#link click trio x reader

[kryannoy]

link click trio comforting you after having a hard time

genre: fluff

characters: cheng xiaoshi, lu guang, qiao ling

the type to comfort you by agreeing everything you say

let’s say you had a fight with a friend and you ramble on about how it’s not your fault

and he would agree everything you say like a good puppy

“i’m better than her,” you say while wiping your angry tears

“yeah! you have me,” he cheers for you while straightening your once messy hair with his slender fingers

“you’re right. i do have you. i should egg her house!” you voice out as you sat up straight with sparkles in your eyes

“yeah! you shou-- wait, what?” his eyes widen with panic, regretting and thinking of words to tell you not to do that without hurting your feelings

but you laugh at his stricken reaction instead and assured cheng xiaoshi that you were just joking

his sighs in relief, not bothering to hide it

very good listener but not much of a talker

you can literally vent anything to him and he will listen to you word after word and actually pay attention

though the way he admire stare at you makes you second guessed that he wasn’t listening which puts your mind off of the annoying thing that you were talking to him

“and then, she had the audacity to say... lu guang?” you were in the midst of telling your troubles but you had stop yourself when you realize lu guang hadn’t said a word and you thought that he was spacing out

“yes?” his soft, pretty voice never makes you not swoon at him even at how simple that one word was

it makes you realize how in love you are with the white haired male in front of you

“w-were you listening to me?” you stuttered with an evident blush on your cheeks

“of course, my love. i’m quite intrigued with your story before you had to interrupt yourself,” he answers calmly, in contrast with his mind going wild with how adorable you look when you’re flustered

knows how to cheer you up

she’ll first give you advice and reassurance

afterwards, she’ll buy you your favorite drink and spend quality time with you

since she cares too much, she won’t leave your side

“it’s okay, i’m here,�� she says. “how about i buy you boba tea? how does that sound?”

once she gets your order, she’ll spend the whole day with you playing video games, braiding your hair, whatever to make you not think of your troubles

if you still want to talk about what happened, she’s all ears

if you want peace and quiet, she’ll first ask if it’s okay for her to stay with you

and if you want her presence but still peace and quiet, she’ll stay silent

#link click #link click x reader #link click fluff #link click trio x reader #link click trio fluff #link click trio #cheng xiaoshi #cheng xiaoshi x reader #cheng xiaoshi fluff #xiaoshi x reader #xiaoshi fluff #lu guang #lu guang x reader #lu guang fluff #qiao ling #qiao ling x reader #qiao ling fluff #x reader #fluff #x reader fluff #shiguang daili ren #shiguang dailiren #shiguang dailiren x reader #shiguang dailiren fluff #shiguang daili ren fluff #shiguang daili ren x reader #link click headcanons #shiguang daili ren headcanons #shiguang dailiren headcanons

[lokisgoodgirl]

A Gentlemen's Agreement [Reader x Loki/Steve/Bucky]

A link to my Masterlist is HERE Summary: It's time for you to make up your mind. And the boys have just the plan to help you do that. (w/c 3.2k) Warnings: 18+ Minors DNI. Smutty. Teasing. Sexual tension. Not a foursome. A/N: Loki is my king. I just needed to get this out thanks to @sidepartskinnyjeans

The click of Steve’s dress shoes echoed as he ushered you away from the busy ballroom of Stark’s county house. Your nerves were fizzing, but your face didn’t betray the flutter of excitement growing in your belly. In the darkness of the mahogany lined corridor, firelight licked from a solitary open doorway. A nod from the captain urged you silently inside. Walking into the room, your breath hitched. Whatever you had expected from his clandestine invitation in the crowd, this wasn’t it.

Steve circled around you, taking his place in the menacingly sensual line-up. There they stood in quiet stoicism, dressed in fitted finery – the trio of beneficiaries to your relentless flirtations. Their arms were folded, their legs wide in triangular determination. For the briefest of moments, you wondered how all of them had managed to excuse themselves from the party at once. But seeing the way they were taking up space, stretching the air with their achingly large egos, that question was quickly forgotten. Each was more breathtakingly handsome than the last. Rogers. Barnes. Laufeyson. “What is this?” you giggled nervously, snapping to each set of blue eyes in turn. They began to smirk in unison. You shivered despite the heat from the fire. “S’come to our attention you’ve been pulling the same tricks on all of us,” the winter soldier drawled, his accent thick with playful taunt. You swallowed, mouth suddenly dry. “I don’t know what you-” “Oh, I think you do, Agent,” Laufeyson hummed, tilting his head. Long fingers drummed on his bicep as he rocked on his heels. Roaring firelight was haloed behind the ebony mane that cascaded around the shoulders of a midnight-blue suit sitting snug to his body. You pressed your lips together, stifling a whimper. “Look fellas, she’s blushing," Steve teased. The three of them chuckled. “I don’t blush,” you snipped, folding your arms to match them. “And I’d appreciate if you could tell me why the three of you are lined up like...like…” The words you searched for ebbed as you readjusted your feet. It was all you could do not to go over on your ankle in these stupid heels. Heat was building between your thighs, the unmistakeable thump of arousal beating as your addled thoughts raced beneath their penetrating stares.

You knew exactly what Bucky meant. And now it seemed, so did they. You knew bending over to pick up that pen in front of all three of them yesterday was a bad idea. Although, no one in the world would blame you – working with three of the finest specimens of masculinity ever created. Had you gone out your way to tease and flirt with each one of them over the past several months? Possibly. But hey, it was good for morale. And besides, there wasn’t a hope in hell any of them would return your affections. Not serial-bed hopper Barnes, he didn’t fuck where he ate. Not tightly wound Rogers, you seriously doubted he’d approve of subordinate relations. And as for the ice king – you weren’t even sure he knew your name.

The only sound in the room was the crackling of the fire. God, you wished it wasn’t so hot. Your eyes searched the floor, hearing Loki clear his throat. “As Barnes noted, you have been toying with each of us in a manner both indecent and egregious these past months.” He let the rhetorical judgement marinate in silence before continuing. “Do you deny it?” You raised your eyes to his, seeing the embers of mischief smouldering within. “No,” you said confidently, as all three men cast conspiratorial glances to one another. Rogers balanced his elbow on a tight fist, raising his fingers to his chin. He narrowed his eyes. “That dress though fellas," he growled with uncharacteristic lust. "Have you ever seen such a thing?” Barnes snorted. “Forget two birds with one stone, that outfit takes out three cocks with one hit.” His blue eyes were dark in the low light, heavy brows shadowing the contours as his chin dipped. “An assassin, even off the clock.” he grit. “And she knows how much I love that neck.” While he was speaking, you instinctively brushed a strand hanging from your up-do away from the boatline collar of the dress. He was right. You did know. You had known ever since the first of his ragged breaths, tangible desire pulsing in his veins and stretching his trousers as he massaged your shoulders. The first time you had asked, he had thought you were joking. But every time you felt the cool flatness of his metal limb against your spine, steadying you as his fingers found every pocket of tension in your upper body – both you and he knew it was no laughing matter. Had you exaggerated the moans of pleasure his touch released? No. There had been no need. It felt fucking phenomenal. Orgasmic, even. And you hadn’t held them back. Your neck had extended to the side as his fingertips pulsed into the most delicate areas, breathy pants filling the air that you hoped made him think of how you would sound as he fucked you into the headboard. “And she knows how much I love those legs,” Steve smouldered, curling a finger against his lips as his gaze ran from your hips to the floor and back again. The dress stopped midway up your thighs, perfectly tight before the sheer drop of your limbs to the heels. You had caught him staring open-mouthed as you pulled yourself dripping wet from the ocean on a mission in the Seychelles months ago. His face had flushed as you’d clocked him running up your femurs, a bite of his lip betraying the base need boiling beneath an all-business exterior.

On every mission, you now made a point of elevating your leg as you snapped on the holsters, lunging forward against the nearest bench. Wall. Anything to drive him mad. You wondered how often he thought of your legs wrapped around his hips while his tactical suit lay strewn around his ankles. Without fail, his teeth always found their way to his bottom lip; a clench of his ass and a forbidden husk of ‘goddam’ under his breath making you smirk as you turned away. “And I think not that I need to point out what aspect of the offending garment is for me,” Loki purred, releasing the cross of his arms to fall behind his back in a ceremonial clasp. “It’s green," Bucky stated, licking his lips. “Yes," Loki replied in baritone, cheekbones sharpening. “It is.”

Loki. Now that was a story. Yes, you had felt the linger of his keen eyes on your ass. But who hadn’t. And yes, his gravelled pleasantries that always dripped a little closer than necessary into your ear were tempting. But the god was a walking temptation. It was his nature. He was indiscernible, a mystery. Aside from briefings, the longest you had ever spent in his company had been when he would extend his hand wordlessly on nights just like this, leading you the dance-floor. All onlookers would see was the standard wrapping of his arms around your waist, and yours over his shoulders. They did not see the small circles grazed on the nape of his neck beneath his curls, the half-innocent moans released by his ear when he brought you in from a spin. They did not see the lingering play of your fingers on the delicate skin of his wrists, the bite of your lip as Loki’s hips pressed into your stomach. A solitary flame in a sea of cold indifference. You’d take any heat from him could you get. They didn’t see his brows twitch as he registered the green lingerie down the carefully calculated neckline of your dress. Just for him. Your breathing had becoming shallow. Were you actually about to have all three of them at once? Was that even physically possible? Two super-soldiers and a god? You didn’t know if you would survive – but something told you it might be worth it. Positions and logistics raced through your mind, making you dizzy. You shook your head.

“OK you got me, I fancy all of you. So what? It’s just a bit of fun,” you gasped, running sweaty palms casually down the front of your dress. “The fellas and I have an idea, if you’re agreeable of course,” Steve said slowly, following Loki in clasping his hands behind his back. You squinted, congratulating yourself for encouraging the captain’s foray into unbuttoning the top of his shirts. His pulse was racing, you could see it pumping beneath his jawline. Bucky still stood with his arms loosely crossed over a waistcoat, the cotton of his thick white shirt bulging against metal and flesh. A sliver of steel glinted in the firelight, sleeves folded up to the elbows. He nodded once, without a flicker of a smile. Fuck, they all looked so good. “A gentlemen’s agreement, if you will,” Loki uttered, a smile curling on his lips. He’d been waiting to deliver that line, you could tell. “You like us. We like you. But we don’t share," Bucky glowered matter-of-factly. You could feel the thin fabric of your panties sticking to your lips, tacky and unbearably wet from this erotic ambush. “You don’t?” you quipped. “What a shame.” “We don’t," Steve repeated. “At least not ye-” he cast a glance to Bucky, before clearing his throat. “We think it’s important you uh...focus your attentions. If that’s what you wanna do.” A sudden thrill raced through your blood. The idea that they had planned this, that they had spoken about you in hushed whispers behind closed doors made your pussy hum with forbidden pleasures.

You wandered to the antique sofa to the side, feeling the heated stares of each of the men follow you. “What’s this gentleman’s agreement, then?” you purred, crossing your legs. Steve swallowed as the tight emerald fabric rode up your thigh. The god of mischief laughed softly, a deep sound which seemed to shake the room like bass.

“Each of us will kiss you, and then you must decide,” he said matter-of-factly. “The unsuccessful will respect your choice of victor and no retaliation will be made.” “Decide?” “Which of us to get to know better," Steve explained, shrugging off his suit jacket. He threw it gently over his shoulder, making it land on the back of a chair behind him with magnetic finesse. Bucky rolled his eyes. “I think what the captain’s tryna say is that we all wanna get to know you, better. So it’s lady’s choice,” he winked. You raised an eyebrow towards Loki. You couldn’t imagine him ever agreeing to something like this. A solitary nod was his only response, eyelashes fluttering down in a moment of panty-wetting reverence. “I accept,” you said slowly, running your eyes across the line-up. Their competitive sincerity was catching. You wet your lips in anticipation, still in disbelief that this was actually happening. Perhaps your corpse was lying strewn on the dance-floor, paramedics hoisting you onto a trolley in a body-bag. Perhaps this was heaven. And maybe it was the low lighting, or maybe it was the dancing shadows licking their wide bodies stacked with endless muscle. But you could swear that each and every one of them was hard. “As discussed. Thirty seconds,” Loki murmured coolly to the men standing to attention on his right, flourishing a hand. Barnes stepped forward, smoothing long strands of chestnut hair behind his ears.

“Alright,” he growled confidently, swaggering the several steps and planting onto the sofa beside you. His thighs spread against the antique furniture, flexing beneath the tight suit trousers as he twisted his torso to face you. The scent of his cologne filled your nostrils, smoked wood and lingering sage like a wet autumn forest. His hand cupped your jawline, the steel arm resting on the back of the curved rest.

“Here goes nothin,” he whispered to himself, curled digits trailing longingly down the curve of your neck. They tugged at the neckline of your dress, slipping it over the curve. He leant forward, parted lips colliding with the crescent of your shoulder. Your eyelids fluttered closed, a staggered moan you didn’t realise was hiding released as he worked across your skin. His stubble tingled against the delicate surface, the flat of his nose slotting beneath your ear as his kisses became hungrier against your pulse point. Less delicate. “You’ve no idea how long I’ve wanted to do this, darlin',” he rasped, before licking licentiously from the base of your throat to the angle of your jaw. In seconds, his mouth was pressed to yours; tongue eagerly flicking against your lips before you let him enter. Bucky’s moan was dynamite, fingers guiding your chin as he devoured you in targeted desire. He leant you backwards into the cushions while your arm instinctually slid between his shoulder-blades, pulling him closer. Barnes groaned as his hand slid covetously from your waist and up the curve of your breasts, before burrowing deep into your bun. He thrust gruffly against you on instinct, something thick and menacingly primal dragging against your thigh. The feeling of his fingers tugging at your scalp sent your heat into overdrive, clenching desperately around air. “Time,” Loki purred calmly. Stubble scratched a final time, your hand flying to rest on his metal arm as you breathlessly broke apart with a whimper. Barnes winked, the skin surrounding his mouth pink as he rose and re-joined the other two. You cast glances between them while your chest heaved.

“Do you need a moment?” Steve inquired politely, folding the sleeves of his shirt up further. You watched the veins in his muscled forearms tighten with the movement, the slight bend of his knees as he gave a deferential cough. As if he’s preparing for a fight, you thought as your head continued to spin from Bucky’s kiss. “No, I’m good,” you slurred, smiling as you straightened and patting the sofa beside you. “I prefer it standing, if that’s alright,” Steve said tentatively, brow twitching in mild alarm as he saw your eyes widen. But he didn’t retract it. Standing obediently, it suddenly occurred to you that a kiss on the hand would be very on brand for him, perhaps rethinking his part in this atypical charade. But Steve paced towards you, looking as determined as he did striding down the ramp of the quinjet. Your breath hitched as the captain’s hands cupped your face, walking you expertly back towards the walled bookcase. A shelf pressed against your spine while Rogers bore down, his gentle tongue nudging at your lips; and with a whimper, he breached. The warmth of the muscle caressing your own made your knees wobble. Hard, rippling abdominals pressed flush against your chest, pinning you softly beneath Keats and Wordsworth while his hands began to smooth over your shoulders, over your waist. You felt like the poets would approve. Steve moaned into your mouth as his palms slid possessively down your thighs, grunting as he whipped them forwards effortlessly around his waist. You yelped in surprise before his lips swallowed yours again, ankles crossing around taut hips. The heat from his skin warmed the scent of ginger wafting from the base of his collarbone, its spice firing in your nostrils. The kiss was hungry and desperate and wild. You could feel his solid cock rubbing against your stomach, tasting every inch of your passion as his fingertips dug into the soft flesh beneath your ass. He thrust softly with every wax and wane of his jaw, needy fingers running through his newly mussed golden hair. You pulled greedily before there was a soft clear of someone’s throat. It sounded like Loki. “Time,” Bucky barked, and reluctantly, Steve returned you to the ground. Still in a daze, and with palms spread against the bookcase, your eyes fell on the final figure. “Believe me…” Loki purred condescendingly, “you’ll wish to sit down for this.”

With shaking steps you teetered to the sofa, plonking down with a sharp intake of breath. Loki glided towards you, elegantly manoeuvring his long limbs aside your own. He brought a finger beneath your chin, tilting your head back. “You are so beautiful.” he murmured, before pressing in to a firm, chaste kiss. One of your hands flew to his thigh, running your palm over the hard, forbidden mass concealed tight and thick beneath the cotton. You desperately keened into him, tongue searching against closed lips. Loki withdrew with a chuckle, sweeping the hair from one side of his head. “If you wish me to stop, tell me,” he whispered hot in your ear, a wave of amber and spices and decadence filling your senses before he slipped from the sofa to his knees. Your eyes widened as he gently spread your legs. “The rules did not specify where I could kiss you.” he explained softly, pre-empting the questioning thrill lighting your eyes. Disgruntled huffs from Bucky and Rogers barely registered as you felt a cool tingle of the god’s magic dissolve your favourite underwear.

Loki’s smouldering gaze latched to yours, lust-drunk and determined, before it fell to the glistening mess at his eye level. “Do you consent to my audition?” he hummed, tentatively pushing the sides of your dress to the tops of your thighs. Your stare flickered to Steve and Bucky, suspiciously observing Loki on his knees with pure jealousy. "Yes," you heard yourself murmur under your breath. Fresh arousal was seeping from your centre, spreading down your heated skin. You had never wanted anything more. "Louder, please," Loki smirked, the curve of his fingers fastened to your knees. “Yes, Loki...g-god-” you gasped, brow furrowing as you urged him on with a tilt.

Immediately, his tongue licked a wide, earth-shattering stripe up your slit from base to tip. Your head fell back with a rattling moan, one hand combing through his hair as the other gripped the armrest. Loki quickly moved your legs over his shoulders, sliding you further back. The god’s open mouth latched to your swollen clit, sucking and lapping lower with sinful precision. All you could see was his dark curls and proud brow, the sight of the god buried between your open thighs making reality blur. Every caress made your hips thrust further into his mouth, shaking breaths shuddering your body as he moaned against your wet heat. The noises he made were utter devastation, muffled pants and enthusiastic slurps sounding between your splayed legs as he ate you out like a starving man. Behind your eyelids, you could feel the covetous gazes of the two soldiers rolling over your body as Laufeyson’s fingertips dug into your calves like a hunter. “T-time,” Steve choked. “No!” you gasped, pawing at Loki’s cheek in despair. The god smiled, chin glistening while closing your trembling knees in a move that could only be described as gentlemanly. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, unfurling and retreating backwards to the line-up with his arms spread in a show of feigned innocence. You panted, gathering your thoughts as your gaze landed on each of them in turn. “Lady’s choice,” Bucky re-iterated gruffly, widening his legs. Beside him, the captain’s fingers rested wide on his hips, biting his lip while his eyes lingered on the fresh sheen of sweat clinging to your legs. Loki raised a finger absent-mindedly to the corner of his mouth, brushing the edge before sucking it clean to the second knuckle. His eyes smouldered, fixed on you, the flicker of firelight casting deep shadows in hollowed cheekbones. You took a deep breath, the only name it was ever going to be dancing on the tip of your tongue.

🤷‍♂️ For those who want a bit...more - A Gentlemen's Bond is the follow up to this.

Tags @meowmeow-motherfucker @muddyorbsblr @imalovernotahater @avengersalways @littledark11 @lokikissesmyforehead @simplyholl @fictive-sl0th @thedistractedagglomeration @loveroflokiforpoeticjustice @coldnique @holdmytesseract @jaidenhawke @silverfire475 @vbecker10 @imalovernotahater @thomase1 @morriggannlostinfandoms @marygoddessofmischief @sebstanwhore @xorpsbane @peacefulpianist @maple-seed @yelkmelk @wheredafandomat @mistress-ofmagic @acidcasualties @ozymdias @peaches1958 @your-taste-on-my-lips @lokidokieokie @kikster606 @peachyjinx @tbhiddlestan83 @trickster-maiden @skymoonandstardust @justjoanne242 @sidepartskinnyjeans @ladyofthestayingpower @wolfmoonmusic @brittbax @smolvenger @lunarnights95 @superficialdomina @kaleenjackson @fictional-hooman @psychospore @littlespaceyelf

#loki x reader #steve rogers x reader #bucky x reader #loki x steve x bucky x reader #loki smut #loki laufeyson #marvel men #loki x female reader #steve rogers #bucky barnes #loki fanfiction #marvel imagine #loki imagine #loki marvel #loki x reader smut #steve rogers smut #bucky smut

[reiniesainyo]

IN BETWEEN. charlie bushnell x reader – 03

03 | ENCHANTED previous | next | masterfile

SYNPOSIS. when a girl's co-star is good to her and now she wants it more than everything in between. (smau)

A/N. i'm going through a rough / stressful period and i find this series and writing it very therapeutic so here we are! this chapter takes place around episode 7 release, i'm not really inclined to write about the filming in between for some reason (unless you'd be interested)

liked by walker.scobell, thelnarchives, and 262,287 others rickriordan With the release of the new PJO series on Disney+, I'm happy to announce that to celebrate I've partnered with some of your favorite authors and close friends of mine to present to you all a new look into the lives of our favorite demigods!

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE A HALF-BLOOD will go online for free this February 20, 2024!

Click the link in bio for more info! PS: A sneak peak from our writers on the other slides

thelnarchive ... WHAT THE??? i have to manifest a chapter for my girl, manifesting a chapter or more please or even just one mention ↳ iamcharliebushnell YOU DIDN'T KNOW EITHER?????

user1 HOLY SHIT HOLY SHIT????

user2 1) more stories about characters and 2) WRITTEN BY OTHER AUTHORS???? WHO COULD BE IN THIS PROJECT ↳ user3 i'm manifesting a story about tahlia and jason as kids oh my god

iamcharliebushnell imagine releasing a whole anthology to celebrate? that's the best author right there

user4 ohhh we're eating so good

walker.scobell another book and there's still not enough percy jackson in this world keep it coming i love your work ↳ aryansimhadri Imo too much percy maybe some more grover ↳ leahsavajeffries wrong there should be more annabeth

dior.n.goodjohn the gc going wild with this news

🃏 @CHILDOFHECATE what are your guys guesses for the stories in what it means to be a half-blood??? 🗨 32 comments 🔁 150 retweets ❤️ 456 likes

user1 a jason and tahlia story about them as kids, just a delve into their childhood

user2 more stuff on luke and rina, as individuals and as a couples- like i totally see a luke perspective on some situations or a conversation they had being in the book ↳ CHILDOFHECATE honestly i think it'd be so cool if they went like contemporary and also gave us maybe a poem or transcript / screenplay of a conversation between luke and rina

user3 stories about annabeth, tahlia, and luke's time before camp maybe fighting monsters together or just trying to survive ↳ user4 watch me cry over this one

user5 i just see a lot of delving into the lives of the original trio and also like the original supporting characters to like tahlia, luke, rina, even rachel

user6 grover's childhood! i really wanna see that or some parts of the story from his perspective

user7 Angst.

liked by iamcharliebushnell, aryansimhadri, and 320,372 others thelnarchives celebrating with the half-bloods

iamcharliebushnell when you're so excited over new lore you go and have dinner to talk about it ↳ thelnarchives this means so much to us

user1 YN IN THE SECOND SLIDE OH SHE'S GOREGOUS

user2 her face card never declines ↳ user3 it even has like benefits and a perfect credit score

dior.n.goodjohn fans first cast second ↳ thelnarchives this show has more more dressed up than my wedding

user4 this cast is so cute it's crazy

walker.scobell the 3rd pic >>> ↳ iamcharliebushnell oh so true ↳ i.am.andrew.alvarez a banger photo ↳ thelnarchives phone hijackers.

user5 the little black dress is doing so good for her, if i saw her in public i would've fainted ↳ user6 i can't believe i live in the same city as this girl like we breathe the same air???

leahsavajeffries i'm sat for the release, we're sat ↳ thelnarchives this is MY superbowl

aryansimhadri i feel excluded out of the 3rd photo ↳ thelnarchives that's okay because you're one of the girls ↳ iamcharliebushnell wait that's not fair

user7 aryan being part of the girls is so real and charlie wanting in is so cute

#luke castellan imagines #luke castellan x reader #percy jackson imagines #percy jackson and the olympians imagines #percy jackson #percy jackson and the olympians #percy series #pjo #pjo series #pjotv #heroes of olympus #luke castellan #charlie bushnell x reader #charlie bushnell #charlie bushnell imagines #smau #pjo smau #pjo tv show #percy jackson tv show #percy jackon and the olympians #percy jackson smau #pjo au

[fanaticsnail]

Why are you giving me this, Wire?

Hey Doc Masterlist here

Word Count: 880+

Synopsis: Wire hands you a small, cyllindrical object that has your curiosity peaked. It is not until he begins eating until you realise exactly what it is he's given you.

Warnings: surgical talk, mention of a food allergy, exhausted Doctor, grumpy doctor. gn!reader x platonic!Wire, undressing crewmates, medical administration, swearing.

Notes: This is brought to you by one of Australia's greatest comedy trios. The link is available here for Aunty Donna's skit. I was meant to be doing chores, but my hand slipped and now there's some more Kid-Pirate Doctor fic crack.

Tag List: @mfreedomstuff @daydreamer-in-training @sinning-23

“Hey Doc?” A smooth, warm baritone purred down at you from your position lining up for food in the mess hall, “I've got something for you.” 

Curiosity plagued your mind, prompting you to turn and view the taller member of the Kid-Pirates who loomed over your body with his great height. In his larger hand, he held out a small, cylindrical object and passed it to you without a further word. 

With brows furrowed, you turned the lengthy object in your hands and read the scrolled print on the exterior of the smooth surface. A small, blue cap was protruding from the end, a coiled blade hidden in the orange end of the barrel. Leaning closer, you sounded out the title aloud. 

“Epinephrine?” you quizzed him, looking up at Wire and darting your eyes around his posture, “Why are you giving me this, Wire?” His eyes moved from the tube to your face with a soft, playful smirk pulling at his cheeks. 

Looking down to Wire's ceramic plate, you noticed his amassment of crustaceans piled in a whopping heap in the center of the dish. Pursing your lips, your tone held a deep warning in your chastising words. 

“Wire,” you narrowed your eyes, looking to his plate and back to his mischievous gaze, “Are you allergic to shellfish?” His eyes twinkled, plucking a skewer with freshly charred shrimp and scallops dressed in chili butter and herbs. 

“Wire,” you tilted your head to the side, “Don't do it.” Your dark, hummed warning only seemed to spur him to draw it closer to his lips. 

“I swear, Wire,” you stepped closer, prompting him to retract his proximity and turn away from you, “If you're anaphylactic, I swear to the great sea-beasts, Wire.” His smirk widened, and his playful eyes never left yours. His mouth opened, his tongue darted out and flickered over the tantalizing skewer Killer had dotingly prepared for the crew. 

Placing your own plate down beside you, you attempted to jump to collect the shellfish from his hands a moment too late. His lips opened further, the shrimp and scallops passing into his lips and having him crunch on the juicy shell and swallow it whole. 

Humming in satisfaction at the flavor, he opened his mouth and began heartily shoving in crab flesh, lobster tail, pipis in curry broth, and fresh oysters with lime. 

“Oh, for fucks sake, Wire!” you growled at him, slamming your unoccupied fist on the cafeteria railing and reading the instructions on how to administer the epinephrine with the greatest success. 

“Remove blue safety cap without damaging the cartridge-... Fuck, Wire!” you began hastily reading, watching your crewmates face beginning to swell and turn purple. He was smiling and wincing all the way, swallowing another juicy scoop of lobster tail down his rapidly closing throat. 

“Swing and push orange tip against outer thigh with force and wait until you hear the click-... Wire, stop eating!” You roared, tugging off the blue cap and removing his belt to get better access to the muscle of his thigh. There was no way you could penetrate the thick leather pants with the small blade hidden within the barrel, prompting your rage to ignite further as you undressed your crewmate. 

“Hold for at least three seconds-. -Wire, put down the king-crab leg!” You managed to usher Killer in to aid you in your plight, who managed to pry away the delectable assortment of crustaceans on Wire’s plate and toss it to Kid. Your captain was not hiding his smile in the slightest, laughing as Wire threw him a swift ‘thumbs up’ and a rapidly swelling smile. 

Finally punching the epinephrine barrel into Wire’s bare thigh, he breathed in a heaping lungful of air and began to pant as his throat reopened. The swelling of his face went down after thirty seconds, the soft tears gathering in his eyes from the lack of oxygen did not take away your fury at him for making you puncture his skin as a balm for his stupidity. 

“Wire, what the fuck?” your barked growl prompted a laugh to rise from within the mess hall, the loudest was your captain's amongst them. “Happy with yourself?” Wire joined his crew with another hefty laugh, looking to Killer and clapping his hand over his shoulder. 

“Worth it,” he nodded in satisfaction before looking down into your eyes. He pinched your chin between his index finger and thumb, scrunching up his nose and teasing you with his gratitude, “Thanks, Doc. You're a lifesaver.”

You tugged your face away from his grip and turned back to your discarded meal. Huffing out an exasperated puff of breath, you shook your shoulders and returned back to reassembling your evening meal with your lips grimaced in agitation. As you sat down beside Killer at the table, you took a bite of the dish and immediately felt the tension and agitation leave you instantaneously. 

“Oh, fuck,” you moaned, bringing your palm up to your lips and chewed on the mouthful of shellfish. Sparing a glance at Wire, you hollowed your hand after swallowing and called over to him, “You were right, Wire. It is worth it.” 

Killer smirked beneath his mask, giving your shoulder a firm squeeze in thanks for your praise before he stood to begin tidying up the mess left behind by the crew.

#one piece #x reader #kid pirates #wire x reader #gn!reader #platonic fic #crack fic #op wire #kid pirate wire #platonic kid-pirate fic #one piece drabble

[crvptidgf]

Bad Blood • pt. I

Mattheo Riddle x Reader

➸ summary: After the Battle of Hogwarts, you find it difficult to let go of the past. Your trauma lies deeper than you think. When when you meet somebody who understands your pain, your journey of self-discovery and healing begins to set sail. For once, everything in your life seems to click.

➸ warnings/notes: reader is of romanian descent, afab! reader, mentions of trauma, descriptions of death and traumatic events, profanity, friends to lovers trope, hurt/comfort, eventual smut (18+), trauma bonding, eventual mutual pining, mentions of the golden trio being dicks for the sake of the story

word count: 1.9k

————————

THE TRAIN TO Hogwarts screeched against the rusty rails, bumping along the coast. I looked outside the window, staring down below. The waves crashed into the pillars that were holding the railway up, and I almost shook with discomfort at the thought of it breaking.

I felt someone's arm link through mine, gently resting their head on my shoulder. Looking down, I noticed it was Ginny. Her ginger curls were swept back into a ponytail, but her hair tickled me nonetheless.

"I can't wait to start our first year," she said.

Hermione hummed in agreement as she studied me somewhat intensely. She could read people like the back of her hand - it was something that always both annoyed and comforted me. I knew that she would always be there for me, but I could also never hide anything from her.

"How about you?” asked Hermione to which Ginny lifted her head to look at me.

I shrugged and looked to the side.

Harry and Ron had fallen asleep ages ago. Ron's snores merged with the various other noises inside the train, and it had long became background noise. Harry's glasses were askew on his head - Ginny adjusted them before looking back at me to hear my response.

"Nervous, honestly," I said plainly.

I didn't want to tell them just how anxious I was about starting college. About how I was scared because I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life - how I felt like I was miles behind all of my friends. How I didn't feel like I belonged.

Hermione was smart and kind - she had ambition and was the most empathetic person I knew. Ginny was brave, beautiful and she knew she wanted to pursue Quidditch professionally since she was 14. Harry and Ron wanted to be Aurors, and Fred and Weasley had opened their joke shop since before we even graduated.

Me? I didn't even know who I really was. Sure, I knew I was a Slytherin - and that I was pretty good at potions. Besides that I had no clue about where I wanted to be in life.

I didn't even feel like I fit in with my own friends, let alone a whole college full of people with ambitions and goals. With real, true goals.

Hermione always reassured me that I was still young and I had ages ahead of me to figure it all out. Yet when everybody around you is already at the stage of growing up and moving on, its hard to believe that.

I knew I was only 18 but that fact provided little comfort to me.

"Ron, Harry. Get up!" shouted Hermione as she pulled on her robes in the unstable carriage. We had arrived outside of Hogsmeade station, the yellow lights of the street lamps illuminating the black abyss of the water before us.

We all walked onto the platform, Harry yawning as he tried to press his unruly hair flat down. He always had messy hair. It grew impossibly fast even when he cut it. At some point he gave up and just let it grow; which led us to now, as his hair almost reached his shoulders. Ron had followed in his footsteps, letting his mane grow out, too. Their matching shoulder-length curls was just one of many things that they shared in common.

A giant of a man trodded his way forwards, introducing himself as Rubeus Hagrid, Groundskeeper of Hogwarts. His long beard was frizzy, long, and dark - but not as long as the hair on his head. He could give Harry a run for his money.

Self-rowing boats made their way towards us, the darkness of the lake being broken every once in a while by the ripples of the oars.

"Four to a boat! Move on, move on," said Hagrid.

All five of us looked at each other before glancing at the boat. I honestly didn't mind being alone, so I wrapped my robe around my shoulders before nodding at my friends. Ron asked if I was sure, offering to give me his seat.

"It's okay. I'll see you guys inside."

I walked a little further to where an almost full boat floated in the water. Three boys sat inside, arguing about seemingly nothing. I heard a few names like Blaise and Pansy, whom I remembered being in my class in secondary school. They were fellow Slytherins.

Their conversation suddenly halted, and I felt their eyes on me as I neared them.

"Sorry to interrupt - but can I sit here?"

I saw one of them shift to the side a bit more, making space for me. He looked slightly familiar, but I figured he must have just been someone I passed in the hallways in our old school.

"Sure, hop on," he said.

I climbed into the wooden vehicle, jolting forwards as it began to move. A hand came to grip my wrist, gently pulling me back so I didn't tumble into the water. I pulled my hand away as I sat down, my eyes meeting his.

The moonlight shone beautifully against his skin. I vaguely felt like I knew him, but I wasn't quite sure of his name. Maybe it was Matthew, or Matthias - or was it just Matt?

"Thanks," I said. His eyes were almost as dark as the night sky, his features sharp but gentle. With the little amount of his face that I could make out in the pitch black of the night, I came to the conclusion that he was attractive. Realizing that we were just staring at each other, I looked away from him quickly, opting to stare at the castle that we were rapidly approaching.

"So..." came the same voice from beside me. "I'm Enzo."

Lorenzo Berkshire. Of course.

My breathing halted for a moment. I knew I recognized him. Our parents had been friends for as long as I can remember. Up until our 3rd year of secondary school we had been best friends - that is, before our parents had gotten into a huge fight and we drifted apart.

His parents had gotten caught up in the war - becoming Death Eaters in order to protect their son. My parents were having none of it. I was advised to never speak to him again; something about how he would 'become just like his parents'.

But Voldemort was dead - and so were Enzo's parents, along with half of the Slytherin population's families too. The past was in the past. There was no use in dwelling on it.

"Ah. Berkshire, right?" I asked. His eyes shot up in surprise.

"You know me?"

I laughed lightly as I looked towards him. Maybe I had changed a lot since we last spoke - it made sense that he didn't realize who I was. I barely recognized him either. We hadn't spoken in almost 4 years.

"You don't remember me? Sunt ofensat!"

The other two boys had an intrigued look on their face as they watched me and Enzo's interaction.

Enzo's already wide eyes lit up at my words. We always spoke Romanian to each other - we called it our secret language. Even though it's a common language, most of the wizarding world in England were not foreigners.

"Oh my God! Y/N?"

I smiled as I noticed the recognition in his eyes.

Our families were one of the only well-know Romanian families in the wizarding world, so it was no surprise that we had grown close when we were young. I felt bad that we couldn't spend more time together during our last years of school. Those were hard times - especially for him. I only wish I could've been there to help.

During the war I remember that I had ran to find him. He betrayed his parents to fight alongside us, against the Death Eaters - I was afraid he'd been killed. It was a tough time for everyone, but I could never forget the look on his face that day.

However, I didn't want to think about that right now.

His arms came to encase themselves around me. I forgot just how affectionate of a person he was. My arms came to rest under his, hugging his torso tightly as my chin landed on his shoulder.

"Okay. What the fuck?" said one of the other boys.

Enzo pulled away from me, smiling.

"Remember my childhood best friend I told you about? This is her," he beamed.

I put my hand out for them to shake. They introduced themselves and Theodore Nott and Mattheo Riddle. My heart slightly stuttered at the sound of his surname, the memories of what his father did swirling in my mind.

