#hmm wait actually probably because of trust issues oh yeah | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

robininthelabyrinth · 3 years

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🧿🤠🐇🍲🍯: Nie Huaisang hasn’t found anyone to do the body sacrifice ritual for him, and so in desperation he tries it himself. However, the ritual was not designed with a Nie cultivator in mind—something Nie Huaisang does not realize until he’s doubled over on the floor, far too close to a qi deviation, because his (admittedly tiny) saber spirit has been replaced with Wei Wuxian.

ao3

Well, that was the dumbest thing ever.

The thought so closely matched Wei Wuxian’s that he didn’t even notice that it wasn’t his own.

How could you be so stupid? Wei Wuxian tried to shout at Nie Huaisang, who was curled up gasping on the floor. The floor, which was stained with Nie Huaisang's own blood, with cuts he had made himself on himself, with the ancient body sacrifice summoning that – that –

Don’t you realize that you’d be gone? You absolute idiot! Wei Wuxian howled, even though he wasn’t actually a person right now. He didn’t know what he was, a ghost or spirit, maybe, but he was there and he was angry and Nie Huaisang’s arms were covered in blood from where he’d cut himself up in order to destroy his own soul – Nie Huaisang, the mincing sensitive little master who would complain for three weeks about having stubbed his toe! – and his robes that he had always taken such great care to keep clean and neat were a mess and he was bleeding from the nose and eyes and ears because something had gone wrong. Something had gone wrong, and Wei Wuxian hated to be grateful for it because he didn’t want to be brought back by Nie Huaisang’s death.

Not anyone’s death, really, but definitely not Nie Huaisang, who’d never hurt him or treated him badly. Even when the whole world had hated and reviled Wei Wuxian, isolating him in Yiling on the Burial Mounds, Nie Huaisang hadn’t – he’d waved jauntily to him during Phoenix Mountain, and Wei Wuxian had never doubted that if he’d somehow found his way to Qinghe, Nie Huaisang would have treated him just the same as always.

You – you –! You good-for-nothing!

“Don’t be rude,” Nie Huaisang mumbled, slowly uncurling. “Didn’t bring you back to be rude to me.”

You know what you’ve done, then? You could have died!

“Was I supposed to let someone else do it?” Nie Huaisang rubbed at his face with his sleeve, then frowned at the blood on it. “I thought about it, but I really just – couldn’t.”

So you decided to kill yourself?

“It’s like you said, Wei-xiong. I’m a good-for-nothing. I couldn’t – I can’t – I can’t fix this. So why not bring back someone who can?”

Wei Wuxian didn’t have words to express how much that was not all right with him.

Go fix yourself, he ordered. I don't care what 'this' is; I’m not talking to you until you get cleaned up.

“After all that work I did? Wei-xiong…”

Nope! You’re not dying, so you can get cleaned up before we talk, and that’s that. I still can’t believe you nearly – I don’t want it. I’ve never wanted anyone to get hurt for me.

“Wei-xiong, you’re being silly. Who said I did it for you?”

Wei Wuxian would have stared if he had eyes.

“I did it for me,” Nie Huaisang said, and finally he got up properly and staggered over to a basin to start washing himself clean. “Obviously! I'm incredibly self-absorbed. It’s about what I need from you…hey, how did you come back? I thought the ritual only worked if I died.”

It should have, Wei Wuxian agreed, unwillingly intrigued by it. I don’t know, actually. It’s strange: it should have either worked, in which case you’d be dead and I’d be possessing your body, or else not worked at all, in which case I shouldn’t be here.

“I always mess things up.”

No, really, I don’t think you messed this up? The array is perfect. There’s no reason for it not to have worked.

“These cuts won’t heal,” Nie Huaisang observed, looking at his arms. “Did I accidentally curse myself to fulfill my obligations? Ugh, why.”

As the person you were going to impose said obligations on, I’m now going to laugh at you. Hahahahaha –

“Shut up, Wei-xiong. Where are you, anyway? I don’t see any ghostly figures that might be you, and anyway, we’re in the Unclean Realm; there are ghost-repelling arrays in every stone.”

I don’t know, Wei Wuxian said, and then something else said, Ghost-repelling arrays only repel ghosts.

At first Wei Wuxian thought that it was Nie Huaisang who had said that, and he was about to ask what he meant by that, only Nie Huaisang got there first and said, “What do you mean, Wei-xiong? Are you not a ghost?”

I didn’t say that, Wei Wuxian said. That – wasn’t me.

“Who was it?”

Me.

“…Wei-xiong…?”

No, that wasn’t me. I mean, it wasn’t me that said ‘me’ just now!

Of course not, the voice said, and it was Wei Wuxian’s voice – or not-voice, anyway, whatever it was that he was using to communicate – but not Wei Wuxian speaking. It was me, of course. Master forgot to account for me in his array.

What? Wei Wuxian asked, utterly confused, but apparently that made more sense to Nie Huaisang because his knees went weak and he fell down on his ass.

“Aituan?” he gasped. “I – what – is that you?”

Yes.

Can I interrupt? Wei Wuxian asked. Who – or what – is Aituan?

“My saber!”

Your – what?!

Nie Huaisang attempted to explain. It ended up being a fairly long explanation, involving his sect’s cultivation style, saber spirits, and his own personal saber spirit, which was named Aituan, and which Nie Huaisang swore up and down did not speak prior to this.

Of course not, the voice now known as Aituan said irritably. Why would I speak? I’m a saber. We’re sensible, not like you humans – but now you’ve shoved a human spirit in with me, so what am I supposed to do? Not use his abilities as my own?

I feel like I should feel violated, Wei Wuxian said.

“When in fact you think it’s really neat?”

…yeah, basically.

Aituan huffed. Can we get back to the part where we plan a murder? he (it?) whined.

Sorry, Aituan, Wei Wuxian said. No murder.

“Uh,” Nie Huaisang said. “Actually, about that…”

I think we should kill him.

“I can’t do that!”

Dunno, I think Aituan has a point, Wei Wuxian said. We should probably just kill him.

“You’re supposed to be helping me, Wei-xiong!”

I’m helping! I’m a saber now, I can totally help you stab him.

“Not helpful!”

I like this human, Aituan declared. Good human. Proper blade on his hilt.

You mean head on my shoulders?

Whatever.

Nie Huaisang threw his hands up in annoyance. “Would either of you like to remember the part where I can’t actually fight? San-ge would beat me black and blue if I so much as picked up a pocket-knife in his presence!”

Get someone else to help, Wei Wuxian suggested pitilessly.

“I tried! You!”

Someone else.

“Like who?”

Hmm. Lan Zhan? He’s great.

“I don’t know. He’s er-ge’s brother, isn’t he? He might not believe me…” Nie hUaisang grimaced. “He hasn’t been much inclined to believe me before.”

Why doesn’t the loudmouth do the talking? Aituan suggested.

Oh, that’s a good idea! Lan Zhan was always inclined to listen to me before.

“I thought you said he hated you?”

He still listened!

Nie Huaisang heaved a sigh.

Your other alternative is stabbing your enemy directly, Aituan said. If you’d like to give it a try…

“…I’ll talk to Lan Zhan.”

“I can’t believe you’re perving after my saber,” Nie Huaisang complained.

I can’t believe Lan Zhan likes me! I mean, likes me!

I can’t believe I’m still stuck here with you idiots. Can I go share bodies with Baxia instead?

Lan Wangji just looked awkward.

Some people might mistake it for looking noble and genteel, but by now they all knew: it was just him being horribly awkward.

“I have no such intentions,” he said stiffly. “Only – if it was possible for Wei Ying to exit the saber…”

Nie Huaisang grimaced, humor falling away. “I…don’t really know about that.”

Wait, wait, wait. If I can’t – if I’m stuck as a saber – I can’t – but I really want to kiss Lan Zhan! This isn’t fair! I don’t want to have to wait until I reincarnate.

You won’t reincarnate, Aituan said. You’re a saber. Unless we’re melted down or get ground down by time…

No!

“Surely there has to be some way. Aituan, stop being a part of the problem and start being a part of the solution.”

Fine. Let him possess you.

“…what.”

He just needs a human body, right? Let him possess you. Problem solved.

I can do that?

Technically, I can do that, and you can do it because I can do it. But we’d need Master’s permission.

“There are many, many, many books about why you don’t grant your saber permission to possess you. Anyway, that’s my body!”

Yeah, I guess it would be weird for you to kiss Lan Zhan, would it?

“I mean, not really? He’s very pretty. I could swing it.”

You could?

“…you could swing what,” Lan Wangji said.

“Having Wei-xiong possess me,” Nie Huaisang explained. “So that he and you can get the whole missed opportunity thing out of your system.”

Lan Wangji’s face did a few strange things.

"Assuming that it wouldn't be an issue for you, that is, it being me on the other side..."

"No," Lan Wangji said, and cleared his throat. "That would be - fine."

Ooooooh. Does Lan Zhan like you, too?

"What? No. Don't be ridiculous, Lan Zhan doesn't like me like that."

He'd be willing to kiss you.

"Physical attraction isn't the same thing," Nie Huaisang argued. "Lan Zhan, you're with me on this, right? You wouldn't be interested in -"

Lan Wangji cut him off.

A few moments later, he pulled back and said, thoughtfully, "As suspected. It is fine."

Nie Huaisang opened and closed his mouth a few times.

"...well then," he said blankly, then frowned. “Aituan, can I revoke permission for possession?”

No idea. You'd just have to trust that we'd give it back; it's a risk you'd have to take.

“…well, as illustrated, it’s not the worst idea I’ve ever had. Let’s try it, and then once everyone’s a little more focused we can go do what we need to do. Sound good?”

“I really didn’t expect you to start a relationship Nie Huaisang,” Lan Xichen said to Lan Wangji, not long before the end. He sounded deeply puzzled. “I didn’t think you liked him like that.”

“Not by himself,” Lan Wangji said with a shrug. “But he’s good in company.”

“…you’re with other people too? Both of you?”

“Mm.”

Lan Xichen, knowing his younger brother’s reticent temper, especially of late, declined to ask who the other parties were. “Doesn’t that make things crowded?” he asked instead.

“…surprisingly no,” Lan Wangji said. “Not as much as you’d think.”

#mdzs #nie huaisang #wei wuxian #lan wangji #wangxian #wangxiansang #my fic #my fics #crowded

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inkdemonapologist · 3 years

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[BatIM Call of Cthulhu Masterpost]

nEW SESSION (summary here!), where there’s been an unexpected development to the music issue and its time to [checks my notes] taLK TO THE PROPHET AND BREAK INTO SUSIE’S APARTMENT??? Also, the Prophet and Joey have made.... a truce(???), Prophet is concerned Sammy isn’t going to stay on task now that music is returning and has left him a sort of alarming note, and Jack is uh, trying to hold, too many things, maybe some things he shouldn’t be holding, Jack please put those things back,

anyway heres a stack of out-of-context quotes from our session under the readmore:

[Sammy is played by me, Joey is played by Boo (inkyvendingmachine), Henry is played by Maf (inkcryptid), Jack is played by Mochi (whatyouwantedmetosee) and Thren (haunted-hijinxer) is our GM!]

[Jack] My favourite thing is, there are so many reasons that Henry could've avoided things that I have no idea WHY Henry isn't affected. [Jack] Like, is he not affected because his art isn't a performance? Is he not affected because he warded his house? Is he not affected because he'S FILLED WITH GLOWING BLOOD?!?

[Jack] He got as far as feeding his cat, and I feel like feeding cat isn't a performance-- [Sammy] Not usually, not unless you sing a song to your cat, which-- [Jack] Awww! [Sammy] -- which, now that I've said that, sounds like something Jack would do actually,

[Sammy] Ohhhh, that's right, Joey just heard some people play some bad notes and start panicking, and then he stood up and passed out, [Jack] Which is probably how Sammy feels every time he hears people mess up music!

[GM] He finds news on the radio, but they’re not talking about that right now. [Joey] What are they talking about? [GM] Something mundane; business or sports or something. [Jack] The, the sportsball team, got a…..uh….. a, a point. Congratulations, sportsball,

[Joey] If the sportscasters sound normal, then Joey is instantly VERY ANGRY.

[Henry] Henry’s not very musically inclined, but he knows some songs, [Sammy] Like, can you hum Twinkle Twinkle Little Star -- [Jack] “Anyway, here’s Wonderwall.”

[Jack] Jack has made a vague list of the kinds of people who seem to be affected. [Jack] There’s also “NOT HENRY?????” with a bunch of question marks in this list.

[GM] He’s told that Peter is out of town for a week. [Jack] Hmm. [Sammy] PETER WHERE ARE YOU GOING? [Jack] Hmmmmmm. [Sammy] Jack, is Peter coming here, to check on you, [Jack] HMMMMMMMMMMMMM,

[Sammy] *exasperated* NPCs Stop Getting Involved In The Occult Challenge [Henry] Stop Getting Involved In The Occult Or Draw 25

[Joey] Peter had never seen a Bendy cartoon, and this needed to be fixed. [Joey] The premier is this weekend, and he sent tickets to Pete to correct this, error, in his ways. [Jack] ...I think it is very slowly dawning on Jack, that this means that Pete has been pulled directly into yet another… supernatural nonsense... [Sammy] WE DIDNT DO THIS ONE!!

[Sammy] I CAN’T BELIEVE PHONES ARE THE ANTAGONIST OF THIS ADVENTURE

[Henry] Oh wait--! oh, no, nevermind, I forgot he and Allison probably aren’t together yet. [Sammy] Yeah, I think they just met; they had a meet-cute where they found out they both like Frankenstein and that’s it. [Jack] They actually got married today, since nothing else was happening at the Studio, [Sammy] That’s why Allison hasn’t shown up, she was busy getting married!

[GM] Bendy might’ve been keeping tabs on Henry, but it depends I guess on how distressed Joey is seeming. [Joey] Joey is probably just going to bury his sorrow in studying magic. [GM] Okay! That’s fine and normal Joey behaviour!

[Sammy] Sammy will note that nothing got done in the music department, because he has good priorities.

[Jack] I like the idea that it’s just like, when the teacher isn’t in, and nobody does the work the substitute teacher gave you, [Jack] Everyone’s just playing pokemon in the back, [GM] I thought you were going to say “poker,” but I like the way you ended the sentence better.

[Jack] HMMMMMM. I wonder if we know, any suspicious women, who were around on that specific day, who are known to have, skill and interest in magical things, [Joey] And also were aware of the cutouts, [Sammy] *cheerfully* Yeah, weird! Anyway!!!!

[Jack] Sammy was acting weird about Allison. Far too agreeable for a Sammy!

[Sammy] *talking about Prophet* If you want to lock him in somewhere, or restrain him, I’ll cooperate. [Jack] Just handcuff him to Jack! [Sammy] SAMMY IS UNEASY WITH THAT PLAN, [Jack] *laughing* What could go wrong! It’s not like Jack is significantly less strong or anything!!

[Jack] Not everyone makes up their entire self, Joey!!! (Affectionate)!!

[Sammy] I give my word, my sheep! [Henry] How good is your word? [Sammy] I mean. It’s pretty good.

[Henry] Henry’s trying to decide if it would be rude to doodle during this very serious conversation. [Jack] I mean, Jack is taking notes, so I feel like-- [Joey] --you can get away with fake note-ing. [GM] No one will know! [GM] Well, Bendy will know, because he’s up high. [GM] Ceiling Bendy

[Sammy] He’s not gonna give you a grade afterwards, like, this isn’t a lecture, [Jack] Time for Prophet Pop Quiz!

[GM] What’s Prophet writing? [Sammy] Um, I gotta think about this... [Jack] “Dear Frightened Shepherd, that Allison person sure is nice, isn’t she?” [GM] “What’s up with everyone ragging on her?” [Joey] “I think I have finally found a way to bridge the gap between us!” [Jack] “I think you need to replace your sheep, they seem kind of suspicious for no reason,” [Jack] “To Do List: Get Better Sheep”

[Sammy] Does this feel like something that’s trying to take his focus, like, very compelling creative ideas? [GM] Yes. [Sammy] ...Prophet will write “don’t get distracted” five more times.

[GM] His mind is abuzz with thoughts of dancing and actoring, [GM] Ideas to be the best Joey ever! [Jack] Oh no.

[Joey] He will wave at the cutout and make a “come here” motion. [Joey] Though also, he’s looking at the cutout like, I’m not quite sure how this works, but I’m going to trust you that it works! So I’m going to do this and see if Bendy shows up! [Jack] Like someone trying to learn how to do phone video calls for the first time, [Joey] YES. Joey’s actually like really close to the cutout, and the motions -- you can make them out, but it’s really awkward,

[Sammy] They’re in no danger. I will take care of the Shepherd’s sheep. [Jack] ...JACK’S BEEN DOWNGRADED!! He’s no longer PROPHET’S sheep!

[Joey] I like how everything Prophet says really just feels like, Knife Cat face.

[GM] You could probably make a Mythos roll to figure it out. [Joey] *rolls* Oh! Extreme success! [GM] Joey’s back!

[GM] Bendy will lead Joey back to the room, where hopefully there are three alive, non-fighting boys!

[Jack] Part of me was like, “What if Jack DOES turn into a cat…?! It’d be pretty hard to write things!” [GM] *laughs* We’ll keep that in our back pocket, in case Jack ever fails a Mythos check. [Jack] Meowthos check…

[Henry] I’m going to have Henry look, look with his Special Eyes.

[Sammy] *failing a roll* Prophet is just, NOT on the ball today, in any way shape or form. [GM] Really hard not to think about music. : ) [Sammy] Ohhhhhh boy, [Jack] Prophet just writes a note to Sammy that says “HOW do you LIVE like this???”

[Henry] Henry’s gonna try to scribble what he remembers of the symbol! [Sammy] Didn’t we learn, from the last scenario, about reproducing weird symbols, [Henry] No.

[Joey] Did Joey get burnt? [GM] Make a dexterity roll! : ) [Henry] *mumbling* Y’all this entire building is made of wood. *Joey fails* [GM] 1 point of damage, you singe your hand -- on the plus side, you kind of were holding it as it burned up, so it doesn’t fall on the wooden floor. [Sammy] OH GOOD, we’re not LOCKED IN A CLOSET that’s about to burn down? GREAT!

[Joey] We could head over to the infirmary -- [Jack] Jack is already pulling the burn ointment out of his bag. [Jack] He’s prepared this time! [Jack] He’s been practicing, he knows what you’re all like,

[Joey] Joey will give him a smile that’s most recognisable as the “I know you will do good!” smile. [Sammy] Prophet will also smile! It is not a friendly smile. [Jack] It’s a “smile” in quotation marks, but it’s like, baring your teeth as an act of aggression.

[Jack] Jack lets him go to do the call, but just before he picks up the phone, he says, “Don’t call him Petey.”

[GM] The phone rings, and is not answered. [Joey] Okay! Joey hangs up, says Peter checked into his room, but is not answering. Most likely asleep. [Jack] Half of my brain is going, “what if he’s just stood outside Jack’s house?” The other half of my brain is concerned about manias. I hope he’s not decided that now is a really great time to do more writing, and now he can’t stop, and this could go wrong-- [Jack] This is what Jack’s mind is doing, thinking of all the terrible possibilities. [Joey] While humming. [Jack] ...yes. He’s writing some very troubling lyrics.

[Sammy] *talking about Jack’s compulsive humming* Like Cornifer, [Jack] *starts humming Cornifer’s theme* Dangit, now it’s in my head, why would you do this to me? [Sammy] It’s in character! [Sammy] Method acting. : )

[Joey] Joey’s going to grab supplies to make sure Bendy can… hang around with them! [Joey] Sleepover supplies! Let’s grab your sleepover bag! :D

[Sammy] I don’t know why the idea of a wild Bendy running around across the rooftops is so cute to me… [GM] Probably on all fours, [Jack] Scampering,

[Jack] It’s a good thing Henry’s around because I don’t think Jack can… carry??? An entire Sammy??? [Jack] Like he’s good at holding but he’s not strong at holding.

[Joey] We’ve all been acting terrible for the last 24 hours… [Joey] WAIT. We’ve all been acting terrible for the last 24 hours!!!

[GM] Bendy hides under a blanket or something. [Jack] Comfey… [GM] Cozy boy, [Joey] Bendyrito. [Sammy] BENDYRITO,…….. [GM] Rolled up… snug...

[GM] Is everybody coming into the apartment, or just the two? [Jack] Hmmm….. Jack isn’t fond of either of these options. Going in is suspicious and weird; staying outside makes it look even more like they’re breaking in, to steal things, as opposed to, y’know, breaking in, for,,, “good” reasons(???) [Sammy] We’re not breaking in, we’re just walking into this apartment! What’s so weird about that?! [Jack] That’s breaking in. That’s what breaking in is, Sammy. [Sammy] They don’t have to know that we don’t belong here, maybe Susie gave us a key! [Jack] ...they heard us knocking. [Sammy] [Sammy] We’re BEING POLITE!! SHUT UP!!

[Henry] Jack, did you pick up kleptomania.. [Joey] I thought Jack picked up Being Prepared! [Jack] H-he’s just hoarding a little bit!! It’s fine!!! It’s very, useful, see, already Joey got injured!! It was useful to bring lots of things with him okay!!!!!!!!!

