#have you guys figured out yet that I'm touch deprived

[luvangelbreak]

Deprived | Nineteen

Part 1 Part 2 Part 3 Part 4 Part 5 Part 6 Part 7 Part 8 Part 9 Part 10 Part 11 Part 12 Part 13 Part 14 Part 15 Part 16 Part 17 Part 18 Part 20 Part 21 Part 22 Part 23 matthew sturniolo x layla venita (female!oc) summary: everyone knows the story of the bad boy and the good girl but what happens when the school's most popular boy, Matthew Sturniolo, and the girl who notoriously is never there, Layla Venita, cross paths. warnings: swearing, smoking, angst lol word count: 4.9k a/n: y'all i have been trying so hard to make this story good but i hope you wont kill me after this part. don't forget i love y'all :)

pov: layla

The rest of the school day flew by, having gym with Allie made it a little more tolerable and not having Mia lurking over my shoulder was relieving. I ignored the usual whispers and dirty looks, seemingly more frequent than usual and I assumed it was because people knew about Matt and I.

I didn't quite understand what we were yet, we'd only been friends for under 2 weeks and I'd already let him into my life more than anyone I'd ever known. It frustrated me how easily my walls came down around him and how much I let him affect me. I didn't even mean to but I knew I had pushed him away during lunch but part of me was relieved that I was still able to do that, still able to keep my walls up around him whenever I needed to.

As I exited the building, Allie by my side rambling about something I tuned out due to my busy mind, I slipped my cigarettes out of my bag and lit the end of one between my lips. I made sure to blow the smoke away from Allie's face as I slid the pack back into my bag as we made our way to Nate's car.

"I'll be quick," I called to Nate who was leaning against his car, talking to Chris who was leaning against the minivan beside Nate's car. Nate nodded, resuming his conversation with Chris as I tuned back into what Allie was saying.

"So what do you think? Green or white nails?" she asked me and I mentally cursed at myself for not paying attention as we came to a halt a few feet away from Nate's car.

"Why not do green and white?" I suggested, trying to cover up the fact I had zoned out and gone too far into my own head to realise what she was talking about.

"Oh, good point. What about you?" she asked, pulling her cheer uniform down as she shivered, the tights on her legs not seeming to block out the cold as much as she hoped.

"What about me?" I asked, trying to quickly puff down my cigarette so as to not make Nate wait longer than he already had.

"What are you gonna do with your nails? Oh and we also have to figure out hair and makeup," she said matter-of-factly and I let my mouth hang open for a moment.

"I hadn't gotten that far yet," I answered honestly and she nodded, a small smile on her lips.

"No need to worry. I love helping people get dressed up. We can look at some stuff on Pinterest and figure out what you want to go with your dress," she answered confidently and I nodded in response with a small smile. I had been off since lunch and I knew she could tell but I was glad she didn't say anything about it.

I felt something touch my lower back and I jumped, spinning around to see Matt looking down at me with a worried expression, "Can I talk to you?"

"We're gonna go in a second," I answered quickly and he furrowed his eyebrows as I continued to take hits of the cigarette.

"Just for a minute," he asked quietly and I heard Allie shuffled behind me.

"I'll leave you guys to talk," she said quickly before she scurried away towards Nate, Chris and now Nick. I sighed, turning back to look at Matt who had nothing but a confused expression on his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked and I looked down, avoiding his eyes as I let out a breath.

"Nothing," I answered shortly and he stepped closer to me. I automatically tensed and I could sense his concern radiating off of him.

"Did I do something wrong? I'm sorry if I upset you. I didn't mean to," he spoke softly and I felt guilt spread through my body but I didn't let it show as I continued looking at the ground.

"I'm fine, Matthew," I spoke blandly, finishing the rest of my cigarette before throwing it on the damp ground and squishing it with the sole of my shoe, "I gotta go."

"Layls," he tried to catch my attention again but I shook my head, walking towards Nate and Allie silently.

"You guys ready to go?" I asked and they both looked at each other briefly, a concerned look shared between them before they nodded, "Bye guys."

I waved to Chris and Nick as I opened the back door of Nate's car, sliding in without another word as Allie slid in the passenger seat and Nate jumped in the driver's seat.

I kept my focus to the left of the car, feeling Matt staring at me as he got into the driver's seat of his car and Nate waved goodbye to them before he drove out of the parking space.

+++

After spending 2 hours at the mall with Allie, I couldn't find anything that I could afford and I decided I would have to just make my own dress. After grabbing stretchy black fabric and Allie buying me a sweat tea, she decided she wanted me to go to her house.

"If you come over I can help you pick out heals and what you want to do with your makeup and hair!" she suggested as we waltzed down the mall back towards the parking lot where her dad was waiting for her.

"I don't know," I trailed off, my mood still off from my interaction with Matt. I had turned off my phone, not bothering to check it the whole time we were out because I knew Matt would try to message or call me.

"Please. We can drop you home after dinner," she pleaded, her words dragging out as the bags in her arms rustled. I sighed, running a hand through my hair before I nodded.

"Okay," I answered and she clapped her hands happily, fastening her pace as we reached the exit of the building. I trailed behind her until she walked up to a car which I could only assume was her dad's BMW.

"Hey Dad," she called in a sing-song tone as she approached the driver's window which he conveniently had rolled down, "Is it okay if Layla comes over for dinner and we drop her home after?"

"You couldn't have told me earlier?" he asked, his tone frustrated and I kept my distance, feeling like I was intruding on their conversation. I let them talk as their voices quietened before Allie spun around to face me.

"Okay! We're good," she said excitedly as she rounded the car to the passenger side and I followed suit, opening the back door before throwing my bag on the floor and sliding in.

"Hi," I tried to sound as polite as possible as I closed the door behind me.

"Hello," her father's voice sounded rough and tired and I took it as a queue not to talk further since he still sounded irritated. I kept quiet the whole car ride as her dad turned up the music, making it clear he didn't want to talk. Allie didn't say anything, only hummed along to the music as we drove through the busy streets.

Soon enough, we pulled up to a 3 story house that looked as modern as the White House. I jumped out of the car, looking up at the architecture in awe as I closed the door behind me and swung my bag over my shoulder. I didn't notice that Allie and her dad had already made their way to the door until Allie called my name.

She stood by the door, holding it open for me. I quickly jogged up to the wooden door and walked inside as she closed it behind me. I let my mouth hang open as I looked at the front foyer, the black spiral staircase travelling upwards from the white marble floor shone brightly from the chandelier.

"Mom we're home!" Allie called out to her mother, her voice echoing on the tiles as I looked up at the 2 stories above us.

"In the kitchen!" I heard a woman's voice respond, assuming it was her mother's. I looked around in amazement as I followed Allie through the foyer, turning to the right to find a huge open kitchen with a dining area right beside it, the table seating able to fit at least 10 people, "I didn't know you were bringing a friend over."

"Mom, this is Layla. Layla, my mom, Diana," Allie introduced us and I looked at her mother, smiling at her with a small awkward wave.

"Hi Mrs Finley," I plastered a smile on my lips and she gave me a short smile before looking back at Allie who was almost a spitting image of her. They had the same ginger hair, green eyes and short, skinny figures.

"You didn't tell me your friend was coming," she said through her teeth as Allie just shrugged, her mother's passive aggressiveness seemingly unphased her.

"It was last minute," Allie said, jumping up and sitting on top of the marble counter and her mother frowned, turning around from the stove where various pots seemed to be cooking over the gas.

"You need to let me know beforehand, Alison. You know this," she spoke sternly and I stayed in place by the door, not missing the way her mother scanned me head to toe. I pulled the pink sweater further down my arms to hide my tattoos that I knew she would despise.

"She's not staying over. She's just staying for dinner then we'll drop her home," Allie shrugged and her mother sighed heavily, spinning around to face the stove again.

"Al!" I heard another male voice call from the foyer and Allie rolled her eyes, grabbing a handful of grapes from the fruit bowl to her left as she threw a few in her mouth.

"What?" she called, the grapes still in her mouth as she crossed her legs and her mother spun around with a scowl on her face.

"Don't talk with food in your mouth," she mumbled before facing the stove again and I leaned on the wall beside the door, unsure of where to go.

"Where did you put my helmet?" I heard the same male voice enter the room to my right and I looked over to see a guy who couldn't have been more than 2 years older than Allie and I. He turned to look at me, his dirty blonde hair flowing as he did so and he smirked at me, "Who's this?"

"That's Layla. Off limits, Xan," she deadpanned and he snickered as he looked back at her, his green eyes shining in the lights over the kitchen, "I don't know where your helmet is. I haven't touched it."

"Fuck off. I know you moved it," he rolled his eyes, crossing his arms and I noticed the myriad of tattoos scattering his tan arms. I scanned his outfit, noticing the fact that he was clad in bike pants and a white shirt, a leather jacket hung over his right arm.

"Language," Diana scolded him and he simply rolled his eyes again, throwing his head back.

"Do you know where my helmet is, Mom?" he asked, his voice slightly more agitated and he glanced over at me, giving me a smirk which I returned with a frown.

"I don't know, honey. Have you asked your father?" she sighed, spinning around to face him before she glanced at me again with a scowl still written across her face.

"He said he doesn't know," the boy next to me answered and Allie groaned.

"Xander, you're a grown man. You can find your own shit," she mumbled and Diana hit her thigh with the back of her hand lightly to scold her again.

"I left it on my bike and now it's not there," he threw his hands out in front of him in defeat and Allie once again rolled her eyes.

"Where do you need to go anyway?" she asked as she popped another grape into her mouth and leaned forward with her elbows on her knees.

"I'm going to Shawn's," he answered shortly and Allie raised her eyebrows before glancing between me and him.

"Great! That means you can drop Layla home on your way," she announced and my eyebrows instantly furrowed, giving her a confused look.

"I didn't agree to that," he quickly shut it down and Allie shrugged her shoulders.

"She doesn't mind, right Layls?" she asked and I glanced between the three of them.

"I can just walk home. It's really not that far," I lied straight through my teeth and Allie frowned, knowing I lived nowhere near her.

"It would take you well over an hour to walk home. I'm not letting you go in the dark," she argued and I shrugged, adjusting my bag that was still on my shoulder.

"It's fine really," I brushed it off and she shook her head, Xander now groaning next to me before he looked at me.

"Where do you live?" he asked, his tone short from the annoyance of his younger sister.

"Uh," I hesitated, feeling uncomfortable in the expensive house with such proper people, "South End."

"You are not driving through South End, Xander," Diana quickly interjected and he looked towards his mother with a frown, "It's far too dangerous."

A moment of silence fell into the room and I glanced between the three of them uncomfortably. Allie patiently waited for her brother's agreeance, Diana waited for his denial and I couldn't help but notice a shift in his features as he smirked and his body became less tense.

"Sure. I'll talk you home," he shrugged as he looked directly at his mother who stared at him disapprovingly, "You ever ridden a motorbike before?"

"Yeah," I answered shortly, feeling the tension in the air as he looked back at me.

"Cool. Good thing I have two helmets," he smirked before waltzing out of the room again and I looked back at Allie with a frown.

"What? Now I don't have to convince my dad and you don't have to walk in the dark. It's a win-win," she shrugged and I sighed, running a hand over my face as she jumped off of the counter, "Come on. I'll show you my room."

I nodded as she picked up her bags from the floor and waltzed out of the kitchen and I followed behind her. She made her way up the stairs and once we reached the second floor, she walked down the long hallway before entering a room on the left. I entered the room, looking around at the white bare walls and the sheer size of the place. Her room alone was the size of my living room and I noticed the grey queen-sized bed in the corner with the saude grey couch sitting in the middle of the right wall.

"Holy shit," I mumbled as I dropped my bag down to the floor, looking at the flatscreen TV on the wall at the end of her bed and the vanity covered in various makeup products scattered across it on the other side of the room, "This is massive."

"Yeah. I tried to fill the space as much as I could," she mumbled as she walked through the giant space, throwing her bags on the elevated mattress. There were two pastel pink bean bags on the floor at the end of her bed with a white throw blanket on top of them. A wooden coffee table was in front of the two-seater couch, littered with different books and a pencil case, the two pink decorative pillows on the couch pulling the aesthetic of the room together.

"This is like the size of my living room and kitchen in one," I let my mouth hang open and she jumped on her bed, pulling the various items out of the shopping bags lazily.

"You should see my parents' room. It's like twice the size," she rolled her eyes dramatically, "I don't know why they bought this house. There are four of us living here and we have three spare rooms. It's insane."

She sounded almost bitter at the fact her parents had spent so much money on the house, the extra rooms being a nuisance to maintain but I didn't even bat an eye since I was too in awe of the amount of space. I looked to the left to see a walk-in closet filled to the brim with clothes and accessories.

"Okay! Let's talk hair and makeup," she announced and I hummed, still looking around her room before I sat on her bed. She began scouring through Pinterest on her phone, saving various photos of hair and makeup for the both of us to get ideas.

+++

"So what do your parents do, Layla?" Diana asked, her tone short as her spoon scraped on the bottom of her bowl of soup. I shifted uncomfortably in my chair, Allie sitting on my left with her dad at the end of the table, Diana sitting next to her husband and Xander sitting across from me.

"Uh, my dad is a mechanic," I answered shortly, only half lying. He used to be a mechanic but now he only works on cars of people he's buying drugs off of.

"And your mother?" she asked, her spine straight as she sipped on her white wine and I placed my spoon down in the bowl.

"Um, she's not around," I answered vaguely and her eyebrows furrowed.

"Whereabouts is she?" she asked, her tone condescending and Allie coughed loudly.

"Mom," she mumbled, frowning at her mother and I shifted in my seat once again.

"I'm just asking a question, Alison," she spoke so clearly and precisely that I had to resist the urge to roll my eyes at her poise facade.

"She left when I was little," I answered honestly, my discomfort obvious and Allie turned to me, an apologetic smile on her lips and I gave her the same back.

"What do you do with yourself? Do you work?" her dad spoke up for the first time since we sat down and I shrugged, swallowing loudly.

"I help my dad with his work sometimes," again, it was a half-truth and I could lie straight through my teeth easily around people like this.

"So you don't actually have a job?" he asked, his words slightly patronising.

"She's still in school, dad. Give her a break," Xander rolled his eyes dramatically and his dad frowned at him, his mouth permanently in a straight line.

"Did I ask you a question?" he asked rhetorically and Xander sighed, shaking his head as he continued eating the pumpkin soup.

"Um, no. I don't have a job yet but I'm going to get one once I finish school," I spoke as confidently as I could and he looked back at me.

"You aren't going to college? What job do you intend to get without a degree?" he asked with a frown still plastered on his face and I let my mouth hang open, unsure of my own answer.

"Okay!" Xander interrupted as he placed his spoon back in his bowl, "Are you ready to go?"

"Xander, you haven't even finished your soup," his mother pointed out and he shrugged, pushing away from the table.

"I'm done. Thanks for dinner, Mom," he said quickly and I looked at Allie as if to ask if I could leave. She smiled at me and nodded before turning to her parents.

"May I leave the table to see them out? I'll come back after," she asked, the properness of it making my skin crawl and her mother nodded.

"Thank you for dinner. It was nice meeting you," I offered a polite goodbye, the words sounding as fake as they felt and Diana gave me a tight-lipped smile that didn't reach her eyes. I quickly got up as Xander walked out of the room and I followed behind him as Allie walked behind me. I was glad I brought my bag down to the front door earlier so I didn't have to bother getting it earlier.

"I'm sorry about them," Allie said apologetically as Xander walked out the front door and we followed suit as I shook my head.

"Don't worry about it," I gave her a tight-lipped smile and she sighed, running a hand through her hand.

"I'll see you at school tomorrow?" she asked and I nodded, picking up my bag and throwing it over my shoulder, "I gotta get back before they think I'm gone too long. Let me know if Xan does anything stupid."

"I will," I let out a half-hearted laugh and I walked over to where Xander was leaning on his black, helmet in hand. I observed the bike, gasping when I realised what it was, "You have a Ducati?"

"I'm surprised you know what that is," he stated with his eyebrows raised and I shook my head, walking around the bike as my jaw hung open.

"Are you fucking kidding? I've always wanted a Ducati," I mumbled, my hand running along the shiny black metal and he chuckled, pushing away from the bike as he spun around to hand me the white helmet. I hesitantly took it, sliding my bag over my shoulders so it lay across my chest instead of on just one shoulder.

"Don't worry. I've had a lot of people ride this with me," he smirked cockily as he picked up the black helmet hanging off of the right handlebar.

"I bet," I mumbled, rolling my eyes as I slid the helmet onto my head. I grabbed the strap under my chin but it was difficult to click into place without being able to see.

"Here," he stepped around the bike and I let my hands fall to my sides as I tilted my chin upwards. He clicked it into place before tightening the strap and I let my head fall back down, the visor still being up as I looked up at him through the gap in the helmet. He tapped the top of my helmet before mumbling, "Cute."

"Just get me home without crashing before you try to flirt with me," I grumbled making him chuckle. He grabbed the black helmet sliding it over his head and clicking the strap in, tightening it quickly. He zipped up the pocket in his pants he had his phone in before sliding his gloves on.

"Out of all Al's friends," he said as he swung his leg over the bike and sat down, "You're already my favourite."

"This is gonna be a long ride," I rolled my eyes as I placed my left foot on the peg, swung my right leg over the bike and sat down on the small seat at the back.

"Oh by the way," he said loudly before he reached in the gap in the helmet to seemingly adjust something before his voice rang in my helmet, "I have comms."

"Oh great. Now I can hear you talking out of your ass the whole ride," I said sarcastically and his laugh rang through my ears. I flicked the visor down and he followed suit.

"You ready?" he asked and I hummed before he kicked the stand up. He turned on the bike, soon after and the engine revved to life, "You gotta hold on unless you wanna fly off the back."

"This is insane," I mumbled, leaning forward as I wrapped my arms around his torso and I heard his laugh ring through the helmet once again. I placed my chin on his left shoulder as he kicked it into first gear and we crept out of the driveway.

As we got onto the road, I instantly felt the cold wind pierce my skin through my clothes as it whipped around us and I tightened my arms around him.

"You good?" he asked through the headset and I hummed quickly, looking ahead as we passed multiple buildings quickly. My heart started beating with the rumble of the engine and a smile crept on my face as I thought of an idea.

"Can I lean back?" I asked hesitantly as I looked at the street lights around us.

"Let me turn left up here then you can. It's a straight road after that," he explained and I hummed, gripping tightly onto his leather jacket against his stomach, "Just move with my body as we turn."

"I know," I stated confidently and he let out another chuckle. After a few seconds, he slowed ever so slightly and we leaned into the turn before he straightened up again.

"You can lean back just don't stand up and don't lean back too far or you'll throw it off balance," he instructed me and my stomach filled with butterflies of excitement. I let my hands unravel from around his waist, still holding onto his sides as I leaned away from his back slightly. The wind hit me even more but it made me feel alive, it made me feel real.

My hair flicked behind me from the bottom of the helmet and I carefully let go of his waist. I looked ahead to see only one car ahead of us and it was far enough away that I could comfortably expand my arms out on either side of me.

"This is so fun!" I said excitedly as I leaned closer to him again, my arms being pushed back by the wind slightly. I heard a sound of amusement travel from him and I giggled to myself.

"You wanna go around this car?" he asked and I looked ahead to see we were approaching the car quickly. I let out a sound of approval, "Hold onto me."

I let my arms wrap back around his torso as he sped up slightly and within an instant, we zipped past the car with ease. I turned my head to look around at the buildings we flew past and the cars passing by us on the other side of the road.

"I don't know where to go from here, babe. You're gonna have to give me directions," he spoke loudly into the mic and I hummed, looking straight ahead again.

The next 10 minutes were spent mumbling different directions to him as my hands practically froze from the cold air and my hair tangled under the helmet. Soon enough, we arrived at my street and he slowed the bike when we were a few houses away from mine.

We pulled up to my house before he switched the engine off and put down the kickstand. He held out a gloved hand to help me get off the bike which I gladly accepted, swinging my legs off of the bike before I unclipped the strap and slid the helmet off.

"That was so fun," I smiled happily, certain that my hair was stuck up in all different directions as he slid open the visor to talk to me, "Allie never told me she had a brother by the way."

"She never told me she had such a pretty friend," he replied smoothly and I furrowed my eyebrows, a slightly amused smile on my lips.

"I'll let that slide for now because that was so fun but never do that again," I shook my head, handing him the helmet and he quickly spun around to attach it to the strap on the pillion seat.

"You have a boyfriend or something?" he asked as he turned to face me and I let my mouth hang open for a moment, unsure of how to answer.

"It's complicated," I told him honestly and I could see the smirk from under his helmet as he shook his head.

He looked ahead to where my house was before saying, "Is that your not-boyfriend?"

I furrowed my eyebrows as I looked over where his eyesight was and I saw none other than Matt standing there with his arms folded. He had an unsatisfied expression written across his face as he leaned against his car, staring directly at me.

"I'll take that as my queue to leave," Xander said with slight amusement in his voice before revving the engine of the bike back to life and yelling, "Tell Allie I can pick you up whenever you need, pretty girl."

He flicked the visor of his helmet back down before giving me a salute and suddenly, he sped off down the road. My body ran cold at the sound of the nickname coming from his mouth, hating the way it felt compared to when Matt said it. I looked back over to where Matt was glaring at me and I quickly jogged towards him.

"Matt-"

"I don't wanna hear it, Layla," he shook his head, his words sounding like venom directly to my heart and I let my arms drop beside me.

"It's not what it looks like," I tried to explain as he pushed away from the car and let out a bitter laugh.

"Really? That's what you're going with?" he asked, a look of disbelief on his face as he threw his hands out in front of him, "You ignore me all day, don't answer any of my calls or messages so I decide I'm gonna show up to your house to sort this out and I see you get off the bike of some other deadbeat guy!"

"Deadbeat guy? That's Allie's brother," I furrowed my eyebrows and he raised his with a nod of his head.

"Oh cool. So you're just hitting it off with one of my best friend's brothers now?" he asked, anger seeping off of him and it only made me want to yell at him more but I didn't get the chance to, "I did nothing wrong and now you're off with some other guy doing god knows what. You didn't even try to talk to me."

"He was just dropping me home!" I argued and he shook his head, another bitter laugh emitting from his mouth as he swung the driver's door open.

"Don't come to my game tomorrow. I can't fucking believe you right now," he spat out angrily as he jumped in, slamming the door closed behind him.

I rounded the car as I yelled at the glass separating us, "Matt just listen to me!"

He started the car and within an instant, he drove down the street and I watched the taillights disappear in the distance as my shoulders dropped in devastation.

What the fuck is wrong with me?

tags:

@dsturniolo @chrisstankyleg @lov3bug @pinklittleflower @thatcrazybitch-69 @trinity2058 @alorsxsturn @chrizznmetswife @ilovechrissturniolo1 @leprechaunbirthdaygirl @sturnfix @lilsstvrn @sturniololol @sturniolowhore @jebbie-project-blog @jaxyy219

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[farfromstrange]

Foreigner's God: Chapter 6

Main Masterlist

Pairing: Matt Murdock x OFC

Chapter Summary: There is a lot of investigative work that goes into being a superhero. Matt is used to fighting the bad guys with his fists to get information, so putting actual thought behind his work is new to him. Fortunately for him, Eliza always understands the assignment. She's the brain, he's the emotional support devil with legal advice trying his best to keep her sane - there's not much that could go wrong now, right?

Warnings: angst, Hydra, Matt Murdock (deserves a warning), Happy being an overprotective father figure, cursing, blood, sexual tension, child abuse (not related to the aforementioned sexual tension), mention of hysterectomy, watch me make shit up about law, allusions to kissing

Word Count: 10.3k

A/n: so... I'm back? sorry for the hiatus, a lot of stuff happened, but I'm back and I'm okay, and I'm more than ready to continue this story (chapters seven to seventeen are already finished in my docs)

Read Chapter 6: Ivy here on AO3!

18+ MINORS DNI

Matt stirred. Every muscle in his body was overcome by a sudden set of cracks. Then, the ache settled in. Every new movement pulled on another string. It knocked the breath out of his lungs. 

When he woke up, his senses came back to life only slowly, he was confused at first; this wasn’t his apartment. The couch was more comfortable than his, but the fabric made his skin turn into an itchy mess. The scent was also unfamiliar. He was used to his scentless soaps and cleaning supplies. The room he was in smelled distinctive of vanilla, dish soap, and disinfectants. He made out hints of cinnamon and banana in the air. He groaned, rolling onto his back. Was Eliza still there? He concentrated. Her heartbeat sounded melodically from the kitchen, next to the noisy coffee maker. 

“You’re up,” she observed. She placed the piping cup of coffee next to him on the table.

Matt sighed as her hand ran through his hair. Though it wasn’t a gesture to display affection. He only then realized he was shivering even with the blanket pulled to his chin.

“Morning,” he croaked out.

He didn’t expect Eliza to snort. “You have a grouchy morning voice,” she said.

“Wow, thank you. Most women would call it sexy, but I guess grouchy works too.”

“I’m not most women.”

“No, you’re not.”

