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genshinluvr · 1 year

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Actions Have Consequences

Pairings: Various Genshin Men x Isekai'd!Reader (slight Lumine x Isekai'd!Reader)

Summary: Lately, you have been pranking the men around the estate, and the men are getting tired of it. Yes, your pranks are harmless, but they're starting to get old. Instead of speaking to you about the pranks, like how Gorou suggested, Itto and Childe decide to prank you back with the cruelest joke that causes more harm than good. Who knew that actions have consequences?

Note: So, I couldn't come up with a prank that would make the reader cry and the men comforting the reader after the said prank. The only prank I came up with ends up hurting the reader, but it doesn't end up with the reader being given kisses by the men to comfort the reader 💀 This fic is NOT full angst. This is a hurt/comfort fic. There is a happy-ish ending in the end (I say that because idk how to feel about the ending). This is my first fanfic of 2023! Happy New Year, everyone! I hope you all have a fantastic 2023! Thank you for the support I've been receiving for almost a year now! I truly appreciate each and every single one of you ❤️ Please keep in mind that I don't post anywhere else but on Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and on AO3 (Aaliah_exo).

Warnings: Childe and Itto's prank goes way too far when your prank is harmless, blood, jealousy, heartbreak, allusions to attempt of suicide

Word Count: 15.7k

Lately, you have started pranking the men around the abode. The little pranks you pull are harmless, but the stunt can make the person feel a tad bit humiliated. A few days ago, while Diluc was in the shower, you snuck into his bathroom and took his clothes and towel before running out of the bathroom with an evil smile on your face. Diluc turns the shower off and reaches for the towel from behind the curtains, only to grab a handful of nothing. Diluc furrows his eyebrows and peeks his head from the shower curtains, only to find out that his clothes are missing and so are his towel.

“Dammit, not again,” Diluc grumbles, running his fingers through his wet red hair and letting out a frustrated exhale.

Diluc stumbles out of his bathroom with an extra towel around his waist. He stomps down the stairs, leaving a trail of water behind. Diluc steps into the living room and glares at the inhabitants; everyone quiets down and stares at Diluc, eyes wide.

“Diluc, my man! I know you’re fit and muscular, but did you really need to show off the muscles and package?” Itto jokes, earning chuckles from the men around him.

Diluc glares at each person, trying to spot the perpetrator that has stolen his clothes and towel while he is in the middle of his shower. He makes eye contact with you, who’s staring at him with an odd expression on your face. Diluc narrows his eyes and approaches you. Your eyes widen, and you look around, trying to find an escape plan to get away from Diluc as fast as possible.

Diluc stops in front of you and crosses his arms over his chest, gazing down at you with a blank stare. You swallow your saliva nervously and look around you. The men are all looking at you and Diluc quizzically, wondering what is happening.

You give him a fake smile. “Hi, Diluc! You’re looking good! Are you using the new body wash I got you?” You ask, leaning forward and sniffing his bare chest.

Diluc doesn’t say a single word. Instead, he continues to stare down at you while poking the inside of his cheek with his tongue. He looks irritated and is not in the mood for your childish prank. You watch the water drip from his bangs and down his face, watching it slide down to his jaws and drop to the ground.

Childe leans to you and whispers loudly, “The redhead looks pissed off. What did you do?”

You scoff and smack his chest lightly. “I didn’t do anything! I was down here the entire time while he was in the shower!” You lie.

Diluc tilts his head to the side, props both of his hands on his hips, and gives you a skeptical look after hearing your response. You puff your cheeks and hunch over, sighing in defeat. You can’t stand seeing Diluc this upset with you over a harmless little prank that you pulled moments ago. You hesitantly hand Diluc his clothes and towel without making eye contact with the redhead.

Diluc takes the clothes and towel from your hands without saying a word before turning around and walking back upstairs to his bathroom. After that day, you decided not to prank Diluc. Well, you chose not to pull that kind of prank on Diluc again because the look he gave you and the silence from Diluc were unbearable. You felt bad that at the beginning of your pranks, you mainly targeted Diluc.

So, you start to prank the others around the estate. Everyone is sitting around the dining table, getting ready to eat their lunch. You sit across from Thoma, sitting between Dainsleif and Al Haitham. You’re cutting into your steak when you notice Thoma reaching for the salt and pepper shakers. You bring the piece of steak up to your mouth and begin chewing on it, subtly watching Thoma sprinkle pepper on his food from the corner of your eyes. After sprinkling a decent amount of pepper on his food, Thoma puts the pepper shaker back in the center of the dining table. Thoma grabs the salt shaker, tilts it above his food, and the entire lid pops off, spilling salt all over his food. Thoma gasps, startled by what has happened.

“How did that happen?” Thoma mutters, looking at the empty salt shaker and his now oversalted food.

Aether nudges Thoma and gestures in your direction. “I think I found the culprit,” Aether says, taking a bite of his crab roe tofu.

Thoma looks over at you, only to see you hunch over in your seat, looking down at your steak while stifling your laughter. Thoma laughs and shakes his head. Everyone is surprised that Thoma didn’t get upset when you ruined his food by pulling that stunt on him. Since Thoma is an easygoing person, he doesn’t seem to care about his food being wasted and having to cook another food for himself.

“It’s a simple prank, but it’s a good one,” Heizou says, shrugging his shoulders, eating his onigiri while giving Thoma a look as Thoma gets up from his seat to go back into the kitchen to cook something else to eat.

Venti leans over and looks at the other men with wide eyes. “If [Y/N]’s moving onto other people, then who’s their next target!?” Venti asks, looking over at you from the corner of his eyes.

“[Y/N]’s pranks are harmless, Venti. There’s nothing to worry about,” Al Haitham says, scooping up his rice with his spoon.

Tighnari nods his head. “I agree with Al Haitham. Their pranks are harmless! What can go wrong?” Tighnari asks, taking a sip of his ice-cold water.

The next few days, your pranks consist of putting laundry detergent in Itto’s shampoo and conditioner bottle. Itto screamed about his hair feeling weird after putting laundry detergent in his hair, trying to wash it off with Diluc’s shampoo and conditioner frantically. Itto ends up giving you the silent treatment after that, and you have to beg him for forgiveness by going out into Inazuma to collect onikabutos for his next beetle battle.

As for the prank that you pulled on Zhongli, it was also another harmless prank. Even though it’s harmless, just like every other prank you have pulled in the past, this one was testing Zhongli’s patience. While Zhongli is steeping his tea early in the morning, the teabag breaks apart, and the tea leaves spill out from the bag. Zhongli sighs and pinches the bridge of his nose, shaking his head.

Zhongli does not have the time to deal with your childish prank. Zhongli promised Hu Tao that he would go into Wangsheng Funeral Parlor early in the morning to fill out the paperwork for a recent customer, but because of your childish prank, it has caused him to be a few minutes late for work. Zhongli ends up showing up at the funeral parlor without his morning tea and gets an earful from the funeral director herself.

Zhongli steps through the doors of the estate, sighing tiredly and rubbing his eyes. Ayato looks up from his book, spotting the tired Geo archon. Ayato gives Zhongli a sympathetic look and stands up, approaching the man with a cup of tea in his hands.

“Rough day?” Ayato asks, handing the warm ceramic cup to Zhongli.

Zhongli lets out a sigh and nods. Zhongli takes the cup from Ayato’s hands and gives the light blue-haired man a strained smile. “You have no idea,” Zhongli answers, blowing lightly on the teacup before taking a sip.

Kaeya leans against the door and smirks at the Geo archon and the head of the Kamisato Clan. “I’m assuming that this has everything to do with [Y/N] and their pranks?” Kaeya asks, pushing himself away from the door and approaching Zhongli and Ayato.

Zhongli nods, continuing to take small sips of the tea that Ayato has given him. “Unfortunately, it is. As much as I love them, their pranks are getting out of hand,” Zhongli mutters, staring down at the cup in his hands.

“How are they getting out of hand? Their pranks are harmless,” Dainsleif says from the corner of the room. Dainsleif continues to flip through the newspaper, not looking up from the paper in his hands.

“Judging by the look on the former Geo archon’s face and his posture, I’m assuming that [Y/N]’s prank caused him to be late for work,” Kaveh says, sprawling out on the couch and flinching when Al Haitham throws a cushion at him.

Baizhu raises his eyebrows at Kaveh’s speculation. “And how do you know that?” Baizhu asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

Cyno snorts. “Because he has made Al Haitham late to work before by locking him out of their shared apartment in Sumeru,” Cyno replies.

While your pranks are harmless, it was starting to annoy a few men around the estate. Yes, they love you to pieces, but the never-ending pranks are starting to become bothersome. They need to find a way to stop you from pranking them, but they don’t know how. You seem to be enjoying the pranks that you pulled on almost every person residing in the abode, and they didn’t want to put a damper on your mood.

Kazuha raises his hand to speak. “We can always talk to [Y/N] about the pranks. They can save it for a day that is made for pranks; I believe it’s called April Fool's day, according to [Y/N],” Kazuha says.

Xiao nods his head. “I agree. We should talk to [Y/N] about the pranks they’re pulling on us and how often they’ve been pulling these pranks on each of us,” Xiao says.

“Have they pulled a prank on you?” Albedo asks, looking at Xiao curiously. Xiao presses his lips into a thin line and breathes through his nose, not saying a word. He looks over at Scaramouche, who nods his head.

Scaramouche takes his hat off and runs his fingers through his hair. “Xiao and I were in the middle of training, and [Y/N] thinks it's funny to appear out of nowhere to scare Xiao and me. Of course, it almost ended badly, but Xiao was able to stop himself before he could…. Stab [Y/N] in the face with his polearm,” Scaramouche explains.

Gorou sighs and hunches over on the couch, his ears flattening on his head. “Okay, so how are we going to approach this? We are going to talk to [Y/N] about this, right?” Gorou asks, looking up at everyone through his lashes.

The main goal is to get you to prank them less or to have you stop pranking them completely. You didn’t prank the other four Harbingers because you know not to mess with them and because the men have warned you not to do it for your safety. So, the other four Harbingers weren’t getting pranked. The men that are getting pranked are the ones that live under the same estate as you. At first, your pranks were tolerable, but then you started to prank each of them almost every day (you pull pranks on them every other day to throw them off) to the point where everyone is tired of the harmless little tricks you’ve been pulling on them.

“Talking?! That’s funny! I think we should play a prank on them back!” Itto says. Itto props his feet on the ottoman, resting his back up against the cushions of the couch and cushioning the back of his head with his hands.

Dainsleif shakes his head. “No way. If we do that, it’ll encourage them to continue to pull these pranks on everyone,” Dainsleif says.

“That and it’ll cause a prank war, which is something we don’t want to happen,” Heizou interjects, giving Itto a look of disapproval.

Childe’s eyes light up, and he steps forward, smirking. “That doesn’t sound like a bad idea. Pranking them back, I mean. If we pull a prank that is really good, it can get them to stop pranking us,” Childe explains.

Diluc shakes his head. “No. I have a bad feeling about your little plan,” Diluc says, narrowing his eyes at Childe.

“Oh, come on, brother. Let’s hear him out now, shall we?” Kaeya chuckles.

Diluc frowns and glares at Kaeya, shaking his head. Whatever Childe’s plan was, Diluc knows that it won’t end pretty. The next few days, you didn’t pull a prank on any of the men. At first, they were suspicious and weren’t sure whether something was going to happen or not. Since you decided to take a break from the pranks, this gave the men some time to plan out the tricks they were going to pull on you.

At the dinner table, you’re eating your spaghetti while the men are watching you closely while conversing with each other. You have yet to say anything to the men, and it gives them an unsettling feeling. What if you’re planning a prank while eating your spaghetti? You’re very deep in your thoughts, staring blankly at the table in front of you, slurping up the noodles. The men wish they knew what’s going on in that head of yours, but for now, they might as well play it safe before the revenge prank happens.

Al Haitham clears his throat, grabbing your attention. “What have you been up to these last few days, sweetheart?” Al Haitham asks, propping his elbow on the dining table.

“Nothing much, really. The last few days have been boring for me. I have been trying to work on this project for the Akademiya, but I’m not sure how it’s going to turn out,” you reply. You reach for the cloth napkin beside the metal spoon and wipe your lips.

Tighnari’s ears perk up. “Oh? And what is this little project? This is the first time you have mentioned something about a project,” Tighnari says, his tail swishing in his seat with anticipation.

Aether leans toward Thoma, trying to be inconspicuous. “This could be a trap; I’m not sure if I can trust what they’re telling us,” Aether whispers.

You then go on to tell the men what you have been up to for the last few days (the days when the men didn’t have to deal with your endless pranks). You have been visiting the Akademiya to talk to publishers. Apparently, you and the research team you’re assigned to are currently in the process of publishing a scholarly journal about flora and fauna of Sumeru.

Being a part of a research project is one of the requirements to graduate from the Akademiya. You and your research team, which consists of researchers and other Akademiya students, have decided to publish this scholarly journal, and it has been approved by the Sage. Al Haitham strokes his chin and nods his head.

“So that’s what Al Haitham has been talking about. He mentioned something about the Sage approving of publishing some scholarly journal, but he was never informed about who was part of the research and the academic journal,” Kaveh murmurs.

Cyno smiles at you from across the table. “That’s a big achievement, [Y/N]. Congratulations, I’m really proud of you,” Cyno says softly.

You smile at Cyno shyly and rub the back of your neck, feeling heat rush to your cheeks and the tip of your ears. It truly is a big achievement for you; you’ve never been part of a significant research project before, and having the research project get published in an academic journal? You can put that on your job resume, and your and your research team members’ name will be published forever!

“That is a huge achievement! Congratulations, [Y/N]!” Thoma says, smiling at you.

You smile at Thoma and continue to slurp up your noodles shyly. All of the attention you’re getting from the men, along with the praises, is making you feel bashful. At first, you didn’t know how the men were going to react when they heard about the secret project you’d been doing for the last few days, worried that they might not see it as a big deal as you did. But seeing their positive reaction made you feel relaxed and less worried.

Venti lightly taps his glass cup with a fork to grab everyone’s attention. “I think we should all go out and celebrate [Y/N] and their research team’s accomplishment!”

“Why not celebrate it at the estate? I’m sure we can find a way to celebrate [Y/N]’s accomplishment without having to leave the estate,” Baizhu suggests.

Albedo shrugs his shoulders. “I think celebrating [Y/N]’s accomplishments outside of the abode would be fun. After all, it has been a while since we all sat at a restaurant together,” Albedo says.

Kazuha turns to look at you. “What do you think [Y/N]?” Kazuha asks, leaning on the table while gazing at you curiously.

“Oh, uh….” You trailed off, unsure whether you wanted to celebrate your accomplishment outside of the abode or not.

As much as you would love to sit in a restaurant and dine in with the loves of your life, you’re unsure about how it’ll turn out. Plus, you’re more of a homebody, and you like home-cooked meals. Maybe going out with them to celebrate your achievement isn’t going to be bad after all.

Scaramouche holds an index finger up. “Remember, it is your choice. If you want to celebrate at the abode, we can do that. If not, we can celebrate your achievement at a restaurant somewhere in Teyvat,” said Scaramouche.

“If we are celebrating in Inazuma, I know a place where we can celebrate,” Ayato says, shoving a piece of sushi into his mouth.

Gorou looks at you with anticipation. “So? What do you think? Dine in or dine out in Teyvat?” Gorou asks, waiting for your response.

“We can celebrate it at a restaurant! It has been a while since all of us have dined out in Teyvat,” you reply, smiling at everyone at the table.

Xiao clears his throat, grabbing everyone’s attention. “Speaking of everyone. Are we going to be inviting the other four?” Xiao asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

Everyone turns to look at you. You shrink in your seat and shrug your shoulders from the sudden attention from everyone in the room. It would be wrong for you not to invite the other four Harbingers to celebrate your big achievement. You don’t want anyone to be left out or feel left out. You will feel like a horrible person if you go out and celebrate your accomplishment with the men and leave the other four out of the celebration. You place your fork down and clear your throat.

“I will be inviting them, but I don’t really know if they’re going to show up or not,” you said, fiddling with the hem of your shirt.

“Well, they have to. We’re celebrating your achievement, and it would be a jerk move if they don’t show up to a celebration like this!” Aether huffs, leaning back in his seat.

You purse your lips before asking, “When is the celebration? I need time to get dressed and ready for it.” You’re hoping that it’s not tonight because there’s no way you’ll be prepared for the celebration in a short amount of time.

You need to plan out how you’re going to dress for the celebration; just the thought of having to dress up for a celebration with your boyfriends makes you nervous. Everything has to be perfect, or else it’ll ruin your mood for the night. The men look over at each other and mentally communicate with each other; that’s what you’re assuming since they’re making faces at each other and moving their heads and eyebrows in strange ways you don’t understand.

Ayato turns to you with a smile on his face. “The celebration will be tomorrow night. It will be in Inazuma at a fancy restaurant. Please dress appropriately,” Ayato says.

Ayato gets up from his seat, walks over to you, grabs your hand, and presses a kiss on your knuckles. You blush and nod in response. Perfect! It’s tomorrow night, and you have some time to plan out what you’ll wear according to what Ayato has informed you about. After you had finished your plate of spaghetti, Childe, Gorou, and Heizou were sent to go to the Harbingers’ estate to tell them about the celebration.

“You four don’t have to show up if you don’t want. But you four will look like jerks if you don’t show up to the celebration of [Y/N]’s accomplishment,” Heizou says nonchalantly, tapping his bicep with his index finger.

Dottore lets out an amused huff of breath through his nostrils. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about us not showing up. We will make an appearance,” Dottore says, smiling at Heizou and Childe.

“Did any of you think of a gift for [Y/N] for their achievement?” Pantalone asks, leaning against the doorway with a smile on his face.

Goro’s eyes widened for a brief moment when Pantalone brought up the topic of gifts. “Oh! A g-gift?” Gorou asks, looking over at Childe and Heizou anxiously.

Pantalone nods his head. “That’s correct, a gift. One does not celebrate an achievement without a gift of some sort,” Pantalone lets out a huff of laughter, crossing his arms over his chest and puffing it out.

“We will let you and the others decide on what gift to get [Y/N] for their achievement. The other Harbingers and I will be keeping our gift ideas to ourselves. We don’t want anyone to copy us,” Dottore says, flicking his icy-blue bangs over his shoulders.

Childe rolls his eyes and mumbles incoherent words under his breath before telling Heizou and Gorou to follow after him. After Gorou, Heizou, and Childe return to the abode, Dottore turns to look at Pantalone once they close the front door of the Harbingers' estate.

The two men turn to look at Pierro and Capitano; the two men have their arms propped up on the dining table, the sleeves of their button-up shirts rolled up to their elbows. Capitano and Pierro look at Dottore and Pantalone; Pierro raises his eyebrows at the two men at the entrance.

“What gift do you have in mind, Pantalone?” Pierro asks, clutching onto the mug in his hands and bringing it up to his lips to take a sip of his drink.

Capitano shakes his head. “I bet it's mora, as usual,” Capitano says. The three men can almost hear Capitano roll his eyes beneath his helmet.

Pantalone, Dottore, and Pierro look at one another while chuckling and shaking their heads. After all, Capitano is always right. Don’t know what to get your significant other for their birthday? Give them mora! Did your significant other achieve something amazing, but you’re unsure of what to give them? Give them mora and take them out shopping with said mora! Overall, Mora is an excellent gift for many occasions!

The next day, you didn’t see the men as much. You’re assuming they’re getting ready for the celebration and making sure things are going as planned. You spent the entire day planning your outfit for the evening and how you’re going to style your hair. During the day, Zhongli stops by your bedroom and gifts you a customized perfume that was made by Ying’er at Scent of Spring in Liyue.

“I hope you like it,” Zhongli says shyly, presenting a small pink box to you.

You grab the small box from Zhongli’s hands and untie the pretty pink bow that wraps around the box. You open the box and see a small glass fragrance bottle labeled ‘Under the Moonlight’ in cursive. You look at Zhongli and give him a smile, walking into his arms and giving him a hug.

“Thank you, Zhongli! I love it,” you said.

You lean up and press a kiss on his jawline, squeezing his hand with your unoccupied hand. Zhongli brushes your hair from your face and presses a kiss on your forehead, muttering how proud he is of you. After that, Zhongli leaves you to prepare for the celebration. You wear the fanciest clothing you have in your closet, style your hair that fits the occasion, and spray on the perfume that Zhongli has gifted to you. You leave the abode on your own after remembering what Kaveh had told you while you’re getting ready for the celebration.

“We will be waiting at the restaurant. Ayato has given me the name of the restaurant, and I have slipped the paper under the door. We will meet you there,” Kaveh says from behind your closed bedroom door.

You look at the floor and notice the small slip of paper. “Alright, sounds good! I will meet you all there!” You said, walking over to the paper and grabbing it off the ground. You flip the paper over to read the name of the restaurant; you hear Kaveh’s footsteps fade away.

You walk in the streets of Inazuma City, feeling self-conscious from the number of stares you’re getting from bystanders as you’re walking past them. Yes, you��re wearing fancy clothes and are dressed for a fancy occasion (to them), but that does not mean you’re comfortable with them staring at you as you’re walking by them.

At the restaurant, the men are fixing their clothes and hair, making sure they look good. The only people missing are you, the four Harbingers, Childe, and Itto. Ayato has booked the entire restaurant, reserving the whole place for the twenty-six of you. The area is decorated with balloons and party streamers; on the ground of the restaurant, the flood is covered in confetti, and on the wall is a huge “Congratulations [Y/N]” sign.

“Has anyone seen Childe and Itto?” Dainsleif asks, fixing the navy blue tie around his neck.

Kazuha shakes his head. “I haven’t seen them since this morning. Perhaps the two of them are getting a present for [Y/N]; after all, I did recall hearing Childe rant about Pantalone having to mention gifts,” Kazuha says, fixing the sleeve of his button-up shirt.

“Well, whatever those two are up to, they need to hurry up,” Xiao grumbles, rolling his sleeves up to his elbows.

The door to the restaurant opens, and Childe and Itto walk through the door with a person between them, their arms linked around Childe and Itto’s arms. The men look at Childe and Itto in disbelief; Itto and Childe give the men toothy grins and wave at them before looking down at the person.

“Who is that?” Kaeya asks, pointing at the person in the middle.

“How should we know? We’ve never met that person in our entire lives,” Scaramouche says, looking at Itto and Childe in horror.

Childe and Itto approach the men with the person linked around their arms. “Gentlemen, meet Li. Itto and I are paying them to play as our,” Childe quickly gestures to everyone in the room, “fake side piece,” Childe says, smiling at the men proudly.

“Wait, what?” Albedo raises his eyebrows at Childe.

Itto laughs and rubs his hands together. “Oh man, this prank is going to be the best prank ever! We paid Li to be all of our pretend ‘mistress’ to get back at [Y/N] for the pranks they’ve pulled on us!” Itto says.

Diluc shakes his head angrily. “No. Absolutely not. We are not going to pull this kind of ‘prank’ on [Y/N] on their special day and as a way to ‘get back at them’ for the tricks they’ve pulled,” Diluc states firmly, glaring at Childe and Itto.

“I agree. Childe, Itto, you need to call off this ‘prank’ of yours and tell Li to leave the premises before [Y/N] arrives and sees another person,” Al Haitham demands, pointing at the door.

“Yeah, Li! You need to Li-ve (leave)!” Cyno says, crossing his arms over his chest.

Tighnari feels his eyes twitch and pinches the bridge of his nose. “Did you really need to crack a pun joke at a time like this?” Tighnari asks through clenched teeth.

While the men are arguing with one another, you approach the restaurant and hand the paper to the host of the restaurant. The host gives you a smile and guides you inside the restaurant. He ends up having you follow the trail of confetti and rose petals on the ground that leads to the grand hall where you and your boyfriends will be dining in for the evening, celebrating your accomplishment.

You grab the gold door handle and pull the door open. You walk into the grand hall and stop in your tracks when you see the decorations. You’re about to approach your boyfriends, but your feet freeze to the ground when you see an unfamiliar face. Baizhu is the first to notice you; he nudges everyone and gestures in your direction.