[GM] They do not have the police called on them, so that’s nice. [Sammy] Oh good! [Jack] Thank GOODNESS. [Henry] Love when that happens! [GM] If you guys got arrested, the Lurker’s just out in the car all night, [Henry] oh NO, [Jack] Worse punishment than jail… [Joey] Lurker learns how to drive for fun. [GM] *laughs* Gets curious, [Joey] “I said I wouldn’t leave the car, but--”

[Joey] WAIT. There’s a very important factor that we just decided but didn’t say. [GM] Oh? [Joey] If we have Henry heading home, and everyone else sleep over at Jack’s…. [Joey] ...the Lurker finally gets to meet a cat. *everyone gasps* [Jack] Oh that’s SO important

[Henry] And Henry will probably look at these, while in the car, to make sure they don’t have any gold writing on them-- [Sammy] Isn’t Henry driving??? [Henry] ……Henry is not going to look at them in the car,

[Sammy] We’re all going to bed, Sammy, you don’t need a banjo to sleep! [Joey] You might sleep worse if you have a banjo, actually. You might not stop.

[Sammy] Jack you wanna join us? We’re gonna just jam all night! [Jack] It really is Jammy�� [Sammy] *laughs* TRUE Jammy!! Real Jammy Hours… [GM] That makes it a pyJAMa party… a real jammy jam…

#call of cthulu: haunted hijinx #sammy lawrence #Jack Fain #joey drew #Henry Stein #Bendy the Lurker #when in doubt just keep drawing #cthulhu game quotes #everyone except henry got a new insanity and we're doing... fine!

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mammonshuman92 · 3 years

Text

- It Takes Two -

(Mammon x GN!MC)

Genre: angst/hurt/comfort

WARNINGS: alcohol, drunkenness, cheating, **

** There is a moment where a character is drunk, and someone makes moves on them, character is too drunk to realize it’s not who they thought it was. Groping and making out, no penetration; character doesn’t consider is SA. I apologize if it is offensive.

Ya better hurry up, or we’re gonna be late!” Mammon was pulling you by the hand down the hallway to your first class of the day.

“I wasn’t the one who overslept because they kept saying “just lay with me for 5 more minutes.”“ You said, giving your best impression of him.

You’d become best friends rather quickly after your arrival in the Devildom, practically becoming attached at the hip instantly. It didn’t take long for that light, warm feeling to invade your heart. Now you’d been dating for a few months and had become even more inseparable.

“Details, details!” He responded, laughing.

The two of you came barreling through the door with only seconds to spare before the bell rang; hand-in-hand, laughing like fools.

You took your seats across the room from each other, being the professors current punishment for Mammon talking to you during class.

As you sat down you felt eyes on you and looked up.

A few succubi were not so casually looking at you and whispering.

It wasn’t uncommon though. I mean, you are a human in the Devildom. You also live with the 7 rulers of the underworld. You’d gotten quite used to people whispering about you. You decided to ignore them, and pay attention to class. Whatever they were whispering about was surely nothing you hadn’t already heard circulating throughout the gossip mill.

Throughout the day, you noticed the same group of succubi whispering and giving you looks. They even giggled a couple times. You tried your best to keep your cool, but it had been going on all day and it was really getting under your skin.

What is so damn funny? You thought to yourself.

The final bell rang and you couldn’t be happier. Now you got to put the day behind you and go home with Mammon. Tonight is movie night. Cuddling and eating junk food is just what you need after a day like today.

You rushed to the usual spot where you meet Mammon. Seeing his face would definitely make you feel better right now, but he wasn’t there yet.

He must have gotten hung up in class or something.

You leaned against the wall, pulled out your D.D.D. and started surfing Deviltube to pass the time. You were so engrossed in your video that you barely noticed that same group of succubi walk past.

Until they made sure you noticed them, that is.

One girl bumped into you on purpose, sending your D.D.D. to the concrete, via crash-landing.

“Stupid human.” She sneered.

You rolled your eyes and bent down to pick up your D.D.D. It’s nothing you haven’t heard, quite a bit actually, since coming to the Devildom. She’d have to try a lot harder than that.

When you stood back up, the succubus in question was standing in front of you, arms crossed with a smug grin.

“Do you think you’re special?” She asked, looking you up and down. You didn’t respond and resumed your scrolling through Deviltube. Ignoring her made her mad.

“As soon as he gets tired of you, he’ll move on to the next one.”

Excuse me?

“I don’t think MY relationship is any of your concern.” You said sweetly, slapping on your best fake smile. You looked around them, desperate to see Mammon walking up, but he wasn’t there.

Where is he?

She was practically laughing in your face.

“He made me feel special too.” Her words, full of venom as they left her lips, triggered something in your brain.

Flashbacks of your first day in the Devildom came rushing back. Specifically what Satan had said after Mammon made his grand entrance.

“Whenever he takes a liking to someone, they suddenly find themselves awash in money. But from what I hear, if he decides to break it off with someone, that wealth evaporates. They’re left without a Grimm to their name.”

The memory made your chest feel heavy.

Could that pertain to people as well? They said a pure soul is like a shiny gem. What if..

“Everything he’s said to you, he probably already said to me.” She spat.

Your head was spinning, a knot forming in your throat. Her earlier words replaying in your mind.

“As soon as he gets tired of you, he’ll move on to the next one.”

What if..? No.. He wouldn’t do that...would he?

You quickly got so lost in thought as anxiety started to take root, plaguing you with ‘what ifs’ and hypotheticals, that you almost didn’t notice when someone stepped between you and the succubus. Putting a hand on either side of your face, he tilted your head up to look at him. Irises the color of tropical waters, instantly melt away your anxiety, calming the angry sea inside you.

“Let’s go home.” He whispered with a smile. His voice was soft, but you could see the anger in his eyes. He slung an arm around your shoulders and turned to start walking toward the House of Lamentation.

“We weren’t done talking.” She said vindictively.

“Don’t ya have anythin’ better to do?” Mammon snarled, glaring at the succubus.

She scoffed and rolled her eyes, leaving with her friends.

By the immense tension you could feel between them, you could tell that they had indeed been together at some point.

The walk home was quiet, which left you with ample time for your thoughts to run wild.

Did she know him like you do? His little habits and his favorite things?

Did she stick up for him when his brothers were dogging on him? Or afterward when he was down, did she try her best to drown out their hateful words with affirmations of love?

Did she play with his hair while he laid on her stomach, arms wrapped tight around her middle after he loved her? Hold her in his lap as he rubbed soothing circles on her back when she was sad? Whisper sweet nothings to her when he thought she was asleep?

...Did he love her?

“Whoa! Did ya see that, MC?!”

The two of you were curled up on the couch in Mammon’s room, watching a movie on his projector, just like you did every week.

Did they do movie night?

It shouldn’t be bothering you. Of course he’s had other partners. He’s been alive for thousands of years.

And you’ve had other partners. So what? No biggie. That wasn’t the issue.

The thought of him saying the same things, doing the same things with someone else...loving someone else, is what bothered you. It hurt to think that maybe you really weren’t that special; another weak, insignificant human, just like all the rest.

But the things she said kept playing on a loop in your head.

“As soon as he gets tired of you, he’ll move on to the next one.”

“He made me feel special too.”

Could she be right?

“Babe, are ya okay?” He had paused the movie and was now staring at you expectantly.

“Hmm? Oh, yeah I’m fine.” He saw through it quickly.

“Ya know, you’re not good at lyin’. What’s wrong? If ya don’t like the movie we can watch someth-”

“That girl earlier, at RAD? Is she your ex?” You didn’t want to bring it up, but you had to know before your thoughts could torment you further.

His face fell and he sighed heavily. “I was wonderin’ when you were gonna say somethin’..”

You remained quiet, watching his face, waiting for him to begin talking.

“We were together a long, long, time ago. Nothin’ serious. I broke it off when I realized she was only around for what she could get outta me. She didn’t take it too well.” He explained, his expression turning sour. “She had a different story, huh?”

“She didn’t say much really, except once you get tired of me you’ll move onto the next one. That I’m nothing special because everything you say to me you’ve probably said to her.” You said, keeping your eyes down as you fidget with the hem on your shirt.

He started laughing.

Your head snapped up, looking at him in shock.

“What’s so funny, Mammon?” You asked, getting a little irritated by his reaction. He stopped laughing when he looked at you and realized you were serious.

“Ya don’t actually believe her, do ya?” He scoffed, getting offended.

“No? I don’t know..” You replied, not meeting his gaze. Of course you wanted to believe him, but you already felt like you weren’t good enough for him, and that succubi’s words just watered the seeds of insecurity in your brain and helped them flourish.

You had always been the opposite of his brothers. You always believed Mammon, even when everyone else was against him. You were always on his side. Ready to stick up for him no matter what. To hear you now, was like a slap in the face.

Mammon’s face distorted in pain. And anger.

“What? Whaddya mean ya don’t know?” His voice was soft, “Ya don’t trust me?” He asked, meeting your gaze.

“Mammon, that’s-”

He shook his head. “No, I get it. A few bitter words from some random demon and now my words mean nothin’. “ He jumped up from the couch, making a beeline for the door.

“What about the last few months, huh? After all the time we spent together you think I’d do somethin’ like that to ya?” His voice cracked on the last sentence. He paused; hand on the knob as he stared at the door. You heard a small sniffle as his other hand came up to angrily wipe his face.

“I thought ya knew me better than anyone.” His voice was barely audible, but you could hear the hurt. He felt betrayed.

And with that he left, slamming the door behind him.

When he didn’t come back after an hour and wouldn’t answer your calls, you grabbed a few things and headed to your room. You still felt uneasy about the whole “his ex confronting you” thing and after what had just happened, you just wanted to be alone.

Your bed seemed huge and your room felt odd. It’s not like you didn’t spend time in there anymore, you just didn’t usually do so alone. The silence was deafening.

I shouldn't have doubted him. He used to try and hide his feelings, although he was bad at it. But since we got together, he doesn’t hide how he feels about us to anyone.

You thought of all the times his cheeks had flushed scarlet when you caught him staring at you. How he sits and endures scary movies because they’re your favorite. The way he will randomly bring you your favorite snacks or other little gifts because he was thinking about you. Relentlessly tickling you just to hear your bright, uninhibited laughter. That even in his sleep, he has to be constantly touching some part of you, or he gets restless.

You slowly drifted off to sleep, with tears staining your cheeks.

“Have you seen Mammon?”

He never came looking for you last night and he wasn’t at breakfast. He even skipped RAD.

Asmo shook his head, “Not since yesterday. Did something happen?”

You decided to fill him in with all the details. He is the Avatar of Lust after all, so surely he could give you some advice regarding love.

He gasped dramatically, “No she didn’t! What a tart!”

“I know I shouldn’t have doubted him. He’s never given me a reason to, but I don’t know. She just got in my head, I guess. Poked at some insecurities.” You explained. “I haven’t seen him since he stormed off.”

“He won’t pout for long, he never does.”

“It’s more than just pouting. I hurt him just like everyone else. He feels betrayed.” You said, voice small.

You just wanted to pepper his face with kisses and profusely apologize for ever doubting him. Why did you ever let some random succubus get to you like that? To make your trust for Mammon falter, even slightly. Did you honestly believe he would toss you aside after he got what he could out of you? Really?

Satan said it too though, in the beginning. That when you’re with him you find yourself drowning in gifts and the like, but once he outgrows you, you’re left with nothing. That’s the Greed.

You refuse to accept it though.

You know Mammon, better than anyone. He has changed so much since you came here. He’s not the same demon he used to be. He is more than just his sin.

“When he is ready, he’ll come back. He always does.” Asmo said, placing a hand on your shoulder, giving you a warm smile.

“Now, let’s go and change! You are depressing me and it’s ruining my skin. We are going out tonight!” He was practically vibrating with excitement. You, not so much.

“Ugh, no way Asmo. I’m not in a party mood.”

“Nonsense! It’s exactly what you need. We will have some drinks and dance and you’ll feel better. You’ll see.”

You relented, knowing that once Asmo got his mind set on something like this, there was no getting out of it. Maybe a few drinks really would make you feel better.

“Trouble in paradise?” She said, motioning to the drink in his hand.

His clothes were dishevelled, his hair mussed, eyes red-rimmed and puffy. He looked like he’d been through the wringer. Felt like it too. He’d been in the private lounge at the club for a little while now, nursing drink after drink, attempting to drown his sorrows.

“Go away.” He growled, turning his attention back to his drink.

“Is that anyway to greet an old friend?” She asked innocently.

“Nah, but it is a good way to greet a snake.”

“Ouch.” She put a hand over her heart, feigning hurt feelings.

“Haven’t ya caused enough problems? Leave me alone.”

She scoffed, plopping down onto the couch next to him. “Oh, come on Mammon. You’re this hung up over a human?”

“Don’t talk about MC.” He snarled. In one big gulp, he swallowed the remainder of his drink. No matter what kind of situation the two of you were in, he wouldn’t let someone, anyone, say anything cross about you. At all.

“Oh, come on. You can’t seriously say you don’t miss being with me. A demon.” She leaned in close, her lips next to his ear, “Not nearly as fragile as a human. You can be as rough as you want..” She purred.

He jumped up from where he’d been sitting, attempting to get away from the succubus. “Get the fuc- Whoa.” He slurred, staggering slightly before quickly sitting back down, head lolling back to rest on the back of the couch. His vision was pretty blurry; the room spinning. He closed his eyes, hoping it’d help.

Even in his deeply inebriated state, you were all that was on his mind. The feel of your hand running through his hair, lightly scratching at his scalp. The warmth of your body pressed against his, your lips; soft and delicate like rose petals, leaving small kisses across his face before finally meeting his lips. The bubbly sound of your laughter, beautiful like music. The way your eyes shine every time you see him, even if he only left your side for a tiny moment.

After the fight you had and leaving the way he did, and now being away from you a whole day, not hearing your voice, feeling your touch, he was ready to go crazy. And although he did sneak back into the house after he was sure everyone was asleep, and slept in the backseat of his car so no one would find him, it wasn’t the same as sleeping next to you. He missed you.

But, it was more than that. He felt so incredibly stupid for reacting the way he had. If he were in your situation, and felt how you did, he would’ve had questions too. You love him, and all you wanted was a little reassurance that he in fact does love you. Man, does he love you. More than he’s ever loved anyone or anything.

With the attention span of a tuna sandwich, mixed with the levels of alcohol in his system, and being so deep in his thoughts of you, he hadn’t noticed the sudden shift of weight in his lap.

One hand found its way to the back of his head, fingers tangling in his hair. The other hand resting on his chest, slowly moving down his stomach, intently feeling every muscle. His mouth opened slightly, a breathy sigh escaping. He had missed you so much, your touch lighting his skin ablaze, craving you more and more.

Your hand moved lower, earnestly caressing his growing stiffness. Your lips crashed into his suddenly; hungrily, your tongue brushing his bottom lip. His hands moved up your thighs before firmly gripping your hips, grinding you against him.

Small alarm bells were going off in his head, something didn’t seem right. You didn’t giggle like you always do when he grabs your hips. Your kisses seemed sloppier than usual too.

He tried opening his eyes, blinking lazily several times. The room was still swirling around in his drunkenness, making it nearly impossible to focus.

Your hand moved to his pants, undoing the button and zipper. He removed a hand from your hip and grabbed your wrist, but didn’t attempt to move your hand from his swollen boxers. As he was about to break the kiss and suggest heading home and picking up with this make up where you left off, he heard a voice nearby.

“What the hell?!” They shrieked.

Asmo?

“Mammon..?” You barely choked out.

That was your voice. He’d recognize it anywhere; the musical sound gently floating into his ears as it always did. But you sounded like you were crying..

And it didn’t come from the figure straddling his lap. How is that possible? He’s been making out with you, getting pretty heated actually, for the last several minutes.

He broke the kiss with you, confusedly turning to his left and blinking several times until his surroundings started to come into focus.

There you stood in the doorway of the private lounge with Asmo next to you, your eyes wide as s tears streamed down your cheeks, gaping at him in horror.

The alarm bells that had been going off, the red flags popping up trying to warn him that something wasn’t quite right, were about to become very clear.

- part two coming soon! -

#obey me #obey me shall we date #obey me angst #obey me mammon #mammon x reader #mammon x mc #mammon x you #mammon x gn!reader #mammon x gn #trigger warning #tw

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darthwheezely · 3 years

Text

dating fred weasley and being a ravenclaw

wow i am a SIMP for this man! this ain’t new info but! he is truly such a divine man and like…yeah i had to- also this might be longer because Fred has a lot more things to cover in terms of this and his own issues sksksjjs

warnings: light smut, angst at parts, wicked hot men named frederick gideon weasley, mentions of sexual degrading and not the hot or kinky kind :/ basically dudes being scumbags

people that might like this (?): @whiz-bangs78 @wand3ringr0s3 @gcdric @thatdumbbitchxx @pansydaisy@vogueweasley @slytherinsunrise @thehufflepuffwife @theweasleyslut dm me to be on the twins taglist or for requests for blurbs/ships/one shots :)

fred thinks you’re an actual literal on god 111% angel sent by god

i swear-

he basically runs into (…literally) when escaping from filch, and knocks into you coming out of transfiguration

and i shit you not, he catches you by the waist like mid dip

oh my GOD please I’m in love with him

Fred Weasley, professional jackass, looked down at you hand still on your waist. He grinned at you and winked and you swore to god you heard the sparkle sound effect. “Hullo, gorgeous.” He heard filch scream “WEASLEY!” and broke away from you, pulling you up and pushing you off of him, leading a running filch to slip in the middle of the hallway, the hall erupting in laughter: including you. Fred inhaled harshly, heart pounding at you laughing at something he managed to pull off. “I’ll…I’ll see you again, yeah?” You froze smiling in place. “Um…yeah…yeah you will?” “Yeah?” He grinned. “Yeah.” With another wink he sped off down the hall…

he couldn’t stop thinking about the wicked hot girl in the hall

god what house was she he thought?

oh shit she had blue on fuck she’s a ravenclaw he thinks. why does he think like that?

she’s outta my goddamn league, he thought before he could stop himself

“Freddie, I know you’re not giving up on the idea of this girl this easy.” George shook his head smirking in the Hall.

“I’m not giving up on anything - she’s just…too good for me.”

“Mate, you know nothing about her except how her eyes ‘sparkled like the stars’ or some whack Tolstoy shit like that…besides, you always did love a challenge, yeah?” At that Fred grinned.

“Georgie, I was thinking exactly the same thing…”

frederick gideon weasley knew what he had to do

FUCKING RUN AROUND THE CASTLE AND LOOK FOR YOU DUH

i swear he probably skipped like a half a day of classes just running from classroom to classroom tryna find your gorgeous self

he also probably was like “anyone seen a literal angel around” and everyone was just like ~please shoot this kid he cannot be deadass~

anyway, he’s starting to run out of breath guys, pobrecito is about to give up for the day and throw in the towel but then

then, fellas and foals-

he sees you

sitting in the center of the quidditch pitch

reading a book and writing in your notebook

and god when i tell you he physically had his ass floored

i mean, Jesus Christ, it’s the way you were just serenely sitting in HIS favorite place in hogwarts, not even in the stands, just absorbing life in the ACTUAL PITCH just

just being there

“What are you doing here, love?” You look up and see Fred, chest heaving, rosy cheeked and fucking glorious. He looked otherworldly with the sun at his back, seemingly glowing. “Knitting a sweater.” You said coolly, and gave a small smile. He bit his lip and made his way over to you and sat down in front of you.

“I’d like that sweater somewhere else, gorgeous.”

“Where, in your mum’s dirty laundry?” He scoffed

“No silly, on me but I’ll take that option too ;)”

You scoffed back and rolled your eyes. “On you? Please, this is made to fit an actual person with a body, Fred.”

“And I don’t have a good enough body for it?”

You bit your lip, gathering courage to look straight back at him. “I wouldn’t know I haven’t seen it.”

and that alone has Fred Weasley garnering a massive tent in his pants

He gulped. “Whats your name, darling?”

“Y/N. Y/N Y/L/N.”