I wondered how Dumbledore ever accepted him here, but I tried to push the thought out of my head. No use in overthinking it right now. If I never judged Enzo for his family, I figured I should give Mattheo the same chance to prove himself.

And anyway, if someone as kind as Enzo was friends with him, how bad could he be? Sure I hadn't talked to him in years but I would always harbor trust for the boy. We had been through thick and thin together. You could even say we had even been through hell, literally.

"I didn't know you talked about me," I joked, nudging Enzo's shoulder.

He grew flustered as he tried to dig himself out of the hole. Mattheo had an amused look on his face as he smirked at Enzo's nervous attempts at covering up his words.

He looked over at me, the devilish smile still plastered on his face.

My eyes trailed along his cheekbones and jawline, eventually resting to stare at his plump lips. For someone whose father was the most evil wizard of all time; he sure was hot - and also surprisingly nice, I came to find out.

Apparently after Enzo and I had stopped being friends, Mattheo and Theo took him under their wing. They included him in their friend group, inviting him out to parties. That was nice to hear - he was quite antisocial when we were younger. He seemed better now.

We had already arrived at the castle when Mattheo's eyes finally dropped from mine. His gaze seemed to find mine during every conversation, whether he was speaking or not. The dark brown orbs seemed to stare at me intensely, no matter what I was doing. I could feel them on me even when I wasn't looking, and when I was, he never shifted his gaze.

It felt like a contest of who would look away last - and I won.

"Alright I should go meet my friends for the sorting ceremony," I said as I clambered out of the boat, "thanks for letting me sit with you guys."

Theo raised an eyebrow at me.

"What, your Gryffindor buddies didn't want to be seen with a snake?"

I rolled my eyes at him, giving him a sarcastic laugh. Of course he would have a weird sense of patriotism for his house. The Nott family was the type. Not that it was bad to be proud of where you were placed - I just never understood where all the hostility came from.

Stealing a glance at Enzo, I gave him a look. He only shook his head as if to say 'I'm sorry'. Rolling my eyes at Theo, I turned my back on him.

"Funny."

And with that, I was on my way, sprinting quickly to Harry and Ginny who were waiting for me by the shore.

#college!au #friends to lovers #hurt/comfort #mutual pining #eventual smut #mattheo riddle angst #mattheo riddle x you #mattheo riddle headcanon #mattheo riddle fluff #mattheo riddle imagine #mattheo x reader #mattheo riddle x reader #mattheo riddle smut #mattheo riddle #mattheoxreader #harry potter imagine #harry potter fanfic #enzo berkshire #theo nott #slow burn #harry potter #hermione granger #ron weasley #ginny weasley #draco malfoy #blaise zabini #pansy parkinson #mattheo riddle fanfic #mattheo riddle scenarios #matheo riddle

[shankss-magnificent-ass]

October 2023 Master list

Writing (Click links for early access)

Imagine the red haired pirates coerce you into singing for them (9/26)

Imagine going to the fire festival with King (9/29)

Imagine Katakuri getting a crush on you and Big mom arranging a marriage between you two (10/2)

Imagine Shanks reassuring you after finding out you're insecure (10/5)

Imagine the red hair pirates learning that scaring you is a bad idea (10/8)

Imagine the red hair pirates reminiscing about your childhoods (10/11)

Imagine being an agent of chaos on the Red Force (10/15)

Imagine taking UTA and Luffy trick or treating with Shanks (10/18)

Imagine surprising Shanks with a sexy costume (10/21)

Imagine the Marco flirting with you during a fight (10/24)

Imagine Halloween with the Beast pirates (10/27)

Imagine a cross guild Halloween party (10/29)

Bitten (NSFW vampire!Shanks x afab!reader) (10/31)

Art

Trio WIP (patreon exclusives) (10/30)

Updated: 10/31/2023

List of Up-and-coming works || Masterlist || Twitter

Support me on Kofi and Patreon

#tma original #tma navigation #masterlist #october 2023

[polarisbibliotheque]

80, Dante if you're still accepting these!!

Thanks for sending this request, dear!! It ended up as such a heartwarming one, I hope you enjoy it 🖤🖤

Spotify Wrapped Special: 80, Dante - Africa, by Toto

Pairing: Dante x Reader

Summary: Dante was late for Kyrie's birthday party, making Nero very disappointed at him. Luckily, you knew very well how to summon the Crimson Slayer.

Author's notes: Seriously. Dante is the KING of grand entrances. He needed one, with Faust and fireworks and everything. Also, Nero and Vergil took over for a while on this one "^^

About the Song: Africa is a song by TOTO, with catchy keyboards and a such a good vibes feeling, no one can remain silent when it's on. Super 80's, great song. It got even more famous as a meme from Jon Pumper when you can't get Toto out of your head. Click the link, it's worth it ;)

80, Dante - Africa, by Toto

“Can’t believe this. Even Vergil is here and that ol’ excuse of an uncle is workin’?!”

To say Nero was fuming was an understatement – not that he was all sweets and roses around Vergil, but at least he didn’t berate his father so openly in front of him like that. Only when he was mad.

And Vergil just started at his son with frozen eyes. No one really knew how to read him, but after all the time living with the twins, you got used to that look.

It was the look of a thousand different thoughts going around Vergil’s mind at the same moment – you could almost see Urizen, V, Griffon, Nightmare and Shadow all fighting amidst a thundering storm and Vergil just there, holding the Yamato, completely clueless and having no idea what to do.

That was a good description of what was going inside his head at the moment.

“Hey, kid. Take it easy on Dante. The man has no idea how to deal with… This.”

Vergil stared back at you, still wearing the same expression, and you could almost hear him asking if he seemed to know how to deal with that as well. You held back a laugh.

“C’mon, it’s just a friggin’ birthday! What’s so difficult about it?!” Nero opened his arms, completely ignoring one of the kids of the orphanage running after another with their faces dirty from sweets and Nico running after them right after, screaming for them to give the bowl of candy back.

You just gave the young Sparda grandkid a knowing look.

Nero sighed, resting one of his hands on his hip and using the other to massage his neck. It wasn’t going to work to calm him down, but at least it was something.

“I know, I know… But it’s Kyrie’s party. The kids really wanted to do somethin’ for her and she’s definitely gonna expect the whole crew to show up… The whole family, ya know?”

A little far away, Kyrie was singing some Britney Spears on the karaoke alongside Trish and Lady. The trio was having so much fun you couldn’t help but smile. Lady didn’t let herself have that much fun often and Trish… Well, she wasn’t really used to it. She was created to kill, after all. It was good watching everyone having fun and Kyrie leading the vocals while the kids danced, applauded and just set everything in utter chaos around them.

It really seemed like a family gathering.

“Hmmm. That is exactly what we don’t know how to deal with.” Vergil pointed out coldly, remaining with his arms crossed, casually sipping his iced tea Kyrie prepared specially for him. To say she had conquered the Dark Slayer’s heart wasn’t enough. “Family. Ours… Burned before we could learn anything else.”

Nero furrowed his eyebrows, carrying a hint of sadness in his aquamarine eyes. He rarely thought how all that grand legend of the children of Sparda had actually affected Dante and Vergil… He never thought his own father would know nothing of family, even more than Nero. He had always thought he was an unwanted child, not the child of a man who had lost so much and never knew he existed.

“Hmmm… I can think of a way to summon him. But you gotta help me, kiddo.” You looked back at Nero with fun in your eyes, making both Sparda’s kin watch you suspiciously.

“Well, ok…? What is it?” Of course, Nero was careful when the word ‘summon’ floated around, but there’s nothing he wouldn’t do to make Kyrie happy.

“Actually…” You mumbled while typing something on your cellphone. “I’ll also need you to help me, Verge.”

Vergil just raised one of his eyebrows, but in that department, he and Nero were very similar – there was nothing he wouldn’t do to make his son content.

As you finished typing, you kept your cellphone in your pocket, immediately feeling it vibrate with an incoming message after only a few seconds. You opened a huge smile, staring back at them.

“Can I count on you? Unconditionally?”

“Yeah.” Nero’s answer was deadpan; he didn’t even need time to think.

“Yes.” Vergil nodded slightly, ready to keep his word.

“Then follow me.”

They were ready to make a blood offering from the kinship of Sparda to summon Dante’s heart and make him fly over or just materialize in a pool of blood in the back of the party. Vergil held the Yamato with certainty, Nero held his head high.

Until you stopped by the karaoke and asked the girls for a song.

“Nero and  Vergil are singing with me.”

“WHAT?!” Of course, Nico and Patty suddenly appeared, holding the rogue kids and bowls of candies, eating the sweets themselves and scolding the kids for trying to steal it.

Vergil and Nero had only shock in their eyes as you handed them the microphones.

“You guys said you’d help unconditionally.” You had to remind them as they hesitated.

“Now that is something I would pay to see.” Trish had a devilish smile painted on her rosy lips, causing a laugh on Lady.

“Oh, the kids love when you sing, Nero…!” Kyrie had dreamy eyes and there was nothing the young Sparda could do against that.

Of course, the kids loved when he singed because he was a complete clown alongside Nico every time they had a karaoke party. But that seemed to make Kyrie happy.

“Yeah, I promised I’d do it. C’mon.” Nero grabbed the mic, making his father resign to their fate.

“I hope you know what you are doing…” Vergil muttered between his teeth as you started singing the first lines of the song.

Nero soon joined you, knowing it all by heart. After some notes, he was already feeling the music and, to be honest, it wasn’t much of a chore having to sing Africa with you. He couldn’t understand how that would help to make Dante materialize in the party, but even if you were just doing that for them to have fun, he wouldn’t complain – at least, he was having fun.

Vergil, in the other hand, took some time to ease into the song. It had been some time he didn’t listen to it, but he knew why you had chosen it… Dante seemed to adore that tune. His twin would sing that riff over and over at the Devil May Cry – almost driving Vergil crazy a couple of times. But, after so many years in Hell just hearing screams of pain and torture alongside laughs of pure sadistic pleasure, he could get used to his brother’s voice singing a beautiful song.

And when said riff came up, Vergil took the mic to his lips and sang alongside you.

Nero widened his eyes, smiling with surprise upon hearing his father’s voice singing. It was actually the first time the crew heard Vergil sing – and he wasn’t half bad, just like Dante; even if both would argue otherwise.

You and Nero danced around with the musical break, making Vergil giggle a bit with your antics.

“The wild dogs cry out in the night, as they grow restless longing for some solitary company…” And he didn’t even notice how you both let him sing alone for a while, noting how dark and beautiful Vergil’s voice was when he wanted to. Nero couldn’t stop his mind from thinking how it would have sounded if his father had sung him to sleep when he was just a kid.

“I know that I must do what’s right!” Soon, Nero joined Vergil and both were singing while looking at each other, barely noticing you allowed them to sing without you for a moment as well. That was a rare moment, but it was an opportunity you couldn’t let them lose. “As sure as Kilimanjaro rises like Olympus above the Serengeti! I seek to cure what’s deep inside, frightened of this thing that I’ve become…”

Vergil stopped singing for a while as you joined the riff once more, dueting with Nero in an arrangement of different tones of voices. The Dark Slayer could finally see why his twin loved that song so much – some lyrics felt like watching his own reflection in the running waters of a quiet river.

As the solo hit, Nero took the task of playing his famous air guitar, making the kids scream around as if he was a rockstar. With you on air keyboards, Vergil stared you both for a while before starting, almost unmoving, to play his own air drums.

“Yeah! That’s how you do it, ol’ man!” Nero laughed while playing as if he had a real guitar in his hands. You couldn’t stop yourself from laughing at how much Vergil seemed to blush, get weird, freeze and continue air playing – all at the same time.

Taking a deep breath, you took your mic back to your lips. It was the moment of truth. Dante wouldn’t fail you – you had unweavering faith in your Crimson Slayer.

“Hurry boy, she’s waiting there for you!”

You could swear your voice could be heard in Heaven and Hell alike. With the stomps of the drums, though, the entrance door opened abruptly: Dante entered in strides, wearing Faust, having a ton of firework-like things exploding all around him in the shape of hearts. So many hearts.

Needless to say, all the attention turned to the Crimson Slayer, as he pointed back at you.

“It’s gonna take a lot to drag me away from you!” He sang with all the might of his demonic and human lungs.

Chaos ensued. The kids went crazy with the fireworks. Nico and Nero broke down laughing. Lady and Trish rolled their eyes – even if they had fun smiles on their lips. Kyrie’s heart seemed to bloom inside her chest. Patty was torn between complaining how cheesy Dante was and clapping – she ended up clapping while complaining and laughing at his antics. Vergil, once again, had that look of “every part of my personality is fighting inside me with thousands of thoughts and reactions, so my reaction is exactly none” – although he was happy to see his brother, as always when Dante arrived.

“There’s nothin’ that a hundred man or more could ever do!” Strutting as if he was in a catwalk, Dante approached you, with his convinced smile plastered on his lips.

“I bless the rains down in Africa!” As you sang together, he finally approached and spun you around, putting you on the ground only to grab his brother and nephew to keep on singing on the karaoke.

It was all lost, though. As Dante arrived, the party seemed to have finally begun – even if it already was fun. Vergil gave in and continued singing calmly next to his brother – who sang as if he was auditioning for The Voice.

“Gonna take some time to do the things we never had!” As the last line arrived, Dante embraced all of you to sing together in a hug – and even if Vergil seemed unwilling and Nero was a little uncomfortable at first, you all sang happily, with all your hearts… As a family would.

“Hey there, lil’ angel! Sorry it took me some time, got caught up on a job.” Dante finally addressed Kyrie as the song ended. She just clapped and cheered. “Happy birthday, Kyrie.”

“Oh, Dante! You didn’t have to…!” It was the first thing she said as he took an embellished hairpin out of his pocket and handed it to her. It was delicate and truly fit for an angel – you were all impressed he hadn’t broke it on the way there.

“It’s just a lil’ somethin’, couldn’t let your birthday go blank, could I?” He winked at her, already holding your hand so you could talk. “And kid, sorry I couldn’t make it earlier.”

“Hey, you’re here, right? That’s what matters!” Nero smiled back at his uncle, stepping by Kyrie to help her put the hairpin on.

As you approached the table with the apple punch Kyrie prepared earlier, Dante took you in your arms, kissing your forehead as you giggled.

“Ya know, that ‘Nero and Verge are singing Toto on the karaoke with me, be here soon or you’re gonna miss the party of a lifetime, cowboy’ message you sent me earlier was very effective, babe.” Dante had fun in his voice, giggling alongside you as his sky-blue eyes searched yours and you were safe and sound in his arms. You could hear Kyrie and Nico singing in the distance.

“Oh, I had to do something to bring you here. With the entrance of a lifetime too!” With that, he laughed out loud, one of your hands pointing towards Faust. “Guess some devil arms are useful for lots of things.”

“Huh, how do you think I got here? Cavaliere had a lot of work too!” With that, he winked at you, leaving another kiss on your forehead. “I’m glad you sent me the message, babe. I wouldn’t want to miss this for anything.”

“Hmmm, by the way, did you get paid this time…?”

“Yeah.” Dante shrugged, moving you alongside him, starting to dance unconsciously. “The lady wanted to give me money for my troubles, but I said the fancy hairpin she was wearin’ would do. Couldn’t let Kyrie go without a birthday gift, right?”

A bright smile colored your lips as your heart bloomed in gold. You didn’t know what you expected, really. If you didn’t know him better, you’d say he took the job because he forgot his family obligations, for not being used to it – but you were talking about Dante. You had no doubt he took it only to buy something nice to Kyrie; trading his money for something he was positive she would like.

“You’re wonderful, did you know that, cowboy?” You took Faust off his head, leaning in for a kiss. “A true heart of gold.”

Dante embraced you as you kissed him. It was going to take some time to do the things he never had the opportunity to do – but luckily, time was something Dante would always have for his family.

#devil may cry #dmc #devil may cry fanfiction #dmc fanfiction #devil may cry imagine #dmc imagine #dante sparda #dante x reader #dante x you #africa #toto #spotify wrapped special #je ne regrete rien #I needed a bonding moment for Nero and Vergil #also we all know Dante would be the grand entrance diva #not only him but Vergil too #the difference would be the vibes #Vergil is Phantom of the Opera grand entrance #Dante is 80's rockstar Kiss pyrotechnics grand entrance #the diva twins <3 #and yes I wrote this after being thorougly disappointed yesterday when I realized the one I was going to post was already posted

[queen-of-writing-bad-things]

Henry Danger Reader Insert | Captain Man x Reader: SEASON 5

Episode 23: Sister Twister Part 1

Season 5 Masterlist

~In the Man Cave~

Friends. You can't beat them. But, sometimes, it's so very tempting. 

That's what Charlotte thought. She, (y/n), and Henry were in the Man Cave, chilling and hanging in out as they waited for the next disaster to happen, which was nice--for some. 

The heroine was sitting on the couch, some cheesy romance novel in her hand, so she occasionally let out a squeal when she reached a good part. As if her life wasn't filled with romance already, what with Casanova Ray swanning around the place or wherever he was. Before he left, he'd gone off someone for something supposedly essential but didn't neglect to give her a parting kiss. 

At least it made her happy, something which the girl sitting at the computer desperately hoped for. Not an icky boyfriend, no, but some peace as she read off one of the monitors. Well, she said she was reading, but nothing was sticking in her brain, possibly because of her oh-so-lovely friend poking his head over her shoulder. 

Henry - did he know how annoying he was being?

"So, whatcha reading?" he asked as she flicked from webpage to webpage, hoping he'd get the hint from her frosty aura, but, as ever, Henry couldn't read body language or pick up a hint from a girl.

"It's this really interesting article about how annoying it is when someone reads over your shoulder," Charlotte replied sarcastically, assuming something would finally cement in that thick skull of his, but clearly, Henry was just dumb.

"Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. Hate those people--oh, real quick! Click on that link right there! Ten Celebrities You Didn't Know Were Double-Jointed? What? How'd they know that?" the boy gasped, the only laughter in the room coming from him. Charlotte rolled her eyes as (y/n) chuckled, amused by the situation as she turned a page and kept reading about a woman torn between seven lovers. 

Talking about lovers, the secret door opened without warning, causing everyone to glance over and see Ray frantically run out from behind it. He wasn't running back due to a (y/n)-attention deficiency since it'd only been half an hour since he'd wandered off, but whatever it was, it had sure excited him. 

"Henry! Sweet girl! Swellview needs us!" He exclaimed as he skidded across the room, stopping only to throw them their gum tubes. 

The sidekicks reacted immediately, knowing they had to get ready first and ask questions later, so novels and online reading were abandoned for action, but it would be nice to know what they were doing a little bit. After all, it's not like they didn't have their own gum tubes stuffed in their pockets. 

"What's going on?" The kid asked as he caught his tube and took out a ball anyway. (y/n) sidled over to her doofus and lovingly pressed a kiss to his cheek after not seeing him for ages, mimicking his actions of necking some gum. 

"No time to explain! Let's chew with urgency!" The hero growled, spurring his sidekicks into moving faster since it sounded like something serious was going down. 

"We don't know the emergency..." (y/n) retorted as she swallowed some gum, ready to follow her handsome hero anyway, even if they knew nothing. She was sure he'd explain before they got there - it's not like Ray was full of bad ideas.

"Good one!"

"Thanks!" She smiled when Charlotte recognised her talent for coming up with a quip in no time, and they shared a brief, friendly smile before things got serious. Standing in a line, the trio chewed their gum thoroughly before blubbing three luminescent bubbles, snapping into their super-suits as usual--only nothing was ordinary about the little or big additions they seemed to be sporting. 

"Dear god, what is that Raymond?" (y/n) was the first to spot it. As always, they each shook out after transforming to get used to the new fabric, but when she then looked at her doofus, too in love to look at anyone else's face first, her bright smile fell into a deep frown - because of what was strapped to his collar. 

A cape - the one thing she refused to let him wear as a superhero. 

It was long, a deep scarlet colour, lined with gold thread, and trailed down his back until it reached his ankles in a swoop of majesty. Well, that's how he'd describe it; to his sweet girl, the cape was a waste of her best bulletproof material and a damn tripping hazard if she'd ever seen one. What was he thinking?

"Oh, noooo..." Charlotte, too, wasn't inspired and instantly bit her lip before she got herself fired, not that (y/n) would stand for that. Everyone knew how she felt about cloaks, capes and ponchos since she made no secret of her dislike for the useless, big-headed morons who swanned around wearing them, laughing when they fell over or sniggering when they befell unfortunate ends because they got snagged. 

Capes were trouble—the end. 

"Is this the emergency? You wanted to show us your new cape?" Henry sighed, seeing how the woman next to him was growing agitated, a state he found growing in him too. It wasn't like he'd been busy before, but he didn't get much time to himself either, so he hated Ray crying wolf--especially for something he knew would set fire to or shred in the end. 

"No...I wanted to show you our new capes," Ray smirked, causing his precious girl's face to darken even more as Henry's brows twitched. 

"What?" He gasped, wondering what he was talking about. He wasn't perverse to capes, per se, unlike (y/n), so he felt a glimmer of curiosity in his tummy before extinguishing it. He couldn't let himself think things like that, not when he already felt sorry for the poor soul who thought capes were a good idea in the first place. 

"Yeah!" Ray exclaimed, thinking they'd be thrilled, but there was a big difference between his cape and theirs. A huge difference.

"What?! Wait--what--what is this? Doofus? These aren't capes! Are you kidding me right now?" (y/n) growled as she and the teen twisted in circles to try and find out what he'd sneakily done to their uniforms with his stupid new gum. In the end, they had to use each other to grab hold of them because all they had were small, square flaps of red silk stitched onto their shoulders - hardly a quarter of what Ray boasted. 

"I am one hundred per cent serious, darlin'," her lover replied throatily, facing her with a smouldering look born from the confidence he oozed in his majestic cape. His hands gently settled on her face, thinking he'd be able to appease her about the shortness of their capes since he'd long since mastered the art of making his precious girl weak at the knees. 

If only he remembered the first rule about superheroes. 

"Why? You know how I feel about these--these death traps!" she spat, feeling like a fool as she tried to angrily gesture with her cape in hand, only to discover she could do that without looking like she was having a stroke. So, in the end, she settled for grasping the red material of his, yanking at it as she pushed away his tender touch. 

"Sweet girl..." Ray whimpered and launched his not-so-secret weapon. Fluttering his eyelashes, he gave her his best puppy eyes, hoping they'd be enough to subdue her since they made him look all stupid and adorable - like a doofus - which usually melted her heart into forgiving him. Usually. 

"Don't sweet girl me, Raymond! No capes!" (y/n) huffed, prodding his chest with an angry finger as her lips pursed. Did she need to remind him of all the great heroes who'd met with sticky ends because the capes they loved to show off with got stuck or sucked into something? Or should she mention Henry's first day and uniform fitting when she put her foot down about a caped costume? 

If this was how he was going to be, then it was going to be a very long, challenging day. 

"I've made up my mind on this, sweetheart," Ray told her tiredly, walking off as though he didn't want to argue anymore, but it would simply end there. Just because he swished his cape around and felt all cool didn't mean they were done; even if capes were allowed, why was his so grand and theirs so puny?

"You don't need a cape if you don't fly!" Henry exclaimed, reaching around his neck to try and rip the offending square from his back, but like his fellow sidekick, he couldn't reach. 

"You don't have to fly to have a cape. You just need to own it," the hero scoffed as he climbed onto the back of the couch, where he thought his cape would look the most beautiful. Why he got these silly ideas in his head was anyone's guess, and as he stood up there in all his pompousness, (y/n) tried her best to be stern...and not check out his hulking body. 

"Doofus, every superhero who's ever had a cape ended up getting caught, killed, or looking stupid!" She snapped at him, looking up with her arms folded as her eyes dragged across his broad chest, down his trim waist, to his beefy thighs. Under any other circumstances, she'd be melting, but all the red ruined it. 

"And why are ours so much smaller than yours?!"

"Yours and Henry's are smaller because you're the sidekicks...and I'm the hero," he replied in a low, gravelly voice, crouching down to her level to give her his smoulder again. It worked--it so very nearly worked as he tilted her chin up at him and used his Captain Man charm to steal her breath and make her heart quicken, but then, she remembered what she was fighting for. 

"I don't want a stupid, tiny cape, doofus, and neither does Henry!"

"Yeah, dude!" The boy joined in with her protest, glaring at his boss as he spun around in circles like a puppy trying to catch its tail, only he was trying to grab a corner of the dishcloth stuck to his back. 

Ray was sympathetic to their disposition; he figured that his sweet girl would come around to the idea of wearing them - something else to highlight her beauty - so he came up with a compromise, which went well.

"Well, maybe we can come up with a system where you could earn extra inches for your cape by doing things like being a good listener...or giving me a kiss and making me a nice pie," he suggested, sounding as if he genuinely believed the utter drivel falling from his lips as their faces became stony. 

"Do we look like girl scouts, Raymond? Or better yet, do I look like a nineteen-fifties housewife to you?" (y/n) asked in a sweetly sarcastic voice, watching with narrowed eyes as he sat on the table, thighs deliciously spread far apart - perfect for her to stand in between as the pie baked and she kissed h--no. No, no, no, he was doing it again - he was being too perfect for his own good.

"Ooh, you'd look all cute as a girl scout, sweet girl. I wonder if they do sweet girl sizes..." the man mused, a broad smile spreading as he took everything as a joke. It planted a seed of irritation in her stomach, which would undoubtedly begin to grow hideous roots if he continued to be annoyingly rude, but she ignored him and his poor, smutty flirting for now.

"Well, you won't be getting any of my cookies tonight if you don't drop this thing," they bantered back and forth, growing increasingly icky with their clever comments, which always hid subtle flirting no matter what, and Henry and Charlotte wished they had no ears. 

She was meant to be annoyed with him, but even so, the heroine couldn't help but tug the cape before stroking Ray's cheek, meaning she wasn't so stern after all. 

"Just get these things off us before I puke, dude!" Henry interjected, his lips twisted into a sneer as his boss angled to sneak a kiss. His charms were working, and he smiled at his sweet girl as she stood there, pouting and puffing in protest - did she know how she had him wrapped around her finger?

"I found the fan you wanted!" She would if he wasn't such a show-off today. Everyone turned to the secret door again as it opened, and this time, it was Schwoz. As usual, he was in high spirits and doing some menial task set by Ray, wheeling a large fan across the tiles typically used to circulate air in the seldom-visited rooms. 

Only now, Ray wanted a slight breeze to emphasise his cape, which endeared him to his family even more. 

"AH! Prepare to be blown away!" The man giggled at his pun and clapped his hands as the genius pushed the fan in front of him, meaning it captured his attention and not his precious fiancée. (y/n) huffed and pouted some more as he stepped past her, whipping the right side of her body with that glorified towel and leaving any girl scout-related flirting as he did. 

"Aw, this is going to be good. You're going to want to get your phones out," he said to Kid and Miss Danger, who didn't look impressed at the command. 

"I'm not doing that."

"Yeah, I'll pass on that, doof," they scoffed and shared a dry look as Ray quickly faced Schwoz again, eager to look at his glorious machine whilst they fanned his vanity.

"Oh, do you have a slow-mo setting?"

"No."

"You're going to want to take a picture of this. It's going to be the best thing ever!" Ray insisted as they stood there, half-amused, half-irritated by his whining for a photo. Neither moved to take out their PearPhones and waited for the so-called "best thing ever" to start. 

With crossed arms, (y/n) watched as her lover posed in front of the fan like a model, body tensed to bulge his muscles whilst Schwoz flipped the on-switch. 

The fan roared to life and steadily increased its wind power from a slight breeze to a wind strong enough to make Ray's silken cape dance in the air behind him. In the name of fairness, one might say it gave him a mighty, perhaps even impressive air, given how he placed his hands on his hips and became a figure of all things manly, but Henry and (y/n) wouldn't know. They could see anything but red silk lined with gold thread. 

"Do you love it?" The arrogant hero shouted above the fan's racket, hoping his pretty girl swooned over how good he looked since she looked extra beautiful today. He didn't know what it was, but he wanted to take her into his arms and have her all to himself - much like every day, so he was eager to get her approval, even if it would never come.  

"No!" The boy and woman replied together, faces screwed up as the cape tickled their skin. Perhaps she'd have a change of heart if she saw how epic it made him look; after all, it was no secret that she, the Swellview Tech graduate, qualified engineer and kicker of evil ass, could become a babbling idiot if he looked hot enough. 

"I am currently loving it!" Charlotte butted in as she reclined on the supercomputer's chair and observed the whole thing. It was all right for her; she had a good view and could appreciate how the cape complimented Ray like a rippling red sea spread out behind him. He looked good, so it was probably good that her friend couldn't see him - they'd have to pick her tongue up from the floor. 

"Charlotte loves it!"

"Don't encourage him, Char!" (y/n) shouted as she battled with the flapping cape, spewing and spluttering when it whacked her in the mouth. Honestly, she didn't need to see the front to know he looked hot - she knew that from both experience and how his biceps looked from behind, but she wouldn't cave. No capes!

"She can have mine!" Henry joked, causing his friend to raise an eyebrow at the thought. She'd seen those handkerchiefs when they turned around and snorted at how ridiculous they looked. So, on this occasion, the boy was more than welcome to keep his kindness to himself. 

"I'm good!" she quickly replied, just as an emergency call flashed on the monitor behind her, ending Ray's fun since he had to knuckle down and focus on something severe. However, he didn't deflate; instead, he saw it as an opportunity to look fabulous in front of the paparazzi and his adoring fans. 

"Emergency call!" He shouted, only to fall over when the breeze became too strong and the red silk too heavy. He would look fabulous if he didn't get twisted up in his cape and fall over like a nincompoop.

"That's why I don't like capes..." (y/n) giggled, watching with little sympathy as he plopped onto his butt, face smothered by the thick material as he clawed to peel it from his eyes, which was no mean feat when Schwoz still had the fan blasting him with air. 

"Schwoz, turn it off!" With no further dallying, the genius hit the button to save himself from the hero's wrath and swiftly skedaddled with Charlotte behind the secret door so whoever was calling didn't see their identities. Meanwhile, the pompous hero and his sidekicks gathered around the computer, some straightening their fancy capes whilst others rolled their eyes at his fussing- no guessing needed. 

"Hey, Vice-Mayor! What's up?" Henry answered politely as the sulking man appeared on the screen like a grumpy bulldog. He hadn't been overly fond of the heroes since their fuck-up with Mob Boss Rob Moss, but he was learning to put it behind them since the city had no other heroes. If only he'd take the time to learn Miss Danger's name--or at least properly acknowledge her role within the troupe. 

"I need you at City Hall right now!" The politician demanded, leaving no room for arguing as Ray comfortably slipped an arm around his sweet girl. 

The movement coated her in his cape and cologne, which always seemed to permeate through all fabrics, even if he'd only worn them for five seconds. It made her feel warm and safe - knowing he was standing right next to her - and she rested her head on his shoulder as she thought about how capes had one positive. Only one.

"Uh, could you ask politely? Manners cost nothing, y'know..." (y/n) frowned, crossing her arms in defiance of Vice-Mayor Willard and all his moodiness. He might've been the guy who ran the place and paid their paychecks, but she hated being manhandled--unless Ray was doing the manhandling. 

"Or maybe notice my cape?" Speaking of Ray, he still obsessed over his new garment and tugged it over his girl's form until it nearly covered her entirely, highlighting the rich material and quality stitching. 

"Oh, it looks great!" Willard exclaimed, a little smile stretching across his features as he analysed the cape covering the hero and...uh, Miss Danger, ma'am. Of course, he was nice to Captain Man; he was the muscle; the other two were like mere decorations - backup, at the very least. 

"Thank you."

"Good for you, dude," Henry sneered to his boss, who gazed at him with a shit-eating grin as he basked in the Vice-Mayor's praise. Finally, someone liked his cape, and in his excitement, he pulled his sweet girl closer, turning her around so he could scatter tiny, affectionate kisses across her cheeks. 

And as he met her lips, it gave the politician a great view of what she and the kid had pinned to their backs, which was humiliating. 

"And your tiny cape is adorable, Kid Danger!... And, uh...yours too, Miss Danger, ma'am."

"It's not--I don't want to be adorable, okay? I'm a man," Henry told the statesman, growing agitated at the thought of being bundled up like some baby. He could tolerate his mom and even (y/n), who still saw him as that cute little blondie, but he'd grown since then. He'd grown a lot. 

"Well..." Captain Man and Miss Danger, however, disagreed. He'd grown, definitely, and perhaps he wasn't a child yet, but saying he was a man pushed it. He was too gangly for that, couldn't grow a beard, couldn't drive a car, lived off instant noodles on his own, and still squealed at the first snow of the year. Man? No. One of (y/n)'s little babies? Just about. 

"You're still adorable, sweet girl. So cute and soft...so precious," Ray murmured in the woman's ear as Henry sulked, too caught up in his pubescent mood swing to become too nauseated over the sight of his boss nuzzling his nose behind his friend's ear. 

The hero practically purred as he did, inhaling deeply to take in her floral scents as she giggled and writhed in his arms - ticklish and highly aware of how the Voce-Mayor glared at such frivolous behaviour. Y'know, Captain Man used to be much more attentive before she came along, but he went on strike whenever the City Council complained. 

"Captain Man, I ask that you put your lady friend down and get your butts down to City Hall! I'm the Vice-Mayor, not the say-it-thrice-mayor. So, that's the last time I'm going to say it!" Willard snapped before clicking off the video call angrily. 

"Jeez, someone got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning," (y/n) muttered as the trio were left in silence, Ray's embrace awkwardly loose around her after getting told off by the Vice-Mayor of all people. He didn't care, and even if Willard had threatened him, he'd continue to pack on the PDA whenever, wherever. 

"Whatever. You heard what he said we should do with our butts. Let's go!" The large man exclaimed, patting his sweet girl's ass once as a silent, secret fuck you to the Vice-Mayor. He'd never see it or know about it, but they would, and as he ran toward the tubes, cape fanning out behind him, mischievous smirks spread across their faces. 

"All right, just give us a second!" Henry called out, and it was only when he was loitering on the right tube pad that Ray realised his sidekicks were lagging. He watched in horror as they took their laser controllers from their belts and helped zap the pathetic flaps from their backs in a coordinated pincer movement. 

"What are you doin'? Those capes were gifts!" He hissed as the squares fluttered the floor, singed, unwanted and left behind. 

"Relax, we're coming with you," Henry said cooly as they trotted up to the tubes and took their respective positions. To calm him down, the boy ushered (y/n) into his arms, and Ray gratefully received her as always, bringing her in close so they could both fit--and so he could enjoy the proximity. 

Tapping their belts, the glass lowered around them, cramming the couple into the cylinder with seemingly less room than usual, which wasn't necessarily a bad thing in their case, but (y/n) still blamed his cape. Not only was it getting stuck under their feet and the tube's metal rim, but it made his shoulders feel too padded - as if there was hardly any muscle there. 

"But what about your capes?"

"No capes!" She repeated firmly as he held her figure to his and rested his chin on her head, glum at the thought of his kindness being rejected. He took it way too personally, even though it wasn't like that at all - she would always love him, even when he looked like a moron. 

"Up the tubes!" Henry quickly shouted before any arguing could ensue, and they shot off at the speed of light. However, a minor factor that Ray hadn't taken into his calculations was that his cape was so grand and weighty that under the tube's suction, it was like a parachute. 

As he and his darling girl took off, the material pulled back against the whoosh until the vacuum became too much, and the stitching gave way. Ray cried in anguish as he felt the warmth quilting his back pull away, leaving a puddle of scarlet satin under them and him as dull as he was before. Still, some minor losses can be victories for others. 

"Awww, m'cape!"

"HA!" (y/n) cackled as she felt the cape swish around their legs and then disappear. He'd sulk when they got to the top, but she could work with that; the only thing that mattered was that her lover was now a lot safer and, in her humble opinion, even more handsome, if that were possible. 

He didn't need ornaments or clutter to make him mighty - his actions had already proved something he should've remembered. 

And if he wanted to find a new way to Miss Danger's heart, then spending hours at her sewing machine, using her best threads and materials to embellish himself, wasn't going to help either. 

(y/n) fell in love with the man, what he did, what he fought for and what he believed in, not what he wore or what others thought of him. But, for the love of god, if he only ever remembered one thing from their relationship, whether long or short, she wanted it to be this. 

No capes. 

~Some dirty, backstreet alley, Stank Street~

"God, this is disgusting..." (y/n) grumbled to herself as she shimmied through the end of the tube, stuck behind her doofus and Henry. 

