Hey, you okay?” She asked during lunch in Mr. Jericho’s classroom (He had been kind enough to let a bunch of teenagers spend lunch in his class; the cafeteria just wasn't cool enough for them).

“Huh? Yeah, I’m fine.”

She cocked her head to one side, “no you aren’t, spill.”

“Don’t worry about me. I actually have a little something for you,” Bryce fished his phone out of his pocket.

“You have something for me?”

“Sending it now. Aaaand…...check your phone!”

She raised an eyebrow and cautiously unlocked her phone to look at the text he had sent to her.

“Sophocles and Serotonin,” she read off her phone, “ what is this?”

“I made you a playlist of songs that I thought you’d like.”

“Seriously?” A smile emerged on her lips, and Bryce couldn’t help himself but to reflect it, “When did you even have the time for this?”

He shrugged nonchalantly, “I happened to have free time last night.”

“With Mr. Anderson's early deadlines? I smell a steaming hot pile of bullshit, Lahela,” She looked up at him, a teasing lilt prominent in her tone, “I appreciate the playlist even more now that I know you took the time out of your night to make it. Thank you, Bryce.”

She leaned forward on the desk she was seated on and pressed a kiss to his cheek. He froze like a deer in headlights, and if she noticed, she definitely didn’t say anything. He compiled himself back together before she could notice that his usual smirk wasn’t as smug as it usually was, and leaned back against the desk behind him in an attempt to look cool.

“So, what’re you doing after school?” He asked in his best casual voice.

“Rafael and I are going to see a movie.”

“That’s actually still a thing?”

She shot him a look that made him raise his hands up in surrender, “Yes, it’s still a thing. He’s a good guy, I really like him.”

“But is he good enough for you?” He crossed his arms, eyes not leaving hers. It wasn’t that Bryce didn’t like Rafael. Rafael was great, but no guy would ever be good enough for his best friend.

“He is,” She said with an eye roll, “why do you care anyway?”

“Just looking out for you, Sweetheart.”

“I can take care of myself perfectly fine, Scout.”

His eyebrows shot up his forehead, an impressed look across his face, “trust me, I know.”

Summer felt like an eternity ago, when in reality, it had been less than two months ago The yellow-orange leaves and updated Starbucks menu was enough to convince anyone that it was already October.

It took a lot of sweet-talking and a tiny bit of bribery to convince Bryce to attend the Homecoming football game, but with Sienna’s assistance, she eventually got him to cave. She wanted him there, but more importantly, she wanted him to give her a ride there.

Of course, she could have taken her own car, but she would much rather not waste her own gas when she could take advantage of his instead. It wasn’t like it mattered to him, his parents paid for his car, insurance, and gas anyway. Plus, the seat warming function in his cushy Mercedes Benz was a huge incentive.

She spent most of the ride over to the stadium raving over the seat warmers, and he spent most of the ride making fun of how obsessed she was with said seat warmer. Eventually, they parked outside and paid for the entrance fees.

“It’s kinda co-” before she could even finish her sentence remarking the cold weather, Bryce handed her a comfy looking (and feeling) sweatshirt. She looked down at the maroon sweatshirt, then back at him, her mouth slightly ajar, “You brought an extra sweatshirt for me? I didn’t even ask.”

“You didn’t need to,” he shrugged.

She put on the sweatshirt and stared at him with wide eyes. Bryce glanced at her, bit the inside of his lip, then shook his head, “Don’t go thinking I care about you or anything now, Lovey. I couldn’t have you taking the sweatshirt I’m wearing, then I’d freeze up.

She looked up at him with a smug grin on her face that made him regret bringing her the sweatshirt in the first place, “Yeah? Is that really all it was?”

“Yes, that’s all, Sunshine,” he did his best to act all annoyed by her questioning, but instead found it endearing in the end.

It took him a moment, but eventually, he came up with a half-decent excuse, “besides, you know my grandma would kill me if she knew I let you freeze. I swear, sometimes it seems like she loves you more than she loves me.”

“That’s because she does,” she pointed it out like it was the only possibility, “can you blame her? I’m funny and adorable. You’re just a grumpy old man that I had to drag to this game.”

“That’s it. Take the sweatshirt off, I hope you freeze,” he said with the dirtiest look he could muster and she had the audacity to throw her head back and laugh.

She reached into her bag, and after digging around, she pulled a five-dollar bill out of her wallet. Thrusting the money into Bryce’s hand and pushing him in the direction of the concession stand, “here, go get some popcorn for us. Maybe then you won’t be so irritable once you get some food in you, I’ll find us some good seats.’

Bryce grumbled something about “you’re irritable” but nonetheless ventured off towards the concession stand.

She climbed the steps up the stadium and immediately found Sienna and Danny sitting in the student section, all decked out in their school colours and face paint. Sienna greeted her with a warm hug.

Pulling back, Sienna took note of what she was wearing, “is that Bryce’s?”

She looked down at the Stanford sweatshirt she had wrapped around herself, “Oh yes, it’s pretty comfortable, actually.”

Sienna pursed her lips and mulled over the new information, “What’s going on between the two of you?”

“What do you mean? We’re friends,” she shrugged.

“And Bryce knows that?” She paused, “Do you know that?”

She narrowed her eyes at Sienna, “Yes, of course I know that. I’m dating Rafael now, okay? Bryce and I have always just been friends, and that's all we’ll ever be.” Sienna nodded her head, “Okay, okay. If you say so, I believe you. I just don’t want anyone to get hurt, I care about both of you.”

“There aren’t any feelings between Bryce and I, don’t worry,” she said, but those words didn’t leave her mind for the rest of the night.

Bryce had spent a significant amount of the week dreaming about the coffee and cookie dough ice cream that was waiting for him in the freezer.

It was his favourite flavour, and there was just enough left in the carton for one last bowl of that sweet sweet goodness of a food. He had promised himself that he wouldn’t eat the last of it until he really deserved to. After spending his afternoon being productive and studying for the test he had tomorrow, he decided that he finally earned that delectable bowl of unhealthy but utterly delicious caramel-colored ice cream.

He made his way down to the kitchen, humming an upbeat tune and sliding across the smooth marble floor in his most comfortable pair of socks. Bryce had made it all the way to the freezer, barely moments away from the compartment holding his currently most prized possession when a hasty knock at the front door stopped him in his tracks.

He paused. He was oh so close to getting to his ice cream; maybe it was just a delivery? He debated answering the door or ignoring it and getting the ice cream first. He was starting to lean towards just going for his bowl of ice cream when there was a knock at the door again. With a scowl on his face, he abandoned the freezer and any hope for happiness he had left and made his way to the front door.

“Hey, what are you doing here?” He said in surprise when he saw who was standing at her doorstep.

“I didn’t know who else to go to. Sienna’s out with Danny, and Aurora and Jackie aren’t good in situations like this,” she spoke quietly and sniffled in between sentences, trying not to let any more tears fall down her cheek, “sorry, I just-”

He interrupted her by pulling her into the darkening sky and into his house and arms. She melted into his touch and gripped his shirt tightly as she hugged him back.

“What happened?” he asked softly, rubbing circles into her back with his thumbs.

“Rafael and I broke up.”

Bryce sighed softly and rested his chin on her head. He bit his lip and weighed the options in front of him, before he came to a reluctant conclusion. He pulled away just enough so that he could look her in her teary bloodshot eyes.

“I think this is the part where we break out the ice cream.”

She offered him a slightly trembling smile, “ice cream couldn’t hurt.”

He led her to the kitchen and began digging through the freezer while she hopped onto the counter beside him. He hid a frown from her while in the process of pulling the nearly empty carton of coffee and cookie dough ice cream out of the freezer.

“You wanna tell me what happened?” Bryce asked, retrieving a bowl from one of the cabinets.

“It wasn’t even a bad break up,” Despite her words, she still wiped at her tears using the sleeves of her shirt, “we mutually agreed that it was best for both of us.”

“Yeah?”

She nodded, “he’s just...not the one, I guess.”

Bryce felt something twist and turn in his stomach, and he knew it wasn’t right to be happy when his friend was so miserable, but he was anyway. He did his best to hide the smile that wanted to form at the corners of his mouth, “I’m sorry, Cupcake.”

She laughed, “Cupcake?”

He rolled his eyes, but the grin on his face remained, “I’m trying something new, okay? Running out of nicknames.”

She couldn’t help but match his infectious smile, “you’re not gonna have any ice cream?” she asked as he passed her the bowl.

“Nah, not in the mood for it,” he lied.

“Did you get enough sleep last night, Hon?” She was already in mid-yawn when he had asked the question.

She held a hand over her mouth and nodded, “yeah, I’m fine. Why?”

“You look terrible.”

She scowled at him, “wow, just what a girl wants to hear. Anyone ever tell you you’re one hell of a charmer, Lahela?”

“You’d be surprised, actually,” he gave her a teasing smile, “so who’s the cause for your sleepless night?”

“Napoleon Bonaparte.” She made an emphasis on the textbook in her hands, “Why’d I ever let you convince me to take an AP class with you?”

“Because you so desperately enjoy spending time with me?”

“Nah, that’s not it.”

“Ouch,” Bryce held a hand over his heart, “you really stayed up late studying for the quiz?”

“Some people have to study, okay? Not everyone is as gifted as Bryce flippin’ Lahela.”

“Flippin’? Really?” He stifled a laugh.

“We’re at school, gotta keep it PG,” she shrugged, “so yeah, I stay up and study sometimes. High schoolers aren’t supposed to get a normal amount of sleep, it’s not a big deal.”

“Yeah, well, sometimes I worry about you.”

She tilted her head to the side and gave him a small smile, “you don’t need to worry about me, Bry.”

“Believe me, if I could just shut it off, I would. Look, I’ll make you a stack of flashcards next time so you can get more sleep.”

She was about to say something in response when her phone rang in her pocket, “I should get this.”

She went out into the hallway to answer the call, and Bryce turned back to his lunch, not even bothering to hide his growing smile.

“Bryce.”

He jumped at the sound of a voice and turned to see Sienna sitting at the desk across from him. Had she been listening to them the whole time? He had completely forgotten she was there; a fact he certainly wasn’t about to share with her.

“Yes, Sienna?”

“Do you have a crush on her?”

Bryce blinked a few times, certain that he hadn’t heard Sienna right, “Excuse me?

Sienna rolled her eyes, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, “You heard me right. I’m not blind, Bryce. I see the way you look at her when you think no one is focusing. Do you have a crush on her?”

“That’s ridiculous, where’d you even get the idea from?”” He made a face like he was disgusted by the very thought of it.

“Oh, I dunno, you just do whatever it takes to make her happy. Not to mention that you have a different pet name for her every time I see you two, seems pretty affectionate to me, Bryce.” She did always have a talent for laying out the facts.

“We’ve been friends since before I could remember, of course I care about her. And so what if I have a nickname for her? It doesn’t mean anything.”

“It’s not like you have a nickname for anyone else.”

“I call you...Si...all the time,” he paused to rethink what he just said, “I have a nickname for everyone.”

“We both know that’s a load of B.S, are you really telling me that you don’t like her?”

“I don’t like her,” and it wasn’t an exact lie, because the feelings he had for her had progressed far beyond liking.

“There’s nothing people appreciate more than a hand-made gift, right?” She said and pulled out a ball of azure coloured yarn.

Bryce crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back against a wall, “Sure, except maybe a nice Rolex or a new car.”

She gave him a look, “I don’t know what it is about me that makes you think I can afford a Rolex or a new car. I’m an unemployed high school student, my only income comes in the form of birthday cards from my grandparents.”

“Well, I’m sure Sienna will love the scarf you make for her.”

“Yeah, how hard could it be?” She muttered and stared blankly at the mess of strings in her lap.

His eyes widened a little, “Wait, you’re telling me you’ve never crocheted before?”

“I'll get the hang of it soon enough,” she pulled up a beginners guide on YouTube, and five minutes later, she had a knotted pile of yarn in her hands. She huffed in frustration and began to aggressively pull at the yarn.

“Let me help you.”

“You? Know how to knit?” She raised a skeptical eyebrow at him.

Bryce rolled his eyes, sitting next to her and taking the “scarf” out of her hands, “This is crocheting. You don’t even use knitting needles”

“Apologies. And how do you even know how to crochet?”

“I may or may not have taken lessons a couple summers back to impress Alisson Rivers?” He admitted, quickly untangling her “progress” and began to expertly thread the loops of yarn together. He held up his work to her once a pattern had begun to form, “being incredibly sexy has its perks,” he jokingly winked at her.

“I hate that you’re good at everything.”

He snorted and gently began to move the work into her hands for her to finish the rest, “Not everything, maybe just most things.”

“Yeah, yeah, whatever,” She waved him off, now laser-focused on the project in front of her and determined to get it right that time. Bryce gave her tips and advice every once in a while, but for the most part, he let her work on it by herself. She was a fast learner.

“Sweethea-” Bryce cut himself off, remembering the conversation he had with Sienna earlier. He cleared his throat, “you’re never gonna get it like that.”

She looked up at him with furrowed brows, “What?” He swallowed roughly and shook his head, “It’s nothing. Just...you’re going to wanna pull the yarn a little tighter or it’s all going to unravel before you’re even finished.”

“Oh,” She gave him a thankful smile, “thanks, Bryce.”

It was almost 2 in the morning, and she knew that getting any more than four of sleep was out of the equation at that point. She wasn’t exactly trying very hard to sleep. She had tried to refresh her Instagram feed maybe two dozen times now, but it wasn’t as if anyone was going to post in the middle of the night. And even so, Instagram was doing a fairly poor job at keeping her mind distracted.

Sighing out in frustration, she threw her body back onto her bed with a loud sigh. She wrinkled her nose and finally caved in to her temptations, navigating to the facetime app on her phone. Hesitating one last time, she tapped his contact with her thumb. The phone began to hum as she waited for him to pick up.

“Hey, Bry. I know it’s late,” she said when he finally answered the phone. She frowned when he realised he was still rubbing the sleep out of his eyes, “sorry, did I wake you up?”

“No, no. I couldn’t sleep anyway,” replied his groggy and raspy voice.

“I know you’re lying, Bryce. Don’t worry about it, go back to sleep”

“I was already up.”

“No, you weren’t. It’s really fine, don’t let me bother you.

He stopped rubbing his eyes and looked at her firmly through the camera, “Maybe I was asleep, but I’m up now, aren’t I? Don’t worry about waking me up. Besides, I’d much rather be talking to you.’

She pursed her lips, giving him a doubtful look. He was too polite to ever tell her if she was bothering him. She couldn’t tell if he genuinely wanted to talk to her, or if he was too courteous to tell her otherwise.

He noticed the look she gave him, “Don’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?”

“Like you don’t believe me. I would’ve stopped being friends with you years ago if I didn’t find all your annoying habits endearing as hell. I promise,” he shot her a smug smile that almost made her wish she hadn’t called him up.

“How kind of you,” she said sarcastically.

“I try,” his grin widened, if that were even possible, “so what did you want to talk to me about?”

She chewed on her bottom lip and shrugged, “I dunno.”

“You don’t?” Bryce narrowed his eyes and leaned closer to the camera. After he had examined her carefully, he leaned back and crossed his arms, “Yeah you do. What is it?”

She shifted uncomfortably by how easy it was for him to see right through her. Once more that night, she caved, “Earlier, when you told me to tighten the yarn. You stopped yourself from calling me ‘sweetheart’.”

He tensed, but she didn’t notice, “I mean, what’s so unusual about that? That's a perfectly normal thing for someone to do.”

“I know,” she nodded, “but you always call me some cheesy pet name. Always. So, did something happen? Are you mad at me?”

He raised an eyebrow and shook his head, “No, of course not. Everything’s fine,” he paused, “that really upset you?”

“It’s just that you’ve always had a nickname for me, I guess I got used to it.”

He laughed through his nose and couldn’t stop the amused smile from spreading across his lips, “Okay, Boo.”

“Am I finally going to get to see your mural?”

Bryce rolled his eyes, “It isn’t my mural, Love. It’s the senior mural, it’s not like I’m painting it.”

“Yeah, but it was your idea,” she gave him a playful nudge, “I don’t know why you haven’t told me what it is yet. I’m sure if the amazing Bryce Lahela designed it, it’ll be the best senior mural this school has ever seen.

“Don’t get your hopes up, Babe. I’d hate to disappoint you.”

“You could never disappoint me,” she said matter-of-factly, “you’re Bryce Lahela.”

They turned the corner to see their fellow senior, Kyra Santana, working on the mural. The previously beige wall was now covered in black, gray, and light blue paint. In the middle of the painting was a figure made up of colourful handprints standing above the blue-gray ocean in front of them.

She stared at the mural with an open mouth. She glanced from Kyra, to Bryce, then back to the artwork in front of her.

“It was my idea to make the figure all colourful with the handprints,” Bryce said, “I thought it would be nice to let our class literally leave a mark on this school.”

Kyra smiled at the mural and set her paintbrush down, “I was a great idea, the splash of colour is just what it needed,” she turned to her, “what do you think?”

“Like it? No, I...I love it, it’s perfect,” she turned to Bryce with wide eyes, “Wanderer above the Sea of Fog, this is my favourite painting.”

“I noticed--don’t give me that look. It’s not like I care that much, you just never shut up about this painting. It’s annoying, really,” he muttered, sheepishly rubbing the back of his neck and looking down at his shoes.

She smiled and turned her attention back to the mural, “I can’t even begin to tell you how much I love this. I can’t believe you remembered.”

“Of course. It’s worth it, seeing how much you like it.”

There was a beat of silence.

“You’re the kind of person I could fall in love with, you know that?” She didn’t take her eyes off the wall that the mural proudly sat on, and Bryce was glad.

Maybe if she had looked at him, she would have seen his breath catch in his throat and his eyes widen just a little bit. If he was the kind of person she could fall in love with, then why didn’t she? Bryce was flustered, and if she had noticed his lack of response, she didn’t mention it.

10.

Their high school was filled with rich kids. Their high school also had a debate team with a minimal number of members. These factors resulted in Bryce and her having their own separate hotel rooms when they attended a debate function in Washington D.C.

After a long day of debating and watching other teams debate, she and Bryce walked side by side down the narrow corridor to their respective rooms. Every now and then, they sneaked looks at each other when they thought the other wouldn’t notice.

Bryce cleared his throat, “So that guy in the blue shirt asked me for your number.”

She glanced up at him, “He did? Did you give it to him?”

“No.”

“What? Why not?”

“Thought he was out of your league. I told him you snored like an ogre and gave him Jackie’s number instead,” he said with a careless shrug.

She gasped and shoved his shoulder, “Are you kidding me? You know I don’t snore, he was cute and interested in me!”

“Can’t imagine why.”