He grinned, blushing wildly. “Y/N, you’re never getting rid of me now”

that, my dear, was the truth at its finest

for the first time, he’d found a woman that matched his energy

his banter his intellectual mind was finally satisfied by this beautiful, honest, blunt girl that made him

HIM, THE MAN THAT CAN NEVER SHUT THE FUCK UP, be still.

be quiet. be at peace

“freddie, don’t fucking prank first years you’re better than that”

“Fred, please don’t be a bully. You’re not an unkind person so don’t act that way, okay? Come on”

it’s about three to five days of just non stop flirting

constantly leaving him breathless and without a rebuttal, again something no one has ever been able to do

after this period, he’s eating in the great hall, not having talked to you today and bouncing his knees violently

and he sees you get up and leave the hall

this prompts him to get up and run after you

“Y/N!” You turn to see him running full speed behind you, and you smile widely, blushing a fair ton as he stops in front of you, chest heaving. Your smile falters as he doesn’t say anything “Fred, w-what’s wrong?” He then bites his lip “I’m sorry but I have to” and presses his mouth to yours. You kiss back immediately, wrapping your arms around his neck as he backs you up against the wall. The kiss is hungry, passionate, and after a few moments he pulls off you and leans his forehead to yours. “I need you.” He says hoarsely. “And I need YOU, Freddie.” He smiles and you wrap your legs around his waist…

from that moment, you two are inseparable

we are talking handsy too

oh fuck this about to get fluffy as hell

freddie basically waits until you’re out of class and then will pin you against the wall and kiss you like he hasn’t seen you in years

“My angel, it’s been far too long.” He says breathlessly, smiling wide before giving you a kiss attack, sending ammunition of kisses all around your face, making you giggle uncontrollably. “My love, it’s only been an hour,” you say in between full body laughter. He then stops, looking at you very seriously. “Darling, that simply will not do,” he clucks and then throws you over his shoulder, sending you into fits of laughter again as he takes you to your next class.

you and fred have so much sex

empty classrooms

in his dorm

in your dorm

in the locker rooms

in the library

“Freddie, harder baby, please” you gasp out as he’s thrusting inside of you at a rhythmic pace, him slipping into you like hot oil, skin slapping as he has you in the shower. “How much do you need me, angel? Cmon love I wanna hear your words...” “yes, yes I need you please” you moan as he hits a new angle “That’s my princess, taking me so well, do you love it when I fill you up? Fuck you so good you can’t walk?” You nod and throw your head back. “Freddie, I’m gonna come” “Good girl, princess, come all over my cock” He growls setting a faster and harder pace, as he chants your name like a hymnal, his hips and movements getting sloppier as he finally releases into you, chest heaving and presses his lips to your forehead.

“Where should we try next, gorgeous, hmm? I think snape’s office should do it, he won’t even know us from the grease stains from his nose” this earns him a smack on the arm

fred marks you up constantly too

wants everyone to see how much his “good little princess” really feels

anything that says “I choose/belong to fred weasley” he’ll make you do

and you adore it and think it’s hot as fuck

he’s also marked his name onto your thighs and boobs before

george basically accepts the fact that you’re his new baby sister too, and when fred isn’t there will protect you like it ashsajdsahjsa

by this i mean fred has employed him to (but mainly george just does it because he loves you too)

but basically

during potions, draco slides in next to you and propositions you:

“How about we strike a deal, Y/L/N?” He looks at you smugly. You roll your jaw. “Yeah I agree, you shut the fuck up and let me pass our project, and I get all the credit without you destroying my handiwork?” He flares red and grabs your wrist. “I know Weaselbee the fourth probably tastes like the rest of his family - trash - but how I about I let you try something different, hmm?” You immediately pull away from him when he releases and make an attempt to focus back on your book.

fred obviously hears about this because some slytherin guys in the hallway are talking about how much Y/N wants to suck Malfoy’s dick

he’s not stupid, he knows you get sexualized by that dumbass constantly, even before y’all started dating

basically he finds draco in the boys bathroom, corners him, and beats the fuck out of him

“if you ever get near my girlfriend again, i swear to godric i won’t be so nice next time - don’t wanna get your balls cut off before 17 do you?”

oh and he’s stupid hot when he’s mad btw but we all been knew

he finds you where he always finds you once you start dating, in his dorm stop his bed

He swallows thickly at the sight of you clearly upset, watching you sit up immediately tears welling in your throat as you begin to apologize. “Freddie, love, I didn’t do anything I promise I didn’t want him to come onto me-“ “Y/N, it’s never your fault. You have to trust me with that I...I hate seeing people hurt you love.” He pulls your body into him whne he reaches the bed, touching you like you’re porcelain, careful not to break you. “I know I get violent and angry or pouty when guys do that to you because I feel like you’ll either choose someone else or I can’t protect you and...you mean everything to me, my angel.” He whispers into your hair, tears stealing on his cheeks. “I promise no one will hurt you anymore because I love you and loving someone means you do anything for them.” He babbles like a small boy, convincing himself of everything until he realizes he’s said it and he inhales. “Y/N y-you don’t have to say it ba-“ “I want to say it back. Remember? I love you and I need you, Fred.” You look up at him softly, chin on his chest and he smiles through tears on his face. “And I love you and I need YOU, my love.”

fred knows you love him and choose him over everyone but again

he gets insecure

in the way George is scared people won’t see him as Fred

fred is afraid you’ll find someone better

someone more stable and less quick tempered

you guys have fights sometimes that end in frustration or angry sex

but fred is always there an hour later sitting outside your dorm door praying to god you forgive him for his mistake

he’s never abusive or malicious

he just gets impulsive with pranks or doesn’t consider feelings sometimes

ON TO THE BURROW!!!!

molly is so thankful for you and hugs you immediately as you walk through the door whispering

“Thank you for making my son feel how he deserves” and your eyes water lightly murmuring a thank you

you instantly catch bill’s attention as he notices the way fred is so much calmer and confident with you around

he seems more sure of himself, and not as angry

his temper too is calmer with your presence, as if the very essence of you is soothing to all youre around

he is, so so in love with you

and yes he can be brash

and yes he can be insecure

and yes he can be impulsive

but yes he would do anything for you

but yes he sees you like no one else can

but yes he knows you struggle and he wants to be there

fred weasley is absolutely incandescently in love with you

and you wouldn’t have it any other way.

#fred weasley headcanons #fred weasley #fred weasley smut #fred weasley x ravenclaw!reader #Fred weasley imagines #Harry Potter #harry potter imagine

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ohmysparkle · 3 years

Text

Spellbound intro III

🌙 Pairing: Hyunjin (Stray Kids) x Reader

🌙 Genre: Dark Fantasy AU, Mystery, smut.

🌙 Teaser Length: 3K

🌙 Warnings: Blood, bodily injury, cannibalism in this chapter. For the series overall, smut, gore, witchcraft, religious themes.

🌙✨Tag List: @xviternity @straykisz @97lovestay (unable to tag)

✧･ﾟ:･ﾟ *✧･ﾟ. ✨ . *: ･ﾟ 🌙 * ･ﾟ✧ * : ･ﾟ✧. ✨･ﾟ.*.✧

It’s smouldering hot, and the once neatly dressed man that stands on the corner of the street has now soiled his white clothes with sweat. The beads shimmer on his dark skin, and he rubs at his brows, to remove the tension as well as to wipe the perspiration before it falls to his eyes.

He’s had enough. If the man he waits for doesn't come to him, then he shall go to look.

The first person to ask is only a few steps away. He stomps past his own - empty - storefront and enters the following shop, the butcher’s shop precisely.

“Eustace!” The sweaty man calls, awaiting for a dimwit in his 20’s with a curly head of hair to appear. The front stall is empty, but somewhere in the back he hears a clang before his call is answered.

“Ji - Jiggly? What can I help you with today?” Eustace replies in confusion.

“Your brother is late.” Says the man, rather matter-of-factly.

“Hmm.” Eustace thinks, for longer than necessary, “He should have been by yours a while ago.”

“Yes - I know that, which is why I’ve come here to tell you he’s late. It’s almost ten o'clock and I’ve yet to finish the filling for the meat pies - they wont be done in time for lunch unless Emerson shows up now.”

“Well…” Eustace thinks. The impatient man pauses at the worrying thought that he, the older of the two brothers, is somehow to inherit the family business. It’s not a match for his mind.

“Eustace - could you call your father to figure out how much longer the delivery will take?”

“Oh, dad’s not at the other shop. Emerson was only going in today to pick up the day’s delivery orders.”

“So you don’t know where he is?”

“I really have no idea.”

“Ah - goodness Eustace, does that not bother you in the least?”

The man storms out from the butcher's place, mumbling and grunting to himself, making his way to the corner once more to see if Emerson has made an appearance. He looks over the bend, down a block to where the road runs along the shore of the lake - nothing.

It’s getting late, and he’s sure his clientele would not appreciate the absence of his meat pies.

The lake, glistening in that cool morning sun…

Just how desperate was he to find Emerson?

“Why do they talk to you like that?” Jiggly asks you, clothed in your usual black, but in thinner fabrics to allow for the breeze to cool you on that one summer day.

“Like what?” You ask him.

“Well - they actually talk for starters. And they’re kinda nice, don’t look like they’ll bite you.” He says, watching in awe as you gently take the hand of each of the ladies in the water as a greeting.

“Jiggly… look. Mermaids, sirens, think of them as regular leg people. Do you walk up to a person on the street and gawk? No. Do you slowly socialize until they are acquainted with you? Yes. Just come down and make small talk from time to time and they’ll get along with you just fine.”

“But don’t they eat people?!”

“Well… they could, but I brought them apples so I guess they’re not really hungry now.”

“Apples? That’s all it took?” He looks at the three wet ladies, sitting upon the small embankment that piled onto the paved sidewalk. “Just apples?”

“Well… fruit in general they tend to like. I always start with apples, nobody has dietary issues with apples. Sometimes I make them some food too.” One of the ladies, with long hair that winds and circles around her body covering her figure along with some small white garments, strokes your calf as if she were petting a cat. It all seemed so bizarre, the water women were always so angry, hissing and growling, baring sharp teeth and nails.

“They’re fond of physical contact once they trust you.” You explain, taking a bite of one of your spare apples. Another lady, a younger, girlish one, pokes at your thigh as you are about to eat more. You roll your eyes and relinquish the apple to her.

“I’m not taking chances.”

“You underestimate how helpful they are. They can go from one side of the lake in a minute, they share everything they hear with one another, they travel the oceans. If you’re on their good side, they might just let you submit some mermail to them.

“Mermail?” Jiggly is in awe, it’s like the two of you were in two different realities with you always saying things that stunned him so.

“Yeah, mer-mail… mermail? Get it? Like, put a message in a bottle and they’ll ship it to wherever you need so long as it's close to a body of water?” You elaborate.

“Yeah, yeah - I know what it is. I just didn’t think it was… real.”

“Ha!” You snort. You turn around to the water ladies, saying something in an older language he does not recognize - they seem to understand it though, and laugh along with you.

“Jiggly… mermail is real.” You deadpan. “It’s not like… a myth or anything.”

“Mail?”

“Yes… well, packages, letters, messages… ”

“What do you pay them with? I thought the mermaids didn’t use money.”

“Eh, they sometimes do. But all it’ll cost you is kindness, or maybe a little favor. They’ll do plenty of little favors if you just give them a little kindness in return. Real nice sense of community they’ve got…”

Kindness…

He had that. What he lacked for this specific task was confidence.

But there they are, just a couple of them. Young girls, in their early teens, wearing some dry cloth sheets over their bodies to break the ever chilling wind, just enjoying the morning sun as they etched pebbles with tools, most likely to make some jewelry, as they sat on the edge of the footpath with their feet hanging over the surface of the lake.

“Ehem… hello?” The man cautiously says, his voice nearly cracking due to the uncertainty. He is at a loss of words, just momentarily, when they return a gaze with their bulbous, unnaturally blue eyes. The irises nearly gone, it was like staring into water itself.

“Hello?” He says, closer this time.

“Hssss.” one of them hisses at him, like a cat, baring her small sharp teeth.

The other one pats her shoulder to silence her, and raises her hand to beckon the man over.

He approaches fearfully.

“Hi.” The calmer girl says, staying put. Her voice is quiet and hoarse, almost whisper-like, just like all the other women who lived in the waters. You had once explained it to him, it’s because they were sometimes unused to speaking above water, and they often had accents of old languages, now that newer ones weren’t quite common below.

“I’m Jiggy - the baker.” He says trying to be as personable as possible. “You might remember my friend… Dr. Nemo.”

The girl nods politely. Good.

“She told me you might be able to do me a little favor. If you want I can make you anything for lunch in return.” He was trying to smile, in a friendly neighborly way, not in a creepy man in his thirties way.

“Lunch?” The polite fish girl asks.

“Yes!” He sings, almost like some character from a children's program.

“Fish?”

“No, I don’t carry fish.” Did he ruin it? Did they only eat fish?

“Pork? Bacon.” She says again.

“Yeesss…” He does his best friendly-dinosaur impression.

“Yes. Bacon.” She looks at the girl that had hissed, and she nods in return after a brief moment of silent conversation. “What… do you need?”

“Well… you might know the man that drives the meat truck.”

“Stupid man?” The polite girl says in her funny voice.

“Yeeesss… the stupid man.” Clever girl. “Could you ask around and find out where he is? He’s late and I need him to bring me my cuts of meat.”

“Where? Where do we look?” It was a good question… Emerson only delivers between two neighborhoods.

“Eastbend by the Shore!” He points to the area further up along this same side of the lake. Over there the houses are smaller, climbing up the sloping hills. It's cooler from all the trees, and that is where the slaughterhouse of Edwin & Sons lies - and where Emerson should be stalling.

“Right over there!” Jiggly points, nearly seeing the white roof of the taller building among the quaint brick houses. “Right over - AHH!” Something in his hand pinches every bit of his attention.

Chomp!

He looks down to the pinching and blunt pain on his hand - it was the hissing girl biting him! Latched on to one of his fat fingers with her sharp teeth - the audacity!

He tries to pull his hand away, and it's like he can hear it, a rip. The girl's pale, veiny face is suddenly painted by a splatter of blood that she’s made the flesh release, gushing from his index finger, an arc of red liquid painting a line from her mouth to her forehead. Her furious blue eyes, still trained on his hand, almost satisfied at the outpour.

“Aaaaaaaaahh!” He shrieks, a long piercing howl.

The polite girl begins to scold the other, Jiggly can hardly comprehend, but when she smacks her companion across the head it does not make the hold of her jaw relent. It only makes his skin drag further from his bone.

If he moves back she’ll rip it off, if he pulls closer she might latch her bite further up. He is paralized, his entire body feels pins and needles from the panic, but it begins and ends with his one, bitten finger.

Smack! The polite girl smacks the other right across the forehead, one last time and now the girl lets her jaw slack. The man holds his hand up, shrieks once more as he sees his bone beneath the torn and bleeding skin. Even against his dark fingers, the blood is so red and so bright, so so bright. No translucency at all, just a solid red, redder than anything he had seen before. But there, a peek of something pale within the digit - and he could feel it; the bone.

The girls bicker and argue.

“Fucking fishy!” He cries at her.

“Lunch!” The bloodied girl cries. She goes back to smacking her lips, picking at her teeth with her tongue as if there were flesh stuck between her teeth. There probably was.

“It - it’s the baker! Come help!” a man yells behind him, having been attracted by the screams. There is a clamor of feet approaching the scene.

Jiggly turns, men approach him from behind, the girls swat and slap at each other in front of him, his finger bleeds.

“Jiggly! What happened?” He recognizes the voice. It's the captain of the cadets from this side of the lake, a handsome man that seems to eat too many of his croissants for the size of his waist, one of his very best customers. But alas, here he is, running as he does daily, with all of the young recruits in training panting behind him as he stands there with barely a mist of a sweat on his face.

As he turns to face the handsome man, he can hear a growl from one of the girls behind him.

“My fi-finger.” He chokes out, an airy whimper making up his words. ”Hal… She bit my finger.” he says, pointing at her bloody face with his bloody hands.

The man is of the unflinching kind, bats his eyes as he pieces it all together, but he doesn’t react with any repulsion.

“Does anyone have a clean towel?” He yells at the cadets. Someone hands it to him and he expertly wraps Jiggly’s hand. “You all, keep going. I’m taking him to the doctor.”

“Doctor…” Jiggly ponders, too distracted by his bleeding finger.

“Are you feeling lightheaded?” Hal questions. “I’m taking you over to your friend, Dr. Nemo.”

It’s a few blocks of his dazed stumbling. He didn't notice what happened to the fish girls, or the cadets, or how long it took him to get there. All he knows is that suddenly he is at the steps of your clinic, the big dark blue door looking over him and Hal firmly holding his side..

And as if you sensed it, even before Hal could let go of the cloth he pressed to his hand to knock, you open the door. There, above them, in your usual dark and neat attire.

“What happened?” You inquire.

“Doc! Jiggly’s had an accident.” Hal explains.

You usher for him to come inside, Jiggly feels as if he levitates as the muscular, but gentle, man guides him up.

“Just sit him down somewhere.” You say absentmindedly, grabbing things from the many cabinets and shelves. “Caro! We have a patient.” You shout for your apprentice. The girl would usually come down sooner.

“Yes Miss Nemo!” She politely replies, eager to attend however she can. Until she sees who it is and lets out a gasp. “Jiggles!” She calls in awe, seeing his bloodstained clothes.

“What happened to him?” You ask Hal, seeing that Caro has now taken to applying pressure to Jiggly’s hand.

“I think one of the younger water women bit him…” He ponders. He stands a little too close to you. You can basically smell him, the sheen of perspiration… his dark red locks dampened and slicked back, the muscles in his neck and arms exposed so handsomely.

Focus!

“Siren or mermaid?” You ask.

“I think… mermaid.” Hal replies, unsure.

“Did she have the weird eyes?” You ask.

“Her face was covered in blood, I didn’t really notice if -”

“Yes!” Jiggly shouts from his seat at your small breakfast table. “Horrible eyes, horrible child.”

“Child?” you purse your lips, Caro even lets out a giggle. “How bad could she have bitten you?”

As you set the items on the table beside him, Caro slowly unwraps the bloody rag… and - it’s quite awful.

“Ha!” You laugh, a hearty laugh, Caro eventually joins in. “A child did this to you?!”

“She was feral and - uuaaahh!” He whines again. You had taken advantage of his distraction to pour antiseptic onto his wound, your apprentice dabs at it with some clean linens.

“Shouldn't we put him on one of the tables?” Hal quips.

“Eh, this seems pretty basic. Right Caro?” The girl doesn't reply, being hyper focused on her task, the bloody hand, the bloody rag, the bloody linen. “Caro, I said; this seems pretty basic, right?” you say more sternly.

She blinks back to reality, “Yes Miss, quite simple.”

“See? Just a few stitches and some healing goo and he’ll be good.” You tell Hal, placing a hand on his chest, quite firm and… toned, to push him back gently. You needed the space, he was too close for comfort, as usual.

“Miss… stitches or, do you think we could use the good stuff?” Caro suggests… ah yes, expensive magical healing ointments.

“Fine… just a little should be enough.” You conceded, after all he was the most popular baker on the lake, and you weren’t sure how happy the townsfolk would be with his being out of commission.

Hal once more, is upon you… it’s a bad habit of his that you’ve tried to quell. And he is never subtle, which you wouldn’t particularly mind if he weren’t so keen on doing so in public.

“You know, I’ve gotten a letter from my cousin.” He says, “She sends her regards, inquires about you.”

“Your cousin, the demon hunter?” Jiggly buds in, and for a moment, you wish to chastise Hal for his lack of prudence. “How does Doc know her? Isn’t she halfway around the world?”

He stutters, not knowing how to answer Jiggly’s question. How indeed does he explain to Jiggly that you are acquainted with his cousin, who is a local legend but has not returned to the area in quite a few years, that you know her despite never having been in town at the same time as you?

He regrets his insolence. How could he have said that so easily?

“I don't. We don't know each other at all.” you reply, with a special and strange tone.

“But he just said you did.” Jiggly argues.

“No he didn’t.” A little more charmingly.

“He didn’t?” Caro tenses as Jiggly resists, but she continues to treat his wound.

“He didn’t. He hasn’t mentioned anything about his cousin at all.” It takes a moment for your words to sink in, but slowly, they do.

“That’s right… Hal hasn’t said anything about that.”

“Precisely Jiggly, he hasn’t said anything at all.” You reply contently once you see him nod with a distant daze in his eyes. As soon as Jiggly’s attention is diverted by your apprentice, you look back to Hal.

“You lack prudence.” You sternly whisper, making sure Jiggly is unaware. “Leave - and make sure he gets home.”

“I - forgive me. It slipped, and I -”

“Don’t make any mention of it to him - ever again. Not to anyone.”

“I won’t.”

“You are the only person in this damn place that knows, and I guarantee you do not want to be responsible for it getting out.” You cut him off before he can respond. “Caro, are you done?”

“Yes Miss, just about!”

“Good. Jiggly, Hal will take you home. Let your hand rest for today but you should be fine tomorrow.”

Caro quickly ushers them out, and once the door is closed behind them, she turns to you.

“Do you think it worked?”

“Of course it did - do you doubt me?” You ask her, almost displeased.

“It's just… you haven’t done anything like that in a long time.”

“Girls like me - like us - don’t get rusty.” You remind her, finishing her sentence with a tap to the tip of her nose.

At the doorstep of your clinic Jiggly feels confused, almost dreamy, as if he only had the faintest impression of what had just occurred during this particular morning.

#hwang hyunjin smut #hwang hyunjin #stray kids smut #hyunjin au #strange devotion skz collab

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troublesomeshika · 3 years

Text

After all this time, I'm still into you (2)

shikamaru nara x reader word count: 3.4k warnings: swearing

You were nervous. You didn’t wanna have this conversation, but you knew you couldn’t let anymore time go by or else it might be too late. Dragging your feet, you turned down the street the Nara head house sat on. The lights were on, he was probably home. You grimaced before raising your hand to knock on the front door. After a few seconds it flew open, “Y/N!” You weren’t sure what you had been expecting but it certainly was not Yoshino pulling you into a hug.