In fairness to the boys, they'd done the decent thing and let her go last; after all, those in skirts... But no one could save her from the grime that coated the tube inside - one of the oldest and least used in the system. It wasn't visited regularly for a good reason; Captain Man wanted some secret exits to be genuinely secure, so this tube end came out in the middle of a back alley, strewn with garbage, discarded food and a broken-down car. 

That was the disguise. Schwoz had managed to dump the car and fit a hole through its hood, creating the perfect illusion and cover for the heroes to come and go as they pleased--except they weren't. 

Henry hated being in the middle, especially since he had to follow Ray's butt once the suction pushed them into the final stretch and left them to do the last climb. 

Ray hated it because of his dilemma. On the one hand, he sorely wanted his sweet girl to go in front since he'd never complain about getting to stare at her butt for a duration, but that would mean putting her in the firing line should there be an ambush waiting. There wasn't; no one ever used the alleyway, given how grotty it was, but he refused to take the chance, so he went first—no butt-staring for him. 

And (y/n) hated the smell. And the dirt. And the crawling. And the idea that someone might see them sneaking out of the car and get curious. According to Ray, that was highly unlikely, but she didn't like taking chances, so she grumbled the whole way there about the dirt, smell, crawling and so on. 

"Don't worry, darlin'. We're here," Ray chirped, throwing a grin over his shoulder even though only Henry could catch a glimpse of it. There was no way he'd pass on the message; he'd probably have to throw in a kiss or something too, and he was above that, but at least they'd finally be able to breathe fresh air.

"Coast is clear!" The hero announced as he lifted the car's hood and looked briefly to see if any hoodlums or bums were loitering. Nope, not a soul, just as he thought, so he wasted no time stepping out into the open, relieved to be out of the confined space with no fiancée near him.

"Did you actually check to make sure the coast is clear, or did you just say that?" Henry asked as he poked his head out, albeit with a little more caution than his boss had. Ray was impatient, but even in a shitty alley like this, the kid hated the idea of someone discovering a way into the Man Cave. 

"It's Stank Street, man. No one's ever here," Ray replied, watching as his overly way sidekick clambered out of the car. Then, to his instant joy, (y/n) looked over the top, looking as cute as a little meerkat as she thoroughly checked from left to right before slowly emerging. 

"You can't be too careful though, doofus," she said, stumbling as her heels wobbled upon breaching the hole's lip, so Ray leaned forward to hook his hands under her arms. Carefully, he lifted her up and out, bringing his darling girl to his chest, so her feet touched the ground gently, and they stayed that way even when it was time to pull away. 

"Sweet girl, coast is clear is just one of those things that people say like, look both ways or stay in school," he told her as they gazed at each other, noses rubbing as he refused to stop cradling her small form against his massive one. 

Henry sighed at the sight they made and wasted a few seconds by closing the hatch, so their secret tube was hidden again, but when his eyes returned to them, they were still at it. 

"You're such a doofus, doofus," (y/n) giggled, the cutesy sounds stifled when Ray placed his lips on hers, too entranced by the warmth and comfort she provided to let go. Her arms looped around his neck to pull them closer together - if that were even possible - and they sighed as they melted into the kiss, oblivious to the impatient boy and chaos around them. 

"Dude? Dud--hey, by the way, dude, why'd you tube us out at Stank Street?" Henry butted in, raising his voice when his initial attempts didn't cut through the love haze. Ray didn't look happy when his lover pulled back, and he soured even more when she rubbed the cherry lipstick from his mouth, but Henry didn't care. 

"There's tons of other exits in Swellview that don't stank."

They were needed at City Hall, and he'd hate to think of the shitstorm the press would create if they saw Captain Man wearing Miss Danger's smeared lipstick, even if he wore it with a smirk. God, the embarrassment...

"It's the one closest to City Hall," the large man told him frostily, feeling a little miffed that his girl wiped all the evidence from his face, but he quickly got over it, "Besides, it's near the store that sells...things."

"Do you mean capes?" (y/n) asked, folding her arms as Ray stared at her boots and shuffled his feet. A smarmy expression crossed his face as if he was fighting a smile, which ultimately failed when he glanced up and saw her pretty eyes. 

"I dunno..."

"What's the place called?" Henry asked, curious to see if they could drag it from the man's lips, although he wouldn't go crazy like the woman once they did. 

"Nothing But Capes!" Ray revealed excitedly, grinning like a kid at Christmas as he thought about running down the cape-filled aisles with his credit card raring to go in his wallet. (y/n) sighed tiredly, feeling the same old annoyance creeping up within her again at the thought of such reckless spending on something so...stupid, ruining the sacred moment.

It wasn't like they were saving for a wedding, and it wasn't like weddings weren't expensive. It wasn't like she'd sworn the whole cape thing was over once they'd left the Man Cave. And it certainly wasn't like she wanted to be in a relationship with a grown-up, just one time. 

"You're a child," she told him flatly, crossing her arms to show that she wasn't in the mood anymore, not when he seemed more interested in running around, pretending he could fly than discussing wedding details. 

They still hadn't picked the flowers. He hadn't given her the cheque for the third payment chunk for her dress. They hadn't worked out a colour scheme. None of the invitations had been written. He still hadn't told her who he wanted to invite from his family. They didn't have a venue, a date, a hope in hell.

And yet he was smiling in her face like the happiest day of their lives wasn't in tatters at their feet. 

"Who will soon have a cape!"

"An enormous child!" She growled and stormed past him, enjoying the mad click-click of her heels against the concrete as she headed for City Hall. Ray gleefully followed her, ignorant to her darkening mood as he let out a childish "wheeee!" and skipped behind his darling girl, dreaming about how he'd soon be splashing their cash on matching capes. 

"We're not wearing capes!" Henry called out behind the couple, hoping to mediate between them. Just because Ray couldn't read women didn't mean Henry couldn't--well, he could read (y/n) and hear the anger in her every footstep. So, he ran after them, praying they'd behave in the Vice-Mayor's office and save whatever was brewing for home. 

But things wouldn't be all too peachy there.

Another lesson for Ray to learn; always check if the coast is clear. Like Piper, you never know who might have fallen over behind parked cars. She didn't mean to eavesdrop on their conversation, really she didn't, but it's hard to switch off when you hear the unmistakable voices of Captain Man, Miss Danger and Kid Danger. 

It wasn't her fault she was in Stank Street, either. The stupid judge just had to give her community service in the grossest alley in the city, and she just had to fall over after taking off her gross orange jumpsuit too. 

If anything, her hearing and seeing where they'd come from was Captain Man's fault - he should've looked instead of making out and bickering with Miss Danger, who wore her hair in a very familiar style today, although the girl couldn't work out where she'd seen it before for the life of her. 

She didn't dwell on the fact or how her red lipstick reminded her of someone else, and instead, she tiptoed out from her hiding place, peeking down the alleyway to see the heroes retreating toward the city. 

It wouldn't hurt to take a peek at the car, right? She rattled her knuckles against the hood in a few experimental knocks, finding it as hollow as she thought. They'd climbed out of it. Therefore, there had to be something inside, so to satisfy her curiosity, she lifted the lid, glancing over her shoulder to ensure Captain Man wouldn't shout at her for snooping through his secrets. 

A gasp tore from her throat as she saw the tunnel, expertly hidden within the car where the engine should be. She shouldn't snoop; her mom taught her better than that, and from the looks of things, it was impossible to tell how deep the fucking thing went. 

"Hello?" She called down the hole, hearing it echo through the tunnel until it travelled too far for her to hear. Miles and miles of blue plastic-lined walls and not knowing where she'd end up. 

"Curiosity killed the cat," she thought to herself, pausing when she truly realised how deep the tunnel was and something in her mind told her it would be safest to pull back now that she'd stuck her nose in. 

"But satisfaction brought it back," another voice whispered, egging her on to look closer. It was nothing major; stick her head in and shout to see if someone called back—no harm in that. 

Deciding to go with the latter, Piper leaned in, wrinkling her nose when the contained smell of Stank Street wafted up from the tube, but in some ways, that was a good thing. A draught meant something was on the other side, so she leaned in more, hoping to find some more clues as to what the mysterious hole was - but then, she went too far. 

Her hand slipped as it rested against the propped-up hood, and she fell forwards. With nothing but smooth plastic suddenly around her, the girl had nothing to grab onto as she slithered face-first down the tube, hearing nothing but her scream and the slam of the heavy metal falling shut behind her as she zoomed down. 

She learned her lesson: never be curious. 

The satisfaction wasn't worth the trip down...or so she thought.

~

A couple of hours later, the trio were finished at City Hall. The Vice-Mayor had told them some convoluted story about a porch package thief and how he wanted them to do something about it, but it was as Ray said. 

They were superheroes. They dealt with a severe crime. The petty, run-of-the-mill stuff could be left to the cops so that they did something worth the taxpayer's money. It didn't make Willard happy, but that was a him-problem, so they strolled out of his office with confident smirks, glad that they'd stood their ground and refused to cave for one common misdemeanour. 

A quick stop at the local fried chicken place made the trip worth it, and then, it was back to Junk-N-Stuff, where they could wait for a real emergency to come in. Henry wasn't complaining; Ray graciously bought him a mini bucket, so he couldn't, but he swore he only went to get the food so he could feed (y/n) and see her bright smile when he dabbed the crumbs from the corner of her mouth. All annoyance over the capes was forgotten, and their roaming hands proved all was right in the world again. 

It was almost enough to put him off his fried chicken, but then he remembered this was his doing, and he had to admit he wouldn't have it any other way grudgingly. They'd stay in love forever if it were up to him; he just wished that Ray watched his damn mouth sometimes. He really knew how to screw things up.

"Ahhhh, my face!" Jasper yelled as they chatted and walked in - before all the upset. It was all right for Charlotte, who stood at the cash register with electric hair clippers in one hand and a comb in the other as she trimmed a funky plant. It looked like a man with a busy, green afro and eyebrows, and it was her job to neaten it up whilst Jasper cleaned the soot and grime from the dinosaur head's teeth. Very different tasks, very different danger levels.

"Oooh, whoopsies."

"Sorry, dude."

"Curly, are you okay?" the three heroes cringed as they froze in the doorway, instantly feeling guilty as the T-Rex breathed fire like it always did, but this time, Jasper was in the way. The right side of his poor face took the full brunt of the flames, singing the hair there until his eyebrow looked cleanly shaven, not that he knew. 

"Is it bad?" he asked innocently, looking at his friends with a hopeful expression like he was praying the scorching temperature made his skin sore and left everything else all right. 

"Nah..."

"Well..." At least Henry and (y/n) were subtle and considerate, reluctant to tell the boy he looked weird with just one eyebrow, but as always, Ray didn't pick up on their cue and reverted to his typically blunt manner. 

"Did you use to have two eyebrows?"

"I think so..." Jasper replied pensively, looking as though he was deep in thought over such a trivial thing. Meanwhile, Charlotte took her hair clipper and carefully removed her clay head's right eyebrow, trimming the delicate leaves until it bore a remarkable resemblance to her clueless friend, who could be left in ignorant bliss as the weary heroes came in to eat their chicken. 

"So, why'd the Vice-Mayor need you guys at City Hall?" The girl asked as the boys took seats on two wooden stools, eager to sit down after such a pointless trek. (y/n) predictably sat on Ray's knee, snuggling into his side as she took another leg and began munching on it, softly smiling when Ray's arm curled around her waist to keep her steady. 

"Somebody stole a package off his front porch," she told her friend through a mouthful of chicken as she squirmed from the feeling of Ray dotting kisses down her shoulder line. He smirked against her skin, triumphant that he could evoke such a reaction from her, although he had to stop when she offered him a bite of chicken. How could he refuse that?

"Yeah, a box full of neckties with his face on it or something," Henry shrugged as he snacked on his own food, ignoring how affectionate the couple were so he didn't barf before he could enjoy it. 

"Anyray, we told him we'd get riiiiight on it," Ray nodded, acting as though he was bothered by his promise to Willard, but he didn't seem too eager as he languished kisses from his sweet girl's cheek, down to her jaw, down her neck, and to her shoulder. Anyone would think he had all the time in the world, something that made Charlotte wonder since (y/n) didn't make a move, either.

"Doesn't sound like you're gettin' right on it. And you won't find the thief inside (y/n)'s mouth," she retorted, eyeing how her boss pecked at her friend's lips a few times before lingering. She could make out the movement of his tongue against the woman's lip, making her wrinkle her nose in disgust, wishing they'd give it a rest. 

"It's not worth our time. We're superheroes. We don't care about some package thief," Ray told her once he pulled back, with an enchanted smile at having the best girl in the world all to himself. He couldn't be happier or more chill at that moment, feeling on top of the world as his fiancée leaned into him and relaxed.

"Yeah, the police can get off their butts and sort it out. We're happy waiting here for something serious," (y/n) added, leaning in to kiss her lover again as if to confirm her words. They'd move when a real job came in, but for now, it was just them, their chicken and plenty of sweet kisses with nothing to ruin it. 

But goddamn, they wouldn't order from that fried chicken place again. Her tummy was feeling all weird - woozy and topsy-turvy like there was a washing machine inside, and even though it fried her nerves, she did nothing about it. After all, no one saw it coming when Henry's phone beeped.

"Whatcha got there, fella? Little text?" Ray asked casually after pulling back his sweet girl, intrigued by the kid knitting his eyebrows together in thought. He had that blank stare that all kids have when texting, and when Henry went to reply, he didn't even think about his answer, speaking robotically despite the touchy subject.

"Yeah, it's from my mom," he replied and (y/n) tensed instantly. It was reflexive, a natural defensive for when anyone mentioned that woman because she was...floozy material. She didn't have proof, she didn't have witnesses, and she didn't have any leads, but there was history and her gut to tell her that Mrs Hart consorted with her doofus. She'd seen them whispering, and no one could forget Ray's endless flirting both before and after they got together, so the woman practically brought her out in a rash. If only she would do something to tarnish her perfect reputation, so she didn't feel horrible when deeming Henry's lovely mother a bitch.

"Nice..." she held her tongue and punched out the acid-coated word as she deposited the stripped bone back into the bucket. Her appetite wasn't what it was all of a sudden, her stomach lurching at having to cross paths with Mrs Hart again, even if Ray remained perfectly calm behind her and gave her no reason to worry. 

"Yeah...she says that, uh, her new hairdryer was supposed to get delivered today, but it got stolen off the front porch," Henry explained, briefly glancing over the text and thinking nothing of it, despite the connection to Vice Mayor Willard's request. It should've been no big deal; after all, they didn't deal with that shit as superheroes, but you'd think the end of the world had come if you saw Ray's reaction.

"Saddle up and ride, Henry! There's a thief needs killing!" The hero spat, abruptly standing up, so the bucket of chicken and (y/n) tumbled from his lap. At least the woman managed to save herself, unlike the food scattered across the floor for either Charlotte or Jasper to clean up, but she wasn't concerned about that. She couldn't care about anything when her heart lurched from her fiancé's telling reaction to a crime against the beautiful blonde. 

It was one rule for one and one rule for hot moms - and that broke her heart.

"What the fuck, Raymond? The chicken! Me! What?!" She spat, and Jasper and Charlotte joined her protests about the wastage, but they weren't focusing on the bigger picture - like he was obsessing over Henry's mom again and adding colour to her nightmares. 

"This is no time for greasy, delicious chicken, (y/n)! There's a crime wave, and it just hit Henry's mom!" Ray growled, not realising he said her real name or how that wounded her even further since she turned her back on him to hide the tears pooling in her eyes. 

Henry's mom, arguably one of the biggest yet most unlikely supporters of their relationship, a genuinely lovely lady who gave him sound advice when he still didn't know how to approach a meaningful relationship, had been targeted by some scumbag. And she was family to his family; it made sense to help out now it was personal.

"Now, we're gonna find this package thief, and we're gonna ruin his life," the doofus went on, unaware that (y/n) was spirally further and further into self-doubt and betrayal. She trusted him with her life and heart, but she wouldn't trust that woman as far as she could spit, and rested her arm on the cash register's edge as she held her nerve and gritted her teeth, knuckles turning white from how tightly she clenched the wood. 

"Okay, just relax, dude—" Henry, bless his heart, tried to calm his boss as he saw his friend work herself into a frenzy over what might be or have been and how Charlotte placed a hand on her arm to try and ease her mind. Anyone would swear Ray would never betray her like that - the guy was too in love - but it was hard to tell when he clenched his perfect jaw and muscles for someone else's problem. 

"I'm going to hurt him until he cries, and then, I'm going to collect his tears, boil them down and use their essence to make a high-end cologne called Not On My Watch!"

"Whoa!" "A little too far!" The teens said through gritted teeth, fighting the urge to shake some sense into the man as the tears finally rolled down (y/n)'s face. She wiped them away even faster, panting to stem the flow since she didn't want him to see her cry or anyone else. It was just a damn pity the kids of all people saw them as they were the last ones she sympathy from, knowing that Henry and Jasper didn't deserve to have her issues dumped on them and that Charlotte swore that no guy was worth crying over. 

But Ray was. 

"What's our first move?" She asked in a voice that was far too put together for how torn-up she was feeling inside, but Ray was too entangled with revenge to see her red, watery eyes when she quickly turned around like all was okay in the world. Everything was fine; if he wanted to use an Uno reverse card and care about the package thefts, then that was fine - she just wasn't sure if she wanted to be there when Kris threw her arms around him in thanks.

"I'm not done." Oh, good - what piece of her heart hadn't he stomped on? 

"Then, I'm gonna cover him in honey, roll him down a hill of fire ants—fire ants that shoot lasers out of their butts—that's when things get real crazy—"

"Orrrr...Orrrr.. or we put a fake package on my front porch as bait. We wait in the surveillance van until the thief steals it, and once he does, we grab him, and we take him to jail," Henry suggested, thinking as rationally as possible in the hopes that they could smooth the situation over without damaging the star-crossed relationship they secretly cherished. It didn't bear thinking about what would happen in the Man Cave if Captain Man and Miss Danger should go pear-shaped in whatever way. 

"Okay, love that—you just earned two inches on your cape, buddy!" Ray grinned, chipping another fragment from (y/n)'s heart at how he jumped to help Mrs Hart and showed more enthusiasm for her damn delivery than he'd ever done when planning their ceremony. All those times, it felt as if she was tying him down when clearly, he was meant to fly - probably with a cape.

"Wait, what? I don't want—"

"Two inches to Kid Danger's cape!" Henry tried to get him to quit it or to be serious for once, but it was no good. Annoyance surged alongside the heartbreak, and as her lover turned to march out the door, (y/n) firmly planted her feet on the ground, knowing that if she had to listen to him sing capes' and Kris' praises in an hours-long stakeout, she might go insane.

"Ugh, y'know what? Let's go—you coming, (y/n/n)?" The kid asked, looking at her with a kind, understanding smile since he had to handle the man-child too, but he could see it in her eyes. All the money in the world wouldn't convince her to help his mom, whether she was technically duty-bound. 

"Uh, no, I'll sit this one out. Gotta find some burn lotion for Jasper," she lied and gave him the glimmer of a sickly sweet yet half-assed smile. It wasn't meant to convince, just put him off, and Henry didn't push her any further; he could try and tell her Ray was just excited, a people pleaser, and in one of his funny moods, but devoted to her. 

It wouldn't change anything, so he nodded and left, hot on Ray's heels as the man yanked the door open and bolted to the garage where the manky, old surveillance van was. Seeing him go was never pleasant, especially when he went to that woman's house, but the time apart would do her good. At least she had something to distract her when the T-Rex breathed fire again, burning the other side of Jasper's face and his other eyebrow.

"Is it bad?" He never had much luck, and the girls winced as Charlotte remained silent and shaved the other eyebrow off her plant head. Her silence spoke volumes, and the teen grimaced at the thought of looking like a mole rat and, from how sore his skin was, secretly thankful that the Man Cave's nurse decided to stay behind. 

"I'm gonna need a bigger bottle of lotion...and possibly a stiff drink," (y/n) sighed, dipping her head to them before slinking off into the back room, where it was safe to shed some more tears and curse herself for being so damn jealous.

It wasn't right; Kris was kind, pretty, generous, a good mom and wife, and she'd never done anything wrong, save for the egg incident - hardly worth eternal damnation. Ray was funny, gentle, adorable, a brave man, a good mentor, an even better fiancé, and he'd never crossed any line, save for the odd comment here and there - hardly worth her blazing wrath and fury. 

So, Miss Danger swallowed the lump in her throat and skipped off to go and root through her medical supplies, determined not to let the worst side of herself show. She treated Jasper's sizzled skin like a professional before going downstairs to help Schwoz with some repairs like an angel, and to someone who didn't know her, she seemed all right. 

But they knew her better than that. In the ten hours Ray and Henry were gone, Jasper, Charlotte and Schwoz saw the doubt in her eyes, the pain behind every smile, and how she checked her phone every five minutes to see if "Doofus ❤️" had texted something mushy to ease her worries. He hadn't, for reasons that wouldn't become clear until later, but she insisted that was fine, just like everything else was. 

Everything was fine, but Charlotte sure wished they could return to when fine meant she gagged and retched at the sight of the couple kissing, snuggling and holding hands, back to when she swore she'd trade anything if it made them quit all that icky stuff. 

Now, she would trade anything to bring it back if it meant everything would return to being fine. 

~Ten hours later~

"Where the fuck are those morons?" Yeah, things weren't fine anymore. 

Charlotte cringed as she heard her friend mouthing off while she paced back and forth behind her. The girl stood by the supercomputer, with Schwoz in the seat, hoping to make contact with the idiotic boys who'd gone on a stakeout and then gave them nothing but radio silence for hours after. It made the heroine sick with worry to know that her beloved doofus and fellow sidekick were out there, doing god knows what with god knows who, but every time they tried to call them, there was no answer. 

Gone was the sadness; in its place was pure fury, and (y/n) swore she'd relieve Ray of something when she got hold of him. Charlotte wasn't too sure what that something was, but before she could ask, the woman always moved on to another topic to rant about. She was pissed off - obvious - but what was less pronounced, except to her nearest and dearest, was how torn she was, bottling everything up because she could decide whether she was the bad guy here. Ray was in the wrong too, no doubt there, but she was the green-eyed monster.

"I can try them again," the girl told her with an understanding smile, and for a split second, (y/n) smiled at her helpfulness. She hated being like this; mean, rude, bossy and spiteful, especially with her family, but she had to know what was going on in that van and whether they'd found the package thief or not. Whether they'd recovered the hairdryer or not. Whether Mrs Hart had slipped in to reward their valiant mission or not. It was eating her up - not knowing a thing.

What had they been doing? Whilst she tossed and turned in bed, arm stretched across the cold chasm where her fiancé usually slept, rife with the cruel imaginings from the darkest parts of her mind, she couldn't help but wonder - had he thought about her as much as she did about him?

"Man Cave to surveillance van, Man Cave to surveillance van...Ray? Henry? Can you hear me?" Charlotte spoke into the radio, growing increasingly impatient with each passing moment since they should be able to hear her. She turned to (y/n) with an apologetic wince, cringing again when she pinched her nose and released a tired sigh - exhausted from an entire night of little-to-no, nightmare-filled sleep. But then, everything became apparent, and the clouds grew darker still.

"Five more minutes, mom..."

"Thank you...Henry's mom." With the speakers raised to full volume so they could catch the slightest peep, the small group huddled around the computer heard the boys' sleep talk as clearly as if they were in the room, and Jasper, Schwoz and Charlotte could pinpoint the exact moment (y/n) saw red. 

Not only was it an insult to them that they'd fallen asleep on the job, which was why it was always best to take Miss Danger with them to avoid such things, but it appeared like they were dreaming of a certain blonde. And that was fine for Henry, but when Ray muttered those four heartbreaking words, it was like the world stopped. 

She wasn't a dream-reader; (y/n) had no way of knowing what her doofus was thanking Mrs Hart for, but she doubted it was for anything fucking good. Of all the men she'd ever felt something for, she would never have guessed he'd be the one too...she really hoped he hadn't—wasn't—whatever.

"Hello?! We haven't heard from you in ten hours!" Charlotte snapped into the speaker microphone, seeing how her friend twisted her engagement ring with a stony face that also reflected a million emotions. She felt for her, aware that Ray would never look at, consider, dream, or imagine someone else now that he'd found her, but (y/n) didn't see it that way. She wasn't aware that his eyes were on her at all times, that he smiled when she came into the room, frowned when she left, pined every waking second until she came back - that she was the centre of his universe.

"Dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude, dude!" Henry groaned as he slowly woke up and realised the time. He shoved Ray in the chest, which eventually woke him up, too, spluttering and moaning because he didn't remember his darling girl's hands being so rough. And since when did their bed feel so lumpy and uncomfortable? He cracked open his eyes to see the blinking lights of the surveillance van's computer screens, servers and endless cords of worm-like wires, and then, he remembered. 

This was stakeout territory, not the cotton-down heaven with the soft-skinned angel he'd been dreaming about.

"I think we fell asleep," the kid grumbled, recalling how he'd only closed his eyes for a second - just to let them rest - and then accidentally let ten hours slip by. 

"You fell asleep?!" Ray spat accusingly, whipping his eyes to scan his slacking sidekick. He'd given up a night between the sheets with his sweet girl for this—to help his mom as thanks for giving him so much advice on married life. And he took a nap? Utterly shameful. 

"So did you!" Henry quickly responded, glaring at the hypocrite, who snuffled and rubbed his tired eyes with the back of his eyes to clear the sleep from them. They were in this together, and if he felt so strongly about it, Ray was more than welcome to go back to the Man Cave and crawl into bed with (y/n). Hell, he'd do more good there than he was doing here, so very close to his mom. 

"Prove it..."

"I just woke you up!" They bickered, the boy too tired for his boss' games, what with his ruffled hair and blurred vision. He couldn't believe they'd slept through the night after preparing so well, but now that he thought about it, warm milk and ocean sounds weren't exactly meant to keep people awake. Oops.

"You know, I was having such a good dream. Your mom was there at my wed—"

"What?!" Henry baulked at the news, not wanting to hear the story's end since it creeped him out to think that Ray thought about his mother in his sleep. Not like that, of course, no way. No, Ray still smiled about it now, recalling how Dream Mrs Hart patted him warmly on the back as she kissed his cheek and congratulated him on his marriage to that lovely girl (y/n). She fondly remembered her wedding and told him there was nothing more beautiful than a bride on her big day and that he shouldn't keep her waiting before the first dance. 

Such a shame it had to be cut short. 

"Man Cave to the surveillance van, Man Cave to the surveillance van... Can you hear me?" Charlotte repeated impatiently, and finally, Henry picked up the other microphone. It was too late; the damage was already done. (y/n) heard every word uttered by the boys, including about her lover's dream, and felt her insides clench as they turned green - the ugliest colour, making her want to puke. 

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, we hear you loud and clear."

"Did you two fall asleep?" The woman asked as she took the radio from Charlotte's and mashed the button so hard, it nearly broke. Her tone was curt and frosty, indicative to Henry that she was in no mood for playing games, but to Ray, her dulcet voice was music to his ears just like any other day. It brought a dopey grin to his face.

"No! No, no, no, no, no, no, no, we did not."

"Good morning, darlin'!" The doofus interrupted in his cheeriest voice, snatching the mic as she had with Charlotte, only when her tummy tingled with butterflies, her heart stopped, and the butterflies fell dead. It always came back to this, does he or doesn't he bullshit. She wasn't one for going in circles, but she'd always return to him, her fatal flaw. 

"Yeah, hi, doof. And, yes, you did, Hen. Don't lie to me," she returned his affection half-heartedly, scared to show her love again for fear of getting it wounded again, but he made it show easy. She'd always fall for his unending, adorable charm - that was the problem. 

"We didn't fall asleep, sweet girl. We were just resting our eyes," Ray replied smarmily, perhaps in a brattish manner. He recognised her subdued response and felt his heart deflate a little at the lack of warmth in her nickname, but he didn't dwell on it. The clock had barely struck eight, and he was in a crabby mood from the early start away from her; maybe she was tired too. 

"Okay, well, if you didn't fall asleep, then what's the status of Henry's lovely mom's lovely package?" she questioned bitingly, her voice light and sweet as she pictured Mrs Hart smiling and glowing in her mind. On the other end, Henry snatched the microphone back, glaring at Ray as the man slumped into his chair - dejected that his lover wouldn't flirt back. 

"Uh, the package...yup. Let me see," the kid mumbled as he grabbed a pair of binoculars and glanced across the street. He zoomed in on his porch and the spot where Ray had left the box in plain view, only to come across a slight problem.

"The package is...gone." Schwoz chuckled at that whilst the girls rolled their eyes and groaned. They had one task and nothing but a simple solo mission, but it seemed even that it was easy to screw up for the hero and sidekick, who didn't appreciate being laughed at. 

"Shut up, Schwoz!" Ray snapped and tossed the microphone down, so he didn't have to hear the taunting noise. However, Schwoz wasn't so dumb and quickly dialled his boss on his private PearPhone, which Ray was dumb enough to answer. 

The embarrassment was real, and there was no escaping it, but Ray didn't care about that. He was more concerned, dare he say irritated, by his fiancée's crabby mood. When she was angry, he was furious. When she was sad, he was miserable and strived to cheer her up to be his happy, smiley girl again. 

But for his life, he couldn't work out what was wrong. 

~In the Man Cave~

Needless to say, the embarrassment had stewed when the boys made it home. The journey to Junk-N-Stuff was brief but painful, especially with Schwoz cackling for the entire five-minute drive, so Henry and Ray were steaming by the time they got down to the main room. 

Things only worsened when Ray walked up to his sweet girl, wanting some affection to perk up his mood. As always, he leaned in for a kiss, badly needed fortification after going ten hours without one, only to feel his stomach plummet when his lips met her cheek and nowhere else. 

He despised the cold shoulder - hated it with every fibre of his being, but he couldn't even call this that. She didn't avoid him, didn't ignore him or walk out of the room; instead, she clung to his side like she always did, allowed him to hold her hand and gave brief, gentle smiles when he looked down at her. 

She was his sweet girl, as always, but she was holding out on him, curled up, protecting herself in her shell as she did all those years ago. She didn't want to talk, and he hated that even more. 

A storm was coming.

"Ahhhh! How could we fall asleep?!" The man bellowed from up on high, near the sprocket. If he couldn't relax in her arms and melt his anger with her kisses, then he figured shouting it out was the best alternative. Henry copied his actions, spurred on by his boss' pettiness and foot stamping and the tension between the couple. 

"How could we let that guy take the package right from under us?!" he asked, pulling a growl from Ray's throat. Meanwhile, (y/n) and Charlotte were being clever - as usual - taping a box shut since it was part of their foolproof master plan. And it gave the woman a distraction from her grief, which she didn't want to unleash on her doofus if he pushed her away. 

"I am so angry!"

"So am I!" They yelled, pacing back and forth in some weird competition on who could become the angriest in the room.

"I'm angrier!"

"That is a lie! Because I am the angriest!" Henry argued as Ray stomped, torn between his rampaging and pulling his sweet girl to the couch. Maybe if he did that, she'd smile and tell him to let it be because where would being angry get him? But then again, she could also frown, thump his chest for being so rough and march away, offended. Angry it was, then...

"No, I am King Andor! Ruler of Mount Furious!" Now, it was just getting strange. Ray seethed as he looked down upon his kingdom, neck pulled so tight, the veins and tendons there pulsated through his skin - pining for his queen.

"Yeah? Well, I am Rage! Vengeful God of Anger!"

"Well, I am (y/n), queen of are you guys done being angry? Because you're giving me a headache!" The heroine interrupted, shouting over their nonsense since she could feel the pressure mounting between her temples.

"Does it sound like we are?! Does it sound like we are (y/n/n)?!" Henry growled and held his ground, refusing to come down when he was enjoying acting like a five-year-old. People should shout and scream and complain like this more; he loved it. 

"Can't you see us stomping?!" Ray snapped, too and shuffled over to the couch where she was standing so she could hear his sneakers drag across the floor. And just for good measure, he kicked the spongy back a few times as he showed his pouty face to her amused one, hoping his tantrum would earn him a scrap of the attention he so desperately craved. 

"Yes, I can see that, but you look like a constipated chicken, Raymond," (y/n) told him flatly, crossing her arms as she waited for him to finish. He held eye contact with her, refusing to break it since she'd been avoiding his eyes since they came back, but Ray was disappointed to see nothing in those pretty peepers - not even a smidge of sympathy and comfort for the man-child within. 

"Well, she only asks because we're done making another bait package to put on Henry's porch," Charlotte piped up, drawing the two out of their trance, so they looked away. 

People always say that eyes are the windows to the soul, and (y/n) prayed that wasn't true because if it were, her doofus would've been able to see the envy, insecurity and despair rise behind her (y/e/c) pools upon the mention of sending him back to the lioness' den. 

"What?"

"Well, THANK YOU!"

"That's actually incredibly helpful!" They replied haughtily, too stubborn to drop the angry façade but not rude enough not to give them credit where credit was due. Suddenly, the red haze fell, and the boys didn't need to shout so much, making them feel pretty stupid after all that mouthing off, so to save their blushes, Ray stomped over to collect what they'd so lovingly prepared.

However, when he wrapped his beefy arms around the box...it wouldn't budge. Not even Captain Man,, with all his super strength, could lift it without doing something serious to his back, so after a few seconds of straining and grunting, he pulled away and looked at his precious girl with a baffled expression. 

"This package is too heavy, sweetheart!" He whined, trying to come across as all tough and moody still, but he was more like a puppy as he whimpered and growled, too soft for her to ever use any malice. 

"Why's it so heavy, swee--I mean, (y/n)?!" Henry quickly asked and corrected himself even quicker when he copied his boss' gross nickname in his grumpiness.

"Because we put Jasper inside," she replied, giving them a courteous smile as her tummy fluttered from her fiancée's attention. She wished he wasn't going back out there since everything was terrific until Henry's mom came into the picture.

"Hey, guys! I've got a taser in here!" Henry and Ray stared at the box in shock as they heard Jasper's muffled voice coming from inside--and then the unmistakable buzzing hisses of him messing about with the taser. Yeah, giving it to him in such a tight space wasn't a good idea, but it was too late now. 

"Ow!... It works!"

"That way, he can jump out and tase the package thief in case you two fall asleep again," Charlotte explained when Ray gave her a dirty look for involving that moron. It was a great plan, but they didn't take too well to her accusations; they didn't know the meaning of sleep; how dare she?

"Fall asleep? Fall asleep?"

"Oh yeah, we're going to fall asleep two times, Charlotte! King Andor does not sleep! He stomps!" They shouted as Ray jumped in front of the girls and started thumping his feet against the floor in a mad display of his petulant stomping and arm-waving. 

"Yeah, I'm just getting chicken vibes again, doof," (y/n) giggled, feeling her heart grow lighter than it had since yesterday, and for a brief moment, Ray gazed at her with hope in his eyes. Oh, how he'd longed to hear that giggle when the van got cold at night. 

"How could we possibly fall asleep when we are this angry?!" But Henry came in and ruined the moment, yelling until his throat was sore, and when he stomped, so did Ray. Watching with unamused faces, the girls stood and waited for them to calm down with folded arms. 

They left eventually, roaring about victory and drinking their enemy's blood or something as they hauled the Jasper Package into the elevator. He warned them not to be so rough with his delicate little body, but Ray hurled him in any way. 

He had more important things to do, like sidling up to his sweet girl and promising he would return soon. (y/n) tried to give him her most convincing smile and pulled him into a tight hug before Henry groaned and called for Ray to step into the elevator. 

"Time to go, darlin'," he murmured as he reluctantly pulled away from her arms with his same-old cocksure smirk and leaned to peck at her lips. She sighed into the agonisingly brief kiss, wishing she could freeze time and keep him there forever when he loved her and didn't think about anyone else. 

Kris Hart didn't know how lucky she was - that she had such a brave man wanting to give everything to help her out...and that she hadn't had her face ripped off for straying too close to the green-eyed monster.

~Later that night~

"Where are they?" (y/n) grumbled as she strolled around Junk-N-Stuff, hands wedged deep in her pockets to look casual. It wasn't working; three times she'd circled the centre display, five times she'd sat down on the manky, old couch to stand up again, and seven times she'd counted the money in the cash register. 

She couldn't sit still, not the sunset, and the darkness fell. Ray and Henry had been gone all night and day, camped out in that stupid van, but they weren't answering the radio. The last she'd heard was a goodnight text from "Doofus ❤️", but that was hours ago. Many hours ago, enough to make her go grey and become so worried that Charlotte caught her nerves. 

And she was usually the level-headed, unflappable one. 

