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#she flinched when i turned the light on yesterday so i was like oh ok ill turn it back off
raideoarts · 6 months
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12/31. I miss my fish, y'all...
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smilesrobotlover · 7 months
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Whumptober day 26- working till exhaustion, you look awful
Ok this one is honestly a mess but this prompt almost killed me. I did some love at twilight midlink stuff, not connected to yesterdays lol, BUT the others will will connect to day 25. For now, enjoy this little snippet
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Midna hopped up the ladder that led to Link’s home. It was early in the morning, and the sun was just barely peeking over the horizon. She expected Link and Kori to still be asleep, knowing that light dwellers slept when it was dark outside, but she was surprised to see Link’s bed empty. She frowned and went to his basement where Kori slept. She peeked her head through, she barely saw anything, but it was enough to hear Kori’s gentle snores. She couldn’t help but smile as he slept peacefully, wanting to hug him but decided to let him rest. She walked back out into the main area, confused. Where was Link?
She left the home and heard Epona whinny. Link and his horse emerged from the trees, and she hopped off the ladder. Link flinched but relaxed when he saw it was Midna, and she ran up to him.
“Link! What are you doing awake? I was hoping to surprise you,” she said with a smile. Link looked down and grinned.
“I couldn’t sleep, figured I could clean Epona in the spring.”
“But it’s still dark out!”
“I get up before sunrise everyday, Midna. It’s the farmer’s life.”
Midna smirked and pulled him into a hug, which he leaned into a little too much. Midna shifted her weight so she could balance herself and pulled away to study Link.
“You look awful,” she noted.
“Thanks Midna.”
“I didn’t say that to be mean, Link,” she scoffed affectionately, but she stared at him in the eyes, concerned. He had dark bags under his eyes, his usual tan complexion was a few shades lighter, and his gray blue eyes looked cloudy and dazed. He looked away from her and guided Epona to his home. “Link, are you ok?” She asked.
“I’m fine,” he quickly said, and Midna frowned.
“Oh no you don’t, you’re sick again!”
Link groaned and turned to look at her. “I’m not that sick.”
“Yes you are! This isn’t some cold, this looks serious!”
“I’m fine, Midna! I’ve done work feeling worse than this, ok?”
Midna made a shocked noise. “You’re still gonna work? Link you can’t! Not like this!”
Link spun around and glared at her. “I have to Midna! Not everyone has the luxury of letting people do the work for them!”
Midna crossed her arms and glared at him back. “Link, you have a family here. Let Rusl or Fado take care of the work today.”
Link shook his head. “They got enough they need to do. Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m going to get ready.”
Link turned away and walked over to the ladder. Midna glared harder at him and couldn’t take it anymore. She reached out with her hair hand and grabbed him before he could reach the ladder, and he let out a yelp as he was pulled away.
“Midna! Why are you like this?” He yelled, quiet enough as to not wake Kori up.
“Why am I like this? Why are you like this?” She yelled back. “Why are you so against rest? Rusl and Fado will understand if you need help, but nooooo you need to do it all by yourself because– because you’re an idiot!”
Link squirmed in her hold, trying to get his arms free, but Midna’s grip remained firm. He groaned when he was unsuccessful and finally stopped, glaring at Midna. Her gaze softened and she pulled him closer, cupping his cheek with her hand.
“The Twilight invasion is over Link, you don’t need to push yourself so hard anymore.”
Link’s gaze softened as well, and he looked down. “I really can’t hide anything from you, can I?”
“Nope. I can read you like a book, Link,” She said softly, kissing his forehead gently. “Please, just ask Rusl to cover for you. I’m sure he’ll happily do it.”
Link stared at her, and something in his eyes almost read submission, but he shook his head.
“Put me down, Midna.”
She huffed and set him down gently, releasing him from her hold. He wavered a bit, but turned to the ladder where he started climbing. When he reached the top, he turned to her.
“I promise, I won’t do more than I’m supposed to, ok?”
Midna frowned. “Fine.”
He gave a small smile and entered the home, while Midna stayed standing there. She let out a sigh and decided that she might as well spend the day with her son, and she prayed that Link wouldn’t do anything stupid.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Just as Midna feared, Link did something stupid. She was playing with Kori when Colin came into the house.
“Midna? Um… Link… He…”
Midna sighed, interrupting Colin. “Where is he?”
“At home. He’s not doing very well. He kinda passed out.”
Kori shot up and looked at Midna worried. Midna stood up and walked over to the door.
“Is he ok?”
“He has a fever, but Ma and Pa assume that he’s just exhausted.”
Midna sighed again. “Thanks for telling me, Colin. Come on Kori.” She hid in Colin’s shadow and the two hurried over to Rusl and Uli’s home. When they entered, Link was lying on their couch. Luckily he was awake, but he looked much worse than before. Midna popped out of Colin’s shadow when the door was closed and she gave Link a look. He glanced away ashamed.
“Papa! Are you ok? What happened?” Kori asked, and Link ruffled his hair.
“‘M fine, just sick is all,” he said simply.
“Uncle Colin said you passed out. Why?”
Link glanced at Midna and looked away. “I… I wasn’t strong enough to do my usual chores. I’m sorry Midna.”
Midna’s gaze softened and she knelt at his side.
“Link, next time, will you just listen to me? I only yell at you like that because I hate seeing you push yourself so hard. I hate seeing you… get hurt.” She grabbed his hand and ran her thumb along the back. “I don’t want to lose you because you wouldn’t give yourself a break.”
Link stared at their hands and brought hers to his lips, giving it a small peck. “I’ll keep that in mind, Midna. Afterall, there’s no reason for me to push myself to my limits anymore.”
Midna smiled and pulled him in, kissing him on the lips. He quickly pulled away and gave her a look.
“Midna I’m sick.”
“You just kissed my hand!”
“Y-yeah but… you can wash it off! I don’t want to–”
Midna kissed him again. “Twili don’t get sick, stupid.”
Link grinned and kissed her nose. “Ok, but if you do end up getting sick, don’t be mad when I say ‘I told you so’.”
Midna rolled her eyes and they both giggled. Link’s family all cleared their throats, interrupting their moment.
“We’ll just leave the two of you alone,” Uli said awkwardly, and Midna buried her face in Link’s neck as he groaned in embarrassment. The others laughed at the two and left the house, even Kori followed them out.
“Feel better papa!” He called out, and Link waved at him. Soon the two were alone.
“Link,” Midna started, more serious than before, “I’m serious. About all of this. I know you’re tough, but you’re not invincible.”
“Yeah, yeah, I get it.”
“I’ve seen you almost die too many times in my life. Just… please. I can't take it anymore.” Midna ran her hand through his hair as he stared blankly at the wall.
“I’m sorry Midna.”
Midna looked at him sadly. “I’m sorry too. I do love you.”
“I know.”
Link kissed her near her eye and rested against her head with his eyes closed. She smiled and gathered him in her arms so she was holding him on the couch, and he drifted off from her stroking his hair.
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iwadori · 3 years
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Haikyu boys when they take a joke/prank too far (Iwaizumi,Daichi)
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Word count: 1.9K
Genre:angst,fluff
AN: In the spirit of April Fools I tried to make my first work based on that I hope you enjoy!! (LOL I can’t actually believe this was the first thing I’ve ever written)
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Iwaizumi:
“Okay so it’s April Fools Day who are we going to prank?” asked Makki “One of the first years?”
“Do we have to prank someone this year..” replied Iwaizumi “so childish”
“Iwa-Chan!” Oikawa said “Don’t be such a spoil sport.”
“Anyways, it can’t be a first year they’re boring to prank a first year coach will be mad at us, we need someone else.”
Just then, you enter the gym, catching their eye as you approach the group sitting on Iwaizumi’s lap “Hey babe, I can still come over to yours to study right?” you ask.
“Yeah of course, practice finishes early so I'll be there before you.” He said
“Alright, see you then bye babe, bye guys” you said, giving Iwaizumi a kiss on the cheek sauntering off and waving at Makki, Mattsun and Oikawa.
“bye Y/N!” They teasingly responded in unison making you laugh.
As they watched you leave, it seemed as if a lightbulb pinged off in all of their heads (besides Iwaizumi) realizing who would be a great person to prank.  
After a lot of convincing, they finally got Iwaizumi in on the ‘harmless’ plan, all they needed to do now is wait on your arrival.
You’re finally done with school after a long and tiring day of exams upon exams and wanting nothing more than to cuddle with your boyfriend (after he teaches you Pythagoras theorem of course.) You did think he was acting weird when you met him this morning in the gym and throughout break and lunch but you just concluded that it was because he was having an ‘off’ day.
You reached his house and used a copy of his key that he gave you to enter we just enter houses up in this bitch  calling out his name “Zumi-babe, I'm here...”  
“Lets get this shit over with” you said tiredly
Upon entering, you notice none of the lights being on or curtains drawn ‘odd’ you think. You go upstairs going straight to his room hopefully to find your boyfriend in his bed or on his Xbox or something. To your surprise his bedroom door was somehow locked shut (even though not having a lock on his door anyways.) Suddenly, you hear creaks slowly trailing up the stairs and an eerie feeling surrounds you... now you start to feel pretty panicked jiggling the door handle to Iwaizumi’s door as it’s practically the only place you can go.