“[Y/N]’s here. Don’t do anything stupid,” Baizhu mutters, giving Itto and Childe a small glare.

You slowly approach the group and the strange person. You point at them with shaky hands, hoping that you’re wrong about your assumption.

“Who’s this?” You ask in a small voice. Your hands are trembling by your side; your heart is racing against your chest. The more you look at this person, the more you realize that this person is beautiful, making you feel mediocre compared to them.

“Windblume! This person is no—” the strange person cuts Venti off.

The person turns to look at you and struts up to you confidently, crossing their arms over their chest, looking at you from head to toe as if they’re sizing you up. They hold their hand out in front of them. “My name’s Li. I am these handsome men’s mistress. And who are you? I don’t recall hearing about you,” they said, the corners of their lips quirking up.

You look at Li with disbelief and at the men behind them. You look back at Li and press your lips into a thin line, tears slowly flooding your vision. You look away and clear your throat. The room around you is suddenly spinning, and you hear ringing in your ears.

You let out a bitter laugh, tears cascading down your cheeks. “I’m no one. I apologize for interrupting your date with your…. Lovers. It seems like I got the wrong room,” you look up at Li and at the men. “Please, continue your date. I shall leave now,” you choke. You bow at Li and the men stiffly before turning around and running out of the room.

“I’m going to beat your ass, Tartaglia,” Thoma growls.

Gorou whimpers softly, his shoulders shaking as he cries silently. “This was supposed to be the day where we celebrate [Y/N]’s achievement. It’s all ruined because of you three idiots,” Gorou growls, glaring at Childe, Itto, and Li, bearing his fangs at the three.

“You idiots!” Diluc roars, grabbing Childe by the collar and slamming him down on the table.

Zhongli glares at Itto, his amber eyes glowing ominously, his hands clenched at his side. “You dare to break [Y/N]’s heart?” Zhongli growls. The ground below starts to rumble.

“When we find [Y/N] and return to the abode, you two idiots will apologize to [Y/N]. As for you,” Ayato turns to look at Li, who looks at Ayato with an amused look on their face, “you will not be getting a single mora from the stunt you have pulled. You’re disgraceful, and you disgust us,” Ayato spats.

After you had stormed out and left the restaurant, the men tried to search for you, hoping you would still be in the city. Unfortunately for them, you were nowhere to be found. They return to the abode with heavy hearts and regret chewing them inside and out. When they approach the front door of the main estate, the door swings open, revealing the four Harbingers carrying your suitcases in their hands. The men freeze, and the four Harbingers stare at the men blankly while Pierro shoots them a glare. If looks can kill, they would all be dead right now.

Capitano turns around. “Are you ready?” Capitano asks, holding his hand out for you to take.

You walk up to Capitano, grab his hands and nod your head. You cling to his side, refusing to look the others in the eyes. After what had happened at the restaurant, you don’t think you can look at them the same ever again.

“What’s with the suitcases?” Aether asks, pointing at the black and white suitcase in the Harbingers’ hands.

“I’m moving out. For now,” you reply. You let out a shaky breath and swallowed the lump in your throat.

“What?!” Xiao’s eyes widen.

“Why are you moving out?” Heizou asks sadly.

You shrug your shoulders, wiping away the stray tear that made its way down your cheeks. “After what happened today, I don’t think I can stay in the same house as any of you. You all cheated on me and have completely broken my trust. I need space,” you whisper, balling your hands into tight fists until your nails break into your skin.

Childe quickly approaches you and grabs you by your shoulders. “It was a prank, [Y/N]. We never cheated on you. Itto and I paid Li to pretend to be our mistress to get back at you for all of the pranks you’ve pulled on us,” Childe says.

Your bottom lip quivers, and you look away from Childe. “Instead of asking me to stop, you decide to play a cheating prank on me?” You stare up at Childe; tears pools in your eyes and cascade down your cheeks. “Do you think that loyalty is a joke?” You whisper.

“What?! No! I-I don’t!” Childe exclaims, shaking his head.

You shake your head and push him away from you. “All of my pranks are harmless. I didn’t hurt anyone or cause emotional distress to any of you. This is what I get? On the day that was supposed to celebrate my accomplishment? Am I a joke to all of you?” You demand, looking at each man in the eyes while tears continue to pour out of your eyes.

“Technically, it was Childe and Itto’s idea. None of us knew this was going to happen,” Scaramouche interjects, zapping Itto in the back with electricity, making the oni grunt in pain.

Pierro places a hand on your shoulder. “Let’s go home and get you settled in. It’s getting late out,” Pierro says gently. You nod your head and begin walking away with the four Harbingers.

“[Y/N], wait,” Itto says, grabbing hold of your wrist.

You quickly turn around and slap Itto across the face; the sound of your hand meeting his cheek echos the silent air in the abode. Itto lets go of your wrist, placing his hand on his stinging cheek, looking at you in disbelief and heartbreak. Everyone lets out a collective gasp and stares at you and Itto in shock.

You wipe your tear-stained cheeks with the sleeves of your sweater. “Don’t touch me. None of you have the right to touch me after the stunt you all pulled,” you spat.

Dottore lets out an amused chuckle. “Congratulations on fucking up your relationship and the trust between all of you and [Y/N]. Now they don’t trust any of you, especially you two,” Dottore says, looking over at Childe and Itto.

“Let’s go home, sweetheart,” Pantalone murmurs, pulling you by your arm.

You nod and continue walking to the Harbingers’ estate with Pierro, Capitano, Pantalone, and Dottore, leaving the men behind. After you and the four Harbingers have entered the Harbingers’ estate, the men turn to look at Itto and Childe, their jaws clenching and hands balled up into fists.

“Look at what you two have done. You two idiots broke [Y/N]’s heart and trust to the point where they cannot live under the same roof as us because of the stunt you two have pulled to get back at them for their harmless pranks,” Al Haitham scowls.

Venti’s bottom lip quivers. “Do you two ever think about how actions have consequences? Look at the outcome of your actions; [Y/N] is living with the Harbingers now because you two broke [Y/N]’s heart,” Venti glowers.

Thoma throws his hands up in frustration. “They’re not going to trust us ever again because of that stupid prank you two pulled. We didn’t want the prank to happen, but you two insisted on continuing the prank anyway, and look where it landed us all,” Thoma lectures Childe and Itto.

Thoma shakes his head and rubs his temples with his index finger.

“I’m going to put a restraining order on that Li person, so they never approach any of us ever again,” Tighnari states.

Without another word, Tighnari turns around and walks into the estate. The others soon follow after Tighnari in silence, glaring at Itto and Childe while walking past the two men. The estate feels empty, despite twenty-one people—well, twenty people now because you moved out temporarily— living under the same roof. The estate is quiet; no one dares to speak to one another, fearing they would blow up in each other’s faces and scream at one another.

Gorou peeks his head into your dark bedroom. He flips the switch on, and the light illuminates your room. All of your things are still in your room; the plushies each man has given you, the small pictures that you hung up on the wall of you and the men, the love letters you have received from each man, stacked on your desk with a cute pink bow tying them all together in one big stack. The ones that have written you the most love letters are Diluc, Zhongli, and Ayato, but the other men have written you almost as many as the two did. Gorou presses his lips together, his lips trembling as he walks over to your bed.

Gorou lays on your bed and hugs your pillow to his chest, breathing in your shampoo and conditioner. Tears begin to roll down Gorou’s cheeks as he buries his face into your pillow, silently crying into the now tear-soaked pillow.

Over at the Harbingers’ estate, you lay in your new bedroom, staring at the ceiling blankly. Your hair is still damp from your shower, you’re wearing the comfiest pajamas you own, and you are emotionally exhausted. You have cried out all of your tears, and there’s no way to squeeze out a single tear even if you tried. Your eyes are swollen, your heart is hurting, and you’re exhausted and hungry. When you stormed out of the restaurant, you bumped into the four Harbingers outside of Inazuma City. When you told them what happened, they were all furious and gladly took you back to the abode and helped you pack your things while consoling you. Unfortunately for them, you’re inconsolable and can’t stop crying.

A quiet knock interrupts you from your thoughts. You turn your head to look at the door before turning on your side. The door cracks open, and the four Harbingers peek their heads into your new bedroom. You slowly sit up on your bed and hug your blanket to your chest, looking at them sadly.

“May we enter? It’s okay if you want to be alone,” Pierro says softly.

You nod your head and gesture for them to enter. Capitano opens the door wider and enters the room with the other men following behind him. Capitano has a tray of food in his hands, while the other three men have small gift boxes.

Capitano places the tray of food on your bed beside you. “I assume you didn’t get to eat anything at the restaurant the Kamisato heir have rented out. So, I have decided to make something for you to eat,” Capitano says, standing at the edge of your bed.

You give Capitano a weak smile. “Thank you, Capitano. I really appreciate it,” you whisper.

“Do you want us to keep you company while you eat, or do you want to eat by yourself?” Dottore asks.

“I want company,” you murmur, reaching for the sandwich Capitano has made you. Your eyes trail over to the small gift boxes placed on your bed. You tilt your head and point at the boxes. “What are those?” You ask.

Pantalone sits in front of you and hands you the gift box in his hand. You grab the box and untie the ribbon sitting pretty on the box. You open the box and pull out a necklace and bracelet set that looks like it costs more than the two estates in the abode. You look at Pantalone with disbelief, then look back down at the jewelry in the small box.

“I know you don’t expect gifts from either of us, but we want to get you something for your achievement. We’re really proud of you, and we look forward to seeing you achieve many amazing things,” Pantalone says, tucking a strand of hair behind your ear with a smile on his face.

You feel your eyes water at Pantalone’s comment. You blink your tears away and let your gaze fall to your lap. Pantalone caresses your face in his hand and wipes the stray tear from your cheek with his thumb.

“Do you want to talk about it?” Capitano asks.

You shake your head, bow your head and let the tears fall. “I don’t even know what else to say other than my heart hurts a lot. I understand that my tricks are bothersome, but they never physically or emotionally hurt someone. What bothers me the most is how Childe and Itto decide to come up with a prank where everyone cheats on me with someone that is better than me. I don’t like how Itto and Childe see loyalty as a joke because what sick person thinks cheating pranks are funny?” You rant, reaching for the second sandwich and taking a bite.

“They’re fools for pulling a stunt like that. Please do not compare yourself to that Li person. They’re just a pathetic mora-hungry idiot like Childe and that oni,” Pierro says gruffly.

You nod your head and continue to finish up your sandwich. While eating your sandwich, Dottore and Pierro place the gifts on the porcelain white bedside table. The four men refused to leave your side until you finished your food and drank every last drop of your water. You’re grateful they did that because if they were to leave you alone, you would’ve stopped eating and just gone straight to bed instead of finishing your dinner.

Before leaving your room with the food tray, each man presses a goodnight kiss on your forehead. Once you’re alone in your new bedroom, you’re alone with your thoughts. You don’t like being left alone with your thoughts— especially when you’re going through a tough time. You swallow your pride, take your blanket off and walk out of your bedroom to the closest bedroom near yours.

You stop in front of the bedroom door and knock on it lightly. You hear a faint “come in” coming from the inside of the bedroom. You grab the door handle and open the door, peeking your head into the room. Capitano walks out of the bathroom, his shirt unbuttoned and his belt unbuckled. You gulp and look away shyly. “Now’s not the time to be horny, dammit,” you curse yourself internally.

“Is there something I can do for you?” Capitano asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

You clear your throat and scratch the back of your neck shyly. “Is it okay if I sleep in your room tonight? I don’t like being left alone with my thoughts,” you said softly.

Capitano nods his head. “Of course. You’re always welcome to sleep in my bedroom whenever you want,” Capitano says.

You give Capitano a grateful smile and close the door behind you. You walk over to Capitano’s king-size bed and get under the covers, snuggling up against the large, fluffy pillows. Capitano disappears into his bathroom for a brief moment before coming out of the bathroom wearing his pajamas, a plain white t-shirt, and silk navy blue pajama pants. Capitano gets under the covers beside you; there’s a slightly large distance between the two of you.

You’re not entirely sure whether Capitano is the type to show affection or any physical touch because he doesn’t really show his emotions as much. Not that it’s bad, but also because if any of the four Harbingers got near you, despite also dating you, the men would hiss at the four Harbingers like a cat and swat at their hands.

You turn to your side and stare at Capitano, and he stares back at you (at least, you assume that’s what he’s doing). You open your mouth to say something but close your mouth and go back to lying on your back. You yawn and snuggle in Capitano’s blankets, closing your eyes. Capitano turns the lights off and settles down in his bed, closing his eyes. Somehow, overnight, you and Capitano gravitated towards each other and woke up the next day with you in his arms and your head on his chest while his arms were wrapped around your waist.

A few days have gone by, and you’re still not over the heartbreak you have experienced. Instead of going out to interact with the four Harbingers, you’re holed up in your temporary bedroom, lying on your bed and staring into space. When you’re not staring into space and wishing that the prank had never happened, you will take naps. Lots and lots of naps. It has gotten to the point where Pierro would send Dottore up to your room to check on your health and ensure that you didn’t fall ill.

Dottore presses the back of his hand against your forehead while you have a thermometer sticking out from your mouth. You’re always tired now, and you didn’t have the energy to get up from your bed and leave to get some sun outside the Harbingers’ estate. You didn’t even have the energy or motivation to continue your studies like you usually would back at the estate you used to reside in. Heck, you didn’t even visit the Akademiya to check on the progress of the academic journal being published.

“How are you feeling?” Dottore asks, taking the thermometer out from your mouth to look at the numbers that are flashing on the small screen.

You shrug your shoulders. “I’m feeling fine, but I’m tired,” you reply, rubbing your eyes with your fist.

“Your temperature is normal, and you’re not feeling sick,” Dottore trails off, propping his hands on his hips while analyzing you closely. “You need to go outside and get some fresh air. We do have a botanical garden out in the back if you would like to spend a few minutes there,” Dottore says.

“I don’t know if I want to go outside and look at the flowers in the backyard. As much as I would love to, I don’t have the energy to get up and leave my bed,” you said softly. You lay back down on your bed and snuggle into your comforter.

“Then why not take a trip down to Inazuma City with me while I buy some ingredients for dinner tonight?” A voice pipes up.

You and Dottore turn to look at the entrance to your bedroom. Pantalone leans against the doorway with his arms over his chest, smiling at you. Dottore snorts and shakes his head, making Pantalone narrow his eyes in response. Pantalone walks into your room and stops beside Dottore.

Dottore shakes his head. “I believe that [Y/N] can go out to Inazuma City and shop for the ingredients for dinner alone,” Dottore says.

“Go out into Inazuma City alone? I don’t know if I want to do that,” you said.

“Do what? Go out to Inazuma City alone or go out?” Pantalone asks, sitting on the edge of your bed.

“Both,” You deadpan.

Dottore and Pantalone snort, trading looks with each other before turning to look at you. You deflate and begrudgingly get up from your bed and walk over to your closet to find a change of clothes to go out to Inazuma City to shop for ingredients. After grabbing your change of clothes, you realize that you haven’t taken a shower today. Even though you holed yourself up in your bedroom and lay in bed all day, that didn’t stop you from taking a shower because you can’t stand skipping showers, and it’s also how you relieve your stress; by taking a shower and crying in the shower.

“I’m going to take a quick shower, change into clothes, then I’ll go out,” you said.

You go to your dresser with your change of clothes in your hands and pull out your undergarments from the dresser before walking to the bathroom. Your shower ended up being almost fifteen minutes long because you were busy shedding a few tears while the water rained down on you. Since you’re out and about in Inazuma with a large bag of mora (courtesy of Pantalone himself), you’re in Inazuma City, weaving through a crowd of people while trying to find specific ingredients needed for dinner tonight.

“Where in the world do I buy unagi meat?” You mutter to yourself, looking down at the list of ingredients Pierro handed to you before you left the abode. You let out a huff of breath and shake your head. “They made a big mistake by letting me be the one to buy groceries,” you said.

While looking at your surroundings, searching for a nearby market that sells unagi meat, you hear someone calling you from a distance. You furrow your eyebrows with confusion and try to search for the voice that is calling out to you.

Lumine emerges from the crowd and approaches you with a big smile on her face. “There you are! I’ve been trying to get your attention the minute you step foot into Inazuma City!” Lumine breathes, placing her hand on your shoulders.

Your eyes widen. “Oh, you were?!”

Lumine nods her head.

You laugh sheepishly and rub the back of your neck. “Sorry, I was focused on getting ingredients for Pierro that I didn’t hear you call my name. I’ve been trying to search for unagi meat, but so far, I’ve been unsuccessful,” you said, shoulders slumping.

Lumine blinks at you, surprised. “Pierro? I thought you were getting unagi meat for Thoma,” Lumine says, propping her right hand on her hip and tilting her head to the side.

Your smile slips off your face at the mention of Thoma. You clear your throat and look away from Lumine awkwardly while trying your best not to cry in front of Lumine and the passerby in Inazuma City.

“I… haven’t been in contact with Thoma or the others for about a few days now,” you said. “I’m currently living with Dottore, Pantalone, Capitano, and Pierro.”

Lumine’s eyes widened after hearing your response. “What?! What happened? What did those idiots do!?” Lumine demands. She grabs ahold of your biceps and shakes you lightly.

You shake your head and pinch the bridge of your nose. “I’ve been pranking the men for a few days. Instead of telling me to stop, Childe and Itto decided to prank me back by hiring someone to play the mistress. Their way to getting back at me is by pretending that everyone has cheated on me with the person Childe and Itto hired,” you reply, chewing on the inside of your lip.

Lumine stares at you for a moment, poking the inside of her cheek with her tongue. “I’m going to beat their asses,” Lumine states.

You shake your head. “No, don’t do it. It’s not worth it,” You said. “And the worst part is that they pulled this prank on the day we were supposed to celebrate my achievement in the Akademiya.”

“I’m going to beat their ass,” Lumine deadpans, tightening her grip on your biceps. “All of them. I don’t care if they’re a Harbinger, oni, archon, my brother, dumb ass number one and two. I’m beating all of their asses, and that goes the same for the person Itto and Childe have paid,” Lumine states.

You can see steam coming from Lumine’s ears as she releases you and clenches her hands into tight fists. You give Lumine a small smile and give her arm a comforting squeeze.

“Thank you, Lumine. I appreciate it,” you said softly.

Lumine sighs and wraps her arms around your shoulders, rubbing her cheek against yours. “Anything for you,” Lumine pouts, reaching for your cheek and giving your cheek a squeeze.

You look over at Lumine. “What are you doing in Inazuma City, by the way?” You ask.

Lumine releases you from the hug and sighs. “I just met up with Ayaka at Komore Teahouse! I did see Thoma there, and he looked really dejected and looked like he hadn’t slept in days,” Lumine says.

“Good,” you huff like a petulant child. “I hope they’re all that way too.” You glare at the ground.

“Hey,” Lumine coos, cupping your face in her hands and tilting your face up to look at her. “Cheer up, lovebug. I want them to suffer just as much as you do, but cheer up and don’t let the thought of them get to you.” Lumine gives your cheek an endearing squeeze.

You sigh and melt into her hands, resting your forehead against hers. “I can’t help but feel really sad. I understand it was all a prank, but it was about cheating. Who jokes about cheating?!” You rant, pulling away from her grasp.

Lumine rolls her eyes. “Only idiots make jokes about cheating, lovebug.”

You look down at the list of ingredients in your hands. “Do you want to help me search for unagi meat and keep me company while I shop for ingredients?” You ask.

“I would love—” Lumine gets cut off by someone calling her name in the distance.

You and Lumine turn to look in the direction where the voice is coming from and see Sango approaching the both of you. Lumine sighs and looks over at you with a sympathetic smile as the brunette detective gets closer and closer. Sango stops in front of you and Lumine, breathing heavily.

“Lumine, can you help Ryuuji and me with this case? Heizou has yet to show up on the job and called in sick the other day, and we need your help,” Sango says, clasping her hands together while giving Lumine a pleading look.

Heizou called in sick? It’s not like him to call in sick or miss a day of work. How strange.

Lumine gives Sango a fake smile and nods her head. “Yeah, sure! I don’t mind helping you and Ryuuji out with a case. I’ll be there in a moment; I just need to talk to my brother’s lover really quick,” Lumine says.

Sango perks up and nod before running off to where Ryuuji is waiting. Lumine sighs and rests her head on your shoulders, closing her eyes. You pat Lumine’s head and stroke her back.

“Don’t feel guilty for having to leave me to help out Ryuuji and Sango with a case. I didn’t really expect any company, but it would be nice to have one,” you said.

Lumine slowly pulls from you and sighs sadly. “I know, but you’re currently hurting, and I want to be there to help you with something, you know?” Lumine frowns.

“Lumine, seeing your face today makes my day a little bit brighter. I’m happy to see you again, and I hope we can hang out again soon!” You said, squeezing her hands.

“Right after I beat your boyfriends’ asses because it's what they deserve,” Lumine scowls, stomping her feet on the ground. Lumine’s eyes suddenly light up. “I have an idea!” Lumine gasps, tapping on your arms with a big smile on her face.

“And what is your idea?” You ask.

Lumine smirks and crosses her arms over her chest. “You prank them back!” Lumine answers.

You shake your head. “No, absolutely not,” You reply.

Lumine looks at you in disbelief. “And why not?! This is the perfect time for revenge!” Lumine exclaims.

“Me pranking them is what landed us in this situation, Lumine. I don’t want to make it worse than it already is.” You run your fingers through your hair.

“I know, but think about it,” Lumine pleads.

You chuckle and shake your head. “We’ll talk about it later, Lumine. I don’t think I can continue to make Pierro, Dottore, Capitano, and Pantalone wait any longer for the dinner ingredients,” you said.

Lumine visibly deflates and nods. “Alright, alright. I’ll leave you to it,” Lumine says, patting the top of your head.

You and Lumine give each other a hug before parting ways. You continue to search for different ingredients on the list, skipping over unagi meat. While you’re waiting in line to enter a market, something catches your eyes in your peripheral vision. You turn your head and don’t see anything, but for some reason, you feel compelled to enter Chinju Forest.

You walk towards the forest, away from the civilians and the market. The paper in your hand slips from your grasp, landing in the water of Chinju Forest. You can hear whispers around you, coming from every direction, drowning out the sound of rushing waters and birds and crickets chirping. You continue to walk further into the forest until you’re walking over to the edge of the cliff and look down at the cliff blankly as if you’re in a trance.

“Jump,” a voice whispers.

You shake your head, staring down at the rocks below. “I don’t want to jump,” you whisper back.

“This is the perfect way to get back at the ones that hurt you. Don’t you want to hurt them back as revenge?” The voice asks.

The voice sounds so close. It was like they were standing behind you, leaning close to your ears, trying to coax you to jump off the edge of the cliff. The voice giggles almost mockingly. You continue to stare at the rocks below you. The cliff's height is high, but not high enough to kill you.

“What are you afraid of? It’s not like they’ll be worried. After all, they did pull that prank on you and knew that it would hurt you,” the voice snickers.

You blink slowly, trying to come to your senses. “Yeah, you’re right. They did hurt me,” you gulp, feeling tears pool in your eyes. “But that doesn’t mean I’m going to hurt myself over it to get back at them for the prank they pulled on me,” you stated.

You’re about to turn around, but your feet remain still. Your feet felt like it was glued to the ground, and you were unable to move from the spot. Everything happened so fast. The last things you remembered were hearing bloodcurdling screams in your ears, the wind whipping in your face, and the ground meeting your body. The last thing you felt was a sharp pain in your head, and you heard a sickening crack. When you wander off to Chinju Forest, you fail to notice Lumine following you to see where you’re going.

“[Y/N]!!!!!!!” You hear Lumine’s screech.

Lumine’s eyes are blurred with tears; she runs to the teapot with you in her arms. She runs past the people of Inazuma as they stare in horror. Her body is wracking with sobs as she holds you close to her chest, her white dress turning reddish-brown from the blood that oozes from the crack in your skull. You hit your head hard. No. You didn’t hit your head at all; you cracked your skull open from the great height.

Lumine doesn’t know what made you wander off to Chinju Forest and what led you to jump off the cliff. All Lumine know is that she needs to get you to the abode soon and get you treated, or else you will die. Lumine doesn’t want you to die, especially in her arms. If you do die, she won’t be able to handle your death, nor will she be able to cope with it.