She scowled, “For your information, I’m adorable. I’m funny, enjoyable to be around, and have a high tolerance for assholes who shut down opportunities for their friends. And I’m extremely attractive, which is an added plus.”

“You don’t need to sell me on reasons why you’re dateable,” he chuckled softly.

“Oh yeah?”

At that very moment, they turned to face each other. Their teasing banter stopped when they realised that they were only inches apart, able to hear every inhale and exhale of the other. His gaze flickered down to her lips, and it was only for a second, but she hadn’t missed a single bit of it.

Bryce took a step back and cleared his throat, standing rather uncomfortably, “It’s late, we should go to bed. Goodnight.”

“Goodnight,” she echoed before they both hurriedly turned around and stepped into their own rooms.

Had he almost kissed her? Did that really just happen? Her mind wandered as she leaned against her hotel room door.

Maybe she had just imagined it. She shook the thought out of her head and grabbed a sweatshirt along with a pair of shorts out of her suitcase. Maybe she would stop thinking about it after a good night's rest. She changed, brushed her teeth, and was about to turn the lights off when she felt that nagging feeling bubble up in the pits of her stomach once more.

It was naive to think her mind would stop racing that night if she didn’t confront Bryce about it. She set the covers that were in her hands down and made her way out into the fluorescent-lit hallway. She had made it all the way to his door when she stopped herself.

Was that really what she wanted to do? If she brought up their almost-kiss, would they ever be able to go back to being friends? Did she even want them to go back to being just friends? She bit her lip and glanced back at her own room door. She should’ve just gone to bed, it wasn’t worth putting their entire friendship on the line. But then again, she would always wonder what could have happened if she never followed her gut.

She raised her fist to knock on his door, but before she could make contact, the door swung open. They once more stood face to face, their wide-eyed expressions mirroring each other. For a moment in time, all that stood between them were the accelerated heartbeat and the flutters they felt for one another.

Bryce’s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer to him. Her hand had found its place on the back of his neck and guided his lips to hers. His eyes were half-open, sneaking glances at her to assure himself that he wasn’t dreaming. Her overwhelming scent and the feeling of his hands threaded through her hair were all too real.

He pulled her into his room, kicking the closed door behind him. Placing both hands on his broad chest, she pushed him back onto the bed and climbed on top of him, straddling his hips.

Thoughts were racing in her mind. She tried to put reason to the way he gripped her waist so tightly that there were sure to be bruises there the very next day. She tried to put reason to the way his pupils dilated as she went in for another kiss; she came up empty-handed.

There was no way she felt the same, Bryce told himself. There was no way that she loved him the way he loved her. For as long as he could remember, he had been in love with her, and for as long as he could remember, she had only seen him as her friend.

He missed the warmth of her lips when she pulled away, but he couldn’t help but admire the way her lips were slightly swollen and her hair was a mess. Her eyes were mesmerising, and the way the light highlighted the softness of her skin made him fall even more. He took that moment to memorise every line and curve of her face, forever branding that memory into his head.

She leaned in to kiss him again, but he pushed her away this time and sat up, “Stop. we...we can’t do this. This can’t just be a one-time thing.”

“What?”

He felt his heart twist inside his chest and he clenched his jaw, “Because I love you.”

Her lips curled up in a smile, “I love you too.”

27 notes · View notes

fabricated-misslieness · 4 years

Text

Yasuo x vastayan!male reader

Reader is a cat-like Vastaya.

Requested: No

Word Count: 844

Sometimes Yasuo wished (y/n) hadn’t chosen him to fall in love with.

They had fallen in love when their eyes landed on each other. It was like the beginning of a crazy love story, and it did indeed become one.

A vastayan and a human, falling in love.

But when they eventually started a relationship, (y/n) had to tell him all the risks.

His tribe was formed by cat-like vastayans who lured humans into sexual intercourse in order to take advantage of them. The tribe's vastayans were expected to catch no feelings whatsoever. They were expected to lure, take, and leave or prey.

The punishments for doing otherwise were severe, and chosen by the traitor’s parents themselves. It was cruel, but all of them were raised to believe that humans were something to be looked down upon and preyed upon. Not even parents had mercy.

The relationship was a secret, until one day, they’d found out.

That day they were being reckless, not checking their surroundings properly before greeting with a kiss.

(y/n)’s punishments were chosen by the time he came back, and there was no pleading for mercy, no pleading for rescue.

The punishments were a severed tongue and filed down claws, along with the standard exile.

Their tongues were something the tribe treasured, for with it they lured in the humans and spit out unperceivable lies.

From birth they were trained to use it as their best psychological weapon, trained so well that by adulthood any of them could lie their way out of any situation, only able to be perceived by their own kind and any intelligence higher than theirs.

Their claws could not grow anymore once they reached their peak in adulthood, and they grew to be long and strong. Once sharpened, they would no longer become dull. While they did use other weapons, their claws were a strong last resort.

While other weapons could be knocked out their hands, nails would stay with them until tampered with.

A good sharpened claw could slit a throat with no effort.

To be deprived of these two weapons meant no survival, for they were the tribe’s strongest natural gifts. Apart from these were strong furry ears, instead of human ones, and a tail, whose only purpose was balance.

Luckily, (y/n) had somebody to fall back on, which was Yasuo.

He hated relying on him, it made it seem like Yasuo was the only one doing the work, but he was still recovering from these deprivations.

Yasuo was glad (y/n) would rely on him more. He was always strong and independent, despite all the risks he would get if he was in a relationship with a human. He was always taking care of him, which he was thankful for, but he never gave Yasuo the chance to give back.

It was one of the reasons he wished (y/n) wouldn’t have fallen in love with him.

If they’d just separated, (y/n) wouldn’t have taken any punishments and even with these disabilities, he was always taking care of him.

“Hm?” (y/n) tapped Yasuo on the shoulder, making him snap out of his thoughts.

He was asking if something was wrong, as Yasuo hadn’t been giving him any attention for the past ten minutes.

“Ah, sorry for neglecting you.” He said, rubbing the back of (y/n)’s furry ears, making him hum back in pleasure. “I was just thinking.”

(y/n) gave him an upset, knowing look. Even if the punishment was death, he would’ve fallen in love anyway.

Yasuo was the love of his life, he was his everything.

“I know, I know.” Yasuo sighed, bringing (y/n) closer to his chest. “I’ll try to stop, alright, love?”

(y/n) nodded, going back to lazing around now that his lover was back to paying attention to him.

“You really are just a big cat, huh?” He laughed.

He didn’t know whether to take it as a joke or a compliment.

He was a cat-like vastaya, but it depended on which cat he was being compared to.

House cats laze around and hunt mere mice and small birds.

Wild cats, however, were beasts that hunted much bigger things.

But currently he was acting like a house cat.

(y/n) pouted, laying his chin on Yasuo’s chest and looking up at him with accusing eyes

“What?” Yasuo asked with a laugh. “Did I offend you?”

The vastaya nodded his head, making sure he wasn’t digging into Yasuo’s skin with his chin.

“Well, I’m sorry, kitty.” He laughed heartily, earning a small glare in return.

Though it only urged him to laugh louder.

(y/n) leaned up and kissed him to shut him up. When he pulled back, Yasuo leaned forward for another kiss, which turned into more kisses.

They were sweet and short, they wouldn’t lead anywhere else but they served as kisses to show their love.

It was moments like these where the wishes for (y/n) to not have fallen in love with him would disappear.

Moments where he could feel (y/n)’s love and know that he would do anything for him.

#Yasuo x reader #Yasuo League of Legends #League of Legends Yasuo #yasuo x male reader #League of Legends fanfic #League of Legends x reader #League of Legends x male reader

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artificialqueens · 3 years

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Maybe You're My Enemy (Diamond Chaney) - Ortega

a/n: hey, hi, hello! welcome to the first canon compliant thing i have written since 2017, i am *~ petrified! ~* . i had to write something to fix these two though after the events of episode 8 because i just love them dearly (and the fact in the subsequent episode Lawrence just dropped in the fact they’d shared a bed didn’t help this at all). thank you so much to @purecamp for reading it over and reassuring me it’s not a heap of shit (so if it turns out that it is then just blame her xo). also the song it’s set to is enemy by Charli XCX in case u want to get the immersive vibes!

fic summary: On one side of Scotland, Lawrence disappears from social media. On the other, Ellie reflects.

***

They say, “Keep your friends close”

But you’re closer, I love when you’re here

I’m so far away sometimes, I’m distant, yeah

The sky is grey. The clouds are grey. The stagnant water of the quay is grey, and so’s the metal rail that Ellie’s holding on to as he narrows his eyes, tries to stop the wind from hitting them and making him tear up.

As if the wind would be the only reason.

He brings his gaze into focus on the HMS Unicorn, sat in the water in front of him like some massive whale that’s been planted in a bathtub. It’s a fucking ugly ship; a glorified tugboat on steroids with a big bowsprit sticking out at the front all out of place, but he likes the little bust of the once-white unicorn that sticks out from under it. Ellie remembers getting brought here for a school trip in Primary 3, pointing to the unicorn all excited and getting laughed at by the boys in his class that he knew were going to grow up to be the ones that gave the teachers lip and got suspended in high school.

He remembers that Bryce made up the fact that one of the boys had “said the f word” in the gift shop later that day, just so Ellie could have the satisfaction of watching them get screamed at by their teacher. Ellie still fucking loves him for that.

Ellie thinks the unicorn is out of place in all this grey. He remembers the time he did his unicorn mix when he opened for Willam, how nervous he’d been and messaging Lawrence about it and getting a “this you coming out to me as a furry?” in return which made him laugh and forget why he’d even been nervous in the first place. He can’t help the smile the memory brings to his face even if he wants to.

And he wants to.

Lawrence always could make him smile, get a laugh from him even when he didn’t feel like it. He remembers with a blow to his heart what Lawrence had said on the show- “you’re not terribly funny? Like you don’t have…zinger-y punchlines?” - and how Tia had laughed and Ellie had wanted so much to bite back but didn’t.

Because he always could draw a laugh out of Lawrence. Granted he was usually laughing at him rather than with him, but Ellie could still put a smile on his face by acting dumb, saying things that Lawrence would subsequently repeat in a screech of disbelief that would always make Ellie laugh harder anyway. He’d always self-impose ridiculous dares on himself in front of him: in Hive, “here, what if I did the entire shot rainbow?”, in Nandos, “d’you think I could do the wing roulette by myself?”, in Glasgow on the Subway on the way to a gig, “dare me to get off at Ibrox and I’ll go to the Louden Tavern dressed like this?”. Ellie had been used to being the class clown for Lawrence, the jester for the queen.

Or maybe just a fool.

Ellie’s always hated the colour grey.

You might help me, intimacy

I’ll admit, I’m scared

Maybe, maybe you can reach me, yeah

His surroundings turn to silver as he shoves his hands in his pockets, heads towards the V&A museum that’s still glinting despite the lack of sunlight. He’s stopped by two teenage girls that are polite and shy and squeaky-voiced as they ask for a photo- he supposes that’s what he gets when he goes out wearing the pink and purple fur coat with the hearts on it. Ellie forces a smile and thanks them for supporting him and they tell him he’s their favourite in return.

After they walk away he thinks they must have been lying, but then he feels the frown etch itself onto his face as he shakes his head. The self-doubt is a hangover from filming that he needs to shake off.

He squints at the museum as he walks past, fleetingly thinks about going in and looking at some of the old fashion to cheer him up. A’whora’s promised to go with him when he’s eventually allowed to come up to visit, and Ellie snorts at the idea of the fashion queen of the London scene in Dundee. The thought of A’whora’s reaction to the Wellgate shopping centre- the Credit Union, the B&M, the Jobcentre Plus- puts the first smile on his face he’s had in days.

Lawrence had gone round the museum with him too, when Ellie had dropped him off at the train station the day after a gig and they’d been killing time. It had been weird to just dick about like that together the first few times. Weird the fact there was no makeup, glue and wigs, no alcohol or gay anthems to yell over. Just two boys walking around a museum together. Like a date.

Ellie makes a face before he even realises. Not this.

The first time they did all of it together was weird. Just like everything Lawrence had written. Nandos, cinema, staying at his. That last one especially. Ellie can still remember the way he’d stared up at the bumpy ceiling from his position on Lawrence’s couch in the pitch dark, street lamps from outside casting shadows through the blinds. The room was too cold and the blanket was too small and he hadn’t slept a wink but he’d still do it all over again.

The first time they’d both lain on Lawrence’s bed the morning after the night before, cracking up at Scottish You Laugh You Lose compilations on Youtube and Ellie being unable to help the tears that streamed down his face at Lawrence imitating “big shoe, big shoeeee!”. The way they’d been close and the way their arms had touched and the way Ellie had felt ridiculous for the way his heart was hammering. Just a friend.

The first time they’d found each other under the dark lights of CCs when they’d both been through in Edinburgh to support Alice by chance. The way Ellie’s heart had lit up like a firework when he saw him. The way they’d laced their fingers together without even having to ask permission first, the way everything just seemed to be as simple as tequila rose shots and pink lights and leaning against the wall as they smoked outside.

The way everything else had just happened so easily.

Ellie squeezes his eyes shut before he can realise what he’s doing. The memories have forced their way in, kicked down a door in his head that he’d been sure he’d bolted shut.

He needs to change the locks.

Maybe you’re my enemy

Now I’ve finally let you come a little close to me,

Maybe you’re my enemy

You’re the only one who knows the way I’m really feelin’

Ellie is in the same Stitch onesie he’s been shrugging on since the last episode aired. It stinks. He’s joked to A'whora that he can probably smell him through the phone, and A'whora’s asked if he just sweats out Mango Loco Monster. Ellie makes some joke about wringing out his clothes into a pint glass if he did, which makes A'whora retch on camera.

He’s glad they made up at least. They didn’t have too much of a choice, to be fair. Apart from the way they get on so well, their bond and their friendship, A'whora’s the only other one who knows what it’s like to be in Ellie’s situation.

Except A'whora never stabbed Tayce in the back.

“You should talk to him,” A'whora insists, bringing the whole sorry situation up in a pause where Ellie must have looked as if he was about to make a vodka bleach mixer.

Ellie looks pointedly back at him through the screen. “I’ve been telling you to talk to Tayce for months.”

He watches A'whora pull an awkward face and he’s satisfied he’s hit a nerve. “That’s different though. You and Lawrence don’t live together.”

“Yeah. Least I wasn’t stupid enough to move in with someone I fancied, how’s that going for you?”

A'whora splutters a laugh that doesn’t quite meet his eyes. Ellie feels guilty all over again. He feels like that’s his default these days. “Sorry, chick, I shouldn’t have-”

“No, I mean. It’s fine. Just have to act as if I’m not in love with the bitch every time I’m around her, it’s not hard,” A'whora deadpans.

Ellie frowns. “You know Tayce feels the same. Everyone knows it.”

“No I don’t,” A'whora says instantly back to him, shaking his head and dissolving momentarily into pixels. “Besides, even if she did, like…it’s easier if she didn’t, y'know? All this…publicity, every move getting analysed. It’s easier to just…not.”

Ellie narrows his eyes. “You’re doing a smashing job making the case for me and Lawrence.”

“You know what I mean! You don’t get people asking where Lawrence is in every live you do. You don’t get people going through the show fucking…frame by frame and then editing every time you breathe around each other together and setting it to a bloody Little Mix song.”

Ellie bursts out laughing and starts singing Black Magic down the phone to him, which makes A'whora look pointedly at him before clearly being unable to hold it for long and instead laughing with him.

Both their laughter dies down and Ellie watches as A'whora smiles sadly, sincerely. “He’s worth the risk, Els.”

“Oh my God, prison. Who the fuck are you, Nicholas Sparks?”

The reference flies over A'whora's head and Ellie starts explaining the plot of the A Walk to Remember, steering the conversation out of the waters it had become marooned in, the captain of his very own HMS Unicorn.

He feels more like he’s aboard the Titanic with every message that goes unread.

Now it’s really clear to me

You could do a little damage, you could cut me deeper

“It didn’t get you a badge though, was it worth it?”

Ellie’s asked himself that every day since the episode aired. Since he made the decision, pretty much. Financially? Yes it was. It’s pretty well-known at this point in the grand scheme of Drag Race that with each week you’re on the likelihood of securing more bookings is increased, and now with his slot at Drag Fest he feels as if he’s hit the jackpot.

Everything else? Not so much.

Ellie still feels his stomach drop if he thinks enough about that untucked, which he does all the time. Too much, in fact. The aggression in Lawrence’s voice which Ellie knew all too well was a manifestation of hurt on so many levels. The way Lawrence chose the conflict that Ellie wished he could have avoided. The way Lawrence left his feelings bare while Ellie couldn’t trust himself to do the same in case he said something he might regret.

The fact Lawrence had thought Ellie had set him up to fail was maybe what hurt the most, though. Ellie had wanted to ask him how he thought he’d be able to do that after everything they’d been through together. He’d tried to tell him he didn’t think it was possible for him to fail at something he shines at. He’d wanted to grab Lawrence’s pink fucking headpiece and bash him over the head with it until he realised that he’s Lawrence fucking Chaney, he is the Scottish drag queen. Lawrence is the one who will say something at a gig one week and it’ll be common drag parlance across the country by the next. Lawrence is the one getting booked by the BBC Social to make educational videos. Lawrence is the one on posters across Glasgow, for fuck’s sake.

Ellie might not have been thinking about the worst case scenario in that moment, but only because he genuinely didn’t think there could be one.

After all, he’d had his opportunity to sabotage Lawrence. Ellie remembers the first day when the producers had wanted to set up the Scottish queen rivalry, asked for something shady they could use as a soundbite. The way he’d sought out Lawrence on a smoke break and told him about the situation and reassured him that he hadn’t given them anything, and the way Lawrence had just smiled back at him, softly and genuinely, and told Ellie he’d done the same. The way they’d minutely linked pinkies together before breaking them and walking back inside as if they’d barely shared so much as a glance, neither of them wanting to draw any suspicion their way.

And he could’ve been harsher in that untucked if he’d wanted. Could’ve said how for someone that was meant to care so much about friendship and sisterhood, Lawrence had been doing a great job shitting on him from a great height about his lack of challenge wins and his run on the show.

But he didn’t, because…well. He knows why.

Because the knowledge that he’d hurt Lawrence and lost his trust had done more damage than any joke Lawrence made at his expense could ever do.

Ellie goes live on the Tuesday afternoon. A comment on the chat reads, “are u A’whora and Lawrence still friends???”

“Yeah, me and A’whora are still friends!” Ellie bats the comment away with a fake smile.

He’ll blame his lack of comprehension skills if he’s asked about it.

I feel guilty, I feel nervous, I feel certain now

Maybe, maybe you can reach me

He doesn’t know what possesses him to do it.