“Oh, we haven’t seen you in forever! Come in come in!” You were thrown, you’d been ready to bare your soul and grovel, you’d screwed up all your courage and now you were being pulled inside Shikamaru’s house by his mom? You slid off your shoes, mumbling something about not making a fuss before Yoshino waved her hand at you. “Nonsense. I’m just finishing up making dinner! It would be wonderful if you’d join us.” She looked at you expectantly before you simply nodded, eyes wide, still trying to comprehend everything that was happening. You rounded the corner, being led by Yoshino, to see Shikamaru and Shikaku sitting together playing Shogi, a site not unfamiliar to you. Yoshino ushered you over to the two where you sat down, examining the board. “I’ll be done soon, just give me a few minutes.”

“Haven’t seen you in awhile,” Shikaku said lightly, “what’s my move here, Y/N?” You stared at the board. You weren’t good at Shogi, and he knew that. He’d tried to get you and Shikamaru to learn, but it was such a long winded game that you’d always found it quite boring.

“Sir, you know I’m terrible at this game. Please don’t make me.” He chuckled before moving a piece himself.

“It’s good to see you around again. Shikamaru’s quite boring company,” he laughed as Shikamaru scoffed and moved his own piece on the board. The three of you sat in silence, the awkwardness growing bit by bit until Yoshino called out for her husband. He stood, still looking at the board, “I’m sure I can trust that you’ll beat him, Y/N. I’ve already gotten you most of the way there, all that’s left is to finish out the game. I’m off to help with dinner.” He walked away, glancing back at you as you shifted to take his place. He was right, he had gotten you most of the way there. You felt a soft smile grace your lips as you moved a piece. You didn’t speak a word, waiting for Shikamaru to move. It was agony. The silence was thick and you couldn’t keep your knee from bouncing as you picked up one of his captured pieces, turning it over in your fingers. Hearing the sound of a piece moving on the board made your eyes snap to the game again. You picked up another piece and moved again. Back to sitting in silence. You watched Shikamaru’s face as he studied the board before rolling your eyes and tracing the writing on the piece in your hand. You took a deep breath looking around, wondering if you could leave before dinner started. A chuckle brought you back to reality and you looked at the board. He’d maneuvered you into checkmate.

“Guess you owe me lunch, loser pays right?” Shikamaru said looking up at you.

You simply rolled your eyes. “Fine.... I guess.”

He cocked an eyebrow, “You guess? Do you need me to explain how you lost? I thought you would’ve remembered that at the very least.”

“Whatever.” you shook your head, a small smile ghosting your lips. You both sat in silence for a moment more. Breathing deeply, you tried to calm your shot nerves. You opened your mouth, ready to apologize, and Shikaku returned.

“No. How could you let him win, Y/N?” he sounded angry, but his grin told you otherwise. “Well, I guess I’ll just have to start your training again. You must be rusty after all this time not playing.” You felt your cheeks go red from embarrassment.

“Is dinner ready?” Shikamaru cut in.

“Yes, your mother sent me to get you two.” He tilted his head, motioning for the two of you to follow him.

You stood, extending a hand to Shikamaru, who stood and looked at it. “You won.” He nodded and shook your hand before turning and following his father. Walking into the dining area, you saw the table set for four with gyoza and dumplings. Yoshino smiled from her seat. You took your place across from Shikamaru before the meal began. You’d been here before, eating over wasn’t uncommon when you and Shikamaru were younger, but just like all the things you’d shared as children, it had been awhile. At some point the conversation turned to relationships.

Yoshino looked towards you, “So, Shikamaru mentioned that you were dating Kiba?”

“Mom I said-”

“How are you two?” She smiled.

Swallowing your mouthful of food, you nodded. “Uh, yeah. I was dating Kiba for awhile, but we recently ended up calling it quits. Just wasn’t working out you know?”

Her face morphed into one of sympathy, “Aw that’s too bad.”

You smiled sadly, “It’s alright, it was mutual.”

Shikaku looked up, “Don’t worry, you kids have lots of time to find someone. I had loads of girlfriends before I met Yoshino here.”

“Mhmm, and I had lots of men asking for my hand before Shikaku finally got around to asking me,” Yoshino said, holding his gaze across the table with a tight lipped smile.

“And how lucky I am that you chose me.” He raised his drink to her.

“Yes well, anyways, I’m sure you’ll find someone.” She said looking back at you. You smiled, looking down at your food. Before you could stop yourself, your eyes flickered up to Shikamaru. He looked bored and before you could look away, his eyes met yours. You immediately dropped your gaze again, feeling your ears heat slightly. It had been years since you’d felt like this. You took another bite, determined to drown the butterflies in your stomach with food. The conversation moved onto missions and you recounted your most recent B rank mission. Part way through, you’d mentioned a fighting style you’d recently learned and Shikaku launched into an explanation of why it was dangerous, and its weaknesses. You listened respectfully, knowing he meant well. Once dinner was finished, you helped Yoshino clean up before excusing yourself, mentioning some paperwork you had to get done back at home.

“Alright well, I’ll have Shikamaru walk you home,” she offered.

“I’m sure I’ll be fine, ma’am. I don’t want to trouble him, he’d probably think it’s a drag.” You laughed.

“No, no. He needs to be more active. A walk will do him good.” she brushed her hands off on her apron, glancing out into the living room where Shikamaru laid, asleep. “Shikamaru!” she called. “Wake up and walk our guest home will you?” He muttered something under his breath and Yoshino narrowed her eyes, “What was that?”

“Nothing nothing,” he sat up, looking at you. “Ready to go?” You nodded, giving Yoshino a hug and thanking her for dinner. You waved and said goodbye to Shikaku before walking to the door and sliding on your shoes. Shikamaru appeared beside you and opened the front door.

“Thanks.” you said, stepping outside. The two of you walked in silence for a bit before you turned to him and spoke up. “Really, I can walk myself home, it’s not a big deal. I won’t tell your mom you ditched me, it’s fine.”

“Tch, she knows how long it takes to get to your place and back. And besides, we’re already halfway there, it’d be a drag to go home just to get yelled at.” You nodded and a silence fell over the two of you again, this time more comfortable and familiar. You found your mind wandering back to the day you’d first kissed. You knew you were romanticizing it from nostalgia, but you couldn’t help that little bit of you that wanted to believe what Ino had said earlier. There were only a few more blocks to your apartment and you decided to say something when you got there, that way you had an easy out if it got too awkward. Once you’d decided that, your nerves began firing, causing you to pull out your keys just so you could fiddle with them. “I can’t believe you’re still so hyperactive. Thought you would’ve mellowed out by now,” Shikamaru’s voice pulled you from your thoughts.

“Always commenting on my energy. Is it because you’re jealous I have so much of it?”

“God no, I’m glad you have it. Better you than me.”

“Would it really be all that bad if you were a little more active?” You poked him with your keys.

“Uhh yeah. It most definitely would. Somebody’s gotta watch the clouds go by and that’s my job in this world. Can’t do that if I’m always going like you.”

You laughed, rolling your eyes. “Of course you’d say something like that.” You chuckled, gazing at him as you walked, a smile on your lips.

“What?”

“Hmm?”

“You’re staring. What is it?”

“Oh nothing, just glad we’re back to normal.” You said, turning to look ahead again.

His jaw tightened. “Oh.”

One word and your stomach dropped onto the road. You kept walking but you’d definitely left it behind in the dirt. Shit. What had you said wrong? Did he not think the two of you were back to normal? You wanted to hit yourself over the head. You took a deep breath, but as you opened your mouth you rounded the corner, coming straight up on your apartment building. You and Shikamaru both stopped and stood still. “Would you like to come up?” You asked hopefully.

“I should get back-”

“Please?” You stared directly into his eyes. You had to talk to him, otherwise what was the point of the night.

He gave in, shrugging. “Alright, fine. But it needs to be quick.”

You smiled, leading the way up the stairs. “Don’t worry, I just”-- you paused, ready to say it but unable to--”I have some paperwork issues and I need a genius to solve them.”

“Troublesome, roping me into doing your work for you.”

You scoffed, “As if. No see, I actually want my work to be done, not just half completed.”

“Okay, do you want my help or not?” You glanced back and saw the corner of his mouth tilted up in a smirk.

“Yes please, c’mon in.” You unlocked the door and held it open for him. Slipping your shoes off inside the door, you flicked on the light, immediately noticing the mess. It wasn’t bad.... but you hadn’t gotten around to those errands earlier today- one of which was cleaning up your apartment. You immediately hurried to grab some of the jackets and trash, blushing out of embarrassment. “Heh, sorry for the mess. I was a little busy today.”

He waved a hand dismissively, “Y/N I’ve known you how long? It’s not surprising or weird to me, I really couldn’t care less.” He sat down on your couch, stretching out his legs. “So, the paperwork?” Just when your stomach had finally crawled its way back into place, it dropped to your feet again. Paperwork. Your eyes shot all over the room before landing on your recent packet that you had yet to fix. Thank god. You grabbed it and walked over to the couch. Staring at him, you stood waiting.

“Well?” he raised an eyebrow at you.

Rolling your eyes you shoved his legs off your couch and sat down. He raised his legs and threw them across your lap causing your heart rate to spike.

“It’s this packet,” you tossed the packet into his lap before putting your own feet up on the coffee table in front of you and leaning back, “they gave it back and told me I did it wrong, but I don’t know which part of it is wrong and I’ve stared at it so much that it all looks wrong at this point.” He hummed in response, reading over the pages.

“Here,” he pointed it out and you leaned over, looking at the page. “You shouldn’t have put that there,” he proceeded to explain the error, but you couldn’t stop yourself from looking at his lips. Every time you caught yourself you forced your eyes back to the paper in his hands, but it continued happening. “There, now you can fix your paperwork.” He handed it back, putting his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. You reached forward and grabbed a pen, beginning to fix your mistakes. You glanced over at him. Back to the paper in front of you. Scribbling a bit, you snuck a look at his face again. And back to the paper. When you looked at him again, one of his eyes was cracked open watching you. Your ears began heating again, just as they had earlier that night as you forced yourself back to the task at hand.

“Would you just spit it out already?”

You stared at the paper, trying to focus on the words in front of you. Scribbling you asked as nonchalantly as you could manage, “Spit what out?”

“Whatever it is that’s making you act so weird. You were like this at lunch too. If it’s that time of month I’ll gladly leave you be.”

You reached out and slapped the side of his head. “Man, fuck you.” you couldn’t help but laugh. “I hate you so much, you know?” You threw the paperwork on the table in front of you, shaking your head.

“Mhmm. The feeling is mutual.”

You let the silence hang again. For the third time that night, you screwed up your courage, intent on saying something, anything. “Alright, cards on the table, there is something I’ve been wanting to say. As much as I love your mom’s cooking, that wasn’t why I showed up at your house tonight.”

“So I was right.”

You rolled your eyes, “Not the point.”

“Ah ah. Say it.”

“No, it’s irrelevant.”

He lifted his legs and dropped them back into your lap.

“Uhf. Ok, jeez, you were right.”

“Thank you, you may continue.”

You sighed. “I just....” pausing again, you began subconsciously tracing small circles on his leg.

“If you’re gonna go soft on me just get it over with.”

You glared at him. “Fine. What I wanted to say was, I’m sorry.” You let the phrase hang in between you, letting him decide the route of the conversation.

“What for?”

“For getting us here.”

“I’m still confused. I think we both walked here with our own legs, and aside from that, I’m pretty content right now.”

“Shikamaru. That’s not what I mean. I let our friendship die. And then I turned to you expecting you to be there for me after I’d willingly pulled away. And now it’s weird and awkward between us.”

“Ehh you were with Kiba. It wasn’t that surprising. And it’s only awkward if you make it awkward.”

“Yeah, but that doesn’t mean it was okay. Ino told me about how it wasn’t a good time for you, and I’m sorry because it was my fault.”

He groaned beside you. “Troublesome Ino. Can’t trust her to keep her mouth shut. What exactly did she say to you?”

“Well, she said that it wasn’t a good time for you, and....” you stopped, trying to decide how to phrase your next words, “she may or may not have thought you had feelings for me.” His leg twitched almost imperceptibly under your hand. “But I told her she was wrong. Neither of us has felt that way about each other, we were always just best friends.”

He sighed. “I’m gonna kill that woman the next time I see her. Well, she didn’t lie to you.” Your heart stopped and your hand faltered on Shikamaru’s leg. “But don’t worry I’m over it now. It was a temporary thing, so no need to feel uncomfortable.”

“Oh, alright.” You said, trying to hide the hurt in your voice. “Well anyways, I wanted to say I’m sorry for breaking our friendship and I just want us to go back to how we were before. Are you.... good with that?”

He opened his eyes. “Of course. You women and your need to have a conversation about everything. Anyways, does this mean you’ll take tomorrow off to cloud watch with me?”

You sighed, “If I must. Although, I have to turn in this paperwork first, and I really do need to go grocery shopping, and I have-”

“Ah ah. Meet me at noon at Ichiraku and you can buy that lunch you owe me. Afterwards you’re taking the day off to watch some clouds. I don’t care what you have to do, get it done beforehand.” He pulled his legs to the floor and stood up. “Please don’t make me come looking for you, I don’t have the energy to chase you around the village, but I will if I have to.” He extended a hand which you gladly took before he pulled you up off the couch, his hand lingering in yours for what felt like a year.

“Alright alright. Noon tomorrow. See you then.” You walked him to the door before pulling him into a hug. He seemed startled, but hugged you back, albeit awkwardly. “Thank you Shikamaru. I really did miss our friendship.” It was the truth, although you were also starting to realize you’d missed quite a bit more about the boy as well.

“Are you sure it’s not that time?”

You pushed him away as he chuckled. “Get out of here, pineapple head.” He raised a hand in farewell and made his way down the stairs as you closed the door. You sighed and walked back to the couch flopping down. You could still smell the slight scent of trees and grass that seemed to follow Shikamaru everywhere. Groaning, you stood up and stared at where he’d lay minutes before. “Shikamaru Nara, you are going to be the death of me.” You shook your head before walking to your room and laying face down on your bed. It was a weird feeling, to be back in the same position you’d been in as children. Except now you knew for sure that the feeling wasn’t mutual, and that you’d missed your chance. All you could do was hope you got over your resurfacing feelings quickly and quietly. You weren’t going to screw up this friendship for a second time and if that meant quietly shoving down your feelings, well then, that’s just what you’d do.

Bonus:

As he walked down the stairs of your apartment complex, Shikamaru paused. He turned back towards the top of the stairs. Raising his hand to his face, he squeezed the bridge of his nose before continuing the way he’d been going. He made his way back to his house, mulling over the night in his head. You’d seemed so shocked about him ever having feelings for you, what choice did he have but to tell you he’d gotten over it? Besides, he hadn’t lied. His feelings had been temporary. They had to be. He had only felt that way because he was jealous seeing you with Kiba when you were meant to be his best friend. And that had somehow morphed into what he had thought were feelings for a brief time. That was all. That had to be all. Because if he had feelings for you, he was going to end up losing your friendship again, only this time it would be his fault. You didn’t feel the same, that was clear enough from your reaction. So platonic was what it was going to have to be. He sighed, opening the door to his house. Walking into the living room, he faced his parents who were sitting together.

“Y/N got home safe?”

“Yeah, it’s not like there’re murderers just casually walking around Konoha, Mom.”

Yoshino rolled her eyes as Shikaku spoke up, “It was nice to have her back over. Haven’t seen her in awhile, I was missing all that energy.”

“And she’s recently single, that’s interesting.” Yoshino looked at her son who simply rolled his eyes and turned to walk towards his room.

“Oh leave him alone,” Shikaku scolded as Shikamaru wandered out of earshot and slid the door to his room closed. He sat down on his bed and laid back to stare at the ceiling.

“I’m just excited to be friends again, that’s all.” He lied to the empty room. “God, why did I insist she come cloud watch with me?” He groaned and turned onto his side, not bothering to change out of his clothes. “What a drag.”

#shikamaru x reader #shikamaru x y/n #shikamaru nara #shikamaru nara x reader #shikamaru angst #shikamaru x you #shikamaru #shikamaru nara angst #shikamaru nara x (y/n)#nara shikamaru #nara shikamaru x reader #naruto imagines #naruto #imagine #naruto imagine #anime #reader insert #x reader

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sour-n-salty-citrus · 3 years

Note

Do you have any hopes for the season finale? I saw in another ask, you described the dynamic between rick and morty this season as "very weak, distant, and downright frankly boring" and I completely agree with you! I hope that, because this is most we'll see rick and morty interacting this season, it'll have at least a few moments of what makes their dynamic so interesting to watch.

(Ok i started airing my grievances with this season, which ended up being... long, so skip this paragraph (starting at / / /) to get to my thoughts on the finale)

Oh gosh I remember that ask (I think-). And yeah, maybe I'm being a bit overly critical. I'll probably look back on this season with retrospect, and a kinder, fonder view. Ik androgynousblackbox (think thats right) made a great point about it being the season FOR rickorty shippers. And sure, I agree on some bits, like Rick acting all pissy and partying the way you would if your ex got with someone new in the planetina ep. Overall though, i think my problem lies in that I was enjoying more individual moments than episodes themselves, especially the middle three. For example- Amortycan Grickfitti. Like, I really liked the idea of the Ship getting on a crazy adventure with Summer and Morty (and Chutback). I like the idea of a Beth-Jerry-Rick adventure. But put together, it's just kinda... meh? You know? I liked the first half of the Thanksgiving special... but it kinda dragged on after that. I get that they want to give other characters (particularly female ones) more attention, which is completely understandable and i encourage it(!) but I can't help but find it underwhelming. Like, Summer in the voltron ep was like- girl how are you STILL vying for Rick's attention! He's the worst! Haven't we done this already? (I will say though I ADORE how far Beth has come, props to her for continuing to seeing through her dad's BS. I was worried the character would relapse into a more typical s1/s2 Beth, and I'm glad she didn't). Some of these plots, funnily enough, seem more fitting of the comics (they actually had a voltron parody already). Fun and entertaining for two or three-something issues, not so much a 22 minute episode. i think most of my complaints come from the dynamic between our titular characters- ok, I know I'm very biased (I mean you can see it), but I came to the show primarily for their relationship. It doesn't even feel drama-fueled, just that they kinda... can't be arsed. I'm torn because on the one hand, they're unhealthily codependent and this separation is probably a good thing, but on the other... it doesn't feel natural? I'm not sure if that's the right word- it's like, season 4 had them practically joint at the hip, but all that's suddenly flung out the window. It just kinda feels like this "i got better things to do" vibe from both of them and its strange. The only time they both got a solo adventure (I'm classifying "solo" as an adventure where they spent a significantly large portion of time together, without the other family members) was in the sperm ep and Thanksgiving ep. And, well, in the Thanksgiving ep Morty felt like a side character in his own show, and the sperm ep... um. Yeah. I don't think it's AS bad as people were saying, but I was cringing the whole time (the second hand embarrassment for Morty was so strong I had to turn off the episode multiple times and return to it. It's just like- godammit MORTY). And I think there's good reason those two seemed to be the most disliked episodes overall. They're the ones RaM spend the most time together and it's... meh. Meh? Meh. I don't mean to say the season overall is bad (it has loads of good points, and its amazing for Smith family as a whole) just that if we're talking specifically about the dynamic between these two? Yeah, I wouldn't recommend a single episode from this season so far to use as an example of their relationship.

/ / /

There's one thing this season has been pretty good at, though. And it's showing us what happens when Rick is alone.

And that brings me to the finale.

"Who is Rick without Morty?"

Well... we already know the answer to that. Pathetic. Sad. Lonely.

This season has been phenomenal in humbling Rick. (And trust me I'm happy for it- every time someone beats the crap outta this shitty old man I'm like YES!!! IT'S WHAT HE DESERVES!). Ep 1 had his "nemesis" clearly besting him, ep 2 had Beth making constant digs (love her) and overall pointing out his extreme callousness and cruelty towards even himself(ves). Ep 3- when Morty shows interest in a girl and ditches him (like seriously it's not like he's moving out, chill) he immediately goes on a bender and develops a deep attachment to the first person he can (wearing yellow, funnily enough). Ep 4, he devotes himself to becoming an "honest man" for his new child, only for it to instantly be taken away from him. Ep 5 highlights how RICK is the asshole for making fun of and taking advantage of someone well-meaning and honest, if "simple", and how literally not cool that is. Ep 6 has his crazy rivalry with the president, and they both get smacked down a couple pegs for that. Ep 7 shows what happens when he allows himself to get carried away, and that he can end up driving everyone else away in the process (lucky they still wanted to save his ass when he needed them). And episode 8? Hooooo boy. Episode. 8. We see a direct parallel in Birdperson with Morty, and the whole "Rick and [insert] 100 years!" Rick has few people he cares about, arguably only one or two that he truly devotes himself to, but when he does, boy does he go HARD. We see younger Rick, optimistic, energetic, friendly and hopeful. And we see all of that crushed in minutes. Rick is desperate for a companion, someone to see the stars with. He needs someone there, someone he can trust and rely on to stay. Someone like Morty. So without Morty, who is Rick?

No one.

And the thing is, Morty doesn't need Rick anymore. Not like Rick needs him. In season 1, Morty was this bright-eyed kid who was new to the cosmos and the multiverse, who needed his grandpa there with him as they explored all these places together. But that's not him anymore. That's not them.

The promo has Morty using the portal gun to go somewhere w/o Rick's permission (i like to think it's boob world lol). It doesn't matter to me as much where he's going, as much as he's doing it alone. He doesn't just not need Rick there, he doesn't want him.

(Also correct me if im wrong but I've missed that sweet portal gun so much. I think the last ep was like- the first time this season we saw it).