When Lumine successfully teleports the two of you to the abode, she collapses on the ground, and her cries echo the abode, alerting the inhabitants. Everyone rushes out from their respective homes and over to where Lumine is kneeling. Lumine’s right hand is clutching onto your head, covered in your blood as fresh blood continues to ooze out from your head.

“Please, please, please save them,” Lumine begs, her body wracking with sobs.

Dottore pushes through the crowd of men and takes you out of Lumine’s grasp. Dottore rushes you to the Harbingers’ Estate with Albedo, Baizhu, and Tighnari following behind. Everyone looked like they saw a ghost; the colors drained from their faces as they watched Dottore carry you away. They catch a glimpse of your face; your eyes are barely open, your body is limp, your blood covering your face, and you’re almost as white as a ghost.

“I couldn’t stop them. I couldn’t get them to snap out of it, and they just jumped,” Lumine cries, curling up into a ball, her hands covering her face.

Dainsleif takes a step forward. “What do you mean you couldn’t stop them?” Dainsleif demands.

Lumine ignores Dainsleif and continues to let out anguish cries, pulling at her blonde hair, tainting them with your blood.

Aether walks to Lumine, pulls her up from the ground, and shakes Lumine by her shoulders. “Lumine! Get a hold of yourself!” Aether screams over Lumine’s cry.

Angrily, Lumine shoves Aether away from her and wipes her tears with her sleeves. “[Y/N] wouldn’t be in this situation if none of you played that cruel prank on them!” Lumine screams, glaring at each person with fury in her eyes. Her bottom lips quiver and she shakes her head as fresh tears make their way down her cheeks. “How can you guys be so cruel to [Y/N]? What did they do to deserve this?” Lumine whispers.

“Let’s all take a deep breath and relax,” Gorou says nervously, his hands trembling as he tries to remain calm after seeing the current state you’re in.

Lumine shakes her head and points at the group of men in front of her, glaring at them through her tears. “I had to witness [Y/N] jumping off the cliff in Chinju Forest and hearing their skull crack open. How can I remain calm after I have witnessed [Y/N] trying to take their own life?!” Lumine screeches.

“Why were they in Chinju Forest?” Kaeya demands.

Lumine wipes her tears and shrugs her shoulders. “[Y/N] was in Inazuma City shopping for ingredients for dinner. I don’t know what lured them into Chinju Forest, but I tried to get their attention, but I-I guess they didn’t hear me,” Lumine sniffles.

“What do we do now?” Kaveh asks, crossing his arms over his chest.

Cyno shrugs his shoulders. “All we can do is wait,” Cyno replies.

Everyone ends up waiting in the living room of the Harbingers’ estate. Lumine did not want to leave the abode to change into clean clothes; she was afraid to leave your side. If Lumine were to leave the abode, what would happen if something happened to you while she was gone? Just like how she left you to help out Sango, only for you to plummet to your death.

Tighnari stares down at Lumine with disapproval, his nose scrunching up with disgust when he gets a whiff of your dried blood on Lumine. “Please go take a shower. I’m sure [Y/N] wouldn’t mind lending you some clothes while you’re here,” Tighnari says, propping his hands on his hips.

Lumine shakes her head. “I don’t want to leave their side like how you all left their side,” Lumine spats, catching the others off guard. “I can’t lose them; I can’t.” Lumine whispers.

“[Y/N] is going to be okay. I’m sure that whenever [Y/N] is awake, they don’t want to see their blood on your clothes,” Kazuha says.

Lumine sighs in defeat and gets up from her spot. Tighnari hands Lumine a pair of your clothes for her to wear temporarily, and she goes to the guest bathroom to take a quick shower. While Lumine is in the shower, Pierro walks up to Albedo.

“How are they doing?” Pierro asks.

Albedo sighs and shrugs his shoulders. “They’re in critical condition. It will be a miracle if they’re able to survive this injury. The crack in their skull is bigger than we have anticipated. Dottore and Doctor Baizhu are working to make sure everything is fine and for [Y/N] to have a smooth recovery,” Albedo says.

When Lumine finished her shower and emerged from the bathroom in your clothes, Lumine was disappointed to see that you’re still getting operated on. Lumine tried to take a long shower, hoping that it would pass some time and that your surgery would be finished soon. Unfortunately, her fear of something happening to you while she’s away got to her, causing her to rush.

“This is taking way too long for my liking,” Lumine mutters, shaking her head.

“They’re operating on [Y/N]’s skull, Lumine. Operations like this take time; we can’t rush things like this,” Al Haitham deadpans.

Lumine rolls her eyes. “I don’t understand how [Y/N] could be with any of you. You all lack emotions, and it’s like dating a brick wall,” Lumine huffs. She crosses her arms over her chest and mumbles, “They should’ve chosen me instead. I wouldn’t do this to them or put them in this situation.”

Gorou looked up and nudged Aether, gesturing to Lumine, who ignored everyone’s gaze. “Can you repeat that for us?” Gorou asks, straightening up.

Lumine rolls her eyes. “No. None of you deserve to hear what I have to say. You all should’ve seen [Y/N] when I saw them in Inazuma City. They’re frustrated and heartbroken because of all of you,” Lumine says, glaring at the men. “When [Y/N] recovers from the injury, I’m taking [Y/N] away from all of you,” Lumine states.

Ayato exhales through his nose. “Do you think [Y/N] is willing to go with you?” Ayato asks.

“Yes. As long as they’re far away from the people that hurt them, I’m sure they’ll be fine with me,” Lumine smirks.

Itto makes a “hmph!” sound and crosses his arms over his chest. “If [Y/N] would choose you, they would’ve done it in the first place. But guess what? They chose us instead,” Itto says.

Lumine laughs sarcastically and shakes her head. “Oh, Itto. Do you really think that [Y/N] would want to see your and Childe’s face after the stunt you two have pulled? Do you not recall their heart being broken by your ‘harmless’ prank?” Lumine questions.

“Alright, that’s enough. Let’s stop bickering,” Cyno speaks up, giving Lumine a look.

Lumine rolls her eyes and leans against the wall, her arms over her chest, tapping on her biceps with her index finger. When Lumine first arrives at the abode with your lifeless body in her arms, she looks distraught and heartbroken, but now, she looks visibly pissed and is ready to attack the first thing her eyes land on. Everyone knew how close you and Lumine are with each other; you two are practically soul mates, but platonically. The men didn’t seem to care about your and Lumine’s close friendship, but after what has happened today, it’s starting to make the men have second thoughts.

Kaveh raises his hand, grabbing Lumine’s attention. “We intend on speaking to [Y/N] about their excessive pranks, but the two idiots over there,” Kaveh points at Itto and Childe, “insisted on pranking [Y/N] back. We were completely unaware of what prank they had in mind. If you want to place the blame on someone, put it on those two idiots because none of us had agreed to a cheating prank on [Y/N]. Especially on the day when we celebrate their achievement,” Kaveh explains.

“Right, because who makes a joke about cheating? Only someone messed up would do that,” Scaramouche scowls, his head snapping in Itto and Childe’s direction.

“We’ll apologize to [Y/N] when we see them, alright? Just cut us some slack,” Childe sighs, running his hands through his messy hair.

“That’s if [Y/N] even wants to see us. After all, the prank hurt them so much that they moved out of the estate and didn’t contact us for a few days,” Diluc sighs, shaking his head.

Xiao closes his head and rests his head against the wall behind him. “Once we have been informed that [Y/N] is in stable conditions, I’m going to beat Itto and Childe’s ass for the stunt they pulled,” Xiao mutters.

“Count me in,” said Kaeya, cracking his knuckles.

Dainsleif nods. “I’ll help,” Dainsleif interjects.

Another few hours went by, and it was excruciating. The only time each person would leave the hallway would be for bathroom breaks or to get something to eat. The silence is deafening, and the tensions are high. The sun is setting, and everyone is on the verge of falling asleep. Their heads lean up against the wall, and some are slumping down on the ground, trying not to fall asleep. Lumine closes her eyes and rests her head near the doorframe of the room you, Dottore, Albedo, Tighnari, and Baizhu are in.

The door flies open, grabbing everyone’s attention. Baizhu walks through the door and runs his fingers through his hair, sighing. Baizhu looks exhausted and tense. Baizhu looks up, and his eyes almost widen after seeing over twenty people crowding in the hallway.

“I see you’re all waiting for the news of [Y/N]’s condition,” Baizhu says.

Venti pushes himself off the wall and approaches Baizhu slowly. “How’s [Y/N] doing? Any updates?” Venti asks.

“[Y/N] fractured their skull; it was severe. I’m not entirely sure how far they fell, but if Lumine didn’t bring them to the abode on time, we would’ve lost [Y/N],” Baizhu explains.

Dottore walks out with a clipboard and looks at everyone blankly. “While [Y/N] is in stable conditions, they have a traumatic brain injury. We do not know how else this will affect [Y/N] because they’re currently unconscious. We will have to wait for them to wake up and see how detrimental this injury is,” Dottore says, flipping through the paper on the clipboard.

“Can we go inside and visit them?” Thoma speaks up from the end of the hallway.

Albedo opens the door wide. “Please sanitize your hands at the door upon entering the room,” Albedo instructs.

One by one, each person sanitizes their hands before entering the room. The sound of a heart monitor beeping, tons of machines are taking up space. The room is dark yet illuminated with a lamp in the corner of the room. There you lay on the bed in the infirmary of the Harbingers’ estate. Your head is wrapped with bandages, lots and lots of bandages. Dottore, Albedo, Baizhu, and Tighnari cleaned the blood off your face, letting the others see the scrapes and cuts littering your skin. You’re attached to a bunch of wires, many of which are helping you stay alive until your body is able to function on its own without any assistance.

Lumine steps forward and stands beside your bed, slowly reaching for your hand and placing her hand on top of yours. Your hands feel cold; she can barely see your chest rise and fall. Lumine bites down on her lips to hold back her tears. She swallows the lump in her throat and sits on the chair next to your bed. Lumine holds onto your hand as if they’re her lifeline.

“Do we know how long it’ll take for [Y/N] to regain their consciousness?” Heizou speaks up quietly.

Tighnari shakes his head. “We don’t know. [Y/N] will regain consciousness when their body says so. They’re not in a coma; their body is responding to their surroundings just fine. They need rest in order for their body to heal. The most important thing that needs to heal is their skull, more importantly, their brain,” Tighnari answers.

“Great, more waiting games,” Kazuha mutters, standing at the foot of the bed.

“I’m sure we can all wait for [Y/N] to regain their consciousness. After all, it’s up to their body to decide when it’s a good time to wake up. They have no control over it, and we can’t nor should we force them to wake up,” Zhongli says.

Gorou sniffles and nods. “Right, we can wait a little longer,” Gorou says weakly, his bottom lip trembling.

And so, the waiting game begins again. From day one to the day you finally regained consciousness (which is a few days after your surgery), people would take turns visiting you. However, the visiting time is limited because of how small the room is and because there are a lot of people wanting to be able to see you before the day ends. While the men refuse to leave your side, they know they have priorities to tend to, and if they were to skip out on it like the past few days, you would be disappointed with them.

Each morning before the men leave for work or a meeting, the men will stop by to visit you and kiss the top of your head gently before leaving. The one that tries to stay by your side the most is Lumine, but Aether would drag her out of your room to help him with his commissions and the people of Teyvat.

Gifts are dropped off in your room, almost taking up the majority of the remaining space in the room you’re residing in. So, Capitano and Pantalone move the gifts and “get well soon” cards to your temporary bedroom at the Harbingers’ estate.

The sound of beeping brings you out of your unconscious state. Your eyelids felt like it was glued shut, making it complicated for you to open your eyes. You furrow your eyebrows and force your eyelids open. Your vision is blurry as you try to take in your surroundings. You lift your hand to rub the drowsiness from your eyes, but your arms feel heavy.

“They’re awake; they’re awake!” You hear someone scream from a distance.

You groan and wince at the scream. Loud footsteps approach the room you’re in, and you look up to see a large group of people crowding into the room. You rub your eyes with your weak hands, and your visions clear up.

“How are you feeling?” The light blonde-haired man with teal eyes asks, standing next to your bed as he starts to analyze you.

You swallow your dry throat and gesture toward the glass cup behind him. He turns around and grabs the cup, handing it to you. You lift the cup to your face with shaky hands and take huge gulps of water, quenching your thirst. You hand the cup back to the man next to your bed and rub your throat subconsciously.

“My head hurts, and my limbs feel really heavy,” You reply.

“We will be giving you medication and monitoring your skull as we keep you in the infirmary. We do not know how your body is going to react to the head injury after you have regained your consciousness, so it’s best we keep you here for the next two days,” the masked man says.

You look at everyone around the room quizzically. “How long have I been unconscious?” You ask.

“Almost a week, but it feels like a month to the rest of us,” The tall blond man says.

You blink and realize that there’s more than one tall blond man. Your mind has yet to register the number of people in one room, and they’re all here to see you. The blonde girl pushes forward and looks at you in relief, her eyes brimming with tears as she stands next to you, grabbing your hand and squeezing them.

“[Y/N], you have no idea how worried I am about you! I’m so glad you’re okay,” she cries, pulling you into a hug.

You awkwardly pat the blonde girl’s back and look at everyone quizzically. The girl pulls away from your arms and wipes her tears away, giving you a tearful smile. You gingerly reach up and wipe the fresh tears from her face.

“How are you really feeling?” She whispers.

“I’m okay, but I do have a question,” You reply, lightly scratching your arm.

The redhead looks at you curiously. “And what’s your question? I’m sure we all have answers for you,” said the redhead.

You nod and open your mouth hesitantly. “Who are you guys?” You ask.

Scaramouche looks at everyone with wide eyes, his eyebrows shooting to his hairline. Suddenly it got worse than everyone had anticipated, but you losing your memory isn’t something Baizhu, Dottore, Tighnari, and Albedo aren’t shocked about. You did crack your skull open and had a traumatic brain injury. Something was bound to go wrong and you losing your memory is one of them.

“This is temporary, right?” Ayato asks, looking at Baizhu worriedly.

Baizhu sighs and shrugs his shoulders. “That, I do not know,” Baizhu answers.

“Amnesia can be permanent, but in [Y/N]’s case, we do not know. It can last a short amount of time, or it can be permanent,” Tighnari interjects, walking over to you and sitting in front of you. “We will be doing a simple check up on you to ensure you’re okay. While you did lose your memories, we are going to see how much you still remember,” Tighnari informs you.

You nod and hold up your index finger. “Before we do the check-up, can everyone please re-introduce yourselves? I don’t want to call any of you by your hair colors or by the facial expression you’re making,” you said.

Each person in the room starts to re-introduce themselves to you. It felt weird because when you first arrived at Teyvat, you already knew who they were and didn’t need to make introductions other than introducing yourself to them. Of course, with the people being newly added to the harem because you’re a magnet, they were the ones that needed to introduce themselves to you and the others of the harem.

“Now that we have gotten that out of the way, shall we start on the check-up now?” Albedo asks.

You nod and let Dottore, Baizhu, Albedo, and Tighnari perform basic checkups on you. They checked your pupil dilation, made sure you’re still able to walk without complications, etc. You passed the test with flying colors.

When it came to the test regarding your memory, you lost every memory you had made on Teyvat. You still have your memories, but only the memories of the events before you’re transported into Genshin Impact. Even though you played Genshin Impact in your world prior to you being sucked into the game you’re obsessed with, it was weird how you don’t know their names, and everyone started to question how it was even possible.

“Do I really have to stay in here for the next two days? I feel fine,” you said.

Thoma places the tray of food on your lap and nods his head. “Doctors orders, [Y/N]. As much as I want you to return to the estate, it’s best for you to remain here until you’re discharged from the infirmary,” Thoma says.

You take a bite out of the Inazuman dish and stare at the blanket on your lap. “How long have I been in Teyvat for?” You ask, looking up at the men in your room.

Lumine sits next to you as you’re eating the dish while waiting for someone to reply to you. “You had an amazing life in Teyvat. You’re an Akademiya student, and a few weeks ago, you had a big achievement! We all care about you, and you mean the world to us,” Lumine says, placing her hand over yours and interlocking her fingers with yours.

You blink at Lumine, look down at your interlocked hands, and at the men behind Thoma. The men’s eyes are zeroed in on your and Lumine’s hands as if they’re trying to burn holes into both of your hands. “Do I have a lover?” You ask.

“Lovers,” Kaveh says, giving you a fake smile.

You look at them with wide eyes. “LoverS? Like, more than one?!” You squeaked.

While your attention is away from Lumine, Lumine looks at the men and shoots them a glare, leaning onto you. The men are caught off guard by the look Lumine is giving them. Lumine gently cups your face in her hands and turns your head toward her direction.

You notice the sad look on Lumine’s face. “What’s wrong, Lumine?” You ask, reaching for your napkin, but she takes it from your hands and lightly wipes your mouth with the napkin.

“I don’t like your lovers. They hurt you and seeing you heartbroken breaks my heart,” Lumine whispers, resting her head on your shoulder while snuggling up to you.

“Hey! Keep your hands off our significant other!” Itto hisses, glaring at Lumine.

Lumine glares at Itto and continues to press herself up against you, sticking her tongue out at the men in front of you and Lumine. You look at Lumine confused and decide not to question it and continue to eat your food.

After that day, Lumine has made it her goal to spend more time with you and snatch you away from the men. Yes, it’s childish, but can you really blame Lumine for that? Because of them (specifically Childe and Itto), your heart was broken, and you were inconsolable, according to the four Harbingers. The four Harbingers watch the tug of war happen between the men and Lumine with amusement.

This went on for the next two days. Lumine did not leave your side. Every time you eat or need something, Lumine will do it for you. If any man tries to offer to do something for you, Lumine is already out the door doing it for you. Of course, she allows the men to speak to you and look at you. What she doesn’t allow is them getting near you. Lumine isn’t too worried about the four Harbingers because she knows they’re getting entertainment out of the situation. They didn’t interfere with the little tug-of-war between Lumine and the men with you in the middle of it all. The only time when they have to intervene is if it inflicts harm on you. Like a headache because of the constant bickering between Lumine and the twenty-one men while you’re in the middle of the entire ordeal.

A few days after you have been discharged from the infirmary at the Harbingers’ estate, you and Lumine are outside enjoying the sunlight while conversing with each other. Then there are the men, who are spying on you and Lumine behind the thick flower bushes.

“Do you guys see how Lumine is trying to take [Y/N] away from us?! Lumine needs to stay in her lane and not be a homewrecker,” Aether huffs, crossing his arms over his chest and watching you and Lumine from behind the bush while you and Lumine are sitting in the botanical gardens.

“Well, yeah! It’s obvious that Lumine is trying to take [Y/N] from us,” Venti whispers loudly.

“Since when was Lumine interested in [Y/N]?” Dainsleif mutters.

“I have no idea, but we should move a little closer to them so we can hear what they’re saying,” Heizou whispers.

Each man gets up from their hiding spots and starts to tiptoe closer to where you and Lumine are sitting. You look at the flowers in the garden, taking a whiff of the floral scent that wafts around you and Lumine. While you’re admiring the flowers around you, Lumine props her arms on her thighs and admires you.

“If you don’t mind me asking,” Lumine speaks up, grabbing your attention.

You turn to look at Lumine curiously.

“In your world, did you have any relationships?” Lumine asks.

You hum and nod your head. “I only dated one person in my entire life. The other people that I talked to in the past are all failed talking phases,” you reply.

“What are they like?”

You nibble on your bottom lip and scoff. “Awful. I wasted four years with them; they lied to me about everything and used me for their wants and needs. I poured my heart into the relationship, only to end up being hurt in the end,” You press your lips into a thin line and sigh.

“Sounds like your present relationship if you ask me,” Lumine mutters under her breath.

Tighnari and Gorou are the ones that catch onto what Lumine said and shoot a glare in her direction behind the bushes. How dare she compare your past relationship with your current relationship! They treat you way better than your past significant other.

“How could Lumine say that? Our relationship with [Y/N] is completely different from their past relationship,” Gorou mumbles, his ears flattened on his head.

Scaramouche nudges Gorou with his elbows and gestures for Gorou to keep his voice down. “If you talk any louder, Lumine and [Y/N] will know that we’re here,” Scaramouche whispers.

You sigh wistfully and hunch forward. “I thought I finally found the one. I was so happy when I first dated them, but as time went by, I slowly realized that they never cared about me,” you said softly.

“Why did you stay with them for that long?” Lumine whispers.

You laugh bitterly and roll your eyes. “Because I’m stupid and desperate for someone to love and care about me as much as I do for them,” you answer. “After all, it was my first relationship, so I don’t even know what I was getting myself into.”

Lumine loops her arms around yours and rests her head on your shoulders. “People don’t deserve you. You know that, right?” Lumine asks softly, her blonde hair tickling your cheeks. “You’re an amazing person; you light up the dark, gloomy world. When you step into a room, people are in awe of your presence,” Lumine murmurs, slotting her fingers in between yours.

You snort. “If I’m so amazing, then how come I end up wasting the four years of my life on this one person that didn’t care about me at all?” You ask.

Lumine chews on the inside of her cheek and sighs. “It’s not you that’s the issue, lovebug. It’s them,” Lumine states.

Xiao’s eyes widen, and he looks over at the other men. “Lovebug?!” Xiao whispers loudly. The men give Xiao a look, and they gesture for Xiao to be quiet.

“Huh. Interesting. Since when did Lumine give [Y/N] a nickname?” Diluc raises his eyebrows. He crosses his arms over his chest.

“You told me about what happened before I lost my memories. The pranks, my heartbreak, me plummeting to my death….” you trailed off.

Lumine lets out a shaky breath and nods. “Seeing you jump to your death and you dying in my arms is hard on me. I thought I was going to lose you if I didn’t get help immediately,” Lumine whispers, her eyes blurring with tears.

“How many times have I almost died?” You ask.

Lumine snorts and shrugs her shoulders, rolling her eyes. “Too many times, that’s for sure. I think we might have to put you under house arrest to prevent you from experiencing multiple deaths and near-death experiences,” Lumine says, wiping her tears away.

“Yeah, good luck with that, princess,” you snort.

Lumine glares at you playfully and nudges you with her shoulders. You laugh and nudge her back. You lay your cheek on Lumine’s head, closing your eyes. Lumine clears her throat, the apples of her cheeks turning crimson red.

“I like it when you call me princess,” Lumine whispers.

Your eyes widen, and you look down at Lumine, who is staring up at you with stars in her eyes. You feel your cheeks heat up, and you scratch your neck shyly. You clear your throat and look away.

“You do?” You ask.

Lumine nods her head. “Yeah, I do.”

“I can’t watch this any longer,” Kazuha says, tossing the leaf away and getting up from his spot.

Kaeya jumps out from his hiding spot and walks over to you and Lumine. Kaeya pushes between you and Lumine, sitting between the two of you, and drapes his arms over your shoulders.

“How’s your head feeling, bunny?” Kaeya asks, twirling a piece of your hair around his index finger.

You touch the area of the stitch and give him a small smile. “My head’s feeling okay. There is a small throb here and there, but Dottore is making sure that I take pain medications if I feel any aches and pains,” you said.

“Phew! That’s good to hear! I was worried that your head is still hurting from the fall and injury,” Venti says, sitting next to you, sandwiching you between him and Kaeya.

You shrug your shoulders. “It’s kind of hurting still, but not as often.” You let out a yawn and covered your mouth with your hand.

“Time for bed, I’m assuming?” Al Haitham says, walking up to you from the bushes.

You blink at Al Haitham and point at his head. “Is that a leaf in your hair?” You ask. You get up from your seat between Kaeya and Venti and pluck a leaf from Al Haitham’s hair, showing it to him before letting it fly away in the wind.

“It is getting late. I believe we should all head back inside and get some rest,” Cyno speaks up.

Kaveh walks up to you and stares down at you while you stare up at him owlishly. “Are you going to be sleeping at the Harbingers’ estate this time, or are you going to be sleeping at home with the rest of us?” Kaveh asks.