Maybe it’s when he wakes up on Friday and Lawrence’s Twitter isn’t loading. Maybe it’s when he reads the other Scottish girls condemning the fans, the word fatphobia leaping out, grabbing Ellie’s heart and wrenching it tight.

Surely not this?

Ellie searches Twitter and what he finds makes him feel ill. He doesn’t know what he had expected- he’d known the frantic tweet urging the fans to be kind that he’d typed out before he went to sleep hadn’t exactly been going to create world peace overnight- but he hadn’t expected any of this. Everyone loves Lawrence, surely.

Although perhaps he’s just talking from experience.

Maybe it’s when he shoots Lawrence a message that goes unopened. In all honesty Ellie doesn’t blame him. A flimsy sentiment about hoping he’s okay that clocks in at under 250 characters isn’t going to cut it, and he’s grateful when Bimini, with all their empathy and ability to read a situation as clear as day, texts him and tells him that Lawrence has replied to them and he’s…well, he’s managing.

Maybe it’s when Ellie goes live with A’whora and he manages to mention Lawrence entirely too many times. A cry for attention or an old habit that’s dying hard? He can’t tell. Perhaps it’s both.

It’s definitely got something to do with the Facebook post.

Whatever it is, Ellie finds himself stuffing any old random items of clothing in a backpack and hoping it makes an outfit, shoving the spare key into the soil of the plant pot outside his front door and texting Anne to tell her where it is in case…fuck knows, the flat goes on fire while he’s away or something. He looks up the train times as he’s on his way to the station; a terrible decision, really, as when he’s still fifteen minutes away he discovers there’s one in ten. Somehow he manages to make it to the station with just a minute to spare and his heart lifts to find that the ticket barriers are open, so he dashes through them and hurtles onto the train that’s waiting at the platform. He catches his breath as he slumps into a table seat, having to take his mask off for a couple of seconds just so he can breathe properly. The way his heart is going at the rate the train’s about to isn’t helping.

The chimes of the train announcement cut through his attempts at slowing his heart down, and the little robotic woman’s voice confirms that his ridiculous, spur-of-the-moment decision is actually happening.

“This is Dundee. This train is for Glasgow Queen Street.”

Because this is all so last minute, but he needs to see Lawrence. He’s apologised probably ten times by now but he knows he needs to make it eleven. He knows (he hopes) that Lawrence needs that eleventh time too. He knows that Lawrence needs Ellie’s persistence, knows that it’s all just an attempt at self-preservation. Lawrence’s attempts at shutting Ellie out are just inviting him to bring a battering ram. At least, he hopes. But like A’whora had said…he’s worth the risk.

The train starts moving, and even if he wanted to back out now he couldn’t.

So cold at the surface, I’m scared of nothin’

Underneath, I’m nervous

Can you reach me?

Ellie waits for the subway at Buchanan Street and his glazed-over eyes focus on a massive poster of Lawrence on the platform opposite. He briefly considers throwing himself under the next train.

The journey down had passed somehow in the blink of an eye and also agonisingly slowly. Too much time to sit and stare out of the window but not enough time to figure out what he’s going to say. He still doesn’t know. He’d said it all those months ago, he’s said it through texts and DMs. This time feels different, though. This time is different. This time there’s no cameras or runners or pink tables, or distance between them or tension at the fact nothing had aired yet.

It’s going to be the pair of them and Lawrence’s flat. Just like it’s been so many times before.

Ellie thinks he’ll probably just open his mouth, say whatever gets there first and hope it hits the right notes; a terrible decision arrived upon as a result of the lack of any other option. His mind is a messed up ball of television static, a knotted yarn of white noise that he can’t find the end of. He feels as if it’s made of the noise the train makes as it screams into the station, metal on metal and the low whoosh of the wind through the tunnel and the rickety shaking of the doors as they slide open and people stream off.

He picks up his bag and sinks down into the horrifically patterned upholstery of the seats, settling himself in for the journey. The little metal tin can of a train doesn’t take long to fire through the seven stops before Govan and with each one that passes Ellie can feel his nerves spiking and his mouth growing dry.

What if Lawrence isn’t even in? What if it’s all got too much and he’s gone back to Helensburgh for the foreseeable? Ellie could get a train up there, he supposes; he’s already on this side of the country, although he doesn’t know if Lawrence would appreciate the gesture or call the police on him.

Ellie concludes it would be worth it anyway.

He emerges from the Subway and the grey seems to hit him all over again, seeping into his clothes and forcing him to fight through the sadness that hits him like a wave. There’s a little beam of sunshine fighting to escape the clouds though, and Ellie hopes it’s some form of pathetic fallacy. Or whatever that one about the weather matching your feelings was. Fucked if he ever paid attention in Nat 5 English.

The streets of red brick tenements feel like pens of hostility as he passes windows that serve as frames for Union Jacks and Red Hand of Ulster flags. Even being raised in a Christian household doesn’t equip him to identify with this form of religion; where the disciples are football players and the gods are flags and the hymns are about killing Catholics. Ellie has always worried about Lawrence living here, told him as much, but he’s always been met with a bark of a laugh back and some comment about how he’s only saying that because he’s lived such a sheltered little life in Dundee and wouldn’t last five minutes trying to inhabit Glasgow and all its cheerful sectarianism. Lawrence has always had a very blythe attitude to the whole thing, and Ellie remembers when he’d held his hand on the way back from the Subway in full drag after a gig like it was nothing, the way some dick in an orange and blue scarf had shouted at them from across the street and Lawrence had just yelled back with an “awrite, babes?” as if he had a death wish.

Which is what makes this whole thing so grim. The Lawrence who drunkenly and sarcastically greets bigots at three in the morning from across the street doesn’t marry up with the Lawrence that’s holed up in his flat in the face of negativity. Ellie supposes that one homophobic Rangers fan is one homophobic Rangers fan, but Twitter can seem like the whole world’s population, and if Lawrence thinks the world hates him just because he’s reacted to something that was Ellie’s fault…

He feels his gut wrench.

Ellie turns into Lawrence’s street and feels ill. He could always go home. Turn and walk back to the Subway, train back to Queen Street, back to Dundee, back to the flat. Like nothing had ever happened. Like he hadn’t even consciously made the decision, like it was all a dream.

He sleepwalks to Lawrence’s close door anyway, just like he knew he would.

His hand shakes as he presses the buzzer too hard, and the panic rises in his throat as the seconds pass agonisingly slowly. When there’s a crackle from the intercom, he freezes in fear.

“Hello?”

It’s Kiko’s voice. Of course his flatmate had to be the one to answer, drag out the humiliation of the whole thing. Ellie can hear the shake to his voice as he replies.

“Hey, it’s Ellie.”

“…Ellie?”

He chooses to ignore the disbelief, acts as if it’s normal for him to have travelled across the country to turn up on Lawrence’s doorstep in the middle of a pandemic when there’s a travel ban in place. He’s considering this essential travel anyway.

“Is Lawrence in at all?”

Kiko, for her part, seems to pick up on the way the whole visit is masquerading as routine. In the split second before she replies, Ellie finds himself holding his breath. He steels himself, prepares for a “no, he’s actually…”, to send him back to Dundee like a crumpled sheet of paper tossed into a bin.

So Ellie feels like his throat’s going to close up when Kiko replies down the intercom. “Yeah, two secs. I’ll buzz you up.”

The dread settles in his gut like a weight as the buzzer rings out into the street, harsh and loud and doing nothing for Ellie’s derailed train of thought. He pushes on the door, takes his first step into the close and the echo seems to hit him deep in his chest. He finds himself wishing Lawrence lives four up but he’s only on the first floor, and as Ellie puts his foot on the first step of the staircase he keeps his eyes trained on the stairs because he knows the moment he looks up he’s going to see somebody standing there holding the door open and even though he’s had hours to prepare himself, weeks even, he’s not ready for that in the slightest.

And when he finally brings his gaze onto the front door with four steps to go, he’s not ready for the way the sight of Lawrence almost knocks him straight back down again. He’s slumped against the doorframe and has very clearly not slept- since when, Ellie couldn’t guess. A black hoodie is swamping him and a pair of navy sweatpants are doing the same, making him seem smaller than he already is. The sight of his hair up in that tiny bun hurts Ellie’s heart because it makes him want to smile, reminds him of the Lawrence he’d dick about in the workroom and the smoking area and the hotel corridors with before it all went so wrong. His arms are folded and he’s looking at the tiles on the landing floor until Ellie reaches the doorway, shifts awkwardly.

“Hi.”

Lawrence doesn’t quite meet his eyes. It’s a minute detail that hurts Ellie more than he would have expected. He doesn’t reply for a second, then seems to relent. “Hey.”

Another pause. The atmosphere makes Ellie wish he’d worn a thicker jacket.

“You’re not meant to be here, you know. Wee Nicky’s probably had snipers trained on you since you got off the train,” Lawrence says, delivering the quip with a bitter, barbed edge that makes Ellie think it’s less of a joke and more wishful thinking.

“Wouldn’t be any less than I deserve, I’m sure,” Ellie smiles sadly, unable to make it meet his eyes. Lawrence’s expression remains unimpressed.

“So why are you here, then,” he not so much as demands an answer but disinterestedly inquires. Ellie bites his bottom lip before he replies, as if he’s forcing himself to make sure his words are perfect.

“I just came down because…well, I wanted to see how you were. I know the past week must have been shit for you.”

Lawrence raises his eyebrows, his eyes growing wide as if to really drive home to Ellie how much of an understatement he already knows he’s made. “Yeah.”

Ellie sighs, wanting desperately to get the next part right. “And I felt like I needed to say I’m sorry. Y’know, in front of you.”

“You said sorry back when we filmed. We’re over it, it’s fine,” Lawrence says flatly, conveying that everything is not fine.

“It’s not fine, though. I wouldn’t have come down if it was fine. Things haven’t been fine since that day, and like…I miss you, Lawrence, I don’t want to lose you as a friend, or as a sister, or as…” Ellie stumbles, looking to the floor as he tries to articulate the other facet of their relationship. “…whatever else we are. Whatever else we were. I’m sorry for fucking everything up.”

There’s a silence in which the pair of them freeze and hold their breath. Time could very well be standing still for all Ellie knows. He immediately regrets bringing up all of…that. He should’ve kept it to friendship, shouldn’t have added anything on. Before he can overthink any more or begin to backtrack, a small sigh from Lawrence makes him look up.

“I thought you hated me,” he says. His voice is small and the words are unexpected. There’s so much Ellie could say in response. He settles on a joke.

“No, I think you’re a cunt. There’s a difference,” Ellie smiles tightly, the joke tentative. The snort it gets from Lawrence makes his smile grow without him being able to help it. “Was that a good one? Thought I was the unfunniest person on the planet?”

“We weren’t talking about your Bake Off improv,” Lawrence raises his eyebrows as he smirks, and Ellie fakes a wounded laugh.

“Shady cow.”

“I’m sorry,” Lawrence says out of nowhere, his smile gone all of a sudden.

Ellie tries to drag the joke out a little longer, hold onto the sparks they’ve just created. “Nah, it was shit, you’re right.”

“No, Ellie…” Lawrence shakes his head, worrying his lip between his teeth a little. “I am sorry.”

Ellie feels the panic wash over him when he clocks the glisten in his eyes. “It’s fine, girl.”

“It’s not fine. I was a dick to you so many times, no fuckin’ wonder I thought you’d set me up. I would too if I had somebody talking down to me like I did to you,” Lawrence says gravely. His gaze is fixed on his floor and just as Ellie is about to speak he catches sight of two tears that fall onto the red carpet, the darkness akin to blood. His horror grows as Lawrence finally snaps his head up, tears shining in his eyes as he sighs helplessly in a shaky voice. “You’re amazing, Ellie, you’re such a talent, and…fuck, I missed you.”

His words mean more to him that Ellie had expected them to. He doesn’t want to let that show, though, because that’s too much, that means too much for the situation just now and he can deal with that realisation at a later date. For now, Ellie points at him in mock-accusation. “Hey listen, I’m the one that got the train down to come and make a big speech to you and say sorry. Buy your own damn train ticket for that.”

Lawrence’s voice is thick with tears as he lets out a short laugh. “Sorry.”

“Wee bitch. Always have to make everything about you,” Ellie rolls his eyes, getting another teary laugh out of Lawrence and raising his hopes that maybe they’ll be okay.

And then the banks break and Lawrence makes a little choked-up noise, a sob that’s not fully a sob. His eyes meet Ellie’s and they’re full of so much sadness and regret that just looking at them creates a crack in Ellie’s heart, one that matches the crack in Lawrence’s voice as he speaks again.

“This has all been shit to do without you.”

Ellie doesn’t think before opening his arms out, shaking his head affectionately. “Don’t be silly. C’mere.”

When Lawrence immediately opens out his own and they meet each other in the middle and hug tightly, Ellie feels like a balloon that’s been let go and is floating up to the sky.

The clouds aren’t grey.

The way they’re holding each other brings back too many memories. Seeing each other at gigs and feeling butterflies take hold of his stomach. Coming off stage after a number and conveying his pride in him without even having to say a word. Saying goodbye at train stations with disappointment lodging itself in his heart. All the nostalgia makes Ellie want to cry, but he can’t start now. Instead, he breaths a shaky sigh, shakes his head before he speaks.

“You’ve always had me, okay? You’ve always got me. We’ve said sorry now, that’s the end of it. Periodt,” Ellie murmurs against his shoulder, adding on his trademark at the end. The laugh he gets muffled against his chest in return makes him feel lighter.

“I’ve not showered. I definitely stink. You don’t have to keep hugging me, you know.”

“You don’t. I want to,” Ellie says back. He means it.

It’s Lawrence that slides out of the hug first but he’s still standing close as he quickly wipes away his tears, looks Ellie up and down with a smirk on his face. “So where’s your Travelodge, hen?”

Ellie’s sheepish when he makes eye contact with him again, shrugs one strap of the rucksack off before replying. “You know damn well I’ve not booked anywhere.”

“Fuckin’ hell. Right, come on,” Lawrence shakes his head affectionately, stepping back into his hallway and letting Ellie finally cross the threshold to drop his bag like an anchor in the flat. It’s the physical manifestation of the burden finally being lifted off of him, the guilt and the regret melting away in favour of the flutter of his heart and a few small sparks that he wants to put in resin. “I get to choose the film later as reparations. Don’t trust you since you made us watch Cat In The Hat.”

Ellie gives a shocked gasp, genuinely offended. “It’s good!”

“Is it fuck. In fact, just for that I’m going to make you sit through something sci-fi and geeky and you’re gonna hate it,” Lawrence smiles with genuine glee, and Ellie can’t even bring himself to be mad about it. As the pair of them walk through to the living room, Lawrence jumps onto the sofa and fixes Ellie with a look that is clearly meant to be serious but that simultaneously Lawrence can’t commit to and Ellie can’t believe. “You’re sleeping here tonight, by the way.”

Ellie raises his eyebrows as he fakes his agreement, going along with the charade Lawrence is beginning. They both know they’ll end up curled up together on the sofa with neither of them having an explanation for how it’s happened, but at the same time knowing they don’t have to explain themselves. They know that Ellie will end up falling asleep slumped against Lawrence and that he’ll have to gently shake him awake, that he’ll wordlessly offer Ellie a hand to drag him off the couch with and that they’ll go through to Lawrence’s room like always. They know that they’ll wake up tangled together like the sheets and that Ellie will be there for him, that he’ll help Lawrence piece himself back together and they’ll go back to the start. Well, maybe not the start. Perhaps somewhere better.

Ellie keeps his friends close, but Lawrence is something a little bit more. Something a little bit closer.

Baby, you’re my enemy.

#rpdr fanfiction #rpdr uk #ellie diamond #lawrence chaney #ellie x lawrence #a'whora #uk2 #canon compliant #angst #hurt/comfort #song fic #maybe you're my enemy #ortega

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thewebcomicsreview · 4 years

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Seeing as I don’t have a job right now (one week furlough), I managed to get a lot of writing for Saffron and Sage done today. Now I feel good! Time to ruin that with a Homestuck 2 Liveblog! Last time: Jade kidnapped “Yiffy”, much to Jane’s distress! No time for that, though, as we’re back with the Candyland Kids.

HARRY: vrissy, i know this is a stressful predicament but i think that's going too far. HARRY: my dad believes in us. HARRY: and if he thinks there's something we can do, then there has to be a way!

Kind of interesting that Harry holds his dad’s opinion in such high esteem, considering that his dad has been AWOL pretty much his whole life.

TAVROS: Uncle john isn't to blame for this,,, HARRY: yeah, no shit tav. HARRY: this whole situation is because of YOUR insane hitlermom.

How the hell does Harry Anderson know who Hitler is? When did that conversation come up? This is a completely different universe!

TAVROS: Is less sincere,,, than it is,,, an attempt to weaponize something difficult for me, TAVROS: In order that you can win an argument,,, with harry anderson,,,,, VRISKA: GRRRRRRRRAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! VRISKA: WILL YOU ALL JUST VRISKA: SHUT!!!!!!!! VRISKA: UP!!!!!!!!

A good example of why characters like John, Jade, Vriska, and sometimes Karkat are important in Homestuck or in stories generally. They actually do shit.

VRISKA: Neither you nor your friends have anything really important going on. VRISKA: Your lives and your planet are a total 8ore! VRISKA: 8ut somehow John loves you anyway. VRISKA: Try and be fucking gr8ful for that every once in a while. VRISKA: Not everyone is so lucky.

Vriska please do not be pining for middle-aged John Egbert. You have literally half a dozen semi-official love interests (John, Terezi, Eridan, Tavros, Meenah and Kanaya), please don’t pick the one old enough to be your dad. It was already weird enough when Adult John got hot and bothered by teen Roxy in the epilogues, to say nothing of you fucking a middle-aged homeless clown in a bush.

thespiansGlamor [TG] began pestering adamantGriftress [AG]

Oh, fuck you, Homestuck. It’s bad enough that Harry and Dave are both going to be referred to as “TG” in chatlogs, but now Vrissy and Vriska are both AG and have the same font color!

TG: i've allocated the strife specibus with the scissorkind abstratus? TG: hm. TG: using this weird vocab and stuff feels... well, weird. TG: i'm not sure why, but it seems as though everything that's about to happen is that much more important now. TG: or maybe it already was, but i just didn't understand just how important until this moment.

One issue with wearing your metaphor on your sleeve as much as Homestuck 2 does is that thematically important lines become really obvious.

I like how the triangle-shaped panel around Vriska escaping the crowd by simply walking into it is reminiscent of a magic 8-ball. That’s clever!