AN: I hate what I’m writing rn but onwards we right
The footsteps on the stairs start to quicken, and you almost certain that you felt something brush pass your shoulder only adding onto the panic and anxiety that you already feel. Ok, the footsteps on the stairs are basically right near you, so doing the only logical thing you can do you body slam the ‘person’ on the stairs as you motherfuckin should  as tears fill your eyes and you pick up bag bolting through the front door, slamming it shut now in full tears and shakingly scared.
You look behind you and see Iwaizumi’s front door re-open and out comes the ‘iNFaMouS sEiJOh fOuR’ in tears... of laughter. It seems that the boys were in laughing fits that their prank ‘payed off’ getting a reaction out of you. You couldn’t see Iwaizumi’s reaction, but you didn’t care you were hurt, annoyed and wanting to get into your bed.
Once you get home, you decide to block your so called ‘friends’ who decided to make you scared shitless and ignored Iwaizumi’s messages asking “where were you today”.... the AUDACITY.  
The next day, the boy’s seemed to realize the consequences of their actions after spending the whole day trying to get your attention only to be straight up ignored. Iwaizumi is immensely regretful after all his efforts to try talking to you were denied, he decided after his practice he was going to get you to talk to him or at least get you to listen to his apologies on what happened yesterday evening.
You left your clubroom and made your way to the school gate to go home.
“Y/N!” shouted Iwaizumi touching your shoulder making you flinch ‘wow did we really scare her that bad?”  
“What do you want iwa?” You asked very agitated
“Y/N I just want to apologize for yesterday, since it was April fools day and all the boys really wanted to prank someone and I-it just happened to be-”
“It just happened to be me. Right?” you interrupted “Gosh Iwaizumi, I was really scared.. I already had a tiring day and all I wanted was my boyfriend to teach me the stupid Pythagoras Theorem and cuddle me afterwards, but no you and your friends just had to be dicks for a day” you turn around planning to walk away before he grabs you again  
“Wait! Just wait y/n, im sorry and I wont ever prank you like that again” he pleaded
“.. and i’ll help you study?” he added pulling the sweetest face of all time to try and convince you  
“ugh, fine stop pulling that face... and you better teach me Pythagoras Theorem” you said rolling your eyes
“yeah yeah whatever you say y/n” he said pulling you under his arm and walking in the direction of his house.
A/N: WOW I DID NOT like the way this turned out but its my first official thing that I wrote hopefully HOPEFULLY MY WORK IMPROVES (I THINK IT WILL) SO please join me on this ‘ride’ in improving my work  
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Daichi:
You decided this morning that you were NOT going to participate in your annual April Day Fool’s prank with Tanaka and Noya... only because of your not-so new boyfriend Daichi saying he didn’t need his teammates corrupting you any longer so you decided to not get involved. With that being said you wouldn’t even think of your boyfriend pulling a prank on you so you didn’t think you’re getting pranked today.
In the gym, the boys were doing the usual: Hinata and Kageyama running after eachother, Tanaka and Noya oogling Kiyoko, Tsukishima listening to music, Yama and Yachi going over club schedules whilst Daichi sat with Sugawara and Asahi.
“So are you pranking anyone today?” sugawara asked
“Pranking someone, isn’t that a bit too juvenile suga?” Asahi replied
“Not you silly, Daichi” said sugawara “With Y/N on his arm they always have to stay on eachothers toes right..she’s a ‘jokester’ right?”
“...right?” Daichi hadn’t thought of it that way, he did know of all your joking escapades before you even got together and how you still liked to joke around now as you date.. He didn’t want you to think that you thought he was too boring for you ?
“Ok. What type of prank should I pull on her..”
Daichi, Sugawara and Asahi (who didn’t really contribute to Suga’s scheming) made a plan for you to meet him at the gym locker with the claims that he had a ‘surprise’ for you .. oh how he was wrong.
Daichi: meet me at the gym locker I have something to show you  
Y/N: Ok!! I’ll be there in 5 minutes
Daichi was nervous, and that was an understatement he didn’t want things to go left and have you thinking he couldn’t even do a simple prank. Once you got there, he saw heard you talking to Sugawara and Asahi outside the door about him wondering where he was in which Suga told you inside the locker room.
“Hey babe” you greeted “what's the occasion in why we’re in here?”
“I...uh..um I need to get something one second” Daichi spoke quickly and rushed out the room closing the door leaving you confused. Minutes passed, and you were now impatient and kinda scared since the room was dusty, dark and cold definitely not your place to be in. You tried texting Daichi but just your luck you have no service ://  
As time went on you tried opening the door but it was jammed shut no hope opening at all you forgot you left your bag outside which of course had your inhaler which did not help the sudden shortness of breath you started to get because of your asthma and claustrophobia. All you wanted was to get out of this room and talk to … Daichi.
Daichi. How convenient that he manage to slip away before the door got closed hmm but he wouldn’t intentionally prank you after ALL the lectures he gave you about not doing pranks this year right?
You didn’t notice how you started to cry and whimper wanting to leave.
On the outside, Daichi heard your cries and ordered Sugawara and Asahi to find the key to immediately get you out which it seems to take a while because Daichi has now stopped hearing your tears making him gulp in fear thinking something bad has happened to you in there.
Sugawara comes to you handing Daichi the keys, his handing shaking as he tries to unlock the door when he eventually does he finds you passed out on the ground of the dusty storage room. Very cliché I know ://
You wake up in the Nurses Office a bit confused on how you got there until your eyes land upon Daichi, remembering how you locked you in the Storage room where you had an asthma attack and passed out. You turned your body away from Daichi not wanting to talk to him right now after the hypocrisy he did.
“Y/N.. Are you alright?” He asked
“Do I look alright?” You responded in a bored tone
“I am really sorry Y/N... I know what I said to you about not doing pranks this year but Sugawara roped me into this and I didn’t want you to think I was too boring for you so I thought doing this prank would make you see me in a different light” he said
“yeah i saw you in a different light alright” you sassed, you then realised what he said ‘too boring’ kind of feeling less mad and more sad that he feels this way “Dai, you’d never be to boring for me … you’re one of the most funness is that a word? guys I've ever met.”
“really?” he asked  
“Of course! I’m kind of still mad at you for letting this happen but I do sort of understand why” you said giving him a hug.
You were eventually cleared to go home and as you left the clinic you saw Asahi and Sugawara standing at the door.  
“Y/N WE’RE SORRY” they bowed to you waiting on your responses
You chuckled slightly at their cuteness and ruffled both of their hair “all is forgiven, just make sure there’s ‘pranks’ this year “
Which they agreed upon.  
A/N: WOW I DID NOT like the way these turned out but its my first official thing that I wrote hopefully HOPEFULLY MY WORK IMPROVES (I THINK IT WILL) SO please join me on this ‘ride’ in improving my work. Feedback is VERY MUCH APPRECIATED and request too since I will literally write whatever...
I may do a part 2 … any particular characters people want?
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Text
Right in front of you
A Halstead!sister
Jay held a strong grip on your upper arm as he led you out to the school hall. "What the hell was that Y/N? Are you happy now? God.... I can't believe you cheated!" he sneered, "EYES UP HERE Y/N!! "
"I'm sorry" you sighed, locking eyes with Jay, silently praying that he would let this go. It was only one time anyway. It wasn't a big deal.
But he let out a hollow laugh, "Thirty percent, Y/N, THIRTY PERCENT. You're going to have to do better than a half-ass apology. What exactly are you sorry for? Huh? For cheating? Or being caught?"
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Requested : Yes by @study-coffee-chicago : They found out she cheated on a test in high school...and Jay's the one who has to pick her up.
Warnings : angry!Jay (lots of it), alcohol, swearing, anxiety attacks
Note : I am so so so sorry this so longg 😭 I ended up so far away from the actual request kayela please don't block mee 😭 butt I've learned alot in writing abt active and passive voices and using more imagery Yayy!! I'm so glad that yall are ok with my grammar thank uu🥺
MASTERLIST HERE
The piles of homework and flashcards you needed to memorize had no end in sight, and now that Will was taking nightshifts along with his usual double shifts, and intelligence was tracking down an underground drug cartel, you spent most days alone, allowing your mind to engulf you.
Every time you sat down to study, you felt a striking pain in your chest. In mere seconds the air was sucked out of your lungs and you found yourself panting, desperate to get oxygen back into your body.
You would be surrounded by books and worksheets and you could swear the walls of your room were closing in towards you, trapping you in a sea of incomplete work.
You failed to follow the schedules and to do lists you had made for yourself. Staring at them, hoping the essays would write themselves.
All you needed, was a break. A moment to relax from anything and everything.
So when your best friend mentioned that her brother used to drink a little before he appeared for an exam, your mind was quick to catch on.
Last night you had borrowed a little bit of beer from Jay's stash of alcohol and took a few sips of it as you studied.
The more you drank, the less bitter it became. It was a weird, new sensation, but it worked nonetheless.
Except now, you were sitting in the girls bathroom at school, ramaging through your notes, trying to recollect what you had learned yesterday.