“Here,” she handed him the coffee once he managed to sit up. “Milk and no sugar, right?”

“Yeah, thanks.”

His hand went to wrap around hers. He placed it against his hot cheek, the cold of her touch soothing the ache. He closed his eyes and inhaled. He tried to map out the changes in her scent, the cinnamon, and the smoke from the oven. He could smell the contents of banana bread on her clothes. She smelled so sweet, almost too sweet, but mixed with the vanilla and faintest remains of tequila, it was just enough to make him high off her. He was like a junkie, searching for ways to get his fix. He needed her like water and it was all he cared about. He didn’t think, he just wanted to touch her, and so he did. 

Eliza flinched away. She placed his hand back down in his lap. The pain in his eyes flickered to the beat of a million candles in the wave of a tornado, about to go out any second. He looked like a kicked puppy abandoned on the side of the road, dirty and alone. 

“Sorry.”

“No, it’s okay,” he said. 

“I- maybe we should just talk, you know,” she told him. “After last night, I just need time to think. I was drunk and you were… well, I think we’re not quite there yet. Is that- would that be okay?”

He sighed softly. His hand remained in his lap, although it twitched. “Of course, it’s okay.”

“Okay, good.”

He wanted to hold her close. Her voice sounded hoarse, strained from all the crying, and probably sleep-deprived. He doubted she even slept at all. He wished to somehow show her just how sorry he was and take away some of her pain, but he didn’t have superpowers. It wasn’t his place to decide for her, let alone touch her without consent. He knew she needed time to process and no matter how hard it was for him, she deserved to be granted some time to breathe. He screwed up; he had to accept the consequences of his actions. They bonded plenty the previous night, but the revelation took a toll on them both. Of course, the morning after would be different. 

She cleared her throat. “You’re running a fever. It’s probably an infection. You need to keep an eye on that before it gets worse. Take this-“ she handed him the small capsules, “It’ll help with the swelling and prevent the infection from spreading if you’re lucky.”

“Where did you get them?”

“I went to ask the old lady next door if she had something for the pain,” she said.

Matt nodded. “Thanks.” He took the water bottle she offered him. The pills ran down his esophagus easily. 

The coffee she made was freshly brewed, an expensive machine at that. He only ever had coffee like that when Karen was generous and brought to-go cops from the coffee shop next door to her apartment. 

“Thanks,” he said again. “You didn’t have to do all this.”

“I know, but you almost died protecting me, so I kinda owe you. Besides, we passed the ‘You don’t have to do this’ stage a while ago.” 

“Yeah, I guess sharing trauma does that to you, huh?” 

Eliza scoffed at his casual cheekiness. “From the moment we first met, I knew this was heading somewhere that’s gonna put us both in danger. I didn’t anticipate you being Daredevil and all, but you got hurt either way.” She bore her eyes into his. “It’s not a joke to me,” she told him. 

“Were you worried about me?” he asked, and his eyebrow quirked up in an almost amusing way. 

She wanted to wipe the cocky grin off his face. “I was afraid of what this life might do to you. My life.”

“Hey.” Matt reached for her.

He brought his fingers next to the wrist that was closest to his thigh. Her heart was beating faster, but not because of their proximity. Somewhere inside of her, she was still disappointed - disappointed about the fact that days spent with him had been nothing but pretense. 

“If there’s anything I can do to make this up to you,” he said.

“You don’t have to make it up to me,” Eliza said, shaking her head. “I forgive you, but there’s still some part of me that’s warning me not to trust you because you lied to me. I can’t help it, it’s how I grew up.”

Open conversation is always the hardest part in every relationship, but like any other thing with Matt Murdock, it almost came naturally. Eliza knew he would never judge her for saying what she thought, what she needed, and neither would she if he had something to say. People judge too easily when it comes to personal needs without realizing that everyone has them and that relationships consist of more than just what happens on the outside. 

Matt swallowed. “You’re right. I can- I can prove to you that you can trust me.” 

“Yeah, well, you seem like an overly determined kinda guy.”

“Are you sure you’re not a mind reader?” he chuckled.

“You know what, maybe I am,” she said.

Her eyes switched to the scars on his shoulders, the ones on his stomach – she even thought about those on his back.

“What happened?” she dared to ask.

“Ninja named Nobu,” he said.

“Ninja?”

“Yeah, long story.”

She took the empty mug from him. “Ah.” 

“About last night-“

“We need to talk,” she agreed. “Yeah, I made breakfast. We shouldn’t do this on an empty stomach.”

“Is that banana bread I smell?” he asked.

“Yeah.” She frowned. “And scrambled eggs. How did you-”

He flicked his nose. “Heightened senses.”

“Oh, right.”

“Your clothes smell like baking ingredients and banana. Also, I can tell you cracked some eggs earlier. What I’m asking myself is,” he shifted, sliding a pillow behind his back, “Why are you baking this early in the morning? Judging by the sound of the street, there are not many people awake yet, which says a lot for New York. What time is it?” 

"Five-thirteen. And I bake when I’m stressed,” she stated. 

“Did you even sleep?

Eliza pursed her lips. 

“You can’t lie to me, you know that.” He tilted his head. Her heartbeat gave her away. “How long?” he asked. 

“Maybe an hour.” She diverted her gaze as a blush of embarrassment crept to her cheeks. “Or two, I don’t know.”

“Jesus, Eliza-”

She jumped up almost instantly at the unconscious pity in his voice. “It’s not that big of a deal!��� She went straight into the defense. She thought if maybe she managed to make all of her bad habits look normal, he would drop the issue. Living in denial was better than facing the inevitable truth that she was not doing so well. At least keeping up the act kept her sane, for the most part. 

Matt followed her with darkened eyes. “Are you sure?” he questioned. “‘Cause, it sounds like a pretty big deal to me that you’re not sleeping.”

“Well, don’t think about it too hard. I’m used to not sleeping. It’s normal at this point. Haven’t slept properly in years. Another sleepless night is not going to make it any worse or any better than it already is.”

“Years? Eliza, you’ve been doing this ever since you were a kid? How are you still alive?” 

Eliza wanted to believe he was saying it jokingly, but the locked jaw and stern-as-fuck look on his face burst her bubble just as fast as he had blown it. 

“Honestly,” she said, “There seems to be little that can fatally hurt me. Besides, I’ve been in this business for a long time; no one sleeps more than three hours max. It’s normal. Maybe not for the average human being, but for me it is. If you think that’s terrible, you should meet Captain America. He certainly doesn’t sleep at all.”

The argument sounded pretty convincing to anyone who never lived with Steve Rogers before. He was the country’s golden boy. He was a superhero. No one suspected them to have healthy sleep schedules. 

Steve Rogers was, in fact, not the king of insomnia. He went to bed at eight pm every day and got up around five in the morning to work out. Seven hours of sleep were a perfect balance, he had once told her. Especially for a man his size. He made himself a habit out of trying to teach the other Avengers what a healthy lifestyle could look like. Sleep, work out, shower, eat breakfast, go on missions, read a book, then repeat. 

If he had been anywhere near as technologically talented as Tony or anyone else living as a functioning human being in the twenty-first century without having been frozen for more than five decades, he would have made a PowerPoint presentation. She didn’t doubt, not for a second, that Steve Rogers would’ve used an Apple Watch to track his progress if he had known even remotely how it works. But the man struggled to even man a phone with a touch screen, so the modern technology wasn’t exactly something you would see him walking around with. 

Maybe if you would have listened to him, you could be living your hot girl influencer life right now instead of looking like hell on wheels. 

Eliza frowned at herself. Sleep deprivation at its finest. She saw herself talking to an invisible audience. Not that an audience of any kind would care about her shit show of life, but it was cute to think so, especially for her common sense to drop such inspirational quotes in the middle of something that appeared to be an impending argument. Another one. 

Matt scoffed. He pressed a hand to his mutilated torso and pushed himself further up the couch until his back was finally fully pressed against the backrest. “I’m sorry, sweetheart,” he said, “but if you truly believe that, you’re delusional. You’re not helping your case.”

“I’m not trying to.” She shrugged. “Maybe mind your own business. You believe God made you blind. Which one of us is actually delusional?”

“You’ve fought aliens and you think God is such a far-off character?”

“But why would he make you blind?”

“Because this is who I’m supposed to be!”

“That doesn’t make any sense. Fighting criminals at night with a Halloween costume is not a task mentioned in the Bible! God would never ask that of anyone because it looks stupid.” 

“Stupid? Have you seen yourself?”

“As a matter of fact, I have. I look like shit most of the time because yes, Sir Daredevil, I’m a mess. I don’t sleep. I forget to eat most of the time and maybe, just maybe, I could use a little bit of sun. Would ruin my go-to character of sexy Dracula on Halloween, but” she said and slapped her mug on the living room table, causing the wood to vibrate, “I am a hot mess. That’s why the sexy Dracula works. And the sexy nun, but I’m not opening this up to a Catholic with a savior complex.” 

He looked flabbergasted. “What?” he quipped, “That doesn’t make any sense.”

“My point is, at least my suit was overlooked by a designer who knows what he’s doing.”

“Tony Stark doesn’t appear to know what he’s doing, Eliza.”

“You wouldn’t know because you can’t see, Matthew!” 

“Using blindness as an argument against me? Low blow.”

She cocked her head to the side. “Can you see?”

“No,” he retorted. 

“Then how is it a low blow to state the truth?”

“I- okay, you know what, sure. You win. Congratulations.” He was fighting the urge to roll his eyes. “You want a reward for whatever the hell that was?”

Eliza grunted. “Oh, fuck you!”

“If you’re offering.” The devilish glint in his eyes was back, more prominent than ever. 

The words took her back for a second, the frustration running high between them. He seemed to deal with it differently than her. Whenever he got like this, she saw Daredevil behind his eyes. She saw him lurking in the shadows of his subconscious, always ready to make an appearance. Sometimes, it happened accidentally. His emotions controlled Daredevil. Like with her powers, he hardly had any say in the matter of his darker side coming out to play. It severely depended on the way he felt at that exact moment. Though then there were times, like this one, where she strongly believed he did it intentionally to throw his opponent - or her - off. 

Matt Murdock was Daredevil. She said it once and she would claim it all over again if asked about it. They were the same person. He could try to tell her differently, there was no way she would believe him. She didn’t feel it at first, but she could see it. She simply had been too naïve to recognize it sooner. With the knowledge at hand though, she began to notice all the similarities and cracks in behavior. His alter ego was always there. At this exact moment, he was staring into her soul, a hungry animal hunting his prey. And just like that, as the glint faded into honey specks in his eyes, he was gone, hiding in plain sight. 

She pursed her lips, groaned, and then hit him over the head in a last-minute decision. “You’re an idiot, Murdock,” she said. 

Matt winced. He had expected much, but not this. “Did you just hit a defenseless blind man?” he asked. 

“You need to stop using that card with me. It won’t work.”

“Are you sure?”

“Yeah.”

“Alright. I’ll remind you of that the next time I walk past you when I have my shirt and glasses on. I heard the cane is always a pretty convincing argument. Even Foggy forgets it sometimes.” 

Deep wrinkles decorated her forehead. “Honestly, where do you get the audacity?” she asked him, her eyebrows knitted so tightly they became one. “One of these days I might just pull you into the boxing ring and see for myself how trained you are. Knock that grin right off your face.” 

“Why don’t we just do it right now?”

“You were on the verge of death not only twelve hours ago.” She shoved him back into the pillows forcefully. “If I could, I would chain you to this bed. I mean it. I even believe I could get away with it for a couple of hours.” Until he breaks the stupid metal with his stupidly strong arms. “Why don’t we test that theory?”

Matt frowned. “You wouldn’t dare.”

“I wouldn’t,” she agreed. “Not yet, at least. If you keep this up though, I will make sure I won’t have to see your face for as long as I want. You’ve gotten yourself in enough danger already, I don’t need you to cause the end of the world because you can’t help yourself.” She rolled her eyes at the irony of the sentence. “Never thought I’d say this about anyone but myself. You really set a new record. Congratulations.”

There he stood. Suddenly, without warning, he towered over her. His eyes turned almost black in the soft sunlight streaming through the windows. He looked rough, but he wore it well. It suited him, the danger. “I know you’re angry, but I’m in pain and I’m tired, and you being a brat is not helping me get better,” he said. His hot breath hit her face. All she could do was stare up at him, eyes wide with her lips slightly agape. Not a single thought went through her head. “If you ever threaten to chain me down again, the next thing this bedpost will see is you, face down, with your legs bound together. Don’t act like you’re so innocent. I lied to you, sure, but you’re no angel either. Trust me, you’re not the only one who gets frustrated easily.”

“Is that so?” she rasped. 

“Oh, yes.”

“Then why don’t you make me shut up if my being mad is such an inconvenience to you, big boy?”

Something snapped in him. Two innocent words carrying so much weight. He raised his hand. She didn’t flinch this time. She brought it upon herself. Though he didn’t punch her - she wasn’t even sure why she thought he would - he merely placed his hand on the spot just below her neck, fingers gently gracing the sides, as his touch grew firmer. One pull and he had her flush to his chest. 

“Don’t,” he warned.

“You want to choke me?” Eliza raised an eyebrow. 

“Don’t start something you’ll regret.”

“Why, scared you can’t finish it?”

He chuckled. “Sweetheart, there is a lot I can’t do, but finishing? Not one of them.”

She swallowed. There was nothing to be swallowed but dry air. She hated the effect he had on her. One second, she could barely stand him, afraid of his touch, and the next she had to rile him up because it excited her in a way that was unhealthy. It was creepy, the way she wanted him but not-wanted him at the same time. She was going insane, she was sure of it. Something wasn’t right.

His unseeing eyes stayed focused in the direction of where he believed her lips were. His thumb followed. He found them with ease as if he was planning on doing it ever since he woke up. He moved with a purpose. The rough tip of his thumb pushed her lower lip towards her chin. 

She couldn’t speak with his finger still in her mouth. Also, she didn’t want to. She knew her voice would crack. What had gotten into him?

“I need to put on some clothes,” he stated. 

His thumb slipped from her lips. She stared at him. “What?” the quiver gave her away. Instinctively, she crossed her arms over her chest. The goosebumps traveled from her neck, down her breasts, and the valley between her pubic bones. Hot flashes suddenly felt cold, and the soft tissue around her nipples irritated. He messed with her body by barely touching her. She felt it everywhere, not just the salt on her lips. She hated it. She hated the way he made her feel, so vulnerable, submissive, and out of control. But mostly she hated the fact that she didn’t hate it. She loved it. She loved every second of his stupid, little games and it drove her up the walls. 

“Never mind,” she grumbled. She wiped the spit from her lips. So much for acting normal, was all that crossed her mind. 

“Do you have any clothes I could borrow?” Matt asked, casual as ever. “My suit’s still got blood on it.”

She expected him to ask. He caught the sweater she tossed him with ease, followed by a pair of sweatpants. They hit him in the face. Eliza sounded curt when she spoke again. “I borrowed them from Steve after one of our missions,” she said. 

He frowned. “Steve.”

“It’s that or crop tops.”

“This is fine, thank you.”

Matt slipped into the clothes right in front of her. If he hadn’t been half-naked already, she would’ve said something, but there was little she hadn’t seen at this point. He was covering up not down, and he wasn’t getting any more naked. Still, she watched with a lump in her throat and the attention of her nipples very much standing in the wind. 

She licked her lips once he pulled the shirt over his marbled torso. “Finally,” she breathed. The weight fell off her shoulders. “Breakfast?” she looked at him with the question in her eyes, too.

He nodded. “You might have to,” she grabbed his bicep. “Lead the way,” he finished. 

“I know,” she said. “Heightened senses don’t make you any less blind, right?”

He scoffed. “No. No, they don’t.”

“Come on.”

His plate was quickly filled with one piece of banana bread and some eggs. All the while, the two didn’t share a single word or sound, despite being only a few inches apart from each other. 

Matt searched for the fork on the right side of the plate. He always kept his on the same side, so it wasn’t something he had to get used to. A lot was different in Eliza’s home, but the way she lived reminded him of himself, even though she seemed to live a much richer lifestyle than him. He blamed that on Tony Stark’s voluminous bank account. 

After a few bites, the silence began to bug him. He cleared his throat. “Delicious,” he commented. 

She looked at him. Her eyes roamed his face for any deeper intention behind the sudden spark in conversation. She couldn’t find any. 

“Thank you,” she said curtly. 

“What coffee maker do you use? It’s amazing. I haven’t had coffee this good in a very long time.”

Eliza placed the cutlery down. “What are you doing?” 

“What?”

“What are you doing? Why are you asking me questions about the coffee maker?”

“I’m just trying to make conversation.”

“Then choose a topic that doesn’t sound so… pretentious.” She shuddered. “Rubs me the wrong way, seriously.” 

“Alright, I’m sorry.” 

“We should talk about the issue at hand.” She didn’t dig back into her food. She left about half of the contents behind and suddenly lost her appetite. It wasn’t because of him; she wasn’t even sure what made her stomach twist in the first place. 

Matt lowered his fork, gently placing it next to the plate. He reached for the water she had poured him - orange juice was way too acidic, he had told her, so he settled for tap water instead. 

Eliza downed her glass of juice in one gulp. The orange burned in her sore throat, still irritated from the tequila they shared the night before. “So, the guy who stabbed you,” she asked, “What did he-” she shook her head at the casual ‘what did he look like’ question that crossed her mind. “What was he like?” she managed to rephrase before making a huge fool out of herself. 

He licked his lips. “He smelled like the expensive vodka you can get at a bar on the upper east side,” he stated. “It’s the same bottle you have in the liquor stash underneath your sink where you got the tequila from. I’ve smelled it at the party last night, too. And Tony Starks gets his alcohol from the richest suppliers he can find.”

“What else?” She leaned forward.

“The fact I didn’t hear his heartbeat until he was too close for comfort only means he’s been trained to disappear.”

“A trained killer,” Eliza corrected him. 

“The way he fought was…” Matt scoffed, “I don’t know. Unlike anything I’ve experienced before, I’ve fought a ninja in a warehouse. It was you who told me that Hydra is capable of unspeakable things and that the people who work for them… were trained for this sort of stuff. Why else would he climb on your roof in the middle of the night?”

She couldn’t help it. “You were following me, too.”

“I think the guy was out to kill you, Eliza,” he said, sterner this time. “This wasn’t a warning. It wasn’t a coincidence. I could hear it in the way he fought. His head kept tilting towards your window. I know that the only other tenants in this building are two older women, a family, a young couple fresh out of college, and an elementary school teacher with five cats. None of them seem to have any connection to men like him. You’re an Avenger living in an apartment building full of ordinary people. Doesn’t it seem suspicious to you that an armed man was following you, jumping on your roof, and heading for your apartment? I may be blind, but I know a killer when I meet one.”

“Of course, I believe he was after me! But you followed me too. You can’t know if he wanted to kill me or just hurt me. If he wanted to kill me, he’d also want you dead. If he wanted you dead, he would’ve done more than just stab you. He wouldn’t have let you throw him off the roof. He would’ve killed you and then, if his purpose had been to kill me, well, I would be dead by now.” The plate clattered loudly when she threw the cutlery on it. She got up, porcelain swaying forcefully, and it almost cracked in the sink when she threw it in oh so carelessly. “That’s how Hydra works,” she said. “Nothing’s convenient or coincidental when it comes to them. It’s all carefully planned out. Even what seems like a miss on their part is all part of their twisted little plan, whatever it is.”

“Well, he wasn’t going to cuddle you, that’s for sure. Unless you’re into sharing your bed with someone carrying a knife and pressing it to your throat.”

“Ha-ha, very funny.” She stood there with her hands on the edges of the marble countertop, knuckles turned white. She hung her head low, deep between her shoulders. “No, we have to focus on something else.”

Matt shook his head. He wasn’t going to get behind the way her brain worked anytime soon. “You just want to let him walk? I purposely threw him off the roof so we’d have leverage. Tied to a hospital bed, he can’t fight back. We should go to the hospital and get the answers we need and we wouldn’t even have to beat it out of him.”

“No!” Eliza whined. “No, Matt, we can’t.”

“Why?”

“You want to hunt that guy from last night down like a dog? Go ahead,” she said. “But it’s not gonna do anything. He’s probably out of the hospital or dead by now or both. If he was Hydra, like you said, they’re not leaving him there, in a public hospital, where the person who got him there could get to him again. Hunting him down will lead to a dead end. They’re not stupid, Matt, you need to realize that. They’re smarter than we’ll ever be and that’s fucking dangerous.”

He let her raise her voice. Yelling back would’ve done neither of them any good, and she wasn’t angry at him, she was just angry. Not at him, not at Hydra, she was simply upset. Sometimes you need to allow people to get their anger out instead of telling them to suppress it. 

She took a deep breath. A quiet apology passed her lips. She regulated the tone of her voice. “Let’s just drop it.” She was worn out, he could hear it. “I’m not dead, you’ve been stabbed and he most certainly got what he deserved hours ago. That’s a random series of events that’s not gonna help us.”

Matt swayed the glass of water around, and his nostrils flared. “Fine,” he caved. The sound of the liquid rushed in his ears like ocean waves. Her heartbeat was steady on the other side of the room, standing in a corner of the kitchen. He wanted to focus on the water rather than her, but it was hard when everything around him brought him back to Eliza. Not understanding someone fully has always been something that easily managed to bug him. Every time he believed he knew her, he realized he didn’t. 

She made a strangled sound. “This is so fucked!” she said. “Jesus Christ. I can’t believe we’re even here right now. I mean, Robert Pfeiffer is dead.” She was trying so hard not to break. “His blood is on my hands, Matthew.”

“That’s not true,” he tried to reassure her. 

“It is. It always is.”

“He was murdered because he knew too much and didn’t follow the rules. That wasn’t your fault.”

“I’m the one trying to stop them. Of course, it’s my fault.”

“It’s not. The whole situation is shit and full of coincidences, but none of this is your fault. It’s Hydra, you said it yourself,” Matt said. His words, factual yet soft, struck a chord within her. “Robert Pfeiffer is dead, yes. He was shot because of his ties to Hydra, not to you. From what you told me, Hydra uses even the slightest win to its advantage. This is what they want. They want you to drive yourself insane. They want us to become predictable so they can eradicate us too. And I can’t… if you get hurt during this or if they get to you again, I can’t live with myself. They’re gonna suffer for what they did to you, I promise. Just… don’t give them what they want. Don’t let them ruin you before we even get the chance to win.”

“Matt,” she breathed his name. He tilted his head, an indication of his open ears. “Thank you.”

His lip twitched into a smile. “It’s okay.”

“Can you-” she wiped her nose, “Can you tell me what to do? Because I don’t know what to do. I think I might be a bit over my head here.”

“I think you need to breathe first,” he said. 

Eliza nodded slowly. “Yeah. I should probably calm down.” A pause. “But I can’t,” she said. “I can’t calm down. This is not the time to calm down. There’s gotta be something for us to do.” She began to pace the floor. “We need to do something.”

“If you were an Avenger right now,” Matt approached her, “What would the first step be? Think.”

She looked at him. “I don’t… we’d… we would go after the common denominator. The one that connects all things that happened. It could be a picture, a group, or- or a name.”

It dawned on both their faces. “The Viper,” they said in unison. 

“We need to find him,” Eliza said. “The serum,” she pondered. “We need to think about what they’re doing with the serum. There are probably people out there that Hydra has their eyes on. We need to focus on that. If we find the Viper, maybe we can figure out what their plan is.”

A sudden epiphany that breathed new hope into her. She saw the light at the end of the tunnel a little clearer now. 

“Pfeiffer said they wanted to make super soldiers. You don’t believe that?” Matt questioned. He now stood across from her, leaning against the kitchen sink. 

“No, that’s not the whole story. Von Strucker experimented on the Maximoff twins in Sokovia to create stronger weapons for Hydra.”

“I still can’t wrap my head around it. I mean, you destroyed Sokovia. It’s hard to believe anyone could come out of this stronger than ever like they never even took a hit.”

“There are lives at stake! It doesn’t matter what we destroyed or not. What’s in the past is in the past.”

She tried to keep the memories out, she tried to keep it together for the mission – she didn’t want to show them that they had her backed into a corner. She kept her emotions under lock, the fear and the anger she felt all strictly tucked away somewhere. She swallowed it all like tiny needles. How long could she keep going like this?

Eliza didn’t realize she was crying until she tasted the familiar salt on the tip of her tongue. She got up, frustrated, fed up with herself. 

“Cut off one head, two more shall grow in its place,” she recited. The words always managed to trigger something deep within her. 

Matt was helpless. He didn’t want to hug her, afraid it might hurt her more, but he also couldn’t just stand there and listen to her quiet sobs like he didn’t care. He cared. He cared too much. 

She hugged her arms tight around her torso. The tears stained her sweater. She put up a wall around her. Even if he’d tried, she wouldn’t have allowed him in. The second she choked on the tears though, he decided ‘fuck it!’ and was by her side in seconds. He should’ve asked, he thought. He should have let her decide, but she was stubborn. She was so persistent, she would have never asked him for the hug, even if it had killed her. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her, and the relief was so damn sweet. 