You shrug your shoulders. “I’m not sure. Where was I staying before I lost my memory?” You ask.

“You lived with us but decided to move out and reside at the Harbingers’ estate temporarily,” Zhongli speaks up, walking up to you with his arms over his chest. “Please, come home. We miss you, and we miss seeing you at the estate. I miss you,” Zhongli pleads softly. He grabs both of your hands and squeezes them gently.

You sigh and shrug your shoulders. “I miss living with you guys too, but after the prank that Childe and Itto pulled on me, I don’t know,” you whisper.

“You don’t know?” Dainsleif looks at you quizzically.

You take a deep breath and exhale through your nose. “Did Childe and Itto ever apologize for pulling that stunt on me? Especially on the day of my celebration? The day when we’re all supposed to celebrate my achievements in the Akademiya?” You ask. “I didn’t show up to the restaurant in Inazuma looking cute for all of you to get my heart ripped out of my chest,” you said.

“Wait a minute,” Diluc does a double take. “We never told you any of this. I don’t think Lumine mentioned anything about your achievement in the Akademiya,” Diluc says.

“Did you just get your memory back just now?!” Gorou squeaks, his eyes widening and ears perking up.

You blink at the men and over at Lumine, who shrugs her shoulders. “I guess? I never lost my memory before, so I think I did?” You ask, scratching your head. Your fingernail accidentally grazes the stitch, making you groan and wince in pain. “I shouldn’t have done that,” you mutter.

Childe and Itto walk up to you and get on both knees and bow, pressing their forehead on the grass.

“I’m sorry for pulling that prank on you, [Y/N]. The others have tried to convince us not to do it, but I insisted on doing it anyway, not thinking about how my actions have consequences,” Childe says.

Itto nods his head. “We’re very sorry, [Y/N]. We broke your heart on your special day; we played a cruel prank on you, made you cry, and didn’t think about your feelings when Childe and I planned it out. All we wanted to do was to get back at you for the pranks you have pulled on us, and it led us to where we are now,” Itto says.

“My pranks were harmless,” you whisper, thinking back to a few weeks ago when it all had begun. “Please, just speak to me next time instead of doing something that’s even crueler,” you plead.

Itto and Childe get off the ground and nod their heads, giving you puppy dog eyes. You sigh and give both Itto and Childe a hug, squeezing them lightly while rubbing their backs. Itto and Childe rest their chin on your shoulders, look up at Lumine and stick their tongues out at the blonde girl. Lumine glares at Childe and Itto and crosses her arms over her chest. So much for trying to have you for herself, but at least Childe and Itto know that actions have consequences. Later that evening, after moving your things back to the main estate, you’re showered with love and affection from your beloved boyfriends. Even though you’re still a tiny bit upset with what happened prior, it’s best for you to forgive and forget. I mean, that pretty much did happen, didn’t it?

Note: Not the kind of ending I was hoping for, tbh 🤔 I honestly don't have a specific ending in mind. I had never lost my memory before, so I winged it and decided to make the reader gain their memory back randomly. This went on a different route than what the requester wanted, but I think it turned out pretty decent! For those who want to be on my new taglist, here is the link to the taglist [Genshinluvr Updated Taglist Form]! Please make sure that you allow people to mention you/tag you in posts, or else I won't be able to tag you in any future fanfics! Anyway, for those who are new here or are returning readers, I ONLY post on my Tumblr (Genshinluvr) and my AO3 (Aaliah_exo)! Nowhere else except Tumblr and AO3!

Taglist for my Isekai'd!Reader one-shot series and my overall taglist: @alhaitham-scribe, @kazuhasmuse, @chirikoheina, @yoru-trash, @kaoyamamegami, @kwelibeeery, @yumakj, @deartoru, @luminarymoonlight, @toobytub, @ins4nebish, @bokuto-kinnie, @honeybedo, @exhaustedcommunist, @jadedist, @mompt2, @living-my-best-life5 (If your name has been crossed out, it means that your account did not show up when I try to tag your account. Please make sure to allow people to mention you and tag you in posts)

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1K notes · View notes

mvltisstuff · 11 months

Note

hello again!! im the anon who requested sweet nothing (also, saw the edit note and don’t worry it was a fantastic fic and i love it, thank you so much for writing it ❤️) i was wondering if i could request another fic for buck where reader is like athena’s protege and she’s a lot like athena so athena and bobby basically play match maker for them, thinking they’d compliment each other very well but buck and the reader have secretly dating since they met bc they hit it off so well and athena and the 118 end up finding out and are shocked they had no idea. thank you if you get to this, no stress if you don’t. i hope you have a lovely day and remember to take breaks and drink water!!

the feels - e.b

summary: above :)

evan buckley x reader

a/n: i love seeing these requests so much, please leave as many as you want, this one is so sweet 🫶🫶 i wanted to recreate the funny scene when may walked in on athena in bobby’s turnout 😭

the grants were sitting in the kitchen waiting for another delicious meal from bobby to be ready to eat. athena was sitting down, playing a card game with her two children as bobby was stirring a boiling pot. sharing stories about their days, athena begins her own.

“the station welcomed a new recruit today,” athena starts while cleaning up the cards. “i think i was telling you about her.”

“y/n? i remember you told me she was going to be working there, i just didn’t know she’d be with you.”

“she’s not riding along with me, but we’ve spoken a lot. she reminds me of myself. she’s young but one of the most determined ones i’ve seen. i think she has a lot of great potential.”

“maybe you should bring her along one day,” bobby suggests. “she sounds cool, you should bring her to the station one night for dinner there.”

“i’ll have to check her schedule. she’s trying to get more comfortable in LA, so that could help her. give her some friends,” athena says. “i know she came here to get away for a bit, i’m not sure why but i think something at home.”

“might wanna be careful bringing her, now that i’m thinking about it.”

“what makes you say that?” she asks.

“i’m worried someone might take a liking to her. buck loves you, and he reminds me of myself. and if she’s really similar to you…” athena walks over to bobby, giving him a light kiss before beginning again. “i’ll see what her timing is, i’ll let you know so you can tame the lion.”

the next day at work, y/n walks in uniform with her chunky belt with her gear. she sweetly says good morning to the people at the front with a cup of coffee before returning to her bosses office. “y/n?” she hears someone say from behind her.

“sergeant grant! hello, i was just about to go get started,” y/n says politely to her superior.

“you can call me athena, officer.”

“ok, athena,” y/n has a bright smile that could be the source of light to the room. “is there anything i can do for you?”

“no, you’re all set. just making sure things are good for you here,” athena knows that she’s strong despite the kindness act she puts on. she’s seen she’s not afraid to stand up for herself against all the men at the station. similar to herself, she’s ready for anything god throws at her. “if you get off earlier tonight, i was going to the 118. my husband is bobby nash, and he’s having dinner. i thought it would be a good place for you to settle in.”

“that sounds great, athena. i get off a bit earlier today.”

“good,” athena says with a thin grin. “i’ll see you then, y/l/n.”

they both walk away, going to do their paperwork and jobs of the day. on the first call, they had to deal with a specific threat, making two arrests as y/n shoved them back into the car.

she had easily clicked into her workplace, impressing everyone with her skill and ease with the job. her quick thinking came in extreme need, and athena knew she was going to be one of the best eventually.

after another call, the fire department had been at a site of a crash with drunk driving robbers. the police had been called to observe the suspects and ask them questions about the accident and even before that. after some of the crash on the street was cleaned up, y/n had been on the side, informing dispatch on the current nature of the situation. she was hanging around near one of the trucks when a man, couldn’t have been over 30, walked over to her.

“hey,” he says with a seducing smile, looking her uniform up and down. “i haven’t seen you around yet.”

“i’ve just started working here, i was a cop before but i recently moved here.”

“you liking it? LA can be a lot,” he tells her. “i’m evan buckley, 118. buck.”

y/n smiles and shakes his hand. “you’re from 118? athena and bobby invited me over for dinner tonight.”

“y-you’re y/n?” buck asks, a little surprised. she’s gorgeous, her hair was done back in neat braids. her uniform complemented her well, making her look like a boss, but also looks sweet with her bright smile and laugh. buck noticed her beauty and grace in handling herself.

athena and bobby stood to the side, meeting up at the end of the shift. “i think it’s too late,” bobby says, pointing to y/n and buck flirting very clearly to everyone but themselves. athena would never admit it, but she was actually happy. she thought buck needed woman like her, and she needed one like buck, and after a whole night of convincing each other before bed, they finally decided to take up a new career in match making.

the dinner had gone well, the team asking y/n about her past and why she wanted to become a cop. someone in particular was mesmerized by her stories. “so, y/n, where did you grow up?” eddie asks.

“i was raised in boston, and i went to suffolk for criminal justice,” y/n says. “i knew i wanted to help people, and i came to LA as an escape honestly. just try something new.”

they all nod and smile as they finish their food, laughing about shared stories and the two spend the night eyeing each other.

a couple months had gone by, and buck and y/n had been better close. very close. they were seeing each other almost every day, meeting up outside work to see each other. for being a bad liar, buck was hiding their relationship very well. they started dating a few weeks after the dinner, and no one had any idea. or at least they thought.

buck was definitely head over heels for y/n. she was a person who dominated wherever she was, but carried herself around with respect and a soothing personality. coming home from work, she was always a person to talk to. her sweet and gentle words were always a comfort to him. he thought she was the most lovely person ever.

y/n was obsessed with buck after she met him. he was incredibly charming, being able to light up a room at any time. being able to spend time with him at the end of their shifts was truly the highlight of her day, and she hadn’t felt this happy in a long time. he helped her get settled in the new city that she was venturing. he was always a shoulder to lean on during the bad days, and one to celebrate with after the good ones.

chimney and maddie had been driving over to bucks apartment. they had all agreed to have dinner together so she could spend time with her little brother.

buck on the other hand, had been too preoccupied to remember the plans.

y/n was dressed in a lace bra and panties set, wearing bucks work shirt with his name and badge on it. she was sitting on top of the counter with buck standing between her legs.

when chimney and maddie walked in, they saw bucks bare back, and both of their half-naked bodies. luckily, buck still had his boxers on, and y/n had his shirt. her arms were wrapped around his shoulders, a pair of handcuffs in her hands. “oh my god! evan!” maddie shouted and buck turned around.

“jesus, maddie!” he yelled and his immediate instinct was to cover up y/n. “what are you doing here?”

“some of us had dinner plans,” chimney adds, watching in a humorous way.

“you had dinner plans?” y/n asks.

buck throws his head back in frustration. “im sorry, guys, i completely forgot.”

“clearly.” maddie and chim say, together. “we’re going to go in the hall, give you a minute. while i call bobb-“ chim starts.

“no! do not call bobby because then he and athena will hate me!”

“i think athena would fire me,” y/n says.

“are you kidding? they’ve been trying to force you two together for months!”

y/n and buck give each other a confused look because they both thought they’d want them separate. surely, they weren’t stopping it but they especially didn’t think they would encourage it. they start laughing at each other hysterically at the thought of their superiors trying to get them hooked up. maddie and chimney exit in a hurry, leaving to the hallway.

“well, wanna continue?” buck asks and y/n gives him a questioning look.

“we have like 2 minutes, babe,” she smiles. “i don’t know if we have time.”

“you doubting me?” he says, leaning back in and kissing her again.

“prove me wrong, then,” she smirks and they spend their few minutes not wasting a second.

“bobby! sorry to bother you tonight, but you’re gonna want to hear this!” chim says after calling the captain.

bobby hangs up the phone, and is sitting next to the athena on their couch. athena hears the whole conversation. “i’ll quit my job if you quit yours, and we can start our own business.”

“agreed,” athena says, giving bobby a high-five at their dating app skills. “i will say i’m surprised they kept it a secret. she did seem a bit more upbeat though.”

“so what’s next? getting them engaged?”

“ok, woah. let’s not get too ahead of ourselves. we’ll give ‘em a bit i guess.”

“fine, but i’m getting every detail about this tomorrow from him.”

“i’ll get it from y/n, we will reconvene after a short recess.”

#911 #911onfox #bobby nash #eddie diaz #evan buckley #evan buckley fanfic #evan buck buckley x reader #evan buckley x reader #athena grant #henrietta wilson #howie han #maddie buckley

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elysiansparadise · 6 months

Note

Hello my sunshine!

I noticed your ask box was open! I'm so happy!

Could you please do an interpretation of Mars in 11H. I have this placement. Thank you.

Have a fantastic day and a wonderful week.

Stay warm and cozy. ❤️

Hello my love, hope you're doing wonderfully. ❤️

Mars in the 11th house

Here we have natives who are more likely to rationalize when something happens that bothers them, they are not usually so impulsive when it comes to reacting and they may want to see things from different perspectives. They are very ambitious people who, once they have a plan or project that they are passionate about, dedicate themselves fully to it and not only think about it, but do something to achieve it. This placement favors those who want to start their own business, as it indicates that they can earn a lot of money working on something of their own or being their own boss. Since I mention bosses, even if they do not like to command, they have leadership skills and ensure what is fair both for themselves and for members of their group or other members of society. They are the voice of those who are marginalized or ignored and many people can feel taken into account by them. They have no problem approaching and talking to other people, in fact some tend to give the impression of being extroverted, but they highly value their time alone and doing things on their own. This is an ambivert placement.

Now talking about friendship, these natives tend to be funny, motivating and supportive friends, they have a curious way of taking care of their friends and they are not initially emotional, but rather take care of them in more practical ways. They may feel more energetic after spending time with friends or a group of people and are sometimes the person they turn to when a difficulty or problem occurs. These natives are those who tell you the truth no matter how painful it is, and honesty is something they value above all things in their friendships. They may attract more friendships with people with masculine energy, protective people, strong temperaments, or people who motivate them in some way. There may be some drama in your circles, arguments, or just having somewhat boisterous friendships. It is very likely that they prefer friends with similar ideas or perspectives in order to maintain a harmonious environment, as they stand out for defending their ideals tooth and nail. They like to defend causes linked to freedom, whether identity or expression, which is why it is a common placement for activists, feminists, people who fight for equal rights or justice for marginalized sectors of society. They have a healthy empathy in which they do not put others above them, but instead seek to understand and support them.

Although these people are open-minded when it comes to meeting many people, it is somewhat difficult for them to open up emotionally, they tend to be really defensive with their emotional world and may feel that they have to appear strong, if accompanied by other aspects of style, it can make them feel difficulty expressing their most vulnerable side. One of the good things about this placement is that they are very firm with their boundaries and do not stay in places where they are crossed or ignored. They would much rather be alone than in bad company and they have no problem with being alone at times. They seek to form friendships with more practical parameters without getting carried away by just feeling happy with the other person. They need friendships in which they feel they can trust and with whom honesty and loyalty is guaranteed, so even if they appear friendly, they remain alert and observant. In the sexual area, these natives are very open and experimental with their partner, they really like to surprise and be surprised in intimacy, and they always make sure not to fall into monotony. They don't just care about their pleasure, for them it is important that their partner also feels pleasure and feels satisfied.

#natal chart #astrology #mars #birth chart #mars in the 11th #11th house #astro observation #mars in the 11th house #mars in the 11h #mars in 11th #mars in 11h #astro note

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sourwolf-sterek32 · 10 months

Text

Found You- Part 3

Summary: Nearly 10 years ago, you left home after a bad incident with your parents, Rick and Lori Grimes. In that time, you married a redneck down south and started a family. But it all came crashing down when the dead started to walk.

Pairings: Daryl Dixon x Fem!Reader

Word Count: 11.3k

Warnings: language,

PART 1 - PART 2

A/N- Surprise... there's a Part 3! I would just like to thank my fantastic follower who commissioned for another part to this Grimes-Dixon clan fanfic! I really hope she likes this❤️

*Months later*

Life on the road had been rough to say the least.

Hours upon hours of walking each day, trekking miles through the woods and old bitumen roads in search of somewhere safe. Although, you had been starting to believe that such places were non-existent in this new world.

You had found Beth along the way, and then lost her once again. Father Gabriel and Noah had now joined your little group that wasn't so little anymore, but you had also lost Bob and Tyreese. And just to add salt to the wound, Eugene faked the entire story about the vaccine.

There was no cure.

This was what the world was and there was no fixing it. There was no making it better. There was no anything. It was just the dead and the living. That was it.

Morale amongst the group had depleted rapidly after learning that.

Food and water were becoming harder to find, even game to hunt seemed to be more scarce. For a while, you began wondering how the group could survive much longer, how your kids could survive much longer out in the harsh elements of Mother Nature, until Aaron and Eric Raleigh entered your lives.

Alexandria. The tall steel walls of the community towered over you, the iron and barred gate slowly rolled open as Aaron and Eric led you towards their home. There was a man holding the gate with a rifle, his weary eyes raking over you and your family with a disapproving look on his face.

Aaron and Eric turned to face you once they reached the gate, but sudden rustling and squealing caught everyone's attention.

Your handgun was drawn so quickly, safety flicked off with your thumb and finger hovering over the trigger while you scanned the side of the road for any threats. Glenn and Sasha beside you had their rifles drawn too.

With your free hand you ushered Ricky and Dean behind you. They had become accustomed to life on the road, knowing when to do as they're told and not argue and when to shut up when a threat was near. They have had to grow up so fast since the end of the world, but it was for their own protection.

The boys moved quickly, standing behind you for safety. Little Dean grabbed onto the back of your shirt like he had been taught to do while Ricky held his brother’s hand, peaking around your body to see what was causing the raucous.

In a matter of seconds, Daryl had his crossbow raised and fired a bolt at something hiding in the tall grass. An animal. It was just an animal.

You and the others all lowered your weapons with a sigh of relief while Daryl stepped forward, looking down at the creature he just shot before he glanced over his shoulder.

"Boys, come here."

Ricky looked up at you with a questioning look, awaiting permission to leave the safety spot behind you. You gave him a small encouraging nod before he pulled Dean along with him as they rushed over to Daryl.

"What's that?" Daryl asked, pointing at the animal in the grass that you couldn't see.

"It's an opossum!" Dean answered enthusiastically.

"That's right. What do we do with opossums?"

"We gut 'em, skin 'em and cook 'em." Ricky explained, looking up at his father who had a proud look on his face.

"Those boys are definitely Dixon's." Abraham commented causing you to chuckle softly.

"Look!" Ricky called out, picking up the dead animal by its tail and holding it up in the air for everyone to see.

Daryl smiled softly at his son before he glanced around at the others and you noticed that Aaron, Eric and the man with the rifle were all watching on with shocked looks on their faces.

"We bought dinner." Daryl said, breaking the silence.

"It's okay." Aaron reassured, staring at the man with the rifle before he looked back towards the rest of you. "Come on in, guys."

You all followed him into Alexandria, the iron gate sliding shut behind you.

Pristine houses lined the streets of settlement. The front yards and gardens around the community were all neat and upkept, the grass freshly mowed, and hedges trimmed like you would have expected for a fancy neighbourhood like this back in the old world, but not now.

It was as if the world outside these walls didn't exist. You felt like you had stepped back in time.

This place, this community, it didn't feel real.

Rick had disappeared to go speak with Alexandria's leader, Deanna. It wasn't long before he returned, and seemed satisfied that this place was okay, at least for now anyway.

You were all instructed to hand over your guns, Deanna insisting that if you wanted to go outside the walls then you could take them back, but whilst inside the community they were not allowed. Nobody asked for your knives though, so none of you said anything or mentioned it, and somehow Daryl managed to keep his crossbow, so you weren't entirely defenceless.

"Both of 'em?" Rick asked, looking between the two large houses across the road.

"At your disposal." Aaron answered with a smile. "Listen, I know you're still feeling us out, but I'm glad you came. Anyway, Deanna's asked everyone to give you your space, so they aren't all coming at you at once. Take your time. Explore."

You glanced over at your father who was still staring at the houses in shock, and you smiled, looking over at Aaron, "thank you. We really appreciate it."

"Anytime. If you need anything, you call me... I mean, I don't- we don't have phones. I meant, I'm four houses down." He hurriedly clarified.

Rick nodded, "thank you."

"Deanna would like to speak to the rest of you individually. She specifically asked for Rick's daughter... uh, I don't think she means the baby, so I'm afraid I don't know who that is."

"It's me."

Aaron's eyes flicked over to you in surprise, "wait, really?"

"I was an accident." You explained with a grin causing Rick to glare at you.

"Y/N-"

"Was I not?" You asked, raising your eyebrows at your father who sighed causing you to chuckle.

Aaron dropped you off at Deanna’s place while the rest of the group explored the new houses.

You paused in the doorway taking in the family photos hanging from the walls and bookshelves stacked top to bottom with various books and knickknacks. This house... it was untouched. It was exactly like the old world. It was exactly like your old house.

"Hello, I'm Deanna Monroe." A woman’s voice suddenly said, startling you out of your thoughts.

The woman in question was standing in the living room to your right, and you mentally cursed yourself for not checking your surroundings first before entering.

You scanned the room briefly, noting every door and window before you turned your attention to Deanna and gave her a small nod of acknowledgement.

"And you must be Miss Grimes, correct?"

"Dixon."

"Beg your pardon?"

"I'm a Dixon now. Y/N Dixon." You explained, stepping into the room cautiously.

Deanna smiled, "you mind if I film this, Mrs. Dixon?"

"Huh?"

"Do you mind if I film our talk, Mrs. Dixon?" She repeated, motioning towards a video camera that was set up across the room on a tripod.

Mrs. Dixon.

That was a name you hadn't heard since the dead began walking.

"Uh, yeah, sure."

Deanna motioned towards the couch in front of the camera and you nodded, taking a seat on the plush sofa that had no right being so comfortable.

"How long have you been out there?"

You hesitated for a moment before answering, "since the beginning."

Rick didn't specifically tell you what to say to Deanna, but you figured it was probably best to not mention the whole Woodbury, Governor, prison and Terminus stuff.

"How did you all find each other? Did you know each other before or-"

"Some of us did. Others we found along the way." You answered and Deanna nodded.

"I was a congressperson. Ohio, 15th district. You?"

"I used to be a caregiver in a nursing home." You answered, staring at her for a moment before you glanced out the window looking at the tall fence in the distance. "Our old lives don't matter anymore. What is this place?"

"Most of this was already here. The solar grid, the houses, eco-based sewage filtration. My husband Reg is a professor of architecture. And who he was mattered quite a bit. He built these walls with our sons, and after a few weeks more people arrived. We built this community."

"Hold on, you've been behind these walls this entire time?" You asked in shock, and she nodded. "And you guys just take people in?"

"We try to."

"That's dangerous."

"How so?"

"There are a lot of bad people out there."

"Is your group part of that bracket, Mrs. Dixon?"

Probably. You had all done things, horrible things to survive. In the eyes of someone else, yeah, you guys were probably bad people, but like hell you were telling her that.

"We're just people trying to survive."

Deanna smiled, "then you've come to the right place."

You returned to the two houses that Aaron had assigned your group. Everyone was inside the larger house though, Rick stating that you all needed remain together and not split up, especially on the first night.

Everyone was lying about in the lounge room, spread out on the various couches and carpet, giving their sore feet a break after all the walking you had done in the past few months.

Eugene was already asleep on the single seated couch, snoring softly while the others talked quietly amongst themselves. Maggie stood in front of a bookshelf, looking at the various novels stacked inside, and you made a mental note to check that out later.

Ricky and Dean were sitting on the floor by Abraham's feet playing with what looked to be a couple of action figures. Daryl sat on the floor a few metres away, his back leaning against the wall while he watched the boy’s play.

"That shower was so good!" Carl's voice suddenly said.

You spun around quickly, looking over at your brother who was now wearing fresh, new clothes, but it was his wet hair and clean skin that caught your attention.

"Did you just say shower?" You asked.

"And hot water." Rosita informed from her spot on the couch beside Abraham and your jaw dropped. "It's like heaven."

They had hot showers.

Holy shit, you were never leaving this place.

"She's right. I would still be in there right now if Glenn hadn't made me get out." Maggie commented over her shoulder. "There's fresh clothes in the bedroom upstairs. Find whatever fits, there's kid’s clothes too."

"C'mon, boys. You're way overdue for a bath."

"I don't want a bath." Ricky mumbled, not looking at you while he continued playing with his toys.