"I'm trying to call them," she told her friend, tapping Henry's contact again, only for it to immediately go to voicemail. His phone was turned off - the same for Ray's - and whenever they tried to call, no one would answer. It drove them insane not knowing, but then, Schwoz came in, looking all innocent and friendly like he always did as he came up to "see how they were doing".

"Oh, Schwoz, have you heard from Ray and Henry? We've not had a single message from them, and I'm getting wor--" the heroine explained, not looking up from her cell as the genius approached, so neither of them saw his mischievous smirk until it was too late. 

"No greenie, yes peenchie!" he squealed in his funny voice and reached out with both hands to pinch them on the arm. They gasped from the brief yet excruciating pain and glared as they rubbed the sore patches he'd given them for seemingly no reason.

"Ow! That hurt!"

"Ow! What the heck, Schwoz?!" They yelped. It wasn't so bad for (y/n) since the pain and subsequent bruise healed almost instantly, but Charlotte would feel it for the next ten minutes. What was wrong with that fuzzy coconut?

"It's Avocado Day!" He told them happily as if it was apparent, something everyone knew, and they were being dumb. 

"Eh?

"Avocado Day!" he told (y/n) with a gentle eye roll as she frowned in confusion, "If you're not wearing green, you get pinched on your skin!"

"No, that's St. Patrick's Day!" Charlotte corrected him as she quickly swatted his hand when he went in for round two. Yeah, he didn't like it when they returned the pain...or when they pointed out that he had his green-based holidays mixed up.

"What the heck is Saaaaaaynt Paaaaaaytreeeeck's Daaaay?" The genius asked, his eyebrows knitting together as he tried to pronounce the funny words, but (y/n) wasn't playing ball. He could say 'day' at least - he wasn't that bad. 

"Saint Patrick's Day is the day when Saint Patrick died. Y'know, the patron saint of Ireland? It's a big thing, Schwoz. I'm surprised you haven't--" she began to explain after carefully enunciating the name for him, but she was cut off when something alarming stepped through the door. 

At the tinkle of the bell and the breathing fire of the T-Rex, everyone looked at the door, expecting a customer or, y'know, something normal. What they didn't expect to see what Ray and Henry were stomping into the shop, covered from head to toe in glitter. 

From their hair to their faces to their shirts, they were doused in glitter - the fine, annoying, powdery stuff that clung to everything it touched and refused to come off. Only, it did come off sometimes - onto whatever they felt. A sparkling trail followed behind them as they entered swiftly, giving a unicorn a run for its money at the stardust left in the air whilst (y/n) stared at them in shock. 

What the hell had happened?

"You will never guess what happened to us!" That's what she said. Ray growled as he came to stand in front of her, sprinkling her jeans and sweater with glitter as he got so close their chests bumped together. She didn't mind the proximity - welcomed it - but when he stepped back, and she was left coated in silver specks, too, she wasn't too happy.

"You fell asleep again, then the package thief delivered the glitter bomb to the surveillance van, and you opened it without realising what it was, and now you look like a unicorn pooped on you?" Charlotte suggested, taking a step back and analysing the situation briefly before coming to a sound and uncanny conclusion. 

"No..."

"Maybe...why'd you have to be so smart all the time?" The boy replied coyly, scuffing their feet against the ground, so it too became glittery, and upon clocking what he dusted her with, (y/n) jerked away from her lover with a gasp. 

"Oh, doofus! This stuff doesn't come off, and you've got it all over me!" She whined as her hands frantically brushed her sweater to no avail. Despite only touching him for a second, the glitter found its way between the fibres and, once there, refused to move even when she plucked and flickered and prayed for it to go away. 

"Oh, sweet girl, let me--" Ray gasped, seeing the mess he'd made across her chest and immediately reached out to help clean it up. The problem, however, came when he failed to remember what was on his hands until it was too late and an even bigger streak of shining glitz stretched across her clothes.

"Thanks," (y/n) said dryly, sighing in defeat as his hands stilled on her ruined sweater, meaning she had to swat them away because whilst he had no issues standing with his hands on her boobs, she did - especially when others were in the room. She loved that sweater, and now it would have to be tossed out, which stoked the fires of fury within her even as her lover sheepishly apologised. 

The clouds were growing darker. 

"No greenie, yes peenchie!" And, in the worst possible moment, Schwoz snuck in between the hero and sidekick and pulled the same mean trick he'd done with the girls. As if Ray wasn't in a steadily declining mood, he nipped his skin between his forefinger and thumb - hard - drawing a sharp "ow!" from the man before the pain faded. It hurt like hell but then he remembered... "Is it Avocado Day?"

"Yeah!" The genius replied with a playful grin. 

"Man, I forget every year!" He grinned, seeing the fun side of the situation, even though it trickled into his growing pool of annoyance. He didn't show it, but that pinch would fester, as would the glitter in his hair, shirt, and pants. Hell yeah, it was in his pants; glitter was coarse, rough, irritating, and it got everywhere, but worse was he'd have no one to help him wash it out later if his sweet girl kept giving him that scolding expression. 

"Okay, what is Avocado Day?" Henry asked, perplexed by their bizarre interaction. 

"No greeny, yes pinchy!" Ray squealed, imitating Schwoz's voice, though it would never be precisely the same. Although the pain Henry felt when his boss leaned forward and pinched him roughly on the arm was the same - mean-spirited, excruciating, perhaps even a bit cruel. 

"Ow! What the heck, Ray?!" He whimpered as the man retreated, appealing to (y/n) for help with his best "I'm one of your babies. Please come help me against your doofus" looks, but she merely shrugged. There was no way she would get any more glitter on herself, not after a couple of days she'd had. 

"It's Avocado Day. You're not wearing green, so you get pinched."

"But that's St. Patrick's Day," the kid disagreed, giving the large man a skeptical look at how he'd hurt him for a misunderstanding, which was more common than it seemed. Well, common between repairmen and doofuses. 

"Stop making up fake holidays!" Ray shouted back, disliking all the sudden insubordination going on around him. The atmosphere felt mutinous, and made him uneasy, not that he'd ever suspect anyone in his family of betraying him. His mind told him theoretically everything was safe, but his heart and gut were saying something else, and it led back to...

"Stop shouting at Henry, Ray! It's not his fault you mixed up your holidays!" (y/n) bit back, jumping to the side of her blondest baby since she didn't like the accusatory of her beloved. She didn't know why but it was one of those days, having finally figured out where she was so furious. 

It was just a day out of three-six-five when he pushed her buttons more than usual, not for any reason, but things had pooled together and stretched her thin as not enough jelly spread across too much toast. She couldn't be everywhere, do everything, and please everyone, but in the Man Cave, that was her job, and some days, she was sick of it. 

"We gotta find a way to stop this package thief, (y/n)!" Ray hissed, looking down on her, not at her, for the first time in a long while. Every couple hit rough patches every once in a while, and they were no different since they drove each other crazy by being crazy for one another. They were opposites, too so both hindered and helped to push them together, even when circumstances conspired against them. 

"You're right. You're right..." Henry nodded, patting the woman on the shoulder to say thanks and call her off. He loved her mother bear instincts but not when they led to bickering, so she stepped away and left it for the sake of him and Charlotte. But that didn't mean she was finished. 

"Well, step one, stop falling asleep!" She told them sternly, pointing a finger straight at their faces as if to say, "I mean it". And that was fine; Henry knew they couldn't nap through another package thievery, or this would never be put to bed, but Ray, suddenly finding himself in an accusatory mood, fought back with the dirtiest of tactics. 

"A—a—choo!" He sneezed violently, feeling it creep up his spine with no warning - that bit wasn't his fault; after all, Mother Nature moves in mysterious ways. However, he wasn't faultless when he pointed his snot rockets in his sweet girl's direction, not to mention poor Charlotte - the victim of circumstance - and, contrary to how his mother brought him up, sprayed her in his droplets and snotlets. 

His head shook from the force, meaning not only was she showered in his saliva, but a fine dusting of glitter settled over her and Charlotte like the first snow falling. If she thought the sweater incident was terrible, then this was horrific. Glitter on their bodies, hair, and shoes - it was like they'd been victims of the bomb too, except they were merely victims of a doofus who fought like a child when he wasn't happy. 

"No—Raymond Manchester! That was deliberate, you...you...god! I cannot believe you!" She growled as her chest heaved and her hands froze in mid-air - useless in their attempt to shield her body. Upon hearing her friend's drawn-out "ewwwww!", the girls retreated to the counter, where they stored some alcohol wipes and tissues, grumbling about how stupid boys stupidly spray it and don't say it.

"Now, to catch a package thief, you got to think like a package thief," Ray smirked at Henry once they were somewhat alone, despite his heart roaring at him to shift his ass and apologise. There was no need for that, and honestly, he had no idea why he'd done it after feeling the powdery glitter tickle his nose, but it was too little too late. He hoped flowers and a box of chocolates would make up for it. 

"We start stealing packages ourselves!" Henry suggested, thinking like his boss and not his usual, rational self. Jeez, he had to stop hanging out with Ray; he was starting to rub off on him. 

"Okay, love that! Gas up the van, warm up some milk and let's roll!" And Ray being Ray, he loved that idea, so they shared a grin, a high-five, and made for strolling out of Junk-N-Stuff, leaving nothing but a trail of magic and a wounded sweet girl behind them. 

"Uh, guys," Charlotte butted in, having something much more straightforward in mind, which she thought would work out in their favour since the lovers could stick together. Sure, they were going at it like a cat and dog today, but they always faired worse when separated and even if they wouldn't sit down and talk it through, at least they could be near each other and feed off that. "I have an idea."

"Wait!"

"What's up, big dog?" Henry was there immediately, halting when Ray called for it since he was a good, obedient sidekick expecting to hear his friend out. But no...

"I got a better idea!"

"Listening..." he nodded, all his attention on the leader, despite his brain telling him that history had taught him Charlotte's ideas were nearly always better than Ray's. The girl rolled her eyes as he completely blew her off and shared an exasperated look with (y/n), who, for once, was powerless to help since she wasn't exactly feeling peachy with her doofus either. 

"We go down to the Man Cave. We get Schwoz's pot of gold—"

"I'm sorry, what?" Henry frowned the minute said that features contorting in bafflement since it sounded so strange. Schwoz, who incidentally was wearing green for "Avocado Day", owned a pot of gold like some literal leprechaun at the end of the rainbow. This he had to see. 

"We get Schwoz's pot of gold. We leave it outside the store as bait—"

"Schwoz has a pot of gold?" The kid asked, too shocked to care about Ray's plan now that he'd received the news. He knew the guy was weird, but riches beyond belief were far out there - perhaps a little too far out there. 

"Pfft! A pot of gold! I'm not a leprechaun! Why would I have a pot of gold?" The genius scoffed, playing coy, so they didn't suspect him, but he wasn't a brilliant actor. Henry could smell a liar a mile away after being Kid Danger for so long, and it seemed like something Schwoz would have, from whichever land he hailed from. 

"He does, though...fiddly-diddly-dee," (y/n) smirked, staying quiet at the cash register, but she couldn't help but sprag on her friend. Not in a mean way, that wasn't like her, but Schwoz was a liar and loved to show off his pot whenever he could. It was only when someone wanted it that it suddenly went missing, and the fear of Ray getting ahold of it was enough to make him bolt. 

"You can't have my pot of gold!" He exclaimed angrily and like an angry little leprechaun, skipped off to hide it away from prying eyes and grabbing hands. He looked so funny as he scampered through the beaded curtain, causing (y/n) to giggle silently and shake her head - he was never good at hiding things.

"We'll get it," Ray hissed to the blond boy, proving her point, although she refrained from smiling at him. Her heart said yes, yes, yes, smile at soulmate now, but her brain said no, no, no, we're supposed to be mad at him, you can't have it both ways. 

"Uh, I said I have an idea!" Charlotte called to them, trying her luck again once the genius disappeared, but like every time before, it seemed she was invisible or they were rude. No, they were rude. 

"Okay, so we get Schwoz's pot of gold, maybe run some electrical wires through it..."

"We warm up some milk, and wait for the package thief to show up!" Ray grinned at his young sidekick, who seemed to be full of unique ideas today,. The girls looked on, exasperated at how life had landed them working/loving such morons and why they hadn't yet received a medal. 

"Do some meditation, get in that zone, you know what I mean?"

"Listen to songs of the humpback whale?" The hero suggested, sounding like he was in severe pain as he imitated the whales and their lonely song. Henry was the only person who liked it, unaware that outside their little bubble, they looked and sounded ridiculous with their oo'ing and awwing.

"You guys!" (y/n) snapped abruptly, slicing through their conversation with pure frustration at how her poor friend hadn't gotten a word in edgewise, and all they wanted to do was make whale noises. Instantly, they looked at her, taken aback by her sharp, uncharacteristic tone because she never yelled like that and certainly not at one of her babies or her beloved doofus. 

"Charlotte has a plan that doesn't involve whales or milk or Schwoz's pot of damn gold!"

"Thank you, (y/n/n)," the girl inhaled calmly, bowing her head at her friend as she massaged her temples before carrying on with her explanation, "I put an ad online yesterday that says Junk-N-Stuff buys things now."

"So?" Henry asked, confused at what she meant by that. So what if they bought crap now? Didn't matter to him. 

"So, the ad said we'll buy stuff, pay cash, and not ask where they got it from," she smirked with a mischievous glint in her eye, feeling so intelligent and smug for the trap they were leaving. It was all legit and the perfect way to lure in the thief, who had to be one clever bastard if he knew where to return the glitter bomb package after noticing he was being watched. Now, if only Ray could understand that...

"Uh, I did not authorise that, so I will subtract the cost of the ad from your paycheck," he told the girl with an air of authority that didn't wash with his sweet girl. Usually, she loved it when he played the big, strong, hot leader as it reminded her of his strength and extermination, but now he was coming across as arrogant and dictatorial. Plus, she supervised Charlotte all day, said she could publish the ad and even called it a great plan. What about her authority?

"Yeah, well, I authorised it, so I will add the cost back into her paycheck for doing our job for us," (y/n) folded her arms as Ray stood in front of the cash register. Now they were getting into the ridiculous part of the argument, where they questioned each other on stupid stuff, and as she gave him a complex, challenging look that no one else would ever get away with, he found himself biting his lip and glaring back. 

"You didn't ask me first?"

"I didn't think I needed to ask for permission for a stupid online advert." The hairs on the back of her neck bristled at his cold voice, and she huffed at the insinuation that he'd suddenly changed his mind about how everything was run. What was he was hers - that's how things were, and she'd never assumed she could cross any line, but it was plain to see he was being stubborn. As was she. 

"Check next time."

"Yes, sir, no, sir, three bags full, sir," she scoffed, unafraid to mock him since he wounded her pride with his haughty instructions, despite telling her numerous occasions that he didn't give a rat's ass about Junk-N-Stuff. She cared more about it. Therefore, he left most of it to her, saying she'd have half of everything when he finally got to call his wife, which would be in a million, billion years if he was planning the wedding. 

"Don't be a child, sweetheart," he sneered as he turned away, done with the conversation, but he couldn't help when the nickname slipped from his tongue. He could never use it with malice, even if he were being hypocritical, stupid, and stubborn, so he wasn't ashamed about it as he looked at Henry, just about their poor handling of the situation. 

"Me?! A child?! Have you heard yourself? That's rich com—"

"Come on, kid. Let's towel off this glitter, take a quick power nap and steal Schwoz's pot of gold," he grinned at the kid as he cut her off. How they were tired after so much sleep was anyone's guess, but it was probably something to do with the fact they slept in a van; for all his pouting and foot-stamping, Ray could never deny he slept better in his bed, with his precious girl, after tiring themselves out. Maybe it was that that made him so crabby. 

"Good call; I am so tired..."

"I know, right? Must be from all that sleeping," they shrugged and grabbed some towels from one of the shelves just as Schwoz dashed through the store with a small cauldron suspiciously full of gold coins. He ran so fast that he spilt a few as he zipped out of the store, practically hissing at anyone who looked at him or his treasure, whether they were a friend...or foe.

"You'll never get my pot of gold!" Ignoring Ray and Henry's promises that they'd get that pot eventually, he bounced out of the store, proving to be a peculiar sight for the guy who walked in as he left. At first glance, he was like any other customer, just a guy with a box of junk under his arm, so the heroes didn't stop towelling as he walked up to the counter. 

"Hi, can we help you?" (y/n) asked politely, switching to her demure, perpetually smiling mode as she did for every customer she served. A quick rake of her eyes over the young man and his demeanour made her tummy feel funny, not in that way, he was far too young for her, and as much as he pissed her off, she was a taken girl, but this guy seemed shady - jumpy, maybe. Highly suspicious. 

"Yeah, I saw your ad online," the guy replied as he walked up to them and placed his box on the counter. Huh, a glance inside told (y/n) everything she needed to know, recognising the contents instantly, but they pretended to be innocent. No point going in for the kill before getting a confession. 

"Oh, did you?" Charlotte asked loudly, hoping the boys were still paying attention, even with the towels over their heads.

"Yeah. Said you'll buy stuff, pay cash, not ask where it came from?"

"You know, that is what the ad said. I bet you came top of the class for your reading skills," (y/n) smiled brightly and ignored when the guy noticed and frowned at the glitter coating her and her helper. She really hoped he wasn't intelligent enough to put two-and-two together, and thankfully, he didn't say anything despite seeing the sparkles, preferring to get in and out with the hot goods. 

"Whatcha lookin' to sell?"

"Uhh...I got a bunch of neckties with the Vice Mayor's face on them. You interested?" He told them, holding up the hideous, bright blue ties with Willard's face splashed all over them. The girls hated to think what they'd been ordered for but pushed the thought to the backs of their minds as Henry and Ray slowly stopped rubbing their hair. Neckties? With Vice Mayor Willard's face? Now that caught their attention. 

"We are very interested in those. Got anything else?" Charlotte asked, seeing her friends turn around in the corner of her eye as the thief rummaged through his box again. 

"I've got season two of Will and Grace on Blu-Ray!" He told them, holding up the DVD so they could see it. It wasn't on their list, but it was stolen. The guy didn't have many morals in that box of his. 

"That's a good season!"

"It's a great season!" (y/n) recoiled when the shady guy snapped at her, causing Ray to put his hands on his hips as his anger rose. Whether they were in the middle of an argument or not was beside the point; no one, and he meant no one, yelled at, intimidated or was rude to his sweet girl. She was the loveliest, kindest, gentlest soul he'd ever encountered, and he loved her more than life itself - this guy would pay. 

"I've also got this hairdryer specially made for hot moms," he moved on and lifted the hairdryer so they could see it. (y/n) clenched her jaw at the description, wondering why on Earth the hot mom bit was so important and why salt seemed to pour into her wounds every time she turned a corner. Kris Hart this, hot mom that, was there any wonder she hated that she hated that woman?

"That—that is fantastic stuff. Where'd you get it?" Charlotte questioned as the hero and sidekick pulled the towels from their heads. They were dense but not that dense and suddenly aware that Charlotte's plan had worked - the guy came straight to them. Who was dense now?

"The ad said you wouldn't ask where it came from," the thief replied frostily, unaware that Captain Man and Kid Danger were now stalking his ass right as he copped to the entire job. "But whatever. I stole it."

"Oh, wow, and nobody tried to stop you?" Miss Danger raised an eyebrow, curious about what he'd say and her doofus' reaction. The poor guy didn't know he was signing his death sentence as he and Henry loomed over him from behind, jaws clenched as he started insulting them freely. 

"Well, there was this old guy and his son in a van trying to catch me."

"Old guy?!" Ray spluttered as he heard the terrible insult. Henry let it go like water rolling off a duck's back, but he knew how touchy his boss was about his age - forever strung up about how he would someday lose his fresh-faced, boyish youth and be forced into retirement. It didn't matter if it happened to everyone; he hated how it was happening to him, and he hated that he already had six years on his future wife when he wanted to spend every second of her life with her, worshipping everything she did. 

"Oh, yeah! There you are," the guy laughed breathily as he turned around to see the numskulls he tricked, unaware that the girl and hot lady at the counter were cringing at how he was the numskull, "you like that glitter bomb, old man? EUhhhhhhh!"

As he laughed at his mischief, the others joined in, cackling like he was the best comedian in the world for pulling such a good prank on those trying to hunt him. Whilst they laughed, (y/n) nudged Charlotte, telling her it was time to make herself scarce as Henry went over to the door, intending to lock it so the three heroes could take their revenge on such a gunch. 

"What's going on?" The thief queried as the shopkeepers and numskulls kept laughing to the point where it was getting creepy. He didn't understand why the old dude was slowly creeping towards him and twisting the red towel in his hands into what looked like a rope.

"Why's she heading toward the back?" He asked, feeling the joy leave his voice as a shiver ran down his spine. Things didn't seem so funny as he took in the situation and suddenly felt like an animal getting cornered, his instincts telling him to run even when all the exits were covered. 

"Why's he locking the door? And why's she coming over here?" He asked again as the fake laughter died down into chuckling and then into silence. The thief found himself staring down Captain Man of all people, with Miss Danger breathing down his neck and Kid Danger looking down on him, but it would be okay, right? They were just three weirdos in a junk store - nothing scary there. 

"...Say, friend, I couldn't help but notice..." Ray whispered to him in a husky voice that had (y/n) shivering from how undeniably hot he sounded, even though it wasn't the time or place to go all gooey, "you're not wearing green."

"And it's Avocado Day," Henry hissed, too, staring at the man as he stood in the doorway. 

"Sort of..." (y/n)'s hot breath rolled down the man's neck as she leaned in to murmur in his ear, and he jolted at having her so close. Never in his life had he felt so caged, and the thief hated how they all glared at him like that, especially when the old guy with the...huge muscles growled from the lady getting so near and when he realised what Avocado Day meant. 

"Oh, god..." he gulped, fearing what they'd do to him as Ray tightly gripped the towel. Oh, he didn't have to worry that much. He wouldn't pinch too hard. 

At first. 

~A while later~

There was nothing like job satisfaction at the end of a long day. Being able to say that the packages of Swellview were a little safer, thanks to them, made the job worth it for the Man Cave crew, and now that the asshole thief was in a police car on his way to the jailhouse, they could rest easy. 

Well, some found it more straightforward than others. 

Against her better judgement, (y/n) agreed when Charlotte asked if she wanted to help get the glitter out of Ray and Henry's hair, saying that the man wouldn't let anyone but her touch his. Then, she did some very well-played grovelling, saying all sorts of stuff like how she loved to touch her fiancé's hair, how no one could remove glitter as she could and how she, her poor helpless baby, needed some help from mama bear. 

That tugged at her heartstrings, and the woman caved, tearing up at the thought of the girl struggling against two boys and their beloved hair, so they got to work. Saying nothing, (y/n) picked up a hairdryer and began blowing Ray's hair, using her famous patience and perseverance to get down to the root where the glitter caked every strand. They were still arguing, at least in her head because Ray could joke, grin, purr and smirk at her all he wanted, but she was at the end of her rope. 

The storm was nearly here. 

"Man! How crazy was it that that package thief guy just happened to walk into Junk-N-Stuff, right?" The doofus shouted over the noise from the hairdryer, feeling cocky and victorious after pinching the hell out of that lowlife as his sidekicks held him down. Now, he got to lie back and think of honey-laced lips and soft hands that stroked through his hair so graciously, which was all down to luck. Nothing else. Definitely just luck.

"Uh, he walked in because Charlotte put an ad online," she told him, prodding his head to ensure he was listening, but Ray didn't reply. He stared off into nothingness with a dopey grin because the work and stress were done now, which meant he could quickly patch it up with his precious fiancée. Oh, it was tragic how he didn't feel himself falling until he hit rock bottom. 

"I've said it before, and I'll say it again, dude. Luck is a skill," Henry shouted, ignoring the outrage stewing behind him. Neither recognised how arrogant and conceited they were or how cruelly unfair to Charlotte as they sat back and enjoyed the spoils of war whilst those who did the actual work paid them a kindness. 

"Yeah, well, lucky for us, we got that skill!" Ray smiled and bumped fists with his youngest sidekick as they boasted about how amazing they were - and that was the last straw for poor Charlotte.

"Well, good luck getting the glitter out of your own hair," she told them in a sugary voice before slamming the dryer down and briskly walking to the secret door. She ignored (y/n)'s calls for her to come back, knowing that she'd end up ripping their heads off if she stayed any longer, wondering how her friend hadn't already. 

She didn't care at that moment; she didn't care what was said or done between the boys or between the couple; she just needed some air, so she left them to it. And that didn't go down very well with (y/n), who huffed and death-glared the giggling children on the couch as she too, approached the end of her rope. 

"What's her deal?" Henry asked blankly, wondering why his friend stormed off like that, but as a male running off cocky endorphins, he couldn't work it out, and neither could Ray. 

"Uh, she gets like this every Avocado Day," he replied with a shrug, not realising he was digging his hole deeper, even when (y/n) copied the girl and turned her hairdryer off. Sometimes, it baffled her how he could be so dense, emotionally stupid and inconsiderate. It made her wonder why she had to go and fall for him all those years ago because, certainly, there were easier men out there. 

"Well, who's gonna blow the glitter out of my hair now?" Henry questioned, glancing around the room with a vacant, almost expectant expression. Okay, (y/n) would have to remember to stop waiting on him hand and foot because this was ridiculous. She thought it was bad when her lover sat there with his mouth open and hands out, expecting everything to be given to him, but she wouldn't do it for both of them. Hell, she didn't want to do it for anyone right now. 

"Nah, it's all right. (y/n) can do both of us, right, sweet girl?" Ray suggested, tilting his head back so he could smile at her as she stared at him in disbelief. Since when had she turned into the Man Cave's maid?

"Raymond, I am also covered in this fucking glitter. If you think I'm going to run around after you two, then—"

"Ooh, I got an idea!" He cut her off with a high-pitched gasp, causing the heroine to bite her tongue until it risked bleeding. It was like he was using every trick in the book to try her patience, toeing and crossing every line, so she had to reign in her temper before she said something awful, but he was making it so damn difficult. 

"Sweet, dude. I'll warm up some milk," Henry grinned and went to stand up. She couldn't blame him when he was feeding off the boss' energy - Ray was the ringleader, the one barking orders and Henry, bless his heart, wasn't one for being so...fucking annoying. And he'd never intentionally jeopardise their relationship by encouraging his friend's pigheaded behaviour - he'd invested too much time and effort in it. 

"No, no, no, no, no, we can't nap our way out of this one, pal," Ray stopped him before he reached the auto-snacker, standing up to take his gum tube from his back pocket. His sidekicks eyed him curiously, wondering what he was thinking as (y/n) impatiently tapped her foot against the tiles. 

"Check it out. Pop a gumball, transform into Captain Man, Kid Danger and Miss Danger, and poof! All the glitter is gone!" He grinned as if he'd just solved world hunger, looking from the kid to his sweet girl, who scoffed at the notion of him finally acknowledging her. She'd been invisible all day, or he'd ignored everything she'd said, so now he was including her made her even angrier because it played into his ego. 

"Ah, question—do you ever get tired of being so awesome?"

"Don't encourage him, Henry. You'll make his head even bigger than it already is," she told the boy bitterly, causing him to freeze as she glared at Ray, whose entire body tensed up at the ice in her voice. What was her deal?

"Uh, well, actually, I've been tired the past couple of days, so I don't know why you're getting so moody," he scoffed, turning his back on Henry so he could fully face her, which used to make mousy (y/n) (y/l/n) back down instantly, but now, she was ready for an argument - gloves on, fury boiling over, venom prepared to spit. 

"Oh, you're tired? Are you tired after sleeping on the job for two days straight? I've been worried sick, running round, and cleaning up all your crap, Raymond, and you dare to call me moody?" She hissed, jabbing the space between his pecs with her finger, and he grabbed it in a tight, rough grip, ready to fight if ,that's what she wanted. 

"Yeah, I'll call you moody 'cause my fiancée can't seem to let me do anything without getting her panties in a twist. Don't shout, Ray! Don't eat with your mouth open, Ray! Don't talk to Henry's mom in case she flashes you, Ray!" He growled at her, riling her up with a mocking tone that was supposed to be her, although, in sane minds, neither of them would say she ever sounded that shrill and bossy. 

"I don't see why you have to bring her into this!" (y/n) whispered harshly, glancing over her shoulder to see Henry scuffing his foot against the tiles awkwardly. It was like getting caught between his mom and dad fighting, even if that was part of the problem. He could pinpoint the moment the woman internally panicked at being called out, recoiling into her best defences rather than admitting she was nothing short of jealous. 

"Oh, please. Do you know how difficult this mission has been, knowing you're at home sulking?"

"Difficult? Try twelve years loving you, and then you'll know the meaning of difficult, Raymond. I've put up with so much shit from you and never complained about it!" She shouted, growing increasingly frustrated and upset as she did her best to hurt him, and he did his best to hurt her. Tears sprang in her eyes at the scowl on his face, knowing it was directed at her as he fought them back, too, knowing he was making her cry. 

"Well, why don't you just leave if I'm such a bastard?" He asked cruelly, hating the question the moment he asked it because he didn't want to know the answer. He didn't want her to take it as rhetorical either since that would mean he'd have to stomach everything being over, and he couldn't do that. This would blow over like always, right?

"Because everyone knows you would fall apart without me! This place barely ran before I got here!" It was her turn to brag, gathering what was left of her pride and using it to batter him - a terrible, cruel way of showing him that she wanted to stay because her place was in the Man Cave, as part of his family. She wouldn't leave, even if the shouting match implied otherwise. 

"Well, there you go, then. Stop shouting, and you can stay as long as you want, darlin'. I'm sure I can make us forget all about this..." Ray replied with a smirk, feeling his anger melt into cockiness as he interpreted her words as a desperate cry for affection and validation. So, in a terrible misjudgement, he stepped forward and placed his large, warm hands on her upper arms, the smirk never leaving his face as he wiggled his eyebrows at her in the suggestion that they could fuck and this would all go away. 

And then the first stab of lightning struck. 

"What? For God's sake, Raymond, why do you always have to be so cocky, smug, and annoying?!" She cried, exasperatedly hitting her fists against his chest as his attempts to calm her down made her heart bleed even more. What should've made the tears stop and her words dry up made her feel trapped like she had nowhere to go, but into his arms and for once, she didn't want to be there, not when she felt like this, so she lashed out. And wounded them both. 

"God, Ray, I just—-I—fuck, sometimes, I—I hate you!" She screamed as her fist connected with his chest for the final time, and as it did, it was like the world stopped. Ray felt his heart stop as she hit him like she took what she held and crushed it in one simple squeeze. 

All the joking died within him, his smirk falling as she held her glare and breathed raggedly, hoping in her anger she'd done enough to be set free, but as his face drained of colour, she knew what damage she'd done. 

His fingers became loose and shaky on her shoulders, allowing her to wrench free from his grip so she could turn away from him and walk around the couch to stand alone for a moment. She cut a lonely figure, arms curled around herself to provide comfort as she cooled down and reeled from the argument, where she'd said and done things she didn't mean - but she'd said and done them anyway. 

Ray blinked a few times, surprised and expecting at the same time to feel tears in his eyes, and he tried to process those three ugly words. 

Only in his nightmares had he heard them, the darkest, cruellest ones that could never be real when he woke up in the morning to find his beloved still in his arms, smiling and in love with him. It didn't feel real, and in another moment, he would've worked out that she said it out of spite and anger, not from her heart, but he didn't want to listen to reason. He wanted his sweet girl, but she didn't want him. 

He always knew this would happen. 

"Um, let's just pop some gum and get this glitter outta my bum," Henry piped up in a small voice, not knowing what else to do. It was an awkward and clumsy attempt to break the ice, but no one could blame him for trying, not when he'd had to endure seeing that between the strongest couple he'd ever known. They'd never fought this bad, and a part of him was genuinely worried that things had been said and done that couldn't be taken back. 

"Y-yeah, popping, kid," Ray replied breathlessly, his hands shaking as he titled his tube until a glowing orb landed in his palm. He shoved it past his teeth quicker than Henry could ask if he was all right—he obviously wasn't, but he didn't know what else to say other than he'd bet his left kidney that (y/n) would rather die than end up hating him. 

He wanted to tell him everything as an outside observer, but he couldn't because his dad had an uncanny knack for calling at precisely the wrong moment. 

"Sup, pop-pop?" He answered the call as (y/n) begrudgingly trudged over and swallowed a gumball too. In the five seconds, she'd had to think, she knew that this was the lowest point in her life and possibly the one where her future self would look back and curse her for being so careless and cruel. That wasn't who she was; she was (y/n), the girl people went to for her kindness and caution, but in a split-second, she forgot herself and made the biggest mistake of her life. 

Telling the man she adored that she hated his guts - how could she ever forgive herself? Would he ever forgive her?

"Hey, happy Avocado Day. I'm looking for Piper." Mr Hart told his son, chirping before growing more serious since he hadn't seen his youngest in days. He couldn't think where she could've got to, but then again, she never told him of her movements or business. 

"Uh, when was the last time you saw her?" Henry asked, wishing this could wait until later since he had two broken lovers chewing gum, but he perked up in concern at the news about his sister. 

"Been a couple of days, and according to this parenting book I've been reading, I should be worried!" Well, duh, his daughter was missing. Why wouldn't he be worried? 

"Wasn't she picking up trash for community service?" Henry suggested, vaguely remembering the screaming match between Piper and their mom about something involving a stolen elephant. He'd had enough of those for a lifetime and felt antsy to get off the line so he could get the morons standing on either side of him to apologise and go back to being soulmates, but it seemed a good enough excuse for his dad. 

"Ah! We'll go with that!"

"Yeah, anything else? I gotta go," he told him quietly, glancing up to see the lovers standing uncharacteristically three feet apart and looking anywhere but at each other. That was not how it was supposed to be; they were supposed to be three millimetres apart and looking at nothing but each other, preferably with their eyes shut and their lips touching. Not that Henry would ever confess to thinking the icky sight was cute. 

"Yeah. There's a really big package on the front porch. Did you order something?" Mr Hart asked as he circled the mysterious box, which appeared out of nowhere, and his wife swore she hadn't ordered. She was too busy mailing out wedding invites and writing a list of good florists on behalf of her son's nice boss to order anything. 

"Um, I don't think soooo—-oh, no, we forgot about Jasper, dude! He's still in the box on my porch!" Henry cringed as he remembered their second failed stakeout and how his poor best friend had sat throughout the night just to be forgotten on his doorstep. 

He covered the receiver so his dad couldn't hear anything and looked to Ray for help, but he didn't feel like helping anyone when he pictured telling everyone he'd bragged to that he was no longer marrying the hottest, loveliest, sweetest girl on the planet, all because he pushed her to the brink. 

"I'll just open it..." Mr Hart shrugged as the line went quiet and figured that if someone had left it on their porch for so long and not come looking for it, then it was his to explore. Sort of. 

"No, no, no, no, no, no, don't open it!" Henry told his dad quickly, keenly aware that Jasper was lurking in the box with a goddamn taser in his hand, but it was too late. Mr Hart pulled his PearPhone away from his ear and reached down to remove the tape from the cardboard. All Henry heard in the final seconds what sounded like Jasper yelling, and the sound of a grown man suffering one hundred thousand volts of electricity before a thud, and the line went dead. 

Oh well, hopefully, that problem would sort itself out. 

"How—how's your dad? Say anything i-important?" (y/n) asked wearily, her voice shaky and scratchy like she was trying not to cry again because who was she to be upset? She'd done this, no one else; if anything, her doofus should be the one crying because he made the mistake of falling for the biggest bitch ever. She made Kris seem like an angel, and she selfishly felt her heart crack when she dared to glance up and see her steeled gaze - so strong even when she ripped holes in him. 

"Not really. Jasper tased him. Piper's missing. Let's get this glitter off," Henry told them, bringing them up to speed so they could finally remove the offending glitz. It would be the first of many remedies, and the kid planned on the second being shoving them in a room until they came out all lovey-dovey again, so even though the melon holy woman looked concerned at the mention of the missing girl, they took their places and began to blow. 

The bubbles pushed past their lips as the lovers awkwardly stood next to each other, closer than either would've liked since they were sure the other was wildly uncomfortable. Still, they ignored the tension and behaved like adults, steadily blowing the bubbles until they were nearly ready to pop. 

And that's when everything went wrong. 

In a shocking, bizarre twist of fate; a sharp squeal came from behind them as a small, dazed figure dropped from the tubes and luckily landed on its feet. Piper. 