You saw what you had underlined and highlighted— names in pink and important dates in yellow—but your mind came up blank.
Flipping the pages you saw people in wigs, and castles burning to the ground —None of which you recognized.
A wave of anxiety rippled through you unable to comprehend your next thought —you were going to fail.
Your head was throbbing as you ran a hand down face, massaging your temples trying to calm yourself down.
You took out your water bottle that you had filled with beer and swallowed a few gulps, hoping that it would help you think straight.
You groaned, feeling the sting of alcohol at the back of your throat, popping some mints into your mouth, you ran towards the exam hall.
***
Your foot bounced on the polished wood floors as sweat pooled on your forehead.
You thought you were careful —only taking a peek from your friends answer sheet when Mrs.Ling's back was facing you.
Everything would have worked out if it wasn't for that kid sitting behind you. In a split second your teacher turned around, when he dropped his pen, to see you peering over your partner's desk.
Now you were sitting in the principles office praying that Jay wouldn't be the one picking you up.
You could already imagine his anger at you for pulling him away from his case, only to find you cheated.
Unfortunately luck was not on your side today.
You dare not look at Jay as he entered the office, letting out a huff as he sat down. You could feel the rage emitting him, tension filling the room, as he burned holes looking at you.
"I'll get straight to the point" Your principal started.
"Please" Jay growled, struggling to contain himself. He couldn't believe what he was hearing, when he got the call saying that you had cheated on your midterms.
You and Will were alike,at least he thought so, both good at science and math but weak at geography and history. Nonetheless you continued to secure good grades for the most part.
"Y/n here, was caught cheating from a classmates answer sheet. Our teacher caught her red handed. I truly did not expect this from you. These midterms cost thirty percent of your grade..... "
Pretty soon his voice was muffled like he was getting farther and farther away from you. His figure swayed in front of you as you squinted your eyes to keep him in the center of your vision.
" You are suspended, Mrs halstead"
Your eyes widened , your body choosing the perfect time to bring out what little beer you had taken when you heard those words, letting the alcohol mix with the adrenaline.
"WHAT??!! " Damn, alcohol really bought out your courage as Jay stared at you in shock at your audacity.
"Y/n, your lucky I'm letting you retake the exam. That's only because you've had a clean record so far. I strongly suggest you start preparing early Ms. halstead" your principal said in a firm but monotone voice that left you speechless.
Jay held a strong grip on your upper arm as he led you out to the school hall. "What the hell was that Y/N? Are you happy now? God.... I can't believe you cheated!" he sneered, "EYES UP HERE Y/N!! "
Oh god. Every now and then, the ground would sway beneath you, tiles shifting in your vision. But you counted your steps, carefully putting one foot in front of the other, not wanting Jay to find out what else you had done........ until now.
You tilted your head, only to be met with your brother's piercing stare but little did he know, now it made it infinitely harder to concentrate on your walking.
"I'm sorry" you sighed, locking eyes with Jay, silently praying that he would let this go. It was only one time anyway. It wasn't a big deal.
But he let out a hollow laugh, "Thirty percent, Y/N, THIRTY PERCENT. You're going to have to do better than a half-ass apology. What exactly are you sorry for? Huh? For cheating? *Or being caught?*"
***
You rested your head on the seat as Jay entered the truck, flinching, when he slammed the door shut. Your pounding headache was getting worse by the minute, as your ears started to ring.
You blinked a few times squinting to focus on the road ahead of you but the fast-moving cars and the loud horns made you feel like your head was going to explode.
"Y/n," he addressed you, much calmer now.
You forced yourself to turn to your brother, who wore a confused expression.
But the moment he saw your deshelfed hair and your cracked lips, a wave of worry crashed over him. What the hell?
The truck came to a stop at a red light and Jay immediately scanned you over "Y/n?" he grabbed your chin, his jaw dropping, as he came face to face with reality.
"Are you drunk!!?" he barked , steam basically pouring out of his ears.
But your pleading eyes and empty silence gave him the answer he needed. "Are you kidding me??" he snarled as he slammed the steering wheel.
Oh God no. A blinding pain ripped through your head when Jay's palms made contact with the hard plastic. You winched turning your head away from your furious brother, letting out a whimper.
Jay's eyes widened at the sound, his heart breaking, realizing the pain you were in.
If he was going to be mad at you or at least punish you, you needed to be sober.
He stepped on the pedal as the light turned green taking a few breaths, trying to calm himself down.
With the vice lords reclaiming their territory and selling uncut fentanyl, bodies were dropping all over the city most of them being kids.
Kids..... your age.
Every kid at the morgue, just reminded him of you. He saw parents sobbing, begging for their kids to come back but Jay new better. They were never going to come home. Ever.
So he made it a priority to catch these ruthless creatures. He made it a priority over his sleep, over nine hours shifts and unknown to him, over spending time with you.
"Hey , hey" he whispered, not wanting to hurt you again, "We'll talk about this later ok? for now...... just..... it's ok..... I've got you" here reached out his hand, the other still on the steering wheel, to slowly rub your back as you tried to breath through the pain.
" I got you"
***
Jay wrapped a hand around you allowing you to hold onto him for support.
Silently, he deposited you on the couch, laying you down. He knew that he wasn't in any state to talk to you. He needed to clear his mind from his racing thoughts and rueful images of dying teenagers.
His phone rang, indicating that the district was awaiting him. "Here" he reluctantly shook your shoulders "Y/n, I need to go ok? Will will be here soon"
***
Almost half an hour had passed and you were waiting for Will to get out of the shower. You'd heard Jay explain everything to him over the phone.
You thought about how disappointed he would be.
Will —being the nerd he was— always helped you with your projects and gave you pop quizzes during breakfast, before your exams. He taught you how to organize flashcards just like he did in med school.
Even through your blurry thoughts, the image of Will's betrayed face and embarrassed eyes, knowing you cheated, lingered on your mind.
Your body was all over the place. Tiny noises echoing through your ear. Your muscles simultaneously aching and loose.
You were shivering as you tried to curl up into a ball. Your body trying to hold what little heat it had within itself.
But nothing stopped your tears.
You felt water drops make their way down your cheeks forming small splotches of water on the cushion you laid your head on.
And you didn't bother to wipe them away.
Will more or less was in the same state you were in. There was a multi-vehicle accident on the highway and victims were piling in the ED. He was running from one treatment room to the other, waiting to get back home and crash.
Will walked over to you with a huge glass of water and an advil, gently  nudging you to sit up.
Your head still pounded, your eyes zoning in and out of the figure in front of you "Y/n, here drink the whole glass and take this" Will soothed, placing the glass and the pill in your hand "I—I'm sorry" You whispered, distracting yourself from Will's eyes.
Will knew he should be angry. Just like Jay was but he couldn't bring himself to blaming you, not until he had the full story anyway.
You looked so petite on the enormous couch, your legs folded on top of each other, arms shaking as you drowned the glass of water along with the Advil.
Your red puffy eyes and tear strained cheeks,were a contrast from your usual self. or he thinks. He's been pretty busy lately, so he's not too sure. " We'll talk about it later. I'm not angry. I promise"
He assured and was about to head to bed himself when you grabbed his wrist.
If he wasn't angry at you then maybe— just maybe—he would help you.
"Stay" You pleaded , the word falling from your lips just as easily as it had, many, many times before.
And just like before, you were met with Will's soft brown eyes filled with sympathy, ready to help. Ready—to be by your side.
He's slowly nodded climbing onto the couch, next to you. He wrapped an arm around you and you nestled into him, laying your head on his chest.
You found some comfort as he embraced you, talking you under his arm and encompassing you in his warmth.
Holding on to him, you hoped that he would take your pain away, just like he did when you were little.
***
Will woke up to an uncomfortable feeling of something —or someone—   tugging at his shirt.
He slowly opened his eyes allowing them to adjust to the light as he felt another a tug at his side. He looked over to you, but your eyes were shut, brimming with tears, your arm laid across his chest.
You were holding on to Will , using him as a lifeline, grounding you from the pain.
You felt a hand squeezing your own, stopping you from gripping the fabric "Y/n?" You opened your eyes to look up at will who had tears of his own, staring at the state you were in "it's okay, I'm here, I'm right here"
He encircles you, tighter than before, whispering soothing assurances into your hair.
***
With Will's help, the pain slowly subsides, allowing you access to your thoughts again.
You step out of the shower, into the living room and your eyes widen seeing Jay and Will sitting at the kitchen counter.
You didn't even hear Jay come in, but right now taking in his hardened glare, you didn't dare ask.
You knew what was coming and you didn't fight. You couldn't.
"So apparently we're cheating on our midterms now, huh?" Jay's calm voice made shivers run down your spine, starting to take rapid breaths.
"And apparently, someone thinks it's ok to steal alcohol from my stash" He gritted, never breaking I contact with you. "Do you think that's how the world works Y/n? DO YOU? BECAUSE LAST TIME I CHECKED YOU'RE STILL A FUCKING TEENAGER!!" He spat, his thoughts fuming towards your trembling body.
It was every dieing body flashing before his eyes, as the past months' agony slipped off his tongue.
"Jay" Will's voice was stern, giving a knowing look towards his younger brother and didn't bother to give Jay time to argue with him.