VRISKA: Your society... no, your whole planet... it deserves to 8urn str8 to MEGAhell, and I'm gonna 8e the one to fly it there! VRISKA: I'm gonna shatter your paradise into pieces with my 8are hands and SHIT IN ITS GRAVE!!!!!!!! VRISKA: HOW'S THAT FOR A FUCKING ST8MENT! VRISKA: YOU GOT ALL THAT, JANE CROCKER? VRISKA: DO YOU UNDERSTAND WHAT'S COMING FOR YOU???????? VRISKA: YOU'VE MESSED WITH VRISKA: ********VRISKA******** VRISKA: ****FUUUUUUUUCKING**** VRISKA: ********SERK8T********

There’s some extreme Dungeons and Dragons energy here, where Vriska’s plan to escape a mob of reporters working for a totalitarian dictatorship run by literal gods is to simply walk outside and publicly declare her intent to destroy the world as punishment for its sins.

And yeah, this is how that plan usually works in DnD, too.

Man, the next page is a wall of text, whereas in old Homestuck this’d be an animation. I get “fair wages” and “small budget”, but is still feels weird to see a big Strife scene merely get described with boring-ass words.

Fearing gunfire, the few paparazzi who aren't currently getting their asses handed to them by the world's angriest traffic cone start to trip over each other, diving for cover.

The world’s angriest traffic cone.

Far away, in her lair, Jane Crocker grabs the two sides of her computer monitor with enough strength to snap it in two. She can't believe what she's watching. Behind her, from a shadowy corner of the room, there is an agitated growling noise and the rattle of chains.

Is that Yiffy? Is Yiffy an animal? Please tell me Yiffy is not a person that Jade named Yiffy.

....Actually, please tell me that Yiffy isn’t an animal Jade named Yiffy that is Jade’s child via sex with another animal that might be my breaking point.

Vriska alights on the ground, rakes her throat, quietly spits out a little wad of blue, and wipes her mouth unceremoniously. Tavros pats Harry Anderson tentatively on the arm. Vrissy tries to be badass and cough up something too but she doesn't really make it work.

Vrissy::Vriska Vriska::Mindfang

It’s weird that John’s sprite is the same even though he’s middle aged now, but I like that his God Tier outfit doesn’t fit any more. Isn’t it magical? Ahh, who cares.

JOHN: this old thing is pretty uncomfortable in a lot of ways. JOHN: hm... JOHN: when we get a moment, maybe the two of us could brainstorm a redesign? JOHN: no pressure though. HARRY: !!!

Oh, that’s why! That’s cute.

JADE: theres something i need to tell you

don’thavefuckedadogdon’thavefuckedadogdon’thavefuckedadog

JADE: john... i have a daughter JADE: shes almost harry andersons age JOHN: ... JOHN: ... JOHN: you have a daughter.

Named Yiffy?

ROSE: It was at this point that Jade came to me. ROSE: I could understand her pain quite acutely, and so... ROSE: I agreed to carry a child on her behalf. KANAYA: . ROSE: ... Without telling Kanaya.

Without-

Kanaya is your WIFE. You LIVE WITH HER. Even ignoring the question of why you’d keep 9 months of pregnancy from your wife, how? Kanaya would have been living with humans for years at that point and she’s literally in charge of reproduction don’t tell me she thought Rose just got fat for a while and then lost the weight really fast.

ROSE: I'm... not sure why I made that decision. ROSE: I regret not telling Kanaya, of course. ROSE: But I can't say that I regret going through with it. ROSE: At the time, it didn't feel as though the deception was even all that prolonged. The whole affair was... short. ROSE: Purely physical, and nothing more.

ROSE: John, there isn't a father. ROSE: Jade and I are the sole parents of this child. JOHN: oh. JOHN: ... JOHN: OH. JOHN: oh i'm so sorry, i didn't th- ROSE: That's quite alright John, although you might like to direct that apology more towards your sister. ROSE: All I will say is that if you would like to take up the particulars with us, ROSE: Some *other* time,

Actually, if John doesn’t know that Jade has a male dog’s genitals due to a fusion accident, I’d love to know what that all-caps OH means. What does he think happened, that Jade and Rose managed to have a baby?

JOHN: so... how did you hide the pregnancy? ROSE: Oh, that was simple. ROSE: Jade's genes being, as they are, part canine, the gestation period was substantially reduced.

OH NO

Yiffy is literally a furry, isn’t she? Moreso that Jade, she’s a full-on “Can be naked onscreen and it’s okay because she’s covered in fur” dog girl.

JOHN: i think i understand everything so f VRISSY: WAIT!!!!!!!! VRISSY: YOU MEAN TO TELL ME VRISSY: NOT ONLY DO I H8VE A SISTER VRISSY: 8UT YOU NAMED VRISSY: YOUR ****SECRET CHILD**** VRISSY: ********YIFFY********????????

Vrissy makes an excellent point.

ROSE: We didn't call her Yiffy. ROSE: That would be a quite ridiculous thing with which to burden a child. ROSE: Her full name is Yiffany Longstocking Lalonde Harley.

Vrissy looks as though she is about to shit the belltower they are standing in, brick by brick.

ROSE: It was, in hindsight, a monumentally terrible decision acting as the final chapter in a long series of novels, each one full of progressively more terrible decisions than the last. ROSE: But that is the name that we decided upon.

Oh, wait a second. Vriska changed Vriska Maryam-Lalonde to Vrissy, and changed Harry Anderson to just Harry. So obviously she’s going to rename Yiffy to literally anything else, then rename Tavros, and then we’ve got a new set of four kids as Vriska leaves to do something else. That’s what going to happen, right? Right? Please?

ROSE: You have to understand... this whole situation ended up playing out a bit like an ironic game of chicken between the two of us. ROSE: Something that far outstripped anything that the Strider fraternity could have produced in their wildest, most jpegged creative wet dreams. ROSE: But in the end that triumph of irony came back to bite us in the fucking ass, as irony is wont to do. ROSE: There was absolutely no possibility of us casually letting you all know that, by the way, we had had a secret daughter named Yiffany Longstocking. ROSE: At least, not right away. ROSE: But carapacian change-of-name paperwork is so complex and circuitous that, eventually, keeping quiet forever just seemed like the more reasonable option.

This is, even for Homestuck, monumentally stupid. You named your daughter Yiffany Longstocking as a joke and then kept the child secret because you were embarrassed. You two are awful fucking parents. You are the worst parents in the entire series, and that includes Bro Strider and the spider that made Vriska feed it children.

And we’re literally at the point where the writing is bad and the joke is how bad the writing is. This isn’t enjoyable to read; you can’t make a bad B-movie My Immortal fanfic on purpose.

Even now, Yiffy is likely being held at spoonpoint

I feel like “Jade and Rose have a secret daughter named Yiffany Longstocking” can be a joke or it can be drama but maybe not both at the same time.

#Homestuck 2 #Homestuck #Homestuck 2 Liveblog

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uhhhhyandere · 4 years

Note

I love, love, love you ❤️ I was hoping I could request where the main character begs for Yandere Light to let her get a doggo bc she’s so lonely since he made her quit a job. Like full on having a full ass fit. I’m talking full blown brat shit. Just how he would react and what she would have to do to convince him if you catch that drift 😏😉

yeah, i know what i said in my last post. whatever. never believe anything that comes out of my stupid mouth i am the single biggest sob in the universe.

um… i took this in a… direction to say the least. someone has to stop me from riding suck n’ ride smut bc… it always goes like this.

next light smut there is going to be ass-eating or i swear to god my name isn’t kerry literally all im thinking about is giving him a rimjob. really. this is where we are at folks.

warnings: smut, face fucking (oops), dick sucking, sex, rough sex. he not happy boi

word count: 3.5k

All you did was watch dog videos anymore. Of course, you watched them because you literally had little else to do during the day, but you just… happened to be more open about it when Light came through the door. Did it have anything to do with the fact you’ve been thinking about getting a furry friend to keep you company from the silence of an empty house and the dark recesses of your mind?

No, of course not. It had nothing at all to do with it, and it certainly had nothing to do with the fact that if you ask him directly, he would say no before any more words could breach the air. You would have to be creative, because when Light said “no,” there was no more argument, and you wanted this argument.

“A Pug. Wow. Beautiful.”

“Look, it’s a—it’s a Corgi. Oh my—wow. That’s amazing.”

You’d play around with different sizes.

“This Mastiff? This gentle giant? Can do nothing wrong.”

“This Bichon matches with the snow!”

And you’d talk about listings you just happened to see online from the local shelters.

“This one—wow. All of her shots. She looks so nice. Oh, and potty trained! What a girl. Damn.”

“He’s sitting down—oh a paw. I see a paw. Can he do the other paw? Oh, yes he can. Also has all his shots. Wonderful.”

Considering the man you lived with, you were pretty positive that he figured out your intentions day one or day two max. It’s been about a week since you’ve been… outgoing in your interest. At this point, it was a game as to who would break first. You bet he was waiting for you to get annoyed with his ignoring of anything you said related to the subject with how blatant he was with shirking you off, forcing you to simply ask.

You weren’t going to make it so easy on him. Though he happened to be the king of hiding his emotions, you knew you had to be getting to him. Light would never admit it, and he would certainly never show it. He wanted to keep that satisfaction as far away from you as possible.

So, you turned up the heat.

Before, you would break off the dog topic after a time, wanting to etch it in your daily schedule only bits at a time. Now? It’s the only thing you talk about, no matter the actual subject at hand.

“There’s another event we have to—.”

“The animal shelter is having an event in the park next week for adoptions.”

“I’m going to have to go for groceries soon.”

“Look at this weenie dog dressed in a weenie costume.”

“I—.”

“Doggo cute.”

It was only a matter of time until—.

“This French Bulldog is—.”

“Y/N.” His voice was clear, demanding. Even after all this time, like a teacher scolding elementary students, it immediately brought you to silence. You sat on your shared bed, legs crossed, as he leered down at you from the bathroom. “I would say it was cute at first, but you know it’s a waste of time to try asking anything indirectly. As if I would succumb to your manipulation, but I let you carry on. You would get bored. You would stop and think and realize that it was pointless to keep it up, but you persisted. I thought to myself maybe you were just trying to see if I would crack and give you the satisfaction of indulging in your antics, and I was right.

“It begs the question. Why didn’t you just ask directly? Easy. Because I would say no, and you would be correct. To allow something else besides me your devotion? Not likely. But what? Did you think showing me videos of Shibu Inus and Pomeranians would make me want one first? You have the logic of a six-year-old, Y/N,” Light began to unbutton his shirt, “Did you honestly think it would work? Or did you simply want to get a rise out of me?” He removed the shirt entirely, then lifted his undershirt over his head just as easily. Light tossed the fabric into the hamper, leaving a pale, lithe abdomen on display. He turned to fully face you and took two easy steps forward. “Why would you want one in the first place? Have I not given my fiancée enough attention recently? Is this your way of getting back at me, hm?”

You were almost at an even height to his belt buckle, but you did your best to ignore that as his eyes demanded attention upwards. His gaze was near malicious, but not quite so. Ah. Lascivious. That’s what they were. You swallowed the knot out of your throat.

“Y-you wish.”

“Your hesitation is very resounding. Then, if you’re so sure, indulge me. Don’t tell me you wanted a distraction from your loving husband-to-be. I know you didn’t want something else to focus on besides me when I’m away at work, so tell me. Tell me why you desired a filthy, shedding ball of fur. Your answer may earn you some mercy.”

You unfolded your legs from underneath you as your foot began to numb under the weight of your leg. Your hands glided back and forth on your thighs. Was there a point in lying? No, scratch that. Was there a point in lying to someone who already knew the truth? Well, his own truth that Light would undoubtedly make yours. There was little purpose in making it worse on yourself.

“No, you’re—uh—right.” Light set his hands on his hips.

“Oh?”

“Yeah, I’m just… lonely when you’re at work. So… yeah.” You risked a peek upwards. Oh, geez the smirk on that fucker. “I’m sorry.” His arms rose from his hips to cross over his chest.

“For?”

“Huh?”

“What are you sorry for? Annoying me for days with your drivel? Wanting a mutt? Lying?” You furrowed your brows. “Oh, that one confused you, hm? Alright, well, if you won’t admit it, I can do it for you. Lonely-“ he scoffed- “You can’t be serious. Such a blatant lie from your lips. The second time you are insulting my intelligence. I’ll ask one more time. Where does your motivation lie?”

“I’m not lying!” You hissed, jumping off the mattress to stand. “What—just what am I supposed to do all day cooped up in this place like a goddamned prisoner? Clean? The place is clean. Cook? As if you’d even let me try. Watch TV? My brain is rotting. You don’t even let me help kids with math anymore online. Just what am I to do? Next thing I may just throw myself out the window—,” Hands gripped your shoulders, causing a slight pain at the intensity.

“You think I’d let you? I expect you to stay here and be good and thankful that you are where you are. I, just as much as you, know—knew women who died to be in your shoes, and you’re ungrateful to be alive and safe? You want more?” You tried to shrug out of his grip, and he allowed you to take the steps away from him.

“I’m asking to be a human being, for fuck’s sake! I’m going to sit here and go crazy. Isn’t it enough that I don’t fuck with the rules anymore? I’m quiet. I don’t say anything. I put every façade you ask me to. All I want is something for me! Something to distract me from literally going insane here! To distract me from everything.”

Light’s eyes sometimes spoke more truth than his mouth ever could. Right about now, the browns were all-consuming, aflame with ire, but his lips were upturned in a challenge.

“A distraction. Caught in a lie, Y/N. Bad form, even for you. After all this time, you still can’t face reality, dearest. I knew you’ve been pitting your mind in some gutter you call the truth. Makes this all easier to accept, but to go to the physical extent? I won’t allow it, and you won’t be able to recess your mind for long, so enjoy that pleasure while you can.” He paused, countenance recessing to something more composed. “You love me, don’t you, Y/N?”

“Yes.” There was no hesitation, no lie in that affirmation. It was the easiest of his questions to answer. “I love you.” Light inhaled deeply, chest flexing with the exhale.

“With love comes compromise, correct?” You responded with a glare. His tone was all too insinuating. “So, let’s compromise, yes? I hate arguing with you.” He reached an arm out, hand open. Your eyes glanced between the extended limb and his eyes before cautiously taking it. His hand squeezed and pulled you in tight. Light twisted and adjusted you so when he fell onto the bed, you landed comfortably on his lap. Releasing your hand, he brought his own up to gingerly glide his fingers across your cheek, a trail of bumps in its wake as it curled into your locks. Almost like a lover. Almost.

His fingers seized the strands and pulled, forcing your head back and opening your neck for his mouth to latch. “Then compromise, dearest. Prove to me what you think you deserve.” He spoke against your skin, open-mouth kisses with a hint of teeth between his words. “And I’ll make judgement.” His hand let go of your hair and traced to the back of your skull to slant your lips onto his impatient ones. The other wrapped itself to pull your body closer until he pushed you off with an unexpected force, almost knocking you to the ground.

From the unbalanced position, you watched him adjust his position to lie in the center of the bed, head angled to watch you from the pillows with both his hands as another cushion for his crown. Light smirked, watching you stand straight. “Well, go on. Compromise.”

Light was never on the bottom. It was non-negotiable. Being anything else was utterly unacceptable for a god. This situation, despite the physical placement of both bodies, was no different. You may be the one crawling on top of him, fiddling with his belt buckle, but he had every bit of this situation in his control. Under his watchful gaze, you removed the strip of leather and threw it across the room.

“You’re going to have to help me here,” you muttered after undoing the fly. Wordlessly, he obliged, allowing you to slip the trousers off of his person. You glanced at his feet. Thank god he took his shoes off already, so he only lied in his boxers.

No, you would never be accustomed to this.

“You always look like it’s your first time,” he remarked. “As if you haven’t seen my cock before. From my recollection, you should be quite familiar with it by now.” You inhaled sharply. “Unless you don’t want to compro—.”

“Shut up,” you hissed, crawling to straddle his legs. “Just be quiet,” you said more quietly. You reached out to rub the only half-erect cock through the fabric. Only small groans were elicited above you. Light was not a noisy one, to say the least. It took your first, painful, terrible experience of deep-throating to even get him to moan fully.

“Do you think teasing is going to get you anywhere?” His voice is always composed during sex, and it really was alarming because… you really couldn’t relate. You glowered, fingers digging under the waistband and pulling. He helped again, lifting so you can get the fabric off. “If you think you’re doing anything fully clothed, I should take a cold shower.”

You made quick work of taking the layers of comfort clothes you had on, off. “You really know how to put on a show,” he deadpanned.

“Shut. Up.” You returned to your position, seeing his cock now fully erect from your previous work. You were sure you were wet, but you ignored it as best you could. You had a feeling you would not be serviced tonight. Before you can even lean down, he spoke again.

“Beg for it. Beg for the honor of sucking my cock. Convince me you deserve it if you believe you are so entitled.” There was not a single physical restriction to keep you from taking it into your mouth, but his words were powerful enough to keep you still. Light was daring you to try and misbehave, and you really couldn’t help the physical reaction his words always do to you.

“Please—,”

“Pathetic. I can have any girl in my bed. I can stick my cock in any person interested, and here you are, an ungrateful brat who wants more. You’re making quite an unremarkable argument for yourself. Perhaps I will take away—.”

“Please, Light. Allow me the honor of sucking your cock, of you fucking my throat. I want the privilege of swallowing your seed. Fuck—please. I’ll do anything.” You leaned down close, but not touching anything. You only lifted your eyes up to his. “Please. I know I’ve been bad. Please, let me make up for it.”

Your words in bed were always forced. He knew you hated dirty talk as much as you did, therefore he always made you speak, always made you confess how much you craved him, wanted him, and whenever you spoke it was hardly ever in lies. Your embarrassment was too prominent in your body language to tell him otherwise.

“Go on, then. Show me.” You licked up his length first, then around the head and back down. “Teasing will get you nowhere,” he repeated. You resisted the urge to roll your eyes and took him in, inch by inch. Light was incredibly average despite his ego. It wasn’t impossible to fit the entire length into your mouth with slow adjustment, but that didn’t mean it was fun. You would continue to work his length, getting more and less intense with your pressure and the speed your head bobbed. Still, there was little reaction from him, not there really never was any mind the grunts you could make out. Your inclinations to keep going, and you did until you pulled back.

“How’s—,” His hand was at the back of your head immediately, forcing your head back down, pushing his cock down your throat, pushing until you could feel his balls against your chin. No hair. He was pristine down there. You convulsed, gagged, choked, but he did not release his grip. Hand keeping its hold, he dragged your head up just a hair enough to thrust upwards. Water began to pool at the waterline of your eyes. You had to relax your throat, or this was going to be just worse.

But it was hard, so hard at the pace he was thrusting at. You squeezed your eyes shut and took it the best you can. Listening to his quiet grunts and groans, you forced your lips to continue covering your teeth, but you could not force your throat to loosen. Drool pooled at both sides of your mouth, carelessly falling into both him and the sheets along with the liquid of your tears.