Eliza stiffened at first, then her hands slid up his shirt, tight around his back. She buried her face in his chest. Her tears soaked through to his skin, but he didn’t mind. He kept holding her, even squeezing her tighter. The way she reacted to him, he knew she craved it. He knew she craved someone to hold her and tell her they were going to be fine. He let her body do the talking and allowed his hands to translate her needs into answers. 

“This whole thing’s killing me,” she whispered. “I’ve lost so much, I can’t lose anymore. I’m tired. If I let myself get dragged down by Hydra, I might never get back up again. But I’m so exhausted, I don’t know how much longer I can keep doing this.”

“I’m not gonna let that happen,” he told her. 

She wiped the tears with her sleeve. “I know.”

“Hey.” He cradled her face. “You’re gonna be alright.”

“I am?”

“Yes.”

She nodded. The ghost of his lips stayed stuck to her skin long after he was gone.  “Okay,” she said. “Let’s get this son of a bitch!”

Matt chuckled. “There she is.”

Footsteps echoed into the living room where Eliza began to rummage around the table in search of her laptop. She discarded the bloody towels she used to bleach the stains out of her carpet and the floorboards next to it. They landed somewhere in the corner with a loud thud that had Matt cringing. It was his blood, the copper smell suddenly excreting from the fabric. 

“This new head seems to be focusing on combining the human experiments with the results they gained from their previous projects,” she explained. The wheels in her head kept turning loudly, causing her to stumble over her words. “There’s something we gotta do to find out what exactly they’re doing. Like human trafficking, missing persons, abandoned medical facilities, doctors that are helping them… maybe we can go through shopping logs, and trace them back to Pfeiffer or the guys in the butcher shop. Each of these databases has holes that offer pathways to the information if I can manage to filter out the vulnerabilities.”

“You won’t find anything,” Matt said. “The police checked them. There’s nothing in their files other than some petty crimes that landed them in jail. They could be using fake identities, but there’s no proof. If you want to hack official government organizations, you won’t find anything.”

She clenched her jaw. “No. If they were working for Hydra, there has to be a trail. Here.” She came around with her laptop in hand. “The Viper doesn’t have to be our man, but they might lead us to the one at the top.”

The keys clicked underneath her fingers. Matt listened closely, putting together what she was writing. “What’re you doing?” he asked.

“Asking around,” she said. “The dark web’s become my best friend. If anyone knows about some super criminal walking around, it’s these guys.”

“Okay, but how do we know it’s not a trap?”

“I have sources that can verify. You just have to trust me.”

“I trust you.”

“Good.” She hit the enter button. The message went out into the world wide web within seconds. 

Eliza shoved the device back. She replaced it with a fresh cup of coffee, staring intently at the screen, waiting for someone - anyone - to reply to her request for information. Her leg kept bouncing up and down and up and down. At one point, Matt grabbed her knee. The look on his face said all - the noise irritated him. He could hear the floor creak, her knee snap, and the way her clothes rubbed against her skin. It was infuriating, so she stopped. 

“The Viper doesn’t have to be our key,” she broke the short silence that had fallen over them as they waited with the clock ticking in the back of their minds. “There’s always the one who pays for everything, someone who coordinates it. Arnim Zola was the scientist back in the forties, but the Redskull was the guy everyone feared. There’s a strict hierarchy in Hydra, anyone who goes against it dies. If you disobey orders, you’re as good as dead. Or they brainwash you, which is the same.”

His fist clenched at his side, the anger causing the veins on his hands and arms to stand at full attention. She eased her hand over his tense figure. The tingle started on the small hairs coating his body, then traveled through his skin into his bloodstream. He felt the invisible hand reach for his soul, but instead of grabbing and squishing it roughly, it gently stroked over it. He wasn’t thrown back into a wall like the first time. This was different, aimed at a completely different target. 

“It feels weird,” he admitted.

“My powers?” Eliza asked to clarify.

“Yeah. It’s like thousands of ants crawling all over my skin. Feels strange. I can't explain it, but you just kind of take the steering wheel and turn my car in your wanted direction.”

“If it makes you feel any better, I usually don’t hurt anyone. My powers are harmless as long as I want them to be.”

“I know. I just never met an enhanced person before.”

“Glad to be your first then.”

“But you’re not gonna be my last,” he meant to ask, but he ended up stating it instead. Eliza pursed her lips. The thought scared her, honestly. More of her only meant more children that had to suffer unwillingly. “So,” Matt filled the awkward silence, “This hierarchy you mentioned, how does it work?”

“There are two big sharks in the tank,” she said. “One’s a psychopath that likes to torture people and he has handymen, right? Like Pfeiffer or the Viper. They answer to him,” she explained to him. “He’s in control of everyone working for them. He’s at the top of everything because he holds the lives of everyone in his very hands. I don’t- I can’t say his name, but the guy in charge of Project Chaos… he’s responsible for every child that died. Everyone feared him.” 

“Is he still alive?” he asked.

She shrugged. “Who knows? SHIELD took down the base I came from, but I was never told what happened. There’s a slight chance he might be alive since the guys at the butcher shop knew me. I don’t know where Hydra kept their files, but I had to be marked somewhere or else they wouldn’t have come prepared. If he’s alive though…” she shivered visibly. “This shit gets a lot more complicated and I don’t know if I’m ready for that.”

“Eliza-“

“No, you don’t understand!” she turned so she was directly facing him. “This man knows who I am, who I was. He has all the information I crave. He could use that against me, he could offer me everything and I’d take it. That’s why I’m so afraid of him,” she said. “I answered to him and only him. He put me through training and was there during every procedure. I was so dependent on him, I- I saw him as a father, alright? This isn’t some bad guy we’re dealing with, this- this is a monster. No matter how hard I try not to, I’ll always remember him. I still remember his face. It haunts me in every nightmare. If he’s part of this, I’ll know sooner or later.”

“Okay, I get that,” Matt said. He looked like a schoolboy. He listened carefully, eyebrows furrowed every once in a while as he made mental notes. Eliza was an expert, after all.

“The other guy on the top is some rich asshole that gets his pockets filled with every kill. He doesn’t exactly make demands. He only opens his pockets and has intel on the whole operation. He gets to decide whatever is accepted within the project, but he’s not a scientist, he’s only in it for the profit. Secretary Pierce, for example. He was some rich Hydra operative that helped put much bigger things into motion. That’s the kind of shark that’s gonna give us all the intel. The only thing both heads have in common is their disgusting faith in Hydra’s belief system. The one you barely know is the most powerful, the rich one just keeps up a façade that keeps Hydra safe from all possible sides.”

He ran a hand through his hair. “Every court would dismiss this case for lack of evidence, no matter how bad these guys are.”

“We’re not going to court, Matthew,” Eliza said.

“I know, but we might as well treat this like we are. What better way to gather evidence than imagine we’re building a solid court case?”

She couldn’t deny he was onto something. “Okay, fine. Say this would be tried in a court of law, we need a prime suspect, right?”

“Exactly,” he said. “Our prime suspect would be whoever’s at the top. He’s the one pulling all the strings, but since we don’t know who he is, the Viper becomes our second prime suspect. He puts the fear of God in all of Hydra. Looking into him further will provide us with more evidence.” 

“I agree with you. But we also need to take into account the big guy’s other disciples, the ones working for the Viper, and the rich fucker that pays for it all. If we get to him, the rest is almost as easy as eating ice cream.” 

Matt hummed in agreement. “Exhibit A, the suspects from the Butcher shop.”

Eliza pulled up the file next to the dark web chatroom that was still loading, much to her dismay. “Part of the Russian mafia charges for battery and assault, illegal possession of weapons and drugs, attempted murder, theft,” she read aloud. “They refuse to give up names. The guy that shot himself stays unidentified. Fingerprints burned off – ouch – and his tattoos aren’t in any databases either.”

“Guess unlike the others, he was a little further up the food chain.”

“Yeah, the case has been handed over to organized crime,” she told him. “They’re on an entirely different path. If the police don’t take care, more bodies are gonna drop.”

“They’re just doing that to throw them off their scent,” he said.

“Exactly.”

“That means more people are gonna lose their lives if we don’t do anything about it. Great.”

“Allow me to continue.” Eliza pulled up another file. “Exhibit B: Robert Pfeiffer. Former Hydra operative. Immigrated here a couple of years ago with his family. He used to manufacture the super soldier serum for them and even worked on Project Chaos for a while. Hydra left him alone for almost a decade before contacting him a couple of weeks ago. He said no, they threatened the life of his daughter, so he pretended to work. Hydra didn’t buy it, especially not after we sabotaged their mission, which lead to the shooting. They messed up once so they had to tie up loose ends.”

“The question remains: why did they contact him now?” Matt pondered.

“Why now, why ever?”

“Don’t you think the timeline is important?”

“If it makes us catch them faster, sure,” she said, “but I doubt it will. We can either try to figure out why Hydra did it now – why did they choose now instead of earlier? I want an answer to that just as much as anyone. Is it gonna help us? Timelines never do. So we can either focus on that or we can focus on just the why and the how. What do you think matters more?” 

He thought about it. “Exhibit C,” – he swayed fast – “the guy coming to kill you yesterday,” Matt concluded. “That’s all the evidence we have. About a quarter of what we need to build a viable case.”

The laptop chimed. “Not quite,” she said.

The accounts responding to her message all ran under aliases, deeply encrypted by miles and miles of written code. They talked about the name, how it didn’t ring any bells. Some had heard it on the streets before, but no one knew who the Viper was. Until someone named carrotking69 (their maturity was still under review) wrote:

Something is cooking in the kitchen. Dinner’s at ten, at West’s place with a view of the Hudson, number 42 next to 11.

“What does that mean?” He frowned at her.

“Something’s going down in Hell’s Kitchen tonight around ten, out west on 42nd and 11th Avenue. The building has a view on the Hudson, so it has to be a warehouse.”

“Do they always speak in code?”

“It’s easier not to get caught that way.”

“And how do we know this is a reliable source?”

Her shoulders tensed. He tilted his head at the behavior change. “We don’t, but it’s our only shot,” her voice was cold, calculated.

Matt was interrupted before he could even speak. His head tilted to the side. “Someone’s here,” he said.

“What?”

Seconds passed. The footsteps came closer. The tilting of his head stopped. Like on demand, the doorbell rung.

“It’s your friend. The driver.”

She gawked at him. “Happy?” she asked.

The bell rang again. “You better get this,” he said. “Sounds urgent.”

“That is so… weird.” She opened the door only an inch, blocking the view of the living room and Matt’s battered frame sitting at the dining table.

Happy stood in front of her, suit and all. His eyes carried a worried expression, almost as if someone died. “Happy,” she greeted him. “What are you doing here?”

“You’ve been ignoring my calls,” he said. 

“Oh, yeah, I turned my phone off last night.”

“I thought something happened! You just disappeared. No one knew where you were.” He made a move to get inside, but she blocked his entry. “When I heard you called an Uber, I thought they kidnapped you. I told you not to let strangers drive you home! Who knows what ideas they might get.”

“I’m the last person you should worry about. So, what brings you here?”

“I came to check on you.”

She frowned. “That’s not all, is it?”

“Tony wants to talk.”

“Ah, there it is.”

“Eliza-“

“I’m not interested,” she said. Happy put a foot in the door when she tried to close it.

“Please, he wants to talk about what happened last night,” he insisted. 

“I don’t want to.”

“You have to. Please, if not for him do it for me.”

That managed to hit the sledgehammer through the wall. She saw the desperation in his eyes, his need to have everything go back to normal. This job was Happy’s only constant. If they were to break things off completely, where would that leave him? Alone and stranded? Eliza hated the thought of that. 

His eyes fell on a spot on the floor. “Is that blood?” the question caught her off guard.

“What?” She turned back. “Oh, no.”

“Eliza, what happened?” Happy asked. His eyes displayed pure panic. 

She shook her head wildly. “No, nothing! Nothing happened. I’m fine. It’s probably just paint.”

“Paint? You don’t paint.” Once again, he tried to get in. “Let me in, please.”

“There’s nothing wrong here, Happy.”

“Is someone in there?”

“No.”

“Are you being held hostage?”

“Stop it!” She shoved him back. “If you want to know,” she said, and she hated herself for the stupid answer she decided on, “I got my period.”

He blinked. “What?”

“I got my period. Bled all over the place.”

At first, he didn’t seem to believe her, but it wasn’t long until he realized this was something he didn’t want to know. He swallowed, his cheeks as red as blood. “Jesus,” he said. “I- I really don’t know how this stuff works and I don’t want to know, but if it’s that bad, maybe you should go see a doctor.”

“Heavy periods are normal,” Eliza stated. “I have them all the time. Just didn’t realize I got it until I saw the blood on the floor. I was just about to clean it up.”

“Okay, but-”

“Feels like I’m being torn apart from the inside. It was a real blood bath, let me tell you. Like a lake formed in my-”

“Okay, okay, I got it!” He cringed away. The blush on his cheeks only got worse. “You’re on your period. Thank you. I don’t need to know more.”

“Right, sorry. But hey, that explains why I was so emotional yesterday. Ha!” She chuckled. “Anyway, I should get changed before we leave. Get rid of the blood on the floor, you know. Would you mind waiting? I don’t think you want to know what the rest of the apartment looks like. It’s even on the couch…”

“Go!” he said. “I’ll wait. Uh, take your time. Please.”

Eliza smiled at him. It was so fake, her cheeks began to hurt. 

She closed the door on him. The safety of her own four walls had long stopped feeling secure. She searched for the ceiling, not sure what to feel or to think. Her soul was a whirlwind of emotions. The night before still rested heavily on her aching shoulders. 

Matt cocked his head. “Period, huh?” he asked. 

“Shut up!” She glared over at him. “What else was I supposed to say?”

“It was a pretty good excuse.”

“Not really.”

“Why?”

“Let’s just say, if you become a female Russian spy, the last thing you will be able to keep is your uterus.”

“Oh.” Matt tilted his head in her direction, detecting her on the other end of the apartment. “I’m sorry,” the words hung in the room, without reason. He didn’t need one. He was just sorry, and while he didn’t specify, she knew exactly what for. 

Eliza furiously wiped her cheeks. “Yeah, me too.”

He let out something that sounded a lot like a whimper. “Don’t cry,” his voice was gentle.

“I’m trying not to!” she groaned in frustration. “Every time I try, it just gets worse.”

Matt sighed softly. The shift in her breath was one of her more obvious tells. Every time she was upset, her breath hitched. Every time she felt a pinch of anxiety, her breath hitched. The thickness of it suggested built-up tears in the depths of her chest. He couldn’t imagine the pain she was in. Every day, the same weight to carry. She was so young, so scared, the world seemed to suffocate her on the spot. She needed a shield, something the world would just pearl off on. 

Eliza gasped at the hands reaching for her. Matt wrapped her up in his arms, engulfing her like a safety bubble. She hugged him back without even thinking. His touch was familiar, his arms secure. He always knew what she needed before she did. One of the perks of knowing someone with heightened senses. 

She snuggled into his chest. “Can’t we just stay like this forever?” the words came muffled.

Matt chuckled into the crown of her head. “You have to talk to him eventually, you know. Not that he deserves it, but you do. You need to get it all out.”

“Don’t play the apostle now, Matt.”

“I’m not, I just don’t want you to regret anything.”

She sighed. “I hate that you’re right.”

“I know.”

“I should go.”

He loosened his arms around her waist. “Hey,” he sought her chin with his fingers, “You’ve got this.”

Eliza leaned into his touch. She leaned in, on her tip-toes, and more than ready to get what she wanted, like a selfish little girl acting on her primal senses. His breath grazed her lips. She smelled the copper and tasted the rain. She licked her lips, he did too. He heard the change of her heartbeat, the scent of need radiating off her body. No matter what, she was willing to do anything to get what she needed, and he’d give it to her, no questions asked. Perhaps he wanted this even more than she did.

“I-“ she began, but the words wouldn’t come out.

“What?” he breathed back.

“I want to-“ What did she want? Kiss him, tear his clothes off? Feel his skin on hers? She wondered what it might feel like, what it would do to her if she just had him closer. Would she be able to dive deeper into his emotions, deeper than before? What would it be like to be so close to someone again, after such a long time? Would it be able to bring some clarity into her life? Would she be able to feel loved, just for a moment? Or would she possibly recoil, his touch leaving a burning trail causing impossible amounts of agony, like what happened the night before?

Matt frowned. “What?” he asked. He was alright with whatever she wanted, though it seemed she didn’t know. She wanted something, but she didn’t know what she wanted. It wasn’t just him. Her heart was set in a weird place and anything other than giving her space would’ve been taking advantage of her vulnerable state. He fought with himself. He couldn’t read her. He was on the first page of a book whose storyline changed with every sentence that followed. 

She was so close, he stopped breathing. The sound of her heartbeat filled his ears, nothing else audible. Their noses brushed. She nuzzled against him. There was no space between them, not even a paper could fit. 

‘Do not take advantage of her’, the faint voice in his head urged. ‘She’s gonna regret it and you, too. Don’t do it.’ 

He exhaled. She breathed with him, into him, swallowed him. “Stop,” he said. 

Eliza blinked. Her eyes glazed over. “What?” Her heart jumped again. Hurt, he could tell this time. 

“You don’t want this.” He stroked her cheek with his thumb. His stupidly long lashes fluttered close around his eyes. “You don’t,” he repeated. 

She stared at his face, expression unreadable, even to a seeing person. “How do you know what I want?” she asked back. 

“Look me in the eyes and tell me this is what you want.”

“I want this!”

“No. Say exactly what you want.” He was only breathing. 

She bit her cheek. What did she want? The language center of her brain failed. 

Matt took a step back. His hand lingered on her for just a second before he was gone. “I knew it.”

“But,” she whined. 

“I am not taking advantage of you,” he said. 

“What if I give you permission, huh?” 

He grabbed her head with both of his hands. The way she threw herself at him, chest to chest, almost made them fall over. The stitches on his torso pulled with every move he made, but the pain was a sweet relief. 

He shook his head again. “No.”

“What else do you need, my written consent?”

“I need you to think before you make rash decisions.”

Knock, knock. Happy hammered on the door. 

“We’re not alone,” he said. “And you’re not thinking straight. You don’t want this, Eliza, and I won’t use you just because you believe this is what you deserve. This- this is not consent.”

The knock grew louder.

Eliza released a frustrated groan. “I- you know what, never mind,” she said. 

Just like that, he was gone. She missed his embrace, his warmth, the tension.

“You should go.” He smiled softly back at her. “We can meet up later. I’ll text you my address.”

“Yeah.” She was disappointed, although she knew he was right. She didn’t want this. Maybe at the moment, she did, but in the end, she would hate herself regardless. He was right to push her away. His first wise decision ever since he fell into her apartment. “I just wish I could stay,” the admission was quiet. “I don’t want to see him.”

“I know, but you should. How else will you get closure?”

She looked down at the blood stain on the ground and scoffed. “Fuck!” This day was cursed already.

Happy was more than suspicious when she came out, the door only open enough for her to slip through. “I heard voices,” he stated.

She was quick to answer, “That was the TV.”

“Are you sure? It sounded more like you’ve got someone in there.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Kid,” he stopped her midway out of the building, “Are you in any danger?”

Eliza raised her eyebrows. Danger was an understatement. “No,” she said. “I don’t even know why’d you think that. I’m fine.”

“If you’re involved in anything, I need you to tell me.”

“I’m fine, Happy! Nothing is going on. Everything’s as boring as it used to be. Now, can we go, or do you want to keep interrogating me?”

Happy sighed. “I’m sorry, I just worry about you, kid.“

“I appreciate it, but you don’t have to.”

He held the door to the limousine open for her. “You can tell me anything, you know that right?” he only wanted to make sure.

“I know,” she said.

“And if there’s something on your mind, you’d tell me?”

“Yeah, of course.”

That seemed to soothe him. “Good,” he sighed a breath of relief.

“I always tell you everything, you know that.” The batting of her eyelashes was just another desperate attempt to make her lie seem more believable.

“Yeah, you’re- you’re right. You’ve never lied to me before. I’m sorry.”

“It’s fine. If there’s anything I need, I’ll come to you.”

“Okay, I’m glad.”

The truth was, he would have run to Tony at the first word of the truth that came out of her mouth. As much as she appreciated Happy, he lacked the experience to understand the complexity of this case. The one person who could understand refused to believe her. Everyone else was gone. Matt was the last and only person on her side. Without him, she’d be dead, for all she knew. He saved her life not only physically but he kept her mind at bay; he scared away the demons that threatened to take over, protecting her from the darkness. She could run to him and, unlike everyone else, he’d catch her. He wouldn’t even hesitate, wouldn’t expose her. He’d listen and he’d do anything to help her.

Eliza never considered herself a particularly religious person. She encountered Catholicism many times before, with knees bloody from praying, and bible verses memorized like study flash cards. She remembered the crucifixes on the grey walls of the White Room. She had chosen to hang the one in her room upside down once. She woke up to a punishment that was worse than being whipped with a belt. An upside-down crucifix calls the devil, after all. Religion was twisted and forced on her from a young age.

Though when she looked at Matt Murdock, the always faithful man, she began to believe. Years of torture and she never once doubted the absence of God because if he was real, why would he let anything quite like this happen to any of his disciples?

Weirdly enough, Eliza began to believe again. She began to grow seeds of faith in her little garden. The flowers had long started to rot, nothing to water them but pain, and pain exists only to destroy. But Matt planted seeds of faith in the fertile earth and slowly began to grow blooms of beautiful colors. Radiant, bright. The colors drew her in, roots wrapping around her hands and legs. What is hope, if not the process of planting seeds in the garden you wish to see, letting them grow until you’ve got a tree and that tree carries delicious, colorful fruits that, whenever you take one, instantly grow back? That’s what hope is. 

The Devil was more of an angel in disguise than the bad he thought to embody. Eliza prayed for a sign without actually chanting, and there he was, swooping in like the savior he was. She could take perfectly good care of herself, but fighting is easier when you don’t have to do it alone.

She lost the people she loved once, she couldn’t deal with losing another one.

#matt murdock #daredevil #foreigner's god #matt murdock x original character #matt murdock x oc #matt murdock x ofc #matt murdock smut #matt murdock angst #matt murdock fluff #matt murdock x female!oc #human disaster matt murdock #matt murdock imagines #foggy nelson #karen page #fanfiction #matt murdock fic #daredevil fic #marvel #avengers #charlie cox #reader insert #ofc

[yoongle-boongle]

so it turns out I don't actually have a crush on seungmin, I just really want to be seungmin

#so there's that #no really #imagine being seungmin and having skz constantly trying to hug you #I love hugs so much #have you guys figured out yet that I'm touch deprived #I really want a hug #oh to be seungmin #skz #stray kids #seungmin #rants with rin シ︎

[angeloroki]

something more — s. todoroki

you wanted to stop this relationship of friends with benefits, with shoto. before your feelings towards him destroyed you.

— character ; aged up!shoto todoroki x gn!reader

— request ; @tyunsworld angst college au where shoto and yn used to be friends with benefits but yn is trying to stol this fwb but shoto refuses (no smut pls just some indications)

— genre ; angst, au college

— warnings ; suggestive content, curses

— a/n ; i decided to change the ending a bit, i hope it's ok for you and that you like it anyway :)

you were sitting on your bed, in the room you shared with your roommate. she wasn't there, gone to her weekly dance class.

every thursday and tuesday, at 6pm until 8pm sharp. your friend was very punctual, and that suited you perfectly.

because usually, at that time, during those two short hours that you shoto would come and spend some time with you in that room.

it was never anything serious, just a good time that the two of you would give each other. kisses that were worthless, soft caresses yet devoid of feeling, sighs and i love you's that were deprived of love echoed and echoed between the walls of the university room.

it had started only 6 months ago, at a mutual friend's party. todoroki was the rich boy in business school. classy, elegant, handsome, and a smooth talker, he had absolutely every girl on campus at his feet.

so, you could say you were slightly surprised when you saw him accost you in the kitchen, where you were trying to relax a bit. you had hooked up, the discussion was not forced, one thing led to another - and especially under the effect of the euphoria felt at the very moment - you had ended up in bed together. you could remember that it was the best sex of your life. and yet you had had quite a few.

a bitter taste stuck in your mouth.

the day after that night, he had found your number and offered to continue. nothing serious of course, just something where you would both enjoy each other. no empty feelings. he had used a phrase,... friends with benefits, that's the term he had used.

stupidly, you didn't hesitate. because after all, you were young, and you needed to unwind with classes and all. and it's not like you could fall in love with a guy like that.

only you were so wrong.

you slowly came out of your thoughts to look at the time. 6:01 p.m. Your friend had gone out ten minutes ago, so Shoto should be back any minute.

a sigh escaped your lips at the scenario that was about to unfold.

and yet you were the only one to blame, or rather your stupid heart. or maybe your stupid ease of attachment to people who couldn't care less about you.

you lay down and stared at the ceiling.

you knew his weaknesses, what he liked to do on a sunday afternoon, the things that made him angry, just as you knew every inch of his body.

and how the fuck could you not fall in love with him?

a salty taste comes to your lips, tears. you bite your upper lip, silently. and yet you knew it wouldn't be mutual. and it never would be. because he was simply shoto todoroki.