"I don't want one too." Dean added who at least had the decency to look over at you before going back to playing with his toys.

"You both need one. Come on."

"No."

"Nope."

Out of all the traits they could have gotten from Daryl, they both got his stupid stubbornness. Perfect.

"I won't say it again. Come on." You instructed sternly.

"Dad and Uncle Merle haven't had one though." Ricky pointed out, looking over at them.

"Oh, they will afterwards, trust me."

"Bullshit." Merle coughed causing you to glare at him.

"I think I saw more of those action figures in the bathroom. I bet your mama would let you play with them in the bath." Carol suddenly said, walking down the stairs.

That seemed to catch your son's attention, their heads shooting up with wide eyes.

"We can play with them in the bath?" Dean asked almost sceptically.

"Yep. C'mon, I'll show ya." Daryl grunted, speaking for the first time as he stood up from his spot on the floor before he began to walk towards the stairs with both Ricky and Dean racing after him.

Carol chuckled, watching them go before she rested her hand on your shoulder, "using toys to lure them to the bath always works."

"Thank you." You sighed, glancing over at her. "I forgot how difficult bath time used to be."

"I think the world has dished out swift justice after all the times you cried when I tried to give you a bath." Your father suddenly said, walking into the room causing everyone to start laughing.

"Thank you for that." You said sarcastically and Rick just smirked.

You slowly made your way upstairs, finding the bedroom where piles of clothes were scattered over the mattress that you noted seemed to be freshly made with blankets and pillows. You shifted through the clothes, finding some pants and shirts in your boy's sizes before grabbing a pair of jeans and a shirt for yourself.

By the time you entered the main bathroom, Ricky was already in the shower while Dean sat in the bathtub playing with his new toys in the water. Daryl was knelt beside the tub, his crossbow leaning against the wall while he washed Deans hair with shampoo.

Seeing the three of them like that took your breath away.

It was so domestic. So normal.

It felt like a typical Tuesday night in your house before the world ended.

You leant in the doorway for a few minutes watching them. Dean laughed whenever Ricky purposely splashed water up over the shower wall, spraying his little brother causing him to giggle happily in the tub, Daryl laughing along with them while he rinsed out the shampoo from Deans hair.

"Mama!" Dean called out happily when he noticed you hovering in the doorway.

Daryl glanced over his shoulder, his beautiful blue eyes meeting yours before he nodded towards the boys and you smiled, pushing yourself off the doorframe to help him.

It didn't take long before the boys were dried off and sporting new clothes. They raced back downstairs to show Uncle Merle their new toys leaving you and Daryl alone in the bathroom.

You walked over to the shower and pulled open the glass door before leaning inside and turning the taps, allowing water to fall from the showerhead above.

It took a few seconds for the hot water system to kick into gear and once it did, the cool water instantly turned warm under your fingertips.

You began to delayer, tossing your dirty threadbare clothes to the floor before you glanced over at Daryl and realised that he hadn't moved.

"You gonna join me?" You asked, unclasping the belt around your jeans.

"Nah."

You frowned, "why?"

He shrugged but didn't say anything else before he leant down and picked up his crossbow, throwing it over his shoulder with the strap.

"Daryl. Come on, a warm shower will be nice."

"M'good."

He was gone before you could say anything else, and you stared at the closed door in utter confusion.

There used to be showers back in the prison... they weren't the best in that old shower block, but Daryl still used to share a shower with you most nights. So why was he refusing now?

Shaking your head, you pushed that question from your mind and kicked your jeans onto the pile of clothes on the floor before stepping inside the shower.

The hot water felt like absolute heaven on your skin.

You stood under the spray of the warm water for a few minutes cleaning your body and washing your hair with shampoo that smelt like coconuts. It was nice. It was too nice.

Closing your eyes, you leant against the tiled wall and thought back to the journey the group had been on since the prison fell. The highs, the lows... mostly lows.

Your brain replayed your lowest point on the road, over and over again. Like some sick twisted horror movie that you couldn't escape.

It wasn't hordes of walkers. It wasn't even the evil survivors that were out there.

It was simply the harsh elements of Mother Nature.

Days and days without food while walking under the scorching Virginia summer heat. If you thought dealing with the cannibals at Terminus was bad, it was nothing compared to hearing your sons crying because they were hungry. That was a different kind of pain that no mother should ever have to endure.

"I'm so hungry." Dean whimpered, late one night while you were all laying under the stars trying to sleep.

"I know, sweetie." You sighed, rolling over to face him. "We will find food soon."

"What if we don't?" Ricky asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

That was the question, wasn't it?

"We will." You insisted, although you weren't sure if you were trying to convince him or yourself more.

"I've never been this hungry before. I... I'm just so hungry." Ricky whispered, his voice wavering slightly, and you knew your eldest was trying to stop himself from crying.

"I'm so hungry too." Dean sobbed, picking up on his brother's distress as he cried.

"Shh, boys. Shh, it's okay. It will all be okay." You soothed, reaching out and pulling your sons against your body.

Hot tears burned in the back of your eyes as you held them while they cried. Their soft whimpers and sobs muffled against your chest as they clung to you.

"It's all going to be okay. I promise. It's going to be okay." You whispered, silent tears now trickling down your face too.

Most of the group were fast asleep on the forest floor around you, oblivious to your children's distress, but when you tilted your head to the side you could see Daryl standing off in the distance on watch duty.

His body was lit up from the moonlight shining down through the canopy of trees above you, crossbow in one hand while he discreetly wiped his eyes with the other. He sniffed softly, glancing over his shoulder towards you, and even in the dark you could see the shimmer of tears in his eyes that matched your own.

You weren't sure how long you were in the shower for. You weren't sure when you had even sat down or started to cry while the water from above washed over you.

Eventually, you picked yourself up from the floor and got out. Drying off with a towel that was softer than anything you had ever felt before you slipped into the new clothes that you had grabbed earlier.

You spared a glance at yourself in the foggy mirror, relieved that your eyes weren't red from crying before you exited the bathroom and went back downstairs.

Only Merle was in the lounge room now, laying on the couch with his hands behind his head watching his nephews playing on the carpet with their toys.

Wait, where was everyone else? They were all here earlier. How long had you been in the shower for?

"Most of 'em are out explorin' the community." Merle informed as if he could somehow read your mind.

"You didn't want to join them?"

He shook his head, "nah."

You glanced over at your boys who were laughing and giggling, but then your eyes landed on the plastic plate sitting on the coffee table beside them with pieces of cut up apple on top.

"Some lady dropped off a whole damn basket of 'em. I already ate three of the stupid fruits myself, figured they'd want some too." Merle explained, noticing what you had been staring at.

"Thank you."

"Eh, don't thank me yet, they haven't eaten any. Carl gave 'em chocolate earlier so they didn't want fucking fruit after that, did they?" Merle muttered, glaring at his nephews, but there was no real heat behind it and the boys weren't listening anyway.

"Still, thank you." You said sincerely. "Do you know where Daryl is?"

"Porch."

You nodded, glancing at your boys for a moment before you turned and walked out the front door to find Daryl sitting on the porch steps gutting the opossum.

"I hated it when you'd gut animals near the house." You commented, closing the door behind you as you leant your back against it. "It used to take me so long to scrub the blood off our porch."

Daryl's lips twitched up into a small smile at the memory as he ripped the last of the guts out before stabbing the end of the knife into the wooden board beside him and glanced over at you.

"This ain't our house."

"It could be."

Daryl held your gaze for a moment, a wave of emotion flashing across his face, but he looked away before you could decipher any of it.

To most people, they wouldn't have noticed that something was wrong, but you knew Daryl. His shoulders were a little too tense and you could see him biting his thumb nail, a telltale sign that he was worried about something.

He yanked his knife out the wood and went back to the opossum, busying himself with skinning the animal while you watched him silently.

"Everything okay?" You eventually asked when you realised that he wouldn't talk without being prompted.

"Mmm." He hummed, focusing on the task at hand.

"Wanna try that again but honest this time?"

Daryl sighed, lowering the half-skinned animal and glancing back at you.

"Just... being back behind walls. Don't feel right."

"You think this is like Woodbury?"

He shrugged, "dunno."

"Well, we got a roof over our boys heads and food in their stomachs. They're safe, fed and happy now. I think we should focus on that."

"Guess you're right." He agreed and you smiled.

"I'm always right." You shot back causing Daryl to snort softly which you were calling a win. "I'm gonna go back inside. Clean that shit up when you're finished."

Daryl chuckled softly, "yes, ma'am."

Merle was now passed out on the couch and snoring, but that didn't seem to faze the boys while they continued to play on the carpet nearby.

You walked into the room, plucking a few pieces of apple from the plate on the coffee table before you plonked yourself down on the couch beside Merle. There was no point trying to be quiet around him, that man could sleep through a damn hurricane.

Footsteps creaked on the stairs across the room before Rick emerged from the bathroom sporting a clean-shaven face. You had to do a double take when you first saw him, his thick greying beard now completely gone.

The last time you had seen your father without any facial hair was before the end of the world. Way before. You were still living at home, hell, you were still a teenager. You could almost picture him sitting across the dinner table in his Deputy uniform with that clean-shaven face.

"Grandpa, you look funny." Ricky called out when he noticed Rick emerging from the bathroom.

Your father opened his mouth to respond, but no words came out. His eyes widened ever so slightly before his head shot in your direction in shock.

They had just called him Grandpa for the first time.

Holy shit.

"What? You boys don't like it?" He asked, seemingly able to snap out of his shock quicker than you could.

Ricky and Dean both shook their heads causing Rick to sigh dramatically.

"Oh, come on. I worked hard on this masterpiece." He said, rubbing his hand along his jaw.

"Mama, Grandpa is being silly." Dean giggled, staring at Rick before glancing over at you and you couldn't stop the smile spreading across your face as you looked over at your father.

"Yeah, Grandpa is a bit silly, isn't he?"

Both boys hummed in agreement before going back to their toys and you stood up from the couch, eating the last piece of apple as you walked over to your father.

"That's the first time..." He trailed off, looking over at his grandkids with a warm smile.

"Feeling old now, Grandpa?" You teased, bumping your shoulder into his playfully.

Rick chuckled softly, "maybe I should've kept the grey beard."

You all slept in the lounge room together during the first night to be cautious. It was safer together, and honestly, after sleeping side by side in the woods for the last God knows how many days, it would've been weird sleeping away from them.

Everybody was sprawled out around the room on the couches and chairs. Blankets and pillows were laid out over the carpet as makeshift beds. Even a few bean bags had appeared out of nowhere, Carl, Ricky and Dean instantly claiming them as their beds for the night.

Rick insisted that there was no need for a watch duty, but you, Daryl and Merle still switched out throughout the night to keep watch just to be sure.

It wasn't needed though. Nothing happened during the night and by sunrise, everyone was slowly starting to wake up. It was the best sleep you have had in a long time, and by the refreshed looks on everyone's faces, they felt the same.

Ricky and Dean were running around on the grass in the front yard with Merle while you watched from the porch steps. For an older guy who smoked and drank for as long as you've known him, he was able to keep up with those two little balls of energy.

"Time to punch the clock and make the casseroles." Carol emerged from the front door, sporting a neat white blouse and blue button up cardigan.

"What?" Daryl muttered, frowning as he looked over at her from where he was sitting on the edge of the porch railing cleaning the strings of his crossbow.

"Make dinner for the older people, moms who need a break, people who can't cook. Get to meet a lot of neighbours that way."

Daryl scoffed, "alright."

You rolled your eyes, "I think it's a good idea. Is that the job Deanna assigned you?"

"Yeah, has she given you guys one yet?" Carol asked, looking over at you, but you shook your head. "She will soon. Don't worry." She insisted before glancing back at Daryl, "have you taken a shower yet?"

Daryl nodded while he continued fiddling with his crossbow despite that being a very obvious lie. Carol's eyes narrowed in his direction, but she didn't call him out on it.

"He takes after his brother who hasn't had a shower yet either!" You pointed out, saying the last part loudly and catching your brother-in-law's attention.

"How the fuck did I get dragged into this?" He exclaimed, looking over at you.

"Language." You reminded glancing at your sons nearby who had already picked up too many of Merle's terrible habits and you did not want the F word to be one of them.

"Yeah, language, Uncle Merle!" Ricky teased.

"That's it. Come here you little turd." Merle took off running after Ricky who laughed and sprinted off in the opposite direction.

"Run, Ricky! Run!" Dean cheered between fits of giggles.

You rolled your eyes watching them play, Carol and Daryl watching on as well with small smiles on their faces.

"As annoying as that man is, he is good with your boys." Carol commented sincerely, walking past you down the stairs before she glanced back at Daryl. "I'm gonna wash that vest. We need to keep up appearances, even you."

"Hey, I ain't startin' now."

"I'm gonna hose you down in your sleep." Carol called out, walking off down the road.

"You look ridiculous!" Daryl shouted over his shoulder, and you covered your mouth with your hand to stop yourself from laughing.

The rest of the morning was spent exploring the community, all of you walking around and taking it all in... well, most of you did anyway. The Dixon brothers opted to stay at the house, and you knew better than to try and convince them otherwise.

Deanna had started to give some of your group members jobs. Others, she was still trying to figure out.

Glenn, Noah and Tara were the next ones to get their new roles which was scavenging and the three of them had left earlier for their first supply run with two Alexandrians. Although, when the group of them marched through the front gate a few hours later, it was clear that their first supply run hadn't went well.

"You three need knew gigs!" Aidan yelled, glaring at your three friends who were walking a few paces ahead of him. "You're not ready for runs yet."

"Yeah, pretty sure you got that backwards!" Glenn shouted over his shoulder and just by his tone of voice alone, you knew he was pissed.

It took a lot to make Glenn Rhee angry. And right now, he was definitely angry. What the hell happened out there?

You watched as Aidan jogged over to Glenn, grabbing his arm and stopping him in his tracks. You couldn't hear what they were saying, but Glenn seemed to be only getting angrier which was setting off alarm bells in your head.

Slowly, you began making your way over to them. Others in the area had seemed to notice the commotion as well but were keeping their distance while they observed Glenn and Aidan's rather heated discussion.

"Come on, tough guy." Aidan challenged, shoving Glenns chest.

"No one's impressed, man. Walk away."

Aidan didn't say anything else, he simply took another step forward until the two of them were toe to toe.

Oh, this was not going to end well.

"He told you to walk away." You said, pushing yourself between them.

Aidan glanced down at you, his eyes hardening.

“Walk away.” You repeated sternly.

"What is going on?" Deanna's voice suddenly questioned.

"This guy's got a problem with the way we do things." Aidan answered, glaring at Glenn over your shoulder before turning towards Deanna. "Why did you let these people in?"

"'Cause we actually know what we're doing out there." Glenn responded, stepping out from behind you.

Aidan turned around so fast, his fist flying, but Glenn blocked it and sent Aidan falling to the ground. A split second later, Nicolas rushed forward, but you stepped in front of him, stopping him from getting to Glenn.

Nicholas shoved you to the side, your body hitting the steel wall before you pushed yourself off and shoved him in retaliation. The man stumbled back a step, not expecting you to fight back with strength as he mumbled the word 'bitch' under his breath.

He took a step forward and you held your ground, standing up straighter ready for a fight, but then Daryl appeared out of nowhere and threw Nicholas to the ground, pinning him down on his back.

"That's enough!" Deanna shouted.

Daryl refused to let Nicholas go. His body trembling with rage as he wrapped his hands around the man's throat and squeezed. Nicholas gasped and choked for air, but Daryl didn't care, not after the man touched you.

Rick suddenly rushed over being drawn in by the ruckus and crowd that had seemed to double since you last took notice. Your father grabbed Daryl from behind, trying and failing to pull your husband off the Alexandrian.

"Let's not do this now." Rick hissed in his ear, but Daryl wasn't letting go. "Daryl!"

Rick managed to haul Daryl off of Nicholas and pushed your husband behind him and away from the man lying on the ground coughing. Daryl began to pace left and right angrily like a caged animal. Rick held his hand out, following Daryl's movement like he wasn't entirely sure if he would try and attack Nicholas again or not and you weren't too sure either, but Daryl was clearly worked up.

Nicholas got to his feet, coughing and spluttering before he took a step towards Rick who had his back turned, still trying to calm Daryl down and you quickly planted yourself between them.

"You wanna end up on your ass again? Back the fuck off." Your words seemed to work because the man simply nodded, still holding his neck as he took a few steps away.

"I want everyone to hear me, okay? Rick and his people are part of this community now in all ways as equals! Understood?" Deanna shouted, her eyes raking over the group of you before glancing over at the onlooking bystanders in the distance.

"Understood." Aidan nodded before him and Nicholas walked off.

Daryl stepped past Rick and rushed over to you, those blue eyes peeking out from behind his hair scanning your body for any signs of injury.

"I'm good." You placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I can take care of myself."

"I know." He answered, his voice rougher than usual but he meant it.

You gave him a small reassuring smile before you walked over to where the others were standing only just hearing the backend of whatever Deanna had been saying to Rick.

"I told you I had a job for you. I'd like you to be our constable. That's what you were. That’s what you are." Deanna says staring a Rick before looking over at Michonne. "And you, too. Will you accept?"

Rick nodded, "okay."

Daryl scoffed from somewhere behind you before he marched off down the road without a word. Rick looked over at him in confusion before glancing over at you with a questioning look.

You sighed, "I'll go talk to him."

It wasn't hard to find Daryl.

He was back at the house leaning against the railing of the porch, a deep frown plastered on his face.

You remain silent as you walked up the stairs, Daryl tracking your movements from the corner of his eye, but he didn't say anything. You leant your forearms over the railing beside him, overlooking the street of Alexandria.

There were a few people walking around. The elderly couple across the road were sitting on their porch swing together whilst a young man walked his dog on a leash down the street. It was still strange how normal this was.

"This place... I don't belong here."

Daryl's voice drew you from your thoughts and you tilted your head to the side to look at him, but he was staring off into the distance.

"What do you mean?" You asked gently.

"This." He said motioning to everything around him. "All this fancy shit. The houses, the people, it ain't me. It ain't us."

"We're too redneck for a fancy place like this?" You asked, raising your eyebrows at him.

"Ain't no way we could've afforded a house like this in a place like this back in the day. 'N all those people know it." He said, nodding at the few civilians wandering around.

So that's what his issue was. He felt like he didn't belong. That he was an outcast amongst these people.

"Oh, we definitely couldn't afford a place like this." You chuckled, trying to lighten his mood. "But our house was nice. I mean, we never had a two-story or a shower this big, but we got by. And we will get by here, I promise."

"It don't feel right."

"I know."

Neither of you said anything for a while before you spotted Carl, Ricky and Dean down the road with a few other kids that you had seen around town before. They were laughing and throwing a basketball together, their smiles so bright and laughter so loud that you could hear them from here.

It had been a long time since you saw them be normal children. It had been a long time since you saw them interact with other kids their age.

"The boys like it here." You pointed out.

Daryl lifted his gaze, spotting kids in the distance as he smiled softly and hummed in agreement.

"If this place doesn't work, we will figure it out and find somewhere else. But I need you to try. Give Alexandria a chance, if not for yourself then for them." You said, nodding towards your sons. "They deserve a place like this. And so do you."

It took the Dixon brothers a while to get used to living inside the community, taking them some time to adjust to the fancy buildings and judging eyes of many civilians who had never even stepped foot out in the real world.

It took the brothers a meal at Aaron and Erics house to finally start adjusting and relaxing inside this community. You weren't sure what the couple had said to them over bowls of spaghetti and wine, but whatever it was, you were grateful.

Within a few months, everyone was settled in. You all had your own jobs now, Merle and Abraham now working guard duty shifts at the front gate while Daryl worked with Aaron to seek out other survivors outside and recruit them if appropriate.

The two houses were split between you all. The Grimes-Dixon clan took ownership of the bigger house with Carol and Michonne getting their own bedrooms as well while the others took over the house next door.

There was a school for the kids to attend in the afternoon out of someone's garage. She was an older lady who used to be an elementary school teacher and was happy to take in your sons as new students.

Whilst your boys were at school in the afternoon, you worked alongside Carol cooking and caring for the elderly and people who couldn't care for themselves. It was strange how easy it was to slip back into your role as a caregiver after so many years working at that nursing home back before the world ended.

Ricky and Dean loved Alexandria. And the people of Alexandria seemed to love them too.

You were forever getting people commenting on how wonderful and beautiful your little boys were. They seemed be to the talk of the town, always running amuck and getting up to mischief. Daryl already had to fix the swing set on the playground because they had broken it. How they even managed to break it was a question you tried not to think about. "Afternoon, Mr. and Mrs. Dixon!" A friendly voice greeted.

You and Daryl both looked to your left to find two women sitting on the porch swing in front of their house while the two of you wandered down the main street, hand in hand.

"Good afternoon, ladies. It's a beautiful day, isn't it?" You greeted back happily, trying and failing to remember their names.

"It's stunning! Perfect weather for a book and wine." They both held up their novels and glasses of red for you to see causing Daryl to snort softly while you laughed.

"I think I will have similar plans when I get home too. Y'all have a good afternoon!" You shouted over your shoulder.

"Mr. and Mrs. Dixon... ain't ever gonna get used to that. Everyone's so damn formal here." Daryl commented softly, his hand squeezing yours.

"It's nice though. Formal, but nice."

He hummed in agreement while waving to old man Jenkins who was busy mowing his front lawn across the street. You smiled at how far Daryl had come since arriving at Alexandria all those weeks ago. He went from refusing to interact with anyone to now openly greeting his neighbours and helping out around the community.

The two of you strolled along the bitumen road, Daryl's hand still holding yours while you told him about your day at work with Carol. He nodded along listening while you spoke so enthusiastically about your new job, and he found himself smiling hearing how passionate and happy you were.

"Anyway, Mrs. McDonald was just the sweetest and- Oh, you have got to be shitting me." You cut off your own rambling and the smile on Daryl's face vanished at the shift in your tone.

You stopped in front of the steps to your house staring at the hole in the front window that definitely hadn't been there this morning when you left to walk the boys to school. Daryl followed your line of sight and sighed deeply when he noticed the broken window because he knew exactly what caused that stone shaped hole.

"I warned 'em not to use those slingshots in the damn house." Daryl muttered under his breath, but you were already marching up the steps and yanking open the front door.

"Richard Daryl Dixon! Merle Dean Dixon! Get your asses out here!"

There was a beat of silence before you heard Merle's voice from inside.

"Oh crap, BOTH names. Y'alls in trouble."

A few moments later, your sons appeared in the doorway with guilty expressions on their faces. Yep, they had definitely done it.

"Care to explain this?" You pointed towards the broken front window and the guilt on their faces doubled.

"It was an accident." Ricky sighed, knowing there was no point trying to lie about it.

"I thought I told ya both not to use the slingshots in the house." Daryl said, walking up the porch steps and stopping beside you, his hands firmly crossed over his chest.

Those damn slingshots. You knew it was a bad idea when Abraham made them for the boys last week.

"But Uncle Merle lets us use them inside." Dean whined causing Ricky to elbow his brother like that was a big secret he shouldn't have said aloud.

Merle.

Of course, he was the influence for this. When was he not?

"Merle Dixon, get your ass out here!" You shouted, looking over your sons head to the inside of the house.

"Ah shit." Merle muttered from further inside before he walked around the corner and appeared behind your boys. "What did I do now?"

"Care to explain?" You said, pointing at the broken window.

Merle glanced over at the window with a wince before looking back over at you.

"Nah, not really."

"You let 'em use the slingshots in the house?" Daryl asked, getting straight to the point. "Ya do remember how many broken windows we caused when we were kids, right?"

Merle smirked, "ah, the good old times."

"Boys go back inside. And never ever use those slingshots in the house again, understood?" You stated sternly and they both frantically nodded before rushing past Merle and disappearing in the house.

"It's just a window. Ain't the end of the world."

You sighed, "what if someone had been walking past when they broke it? That's dangerous. And you know it."

Merle rolled his eyes but knew better than to try and argue with you right now.

"Those boys, they look up to you. You're their big Uncle Merle, they practically worship you. So, everything you do and say, they wanna do and say as well. God knows we've heard Ricky utilize your bad language enough. You're their role model, and I love that, okay? I love you and I love your relationship with your nephews, but you cannot be teaching them bad habits while Daryl and I are trying to teach them the exact opposite."