“Your throat is so fucking tight. That’s it. Choke on my cock. This is what your dirty mouth deserves.” Your limited experience could be to blame for its restricting. That, or the selfishness of the man whose grip on your hair tightened even more right before he allowed you to breathe once more.

And breath you did. Gasping, reeling for air as drool continued to leak down. From beneath your hair, you looked at Light, his eyes wild and alive with lust. Small heaves from his smiling mouth mixed with your wet and heavy ones. “Do you think you deserved that, dearest?” You finally wiped your mouth and shook the spit from your arm. “You’re lucky I am so generous. Come. For doing such a decent job.” His hands patted his hips. Swollen eyes met his. “Ride me, before I change my mind and fuck you into the mattress.”

Regaining some semblance of control, you moved to straddle his length. “Oh, your pussy is glistening. Did me fucking your throat really do that much to you? You loved to be controlled, don’t you?” You did not answer, shaky hands guiding his cock so you can sink onto it. You groaned at the feeling. “Tell me how good it makes you feel. How only I can make you feel like this.” You bit your lip, sinking down another inch or so.

“God, Light. Your cock feels so good. Only yours can make me feel like this. No one—no man, no woman, no person—can make me feel anything—like—this—fuck!” You sunk down to the hilt before you lifted yourself again, easing yourself up and down his length. “It’s so good—so good.” Light allowed you more time but decided your gentle pace was not enough to soothe him. He roughly grabbed you and flipped your positions.

“Too slow, Y/N. What did I say about teasing?” He brought his hips back and then snapped them into yours. You screamed, and you wondered if the neighbors would call again, but his pace did not relent.

“Light��please. It’s too—too much! It’s too fast. I can’t…” He smiled, a wicked grin over you.

“And you won’t. Don’t you dare think about cumming. I decided you don’t deserve it. This is your compromise. You get to live, marry, and get fucked by me, and only by me, and I will only have eyes for you. You’ll never feel like you need a… distraction again.” You clenched your teeth and pushed your head farther into the pillows. “I feel you clenching onto me. Don’t you dare think about disobeying me.” His thrusts were even, balanced.

“Please, please, please let me cum. It feels too good. You feel too good. I’ll do anything.”

“Then don’t cum.” You threw your hands back and gripped the headboard, feeling it rock in rhythm to his thrusts. They were beginning to become, sloppy, wild, he was close while you were holding back for dear life. “Y/N. You are mine and mine alone. Your body. Your actions. Your mind. I am the only thing you are allowed to think about.” With one final push, his seed released, filling and coating your insides. He rode it out, making sure every drop stayed. He hated to have to wash the sheets after, though your drool stains remained.

Pulling out, he retreated and stood, ignoring your writing, unfulfilled form. “Come. You aren’t going to sleep like—get those hands away from there. Let’s get you clean before you ruin the sheets even more.” Like before, he extended his hand to your heaving form. “Alright, alright, I’ll take care of you, but you need to get cleaned up first.” An unstable hand fit into his own. His gently pulled you to stand and allowed you to lean your weight onto his.

Hot water cascaded down your body. Though Light effortlessly scrubbed washed his hair, you could not bring yourself to match his speed, and by the time he was already done, you hadn’t even washed your body yet. You heard an incomprehensible mutter amidst the running water as he left you alone. He was washing his face as you finally emerged, wrapped in your towel. No romance tonight, you figured. Not that it was any different than any other night. You followed, brushing your teeth, washing your face, and taking your pills while he huddled in bed.

You could only dream of romance anymore. Getting your pajamas on, you approached the empty side of the bed. Before you could get on, Light shifted, opening his arms and staring at you expectantly. You froze. Did… did he want…? “Well, come on.” Ah. Was this supposed to be the ‘I’ll take care of you,’ he mentioned earlier? You supposed he would never wash you in the shower, so this would have to be it. You swallowed and fell into them, feeling his arm wrap you close to him so you lied nearly on your stomach, face buried in the crook between his neck and shoulders. His arm lied around your neck, the other near your elbow on the arm that sprawled on his chest. Oh, hello? What is this?

Ah. This is the quote-on-quote, attention he promised as a fiancé. His eyes remained closed as you stared. How forced was this? You wondered if he hated it, if he saw it was succumbing to your wishes, but it was unlikely. Perhaps it was him showing the physical love outside of sex that you lacked thinking it would keep you from having another outburst as you did before. Him keeping his side of the compromise so you would keep yours.

You allowed yourself to close your eyes before you thought too hard about his actions. The more you thought about it, the more—and less—real it all became, but if he was offering more conventional couple things: cuddling, dates, attention, you would not pose another argument.

“So, no dog?” you whispered.

#yandere light yagami #yandere light yagami x reader #yandere death note #light yagami x reader #reader insert #yandere reader insert #yandere x you #yandere x reader #uh oh spaghettio #tw: yandere #tw yandere

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pluto-art · 3 years

Text

Syncytium - Chapter 5

Title: Polarization Words: 11,170 (including author’s comments) Rating: T

Fan Fiction: https://www.fanfiction.net/s/13712482/5/Syncytium

Just as always, I highly recommend the FF.net version, as it includes all accentuated words. This has been my favorite chapter to write so far. Consider it a New Year’s Eve gift. Enjoy. :)

October 1st, 1993 - 7:10 PM

The wall to the cloaked laboratory slid open with a soft hiss as Brian T. Globetrotter quickly shuffled out of his private workshop and headed for the elevator. His ears perked a little as a distant sound caught his ear. It sounded like shuffling. Was that coming from the... trash cans? A yearning desire to investigate had to be cut short, however, as a small ding signaled the arrival of his ride. Not like he could wait another minute anyway. He stepped past the steel doors and poked intrusively at Floor One's button, doing his best not to break out in a desperate dance as his pained expression was shut to the basement.

In a back corner of the basement, a trash can wiggled about unsteadily... then went still. A second later and it jumped about again, rocking back and forth, as if someone were tickling its insides mercilessly. Then, with an echoing pop that reverberated off the walls, from its stomach burst forth a tall white mouse, his hair disheveled and his glasses askew as he shook himself, breathed out a welcome sigh of relief, and hopped out of the can before replacing its lid.

"Sorry, Mr. Trash Can. Zort! Thanks for all the help, though!" Pinky apologized, smiling as he refitted the can with its metallic "hat" and patted it kindly.

Even though no one could hear him, he took care to tip-toe as covertly as he could past where the secret laboratory lay, beyond the elevator, and up... up... up the stairs, only exiting onto the first floor landing once he heard the familiar ding of the elevator below, signaling Globetrotter's return to the basement. He smiled and blew out yet another grateful sigh. That was a close one. He'd almost gotten caught!

Down below, Globetrotter stepped out of the elevator, adjusting his pants a touch and facepalming. That one had been painful... He reminded himself that his next doctor appointment was the following Tuesday, and privately hoped that they'd have a better solution - stronger pills or something. This was getting ridiculous.

Pinky hadn't noticed that, in his haste to hide from Globetrotter's prying eyes, he'd dropped his #2 pencil on the ground at the lab's entrance. But Globetrotter noticed. He picked up the orange object and turned it about with bandaged fingers, a crease or two forming upon his thick brow. This wasn't his. #2 pencil? He'd never be that cheap. Someone had been here...

/\/\/\/\/\/\

October 4th, 1993 - 4:14 PM

It was official: The Halloween party was happening at the end of the month - October 30th, a Saturday. Somehow, after four years of the school going without any employees-only holiday gatherings, Pinky had gotten it passed; or, rather, the principal had passed it. Even with him being one for the theatrics, many still couldn't understand why he had no aversion what-so-ever to such an event, especially considering that it was said principal whom had banned employees-only parties in the first place due to an unfortunate incident. Some were convinced that he had an ulterior motive, though what that might be no one could even begin to guess. And so a mystery it remained, although a good number of teachers were unabashedly excited for the party regardless. A few stragglers, such as Mr. Ages and Globetrotter, refused to attend, finding it a waste of time. Completely. Others, however, such as Mrs. Brisby, Dr. Dawson, and Bernard and Bianca had already picked out their costumes. Mr. Ages and Globetrotter rolled their eyes at this. It was generally agreed upon that the party was to be held at Flaversham's house, as he was one of the most handsomely paid and, as a result, owned the largest establishment. He was also incredibly humble about it and often welcomed visitors. The only rule for this autumn gathering was that no children were allowed, and so Olivia would have to room with Mrs. Brisby and her children for the night. Flaversham was agreeable to this. Olivia was not.

Pinky came across her that afternoon, sulking by his door at 4:14 PM. She had been noticeably absent to class, and as the lanky, spectacled mouse approached the young girl, he frowned at her in concern.

She didn't look at him as he knelt down to her level. The floor was, apparently, much more interesting.

"Olivia?" Pinky began, tilting his head a little, the better to look into those stubborn, glossy eyes. "Class wasn't the same without you."

She sniffed, the tears began to fall, yet still she said nothing.

"Olivia...?" he inquired again, reaching out a soft paw and delicately tucking a finger underneath her chin, the better, of course, to tilt her head towards him. He smiled at her, a kindly, encouraging smile. "I'm here."

And the dam burst.

She threw herself into his arms, sobbing vehemently, as only a child can when they've been denied something incredibly important to them. Pinky hugged her right back, patting her back gently.

"Naaaaarf," her teacher cooed in his unusual way, rubbing her head. "Ohhhhh. Tell me all about it, hm?"

"M-My daddy... says I can't go to the Halloween party!" Olivia managed to choke out. "We always do everything together... when I'm not at school! B-But he said that... I can't go because... this is a party only for the adults." At this, she had to pause, for another torrential downpour threatened to burst, making her breath hitch. She was shaking so much that she'd shook her little tam-o-shanter right off her head. "I promise I'll be good! I won't even drink the alkaseltzer!"

She said this all so seriously, and anyone else might have stifled a snort at such an overly-dramatic display, as well as her incorrect pronunciation of "alcohol", but Pinky was not like other adults. He took Olivia's woes as gravely as if he'd just been delivered the news himself. After all, if he was uninvited to one of the coolest parties of the year, especially one he was to be the host of, he'd be pretty bummed out, too.

"Oh, Olivia...," he whimpered along with her, pulling the young girl back from his shoulder so as to address her properly, and felt his heart practically break at the sight of her crimson eyes. "I'm sure your dad would normally love to have you stay! After all, it's not a real party without Olivia." And he winked at her. That turned her frown upside down, if only for half a second. "I'd be really sad to not be invited to a party, too, ya' know."

"R-Really...?" the distraught little student hiccuped, wiping her eyes.

"Of course! But... you know something else?"

"What?"

"I'll bet some of the other kids are sad that they won't get to go to the party with their parents either. Like... Timothy and Cynthia. They can't go either, can they?"

Olivia shook her head.

"And you're the oldest, right?"

Yes.

"You know what that means, don't you?"

No.

"That means that you're in charge of making your own party!"

"You mean... we can have our own private party without the adults?"

"As long as Mrs. Brisby says it's okay. I'll put in a good word for you," Pinky promised. "Oh, and just between us...," and at this, he leaned in towards Olivia, cupping a hand to his mouth. Olivia extended an ear in interest. "I'm rather jealous I won't be able to attend yours. I'm sure it'll be way cooler."

At this, Olivia beamed.

"It'll be the best party you'll have never been to!"

And she picked up her hat from off the floor and slapped it down resolutely upon her furry little head, the redness of her eyes the only trace that she'd ever been crying at all. She spread her arms wide before hugging Pinky tight around the middle, nuzzling into his chest... and letting a few stray tears leak out in the process.

"Thank you, Mr. Pinky...," she whispered under her breath, and Pinky couldn't help but smile as he embraced her in return.

"You're welcome, Miss Olivia," he replied right back, booping her nose and waving after her as she ran off and around a corner.

Olivia's chipper exit was replaced by a much stiffer entrance in the form of Globetrotter, who stared after Olivia in judgement as he straightened a small stack of papers clutched in his grasp. This didn't phase Pinky in the least.

"Good afternoon, Mr. Brain!" he greeted him cheerfully, and for once, possibly the very first time for Pinky, Globetrotter actually smiled at him. Well, perhaps it was more of a smirk than a genuine grin, but Pinky accepted it either way. It was nice to see.

"Evening, my quixotic colleague," Globetrotter responded, his tone and inflection considerably more chipper than usual. "I take it you're excited for the festivities?"

"Ohhh, yes! Are you coming?" Pinky asked, as he stepped into his classroom. Globetrotter followed him to the door.

"I don't participate in such frivolities," said Globetrotter, hands tucked neatly behind his back and expression monotonous as he watched Pinky grab a tall ladder from the back of the classroom and position it underneath a dead light bulb. "You'll just have to survive without my presence."

Pinky tut tut tutted sadly as he picked out a fresh bulb from one of the desk drawers and made for the ladder.

"Not even for the punch, Brain?"

"It's Brian. Mr. Globetrotter, preferably. And, no, not even for what I'm sure will be... a delectable punch."

"Mmm. Shame," Pinky shrugged, as he popped the bulb in his mouth, clumsily climbed up the ladder, and carefully set down his bulb as he fixed to take out the old one. "I was rather looking forward to having you."

"You were?" Globetrotter asked, surprised. No one ever wanted him anywhere.

"Of course! Poit!" responded the other, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. "You were one of the first ones to welcome me when I came to the school, and you did so very well in my class!"

"That was... just a fluke," Globetrotter responded rather bashfully, averting his gaze a little.

"You're also the only other person who's still around at night when I go home late. It... makes me feel a little less lonely."

Globetrotter cocked an eyebrow at him curiously. He simply couldn't make heads or tails of this creature. Not only did he care about him for the stupidest, most meaningless reasons he could possibly concoct, he also saw him as an... equal. The very thought sent shivers up Globetrotter's spine. Never in his life would he put himself on the same pedestal as this nincompoop, not if he was paid to do it. Ronald Pinkus was beneath him in every way. And yet... there was something, dare he say it, wholesome about how he flat out refused to acknowledge any flaws in Brian what-so-ever, for flaws he had and plenty of them. This he knew, yet hated to admit. But he'd never met anyone who genuinely looked past them; who not only wasn't afraid to approach him, but sometimes purposely sought him out. It was... odd. Touching, but... odd.

He coughed uncomfortably.

"Yes, well... Maybe you should simply... retire earlier. There's more associates around before six o'clock."

"B-But I can't retire, Brain!" Pinky voiced worriedly, screwing in the new bulb, which popped a stale yellow as he wound it into place. "I just got here!"

"I meant rest. Perhaps you should go home earlier in the day, you... undeveloped fetus."

The insult flew right over Pinky's head to land somewhere in an empty corner, where no one else's ears could possibly pick it up. If anything, Pinky beamed at Globetrotter's response.

"Ohhhhhh! Well, that's different then, isn't it? But, oh, wait... No. No no, I couldn't possibly do that either. What about the students?"

"The students?"

"Yes, Brain! Don't your students ask to talk with you about their problems after class?" asked Pinky matter-of-factly, as he promptly descended the ladder, folded it up, and moved it back to its resting place. He hummed a very repetitive little tune as he did all this. Hm hm, hm hm, hm hmmmm. It was monotonous, yet curiously catchy, in a way.

"Noooooooo... Not usually. Sometimes they'll ask a question about a theory or mathematical equation, of course, but that's to be expected," he said, perhaps a bit haughtily as he checked over his fingernails. "I am not privy to the personal issues and well-being of my pupils. They keep to their business and I keep to mine. This is a school, not a therapist's office."

"It's not?"

Brain stared at him, giving him the most deadpan glare he could possibly muster.

"You are, without a doubt, the daftest individual I've ever met."

"Thank you, Brain," Pinky smiled, and he said it genuinely.

With a shake of the head, Brain stepped back out into the hallway, Pinky following.

"If you'll excuse me, I must return to my state of business," said he, and he began to walk away from room 210.

"Oh! Ummm... Brain?" Pinky asked, remaining by his door as he waved an eager hand towards his colleague.

Brain turned to look back at him, one eyebrow raised and hands once more tucked behind his back.

"Will you be eating dinner here at the school tonight?" he asked.

Globetrotter stared at him for a moment, nonplussed.

"Most likely. Why?"

"Would you like to join me in the cafeteria? I have something for yoouuuuu!"

Globetrotter considered this. Normally, his answer would be a firm and stalwart "NO", but perhaps it would work to his benefit. Being closer to Pinky would enable him to carry out his plan much faster and easier. The lanky teacher was such an unsuspecting ignoramus that he could probably finish the job Scott free, even in a public area. Heheh. Finish the job. Oh, it sounded so devious...

"Ccccertainly. Why not?" Globetrotter replied, smirking. "After all, you... have shown yourself to be a successful member of this institution. I suppose it's only fit to honor that with the occasional get-together."

"Oh, wonderful! Six o'clock then?" Pinky grinned, radiant as a firefly as he clapped his hands together rather childishly and bounced up and down on the balls of his feet.

"Yes. Six o'clock. Don't be late," Globetrotter warned, as he turned around to continue in his trek down the hall. He'd barely gotten another foot away from the excited Pinky, however, when he was called back once more.

"Oh! Brain?"

He looked back, a rather miffed expression pulling at his face. If that nitwit mispronounced his name one more time...

"Thank you," said Pinky in a soft voice as he hid his hands behind his back rather bashfully.

"Don't mention it," Globetrotter responded dryly. "It's just a lunch."

"No no. I mean... for the compliment. You really think I'm a success...?"

He said it so sincerely that Globetrotter almost felt sorry for him. Almost...

"Sure," lied his tongue. "You've certainly proved to be of... some worth."

In truth, it was only a partial fabrication. He had shown himself to be successful, if you considered babysitting a bunch of toddlers lucrative. In Globetrotter's eyes, the bumbling professor, if he was even laudable enough to be called that, was only popular from a superficial standpoint - he was likable, he was approachable, he was, as the girls disgustingly called him, "hot", and he was easy-going with children. In short, he was a celebrity, not a teacher. Whatever credentials he did obtain were worthless to someone of Globetrotter's stature; anyone who charmed their way into so highly prestigious of an establishment didn't deserve to hold a position there in the first place. He was enough of a threat to consider ousting due to his fame as a personality, but from an educational angle he posed no competition; at least, not in Globetrotter's eyes. And so he threw him a bone, more as a cover-up than anything, but he didn't expect him to take it so... consolingly. It made him a little uncomfortable.

"Thank you," Pinky said again, beaming. "You've... been the only one to tell me that. Well, at least here anyway. Eheh. Poit..."