« you spend a lot of time with that boy, what's his name again ? your roommate yells at you from the bathroom. is there something going on between you or something ? »

the heat came flooding in on your cheeks.

« no... no! it's just that we have mutual friends, that's all. »

« yeah sure ! but be careful though, he's known to break hearts this guy [..]. »

that talk you had three months ago echoed ironically in your head. breaking hearts. and yours, by the way.

you go over the plan in your head. before things get hot, you tell him. all at once, well almost all. you just tell him you want out of this relationship.

and so you say everything without pauses, at the risk of crying in front of him. the best thing is that you remain insensitive.

someone knocked on the door. 6:12 pm, he's here.

« y/n, it's me. » he said in his deep voice, which always made you shiver.

you got up and opened the door for him. a small smile lit up his usually stoic face. as you spent more time together, shoto had managed to get more and more comfortable with you, and that could only warm your heart.

« sorry for the delay, the traffic was heavy. »

he went to sit on your bed after taking off his shoes. a worried expression grew on his face when he saw that you said nothing.

« if you're tired, we can meet again next week. i know it's tiring with exams right now. » he said in a kind voice.

could he stop being an angel, just thirty seconds, you said to yourself silently. in just a few steps, you crossed the room and placed a long passionate kiss on his lips, and it was with great pleasure that you felt him respond with the same ardor. you had to feel it one more time before you put an end to this whole mess.

his lips tasted minty, and they were angelically sweet. addictive, that's what his kisses were like. you felt his tongue asking for permission to find yours. and for a few seconds, a feverish waltz settled between your two mouths.

you felt as if long hours had already passed. and you still wanted more to be added, or for time to stand still. but you wouldn't let him go.

and yet.

you shifted from him. he was a mess, his hair untidy from your hands that had to find a support, his face was a dark red.

a small laugh escaped his lips.

« what's this ? a goodbye kiss ? »

you looked away from him. and that's how he understood.

« what ? tell me something. »

« i want to stop this. I'm not interested in our evenings together anymore. »

you didn't need to see him to understand that he was sad now.

« did i do something wrong ? »

his hand came to yours, its warmth melting you.

« no, not at all. i just want to stop this. »

you knew him now, and you knew he'd try to figure out what the problem was. you just needed him to be angry with you, so your feelings for him, the first to be touched, could surely fade. at least you hoped so.

« it's gotten boring with you. you faced him, your gaze now cold. i've grown tired of you, so find someone else to satisfy you. »

his eyes reflected a melancholy that you had never seen in him before.

« y/n, i didn't stay 6 months with you just for sex... i like talking to you. »

your heart skipped a beat. of course, shoto, as a friend.

« that's not my case, todoroki. you were a good lay in bed, and you helped me forget the stress of college. but that's over now, get your shoes and get out. »

despite your command, he didn't make a move. his eyes analyzed you carefully, before his sigh echoed in the room.

« you found someone, didn't you ? you thought you could hear a little regret in his voice, but why ? sorry, i won't bother you anymore then. i'm happy for you. »

he got up and walked to the entrance, where his shoes were.

« i- no... »

how could he not see that you only had eyes for him ? that the other people who were just accosting you, were immediately raked ? a sincere anger went through your body now. you were angry at him now that he didn't notice your love for him.

« i love you. » you said in a quiet voice.

you saw him stop, his back was to you. fuck, that wasn't part of the plan.

« i don't want to see you anymore because i love you. because i know it will never be reciprocated. so please leave. »

he turned around just enough for you to meet his eyes, full of sorrow. a stranger might have thought it was you who had just broken his heart. or maybe you had really broken it ? you'll never know.

« no, y/n. i can try, we can try. it doesn't have to end like this. you're not like the others, i don't want to let you go. »

« i know you can't love me like i love you. don't make promises to me. »

« but i don't want to leave yo- »

the fact that he refused to leave you, to end the relationship, only gave you false hope.

« get the fuck out ! »

your sudden irritation startled him slightly. but he knew you were right.

« i-... i'm sorry y/n.- »

« stop apologizing, it's not your fault. »

« i wish it had ended differently. »

and silently he left your room, leaving you alone with your tears.

your old discussion with your roommate came back to you

« [...] he's known to break hearts this guy. but i have to admit that he's charming, anyway i care too much about my heart and my feelings to make love to him. » said your friend from the bathroom.

« i don't fall so easily, f/n. and stop it, you sound like my parents. you say laughing. »

i wish you would have told me i love you too, shoto todoroki.

#shoto x reader #bnha x reader #todoroki x reader #shoto todoroki x reader #todoroki x you #todoroki x yn #shoto todoroki x you #shoto x you #shoto x y/n #mha x reader #bnha angst #todoroki x y/n #chloe;writing

[maddieinwonder]

Bait & Switch

Spencer Reid x GN!BAU!Reader

Genre: Fluff

Warnings: None, super fluffy 

Word Count: 3.5k words 

Plot: Reader reveals that they’re going to buy a Nintendo Switch so Spencer invites them to go together with him. In the process, some feelings reveal themselves.  

Author’s Note: My first time writing about Spencer, and actually, my first time writing a fic in a long time haha. Just imagine that this takes place in 2017, although you don’t have to know anything about the Switch in order to read this.

Masterlist

-------------- 

"What's got you in such a good mood, baby?" Derek asked, leaning over his chair. Even without looking up, you could feel the smirk that decorated his face. After almost a month at the BAU, you didn’t need to be a profiler to expect this much from Derek. "Got a date this weekend?"

You tried to focus on your paperwork before relenting, rolling your eyes. Still, you couldn't hide the smile in your voice when you shot back a reply. "With this job? You wish, Morgan."

"Give yourself some credit, beautiful. With your looks I'm sure you could score a good looking fellow for a night you won't forget."

"I'm sure you would know all about that," you replied, this time grinning from ear to ear.

Ever since you joined the BAU, your seat has always been across Derek Morgan. The guy was a terrible flirt but also one of the most trustworthy people you knew, so you couldn't keep up a sarcastic mood for long.

"Actually," you replied genuinely, "I'll be lining up this weekend to buy a Nintendo Switch." Out of the corner of your eye, you could sense Spencer stiffen in his chair next to you.

"A what switch?" Derek asked, his face scrunching up in confusion.

But before you could begin to reply him, Spencer rolled his chair over and opened his mouth. The both of you knew what was coming.

"The Nintendo Switch. A video game console developed by Japanese company Nintendo that's completely one-of-its-kind, on account of its console functioning like a tablet that can either be docked on a home console and linked to a TV, or used as a portable device with two wireless controllers so you can..."

Not being able to help yourself, you giggled at his info dump. You've always admired how much knowledge he could store in his big brain. But more importantly, you thought he was kind of cute like this. A fire would light in his eyes and it seemed like the world around him ceased to exist.

You only realised you were staring at Spencer when the last bits of his question registered in your mind. "...you going to?"

Blinking your eyes, you snapped to attention. Derek seemed to notice, because you felt his signature smirk return to his face.

"Which store are you going to?" Spencer repeated the question. Anybody else might be annoyed, but he only seemed mildly restless. A rare look for the unathletic genius.

"I'm going to the one three blocks down from here," you replied.

"So am I!" Spencer sat upright in his chair, beaming. You think that this is the most excitement he's expressed to you since you joined the BAU.

Then his confidence seemed to waver. He began tugging at the edge of his sleeve, eyes glancing to the side at nothing in particular when he asked, "W-would you like t-to go together?"

A smile spreads across your face before you can stop it. "Sure! Sounds like fun."

Spencer grinned back, and there was a moment of silence before Derek interrupted the conversation that he began. "Well, I'll leave you and lover boy to plan your date. I'm going to spend my Friday night at the bar."

Your heart thumped involuntarily at the word "date", while Derek turned to Emily. "Hey Prentiss, you want to grab a few drinks and dinner? I'm sure I can get the others to leave work for one night."

"Anything's better than this," Emily shrugged, lifting her mug of already-cold coffee.

Standing up to retrieve her bag, she smirked at you and Spencer, having heard more of the conversation than she let on. "Have a great weekend, you lovebirds. Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"

She and Derek shared a laugh as they moved towards the Batcave to retrieve Garcia next.

As you watched them go, you feel Spencer's eyes on you and a flush warming your cheeks. You knew they were just teasing you with the word "date", but the truth is you've liked the genius almost as soon as you met him.

You may not have an eidetic memory, but you could still remember the flutter of butterflies that exploded in your chest when you first laid eyes on Dr. Spencer Reid.

He had waved from a comfortable distance, the other hand tucked in the pocket of his dark slacks. He towered over you easily with curly locks that barely touched his sweater vest, and you swore you've never seen anybody more attractive in your life. His intelligence only added to your attraction. 

"Shall I pick you up at 7am tomorrow?"

You turned back to Spencer, who seemed even more nervous now that everybody in the bullpen had left. Yet what he was proposing was rather bold compared to his usual behaviour.

“Pick me up?” You repeated.

“It’ll be easier to find a parking spot that way, and the weather report predicts that tomorrow will be a sunny day, so I know you’d rather not walk three blocks to the store.” He rambled nervously.

“You know me well, Spencer.” A cheeky smile snuck onto your face, and in a moment of false bravado, you said what was on your mind. “7am. It’s a date, then.”

Spencer’s face turned beet red.

You didn’t wait to dwell on his reaction, dumping the last of your paperwork into a pile and picking up your bag. But as you walked to the elevator, you couldn’t help yourself from grinning ear to ear. It was a date. Kind of.

-------------- 

You couldn’t sleep. You had gotten home earlier than usual, but the extra time to plan for your “date” tomorrow proved to be a bad idea.

What would you wear? What would you talk about? Should you extend it to a meal, or dessert, or maybe coffee?

Although you were confident in the moment, you were beginning to regret teasing Spencer before you left. You’d known him long enough to know how he reacted to embarrassment, and there’s a good chance he might back away because of your forwardness. 

You groaned, trying to get these thoughts out of your head. The reality of the "date" was sinking in now. This would be the first time that you and Spencer would be alone in a non-work setting. To say that you were nervous was a gross understatement. 

But there was something worse than showing up nervous, which was showing up nervous and sleep-deprived, so you turned off your bedside lamp and tried to will yourself to sleep. That's when your phone began to buzz.

You were so on edge that the sound almost made you fall off your bed. Turning over your phone, your heart leapt to your throat.

Spencer, 2:03am: Sorry to disturb you when it's so late, but I realised I don’t have your address. Could you send it to me when you're awake?

You gulped. Just relax, just relax, you repeated in your head.

Me, 2:05am: It’s alright, you didn’t wake me up. I’ll attach my address below.

Spencer, 2:06am: Thanks. Having trouble sleeping?

Me, 2:07am: A little

Spencer, 2:08am: Me too.

What was I supposed to reply to that? You silently screamed. But it turned out you didn't have to figure it out.

Spencer, 2:11am: To be honest, I'm a little nervous about tomorrow.

Me, 2:13am: Why?

Spencer, 2:15am: I suppose it’s because we've never spent any time alone before.

Hearing the genius act so shy made you feel a little more brave.

Me, 2:16am: Well, I'm looking forward to the chance

Spencer, 2:17am: I am too.

Despite your nerves, you smiled at his small confession.

Spencer, 2:19am: We should get some sleep.

Me, 2:19am: I’ll see you tomorrow. Good night, Spence

Spencer, 2:20am: Sweet dreams.

Your anxieties were washed away and replaced with the biggest smile on your face. Without knowing it, Spencer’s words rippled a sense of calm over you, and you fell asleep shortly after. 

The next morning, you woke up with a newfound clarity. You knew what you were going to wear. 

-------------- 

Spencer couldn't stop tapping the edge of his steering wheel. He knew he was nervous, and admitting it to you last night didn't do much to stop that fact from eating away at him.

He texted you 3 minutes ago that he was waiting outside your apartment, but you hadn't replied. Although he knew that there were plenty of logical reasons why you might have missed his text, his hands didn't stop itching to call you and see if you were alright.

Then out of the corner of his eye, you emerged from the corridor and he felt his heart speed up.

You were wearing a blue flannel that he'd never seen you in before with a pair of dark jeans. Your hair, which you usually kept in a up-do at work, was let down in waves, touching your shoulders. And then there was the pièce de résistance, you were wearing a Doctor Who t-shirt with the TARDIS on it.

Hook, line, and sinker.

He didn't break his gaze on you the entire time you got into his car. Even when you beamed at him and wished him a good morning, a small yawn escaping your perfect lips, he was completely tongue-tied.

"Earth to Spencer," you called out, looking up at him curiously. "You there?"

Spencer shook his head suddenly, cursing himself internally for being such a doofus. "Sorry, uh, I was distracted. Good morning." He smiled sheepishly, tucking a stray hair strand behind his ear.

"Anyway," he cleared his throat. "I was thinking we could grab some coffee before we headed to the store? We can make it quick. I know there'll be some people already lining up."

He peeked at you rubbing your eyes and thought it was the cutest thing he's ever seen. “Looks like you might need it," he said without realising he'd just flirted with you.

You giggled, lowering your hands from your face. "Sounds great." 

-------------- 

Spencer wasn't lying when he said it'd be quick, although in truth you could have taken all the time in the world and you would still be happy. The initial awkwardness between you washed away almost immediately as you fell into a quiet conversation about your favourite Doctor Who episodes. 

You wanted to commit the sight of him driving in the morning to memory. The sun had just rose, lighting a gentle halo around Spencer’s messy hair and sculptured face. He was wearing a bigger sweater than usual, the sleeves hanging around his wrists loosely. While his eyes were focused on the road, his lips parted slightly as he softly bantered with you about David Tennant. 

You felt an overwhelming urge to reach out and kiss him despite the driving hazard. And despite the fact that you’ve never kissed him, of course. But you could hope. And hope you did. 

Your hope had grown when he parked in front of the coffee house you’d once mentioned was your favourite. Spencer made your coffee order perfectly and you had found yourself hoping that it was because he’d paid extra attention to you, and not because of his brilliant memory. 

And when you reached the video game store and he opened the door for you, you hoped it was because he wanted to make a good impression, not only because he was a gentleman. 

And when he stood between you and a video game rack in line, you hoped that he was trying to shield you from the other people in the store, and you hoped that he was thinking of pressing you against the rack and kissing the daylights out of you. 

You needed to get a hold of yourself. 

The conversation had swapped to the reason why you two were here in the first place, and you found yourself talking to Spencer about Breath of the Wild, a game that brought you back to fond memories of your childhood. 

“The Legend of Zelda was the first video game I ever played, on the first console I ever owned.” You shared, smiling fondly. “It was the video game that my brother and I bonded over, and we bought every game together since.”

Spencer nodded in rapt. You felt him leaning closer to you, although it may have been your imagination. 

“This is actually the first time I haven’t been with him for a new game,” you realised. “Due to our jobs, we haven’t seen each other in awhile, but we still text each other!” You tried to end on a lighter note, not wanting to bring the mood down on this “date”.

Spencer looked at you as if he wanted to say something, but he kept his lips shut. 

“What about you? What was your first video game?” You threw the question to him, trying to divert attention away from your sad-enough story. 

He blushed in response to your question and looked down at his black converse. You noticed he began touching his sleeve in a familiar motion and you looked at him suspiciously. “Spencer?”

“W-well, the t-truth is, I didn’t actually c-come here to buy a Switch, and I don’t play video games at all.“ The last part of his sentence came out rapidly. You might have missed it, if you weren’t already used to the tongue twisters he spit out on a daily basis.

“What?” You exclaimed a little too loudly, causing the other shoppers in line to glance at you weirdly. “Then... Then what are you doing here?” You said quieter this time. Your eyebrows furrowed as your mind scanned the possibilities. 

“W-well, I, uh, wanted to spend time with you,” he blurted out. He raised his eyes to meet yours, his face completely red.

It was your turn to be flustered now. Your voice was quiet and you could feel your hands shaking. “Is this a date, Spencer?” 

“Only if you want it to be, I mean, I want it to be but your opinion matters to me, and I wouldn’t want to bring you on a date if you didn’t want to. We can just hang out like friends if that’s more comfortable--” 

You grabbed his free hand, gently lowering it from where it was moving as he rambled, until your fingers were intertwined. 

“I would like it to be,” a large smile took over your face. You were a little teary despite how weird it was to confess your feelings for him in a video game store of all places. 

Spencer was quiet for a moment, squeezing your hand in return. “Would you like to go for lunch after this? As a date,” he clarified this time. 

"I would love that,” you beamed at him, “as a date.” 

-------------- 

Spencer had always imagined the kind of girl he would fall in love with. Caring, intelligent, had an appreciation for classic literature, maybe. But when he saw you for the first time, every expectation he held flew out of the window.  

You were beautiful. Wavy dark hair tied into a high ponytail, wearing a navy shirt, and funnily enough, a beige cardigan and black converse. Morgan joked that it was like meeting Spencer 2.0, but he disagreed: the two of you were worlds apart. 

You were incredibly tech savvy, although not as much as Garcia, but certainly more than the rest. You loved the smell and taste of coffee without sugar. You were happy to hug everybody you met, from colleagues to victims. You didn’t like paperback so you read everything on a Kindle. 

But the biggest difference between the two of you, was that you were emotionally intelligent. 

All of your brilliance, combined with your PhD in psychology - having worked as a psychiatrist affiliated with Sex Crimes before joining the BAU - you were able to pick out the team’s moods from a single glance. It’s what endeared everyone to you immediately, and what made you such a great profiler.   

But the way you treated him was different. You just, listened to him. While everyone else had gotten into the habit of cutting him off or simply ignoring him when he opened his mouth, your eyes would light up instead. 

He could always tell you were listening because you would look into his eyes when he spoke, and you would ask him questions after he was done. 

It made him feel like the world around him ceased to exist, except for you. 

So he started studying your interests to grab your attention, trying to throw in a few jokes hoping to see you smile. It only took one month for him to seize his chance. Still, never in his calculations did he think you would say yes. 

He smiled at the thought, stroking your hair gently as you cuddled on the couch together, watching you play Breath of the Wild. 

After a more than successful first date, you had asked him to come over the next day to spend more time together. A month ago, he would have politely declined with an excuse like needing to read a new academic journal, but when he arrived at your doorstep he allowed himself to be drawn into your arms, relishing the giggle he earned as a reward for being hugged. 

“Damn it,” you grumbled quietly as you ran out of stamina scaling a cliffside for the fifth time.

Spencer laughed. Without a second thought, he pulled you closer and kissed the top of your head. 

In the background Link fell off the cliff once again, the game playing a sound that he came to recognise as Link dying. But there were no curses this time, as you had turned to look at Spencer, nothing but adoration in your eyes. 

“That was our first kiss,” you said so quietly and sweetly that Spencer’s heart melted at the sound of it. 

“First?” He took his chance, leaning closer. “You know, the usage of the word ‘first’ almost always implies that there will be a ‘second’ and a ‘third’ and a...” 

His voice trailed off as your fingers left the controller to touch his lips. Your touch was intoxicating and he wanted more. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, Spence,” you started, lifting your finger from his lips. “I didn’t mean to interrupt you-” 

“Don’t be sorry,” he managed to get out in a hurry before capturing your lips in his. He felt your astonishment at first, but you quickly lost yourself in the kiss as he brought his hands up to cup the sides of your face, deepening the kiss further. 

You finally broke apart after awhile, both panting for air and smiling widely. Spencer never thought he could be so lucky. “That’s the second one,” he said quietly, bringing up two fingers to indicate the number. 

You looked at him with love in your eyes and abandoned your controller on the table before throwing yourself at him, flattening the two of you against your couch. 

“Ready for the third?”

-------------- 

Derek Morgan wasn’t an idiot. That’s why he could tell that something had changed over the weekend between his desk mate and boy genius. 

The two came into work together on Monday morning, which was weird in itself, but they also took every opportunity to stick to each other, from coffee breaks to disappearing for lunch and “asking” about paperwork. 

When they vanished for the umpteenth time that day for coffee, Derek leaned over Emily’s desk to confirm his theory. 

“It’s not just me. Pretty boy finally made a move, didn’t he?” He cocked an eyebrow. 

“Definitely. Those two are so obvious that even Hotch has picked up on it. From his office.” She quipped, grinning as her eyes moved to the scene behind Derek. “Speak of the devil.” 

Entering the conversation, Spencer did what he did best. “Did you know that ‘speak of the devil’ is the short form of the idiom ‘speak of the devil and he doth appear’? The phrase can be traced back to the 16th century when mentioning the devil was considered prohibited. In fact, when people were caught saying the phrase--” 

Derek caught your eyes drifting to look adoringly at Spencer. He couldn’t take this anymore. “So what happened between you two last weekend, huh?” he interrupted, smirking. 

Your reaction was better than he gambled. You turned a bright red and your eyes darted between Spencer and Derek in panic, truly flustered for the first time since he’s met you. But Spencer was strangely calm, his eyes travelling from his best friend to Emily in the background trying to stifle her laughter, while a small smile tugged at his lips. 

“We’re dating now,” he announced to the two a little triumphantly, while rubbing your shoulder as a peaceful gesture. 

Derek and Emily were stunned by their friend’s directness, only to be shocked out of it as Hotch walked by. “Finally,” he muttered, loud enough for them all to hear. 

You were the first to crack a smile, then the rest followed suit with laughs and congratulations. Hearing the uproar, Garcia and JJ peeked out of their rooms, joining in and demanding more details about this new but not entirely unexpected development. 

Amidst the chaos, Spencer laces his hands in yours and gives it a squeeze. For the first time in a long time, you feel unequivocally, unmistakably happy. 

#mads fics #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x reader #spencer reid #dr spencer reid #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid fic #spencer reid fanfiction #criminal minds #criminal minds fic #criminal minds fanfiction #cm fic #cm fanfic #criminal minds fandom

[bullyhunter--69]

"She's so sweet, really."

Pairing: Izuku x fem!reader

Summary: When you and Izuku started dating, you were as happy as could be. He was beyond sweet and caring, and helped you forget about the bad in your life. But after he introduces you to his mother, Inko, and you start to be a more frequent visitor at the Midoriya household, you realize it's starting to take a bigger affect on you than you thought it would. Why can't your mother be like that?

Tw: mentions of family issues/absent family/family death, bottling up emotions and eventually breaking, a stressed Izuku, ends with soft fluff

A/N: This turned out so much longer and more angsty than planned but I'm really proud of it, tell me what you guys think! 🖤 (This is also my first ever angst written so--)

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

Today was a beautiful fall day. Colorful leaves fell around you, the sky was tinged with a deep orange, and the soft grass beneath you made your time all the more comfy. You were snuggled next to Izuku beneath a huge tree on campus, who was currently going on and on about his latest quirk findings. The goal you guys originally had set was to review for the upcoming test, but the topic quickly shifted to Izukus day once your fingers intertwined with his and you inquired about it.

"-and so then once I asked Mr. Aizawa about it I found that- Hey.. are you okay (Y/N)?" You really were listening, but had found that you zoned out. Izukus concerned, soft voice brought you back to reality, and a small smile crawled it's way onto your features. "Yeah 'zuku, I'm all good.. I just was thinking about some stuff and was focusing on your voice. It always helps." You ended your reply with a squeeze of his hand, which all together resulted in his face blooming into a shade of deep red.

"Well, uh.. T-thank you, I'm happy to help!" He stuttered out as he felt butterflies all throughout his body. "Oh, also!" Izuku started, turning his body to face you more, holding your hands in his lap with a nervous look in his eyes. "(Y/N), I was wondering.. we've been together for a bit now and I.. I want my mom to meet you."

As soon as the word 'mom' reached your ears, you tensed up. It was always a sensitive topic, even if it wasn't your parental relationships in question. You knew Izuku had noticed, as the hold on your hands got tighter. "I understand if you're scared or nervous but I know She's gonna love you! She already says you're really pretty and smart just basing off what I've shown her.. she really is looking forward to it, and we don't have to stay long if you don't want to." The gentle rub of his thumb on the back of your hand and the puppy dog eyes was enough to soothe your nerves. If Izuku talked so highly of you to her, and if she was anything like him at all, you figured it wouldn't be that bad to meet her. She would be your mother-in-law someday, so you might as well get it out of the way now and not later.

When the day finally came, you were beyond nervous. The thought of meeting Izuku's mother and her not liking you made a wave of sickness and dread fill every inch of your body. Whether it was a friend, or a boyfriend, meeting mothers always gave you a bad taste in your mouth. It brought back all the feelings that you tried desperately to hide away and fight daily.

See, you were almost fully open with Izuku, but there was one thing he didn't know. Your family, to put it bluntly, was shit. Your mother always belittled you for every single little action you ever made and everything about you. Nothing was ever good enough. As a small child, it was always under-the-table, backhanded compliments with passive aggressive undertones, but after the passing of your father, it turned into raw, brutal words. She was never proud, and never actually loved you, she just used your desire to be a good daughter against you. It was cold, hard, manipulative behavior which resulted in you finally refusing to talk to her after you got accepted into U.A. The mental gymnastics you had to go through to hide all of this, especially from Izuku, was taking a toll on you. You never talked of family and never left the dorms, and had an.. unusual amount of luggage stored away in your room. It seemed like you packed your entire life up in a suitcase and ran.