Merle didn't say anything for a moment as he nodded, taking in your words.

"A broken window was probably the tamest shit you and I used to get up to, little brother. You remember all the shit we did as kids? Probably a good thing the old man was off on his benders all the time."

"Merle." Daryl warned, glaring at his brother.

Merle raised his hands, "fine, fine. I'm taking this shit seriously, I am. But Ricky and Dean, they're good kids is all I'm sayin'. Sure, they run about this settlement 'n make some of those uptight civilians crazy with their shenanigans, but if a few annoyed pricks 'n a broken window is the most of your troubles, that ain't bad."

That was a fair point.

Merle Dixon was actually making logical sense? Yeah, it really was the end of the world.

You sighed, "I know, just don't teach them anymore bad habits, okay?"

"Yes, ma'am." He nodded, glancing between you both. "Am I dismissed now?" He asked sarcastically.

Daryl snorted, "get the fuck outta here, bro."

Merle smirked, walking back inside before you sighed and leant against the pillar to your right while Daryl plonked himself down on the porch steps and lit a cigarette.

"Should we confiscate their slingshots for a few days?" You asked, unsure of how to go about punishing them for breaking the window.

Daryl shrugged taking a drag from his cigarette. "dunno. Reckon they feel bad enough 'bout it already."

"Yeah." You agreed with a small nod.

You never thought that a broken window would be your biggest problem when just a few weeks ago you were fighting for literal survival.

"Hey." Your fathers voice suddenly called out.

You looked over to find him walking towards the house with little Judith in his arms.

"There's my favourite Grimes!" You greeted, the slingshots long forgotten as you jogged past Daryl down the steps and scooped up your baby sister into your arms.

Rick chuckled softly, handing over Judith without a word before he walked over to Daryl while you rocked Judith on your hip. The girl cooed happily, reaching up and playing with the dog tags around your neck like she always did.

"Have you asked her yet?" You heard your father say to Daryl.

"Nah, now probably ain't the best time."

You frowned, looking over at the two of them, "ask me what?"

Daryl spared a quick glance at your father, the two of them having a silent conversation that you weren't a part of before he looked over at you.

"Was gonna ask if you were okay with us teachin' Ricky how to shoot a gun."

You opened your mouth to answer, but no words came out. A gun? Little Ricky shooting a deadly gun? No. No, absolutely not.

"But... but he's just a baby." You exclaimed causing Daryl to give you a pointed look and you sighed, "okay, he's not a baby. He's a child. He's my child. He's our little boy."

You weren't sure why, but you could feel tears starting to burn in the back of your eyes at the thought of your son needing to learn how to shoot. He was just a kid. He shouldn't have to learn how to fire a gun. He shouldn't have to worry about one day using a firearm to protect himself or his family. That was what you were for. You were there to protect him, you were his mother, it was your job to protect him, he shouldn't need to do it, not yet.

Daryl stood up from his spot on the steps and walked over to you, noticing the emotion washing over you. He grabbed your shoulder gently, but you refused to look at him. You focused on Judith in your arms, staring down at your baby sister who was oblivious to everything around her.

"Hey, it's okay." Daryl whispered, squeezing your shoulder gently. "Rick 'n Shane taught Carl how to shoot when he was Ricky’s age. He should at least be familiar with a gun if something bad happens 'n we're not there to protect him. Hell, Merle taught me how to shoot a rifle when I was younger than Dean. Ricky will be fine."

Forcing your tears not to spill, you reluctantly look away from Judith and your eyes lock with Daryl’s gentle blue ones.

"But you saw what happened with the slingshots today. You really want him with a gun?"

"He won't have a gun. We're just gonna take him outside the walls and teach him the basics under strict supervision."

You sighed and looked back down at Judith who was babbling nonsense in your arms happily.

"We might be safe in Alexandria for now, but we don't know what will happen in the future." Your father suddenly said, walking over to you. "It's not fair, but he should be prepared if it comes down to it. It's for his own safety."

"Okay, fine. But he won't even need to use one though because I'm always going to be there to protect him. To protect them both, and this little girl. Isn't that right, Judy?" You asked, looking back down at your baby sister who squealed happily when you bounced her up and down and you smiled sadly at her.

God, you were not ready for the day when you’d have to teach this baby girl how to shoot a gun. But that was a long way away, thank goodness.

"Rule number one about firearms, is what?" Your father asked, looking between Ricky and Dean after going over basic firearms safety with them for the last 20 minutes.

"Never point a gun at someone unless you plan on shooting them. Even if you think the gun is unloaded, never point it at anyone." Ricky answered, with a serious look on his face.

"And never put your finger on the trigger until you're ready to shoot!" Little Dean quickly added.

You watched on proudly from where you were standing off to the side. Carl stood beside you, listening in on Daryl and Rick teaching the boys while helping you keep an eye out for any danger. There had only been one stray walker stumble upon you guys which you easily took down with a knife to the head.

"Now, Dean, we're gonna show ya brother how to shoot this handgun. I want ya to listen ‘n watch carefully to everythin', okay? It is important to know and once you're his age, then we will take you back to the woods ‘n give you a shot as well, okay?" Daryl explained gently looking down at his youngest who simply nodded.

"Okay."

If you were being honest, you expected Dean to complain or argue about that. He always wanted to do whatever his big brother was doing, but you were relief that your youngest seemed to realise how serious this was.

Carl walked over to the four of them and grabbed Deans shoulder gently, "come stand with me and we can watch together, yeah?"

Dean smiled, reaching up and taking Carl’s hand, allowing him to pull him a few steps away as Daryl gave your brother a small appreciative nod before he turned his attention back to Ricky just as Rick handed him the small handgun.

"I know this is unloaded but prove to me that it is." Rick instructed.

Ricky held the gun in his little hands correctly, mimicking how Rick and Daryl had been holding it earlier in the demonstration. Ricky pointed towards the empty magazine well before he racked and locked the slide back and pointed to the empty chamber.

"Atta boy. Where is the safety switch?" Rick asked, and Ricky pointed to the small switch above his thumb. "Good. Is the safety on or off?"

"It's on."

"Yes."

"How... how do you know if it's on or off?" Dean asked curiously, looking up at Carl before glancing over at the guys.

"If you flick the switch and a little red dot appears, that means the safety is off. If you can't see the red dot, then the safety is on. What I got taught at the Police Academy is that red means dead. Red means that you can shoot the gun, so the safety is off."

"Red means dead. Got it." Dean nodded, like he was mentally storing away that piece of information even though you were pretty sure he would forget by dinner time, but it was the thought that counted.

"Here. Do you remember how to load a magazine?" Daryl asked, crouching down and holding up the magazine which you knew only had two bullets inside.

"Yes. Can I do it?"

Daryl nodded, placing the magazine in his son’s free hand and you watched anxiously as Ricky carefully turned the magazine around the right way. He shoved it into the bottom of the gun before he reached for the slide but paused and glanced over at his father and grandpa.

"Can I load a bullet in the chamber?"

Rick nodded, "when you're ready, load the gun and aim for that glass bottle."

You watched as Ricky wrapped his fingers around the end of the slide and racked it, loading the weapon before he raised the gun in front of him and flicked the safety off with his thumb. It was surprising how well he was doing with remembering all the steps and you were proud of him for asking permission before loading the weapon.

A few seconds later, the gun fired and a spray of dirt appeared a few feet in front of the bottle, the bullet dropping a little short.

"I missed." Ricky frowned, glaring at the glass bottle like it had personally offended him by not breaking.

"That's okay. Missin' is a part of learnin’. Try again 'n remember to line up those three little white dots to aim." Daryl encouraged.

Ricky nodded, taking in a deep breath and you watched in shock as he fired again, and the glass bottle instantly shattered.

He did it.

Holy shit, your son hit the target.

"Yes! Go, Ricky!" Dean cheered, jumping up and down from beside Carl who was grinning ear to ear proudly.

"Mama, did you see that? I did it!" Ricky exclaimed, glancing over his shoulder at you with a bright smile spreading across his face.

"You did amazing, sweetie. Good job." You praised, smiling at your boy happily.

"Eject the magazine, show me that the gun is empty before handing it back." Rick instructed, bringing Ricky’s attention back to him and he followed the instructions and before you knew it, the group of you were walking back to Alexandria after successful firearms training.

"I still can't believe we spent so long together, the quarry, the farm, the prison, and I never realised that the wife and kids you spoke about were these guys." Your father suddenly said, pointing at Ricky and Dean who were walking a few paces ahead with Carl.

"The amount of stories ya told 'bout ya daughter, I shoulda put two 'n two together." Daryl muttered, shaking his head with a small smile.

"Aww, you guys used to talk about me?" You teased causing them both to scoff.

"Mostly to complain about ya." Daryl wrapped his arm around your shoulders and pulled you against his side while the three of you walked through the woods.

"Do not come near me with that thing!" Andrea exclaimed.

Daryl stopped in his tracks before he could reach the campfire near the Greene farmhouse. Andrea was staring at the dead snake in his hand with wide eyes and Daryl frowned looking down at the animal he had just shot.

"Wasn't gonna, but whatever." He muttered, walking past her tent and taking a seat in front of the campfire to start skinning the snake for dinner.

"Sorry, it's just... I hate snakes. Like, really hate them." Andrea apologised, but she made no move to get out her tent to join him by the fire.

Daryl smiled sadly to himself. Andreas words reminding him of you and your fear of snakes.

He had no idea if you were even still alive or not. He had no idea if the boys were alive, and he knew that the chances of ever seeing you guys again was basically zero.

"She sounds like my daughter. She used to be terrified of snakes." Rick commented, walking into camp and sitting down on the chair across the campfire.

Daryl lifted his head slightly and looked over at the former Deputy before lowering it again and he began skinning the snake.

"Didn't know ya had a daughter."

"I don't talk about her much... haven't seen her for over a decade."

Daryl could hear the underlying emotion in Ricks voice, but he didn't comment on it. Whatever happened between Rick and his daughter was absolutely none of his business and he didn't exactly care either.

"She was always a daddy's girl. She was like my damn shadow, following me around everywhere... but then something bad happened and she left. I don't even know if she's still alive." Rick began to say before shaking his head. "But, yeah, she used to really hate snakes."

"Sounds like my wife. She'd lose her shit whenever she saw one." Daryl found himself saying without meaning to.

And then it hit him.

That was the first time he had spoken about you out loud.

"You were married?" Rick asked in surprise.

"Mmm." Daryl hummed, continuing to skin the snake. "Married with two boys."

Ricks eyes widened, but he was quick to cover his shock, although Daryl had already seen it.

"That surprise ya?"

"No. No. Well... you just never mentioned a wife or kids before."

Daryl shrugged, "you never mentioned ya daughter either. Sometimes we keep stuff to ourselves."

Rick nodded in understanding and didn't say anything in response to that, but Daryl could feel the other man’s eyes on him while he fiddled with the snake.

"What happened to them? Your wife and kids?" Rick asked, his voice taking on a gentler tone, knowing it would be a sensitive topic.

"Dunno."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

Daryl glared at the man across the campfire. "It means I don't fuckin' know, okay? Drop it."

Rick raised his hands a little to show that he meant no harm and Daryl sighed, dropping the snake and staring at the dying embers of the campfire.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked."

"S'alright. Just restock that fire so I can cook this snake."

Rick nodded, "of course."

It hadn't even been a week since the broken window incident, so when a guilty Ricky knocked on Mrs. McDonalds door while you were working, you had assumed the worst.

Another broken window possibly or maybe one of the boys had hit someone with their slingshots... you were still waiting for that to happen.

However, what you did not expect was for your youngest to step out from behind his big brother holding his left arm to his chest with tear stains on his face. Your heart shattered seeing your baby boy look so hurt.

"What happened?" You asked, dropping to your knees in front of him.

Dean tried to answer, but his words were cut off by a few strangled sobs as the tears in his eyes began to fall again.

"He fell out a tree... I-I think he has a broken wrist." Ricky answered, pointing at his brother's left wrist that Dean was still clutching to his chest.

Jesus Christ, why was he even climbing a tree in the first place?

"Oh, baby, it's okay." You reassured, grabbing Deans shoulder gently as you tried to get a look at the injury, but you couldn't see it underneath his long sleeve. "Can I see it?"

Dean nodded with a small sniff as he held his shaky arm towards you and you gingerly pulled the jacket sleeve up, revealing a swollen wrist underneath.

Shit.

"Okay. Let me go say goodbye to Mrs. McDonald and then we will take a little trip to the infirmary to get it checked out, alright?"

It wasn't long before you were walking through the front door of Alexandria's infirmary with Dean resting on your hip and Ricky following closely behind.

The little bell on the door ringed as you entered, and Denise turned around from where she was taking stock of the medicine on the shelf. She sighed when she realised that it was your family once again.

"This is becoming almost too frequent." She commented in amusement, putting her clipboard down as she walked over to you. "How are you guys?"

"Little Dean has seen better days. I think his wrist might be broken." You admitted, glancing down at your boy in your arms who was currently burying his face in the crook of your neck.

Denise gave you a sympathetic look, "oh, that's not good. But I know what will make you feel better. What colour lollipop do you like?"

That caught Deans attention real quick and he lifted his head from your shoulder. Denise grabbed a glass jar from the bench and walked back over, holding the candy filled jar up towards him.

Dean hesitated for a second before he reached in with his good hand and picked one before holding it out to you which you grabbed and teared off the plastic wrapper for him.

"Excellent choice. The red ones are my favourite!" Denise beamed, her smile bright before she looked down at Ricky. "Which one do you want?"

"A green one please."

"Green? That is the worst flavour." Denise exclaimed, pretending to take offence to your son’s candy choice causing Ricky to roll his eyes.

"It is the best."

"Nah uh, red is so much better." Dean argued, popping the lollipop in his mouth.

Denise laughed while the boys began arguing back and forth about what the best flavour was before disappearing to go and get the doctor.

"Dixon again, which one? The whole family's been through here, ya gotta be more specific. Big or little?" You heard the doctor say from the back room and you had to stop yourself from laughing.

"Little Dixon."

"Which little Dixon?"

"Wow, there are a lot of Dixons, aren't there? It's the littlest one. Dean. I'll tell them that you'll be ready soon."

A few seconds later, Denise walked back out the room and the boys had finally stopped their candy debate and were silently sucking on their lollipops when the woman made her way back over to you.

"The doctor will be ready soon."

"Thanks, Denise." You smiled.

A few minutes later, the doctor came out the room and shook his head when he saw your family.

"These two are like frequent flyers here." He joked, kneeling down in front of your sons before his eyes landed on the already bruising skin around Deans wrist. "This is a little more than some cuts and scrapes though, isn't it?"

"He fell out a tree. I think it might be broken." You explained, hoping and praying to any god that was listening for that not to be the case.

"Well, let's take a proper look and I will fix it right up. Does that sound good, kiddo?"

Dean nodded ever so slightly, his eyes still glistening with unshed tears.

After some inspection the doctor deemed the injury to only be a fracture and not a break which was a huge relief. Little Dean now had a black wrist brace that was meant to stay on for a few weeks before coming back to the infirmary to get it reassessed.

Daryl took one look at the black wrist brace when you and the boys walked through the front door and sighed, "what happened this time?"

"He fell out a tree." You answered, closing the door before joining him in the main room where a bunch of the others seemed to be gathered on the couches relaxing with a few drinks.

How the Grimes-Dixon house became the main hangout spot for your group was beyond you. Everyone just seemed to migrate to this house or more specifically this room and your fridge. It was nice though, you had spent so long constantly close by each other during those months on the road, so it just felt normal to be together now.

"Why the hell were ya in a tree for?" Daryl asked, looking over at Dean who was now sitting on the ground beside Carl showing him the brace.

"I was trying to be like Yondu. I'm a Ravanger." Dean explained, pointing at the Guardians of the Galaxy comic book on the coffee table.

You turned to glare at Merle sitting on the couch who was the man to blame for your sons addiction to the blue superhero. Merle just rolled his eyes, but didn't comment on it as he took a sip of his drink or whatever alcohol he had managed to get his hands on.

"I thought Spider-Man was meant to be the one climbing trees." Tara suddenly said, glancing around at everyone in the room.

"Nah, isn't that Hawkeye?" Glenn responded. "He's definitely the one that climbs trees. Hawks live in trees."

"Hawkeye isn't an actual hawk. He's a superhero with a bow and arrow." Ricky explained, like that was meant to be common knowledge.

"What about Superman?" Noah suggested.

"I'm gonna pretend that you didn't just say that." Carl deadpanned.

"What's wrong with what I said?"

"We're talking about Marvel superheroes!" Dean answered, empathising the word 'Marvel' as he spoke.

"Isn't Superman a superhero?" Your fathers voice suddenly questioned as he entered the house.

"He is a DC superhero." Carl corrected, giving Rick a tired look like this wasn't the first time they've had this discussion.

"What's the difference?"

"Doesn't matter, Superman can most definitely beat them all." Eugene called out from the kitchen.

And, oh, boy, did that open up a whole new argument as both your boys jumped to their feet and rushed into the kitchen to argue that statement, Carl right on their tail to back them up. You watch them disappear into the room followed by muffled arguing which you couldn't quite understand.

"I'd hate to be Eugene right now." You laughed, walking further into the room and sitting down on one of the couches.

"No way I'm arguing with those boys about Superhero's. I'd rather jump on a live grenade." Abraham commented causing you all to laugh.

"That I think we can all agree on." Rick chuckled softly before looking over at you. "Is Dean okay? I saw the brace on his wrist."

"It's fractured. He'll be fine."

"If he doesn't try 'n climb any more trees that is." Daryl muttered, plonking himself down on the couch between you and Merle.

"Falling outta trees is a gene that came from you, baby brother." Merle pointed out causing your head to snap towards Daryl waiting for him to explain, but he was just glaring at his brother for bringing up that topic. "Don't look at me like that. C'mon, it was fuckin' funny. You were five 'n got dressed up as batman 'n jumped out a tree because you thought you could fly."

Daryl snorted with a shake of his head, "only 'cause ya jumped first."

"I was nine 'n dressed up like Superman. Everyone knows Batman can't fly!"

"Well, I didn't know that. I broke my arm."

Merle chuckled, "I know ya did. I had to drive you to the ER on my handlebars."

"So, is that why your kids are obsessed with superheros and apparently have a thing for trees and gravity?" Michonne asked in amusement causing everyone to laugh.

"What other stupid shit did you do as children that I need to prepare for?" You asked, glancing between the Dixon brothers.

"There was the near drowning in the creek... and the roof tile incident... Oh, ya remember when we nearly burnt the shed down with that bonfire? Oh, how about-" Merle began to say before Daryl cut him off.

"I reckon she gets the point. We were idiots."

"Our kids are doomed." You sighed dramatically, dropping your head down on Daryl's shoulder as everyone in the room started to laugh.

Daryl wrapped his arm around your shoulders, pulling you into his side before placing a gentle kiss to your temple. You couldn't stop yourself from smiling as the group of you fell into comfortable silence before Eugene’s voice stating facts and statistics about Superman, followed by your sons and Carl's petty arguments filled the air.

The group of you shared a silent look while the arguing continued from the kitchen before you all burst out laughing.

PART 4

MASTERLIST pinned to profile.

Commissions open! Link in bio & DM for enquiries ❤️

#daryl dixon fanfic #daryl dixon #the walking dead #twd #norman reedus #daryl dixon fanfiction #daryl dixon x reader #the walking dead fanfiction #rick grimes #the walking dead fanfic

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andypantsx3 · 4 months

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Okay I got self conscious about being annoying on the dash so I put everything into a megapost lol. Thank you guys so so so much for everything, it means the world to me. ❤️❤️

@strawberrystepmom Ahhh Kendall, thank you!!! I did have a very wonderful day and got to see some of the people I love most (and will get to see more this weekend)! I hope you also had a very good day too!! Thank you for being so nice to me always!!! 🥺

@tiphandoms Tippy my angel!!! I always have a great day when I see you in my inbox. 🥺❤️ Thank you for always being so wonderful and kind to me. I love you so much, thank you for making tumblr a safe and supportive and welcoming place, you are such a bright spot for me.

My dear anon, I did!! Thank you for making my day a special one. I mostly wish for soup and I know I will be having that soon lmao, so thank you for helping me manifest this. Sending you all of my love!!!!!

@missrosegold Omg a Prince Shouto for my birthday!!!! THANK YOU!!!! I love him so much lmao, this made my whole day and I was smiling like an idiot on the bus when I opened your message yesterday!! Thank you, sending you bunches of my love. ❤️

@suguwu Beeeeeee hi!!!!! Tragically I did not get my soup but I will be having some today. I did have an absolutely fantastic day though and cheesed a little when I saw you in my inbox lmao. I hope you had an excellent day too, I love u (and ur god of the hunt Nai) so much lol.

@nancy-reads Hi Nancy!!! I'm honored that you sent me an ask. 🥺🥺🥺 And even more honored that you like my fics so much. I can't tell you how much that means to me. I promise to have an excellent year if you promise the same too!!! I hope 2024 is your best year ever!!

@ghostbeam Oz my beloved!!! Thank you so much!!!!! And thank you for how kind you have been to me, especially this past year. You are one of the people I have followed and loved the longest in this fandom, sending you all of my love right back!!!

@mydiluc Gray!!! Thank you so much!!!! I gasped a little to see you in my inbox because I think you're so cool even if I haven't interacted enough. Sending you my best vibes!!!

THONK U MY BELOVED!!!! This made me laugh lmao, I hope you are having a great day!!

@itoshisoup Lmao Mao you are so good to me!! Thank you for letting me be a little shit in your DMs sometimes and still thinking well of me lol. You are one of the people I respect most in this fandom as a person and as a creative ksjdhskfhk so this means so much to me!!! Love u ❤️❤️❤️

@birinboom Birin my angel!!! Thank you so much!!! I hope my next year will be just as amazing as you are, then I will be a very happy girlie for sure lmao. Thank you for always being one of the nicest people on earth; I hope you had an excellent day too!!!

@namodawrites Moda!!! Thank you so much, and thank you for all that you do!!! You are so fun and so sweet and such a talented writer and I count myself very very lucky to know you. I hope you have the best day ever too. 🥺❤️

@pastelle-rabbit Amira my a-miracle!!! Literally right back at you, thank you for how unbelievably nice you have been to me (when I didn't even see ur art for 6 months... I will never live this down...) and how much you do to make this community just as fun and warm and welcoming as you are.

@milosmantis Omg no, thank you so much!!! I am very very happy with any amount of interaction, I promise!!! Hehehe I care you too. Thank you for being so good to me, it means the entire world to me!!!!! ❤️❤️

@shotorus-interact Selly my sweet potato!!! I think exactly the same about you, and even more than that, I am so regularly inspired and grateful to you for all that you do to make this fandom fun and keep everyone connected. I want to be even more like you this year. Thank you so much for everything!!!!

@acerathia Ru my sunshine!!! I promise to always be filled with delicious food lmao, and I hope you are too!! You are so appreciated by me, and I hope this year is just as wonderful as you are. Thank you for being so steadfast and bone-deep good. Sending you big love. 🥺❤️

@breadtp Bread!!! Ahhhh thank you so much!!! I am so very honored, and I am so so happy you like it. I have the time of my life on here and I am immeasurably grateful for how kind this is. Sending you all of my best vibes. ❤️✨

@princess-okkotsu Aleks!!!! I'm so happy you're still speaking to me after I made you look at that screenshot yesterday lmaooooo. Thank you so so so much!!! You always keep tumblr such a fun and interesting place and I am very happy to know you. 🥺💞

My sweet anon, you are never too late!!!! Thank you so much!! Yesterday was excellent and I have no doubt today will be as well, especially when you've started me out with such positive energy. Beaming all that right back at you too!!

@meggsngrits Meg my starshine!!!! My Capricorn in arms!!! There is no need to apologize, this whole season is ours 😎 lmao. I had a wonderful day and I'm having another wonderful one now that you are here!! Thank you for being the literal nicest person on earth, you have made me so happy this past year and I hope I can give even a fraction of that back to you this year!!