Morty's response to Rick? "Replace me!". And wow. Wow. WOW. Morty doesn't give a FUCK! I think Rick thinks that because he's so smart, that he can offer so much, that Morty will come crawling back, and I don't think he will.

Hopes for the finale! Hmm. I mean, I definitely hope "evil" Morty makes a reappearance, haha. I think we all do tbh ;). I want to see some Morty development too, this season has been very Rick-centric (not that there's anything wrong with that!) so I wanna see what's in store for Our Boy. I really hope we get to see the Citadel again, and see the state it's in, but I doubt it. We know something super big is in store, it's just a question of what? Other hopes I have is some Summer + Beth action (please let them team up Im BEGGING) and Jerry too ahaha. I'd love if some other side characters made an appearance as well. Oh- I'm definitely expecting a dramatic cliffhanger at the end of the first half leading to the second half, with the kind of angsty music that leads into the credits (pls that shit is so good (OH WAIT imagine if it was like, for the damaged coda, but like- the chopin version or smth so it could be more subtle maybe bruhhhh)). Ok haha, maybe that's asking too much, the writers made it clear in the story train ep that they weren't gonna do that big dramatic showdown (... unless 👀). Oh, I'd also love some Premium Angst too, like someone getting kidnapped/nearly dying (like ACTUALLY nearly dying). These stakes better be so damn high I could spear a man on them! OH, also I remember androgynousblackbox (is that right? I hope it is) mentioned something along the lines that they could be driving Rick and Morty apart this season in order to have them come back together stronger than ever in an explosive finale, which, I'm strongly hoping for myself.

Thanks if you made it this far! If you have any thoughts on or hopes of your own for the finale please feel free to share! :D

#ohmygod im sorry #i rambled way too long #akdjsksaksn #someone needs to take this phone away #also AGAIN im not shitting on s5 as a whole i actually quite like it #its just the RaM dynamic thats lacking #but again that could be intention so ig we'll see #RaM #rick and morty #meta #?#long post #citrus speaks #oh wait i should probably tag to be safe #rickorty mention

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crowdedimagines · 4 years

Text

just across the hall - harry styles

y/fm = your favorite musical artist 3k of fluff 🥰

The first time he saw her was the day she moved in. He knew that the younger couple that had previously been across from him moved out, but hadn’t heard anything about someone else moving in. She was avoiding the elevator for some reason, lugging her boxes all the way up the several stairs. Letting out a huff as she got to the top.

“Can I ask you something?” Harry’s voice rings out as he grabs the keys from his pocket, “Why take the stairs?”

She looks up from the box she was kicking across the floor with her foot. Sweat beading across her forehead from all of the obvious work she’s doing and the multiple trips up and down the stairs.

“The elevator is broken.”

Harry looks over his shoulder at the elevator he’s just stepped off, it dings as the doors shut.

“Fuck.” She whispers to herself, completely shocked to see it running.

He tries but can’t fight off a laugh at the unfortunate situation.

“Some lady told me the elevator was broken and I need to take the stairs.”

“Let me guess,” Harry pauses to lean against his door frame, “Older lady, small dog?”

“Yeah!” She nods frantically, pushing back the stray strands of hair off her forehead.

“She’s a hag.” He barks a laugh, “She lies constantly.”

“Oh my god.” The stranger rolls her eyes. “That’s unbelievable. I’m not going to be able to walk tomorrow! Do you realize what floor we’re on! I’ve been lugging stuff up and down those stairs all day. My legs feel like jelly.”

She leans against her door and lets out a loud sigh.

“I knew New York might be mean, but I wasn’t expecting my neighbors to be so rude.” She shakes her head in disbelief.

“We’re not all so bad.” Harry smiles, letting his dimples grace his face.

“No, instead I’ve got a celebrity across the hall! I don’t want to have to look cute every time I grab an amazon box from my doorstep.”

Harry lets out yet another laugh. He finds it easy to laugh at her comments. It’s refreshing to come across someone who knows him, but is relaxed around him.

“I promise, I don’t judge.” He holds up my hands in defense, “As long as when I do the same you don’t always expect a rockstar to be answering the door.”

“I think I can agree to that.” She smiles finally.

After that, Harry and Y/n don’t see each other that often right away. Harry was away traveling, going home to London for a long visit. She was surprised to notice the other half of her floor was so quiet. Y/n gets settled in the new city with a new job, finding her groove a little better and fully unpacking all of her belongings.

“He’s alive!” Y/n laughs as she sees Harry for the first time in weeks. The first time since they met actually.

“Yeah, I just got back from home actually.”

“Well that’s good, I was afraid I’d scared ya off.”

“Are you still taking the stairs?” Harry asks, noticing they’re both going into their apartments, but didn’t share the elevator together.

“Not always, but I’ve discovered I feel substantially less guilty about grabbing a churro on my way home if I take the stairs.”

“Got it.” Harry nods in understanding with a chuckle.

“Can I ask you another question?” Harry asks, stepping out of his apartment a little.

“Only if I can ask one in return.” She smirks and Harry nods.

“What’s your name?” His cheeks take on a pink hue. He hates that he doesn’t know it, but they never formally introduced themselves when they met. One of the issues being a celebrity, sometimes when people know you they forget that part.

“Y/n.” She smiles.

“Y/n.” Harry repeats back to himself and she nods, “Alright your turn.”

“Why do you live here?”

“What do you mean?” He chuckles.

“Like why this building? You could probably live anywhere in the city, why a building that you still share a floor with someone?”

“These are still nice apartments!” Harry defends with a laugh, Y/n rolls her eyes knowing that he knows that’s not what she meant.

“It’s just me. I used to have a penthouse, but it felt a bit empty if I’m being honest. Here I can still have my privacy, we’ve got nice apartments and a doorman. Plus I don’t spend all my time here in the city. When I’m not touring I’m in L.A and London too. Plus there’s a studio I really like not too far from here.”

“Ohh, that makes sense.” Y/n nods. “Well if you ever feel a little too lonely I’m only across the hall.”

“Thank you.” Harry looks up, genuinely appreciating the offer.

Wordlessly they both smile and wave and go into their apartments respectively. After that they run into each other more often, occasionally sharing the elevator in the morning. Harry on his way to the studio, Y/n on her way to work. They find out random little bits of information about each other.

Harry has also discovered the wall to her bathroom lines up with his bedroom, he’s sure of it. The late night showers, where she spends way too long in there, are filled with singing. Loudly and beautifully she sings whatever comes to her mind, or whatever she heard last before getting in.

The first time he heard it, it kept him up, trying to place the voice until it dawned on him that it had to be Y/n. The voice was enchanting, he could almost feel the buzz through the wall. It made him feel warm and undeniably less lonely.

The second time he stayed up just as late, waiting for Y/n to get home so he could hear her sing. He thought that he was crazy, just jet lagged the first night and his mind was playing tricks on him, but she turned on her water and he felt just as euphoric as the first night. He couldn’t help but wonder if people felt this way while listening to him sing.

He grew to appreciate her voice and the way she would laugh at herself when her voice would crack, or she couldn’t remember the words. That was Harry’s favorite. He loved when she didn’t know the words, because she always knew the notes and that's when she would make things up.

No matter how she crafted her voice, Harry found himself more and more attached to it. It took a few weeks and short conversations getting to know each other for him to be able to bring it up.

“So, you like y/fm?” Harry asks the next day in the elevator, taking a risk.

“Uhh, yeah, I love them. How’d you know?” She picks up her head to look in his direction.

“Ohh, I just heard ya singing them.”

“You what?” Y/n turns fully to look at him, her mouthing hanging open.

“Uhh-” Harry clears his throat, realizing how bad this could come off, “Our rooms are right next to each other, I share a wall with your bathroom.”

It grows completely silent in the elevator, Y/n in complete shock.

“Oh my god.” She mutters, shaking her head.

“It’s not a big deal.” Harry shrugs.

“It’s not a big deal?” She yells a little louder. Not mad, just shocked, “I just found out that Harry Styles has been listening to me singing in the shower!”

“It’s fine-” He laughs.

“I’ll just never shower again-”

“Now stop it, you’re just being dramatic.” Harry nudges her shoulder.

“I’ll just have to play music to drown everything out.”

“No, don’t stop. It sounds nice.” Harry compliments, halting her rambling of ways to avoid him ever hearing her sing again.

“You think so?” She peeks to look up at him.

“I do.”

It takes Y/n a few days to gain the courage to sing in the shower again. Knowing that she basically has an audience now. She debates what to sing, how to follow up everything else, and sing something new. She knows she’s overthinking it as she paces her room waiting to get in the shower. It takes her a few minutes before she’s certain she’s had a good idea.

Falling.

A beautiful ballad, a song that Y/n has admired since before she met Harry all those weeks ago. A performance for him, written by him. She even likes that it might feed his narcissistic side a little.

Harry can hear the water turn on, and he sets down his book. It was a few days ago that she found out about him listening to her, and she hasn’t sung since. He honestly doesn’t know if she’ll sing, but after a few seconds he can pick up on her voice. It’s soft at first, but it builds.

Falling.

She’s chosen to sing his own words. She choses different harmonies as she goes, and sings it in a way that never even crossed Harry’s mind. She’s skilled enough to make it sound enchanting in her own way. He’s fully immersed in her voice, and he can’t seem to pull himself out. He doesn’t want to.

The song ends and the water turns off and Harry feels disappointed. He wants to continue. He wished he had made the song longer just so he could hear a few more seconds of her voice.

The next morning Harry notices Y/n walking out her door and leaving for work. Harry quickly opens the door and slips in between the elevator doors before they close.

“Why are you wearing pajamas?” Y/n asks with a laugh, taking in his shorts and tee shirt and obvious bed head. He doesn’t look like his usual put together self.

“I’m not going into the studio today, but I wanted to catch the lift with ya.” He smirks, looking her over.

“Hmm, how sweet of you. What’re you up to?” She bites back a smirk of her own. It was fun singing his own song last night, and obviously it caused some sort of reaction.

“I need to record your voice.” Harry blurts.

“Excuse me?” Y/n coughs.

“After last night I couldn’t fall asleep last night, so I was up writing new melodies and I wrote a song.”

“You wrote a song.” Y/n states.

Harry holds up a hand with a fistfull of papers, his other hand holding a mug of tea.

“I want you to record a song with me.” His eyes unwavering, staring and hoping just maybe she’ll say yes.

“You're crazy!” Y/n laughs, shaking her head. Assuming this is some joke, there’s no way he could be serious right now.

“Y/n trust me, just sing it and you will understand-” Harry’s cut off when the hum to the elevator stops. The sensation of them dropping stops too. They’re completely still, but the doors aren’t opening.

“What just happened?” Y/n side steps around Harry to press buttons and try to see what’s going on.

“Oh my god, I think we’re stuck!” She states, noticing how they aren’t moving and the lights have switched to the emergency ones. The whole elevator darkens.

Harry reaches around her, as if he could fix it by pressing the same buttons she did. Eventually they get connected to the emergency line where they’re informed that there's a mechanical issue and they can’t get them out until they fix it. It’s going to be a while.

“Well, I hope you aren’t claustrophobic.” Y/n slides down the wall to sit down. Sending a simple text to her boss that she was going to be late, if there at all.

“Nope.” Harry says, popping the ‘p’ as he slides down to sit next to her.

They both sit, ankles crossed, facing the door in silence for a minute or two. Not really sure that the severity of the situation has sunk in.

“So, assuming we get out of here, can I get you in the studio?” Harry asks, an all to gleeful smile on his face.

“Harry, I don’t sing.”

“Well I beg to differ-”

“You know what I mean.” She interrupts.

“What’s stopping you?” Harry asks, genuinely curious. He’s never collaborated with anyone during his solo career, and he wasn’t planning to, but something about this seemed like a perfect fit. Harry couldn’t explain it.

“How do I go back to a normal job after that? After singing a song with Harry Styles and then what? Just go back to work?”

“Who knows. Maybe sign with Columbia and become your very own rockstar.”

“Shut up.” Y/n nudges his side.

“It’s only one song, I promise you don’t have to commit to anything else.” He pleads. “If you change your mind, we’ll go from there.”

Some more time passes and Y/n thinks. It’s hard to tell how long they’ve been in there. It feels like it’s been a while. It’s already been an hour since she texted her boss. Harry doesn’t even have his phone, he wasn’t planning on leaving the elevator and didn’t even think about grabbing it this morning.

“Maybe that old lady isn’t a liar, maybe she’s psychic. She knew this elevator would break.” Y/n says after a few minutes of silence. It dawned on her that that’s how Harry and her first talked all those weeks ago. Her climbing up the damn stairs for the hundredth time that day.

“Too bad she didn’t tell when it would happen. I would’ve chased ya down the stairs instead. We could’ve avoided this whole thing.”

They both let out a laugh.

“It wouldn’t be so bad if it wasn’t sweltering in here.” Y/n groans.

“See, these pajamas aren’t looking too bad right about now, huh?” Harry teases with a proud grin.

“You do realize when they get us out of here, there’s going to be dozens of people. If anyone caught wind of you, probably the news too. But, keep on enjoying your pjs.” Y/n laughs, teasing right back.

Harry would be lying if he said he didn’t like how you weren’t afraid to sass him. You didn’t make anything easy for him, which was different.

Without saying anything Y/n reaches for the papers Harry set down. Reading over the lines, seeing we’re he’s added little scribbles.

“Can you read music?” His voice filled the void. He wasn’t sure if she was just looking over the lyrics of if she could read the music notes too.

“Yeah, I was in choir.” She says, still skimming over everything. For coming up with it in one night by himself, she’s impressed. Not that she would expect anything less from Harry Styles.

“Alright lets give this a go.” She sits up. She’s had a change of heart, based on how beautiful she can tell the song is, and how bored she’s growing. They haven’t run out of conversation, but she needs a change of pace, which is hard to get in a stuck elevator.

“Really?” Harry doesn’t bother hiding how giddy he is, sitting up excitedly too.

“Might as well, we’ve got nothing else to do.”

Harry explains it a little bit better, and what exactly he was thinking in his head for it. They hit a few bumps, but fix things as they go until they have things worked out as best as they can. At least as best they can from inside a dimly lit elevator. Y/n adds notes of her own and plays off his voice with her own, knowing her own voice better than his. After a few tries they find a beautiful mix.

Y/n can’t even ignore how well their voices blend together. Even acapella sounds beautiful, they both look up at each other, realizing just how oddly magical it sounds. They finish the song and neither can speak. They both are struggling to come up with words to explain their thoughts.

A few different times they open their mouths to say something, but stop themselves. Y/n turns to look at him and he’s closer than she remembers. They had to sit close to share the paper, but now it’s like they’re breathing the same air.

Her lips part slightly and Harry’s eyes fail to refrain from dropping down to them. Y/n notices this a bites on the bottom slightly, pulling it in. Harry swallows, his Adam's apple bobbing. The tension is building, but neither can decide if they should make a move.

Finally, Harry grins and slowly leans down to connect their lips. Y/n’s hands instantly find his curls pulling him closer and deepening the kiss. She pulls him back down on top of her, neither one of them is going to let this end soon. Both of them had been secretly waiting for this moment since they first met. Harry’s thumb lightly brushing against her cheekbone as they continue their heavy makeout.

They forget that they’re stuck in an elevator and not in their own world where music is a language only the two of them speak.

The sound of metal creaking and light being thrust upon them makes them finally pull apart. The crew workers give them hands to help them out. Harry lets Y/n out first. There’s a paramedic waiting for them, claiming it’s standard procedure after anyone’s stuck in an elevator. After they both get cleared to go, Harry walks Y/n to a cab.

“I’m off Monday.” Y/n smiles, texting her boss that she will be coming in soon. Harry pulls open the door to the car for her.

“Monday in the studio?” Harry smirks and she nods.

“I’ll be there.” She smiles as she gets in and he shuts the door.

“You better be there, I know where you live.” Harry teases, pressing one more peck to her lips through the open window.

too cute lol!! part two??

#harry styles x reader #harry styles imagine #Harry Styles

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chibinekochan · 3 years

Note

What about the twins preparing a gif for eachother but failing at making it a surprice because twin telepaty gives too many hints?

This is so sweet.

They have both tried this one before.

I mean who wouldn't want to surprise their twin with a great present.

Yet neither of them is ever surprised.

The connection is just too strong.

Once again they do their best to surprise each other.

As usual, they pick up on each other's ideas.

Knowing very well that the other knows what ideas they have as well.

That is the moment when they both have the idea to talk to you for help.

In true twin fashion, they both come to you at the same time.

This makes for a very awkward moment.

"So how can I help you?" You just wonder about the scene in front of your door.

"Well, I wanted to talk to you, but it can wait." Beel is ready to wait until Belphie is done.

"I will go first, but I assume we want the same thing." Belphie is slightly frustrated by the whole ordeal.

Beel nods in agreement.

"So you both want to come in then?" You think they might had a fight or something.

"No, just give me a call when you're done." Beel heads towards the kitchen.

"Alright? Well, come in Belphie." Slightly confused you open your door.

Belphie gets right into the room and gets himself comfortable.

"You see I want to surprise Beel for our birthday, but he always knows what I want to get him. It's pretty frustrating." He gets straight up to the point.

"I can see that it can be annoying. But unless you somehow stop thinking while you buy anything or ask someone else to get something I'm not sure how you could surprise Beel." It's hard for you to relate to their twin telepathy, but you can imagine that this makes things difficult.

Belphie sighs. "I just once want to see his surprised face."

"Oh, actually I just thought of something since Beel loves food you could get him a box of random snacks. While he will know that you got him a box full of random snacks he won't know exactly what you got him." This seems to be a pretty solid idea.

"That's not a bad idea actually, but I not just want to give him food. I have many ideas, but he will always know what I want to buy for him." Belphie likes the idea but it's not enough.

"So does he know exactly what you get? Like if you buy him clothes he will exactly know what it is and how it looks?" You try to figure out how deep their connection goes.

"I can only say how it is for me, but it's like I have a vague idea. Like it's something I'd want to wear now, and sometimes I know it's a pullover." Belphie struggles to explain it.

"I see that's pretty close then, but he still wouldn't know the pattern for example. How is it when it's a few different items?" You start to think over your opinions.

"I usually get him one or two items, so I'm not sure. I'd assume he knows the general feeling for the items at the least. For example, they are comfortable or smell nice." Belphie puts a lot of effort into thinking of examples.

"Then you should get him a few completely different items. Like you buy him smaller items that he likes but give very different feelings. So he won't know exactly what it is." You think this is a pretty good idea.

"That's a pretty good idea. I can think of a good chunk of items that Beel would love and that aren't too expensive. I just hope this won't be impersonal. Since I usually get him something he usually wouldn't buy for himself." Belphie agrees with the sentiment, but it's not quite satisfying.

"I don't think so. When you buy him different things that he loves, he will know how much you pay attention to him and care about him. You can always get him one medium-priced item, that he might be able to guess and smaller items to surprise him." You try to come up with a compromise.

"That seems like a great idea. I think I have a pretty solid plan now. Thank you!" Belphie looks much brighter now.

"Anytime Belphie, I hope you find something nice." You smile at him and with that Belphie leaves you alone.

Just a moment after Belphie leaves Beel knocks, and you let him in. "I have seen Belphie leave just now."

"Yeah, come in Beel." You let him in.

Beel sits down and looks at you. "You probably heard it from Belphie already, but actually I want to make something for him instead of buying it. I don't know how that possibly could be a surprise." Beel has a similar issue to Belphie.

"I already got a few details from Belphie, so I have an idea how hard it is to hide something from him. I think the only way to do it would be to have no idea what you are actually making. Let's say you make a pullover. You would only get one part of the pattern at a time and work it as far as you can, but the final assembly will be done by someone else. So you will have only a vague idea what it actually is while doing most of the work. I guess an amnesia spell is also an option." You give Beel the only options you can really think of.

"Hmm, that might work. I should ask Solomon for a spell like that. I would want you to cast it though. Since I trust you." Beel seems to like the idea.

"It's sweet that you trust me so much, but it seems pretty dangerous." You can't imagine that it will be easy or without risk.

"I'm willing to do it for Belphie." Beel is determined.

"He wouldn't be happy if you get hurt. I'd rather teach you blindfolded knitting than putting you in danger." You look at him with a stern look.

"I keep that as option two then." Beel clearly has no sense of being overly dramatic. Well, maybe the amnesia spell will be more harmless than it sounds.

With that, you and Beel meet Solomon. Lucky enough the spell will only make Beel forget what he did a half-hour ago. So this is the best option.

Time passes and both twins diligently prepare their gifts.

Beel settles on a patchwork blanket in Belphies favorite colors.

Meanwhile, Belphie has chosen a few different things that go along with his main gift, training equipment for Beel.

Everything seems to go very well.

The day of their birthday finally arrives, and they are both equally excited.

With big eyes they open all the gifts. Keeping each other's gift for last.

Beel is super happy about the equipment and everything else that Belphie got him.

Belphie just wants to try out his new blanket.

It seems like all the hard work really paid off.

Truth be told neither of them is truly surprised, but it doesn't matter in the end. Since they did all just to make the other one happy and that is what truly matters.

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straykidsreactions · 4 years

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Reaction To: NCT Dream Flirting With Their S/O

STRAY KIDS REACTION TO : You, their significant other, being hit on backstage by a member of NCT Dream.