Which is essentially what you did.

As bad as it sounds, you never planned on telling your love any of this. You just needed to forget all of the childhood trauma you were put through and focus on showing your mother she was wrong. Everything she said about your quirk being useless, to you being intolerable and a bad daughter, would be proved wrong. But, the biggest thing you planned to show her? Is that your father would be proud. She always used him against you, and you'd be damned if you wouldn't prove that point the most ridiculous of them all.

A soft knocking on your dorm brought you out of your deep thoughts, and your gaze slid to the door. Your hands shot to your face and you quickly dried your tears. "O-one second, I'm still changing!" You knew in the pit of your gut that it was Izuku coming to pick you up, and your thoughts were confirmed when you heard him on the other side of your locked door. "Alrighty baby, take your time!" God, he sounded so sweet.. this was hell keeping from him, but it kept him from worrying.

The night went on so much better than expected, and it genuinely surprised you. You had never met a woman as sweet as Inko was. She cooked your favorite food and had your favorite drinks, and even baked you your favorite dessert. She asked about how you were doing in school and once the topic of your quirk was brought up, she was beyond ecstatic to hear you talk about it. She even added on how she felt it would be useful in battle. The night was amazing. Nothing felt real, it all was like the fantasies you made up while lying in bed at 4am sobbing, so sleep deprived you almost can't move to get ready for your class that starts in just a few hours. It's what you've always wanted in a mom-- a beautiful, sweet woman who cares.

Why can't your mother be like that?

As the weeks went on and Izuku kept inviting you over for weekly dinner and game nights with him and Inko, you found it harder and harder to conceal exactly how much your mental health was struggling. Yes, you absolutely adored both your loving boyfriend and his equally loving mother, but it was just so fucking.. hard. Every smile she gave you, the loving, motherly twinkle in her eyes when she talked to Izuku, the amazing dinners, the endless support for both of you, the pictures she insisted on taking of you and Izuku-- it was all too much. You started to dwell on this every single night, and resent yourself for how much anger and jealousy you felt. This wasn't right, but you couldn't help it. It wasn't your fault that your mother hated you for every fiber of your being and Izuku had the best mother imaginable. He was your boyfriend, you should be happy.. right?

You didn't realize how hard you had been sobbing until there was a hushed yet firm knock on your dorm door. The tears that blurred your vision made it even harder to read the clock on your nightstand through the pitch black room you sat in, huddle up in a pile of blankets, All Might plushies and Izuku's hoodies.

9:54 p.m.

The pain that was radiating through your torso from the wreck you had become from however long you had actually been crying was torture. It felt like needles were being shoved into your lungs and your heart was being squeezed in a vice grip. Breathing felt impossible. Your throat was raw. But the thing that hurt the absolute worst, out of everything?

"(Y/N)? Baby, please let me in.." Little Izuku's voice sounded like the biggest bomb going off, the jiggle of your door knob making emergency alarms go off in your head. There wasn't any possible way to get out of this, and this might just be your biggest fear. Facing those soft emerald eyes and that sweet smile that has been open and honest with you over the entirety of your entire relationship, and even before. Telling the love of your life all the trauma you've endured, and then willingly decided to hide from him. No.. it's the disappointment that you're positive will shine through his features that's truly your biggest fear.

You don't know how long he had been listening, but one second was more than enough for you to know Izuku wasn't going to leave. He loved you endlessly and never left without making sure you had a smile on your face. So, with limbs that felt like cement, eyes that felt as if you were crying spikes, and an aching heart, you got up and made your way to unlock the door. It took a minute-- your hold on the cold knob firm and extremely hesitant.

3... 2.. 1.

Finally, Izuku had enough room to gently push your door open, and his breath was taken away when he saw you as the golden light from the dormitory hallway illuminated your entirely wrecked appearance.

Bloodshot eyes, make up filled tears streaming down both checks, snot dripping down to you mouth. The cuffs of his hoodie that covered your shaking body were soaked in black, wet mascara. Your hair was messy and tangled. You were.. broken.

After taking in every little detail of your appearance, a struggled gasp last your body when his arms were suddenly around you. The touch of his warmth around you was electrifying, and instantly brought you to your knees. As Izuku shut and locked the door behind him, still holding you in his strong arms, he sighed softly. "What's wrong?"

These are some of the only words that you really didn't want to come out of his mouth. They stung and tore through your heart like the sharpest of blades. They made you regret not opening up sooner, his tone overflowing with worry, fear, and dread. You knew not to make eye contact, but you couldn't even if you wanted to. Once those words entered your ears, soft and delicate as if you would shatter into a million pieces if he spoke too hard, another strangled sob was unleashed out of what felt to be your core.

"S-she's just so sweet.." Your voice, although strained and crackling, came out with an emotion Izuku had never heard from you before. A mixture of jealousy, rage, disappointment, and disgust is all he could pick out, but it sounded like something was hidden beneath it all. Something that you didn't know how to express, so emotions just came seeping out of you in the easiest way.

Picking you up was an easy task, as your body had long ago given up the fight to stay standing. The sweet boy made his way to your bed and sat with you cradled to his chest, your nose tucking away in the crook of his neck instantly to breath in his scent. It calmed you-- he calmed you, but you couldn't help but to shamefully pull your head away and look across the room.

"(Y/N), you have to tell me more. Who is 'she'? I want to help you.." His voice still held a delicate tone, his fingers combing through your hair with one hand and the other still holding you tightly. After what seemed like forever of Izuku just holding you and letting you cry every single ounce of emotion you held in your body out, your sobs slowly came to a stop and you took a soft, shaking sigh.

It was time to come clean.

"'Z-zuku, I'm sorry.." You started, slowly and steadily while trying to steady your breath further. The gentle back rubs from his warm hands helped sooth you, and gave you the strength to continue.

"I haven't been exactly.. truthful with you." As you took a second to find your words and sniffle, you could sense Izuku tilt his head to the side curiously. "You always ask if I'm okay-- if I'm happy-- and I always say that I am. I love you so incredibly much and you do make me feel happy and safe and welcomed and-" Your ramble was cut off with a kiss to your temple, which was a silent signal of Izukus trust and time.

"Because of how incredibly happy you make me, I dont want you thinking that this is your fault at all. Its mine.. I shut you out and bottled myself up when I should have just told you in the first place. I just.. don't know how to say it other than to say it outright."

Your shakey tone made Izukus heart race even more. He was staying calm and supportive on the outside but on the inside, he was a wreck. He was currently going over every single one of his actions, words, and notes that made what you and him were-- absolutely scraping the bottom of the barrel for anything and everything he could have done wrong. That stuff, though, was shoved deep so he could help you, because that was what was important right now.

"I don't.. Izuku, I love you and I love your mother so incredibly much. I feel at home with you guys but it's just so hard. Seeing how sweet and caring she is, how She's invested in both of our lives, how she.. s-she said she loved me.." You body was quickly starting to shake again, so Izuku pulled you in closer. "Why can't my mother be like that?"

There it was. It finally clicked in Izuku's mind. Everytime you avoided the topic of family, how you never had pictures with them, how you never had a place to go to during break, how every day after spending time with him and Inko you seemed drained the next morning as if you had stayed up all night.. it clicked as to what might be wrong, and his suspicions were confirmed when you continued.

"M-my mother hates me and she has my entire life. I have never received an ounce of love or respect from that filthy woman and it's always on my mind. Her degradation and her mocking laugh and her hideous presence. She used my dead fucking dad against me to make me feel like I'd never make it in this world and I just-- I-I want to escape the horrible memories but I can't. I just want a mother like yours.. it's what I've always wanted and I don't understand why I had to be the one stuck with a dead dad and a mockery of a mother. Seeing how absolutely amazing your mom is fills me with love and happiness and a sense of home I've never gotten before but at the end of the day, it just reminds me of how shitty my life was up until I got to U.A. I don't have a mom. I don't have a home. And its not fair that I'm upset over the fact that you having those things happens to remind me of that. I'm sorry."

Izuku was speechless. His comforting ministrations had stopped and he just looked at you. Even with the pitch black void that was your room, his emerald eyes shined bright.. and brimmed with tears.

"I.. I had no idea, baby, I'm so sorry.." Izuku was choosing his words incredibly carefully. He held nothing against you, nor was he upset or disappointed at you. He was a person that could put himself in someone else's shoes very easily and see through their eyes, and your emotional monologue was enough to paint your story for him. He just wanted to comfort you and show you everything was okay.

"I don't want you to be sorry, there isn't any need for you to be. You can't help what your mother put you through, and how horribly unfair to you that it was. Nobody can control how others actions affect them-- it's just how humans are.." Strong arms turned your body to face him, your limbs wrapped around his torso and your cheeks gently held in his hands. As tears streamed down his cheeks, he stared deep into your eyes. "You're so strong and beautiful, and I understand as much as I can. I love you so much.. Baby, to hell with her. I know it's hard, but she doesn't have to mean anything to you anymore. Me and you, and mom, can be our own family. We're your home now.."

A sob managed to choke it's way out of your throat, but this one was different. Your head fell into Izukus neck and you held him as tight as you possibly could, soaking his chest with more snot and tears. His arms held you back just as tightly as he peppered soft butterfly kisses along your hairline. This is how you stayed for the rest of the night until you calmed down and passed out on his firm build. Laying back softly, Izuku tucked you both in and kept his tight hold on you.

"Goodnight, love.. You're home."

#bnha scenarios #bnha smut #bnha x reader #bnha fluff #bnha angst #izuku midoriya #izuku x reader #bnha izuku #izuku #izuku smut #my hero headcanons #my hero academia #my hero imagines

[alecxaheart]

Falls At 4419 | Bang Chan Oneshot

✎ Genre : Strangers to Lovers AU, Fluff

✎ Pairings : Bang Chan X Reader

✎ Word Count : 2.1k words

✎ Synopsis : Who could've thought that your ride to love life starts at a bus stop.

✎ Requested.

You had the usual tiring daily routine for the rest of your life. Your weekday mornings start with your alarm clock greeting you "good morning" in the most annoying beeping way as possible. What a gentle reminder, too, to tell you that it's almost time for work.

" Work again? " you groaned at the thought, hands reaching out to the bedside table to turn off the alarm.  Once you did, you forced yourself out of the bed and start preparing for today.

You were completely exhausted due to the stack of work your boss gives you.

It's to the point that it made you sleep deprived, haggard or just messy in general. You don't even know if you ever managed to cover all of that, physically, with make-up. However, when it came to your words and actions, it's noticeable when one paid attention. It's a good thing that Ms. Han was blind to that, or else you'll be told that you're lacking and higher chances of you getting fired.

But aside from every negative thing about your occupation, so far your performances were praised by your co-workers. Salary has never been a problem, in fact, you've been paid higher than expected. Maybe it's from the plus being Ms. Han's pet-sitter — for the love of all things, it had to be a cat.

You're almost done preparing for work. With your feet taking a quick slip into your black heels, you're on your way out of the house. Clacking noises could be heard each time your heels meet the pavement.

As you were headed towards the bus stop, you felt something vibrating from your purse. Opening it, you found your phone ringing. The caller ID displays the name of your boss, Ms. Han. What could be the kind of good morning greeting I'll receive from her today?

You answered it and placed it to your right ear, immediately hearing your name. " Assistant (L/N) (Y/N)! " Ms. Han called out through the other line.

" Good morning to you too, Ms. Han. You have matters to discuss with me at this time? " You replied, stopping at your tracks as you've reached the bus stop. All you need to do now is wait for the bus and keep yourself together with whatever Ms. Han may throw at you.

" I'm assuming you've already done the project for today, " You hummed in response. There was sound of a slight slip from the other line, you assumed that Ms. Han was drinking tea. " Make sure to deliver that presentation well. After that, I want you to attend the board meeting this afternoon on my behalf. Send them my sincere apologies for I have other more important business matters. "

So much for being trustworthy..

" Noted, Ms. Han. " Your ride finally came. Once it opened it's doors, you hopped in and tapped your card at a machine.

" Also, fix this week's schedule. Cancel everything on Friday, " Ms. Han added. You ended up seating at the very end of the bus, beside the window. It just happened to be the only row of seats that's vacant.

" Got it, Ms. Han. Anything else? "

" Ah, right. After the board meeting, take care of Eliza, " Her cat – you should've seen that coming. " Don't worry about the ride to my house, my driver will be picking you up. " She continued, taking one more sip at her tea. The ride was never a problem, but her cat is. Nevertheless, you accepted it since you both needed the job and money.

It didn't took that long until the conversation finally ended. When she hung up, you deeply sighed and looked out of the window. Spring was almost over, the atmosphere started to get colder. The cherry blossom trees began to slowly wither, every petal that has fallen decorated the road and sidewalk. It was both exquisite yet melancholic. Could you ever compare yourself as a cherry blossom? To bloom all over again yet someday, you'll wither once again. Possibly.

As you were gazing outside, your eyes widened as you saw someone else's reflection who sat beside you. His airpods plugged in his ears as he bobbed his head to the beat. You never knew or felt that his presence is already there, not until right now.

He's the same guy you meet each day whenever you took this bus. To be honest, he's eye-catching ever since the first time you saw him. He had the usual black outfit. Curly brunette headed, tall nose, dazzling dark brown orbs, lips — Okay, let's stop fawning over him. In conclusion, he has very well defined facial features. It was obvious that he's one of God's masterpiece, many should've envied him with that.

Despite of him always being your seatmate when the seat next to yours is vacant, you both never conversed with one another. Even with him having an eye for you from the start, no one even dared to start one.

Although, maybe today's a bit different.

The bus abruptly stopped in its tracks as the stop light just switched to red. The driver groaned and scratched the back of his neck.

At the back of the bus, there's you who is silently staring at the window. Awfully close to the window. However, when the bus hit the brakes, your forehead bumped onto the glass. " Ouch! " You groaned in pain as you held your forehead, checking if it bled and to ease the pain. The curly brunette noticed this and paused the music he's playing on the phone. He shifted in his seat to face you, " Are you okay? ". Your eyes met his worrisome ones and it made your heart skip a beat. He's more dashing when he's this close to you. It also made you more timid towards him that you began to stutter, " I- I guess I'm okay.. ".

" Let me see, " He reached out to your hand that's covering your forehead. His hand accidentally touched the sore part in the process, causing you to wince in pain. He whispered an apology before carefully taking your hand off and scan your forehead. He sighed in relief, " Thankfully, it wasn't such a big impact but it did turn red. You can place ice or put an ointment on it as soon as you get off, ok? " You responded with small nod and smile, your heart melting at his kindness.

He carefully placed his hand on your head and light pushed it back, gesturing you to rest. You gladly complied and he smiled, showing his dimples. It was cute, you thought.

" Does it still hurt? " He asked.

" A bit but bearable, " You replied, closing your eyes.

" How about a small talk to distract you from the pain? "

" Sounds good to me. "

" My name's Chan, you? "

" The name's (Y/N). It's nice to finally know you, Chan. "

And that's how everything started to blossom, at the end of Spring.

After that day, you started to anticipate what's going to happen on the next days that you never complained about the annoying beeping clock at dawn ever again. Especially and specifically, on the bus. Your mornings now start with you enthusiastically getting up and preparing for work. Chan happened to bring more interest into your life.

You don't know what kind of sorcery Chan does to always know how to remove your stress or just to make your days better in general. However, you don't mind it. Instead, you're really thankful for it.

You blossomed more in Fall, like a cosmos flower. You bloomed while the rest withered.

You excelled so much at work. The company was at its rough times, yet you handled everything outstandingly that you were praised by the whole company. Even Chan was happy for you, which mattered to you most.

" I knew you were exceptional ever since the beginning, " He murmured while hugging you securely, smiling. You, too, smiled brightly and blushed at that.

It's not only you who blossomed this fall. Your love, too, bloomed in Fall.

You never knew that the potential crush you had for Chan back when he was just a seatmate at the bus would grow. You fell head over heels for his giggles, smiles, kindness, goofiness, just for him. It keeps getting stronger as more time passes that you couldn't control it anymore. This was a first ever since you started working. You never really paid attention to your love life since work was always in the way. You're foreign to this feeling, you're clueless on how to handle it.

This love is the most amazing feeling, you'd be honest. Yet you fear that you'll be rejected or wouldn't be loved back. Then love would be the worst feeling.

Although, your faith and hope will never be taken away from you until the day hasn't came yet, until there's a possibility. You'll keep hoping on his small gestures you'd like to think are hints. You'll put your love for him in the hands of faith. And with that, you became patient with him. Waiting for the time that the true feelings will start to unveil.

______________________________

찬의

Channie

Hey (Y/N)

Are you done with work?

Almost

Why do you ask?

I'll pick you up, ok?

I'm on my way there.

'That's first, yet weird.

But I don't mind.'

Alright, be careful

Seen 7:02PM

______________________________

A month has passed, you two grew closer than ever. Yet occassionally, there would be a hint of awkwardness between the two of you. One would act weirdly, stutter or get nervous around one another. You hoped that it wouldn't ruin your friendship. You valued this friendship more than anything else.

Heading towards the front doors of this company, you could see Chan's figure on the other side. Waiting for you to come out. Once you did, he turned to face you and greet you with a sweet smile. You smiled back. " Let's go? " He said as he offered you his hand. You nodded and timidly took it into yours. That's another first.

Both of you exchanged the usual conversation. Asking about each other's day, telling short stories, joking once in a while, then some comfortable silence here and there, it felt just right. It's already dark out, the city light and streetlights being the only source of light, while the moon is having the pitch black sky to itself. The streets aren't as busy as it was in the daylight. You could hear the rustling and crunching of autumn leaves as it was carried by the wind or getting stepped on.

The two of you eventually reached the bus stop, taking a seat as you wait for a bus. " Do you know the number that bus has? " Chan asked out of the blue, eyes boring on the street. You hummed in confusion, he chuckled. " The bus we always took, especially in the mornings. "

" Ohh.. To be honest, I'm completely unaware of that. " You answered, scratching the back of your neck. Once more, he chuckled then gazed at you while your attention was somewhere else. A bus was coming in your peripheral vision. Once it was in front of you, you scanned for it's number. At the very end, it's written..

" 4419, " You turned to Chan, only to find him staring at you with adoration. You two stayed like that for a few minutes. His eyes were so soft, looking ever so luminous and sparkling underneath the light. He took out a flower he plucked from earlier, placing it behind your ear. Not even tearing his eyes away from yours. " Beautiful, like a cosmos flower, " He whispered, but it was enough for you to hear it clearly. You've felt like you're continously falling, yet Chan still has his grip on you. The same grip when he first held your hand back when you've bumped your forehead on the bus. Loving, gentle yet firm. Telling that he's willing to fall with you. " I love you, (Y/N). "

With just those 4 words, you were filled with so much joy and shock. You froze on your seat. For a second you panicked on what's the right word to say, asking if an I love you too was enough or is it already too redundant.

Although you knew that Chan's anticipating an answer as the clock continues to tick, and waiting is dreadful. Chan will love and cherish anything you say to him. Just the thought of you being truly his will bring him genuine happiness, and that's enough. No need for further more explanations. Then you've came to the conclusion, that there's no other words that best describes your true feelings for him. Simple yet genuine, " I love you too, Chan. "

Now, a love fully blossomed at the end of Falls.

End.

#stray kids chan #stray kids bang chan #stray kids scenarios #stray kids imagines #stray kids #stray kids oneshots #stray kids oneshot #stray kids bang chan scenarios #bang chan oneshot #bang chan imagines #bang chan #chan #skz fluff #skz #skz chan #skz scenarios #skz x reader #alecxaheart #kpop imagines #kpop oneshot #kpop scenarios #kpop #friends to lovers #friends to lovers au #stray kids fluff #fluff #request #straykidznet #sk-writersnet #strangers to lovers

[pawsitivelymiraculous]

Le parfum de l'amour

This is the @maribat-secret-santa-2020 piece for @saltandfluff I am so sorry for being late!

Anyway, I will be using the quantic kids, but you don't necessary have to know them to understand this fic.

The only have to know that "Melodie" is Allegra's nickname.

Ao3

It was always a bad idea to try to mess with fate. Everyone knew this. Allegra knew this, but she didn't care. Not when it was taking a toll on her sanity.

There were only so many times a person could see two literal soulmates walk past each other before they decided to take matters into their own hands.

So that's what she did.

Or well, was going to do once she could convince her friends to help her out.

"I don't know, Mel." Allan rubbed the back of his neck nervously. "These things take time you know? You cannot rush it." He glanced at the corkboard that was behind Allegra and winced, it was going to be impossible to talk her out of the crazy plan.

On the corkboard, there were two pictures. One was a selfie of Marinette Dupain-cheng. A twenty-year-old who was a regular at the café where Allegra and Claude worked at. After chatting with her in the mornings, Allegra decided to adopt the girl, and she introduced her to the rest of the group. She quickly became friends with Allan and surprisingly enough, with Felix as well.

The second picture was a rather blurry photo that was clearly taken from afar. You could sort of make out the image of Timothy Drake. The sleep-deprived twenty-one-year-old who had started going to the café for about a month. All the employees loved him because he never failed to amuse everyone with his half-asleep antics.

The one thing that both pictures had in common was a coffee cup.

On Marinette's collarbone, there was a small tattoo-like mark that looked like a coffee cup. The same one that was on Tim's wrist. Soul marks . Granted, they looked a bit plain compared to most people's soul marks, but in Allegra's eyes, they were the excuse she needed to get them together.

Allegra had shipped her two favorite customers long before she noticed their soul marks. But now that she knew they were soulmates . Well, she was not going to rest until they finally met.

"I'm not trying to rush things!" Allegra insisted. "I just want to push them in the right direction."

Allan looked at her, doubtful. "That's basically the same thing. Plus do actually think that," he squinted to read the list of plans that was tacked on the corkboard. "'Locking them inside a room with no escape' is merely pushing them in the right direction? 'Cause I think that sounds more like a hostage situation."

Allegra glared at him. "You know what? I don't need your help. Claude will help me. Right, Claude?"

Claude looked at her with wide eyes. "Oh no no no. Sorry Melodie but I can't."

"Uh, I'm sorry what?" Allegra blinked. It was very out of character for Claude to turn down the opportunity to help her with one of her elaborate plans. Not to mention that in this case, they were doing it to help Marinette.

"Allegra," he said solemnly, "this is a destiny thing. We just can't interfere."

Allegra facepalmed. "You can't be serious."

Claude looked at her dead in the eye. "If we interfere we might end up," he leaned towards  her and whispered " cursed"

"Oh give me a break." Allegra pushed Claude away. "Are you guys kidding me? This is Marinette we're talking about. You all can't possibly think that Marinette wouldn't want to meet her soulmate, and as her friends, we have to help her."

"I agree with Allegra."

Everyone spun around in surprise.

Felix rolled his eyes at his friends' incredulous expressions. "What? Marinette is my friend as well. Is it really that shocking that I want to see her happy?" The three of them nodded. He ignored them. "Besides, I've heard Marinette ramble about soulmates nonstop, so it's clear that meeting hers is what she would want."

Allegra was the first to react "See guys? Even Felix agrees with me!"

Felix huffed. "Yes, but I also think that your plans are ridiculous and ineffective."

"Ouch"

"I think the best thing we can do to help is to get them to interact and we-"

"That's literally what my plans are for!" Allegra interrupted.

Claude crossed his arms. "And what do you mean by 'we'? I haven't agreed to do anything."

Shooting both of them a glare, Felix continued. "- can do that without needing to kidnap them. We simply have to make it so that they have no other choice but to sit at the same table at the café. You all know how friendly Marinette is, it will only be a matter of time before they start talking."

There was a beat of silence.

"That… that might actually work," Allan admitted. "Soulmates are naturally drawn to each other so once they actually have a conversation we won't have to do anything else. They can figure out that they're soulmates by themselves." He paused and then chuckled. "We'll just have to push them in the right direction."

"But how are we going to get them in the café at the same time?" Allegra asked. "Tim always comes in right after Mari has left."

"Pft that's easy!" Claude exclaimed. "Just tell her that you need help with something and that you'll need for her to stay a while longer at the café. Since Mari doesn't have early classes on Wednesday she'll agree and- oh!" Claude suddenly slapped his hand over his mouth as his eyes widened with horror. "This does not mean that I'm helping." He mumbled from underneath his hand.

Allan laughed. "I think you just did."

"Looks like someone's going to end up cursed." Allegra singed songed. "Not even ladybug is going to be able to help you with that bad luck that's to come." She teased.

Claude pouted. "Haha, laugh all you want." He then looked up at the corkboard and grimaced. "But you're right, there's no turning back now. What do you need me to do?"

Allegra clapped her hands in glee.

"Okay so here's the plan."

~♡~♡~♡~

Just like Claude had predicted, it was incredibly easy to convince Marinette to stay at the café. All that was left to do was orchestrate everything just so that the two soulmates had to sit at the same table.

It was easier said than done but after enlisting more people to help out, they were able to make sure that the café was full for that morning.

Everything was going according to plan…

Until…

"WHERE. IS. TIM?"

Claude looked around. "He hasn't arrived yet?"