She'd crawled through those goddamn tubes for days, taking every twist and turn in good humour until her stomach growled for food and her brain melted into mush from how far they went. She was sure she'd never find her way out after two days of crawling from Stank Street and that stupid car (looking inside was a massive mistake), but then, there was a sudden drop, and she had no choice but to go down. 

She landed on hard, solid ground - a relief after crawling on her knees for so long and she breathed a sigh of relief as she'd finally made it to the other side, wherever the other was. But then, her breath was stolen as she peered up through her messy hair and took in the bright, wacky room she'd landed in—and that's when she saw them. 

Her brother, Henry Hart, standing next to one of her best friends, (y/n) (y/l/n), standing next to her dumb fiancée and his boss, Ray Manchester, each of them blowing a luminescent bubble, and then, they popped. 

"Henry? (y/n)?" She asked in confusion, wondering what the hell they were doing down here and what that stuff was they were blowing, but it was too late for excuses. There was no time to run, and there was nowhere to hide. In a flash of light, Piper witnessed it all as the trio stood there in shock, powerless to stop the red and blue uniforms materialising around their bodies as they became those unmistakable figures. 

In front of her stood Captain Man, Miss Danger and Kid Danger, in the flesh, in their masks and shock. And she knew who they were. And they knew she knew; there was no denying it as she screamed at the top of her lungs from the pure shock. 

Her brother was Kid Danger. 

One of her best friends was Miss Danger. 

She was getting married to Captain Man - possibly. 

And now, the shitstorm was here.

#ray manchester #ray manchester x reader #captain man x reader #reader insert #danger force #x reader #henry danger #chapa de silva #dangerverse #fanfiction #ray manchester fanfiction #ray manchester smut #captain man smut #captain man #henry danger smut #kid danger #danger force season 3 #piper hart #henry hart #nickelodeon #jace norman #long post #love confessions #lovers #reader x character #xreader #angst #angst with a happy ending #light angst #drama

[bunnyweasley23]

STACKIE X ACTRESS!READER

You're an actress who has recently starred in the MCU movies as Steve and Bucky's super solider friend from the 40's

Chris sent you a video link with the comment

'You guys are hilarious🤣'

You clicked the link and a YouTube video titled Every Time Anthony Sebastian & Y/N proved they were the most chaotic trio in the MCU

The first clip was a video of you and Anthony walking up behind Sebastian while he was doing an interview on the red carpet you remembered this it was hilarious to the three of you but definitely fueled the dating rumors between you

"Oh my god! Look who it is!" You smiled to Mackie

"Oh my God! Sebastian Stan!"

"Man you're looking good! Don't you agree?" Anthony asked as you put your arms around both of them with an over exaggerated nod

"Man oh man! Let me tell you! He's just the hottest guy ever." You laughed at how red Sebastian's face was getting

"You ever see a guy this handsome walking the street he's gonna get arrested!" Anthony joked

"Because he's killing all the ladies!" He continued as you pretend to swoon and faint into Anthony's arms

"Look at that! POW! POW! POW! POW! POW!" The three of us laughed before I was pulled away by Scarlet to do an interview

_

The next clip was a video from when the three of you were reading thirst tweets

"@Y/Nsleftfoot says, I can't tell if I want to be Sebastian or Anthony or Y/N most days because damn they're hot as fuck!" You read with a laugh

"Thank you...that's very kind." Sebastian smiled awkwardly while you pinched his cheeks

"Who wouldn't want to be Mr. Stan! He's best friends with us!" You winked at the camera as Anthony wrapped his arm around you with a smile

"And he has an amazing couch!" He added and you nodded

"He denied it but I was there when he bought the couch! It's a nice couch!" You joked

_

The next clip was you crashing their panel with Tom Holland

"Have to talked to Y/N?" A fan asked

"She never answers my calls if I'm being honest." Tom joked

"Because you're annoying." Anthony laughed

"I talked to her this morning, she's doing good I think-"

"Are you talking about me?" You asked walking on stage to sit on the arm of the couch next to Sebastian

"Always!" Tom joked

"We get it kid! You have a crush! Why don't you stick to your juice boxes and let the big kids talk." Anthony laughed as Tom jokingly crossed his arms over his chest

"Oh that reminds me, here you go love." You laughed pulling a small bottle of Apple juice out of your jacket pocket and giving it to Tom making everyone laugh

"Jokes on you guys! I like apple juice." Tom laughed

_

The next clip was a more recent screen recording of Sebastian's Instagram story from the day you were late to set

"This video is for Y/N L/N who woke up late and now we have to wait for her to get her make up done." Sebastian said into the camera rolling his eyes

"Yea, I love her but girl is always holding us up." Anthony joked with a straight face

"First of all! I was late because you two asked me to get you coffee and I being the lovely best friend I am agreed to do so and I got caught in traffic." Your voice called from off screen

"Busted!"Daniel Brühl laughed walking past the three of you

_

The next clip was another behind the Scenes of falcon and the winter Soldier of the three of you goofing off on set

"Ahhhh!" You yelled running away from Anthony and Sebastian for absolutely no reason. Sebastian followed you also yelling as Anthony stayed behind to talk to the camera

"This is their first movie..."

"Is Not!" You yelled running back to jump into Anthony's arms

"Children,your all children!"Erin laughed from somewhere off camera.

#stackie x reader #stackie #actress!reader #marvel imagines #marvel cast #avengers cast x platonic reader #bucky barnes fanfic #sam and bucky #sam wilson #Sam x Bucky x y/n #falcon and the winter soldier

[robynlilyblack]

Navigation 

Outdated see new one here

About me

I mainly write for Remus, Sirius, James and Fred Weasley but I’m happy to make exceptions when I love the concept, just send in an ask about it if you are unsure. I tend to write full oneshots and series but I also do smaller blurbs and dialogues that you can request

My name is Robyn, I’m 22 and a proud Slytherpuff because why choose one house when you can be both 

Please feel free to ask me questions 💛

My Work

General Masterlist

Complete Series:

Incident with a Time Turner  [Sirius Black x Potter! reader]

Recent Oneshots:

Rain [young! Sirius Black x reader]

Brave little puff [Fred Weasley x Shy! reader]

My little hufflepuff  [Fred Weasley x Shy! reader]

I want you  [Fred Weasley x Malfoy! reader]

History repeating itself  [Draco Malfoy x reader]

Request Information:

My requests are open at the moment so feel free to request a fic but please read below before sumbitting one:

Please give me some kind of plot to work with along with who you want the blurb/oneshot to be about, eg. character x gender! reader (i will assume they/them if not specified and I am comfortable writing reader with a female character, eg. if someone requested Marlene i’d be into it x)

If you don’t specify a house I'll write it as netural or i’ll choose one which fits the storyline

Feel free to request AU’s, eg. soulmate, post war, no voldy, muggle, royal etc.

I don’t write smut; I will write the lead up, some spicy make out sessions and talk about sex and mature themes but I won’t write explicit content

You can also request short series ideas or part 2′s to existing works

You can request fics with an aspect you have seen in my other fics, eg. lupine wolf etc

Requests can be anonymous or you can ask to be tagged

It takes time to write and I want to make sure it's the best it can be, so please be patient 💛

My Original Characters:

These characters are of my own creation, they will be used in fics and in longer fanfics that I may work on, click on links for character art!

Robyn Lily Black - Main OC

Bonnie Nathair 

Jamie Amelia Black

Jessica McConnell 

Sam Tonks

Joesph Evan Taggart

Emily Rose Taggart

Timothy Greengrass

Extra art

Cannons in my writing and things to know:

Below is some of the things i tend to keep cannon in my writing but these can differ depending on the readers house and storyline:

If the reader is Hufflepuff they are always friends with Jess McConnell and Cedric Diggory, aka the citrine trio

If the reader is Slytherin they will usually be friends with Timothy Greengrass and Joey Taggart, aka the emerald trio

I won’t write Marlene, Angelina, Pansy or Astoria as villians, they may be in the story but I refuse make them toxic for the sake of it

Cedric won’t be used as a way of making people jealous, I see that used alot plus I really like Cho and Cedric so i prefer to write him as a good friend/brother figure

Neville and Luna are always sweeties

Marlene and Dorca are always iconic queens

I usually write for a female character but I’ll write any gender when requested

If you don’t like 🏳️‍🌈 relationships then this isn’t the page for you

#remus x reader #sirius x reader #fred weasley x reader #draco x reader #Remus Lupin #Sirius Black #fred weasley #Draco Malfoy #harry potter fanfiction #Robynlilyblack

[rorykeanerwife]

always? forever :: r. keaner ::

summary :: “promise,” you held out your pinky. “Always,” Rory said, linking his pinky with yours— the biggest smile spread across the blonde boys face. || when spending time with Rory, you realize that his not just your friend… he realized it too.

paring :: rory keaner x fem!reader

warnings :: fluff, slight smut (makeout;) )

word count :: 2.1k

[a/n] :: heyyy!! I love mbav and rory is the love of my life :)) I hope you enjoy this lol!! Let me know if you wanna be tagged and if you have any request <3

“Yo what’s up bros?”

Rory quickly walked over the the tall and short brunette pair, Ethan and Benny. They groaned in response to the sound of the blondes voice approaching quickly. The trio had been friends since freshman year and have stuck together ever since.

Ethan and Benny have always been closer then they were with Rory, but the liked him and included him in their ‘group’. To Rory, they were the closest friends ever. Three peas in a pod, the three musketeers. He thought that he had found his best friends. He wasn’t wrong. Ethan and Benny did consider Rory a close friend to them, but they had to admit, Rory could be very very annoying at times. Especially when they were working on solving another supernatural problem that had ran up on White Chapel.

On the other hand, to the outsiders looking in, Rory wasn’t really considered their friend. It looked as if Benny and Ethan were always leaving him out.

Rory was oblivious to it all but you could see it clearly. You knew that Ethan and Benny never meant to do this to Rory, but it still pains you to see the look of sadness wash across his face every time they rejected Rory form hanging with them.

“Heyyy..Rory,” Benny breathed with a slight crack in his voice, slowly turning away from Ethan to face the tall Blonde now standing in front of them.

“I was thinking, maybe we could all hang at Ethans place later tonight and play this new game I got last weekend. My mom got it for me since I got an A+ on my english quiz this week!” Rory started to ramble as usual.

Benny and Ethan looked at each other with an expression that was hard to read. Rory stood in anticipation, a small smile spread across his lips as he waited for the boys answer.

“Uhhh—“

“Sorry Rory. We have umm—,” Benny stuttered, not sure how to let him down easy. Rory could since the disappointment coming but was still hopeful that his closest friends would say yes to his offer.

“We can’t! I’m really sorry Rory. I have to help my mom with a dinner tonight and Benny is also helping soooo… another time?”

“Y-yeah. Of course! I’m free tomorrow. And the day after that! And the days after that.”

Benny and Ethan smiled and nodded as they began to walk to their next class, biology. Rory stood in silence. His usual baby blue eyes darkening as disappointment washed over his usual happy, go lucky features, watching as they walked away.

You watched the whole scene from your locker across the hall. Your heart sinking as you watched it all play out and how it ended. You finished whatever you needed to do in your locker and made your way towards the tall blue eyed boy. Slinging your bag over your shoulder, you went up behind Rory and placed your chin on his shoulder as best as you could.

“Hi buddy,” you said cheerfully with a big smile, trying your best to lighten the mood. Moving off of him, he spun around quickly to see your face. His cheeks red with a blush of excitement. The boy wrapped his arms around your waist, lifting you slightly while hugging you tightly. You giggle I’m response.

The trio had met you at the same time they met Erica and Sarah. You had been one of the fledglings at Jesses party. You and Sarah had been childhood best friends and excepted Erica into your click instantly. Once you met Benny, Ethan and Rory you had been drawn to the blonde of the group. He was adorable to yuou. His black glasses and messy locks of hairs. His goofy smile just melted your heart; but now…Rory wasn’t the cute shy little boy to you anymore. He was a tall, and some what muscular. His hair was the prettiest shade and slightly longer, his lips were the plumpest and most rosie color you had seen. You couldn’t get enough of how deep his voice had gotten since you met him. It was raspy but smooth. His style had changed as well. Right now he was wearing one of those cute nerdy shirts he loved so much with a blue and red plaid flannel and a pair of jeans with some of the newest pair of shoes that had came out and a black watch. His style fit his personality somewhat but it didn’t matter to you. You loved it.

But you had to push your attraction towards him away, not wanting to loose the chaotic and goofy friendship the two of you shared.

Stepping away you admired the smile spread across his face as he grinned at you.

“Hi y/n. What are you up to?” He questioned.

“Ooohhh nothing,” you said stretching out your words as you hands were placed behind your back. “Just thinkin’ about how bored I’ll be tonight with no one to hang out with…on a Friday night.” If it wasn’t obvious enough, you were hinting that you want Rory to ask you to spend time with him instead, so that you could comfort him from being let down by Ethan and Benny. Your raised your eyebrows in a hinting motion as Rory stared at you cluelessly. Finally, he understood and jumped at the change.

“Oh-oh, do you wanna come over and play my new—“

“Yes! I’ll be there tonight at 6 with snacks and blankets,” you cut him off and winked as you walked away. He stood frozen with the biggest smile. He let out a small ‘yes’ of excitement before using his vampire sped to run off to his next class. You never understood how no one caught him.

“Sweet thing you did for the dork,” you heard Erica say to you from your left side.

“Yeah, that was really nice of you to do y/n/n,” Sarah said from the other.

“Thanks guys, I just feel so bad for him.”

“Let us know how it goes with count-dorkcula.”

“Enough with the nicknames, Erica,” you giggled at your her as they both joined in on the laughter that continued as you made your way into class.

<<<<<>>>>>

“Oh— hello?”

“Hi! I’m here for Rory. Is he here?”

Rorys mom answered the door as you knocked on it right at 6 o’clock. His mom looked at you with shock. Not in a bad way, but she was surprised that you were there for her son. A girl. She didn’t expect it but was proud of her boy.

“Um yes..yes! Rory is right upstairs.” She said with a smile as she swung the door open wider. You stepped inside with a soft smile, blankets and candy in your arms. Your eyes scanned the house before you looked at the staircase. There stood the tall blonde with a big smile as he ran down the stairs, grabbing the stuff from your arms. You laughed at his excitement.

“You came!”

“Of course I did silly. Why wouldn’t I?”

“We’ll I usually get ditched when I make plans,” the said with a small frown. Pain shooting through his eyes. Your heart aches for the boy.

“Hey,” you started softly, “I would never, ever do such a thing. I promise.” You held out your pinky for a pinky swear. Rory gladly took it and ran upstairs to put the things your brought into his room.

You watched as he went up the all giddy with a smirk. Glancing at his mother, she talk you that she would be going out for a while and mouthed you small ‘thank you’ as she left the house. You giggled as you skipped up to his room.

Opening his door, you smiled as you saw he already had everything set up for the two of you. He had the blankets you brought all set up and the snacks in large bowls. He was sat in the middle of it all with loose sweat pants and one of those nerdy shirts he loves so much, with the tv remote in his hand. The only thing missing was—

“Hey Rory, where’s the game?” You questioned looking around for it, wondering why it wasn’t out.

“W-well, I thought we could just watch movies. If that’s ok with you?” You couldn’t help but let a slight blush creep up you neck and onto your cheeks as you nodded your head at the offer.

Walking over to the bed, Rory handed one of his sweatshirt, saying something about how he knew girls liked it when guys game them their hoodies. You started laughing and he chuckled nervously as you grabbed the hoodie form him, slipping it over your head with ease and and joining him on the bed.

“What movie should we watch?”

“How about Star Wars? It’s amazing!”

Rory stared at you for a moment with a euphoric feeling running through his veins. He quickly nodded and turned on the movie you chose to start with.

About thirty minutes into the movie, you and Rory had relaxed onto the bed. You noticed him scooting closer and closer but decided not to say anything. Rory glanced at you continuously, thinking you wouldn’t notice. Looking back at the movie, he cautiously wrapped his arm around your shoulders. You tensed at the feeling but enjoyed it immensely. You shifted your weight into him more. Confidence started to take over Rory. A feeling he hadn’t felt before. His arm wrapped around your waist, pulling you closer into his chest. You turned to the side a little, resting your head on his chest and your arm around his own waist. You let out a deep sigh, enjoying the feeling and warmth.

“Rory.”

“Yea,” he said looking down at you as you looked up at him due to the position you were in. You just admired the way of how perfect he looked to you.

“I- I just.. I have to say tell you something.” You couldn’t hide it anymore. You had to tell the boy how you felt, truly. You sat up on your knees as you shifted to face you.

“Is it bad? I’m really sorry if I did something wrong. I didn’t mean to-“

“No! No. I just need to get this out,” he nodded and listened closely. “Your the funniest, most charismatic, loving, honest, coolest, and- might I add- your very very good looking and I just really wanted to tell you. I like you and I wanted to tell you cause I feel like I falling deeper and deeper for you.” You paused, looking into his eyes, trying to find an answer.

He didn’t say anything. His big hands wrapped around your face as he pulled you in, tilting his head so that he could fit his lips perfectly to yours.

“I really wanna kiss you,” he breathed with a smile chuckle.

“Please do it,” you couldn’t believe this was happening and you wanted to do badly. His lips pressed onto yours, softly. You lifted your hand to wrap around the back of his neck, playing with the hair on the nape of his neck. Your lips started to move against his and he obliged quickly, loving the feeling as much as you did. The two of you slowly separated, your lips still brushing against each other’s.

“Where have you been all my life,” he said with a smile, his hands still on your face. Your fingers still playing with the hair on his neck.

“That doesn’t matter right now. What matters is that I’m here. Right now. With the one person I want to be with for as long as I possibly can.”

His thumb brushed the skin on you cheeks, his face moving closer to yours even more as he pressed his lips to yours, staying like that for a few seconds before pulling them back.

“Y/n.”

“Yes Rory.”

“I love you. So so much.” You couldn’t contain yourself anymore, you wrapped your arms around his neck tightly, your legs moving to around his waist- his arms going to around yours as the two of you laughed. Your forehead rested on his.

“I’m so in love with you,” the two of you said in unison. You giggle as Rory buried his head in the crook of your neck, then mumbling against your skin.

“I’m never letting you go.”

#angst #fanfic #fanfiction #fluff #imagine #long reads #smut #Rory #rorykeaner #rory keaner #rory keaner x reader #rory vampire #rory keaner angst #rory keaner smut #rory keaner fluff #mbav #mbav season 3 #mbav rory #mbav fanfic #mbav x reader #mbav sarah #mbav benny #mbav ethan #mbav imagines #my babysitters a vampire imagines #my babysitters a vampire

[cloudteawrites]

chapter: six ( 15.5k ) rating: mature (death, past abuse, eventual smut) genre: mystery | romance | hurt/comfort tags: bts x reader | ot7 x reader | hybrid | poly summary: when an estranged uncle leaves you his massive fortune you wonder if the universe is playing a joke on you. when that fortune comes with seven hybrids, you know for sure that it is. << first < previous | next > last >>

what is hybrid marking

8.2 million results. 

While scent mixing (heretofore referred to as ‘scenting’) is temporary and lasts a maximum of twelve hours if left undisturbed, scent marking (‘marking’ in common parlance) is semi-permanent. A ‘mark’ is created when the pheromones present in a hybrid’s bodily fluids are applied directly to their markee’s skin. When said chemical compounds seep below the epidermis and bond to the sweat glands found within the dermal layer of the skin, the target has been officially ‘marked’. Between domesticated hybrids and their human caretakers, this is most commonly done by applying hybrid saliva to the skin of the neck, where a human’s scent tends to be strongest. While the behavior involved in marking resembles some aspects of human foreplay, it is a non-sexual expression of mutual trust and affection. It is important to note that most hybrids of age are able to mitigate the oral secretion of pheromones and cannot mark accidentally-

“How do I look?” 

The sound of Jimin’s voice makes you jump. You fumble with your phone, trying to exit out of the website, shove it in your pocket and look at the leopard hybrid’s outfit at the same time.

“You look great!” You tell him once the device is safely tucked away.

He rolls his eyes at you. “You’ve said that about everything I’ve shown you.”

You had, but only because it was true. No matter what the trio of hybrids tried on, they all looked great. You weren’t sure what it was, but seeing them in something other than neutral sweat suits made them look even better than they already had. You were discovering they all had unique senses of fashion too. Taehyung preferred earth tones, soft fabrics and slouchy cardigans, Yoongi tended toward plaid overshirts and dark denim and Jimin had just come out of the dressing room in his sixth button down and second pair of chelsea boots. 

When the four of you had arrived at the mall that afternoon, you’d told them to go wild and call you when they were ready to check out. There was an entire section of the shopping center that catered specifically to hybrids and you were certain they’d be able to find everything they needed and more. You’d been all set to sequester yourself in a booth in the food court and indulge your hybrid research habit, but Taehyung had fixed you with a forlorn look the moment you tried to part with them and Jimin had insisted that you personally review every piece of clothing he put on. You wouldn’t deny that you were having fun, but surreptitiously trying to google what every little thing they did meant without getting caught was getting harder and harder. 

Jimin breezes past you to the semi-circle of mirrors on the far end of the fitting rooms, brushing his tail against your shins as he passes. That was another thing that had changed. Since the talk you’d had with the boys last night, it seemed like they were always finding some excuse to touch you or brush up against you . You didn’t know if it was a manifestation of their cat genes or them just wanting physical reassurance that you were there, but it seemed like every time you turned around there was a tail curling around your calf or a nose tip against your ear or a shoulder brushing your own. You were practically wreathed in them. Even Yoongi hadn’t seemed to mind when your fingertips had brushed against each other at breakfast when you’d passed him the juice. You didn’t know if you should count that as progress, but you want to. 

You’re not entirely used to physical contact and nearly every time Taehyung rubs his cheek on the top of your head or Jimin reaches out to link your fingers together, you jump. It feels strange, to have people be so blatantly physically affectionate with you. It’s not like you dislike it, exactly, it’ll just take some getting used to. Whatever adjustments you need to make, you know you’ll need to make them quickly. You don’t think the hybrids will give up on friendly hugs just because you never initiate them first.  

“Y/N-ah,”Jimin calls, catching your attention. He’s twisting this way and that on the platform, trying to catch his reflection in every possible angle. He hums in disappointment as he turns back to the front, tail waving behind him. “This collar,” he says, tugging on the offending band of bright green plastic around his neck, “-is ruining my outfit. We’ll need to get real ones today.” 

You feel like a stone has settled in your stomach. Your shoulders sag, but if the leopard hybrid notices, he doesn’t say anything. “Yeah,” you reply. “Yeah, you’re right.” In truth, you’d hoped to put it off for a little while longer. Collaring and leashing a hybrid had always seemed odd to you. After all, weren’t they people too? The law was the law, you knew, but something about publicly and visibly marking someone as property...well, the morality of it was gray at best. The temporary collars had provided you with a stay from the inevitable, but there was no avoiding it any longer, you supposed. They’d have to get collars. 

“I saw a store for them a couple shops down,” Taehyung supplies as he steps out of his dressing room in a white linen shirt and cream drawstring pants. “We could go there?” 

“That works for me...Taehyung, one of your buttons is in the wrong hole.” 

The tiger hybrid squints down at his shirt, feels blindly for the hole he missed, but can’t seem to find it. 

“No,” you tell him. “Not that one, the other- do you just want me to fix it?”

He pauses and looks up at you for a solid three seconds before giving a single, slow nod. 

You come to stand in front of him and start undoing the buttons from the top. There’s only four of them but each one you pop open reveals more and more of his honey brown skin and prominent collar bones. Your fingers brush his skin accidentally and he chuffs happily, one hand resting on your lower back as you start buttoning him up again. Heat starts crawling up your neck unbidden. Even through the fabric of your t-shirt, you can feel the warmth of his palm, how long his fingers are. He presses you closer until your arms are nearly flat against your chest as you try to finish buttoning him up. It’s hard to move squished between the insistent pressure of his hand and the- surprisingly- hard line of his body, but you make do. “There!” You pat him gently on the chest as you finish the last button. “All done.”

He dips forward and rubs his cheek against your forehead, rumbling so deep in his chest that the vibrations pass into you. “Thank you.” He releases you and pulls away, but as he does, his lips brush against your hairline. You try not to read too deep into it. 

The tiger hybrid sidles over to his friend in the mirror, wrapping his arms around the smaller man’s waist and dipping his head into his neck. Jimin reaches back and scratches behind one of his ears and your heart swells in your chest. It was nice to see them be so openly affectionate with each other. They’re so close in a way you can’t even begin to understand. It’s beautiful. 

Your phone buzzes in your pocket and you thumb the screen to life. An incoming call from Mr. Seo. “You guys keep trying stuff on,” you tell the pair, already standing to make your way out of the dressing room. “I’ve gotta take this.”  They both call at you to hurry back and you give them a shout of assent as you rush away. 

The second you’re outside the store, you answer. “Hello?”

“Ms. L/N,” Mr. Seo’s voice crackles on the other end of the line. “I trust you’ve settled in well.” It isn’t a question and the tone of his voice makes it clear that he doesn’t wish to spend what precious time he has exchanging pleasantries with you. 

“Yeah, everything’s okay.” Everything had most certainly not been okay when you’d emergency dialed him two days ago about the tiger on your couch. The text he’d sent you back six hours later had told you to figure it out. You had and you knew you weren’t his responsibility, but him tossing you in the deep end was still a sore spot for you. 

“There’s been a change of plans.” 

You grimace. Straight to it, then. “What’s going on?” 

“Black Mountain Canines- the company your uncle purchased two of the hybrids from- changed their pick-up date. They want you to come get them in person today.”

“Pick-up?” You frown. “No, they were supposed to drop them off.”

“They were,” Mr. Seo confirms, “But it’s apparently no longer profitable for them to drive all the way into Seoul to hand-deliver two of their charges. They also claim they’re incurring additional expenses by feeding and housing two hybrids who’ve already been purchased, but we’ll see about that when we arrive.”

Your anxiety spikes and your fingers wrap tighter around your phone. You’d promised the boys a whole day out. All you’d done so far was get them phones of their own and furniture for their room. There was still so much to do, so much to see. “What about Yoongi and Jimin and Taehyung?” You blurt out.

Mr. Seo sighs and his breath crackles over the receiver. “Those are the cats, I assume? I suggest you let them know sooner rather than later that they’ll have to share their space.” There’s a flurry of movement on his end of the line, the sound of someone calling his name and papers shuffling. “I have to go; they need me to look over some case files.” He tells you. “I’ll be at Haneul Tower to pick you up in three hours. Be downstairs waiting.”And the line clicks off. 

You sigh and hang up. What were you going to tell the boys? Day one of your new friendship and you were already breaking promises. 

“Trouble?” Yoongi’s voice right behind you makes you flinch and whirl on him. His ears press back against his head and he takes a step back at your sudden movements. 

“Sorry!” You tell him, forcing your spine to relax. “Sorry, I didn’t notice you there; I thought you were still shopping. ”

“I can tell,” he snarks, but there’s no heat behind it. His eyes trace the line of your shoulders, still tense and flick to the phone in your hand. “I dropped my stuff at the register. What’s going on?”

You gnaw on the inside of your cheek, nerves making your stomach ache. “C’mon,” you tell him, walking back into the store. “Let’s pay and grab some lunch. I’ll tell you when we sit down.” He follows after you a few paces behind, trying not to let worry prick in him at the anxious shift in your scent. Something was about to change, he was sure, and not entirely for the better. 

Twenty minutes later, the four of you are sitting in the food court, a mess of shopping bags at your feet and a bowl of tteokbokki between you. Yoongi and Jimin had picked out all the fish cakes first and were bickering good-naturedly over who the last one should go to, but Taehyung seemed content to just gnaw at his rice cakes. You’d hardly touched anything, your eyes flicking back to the time on your phone. 1:20 P.M. Two hours and forty minutes ‘til Mr. Seo would be at your apartment to pick you up and bring you to get two more of the hybrids your uncle had bought. You push a rice cake around on your paper plate with the end of your chopstick. Well, no point delaying the inevitable. 

“Hey, guys?” You call softly. Three pairs of ears swivel toward you immediately. The words die in your throat and your tongue feels like lead as they look at you, all their eyes focused and expectant. You clear your throat and force yourself to continue. “So...you know how I…” You search for the right word, but there’s really no other way to say it. “...inherited you guys from my uncle?” 

Taehyung’s eyes flick toward Jimin and the leopard hybrid brushes his tail against the tiger’s. Silent communication you couldn’t even begin to decipher. “Yeah,” Yoongi says, tossing his chopsticks down and leaning back in his chair. “I told them.”

That was right. What you’d blurted out at Yoongi yesterday on the street you had yet to disclose to his juniors. “Thanks, Yoongi,” You tell him, meaning every word of it. He’d spared you from yet another uncomfortable conversation. 

“...For what it’s worth, we’re glad it’s you,” Taehyung tells you, his tail twining around your ankle under the table. He looks at his hyungs for confirmation and when neither of them deny it, he settles his amber gaze back on you. “We like being here with you, even if you didn’t pick us. It’s...It’s nice.”

You can’t help the smile that tugs at your lips at his words. He beams at you, his boxy smile soft despite the sharp incisors poking his bottom lip. “I like having you guys around, too,” you admit, taking the time to meet each of their eyes. Jimin purrs as you look at him, the corners of his mouth curling. When your gaze meets Yoongi’s, his ears twitch but he doesn’t look away. He doesn’t blink either, just holds your stare with an intensity that makes heat crawl up your neck. You suddenly remember the warm stretch of his body over your’s, the sensation of his lips against your neck. You snatch your eyes away and cough to cover your lapse in speech.  “It would’ve been scary, I think, if I had to deal with all this alone.” 

You couldn’t even imagine it.That clinically clean apartment with its blank white walls and its imposing emptiness would have driven you down until you couldn’t stand it anymore. You’d always had a little pit of loneliness inside you. You didn’t know how long it’d been there. Maybe it always had been, a seed of something sad and dark at the core of your soul. You’d done well keeping it contained. You felt it in your goshiwon, but your room was small. It couldn’t grow beyond your keeping. In Oliver’s penthouse, it would’ve had endless room to sprawl and with no one to clip it back, you would’ve choked to death on vines of doubt.

“There are others,” you tell them, before you can down spiral into the mire of your own thoughts. “He bought other hybrids before he died. They weren’t supposed to be coming until next week but their company wants me to come get them today.” 

The mood at the table shifts almost immediately. Taehyung’s ears and tail sag, Jimin’s smile goes sharp at the edges and Yoongi’s lip curls. “How many others?” He asks, crossing his arms over his chest. You notice he does that when he’s nervous or uncomfortable. It’s a defense mechanism, no matter how at ease it makes him seem. 

“Four,” you answer and the bobcat hybrid’s ears tilt back in irritation. “Two are coming home today and the other two toward the end of next week.” Jimin doesn’t say anything, but you see the tip of his tail flicking back and forth. He’s annoyed. Taehyung drops a hand onto the smaller hybrid’s back and rubs circles in it, trying to soothe him. 

“Maybe it’ll be okay?” The tiger hybrid offers. He’s trying his best to be diplomatic, but you hear the strain in the deep timbre of his voice. “Having other cats around again might be nice. We used to live with a lot back at the center…”

You wince. “...they’re canines.” Almost immediately, all of their ears go flat against their skulls and they hiss in unison. Yoongi stifles himself the quickest, setting a hand on Jimin’s knee and squeezing to get the leopard hybrid to get a hold of himself. 

“Hybrids of different species don’t play well together,” he explains. “Especially not when our animals are solitary in the wild. The only reason Jimin, Tae and I are able to stand sharing the same territory is because we’ve known each other since we were kids and we’ve had to do it before.”

Before? A question forms in the back of your mind, but now isn’t the time to ask it.

“We don’t like sharing what’s ours,” Jimin continues for his hyung, interlocking his fingers with yours on the plastic table top. “It’s instinctual.”

“I know, I know.” You squeeze his hand lightly, trying to reassure him. “But the apartment is big; can’t you avoid each other starting out?”

All three of them give you a strange look and Jimin’s lips curl in a way that isn’t quite a smile. “...right,” he purrs, a little delayed. “The apartment.”

You chew on the inside of your cheek, anxiety sinking its claws into you. “I’m really sorry to spring this on you guys, I know it’s not great, but…” Your shoulders sag. “I don’t want to have promised someone a home and rip the rug out from under them, you know?” You knew what that felt like. You wouldn’t wish that feeling on your worst enemy. “I’m just...I’m worried that they’re not being treated well.”

“They were up for sale,” Yoongi drawls. “They definitely aren’t.” 

The taxi ride back to Haneul Tower is uncomfortably quiet. Jimin still holds your hand and Taehyung still leans on your shoulder, but nobody says a word. You help them carry their bags upstairs and drop them off in the master bedroom. You’d told them they could have separate rooms if they wanted, but they’d insisted on sharing, so you thought it was only fair that they get the largest room in the penthouse. Clothes went onto hangars and into closets and before you knew it, there were only ten minutes until Mr. Seo’s arrival. 

“You don’t have to go,” Taehyung huffs. He’s got you wrapped in a bear- well, you suppose a tiger hug and his cheek is mashed against the top of your head. You don’t even think he’s actively scenting you at this point, just keeping you from leaving. “Send your assistant instead and stay here with us.”

You let out a puff of laughter and pat the hybrid on the back in a way you hope is soothing. “Mr. Seo isn’t my assistant, buddy, he’s my uncle’s attorney.” You give a little tug away from him and he lets you go, albeit with a sad little mrow that makes him sound just like a disappointed cat. “I couldn’t ask him to do that. The only reason he’s coming is because they broke the contract. And I can’t drive.” 

The look Taehyung gives you is so downtrodden that you toy with the idea of calling the whole day off and staying with them- but no. You can’t bail out now, especially not with what you’d put Mr. Seo through when the first group of hybrids were delivered. “I’ll be back before you know it,” You tell him with a steadfast smile. 

“You’d better,” Jimin says, nudging the taller hybrid out of the way. Taehyung gives a half-hearted growl, but settles as Yoongi squeezes his shoulder. “The longer you’re away, the longer you’ll have to sit in the stench of those mutts.”

You frown. “Jimin-”

“Only joking,” He soothes, bringing both of your hands up to his cheeks. You don’t believe him, but you don’t press it. The leopard hybrid nuzzles into your palms, purring happily at the feeling of your skin against his. Your palms nearly burn from how warm he is. You feel a warm puff of air against your fingers and tense as Jimin presses all ten of them against his lips. 

“Jimin.” Yoongi’s voice is hard, but his junior’s lips curl up in a satisfied smile, one of his incisors pricking at the pad of your index finger. 

“Hurry back,” he murmurs. You try not to shiver at the feeling of his plush lips moving against your oversensitive fingertips. 

“I’ll do my best!” You say,  a pained smile tugging your lips apart. He hums in response and drops your hands, his fingers trailing across yours as he lets you go. 

“Hyung,” he calls over his shoulder. “Is there anything you’d like to say to Y/N-ah?”

“Don’t let them scent you.” Is all Yoongi says as he breezes toward the stairs. “You know better now.” 

It’s as much as you were expecting. “I’ll see you guys later,” You tell them as you head out the door. “Finish setting your phones up and text me if you need anything!”

True to his word, Mr. Seo is parked out front at 4 o’clock on the dot. You haven’t seen him in a little over a week and you’d almost forgotten how imposing he was. He cuts a sharp figure against the backdrop of the bustling street, dressed in all black and leaning against a brand new Buick Enclave. The poor valet stationed at the front door looks like he’s been trying to work up the courage to ask to park his car for the past twenty minutes and sags in relief as you start heading over.

The lawyer dips his head in acknowledgement at you and checks his watch. “Miracle of miracles,” he says, popping open the passenger side door for you. “You’re on time.”

“I was late one time,” you huff, sliding past him and into your seat.

“And that was enough,” he snips back, closing your door before you can come up with a retort. You grumble to yourself, but don’t press him. You know he’s right. He’d gone out of his way to help you and you’d put him out. 

“I’m sorry,” you tell him as he settles into his seat and reaches for his seatbelt. “It won’t happen again; I know you’ve got other things to do.”

He stills and looks at you over the gold frames of his glasses. For a long moment he holds your gaze, unblinking. You gnaw on the inside of your cheek. Had you done something wrong? 

Finally Mr. Seo blinks and finishes buckling himself in. “I apologize for staring, I wasn’t sure if I’d heard you correctly.” He push starts his car and pulls away from the curb. “I never thought I’d see the day a L/N would apologize to me.” He edges the car into the steady stream of Seoul traffic and you’re off, zooming toward the freeway.

Silence fills the car again, but as Mr. Seo takes on-ramp, you work up the courage to ask your question. “Did Oliver never apologize to you?”