"Y/n, we need to know what's going on"
"With school, with tests with....... everything" he stated giving you a solemn look meaning every word he said, promising himself that he would do whatever it takes to figure out what had been going on.
You sucked in a breath weighing all your options. You didn't want them to think that you needed a babysitter or  that you couldn't take care of yourself.
You knew that they had their own problems to worry about but you couldn't take it anymore.
You hated it.
The feeling of your lungs collapsing, struggling to find air for your body, your stress skyrocketing anytime you sat down to study, never getting any thing done.
All day long you would constantly tell yourself to do your work. Every spare second is spent in making a list of things you want to do but when it was time to actually do those things, your mind wandered and emptied.
You took another deep breath, looking up from your feet, your eyes meeting your brothers.
You spilled the past months events from how alone you were all the time and not being able to concentrate to how you ended up drunk at school and cheating on your midterms.
Tears rolled down your cheeks as you your hands trembled. You stood crying in the middle of the room until you felt a pair of arms around you.
Will placed his hand at the nape of your neck as he stroked your back with the other "Breathe Y/n, just Breathe" He slowly pulled away leading you to the couch.
God, how he wished he could turn back time. Then he'd been more vigilant to notice the changes that had come over you.
You felt the couch dip on both sides but you intently studied your fingers, fumbling with the hem of your shirt and wiped the tears off your face. They were mad. No, they were furious. You knew it.
But for some reason, they weren't showing it. Maybe they were waiting-
"We're not mad"
You without your head around to look at Jay, furrowing your eyebrows in disbelief. Jay? Not mad? HA.
"but I am disappointed though, but that's only because you didn't tell us......
but stealing alcohol was bad too" he added, earning him a glare from Will.
"Y/n, what Jay means is— we could've helped with school . Homework . Tests . Anything, you name it. We will help" he assured, "But how do we know you need help, if you don't tell us?"
You sighed, taking in the weird turn of events that had happened before you. You had wasted all this time, trying to figure out all your problems out, when the answer was right in front of you.
A mountain of guilt now sat on Jay's shoulders, weighing down on him, pushing him deeper into a wormhole of 'if's'.
Maybe if he'd just been a little more careful, this wouldn't have happened.
Maybe if he'd stop and listen to you once in a while, this wouldn't have happened.
While trying to save kids out on the street, he forgot to care for the kid at home. You were his sister, and yet, here you are in front of him, barely keeping yourself together.
But that would change. Right here. *Right now.*
"Y/n," Jay started "If you would have told us how alone and stressed you were feeling.....I would've taken some time off... Maybe we'd watch a movie or something. All you had to do was ask...... And we'll get you the help you need, y/n. You good with that?" he questioned, his anger and frustration dissipating.
You saw your brother, the workaholic detective, wanting to put his job aside, for you .
You were more important to him, than his job—You realized.
" Yea... Yeah, I am"
Will stood up and got another advil with another glass of water. "and maybe you wouldn't end up drunk and cheating on your test" he smirked, crouching in front of you.
"God, I didn't think it would hurt this bad. I am never drinking again!" you smiled , as you drowned the pill.
"See now that's what I like to hear!!" Jay exclaimed, wrapping his arms around you, squeezing you into his chest. You squirmed, trying to get out of his grip, laughing, when you were joined by Will.
You know what? Maybe, things are going to be okay? Ya know?
__________________________
Read more of my fics here!!
Tagging : @girlandthemoon @herecomesthewriterwitch @megaliciab @meyocoko @alkadri-layal
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mo2k · 3 years
Text
Imagine…you meeting the pillars for the first time💕. (pt.8)
No.8 : Himejima Gyomei
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Synopsis : You were sauntering around the town,just finding things you need or maybe you got bored and wanted to stroll a little (orrrrr,it can be anything else~I’ll let you decide/choose to why are you here •~•),but then again…something unexpected is bound to happen…
(Y/n) was just strolling around the town,when she heard some noises that somehow managed to catch her attention…
It was a sound of crying…Someone’s crying…
‘What is it?This sound…looks like someone’s crying…maybe a child gets lost with his/her mother?But the sound’s…definitely not someone who’s young…’ Her mind is racing with thoughts that she cannot help but take a look of where the noise’s coming from out of her pure curiosity…
She quickly whipped her head to the direction where the sound’s coming from,and she had to stop in her tracks the moment she saw the source of that crying sound…
It was a man…full-grown man…he was sitting on the ground,crying-no offend though!But just…um…how do I explained this???…He was crying…and praying (?) in front of a mother with her child by her side…
You blinked several times…confused to why is he crying and welp-um…To be honest,he doesn’t look like someone who’ll get close to tears easily…Damn-just look at his well-built body!
But still…here he is…crying and praying over something that you (tbh-everybody there) couldn’t quite understand what it is… -_-
He still didn’t noticed that his actions have caught lots,lots of attention of the people who’s nearby…so you being you…just couldn’t stop yourself from going in and help fixed this situation…
(Y/n) : “Um…hello?” *You speak carefully as you grabbed him gently by the shoulder… And he flinched by your touch…*
He slowly turn his head to you,and that when you see that he’s blind…You instantly felt bad about the thoughts you have for him earlier…The mother quickly seized this chance,she grabbed her child’s hand and run away from him…
‘That’s quite unfriendly…’ You narrowed your eyes disapprovingly after them,when you look down again you could clearly see more tears brimming in his eyes,you were even more confused…but you let it go,then you help pulled him up from the ground-he’s quite heavy,you gotta admitted,but still,whatever-
Gyomei : “Thank you and…yes?Do you need something?” *His voice is smooth and deep,but there’s kindness and gentleness laced in his voice…which just make you feel even more guilty…*
(Y/n) : “Oh…I just saw you…um crying,no offend!But…I just…wanna come and ask if you’re alright…” *You trailed of in your last part… ‘He must have a bad day’ You thought sympathetically… You eyes is filled with worry as you look down at him*
And he just…crying even harder???You were just getting helpless and helpless as you don’t know the reason to why he’s crying… ‘Did I just say something wrong?Did I make him feel even worse?What should I do????’ You were so confused and flustered,no doubt-
Gyomei : “I just-…” *He manage to choke his words out,his voice’s shaky,and you waited for his answer in anticipation…* “I just feel so delighted to witness the situation that how pure of a mother’s love could have for her child…”
Ok…you were shocked… Like, ‘What did you just say?’ kind of thing ya’know?
(Y/n) : “So…you were crying because of that?” *You chose your words carefully,afraid that you might make him cry even more…*
And he just nodded stiffly😬…
(Y/n) : “Ah ha ha…I…kinda (?) get it now…” *You laughed nervously,and he just blinked…*
Gyomei : “You do?” *He ask,disbelief (well-you couldn’t believe him too but,just…um,forget that-) *
(Y/n) : “Uh-Huh!Of course!Why wouldn’t I” *Ok,here me out-though you still couldn’t quite grasp why is he crying,you still understand that everyone’s different and he has own reason to be crying about something*
Gyomei : *He sighed in relief* “I’m glad,a lot of people told me that they can’t understand why I’m always crying,I’m glad I met you” *He smiled gently at you,and you smiled back,a little blushed tinted your face ‘H-how can he compliment people with a straight face!?’ You wondered…Your eyes roam to everywhere but his eyes* (Not to mention that more tears just flowed out of his eyes like a waterfall…He just be really glad he finally found someone who understand him👀*
(Y/n) : “Well,I’m glad I met you too…and um…May I ask your name please?If you don’t mind…” *You started nervously,though you’ve just met him,you know that you wanted to talk and know more about him…*
Gyomei : “Of course,my name’s Himejima Gyomei,and you?May I also ask who might you be?” *He laughed airily,and you beamed even more (so do your blush~✨)*
(Y/n) : “Oh my name’s (L/n) (Y/n)!Nice to meet you Himejima-san-” *Your hand was outstretched,offering him a handshake,but that’s when the realization hit you, ‘Himejima Gyomei’…you know that name…He is a Stone Pillar!!!! O-O Although you haven’t met him before,but you’ve heard about the pillars and respected them with all your heart…*
You quickly bowed at him, “Please forgive me sir!I didn’t know that it was you!” *You squeeze your eyes shut in fear of what would happen next,but you must be surprised of his reaction…*
He just move you back to your original position,before saying, “There’s no ‘sir’ or other formalities here,please just called me ‘Gyomei’,you’ve helped me a lot and I’m grateful for it”
And It seems that the two of you just forget that there was a whole crowd still watching and peering nosily at the the two of you…the instant they heard he was a pillar,they all quickly repeat your actions earlier and bowed down at him…
Gyomei sighed tiredly, “Should we go to another place now?People are watching us…” and you nodded, “Then let’s just go” You answered quickly as you grabbed his hand and run away from people…
He was surprised,but didn’t protest or do anything to stop you-he just let you drag him along with you (Such a good boi ;^;) ok,maybe he tightened his hold around you a little with a light flushed pink face👀