A/N: This was a popular request! Sorry for the delay, hopefully this makes up for it, (I added gifs for skz and dream bc yall deserve it) also I had to use 1 dream member twice so I picked Jeno bc that’s who was mentioned in the request (+ he’s my dream bias oops)

Genre: jealous/possessive!skz ( I wouldn't call it angst, it's cute I promise )

Chan:

When you'd agreed to accompany Chan to the award show and watch his performance live from backstage he'd been so excited and filled with pride.Taking you anywhere, especially when he'd be performing, gave him a huge boost of confidence- so knowing that you'd be right there by his side cheering him on from backstage made the whole evening more enjoyable for him. He had to admit there was also a small part of him that felt pretty cool introducing you to other idol friends of his after the show- since your relationship wasn't public amongst the fans and idol industry it always took people by surprise to see the two of you together and so comfortable with one another.While generally liked that your relationship was private and low-key,there were definitely times when the unspoken status of your dating life would drive him absolutely insane.That, when other guys tried to flirt with you.

In a way he could understand it, you had an infectious personality and you certainly were stunning, especially all dressed up for the award show you looked like you belonged on a runway, but that didn't change the fact that Chan's blood would begin to boil whenever he noticed someone being a little too friendly towards you.

When Chan originally noticed you in the hallway outside Stray Kid's designated backstage room having a casual conversation with a few idols he'd felt an immense sense of pride, not wanting to interrupt your conversation he'd leave you to make new friends on your own .It wouldn't be until a handful of minutes later, just before they were getting ready to take the stage, that he noticed the other idols surrounding you had now disappeared- and you were alone with none other than Mark Lee.Mark was a generally sweet and personable guy and, though Chan wasn't particularly close with the younger man, he'd heard only positive things about him.

At a glance the conversation seemed simple enough, but just as Chan was about to call you over he noticed Mark's arm press against the wall behind him,leaning over you slightly as he laughed and adjusted his mic set- clearly having just finished his stage performance with the rest of NCT. Chan's jaw would tighten; on one hand as the eldest and the leader he has a responsibility to be diplomatic and polite to other people in the industry, but on the other hand Mark's body was hovering a little too close to yours and your demeanor had quickly shifted into one of slight discomfort.Before could overthink his decision, Chan had calmly walked up beside the two of you, placing a firm hand on Mark's shoulder and easily pulling him away to create distance between him and you .Sliding his hand around your waist, he'd give Mark a small smile that let him know he was anything but pleased to see him.

“Ahh, it's Mark, right? I'm Chan, I don't think we've formally met before.”

*extending his free hand for mark to shake, which he reluctantly did- looking between the two of you in slight confusion*

“Uhh, y-yeah it's nice to meet you too, man.”

“Hyung.”

*Chan retorted coolly, correcting the younger idol who was already slightly flustered that he'd clearly misread the situation*

“Uh, oh sorry- Hyung. Uhm, sorry...are the two of you-?”

*Chan's gaze never wavering from Mark's as he nodded, looking over at you and flashing you a cheeky smile that let you know he had everything under control*

“Oh, my bad mate, I didn't properly introduce you- this is my ( girlfriend/ boyfriend ), Y/N. ( She/He ) was just going though, isn't that right love? Our performance is about to start, you wouldn't wanna miss it, hmm?”

Bonus gif, Mark:

Minho:

When you'd agreed to go with him and the other members to the award show, he'd honestly hadn't even thought twice about the possibility of other idols coming up to you.It wasn't that he'd never seen someone hit on you before, but it had never happened with a fellow idol and Minho had assumed that because you'd arrived together everyone would've known that you were clearly together.His thoughts were clearly mistaken, however, when he saw Renjun approach you backstage.

Out of all the members, Minho is easily one of the most confrontational and because of this there was very little doubt in his mind when it came to handling situations like this in an upfront manner.He becomes possessive over you quickly, even between his other members there are times when he'd feel the need to pull you away and keep you to himself (though he was usually able to restrain himself on those occasions because he fully trusted his members not to step out of line).When it came to other guys outside of his close group of friends, however, there was absolutely no way that Minho would hold back.So when he saw Renjun talking to you alone, smiling at you sweetly as he asked you for help touching up his makeup, Minho's entire body would grow tense.

*walking over to wear you were standing, reluctantly adding a facial jewel to the stranger's cheek as he tried to make conversation*

“Baby, that's enough. Why don't you head back to our dressing room- I'll be there in a few minutes.”

His voice was stern and unwavering as you quickly stood, giving him a look that warned him not to go overboard on the man who had clearly been trying his luck with you.Minho patted your head reassuringly before gesturing for you to leave, to which you obliged.Once you were out of sight, he turned his attention back to the man in front of him, who's expression was nothing short of utter confusion.

“Hyung, II don't think that's really an appropriate way to talk to a stylist.”

*Minho scoffed lowly, willing to play along for a minute as he gestured in your direction*

"Who, Y/N?"

*watching at the younger man nodded, running a hand through his hair*

“Mhm. I get it though, ( she's/he’s ) pretty...did Y/N do your makeup too?”

*Minho's eyes darkened slightly at this as he took a step closer to the younger man, who at this point was getting a strong feeling that he was missing something*

“Since you're slow, I'll spell it out for you- Y/N isn't my stylist, ( she's/he’s ) my date. So I'd appreciate it if you didn't make comments about ( her/ his ) appearance. Actually, I'd rather not see you around Y/N again unless ( she/he ) wants you there.”

*pausing as he watched Renjun's face become cautious, leaning in slightly to finish the conversation in a low voice before heading back towards the dressing room*

“Let's not have this conversation again, ok?”

Bonus gif, Renjun:

Changbin:

While Changbin was usually the first to invite you to music video shoots, livestage tapings and plenty of other events, he wasn’t a big fan of bringing you along to award shows- for exactly this reason. There were so many idols in close quarters for the entire night, many of whom he didn’t fully trust around you considering the two of you weren’t publicly out as a couple. As long as you were with him and his members he was fine, but he’d be quickly grow tense and become on edge whenever you were out of his sight, and when him and the other members had to.get ready for their performance it wasn’t hard to tell that he wasn’t fully comfortable leaving you alone. Of course you tried to assure him that you were fine, but he also knew you didn’t always have the best gauge for knowing when people were flirting with you.

For the most part no issues arose, that is, until all of you were moved into the large waiting room for upcoming performers. Several groups of idols were finishing up last minute practices and mingling with one another before their respective performances- Changbin had opted for sitting down and quickly going over the difficult lyrics for his part in the new song they were going to perform. You hadn’t wanted to disturb him or the other guys while they prepped for their performance, so you’d quietly placed yourself in the corner to take in your surroundings- but it didn’t take long for a certain somebody to take an interest in you and Changbin could tell.

The instant he noticed Donghyuck walk up to you he had a gut feeling that it wasn’t just to say ‘hello’. He had a reputation for being harmlessly flirty, and though Changbin isn’t the type to get up and step in over-protectively he’d certainly hoped that you would leave the stranger and come sit beside him instead. Mostly he’d just become frustrated, completely unable to focus on his lyric sheet as his eyes kept drifting upward to watch as Donghyuck laughed at something funny you’d said, slowly edging himself closer to you- something you hadn’t yet picked up on. In all honesty he’d probably observe the situation from a distance for a while, letting his frustrations build the longer Donghyuck monopolized your time. Changbin might talk a big game and have the on-stage persona of a tough and confrontational guy- but when it comes to your relationship he’s actually very soft and mild mannered so getting him to the point where he’d say something in a bothersome situation took a lot. That being said, after 15+ minutes of watching his dongsaeng flirt with you- he’d had enough. He wasn’t one for a lot of words, you knew the tones of his voice well enough to understand that when he spoke it was something important.

*clearly his throat as the looked up from his paper, having a better view of the two of you now that the room had emptied some*

“Yah, baby, come over here and sit with your boyfriend, ok?”

*not waiting for you to respond before dropping his gaze back to his lyric sheet, preserving the face of an unbothered man despite his inner feelings*

“I don’t like you talking to strangers.”

Bonus gif, Donghyuck:

Hyunjin:

As shy as Hyunjin can be sometimes when it comes to be complimented himself, there’s definitely a part of him that loves showing you off and receiving compliments from others on how good the two of you look together. He takes a lot of pride in you, so when he’d invited you to come with him and the members to the upcoming award show there hadn’t been a shadow of a doubt in his mind. He loved the way you were dressed to the 9′s just to watch their rehearsal and performances from backstage, so much so that he insisted you come out into the mostly empty arena to watch them do soundcheck before they went into hair and makeup to prepare for the show. There were only a few other groups there that early to do soundcheck and no media had arrived yet, so he felt comfortable bringing you out, knowing that it gave him a boost of confidence to make eye contact with you while he practiced. What didn’t boost his confidence, however, was glancing over into the rows of mostly empty seats to see that you were no longer alone- someone had approached you and was sitting a little too close for Hyunjin’s liking.

Hyunjin didn’t know Jaemin well, they’d only met in passing at a few other shows, but it wasn’t hard to tell that his outwardly charismatic personality and flirtacious attitude were translating into his conversation with you. Your boyfriend wasn’t one to stop group practice in the middle of a routine, he’d continue with the choreography but his eyes would never leave you as he watched the NCT member shamelessly flirt with you- though perhaps it wasn’t entirely his fault since you and Hyunjin weren’t publicly dating. It wouldn’t take long for the other members to catch on to the fact that you’d been semi-cornered by the overly-friendly idol, unsure of what you were supposed to do. It wasn’t that you didn’t enjoy meeting new people, but you couldn’t be sure if he was just an overly-friendly person or if he was genuinely flirting- and Hyunjin was clearly not happy about it. He watched from the stage, putting his hands on his hips as the other members gave him a look of confusion. Hyunjin wouldn’t say anything in the moment, he knew Jaemin was harmless but it didn’t mean he was comfortable with the situation- it was more the fact that he didn’t want to embarrass you or make you feel as though he was being too over-protective. In the moment he’d try to shake his frustrated feelings- but he’d only truly feel comfortable after you’d excused yourself from the conversation with Jaemin, quickly walking up to your boyfriend and cutely wrapping your arms around him as you pressed a kiss to his cheek.

*blushing profusely as a wide grin spread across his face*

“What was that for, Jagi?”

*smiling sweetly as you let go of him, making your way back towards the viewing room backstage to let him finish practicing*

“Just because...Hyunjinnie?”

*smiling as he put his arms on his hips, noticing Jaemin’s confused look out of the corner of his gaze as he watched your interactions with Hyunjin from a distance- clearly beginning to connect the dots*

“Hmm?”

*blowing him a reassuring kiss to make sure he knew that you were his and his alone*

“I love you! Fighting!”

Bonus gif, Jaemin:

Jisung:

Jisung is easily one of the more possessive members of the group, his general demeanor is of course very sociable and sweet but there are certain things that set this boy off and because he has a little bit of a hot temper he wouldn’t always be the best at keeping those possessive feelings at bay.

He’d had a few reservations about inviting you to the award show, he loves when you come and support him at events and knowing that you’re by his side gives him endless confidence, but he didn’t like exposing you to any kind of potential harm or unwanted attention- whether that be from publicity or other guys. Nevertheless, your excitement regarding the upcoming show and his love for seeing you by his side won over and in the end he’d happily invited you to join him and the other members. The first half of the evening had been everything he’d hoped for- you watched them rehearse and kept him company through hair and makeup- you’d even met a few other idols who had been so friendly and understanding when it came to keeping your relationship with Jisung low-profile. The issue arose when Jisung and the other members stepped into another room to take some promotional photos, leaving you alone backstage amidst a hoard of strangers and celebrities who you didn’t know all that well.

it wasn’t that you minded, you were perfectly content to find a comfortable seat out of the way and just observe, but Jisung would be a little on edge from the moment he let you out of his sight. This was his world, he was used to how things worked here, but you weren’t and that alone was enough to worry him.

He’d only been gone from the backstage room where you were seated around 15 minutes when he came back to grab his phone, but it didn’t take him long to spot you- or the person who was talking to you a little too closely.

He hadn’t noticed the members of NCT Dream when he’d left earlier, but they were all there going through hair and makeup now and it wasn’t hard to tell that one of them had taken a particular interest in you- Jeno. He was sitting beside you, having what could’ve been a perfectly normal conversation- but Jisung knew better than that. Though he wasn’t particularly close with Jeno, it wasn’t hard to tell by his body language that he was a little too interested in you. The way he leaned closer every time you spoke and laughed so effortlessly at the things you said would make Jisung furious, his usual effortlessly fun-loving persona completely gone as he walked towards you without hesitation. Unlike some of the other members, Jisung wasn’t the kind to hesitate, even if it was slightly rash. You hadn’t spotted him until he was directly in front of you, but once your gaze found his it didn’t take you long to realize that he was angry.

*giving the two of you a stern look as Jeno smiled up at your boyfriend from his seated position*

“Hey man, you’re Han Jisung, right? I’m Lee Jeno, from Dream..it’s nice to meet you.”

*Jisung’s firm gaze never wavering as he rejected Jeno’s extended hand, instead helping you up from the sofa and guiding you to stand beside him*

“Were you hitting on my (girlfriend/boyfriend)?”

*his straightforward question took the other man by surprise, giving him a confused look before his gaze fell on you and your cautious face as you glanced between the two of them*

“Oh, I- you mean Y/N? I didn’t realize you two were dating.”

*glancing between you and Jisung with a slight smile*

Maybe it was the fact that it had been a long night and he was tired, maybe it was the fact that he’d just seen one too many guys hit on you under the assumption that you were single, but whatever it was Jisung was suddenly very over the entire “low-profile relationship” situation. Scoffing lowly under his breath, he picked up his phone from out of his nearby bag, opening Instagram and pulling up a photo the two of you had taken on a recent date night. You were both dressed well, standing outside near a cherry blossom tree with his arm around your waist as you stared at each other lovingly. Your face was mostly covered by a mask and your boyfriend’s baseball cap so people would have a difficult time discovering your identity, but the message was clear- Han Jisung was in a relationship. Without much more thought, he added a straight forward and to-the-point caption, “Happy With You.❤️” before quickly uploading the photo to their official Stray Kids instagram account. Your eyes widened in shock as you gave him a worried look, knowing that the post would inevitably cause some backlash for him at the company. Without hesitation, Jisung leaned over towards Jeno who was still looking slightly confused, showing him the uploaded photo.

*tilting his head slightly and giving him the same unwavering stern glare as Jeno’s face fell slightly into shock at the bold move*

“Well it’s official now, got that? So I wouldn’t get involved with (her/him) unless you’re ready for one hell of a scandal.”

Bonus gif, Jeno:

Felix: jeno

Felix loves, and I mean loves, bringing you along to events, concerts and award shows. If he was performing- hell even if he was just going to practice at the studio, he wanted you to be there. Obviously you couldn’t come to every single practice and performance because you were busy yourself- but you did your best to be there for the big moments, and this award show was one of them. Not only were Stray Kids performing their latest comeback, they were also up for a couple big awards this year- and more than anything he wanted you to be by his side.

As far as jealousy goes, Felix isn’t one to get possessive and upset over the little things. He wouldn’t say something unless he felt like he needed to, but he also has an innate inability to hide his emotions. If he was hurt or frustrated, it was apparent on his face. That being said, he’d honestly never expected to leave you alone that night in the first place. Aside from the actual performance and award ceremony where you’d watch from the viewing room with the other idol’s guests, Felix hadn’t planned on leaving you alone backstage with a sea of strangers. It wasn’t until their manager announced that they’d been asked to do some additional promotional recordings prior to the show that Felix realized you’d have to wait backstage on your own. It put him on edge a bit, but another idol hitting on you wasn’t his main concern- more than anything he just felt bad for leaving you alone when you didn’t know many people around. Nevertheless, you assured him that you’d be fine and reluctantly he left you backstage- swearing that he’d try to finish as quickly as possible.

He’d only been gone around 20 minutes, but he still made a point to get back to you as quickly as possible. It wouldn’t take him long to find you and when he first noticed a couple other idols talking with you he’d feel excited and proud to see you making friends so easily- that is until he saw the person standing closest to you, handing you a bottle of water and making comments on how cute you looked. He knew he shouldn’t let it get to him, of course it was possible the NCT Dream member was being nothing more than polite, but something inside him didn’t like the way he was smiling at you and it must’ve been obvious in the way his generally happy and loving expression shifted into something darker. The other idols who were talking with you had excused themselves at this point, leaving only you and Jeno who didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving your side- that is until Felix walked up to you, doing his absolute best to keep his breathing steady and voice calm.

*Jeno smiling at him cluelessly, giving him a nod of introduction*

“Oh, hey man how are you? I’m Jeno, I don’t think we’ve met before- oh! And this is (Y/N)-”

*scoffing slightly as his patience began to wear thin, glancing in your direction as you gave him an apologetic frown*

“I know who (she/he) is..but yeah, um..it’s nice to meet you- I’m Felix.”

His deep voice felt calming, even when he himself was anything but relaxed. He shook Jeno’s hand begrudgingly, giving him a small smile as his gaze never wavered from you.

“Oh really? Don’t tell me you came over here to ask (her/him) out too! Wahh, you must be so popular tonight, (Y/N)...”

*Jeno laughing playfully as he teased you, your face going flustered and eyes widening at his bold statement, your shock nothing in comparison to the look of absolute rage in Felix’s eyes as he scrunched his eyebrows momentarily, trying to maintain composure*

“Nah, actually I came over here to get my (girlfriend/boyfriend)...Jagi?”

*turning to you with the slightest hint of a smirk playing on his lips as you blushed, not daring to glance in Jeno’s direction as his face fell into slight shock and embarrassment*

“We should get going now, it was nice to meet you though.”

*taking your hand in his and effortlessly guiding you out of the room*

Bonus gif, Jeno:

Seungmin:

Some people would find it slightly odd how close the two of you were, because despite being in a relationship with Seungmin the two of you were also like best friends. You shared everything with each other and though your relationship was, of course, different from the kind of friendships he had with his members, he’d worked hard to make you feel as close and comfortable as possible. In all honesty he got a little nervous performing in front of you, mostly because he felt an added pressure to do well and show you his best side- but it fueled him to do better on stage so he was happy to hear that you’d agreed to accompany him and the other members to the upcoming award show.

Seungmin isn’t naturally an overly jealous person, if instances did arise where someone was flirting with you it’d certainly bother him- but he isn’t one to step in unless he feels like it’s absolutely necessary. He trusted you and didn’t want to make a situation confrontational if it didn’t need to be, but he wouldn’t mind saying something if he thought you were at all uncomfortable.

The guys had just finished going through hair and makeup, where you spent the majority of the time talking with your boyfriend, and they were getting ready to do a last minute sound check before getting ready for their performance. He didn’t think it’d be a big deal to leave you backstage for half an hour or so, flashing you his signature smile and giving your hand a reassuring squeeze before letting you know that he’d be back soon and to make yourself comfortable. He’d suggested you get a bite to eat from the food stations backstage, but after he’d left you quickly realized you had no idea where any of that was located. After searching and maneuvering through the crowded and hectic backstage green rooms for what seemed like an eternity, not only were you discouraged and hungry- you were a little bit lost. Stray Kids’ designated room was no where in sight- and at this point you were wandering aimlessly. Aimlessly, that is, until a helpful stranger approached you with a smile and a sandwich in hand.

Seungmin did his best to get back to the dressing room as quickly as possible after finishing sound check, eager to see you again and tell you about all the funny little mishaps that had happened since he’d last seen you- but he’d quickly realize you were nowhere to be found. He tried calling you, but after getting your voicemail a couple times he started to grow concerned. It wasn’t until he’d been looking around for a few minutes that he happened to find you near the sandwich station talking to someone. Not just someone- another idol.

You couldn’t be sure if Chenle had just happened to have a sandwich in hand when he found you or if he’d noticed you earlier searching for something to eat, but he was quick to offer you the packaged snack which you had politely accepted- striking up a conversation about the event. You weren’t sure how long the two of you had been talking, but after a while you’d noticed your boyfriend out of the corner of your eye- and he didn’t seem pleased.

Maybe it was the fact that you hadn’t answerd his calls, a mixture of worry and sudden frustration seeing that you were perfectly fine and otherwise engaged in a conversation with NCT Dream’s Chenle, but Seungmin could feel the annoyance bubbling inside him. Walking over to the two of you, he politely introduced himself to Chenle, before turning his attention back towards you.

“(Y/N), we should get going, our performance is coming up soon, ok?”

*nodding as you turned towards the man you’d just met, preparing to say goodbye and thank him for the food*

“It was nice meeting you! Thanks again for the sandwich.”

*smiling cheekily as he nodded, waving in your direction*

“It was nice meeting you too, and hey- if you’re free after the show, call me.”

*smirking as he pointed towards the wrapper of the sandwich, before turning and walking away*

A confused look was exchanged between you and Seungmin as you glanced at the underside of the wrapper, noticing that he’d written his phone number in small, neat handwriting. Seungmin just rolled his eyes, pressing his tongue to the inside of his cheek in frustration to keep himself from calling out to the other man who was already walking away. Instead, he’d take the sandwich wrapper from your hands, balling it up and throwing it in the nearest garbage can before turning to you with his usual smiling face. You could tell he was frustrated, but he wasn’t going to let it bother him.