"No!" Allegra cried. She glanced down at her watch and winced. They were running out of time.

Claude frowned. "And you know, it would have been nice if Marinette hadn't chosen today to wear a turtleneck."

Allegra couldn't help but agree. Sure, Marinette looked amazing with the turtleneck and skirt outfit but did she really have to wear it today? When they needed for her to show off her soul mark?

It was like the universe was against them.

But finally, Allegra heard a tinkling sound at the door. She spun around praying that it was Tim.

And it was!

He looked more tired than usual as he stumbled around trying to find a seat.

Allegra watched as Tim danced around the tables that were being occupied just as he was about to take a seat.

One after the other until finally, a good push later, he ended up at Marinette's table.

~♡~♡~♡~

Tim was too tired to deal with this.

All he wanted was to sit down, have a couple of cups of coffee at his favorite coffee shop and finally be awake enough to continue investigating the moth guy.

But apparently, that was too much to ask because almost all the tables were full.

"Sorry man," Claude whispered as he guided a couple and motioned them to sit at the table that Tim had beelined for.

"Oh, actually I'm waiting for Adam." Felix had said when Tim asked if he could sit with him. Which was strange since Adam had said that he was waiting for Felix when he asked him.

But he could barely comprehend what they were saying, so he was not conscious enough to complain.

Tim continued on his journey when he felt someone push him from behind. In his half-asleep haze, Tim lunged at the chair that was in front of him hoping that it would break his fall.

It took him a few seconds to recover. He wanted nothing more than to pass out right then and there, splayed out on a coffee shop chair as everyone stared at him wondering if he was drunk.

He too wondered if he was drunk, but he couldn't remember the last time he'd slept so if he was drunk, he was not going to figure it out on his own.

When he finally looked up, his eyes met with a pair of beautiful bluebell eyes.

~♡~♡~♡~

Marinette watched as a guy stumbled around the café until finally flopping onto the other chair at her table.

It was clear that he was sleep-deprived. She had seen enough videos that her evil friends had taken when she was in a similar state to know the poor guy probably hadn't slept at all for the last week or so.

Marinette wanted nothing more than to drag the guy to the nearest bed or couch and wrap him up in a bunch of blankets. Just because she didn't comprehend the term "self-care" for herself  didn't make Marinette any less of a "mom friend"

But she had to remind herself that she didn't know the guy, so it might be considered kidnapping to drag someone somewhere against their will.

Too bad.

The best she could do was offer him her own coffee.

"Hey, I think you need this more than I do at the moment." She said, pushing the drink his way as he stood up.

He mumbled something that could be interpreted as a "thank you" and eagerly took the drink. His eyes lit up when the heavenly liquid touched his tongue.

It was almost miraculous how quickly the caffeine took effect.

Actually, it was Marinette may or may not have mixed a little concoction she made with Tikki that helped her when she stayed up late with her regular coffee.

The guy blinked. "This. Is. Incredible."

Marinette laughed "Yeah, it's what I always get. Though you still look like you need to sleep."

"Yeah, yeah whatever." He waved her off. "But seriously, what is this called? I need a gallon of this."

"Sorry," Marinette said sheepishly "but I'm afraid that's a secret, you know, I'm kind of everyone's favorite, so I get the miracle coffee." Okay so that was a lie but what else could she say?

The guy pouted. Marinette had to admit that he looked adorable.

"Well, then I'm sure you can get me some then... um"

"Marinette."

"Ah, nice to meet you, coffee goddess, I'm Tim."

Marinette's cheeks heated up. "Uh, coffee goddess? Shouldn't they be the coffee gods and goddesses?" She pointed at Allegra, Claude, and the others.

"Nah, you have blessed me with this amazing coffee. Claude didn't even help me in my time of need."

"You know Claude?" Marinette asked, surprised.

"Yep, I've been coming here since I arrived in Paris, so I've gotten to know Allegra and Claude a bit."

"That's funny, I've never seen you. And I come here every day." Marinette said.

"Huh, that's weird. I've never seen you either. "

And from there they kept talking. Like they were old friends and not just acquaintances. Marinette found out that Tim had come from Gotham city. That he was in Paris because of business. Meanwhile, Tim learned that Marinette was an aspiring fashion designer and a college student who was close friends with almost everyone from the café.

Hours passed and the two were still deep in conversation completely oblivious to the crowd that had gathered behind the cafe's counter to watch the soulmates.

"I can't believe you didn't tell me about this before." Adrien, who had arrived after Tim, whispered to his cousin.

"I was under the impression that your father needed your assistance for the upcoming fashion show. I was not about to ask my dear uncle Gabe if I could steal you so that we could set up our friend and his future competitor, Marinette Dupain-cheng, with her soulmate."

Adrien hated to admit that he had a point. "Fine, but can you at least catch me up to date? Who is he?"

"He's a rich guy from Gotham city. He's pretty cool though he's basically Marinette when it comes to coffee which is honestly kinda scary now that I'm seeing them interact." Allegra whispered.

Adrien looked down to look at her. "Alright, I guess I'm going to have to do my own research since you guys are useless. What's his job? Why is he rich? If his from Gotham then who knows, maybe this guy is actually dangerous and wants to take Marinette as ransom for-"

"Oh please Adrien, stop with your theatrics. Do you honestly think that I would allow this if he was dangerous?" Felix interrupted.

"I mean-"

Felix glared at him.

"No?"

Felix sighed. "Timothy Drake is Marinette's soulmate, and I can assure you that he's clean. So don't worry about Marinette."

Allegra shushed the cousins. "Guys, I'm trying to listen here you know?"

"Um, you could probably hear better from up here" Felix nodded in agreement.

"Thanks, Adrien, but I don't want to risk Marinette seeing me and then remembering about time and stuff."

"Ah"

"Speaking of time, it's been years since I last ate, I'm hungry." Claude cut in.

"Claude! You're supposed to be with the customers!" Allegra whisper-shouted.

"Whoops."

~♡~♡~♡~

Unfortunately, all good things come to an end. Marinette eventually remembered the reason she had stayed in the cafe. Not only that but when she looked at her watch she realized that she was running late for class.

After Marinette's rushed exit, Tim went back to investigating Hawkmoth. But while they were trying to concentrate on their own thing. Marinette with her class and Tim with his research they found themselves zoning out and thinking about each other.

It was strange, they had quite literally just met.

Why had they made such an impact on each other?

~♡~♡~♡~

It wasn't until Marinette was getting ready to go to bed that she found the answer.

"Tikki is… is that what I think it is." Marinette's voice trembled as she stared at her reflection on the mirror.

Tikki gasped. "Oh Marinette, I think it is!"

Staring back at her was her soul mark, which no longer was a regular coffee cup but rather a gorgeous cup with beautiful red flowers that surrounded a somewhat familiar symbol.

"But, how? I mean they're not supposed to change… right? And why?" Marinette's eyes widened. "Does this mean that I met my soulmate? Who is it?"

Tikki giggled, "You seriously don't know?"

"Umm no? Should I?" Tikki continued to giggle as her holder looked at her confused. "Who is it Tikki?"

"Oh Marinette, how many new people did you meet today?"

"Uh, I don't know? I mean surely I must've passed by lots of strangers in the street." Marinette panicked. "Oh no Tikki! What if one of them is my soulmate? I'll never find out who they are!"

"So you don't remember meeting anyone else?"

"I don't think so, well other than ohhh- "

"Exactly"

~♡~♡~♡~

Tim could not believe what he was seeing. Gone was the plain coffee cup he was used to seeing, the daily reminder of the fact that he was still painfully single, it now had an intricate flower pattern that surrounded a symbol.

He recognized that symbol.

After weeks of researching and tailing the red Parisian heroine, he knew that it was the Ladybug symbol.

But why was it on his soul mark?

Unless…

No, the heroine couldn't be his soulmate, Tim hasn't even officially met her. Nor had he even seen her today.

The only blue-eyed girl he had met was Marinette.

Marinette  

No, it was impossible. Except it wasn't. Tim had only known the girl for a couple of hours, but he knew that  Marinette would make a great heroine or vigilante.

But, he… he was probably hallucinating, right? Tim hadn't slept for weeks, so surely he was just seeing things and his soul mark was still a plain coffee cup and the Marinette conclusion was just wishful thinking.

Right?

Because otherwise, his first meeting with his soulmate was him acting like a sleep-deprived zombie and Tim could not allow that.

Well, one thing was for sure, he really needed to get some sleep.

~♡~♡~♡~

Three days.

It took three days for Marinette to find Tim.

She looked everywhere. The coffee shop, Le Grand Paris Hotel, the tourist areas, and when she was ladybug she looked down from all the rooftops trying to find him.

But he had vanished, leaving Marinette worried sick that he had either A. Gone back to Gotham  B. Died or C. Been so horrified that she was his soulmate that he decided to move to a remote island and changed his name in hopes of never seeing her again.

Gosh, she was starting to sound like her fourteen-year-old self.

But finally, she saw him, sitting on a bench, not far from her own home, looking down at his wrist.

He looked at his wrist like it was some puzzle he needed to solve. Marinette also noticed that he looked a lot more refreshed, so he must've finally gotten some sleep.

Marinette cleared her throat. "Well, you've been a very hard person to find Mr. Drake."

Tim looked up. "Ma- Marinette!"

"We need to talk."

Tim nodded his mouth hanging wide open as he stared at her soul mark.  

"How do you feel about coffee? There's a coffee shop that's not very far from here, I hear their coffee is divine.

~♡~♡~♡~

Bonus:

(this was going to be a scene on the fic but I didn't know how to add it but it has important info sooo)

*They are at the coffee shop*

Marinette: So you're red robin.

Tim: And you're Ladybug

Marinette: Should I be worried? Like doesn't this compromise our secret identities?

*Claude and Allegra appear with some pastries*

Claude: Yooo Marinette! So you found your soulmate! Crazy right? We totally didn't have anything to do with it!

*Allegra elbows him*

Claude: So uh, congratulations! I um feel happy for you.

*looks nervously at Allegra who is glaring at him*

Claude: Bummer about the soul mark though…

*Allegra keeps glaring*

~♡~♡~♡~ Permanent tag list  ~♡~♡~♡~

Claude: What? It's just a plain white cup!

Bonus bonus:

(here's a bad doodle and my crappy handwriting)

(If you want to be added or removed please let me know!)

@charme-de-malchan, @theatreandcomicfreak, @m3owww, @elliebelliegirl, @genevieve-the-demonologist, @vixen-uchiha, @t1dwarrior-of-earth, @waffleyunsure, @technicallyburninggarden, @azuremayscarlet, @vroomtaka, @emimar7, @ichigorose, @maskedpainter, @art-is-hard-to-do-sorry

#maribat #timari #tim x marinette #maribat secret santa #ml x dc #mlb x dc #quantic kids #My writing #my trash writing #my art #my trash art

[angloie]

Beach trips and I'm Falling in Love • 2.5/2

When Annabeth meets a strange boy on vacation, she doesn't expect for their relationship to grow much. He's... terribly sarcastic. Cocky. A not-so great match for her witty self. But after learning he visits the same beach every year she does, their strange friendship blooms into something more.

Their realtionship isn't the only thing that blooms over the yearsー that meaning a certain raven-haired boy.

genre ; childhood friends to lovers, fluff, strangers(?) to lovers, exchanging letters au, percabeth mortal au.

warnings ; swearing, suggestive(?) themes.

prev.

That night, Annabeth can't fall asleep.

(Percy can't either, because he can't stop thinking about Annabeth and how he thinks he saw her back there.)

What is Rachel to him?

Annabeth thinks. Her mind is something like a broken recordー stuck playing the question on repeat. 

Not that she could judge, however, if Percy enjoyed her company more than hers, then that would be... Fine. Just fine. Rachel was probably more close to him after all these years unlike the blonde; who has been away for six years.

When Annabeth turns on her side to look at the shell seated stop her bedside table, she grimaces.

"You better make sure to return it!"

"I'll be waiting!"

Why does that make her frown?

The morning comes slow, slower than Annabeth would like, when the birds start chirping and evening comes to dawn after her sleep-deprived thoughts. 

She knows that Percy's curled up inside his bed, (though certainly not the cabin he used to occupyー there's no one next door) snoring like he always does. She knows that Percy doesn't know that she's here, and Annabeth also knows that he'll be asleep until promptly one in the afternoon.

Annabeth thinks she'll meet him around sooner or later.

The lull of waves crashing across the shore gives her chills. Mornings, she now realizes, are the best part of the day.

The rose gold sun comes down in tiny slivers along the sand.

Percy is loyal. He's a great friend, much more than Annabeth deserves, witty and sarcastic.

Percy is not hers. He never was in the first place, really; him with his cocky smile and his big heart. That heart of his can only hold so much, can't it?

She starts to wonder if she's in there.

The shell in her pocket suddenly feels heavy when Annabeth reaches for it, the chipped and cracked coat somehow still intact. She'll give it to him when the time comes of course. Just not now. Annabeth couldn't even muster up the courage if she wanted to. 

So, sandaled feet dug into the sand, she scans her surroundings.

At first glance the beach is beach is deserted, aside from a few lingering beach-goers that occupy the waves on their surfboards and the sand with their umbrellas.

It's quite tranquil on her ownー  under the morning sun and all. She's been to beaches near her house back home,e but nothing can really beat this view.

Her eyes dart towards the ocean, where the surfers ride on the waves, laughing and cackling whenever one of their friends falls face-first into the cold waters. She laughs a bit, too, the scene reminds her of how she always used to fall when she was learning to surf.

Speaking of the surfers... They all look like they're having a blast. You know, Annabeth might start to think that the raven-haired guy looks like Percy, that he has the same smirk as him, but that's just illogical.

Right?

It's only until that they lock eyes is when Annabeth freezes.

Same sea green. Same sparkle.

Same Percy.

And it's only until he freezes, eyes widening and stopping to stare, is when she thinks Oh shit.

Then he's starting to come over, and her legs start moving on their own. 

Away from him.

This can't be happening. It can't be. Not when she's not ready, when she's too nervous to even muster a word, not when Annabeth can't even look at him without her heart racing like never before. 

She starts to walk faster. Not so fast that it looks suspicious, but fast as to escape his gaze and go back to her cabin.

Annabeth can hear him saying he needs to ‘do something' to his friends. Annabeth can also hear his surboard digging into the sand, as well as his footsteps getting closer and closer. So close, that she thinks it'll only be a few steps longer until he reaches her.

Fuck, fuck, fuck, Her thoughts get even more rapid, Can't the universe just wait for a second?

Annabeth completely shuts down when someone grabs her wrist.

"Annabeth?"

It takes so much to not year away, to not run, to not speak. It takes so much to turn her head and look at him, more, though, when his tone is the most heart melting thing she's heard in a long time. (good timing, really, and just when she's been trying to get all the feelings she holds for him.)

"Percy." She breathes out, eyes widening when she finally gets a good look of him.

He's... Grown. 

His shoulders are broader. His hair, once unruly and messy, is exactly like in the previous pictures he's sent: Perfectly perfect and endearing. Annabeth notices that he towers over her figure quite a bitー what happened to the scrawny little Percy? Back then, she could easily look over him; but now? It's quite the opposite.

There’s an air around him, too, one that makes Annabeth gulp and her thoughts race.

Holy fuck.

Before she can let out a single word, she's engulfed into a bone crushing hug.

Thats pretty much when it all hits her.

Sure, he's wet and damp and smelling like saltwater and sweat, but she can't really pay any mind to that. Percy's warm. His touch is soft, gentle, just as Annabeth remembers. 

Why was she avoiding him in the first place?

Just when she thinks that it's fineー that she will not tear up over something like thisー her body betrays her and she starts to sink further, further into the hug.

Is she tearing up right now?

"I missed you," Percy mumbles against her head in a way that makes her heart pound dangerously against her rib cage. “So much.”

So just like that, Annabeth nearly falls for him all over again.

"You dumbass!" She pushes him off, hands fumbling through her pockets. "I m-missed you more." Hands come to wipe at her fresh tears. 

“H-here!” Annabeth sniffs as she hands him the one thing her mind has been lingering on non-stop: the shell.

He, blurry eyed and open mouthed, looks taken aback. For a second she thinks that he might be angry. That is, until he smiles.

“You kept it?” Percy asks. It's almost like he can't really believe it, like he didn't really expect her to keep it. 

"Of course I did, seaweed brain,” She gives a lopsided toothy smile. It doesn't really match her flushed face, but who's paying attention to that? 

When he looks at it fondly in his hands, Percy smiles to himself. “Its been too long, wisegirl." He looks her up and down. “You’ve changed."

She raises a eyebrow. "Like in a bad way?"

“N-no!” He's quick to correct himself. His looks the other way, trying to discreetly hide his blush. "No. Like i-in a... uhm- fuck." Percy covers his face.

"You've changed too.” Annabeth grins. “In a good way."

They smile each other for a second before someone from the shore line calls out Percy's name. He whips around, scowl growing on his face.

"I'll be back soon!" Percy rolls his eyes. He then turns to her.

"We should catch up," he says frantically, thoughts running on overdrive, "Have you been downtown yet? I'm staying at a new cabin a while away from hereー I'll take you there soon. Oh! And have you been to our spot? We can visit there later if you want.”

Annabeth cringes when the words fall from his lips. Our spot. She chews on her bottom lip. She can't really blame him for taking someone up there. Not even if she wanted to.

The rest of the day, and the next day after that, is bittersweet.

"I-Id be happy to.”

The sweetness is seeing Sally again. It's eating her famous blue cookies with Percy wearing bright smiles and her sporting the new sweater Sally crocheted. It's surfing for hours on end, it's playing with their dogs and meeting Mrs. O'Leary.

The sweetness is being with Percy once again; even if she does cringe when they go to their spot again.

The bitter, on the other hand, is meeting her.

Rachel.

Don't get her wrong. Annabeth was never much of a possessive or jealous person; and she still is not. She's level-headed, logical, and observative. Rachel is... Fine. She's crafty, Annabeth can tell by her paint-stained clothing and wry smile. She's pretty cool too. Rachel doesn't seem to have much of a problem getting along with her, so why does she feel so off about her?

"I'm Rachel," Annabeth remembers her smile quite clearly: It didn't quite reach her eyes. Or maybe Annabeth was just over-analyzing things? "It's nice to meet you, Annabeth!"

"Likewise." Annabeth gave a small smile. “Percy’s told me a lot about you."

“Oh, has he?” She giggled, "Well, I hope it's all good things." Rachel gave a teasing look towards Percy. 

Now thinking about it, Annabeth might have been a teeny-bit judgy. 

Percy, munching on a blue cookie, looks at her from his spot in his room. He narrows his eyes at her.

"I couldn't help but notice," He starts, as if reading her mind. "That you were a little on edge about Rachel.”

"Was I now?” She lazily questions, head hanging off his bed. 

“I think so." Percy hums.

"I was not," Annabeth scoffs. “I was just... Cautious."

"What's there to be cautious about?” He asks, spinning three times on the chair near his desk. He pauses to let the dizziness swirl his vision before coming back to look at her. the dog beside him, Mrs. O'Leary wags her tail lazily.

She sighs. "Nothing, I guess? It's just... Y'know what? Nevermind.”

"Spit it out.”

"No!”

"Yes!”

“No!”

“I’ll make you a container of blue cookies for the next three days?"

"...Fine!" Annabeth breathes after a beat.

She stretchesh her arms high above above her head. “What... W-what is she to you?”

Percy freezes, and she instantly goes into a panicky state. “Actually- Ignore that. Thats a stupid question so you don't need to answer, I just really-”

“Aww, is my little Annie jealous?" He unironicaly coos, “Don’t worry about it. Rachel's great."

Annabeth notices that Percy says her name in a intimate way. She notices how heat instantly flushes her face. She also notices that how he never answers her question in a way she'll understand.

Now that she's left hanging, Annabeth really can't stop more questions from flowing in her mind. 

Annabeth thinks that she's really been underreacting about Percy and his air of coolness. or maybe likeability?

Her arms flop down, and Mrs. O'Leary woofs.

Popularity?

Whatever it is, anyone can tell that Percy's much more than the dorky lame kid that used to be.

The group of girls that giggle and twirl their hair as they stare at him from their spot under an umbrella can surely see that, too.

It's not even those girls (who for the fact are pretty, much prettier than Annabeth) that can see that. Her neighbours talk about the 'handsome and nice young man that helped me carry my groceries'. (Guilty as chargedー the one and only Percy) or the 'Attractive boy who surfs early in the morning'.

The grannies at downtown's farmers market even gossip behind his back and treat him like some sort of Greek god with a perfectly structured jawline with a fit build and coy smile.

Oh, and did she mention he's as hot as the fucking sun?

(Which he, Annabeth thinks, owns up to.)

(She's really whipped for him.)

But he's respected her boundaries so far, so she'll keep her M rated thoughts to herself. But it's so fucking hard to not stare when he, clad in nothing but loose swimming shorts, shows up to her room at the crack of dawn.

"Looks like you're the talk of the town," Annabeth says teasingly as they settle into the sand. The umbrella provides the cool shade desperately need, to which Annabeth relishes in. “Is seaweed brain..." She feigns a fake gasp. “Actually likeable now?”

Percy threatens to shove a handful of sand down her throat, and she shuts up.

"Whatever," He mutters under his breath, eyes looking away from hers. For some reason he's avoiding looking at her. Annabeth thinks he's just embarrassed, but the way Percy steals glances at her when she's not looking, says otherwise.

"So where's Rachel?” She absent-mindedly asks. Not that she genuinely cares, or whatever, but theres really nothing else that occupies her mind. 

“Around,” He replies. "She told me she's going shopping in the next town for some swimsuits. Or something.”

"Ah."

A seagull screeches from above.

“Wanna see who gets in the water first?"

Annabeth already jolts upwards into a sprint towards the shoreline. "Hey! No fair!”

So the next while is spent with nothing but firendly smiles and secretive glances from Percy, surfing and swimming and having the most fun they've had together in a while. Annabeth grabs his ankle from under the waves, and she thinks that that might be the loudest scream she's ever heard.

Percy, mind stuck with thoughts on revenge, tried to come up with a scare of his own, until his lame scare comes out as throwing a peice of seaweed on her forehead.

 “Lameass!" She laughs, popping her head above the water.

“Smartass!” He yells back, eye twitching and tone sarcastic.

It isn't until the sun sets and the crabs crawl back into their caves is when they both flop back into the sand. Tired. Exhausted. Muscles sore and skin sunburnt.

For a solid thirty minutes it's just comftorable silence as the waves set the soundtrack. Along with the occasisonal him of the ocean, or even the cries of the cicadas back where the beach grass is.

For a solid thirty minutes, Annabeth thinks that she couldn't be more happier.

For a solid thirty minutes, all is calm, all is well, and nothing could be more perfect.

She closes her eyes for a minute thinking that she can spare one nap. Thinking that Percy will just wake me up, so it's fine if I snooze off, right? 

Annabeth dozes off with thoughts of him.

When she wakes up, Pery isn't beside her.

Nor is he on the beach.

For a hot minute Annabeth freaks out, squinting through the darkness to search for his figure. The lantern her doesn't really provide much light, let alone three feet away from her.

But then she sees that his surfboard isn't wedged into the ground, and his things are still there.

So where is he?

Oh. Annabeth thinks lamely to herself when she spots the figure swaying with the waves atop his surfboard. There he is.

It's illogical, really, for her to go after him.

If you don't go, that Rachel girl's got him forever, her head prods, you'll lose him forever.

It's even more illogical when Annabeth grabs her surfboard with a determined look; sandy hair and all.

The waves are calm tonight. No huge crashing of the chilled water, no raging seas or bitterly cold air. The clouds enclose the pale moon, only tiny beams managing to escape. She thinks it casts a blue hue to everything.

Using her arm to paddle her way over, Annabeth catches a glimpse at the stars.

Gods, the stars.

They're brightー brighter than the city that isー and bigger, too. They shine in a way that leaves Annabeth breathless.

Percy hums when she closes in next to him. His limbs dangle off of the surfboard and into the cool waters, occasionally shifting to keep steady. She hums back in reply.

A small wave laps across the shore.

 “That's Perseus.” Annabeth says lazily. She lays down, too, hair splayed across the board. "The constellation, I mean.”

“Perseus, huh?" Percy follows where she points: diagonal from the pair. “Like my name?"

"Like the Greek hero Perseus.” She murmurs quietly.

“You've told me about him." He recalls, "He slayed Medusa and saved Andromeda, right?"

"Mhm," Annabeth nods. "He also had a happy ending. That is, for most Greek heroes.”

She smiles to herself, and Percy can't really think of anything more beautiful than her.

Believe it or not, Percy is good at hiding things. 

Like when he hides the secret stash of snacks under his bed from his mom, (for three years straight and running) or when he hid Mrs. O'Leary when she was just a pup in his closet.

He likes to think that he's good at hiding his feelings too.

Feelings about Annabeth, of course.

Not that he really has anything for herー it's just that whenever he sees her he gets a fluttery feeling in his stomach, his voice gets all awkward, his mind instantly goes to how fucking gorgeous she looks, and how she practically radiates coolness and calm.