At last…you two have arrived to a quiet park with little people in there…
Gyomei : “You really didn’t have to hold my hand you know…” *He finally state as you two let yourself drop on a bench*
That’s when you realized what you’ve done,you quickly let go of his hand,you eyes wide as you scrambled to find some good and reasonable explanations to him…Your face is deep red now as you (again) tried to avoid his eyes (even though he’s blind,which you’re somehow grateful bc he couldn’t see just how red you are)
(Y/n) : “Oh I’m so sorry!I’m just so lost and don’t what to do that!…so I…um…uh…I-” *You quickly looked around,trying to find a way to get you out of this situation-*
Gyomei : “But I don’t really mind it…no worries…” *He cut you off,and you swear you heard him chuckle a bit at your flustered and embarrassed state…Your felt cheeks getting redder and redder as your body felt hot* (YoU DiDn’T LoOk Up To SeE HiS ReD FaCe-)
You cannot do anything else except looked down in your lap ( Why?simple-‘cause you were too embarrassed and you’re so red lol-) as you try to calm yourself down… o~o
Gyomei : “Do you-perhaps…want to get something to eat later?” *He glanced sideway at you carefully,you can clearly see…that he’s also trying to hide his blushed,and you just blinked at him…*
(Y/n) : “Huh?You mean…go with you?…” *You slowly ask,you felt your body rushed with excitement-(do I need to mention how red you are again?I think not lol😂)…and he nodded anxiously…* “Sure…” *You shyly smiled and his face lit up almost immediately-*
Gyomei : “Really?I’m so so glad-” *Andddd,he starts crying again…. 😑 (Hey~At least he’s cute looking like that!Plus you got the privilege to wipe the tears off his tinted red cheeks in the process of pacifying him!He also found your voice’s very soothing and your presence’s very comforting which makes him calm down a lot easier!💓) So you need to help him calm down one more time so he’ll not caught anymore attention once again…After that (once he’s calm down) you go and have some nice meal with him and also have some amazing and memorable time with him too…*
And this is just the first chapter of your little story with him…
Bonus!😍♥️
Ooh~you guys also hold hands too!He just found a great excuses bc there are so many people there and you or him might get lost easily~That’s a good and reasonable reasons to why you two should hold hands!And ofc-our dear (y/n) fall for it❣️So you guys just hold hands and act like a real couple for the rest of the day~ (It was so cute🥺Not gonna lie-)
Not to mention to how sweaty and red you two were when you hold each other’s hand~👀Both your hearts were pondering so hard that you guys might faint! (Shinobu!There’s two people who alsmost faint-) At last,the night ended with you two go watching the fire works,it was so late already that after some time’s you fall asleep on his shoulder… (you were sitting on some benches)
He didn’t move or do anything though,he just let you fall asleep while petting your hair gently and carefully (such a gentleman~) he pressed a light kiss at the top of your head while mumbling something like ‘Sweet dreams (y/n)…’ yeah,something like that
Gyomei also put you on his back when the fireworks show ended and piggyback ride you back to your home safely…Just like that…
-End✨Hope you enjoyed this one,and also-Ahhhh~this gentle giant is just so sweettttt~💕💗💖💝
See ya all next week~❤️I love you and have a nice day!☺️🥰❣️ (Don’t forget to take care too lovelies~😘😍)
Hello there,now I’m here to fixed some few things ‘cause I feel like the old one’s isn’t good enough.I admitted that I cannot do it as good as I expected when I did it yesterday…But I realized that I can always make/start a new one or try again next time,if I feel like this one’s bad…I can learn from my mistakes and improve myself to a better self’s!I believe that everything happens for a reason,and I’ll learn from it and try to improve myself.I hope I did it better this time,thank you so much for all of your kind supports or words,it really meant so much for me,I also promised that I’ll try to be better and better next time…Thank you so much💗
The arts are not mine!💓Credits to the artist!💞
-With love,BamBam🦢🌙
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story-thief · 3 years
Text
MHA X READER (SHRUNK):
CHAPTER 3 - BAKUGO X TINY Y/N - HOT POCKET
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Info--------------------
Y/N- Age: 16, Hight: 5'6", Gender: female, Quirk: Plant Growth and Control, Class: 1-A
AU- None, Domestic fluff
Relationship background: You and Bakugo are really good friends and secretly have crushes on each other!!!
———————————————
It was rather early in the morning and admittedly, (Y/N) hadn’t slept the best, her dreams being plagued with fantasies of hungry gators, with her on the menu. So in short, she needed her morningly sugar.
Walking down the halls of the dorms, she groggily made her way to the kitchen where she opened the fridge and grabbed herself a vanilla DrPepper. Popping it open, she shuffled into the living room and flopped onto the couch where she tiredly sipped at her drink.
*****
Unknown to her were the three mischievous boys who had gathered in Sero’s room. “So here’s the deal…” The tall black haired male began to fill in his peers, Kirishima and Kaminari. “Yesterday, as I was out… I came across this guy who said that he had a special serum that can shrink someone…” He told them, to which their eyes practically bulged from their heads. “Wait for real?!” Denki cried, willing to believe his friend despite the height of the tall tale. Kirishima looked slightly skeptical, “Shrink someone??” He asked, despite how much he wanted to believe his friend.
Sero pulled a small bottle from under his bed with a wide, sly grin. “It’s pure extract from someone’s quirk.” He explained, shaking it gently  as the amber colored liquid inside sloshed lightly. Denki looked momentarily horrified, “LIKE THAT THING THEY DID TO THAT LITTLE GIRL, ERI!?” He cried, “NO!!!” Sero replied, “Yeah, Sero wouldn’t do that, come on man!... Though how did you get it??” The redhead asked, now fully on board. Their friend just gave them a slightly creepy smile. “I have my ways…” he admitted. “Anyways, the reason I called you guys here…” He continued, setting the glass jar down gently in front of them.
“You guys know (Y/N)....”
“Yeah!!!” “Of course man!!!”
“Know Bakugo…?”
“Oh?” “Where’s this going……”
“Well…. I was thinking we could help them come out of their shells a little bit…” He chuckles almost darkly. The other two gave him curious and expectant looks. “I say we find a way to sneak (Y/N) some of the elixir…. Then we leave her to Bakugo.” He says. The other two perk up, “YES!!!” Denki fist pumps, “That’s genius!!!” He laughs. Kiri on the other hand didn’t seem so sure. “I don’t know man… If (Y/N) found out we’d be in a lot of trouble…. And if Bakubro found out….” Kirishima needn’t finish as all three boys shivered at the mere thought.
“Its ok, Bakugo isnt gonna find out because nobody's gonna tell him.” Sero urged, both him and Kirishima giving Denki a death glare. “Wha- HEY!!! I WOULDN'T TELL, YOU GUYS NO THAT, I DON'T SQUEAL LIKE A PIG, I'M NOT MINETA!!” he whined, throwing his arms out before Kirishima quickly clamped a hand over his mouth. “But he will know if you’re not quiet…” He hushed.
“So are we going to do this then??” Sero finally asked, the other two glancing at each other briefly before nodding. “Great!!!”
****
(Y/N) remained on the couch, passively drinking her soda whilst tapping away on her device. The three boys all came in one by one, gradually as not to seem suspicious. The girl paid them no mind, only acknowledging Kirishima when he sat beside her on the couch, whipping out his own phone after wishing her a goodmorning.
After five or so minutes, The boys’ classmate got up to go retrieve her charger as her phone battery began to run low, leaving her DrPepper on the coffee table. As soon as she was gone Sero tossed Kirishima the bottle and he uncapped it, dumping its entire contents into the unsuspecting drink.  He then quickly screwed the lid back on and pocketed the empty bottle.
Shortly after, (Y/N) returned, retaking her place on the couch, grabbing her drink and taking a small sip.
All three boys couldn't help as devious smiles tugged at the corners of their mouths…
For the first little while she didn’t notice their creepy smiles as they watched her expectantly, her continuing to enjoy her beverage. Finally she looked up to be met by three pairs of eyes. “What??” She asked, furrowing her brows, confused at their behavior. "Nothing..." Kirishima smirked, chin on his fist as he refused to look away. "Riiiight.... Did you guys spit in my drink or something??" She asked, eyeing the other two who laughed, "No!!" Sero guffawed, "So.... Are you guys on drugs or something??" She pressed, feeling frustrated that she didn't know what was going on. "no, but you are...." Denki muttered under his breath with a snicker, getting smacked in the back of the head by his friend.
"Ok then, I'm going to leave you creeps to yourselves and get ready..." She stated, finishing her drink and tossing it into the recycling.
'What on earth was wrong with them??? Did they do something to my drink??? Were they just being dummies and trying to see how she would react???' (Y/N) couldn't help but wonder as she walked down the halls back toward her room where she'd shower and make herself presentable for the day.
Not long after she felt her knees turn to jelly as the air whisked itself from her lungs. Startled, she tripped over herself and fell hard to the ground.'What the heck just happened!? Was this because of Denki, Sero, and Kirishima?!' Her mind whirled as the fall to the ground felt far further than it should have.
*****
The three men peeked around the corner at their classmate and watched as her legs gave way and she tripped, disappearing completely in the process, just her sweat pants and white T-shirt left on the ground.
"What just-"
"Did she-"
"Did we...?"