*taking your hand in his and pulling you closer to him as he smiled at you sweetly*

“You ok, baby? Did you get lost?”

*nodding as you blushed, feeling apologetic for making him frustrated even if it wasn’t your doing*

“I’m glad I found you, should we head back now? I wouldn’t want my pretty (girlfriend/boyfriend) to miss our big performance.”

Bonus gif, Chenle:

Jeongin:

Jeongin would easily be the most giddy and excited to hear that you’d agreed to come to the award show- having you by his side would make him light up like nothing else and knowing that you’d be cheering him and his members on from backstage would make him fill with pride and confidence. He knew it was difficult for the two of you sometimes since your relationship wasn’t out in the open, but for the most part the two of you kept to yourselves and there weren’t too many instances that either of you had experienced firsthand of another person coming up to you and shamelessly flirting. You spent so much of your time together that he wouldn’t really know how to react- Jeongin is generally a very lighthearted and goofy person, but he also has a habit for letting his quippy comments and fiery attitude shine when something is comical or annoying to him. That being said, he isn’t a terribly possessive person, but he doesn’t mind a little confrontation if he feels like it’s necessary.

You’d been at the award show venue for a while at this point, watching as more and more famous groups were guided through the backstage area into various dressing rooms while you stayed beside Jeongin before he had to go through hair and makeup. A few other idol groups were mingling about and a few had started conversing around a fairly empty lounge space with a few of the other members of Stray Kids. Jeongin had walked over to take a seat beside his hyungs and introduce himself to several other idols talking with them, and though he’d encouraged you to come with him you felt a little awkward butting into the conversation so you chose to stay seated a little ways a way- not wanting to encroach on his time with other friends and colleagues. It wasn’t until a handful of minutes later that you got a text from your boyfriend, asking if you could bring him a coffee. You smiled, knowing it was just a small excuse to bring you over to where he was sitting, but happily taking the bait nevertheless as you rolled your eyes teasingly in his direction.

You brought over a few cups of coffee, not wanting to look conspicuous by only bringing one, handing them to the other members of stray kids who gave you a questioning but grateful look. You were just about to step away when another voice from the group stopped you.

“Wahh, you’re so helpful- would it be alright if I got a coffee as well? Only if it isn’t too much trouble.”

You turned towards the voice, recognizing it as Jisung from NCT Dream, who was among the idols sitting and talking with one another casually. While it hadn’t been your intention to come across as an assistant, you had to give him credit for asking so politely- so you just smiled in return.

“Actually (Y/N)’s not-”

“Sure, of course. What would you like?”

Jeongin gave you a confused look, but you silently reassured him that it was ok. Neither of you wanted to come out as being in a relationship, and it was just a simple coffee. Jisung kindly asked you for an Americano and thanked you despite being clueless to the fact that assisting idols backstage was, in fact, not your job. This alone was enough to put Jeongin on edge, of course he knew Jisung didn’t know better, but he still didn’t like the idea of you fetching things for people you weren’t even friends with. He didn’t plan on saying anything, though, since he knew you were only putting up with it to save your relationship’s private image.

You returned with the coffee, smiling softly as you handed it to the stylish and beaming Dream member. You were just about to walk away, however, when he did something that took you by surprise. Without a second thought, Jisung lightly took your wrist in his hand, smiling as you turned to face him and patting the seat beside him with his free hand.

“No, please! Have a seat!” You glanced cautiously towards Jeongin who’s face was blank, but he didn’t say anything so reluctantly you sat beside the perfect stranger.

“So your name’s (Y/N), is that right?”

*nodding as you asked for his name, to which he introduced himself*

“I’m sorry if I startled you- I just thought maybe it’d be nice to sit down, I’m sure you’re very busy...”

*laughing slightly as you tried to find a way to explain that you weren’t an assistant, without outing yourself as being in a relationship with Jeongin*

“Uhm, well actually-”

“Are you a model by chance?”

*your eyes widening as you gave him a confused look*

“W-why do you ask that?”

*Jeongin’s face growing stern as he listened intently to your side conversation with the overly friendly man beside you*

“I just, I’ve never seen anyone with your kind of beauty before...I like it.”

Jeongin’s face quickly went from intent listening to one of extreme confusion as his brows raised and head tilted, giving the man a look of obvious judgement and disapproval. Before you had a chance to respond to the forward compliment, however, Jeongin was quick to speak up.

“Are you serious?”

*Jisung turning towards him with a look of slight perplexity as why he’d been listening in on your conversation*

“Oh, um- sorry I was just-”

*Jisung’s cheeks growing flushed as Jeongin laughed slightly, trying his best to hold back from sharing anything regarding your relationship while still telling him off for flirting with you*

“Yah, don’t be so cringey- you don’t even know (her/him)! And...don’t ask strangers to get you coffee, ok? (She/He) isn’t your assistant.”

Bonus gif, Jisung:

#stray kids reactions #stray kids #bang chan #lee minho #lee know #seo changbin #hwang hyunjin #han jisung #lee felix #lee yongbok #kim seungmin #yang jeongin #i.n #stray kids x reader #nct dream #kpop reactions

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fckwritersblock · 3 years

Text

Act 1: While We’re Young

Chapter 5

Erik ‘Killmonger’ Stevens x Black OC

(Unedited.)

Tuesday

January 10th 2005

Last night was the only night I'm allowing myself to cry over him and his 'return'. What good would it do me? No, I was gonna take Erik and whatever he had to throw at me by storm.

Waking up the next day, I feel refreshed. Like a brand new person with a more positive mindset. Today I had 3 classes and I'm determined to have a good Erik free day.

That whole Erik free thing went out the window as soon as I got to my first class.

Double O Computer Programming 1 was a junior class, however I'd taken it during the summer during my first year at UC Berkeley. DOCP 2 wouldn't be available until next semester but I needed to have a class since this was my first year on the actual campus. Thankfully Miss Hill really needed a T.A and the fact that I could help with an algorithm that tied into thermal nuclear astrophysics had her sold.

Right after I finished taking attendance, she barely got a word out before the door swung open revealing Erik as our late comer. I quickly glanced at the sheet in front of me, scanning for his name. I was so use to calling him N’dajaka when we were kids, I completely skipped over ‘Erik Stevens’. I huffed rolling my eyes, arms crossed over my chest. His timbs were the only thing heard shuffling across the room making hid way toward the front of the class. Wordlessly he handed Miss Hill before his eyes were on me. They scanned me from top to bottom, before locking with me a smug grin on his lips.

"Hey Lona," my jaw dropped.

Before I could get out a word, Miss Hill opened her mouth, looking up from the paper he handed her.

"Welcome Erik, sorry for the confusion."

"It's all good," he shrugged.

"Im Miss Hill, and I see you already know my aid. As I explained to the class prior to taking attendance, If I'm unavailable feel free to email or call her during the hours listed on the sheet." She is then took a sheet from me and handed him to me. "Other than that, find a seat."

He nodded pretending look over the sheet before averting his gaze back on me.

"I'm definitely gon do that."

Fuck my life right?

Well, Erik just so happened to be in the Calculus class I skipped two days ago. I thank God my record was squeaky clean and Mr. Kennedy accepted my poor excuse before I was quickly reminded the man upstairs has a sense of humor as the only available seat was next to Erik.

"The person next to you will be your partner for the remainder of the semester so let's take the next 15 minutes getting know one another hmm?." Mr. Kennedy instructed.

I couldn't suppress the groan that slipped as Erik casually leaned back in his chair, examining me.

"You heard the man, get to know me."

"I know all I need this know about you Erik."

"Oh so I'm Erik now? Like that?" He spoke cool, calm, and collected like our exchanged was normal.

I gripped my pencils tight, my knee bouncing up and down my body tense.

"Let me set things straight now. We don't need to talk to one another. If it doesn't have anything to do with any of the classes we take together, don't want to hear it. When you see me act like you don't know me. We clear?"

The expression on his face was unreadable before his lip twitched slight him responding.

"Crystal."

Wednesday

January 24th, 2005

It had been two weeks since Erik showed up here.

Ok that's a lie.

Apparently this man has been here. And to top it off, this mans name was in every bitch mouth like the second coming of Jesus Christ. From what I've observed though, he doesn't say much, or gives any of these broads much attention. He don't say much in general actually, he's really good at blending in. He got that laid back, mysterious, bad boy vibe going for him and these females out here hella into that.

But when he opens his mouth, that cocky bastard sure knows how to disrupt my entire soul at least while we're in class.

Outside of class though, he acts like I'm invisible.

It was like he never knew me. And honestly, I don't know how to feel about it. I know that's what I said I wanted but it bothers me just the same.

Today in particular though, he argued me down during our Calculus class. We had one problem to figure out before we could leave class today. You and your partner were supposed agree on the answer, and heaven forbid he just agree with me so we can get out of here. Math was always my subject when we were kids, nothing has changed. I was damn near about to say fuck it when he started laughing.

What in the entire fuck it so funny?" I was fuming.

"You," he shook his head. "You really hella mad."

"Um, YES!" I damn near shouted fed up. "You literally been tryna convince me it's 5 when it's-"

"Chill. I know the answer is 3 girl. C'mon, let's go." So smoothly he closed the book, grabbed his bag and headed to the front.

I was so upset, I had to let him do all the talking when it came to explain to the teacher I'll answer and how we got there. I know I open my mouth I wasn't going to say anything nice.

"Girl what crawled up your ass and died?" Donise questioned with a stank look as we sat at one of the benches outside of the library.

"Yeah What did Erik do now," I could hear teasing in Tatiana's tone so I flipped her off.

Only giving a brief explanation, I went on a mini rant about what happened in class 20 minutes ago. Donise's thought it was funny, while Tati just shook her head.

"I still can't believe it him," Tatianna glanced as a group of guys from across the quad headed our way, Erik included.

"Yes, and I wish it wasn't."

Tatianna was the first real friend I made in a while. I was actually tutoring her online for a while before she found out I was 4 years younger than her. Our friendship started off as a trade. I was her tutor and she both convinced and enrolled in a mentor program to help me with my social skills. I didn't speak to anyone much when Erik left, but I got into a lot of fights. According to the school counselor I was taking out my anger and abandonment issues on.I have meds to tame the anger, and while I haven't had to take them in a while Eric definitely bring that anger out of me.

"Girl that's just sexual tension. You got to fuck all that out." Ashley put in her unwanted two cents.

"Trust me when I tell you on God it isn't."

"Well if you out to holla, then trust and believe I will." She tossed her hair over her shoulder

I didn't really mess with Ashley like that, but she was Tati's frat sister which made them 'friends'. That little thot pocket will screw anything with legs, D, and a pulse and I'm not bout that life. Plus she messy as fuck and I don't trust her as far as I can throw her.

"I don't doubt it," I smirked as Donise said exactly what I was thinking.

Donise was coo' though, I meet her when I first got here 2 months ago. Believe It or not she was apart of the welcome comity for MIT and turned out her and Tatiana were already friends. Once she figured out who I was, I was shot to the front line during registration and everything.

"Anyways, y'all going Ant and them party tomorrow?" Ashley questioned probably tryna bum a ride.

"What party?"

"The Que's," Donise answered. "The dudes with Erik are frat."

Now this was news to me. I met most of them before but I had no idea there were in a sorority. Examining them, I guess it all made sense. Most in the clique sported some sort of purple and yellow lanyard either around their neck or on their keychain that hung from their jean pocket as if they wanted everybody to know who they were. Which I wouldn't doubt.

"Ladies! What we chattin about?" Moses questions every bit of his thick English accent tapering off every word.

"Our plans for mañana," Tati answered l

"Word. Y'all coming to the party tomorrow?" Jay spoke playing with a few strands of Donise's curls.

"Tomorrow? It's Thursday." I said confused. "Ain't there class the next day?"

"What's the matter, you can't hang?" I glared at Jay, knowing he was only chastising me because him and Erik were close, according to Tati.

I swear to God men gossip more than women do. Rolling my eyes I spared Erik a glance and he looked like he was waiting on me to respond.

"Oh, I can definitely hang."

I couldn't hang.

Around midnight I was in the bathroom throwing up everything, damn near hug in the toilet as my surrounding looks so blurry and I can barely function. Im not sure when I'd finally finished, but I could feel someone picks me up and out the bathroom and soon everything goes blurry and then black.

Tag list: @kitesatforestp @xsweetdellzx @justgetitoverwith0 @letsshamelessqueen-m @cmkcolove @readingaddict1290

#black!reader #black panther killmonger #erik killmonger series #erik stevens x reader #erik stevens #killmonger x black!reader #black writer #killmomger x oc #killmonger imagine #marvel imagine #marvel #black panther imagine #black panther #wakanda forever #tchalla

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coldflame96 · 3 years

Text

To Move Forward

Summary: Kyo and Akito come to an understanding. Post-manga and pre-Another.

Rating: T

Can also be found on AO3 and FF.net

“Are you sure it’s a good idea to go down there right now?” he asked his wife for the umpteenth time.

“Hmm?” she cocked her head adorably. “We go down there every summer.”

“Well, yeah, but we’re supposed to reach record high temperatures down there this week.” He gave a fleeting look towards her stomach area. “I don’t want you to exert yourself too much.”

She kissed his cheek. “I’m fine, Kyo-kun, really. And I promised Akito-san I would go and visit.” She frowned sadly. “She’s having a really rough time with the pregnancy and she’s due in only a month or two.”

He wanted to argue that Akito’s issues weren’t Tohru’s problem, but he knew it was a losing battle. His wife was always trying to help everyone and had so much love to give. It was one of the many things he loved about her.

“Fine,” he sighed. “But if you’re going to the main estate, we should leave Hajime with the rat. That place is oppressive and I don’t want him to deal with it.” And I don’t want him near Akito either.

Tohru paused for the briefest moment, chewing her lip thoughtfully. She probably had wanted Hajime and Akito to meet, and maybe they would one day, but not now. Not if he could help it. He wanted to preserve his son’s innocence for as long as he could.

“Alright,” she agreed quietly. And then she smiled but it didn’t reach her eyes and clapped her hands. “I’m sure Yuki-kun won’t mind. Mutsuki-kun loves Hajime-kun.”

He could tell she was disappointed, but he curbed the instinct to cave in. She was friends with Akito and trusted her and he respected that, but she was always a much better person than he was.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“It’s so hot!” Tohru gasped, her movements heavy with the heat.

He nudged her gently on the head with his fist. “That’s why I told you to bring your sun hat, dummy.” She’d left it behind at Dad’s place because she’d insisted she didn’t need it. “It’s not that far a walk, Kyo-kun!”

“Dad,” Hajime whined from his other side, breaking him out of his thoughts. “Are we there yet?”

He ruffled his hair. “Yeah, we’re almost there.” And then he pointed ahead. “Look, there’s Mutsuki’s house right there.”

Normally the walk from the train stop to Yuki’s wasn’t too horrible, but in this heat, it was practically unbearable. Living up in the mountains really spoiled them.

He approached the door with lead footsteps and knocked quietly.

The door slid open a little too fast to be natural, the child behind it gasping with wide eyes.

“Jime-chan!” Mutsuki yelled, launching himself at Hajime. Jime-chan? What kind of nickname was that? Hajime seemed to share the same sentiment as he wrinkled his nose, but was kind enough not to actually say anything. A trait he clearly inherited from his mother.

“Mutsuki,” a woman who sounded like Kuragi scolded from the hallway. “Don’t leave them all standing out in the heat.”

“Sorry, Mom!”

The small child grabbed Hajime’s hand and Tohru’s at the same time, dragging them both inside while Kyo followed.

Kuragi appeared, face impassive as usual, but she did smile softly. “Sorry you had to come down in this weather.”

Tohru waved her hands. “Oh, no, it’s no problem at all!” Then she looked around curiously. “Yuki-kun’s not here?”

“Him and my stupid brother went to the store. Can I get you anything?”

“No, that’s okay! You’re already doing more than enough watching Hajime-kun for us.”

Kuragi’s eyes were sharp and she smiled wryly. “It’s not a big deal. He’s a good kid and he keeps Mutsuki occupied.” They both watched as Mutsuki grabbed Hajime to drag him towards his room. And then she looked to him and nodded. “You guys are raising him well.”

He nodded back. “Thanks.” He never knew what to say around Kuragi, she was typically pretty quiet, especially compared to her brother, but she was nice enough, he supposed, and Tohru liked her. But then again, Tohru liked everyone, even creeps like Shigure, so that wasn’t saying much.

“Hey, senpai,” she was addressing him now. That was another thing that was weird about her. She always called him ‘senpai’ like they were still in school and not fully grown adults with children. She got a teasing glint in her eyes. “Yuki should be home soon if you wanted to wait and say hi.”

He snorted, not rising to the bait. “No thanks, I’m sure I’ll have to deal with him later when we pick up Hajime.”

“Oh, really?” she cocked her head a bit too innocently. “But he’ll be so disappointed he missed you. Kakeru too.”

He twitched and Tohru spoke up, bowing. “Thank you so much for your help, Machi-san. We really should be going to the estate, but I’d love to catch up with everyone later!”

Kuragi smiled, more open this time. Tohru did have that effect on people. “Yes, I would like that. I’m sure Yuki would, too. We’ll make sure Hajime gets back to you in one piece.”

“Thank you so much!” Tohru bowed again, and if this continued, they’d be here all day.

He put his hand over her face gently, dragging her away. “C’mon, Tohru, we gotta get going.” It was already past noon.

“Right! Thank you again, Machi-san!” she said, while she was being dragged away, “Tell Yuki-kun thank you too!”

Kuragi gave a small wave and then they were out the door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Even after all these years, going into the main Sohma estate made him...uneasy. The few times he’d interacted with Akito here as a kid never meant anything good. It was where he made that bet...he looked to Tohru, who greeted all the maids politely and smiled to himself. Without that dumb bet, he never would’ve met her.

He thought nothing about Akito would’ve shocked him more than when she came out in that kimono all those years ago, pledging to turn over a whole new leaf, but he was wrong. The sight of her pregnant and sweating, lounging around in her sleepwear and looking absolutely miserable, was more of a shock.

Her eyes widened and she looked so innocent he had to look away completely.

“Tohru,” she breathed, “You made it.”

Tohru smiled softly. “Akito-san!” And she went to hug her, taking care to be gentle. “It’s so good to see you!”

Akito grunted in response and Tohru frowned. “Are you alright?”

Akito paused and then mumbled, “No.” Her voice trembled. “Tohru? Please help me. I’m scared. I’m so, so scared.”

He was never good at handling crying people, not even when that crying person was Akito. “Tohru?” he called out gently, catching his wife’s attention. He gestured to the door. “I’ll be outside.”

Akito stiffened and then stared at him, dark eyes lingering which made him shift uncomfortably. He wouldn’t be surprised if she had only just noticed him. It was so...stifling in here all of a sudden. Hot, even. It was when he closed the door behind him as he stood out in the hallway, he allowed himself to breathe again. He slumped down on the floor, energy sapped away.

He was glad he’d stuck to his guns about bringing Hajime here. The last thing he needed was for his small son to see how weak his dad was. It was stupid, the way just hearing Akito’s voice made something start clawing at his throat, made him freeze in place...like a coward.

“Were you banished to the hallway?” A familiar, irritating voice asked, and he looked up to see Shigure staring down at him curiously, a hint of a smile playing at his lips. Of course he would be here.

“Leave me alone,” he sighed, “I don’t have the energy to deal with you.”

Shigure being Shigure, he instead took that as an invitation to sit next to him, much to his annoyance. “I’m assuming Tohru-kun is in there then?” He nodded. And then Shigure asked, “How did she look?”

He gave him a weary look. “What do you care? You’re spoken for already.”

“I was referring to Akito.”

He furrowed his brow. “Shouldn’t you know? She’s your wife.” And he still had a hard time wrapping his head around that. After everything Akito put them through, what was Shigure thinking? Then again, it was probably better he didn’t know.

Shigure gave a carefree shrug, but if Kyo didn’t know any better, he would say he looked...bitter. “She’s been cooped up in there for days and refuses to let me see her.”

He scoffed. “What? And you just listened? It’s not like she’s God anymore.”

He got a dark look in his eyes. “Old habits die hard, I suppose.”

This guy’s flippancy really pissed him off sometimes. He tried to imagine what he would do if Tohru refused to see him for days. Especially if she was pregnant with his child...break down the door, probably.

He recalled the wide, trembling eyes he’d gotten a glimpse of before he left the room. “She looked...terrified,” he finally answered.

He heard a light thump against the wall and saw Shigure resting his head, a defeated look. “Yes, I was afraid of that.” He smiled ruefully. “Despite how far she’s come, she’s still afraid to be seen as weak in front of me.”

And yet you’re her husband and you’re just letting her cry alone. Scumbag. He glowered at him.

Shigure chuckled nervously. “Hey now, what’s with that ‘you’re a horrible person’ look?”

“What the fuck is wrong with you?” he growled. “Your wife is in there, crying and scared, and with your child, and you’re out here shooting the breeze with me while my wife does your job?”

Shigure stared at him coldly, mocking, all friendly pretense gone. “I didn’t realize you cared so deeply about my wife.”

“I don’t!” he snapped. “I just hate that I have to be here because of you when I could be spending time with my own family.”