@ashguk-blog Ahhh thank you so much!!! It was yesterday but I am having just as good of a day today too!!!! This means so much to me, thank you for being so sweet and wonderful. 💕

@thoreeo Hello my angel!!!! Your ask is literally giving me the zoomies lmao thank you so much. I am so deeply honored and very very touched. You have always been so nice to me and I am eternally grateful to you. (Also we should talk!!!! I am not very interesting so you will have to do all the heavy lifting lmao, but I think you are so kind and I would always love to chat). ❤️❤️

@stellamancer Niku my sunflower!!! It was an excellent day, thank you for manifesting this for meeeee. Likewise I think you are also one of the best people on this app and I am soooo happy to have spent another year in your company. I have especially admired you for how you've handled yourself in some tough situations this year and I hope to conduct myself with even half of your grace. ❤️❤️

@threadbaresweater Lin my beloved!!!! Thank you so much!!! I think of you as like, my cool older sister lmao and I'm always so happy to see you on the dash. You radiate such positivity and understanding and I don't think my tumblr dash would be half as welcoming without you. Thank you so much for letting me bask in your light. 🥺❤️

@mangostarjam OMG FUJI I LOVE HIM!!! Lmaoooo his puffy lil cheekies oh I think I will have to eat him up instead of the soup lmao. You're so funny and so sweet and this literally made my week. I hope you also have a year that is just as bright and good and amazing as you have always been to me!!!!

@zanykingmentality Roma!!!!! This means everything to me, thank you so much!!!! This year I hope to make things that live up to your praise, and to be just as kind as you are. I hope you also have an amazing day, thank you for everything!!! 🥺💕

#ask andie #happy bird day

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whereisten · 1 year

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The Marriage Mission

Part 1 | Part 2

Pairing: Secret Agent! Yuta X Secret Agent!Y/N (afab)

Series Summary: You and Yuta are secret agents that are paired up for a big mission, and despite hating each other's guts, you get married..makes sense, right?

Contains: enemies to lovers shenanigans, fluff, comedy?, violence, gun mention, knife mention, cursing, cheating mention, death mention, alcohol use, smut (mask play? g*n play, oral sex (f receiving), overstimulation, multiple orgasms, degradation, unprotected (be safe tho!), thigh riding, impregnation kink, sir kink, toy usage (it's a lot, i know but are we really surprised?).

Word Count: 11K

A/N: this is a short series but it’s definitely one of my favorites!! I hope you enjoy! Thanks for reading and supporting us :))) also! Please check out Yuta’s movie High X Low: The Worst X, it was SOOOO GOOOOOD and Yuta is such an amazing actor!! Go support him❤️

—————

[One Year Later]

You stare at the ring Yuta gave you. You’re about to go on a date with a man you actually like, so why wear it?

“Do you wear it in memory of someone else?” Jungwoo asked you as you had your first outing together at a cafe a few days prior. You looked at the ring with adoration while spinning it around your finger. “Nah..not really.” You said to him while shaking your head.

He laughed. “So take it off then…make space for a new one.” You smirked and looked into his eyes while raising your eyebrows. “Bring the new one first.”

You were only teasing him, but now that you were getting ready to go out again, you decided that you really should move on.

You slide the ring off and place it in your jewelry box on your dresser before leaving your place.

[A Week Later]

Yuta throws his briefcase to the floor and plops down onto his couch. He sighs and lays his head back. He thinks about you and wonders what you’re up to, so as he winds down mentally from work, he decides to open his tracker app and check your movements.

At first everything seems normal, but then he notices that the ring hasn't moved from your apartment for about a week now. He sits up straight as his brows furrow. Did something happen to you? Did you finally take it off? No, you wouldn’t dare do that to him. Were you killed in your apartment? All these thoughts ran through his head, he was imagining the worst scenarios and it made him go crazy in the confinement of his home. He decides to take a short vacation and pay you a visit.

[Two Days Later]

You’re having yet another fantastic date with Jungwoo. He’s charismatic, sweet, and just irresistible. You go out clubbing after dinner and get drunk together. You fall into your apartment while making out, your hands pulling his buttons loose as he grabs your ass through your dress tightly. You're so enraptured with each other, giggling and enjoying the cloud 9 feeling of being drunk and lustful, neither of you notice the man in the corner of the living room.

Yuta flips the light on suddenly, making you both jump and stop kissing.

He crosses his arms and walks closer. “Oh..am I interrupting something?”

Jungwoo is frightened, he immediately starts wiping away your lipstick from his lips and stepping back. “I thought you said you were single?”

You’re frightened too, it’s been so long since you’ve seen Yuta, but he looks exactly the same. Hot and dangerous.

Yuta stands over you, his fiery eyes boring holes into your skull, and you aren’t sure why this feeling of guilt is overwhelming you. “Single?? Oh wow, that’s news to me. Our anniversary was just two weeks ago, wasn’t it, honey?”

You step back and snap out of it. “Yuta! What the hell are you talking about?! You know it was just for the mission!”

“Mission?” Jungwoo asks and your eyes widen, you realize that you almost revealed your true profession to him.

“Wait..that’s not what I-“ you turn to Jungwoo.

“Yeah, honey..the mission of creating a marriage between two high school sweethearts.” Yuta continues to lie while Jungwoo buttons his shirt up. You swallow hard and try desperately not to look as drunk as you feel.

“High-?” Jungwoo asks curiously.

“Oh, she didn’t tell you? She’s had my heart since the first day of junior year.”

You turn to Yuta with a look of disbelief. “What the hell?!”

Jungwoo isn’t sure if Yuta is serious or not but he does know that he looks scary and upset as hell, and that he wants nothing to do with him. “I’ll just leave.”

“Yeah..you should go.” Yuta still stares at you.

You turn back to Jungwoo, walking after him as he opens your front door to leave. “W-wait! No it’s not true! I can explain.”

“Why would you lie about your actual wedding ring? Jesus Christ I’ve gotta go, I should’ve known better!” Jungwoo shakes his head.

“Wait!” You try to stop him, but he slams the door shut.

You turn back to Yuta who only smirks. “I’m..gonna kill you!” You launch after him while holding your hand up. You attempt to slap him but miss because of your drunken state. Yuta grabs your wrist and pulls you close to his chest. “I missed you too…sweetheart.”

“You’re a fucking asshole, you know that?”

“I should say the same to you, I only came all the way here because I was worried about you.”

You walk over to the kitchen to get yourself some water. “I knew I should’ve changed the damn locks after you left.” You burp out loudly to annoy him.

“Wait…Worried about me? After all this time?” You say after realizing what he confessed to you.

“Yeah..the ring stopped moving…you..stopped moving.” He attempts to caress your face, but you brush his hand away as a look of realization crosses your face.

You look to where the ring is now in your bedside drawer.

“You—you’re insane..you put a tracker in the RING?”

He chuckles. “You suck as a spy, I suggest you do something else like become my full time maid.” He sits on the couch and puts his feet up on the center table. “Maybe you’re better at cleaning things up.”

You scoff and grab the gun under your counter. You walk over to the couch and point it at him, he doesn’t feel threatened at all tho. All he can think about is how sexy you look in your tight black dress and how much he wants to kill Jungwoo for putting his hands on your gorgeous ass. “How dare you get comfortable on my couch after telling me you’ve violated my privacy for a year now?! I’m gonna kill you! And I’m serious this time!”

He laughs. “Okay, go ahead. But before you do, I think I deserve to see you in the set I bought first.”

You blink rapidly while trying not to get flustered by how good he looks in his black turtleneck with his long black hair tied back. He smiles while you get angry with him.

“You’re unbelievable!” You yell and stomp to your bedroom, closing the sliding doors loudly.

He rushes to the door and talks against it so you can hear him. “Just tell me you missed me and I’ll go away again”

“Why would I do that?!” You say as you change into your nightgown.

“Because it’s the truth.”

“NO Yuta! The truth is that I can’t believe you’ve tracked me this entire time, I can’t believe I ever trusted you and even worked with you. The truth is I was just getting to know a good man, a man I *actually* liked and now..that’s gone, Yuta. The truth is that we never should’ve met.” You say quietly, but Yuta heard you clearly.

He stays silent, hand falling from the door and to his side.

After a few seconds, you only hear him chuckle. “That’s fair, y/n…you have your boundaries and I overstepped. I’ll end this game now.”

You hear the front door lock and you’re saddened to see him go, you’re even saddened that he didn’t call you ‘sweetheart’ just one last time.

——————

[A Few Months Later]

You’re assigned a solo mission where you visit an art gallery assumed to be involved in money laundering. You wear a baseball cap, sunglasses and a T-shirt to look unsuspecting during your visit.

While looking at some of the pieces you notice the owner, Miah, is not too far away and could possibly answer a few questions for you, you’d just have to listen in to every conversation she has on the phone.

“Yes..that date works for me..maybe we could discuss..” her voice gets lower as she whispers. “That..hotel?”

You lean against a wall as you listen closely. She starts to walk towards her office, you need to get closer

As you make your way towards her, a man suddenly appears dressed nicely in a shirt and tie and glasses. He leans into her and kisses her cheek. “So sorry I’m late sweetheart, I picked up your favorite though! Boba Tea with extra sugar!” You recognize his voice.

“No fucking way..” you whisper to yourself.

He smiles widely and turns to the side, confirming your suspicion. It’s Yuta.

He laughs with her and holds her hand as she gazes up at him. It was strange to see him so incredibly sweet for once.

He looks over at you as they walk away and winks.

Your eyes widen. Why is he on the same mission as you? But more importantly, why do you feel jealous?

You roll your eyes and run to the bathroom to check your messages from Haechan. There were no new updates. Could it be possible that Yuta went rogue and decided to do this on his own? Could she really be his girlfriend?

As you leave the restroom you open the door to find Yuta leaned against the wall.

“Jesus! You can't just hang out outside of a women’s restroom like that.”

“Someone’s a little jealous.” He smirks.

You roll your eyes. “Cut the b.s Yuta, I just wanna know why you’re here?”

“I should be asking you that question.”

You show him your phone. “This is MY assignment.”

He shrugs. “That’s not what it looks like to me.”

You scoff. “It’s right there..the messages from..”

You look back at your phone and see you did in fact receive a new message from HQ:

pull back, target under watch of Agent1111

“What? It was just there, I swear.”

“So you can’t do your work well, you can’t even read texts properly and follow orders. Don’t worry though, a position as my..I mean, our maid is open. I’ll talk to my girlfriend about hiring you.” He winks again.

You kick his shin, causing him to bend over and groan.

“I’ll make sure to be the one responsible for your death one day.”

For the remainder of your visit, you stand by and watch Yuta flirt with the lady, you can’t help but feel so jealous. She’s so googly-eyed over him she doesn’t even notice you hovering around a few feet away. They kiss for what seems to be the 30th time within an hour and you decide you’ve seen enough.

You drive home, unable to watch any more.

Later that night, you take a nap, having set an alarm to wake up and do computer work. But as you sleep, Yuta cooks dinner for you.

It’s not until you smell an exciting airman of garlic and onions that you wake up confused and ready to fight.

You fling your sliding door open while holding a gun and pointing it towards your kitchen. “Who-?!”

Your heart becomes warm when you see Yuta.

You sigh and place the gun down on the counter. “Of course.”

“You sleep a lot for someone who doesn’t do anything beneficial to the company.” He stirs the pot.

He wears a white long sleeve shirt and jeans with his hair tied up now. The muscles of his arms and back show through clearly and you become hot at the sight. You take a seat on the stool facing the kitchen and cross your arms. “How’s your girlfriend?” Is the first thing you ask him so it’s clear to see it’s on your mind.

Yuta laughs. “Good…nicer than you.” But she isn’t prettier, not even close is what he thinks to himself.

“She doesn’t suspect you?”

“Nah..she’s too dickmatized to think about anything else.”

You grimace. “Ew, listen to yourself.”

“You just wouldn’t understand.” He shrugs his shoulders.

“Why are you so sweet to her?”

“Does it upset you?” He looks over his shoulder and smiles.

You cross your arms and look away. “Not really…as a matter of fact I’m relieved. I’m not the one that has to pretend to be attracted to you.”

Yuta laughs out. “Pretend? Whew..we got an Oscar award-winning actress here then!”

He places the dish featuring sautéed broccoli and chicken in front of you. “Eat up.”

You pick the fork up and start eating. “Just don’t..call her sweetheart.. it’s corny and..dated.”

Yuta chuckles. “Sureee, but you need to stay out of my way. All you’ll do is mess things up.”

Your mouth falls. “That’s not true! And it’s my choice whether or not I want to see this through to the end.”

He leans over the counter. “It’s not your mission, sweetheart. So stay.out.of.my.way.” He rubs his knuckles into your hair.

Before you can say anything else he leaves.

[Three Days Later]

Yuta should’ve known you well enough by now to know that you don’t listen to any man, let alone him. So you follow Miah around anyway.

You decide to sneak into her house to look for any evidence as her front gate is only open when she is home. Despite being involved in money laundering, she lives in a simple, humble house to avoid any attention from the government. You still disengaged her house cameras through an app before entering though. When you sneak in, you hear quiet whimpers and moans. Could it be…?

You make a face of disgust as the sounds you hear confirm your question. She was definitely getting it in with someone, making it the best (and probably worst) time to look for evidence. You ignore her moans and search her home office for clues.

After about 20 minutes, you can’t find anything and the sounds have now stopped. You needed to get out immediately. You tiptoe past her bedroom door, but can’t help but be curious as to whether or not Yuta is the one she’s with. So you peak through the crack and squint.

But you don’t see anything, you can only hear the shower running.

Suddenly, Yuta pops up behind you, grabbing your wrist and shoving you into the wall beside it. He instantly notices you’ve started wearing the ring again.

“I thought I heard something..” he grumbles.

Your eyes grow in shock. “Y-Yuta?”

He is shirtless with just a towel around his waist. “What the hell are you doing here? I told you to stay away!” He whisper-yells with an angry expression. “Do you have any idea how dangerous this is?”

“I-I’m trying to help.”

“This isn’t your mission, we aren’t working together on this one, why don’t you understand that!” His hold on your wrist tightens.

For once you genuinely feel scared by Yuta’s expression, you really pissed him off this time. To make things worse, his hair is messy and he smells like women’s perfume. Both his abs and lips are stain with lipstick and its too fucking hot to ignore. Despite being the wrong time, you couldn’t help but remember his kiss and touch the last night you worked together.

He is weakened by your beautiful eyes below him, he wants to scream. He’s only tough on you because he knows you could get hurt by getting so close, but he also hates how worried he is. He needed to distance himself now.

“Y/n..I don’t know what you expect from this. For us to get closer or for me to thank you, but it isn’t going to happen. Go back to the office, pick up a case that easy to handle and do your fucking job. Leave this mission and leave me alone. You’re fucking useless.”

Your mouth falls open as he speaks with genuine disdain, and before you can say anything she calls out for him.

“Yuta! Where are you, baby?”

“Coming!” He responds quickly then looks back at you and swallows hard. “Leave now.”

You nod and hurry out of the house without looking back. The last thing you’d want is for him to see your eyes filling to the brim with tears.

———

[A Few Weeks Later]

You decided to start a new case, but keep your eye on the art gallery one regardless. Was it for the case or for Yuta? You aren’t sure.

The art gallery has a major event in which a new exhibition is revealed, so you get dressed up and join as a spectator.

You wear something calm to blend in with the crowd, a simple black satin dress that falls to your ankles.

The place is bustling with hundreds of visitors, amongst them are government officials, as well as the Miah and Yuta.

But even in a thick crowd, Yuta sees you. You make eye contact for a split second, but you ignore him and continue to walk around and look at the art.

You hoped he’d finish the assignment up quickly so he could go back to Tokyo and stop haunting you. You just couldn’t get over him with him being so close to you.

While staring at a piece, a man walks up beside you. “This piece was inspired by the artist's own psychedelic trips.”

“Oh..wow! That’s interesting.” You look up at him and realize he is quite handsome.

The man looks down at you and gives you a dazzling smile. “I may or may not know him myself.”

You chuckle and the two of you start to talk. He was a sweet guy, deep down you hoped he could eventually give you some intel once you learned more about his connection to the gallery. If he didn’t, however, he was still nice to talk to.

“I can show you some of my personal faves…” the man takes your hand and leads you to another part of the gallery.

Yuta watches from far away, feeling himself grow jealous when you smile and laugh with another man. He looks away and tries to focus on Miah and her conversations with the officials.

A few minutes later however, Yuta can’t seem to find you anywhere. Last time he saw you, you were walking to a more quiet area with the man. He didn’t see where the man placed a cloth over your mouth and snuck you out through the back.

You were tied up and passed out in the back of the “nice” man’s car. He completely caught you off guard as he didn’t seem like the type to truly be involved in all this.

“Yeah..I’ve got her.” The man says over the phone as he drives fast. It’s the last thing you hear before passing out completely.

Nearly an hour later, you’re woken up by the feeling of cold water crashing over your entire body. You scream and jump up, but realize you’re tied to a chair.

“Fuck…” you tremble as you open your eyes.

“Who are you? What agency do you work for and what are you guys planning?” An older man asks you.

You refuse to answer, staying silent as another younger man throws his fist into your stomach.

They ask you the same questions over and over, failing to get you to break the oath you swore to your agency. You put your life on the line to protect everything, it’s what you signed up for. Regardless, you get beat up badly in the process and all you can think is that these are the last moments of your life.

Meanwhile, Yuta starts to worry and struggles to cover it up. He is absent from group conversations and looks around anxiously.

“What’s wrong, babe?” Miah tugs his shirt and asks him.

He quickly looks back at her and gives a small smile. “Oh nothing, I’ll be right back, there’s something I forgot to submit for work. And my buddy just texted me about it. I’m sorry, babe.”

“Oh it’s okay! Go ahead, I’ll see you later.” She waves him off.

Yuta carefully walks back to his car, looking around for anyone watching him. Once he gets in, he opens his tracker app in hopes that you’re still wearing the ring. He is relieved when he sees you are. He heads towards your location, hoping that you are okay.

By the time he gets there, the isolated building is in flames and the men are gone, having left your broken and bruised body to burn to death.

“Y/n!” He runs around looking for any opening he can get through and finally finds one. Glass and wood falls everywhere, but he isn’t new to this. He dodges the debris with ease, ducking and jumping over anything in his way to get to you.

After a few seconds, he finally finds you passed out and tied to the chair. “Y/n!” He shakes your body, but you don’t wake up. You’ve inhaled so much carbon dioxide, you’re unresponsive.

He quickly unties you from the chair and holds you in his arms as he runs outside.

When he gets out, the building explodes, catapulting debris everywhere. He isn’t far enough and a piece of wood pierces your abdomen area as tiny pieces of glass cut his face up. He curses then hurriedly gets you into the back of the car. Your eyes are bruised and your breathing is weak. He notices that a few of your fingers are disfigured and broken, those fuckers really went in on you to get information.

To make matters worse a piece of wood now sticks out causing you to cough up blood. He starts to tear up at the sight. “Hang on tight, baby, I’m gonna get you help, okay?”

You hear Yuta’s voice but it fades away.

“Just stay with me..because if you die I’m gonna kill you.”

Yuta gets you to the underground hospital specifically created for undercover agents.

“Help! We need help right away!” Yuta yells while holding you in his arms as nurses rush towards him with a gurney.

[Two Weeks Later]

You’re still in a coma after being taken care of at the hospital.

Yuta visits you every day in hopes that you’ll wake up. The doctors say you’ll recover from your injuries and wake up in time, but the carbon dioxide inhalation may have done irreparable damage to your brain, so when you’d wake up is unclear to even them, the best of the best.

“You’re the worst spy ever…always getting hurt” Yuta says while standing beside your bed. He feels guilty for not being there fast enough for you. He feels guilty for not watching you more. He wipes his tears away.

“You said you’d be the one to kill me after I see you in that set, don’t fail on your promise, I hate when people do that.” he says, hoping to hear your laugh and see your eyes open as you prepare a snarky response for him.

Haechan knocks in the door and steps in. “Yuta, thank you for your hard work. With the evidence you’ve collected we were able to arrest Miah and others connected. But now it’s time to go, it’s been two weeks, you have other cases to pick up in Tokyo.”

Yuta shakes his head while still watching you. “Can’t..need to make sure she wakes up first…she can’t break her promise.”

Haechan sighs. “These doctors are the best of the best and if they say she will, then she will, don’t worry, she has more than enough help around here. I think you should get back”

Yuta turns to him. “Just a few more days…please..” I just want to see her beautiful eyes, one more time, is what he wants to say, but doesn’t.

Haechan recognizes the look of love anyway, he knows Yuta is the one filling your hospital room with bouquets of flowers every day. He knows he has feelings for you and so, he nods. “Okay…I’ll..talk to your boss over there to get you some more time here..only because you’ve helped us a great deal.”

Yuta bows slightly. “Thank you.”

“When did you start to like her so much?” Haechan raises an eyebrow.

Yuta scoffs. “Like who? Her? I’m just being nice.”

Haechan chuckles. “Yeah..sure.”

[Four Days Later]

Yuta comes to your room as usual but as he is about to turn in, he hears you laughing. He peaks around the corner and sees you smiling, your pretty eyes crinkling at the sides as you talk to the nurse. He smiles to himself. He hands the bouquet of flowers he has in his hands to another nurse headed towards your room. “Please..give these to her for me.”

The nurse smiles at Yuta, who she’s seen everyday since you’ve been there. “Oh! She’s awake now sir, she woke up last night. Would you like to go in and speak with her?”

He shakes his head. “No..I have somewhere to be. Please tell her they all came from Haechan.”

Her smile drops as she looks at the bouquet in confusion. Why wouldn’t he want to talk with you after waiting so long?

Yuta remembers how mean he was to you the last time you spoke. He couldn’t bear to see you again, as the guilt weighed heavy on his heart. He did love you and this proved it, but he couldn’t allow himself to show that to you.

He leaves the hospital and heads home before preparing for his flight.

Haechan goes in to see you the next day. “Y/n, nice to see you smiling again.”

You smile back. “It’s all thanks to you and this dramatic collection of flowers you got me.”

Haechan chuckles. “Actually…that would be Yuta’s doing.”

“Yuta?” Your eyes grow.

“Yeah..he saved you from the building and then visited you every day.”

Your heart trembles.

“W-where’s he now?”

Haechan smiled slightly. “He should be heading back home..to Tokyo today”

You sit in silence as a wave of sadness falls on you.

“Don’t get any ideas! I don’t know what’s going on between the two of you, but it isn’t permitted within the company.” Haechan says, somewhat jokingly.

You scoff and shake off your thoughts. “Between me and that guy? Nah..he’s the worst.”

Haechan nods. “Good.”

But you lied, you felt an attachment to him, maybe you did love him.

[A Few Months Later]

You decided to take a trip to Tokyo to surprise Yuta after your full recovery. There’s just one little problem. You don’t know where he lives.

So you break company policy by overriding the firewalls protecting each agent’s private information. You look Yuta up and successfully get his file, complete with his address, biography, and case history.

You hurriedly write the address down and prepare for your flight.

A week later, you find yourself getting ready to meet Yuta. You admit, you feel somewhat pathetic for getting all dressed up for him. What if he didn’t accept you? What if he wanted nothing to do with you? What if he lives with his parents?

Nonetheless, you put on a tight black dress with your butterfly set underneath before taking a taxi to his house.

You knock on the front door of the serene house, but don’t hear anything. No one’s home. You sigh “That’s fine, I’ll just wait for him.” To your surprise, the back door is unlocked so you let yourself in. It’s quiet, nice and clean, and you’re surprised by how easy it was to get in.

You walk around, taking in how beautiful his place is. Eventually, you arrive at his bedroom. There are many picture frames on his dresser and 2 on the walls and when you take a closer look, you’re shocked.

You lift a picture up towards you to see Yuta and a beautiful woman smiling and holding hands while at a beach. The photo beside it made your heart drop. It was a wedding photo of the two. You carefully place the picture back down and look into the bathroom.

You see “Him” and “Hers” labeled towels. Beside the bathroom is his closet, filled with a woman’s clothes.