Their eyes were frozen open. It looked as if they had just vaporized her. "Well, we gotta see if she's ok!!!" Kirishima said, finally running out from their hiding spot, the other two chasing after. As they approached the discarded garments they were able to see a small form moving  underneath the cloth. "Is that-!" Sero's smile grew exponentially. Kirishima looked as if he would reach out and see if she was ok so Sero clamped a hand over his mouth, shaking his head in reminder that Bakugo had to be the one to find her.
****
(Y/N) Felt the ground shake violently briefly. She sat up, still a little shaky and trying to catch her breath. "What just happened, where am I?!" She cried, trying to look around only to see she was in some sort of large fabric covering. The boys remained silent, slowly backing away as to not be around if anyone else came down the hall. Luckily they had timed things right and the very man they wanted to see came walking down the halls.
The floor vibrated again with his footsteps. "H-hello??" (Y/N) called, a smidge of fear starting to creep in given she still didn't know what all was happening.
****
Bakugo had only just gotten up and was on his not-so-merry way when he heard a small voice. He stopped, noticing the clothing discarded on the floor. "Eh?? Who on earth just left their clothes on the floor??" He asked, grabbing each piece, unintentionally scooping the small woman inside up as well. "Whatever. If they want their stuff back they'll have to come get it back. I don't have time for this crap." He grumbled, making his way back to his room.
The three other boys just gave each other victorious smiles, the plan was set in motion.
****
Bakugo reached his room shortly, tossing the clothes onto a nearby chair. He was about to walk right back out when he saw that they were moving. He hesitated, eyes growing a little with curiosity. (Y/N) on the other hand was so close to getting out, "HEY!! WHAT'S GOING ON!!!" She shouted, pushing at the shirt that surrounded her. Bakugo's eyes widened more, was he going crazy or did the pile of clothes talk??? "IS THERE ANYONE THERE??!!" She yelled once more, finally pushing her way out, shoulders and up protruding from the linen prison. The ash blonde's eyes snapped all the way open, which, may I add, was most certainly a first. "Oi, what kind of a joke is this??" he asked, regaining his demeanor, reaching for what looked to him like some kind of doll. (Y/N) was still trying to process what all she was looking at around her when the giant hand tried to grasp for her. With a startled squeak she ducked back down, barely missing as the closing fist brushed the top of her head.
When he grabbed nothing Bakugo only blinked. Curious as to if he really saw what he thought he saw. Bakugo parted the clothes enough to see the top of  a miniature head. What was that thing?! he just stared at it for a second, trying to process what he should do. As he thought, the head turned to look up at him, and he was greeted by the tiny face of his classmate, (Y/N). Startled, he flinched away, goosebumps breaking his skin. "WHAT THE HECK!?" He finally yelled, "B-Bakugo!?" she yelled back, inching her way back out of the shirt just enough to peek up and out at him. "How'd you get so big!?" She asked to which he promptly shouted back, "Nothing happened to me, you're the one who shrunk, idiot!!!" "What!?" She looked down at herself to figure out if he was telling the truth, and soon learned that not only was she a great deal smaller, but she was also in her own clothes, meaning they weren't necessarily on her body anymore.
(Y/N)'s eyes widened and she hugged the fabric closer to herself. "Uh.... I don't think I have anything to actually.... wear" She told him, her cheeks lighting up with embarrassment. Bakugo rolled his eyes, shutting his door roughly, "Tch- well you're not walking around my place with your naked butt." He replied curtly, just standing there as if she should do something about it. "Well?" He asked. She looked around, growing uncomfortable, "Well....?" She responded, unsure of what he wanted. "Use your dumb quirk to make yourself some! You can grow plants from your body right???" He asked, lip slightly curling up as he spoke. "Oh!! i can make them grow from anything really, but it has to have the nutrients that the plants would need to sprout, so I could grow them from my own body, but they'd sap my energy and life force in a sense, plus that could be risky given plants can be kinda flimsy and delicate..." She responded.
Bakugo huffed, making his way over to the bed where he pulled something out from under. A small shoe box. The tiny girl leaned to look inside as he took the lid off to reveal the last thing she expected to see. Barbies.
"YOU HAVE BARBIE DOLLS?!" She cried out in disbelief, quickly covering her mouth as his head swirled to give her a death glare, "IT WAS A PHASE OK!? AND THEY'RE NOT BARBIE DOLLS, THEY'RE ACTION FIGURES!!!!" He belted, making her cover her sensitive ears. "Plus, I was ten...." He grumbled. pulling a few of the different girls out. "Pick whichever one you like, I don't care." the boy huffed, holding them out. "Umm, well I like the last one!!" She told him, pointing to one with a red, flannel shirt with a collar, and blue jeans. The ash blonde didn't respond, only set it down beside her and put the others away, his cheeks ever so slightly pink from embarrassment of the dolls.
"U-um... Could I maybe have some privacy???" The small girl asked, a little flustered. "Yeah, whatever..." he replied, turning around to stare at the wall, "Just hurry up, I have places to go and things to do." he told her, his tone returning to not a mean one, but also not necessarily nice. (Y/N) just nodded, staying within the safety of her shirt as she slipped the doll's clothes on. "Alright, I'm decent now." she told him, climbing from the wrapped cloth to stand before him, his crimson eyes turning to look her up and down. "Eh- They fit you well." he said after a moment of silence, making her blush, "Thanks!" She chirped, quickly turning his cheeks red, "NOT LIKE THAT, THEY JUST AREN'T TOO BIG!!!" He yelled angrily. The tiny couldn't help but laugh, a blush still set on her face. "SHUT UP!!!" He bellowed again, to which she responded, "Hey, no need to get all prickly, it was a nice compliment! Your yelling is hurting my ears though..."
Bakugo just scowled, letting out a terse huff. "Yeah, fine, whatever. I gave you clothes, you can go now, I just want those back whenever this is over." he told her, grabbing a duffle bag off the end of the bed. "Wait! You're just going to leave me here?! While I'm like this?!" (Y/N) sassily inquired, stopping the giant in his tracks. "Why not?? You're not some helpless little kid." he responded, to which she knew translated into another silent compliment. She understood that he thought that even like this she could handle herself just fine, and he wasn't a dunce, so she knew he meant it. "I know... but still, I'm still trying to get used to everything and, would you at least find me someone else safe to stay with?" she secretly hoped deep down that no one else would be able to, but she definitely wasn't going to admit that aloud whilst around him.
The Pomeranian let out a long sigh after glancing at his nightstand clock. "Tch- fine." He slung his duffle bag over his shoulder, then lazily grabbed his shrunken classmate in his fist before she could protest, his large fingers wrapping around her stomach and waist so as to not grip her anywhere that would restrain her or make her uncomfortable, being respectful in his own way. "Hey!!" She cried out in surprise, pressing against his hands. "You're fine." He told her, though he made sure his grip was loose enough he wasn't crushing her, but she couldn't get loose either.
"I never said you could just grab me!!" She objected, "And I never asked." He replied, walking out and into the hallway, toward the common room. (Y/N) just sulked, resting her head on her hands, elbows braced against the giant’s hand that wrapped carefully around her. As they walked in, the three boys from earlier plus Deku, Mina, Ochako, and Iida were all up and about. "OI! Extras!!" Bakugo yelled as he walked in, getting the attention of everyone there. "Who here can watch Flower Face for today??" He asked, waltzing up to the counter where he promptly set her down. (Y/N) stumbled, startled by the sudden and rough motion, trying to regain her balance. The eyes of everyone in the room popped from their heads, save the three boys who put her in the predicament to begin with.
Deku was the first to talk, followed by Iida, then Ochako, then Mina.
"Is that-?!"
"(Y/N)!?"
"Woah!! How'd she get so small!?"
"So cute!!! What happened!???"
Bakugo let out a long, exasperated breath. "I don't know ok?? I just found her like this in the halls." He explained. Midoryia quickly fell to his knees, making himself eye level with the tiny as he gripped the edge of the counter, in absolute awe. "This is amazing!? Do you know what happened!?" He asked, his excitement enough to make it appear almost as if he were glowing.
(Y/N) stumbled back when he got so close so fast, his already large green eyes suddenly so much bigger. "Uh- well I was just fine when I woke up this morning, then I suddenly just got sick and shrunk..." She told him, still a little unsure of his enthusiasm, simply because of the drastic size difference.
"Wait, wait!! (Y/N,Y/N)!!! Could I hold you!?" Mina squealed, bouncing up and down, holding her hands out. the small girl was just about to answer when Bakugo stepped in. "Jeez, give her some space! She's still a living being and you guys are being super invasive." he growled, growing slightly protective, "And don't be so loud, she has smaller ears now you know." He added, hand raised as if he were ready to slip it in between them and the small. The others stopped to look up at him before realizing that they really must have been overwhelming her. "S-sorry!!" Deku cried, jumping back, "I guess I didn't stop to think how that may have made you feel, (Y/N), I'm sorry..." He said with a apologetic and flustered smile, rubbing his hands nervously. "No... You didn't..." Bakugo scoffed, making the poor boy feel worse. "It's alright, I know you didn't mean to." She chuckled, feeling slightly bad about Bakugo's unnecessary persistent comment.