Globetrotter frowned at the verbal tick. Few questioned it, aside from the occasional student who ventured to ask what "zort" or "narf" meant. Globetrotter simply took it as a medical condition and left it at that. He'd rather assume as such than entertain the thought that that sorry excuse of a teacher actually enjoyed spewing such nonsense, but, then again, he wouldn't be surprised.

He also frowned at the admittance, somewhat in surprise. Had none of the other teachers thrown him a kind word? Surely they must have. He knew they had, in fact, for he'd overheard their compliments, both in Pinky's presence and not. Most liked him, and those who didn't simply felt sorry for him. At least they'd had some sense to not outright call him a success, because he certainly was not that when it came to earning a place as a professional in the university.

"Just keep doing what you're doing and I'm sure you'll be fine," he spat, perhaps a little too harshly. Pinky noticed not. "You've undoubtedly shown yourself to be popular."

"Oh, not as popular as you, Brain! I'm sure you're still one of the best teachers in the whole school!"

At this, Globetrotter smiled.

"To that I flagrantly concur, my good fellow. To that, I flagrantly concur," grinned the science professor, and he said it so deviously that, if he'd uttered it to any other teacher, they would have flogged him where he stood.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

4:47 PM

Globetrotter clicked on the little green banker's desk lamp that sat on his table. It cast a dim, yellow glow across the mahogany surface, illuminating papers, calculators, a coffee mug, and a gel pen - an expensive one. Rolling in the combination to the lock on his briefcase, he pushed in on the lock buttons, to which the case satisfyingly clicked open. Out of it he pulled: a pair of gloves, some odd-looking tools, a computer chip, a bottle of Aspirin, and a very small, round device that appeared to be magnetic in construction. Indeed, from an outsider's perspective, it looked to be nothing more than one of those tiny black magnets that one stuck to their fridge to pin up such things as receipts and shopping lists. Quite unassuming.

The middle-aged mouse laid out the chip, magnet, and tools, pulled on his gloves with a sharp snap, and got to work. For twenty minutes he tinkered with the device. It was delicate work, requiring much precision, but he reveled in it. Occasionally, his ponderings wandered to, of all things, Ronald Pinkus - how quixotic he was; how precariously he'd climbed up that rickety ladder. Shame he didn't break his neck, Globetrotter thought. Would have made my job much easier...

At 5:10 PM, he stood up from his chair, learned towards his desk lamp, and, with the little magnet pinched between his fingers, held it up to the lamp.

Snap.

It attached to the lamp's outer surface as if it was made to rest there. Globetrotter smirked. Pulling off the magnet, he opened up a side drawer and tested it out on a steel tape dispenser. It worked there, too. The magnet hugged it tightly. Globetrotter pulled it off, nodded satisfactorily, and pocketed it. Of course, this was only half of the test. It would only prove itself after applied.

"Oh, you beautiful little Polarizer," he mumbled fondly, actually kissing the device as he held it securely between his fingers. "Make me proud!"

/\/\/\/\/\/\

6:05 PM

He was late. Of course he was late.

Globetrotter tapped his fingers on a cafeteria table impatiently, checking his watch every now and then, even though there was a clock literally right above him, attached to a pole near the entrance of the meeting area. If there was anything that boiled his bottles more than almost anything else, it was tardiness. There was no excuse for irresponsibility.

The cafeteria was completely devoid of life, save for a few straggling servers behind the counter, the janitors, Jak and Gus, and Globetrotter himself. One thing rather noteworthy, if not a tad bit odd, about Acme School of Arts and Sciences was that all classes generally ended at 5:00 PM. The founder of the university had been strict about the doors closing early so as both school personnel and students had ample time to spend in the evenings with their family and friends, as well as have extra time to commit to homework. It was a rule that was still upheld to this day. Some professors, of course, still stayed past "curfew", mostly to attend to extra duties and grading during the quiet evenings, and even then none of them, save for Globetrotter, and now Pinky, ever lingered past 6:00 PM. The one exception was the theater kids - their rehearsals sometimes went until 7:00 or even 8:00 PM. It was the only reason the cafeteria stayed open until 7:00, and even then it was rare to find anyone at a table this late.

Globetrotter welcomed the silence, of course. It was a time for pondering; a time for planning. But he had no patience for late-comers.

He had half a mind to just get up and leave right then and there when in swooped the Trozologist, waving as he headed in a rush towards his cafe buddy.

"Phew! So sorry I'm late, Brain!" he sighed, flopping down into a chair, a bit too close for Globetrotter's liking. He scooted to the side a few paces. "Mrs. Brisby and I got to talking about cooking and, well, the time just ran away with me! Ha-ha! Zort!"

"Yes... I'm sure it did," Globetrotter groaned, not at all amused. "Are you going to refresh yourself?" he asked. He was already on his third cup of coffee and about to get primed for a fourth.

Pinky looked around at this, concerned, before focusing his attention back on Globetrotter.

"Um... In public, Brain?"

Globetrotter's response was a deep, planted facepalm. What an absolute boob.

"The drinks, you ignoramus. The drinks! Are you doing to get a drink?!"

"Pfff. Well, why didn't you say so, Brain?" Pinky chuckled, rolling his eyes and standing right back up again. "Oh! I almost forgot. This is for you."

And he set down in front of Globetrotter a very pretty, very lovingly wrapped little present that, somehow, he hadn't noticed before. He stared at it rather worriedly, as if it might explode.

"Well, go ahead, silly!" Pinky encouraged him, nudging him forward with a nod of the head.

"Th-Thank you," Globetrotter said, not quite sure how to respond. He unwrapped it with delicate fingers, loosening first the decorative red bow tied about the box, then carefully undoing the rose-patterned ivory paper underneath. Inside was a dark green box with a lid on it. He slipped off the lid, peered inside, and pulled out...

"For you!" Pinky exclaimed happily. "Do you like it?"

It was a black coffee mug, with the words 'Best Teacher Ever!' written in white upon the front. It was quite a nice mug, despite the ridiculous phrase - snug in his hands and smooth to the touch. He was equal parts flattered that Pinky had recognized his fondness for coffee and embarrassed that it was that apparent.

"Thank you...," he answered awkwardly. He'd probably have to blot out the text later. Being associated with anything that generic churned his stomach. But he did like the mug. "I... needed a new one."

"Now you can use it with your new coffee maker!"

"You bought that for me...?"

"Of course! Who else would I buy it for?" blurted out Pinky, rolling his eyes. "I mean, everyone can use it, but... I ordered it for you really."

To this, Globetrotter could only stare disbelievingly. He swallowed thickly. What... was with this mouse?! Buying him a mug. Saying he made him less lonely at night. Ordering a coffee maker just so he could enjoy his days a bit more? No one was this nice. Surely, there was some ulterior motive.

"What's the catch...?" he asked, looking serious. There was always a catch. Always.

"Catch, Brain?" inquired Pinky, cocking his head in confusion. "Um... I haven't caught anything lately, Brain. Unless you count this fish," he said, and he pulled out of his pocket an actual, live minnow in a small jar filled with water. "Hellooooo, Jerry!" said Pinky... to the fish. "I caught him in the lake this morning! Still need to buy him a tank, though. Don't I, Jerry?"

Globetrotter simply stared at him, nonplussed, his mouth hanging open a little.

"Go on! Back you go!" said Pinky, tucking the little minnow back into his pocket and smiling at Globetrotter happily as if he hadn't just pulled a live fish out of his coat. "Oh! That's right. Drinks! Aren't you going to get yours, Brain?"

And off he trotted, heading in the direction of the cafeteria to grab, as usual, an odd assortment of foods and a drink. Globetrotter nervously looked behind him at Pinky, as if he might set fire to something... or pull a bazooka out of his pants... or... something. At this point, he didn't know what to expect from this mouse, and he wasn't sure he wanted to. Perhaps he was biting off more than he could chew...

But no. He shook his head at the thought. Pinkus was simply an idiot. A kind... thoughtful... very sweet idiot... But an idiot nonetheless. And no amount of good deeds was going to stop him in his plot. Nevertheless, he supposed it wouldn't hurt to at least try out the mug. He highly doubted it was bugged.

One mug of coffee, and a tray of assorted foods... plus a cup of Sprite, later, and Pinkus and Globetrotter were back at the table, the former laden down with treats, the latter content with his single, fourth serving of Italian Roast. Pinky helped himself eagerly to a sprinkle doughnut, offering Globetrotter a bite as he chewed happily.

"No, thank you. Bad for my... thighs," Globetrotter uttered lamely.

Pinky shrugged and finished off the tasty confection before diving into another. Globetrotter blew on his coffee before taking a tentative sip. It was good. Rich, flavorful, with a bite at its closure. And his lips conformed nicely about the mug. Yes, he liked this mug. Not that he'd ever say that out loud or anything.

For once, Pinky wasn't talking; so preoccupied with a sugar doughnut was he. Normally, Globetrotter would have welcomed this silence, but he'd gotten so used to Pinky always being a chatterbox whenever he was around him (which, admittedly, wasn't terribly often) that he felt... a little uncomfortable not making conversation, strangely.

"So, um...," he began, in a lame attempt to deaden the silence. "What is your opinion on asymptotic analysis?"

"Hm?" Pinky inquired, eyes wide and cheeks bulging with a mouthful of doughnut as he smiled puffily at Globetrotter.

Too complicated. He's not going to understand that, you moron. Globetrotter floundered. He wasn't good at this. Small talk was not one of his strong points.

"Um... chaos theory?"

Pinky swallowed.

"Ohhh! You mean like in Jurassic Park?"

"What?"

"Well, that's what Ian Malcolm always talked about. Chaos theory! Although, personally, I liked Ellie Sattler more. Laura Dern is such a good actress and I loved her in Rambling Rose! She was actually Spielberg's first choice for the role in Jurassic Park, did you know?"

He said all this as he grabbed a bottle of ketchup and mustard each and squirted their contents all over a hotdog he'd set in a bun. At the word "such" he'd given a very feminine wave of the hand that Globetrotter highly disapproved of.

"I did not know," Globetrotter replied, taking a dainty sip of his coffee.

"She also auditioned for the role of Clarice in Silence of the Lambs, but I really do think Jodie Foster was a more appropriate selection. She's quite versatile. I heard she's looking to get back into the directing field soon..."

And on and on he went, sometimes speaking between bites, other times continuing on with a mouthful of food, his thick mumbles so incomprehensible that Globetrotter could only catch a "George Lucas" here and a "Princess Bride" there. It was downright humorous to him that this mouse, who knew so little about the subjects upon which this school was founded, was incredibly versed in filmography. Then again, he supposed it was only appropriate, considering the flamboyant showman that he was. And this was a school of sciences and arts, after all. But then, why hadn't he majored in theater? Trozology, whatever it was, seemed a waste of time.

"You seem to know a lot about cinema," Globetrotter voiced, finally able to find a break in the conversation after a solid ten minutes. The entire time, he'd covertly tried to roam about Pinky's attire with a sharp gaze, looking for anything magnetic he could possibly attach his device to. He eventually settled on Pinky's name tag. Of course. They all sported one, and they were made of metal. If he could somehow stick it on the back...

"Oh, I love the arts!" Pinky responded, clasping his hands together and batting his eyes dreamily. "All the movie magic and the passion and the creativity...!"

"Pinky, might I... see your badge for a moment? Only there's a nasty blemish on it. I... certainly wouldn't want you to walk around with a dirty tag."

"Why, thank you, Brain. How thoughtful of you."

And he unpinned his badge from his coat and handed it to Globetrotter. It was as simple as that.

"So, if you're so into the arts then why didn't you become an actor... or something?" Globetrotter stalled, as his right hand poked about in his jacket pocket to ensure that the magnet was still there. It was. He plucked it out, hiding it in his right hand as he pretended to rub at a spot on the badge with the end of his coat, surreptitiously planting the little magnet on the back of the badge as he did so. Piece of cake.

"Oh, I was going to, Brain! Narf! But I found something else I love much more...," he said, resting a cheek on his left hand as he gazed off into space, a toothy grin curled about his visage.

"Trozology?"

"Mmhm."

"What is Trozology?"

"You don't know, Brain? It's the study o-"

But at that moment, the cafeteria doors burst open to reveal a very angry set indeed: Dex, followed close behind by Maisy, Marvell, Gadget, Tillie, and one other boy rat whom Pinky didn't recognize. Dex and Maisy were shouting at the top of their lungs, oblivious to the few stragglers lingering about the room.

"-never messed with your business before! I know it's important to you. Why do you think I gave you your space?!" Dex yelled at his sister, a plethora of expressive hand gestures complementing his outburst.

"You never 'gave me my space', Dex. You're always hanging out after my classes; checking in on me when I'm trying to relax. How is that 'giving me my space'?!"

"Oh, man. Um. Lemme think. Maybe it's because... I care about you?!"

"Maisy, come on. He's taken a lot of hits for you," Gadget said, stepping forward.

"Oh, like, grade hits? Detention? You'd know a lot about hits, wouldn't you, Dex?"

"Girl, come on. Maisy's right," Marvell uttered, also stepping up. "You're laying it on too hard."

"YOU WANNA TAKE HER SIDE?! THEN FINE! I know you care more about her and Dex than me!"

"I didn't say that!" Marvell countered, looking hurt.

"This is about Mom, isn't it?! You don't know ANYTHING about taking hits!" Maisy practically screamed at Dex, advancing towards him with the ferocity of a tyrannosaurus, causing him to back up with every step she took.

None of them had yet seen Globetrotter and Pinky off to the side, and the janitors stayed as silent as the mice they were from a shaded corner. Pinky looked on the verge of standing up to intervene, but Globetrotter, surprisingly, put out a hand to stop him.

"It's not about Mom! It's... about everything!" Dex choked out. "And don't tell me that I don't know anything about taking hits, Maisy! You don't know the half of it..."

"The hell do you mean about that?" Maisy softened up, but only for a moment. She turned swiftly 'round to glare at her friends. "THE HELL DOES HE MEAN?!"

All of them shuffled about awkwardly, looking embarrassed. Gadget rubbed at her arm, and Marvell bit her lip suspiciously, gaze firmly planted to the floor. But the boy rat looked the most broken of all, and it was him that Maisy targeted.

"What does he mean, Red?"

Red directed his eyes downward, his ears appropriately turning the color of his namesake.

"What does he mean?!"

"I... I promised I wouldn't say, Mais!" he sputtered out, a paw coming up to rub at a sore spot on the back of his head.

"Dex?!" Maisy spat, rounding back on her brother.

"You attend this school just as much as me. You should be smart enough to figure it out," Dex replied, and with that he walked off towards an exit on the opposite end of the cafeteria, purposely ignoring his sister's pleas.

"Tell me what you mean, Dex!"

No response.

"DEX! Tell me what you mean!"

It was as she started crying that Pinky finally made his presence known... via slipping off his chair. It clattered down with its owner, the noise echoing loudly off the walls and pulling every eye in the vicinity towards him. Globetrotter jumped and glared at Pinky.

"O-Oh! Ummm...," Pinky stammered, standing up in a flash and ringing the end of his coat in his hands awkwardly.

Maisy's cheeks turned bright pink. She full out burst into tears as she turned tail and ran back into the hallway, her friends casting one last embarrassed look at the teachers before sprinting off after her, occasionally calling her name.

Pinky swallowed thickly. Globetrotter sighed, long and exhausted, through his nose.

"Why did you stop me, Brain?" Pinky queried, dusting off his coat and propping his chair back up.

"Because sometimes people just need to talk, Pinky," Globetrotter said, slapping the now tampered with badge back on the table for Pinky to take, which he did, pining it on his jacket, none the wiser.

"I don't think that was talking, Brain. That was more like... screaming."

"Well, people need to scream sometimes, too," Globetrotter nipped, draining the last bits of coffee from his mug and heading towards the sink to wash it out. Pinky followed him, demolished tray of food and empty soda cup in hand.

"Have you screamed sometimes, Brain...?" Pinky asked delicately as he tossed his trash and replaced the tray.

Globetrotter didn't answer right away. He looked thoughtful as he washed out his cup.

"Sometimes...," he finally responded, shaking the mug to rid it of the last few droplets of water.

"Were you hurting then, too?"

Another pause. Globetrotter stepped over to a paper towel dispenser, ripping off a piece to dry his cup with.

"Yes."

Globetrotter looked curiously over at Pinky, whose ears had drooped so low that he looked more like a lop rabbit than a mouse. He actually made to step forward, but Globetrotter, already smelling some form of physical affection, backed up, a hand raised in protest.

"Save your pity."

"I'm sorry, Brain. Poit..," Pinky whispered, and he truly was.

"It's fine," replied Globetrotter.

There was an awkward pause, in which neither of them spoke for a solid ten seconds, Globetrotter running a finger along the ring of his new mug, Pinky shuffling his feet uncomfortably.

"I... really should be going. Thank you for the mug. It's... good," Globetrotter ended lamely.

"You're welcome," Pinky said, the smallest of smiles crawling up his face. "Thank you, too."

"For what?"

"Sitting with me."

Globetrotter blinked. It was as if heaven itself was shining a spotlight on him, throwing every opportunity at him to find compassion for this mouse and feel guilty for what he'd done. Well, they'll have to try harder than that, Globetrotter thought. He wasn't going to relent that easily. And, in the most monotonous tone he could muster, he responded with a simple:

"Mmhm."

But the smile stayed. It took a lot, it seemed, to completely break Pinky.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

October 7th, 1993 - 4:02 PM

One of the first things Globetrotter noticed about his brilliant Polarizer, once it had been planted on Pinky, was that... it didn't work. At least, it didn't work on children. Said device had one purpose and one purpose only: redirection. From it a frequency was emitted that affected anyone within five feet of Pinky telepathically. They would be suddenly and inexplicably hit with a desire to preoccupy themselves with some other activity and, as such, never engage in interaction with Pinky for more than a few seconds. As long as he wore the name tag, he couldn't be touched. Poof. His newfound popularity would come to a screeching halt, no one would converse with him ever again, and he'd have no choice but to leave the school, friendless and jobless, leaving Globetrotter back on top as the most notable individual in the school. Or, at least, that's what it was supposed to do.

But it didn't. As usual, Olivia, Timothy, and Cynthia, along with Teresa and one or two others, were at Pinky's classroom at four o'clock sharp the next day, Evinrude arriving twenty minutes later (for the snacks only, of course). The day after that there was an actual line of kids standing outside the door fifteen minutes early, waiting to get in, and the day after that the line was even longer. Globetrotter could only assume that there was some fault in the hardware. But he'd tested it out on himself an hour before he'd met up with Pinky and it had worked just fine then. What was the problem? Perhaps it simply just didn't work on kids, for some reason. But that couldn't be right... Teresa was one of the college students in the school and it didn't work on her either, nor on any teacher that approached Pinky. Strange. He'd have to get the device back and tinker with it some more, he supposed. Not that that would be much of a problem. Considering how easily he'd obtained it last time, snatching it back, he figured, would be a breeze. He decided to simply wait for the right opportunity and nab it back.