“Of course..of course he’s married” your eyes become watery and you go to leave immediately. Yuta had been leading you on this entire time. He was using you for when he got bored of his wife back home, turning you into a fill in while taking on missions outside of Tokyo. You feel even more pitiful than you did before. How could you be tricked so easily? But then again, Yuta did tell you that you were nothing together, that that one mission was simply..a duty.

You take the tracker ring off and place it in a decorative jar beside his front door, but remember to leave through the back.

After taking a taxi back home, you adjust your return flight for the next day.

When Yuta gets home, he resumes his daily habit of checking on you. He opens his tracker and is confused to see that your ring is…right there with him. He stands up from his couch and looks around carefully. He steps into his bedroom, wondering if you’re there hiding. But out of the corner of his eye, he notices something out of place on the dresser.

One of the picture frames had been moved slightly. You were here and when you picked the picture up, you placed it back incorrectly. He swallows hard when he realizes you‘ve discovered the truth.

[Two Months Later]

Things go back to normal. You start to take on other missions and train harder to develop your skills. You’re getting stronger, smarter, and faster, but it doesn’t help that you think of Yuta nearly every second of each day. You wonder what he’s up to and why he never told you about his wife. Did you really deserve that information though? You’re secret agents at the end of the day, it was never supposed to be this personal.

It’s time for your fencing class, a one-on-one battle with a new partner from the agency while your trainer watches. You’ve beat every partner thus far, making you the top contender, so you aren’t worried about this match.

You step onto the mat and assume your starting position. The person in front of you does the same. And so, you begin your battle, dodging their speedy attacks. They do the same, never letting you get close to them after you swing.

“Agent 73.. Focus!” Your trainer yells. After several minutes of fighting the most difficult opponent you’ve ever had thus far, you start to grow upset. You were doing so well, annihilating anyone that challenged you, but somehow, this person is just as good.

They let out a grunt after sliding to the right to dodge your quick attack, letting you know that your opponent is in fact a man. Based on the size of his feet, you had already suspected, but weren’t completely sure.

You just can’t seem to catch them off guard, no matter how fast you move and in a fit of anger at your incompetence, you “accidentally” elbow his face. He steps back in shock as his mask falls to the floor.

You gasp when you recognize the handsome man’s face. Yuta.

He smirks and wipes blood trickling from his nose with his thumb. You drop your sword while frowning. Why’d it have to be him?

You walk away before he can say anything, stomping through the girl’s locker room as he runs after you.

You swing your locker door open and start to take the uniform off. You drag your shirt over your body quickly as you hear him step in anyway.

“You’ve still got that short fuze, huh?” He leans against the locker beside yours.

You ignore him, still shoving your things in your backpack.

“Come on, y/n..I’ve got a pretty bad nose bleed because of you, the least you could do is give me a welcome back kiss.”

You slam the locker door and turn to leave, but he blocks you. You glare at him. “Get out of my face.”

“Aren’t you happy to see me? You hit me like you hate me, but I kinda liked that.”

You scoff. “Oh really? What does your wife have to say about that? Huh? Does she like it when you flirt with other women?”

Yuta’s face falls, he’s about to respond, but you interrupt him. “I don’t know if it’s some kinda kink of yours to cheat on someone, but I’m not gonna be part of that, so fuck off. Don’t come by me again, don’t even look at me. And you can take that set back too! I bet she’d look better in it.” You push past him.

“W-wait, y/n..” he runs after you as you stomp through the workplace halls now to get out. You bump into anyone standing in the way, too furious to even apologize.

“You’re an insane, lying asshole that fuels his confidence by flirting with women and leaving them high and dry. Don’t you feel pathetic? Don’t you feel like a whore?!” You say loudly in the halls, gaining the attention of many agents walking by.

“Y/n! Don’t do this..” he shakes his head and grabs your hand, forcing you to stop walking.

You pull it back while grunting. “Why not, Yuta?! Let’s let everyone know, I’m gonna give everyone a fair warning! This guy is a damn good spy, but you know what he’s also good at? Fucking around to get information, all while his sweet wife waits for him back home in Tokyo!! Shall we give her a call too?!” You yell loud enough for everyone to hear.

Yuta stares, but it’s not in anger, but something else. He swallows hard. “Y/n..you don’t understand.”

“What’s there to understand? You’re just like most men out there. You pretend to love your wives, you pretend to love your mistresses! You only love the attention. You’re afraid of commitment because deep down, you’re insecure!”

He shakes his head. “No..I never pretended..I never pretended to love—“

“Don’t!" you put your hand up to stop him. "don't..give me that!” You yell even louder.

Haechan sees you and everyone else staring in the halls. “Hey! What’s going on here? Everyone get back to whatever you’re doing.”

“73! In my office now! Yuta?! Out of here before I call your boss!”

Yuta walks away, his eyes looking glossy before he turns away from you.

You follow Haechan to his office and sit down with practical smoke escaping your ears.

“Y/n…what the hell was that?!” Did he just call you by your real name? Oh you’ve genuinely upset him this time. “You know some agents already believe you’re unfit to be working here again and here you are acting like this in the halls?! Do you know how unprofessional this is?”

“I’m..sorry, I..don’t know what got into me.”

Haechan sighs. “This is exactly why we don’t allow work relationships to fester.”

“I’m sorry sir, it won’t happen again. And definitely not with a married man. I apologize for being unprofessional and untrustworthy, it must have been a shock for you to see me like that.”

“Wait..wait did you say “married?”

You nod and figure you might as well tell him everything while you’re already embarrassing yourself. “I hacked the system sir..I found Yuta’s address and-“

“Well if you hacked the system, you’d see Yuta is a widow…”

Your mouth falls open as your eyes widen. “A..widow?”

Haechan nods. “So you broke company policy by hacking our computers and didn’t even take the opportunity to read his file completely?” He scoffs. “His wife passed away from a car accident a few years ago. The guy who hit her was in a high-speed chase from the police, she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, and suffered from the criminal’s irresponsible actions. The criminal got away because of his connections to some pretty powerful people….That’s what made Yuta join us. He wanted to bring down high class criminals like him in an effort to honor his late wife. Eventually, he killed the man himself and decided to stay in the force to bring others to justice.”

Your mouth falls in silence. Tears come to your eyes. You were such a jerk to him because you thought he was a cold-hearted cheater.

Haechan crosses his arms and rolls his eyes. “Women…always jumping to conclusions. Why didn’t you just ask him?”

You blink rapidly. “Well..I..I saw the wedding pictures of them together in his house.”

“He’s had a difficult time moving on, as any of us would.” He looks out of the window. “But it was nice to see him smile when he was with you…I haven’t seen him like that before.”

You quickly get out of the chair and run out of the building to find him. “Hey! Y/N! I’m not done with you!” Haechan yells after you but you ignore him.

"God, I am going to fire her one day." Haechan grumbles.

“Yuta!! Yuta!!!” You yell, but can’t seem to find him.

He’s gone, completely out of your sight.

“Damn it!” You say to yourself while in tears. How could you be so terrible to him?

You run back into Haechan’s office.

You pant. “Phone number, I need his phone number, please.”

Haechan stares at you with a look of disbelief. “Have you completely lost your mind? You know I can’t give you that!”

“Please…I’m begging you..I have to apologize..I promise it’s the last thing I ask of you.” You place both hands on his desk and look into his eyes.

He nearly falls for the desperate look in them, but shakes his head. “It’s an absolute no-no in our company, y/n. I’m sorry..”

“Ugh!!” You leave his office and head home.

[Five Months Later]

There’s an international conference that is done ball-style to celebrate all of the agents. It takes place in an underground facility. You get dressed up and wear an emerald green gown with fallen sleeves. You look and feel gorgeous as you run your hands down your sides while looking in the mirror one last time before leaving.

You aren’t sure if Yuta will be attending, but you hope he does so you can apologize.

You enter the gold-filled mansion and join arms with your partner, Mark.

He smiles widely. He looks spectacular in a velvet red suit and large gold watch. He smells amazing too.

“You look stunning, y/n.” He speaks softly.

You fail to hide your flustered feeling, smiling uncontrollably while twirling your thumbs. “Thank you..Mark.”

He laughs and takes you to the floor where you meet other agents you’re familiar with.

Yuta spots you from the balcony and thinks of how beautiful you look. He swallows his champagne and turns to walk outside to the balcony, but just before he does, he sees your partner, Mark, take you by the waist and kiss your cheek as you smile at him fondly.

For about an hour, you’ve walked about the party saying hi to everyone, a bit disappointed that Yuta isn’t there.

“Hello agents! It’s time to announce our evening awards!” Haechan stands on a lifted stage and speaks into a microphone. You all turn towards him to wait for the announcements. The final award of the night is the biggest of all. The company awards the Agent of The Year for their dedication to their job and expertise.

“This award goes to..Mark!” Haechan begins clapping as does the large crowd.

You turned to Mark and smiled widely. “Congrats!” You give him a big hug.

Mark thanks you, then goes to make his acceptance speech. “I’m more than honored to be receiving this award tonight. There are so many talents here and I’m truly inspired by all of you. I would like to thank you for the opportunity, but I would also like to thank my beautiful..wonderful partner…y/n. She keeps me going, she lifts me up when I need her the most.” He looks down at you with wide eyes filled with love. You nod and giggle.

“He isn’t just getting lifted up by her..is he?” Yuta says to himself while crossing his arms in the corner of the ballroom. He is jealous and suspects that Mark may have a crush on you, he just doesn’t know if you like him too.

You enjoy the rest of the night with Mark who can't stop looking at you or touching your waist, with your permission of course.

He leans in close while staring at your lips, but suddenly Yuta walks up behind him and clears his throat.

Your eyes grow. “Oh! You’re here! Mark, this is Agent -"

“Yuta..” he interrupts you and shakes Mark’s hand. “May I have a word?” He looks at you sternly.

You nod quickly, feeling somewhat nervous when finally getting what you’ve been begging for, a meeting with the man you can’t stop thinking about. “Oh..ok, um excuse me Mark..”

You and Yuta talk outside on the balcony.

“Yuta…I’m..so so sorry for what I said and for making assumptions. I don’t know anything about you, and it was wrong for me to attack you. Haechan explained everything to me, and I really am sorry. I would’ve apologized sooner, but he refused to give me your contact info in respect for your privacy.” You look up at him, begging for him to look down and give you one of his smug smiles. But he doesn’t, he only looks out into the night and stands beside you. “Yuta..I just-“

“Are you guys together?” He interrupts you again.

“W-what?” You’re confused as he doesn’t seem interested in your apology.

“You and Mark..are you fucking?” And that’s when he turns to you with furrowed brows. He feels weak by the sight of your gorgeous eyes under the moonlight and the way your features seem softer at night. You smell like raspberries and roses, and he loves it, it reminds him of springtime. It’s his favorite time of the year as Cherry Blossom Trees bloom.

“Yuta!” You gasp.

He smirks as you become flustered.

You shake your head. “N-no we aren’t! But..wait, why does it matter to you anyway?”

He shrugs his shoulders. “Just curious.”

You smile slightly. “Huh..still the jealous bastard after all this time.”

“And still the useless prude.” He pats your shoulder. “Glad you’re feeling better…sweetheart.” He says before walking past you and into the party.

“W-wait..that’s it?” You turn to follow him, but he’s gone.

“Damn he’s good at disappearing..” you huff.

[A Week Later]

You drift into sleep while in the bathtub after a physically draining day at work. Two well trained criminals put up a pretty good fight when you captured them.

Yuta makes himself at home and pours himself a glass of wine. He then sits on the couch facing your sliding bedroom doors where he’s able to see when you come out of the bathroom through a small crack in between them.

He had placed your butterfly lingerie set out onto the bed.

After a short nap, you rinse yourself off and come out. You start to lotion your body in a slight daze after waking up, Yuta watches your delicate fingers caress your smooth skin and wishes it were his, gliding up and down your ankles and thighs.

He decides it’s time to let you know he’s there. You hear a gun cock from outside of your bedroom door.

“Put it on.” A dark voice altered by a voice changing box says.

You nod and look back on the bed at the set. You slowly drag your panties up. “Yuta?”

“Shut it. Keep moving.”

While standing in the gap between your doors, you face the man, attempting to make out his face. You squint while tying the bra in the front of your chest slowly.

He wears a ghostface mask over a black turtleneck and black pants.

You carefully reach over your dresser beside the door to grab your gun.

Then swiftly pick it up and point it towards him. The man chuckles then stands up and walks towards you.

“You won’t kill me because you’re not sure who I am, isn’t that right?”

You nod. “You know me so well already..so that means..you won’t allow me to do this.”

You point the gun to your temple. The man hesitates when walking forward.

After a few seconds he laughs. “Are you sure you wouldn’t be doing me a favor?”

You smile slightly. “Maybe..maybe not.”

“After all, I’d finally be able to think clearly again.”

“You and I both know you want to be the one to kill me. Who am I to take that away from you?”

You place the gun down and raise your hands. “So kill me Yuta..”

“Not until I’ve fucked the pride out of you.. get on the bed.”

You do as he says and kneel on the bed while looking at the mask.

“Can I at least see your face?”

He shakes his head. “No can do, sweetheart, I like watching you like this.” He sits beside you then taps his thigh. “Come on.”

You ride his thigh as he continues to point his gun at you. Part of you felt more turned on by the role play, causing you to move faster. One hand rests at the small of your waist, carefully digging his fingertips into your soft skin. He smells so good, like citrus and cedar. He looks amazing too, his shirt hugging his arms.

After just a few minutes you reach your high, but he doesn’t allow you to stop, he pushes the barrel onto your skin. “Keep moving, whore.”

You do as he says while he holds your hip down with his other hand.

He pushes the fabric of your panties to the side and puts his fingers in, making you cry out as he brushes his thumb onto your clit.

“Ah! Yuta! Please.”

“It’s “sir” to you.”

You nod. “Yes, sir.”

“Say you’re mine.”

“Make me,”

“You’re a little slut, look at you getting so turned on by this…well I’ve got something for you.”

“Look at what I found..you even suck at hiding things.” He shows you your vibrator you his in your bedside drawer..apparently not well enough.

“Damn it..” you chuckle and close your eyes tightly.

He takes his shirt off and pulls you over on top of him so your back rests against his chest as he rests against your headboard. He intertwines his legs with yours so he can control how open you are.

With your knees now bent and your chest heaving, Yuta turns the vibrator on and places it onto your clit. He uses it mercilessly and on every setting, causing you to cum multiple times while crying out his name and grabbing his arm.

You squirm in his strong arms in an attempt to get away from him and close your legs, but he just won’t budge. “Don’t fight me, you know you’ll lose, sweetheart…just give me one more..you can do it for me, right?” He whispers into your ear and his husky tone sends chills down your spine.

You cum again, trembling as you leak. You’re a mess, the sheets are a mess.

He places the vibrator down, to flip you over on top of him. He places you on to his large, painfully restrained bulge. With his hands on your hips, he moves you up and down onto it.

He lets your hips go as you ride him on your own, but you’re so tired, you begin to move slower and close your eyes. He points the (empty) gun at you. “If you stop moving, I will shoot you.” Seeing you like this over him feels like a dream, he never imagined you’d be into this.

You keep going, trying your best not to plead for him to take over, but you’re so tired, you can’t help it. “Yuta..I’m..tired.”

“Such a whiny brat, it’s only going to get worse for you.” He grabs your waist to hold you up slightly while sliding further down the bed. He then forces you down onto his mask. He makes you move back and forth while it’s on his face.

“Ah..fuck!” You grip the head board for stability, but the bumps and ridges of the mask nearly drive you insane. You feel crazy doing this, but for some reason you continue. You feel good and hot. Yuta is commanding and you feel the urge to do as he says.

Just watching yourself right now, naked and riding a Halloween mask is turning you on more and more. What’s gotten into you? His hands still on your waist he chuckles when your whimpers become louder and louder until— your fingers go weak from gripping the headboard, your toes curl and your back arches as you release onto the mask. But he keeps you moving with his strong grip, even as you shake your head.

“Please sir..can’t move anymore.” You’re overstimulated and tears fall out of your eyes.

“My dick isn’t even inside you yet..keep working for it.”

He pulls his mask off finally to reveal his tempting smirk. “Come on, let me taste you.” His tongue takes a deep dive into your already soaked flower, making you shake uncontrollably and cry out his name.

He holds you still by spreading your buttcheeks with a tight grip and licking you all over.

“Yuta!”

He spanks your ass.

“I’m sorry sir, so so sorry, please I can’t take more.” You try to pull away but fail. He only laughs and teases your swollen clit with rapid movements from the powerful tip of his tongue.

“Oh my..fuck!” You climax again while he flattens his tongue.

He flips you over so he’s on top of you now and pulls his pants down while sticking the gun into your mouth. He palms himself. “Is that how you’d suck me off?”

You nod and sniffle as it goes deeper.

Yuta is so turned on by the sight of your wet eyes, full cheeks and ruined face he goes crazy.

He takes the gun out and runs it against your panties while making out with you finally. He takes your tongue over, forcing you to taste yourself as he moans.

He then pushes the gun into the fabric to tease your clit once again. You struggle to move away, you try to push his hand away, but he giggles and pushes the gun against you harder.

“You should be happy this isn’t a knife.”

He places the gun to the side and pulls your panties down while licking his lips. He kisses your scars and all the way down your belly before breathing against your opening. He teases it with his fingers while watching your face above him. “Ready for me, baby?”

You nod and he finally pushes his length into you causing you to curse in harmony at the feeling of being connected after all this time. Despite being tired, your body grips him, taking everything he has as he forces his entire length into you at once, making you move against the sheets on your bed.

You wince as he stretches you. “Slow..please..”

He shakes his head. “Too much for you already?”

You groan. Unable to talk as he goes in even deeper, your pussy betraying you by swallowing him in like it’s been begging for it for years.

He pulls out completely before rubbing the tip along your folds to gather more essence and dipping into you again.

You grab his hip with one and the sheets beside you with the other, reaching for anything that will get you through this and keep you sane.

“I said..is it too much?” He grunts, thrusting into you hard. You arch your back and cry out.

“Look at how desperate and pathetic you look right now, you can’t even speak straight can you? What happened to my smart talker? Got nothing to say while my dick is in you huh?”

His cocky talk, low tone and look only adds to your arousal.

He watches your breasts move in the pretty bra he bought you and you watch as his tongue darts across his lips. He loves to ruin you with every powerful thrust, and honestly, you love it too.

You cum hard, growing dizzy as you try to push him away.

He laughs at the way your weak hands press against him. “Come on sweetheart I’m not done with you yet, look at how tight you are, still need to make sure this pussy remembers me after tonight.”

He flips you over and takes you from behind, using your limp body to milk himself clean. Your velvet still grips him hard and it drives him crazy, the random clenches, the moans that vibrate through your body and onto him.

All you can focus on is the warmth of his skin against yours and the way his fingers grip your skin.

He leans over and whispers, you can feel his long hair delicately touch your neck. “Do you like it when I’m inside you, fucking you silly like this?”

“Yes…sir.” You let out embarrassingly. He squeezes his fingers into your cheeks as he grabs your chin.

“You don’t even remember your own name, do you, sweetheart?” He slams into you harder and grunts, your eyes shut and you let out a high pitched squeal.

“You’ll never think of anyone else but me when I’m done with you..when I’m done filling you up until you leak for days.”

You clench at his words causing him to laugh and push even harder.

“Who do you belong to, sweetheart?”

“Y-you..”

“Huh?” He slaps your ass hard. “I didn’t hear that.” He pulls your hair so your head goes back

You squeal. “You! Belong to you, sir.”

“Good..then I’m gonna fuck you..again *thrust* and again *thrust* and again *thrust* and again *thrust* and again *thrust and slap to your clit*“

You cum instantly while screaming into your bed. You shake and grab Yuta’s shoulder behind you. “Sir..fuck..oh god.”

He pulls out watching as your essence drips down your legs. He bends down to face your opening, licking it up slowly and using his fingers in combination to abuse your pussy and clit even more.

Placing his arm under you, he turns you over so you lay on the bed face up.

You watch him as he hovers over you, twirling the strings of your butterfly bra with his fingers. “Shall I unwrap my present?”

You bite your bottom lip and nod.

He smirks while pulling the strings slowly, carefully pulling it apart to reveal your breasts. The way he watches you through low eyes as his fingertips touch your sensitive skin ever so lightly makes you needy. You swallow hard.

“Fuck..so pretty..” he gazes at your naked chest, the sight being incomparable to anything he’s ever seen. He’s so hard, it’s unbearably painful. He leans down to lick each hard nipple while you run your hands through his hair.

He sucks them hard as his thumb runs your clit. He’s hypnotized by your chest, but it doesn’t distract him from his main goal of getting you to cum in his mouth again.

He lowers himself so he can lick your aching flower.

“Y-Yuta..” you pant as oversensitivity makes you so light headed you fear you might pass out at any moment. “Please sir..can’t —t-take.”

You grab his long hair.

“I decide when I’m done with you, got that? So stop begging, before I fuck you with my gun too.”

You hiccup at his threat and fall back into the bed.

After making you cum with his mouth again, your hold on his hair weakens. He holds onto the headboard and uses his other hand to guide his cock through your folds, coating it with your release to ease himself once more. You flinch and push yourself up on your elbows away from him.

He clicks his tongue, still sliding his tip in between. “Where you going, sweetheart? Didn’t you say this pussy is mine?”

You nod. “..but..I don’t think I can…” you can barely croak out.

Yuta makes a pouty face and kisses your lips to distract you from the fact that he’s burying himself into your sopping pussy once again.

“Yeah you can..be a good girl for me, I just wanna see you swollen with my babies..let me do that for you, sweetheart..that’s what you want right?” He whispers huskily against your lips and rubs his thumb along your cheek.

You nod and whimper.

“Good girl..” he leans back to watch himself enter you with ease. He places his hands into the crooks of your knees and pushes them down towards your chest, allowing him to see more of you.

“You’re so beautiful..I missed you.” He whispers as he takes long deep strokes into your body. “What’s my name, baby? Say it for me. Who is making you feel this good?”

“Yuta..yes, Yuta! Yuta, right there..oh my..” your breath hitches as you unravel and quiver again.

It doesn’t take long for him to empty himself deep inside you as your pussy clenches and milks him dry.

You cry out his name and dig your nails into his back.

“Ahhh…fuck ..that’s it..” he runs his thumb along your lips and he closes his eyes tightly. It feels amazing to be this deep inside you, finally filling you to the brim like he’s fantasized about since the night of your mission together. A part of him doesn’t want to stop, but when he opens his eyes after nearly 2 minutes of enjoying the feeling, he sees that you’ve passed out, your hands now at your sides as you rest.

He pulls out and watches a stream of cum leave your pussy. He could fuck it back into you, fuck you back awake but he decides to let you sleep.

He grabs a cloth and cleans you up before carefully taking your bra off completely so that you can rest comfortably. He lays down in bed while holding you in his arms. And after draping the blanket over your bodies, the two of you sleep quietly. It’s the first time in a while that he’s felt his heart yearn for someone.

The next morning, you wake up in Yuta’s arms and remember all that happened and that it wasn’t just an amazing dream. Your body is still sore and tired. You stare at his facial features as he sleeps quietly.

“I’m sorry..I’m so sorry..” you whisper as you place his hair behind his ears.

“I know..I forgive you.” He opens his eyes to trace over your lips.

You kiss him deeply, holding his face in your palms while falling into him. You pull away after a few seconds and rest your forehead against his.

“Why do you keep coming back?” You ask him.

He laughs and tries to think of a smart remark but fails. “The truth is…I don’t think I can ever live without you..” he smiles then kisses you again. “You’re the worst spy, but the best companion”

“So..what do you say?” He asks curiously. “I mean, someone has to take care of you..” He rubs your back slowly. It’s new, but nice to see him like this, completely captivated by you.

“Hmm I say..you need some mouthwash right about now.” You tease him before jumping out of the bed and running to the bathroom.

“Hey!” He runs after you.

You decide to date after, continuing to insult each other in your daily lives all while remembering that you’d sleep together at the end of it all. And eventually, you do get married and become a badass spy couple.

[The End]

thanks for reading! I hope you enjoyed :))

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