“If I recall correctly, it was Tohru-kun’s idea to come, was it not? No one forced you to be here.”

“Yeah, well I’m not a prick like you so of course I wasn’t gonna leave her alone!”

“That’s all well and good but you and I are not the same. I’m not a nice person, and comfort is not my strong suit. Never has been.” His eyes were hard. “Akito knows that.”

He was almost starting to feel bad for Akito and that was not a feeling he was equipped to deal with.

“Whatever. You piss me off. I don’t get you at all.” He wanted to storm off but he didn’t wanna leave Tohru alone and he didn’t have much energy to really do anything except lean against the wall.

Thankfully, Shigure took the hint this time and didn’t say anything else, so they both just sat in a tense silence. “Terrified, huh?” Shigure mumbled so quietly Kyo was sure he wasn’t supposed to hear it. “That makes two of us.”

He didn’t say anything, he couldn’t say anything. Even if he tried, he would get brushed off. But he did silently feel a bit of solidarity at that rare instance of vulnerability. He remembered how terrified he was before Hajime was born, that visceral fear that he would fuck him up like his own biological father did, that maybe the curse would come back somehow, and that feeling never quite went away.

He only vaguely registered the door being opened behind him and then a gasp. “Oh! Shigure-san!”

“Hello, Tohru-kun!” Like a switch, the man next to him laid on the charm. “You’re looking as radiant as ever. I would even say you’re glowing.” Shigure smirked in his direction and that moment of sympathy was gone.

Tohru blushed. “Oh, really?” She scratched her cheek shyly. “You think so? I don’t think I look any different than usual.” She really was glowing...and gorgeous of course, but Kyo was biased.

He stepped in between the two. “You ready to go?” he asked his wife softly.

“Yes!” she confirmed. “I just have to use the restroom real quick!” And then she pecked his cheek before running around the corner.

She left the door open and out of the corner of his eye, Kyo saw Akito slumped over a table, hair and clothes half askew.

She looked so small. Pitiful, even. It wasn’t an image that went with what he always knew about her. That she was someone to be feared. .

“Shigure?” she called out weakly.

“Yes, my flower?” he responded, tone playful but strained.

She didn’t look up. “Get Hatori.”

If Kyo didn’t know any better, he would say Shigure looked almost disappointed by that.

“As you wish,” he responded, and to Kyo’s surprise, he actually obeyed. There was more going on there than he cared to know about...He made to follow the direction that Tohru went.

“Kyo?” Akito called him and just like when he was a kid and he was still wrapped up in the curse, he froze.

Akito lifted her head, looking paler than usual, almost ashen, as she attempted to get up slowly, the weight of her stomach hindering her, and if Kyo had to guess, the heat probably wasn’t helping.

He should just walk away. He didn’t owe her anything and he had no reason to talk to her. He should walk away.

She padded her way to him slowly and it was like his feet were stuck inside the floor.

“My little monster.” The cruel tone rang through his ears and his eyes widened.

“Don’t come closer!” he burst out. He expected her to keep coming anyway like she would’ve before, but to his surprise, she stopped, still halfway across the room. Her expression was unreadable. And from his experience, that was always a bad thing. But she was barely holding herself up and she certainly didn’t appear hostile, so he allowed himself to relax, if only a little bit.

He took a deep breath. “Did you need something?”

She averted her eyes. “No.”

He nodded and prepared to walk away again when he heard behind him. “I appreciate you bringing Tohru here.”

He gave her a cool look. “She came here of her own choice. I don’t control her.”

She had steadied herself enough to look in his eyes, gaze steady. “But you came too. I’m sure that wasn’t easy.” He wasn’t sure what to say to that, this was the last thing he wanted to be doing right now, so she took that as her cue to continue. “I know it doesn't mean much at this point, but I wanted to-”

“Save it,” he cut her off, already knowing where this was heading. “I never expected an apology, and I don’t need it either. It doesn’t change anything.” He clenched his fist. “I just...want to move forward.”

She looked surprised. “I see. I never expected this from you of all people.”

“Don’t get the wrong idea,” he responded as neutrally as he could. “I’m only here because of Tohru. That doesn’t make us friends.”

He saw those eyes darken in anger for just a flash and flinched away, waiting for a blow that never came. But Akito just wilted in defeat, her eyes turning sad.

“I understand.”

Tohru sure was taking a long time. Maybe he should check on her. He nodded to Akito, but she called him back.

“Kyo?”

He looked at her expectantly, but she smiled, a shy, broken thing. “Thank you.”

“For what?”

“Your honesty. You were never much of a people-pleaser, always saying exactly what was on your mind no matter how much trouble it got you in.”

He felt himself bristle, “Look, you-”

“I never said it was a bad thing.” she cut him off coolly, her eyes steely, but not angry. He felt himself deflate. She was...complimenting him? It was weird and backhanded, but it was a compliment, wasn’t it?

“I’m finished!” Tohru came back, breaking the tension. She grabbed his hand. “We can get going now.” And then noticing the thick air, she frowned. “Was I...interrupting something?”

Akito smiled at her warmly, which was something Kyo didn’t think she was capable of until now. “I was just thanking Kyo for taking the time to come visit.” And then her eyes shifted to him, sharp and calculating. “Right, Kyo?”

Well, it wasn’t a lie. “Yeah.” And then he turned to her. “What took you so long?”

“Sorry,” she said sheepishly, “This mansion is so huge I got a bit lost.”

Figured. “You should’ve asked one of the maids to help you.”

“Oh, but I didn’t wanna trouble them! I found it eventually.”

“Tohru?” Akito called softly. They both turned to her and Kyo had to be dreaming because it looked like she was...blushing. Akito. Blushing. “Thank you...for coming. I hope you can meet Shiki one day.”

She grinned. “Oh yes, I’d love to! I’m sure he’ll be adorable!” It was just then that Shigure returned with Hatori in tow. Kyo wondered if he took so long on purpose.

Tohru bowed. “Thank you for having us, Akito-san! Good luck with little Shiki-kun!”

Kyo didn’t bow or say anything, but he did dip his head in acknowledgement. Akito gave them both a grateful look.

Today was a weird day.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

She was quieter than usual on the train ride back to Yuki’s. She’d been quiet ever since they left the estate now that he thought about it. He wondered if something happened between her and Akito. Did they fight? He felt a surge of protectiveness. He wouldn’t hit a woman, and especially not a pregnant woman, but Akito better not have done anything to his wife or she’d be sorry.

“Tohru.”

She jolted like she’d been spacing out. “Yes?”

“Did you and Akito get in a fight or something? You’ve been really quiet.”

Her eyes widened. “No, of course not!”

Well, if it wasn’t Akito then…”Did Shigure say something weird to you?” One of these days he was gonna send that guy flying for real.

“It wasn’t Shigure-san,” she mumbled.

Then did that mean…”Was it something I did?” She stiffened and he felt the dread in his stomach. Was she mad at him? Was it because he left the room? He hoped she didn’t think he was trying to abandon her..

“You and Akito-san…” she started, “What were you talking about before I got there?” Tohru normally didn’t ask questions like that, so he felt he owed her to be honest.

“Exactly what she said. She was just glad we came to visit.”

“That’s all?”

“That’s all. Why?”

“It’s just...you seemed really tense. I was worried that maybe…” She didn’t need to finish that sentence. For someone so openly trusting, the fact that she was willing to doubt one of her friends for his sake was...touching. He always found a new reason to fall in love with this woman. He put an arm around her, kissing her hair.

“I was tense,” he admitted, holding her close, “But she didn’t say anything bad.” Tohru leaned her head against his shoulder in response. “Actually, she complimented me, I think.”

She blinked in surprise. “Oh. Really?”

He nodded. “I guess she really has changed.”

The grip on his arm tightened. “I’m glad.”

He wanted to share that sentiment. He was glad Akito had changed for the better, especially since she was bringing a child into the world. For once, it had felt like they were on equal ground, no longer a God talking to a lowly monster. But even still...when she looked at him, he couldn’t quite forget how she’d used to look at him before, with pity and hate. He’d told her today they weren’t friends and that was true, but he’d also said he wanted to move forward. How could he do that if he only ever saw her as who she used to be and not who she was now?

“Maybe in the winter,” he found himself saying, “Hajime could meet his new cousin.”

He heard a light gasp from next to him. “That...would be okay?” She almost looked skeptical like she was waiting for him to say ‘sike!’

“Yeah, I think so. It’s his family, right?”

The look of pride on her face was too much for him to deal with. “Right.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was early evening by the time they made it back to Yuki’s and the heat hadn’t let up at all, but Tohru hardly seemed bothered at all by it this time around. Hell, she was practically skipping to Yuki’s house. He suspected that what he told her on the train had something to do with it…

In a repeat of this morning, they were knocking on Yuki’s door again, only this time it was answered by...

“Oh hey, it’s Kyon!” an overly cheerful voice greeted. Manabe. Of course it’d be him.

“I told you not to call me that,” he grunted in annoyance.

“Good evening, Kakeru-kun!” Tohru greeted cheerfully. “Can we come in?”

He shrugged, “Sure.” And then he shouted across the house. “Hey, Yun-yun! Your mom’s here!”

Tohru blinked in confusion and Kyo resisted the urge to hit something. What did Yuki see in this guy?!

And like he was the devil himself, Yuki appeared with a dangerous glint in his eye and a sinister smile. “Kakeru, I will literally send you flying into the sun.”

Manabe started laughing but then his eyes went wide as saucers. “Oh shit,” he muttered, “Kou no, that’s not a toy!” And then he ran around the corner, out of sight.

“Yuki-kun, it’s so good to see you!” Tohru said sweetly. “I’m so sorry we missed you earlier.”

He gave her a warm look, stepping aside so they could go further in. “You can thank that idiot over there for that,” he gestured towards Manabe, who was wrestling with a toddler, “He forgot the grocery list so it ended up taking twice as long. It’s good to see you, Tohru.” And then his gaze cooled towards him and gave him an amicable nod. “Kyo.”

He nodded back. “Where’s Hajime? I wanna make sure you didn’t corrupt him.”

Yuki got that sinister look back. “Oh? Is this how you typically repay favors, stupid cat? And to think I took my entire day to watch your son for you.”

“What, was a 6 year old so difficult you needed four adults for him?” He fired back. “How pathetic.”

“You say that and yet you’re the one who apparently couldn’t handle him. Hence why he’s here.”

Tohru looked like she wasn’t sure whether to be concerned or amused and then a flash of sandy orange bolted behind his legs.

“Hajime-kun!” Tohru cooed. “Did you have fun?”

Hajime pouted. “No.” Then he pointed at the two kids chasing after him. “Michi keeps trying to make me play dress up!”

Oh right, Manabe’s daughter. The girl in question frowned adorably. “Oh, c’mon, Jime-chan! You’ll be so cute!”

“I don’t wanna be cute! And stop calling me ‘Jime-chan’!”

“Yeah, Michi-nee!” Mutsuki strutted in, wearing a dress and looking way too proud of himself. “Jime-chan’s a scaredy-cat so just forget about him!”

Hajime’s face flushed in embarrassment and Tohru started giggling. He pinched the bridge of his nose, huffing in amusement. His poor son would have no dignity left by the end of the night.

“Don’t call me a scaredy-cat!” Hajime bristled.

“Well, then put on the dress then,” Michi mocked, “Scaredy-cat.”

“Fine, I will!” And then he stomped over to the other two, snatching the dress from the smug looking girl. Well, that was easy bait. He could see Yuki staring at him and just knew he was about to make a smart ass remark.

“Don’t,” he said.

“Don’t what?” he asked innocently with that damnable smirk. Bastard.

Kuragi appeared at that moment. “Komaki went to get us dinner. Did you want to stay while the kids are having fun?”

“Oh, we wouldn’t want to intrude,” Tohru tried to backtrack.

“You’re never intruding, Tohru,” Yuki smiled at her, a genuine one. “You’re always welcome here.”

He saw Tohru about to protest again because that’s just how she was, always worrying about being a nuisance, and gently covered her mouth. “We’ll stick around for a bit. Thanks.”

There was a dull thud from the next room over where the kids went and Yuki’s smile dropped. “I’ll go check on them.”

When he was gone, Kuragi turned to them. “Did you want some tea, Tohru-san?”

Kyo pulled out a seat from the table for her as she said, “Oh, that sounds wonderful. Thank you!”

Kuragi nodded. “How about you, Kyon-senpai?”

He glowered at the nickname and muttered, “Just water for me.”

Her lips twitched in amusement and he rolled his eyes, pulling the chair out next to Tohru.

These people all drove him crazy.

But...he supposed...as his wife turned to him to smile warmly, and as his son played with his friends like the normal child he himself never got to be...and how in a few months, his family would be just a little bit bigger...he supposed they weren’t all bad.

"Hey, stupid cat!" Yuki came back in, eye twitching and holding a ripped piece of fabric. "You owe my daughter a new dress."

Scratch that.

The damn rat was still the worst.

#kyo sohma #akito sohma #tohru honda #shigure sohma #kyoru #fruits basket

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firesoulstuff · 3 years

Text

The Blind Date From Cell Block D

Read on AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33159133

Cisco is - understandably - a little wary when his ex-girlfriend sets him up on a blind date with her cellmate's sister. A part of him thinks the only reason they're set up is because they both have kids, not that they'd actually be good for each other.

Well, he's been wrong before.

Cisco can’t believe it’s come to this.

He stands in front of Jitters coffee and looks at the door ahead of him, a final debate in his mind as to if he’s really going inside or not. It isn’t that he doesn’t trust Lisa, but her friends aren’t typically people he wants to get involved with. Of course supposedly this girl isn’t really one of her friends, but maybe a friend’s sister is close enough.

Oh well, he made it this far.

He enters the coffee shop and looks around. He doesn’t know what this girl looks like, but it isn’t all that crowded and he doesn’t see anyone looking around lost. He debates ordering coffee but he doesn’t know what she likes, and it feels rude ordering one for just himself, so he goes and claims a seat at a table with a nice view of the door.

He checks his phone while he waits, debating texting Barry to check up on Carmen or working on a crossword, when he hears the door open and he looks up.

This is probably her.

She isn’t what he was expecting, though Lisa had mentioned she was a “goody-goody.” She’s dressed nicer than he is, in a red flower-printed dress with matching lipstick. Her hair is this gorgeous light brown color that frames her face in loose curls. He starts to think maybe he’s wrong, that this woman is here to meet some other lucky guy and he’s still waiting, but then she notices him watching her and there must be something awestruck about his expression because she comes over to his table, and he awkwardly he pushes himself off the chair and stands.

“Hi…” She trails, “Cisco?”

“Um, yeah, hi.” He stammers, and offers her his hand, because apparently that is what he does on a first date now.

Still, she laughs and accepts the handshake.

“Caitlin, right?” He asks.

“Right.” She says with a blush, and he’s pretty sure he’s blushing himself.

“Cool, um, why don’t I go get us some drinks?”

What follows next is the obligatory awkwardness of a first date of her half-heartedly trying to give him money for her latte and his insisting that he’s paying for it. Once they have that out of the way and he’s returned to the table with her latte and his decaf Flash - he definitely doesn’t need the caffeine right now – he feels like he can breathe just a little bit easier.

“Thank you.” Caitlin says as he places her latte down in front of her and takes his seat.

“You’re welcome.” He says, “So, um, were you as nervous about the set-up from cell block D as I was?”

She snorts into her drink, and he can’t help thinking that it’s adorable.

“It’s always a bad idea when my sister wants to set me up.” She says, “When she said she wanted to set me up with her cellmate’s ex, no offence but I almost stood you up.”

“Understandable.” He admits, readily. Because really, he wouldn’t have blamed her. “What changed your mind?”

She chuckles, and he smirks when she suddenly avoids his eyes and starts stirring her straw around her drink.

“I um… I told myself I would come, it would be horrible, and then I could hold this over her every other time she tries to set me up down the road.”

He laugh, he tries not to but it gets through.

“So you’re using me.” He snarks, taking a sip of his drink. “I’m the bad date who is supposed to get you out of future, worse dates.”

“Sorry.” She winces, and he keeps laughing.

“Don’t be. I respect it, kind of wish I’d thought of it to be honest with you.”

Now she’s grinning along with him, and it’s nice. They sip their drinks, get over their laughter, though he’s still beaming with amusement when he speaks again.

“So, is this that bad yet?”

“Hmm… Not yet.” She hums, “But I can always embellish the details. What about you? Why’d you come?”

He shrugs, picking at his nails a bit. “Desperation, maybe? Been awhile since I had a date, and Lisa knows what I go for.”

He winces as the words leave his mouth; he definitely shouldn’t have worded that like that.

She’s raising an eyebrow at that, more than enough confirmation that he’s right, but at least she isn’t running away yet.

“What I mean is, um, Lisa and I had the conversation a while ago. We’re not right for each other, but we’re on good terms and we want to see each other happy. Plus, with Carmen, neither of us wants the other to waste time on something that isn’t going to last. So I trust anyone she’s going to set me up with will be someone she actually thinks I’ll like.”

Caitlin nods, but he’s still kicking himself. He learned a long time ago it’s never good to bring up an ex on the first date. Bringing up the kid? Absolutely, that’s something he knows he has to be upfront about. But he’s found ways to discuss Carmen while leaving her mother out of it until a later date, assuming it goes that far. But in this scenario that’s kind of difficult, considering it’s his ex who set this up.

“That’s good that you guys still get along.” She says, “I’m sure that makes parenting easier.”

“Yeah.” He agrees, whole-heartedly. There was a rough patch two years ago when Lisa first got arrested, he didn’t want much to do with her, he was so pissed. Then when he finally went to see her all they did was fight. It was horrible, and he could see the effect it was having on Carmen. He’s glad they’re past that.

“What about you?” He asks, “Lisa mentioned you have a son. You and the dad get along?”

She looks away again, her face falls, and instantly he knows he’s made a mistake.

“James’ dad is dead, actually.”

“Shit.” He whispers, “I’m-”

“It’s ok.” She promises, meeting his eyes again, with a look that says it is very much not ok but she’s tired of hearing the apologies. “It happened not long after James was born, he’s almost three. What about you? How old is Carmen?”

“She’s seven.”

He doesn’t miss how Caitlin’s expression shifts, her eyes blinking with mild surprise, and he chuckles. This isn’t the first time he’s gotten this kind of reaction after revealing his daughter’s age. He knows she’s doing the math, and debating whether or not she should ask exactly how old he is.

“Yeah, we had her kind of young.”

“I thought I had James young.” She comments, though the wonders if she meant to say that aloud, because when he starts cackling her face turns bright red and her eyes blow wide.

“I’m sorry I didn’t-”

“It’s ok, it’s ok.” He assures her through his laughter. “Really, I’ve gotten far worse reactions.”

She nods, though she doesn’t seem to be taking much solace in it.

“Were you out of high school?” She asks, to which he makes an “eh” motion with his hand.

“It was partway through senior year when we found out Lisa was pregnant, so we’d graduated by the time Carmen was born.”

They keep talking about their kids, swapping stories and occasionally pictures. James is adorable based on the pictures she shows him. He has her eyes, and her hair, but there’s something about his face that he’s sure must be a carbon copy of his father’s. She almost laughs herself to tears when he shows her the picture of Carmen from a pool party last summer at his Abuela’s; all suited up in her life jacket, arm floaties, an inner-tube, and bright pink snorkel.

“Yeah, this winter, I made her go to swimming lessons at the rec center. Kid was convinced she was going to drown. Didn’t care she’d been swimming plenty of other summers and done just fine. Nope.”

“Oh my god.” Caitlin laughs, “Well, if it makes you feel any better, James is terrified of buses right now. Cars? Fine. Trains? His favorite things in the word. But ask him to so much as look at a bus and he cries, all because there’s a kiddie ride at Adventure Land that’s shaped like a bus and he got sick on it last month.”

Cisco barks a laugh; he can picture that all too easily. Carmen went through a similar phase once; though her issue had been with clowns and he was more than happy to simply avoid those rather than make her face them.

“I should be going.” Caitlin eventually says, fiddling with the end of her straw. “James is with my mom right now and she really needs to pack for a trip tomorrow.”

“Yeah.” Cisco agrees with a nod. “I should probably go relieve my friends.”

They get up, and after throwing away their empty cups he walks her to the door.

“This was surprisingly fun.” He says as he opens the door for her.

“It was.” She agrees, and she sounds equally surprised. “Would you want to maybe do it again sometime?”

“Yeah, I would.” He decides, beaming at her. “But it’s gotta be before next Thursday. I’m taking Carmen to visit Lisa and I am not facing her after only one date with anyone, because she will pester me about a second date.”

“Oh absolutely.” Caitlin agrees wholeheartedly. “If Crystal finds out a first date went well but doesn’t have any second date details, she might actually explode.”

He snorts, but if Caitlin’s sister is anything like Lisa, he can picture exactly that.

“So… Friday?” He asks, coming to a stop.

She stops along with him, a smile on her face.

“Friday.” She agrees, before leaning over and pressing a kiss to his cheek.

He isn’t ashamed to admit he’s a little awestruck as he watches her leave down the busy street and disappear around a corner. He’s definitely grinning like the cat who caught the canary.

Maybe the girls in cell block D know what they’re doing after all.

#killervibe month #killervibe month 2021 #cisco ramone #caitlin snow

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