"Now who here can be responsible and take care of her?? I have stuff I need to get to so hurry up." The grumpy teen curtly explained, leaning against the counter. Deku gave another apologetic smile, "Sorry... I can't today...." He said before looking at the clock, "I have to be somewhere in- IM LATE!!!" He jumped upon seeing the time, grabbing his stuff and running out the door. The girls watched with stifled giggles, "Sorry, we had a girls' day planned for today." Uraraka explained, Mina nodding, "Speaking of which, we need to go wake the others if they're gonna be ready in time!" she added, Uraraka nodding vigorously as they both jogged off. "What about you three?! You've been weirdly quiet." The Pomeranian growled at the culprits. Denki startled, "Uh- yeah well I have to go see my mom...." He said before running out the door, earning exasperated looks from Kirishima and Sero as he bailed on them. "Sorry Bakubro, gym day.." Kirishima said as he casually got up and quickly left, already in workout clothes and sneakers.
(Y/N) watched as one by one, they each left, the chances of her having to stay with Bakugo growing, along with the nervous butterflies in her stomach. Then Iida piped up, "Don't worry, Bakugo, I will gladly keep watch on-"
"Oop- Iida was going to go visit his brother today!! And I have elsewhere to be!!" Sero interrupted him, clamping a hand down on his mouth and dragging him out of the common room.
Bakugo growled, "WHAT!? YOU CAN'T ALL BE BUSY TODAY!!! YOU LITTLE BRATS, GET BACK HERE!!!"  He cried as they left, "Tch-!!" The man was beside himself, they really just left him to watch over her. "Come on Bakugo, I can't be that bad!!" (Y/N) laughed, though part of her felt slightly hurt that he seemed so reluctant to spend time with her. The ash blonde teen rolled his eyes, "Not that bad?? Taking care of your sorry butt would be easy, but it gets annoying when I have to do it while doing hero work..." He grumbled, "I don't have time for this!!" he said, gripping the bridge of his nose. "Oh... Well, I won't be much trouble!!" (Y/N) pressed, still determined to go with him. It'd be better than staying here all day where she wouldn't be able to do anything. The boy just stared at her long and hard before he grumbled, grabbing his bag again and holding his hand out. The tiny girl stared at it for a moment before her face lit up and she looked up at him with a glittering smile, "Wait- I can-!?" She started to ask before he glared, face heating up as he tried to ignore the throbbing in his chest at the sight of her so stoked to go with him. "Hurry up will ya, I already told you I'm in a rush!!" He complained, trying hard to hide the faint coloring in his cheeks.
(Y/N) enthusiastically jumped on, wrapping her hands around his soft yet rough fingers. Bakugo walked out of the building and towards The Best Jeanist's agency. Bakugo had agreed to work with him for a short time whilst he looked for a more permanent position, all under the condition that he wouldn't wear those cursed skinny jeans or have his hair combed back. "Before we get there and I'm officially on patrol and whatever, we'll need to get some things straight. I'm not babysitting you." He stated, still holding his hand up and out where she sat. The girl turned to look back at him as he spoke. "You and I both know you're not some flimsy little pansy, so if you get in a tough spot don't expect me to come in and save you right away, you'll have to be fine holding off as long as you can, got that??" He asked, her nodding her head. (Y/N) noticed he was a little more straightforward with her and honest about his thoughts, a privilege that only she and Kirishima shared. As the thought occurred she couldn't help but blush.
"Oi, earth to Flower Face!!"
His voice broke her train of thought. "Oh!! yeah??" She responded, finally coming to. "I'm getting tired of holding you like this." He told her as he kept walking. "Oh!! Sh-should I move??" she asked, not wanting to do anything without his say so. "Well I didn't tell you just to waste my breath now did I?" He replied, it being as much of an 'okay' as she'd get. "Right!! Is your shoulder okay??" She asked to which he didn't answer other than lifting his hand closer up to his shoulder. Carefully, she climbed on and quickly situated herself to be standing with some of his blonde fluffy hair clutched in her fists to help support her. Bakugo kept walking, seemingly thinking to himself the most of the time, so (Y/N) made herself busy braiding his hair into tiny, spiky braids that followed the natural flow of his messy head. Before she knew it she had braided everywhere she could reach from his right shoulder. 'It'd look weird if I left his hair like this...' she thought to herself, her natural next move being to braid the rest. She grasped each soft clump of hair to keep her from falling as she moved with careful feet to the back of his neck.
As she began to cross she felt him shiver as it quite obviously tickled, his neck and shoulders tensing beneath her feet. "What the heck are you doing??" He asked, the tiny's foot holds vibrating with the hum of his voice. (Y/N) looked down at his feet that kept pace, coming behind him just enough to push off and into the next step. "Oi, What are you up to you little dummy!" He asked again, this time getting her full attention, "Just wanted to see what this'd be like!" She exclaimed, carefully testing to see if his shirt collar would support her. "Yeah well don't get used to it!! And don't fall, you've already made me late enough!!" The Pomeranian warned her as she looked out over the ground they had covered. "Ok!" She chirped back, before  getting to work on his hair.
Crossing each large tuft over the other she soon reached the smaller hairs along the base of his neck that were too small to braid. The tiny girl ran her hands through the far softer, finer hairs that bristled straight up. "So soft!!!" She giggled quietly to herself, eventually burying her face in the fluff and nuzzling the boy's neck.
Bakugo could feel everything the girl did. Truth was that he had been thinking to himself around the beginning of the walk but as tiny fingers began working through his hair, his mind wandered to them. He couldn't tell what exactly she was doing but it felt good and he thought it was kinda cute. She was the only person, other than maybe Weird Hair, that he wouldn't yell at for doing this, plus he knew she was a very hygienic person. Though he grew curious as he could feel tiny hands and feet ever so carefully creeping toward the back of his neck. Bakugo could tell as hands tickled the base of his neck  where the baby hairs were and heard her praise his hair. He couldn't help but scowl harder in an attempt to hide the blush that painted itself across his cheeks. Soon something a little bigger than the minuscule fingers began to nuzzle against him. Shivers ran up his back and goosebumps broke his skin in a mixture of tickle and good feeling sensations washed over him.
"Hey!! No one said you could just do whatever you want back there!!!" The ash blonde growled, reaching back and plopping her on his other shoulder. "Sorry!" She laughed as his hand let go of her and she fell flat on her stomach. "oof-" She let out a little noise before pushing herself back up and looking up at the side of his face which was still very hot. "DUDE YOUR EARS ARE SO RED!!" She exclaims with a snicker, startled by the sudden change in color. "SHUT UP, IT'S JUST A SUNBURN!!" He roared back, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets. "That's a fast sunburn!!!" She retorted to which  she could see a sneer curl at his lips, "You're about to get a fast burn...." He threatened.
(Y/N) shrugs it off and doesn't think much of it, beginning to work at his hair again. "What are you doing anyway???" He snarled after some time to which she realized just how ticked he'd be if he knew she was doing this. "N-nothing.... just- playing with your hair, you know...... fluffing it and stuff." She responded, turning sheet white. "Just don't do anything stupid or I'll blow your sad little butt to shreds." He tells her impatiently, to which she nods, continuing the braids slowly now. "Yep, definitely nothing stupid." She added, only adding to the blonde boy's suspicions. "Yeah, whatever." He sighed, rolling his blood red eyes as he kept walking.
At last the braids were done, and (Y/N) thought they looked amazing!!! She couldn't help but giggle and feel proud as she looked at their reflection in a window of a building they walked by. "Eh?? What's so funny?" The boy asked as he twisted his head to look at his tiny crush. The little girl was still grabbing his hair for support, so when Katsuki turned his head, (Y/N) lost her grip and wobbled before falling back and onto the giant's face. "Hey-Woah!!" She cried as she tipped back and fell against his nose and mouth to which he startled, clearly not expecting her to latch onto him for dear life. "HEY!!!" He hollered, making her grab tighter to his nose as her foot caught in his mouth. "GET OFF ME!!" He then began trying to grab at her. "I'M TRYING!!!" she shot back, her surprised but feisty, small, glittering eyes, meeting his much larger, glaring red ones.
He managed to grab her in his fist and give her quite the look. "WHAT THE HECK WAS THAT FOR, HUH!!!???" He bellowed at the tiny that tightly gripped his fingers. "It wasn't on purpose!!" She countered, growing more and more conscious of the smoke that seeped from his palm and the rapid heat that generated around her as well. Bakugo's response came with a hard glare. "Well then be more careful idiot!!! I don't want you all over my face, who knows where on this blasted planet you've been!!" "No, you should be more careful!!!! I was fine till you tried to look at me without giving me any warning!!!" She corrected Bakugo quickly, earning a huff and a growl as he looked away for a moment. "Well I'm not gonna tell you every time I wanted to turn my own blasted head...." He didn't answer any more despite his softened attitude. He knew she was right and that he was letting his anger get the best of him.
"So are you gonna carry me in your hand again, Pufferfish??" The tiny girl asked. Bakugo scoffed, "Well you're not going back on my shoulder." He responded curtly, shoving her down in the pockets of his baggy jeans.