Mr. Seo snorts and it’s such an undignified sound that you almost can’t believe it comes from him. “You could tell your uncle the sky was blue and he’d argue that it was red until he was. And your grandfather-” He seems to catch himself, reigning back whatever meager bits of his personality had managed to slip through the cracks in his normally flawless veneer. You’re all ears.

Up until a week and a half ago, you hadn’t known you had any family, much less an uncle who owned buildings and bugattis. Now you were finding out that you had a grandfather too. “What about my grandfather?” The word feels strange in your mouth. It’d been years since you’d followed the word ‘my’ up with any type of familial relation. 

Mr. Seo cuts his eyes at you, and flicks them back to the front. “Nothing,” he replies, clearly done talking about him. “I spoke out of turn.” He reaches forward and turns on the radio, the sound of national news filling the silence.

You pout and slouch in your seat, disappointment setting in as the promise of new information slipped out of your grasp.

The rest of the drive is easy. Mr. Seo takes the highway out of Seoul and up into the foothills but you’re asleep before he even finds the exit. You’d slept more in the past two days than you had in the previous three weeks, but it seemed like years of bad habits were catching up to you.

Last night, you’d passed out halfway through the second movie snuggled up between Jimin and Taehyung. They’d been so warm and soft and the quiet thrumming of their heartbeats had lulled you to sleep before you knew what was happening.You’d woken up with them still curled around you and -maybe most surprising of all- Yoongi plating breakfast in the kitchen.

Still, it seemed even twelve hours of the best sleep you’d gotten in years and a peaceful morning devoid of stress -for the most part- hadn’t been enough.

You wake up just as the asphalt transitions into gravel, the sound of it crunching under the tires and the car’s shaking waking you up. You’re bleary-eyed and confused, but a sign up ahead snaps you to wakefulness. Standing like a guardian over a chain link fence topped with barbed wire is a metal sign, imposing as it is tall: Black Mountain K-9s, written in stark font.

“We’re here,” Mr. Seo says, as if it’s not obvious. He kills the engine and without its purring to distract you, you feel nerves starting to boil in your belly. What kind of place was this? You half expect sinister organ music to kick on and lightning to start flashing from black clouds. Neither of those things happen, though. The sky remains startlingly clear and the only things you can pick up are the sounds of whistles being blown, dozens of people doing call and response, and one voice, louder than all the others screaming for people to ‘Run faster! Get those knees up!’

You pop the door and step out of the car before Mr. Seo can open it for you and head around to the nose of the car, taking in the compound. 

“This facility produces some of the highest caliber bodyguards in the country,” He says, coming to stand beside you. The attorney rebuttons his suit jacket and flicks his sleeves up before settling his arms over his chest. “Politicians, celebrities, even a few former presidents all have hybrids from this training center.”

“It looks more like a prison,” You remark, nodding toward the barbed wire. “First big cat hybrids, now this...Why didn’t Oliver just get regular pets if he was lonely? Was he worried someone was after him?” 

“Anything I can tell you would be pure speculation,” He replies, walking away from you and heading for the callbox. “Your uncle very rarely confided in me.”

“But you were his attorney.” 

For just a second, the tight grip Mr. Seo has on his composure slips. His lips press together and his shoulders sag- but just as quickly as it’d lapsed, his mask is in place again. “Yes,” he says after a beat. “I was.” And he presses the button on the call box before you can pester him with any more questions about the dead men he’d known.

The call box crackles to life, speakers squealing with feedback. You flinch and slap your hands over your ears to protect them from the splitting sound. Mr. Seo doesn’t react at all and you’re stunned, wondering how he can stand it.

“Seo Seunghan and Y/N L/N for Lim Hangyeol.” 

The person on the other end doesn’t respond. The speaker cuts and a second later, the metal gate before you starts rolling to the side, pushed by invisible hands. It’s like a curtain going up at the theater. 

Before you lies a wide, dusty yard, devoid of any plant life. The thick-trunked trees and lush grasses of the surrounding mountainside had been stripped down to the roots here. All that remains are a few weeds poking out around the base of the long metal buildings that ring the fence, and even those seem like an intrusion. People are making use of the space in whatever way they can. A group of people with matching cropped black ears and docked tails run past you in four straight lines, all perfectly in step with each other. Over to your right, there’s a pack of teenagers working in pairs to scale a ten-foot tall sheer wooden wall and in the center of the field, twenty kids are running through taekwondo forms, supervised by a widely smiling instructor.

You’re in awe of it all. Every single person is like a cog in a well-oiled machine, all in the same black tactical pants and compression shirt. You’d never seen so many hybrids in one place before and certainly not all of the same breed.

Mr. Seo places a hand in the center of your back, steering you away from staring and toward a squat cement building.You let him lead you.

“When we get inside,” the lawyer begins, his voice quieter than you’ve ever heard it. “Let me speak first. If we can get him to admit to breaching the contract right away, it’ll be much easier to get him to agree to a settlement.”

You frown at that. “Why would we settle?” You ask him. “It’s not like I need the money.”

“It’s a matter of principle, Ms. L/N.” He sighs, pulling open the heavy metal door and ushering you into the building. “He did something wrong, and it’s most easy for him to bear the brunt of atonement financially. Without requiring damages be paid for breaches, contract law would collapse.” 

“Can’t you just have him apologize?”

Mr. Seo’s mouth twists up like he’s just tasted something unpleasant. “As you attorney, it is my duty to advise you against accepting restitution in the form of an apology. You’ll get a reputation for being a pushover.” 

You wanted to be anything but. “Alright, alright,” you concede, “Do whatever you think is best.”

The building you’ve ducked into seems to be an office. Along one wall are a set of metal folding chairs doing their best impression of a waiting room. Along the other is a metal door covered in peeling paint and one suspicious dent bearing a plaque that reads ‘DIRECTOR LIM’. Set between you and it is a desk covered in a mess of paperwork. An old desktop stands among it like an island in the ocean and middle aged hybrid woman in coke bottle glasses is hunched before it, tapping away at the keyboard at a mind-boggling speed. One of her ears twitches as the pair of you approach. 

“Take a seat,” she orders in a reedy voice, not bothering to look up from her work. “The Director will be with you shortly.”

“Send them in, Eunjung!” Someone shouts from behind the metal door  just as she’s finished. She doesn’t look up or stop typing or even acknowledge you two again. Mr. Seo takes it upon himself to breeze past her desk and open the door for you. 

The office is militaristically organized, all right angles and bare metal surfaces. There’s a black leather couch that’d seen better days to your left as you enter, a half empty water cooler to your right. Bookshelves lined with trophies and textbooks dominate the western wall. You scan the titles as you pass: Predatory Instinct: The Teaching and Training Canines, The Utility of Force, On Raising Hybrids, The Art of War, all dangerous and daunting as the man they belonged to.

Lim Hangyeol is the most grizzled man you’ve ever seen and the only other human besides yourself and Mr. Seo in the compound, it seems. He looks like a drill sergeant from an old action movie, his salt and pepper hair buzzed short and his face craggy with frown lines. There’s a semicircle of pockmark scars marring the skin of his right cheek and as you get closer, you realize they’re teeth marks. You shoot a concerned look to Mr. Seo, but he’s more focused on giving the director a shallow bow than allaying any of your fears. 

“Director,” He says, straightening back up. “Thank you for having us-”

“Spare me the bullshit,” The older man orders, kicking back his office chair and sinking back into it. “Take a seat. Let’s talk business.” 

A cold smile settles on your attorney’s lips and you see a cord twitching in his jaw, but he merely nods and replies in a breezy voice, “Of course.” 

The two of you do as you told, settling into two metal chairs in front of his desk. These ones are nicer than the folding ones in the waiting room, but no more comfortable. You try to slide yours forward only to find that it’s bolted to the floor. 

“Stops the dogs from throwin’ em when they get bad news,” Director Lim tells you as you uselessly tug at the legs. “Got tired of replacing windows.”

You grimace. If the awards on the bookshelf, what Mr. Seo had told you and the dozens of hybrids running boot camp drills outside were any indication, the man before you must’ve had some idea what he was doing. You didn’t end up providing security for high profile public figures without a smidge of credibility, you knew, but the bite marks on his cheek, the little crack about people throwing chairs at him and the way he’d referred to them as ‘dogs’ didn’t inspire confidence in you. 

This was your first time visiting a place that produced hybrids, you realized. You’d never even been into a shelter before and certainly not a breeding center. Were they all like this? Devoid of anything soft or comforting, rigid with rules and regulations? Had Yoongi, Jimin and Taehyung come from a place like this? You don’t know and you’re not sure you’d like the answer if you did. 

“Thank you for agreeing to meet with us on such short notice,” Mr. Seo starts, popping open the hinges on his briefcase and pulling out a few sheaves of paper. “After the sudden cancellation of your company’s contract with Ms. L/N, I was concerned for the state of our business relationship.” He slides one of the packets across the desk to the director. 

“If I remember correctly,” Director Lim says, scanning the lines of ink and unintelligible legalese, “Me and your boss signed for delivery, not me and whoever this little girl is you brought.” 

Your eyes narrow and your lips curl, but before you can give voice to the nasty thing crawling up your throat, Mr. Seo gives a subtle shake of his head and taps you twice on the knee, out of eyeshot of the director. You grumble, but cage it behind your teeth. 

“See?” The man jabs one gnarled finger at the page, right over your late uncle’s flourishing signature. “It says it right there: L/N Oliver. Last I checked, he was dead. I’m not holding on to a dead man’s dogs. ”

That same muscle tenses in Mr. Seo’s jaw. “The contract states that Black Mountain Canines would deliver the hybrids my client purchased to his residence on December the eighteenth and that they would be received by a proxy if he was unavailable. You were made aware of the fact that he was unavailable, as well as the fact that he now has a proxy-

“I’ll pay the goddamn fine!” The Director barks, throwing his hands up in the air. “Christ above, I don’t know why he wanted those two fuck-ups in the first place, but I don’t want them on my property a second longer.” 

You shoot Mr. Seo a look of confusion, but he just watches, blasé, as the Director rifles through his desk drawers. The man finds what he’s looking for and drops two manila folders on top of the contract. “The pair of them are useless. If it weren’t for my reputation, I’d’ve had them both sent to shelters years ago. Or put down, but you know how touchy the law is about that.”

“I don’t.” You say, your voice edging dangerously close to a snarl. It slips out before you can stop it. Mr. Seo shoots you a warning look and you ball your fists up in your sweater sleeves, fingernails biting crescent moons into your palms with the effort of keeping your mouth shut. 

You can’t stand this man, you decide. He’s awful. You should’ve known that from the moment you saw elementary school aged hybrids stumbling through taekwondo drills with their ears taped and bandages on their tails. You’re going to take whatever hybrids Oliver bought, get them the fuck out of there and never look back. 

If Director Lim had heard you growl at him, he gives no sign of it, just flips open the folders. “To be honest, I should be paying you to take them off my hands. They’ve been nothing but a pain in my ass since they aged out of training. I told your uncle he could have his pick of the litter for what he was paying, but he wanted a wide-eyed buffoon and a mutt who’d rip your hand off soon as look at you.” Clipped to the insides are photos of two men, staring back at you in black and white. 

One has the same black and tan cropped ears as every other hybrid you’ve seen thus far. Unlike them, he’s smiling. His eyes are little upturned crescent moons and he beams at you through the photo paper. There’s so much light in his face it’s nearly blinding. 

The other is not nearly as inviting. The photo is taken at an odd angle and it’s blurry at the edges, like whoever took it was much shorter than the subject and had to zoom in to even get the shot. His ears, larger than any of the other hybrids and longer furred, are pinned back against his head. His jaw is clenched and he glowers down into the lens, one eye soot black and the other piercing blue. 

There are stats listed on the pages behind their photos: height, weight, shot records and the like. Among them, you see their call signs, highlighted in yellow: Hope and Monster. 

“I don’t know where I went wrong with him,” the director says, tapping Hope’s photo. “He went through all the training, passed all the tests, but when it comes down to it, he just doesn’t have the instinct.” He gives a single shake of his head, clicks the tip of his tongue against his teeth. “No one wants a guard dog that’d sooner talk an intruder’s ear off than actually guard what he’s supposed to. He’s not good for much but nannying the pups, but he’s too soft on them too.”

A light bulb clicks on and you realize the hybrid in question had been the one instructing the kids outside in the center of the yard, his tail wagging a mile a minute as they completed another form correctly.

“Now this bastard…” the director continues, jamming a finger onto the second photo with so much force, it rattled the cup of pens on his desk. “Is my biggest failure.” He crosses his arms and kicks back in his chair, his dislike of the hybrid in question obvious. “His mother was the cornerstone of this facility for nearly a decade. I sold her pups to assemblymen and actors alike. Centers around the country wanted pups with her genetics. If it weren’t for her, we’d never have grown to this size.” He sounds wistful as he spreads his hands out, gesturing around himself like a king taking in his holdings. “But all good things come to an end,” He sighs. “A pack of wild hybrids settled a little higher up on the mountain.” His face darkens and his lips twist. “Wolves,” he snarls with all the disdain he can muster. 

“All that about them being noble and self-sacrificing? Complete and utter bullshit,” He scoffs. “They’re transient lowlifes who’d slit your throat as soon as look at you. At first I didn’t care. They stayed on their side of the mountain and I stayed on mine, but then they started sneaking down here at night to steal my food and fuck my dogs. By the time I managed to get the cops out here, they’d cleared out and my top breeder had gone with them.”

He let out a low chuckle and shook his head. “I tell you, I thought I was ruined. But wouldn’t you know it, she came stumbling back here six months later, barefoot and howling to be let in and heavy with some wild thing’s pup.” Director Lim snaps both the folders shut and slides them to you across the desk. “The thing about breeding hybrids is, the money’s all in the bloodlines. No one wants a dog with mystery genetics. The only way to solve that problem is to cut it off at the root- but it was already too late by the time she got here.” 

You feel sick to your stomach. You hope he isn’t implying what you think he is- that hybrid children he hadn’t planned out himself were mistakes in need of correction- but you know he is. Deep in your gut you know.

“And she spoiled him. She let him run roughshod over everyone and everybody in this compound. I tried telling her wild hybrids need a firmer hand- he certainly did if we were gonna break that wolf he’s got inside him, but she wouldn’t hear it. I tried to crop him with the other pups his age, he gave me these,” he said, gesturing to the teeth marks in his cheeks. “We keep him shut up away from the others, now, in the back when he can’t bother anyone. He gets his meals delivered but we don’t ever let him out.” The grizzled man shakes his head. “A drain on resources is what he is.”

“And his mother?” You ask, quietly. 

“Eunjung?” he questions. “You met her on the way in.” The director stands and unclips a ring of keys from his belt buckle, making his way around the desk and gesturing for you and Mr. Seo to follow. “I’ve got her doing desk work now. Gotta keep her close so she doesn’t cause any more trouble.” He pushes open the door to his office, barks something at his secretary and steps outside, not looking back to see if you two are following. 

You shoot Mr. Seo a look before you stand and he meets it, evenly. “We’ll discuss this in the car,” he says, stuffing papers back into his briefcase and flicking the clasps shut. Oh, you most certainly will discuss ‘it’ in the car. 

You don’t really know what it is or where to even begin. The kids with bandaged ears? The fact that Director Lim seemingly decided who was allowed to see the sun and who wasn’t? You think back to the conversation you’d had with Jimin, Taehyung and Yoongi last night. Right now, it seems years away, in some unreachable, idyllic past before you knew how breeding centers worked and how security hybrids were made. You feel foolish. Who were you to try to get them to let go of their pain and their hurt? If what they’d been through was even a little like what was going on here, they wouldn’t be able to for a long time. You’re angry. You’re disgusted. You are unquantifiably fucking sad. 

You pass Eunjung on your way out. In your time in the director’s office, she’s pulled her ash brown hair into a low ponytail at the nape of her neck. Peeking out of the collar of her sweatshirt you can see a faded scar in the shape of a ring, little puncture marks pale and glossy. It looked similar to the one on the director’s cheek, but this one was a complete circle and not ragged at all, like she’d stayed completely still while it was given. Teeth marks. 

You swallow. You want to do something, to give her some words of encouragement, but you have no idea what to say. You still don’t as you slow to a stop beside her desk, but you open your mouth to speak anyway. “I’m sorry,” You tell her, with all the sincerity in your heart. 

She doesn’t answer, but one cropped ear flicks toward you and her fingers slow in their incessant race across her keyboard. 

You turn to go. Mr. Seo was holding the door open for you and you can hear the director barking orders at a group of trainees to run an obstacle course faster. Just as you set foot over the threshold, she speaks. Her voice is so quiet, you have to strain to hear her over the steady clack-click-clack of her nails on the keys. 

“He likes green things,” she says, not looking up from her work. “And old books.” 

You look over your shoulder at her. Her face is a mask of neutrality, her eyes clear and her mouth set in a relaxed line. She looks fine, but there’s an ocean of meaning behind her words. You see her, just for a moment, as she’d been all those years ago, barefoot in the snow and begging for shelter, her stomach full with one of the moon’s own children. You commit the sight of her to memory. Then you turn and you go.

The director is waiting outside, shielding his eyes from the sun and regaling Mr. Seo with some long-winded explanation on the best way to treat hip dysplasia in Doberman hybrids. “Where to?” you ask, effectively cutting him off mid-sentence. 

The man gives you a disgruntled look but despite the anxiety you feel spiking in your belly, you meet it evenly. Once upon a time, anyone in a position of authority looking at you the way he was would’ve sent you into a tailspin of self-doubt and nerves, leaving you shivering as your heartbeat thrummed in your ears, warning you of non-existent danger. If you were honest, it still did- but you didn’t have the luxury of running away and hiding anymore, not when there were people who needed you. 

“Hope’s bags are in the barracks. He just needs to grab them, and he can be on his merry way,” The direction grunts. “Monster’s still locked up, so I’ll-”

“I’ll go.” You can feel Mr. Seo stiffen beside you. 

“Ms. Y/N-”

“If he’s really that aggressive,” you start, your eyes not leaving the director’s for a moment. “Wouldn’t it be better for me to meet him now instead of when we’re packed into a car on a two hour car ride?” Director Lim narrows his eyes at you, but you don’t falter. You hold your hand out for the key. Your boldness surprises you. He drops the key ring into your open palm and you wrap your fingers around it, stuffing it in your pocket before he can snatch them back. You turn on your heels and march off in the direction he tilts his head in, nothing but a hiss of your name from Mr. Seo’s lips to accompany you. 

You walk quickly, eyes straight and willing your legs to go faster with every stride. It’s a long way across the compound but the less time you spend walking, the less time you have to stew in anxiety. None of the hybrids training in little packs spread across the yard pay you any mind- except for Hope. 

Your path takes you directly behind the group of kids he’s working with. You give them a wide berth, not wanting to disturb them, but you get a little distracted. Your steps slow for just a moment as you drink him in. He’s tall- the same height as Taehyung, if you’re judging it right, but there’s an ease about him the tiger hybrid hasn’t yet mastered. Everything about Taehyung is pulled in. He’s always coiled tight, like he’s preparing to spring forward at any moment, all his energy drawn into the center of his being. Even last night, when you’d been cuddled up with him on the couch, he’d pulled you tight against his side, shifting and rearranging himself til you both fit on one cushion. He’d held you tight through both films, his tail curled around the both of you and his spine tight, like if he let himself relax for a moment, you’d both turn to dust on the wind. 

Hope has no such fear. Everything about him is spread wide open, from the heart-shaped smile on his lips to his arms as he demonstrates a series of punches to his little pack of students. They all watch him with rapt attention, ears perked up and bandaged tails wagging. One of them asks him a question and he laughs, ruffles their hair. He laughs in a way you’ve never seen before, shoulders shaking like he can’t contain the force of it alone. It makes your heart flip. 

His ears twitch, picking up the change in the cadence of your footsteps. He looks up and your eyes meet for the first time. He looks surprised to see you, for a moment, face blank- but then it melts into a soft smile, brimming with affection you’ve done nothing to earn. You snatch your gaze away and fix it to the dirt in front of you, embarrassed at being caught. Out of the corner of your eye, you can see him cock his head to the side in confusion, but he doesn’t go after you. All the better, you’re all but running away from him now. 

You shuffle across the compound in a blur of scuffed sneakers and frayed nerves. You barely give yourself time to look up at the small cinder block building before you, shoving the key in the padlock before you can lose what unearned confidence you have left. You twist it, yank the rusted thing open, take a deep breath and enter.

You don’t know what you’d been expecting, but it’s certainly not what you find. The way Director Lim had spoken about him and this place, you’d been expecting cobwebs on the ceiling, blood spatters on the wall and rusty nails on the floor. What’s before you is almost entirely the opposite.

The room is a veritable Eden. 

There are vines climbing every available wall, wrapping around structural posts and digging their way between concrete blocks. Every surface is crammed full of flowering plants in makeshift pots: lilies in old water jugs, violets in a worn out boot, black-eyed susans dripping orange petals from an upturned helmet. The floor is in a similar state, ferns and foxgloves turning what little space around his bed there is into a meadow. It’s beautiful. 

“He likes green things,” you marvel, stepping into the room and pushing the door shut behind you. It seemed every living thing that’d been uprooted to expand the compound had found a second life here, sheltered from the Director’s violence. Maybe the hybrid who lived here had too. 

A plant different from all the others catches your eye. It’s set up on the cardboard box serving as his bedside table and it’s the only one in a real pot from what you can tell. It looks just like a miniature tree, complete with knobs on it’s trunk and tiny leaves. You let out a little sound of wonder and crouch in front of it, your fingers reaching out on their own to trail across the delicate branches-

A massive hand wraps around your wrist, stopping you cold. “Don’t touch that.” 

You hadn’t heard him approach, but now you knew he was there. You could feel his presence behind you, heavy and warm. He’s looming over you. You swallow and make your arm go limp in his grip. No need to give him a reason. “I won’t,” You tell him. “Will you please let go of my wrist?”

He drops your arm without protest and relief floods your body. You weren’t sure if there was a hybrid version of lockjaw and you certainly weren’t itching to find out. You sit back on your heels and struggle to your feet, still hyper aware of the person behind you, his eyes boring holes into the back of your head. By the time you turn around, he’s back where he came from, standing in the entrance for a bathroom you hadn’t seen, half hidden behind a curtain of vines. 

He looks different than the others. You’d been expecting that, but the full-length fluffy tail held stiffly behind his back and the long-furred ears pointed away from you are still a surprise. His fur, instead of being in rigid black and tan points, is marked by whorls of black, brown and gray. Instead of the lean musculature all the other hybrids had -all trim waists and narrow ankles- he’s sturdier, his shoulders broad and the veins in his forearms popping as he clenches his fists. He’s looking at you with that mismatched glare, his chin tilted toward his chest and his eyes shining aquamarine and obsidian. 

“If you’re new,” he starts, voice raspy. “They should’ve told you: you’re supposed to knock before you come in.”

“No, I’m not-”

“You can leave the food over there.” He nods toward a little plastic folding table jammed into one corner. It’s the one surface in his room that’s devoid of plants and there’s nothing on it besides a metal cafeteria tray, licked clean. “I won’t move when your back is turned.”

“I’m not here to deliver your food.”

He frowns, brows drawing together as his shoulders tense. “Then why are you…?”

You ball your hands up in your sweater sleeves and turn to face him full on. “I’m here to take you home with me.” You tell him. “They didn’t tell you?”

He laughs, but it’s a cold sound, devoid of joy. “Nobody tells me anything.”

Based on the short conversation you’d had with Director Lim, his sudden cancellation of contracts and the way he seemed ready to bulldoze over anything and everyone that didn’t fit his agenda, he didn’t seem the sharing type. Still it was hard to believe he hadn’t told him he’d be leaving the compound that’s been his home for over twenty years. 

“You don’t have to come with me,” you add, softly. “If you don’t want to. I know I’m a stranger. But you can leave-”

“I can’t go anywhere.” He taps the collar around his neck. At first, you’d thought it was the same as the ones every other hybrid had been wearing. You can see now that it isn’t. Theirs had all been leather with thin silver buckles holding them in place. His was leather too, but the band was broader and double-layered. There’s a little box on the side with hinges and a small drawing of a lighting bolt. A shock collar. 

Your stomach turns. 

You take a slow step toward him, but the second you do, his ears go flat against his head and he pulls his lips back, revealing sharp teeth. You freeze, hands held up and the keys dangling from your thumb. “I have the keys,” you say, extending them toward him. 

His eyes flick from your face, to the keys in your hand and back again, like he doesn’t believe what’s happening, like he can’t believe you’d actually want him free. The silence drags out into a little eternity before he speaks again. “If I try to unlock it, it’ll shock me.”

You blink up at him and risk another slow step forward, hoping you’ve caught his meaning correctly. This time, he doesn’t growl but his ears stay pinned back as he watches you through narrowed eyes. You close the distance between the two of you. 

When you were six, your mom scraped together enough money to take you to Busan for your birthday. You’d spent the day down at the beach, building sand castles with sea shell windows and wading through tide pools. After the sun had set, someone had set off fireworks and you’d watched them cuddled up in your mom’s arms, eyes wide and filled with a riot of colors you had no name for. It’s strange, you know. The ocean is miles away, but that’s what he smells like: the sea and the sand, and the last curls of smoke from homemade bottle rockets. He smells like that day. 

You lift your hands to the clasp on his neck and slide the key home. You twist it and the collar falls to the ground, a monster that can’t hurt him anymore. His skin is warm under your fingers, but puckered with scar tissue. There’s a ring of it around his neck, branching with whatever current had run through him in different directions. There’s no way this was legal, no way anyone with half a heart could treat another person like this. Your fingers trail one of the splits over his adam’s apple and he swallows beneath your touch, snatching your wrist again. 

“Dont.” His voice is cold. You blink, shaking off whatever spell you’d been under and shuffle back quickly, eager to give him space. He cradles his throat with one long-fingered hand, massaging the skin. He rolls his neck and you look away. You shouldn’t stare; the last thing you want is to make him uncomfortable. “I’ll go with you,” he rasps, answering the question before you can ask it again.

You gape for a second. You really hadn’t expected it to be that easy. “Really?” You can’t stop a note of relief from creeping into your voice.

“Anywhere’s better than here.” He answers back. So, you were a means to an end. It doesn’t bother you. You’ll be whatever you need to be to get him away from this place and that man who seemed to only want to drive him down. 

“Do you need time to pack, or-?”

He gives a firm shake of his head. “There’s nothing from this place I want to keep.” And that’s the end of it. You push open the door and stride back out into the cold mountain air, trying your best to exude the confidence you know you lack. The hybrid slinks behind you, head hunched between his shoulders and every step stiff. He hesitates at the threshold and looks up at you, uncertainty written in the rigid line of his spine. He’s nervous. He has every right to be. 

How long had he spent in that little cinderblock room, shut away from every living thing? How long had he spent being told that he was a monster? You didn’t believe it, not for one second. No one who was as violent as the director had painted him out to be could’ve raised that garden. 

He leans out of the door frame, sniffs the air and lurches forward, out of the shadow of his room, His shoulders bunch up even higher around his head and he goes stiff like he’s waiting for a shock or a shot or a shout- but none comes. The sun is still shining and he’s barefoot in the sand, standing for the first time in years under the open sky. He exhales in a short puff and it looks like he’s going to walk beside you- but he turns on his heels on goes back inside. 

You make a little noise of distress in the back of your throat. Had he changed his mind? Did he not want to come with you anymore? You go to call his name out of concern- but realize you don’t know it. All you have is the call sign he’d been given and you sure as fuck aren’t calling him ‘Monster’. You don’t have to flounder for long. He comes back out two seconds later, cradling the bonsai that’d caught your attention to his chest. 

“I’ll take this,” he mutters, shuffling into place behind you. You can’t smother the smile that starts tugging at your lips. Yeah, no one hateful would hold a little tree with as much tenderness as an infant. 

You give him a little nod. “There’s a terrace where I live,” you tell him, starting your trek across the yard once again. “It’s got a garden and a little greenhouse on it. It’s not very big, and it’s not as pretty as your’s, but you could grow new things there, if you wanted.”

His ears twitch in response, but he keeps his glower firmly focused on the plant in his arms as he shuffles along beside you. It’s then you notice he’s barefoot. “Do you wanna go back and get your shoes?” You ask, trying to make the question sound as innocuous as possible.

“Don’t have any,” he grumbles back. “Don’t need them; I never go outside.” 

Alright, that was understandable. Your first stop when you got back into the city would be a shoe store to get him a pair to wear- or maybe not with the way he kept flinching every time a whistle blew and his ears were swivelling like satellites at each new sound that reached them. You chew the inside of your lip. You don’t want to ask, but you know you should. Better to rip the bandaid off now, than get surprised later. “How long were you shut in for?”

“Fourteen.” He bites out. 

“...weeks?” You venture. There's a hopeful uptick at the end of your words. Even that would’ve been horrible, even that would be worthy of the litany of profanity you’re mentally lobbing at Director Lim- but it’s still better than the truth. 

The hybrid cuts a flat look at you out of the corner of his eyes. “Years.” 

A wall of your scent hits him like a freight train, vacillating between the thick, cloying odor of sadness and the burn of anger. His nose wrinkles at it, brows drawing together in confusion. 

However little you might’ve known about hybrids, however limited your view of them was, you knew they weren’t supposed to be locked up. Domesticated hybrids like hamsters and cats might’ve been fine inside a house all day, assuming they still had regular interaction with people- but dogs weren’t. And he was half wolf. Wild, he’d have had dozens of square miles to roam over, and he’d been limited to a four-by-four yard room for fourteen years. Your goshiwon was a similar size, but it hadn’t been your whole world. All he’d had was one tiny window and what narrow view he’d managed to glimpse in the doorway when his meals were delivered. 

You open your mouth to say something, anything, but you’re cut off by a scream of delight and a snarl keying up in the hybrid next to you’s chest. Your jaw snaps shut with a click. 

A few yards ahead, there’s a group of kids wrestling in a massive pile. They’re all giggling and rolling over each other, tails wagging a mile a minute as they play bite and make grabs for the person at the center of their puppy pile. A head of black hair and a pair of cropped ears pop up and you see that it’s Hope, smiling bright as the sun as his students try to pin him. 

“You can’t leave!” One particularly determined kid yips, adamantly pushing his shoulder back to the sand. “Who’s gonna teach us?”

Hope just laughs.”Lisa is gonna teach you with the older kids-“

A chorus of disappointed barks and howls breaks out. “Ms. Lisa’s classes are too hard!” A little girl complains.

“Yeah!” Someone else chimes in. “And she’s strict!” 

The hybrid ruffles both kid’s hair affectionately, careful of their bandaged ears. “Just because she won’t let you get away with skipping night practice doesn’t mean she’s strict,” he laughs. He’s only met with more grumbles and complaints. 

It warms your heart to see. Even if these kids were at the mercy of their director -for now, at least- it was good that they had him to rely on. Your eyes meet and the sheer force of light in his face makes your own heat up. You look away, but he’s spotted you. He disentangles himself from the mess of kids and draws himself up to his full height. He’s in the same uniform he was in before, albeit with a black tactical bag now strapped to his back. He takes a step toward you and the wolfdog hybrid's ears go flat against his skull. He’s not deterred. “Joonie?”  It takes you a second to realize he’s talking to the hybrid next to you. “Kim Namjoon, is that you?” Hope takes one step forward and the hybrid - Namjoon - takes a step back to counter him. Hope looks like he’s going to advance again, but a small pair of hands wrapped around one of his own stops him. 

A little girl is holding on to him. She can’t be more than six years old. Her tail is still long and her ears are still floppy and she looks so small in her child-sized boots and cargo pants. “Mr. Hobi,” she whines, her head craned back to look up at him. “Please don’t go.”

He falters. His eyes flick from the pair of you back down to her, then he crouches, holds both of her hands in his. “I have to, Sowon-ah,” he says softly. 

She sniffles pitifully and juts out her lower lip.”But why?” 

It’s a fair question. You’re about to tell him that he doesn’t have to come with you if he  doesn’t want to, but he beats you to the punch. “Because it’s my job, sweetheart,” he tells her, smiling softly.

“Y-your job is to teach us,” she hiccups back, face growing blotchy as tears well up in her eyes. Hope swipes one of them away with his thumbs. 

“I teach you so you can grow up well and protect your person, right?” She nods, little hands balling the fabric of her cargo pants up in her fists. “Right. Well this,” he continues, turning and looking at you with a soft smile. “Is my person. And I’ve gotta go make sure she stays safe.” 

You feel your heart jump into your throat. He’s looking at you like you hung the stars in the sky and you don’t deserve it. You’ve done nothing to warrant that much unearned loyalty. Sowon rubs at her eyes with the back of her hands and Hope pulls her into a tight hug. 

“Ah, don’t cry, Sowon! You’ve gotta make sure you get stronger so someone takes you home, okay? You don’t wanna get old and still be here like me, right?” He squeezes her and goes to stand, but gets mobbed by his students again, all wanting their own hugs and making him swear to write them letters. It takes another five minutes of tearful goodbyes and Director Lim approaching for them to turn him loose.

“Get back to your training, all of you!” He barks, stomping out of the office and slamming the door, Mr. Seo on his heels. The kids scatter to the four winds almost instantly, not wanting to be underfoot for whatever scolding the director was about to deal out. Hope’s face remains the same but you catch his ears droop just a little as his students leave him. The wolfdog hybrid- Namjoon, you remind yourself- on the other hand has his ears flat against his skull. A growl bubbles up in his chest and rips past his lips. It’s a dark, full bodied thing that has you taking a step back and Hope shrinking with a whine. 

“Joonie-” he pleads. 

“Don’t fucking call me that.” All the fur on Namjoon’s body is standing on end, from the points of his ears to the tip of his tail. Even his hair has fluffed out. His mismatched eyes are narrowed, lips pulled back in a snarl that reveals his incisors and all that fury, all that rage, is leveled on Director Lim. 

To his credit, the grizzled man doesn’t shrink back an inch before the enraged hybrid. His lips twist and he yanks a little remote out of his pocket, mashing a red button in the center. Namjoon flinches, his hands fly to his neck- but nothing happens. The shock collar is gone and the director has no power over him anymore. 

The man in question’s eyes widen, flicking between the remote to the column of Namjoon’s throat, now devoid of his one element of control. “Where’s his collar?” He demands. “How the hell did you get your collar off?” He advances on the tall hybrid, his hand in the air and though he doesn’t stop snarling, Namjoon ducks his head, anticipating the blow. 

You don’t know what moves you. Maybe it’s Hope pleading for it all to ‘stop, just stop!’. Maybit’s how Namjoon knows exactly how to move when he’s about to get hit. Maybe it’s your own lack of self-preservation. Whatever it is, you blink and you’re in front of Namjoon, your hand up and clutching the director’s forearm, stopping him from striking the hybrid behind you. You’re not strong enough to stop him, not fully. Your elbow buckles in and you stumble back, your back pressing into the wolfdog hybrid’s chest.

The director yells something at you, red flooding his face. You can’t hear him over the rushing of blood in your ears, the pounding of your heart. You force a dry swallow down your throat, put on your bravest face and glare up at him. “Don’t hurt him anymore.”

He reaches out with his free hand to tug you out of the way, but before he can touch you, Hope is there. He presses close to your side and holds the director’s wrist firm, his eyes on the sand and his shoulders hunched up by his ears.

Director Lim looks angry enough to spit. “Hell of a time for you to grow a backbone,” he snarls at Hope, making the doberman hybrid flinch. “I want all four of you off my property now.” He snatched his arms free and you don’t miss the nasty glare he casts at Namjoon. “And if this mutt ever shows his face around here again, I’ll-”

“Director Lim,” Mr. Seo cuts in, his voice cool. “You’ve made yourself clear; we’ll leave. You needn’t make threats.” There’s an underlying warning in the attorney’s voice. The director locks his jaw.

“Get out.” He breathes. Hope ducks around him, his head low and his docked tail pressed close to his back. If he could tuck it, you think he would. You follow after him, eyes fixed straight ahead and your back ramrod straight. He might’ve scared the shit out of you, but you weren’t going to let him see that. Mr. Seo fixes you with a hard look and the second you’re within arms reach, he presses a hand to your back and ushers you toward the gate. The only one who remains is Namjoon.

He looks like his anger has rooted him to the spot. His ears are still flat against his head, his lip still curled. 