Whereas Globetrotter's experiment had failed, Olivia's had gone above and beyond; in fact, it had practically skyrocketed. She now had a total of 271 signatures on her petition, an overwhelming success, in the eyes of her and Pinky. Pinky said that they had enough to approach the principal with. There was just one little problem: to ask the principal to pass their petition, that meant they had to, well, talk to the principal, something no one ever wanted to do. There was only one person in the entire school who wasn't afraid of him, that person being Globetrotter, and even he avoided the angry little maniac as much as possible. Pinky wasn't entirely averse to approaching the headmaster, mainly because he'd simply never met the guy, although there was still a lingering feeling of trepidation due to how unfavorable people talked about him. But he wasn't going to let that stop him. Olivia's petition needed to be signed off on, and he was going to do everything in his power to see that it did!

And so, that afternoon, directly after class, the hallways of Acme School of Arts and Sciences found Pinky marching down the hallway, Olivia's hand in his, as he and his student headed for the principal's office.

They stopped outside the door. Was it just their imagination, or did it feel a bit colder down this part of the hallway? It was a rather darker portion of the school - not as many offices and classes were down here, some of the lights had blown out and hadn't yet been fixed, and the office was situated right in the center of a long strip of hallway, making it the furthest away from the windows. The place simply had a... foreboding atmosphere about it.

Olivia nuzzled closer to Pinky. He smiled and squeezed her hand comfortingly.

"Put on your helmet, Olivia."

"Like on our imaginary trip into the caves?" Olivia whispered, wide-eyed.

"Mmhm."

Resolute, Olivia let go of Pinky's hand and situated her tam-o-shanter more snuggly atop her head.

"Okay. Let's go fight the dragon," said she.

Pinky knocked on the door - once, twice, three times...

"Come in..," came a voice from the other side. It sounded pleasant enough, but there was something a little... off about it; a sprinkle of deviance behind the honey-suckle tone.

Pinky opened the door.

The inside of this room was, if possible, even darker than the hallway. Like Globetrotter, the headmaster owned a green banker's desk lamp, albeit two instead of one, each on opposite sides of a dark black table, and it served as the only lighting in the entire vicinity. Besides a plethora of books encased in rich wooden shelving behind him, a couple of comfortable chairs spread about, a trash can, a blackboard, and a television in a far corner opposite the principal, the room was surprisingly plain. The most interesting thing about it was a standing globe of the world, one of those expensive ones that twirled around and had little red lights on it that clicked on to highlight various hot spots on the map as you spun it. Olivia liked those. She had an overwhelming desire to spin it, but was too scared to ask, especially seeing as the globe was literally right next to the principal's desk. The further away she could be from him, the better.

"Come in, my children, come in! Oh, do come closer to the desk. You expect an old hamster such as myself to see you properly from that far away?" the principal beckoned. He sat in a very tall, very black chair behind the ebony desk. Unlike the uniform layout of the room, he appeared quite relaxed. A little too relaxed, perhaps. He was reclining, bare feet up on the desk, and decked out in a comfortable-looking brown suit and pants set, complete with checkered tie. He looked as if he ruled the world, and the smirk on his face as he smoked from a thick, piping cigar only cemented this.

Pinky didn't think he looked that old - fifty, maybe? Around the same age as Brain. But he also didn't want to be disrespectful, and so he moved tepidly forward, his steps more of a shuffle than a walk, Olivia sliding along a couple paces behind him. Now that she was actually in the room, she didn't feel quite so brave.

"I hear you've arranged something of a party," the golden hamster addressed Pinky. "I must say, I'm quite intrigued. We haven't had an employees-only gathering in four years! I'm impressed you managed to pull it off."

"Th-Thank you, Headmaster," Pinky mumbled.

"Please. Call me Snowball," the hamster said gentlemanly, holding up a hand. "No need for formalities. And who might you be?" he asked Olivia, leaning over a little, the better to see her.

"O-O-Olivia, Sir."

"Olivia. You know, the name 'Olivia' comes from the word 'olive'. The olive tree is a symbol of peace and fertility, something we all hope to breed in this school. Fertile minds; obedient pupils. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Y-Yes, Sir," Olivia agreed, although, privately, she didn't understand what he was getting at at all.

"Please, Mr. Snowball, we've come to you with a request," Pinky interrupted, holding up the petition.

"Oh?" Snowball answered, cocking an eyebrow as he took a long, steady swig from the cigar and blew out an impressive ring. Olivia watched it float around the room, intrigued despite herself. It collided upon the chalkboard and disintegrated in a soft huff.

"It's a petition for a new baseball stadium," Pinky continued, holding out the paper for Snowball to take, which he did, looking it over without much interest. "We got two hundred and seventy-one signatures! I... hope that's enough?"

Only now did Pinky realize that he was twisting his tail in his paws something terrible, leaving little creases in it. He stopped immediately. Olivia had been biting at her fingernails. She also stopped as soon as she saw Pinky do so.

"So... you want me... to sign off on this?" Snowball asked, tossing a rather deadpan look in Pinky's direction.

Pinky gulped.

"Is that... all right? A lot of your students would love to have this back on the grounds! You'd be able to develop a team to compete with the other schools. We could win trophies and good sports reputation!"

"And it would be a P.E. class to add to your curriculum," Olivia added. Pinky smiled at her, impressed.

"Yes! Absolutely!"

"Hmph. You think people would go for this drivel? Two hundred signatures from a pool of three thousand is hardly enough to turn heads," he retorted, setting the petition down on the desk and pushing it towards them so hard that Pinky was thankful he was able to catch it before it clattered to the floor. "I must say, I'm not very impressed."

"B-But, it would do wonders for the school!" Pinky pleaded. "And Miss Olivia here worked so hard to get all the signatures. Didn't you, Olivia?"

"Yes, I did," she admitted, suddenly a bit bolder. Fight the dragon. Fight the dragon. "And you shouldn't be so retorshical. All the other schools have sports teams!"

Pinky gave her a side glance. Too far. Too far...

Olivia licked her lips, in-taking a deep breath for her next burn.

"I think you're scared."

And she put her hands on her hips, the better to complete the effect.

Pinky bit his lip. Olivia...

Snowball frowned. Slipping his feet off the table, he leaned fully forward over his desk, his face mere feet from Olivia's, and growled into her face: "I'm scared of nothing."

Olivia had closed one eye at this, the better to block out the dragon's harsh stare... and rancid breath. He even smoked like a dragon. But she stayed resolute.

"Then prove it!"

"Um... M-Mr. Snowball, if I may...?" Pinky barged in, desperate to fan the flames. It was bad enough she'd poked the dragon's eye in his own cave. They didn't need the fire, too. "Perhaps there's something... we could do for you in return? As a trade?"

That settled Snowball a little. He sat back in his chair, slightly amused.

"Hmph. What could you possibly offer to me?"

"Well, um... A special spot in the party, perhaps? Or a gift...? N-Narf..."

"No...," Snowball replied, waving it off and taking another smoke from his cigar.

"A... ticket to Disneyland?" Olivia offered helpfully.

"Pass."

"A... um... coupon for the world's biggest che-"

"Wait... Wait," Snowball said, cutting Pinky off. "The party, you said... Who's coming to the party?"

"Oh, um, everyone!" Pinky smiled nervously.

"Almost everyone...," Olivia mumbled under her breath, crossing her arms indignantly, but Pinky gave her a look that very clearly told her to shush or else.

"Will Globetrotter be there?"

"You mean Brain?" Pinky asked. "Oh... No, I don't think so. I invited him, but he... said he wouldn't make it."

"Brain? You call him Brain? Ha-ha!" Snowball laughed, actually clutching his chest as he reeled back in his chair. "Ha-ha! Ohhh, that's rich. I'll bet he just loves that."

Poor Pinky and Olivia didn't know what to say. They tried to laugh along, but it only came out sounding unbearably awkward, and so they stopped.

"My good fellow, you've convinced me. I'll sign your insipid little petition."

"Really?!" Pinky and Olivia bother spurted out at once, hardly daring to believe their ears.

"On one condition: Get dear 'Brain' to come to the party. It's been an age since I've seen him, you see, and I'd love to... catch up on things, as it were. Do that, and your stadium is as good as built."

Pinky and Olivia looked at one another. Convincing the most stubborn individual in the school to attend Pinky's party when he clearly wasn't interested wasn't going to be easy, but they'd come this far. Surely, they could try again... and again, if they had to? Wasn't the school worth that? Weren't the students worth it?

"Do we have a deal?" Snowball pressed them, a nasty smirk upon his sour face.

Olivia nodded at Pinky. Pinky nodded back. He looked Snowball straight in the eye.

"Deal," said Pinky.

"Deal," said Olivia.

And they shook hands with him, Snowball squeezing down a little too tightly.

"We have a bargain. I look forward to seeing him at the party. Hm hm. Brain. Ha! Oh, how positively affluent."

And they left him as such, cigar in hand, laughing his head off like an absolute maniac.

/\/\/\/\/\/\

7:24 PM

Dr. Brian T. Globetrotter snapped shut his weighted briefcase. He exited his classroom, shut the door, and locked it, as he always did. Another night; another opportunity to work in the lab. While he hadn't managed to get his magnet back, he'd certainly attended to other projects that required his attention. There was one he'd been quite eager to finish for some weeks. Tonight was the night.

Professor Ronald Pinkus opened his classroom door, but did not exit. Students first. A young boy mole stepped out of the classroom, his face still a little wet, but a smile tickling his face. He shuffled out into the hallway, Pinky and Olivia following him.

"Thank you, Mr. Pinkus," the diminutive mole said gratefully. "I wish my mom would listen to me like you do."

"Think nothing of it. Come by whenever you need to talk, okay?"

"Thank you, Sir." And, shyly, he stepped up and hugged him round the middle. "Please don't ever leave."

"I won't if I can help it, Toby," promised Pinky. "Promise."

"Come on, Toby! We're late!" Olivia kindly signaled. At the end of the hallway, Mrs. Judson stood waiting for them.

With a last squeeze, Toby parted and waved good-bye, keeping his eyes on Pinky until he turned the corner and was lost from sight. Pinky continued waving, even after his student had disappeared. He smiled warmly and sighed, deeply and satisfactorily. Closing his classroom door, he walked down the hallway... and stopped as he heard the familiar ding of the elevator. He turned in the direction of the noise, blinking. This was the fourth time he'd caught Brain staying up late to do... whatever it was he did behind that wall in the basement. He'd been too nervous to follow him the last couple of times, seeing as he'd almost been caught initially, but... perhaps it couldn't hurt to take another peek?

Two minutes later saw a pair of loosely-tied sneakers tip-toeing down the stairwell, heading covertly in the direction of the basement. He stuck his nose around the corner. No sign of him. Already, Globetrotter had gained access into the secret lab, oblivious to the intruder whom had followed him to his private dungeon. Carefully, he stepped towards the wall where he knew a hidden panel rested. Had he been a bit more observant, he might have noticed something following him this time - a camera, set high up in a far corner of the hall, small enough to not draw too much attention to itself, yet following his every move all the same.

Pinky pressed an ear up to the wall, listening intently. He didn't even bother with the panel this time; he knew it wouldn't open for him. Sure enough, he heard clinking and clanking and the occasional typing of what sounded like computer keys echoing through the room beyond, barely audible, but still within his range of hearing.

"Naughty naughty, Brain," Pinky whispered to himself. "What are you doing back there...?"

Suddenly, the noises stopped. No clinking. No clanking. No typing of keys. Pinky froze. He pressed his ear ever harder to the door. Last time this happened, he'd been able to pick up the tell-tale sign of footsteps heading for the door, but this time he heard nothing. Perhaps Brain had sat down to read a book? He almost stopped breathing, listening as hard as he possibly could...

HISSSS!

Without any warning, the door slid open, Pinky giving way as he fell to the ground, one half of his body inside the lab, the other half still laying out in the basement hallway.

"AH-HA! So it was you!" Globetrotter exclaimed, his anger unmistakable as he grabbed Pinky by the shirt collar and, with surprising strength, tossed him full on into the room, the door sliding shut behind him.

Pinky shuffled up onto his feet in haste and backed up towards the opposite wall, slamming into a metallic shelving unit full of jars, beakers, and other unusual things he couldn't put a name to. Globetrotter was advancing towards him, looking positively livid as he brandished what looked to be an X-Acto knife at him. Forget Snowball. He could handle that. This was terrifying.

"Completely innocent. HA! I knew you were up to something as soon as I saw that pencil outside my door last week. What are you after? What concoction of mine have you been looking to pilfer?!"

"I-I..! N-Nothing, Brain! I didn't even know about this place until last week! Honest!"

"HA! A likely tale. For all I know, you could have known about this lab since you got here; perhaps even applied because of your knowledge of this facility. Are you a spy? A NASA scientist? Who are you working for?!"

By this point, he was full on in Pinky's personal bubble, a hand practically choking Pinky by the tie as he brandished the X-Acto knife under his chin threateningly. Poor Pinky was near tears.

"I'm not a spy! Honest, Brain! Really I'm not! Please don't turn me into mince meat!" he begged, holding his hands up to shield his face as best he could, a near impossibility, seeing as Globetrotter was so invasive. Nevertheless, the rabid teacher loosened his grip a little.

"You swear you didn't know about this place until recently...?"

"Mmhm!" Pinky nodded fervently, his face full on wet, eyes shut tight as he tried, and failed, to keep the tears at bay.

"Hmph..." Brain conceded, grip loosening further. Well... fine. But don't touch anything! Understand?"

Another fervent nod, eyes still closed, and Globetrotter released him. Pinky clutched at his neck, gasping for breath as he rubbed at the spot where the tie had pulled on him. He rubbed at his eyes, the better to wipe away his pitiful tears.

"Wh-What is this place...?" he choked out, still catching his breath.

"My laboratory," Globetrotter replied stiffly, hopping into his computer chair and proceeding to continue in his voracious typing. "Don't touch anything."

Pinky nodded, even though Globetrotter couldn't see him. Don't touch anything. Already, he wanted very much to tickle the top of a very brown, very fuzzy-looking object sitting on a shelf near the entrance, but he honored Globetrotter's request. He didn't say he couldn't look at anything, however, and so Pinky looked, eyes wide in astonishment as he meandered about the strange facility.

It wasn't a terribly large area, but what he'd managed to fit inside of it was impressive. There were shelves of bottles, papers, strange electrical appliances, various scientific and artistic tools, rows and rows of books, and two computers, one of which Globetrotter was currently working at. A ghostly green glow hung from a double row of long lights recessed into the ceiling above, the emerald hue occasionally peppered with a soft, yellow light from a table lamp here or there. Even in this room Brain had to have his mahogany, it seemed, that being reserved for the bookshelf. But the most intriguing item in the room, by far, was a large, bubbling... something. It looked somewhat like a giant beaker, albeit a bit more bulbous, and with long tubes branching off here or there, like the stretched arms of a huge, metallic octopus. Inside bubbled some greenish concoction. Pinky wondered what it was, and tapped at the glass curiously.

"I said don't touch anything," Globetrotter warned without turning his head.

"Oh. Sorry...," Pinky apologized, taking a step back. "What is it?"

"It's for my latest plan."

"W-What plan is that, Brain?"

Brain sighed, pushed himself away from the desk, and stood up out of his rolling chair to stare at Pinky.

"If I tell you, you must solemnly swear not to spread a word about this to anyone," he breathed threateningly. If Pinky really was as big of an idiot as he appeared, he'd actually keep his mouth shut and not tell the authorities. Strangely, he was probably the only individual in the entire school whom he could trust to keep quiet. Knowing someone this daft had its perks, he supposed.

Pinky nodded and raised a hand, as if taking an oath.

"I promise, Brain!"

"Hmph. Fine. I'm planning... to take over the world!"

He said this in a flourish, hands raised in ecstasy. Pinky wouldn't have been surprised if lightning had shot out of nowhere at such a forward gesture. He'd never seen Brain this passionate before.

"The... whole world, Brain?" Pinky gasped, incredulous.

"Of course," the scientist replied, tucking his hands behind his back. "This Earth has been in a state of turmoil for years. With my genius intellect and general prowess, I'd be able to make it a better place - create a richer, more fulfilling existence for people to live in."

"Ohhhhhh! You mean like charity work! Right, Brain? Better places for people to live and all that? Good food; warm homes; happy little children playing in the yard with their puppies!" Pinky voiced, hands clasped together against his cheek as he grinned widely at the thought. "Oh! And better school systems! And no more people getting hurt. And plenty of money for everyone!"

"Why, yes, Pinky, that's... exactly what I'm talking about. With... the occasional adjustment here or there, of course."

"Like what?"

"Oh, you know... A specific rule set for people to abide by. Recognizing me as their leader. World peace. That sort of thing..."

"Sooooo... sponsorship then?"

"Um. Sure... If... that's what you want to see it as."

"Well, I think that's just wonderful, Brain!"

"Y-You do...?"

"Well, of course!" Pinky continued, prancing about the room now, not at all shy about toying with a test tube or a Newton's cradle. For once, Brain didn't stop him. "We all could use a better place to live in! Peace and love for everyone! That's what I teach every day, Brain."

"Do you?"

"Of course. If I'd known about this place earlier I would have supported you a long time ago! Although, I don't know why you have to hide it all down here. Don't you want everyone to know what good you're planning on doing for the Earth?" Pinky asked, shrugging confusedly.

"U-Uhm... Well, it has to be a secret. If anyone knew about this, they'd... probably try to stop me," Globetrotter fumbled, rubbing at the back of his neck.

"Why?"

"Well, you know... Taking over the world. It's... not exactly a normal thing to put on one's "to-do" list."

"Well, it should be!" Pinky retorted, hands on his hips. "If everyone was as kind as you the world would be a better place!"

Just then, Pinky gasped, struck with a sudden idea.

"What?" Brain asked, a touch worried.

"Brain! What if we keep it a secret until allllll of your plans are ready, and then we surprise everyone with a big, save-the-world party!"

"Ummm... S-Sure! That's... kind of what I had in mind, actually."

"Egad! It's brilliant! I'll handle all the party preparations when the time comes, don't worry. I'll get balloons and decorations and... OH! Cake! We have to have cake, Brain! But will two hundred cakes be enough to feed everyone?"

"Pinky...?" Brain asked tentatively. "You... promise you won't tell anyone about this, right?"

"Of course not, Brain," Pinky said matter-of-factly, waving a hand. "I mean, you did almost kill me back there, but now I see that you just didn't want to spoil the surprise!"

"So... no blabbing?"

"My lips are sealed, Brain," he promised, making a "zipping" motion across his mouth with his thumb and forefinger. "But only if you'll let me help!"