Okay. So what if he's head over heels for her?

Percy thinks it started a while ago.

He thinks it started when Rachel first called him seaweed brain.

“-Seaweed brain,” it falls from her lips on a warm spring day, when they're sitting in his room while it rains. 

Percy freezes to look at her. "What?"

“I said It raining cats and dogs out there,” Rachel repeats, “Seaweed brain."

When she catches the slightly shocked look on his face, she frowns. “Something wrong?”

"No,” He murmurs, looking down. "Actually- kinda. that nickname just threw me off a bit, I guess.” Percy give a lopsided smile.

Annabeth only calls me that, he thinks. It feels weird when you say it.

“Oh." She deadpans. “Should I not call you that then? I saw that Annabeth girl call you that, like, a ton of times in one of her letters.” Her eyebrows raise, and Percy reels.

“You were reading my letters?" He frowns. “...Whatever. The nickname- its kind of a personal thing. You know, between me and, uh... her. It'd be cool if you didn't say it.”

“Oh. Okay.” Rachel huffs.

Somehow, Percy never labeled it as love.

Percy didn't label it as love when Annabeth became the ‘nothing!' that came out of his mouth when Sally asked why he was smiling so much. Not when he couldn't stop staring at her in her swecause fuck, she looks so good. Not when Percy was confused on why his love for her became something more.

But that night, that one single night, when Annabeth came to join him under the stars, is when he thought otherwise.

With sunkissed sunburnt skin, 

lips cracked and dry,

moonlight against her face,

The last day of Annabeth's vacation comes on a sunny humid day with the clouds nowhere to be seen. 

He did label it love.

There isn't an air of despair, however, Annabeth'll be back next year for a solid week in winter. College would be a pain, so she'll have one last vacation with her family before she starts her career.

For some reason Percy isn't sad when the news comes to him on her college. New Rome, a prestigious school in the middle of both their cities. All he gives is a coy grin; she can't wrap her mind around hit quite yet.

 "You got plans tonight?” Percy asks suddenly, his voice echoing through Annabeth's room. 

“No.” She tilts her head. “Why? Got something planned?"

“Yeah, actually.” He grins. “We're going to a party of a friend of mine.”

“What?" Annabeth nearly falls off her bed, eyes widened and mouth agape. A party? Tonight? 

“Yup! You better get ready, 'cuz we're leaving in...” Percy checks the clock on her bed side table. "Two hours. See ya!" Is all he says before he hopes out of her window. 

Annabeth nearly screams, but remembers that he's been climbing and jumping out of her window for years now. she lets out a ragged sigh of relief.

"Fuck you!” She yells out to his figure, already dashing away. He turns around, sly smirk on his face.

“Only if you watch!" 

And then he's gone, leaving Annabeth with a red hot face and a flustered mess.

Fuck.

.

.

The next two hours is- um, well...

Chaotic.

Just plain chaotic.

Her who closet is thrown into her bed in a contemplation what to wear. Light or dark? Whats the occasion? How much people are attending? What's the setting?

You're overthinking things again, Annabeth's mind jolts. Just throw something on!

Along with chaotic, she would also describe the scene as a fever dream. 

She opts to wear a black bodycon dress with stringy ties and a loose and light jacket. Annabeth can't really deceive the rest of her look- her mind is all gushy and mushy.

So here she is, standing in front of the booming house, (Percy didn't even bother to drive here there, the jerk) hands fidgeting like she can't stop.

(She can't.)

Annabeth takes a deep breath. She won't be here for a while, so whats she so afraid about? Sure, there's somone puking in a bush that she wants no part in, and there might be concerning sounds coming from inside the huge building, but who's paying attention to that?

Before she can back out, a voice calls out her name.

"Wisegirl!" Percy beams, “Hey!”

“Seaweed brain.” Annabeth crosses her arms as a her bottom lip juts out. "We're were you?"

“Lets not focus on that." He nervously laughs. “But c'mon inside. I want you to meet a few people.”

"Hm?”

The house is just as bad as she thought.

Red Solo cups everywhere, the smell of alcohol and cigarettes especially strong near the kitchen and couches. Bodies bump into her here and there like some sort of mosh pit. They don't even apologize, instead murmuring something with a tipsy tone.

"Grover!" Percy calls a guy over. "Don't you remember Annabeth?”

"Annabeth?" Grover, what she can assume is his friend, looks over to them. His eyes light up when he meets her gaze.

"It's been a while!" Annabeth smiles. Grover! It's been a minute since she's seen him, back when they were all kids. She fondly remembers beach trips with him back then, eating popsicles on her cabin stairs and all.

“It certainly has,” He sighs happily.

Percy then introduces her to many others: Hazel, a bright girl with a even brighter smile, Frank, a towering guy with a friendly touch, Jasonー a blonde guy with a oddly stapler shaped scar on his lip, Piper, a bubbly girl with a flirtatious smile. 

She'd go on about more of them, but at that point Annabeth would be rambling.

"Have you seen Percy around?" Annabeth asks to Grover when she loses him in the bustling crowd.

He nods his head no, and someone tugs on her arm.

“C'monnnn," A girl she met earlier drunkenly tugs harder, “We’re playing truth or dare downstairs!"

She wants do pull away, say no, but then Annabeth spots him in the crowd with people slung around him.

By the looks of it, they're flirting with him, words forming and lips ruling into flirtatious smiles. They touch him in ways that make her cringe. 

Annabeth hates herself for frowning and continuing to stare. The worst part, thinks, is that he's not trying to pull away. Nor is he denying their actions. In fact, he's indulging in it. 

Shit. She shouldn't be thinking this way. Percy's popular and nice. He's bound to attract a few people, and he's not hers.

Annabeth was never the jealous type, but for now she can let the horriblefeeling in her stomach slide just this once. 

She accepts the girl's prodding with a feignged smile.

#guess what I hate love triangles so guess what I did #I made a love triangle #(?) #not really #but kinda really #its confusing #why am i like this #maybe missuderstandings and miscommunications is a more fitting term? #idk tbh #percy jackson #pjo #hoo #percabeth #annabeth chase #heroes of olympus #camp jupiter #chb #percy pjo #percabeth fanfic #percy x annabeth #percy and annabeth #grover underwood #percy and grover

[sweetchup]

N.E.R.D.S

Type: Shalnark x reader

Au?: None

Word count: 3,000+

Warnings: Slight Mature content, Slight Yandere/Stalkerish themes, and Shalnark being a Shark

Today was going to be the last day. The last day at this terrible job. After this shift you were going to call up your boss and officially quit.

At first working at a nearby Cyber Cafe sounded fun. It was close to your flat and had a reasonable paycheck. Plus being surrounded by video games and fellow nerds sounded even fun. Yet it wasn’t. You should’ve walked out on your first day, for in the very first moments of walking into the place you stepped onto a melted, probably expired as well, chocolate bar. In your brand new shoes as well. It was disgusting and tragic, yet not the worst thing that has happened at this job.

In a simple sense while you worked here you weren’t an employee of a fine establishment, you were basically a servant. You were called upon again and again to make food and drinks for people, picked up after people when they left, yelled at when prices were too high or you told them what to do, jeered at by your boss, deal with horrible and lazy coworkers and had to fix the computers when they broke down (instead of taking it to a proper tech shop).

Most of the time, you could deal with that. You would just bite your tongue and give your most friendliest employee smile. But in no ways you could handle the many costumers you were groped or harassed by. Half the time you just wanted to take one of the electric cords, wrap it around their neck and just strangle them. But you were a reasonable person, a responsible adult so you would just report it to your manager. Though, of course, the situation was mostly just shrugged off. According to him, customers know best. What a load of bullcrap.

If customers truly knew best then why were you on your knees cleaning the 33th piece of trash scattered at this computer station. Hell you had filled 1 ½ trash bags just by yourself from cleaning up after people. That was too much. They should know how to pick up after themselves, you aren’t their mother.

Stretching and popping your back, you stand up. All the empty stations were finally sparkling cleaned. Though it did come at the price of your back. You’ll probably need to see a chiropractor or at least get a message from all the leaning and bending over you do at your job.

It also didn’t help that your coworker, Susan, called in sick last minute so you were stuck with an extra shift today and the graveyard shift at that.

“Sick my ass..” You grumbled under your breath, making your way back to your desk in the corner.

Since the place wasn’t busy tonight you could probably get away with watching anime or playing a new game. Hell even a nap if you got comfortable enough. Yet you stop when you see someone. His head was down on the desk but you knew it was him just from his golden hair being lighted up from the computer screen.

‘What was his name again? Shalnark? Yeah shalnark.’

Shalnark was an unfamiliar face. He showed up randomly at the cafe three days ago. It was pretty hard not to notice him. Wearing a lilac purple outfit and a constant smile on his face, he hadn’t moved since he entered. Tapping away constantly at the computer in front of him. He had been pretty nice to you and even cleaned up after himself. You actually liked talking to him the few times you talked. Though it was somewhat creepy when for some reason he knew your name when he first checked in. Though that was probably due to your name tag or maybe you had met once before at a party or something, you seemed close in age.

On top of that it was gobsmacking, yet pretty impressive, that he has slept once in the 3 days he’s been here. The other coworkers caught onto it as well in their shifts when you weren’t here. Yet it seems even Shalnark can’t run away from Father Sleep. Especially based on the fact he was currently faced down on his desk, with empty coffee cups surrounding him of course.

Suddenly you shiver as another puff of cold air comes out of the air conditioner. That was another thing you didn’t understand about the owner. Why in the world did he keep the cafe at freezing temps? Even in the winter right now. Biting your lip and rubbing your hands across the thick sweater on your arms for warmth you look concerned at Shalnark.

Was he cold? Normally you wouldn’t care about customers but he seemed like a nice guy, well except for the first time you talked but even then, it was probably your name tag. You just couldn’t help but be concerned since he was wearing a tank top in the winter.

Making up your mind you grabbed one of the many blankets and pillows in the lobby and walked over to him. Shakily you stand over him, slightly scared to wake the attractive man up from his slumber.

As you think over your decision you notice something interesting on the computer screen in front of you.

“The Dragon Eye Collection…”

It was on his notepad too. Why was he researching the Dragon Eye Collection? Sure they were a collection of 5 of the most beautiful fire opals in the world. But they were owned by the emperor, more like dictator, HuinYa Fushi of the Baiys Region. Due to his way of ruling with an iron fist, no one knew what they looked like or where they were exactly located, all that people knew was that they definitely exist. What in the world would Shalnark want with that? Was he maybe a reporter or even a Gem hunter? Though that wasn’t any of your concern. You shouldn’t pry into someone's life or business like that anyways.

Placing your hand on Shalnark’s shoulder you ever so lightly shake him. How was he asleep? His skin was practically frozen to the touch.

“Mr Shalnark?”

After a few more soft calls of his name he finally awoke. Sitting up, he squints under the computer’s harsh glow and looks over to you. He blinked a couple of times more, clearing struggling to keep himself awake. Though the bags under his eyes already told you he was plenty sleep deprived.

“I’m sorry for waking you, Mr Shalnark. But I came to bring you a blanket and a pillow. I wouldn’t want you to hurt your neck or catch a cold.”

You hold out for the blanket and pillow for him to take but he only shakes his head. His usual smile across his face, though it was less pleasant now with the bags under his eyes.

“Thank you (y/n)! But, please, there’s no need. I need to get back to wor…….”

The smile across his face disappears and his head droops down. He seems to practically, almost, pass out right then and there but he thankfully catches himself. Trying to somehow play it off, he leans an arm against the desk.

“To work! Yes work! I'm a very busy man after all.” Shalnark laughs off. Giving you a wink, he turns his attention back to screen in front of him.

Biting your lip you don’t know what to do. You definitely don’t believe he’s ok yet you also can’t force him to sleep. You two are strangers after al—

“Oh!” You let out in surprise and shock.

With a quick reflex you lung forward and catch Shalnark before his head hits the desk. Thank goodness you were still standing there, that could have really hurt. You lean him back but Shalnark stops you as he grabs on one your arm that was holding onto his shoulder and a little across the front of his chest. With tired eyes he shoots you an apologetic look.

“Sorry I didn’t know what came over me at that moment.” He apologizes; squeezing your arm.

You bit your lip again for the third time tonight. He needs sleep. He can’t continue going on like this, he could actually get hurt or even sick. Ever so lightly you push him to lean back into his chair. He goes to rebut you but you lean down to his face, making him go quiet.

“I’m sorry Mr Shalnark but I think you should go to bed.”

“But—“

Playfully you hold a finger up to his nose and boop it.

“No buts Mister. It’s time for bed.”

It was unprofessional and even childish of you to boop a grown man’s nose and tell him it’s time for bed. But you could easily see he was obviously trying to fight back and hooping his nose seemed to stun him.

While he was still stunned, you reclined the big office chair and put the blanket and pillow on him. It wasn’t as comfy as a bed but anything is better than sleeping hunched over a desk at this point.

As you finally get him to settle in his eyes begin to droop, yet he seems to continue to try and fight against it. Reaching a hand out you rub and groom Shalnark’s hair. He looks up at you as you shoot him a small smile.

“You need to go to bed, Shalnark. It’s okay to take a rest sometimes you know.”

His eyes go wide for a second and he opens his mouth wide like a fish.

“It’s you…it’s actually you. I can’t… the troupe is relying on me… I need to stay awake to figure out the location… the boss is relying on… me…” Shalnark mumbles out. His voice getting quieter and quieter.

And with that Shalnark was out cold.

Well at least you figured out that he does know you from somewhere. You wonder where. Also, the boss huh? He had to do something for him?

You looked over to the computer screen and notes in front of you. No wonder he was stressed out. You would be too if your boss and all of your workplace was relying on you to figure this out.

You could…you could always help him. You check the clock behind you. It was around 2am. Even if you took a nap now it wouldn’t be for much time and you did want to quit after tonight.

Making a decision you pull a chair over and look around you. The coast was clear as no one seemed to be watching. Stretching your fingers you put them to the keyboard and activate your aura.

You didn’t use Nen often but you were a talent transmitter. Through vigorous training you had managed to turn your Nen into data and electric signals. It was useless in battle for all you could do at most was glitch your body but, then again, you were never much of a fighter either.

Glitching and hacking through vast codes on the computer you finally make it onto the secret government site of the Fushi Empire. That was a piece of cake for you. You could probably even sneak in an episode of Bokemon after all this was done before you had to leave.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“What do you mean you quit?!?”

Sighing you leaning against the counter. Tapping your fingers against the surface. “Like I said before I quit. It’s just not the right job for me.”

“You can’t! I won’t allow you, you un—“

Done with your manager's bullshit you hang up the phone and take a sip from your coffee. After a couple of more sips you were able to finish the cup. Walking around the desk you toss the cup into the trash.

Taking one last look at the place around you, you grab your bag. You would like to say you will miss the place but… you definitely won’t. This place could burn in hell for all you cared.

Wrapping your jacket tighter you step out of the building and into the cold. Wow you didn’t even realize it was still snowing from last night. It was actually nice to see snow in the city for the first time.

Your phone suddenly dings, a text from your landlord?. Oh! Someone had finally accepted your roommate's application for your flat. That’s awesome. Biting your lip, you just type back ‘yes’.

You technically should’ve looked into the document she sent along with the text which was about the roommate. But you just really need someone to split the rent with you so you honestly didn’t care who it was at this point.

“(Y/n)!”

Jumping, startled and surprised, you turn around fast at the call but are suddenly knocked over and in a snowbank. Now wide awake, you moan in discomfort as Wetness seeps into your jacket from the snow and you begin to wiggle at the coldness at your skin.

“W-What the hell?! Get off of me!” You yell out, startled and still unsure who is above you. Was this some creepy stalker? You hoped not. Wiggling more faster now, you try to get out of the snow.

You stop dead in your tracks as you hear a groan above you. Finally able to see the person, you realize it was no other than Shalnark above you. His mouth slightly open and a dark expression on his face.

What had you— oh god. You blush a crimson red. Could this get anymore embarrassing? You hadn’t realized that while you were trying to get away you hadn’t also, unintentionally, rubbed against his crotch.

Apologizing profusely, you somehow now get up and hold out a shaky hand to help him up as well. Shalnark smiled at you. Though it wasn’t like his usual smile it had an unnerving tint to it now that sent a shiver up your spine.

Startled and uneasy you decide to look away at something else. Wow did the wall get a new crack in it? Oh man that sure is interesting. Did Mrs Glain change out the lilacs again? That was nice of her—

“(Y/n)?”

You grow stiff at Shal’s voice and hesitantly meet his gaze. It still made you uneasy. Everything was the same about him yet you can’t help but feel on edge and slightly violated in his presence now. You just couldn’t figure out why.

“Y-yes?”

“I just wanna say thanks for the information you got me! Boss will sure be happy. Hmmmm….I’m not sure how you got these, you must be a really skilled hacker.”

He expressively gestures to the papers in his bag that you printed and wrote on.

“Oh yeah umm no problem.” You nonchalantly answer. Trying to ignore his hacker comment.

“I’m just wondering... how did you get into those websites (y/n)? It sure was hard for me.”

Shalnark asks and secretly shuffles a little closer to you, still an unchanging smile on his face. He was weirdly sneaky about it. Now this was just starting to get creepy. Then you suddenly realize something, did he not realize?

“A-ah I just had to find out the right codes and inputs and stuff you know?”

You start to shuffle back. You didn’t mind being asked questions or someone moving closer. It’s just… you just realized... Blushing you start to move a little faster away.

“Ah-h I really have to get home you-u know? Work just finished and stuff and I have to get rested up for my next shift. You—you know being a good employee and stuff. I’ll see you again sometimes.” Stuttering and tripping over your words you finally walk away from Shalnark. You were just glad you were out of that mess. That was so embarrassing and creepy.

Sighing, you grab your phone from your pocket and turn it on. You scroll through your apps for a little before stopping and selecting “Bokemon Go”. You needed to see if the new bokemon “Baporine” was in the area after all.

“Oh you like Bokemon Go as well. I didn’t take you as such a nerd (y/n)~”

Startled, you let out a ‘eep’ and crane your neck to see that Shalnark was literally right behind you. He literally got as close as he could without touching. It also didn’t help that he still had…

Face red again at the thought you fast walk to the bus stop. Though that didn’t work for Shalnark was on your tail the whole time, constantly asking questions.

“I was just joking (y/n)! I love that game as well.”

“Oh have you caught the new Baporine?”

“Wait, do you also know Nen? I think I see aura around you~.”

“Hahah you totally do. What category are you?”

“Do you—“

Reaching the bus you had finally had enough of his antics. Pulling him down by his collar, you glare at him.

“Why are you following me?” You whispered yelled at him. He looks confused for a second before letting out a teasing smile.

“So we are whispering now? Is this a sec—“ You cut him off.

“Answer my question.”

He opens his mouth to do so but before he can, the thing you couldn’t look at or say is, is finally said out loud. And by a young child at that.

“Mommy. Why wrong with that man’s pants? Why is there a bump in the front—“

The mother doesn’t make it better, of course, and lets out a screech in shock. Quickly shielding the child’s eyes and pulling the child away. Leaving you two alone at the bus stop.

Your face beet red and frozen in embarrassment you look at Shalnark’s face.. He looks down at his *ahem* problem and looks back at you. And he, I shit you not, looks you dead in the eye and says.

“Ah so that’s what’s wrong?” He says. Kind of amazed, yet kind of shrugging it off.

“WHAT THE HELL?!? HOW DID YOU NOT REALIZE IT BEFORE” You screech out. Totally losing your cool.

He pouts at your freak out.

“I just didn’t realize it.”

Rubbing your temples you take a deep breath and look at the most likely mid-twenties man in the eyes.

“How do you not realize you are walking around with a full on erection??”

“Well It just doesn’t usually happens. I usually don’t get excited by a girl easily. Though I do usually like to toy with the smart ones,” He suddenly looks down at your chest. His face blushing a little and a small smile spreading across his face. “It also doesn’t help that you have the perfect pair of—“

You clamp your hand over his mouth before he can finish that sentence. You didn’t want to know what he was thinking. You were honestly tired. Working two back to back shifts wasn’t easy.

“Shalnark. Please just… just go home.” You say exhausted and defeated.

You drop your hand from his mouth and he only looks at you confused.

“Hmm? But I am?”

“Hah?!?” Now angry you grab the man by his shirt. You might actually fulfill your life long dream of strangling a man today, “What the hell is that supposed to mean?!?”

Shalnark smiles; an unsettling one at that and grabs his phone from his pocket. As you look at the red phone your stomach drops to the ground. Oh. That number and conversation means. Oh god.

Shalnark giggles and leans over to your ear. His warm breath against the shell causes a shiver up your spine. Taking a gulp and you hear him whisper two dreaded words.

“Hello roomie~”

You should’ve checked the document.

Bonus:

(On the bus)

“Hey (y/n)~ now that we are roommates you wouldn’t mind if we fuc—“

“Shal. Just take a cold shower”

“Huh?!? You're so mean (y/n)! You’re nothing like the girl that took care of me last night. Oh~ Mr Shalnark~ your so handsome Mr—”

“F***king hypocrite”

“Why did you hit me?! That hurt!”

#hxh #hunter x hunter #phantom troupe #hxh scenarios #scenarios #shalnark #shalnark x reader

[sylvies-chen]

Welp, I loved your the last response to my ask, so here goes again! You’re totally welcome to ignore or hold off if you’re exhausted or not in the mood... but chenford prompt #2:

“You don't even know me, it's only a feeling

You gotta believe me

Darling, I'm just saying, there ain't no shame in

Admitting you're lonely.”

- “Pieces” by Declan J. Donovan

Thank you, I’m glad you guys are liking these! I’ve gotten a swarm of requests but they’ve been super fun to write for so I’m definitely not complaining lol. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this one, I went for one of my favourite tropes!

//

Lucy knows better than to cross professional boundaries. 

At least she thinks she does until one night when she has to go on an overnight stakeout with Tim. 

In a hotel. 

Normally they just wait for the suspect out in their designated undercover car, drinking coffee to stay awake and alert. But there aren’t any good vantage points from a safe distance and the deal is going down in the hotel anyway, at a time during the weekend that they aren’t yet sure of. It’s an important meeting from some hotshot criminal named Miles Lerner, allegedly happening at the hotel, so Grey sends them there overnight to take pictures and gather intel first during their stakeout before making the bust. 

They arrive at the hotel late into the night, check in under false names, make sure they’re in their plain clothes. The receptionist seems disinterested, hardly looking up from her computer as she asks, “Would you like to book a room?” 

“Yes, please,” Lucy starts but Tim taps her on the shoulder and draws her attention to the hotel room that their suspect is walking into. He gives her a look, which she picks up on and asks in an innocent tone, “Do you possibly have a room down that hallway? I like to stay close to the vending machines, we never pack enough food.” She pats Tim’s shoulder and Tim goes with it. If they’re going to keep their cover, they might as well make it believable. 

“Yeah… babe,” he stutters. He looks nervous as he wraps his arm around her waist and puts on a smile that looks way too forced. Lucy finds it kind of adorable, has to actively stop herself from picturing their life together as a married couple. 

It’s not that she wants to. She doesn’t have feelings for Tim. At least, she doesn’t think she does. But Emmett had broken up with her mere weeks ago and Tim had been there to comfort her. The only logical explanation is that she feels emotional and lonely after a breakup and Tim was the first person she’s seen. She chalks it up to that, tries to brush off whatever residual feelings she thinks might be there, and smiles back at the hotel receptionist. 

“That can be arranged.” The receptionist types into her computer, squints at the screen and then passes them a set of room key cards. “There you go. Your room will be right down that hall, first one on the left.” 

“Thank you,” Lucy smiles. She and Tim make their way to their room, luckily right across from their suspect’s room. 

Tim fidgets with the key, the door only unlocking after the third try. They walk in and throughout all of the beautiful things about the room, the big window, the clean sheets, the cute vintage pictures on the wall, Lucy and Tim’s eyes are both drawn to the one thing they can’t ignore. 

The one bed sitting in the middle of their room. 

“Shit,” Tim curses, “You didn’t think to mention that we needed two beds?” 

“Well, it was a little hard to concentrate with your hand around my waist. How is this even my fault? You were there too, you know.” she whacks his chest with the back of her hand, dropping her bags on the table in their room.

“Okay. Well… I can take the couch then.” 

“No no, I should take it,” she argues sympathetically. “I’m shorter, I have an actual chance of fitting on the couch.” 

“Okay, if you insist,” he caves in after a while. He puts his own bags on the bed, unpacks the duffle bag with their work gear. His phone starts ringing, so he takes the call. Lucy doesn’t know who it is but figures it’s Grey from the fact that Tim uses his professional voice as he works his way through a series of the regular “yes, I understand” and “got it” and “okay, thanks”. He hangs up after a few minutes, turns to Lucy who’s waiting in anticipation. 

“So?” 

“That was Grey,” he explains. “He says there’s new intel saying the drop isn’t happening until tomorrow morning but we have a good view of their room from here so he’s not pulling us out. We can relax for now, get some sleep. Tomorrow’s going to be busy.” 