“Do it, boy,” the director taunts. “Give me a reason-”

“Namjoon.” At the sound of his name, his ears prick up and you turn around. It’d come not from Hope- which you’d expected, seeing as he seemed to be the only one who actually knew his fellow hybrid’s name- but from the open door of the office building where Eunjung stood. She looks at him, her expression unreadable and he stares back. All the tension in his body has shifted and for a moment, you think he’s going to spring toward her and fall into her arms- but she gives an almost imperceptible shake of her head and his face hardens. His arms tighten around his bonsai. You think you know, now, why it was the only plant in his room that had a pot. 

“Go,” she says and all the tension leaves him. His shoulders curve in and he drags himself past the director, out from the fence and toward Mr. Seo’s car. There’s something final about the way the gate rolls shut after him. If you hadn’t known better, you’d’ve sworn you heard him whine as it locked. 

The car ride down the mountain is...interesting to say the least. Hope insists that the seating arrangements inside the Buick be done to his specifications,( “You’ve gotta sit in the middle,” he tells you, pointing to the narrow center seat. “And Joonie and I will sit on either side of you to protect you in case we crash!” His tail is wagging a mile a minute behind him. You’re surprised it can move that much, given how short it is. Mr. Seo looks affronted at the unintentional jab at his driving and Namjoon just looks irritated. “I told you to stop calling me that.”) and he keeps throwing an arm across your middle everytime the car hits a bump. You’re going down the side of a mountain. There are a lot of bumps. He also keeps pressing his nose against the glass of his window, ears pricked up and trying to take in every tree that passes by. Namjoon, on the other hand, slouches back in his seat, his body curved around his plant and ever so slightly away from you. He still watches the world pass by, but he doesn’t acknowledge any of you or speak- which would be fine if anyone else would. Hope seems to be doing his best to appear stoic and alert every time you look at him and Mr. Seo seems comfortable with the quiet. So, you’re left to ride the two hours back to Seoul in silence. 

You almost cry with relief when your phone buzzes with an incoming text. You fish the device out of your pocket, thumb it to life and scan your notifications.

Unknown Sender [7:13 PM] where are you

You frown. Very few people had your number or any reason to text you. You’re about to chalk it up to a wrong number when the second text rolls in.

Unknown Sender [7:14 PM] it’s yoongi

Now that’s a surprise. When you’d hurriedly told the boys to text you, you’d been expecting Jimin to urge you to hurry or for Taehyung to ask for updates, not for their hyung to check your progress. A little smile pricks at your lips as you rush to reply

You [7:14 PM] We’re on the way back now!

Unknown Sender has been changed to Yoongi 

Yoongi [7:14 PM] can i call

You bite the inside of your lip, suddenly nervous. You know there’s no reason to be. After all, you tell yourself, what’s scary about a pair of roommates talking on the phone? You give him the go ahead and not three seconds after the delivered notification pops up, you get a call. You answer it on speaker.

“...Hello?”

“Did you just start driving?” Yoongi’s voice is thick with sleep, like he’s just woken up. It’s different than normal, his usual smooth drawl gone gravelly. 

“Y-yeah,” you reply, trying to ignore the way Hope is watching you out of the corner of his eyes and Namjoon’s ears have swiveled back toward you. “It’s gonna be awhile, still. Are Taehyung and Jimin-”

“They’re fine; They ate dinner earlier and they’ll be asleep til you get back.” He yawns and you picture him slouched on the couch, his hair mashed up on one side and his face puffy.  “Why do you sound nervous?”

“I’m not,” you counter. It’s a blatant lie and he knows it. He hums in doubt, but doesn’t press you.

“I’ll see you when you get back.”

“Do you want me to text you when we’re close?” It’s an innocuous question. There’s no reason you can see for him to pause as long as he does. For a second you think you’ve lost him- after all, mountains aren’t known for having great reception- but then you hear his breath fan over the receiver. 

“...Yeah.” 

You give a little nod you know he can’t see. “Okay.” He makes a little noise of assent and then his line clicks off. You hang up. Just as you do, another text comes through. 

Yoongi [7:16 PM] don’t let them scent you

“Who was that?” Hope asks in a small voice, pulling you away from your phone screen and Yoongi’s insistence that you remain scent-free. His tone is open, but you can tell by the way his knee is bouncing that he really, really wants to know. “Is that your husband?”

The bark of laughter that rips past your lips is out before you can think to stop it. Namjoon flinches and you wince at him in apology, your hand flying up to cover your mouth. Hope is frowning at you in confusion, his head cocked slightly to the side. You force yourself to calm and answer him. “No, Yoongi is not my husband.” You weren’t sure if you even really qualified as friends at this point. “He’s another hybrid that lives with me.”

Hope perks up in his seat. “You have another hybrid? Director Lim always told us that once we left the center, we’d be alone.” Your expression sours at the mention of the ill-tempered man and you shake your head. 

“No, there’s a lot of hybrids in Seoul,” you tell him, eager to dispel some of his misconceptions. “The three that live with me are named Yoongi, Jimin and Taehyung. Yoongi’s around your age, I think. Jimin and Taehyung are younger.” The doberman hybrid sits at rapt attention, soaking up every bit of information you give him and waiting eagerly for more. What else could you tell him about them? You remember the boys’ reaction that morning when you told them you’d be bringing dog hybrids home. “...They’re all felines,” you say, slowly, trying to gauge their reactions. 

“So that’s why you smell like that.” It’s the first words Namjoon’s spoken since you all piled into the car. You turn to him, but he’s not looking at you.

“What do you-?”

“You smell like other hybrids,” Hope says, covering for him. “But I’ve never smelled any that weren’t other dogs before.” He leans closer, his seatbelt stretching. You tense and lean away from him, but he’s not deterred. The tip of his nose brushes your neck and you have to fight off a shiver as he breathes you in. “They smell the same…” he starts, his breath fanning over your throat. “...but different? And one of them isn’t as strong as the others-” He presses closer, trying to catch the scent that’s eluding him. You make a noise of mild distress and lean further back, pressing into the solid wall that is Namjoon. 

“Hoseok, let it go .” Hoseok. That was his real name then. To your surprise, the dog hybrid pulls back as instructed, settling back into his seat without so much as a whine.

“I’ve never met a cat before,” he muses, turning his attention back to the window. “I hope they’re nice.”

You think about the chorus of hisses you’d been met with when you told the boys they’d have to share their space. You hope so too.

It’s 9:30 by the time Mr. Seo drops you off back in front of your building. He wishes you a good night and promises to call later in the week to discuss Black Mountain Canines. You’re not sure if there’s anyone to report him to or anything you can do, but you want to try. What you’d seen at the compound was wrong any way you looked at it. It made you sick to leave anyone there knowing how the director treated Namjoon and Hoseok. No one was useless. No one deserved to be locked away for years at a time for the sheer crime of existing. You’d make them see that. 

The moment you step out of the car, Hoseok is all wide smiles and exclamations. “Woah, you live here?” he asks, tilting his head back to take in all fifty-one floors of Haneul Tower in their sparkling, glass-paned glory.

“Yeah,” you tell him, handing him his bag. In his excitement to get out of the car, he’d abandoned it and Mr. Seo had nearly driven away with it. “But I just moved in a couple days ago, so it’s still pretty empty.”

Hoseok nods, scanning the windows like he’ll be able to pick out which one’s your’s. Behind you, Namjoon is lingering on the sidewalk.

He’s still got his bonsai clutched close to his chest and he’s hunched down around it like he’s trying to stop unseen hands from picking at it. His shoulders are bunched up by his ears, and he flinches with every car horn, every siren that comes to you on the wind. He’d grown up in the mountains and spent the better part of his life indoors. It only made sense that he’d be sensitive to the sounds of the city. 

“Is there a security system?” Hoseok asks, still enamored with the building. “How many entrances does your apartment have?”

“Just one second,” you tell him, forehead wrinkling as you take in Namjoon. You slide slowly toward the wolfdog, not wanting to startle him. “Namjoon?” He flinches when you call his name, head whipping toward you. “Do you wanna go inside? I know it’s new, but it’ll be quieter, I think.”

His mismatched eyes flick from you, to Hoseok, to the building and back to you before settling firmly on the concrete at his feet. He seems different than he had in the mountains. He’s smaller, quieter, less sure of himself. Was it because this is all new territory for him? Or had the snarling hybrid in the mountains just been a roll he was forced to play, the mythic monster to the director’s tyrant king. 

“You don’t have to go inside if you don’t want to,” you tell him, in a voice you hope is reassuring. “We can wait, if you need to.”

“I’ll wait with you, Joonie,” Hope chimes in, giving the larger hybrid the same soft smile he’d given his students earlier. 

He swallows, adam’s apple bobbing in his throat. “It...it’s fine,” he mutters, “We can go in, I just…” He takes a few hesitant steps forward and huddles closer to you. There’s still an inch between you, but it’s closer than you’d thought he’d come. 

You peer up at him. “Okay?” You ask. He gives a single nod and your little group moves through the double doors and into the lobby. 

It’s quieter at this time of night. You don’t recognize the woman standing behind the reception desk. There’s no one really around except one man, pacing the width of the lobby looking thoroughly put out. You can’t really see his face, but there’s something familiar about the slant of his body. He whirls around as the glass doors click shut and you catch sight of a fringe of gray hair, pointed ears, narrowed yellow eyes and an all too familiar pout. 

Yoongi. 

“Fuck.” You’d completely forgotten to text him. Judging by the look on his face as he stalks toward you, he wasn’t happy about it. To his credit, Hoseok does his best to guard you, sliding in front of you and pushing you behind him. You can’t see Yoongi’s ears beneath the hat he’s wearing but if his curled lip and narrowed eyes are any indicator, they’re pinned straight back. 

“Move.” He snarls at the doberman hybrid. Hoseok is taller than he is, but the closer Yoongi gets to him, the smaller he seems to shrink. There’s fire in the bobcat hybrid’s eyes. Hope whimpers and slinks out of his way, ears low. 

You wince. “Heeeeey, Yoongi. I’m sorry I forg-“ before you can even finish the sentence, he tugs you toward him by the shoulders. His face roves your neck, sniffing in earnest as he tries to pick up the scent of the other hybrids on you. All is well until he reaches the right side of your throat and grazes over the exact spot Hoseok had nosed earlier. He pulls away slowly, his shoulders tight. His head turns slowly to the doberman hybrid, mechanical. 

“You.” He hisses at the other hybrid with so much virulence it makes your blood run cold. He takes one step toward him, teeth bared in a snarl, but Namjoon slides in front of him bumping him back. A growl bubbles in the bobcat hybrid’s chest and the wolfdog matches it, both their ears pinned flat against their skulls. 

“Hey-” If either of them hear you, they don’t react. They’re too focused on having a staring contest. “Hey!” You push between them, a hand on either of their chests. Namjoon snarls as you touch him and Yoongi looks ready to skin him alive for that alone. He pushes against your hand, trying to get closer to the taller hybrid. You ball your hand up in the fabric of his shirt. “Stop it!” The receptionist already has the lobby phone in her hand. She’s whispering earnestly into it and you’re sure security will be on the way any second. You exhale and squeeze your eyes shut. “Everybody, elevator.” 

Yoongi hurls an accusatory finger in Hoseok’s direction. “These fucking-”

“Yoongi, please,” you plead. That gets him to stop. His arm falls to his side and he glowers down at you for a few seconds before stalking over to the elevators and slamming the up button. “I’m sorry,” you murmur to Hoseok and Namjoon. The smaller of the two hybrids is still hunched in on himself and the taller has Yoongi fixed in his mismatched gaze, his lips curled in anger. 

This was not the way you wanted this to go. You’d wanted them to have time to settle before you discussed next steps and gave them the same talk you’d given the felines, but it didn’t look like that was in the cards. You don’t know what’s gotten into Yoongi. You’d thought the bobcat hybrid was calm, cool and collected, completely unflappable in the face of anything. Apparently not. He seemed upset that some of Hoseok’s scent had gotten on you, but there’d been no way to help that. You’d been packed in a car with him and Namjoon for two hours. It was inevitable, wasn’t it?

“It’s not okay,” you tell them, wanting them to know you didn’t condone the way Yoongi had acted. “I don’t...I don’t know why he’s acting like this; he doesn’t normally. Do you wanna go up separately?”

It’s Hoseok who answers. “No, we’ll go up together,” he assures you with a small nod. “If...maybe if we get used to each other, it’ll be okay?” 

You’re not optimistic, but you give him a pained smile you hope is reassuring. “Yeah, maybe?” You cast a look back over your shoulders. Yoongi is waiting by the elevators, his arms crossed over his chest and his tail flicking in irritation. The elevator dings and the doors slide open. Well, there was no avoiding it. “Come on,” you tell them. “Just...keep to the other side, for now. I’ll stand between you and him.” 

The four of you pile into the elevator, all tucked into your own corners. It’s strange, you think. It’s never seemed small until now. Hoseok keeps casting worried looks over at you, Namjoon keeps subtly shifting closer and Yoongi is still glowering at the both of them, angry for a reason you can’t quantify. 

“If it helps,” Hoseok starts softly, his voice an intrusion in the awkward silence. “I really didn’t mean to, honestly-”

“Don’t apologize.” Namjoon counters. “If it bothers him that much, he can speak up” 

You don’t know what they’re talking about. It’s too late that you realize the canines aren’t addressing you. Suddenly, Yoongi’s fingers are hooked through one of your belt loops. He yanks you backwards and you stumble, falling against the length of his body. “My bad,” You shoot out, before the hybrid can hiss at you. “I just lost my bala-” The words die on your tongue as Yoongi fixes his mouth to the soft skin of your throat. The elevator goes quiet.

The canine hybrids avert their eyes almost instantaneously, instinct telling them they’re witnessing something they shouldn’t be. Yoongi keeps them fixed firmly in his sights, a dark growl bubbling in his throat. 

Your fingers flex uselessly at your sides, hands clenching unclenching as the hybrid works over the sensitive skin of your neck with his teeth and tongue. ‘Don’t make a noise,’ you plead with yourself. ‘This isn’t what it feels like. Don’t make a noise, don’t make a noise, don’t make a noise-’ Yoongi’s incisors graze over a vein and a little whimper slips past your lips before you can stop it. The grip he has on your hips becomes bruising. You feel your legs turning to jelly beneath you. Any more of what he was doing, and they’d have to mop you up off the elevator floor. You force your throat to swallow. “Y-Yoongi, I think that’s enough-” You don’t know if he hears you over the noise he’s making, so you lace your fingers through his and untangle them from your hips. He releases you with a wet pop and you slap a hand over the skin he’d marked. Heat floods your face and a smirk spreads across Yoongi’s, his teeth flashing at the canines. He leans in again to rub his nose against the mark he’d made- but a hand on his chest stops him. 

“Can you stop?” You ask in a small voice. Honestly, you’re embarrassed. Regardless of what the articles said about mark-making being platonic, it doesn’t feel friendly. It feels possessive and mean and you don’t like it. “I’m sorry I didn’t text you like you asked, but what is with you today?” Yoongi’s expression changes from smug satisfaction to confusion and then surprise, like he hadn’t expected you to protest. “I know what I said about you being ready but…” You rub a hand over the mark, wiping away saliva and your sweat. The bobcat hybrid visibly deflates. The elevator chimes for the fiftieth floor and the doors roll open slowly. You rush out before any of them can and start punching the code in your door with shaky fingers. You don’t know what to say. You’re tired and stressed and you don’t know what’s going on. Was this about the apartment? You knew the felines wouldn’t be happy about sharing their space, but why had Yoongi gone this far?

“Y/N…” He trails after you, his ears drooping. You shake your head, You can’t talk to him right now. 

“In the morning,” you tell him as the door swings open. “We’ll talk about it in the morning.” You can’t deal with everything that’s happened today, and Yoongi flipping out and getting the canines settled. You weren’t that good at juggling. 

By the grace of all that’s merciful, Taehyung and Jimin are still asleep when you walk in. You’d need to have an extended meet and greet tomorrow, you decide. Maybe do some icebreakers or team building exercises. If they reacted anything like their hyung did, you were in for one hell of an adjustment period. 

Hoseok and Namjoon trail you into the penthouse warily, sniffing the air. You want to give them time to explore and get their bearings, they deserve that, but with the way Yoongi still seems agitated when they venture anywhere but exactly in your steps, that’ll need to be saved until tomorrow morning too. You give them the most spartan tour you can muster up and show them each to a guest room, promising to order them furniture and get them the things they need tomorrow. 

By the time you collapse into your own bed, it’s damn near 11. You groan and drag a pillow over your face as you ask the universe for the thousandth time why it had decided to continuously kick your ass. Having three hybrids had been hard enough. Having five of all different species was likely to prove impossible and having seven was going to be a sisyphean task you’d had no training for. You groan and kick your feet in the air, allowing yourself the brief respite of a temper tantrum before crawling under your covers and flicking the lamp off. Maybe in your dreams there’d be no stress and no snarling hybrids with behavior you couldn’t explain.

#thebtswritersclub #hybridbtsnetwork #bts fic #bts x reader #bts x y/n #hybrid!bts #ot7 x reader #seokjin x reader #namjoon x reader #jhope x reader #yoongi x reader #jungkook x reader #jimin x reader #taehyung x reader

[jewels2876]

Want to Watch?

My smut is getting out of hand! This is still for the HBC Kinky Halloween - Day 29 - Masquerade and Voyeurism. Hoping @the-ss-horniest-book-club and @the-ce-horniest-book-club​ enjoy this as much as @the-th-horniest-book-club​ does! 😉🥵

Pairing: Loki x reader, Bucky x reader, Steve x reader

Word count: 460

Divider by the awesome @firefly-graphics

Warnings: Multiple partners - voyeurism - 18+ ONLY - If you click on the Keep Reading link you agree you’re over the age of 18

The ball was a success by any standard; Tony had gone all out and insisted on Victorian dress and elegantly designed masks. You and Loki had agreed to wear his signature dark green; your dress was expertly bustled in the back, black lace overlaying the taffeta material. Your kohl liner made your eyes brighter, more alive and Loki had every intention of showing you how much you affected him that night.

Loki watched as Bucky and Steve approached you; each gentleman wore their signature colors and stood tall above you. Loki saw their gazes drop to your chest, his fists tightening at the thought. Then your gaze found his, a dazzling smile filing your face, and his fists loosened. The trio walked towards Loki and he tilted his head, trying to figure out your newest game.

“Want to watch?” you whispered, taking the hand Loki extended.

“Watch what darling?” he whispered back before pressing a soft kiss just behind your ear. Your knees buckled but you stayed standing as you raised your eyes to him.

“Them. Us.” Your tongue snaked out to wet your suddenly dry lips. Loki immediately understood, his breath catching just a bit.

“You… with them?”

Steve leaned in slowly. “It was completely her idea. Something you had talked about?” The last word trailed off and Loki looked down at you with renewed interest.

“Are you sure, darling?” You nodded, tempering your growing excitement. Loki could already smell your arousal and licked his lips. “If I may then.” And a green mist enveloped all of you.

Loki adjusted himself in his seat, his cock firm and velvety in his hand. Your mouth was pulling off of the Captain’s cock, but your eyes were locked on Loki. Bucky’s metal fingers teased your clit as he slid in and out of you. Loki’s eyes darkened as your eyes widened, your orgasm taking over. Steve grunted as he spilled into your open mouth first, then coated your breasts as you bounced on Bucky’s cock. “Fuck,” Bucky muttered as you arched back onto his chest with a scream; his fingers toyed with your clit as a second orgasm took over suddenly. Bucky grunted as your walls clamped down around him, spilling into your core. Loki stroked himself slowly, watching as you came down from your high. Steve got up and headed for your bathroom as Bucky pulled out, falling back onto your bed and taking you with him. Steve came back with a washcloth and cleaned up his mess as you laid there. Loki stood and hovered just at the edge of the bed.

“She’s only just getting started, you know.” Loki’s eyes gleamed as you struggled to open your own eyes. “Would you like to see what else she can do?”

#hbc kinky halloween #loki x reader smut #loki x reader #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x reader smut #steve rogers x reader smut #smut #steve rogers x reader #the th hbc #the ce hbc #the ss hbc

[lonely-lost-soul]

Since I've Been Gone

Request: what if...Platonic fluff things with reader and bench trio?... Like they're all in a flower field chilling then Tommy is like, "You guys wanna make flower crowns?" And reader, ranboo, and tubbo just look at him like 👁👁 what, Turns out Tommy picked up flower crown making from his big brothers techno and Wilbur so now he does it when he's either bored or stressed. Anyways hope this inspires you <3 -🐱 Anon

(Platonic!Bench Trio x Gn!Reader)

The server had been through a lot, Tommy was just recently revived and was coming off of finding out his two best friends were married. The young boy had a white streak in his blonde hair and was still trying to adjust to the life he missed. Especially when it came to his longtime friend and roommate (y/n). Tommy had recently found out they were off living with Karl and Sapnap in the Kinoko Kingdom...the bitch. After Tommy had disappeared after he...died Karl had found them hiding out in his old library. You had scared the time-traveler half to death when he found you camping out in a corner of the room. However, after seeing as you had nothing, no weapons or armor he concluded you weren’t much of a threat, especially after you told him your sob story. You told him you lived with Tommy and you couldn’t go back there now that he was dead, Ranboo and Tubbo were off doing married things and you had felt so alone. Karl decided at that moment he would take you in, no matter what the cost. Sapnap had a bit more trouble adjusting to your presence, but as soon as he saw you had some fire within your belly he began to warm up to you. It only took a few days for Karl to practically adopt you and since he was engaged to Sapnap the fire demon was stuck with you for a child.

Not that he minded, you weren’t a loud kid, very pleasant to be around hell even his dad took a liking to you. Sapnap was baffled when Karl told him you had previously lived with Tommy, the most obnoxious child on the server. The two of you couldn’t be more different, and when Tommy was revived, he and Karl weren’t enthused. Karl was worried he’d lose you to the trouble maker and it was well known Tommy and Sapnap didn’t have the greatest history. Their worries were quelled the moment you introduced them as your dads to Tommy, Karl burst into tears and Sapnap put you in a headlock much to your protest. Tommy stood by awkwardly, he had missed a lot, he hated the fact that he felt like his friends were happier without him in their lives.

He was brought back to the present by the idle chatter of Tubbo and Ranboo by his side Tubbo was on Ranboo’s back declaring walking was way too much work for him. You snickered nudging Ranboo in the ribs, he let out a yelp and glared down at you halfheartedly. Tommy watched you turn towards him a smile on his features,

“What do you think Tommy?” He blinked a few times at you, not wanting to admit he wasn’t listening to the conversation next to him.

“I don’t fucking know,” He scoffed “This conversation is bullshit anyway who cares.” You had a smirk on your lips that he was all too familiar with, he narrowed his eyes at you.

“You weren’t listening were you?”

“Of course I was listening bitch!”

“Oh really? What did she ask then big man?” Tubbo mused resting his chin on his husband’s shoulder. Hair covering his vibrant, green eyes, horns peeking from beneath his shaggy hair. Tommy glared at his long time friend flipping him off eloquently,

“Probably something stupid and useless.”

“She asked if you knew where we were going,” Ranboo piped up with a casual hum, bouncing in his step. “Cause we’ve been walking for a while, I know Tubbo’s tired.”

“Yeah Tommy, I’m tired.”

“You’re not even walking!” You argued as Tubbo stuck his tongue out at you, lifting his hair from his eyes to wink at you. His one eye glowing with a yellow nuclear symbol, “Put that symbol away! You’re not cool.”

“Says the person who doesn’t own nukes,” He mused letting his hair fall back into place while grabbing onto Ranboo’s horns. “Or who doesn’t have any cool powers,”

“Ow! Low blow! Just cause Tommy and I are the only two humans in the group doesn’t mean you can pick on us! Right, Tommy!”

“Yeah! Exactly! Fuck you guys!” Tommy agreed linking your arms together, “Plus, I know exactly where we’re going. We’re almost there, Wilbur used to take me here all the time when I was little.” Tommy said almost in an afterthought, the kids around him grew quiet, each one knew Wilbur was a touchy subject for Tommy especially after his time in the afterlife. Yet, people seemed to forget that Wilbur wasn’t always crazy, wasn’t always a manipulator, once he was an older brother. Once he cared for Tommy and wanted to protect him from some of Phil’s neglect, protect him from Technoblade’s voices. Tommy wanted to remember that Wilbur, not the one stuck in purgatory who blew up the country they all fought so hard to retain. He felt your hand squeeze his arm,

“I’m excited to see where Wilbur decided to take you, hopefully, it’s not a fish pond.”

“Oh gross.” Ranboo groaned pinching the bridge of his nose as Tubbo laughed loudly from above him. Tommy made a disgusted face,

“Stop talking about all the fish who fucked my brother!”

“I didn’t you did.” You hummed skipping ahead of the group feet crunching on the leaves on the ground.

“YOU BASTARD!” Tommy shrieked running after you,

“Onward steed!” Tubbo pointed at his two friends who ran off, Ranboo grumbled but trotted after the duo.

It only took a few more arguments and a few more minutes of walking before the quartet came to the destination Tommy was eager to show them. You stopped on your heels jaw-dropping in awe,

“Holy shit…” You murmured, in front of all of you was a gorgeous field of flowers a giant dark oak tree sat in the middle. It was giant spanning up far into the sky but it created a nice shade to keep all of you cooled off. Tommy had a rare peaceful smile on his lips as he let the sun touch his face, he slid off his boots and ran into the field of flowers.

“Take your shoes off so you don’t crush them or I’ll crush you!” Tommy snickered falling back, letting the flowers tickle his cheeks. He opened his eyes just a crack to see you sliding off your boots and joining him in the field, you didn’t lay beside him instead he watched your form head to the tree. Meanwhile, Tubbo kicked off his boots, Ranboo wasn’t far behind his husband. Tubbo laughed running over and flopping next to Tommy, holding his arm close much to the blonde’s displeasure.

“Ranboo! Help me reach the taller branches!” You called to the tallest member of your friend group. He nodded walking over to you, grabbing your waist gently he lifted you into the air. You grabbed onto the nearest branch and hoisted yourself into the air, Ranboo was always shocked at your upper body strength, but then again you trained on your own for years. Ranboo hovered at the base of the tree nervously, both of his tails flicking side to side.

“Don’t climb too high!” He called watching you slip and cling onto the trunk to steady yourself. “(Y/n) CAREFUL!”

“I’m fine, mom!” You stuck your tongue out at him from above, “I’ve fallen out of taller trees!”

“If you get hurt Sapnap would literally burn me alive! So PLEASE try not to fall!”

“Boo calm down a little!” Tubbo snickered, “if they fall I’ll film it.”

“Tubbo has the right idea,” you agreed as Tommy laughed from beside Tubbo. Ranboo frowned ears twitching in distress, you only continued to climb higher to his dismay. Eventually, you came down falling elegantly into the arms of Ranboo who caught you easily. He was breathing heavily, recovering from the shock of your sudden drop. His long nails dug into your skin as he clutched onto you like a lifeline, “Ranboo let go!” You huffed trying to wiggle out of his tight grip.

“Absolutely not! Are you a lunatic!” His voice broke, “I could’ve missed! You could’ve broken an ankle!”

“But I didn’t,” You poked his nose with a teasing hum. Ranboo groaned louder placing his head in the crook of your neck, you snickered as he finally let you onto the ground. You walked over to Tommy and Tubbo and sat down next to them, you leaned against Tommy’s back who grunted in distaste. “Deal with it gremlin, be my backrest,”

“Fuck you bitch!” He snarled but didn’t move or push them off, you smiled teasingly winking in the direction of Tubbo. He snickered into his palm as Ranboo pulled Tubbo into his lap, and the young goat hybrid got comfortable. The four of you sat in peaceful silence, letting the sun beat down around you all. A nice breeze blew through the area causing the leaves of the nearby trees to shake, a few animals rustled around in the bushes.

“We should make flower crowns,” Tommy spoke up suddenly his nails digging into the dirt. You titled your head in confusion and Raboo looked equally as baffled, the only person who didn’t seem surprised was Tubbo.

“Sure man but you gotta collect the flowers,” Tubbo said tiredly Tommy clicked his tongue stubbornly.

“We’re surrounded by flowers you’re just lazy.”

“Yeah obviously.”

You gave Tubbo a look and sat up on your knees, “What do you need to get started?”

“Can you grab me some of those daisy’s, tulips, and some bluebells?” You nodded standing up and popping your knees before heading off in that direction. Meanwhile, Tommy grabbed some lilacs and began stringing those together, his tongue poked out from his bottom lip as he gave his full concentration to the task in front of him. Ranboo watched curiously ears flicking every time Tommy let out a mumble, you came back and dumped the flowers beside him. He grunted out thanks making the final knot in the crown, “Done!” He declared looking over at Ranboo, he flushed a little under Tommy’s gaze.

“Didn’t mean to stare.” Tommy huffed holding out the crown to the halfling, he pointed at himself and Tommy rolled his eyes.

“Take it. If you don’t want it I’ll just give it to (Y/n)-”

“I want it!” Ranboo reached out to snatch the crown from Tommy, he placed it gently on his head mindful of the horns. Tommy’s eyes widened and he flushed red, he quickly turned back to the pile of flowers. “Teach us how to make them,” Ranboo offered to try to ease the awkward tension. Tommy huffed but nodded, a smile spread across your lips,

“Teach us your ways oh wise one.” You teased picking up the daisy’s spinning the stem between your fingers.

“Yeah! I am wise! Call me master innit!”

“I’d rather choke,”

“Fuck you!”

You snicked as Tommy punched you hard in the shoulder, you doubled over falling into the flowers. Tommy growled pulling you up by the shirt, “Pay attention bitch! I’m only telling you this once!” Sitting back up you nodded and followed his instructions carefully, he ended up taking the daisies and you the tulips. Ranboo grabbed the bluebells reaching over Tubbo to follow Tommy’s instructions as well, by the end Tommy’s was pristine. The one you made was decent but Ranboo’s looked worse for wear considering he was trying to put it together with claws. He put the crown on top of a snoozing Tubbo, he was proud of his work nonetheless, his husband smiled tiredly nuzzling against his chest. You on the other hand placed the tulip crown you made atop of Tommy’s blonde hair, he flushed and rolled his eyes. He brushed his fingers over the daisies and placed them on top of your head, you looked up at the crown and smiled warmly.

“Thank’s Big T,” you hummed falling back into the flowers and Tommy joined you in laying down. Both your fingers interlocked and Ranboo shuffled to the ground as well, although he didn’t reach out to take Tommy’s hand, Tommy reached out to take Tubbo’s. The four of you stayed in that field until your walkie-talkie screeched cutting through the quiet atmosphere, it was the gruff voice of Sapnap’s. One of your fathers

“Earth to (Y/n), come in (y/n). Your dad wants you here for dinner, George is joining us tonight. I grilled!”

“Ugh. Buzzkill,” Tommy sneered kicking the dirt with his barefoot. You shushed him and pressed the button in to speak,

“Yeah papa, I’ll make my way back soon. Give papa a big kiss for me and if you see Quackirty tell him hello!”

“Don’t have to tell me twice. Karl come here honey~” You snickered as Tommy gagged, you heard your dad meow before your walkie cut off then and you sat up. You stretched your arms above your head and popped your arms into place, you kissed your teeth hopping to your feet.

“I gotta head back unless I want dad to beat my ass. Thank you for today boys and Tommy thank you for sharing your place with us. I’m glad we were trusted with this special secret.” You winked wiggling your toes in the long grass, “we should do this again yeah?”

“Yeah!” Ranboo agreed as Tubbo gave a sleepy thumbs up, your smile only widened. Tommy nodded giving a thumbs-up as well, he watched you head off to collect your boots and head back home. Head to a family, a family who cares about your wellbeing, or if you’re staying out too late. Hell, even who cared about who you were hanging out with, Tommy couldn’t help but wonder what that was like, he didn’t think he’d be very good at listening to any parental figures. He didn’t have that, he would never have that, he looked at your retreating figure, then back over at Tubbo and Ranboo. They both were half asleep and he couldn’t help but glance at the golden rings on each one of their fingers.

He missed so much since he’s been gone.

But maybe all wasn’t bad, he touched the tulips on his head, thinking for a moment.

Maybe he didn’t need a normal family with a mom and a dad, or two dads or moms, he had a family right here. He brought his hand to the scarf on his neck and squeezed it in his fist, who needed that shit when he had everyone he loved in this field with him today.

For once in his life, Tommy was happy.

#dreamsmp x reader #dreamsmp x you #dream smp x y/n #mcyt x reader #mcyt x you #mcyt x y/n #platonic relationships #platonic tubbo x reader #platonic tommy x reader #platonic ranboo x reader #gender neutral reader #x reader #x you #x y/n #minecraft x reader #minecraft fanfiction #minecraft x you #platonic dream smp x reader #platonic dream smp x you #platonic dream smp x y/n #fanfiction #fanfic #light angst #drabble #request #anon

[gifted-burnout-archive]

The Other Side of Hollywood

Part One

Requested?: fuck no, I wrote this one all for my ownsome.

Word Count: 4.0K+

Author’s Note: My GOD! Julie and the Phantoms is amazing, and while I have the theory I enjoy it so much because I didn’t really have a ‘teenage years’, I really don’t give a shit. I’m writing Luke Patterson fluff and you can all suck it!

Warning: um, none yet. This is a very PG show so PG fic.

Context: This is a reader insert mini series. It goes from 1x05 of JATP until the end, I’ll be releasing a part every day/two days. It is Luke x Reader, as much as I love my Juke ship, so Luke and Julie’s relationship is a lot more friendly than in the show. Also, some scenes may be different, dialogue from the show is used, yada yada.

--

Some might not believe it, but life starts, properly starts, when you die. At least, it did for Y/N Y/L/N.

Her life on earth had been short, and dull, and ended tragically with plenty left undone: it didn’t surprise her that she came back as a ghost. If anything, she would have been a bit shocked if she hadn’t: she had, after all, died with so much potential wasted, so much she could have done.

She was lucky that Caleb had found her.

“5 minutes ladies!” A voice called from afar, receiving a chorus of ‘thank you five’ from around the dressing room as performers hurried to get the last of their makeup and hair done, readying for that’s night’s performance, and knocking Y/N from a stupor. She came back to reality, taking the lid off the lipstick she had been playing with for the last ten minutes and finally applying it, then proceeding to take the curlers out her hair and slip on her heels for the night. Caleb had mentioned for her to be on the look out for special guests in front, and she had dressed in her best costume for the occasion.

She heard a sigh of relief as she finally moved from the mirror, a few of the girls crowding the vanity to start applying their finishing touches, none of them brave enough to interrupt Y/N’s ponderings: she may have died at 17, but none of the dancers had been with the club as long as she had, none were as faithful to Caleb as she was.

She had been his right-hand woman for almost 25 years now, some of the staff had barely been there a quarter of that time.

Her heels clicked as she headed for the stage, blowing a pin curl from her face and tucking it back into place as she took a spot on the stage and looked out at the crowd forming: from the looks of it, that night would be their busiest all week. The lifers were starting to settle at tables, collecting the last drinks before the opening number of the evening, mingling with excitement in the air and secrecy on their lips: they were getting to experience something forbidden, something beyond reality, after all.

She scanned the room, looking for the familiar face she had grown to love over the past decades, finally finding him stood in his best tuxedo – which consisted of a tailcoat, patterned black and gold shirt, and a pair of tailored board shorts – at the foot of the staircase with three boys around the same age as them, all watching in awe as lifers passed through them and proceeding to question her best friend.

“Willie!” She called, running over with a wave and a smile to him and the trio, getting a good look at them all as Willie’s arm came around her waist and hugged her into his side. The first, a familiar looking tall, lanky blonde kid in a jean jacket that Y/N was sure was the guy Willie had been gushing over just an hour or so earlier; the second was the tallest, close to a foot taller than Y/N herself, with quiffed black hair slicked back with gel, dressed like a new age Rockstar in leather and red colours. And then the third, with a dopey grin and a mop of chocolate hair on his head, paired with a painted denim overcoat and obscure band tee underneath, who unashamedly looked her over as she stood at Willie’s side.

“Guys, this is Y/N, my best friend.” Willie introduced her to be met with raised eyebrows from the three. By appearance alone, Willie constantly in a state of casual skater attire, and Y/N stood in front of them with pin curls, high heels and a blue sequin number that accentuated every one of her features, it just didn’t seem like they could be friends. “She looks a lot different in the day time.”

“Very funny William.” Y/N quipped back, elbowing him playfully in the side. “Why don’t I show you all to your table?” She offered, holding out a hand to the one in the leather jacket, who took her hand with a slack jaw and dumbfounded nod of the head.

“Yes, yes please.” He managed, and Y/N led the four down to their table, front and centre. “I’m Reggie, by the way. And that’s Alex and Luke. We’re in a band… Actually, we’re here tonight because-” Reggie started to ramble, but Y/N held a manicured finger to his lips, an innocent smile on her face.