He meant it in jest, partially. Even if Brain said no, he still would honor his request to keep the secret a secret, but Brain took it literally. He sighed, facepalming. Positives and negatives, he supposed.

"All right. Fine. But just... stay out of the way as best you can, all right?"

"Promise!" Pinky swore, beaming. "Um... do you mind if I hang around here for a little while?"

Brain narrowed his eyes at him. Just because they were now technically partners in crime didn't mean that he wanted Pinky hanging around any longer than he needed to. Then again, it wasn't as if letting him stay a bit longer would hurt anything.

"Just as long as you keep your paws off my lab."

"Yippee!" Pinky exclaimed, jumping once up into the air before reengaging in deep exploration of the room.

Brain sighed, turned back around, and planted his caboose firmly back in the computer chair. Every now and then he'd pause in his typing to stare curiously at Pinky as he looked at everything in the lab, trying his darndest not to lift a finger as Globetrotter had asked. Brain rolled his eyes, finally consenting.

"Fine. You can touch the books. But be careful with them," he warned.

"Oh, thank you, Brain! I won't rip a page!"

"You'd better not...," Brain mumbled under his breath.

Pinky sifted through the books, eventually finding one he liked and sitting down cross-legged on the floor, such as a child might during reading time. Brain shook his head at this. A past conversation came to mind...

"You're also the only other person who's still around at night when I go home late. It... makes me feel a little less lonely."

He stared at Pinky once more, head cocked to the side questioningly, before turning back to his work. The lanky newcomer was, undoubtedly, an annoyance. He was oxymoronic, incredibly daft, and a thorn in Brain's side. Things hadn't been quite the same at the school since he'd arrived. He was a pest that eventually needed to be eradicated. And yet, as Brain sat there, listening to the soft turning of the pages behind him, with the occasional 'ooo' or 'ahhh' complimenting a particularly good part of the book, he had to admit that the presence of someone else in the room, someone kind and nonjudgmental and supportive, made him feel a little less lonely, too.

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

Author's Notes:

- My dad used to own (and probably still does) one of those big briefcases with the locking mechanisms on them. I always enjoyed watching him fiddle with the combination and pop open the case. Of course, now-a-days, briefcases are pretty much a thing of the past, but I still think about that big ol' thing and its locks sometimes.

- The line "... in public, Brain?" is a reference to a very similar quote from one of the original Pinky and the Brain episodes, in which Brain asks Pinky to do something simple and Pinky, misunderstanding, replies with: "Brain? In public?"

- Marvell is an original OC created by Black Geeky Girl, whom you can find on Twitter and Tumblr.

- The line "positively affluent" is a reference to a PatB-themed story of the same name on AO3 that also features Snowball. Please look it up and read it. It's awesome.

- The ending is, admittedly, a bit rushed, and I struggled with the subtext of the laboratory scene. I'm not certain how apparent it is or not, but, if you don't get what I'm going for, all the better I suppose, as you'll be just as surprised as Pinky in a future chapter.

- This is my favorite chapter so far. I had a blast composing this.

#fan fiction #pinky and the brain

21 notes · View notes

hatsukeii · 4 years

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okay i haven’t finished aot yet but i would simply die if you wrote an x reader one shot with the prompts “you can’t die, i won’t let you” + “this is all my fault” for levi 😌 i’m a simp for him and i need some angst hehe

I’m about to make myself cry>:))

(Not really but you get the point)

Also this is set when they encounter the beast titan and commence the suicide charge, but I’m gonna be changing quite a bit of stuff so it fits this angst a liiiiitle bit more:) That includes changing out the part where he has to choose between Armin and Erwin. I’ll keep both of them alive and replace it with this instead because it’s easier for me to make sense of everything that way lol

Let’s goooooo

You were good to me//Levi x Reader

Word count: 3000+ (New record!)

Warnings: Mild swearing, a shit load of blood, minimal violence, character death (This is a warning it’s not gonna end well)

Summary: Your mission with Levi does not go according to plan.

“Are you out of your goddamn mind? You really went ahead and requested to be a part of this mission without telling me? You are absolutely not going with us. It’s too dangerous for you, I can’t put you under that much risk. Whatever you say, it’s a no. Don’t even try and change my mind.”

You didn’t like arguments with Levi. They were rare, but they managed to break your heart every single time. You were one of the older cadets from the 104th training corps, but you still managed to make it into Levi’s squad. You would’ve thought he trusted you more than this now that you two were in a relationship, but you were wrong apparently.

“Seriously Levi? I’ve been on countless expeditions with you. I’m going to be fine. We’re not even going out of the walls properly, we’re literally just reclaiming lost land. Erwin’s already confirmed that I’m going with you guys tomorrow, there’s no stopping me. Plus, I want to be there when we finally see the basement. I’m going with you guys. If you’re so scared then just tell Erwin to put me next to you in the scouting formation or something. It’s not that hard.”

Levi raked his fingers through his hair in frustration. It was at times like this he absolutely hated your persistence. It was hard to deal with when he was trying to keep you safe, considering you have such a huge desire to contribute something to the victory of mankind. Almost all your arguments have been about not letting you join in on an expedition or mission. He knew fully well you’re a perfectly capable soldier, and that you could handle tricky situations well. However, his old squad was also capable of that. Isabel and Farlan were also outstanding soldiers. He shuddered at the thought of their dead bodies laying on the battlefield. He couldn’t afford to lose anyone else. He swore on his life that he would continue to protect you, whatever the cost, even if it meant keeping you from doing what your heart desired. Don’t think he feels good about this. He knows just how frustrated you feel. He knows you tend to feel useless if you don’t get to fight alongside everyone else, but this was for your own good.

“Why can’t you just listen to me? I can’t lose you-”

“And you won’t, silly. I promise.”

“Who’s to say you won’t get eaten tomorrow? Even worse, trampled by that buff piece of shit titan? Hm? Answer me, how are you so sure?”

“I’ve fought them before, I’ll be fine.”

“No, you won’t. They have backup this time. Half of us probably aren’t even gonna come back alive. Even I couldn’t take down Reiner and Bertholdt the last time they struck, you still think you’re gonna be fine?”

You were getting more and more irritated by the second, your usually calm voice raising to a shout. “Why can’t you just trust me more? Are my skills not enough for your liking?”

“They’re plenty enough. You’re a proficient soldier, and I know that. But that doesn’t change the fact that this is a dangerous operation, and that by joining us you are putting yourself in grave danger.”

You rolled your eyes, completely done with Levi’s bullshit. You liked the protective side of him, you really did. However when it came to denying your requests to go on expeditions with him, it eventually appealed to you as one of his negative traits far too easily. Sighing, you turned on your heels and headed for the door, looking back at him as you grabbed the doorknob. “You can’t stop me. I’m coming with you tomorrow. You can try defying your superior if you have any objections.” You twisted the metal, slamming the door in his face as you walked back to the dorms. “Jesus, and I thought he would’ve been fine with it. He really thinks I’m that weak? I can still knock him down while sparring. He’s really gotta stop underestimating me.”

“Erwin, are you serious right now?” Levi was fuming. He didn’t expect his superior to actually permit you to come with. “I specifically told you to keep her safe. What do you do? Exactly the opposite.” Erwin’s head hung low as he contemplated his decision. “I had to. She’s a valuable asset that can benefit us in battle. Plus, she refused to give me my hair gel back until I approved of her request.” The shorter man’s mouth hung open. “COMMANDER WHAT THE HELL?-” “Calm down Levi. I assigned her to a spot right next to you. That way you can keep an eye on her.” The soldiers were slowly starting to mount their horses. “This better be worth it Erwin, or you’ll never hear the end of it.”

“I told you you couldn’t stop me, I was gonna come regardless of what you said.” Levi let out a low growl, glaring at you from his horse. “We’re having a very, very serious discussion about this when we get back.” You dryly chuckled, speeding in front of him as you yelled. “PERSON WITH LESS TITAN KILLS HAS TO CLEAN THE OFFICE!” Levi’s mouth curled up into a tiny grin. Still enthusiastic as ever, eh? “We’re still having that discussion, but with the addition of your devastating loss to me.” From the front, Erwin fired a green smoke signal, before yelling to everyone behind him. “ALL SOLDIERS BEHIND ME, SWITCH TO THE GEAR! LEFT AND RIGHT WING, STAY ON YOUR HORSES!” Wires zipped through the air, attaching themselves to buildings. You and Levi landed on top of a roof. “What the hell is that...?” A few miles away from you, a hazy image of a hoard of titans was enough to make your eyes widen with rage and confusion. “Why aren’t they charging?”

Everything that went down in the next few moments happened too quickly for either of you to comprehend. Sickening crunches rang throughout the battlefield as blood splattered on your face. Red painted over the buildings within a three mile radius, the air going a sickening shade of red. A look of terror washed over Levi’s usually stoic face as he pushed you behind him, shielding you while he braced himself from the pieces of debris and the rocks that were thrown towards the troops. “SHIT, GUYS FALL BACK!” You crouched down, covering your head as you curled up. “What’s up with that thing?” The raven haired man clicked his tongue, looking up carefully once the rocks stopped coming. “That piece of shit furry titan is pitching boulders like no tomorrow. We’ve gotta get out of here, fast.” You and Levi made it off the building just in time for the second wave of boulders to hit, the rocks sending even more scouts flying as blood went everywhere, strained screams and sobs echoing in the air. This wasn’t just a bloodbath. This was a massacre.

“Erwin, you can’t do this to them. Half of them haven’t even finished training. By conducting a suicide charge, we’re talking about bringing at least 200 soldiers to their graves. If you’re leading it, chances are you won’t survive either. You’ll never get to see the basement. There has to be another way.” Erwin shook his head solemnly. “This is the best plan I can think of. I’m sorry my friend. I guess I’ll go out fighting today.” Levi shook his head as you teared up, covering your mouth with a bloody hand. “Soldiers! We will be conducting a charge. Scream as loud as you can, fire your green signals towards the titan. In the meanwhile, Captain Levi and Squad leader (Y/N) will take out the rest of the titans. Am I clear-” “There’s no way we’re gonna make it! Everyone’s gonna die!” Your head hung low, a stoic expression plastered on your face. “Yes. You’re right.” The scouts looked at him in shock and horror. “You’re telling us to let go of everything we care about and die?” “Yes. Give up your dreams, and die. Die fighting for humanity. Die fighting for a better future. For your children. For your family. For your siblings. Devote your hearts, and die doing just that. Levi, (Y/N), go now while we still have time.”

“Cmon (Y/N), let’s go.” You nodded, firing out your gear towards the wall next to Levi. “Race you to the titans!” You flew towards the first titan, slicing its nape, before looking back to see how your boyfriend was doing. His brows furrowed as he wobbled on his gear, clearly struggling to balance. “Levi?” You screamed as his gear gave out and sent him tumbling towards the ground. You audibly gasped, turning back and rushing down to him. “Shit, just great. My gear’s broken.” You sensed something towering above you. From afar, an unfamiliar voice boomed. “You really think I wouldn’t have noticed? Titans, kill them.” You looked up as the gruesome being above you, as well as the other ones, snapped their heads towards you two, bloodlust clouding their eyes as they advanced towards Levi first. You tried your best to clear out the titans, slicing off nape after nape. You heard a yell, turning your head toward the sound. There Levi was, being picked up by one of the titans as it slowly brought him to its face. The man was thrashing wildly, desperately trying to wiggle his way out of the thing’s hand. It’s grotesque eyes examined the raven haired soldier, before raising its arm to lead him into its disgusting mouth. “OH NO YOU DON’T.” You screamed, zooming towards the titan at an inhuman speed. You pulled a slippery Levi out of its mouth, landing him safely onto the floor as you headed back up towards its nape, slicing up everything you could, before sending a devastating blow towards the back of its neck, blood spraying everywhere.Levi was obviously terrified, breathing heavily as his eyes widened. “Holy shit, thank god... oh Jesus, you could’ve died.” You made your way towards him, about to wrap your arms around his shaking figure, when your breath hitched in your throat. “(Y/N) NO!” You looked down, blood dripping from your side as you fell to the floor. You looked down at your uniform to see blood pooling around your body, staining your shirt crimson. You looked in front of you, to see a boulder, dried blood coating it. “Ah, it was that.” Your partner snapped out of whatever trance he was in, now running as fast as he could towards you. “No... NONONONO PLEASE DON’T!” Levi was a complete mess, screaming while he tried to take your gear off. Finally succeeding, a weight lifted from your hips, and a pair of strong arms hoisted you up and onto their back. Cool air grazed your face as you felt yourself being lifted off the ground and into the air, your consciousness slowly fading as you laid your head on his shoulder.

Meanwhile, Levi was about to break down. “No, please, (Y/N) please stay with me.” He saw your eyes flutter open, your mouth now bloody. “Huh? What’d you mean? I’m right... he... here...” You coughed a little bit, clotted blood landing on Levi’s cloak. “Shit, please stay awake. You have to. Don’t close your eyes even when it hurts like hell. Keep them open.” You nuzzled your face into his shoulder. “But I’m tireeeed-” “You are staying alive on my watch. Please, you can’t die. I won’t let you. Keep your damn eyes open. We’re almost at Hange...please, don’t leave me now. This is an order.” He knew the blood loss was getting to your head, judging by your dopey smile and idiotic statements. The stench of blood now filled his nose, the crimson liquid dripping off his boot. Normally he would’ve wiped it straight off as soon as possible, but he didn’t care right now. He didn’t care if amateurs were being slaughtered down there. He didn’t care how Erwin was. He didn’t care about what was happening on the other side with Eren and his squad. The only thing he could focus on, was your body that was relaxed against his. The peaceful expression you had despite being on the brink of death. A whimper left his throat, tears spilling out like a waterfall as he made his way up the wall.

“SHITTY GLASSES! OI! HANGE!” The tall woman turned towards you two, her eyes widening in shock. “Levi, put pressure on the wound, I’m gonna go get help.” He frantically, but gently let you down, taking his cloak off and pressing the fabric onto your wound as you screamed, blood sputtering out of your mouth and onto his face as his tears mixed with the red liquid. “STAY AWAKE... please-” Your hand went up to his arm, grabbing onto him tightly. “Levi... I’m sorry....” The man shook his head, tears flying off his face. “No... don’t be. You can’t die on me. Please don’t die on me today....” You felt your vision go hazy, the once clear image of your lover becoming all but a blurry mix of colours. “I-I’m not gonna make it-” A loud sob resonated through the air. “YOU HAVE TO MAKE IT... please! For me, for your squad, for everyone....” You smiled to yourself, black dots making their way into your vision. “(Y/N)! Don’t you remember? We still have that discussion about you coming with me! We still have to go home! You killed more titans, I have to clean the office, remember?” You chuckled, one single teardrop finally leaving the corner of your eye, before coughing vigorously. “You... you were good to me, Levi.” Those were your last words, before your body gave out and your eyes shut completely. “No... NO! SHIT! WHY? IF YOU WEREN’T IN FRONT OF ME... YOU COULD’VE JUST LET ME DIE! IT WOULDN’T HAVE MATTERED! YOU PROMISED ME YOU WOULD BE FINE! YOU PROMISED!” Hange jogged towards Levi, bandages and cloth in hand. “I got the ban...dages.” Her face darkened when she saw your motionless figure and Levi’s bloodshot eyes. His face was now terrifyingly stoic. He felt numb, tears rolling down his cheeks as he tried to keep his sobs in. “Levi....” Grabbing onto his comrade’s shirt, he shoved his face into the fabric, screaming and sobbing until his lungs gave out. His tears mixed with the blood on his face, staining her jacket a dirty red. Hange let out a shaky breath, patting her best friend on the back as he continuously punched her shoulders, fists clenched so hard they started to go white.

That evening, no one dared say a word to Levi. Not even Erwin. The short soldier walked along the graveyard, knowing he was going to see your name on one of the tombstones. How he wished for some life changing miracle at that moment. Maybe this was all just a twisted fever dream. Maybe he was in bed, and you were sound asleep in the dorms with the other girls. He knew it was impossible, but it didn’t hurt to imagine how it would be like if you didn’t sacrifice yourself out there for him. He should be the one that was buried underground, bloody and all. It shouldn’t be you who was in the dirt. Other scouts that were mourning their comrades’ deaths moved over to give him a path, not wanting to get on his nerves. His demeanour was way darker than usual. His bored eyes were filled with sorrow and rage, his grey irises dull and glossy. Just the mention of your name from another soldier’s mouth was enough to drive him over the edge at this point. He blamed himself for what happened. He should’ve checked his gear more thoroughly. Maybe then you wouldn’t have had to step in. He should’ve been more aware and shielded you from the boulder. He should’ve been able to see it. He should’ve removed your gear quicker, maybe that would’ve bought you more time to get treated. A million possibilities circled through his head. There was so much he could’ve done both before and in that moment, that would’ve prevented all this. His footsteps stopped in front of a tombstone. There was nothing there. No one has even realised you went out yet. Levi bit his lip, trying to suppress the tears that threatened to leave his eyelids. No. He wasn’t going to cry in front of the other scouts. He dropped the flowers in his hand in front of the stone plate, kneeling down to its level. “You didn’t have to shield me from that boulder, brat.” Jean and Connie, who were next to him stared at him in shock. Never have they ever heard their captain say the word brat in such a soft tone before. Levi sensed the weirded out looks he received, but proceeded to ignore them. His knees hit the grassy floor as his head hung low, his bangs covering his eyes. “Shit....” He couldn’t hold it in anymore. His body shuddered as the waterworks came. Hot, salty tears spewing out of his eyes as he sobbed. Everyone around him was properly shook, staring in disbelief as their no bullshit captain broke down in front of your tombstone. “It’s all my fault! You could’ve just left me there! Why? Why did you have to go out instead of me? Why does everyone I care about have to meet a cruel end? Why?” Hange glanced at her friend from across the field, a bunch of flowers now presented in front of Moblit’s grave. She trod over to where Levi was, pulling him up and giving him a pat on the back. “Calm down Levi. You can’t change anything now. Might as well accept it.” That didn’t stop the tears from falling. His loud sobs reduced to strained whimpers, his hand going up to cover his mouth in a pathetic attempt to silence out the noise he was making. The younger scouts stayed silent as they watched their captain, slowly letting some of their tears out too. Levi thought back to your argument the night before. The little competition you started in the middle of the field. The rage you showed when you completely mutilated the titan that threatened his life. The last words you spoke before dying with a smile.

“You were good to me too, love.”

Three hours of nonstop writing for this piece of shit-

I’m sorry I just think this is terrible idk why ahsgdhsge I spent so long on it but I don’t know if some parts are boring im so sorry if it’s bad feel free to tell me🤡😔

Okay but I still hope you liked it🥺

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This goes into the short kings clan oop

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