Lucy nods, looking around the room nervously. Tim goes into the bathroom first to change, and then Lucy goes after him. It’s weird, seeing each other in such casual clothing. Lucy’s pyjamas consist solely of an oversized graphic tee of Jimin from BTS and a pair of shorts that are much shorter than what is considered professional. Tim tosses her one of the blankets from the bed and she spreads it out on the couch, slithering into it as she settles into the couch that has now become her bed. 

“This guy we’re after, Lerner. He’s married, has a wife and kids. You think they know that he’s a major drug dealer?” She asks him from her couch, stares up at the ceiling as he gets into his own bed. 

“I doubt he brings his shady business back home with him but I’m sure his wife suspects something. We tried bringing her in for questioning years ago without telling her why but that just scared this guy off. Went off the radar for months.” 

“Still, it must be nice to have someone worried for you, wondering if you’re going to be there when you get home…” She drifts off, thinks of how nice it would be. Of how much she misses that, how much she wants to find the one. 

“You’re really taking this breakup with Emmett to heart, aren’t you?” He sits up in his bed momentarily, rolls over and props himself up with his elbow to face her while looking at her sympathetically. “Listen, Chen, he didn’t deserve you. You’re… you’re good. And smart. And if he doesn’t see that, then you’re better off without him.” 

“Thanks,” she replies shyly. “It’s not about Emmett, really. I just… Dating is fun, sure. But I want the one, you know? That guy who you feel so lucky just to wake up next to. The smiling like an idiot and the fun banter and the exciting stuff. I want the whole package, you know? It just gets… lonely, sometimes.” She’s still staring up at the ceiling and so is he now, the two of them sitting in silence. “Whatever. It’s just stupid pipe dream,” she brushes it off with a weak laugh, “We should get some sleep.” 

He opens his mouth to say something but shuts it again. “Goodnight, Lucy,” he settles on eventually, his voice low and raspy, soothing to her soul. 

“Goodnight,” she replies in almost a whisper. The word feels so intimate, so sensitive coming out of her lips. And it does while coming out of his mouth well. She doesn’t know what to think of these feelings stirring in her stomach, so she turns the lamp next to the couch and the whole room goes dark as she rests her head against the pillows of the couch. 

An hour later, Lucy’s still awake, and just. 

The pillows are really hard. 

It’s very noticeable, combined with the weird, grainy texture of the fabric and the tacky tassels dangling in her face. She tries to fall asleep, tries to ignore all of the factors contributing to her discomfort. But then, she’s glancing over subtly at Tim’s bed, and just. Ok. She’s not the type of person to be bold and make a move. And that’s not what she’s doing here at all. But it’s a really, really uncomfortable couch, and she just wants to get some shuteye. “Tim? Are you awake?” She whispers quietly in case he isn’t. 

“... Yes,” he mumbles back in the dark. “I can’t fall asleep. Lucy sits up on the couch, sees him staring at the ceiling as he talks and then moving his gaze to her. 

“Me neither,” she replies. Silence falls over the room again. After a moment, Lucy gets up off the couch, tiptoes her way to the bed and leans over the side of the bed that Tim isn’t occupying. 

It’s just a bed, she tells herself. Figures it’s for professional purposes, that she needs sleep to perform at her best. She knows she’s lying to herself, but at this point, she’s too tired and, quite frankly, too lonely to care. 

Tim turns on his side, faces her now and watches her with confusion as she crawls into the bed. “Lucy—”

“Just… shut up, okay?” She pulls the blankets over her, turns on her side so that her back is facing Tim. She leaves a big gap between them, making sure to just focus on getting a good night’s sleep. 

“Okay,” he whispers. Then, as if he purposely tries to put a wrench in Lucy’s plans, Tim closes the gap between them and wraps an arm around her side from behind her. His head is snuggled into the crook of her neck, his breathing slow and steady, and just. Lucy doesn’t even know if she’s breathing, has to remind herself to inhale and exhale. Her heart’s racing fast just from his touch. 

Maybe it’s that she’s lonely. Maybe she’s just that she’s sleep-deprived and out of her mind. She doesn’t know. But as Lucy feels his breathing on her neck and shoulders, melts under his tight, steady embrace, she feels more with him than she had with Emmett, or with Nolan, or with any other guy, really. 

She learns that falling asleep is a lot easier when you’re wrapping up in Tim Bradford’s arms.

#and there was only one bed!!!!! #shocker right? how will they EVER deal with it hehehe #the rookie #chenford #tucy #lucy chen #tim bradford #song lyric requests

[zuffer-weird-girl]

What we all dont give for a soft Chisaki, right?

Music used to inspire this:

Sometimes, he wished he wasn't so bad with words or even that his knowledge about emotions was so... low.

Being the person he was, it wasn't shocking to say that he was quite the type of a lonely individual, and the few who stayed by his side; out of loyalty or out of fear; constantly had to deal with his... personality.

He had his breakdowns now a then, who hasn't even had one in their lifes? And the only person he truly trusted to be in his lowest moments was you. Nobody else.

You understand and support him on whatever he feels like doing, but somehow manage to still keep him grounded in a way he doesn't necessarily irritates him...

Although... he cursed himself plenty of times whenever you were the one down... and he didn't exactly knew what to do...

Like in this moment... Chrono had just came in to his office allerting him about the situation, and he immediately left all of his work behind as he made his way to you guys shared room...

He knocked once, he knocked twice, but you still wouldn't give him a answer, the only sounds coming from the bathroom were the water and your sniffles and sobs he so desperately wanted to stop.

"(Y/N), open this door right now." He winced at his own tone of voice, irritated and demanding... that was what he always was...

Your sobs completely died but the sniffles still remained, Chisaki immediately put the pieces together and figured it out that you must have thought that he was irritated by the sound of your crying... after all it wasn't new to know that Overhaul despised the sound.

In true he did, but yours he didn't wanted to simply vanished without a explanation or until he knew you were at least better... he never thought these things woth the others.

"(Y/N)... please open this door." He tried softening his voice to see if he get any luck...

"Go away Kai..." you cried sadly on the other side of the bathroom, subsconciously hurting him a bit "You don't want to see me like this, please just go..." you sniffled before he heard more sounds of water and soon after scoffed in offense.

"I don't want to see this? You're talking about one of the only persons I care for in this sick world here." He said unintentionally harshly this time.

He sighed at your stubbornness for staying in silent rather then answering him, which irritated him the slightest enough for him to take off one of his gloves.

"I'm getting in. Don't say I didn't warned you." He muttered before overhauling the door to pass through only to put in back in place.

No messes in his room.

He turned to you and he felt something in his chest crack in billions of pieces when he saw your eyes puff red, deprived of any of your usual bright, nose slightly pink as you curled your whole body in the bath tub.

The moment your eyes met his you hided between your legs while crossing your arms up in your head, crying freely now.

"Angel..." he muttered before aproaching the bathtub to sit on the edge of it... the words he so desperately wanted to say to comfort you like you usually do wasn't coming, and he mentally cursed himself for that.

He hesitantly lifted his gloved hand up to place it on the top of your head, noticing how you slighted shaked through one of many of your sobs.

"I hate this..." you mumbled between your cries as he only hummed.

What exactly did you hated though? Was something that he did? One of the precepts? Was your now lifestyle just not good enough..?

... wasn't he worth it of such a angel like yourself?

Of course he wasn't... he was a monstrous devil in comparation to you... yet he still wanted so badly your presence, your care, your touch somehow despite his mysophobia...

... your smile. Your true smile.

He sighed before rolling up his sleeves the highest he could, soon, thrusting his arms on the water of the bathtub to scoop you up in his arms on bridal style.

You yelped at the sudden movement and contact of your boyfriend, how wasn't he cringing from even aproaching your humiliating and disgusting figurine? He wasn't the type of-

"You can't tell me how or when I want to see you. Got it?" He murmured in his usual cold and demanding voice, but the way he sauished your body close to his spoke everthing he wanted to say but couldn't...

He was worried sick...

You nodded weakly and tiredly due to all that time you spent crying on that water. Chisaki response of your action was a scoff before taking you to sit on the bed.

"Wait in here. Don't you dare to move a muscle." He said quite harshly before entering for a bit in his closet and soon going into the bathroom again.

Probably went to scrub his arms or something... you didn't doubt it.

He left the bathroom shortly after with new clothes, and holding one of his black shirts on, he mentioned for you to lift your arms up in the air.

Confused you followed his comand before wenting wide eyes at the koment he sweetly placed his own shirt on you.

"Decent..." he muttered looking you in satisfaction in his clothes before he sitted down on his side, laying his back on the mastress as he stared at you, like he was expecting something.

"... it wasn't-"

"Try to lie to someone else. I know you like the back of my own hand at this point." You winced at his to of voice while he mentally facepalmed.

Goddamit...

"...was the precepts? Any of them? Or somebody else?" You shook your head meekly.

"The it was something that I didn't bought or you wanted? I can order someone to-"

"It wasn't. Don't worry... it wasn't..." you whispered sadly, without noticing how his eyes had fallen.

"Apologies..." you looked up at him in confusion while he sighed.

"If it wasn't any of the anterior things than it must be... me the problem. Right?"

A bit of relief and worry washed over him when you shook your head again, noticing how some tears were threating to escape again.

"I-Is... just one of t-those days... I-I'm sorry to make you worry over n-nothing..." you whined before letting the tear fall in your hands as you placed them over your eyes, kore to hide them and to precent they falled into your boyfriend's shirt.

Shit...

Before he knew it, he awkwardly enveloped his arms around your figurine, scenting that disgusting feeling on his chest that overpowered his fear of getting tears in his own shirt he was using it.

He slowly carresed your hair and scalp with his big gloved hands as he placed his chin on the top of your head, subsconciously wanting you to nestle yourself on his neck for comfort.

He thought for a moment before sighing in embarrassment and shame even.

He was sure going to regret this...

"For the way you changed my plans

For being the perfect distraction

For the way you took the idea that I have

Of everything that I wanted to have

And made me see there was something missing" he awkwardly started the song while rocking both of you slightly from side to side.

Your cries died down the moment you heard the muffled voice of your boyfriend... singing.

"For the ending of my first begin

And for the rare and unexpected friend

For the way you're something that I'd never choose

But at the same time, something I don't wanna lose

And I never wanna be without ever again..."

Your boyfriend... Chisaki Kai, the fearless and cold Overhaul... was singing for you, to comfort you... you couldn't believe it as you heard his sweet voice close to your ear.

"You're the best thing I never knew I needed

So when you were here I had no idea

You are the best thing I never knew I needed

So now it's so clear, I need you here always..."

He continued the song while you breathless giggled in both amusement and disbelief as you curled your hands in fist on his shirt, curling up on him.

"Who knew that I could be

So unexpectedly

Undeniably happier

Sitting with you right here, right here next to me

My angel, you're the best-"

You giggled at that one, he had changed the slightest bit the song to replace the 'girl' to what he usually called you.

Feeling your eyelids frow heavy, you sighed happily, laying your head on the crook of his neck, breating in his scent as you were lulled to a peaceful sleep.

"You're the best thing I never knew I needed

So when you were here I had no idea

You're the best thing I never knew I needed

So now it's so clear I need you here always."

He looked down at you and smiled in relief at seing your peaceful and mostly important happy expression on your angelic face... so submiting himself to sang for you wasn't a bad idea at all.

He might even quite enjoyed, you will never know about that.

"Now it's so clear...I need you here always." He singed the last part close to your ear before gaving up and going to sleep with his angel on his arms...

Indeed... you were the best thing in his life that he never knew he needed until meeting you...

And he didn't have any regrets about it.

#overhaul x reader #overhaul scenario #overhaul headcanons #fanfic overhaul #overhaul #chisaki kai imagine scenario #chisaki kai headcanons #chisaki kai x reader #kai chisaki #chisaki kai #bnha imagine #bnha characters #bnha villains #bnha #bnha x reader #my writing #zuffer writings

[szivtalan]

8, 9, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 25, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 34, 35, 36, 40, 41, 42, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48, 50, 53, 55, 57, 58, 59, 62, 64, 65, 70 (aside from Kagami 😂), 71, 72, 79, 82, 86, 87, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94, 95, 96, 97, 98, 99 for the "Asks, why not" thing please? (Omg that's soo much, I'm sorry I got carried away ^^')

8) Your looks (add a picture or describe yourself)

Average height, bordering on short. Broad shoulders, thick arms and thighs, square face, slightly projecting ears (one pierced, one with a stretched lobe), bushy arched brows, thick square glasses, faded dark red hair, dark brown eyes, butt chin. I look pale and perpetually sleep deprived.

9) What do you/did you study?

I was in a teacher’s training program for English and Hungarian language and literature, and I’m planning to go back to school to study sociology!

16) What do you look for in a SO?

Consciously: understanding, fun, sweet, kind and accepting. Unconsciously: somewhat broken and in dire need of emotional help which I’m desperate to provide lmao.

19) Do you prefer serious and meaningful relationships or casual dating/one night stands?

Eh, u know, it depends? I don’t think I’m fit for a serious relationship right now, so I’d prefer casual stuff atm, but on the long run I do want a partner to share my life with.

20) What are your deal breakers?

Really obnoxious people, ignorance and bigotry I guess. And I’m not keen on someone pushing or disrespecting my boundaries, either.

21) How was your day?

It was good!! My bro, his girlfriend and my friend tagged along to get our (me and my soon-to-be sis-in-law’s) ears pierced, and then my friend and I got a loot of food. I didn’t exactly feel good enough abt myself to be comfortable outside, but I got a lot of random kindness and that was Nice.

22) Favourite food & drink

Food: teriyaki chicken and seafood pasta, drink: ginger ale and iced coffee

23) What position do you sleep in?

I sleep half-curled up on my side, but I need to toss and turn a little until I find The Best Position.

25) Your fears

The dark, needles, rabbits (I don’t even know, dude), the fact that I’ll die without having made an impact on the world, being spoken about behind my back, being a bad influence on my friends.

28) Any pets?

Not right now! I used to have two rottweilers around the house growing up, but they both passed away sadly.

29) What are your hobbies?

Writing, sketching, basketball, getting on people’s nerves, researching typology, watchin movies idk?

31) What was your last awkward situation?

Asjhdh the ticket control guy told me to “Have a safe trip” and I said “You too!”. This rarely happens to me tho

32) What is your last regret?

Not holding my friend’s hand on public transport. It was…right…there….and she already told me she’s more than comfortable with physical touch! I’m a fool! Everyone thinks I hate touching but I don’t! I’m just shy!

34) Do you believe in astrological stuff? (Zodiac, tarot, etc.)

Ehh. Kind of? As for believing, I believe more in ghosts, but I do see some patterns in different signs. I just try not to let it affect the way I see/interact with a person, because no one deserves to be prejudiced for whatever reason, especially not their date of birth. Tarot is just fun, and the cards r cool

35) Have any quirks?

I bite the skin on my fingers, scratch my acne, make my knees jump… most of it is just regular anxiety stuff tho so idk?? I do think I’m quirky, but there’s just too much weird stuff to list ‘em.

36) Your pet peeves

Cig/booze stink on a person, customers being rude, bigotry, interrupting other people… There’s quite some things that annoy me asjdgd

40) Last 5 things from your search history

Boku No Hero Academia, Hawks, duck emoji, Grumman fma, How To Train Your Dragon

41) What’s your device backgrounds?

My phone lockscreen rn is a beautiful KagaKuro fanart of them standing in the rain in yukatas, Kagami looming over Kuroko and shielding him from the rain and Kuroko reaching up to stroke his face; my phone background is an art of they/them pronouns tattooed on someone’s knuckles, their posture unsure; my laptop background is a screenshot from the movie Déva, of blue skies and a street lamp.

42) What do you daydream about?

…cu..cuddling,,my…crush……..

44) What's your religion/Your thought about religion

Short version: barf

Long version: I was raised catholic (even tho I was never baptized), and attended catholic school for 8 years which gave me a really warped idea of Christianity, Which made me a cynic & an agnostic or atheist by proxy. I harshly criticize the catholic church and faith but sometimes… when I do feel hopeless I get down on my knees and pray, so I guess if I let myself find my own faith I’d be a believer. But right now, I’m good just existing in my nihilistic bubble

45) Your personality type

Needy imeanwhat. In a typological sense, I’m an INFP in Myers-Briggs, 4 core 5 wing in Enneagram, melancholic or sanguine in the temperaments, et cetera. Basically I’m a sad daydreamer with unresolved issues and a need to do Art

47) Are you happy with your current life?

Nah bro. I like my friends and my workplace but I’d like to move out of home ASAP. I’d also… like to get therapy before I go and put myself out there.

48) Some things you've tried in your life

Playing the guitar, hostess work, weed, cigarettes, being blackout drunk, smoking from a hookah, cooking, football, handball, basketball, volleyball, cycling, sailing, driving, hitchhiking long distances, folk dancing, one-night stands, long-distance relationships, helping people in need…

50) Favourite colour to wear?

Olive green, midnight/navy blue, white, grey and black.

53) If you could change/add something to your appearance - impossible or not - what would it be?

I’d… like to know how it would feel if I had a flat chest and a penis? I also want bigger Guns, and Abs, some more tattoos and maybe an eyebrow piercing.

55) Do you get complimented often?

I think so? I usually brush off compliments uhhh but yeah maybe! Maybe idk

58) Songs you're currently obsessed with?

My friend’s playlist reminded me that ‘Phenomenon’ by Thousand Foot Krutch exists. I’m also really into ‘San Francisco’ by The Mowgli’s atm and ‘Golden Time Lover’ by Sukima Switch!

59) Song you normally wouldn't admit you like.

I mean, it’s not like it’s cringe or anything, I hate cringe culture BUT. I do have Ariana Grande’s ‘Side to Side’ stuck in my head rn

64) Can you sing or play any instruments?

I can sing pretty badly, play a bad tune on my guitar, drum on the edge of my table, so- Nah not really asdh

65) Do you like karaoke?

YES VERY MUCH I live and die for karaoke, last time I did it in front of an audience we sung the Shaman King opening at an anime con with friends, it was Rad

70) Your fictional crush/es

AH NO FUN Kagami’s my number one,,, let’s see then: Aomine, Roy Mustang, Kise, Mikoto Suoh, Hotch & Reid from Criminal Minds, Yagami Light, Jaime Lannister and Brienne from GoT, Rustin Cohle from True Detective, Shizuo Heiwajima from Durarara!!!, why is this list full of men I didn’t think I liked men this much

71) Which fictional character is you?

Eddie Brock from Venom I mean? He’s a whole ass mess.

79) How much time do you spend on the internet?

Yike. More than I’d be proud of.

86) Would you use death note, if you had one?

No way dude. I don’t fuck with that shit, karma would fuck me right back.

87) What changes would you make in the world, no matter how impossible, if you had the power to?

I’d eliminate money and power and just make it a huge peaceful hippie community or something idk

90) What would you want to happen to you after your death?

Donate me to a medical school I don’t care. Make use of me! I’m gonna be dead, I won’t have any more feelings left to be hurt or anything asdghdsg

91) If you had to change your name, what would be your pick?

I’ve had a name in mind that I tried out once, but it didn’t really work out for me after all. I’m fine with Vee and Vic rn. Anything that isn’t my given name. I do want to change my surname to my mother’s, but if I do that I also want to give myself a different first name, and since That isn’t figured out yet, I’m just?? Call me whatever dude

94) Write 3 things about yourself - only one of them must be true

Ugh, I’m bad at these. 1) I have plenty of moles. 2) My eyesight is pretty good. 3) I’ve broken some bones before.

95) Cold or hot?

Cold in beverage, hot in weather.

96) Be a hero or be a villain?

Being a villain is way too much fun, but I have too strong of a conscience to pull that off, so… hero, I guess.

97) Sing everything you want to say or rhyme?

Asjhdf singing is funnier and more annoying, since I Cannot Sing

98) Shapeshifting or controlling time?

Dude I’m non-binary. Shapeshifting for Sure

99) Be immortal or be immune to everything aside from natural death?

Aight I’ll give in – I agree to immortality Just This Once.

#this was LONG as FUK #ask and i shall answer #i kindly skipped those i've already answered ^^' #thank u buddy!!! #meiyanaalexia #i didn't think i'd get too real with this but here i am

[novalian]

Can you kind of elaborate on bellamy's "big brother instincts" and how his actions towards Octavia in season 1 were with only good intentions. My friend is trying to tell me that bellamy is being mysoginistic and abusive and it's so frustrating bc she cleary isn't understanding the show. I'm not too good at explaining stuff, but you are so i'd love if you could answer this! Thanks

Wow, that is some vintage anti-Bellamy.

I’ll answer this question re: episodes1.01 – 1.07, because after that point Bellamy’s attitude and behaviour changesand I’m guessing that it’s his conduct prior to that point with which yourfriend takes issue – as far as Octavia is concerned, that is. To be fair, Itake issue with some of it as well – but I definitely don’t think he wasmisogynistic or abusive, and it’s clear beyond doubt that he only ever had goodintentions.

Bellamy isn’t overprotective ofOctavia because she’s a girl. His characterization completely defies that idea,and so too does the general portrayal of gender culture on the Ark – it doesn’treally exist. I think there is a misguided perception by some that Bellamy’sinstances of intervening between Octavia and a guy she had sexual/romanticinterest in were motivated by a desire to control her. It’s apparent to me thathe only wanted to protect her.

He’s overprotective of her because hehas had to be, all her life, to keep her alive – playing more of a father thana big brother, with all the responsibility and none of the legitimate authority(and the contrast between Bellamy’s perception of himself as a father figureand Octavia/the audience’s of him as a brother is a big factor in themisinterpretations, I think). 

Look at it from Bellamy’s perspective. He isaccustomed to being hyper-aware of her wellbeing, and to structuring his wholeexistence around her. Ever since she was born he has been engaged in an effortto keep her hidden, to conceal and misdirect, to somehow make the resources oftwo people sustain a family of three. Not only has he not had a chance todevelop away from that mindset yet, but they are in a foreign/hostileenvironment and Octavia is surrounded by other people for the first time in herlife – not just people, but ‘criminals’. She is openly and deliberatelyreckless; ‘I need to do something crazy, just because I can.’ She’s totally newto concepts like working in a team, calculating risks and making rationaldecisions; through no fault of her own, she has never had the opportunity todevelop those skills. 

In 1.01 when she goes on the hike, Bellamy is initiallysurprised but he sends her off with a ‘Go on.’ It’s only after she returns, mauledby a giant sea snake and minus one speared companion, that he confines her tocamp – a decision Clarke agrees with. ‘If anyone touches her, they deal withme,’ is a directive to Atom to keep her safe and while a regular teenager maynot require a babysitter, I can see Bellamy’s thinking here – Octavia is rashand she’s rebellious and she honestly has no experience with people or withtaking responsibility for her own safety. It just so happens that part ofprotecting O here involves Atom separating her from a young murderer she’sabout to sleep with, on Bellamy’s behalf. That is not about depriving O of hersexual autonomy, it’s about a) keeping her away from a killer and b) keepingBellamy from shooting the killer that went near his sister. Not because hewanted to sleep with her – because he’s a murderer.

O had a pattern of trusting guysquickly, and kind of against reason. She starts off with the murder dude andupgrades to Lincoln (I’m skipping Atom, who was less of an unknown), who turnsout to be a total cupcake in the long run but still kidnaps her, chains her upand stabs Finn – Bellamy’s refusal to see him as an ally makes far morerational sense than Octavia’s romantic notion of Lincoln as a misunderstoodhero, even if her instincts turn out to be closer to the mark than Bellamy’s observation-basedconclusions. Again, this is not Bellamy being the Tybalt to Octavia’s Juliet –this is Bellamy protecting his little sister from a grown man who abducted herand appears to mean their entire community harm. He doesn’t like the torture,and in fact it’s a real crossroads moment for him – the first time he really believesthat he crossed a line. But I understand his motives, even if his methods aremorally questionable – though I’ve never totally made up my mind if they wereunjustified considering the information he had at the time.

Octavia certainly seems to believe attimes that Bellamy is abusing his power over her, and I think some in the audienceare predisposed to take her side over Bellamy’s, especially in the very earlydays when there was a little bit of Good Sibling/Bad Sibling going on. She isthe quintessential Rebellious Teenage Daughter here – desperate to gain someindependence and an identity separate from her family, she is oblivious to theways in which she is unprepared and vulnerable, so Bellamy’s (somewhatoverbearing) attempts to protect her are perceived by her as him being acontrolling ass. Ironically, I think Octavia in Season 4, who is on even worseterms with her brother, would look back on those days and find herself agreeingmore with Bellamy than herself.

Bellamy has conflict with Octavia, agirl, because of the ways he exerts power over her as her brother/guardian and her leader.Those conflicts have nothing to do with the fact that she’s a girl, andeverything to do with the fact that she has not yet learned how to look afterherself and Bellamy has not yet learned to let her try. Misogyny disproven. Asfar as abuse goes, I might need a more specific incident to talk about becauseI’m kind of baffled as to how the mind even goes there.

#the blake siblings #Anonymous #bellamy blake #gabi makes words about the 100 #i hope this is what you were looking for anon #i'm always paranoid that i've completely misinterpreted anon qs #bellamy abusive? #show me where