“We don’t talk business here. You sit down and enjoy the show, alright? I’m sure Willie can keep you company, sort you boys out.” She said with a flirty tone, a habit she had grown into working the HGC scene: easier to flirt with the guests, often means a bigger pay-out by the end of the night. Willie pulled out a chair for Alex, the blonde one, who smiled shyly at her friend and sat down, Luke the last to take his place at the table.

“Y/N, is it?” He asked, looking her over a second time. He sat back in his chair, a smirk on his face as she came closer, her hand resting on the back of his chair.

“Careful there handsome, I don’t fraternise with guests.” She laughed a little as she said it, blowing a kiss in his direction before disappearing back stage for the show, soon to start. It took Luke a second to look away, to focus back on what the three had come there for: their old bandmate had stolen their music, passed it off as his own, and they were quite intent on making him pay.

“Ok, so, who’s going to make us visible so we can confront our old band mate?” He asked Willie, looking around the room at the lifers, wondering if one of them had the same weird power Julie seemed to possess.

“Oh, no, no, none of these lifers have the power to do that.” Willie corrected, just as music started up from the stage. “Oh, but here comes the ghost who does.” Willie drummed his fingers on the table in excitement, leaving the three bandmates rather confused. Willie had brought them there with no real information about what or who they were meeting.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” a male voice announced from nowhere in particular, “Back from the dead by popular demand, please welcome Caleb Covington.” The words were met with applause and cheers from the crowd, Willie letting out a few whoops and prompting the boys to start clapping as in a puff of purple smoke, a man appeared in the middle of the air.

“Did you miss me?” he asked, reaching his arms out in a gesture of thanks to the loving crowds, dressed in black and purple satin. He was met with a collective ‘hell yeah’ from the audience, causing Reggie, Luke and Alex to share side glances, all a little on edge. “I did too!” He responded, met with laughter and more cheers. “Welcome to the party of your dreams!” He introduced, his voice commanding attention and respect, not to mention his floating in mid-air. “From the Egyptians to the Druids, to the person sitting next to you, we’ve all wondered ‘where do we go when that final light is snuffed out’?” The bandmates couldn’t deny, this Caleb guy was certainly intriguing. “Let me show you.

“Let me introduce myself, we’ve got some time to kill. Consider me the pearly gates to your new favourite thrills.” He moved forward in the air, floating closer and closer to the boys’ table at the front, and Luke couldn’t help but feel that Caleb was singing to them, to him. “We could go make history or you could rest in peace, but here there ain’t no misery cause on the other side we live like kings.

“Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do? Let your body loose, let your body loose. Whatcha gonna do, whatcha gonna do? Show you a thing or two cause you ain’t seen nothing…” With a flick of his cape as he landed down, the stage suddenly filled with musicians and dancers, all ghosts that had been invisible to even the four dead boys in the front.

“Life, is good on the other side of Hollywood.” The song continued, and as his counterparts took in the full ensemble on stage, Luke found his eyes drifting to the girl they had met, Willie’s friend Y/N. She had managed in the few moments from leaving to arriving on stage to have sprayed a lock of her curls blue, and come into possession of a feather fan the same colours as her dress. Another girl stood across the stage in the same attire, except she also sported a blue wig and headpiece, which it seems Y/N had forgone.

Luke had reason to stare of course: not only was she beautiful, but a talented dancer, and as Caleb sang away she joined in on backing vocals, the pair linking arms as she danced around him, then spun into a dip, Caleb’s arm holding her steady as she fluttered her fan. Movement around them snatched his attention from her, waiters in pink suits coming from all sides to form a circle around Caleb.

What followed was a barrage of temptation: from the countless desserts circling past to the girl that appeared from under their table cloth to the trapeze artists and the dancing that got everyone on their feet and cheering along. It was only after Caleb ended the number by disappearing thanks to the help of Y/N and her fellow fan girl that the room finally settled down a little.

“This is so cool…” Reggie muttered, waving to some lifers across the room: they could see him, see them: actually see them.

“Dude, I knew I recognised him.” Alex gestured, pulling Reggie’s attention from his apparent visibility and Luke’s from scanning the room for a certain girl in blue. “He’s the guy that bumped into me outside the Orpheum.”

“Wait. Isn’t he that magician dude that died a horrible death doing a trick?” Reggie asked Willie, who laughed a little in response.

“Yeah, but I wouldn’t bring that up whenever we meet him.” Alex scolded Reggie, who rolled his eyes in response.

“Yeah, but you should come back when he shows one of his movies.” Willie interjected with a grin. “I mean, for Titanic, he literally floods the entire place. I mean, the guy has got skills.”

“Alright, but he can, like, wave his arms and make ghosts visible to lifers?” Luke asked, perhaps the most rooted in reality after the performance, still quite set on their goal for coming here, for cutting it short of their performance with Julie.

“Told you, the guy’s got skills.” Willie shrugged, and Reggie looked back at the stage.

“So, uh, where’d he go?” He asked, taking a glance into the stage wings before turning back round and jumping back about a foot in surprise, Caleb stood right behind Alex and Luke. “Oh wow! Found him! Ha!”

“Hello boys, Caleb Covington. Welcome to the Hollywood Ghost Club.” Caleb introduced himself, a smile on his face and the accent of a fifties radio presenter. “Enjoying the show?” He asked, and Luke took lead.

“That was… I mean… Did you… Like…” He tried to articulate it, but found his mind going back to the girl in the blue dress and went a little red, and gave up trying to find the words, letting his appraising arms fall to their sides.

“I know.” Caleb responded with a light chuckle.

“This is Alex, Luke, and Reggie.” Willie introduced them all to Caleb.

“it’s really nice to meet you.” Alex offered, Reggie following it with a peace sign and a ‘sup?’, which put a smile on Caleb’s face.

“The pleasure is all mine. Nothing warms my heart more than sharing this magic with new friends.” Caleb explained, gesturing for the boys to take a seat as he took one of his own. “Now, our friend Willie here tells me you guys have some magic of your own?” He questioned Alex, who’s eyes widened at the man’s quizzing.

“Willie and I? I wouldn’t call it magic exactl-” Alex started his response, his voice getting squeakier as he went on, but was quickly cut off by Willie’s hand on his shoulder.

“He means your ghost abilities. You know, like, to be seen by everybody when you play with Julie.” Willie corrected. Alex started an apology, but Caleb raised a hand, showing it wasn’t needed.

“Yeah, but we can’t really wave our arms and do all this magic stuff.” Luke added, but Caleb didn’t seem phased by his humbling of their ability.

“Well, I’ve had some practice. Our gifts are so rare, so special. It’s not often I come across other spirits who possess similar talents.” Caleb explained. “It’s no surprise we found each other.”

“Yeah, that… definitely…” Luke agreed, and Caleb smile briefly, standing from his chair.

“If you’ll forgive me fellas, I gotta go pay the bills, if you know what I’m saying. I’ll be back later to chat.” The host excused himself, all of their eyes following to find Willie’s friend Y/N stood in a black dress, waiting for Caleb. “My darling! Oh, look at that dress! Where have you been?” He asked her.

Unbeknownst to the bandmates, Willie and Y/N shared a glance as Caleb took her by the waist and led her towards the back stage area, and Willie checked the time.

9.10… The boys were late to their gig, and if the Hollywood Ghost Club had anything to do with it, they would never arrive.

--

As the night continued on, and after Reggie learned the shocking revelations that not only was Han Solo killed in the Star Wars franchise, but that they added a character named Jar Jar Binks, Willie found himself fleeing for a moment. He had spent the entire night with Alex, and the more time he spent with him, the more he liked the guy.

Willie needed some air, a break, and in searching for it he ran into Y/N.

“Aren’t you meant to be out there? Flirting with the lanky one?” She asked with a teasing tone, running her fingers through her curls, slowly separating them into waves. “He’s cute, I’ll give you that. And your type. And dead, which is a huge bonus. I’m tired of watching crush over men you can’t actually touch.”

“Yeah well… He was asking too many questions, didn’t want to spook him.” Willie shrugged, rubbing his arm. He didn’t like the feeling in his stomach, and Y/N could tell he felt off.

“Do you need to sit this out? I can keep them entertained; I have a feeling the one in denim has arms like Adonis.” She offered with a giggle, and Willie frowned a little. “Oh come on, Willie… It’s not like they’re being branded or anything. We’re just…” She paused, glancing over as she spotted Caleb talking to the trio, then offering them stacked plates of food. “We’re perks to the package.” She winked at her friend, who rolled his eyes at her words and pulled her to his side for a hug.

“You make it sound like the dream job.” Willie chuckled, hanging his head a little.

“Isn’t it?” Y/N raised a brow, and squished his face between her fingers before planting a kiss on his cheek. “Let them eat for a while, join them later if you feel up to it. I’ll be getting denim on the dance floor though.” She shrugged, heading to go fix her makeup when Willie got her arm.

“His name is Luke… And from what I can tell, he’s actually a pretty nice guy.” He told her, met with a smirk and batting eyelashes.

“Just how I like them.” She replied, pulling her arm away and heading back to the dressing room, leaving Willie in a state of quandary.

By the time the final performance of the night was ready to begin, Reggie, Alex and Luke had eaten three platefuls of food each, having forgotten what pizza and burgers and meatball subs actually tasted like. And as Reggie found himself defending kissing his meatball sub to Alex, Luke felt a tap on his shoulder, and he turned to see Y/N stood behind him with a smirk painted on red lips.

“Well, how can I be of service?” He asked her, wiping the last traces of pizza grease from his fingertips onto his jeans, earning a genuine smile from the glamour model of a woman.

“It’s what I can do for you…” She replied, holding out a hand to him. “You’ll be in need of a dance partner shortly.” She explained as Caleb took the stage, starting his monologue about how “we do dessert”.

“I thought you said you didn’t fraternise.” Luke reminded as the music started up and the dance floor filled, the room once again alive with cheers and clapping. Y/N walked backwards into the middle of the floor, Willie quickly joining her centre stage as the beat picked up on entry into the chorus and the room got to their feet.

“You’re the exception to the rule, Denim.” Y/N called back, Luke grinning at the nickname she had given him, earning a nudge from Alex. He swatted his friend playfully as the three of them watched Y/N and Willie join in a huge dance routine.

Life is good on the other side of Hollywood.

Caleb’s voice resonated in the air as waiters, showgirls, and the like all started pulling patrons onto the floor with them. Caleb approached the trio, beckoning the girl who had popped up from their table earlier that night to dance her way through each bandmate: ending with a shimmy to the floor in front of Reggie that had the poor boy near unconscious.

As one of the girls in blue took the recovering Reggie onto the dance floor, and as Alex wondered where Willie had disappeared to, Y/N made her way over to Luke and offered her hand. This time, instead of asking questions, Luke took it eagerly. He didn’t hesitate in walking her on to the dance floor though, instead pulling her close by the waist as her hands rested on his chest.

“You know how to jive?” She asked him, the pair stood still for a moment amongst the chaos around them. There was so much of it, Y/N almost didn’t notice Caleb sending Willie backstage with a flick of his finger, but she was quickly pulled from her thoughts. Luke had responded to her question by taking her hand and spinning her out before coiling her back in. Her arms went over his head, Luke spinning this time as they began kicking feet in perfect synchronicity and in time with the music. Luke pulled Y/N close, lifting her up and spinning with her, causing the girl to shriek and throw her head back in laughter.

As the song came to an end, Y/N glanced back to the stage and received a firm nod from the belting host, her cue to leave. She spun Luke out of her grasp once she hit the floor, handing him over to one of the show girls who promptly dipped him at the same time as Reggie fell for the same move, leaving both boys laughing as Y/N disappeared behind the stage.

She and Willie had both done their jobs after all, she could go back to her room for the night, get some rest. She walked over to her vanity backstage, wiping away the stage makeup, brushing out her curls, and changing into more comfortable clothes. She only stopped when she heard the gong of the club’s clock.

Midnight.

She sighed, glancing in the mirror one last time before heading out to the front of house, noticing the boys she had been acquainted with that night were no longer on the floor, instead making a bee-line for the exit. Her feet were quick to follow, slowing only when Caleb poofed into place in front of the fleeing teens.

“Gentlemen, what’s the rush?” He asked, his eyes catching on Y/N for a moment as she disappeared back into the crowds. “The party’s just getting started, and you have eternity, after all.” He reminded them with a cheerful smile.

“You know that girl who can see us? We sort of bailed on her.” Reggie began through ragged breath, thanks to Alex and Luke pulling him from the dancefloor. “See, there’s this dance at her school and her friend Flynn is a super cool DJ, like-”

“Ok, I don’t think he has an eternity to hear the story.” Alex interrupted.

“Basically, we’re late for a gig.” Luke finished, and Caleb frowned at the words, prompting an eavesdropping Y/N to step a touch closer.

“But what about my offer?” Caleb asked, raising a disapproving eyebrow.

“It’s very cool of you, Mr Covington, but, like I said, we already have a-” Luke began again, but Caleb raised his hands in defeat.

“A band of your own.” He finished for the boys, Y/N pondering it over. Had Caleb wanted the three for the house band? “I understand… But boys, if you ever want to come back and fix that little problem with your friend, the Hollywood Ghost Club is always open.”

And there it was, the final temptation.

“Yeah man, we’d love to come back.” Luke smiled.

“Music to my ears!” Caleb returned the affectionate expression, offering a hand to each of the boys in turn. With each shake, the boys pulled back, a mark becoming branded on their wrist. When they frowned at the symbol, Caleb interrupted. “Oh, it’s just a little club stamp.” He assured, and their faces lit back up again. “Until next time.” Luke was first to exit, and Y/N followed after him quickly, stopping him just before he reached the stairs to leave.

“You’ve got good feet on you…” She said with a smile, catching him by surprising and evoking a smile.

“You’re not half bad yourself…” He countered, taking a few steps closer. She held a finger up for a moment, walking over to a table on the far side of the room and picking up a pen before returning.

“Arm.” She demanded, and Luke held it out willingly. Y/N frowned for a second, noticing the marking on his wrist, but didn’t let it stop her from pushing up his sleeve and writing a phone number on his arm. “You might think it’s bizarre, but I have access to a landline. There’s one at the club. Call me if you decide on coming back… Or…” She blushed a little, and Luke grinned.

“Or if I want to call up the pretty showgirl and see her outside of the club? I will.” He assured her, puling his sleeve back down as Reggie walked out the club, his eyes widening at the pair, having to take a second glance at Y/N out of her costume: while neither he nor Luke could read minds, they were both thinking the same thing.

Y/N somehow looked even better out of her showgirl get up.

Perhaps it was the mismatched converse high tops, or the fishnet tights under her ripped shorts, maybe it was the ripped band tee displaying the iron maiden cover art, Luke wasn’t sure. But she was gorgeous, and knowing she seemed to like what he did just added to the fact.

“See you around, Denim.” Y/N smiled, lifting the collar of his jacket for a moment before letting it go and heading inside, walking past Alex as she went.

“Was that Willie’s friend?” He asked in surprise, Reggie nodding.

“I think Luke’s in love.” He teased, earning a punch on the arm from the band’s led guitarist.

“Shut it, Reggie. Now, let’s get to that dance.” Luke quickly reminded them, the three quickly disappearing with the destination of Julie’s school in mind, all of them preparing for a major scolding for being three hours late.

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Part Two is here...

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Tags: @im-a-writer-right​

#luke patterson #luke patterson x reader #luke patterson x y/n #jatp luke x reader #jatp luke #jatp #julie and the phantoms #fanfiction #fanfic #jatp au #reader insert #the other side of hollywood #luke patterson fluff #fluff

[a-edgar-allan-hoe]

The Last Chthonian

Bucky x Reader, Sam x Reader, Zemo x Reader

Part 10

A/N: I can’t believe I’m already on part 10 for this series and to be honest it’s fun to write. And in all seriousness, the tumblr mobile app needs to allow you to put a read more link. But anyways love you all and let me know if you would like to be added to the tag list! Mwah! 🖤🖤🖤

Summary: Imagine being Hekate, the Greek goddess of magic and witchcraft, the night and the moon, doorways and crossroads, creatures of the night, and ghosts and necromancy. You stumbled upon Earth many centuries ago and since then have resided on the foreign planet. During the recent years you created an alias for yourself to hide your true identity, and after the war against Thanos you chose to live out your days in the Scottish countryside, until a certain trio appear at your doorstep one day.

Warnings: language, some violence, and blood

“Im sorry, did you just say Madripoor?” You blinked at Zemo, dreading the destination ahead of you.

“What’s up with Madripoor? You talk about it like it’s Skull Island.” Sam questioned, looking between you and Zemo.

“Imagine Mos Eisley from Tatooine but without the aliens and blasters.” You tried to make an analogy. “In other words, a shithole. And to be honest, I’d rather be in Mos Eisley.”

“It’s an island nation in the Indonesian archipelago. It was a pirate sanctuary back in the 1800s.” Bucky explained to Sam.

“It’s kept its lawless ways.” Zemo added before turning to James. “But we cannot exactly walk in as ourselves. James, you will have to become someone you claim is gone.”

You had a feeling Zemo would suggest all of you going in with different identities, and being the only woman in the group, you already had a wild guess you weren’t going to be ecstatic about yours. You looked to Bucky with a frown on your lips. You knew what Zemo had meant towards him, and you didn’t know how it would affect him to transition back into the person he tried so hard to deviate from. Bucky saw the sympathetic smile you gave him, and he returned it with a look that reassured you that he would be fine.

“Y/n.” Zemo now spoke to you, tilting his head to meet your eyes. “I’m sure you are aware of the conditions.”

“Zemo if you...” Bucky trailed off as he glared at him, silently warning him to watch what he says next.

Sam and Bucky kept their eyes on Zemo, waiting to hear what his suggested persona for you was and ready to beat his ass if he dared to suggest something that would be demeaning to you.

“No way in the pits of Tartarus. I am not going in as an escort.” You voiced with a clenched jaw. “And if it’s eye candy you need, you have Sam.”

Sam gave you a surprised look from your comment, flattered to have you recommend him to be the designated eye candy before going back to the topic at hand. “Hell no Zemo. You’re not having y/n pretend to be an escort.”

“I’m afraid Sam is already going as someone.” Zemo sat back with his hands folded in his lap. “And don’t worry, I wasn’t planning on having you go as an escort, it isn’t befitting of a baron like me. Plus, I figured it would be uncomfortable for you, so I was going to suggest you act as my fiancé, if you are willing of course.”

You bit the inside of your cheek, pondering on the subject. You were a bit relieved in all honesty. But to pretend to be Zemo’s fiancé and be in close and almost physical proximities with him?

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to y/n.” Sam uttered to you.

“I’ll do it.” You confirmed.

“Are you sure?” Zemo asked you again, making sure you were comfortable with acting the part.

“I thought Zemo might step out of line with this one, but we don’t want you to do something that will make you uncomfortable.”

“I’m sure. I’ve had to do things I wasn’t comfortable with plenty of times in the past.”

Once you had all landed, Zemo decided to stop by a place so that you all may get dressed. You had already packed a dress and a pair of heels with you just in case for situations like these, since this wasn’t the first time you had to dress up for a mission. The dress you wore was a black, burned velvet silk slip-like dress with the velvet print being dark red roses. The dress wasn’t too tight to be constricting of movement and fit perfectly around around your curves. If the situation should arise that you needed to defend yourself, you needed the freedom to be able to move. Going down, the fabric flared slightly at your hips, brushing barely against the floor with your heels on. The skirt was slightly sheer from the bottom of your thighs and down with the floral velvet print, and had a slit going up your right thigh, perfect for kicking and concealing your dagger. The top torso portion of the front of your dress was a spaghetti strap cowl neckline that stopped just above the curve of your breasts, allowing for just a bit of cleavage. Your back was left bare, stopping at your mid back with thin straps that came across in a pattern. Your dress almost had a Grecian/witchy look from the way it draped over your chest and hips. It wasn’t too formal or too scandalous, it was elegant and classy, and showed just the right amount of skin where it wouldn’t be too revealing.

Even though you completely loathed and detested heels of any kinds, your heels were fairly simple, made of black velvet with straps that came across your ankles and toes. You dreaded heaving to wear them but at the same time you’d stick out like a sore thumb if you wore your docs with these. Perhaps you should’ve brought your nicer sandals, but it was too late now. You kept on your mother’s necklace and wore a set of amethyst drop earrings, throwing on a silver cuff bracelet on each wrist. Your hair was let loose to conceal your short sword that you hid on your back underneath your dress, the hilt resting right between your shoulder blades. You prayed that having your hair down would cover the scars and the sword you had on your back. But you were mostly focused about the scars, you failed to mention them to the guys about it since it was something that was hard for you to share. The only makeup you had on was some eyeshadow and mascara to darken your eyes, very little blush, and a lip tint.

The last thing to do was to put on some perfume, so you spritzed on your favorite oil based one that you had from Olympus on your pulse points. The scent was filled with incense-like scents like dragon’s blood, sage, crushed red roses, sandalwood, ghostly white musk, absinthe, almonds, and heady gardenia. It wasn’t as harsh as the common alcohol based ones, this one was more earthy and ancient, and every time you wore it, the scent lingered and heads turned. You gave yourself a once over when you were done, taking in a deep breath before heading out to join the others.

You became nervous as you saw them gathered together, talking amongst themselves as they haven’t noticed you yet. You rarely ever wore dresses these days, especially of the kind you were wearing now which left you feeling bare and exposed even though the dress wasn’t at all much revealing. So as you approached them, you couldn’t help picking at your fingers in anxiety.

The men turned at the sound of your heels clicking against the ground, and when they laid their eyes on you, they couldn’t help but gawk with their mouths parted open, as if they had seen the most beautiful creature to ever walk the earth. You chewed on the inside of your cheeks as you saw how they stared at you.

“Wow.” Sam was the first to say something. “You look like a million bucks.”

“What? Never seen a woman in a dress before?”

“No, I’ve just never seen you in a dress before.” Sam answered. “You’re always dressed like some hippie/librarian, with your bands shirts, sweaters, plaid pants and jackets.”

“Haha vary funny.”

“Also since when did you have muscles?” Sam noticed as he poked your bare arm. “And since when did you have a tattoo?” He observed the mark you had on your upper right arm, right below your shoulder. It was the mark that was given to you to signify your Olympian status and what you represented. It was about the color that henna left behind after you wiped the paste off your skin, the color of ginger and bronze. The center of your mark was a lightning bolt, which represented a child of Zeus. Below that was your symbol, the torch and the triple moons.

“Since when did you start asking so many questions? But yeah, I’ve always had muscles Sam, I was trained in combat since I was, you could say 9 years old in human years. Also, technically everyone has them, it’s what allows us to move and lift things. And that.” You pointed to your tattoo. “Is my goddess mark, not a tattoo. Every Olympian god has one and they each have their personal symbol that represents them.”

“Wait, so you’ve been trained since you were a kid?” Bucky looked at you to clarify what he heard as they all started to head out.

“Technically, everyone on Olympus starts training that young. Then, when they become of age, a tournament is held to display their skills, following a ceremony after, to celebrate their victory.” You explained as you walked beside them.

The four of you were currently walking on the bridge that led to Madripoor. You could see the city’s skyline out in the distance, the cyberpunk like buildings lighting up the night sky.

“Do you need my coat?” You heard Zemo say beside you, making you look at him.

“Sorry?”

“Do you need my coat?” He repeated himself, referring to how your arms were bare against the cool night. “I wouldn’t want you to get cold.”

You stared at him, stunned from the kind gesture as you tried to form words to say. “Oh uh.....I appreciate the gesture, but I’m fine actually. I’m not that cold.” Though you didn’t want to admit it, you actually would’ve liked to try on his coat, because in all honesty it was a damn nice coat.

“We have to fix this.” You heard Sam say with irritation visible in his voice. “I’m the only one who looks like a pimp.”

“Only an American would assume a fashion-forward black man looks like a pimp. You look exactly like the man you’re supposed to be playing.” Zemo mentioned as he pulled out his phone to show Sam. “The sophisticated, charming African rake named Conrad Mack, aka the Smiling Tiger.”

“He even has a bad nickname. Hell, he does look like me, though.” Sam observed the photo.

“You smell this?”

“Yeah, what is that? Acid?” Sam sniffed the air as you did the same.

“Smells rancid.” You scrunched your nose at the smell.

“Madripoor. No matter what happens, we have to stay in character. Our lives depend on it. There’s no margin for error.” Zemo instructed as a black car pulled up in front of you. “High Town’s that way. Not a bad place if you wanna visit, but Low Town’s the other way.”

“Let me guess. We don’t have any friends in High Town.” Sam remarked as he opened the door for the back seat.

“Y/n. A moment please, if you will.” Zemo uttered to you.

You stopped in your tracks, seeing Bucky and Sam stand on either side of the car doors, looking between the two of you and especially Zemo, with caution. You nodded your head at them, signaling you were fine and that they can get seated. And though they sat themselves inside the car, that didn’t stop them from keeping their eyes glued to Zemo to make sure he didn’t pull anything stupid.

“What’s the issue?” You turned to Zemo, giving him your attention.

“Since you will be portraying my fiancé, there’s a certain key element you will be needing to complete the image.” You watched as he pulled out a ring from his coat pocket, displaying it in front of you. “If I may?”

You stared at Zemo blankly before nodding your head and holding out your left hand for him. You knew this was only for a show, but you couldn’t help but stiffen as he delicately held your hand with his gloved one before slipping the ring onto your ring finger.

“There.” Hi smiled softly at you, his hand still holding yours. “Now you look the part.”

The two of you stood there for a moment, his thumb brushing against your knuckles, leaving behind a trail of warmth as he gazed down at you. Zemo swore he could have gotten lost in the violet swirls and gold flecks of your eyes forever, which now sparkled against Madripoor’s lit up skyline, the neon city and the places he’s visited not even coming close to the beauty he held before him.

You tried not to blush under his gaze as you gave him a polite smile before slipping your hand out of his. “I should probably change my eyes huh.” You remembered, changing your eyes to a normal color known to earth. “Should I hide the scar?” You asked him, referring to the one on your face.

“I think you should leave it. It suits you, and besides, you never know who might recognize you without it.”

Nodding your head at him, you headed to the car and settling in beside Bucky as Zemo followed, getting in the passenger seat in front of you. In the car ride there, you glanced down at the ring Zemo slipped on your finger, it was definitely a beautiful elegant ring, with a rose gold band and a pear cut garnet in the center that had diamonds that accented the bottom. Once you arrived in the city, you walked through the neon lit streets beside Zemo while Sam and Bucky followed behind. You loosened up your body as you went, swaying your hips slightly as you tried your best not to walk like a bodyguard and look threatening as everyone’s eyes followed the four of you strolling through the streets.

“Here we are.” Zemo announced, stopping in front of a bar before speaking to Bucky in Russian. “Ready to comply… Winter Soldier?”

As you went in, Zemo leaned in to whisper in your ear, his warm breath tickling your neck and startling you as he spoke in a hushed tone. “I want to apologize in advance, forgive me.”

You looked at him with furrowed brows to question what he meant until you felt his gloved hand slide across your back before resting on your waist, pulling you closer to his side. You noticed how his hand fumbled after brushing across your sword as he gave you a questioning look. What was that on your back? Did you really conceal a full on sword on your back underneath your dress? On your way to the bar table you saw people stare as you went through, some of them gawking in surprise at Bucky, or the winter soldier as he was now portraying, while the slimy men in the area roamed their eyes over your body hungrily. Zemo noticed your uneasiness from the way your muscles tensed, though your face didn’t show a sign of it, and glared at the men who dared to lay their eyes on you, only pulling you closer to him to prove that you were with him while Bucky and Sam noticed this as well and positioned themselves where you were blocked from the view of your peers, allowing you to breathe a little better as you approached the bar.

“Hello, gentlemen.” The bartender greeted you all. “Wasn’t expecting you, Smiling Tiger.”

“His plans changed.” Zemo answered for him. “We have business to do with Selby.”

“The usual?”

Sam nodded his head.

“And for the lady?”

“Um Something fruity.” You answered with a flirtatious smile, silently hoping they had something like that on the menu and that you hadn’t blown their cover by ordering the wrong drink.

The bartender handed you what looked to be a pineapple martini and you internally thanked the gods for your sheer bit of luck, taking the drink and thanking the bartender with another smile. You watched as he went to work on Sam’s drink, pulling out of a jar what definitely was a snake. You gulped, your stomach feeling nauseous as you saw the bartender cut open the dead snake, taking out its guts and throwing it in the shot glass. You were mortified to say the least, snakes were one of your symbols and you had owned plenty of the gentle little creatures. You shot Sam a sympathetic look once you saw his expression.

“Cheers.” Zemo held up his glass while Sam stared at his before gathering the courage to drink it all in one go. If Sam wasn’t going to throw up, you were going to do it for him.

While your eyes were trained on Sam’s expression, you felt someone breathe over your neck before feeling a clammy hand graze across your ass.

“Hey baby-“

Your eyes widened before you grabbed the wrist of the man behind you in one quick motion, twisting his arm to an unnatural position as you yanked it away from your body, causing the sleazy looking individual let out a yelp of pain. You would’ve crushed his wrist like crumpled paper if Zemo hadn’t put a cautionary hand on your arm as he whispered to you. “Careful now.”

You let go of the man’s wrist before shoving him aside like a pile of garbage. If their identity wasn’t at risk of being revealed, Zemo, Sam, and Bucky would have gone over there and beat the guy up after you were done with him.

“I got word from high. You ain’t welcome here.” You watched from behind Zemo as a bearded man approached him.

“I have no business with the Power Broker, but if he insists, he can either come and talk to me…” Zemo gestured towards Bucky.

“New haircut?”

“Or bring Selby for a chat.”

The man glanced between Zemo and Bucky before leaving.

“A power broker? Really?” Sam turned to Zemo.

“Every kingdom needs its king. Let’s just pray we stay under his radar.”

“Do you know him?” You asked.

“Only by reputation. In Madripoor he is judge, jury, and executioner.”

Another man was approaching in your direction, most likely to kick you all out or worse, and after following your gaze, Zemo turned to Bucky, speaking to him in Russian just as the man laid a hand on his shoulder. “Winter Soldier. Attack.”

You stood back, watching as Bucky grabbed the dude’s arm and twisted it back. You refrained yourself from intervening as Bucky took down the men that fought against him.

“Didn���t take much for him to fall back into form.” Zemo commented to you and Sam.

Bucky slammed one of the men down on the counter. And as you heard the clicking of guns being loaded, your defensive mode nearly kicked in as you almost reached for your sword before Zemo stopped you.

“Stay in character or the whole bar turns on us.” Zemo whispered to you both before turning to Bucky and speaking in Russian again. “Well done soldier.”

You let your arm drop back down to your side, not a single change in your expression as you eyed everyone around you.

“Selby will see you now.” The bartender spoke up after getting off the phone.

Zemo gave him a thanks, nodding you over and holding out his hand for you to take as you went to his side again, Bucky and Sam following after you. You went through a back door, going down a dark corridor with Zemo’s hand on your back as he guided you through.

“You should know, Baron. People don’t just come into my bar and make demands.” You heard a woman’s voice speak, turning your head to see an older woman in a suit with short white hair lounging back on the coach with her security around her.

“Not a demand. An offer.” Zemo sat down on the couch before waving you over when he saw you standing near Sam. “Come sit schatzi.”

You straightened up, plastering a smile on your face as you went over to him. Selby’s eyes followed you curiously as you placed your hand in his, your eyes rapidly moving in nervousness for what area would be the most appropriate area to sit. Were you......were you supposed to sit on his lap? Is that how couples work? No, that would be inappropriate. Before things got awkward, you quickly plopped down on the empty spot next to him, crossing over your leg in a way so that it draped over his, leaving your thigh completely exposed from the slit in your dress, save for the dagger that still remained hidden. Sam and Bucky widened their eyes at what you just did, while Zemo stiffened at this sudden movement from you as you also draped one arm around his shoulders, bringing yourself closer to him. Were you even doing this right?

“A lot has changed since you were here last.” Selby observed the two of you before her eyes landed on your ring. “Who’s this pretty little thing?”

“This.” Zemo looked at you with a loving look, throwing an arm around your waist to draw circles on your bare back, while his other hand rested on your thigh, leaving behind a trail of goosebumps on your skin as you felt shivers go down your spine. “Is my fiancé. Gorgeous isn’t she?”

How long has it been since you were this close and personal to someone? The last you could remember, women still wore corsets and people still rode carriages. You felt your body heat up from being this close to him, and from the way he stroked your back. How was a mortal man able to leave you feeling like this? If he was able to send shivers down your spine with the mere touch on your back with his gloved hand, you wondered how it would feel to have his bare hands on you, just skin to skin. And if you were being honest, you never really were a fan of cologne but his smelled of a deeper earthy tones with hints of musk, and you were surprised and almost ashamed to say you liked how he smelled. You returned the same loving look to Zemo, trying to make it as believable as possible as you ran your fingers through the hair on the back of his head before placing a kiss on his jaw close to his ear. Sam and Bucky couldn’t believe their eyes at the scene before them, the same you who preferred to be a hermit and didn’t go on dates because it involved human interaction, was cuddling up to none other than Helmut Zemo himself. Zemo’s breath faltered a bit from from your touch as he swallowed the lump in his throat, struggling not to break character. Being this close to you, he was able to get a whiff of your perfume and my goodness, Zemo felt as if he could drown in your scent, you smelled like the heavens, not overbearingly sweet, but dark and luxurious and even seductive. Is this what vampires and sirens smelled like when they lured people to their deaths? You raised a brow at Zemo, your heightened senses were picking up on his breathing patterns and heartbeat. Was he getting nervous?

“Extremely.” Selby commented, smirking at the two of you before roaming her eyes over your body. You could feel her taking you in but you kept your eyes trained on the side of Zemo’s face. “Where did you pick this one up? She looks like a fighter.”

“As they say, why not get a woman who can do both. She was part of the Sokovian armed forces, I met her through there.”

“By the way, I thought you were rotting away in a German prison. How did you escape?” Selby added after finally taking her eyes off you.

“People like us always find a way, don’t we? I’m sure you’ve already figured out what I’m here for.”

“You’re taller than I’d heard, Smiling Tiger.” Selby turned to Sam with a flirtatious grin, using her hand in a claw like manner as she let out a purr. “What’s the offer?”

“Tell us what you know about the super-soldier serum.” Zemo got up off the couch, going over to Bucky and holding his chin between his fingers. “And I give you him, along with the code words to control him, of course. He will do anything you want.”

“Now that’s the Zemo I remember. I’m glad I decided not to kill you immediately. Yeah, you were right to come to me. Arrogant, but right. The super-soldier serum is here in Madripoor. Dr. Wilfred Nagel is the man you wanna thank. Or… condemn, depending on what side of this you’re on. The Power Broker had him working on the serum, but… things didn’t go as planned.”

“Is Nagel still in Madripoor?”

“Oh. The bread crumbs you can have for free, but the bakery is gonna cost you, Baron. And before you get all cute, don’t think you can find Nagel without me. But.....” She turned you with a sly smile which made your insides turn. “Throw her in with the package and you have yourself a deal.”

Zemo, Sam, and Bucky turned to look at you with dread upon hearing her words. This wasn’t at all part of the plan.

“No, no no. That wasn’t the deal.” Zemo stepped over to where you sat, blocking you from her. “She’s not for sale.”

“Why not?” Selby raised her brow at Zemo. “I’m pretty sure a man like you could pick up someone else to be your plaything or fiancé or whatever. I like this one in particular.” She turned to you again.

“That’s not-“ Zemo started before he was cut off by Sam’s cellphone vibrating.

You breath was caught in your throat and it felt as if the room had dropped in temperature. You could feel the tension floating around the air as everyone’s eyes were trained on Sam now, making you sit up straight and uncross your legs so that they were planted firmly on the ground. Your hand rested on your thigh just above where the hilt of your dagger was as your eyes darted around the room, watching each and every person like a hawk about to swoop down on its prey. You had a feeling this wasn’t going to end well.

Tag List: @girl-obsessed-with-things @aerynchromie @sunshinepower17 @viviace @kakimakiloh @thebivirgin @gambitsqueen @spookycereal-s @lulu-yuming @mochminnie @gabitanaka47 @s00nhi @vanteguccir @tomhollandsslilslut @dracoxxyoflam @suchababie @uhhhcrypticbastard @on-my-way-to-erebor @thewinterrbucky @mylifeispainandiloveit @fillechatoyante @padmoonyfeorge @montypythonsholysnail

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