Once again, she was plunged into an ocean of cloth, only this time she was pressed up against his hand that rested casually beside her. Put out, the small girl began squirming around against his hand and in the pocket to get comfortable. "The heck you doing??" She heard his grumpy voice ask, and she promptly ignored him, wiggling into the inside of his hand and pressed herself to the Pomeranian's palm and fingers. She heard him scoff lightly before his hand curled inward and around her. She smiled and snuggled into his rough, work worn hand. She allowed her eyes to pull heavily closed, the swaying motion of Bakugo's walking soothing her.
(Y/N) awoke suddenly to being squished against the giant's leg by his hand briefly. "Oi, Watch it." His voice angrily chided. It was clear she had fallen asleep given that she could hear the sounds of a bus humming and every step seemed to drop her lower and lower before she could hear the vehicle start and drive off. How long she had been asleep, she didn't know, but the miniature girl was tired of being carried around in Bakugo's pocket. "Hey!!" (Y/N) began trying to climb up his arm before he pulled his hand out, leaving her in his loose pocket by herself. "Bakugo!!" She whined, trying to pull herself out before failing.
Bakugo was getting off the bus as a stranger got on, slamming into his side where the tiny was in his pocket. "Oi!!! Watch it!" he barked at them, silently hoping that she was okay. She had fallen asleep quite a while back and he was now at The Best Jeanist's agency when he heard her call from his pocket. "Hey!!" (Y/N)'s small and soft voice chirped. He could feel her pulling herself out, but he needed her to stay hidden or Jeanist might try to confiscate her, saying it wouldn't be smart to take a tiny girl like her on a hero patrol. So he paid her no mind as he pulled his hand out without her to open the building's doors. "Bakugo~~" She continued to complain and protest as he walked in, heading straight to check in with his temporary mentor. "Shuddup." He said quietly, cupping one hand to his pocket to keep her from wriggling around too much, clearly having the opposite effect. "Quit it alright?? I'll let you out in a minute," The giant whispered harshly, bopping the little body in his pocket gently. Luckily she stopped moving and he was able to get his patrol route and head to the changing rooms.
After a while of him walking something began poking hard against his leg. He was confused at what she was doing before he figured that she was probably kicking him. Bakugo ignored the little human who continued to relentlessly jab at him until her protests began to come a little too close to a certain sensitive area he did not want to be kicked in. His eyes widened and he quickened his pace to reach the privacy of the changing room as each rough nudge seemed to creep closer and closer to his midsection.
He swiftly threw open one of the locker room doors and dashed inside, setting his duffle bag down and quickly fishing the girl out right as she threw a hard kick. His hand tightened around her harder than he meant as he folded in half. Her small size did not affect her strength in the slightest. Bakugo then shakily pulled (Y/N) from his pockets and gave her a murderous glare. She looked up at him absolutely clueless as to what she had just done, her face a mix of confusion and surprise. "Dude..... Y-you okay????" She asked with furrowed brows. "Im fine." He responded in a strained voice, "But I'd be better if you didn't plant your gosh darn foot between my legs." He added, rage trickling into his voice with each word.
The tiny's eyes grew large as understanding dawned on her, "WAIT FOR REAL!!??" She quickly lost it, wheezing and choking on her laughs at the giant's misfortune. He held his breath for a few moments, resisting the urge to squeeze her just enough to get her to stop laughing and maybe, just maybe exact some extent of revenge. "Would you quit that?! It's not funny, alright!?" He yelled as she continued to laugh and apologize, "Sorry, I just-" she giggled, tears streaming down her face. "You don't sound gosh darn sorry!" He growled before setting her down roughly on the bench beside the bag. "Just be quiet, alright??" He snarled, unzipping it and pulling out his costume.
"Why didn't you let me out??" She asked carefully, calming herself, but not wanting to upset him any further as he remained still somewhat bent in half. "Because Greasy Hair would try to take you if he knew you were here." He told her, quickly pulling off his shirt to which she just stared, "Dang~." (Y/N) cut herself off face turning bright pink as she looked up at the boy's well built, bare chest. "You look like you work out, do you work out??? Would you like to work out together sometime???" She asked, making him roll his eyes as he tossed his shirt onto her. "Don't make this weird alright??" He told her, taking the opportunity to swap his pants whilst she tried to crawl out of the sweaty cloth.
"Hey!!" She squawked, pulling herself from the shirt and looking to see him sitting on the floor and pulling his boots on. She opted to just sit and watch as he put on the rest of his outfit. The room didn't have a mirror so he had to blindly do his eyeliner that he used to make the area around his eyes black and fit in with his mask.
"You missed a spot," The tiny chimed as he picked up the mask, about to tie it to his face. "Eh? Where."
"Right there."
"Here?"
"No!"
"Well I'm gonna need something a little more specific than 'there'."
"Here, let me get it." She offered. Bakugo didn't respond, only leaned in close to the bench so she could reach his face. "Right here." She responded, stepping forward and placing her tiny hands on the soft skin beneath his eyes to carefully spread the thick black makeup. He didn't close his eyes while she did this, the giant blood red spheres just followed her every movement. The minuscule girl couldn't help but look back up and into his large eyes, every detail becoming very visible. Being this close up to his face, she had to admit, made her heart hiccup. She watched his large pupils dilate as they stared at her, shifting ever so slightly with his studying her tiny form. It was hypnotizing....
"You done??" His voice broke the silence, puffing a small, warm breath across her little body. "Oh, Yeah!!!" She replied, stepping back as he pulled away, tying on his mask. "Thanks I guess," He muttered before scooping her up in gloved hands, far more gently than the last few times- er- all the other times.
"Whoah!" She let her surprised reaction slip from her lips as she was tucked into the hero's belt loop, typically where a grenade would hang. "ah- This isn't very comfortable you know..." she complained, trying to change her position as she was held up by the strap that ran across her chest and under her arms. "Well you've pretty much lost the privilege to ride anywhere else." The ash blonde told her, opening the door and marching out and into the streets, though he walked with a bit of an awkward limp, presumably from her kick. "I'm not a baby, Come on!!!" She proceeded to whine at his stubborn responses. "You may not be one, but you get into about as much trouble as one." He responded as he walked, not even throwing her a glance. (Y/N) let out a huff equal to her size.
Things seemed pretty uneventful as Bakugo walked around, snapping at the occasional fan, and pretty much just marched around his route, with his tiny classmate hanging from his belt. Surprisingly enough, hardly anyone seemed to notice her. Two or three people did and Bakugo easily passed it off as her being his 'sidekick' or 'partner' but that was the most interesting thing to happen so far.
That is.... until a commotion broke loose...
A building not too far from them suddenly exploded as the side wall flew outwards in thousands of pieces, causing the explosive boy's head to whip around, a crazed grin stretching across his facial features, "Finally!" He cheered, a little too eagerly, as he took off running. (Y/N) was being shaken up and down violently by the mere motion of the giant's sprint. Suddenly they lurched forward as Bakugo rocketed forward with his own explosions, landing just a few feet from a startled bystander, "WHATS GOING ON!?" The angry Pomeranian demanded, startling the poor man even further. "I- I- I don't know!! I was just on my way back from the-" "I don't need to know that crap! It blew up, I know!!" He cut the man off quite rudely as he took to a speedy sprint toward the source of the panic.
As they approached the explosion sight, three figures could be seen coming through the smoke. "We've done it!! Now hurry up and let's get out of here before the pros arrive!!!" One masculine voice could be heard, followed by two more voices, one sounding male, the other female. "Sure thing!!" "Less chatting, more scramming!"
Bakugo couldn't resist the urge but to call out, "Not so fast!! Where do you brats think you're going?!" He taunted with the same frightening smile. "go." The first voice instructed and the other two bolted. The tallest of the bunch stayed, presumably the first to speak.
"Mind your own business kid, this doesn't concern you." He said sharply, raising one arm before it came whistling through the air, stretching out like a whip. Bakugo reacted quickly, using his own blasts to flip over the on coming threat right before it slammed into a nearby pile of debris with a sickening crack. "LIKE I GIVE A CARE!!" The hero in training shouted back, one hand held protectively in front of (Y/N). The figure paused before approaching, the long tentacle-like arm retracting into the thick fog and by their side. "Well then, I suppose I've warned you proficiently..." The figure mused, emerging from the dense aerial soot with a slow but powerful stride, "I have no intention of killing one so young, but I can't make promises, the fight tends to get away from me..." He added early with a sickening grin as he came into the light enough to tell the details.
The man was staggeringly tall with shaggy but well kept black hair, he had a long scar that ran up the night side of his face, painting one of his striking blue eyes a milky, blind white. He wore a battered suit and tie, dress shoes replaced by heavy duty combat boots. Two strange scars crept up from the corners of his mouth to his long pointed ears; sharp fang looking things jutted from the scar.
Bakugo couldn't help but smile wider as the man approached, "Same here, Bean Pole." He chuckled, more under his breath than out loud.
Then, with a loud ripping noise, The villain's arms split into many different tentacles, all rushing forward hastily. Bakugo blew up each one as they reached him, smoke and flame firing off in all directions with ear splitting noises. Bakugo grew careless, excitedly flipping and spinning about, propelling himself dramatically with his hand explosions that were each aimed strategically at on coming tentacles and arms that swung about with startling amounts of force.
It was then that he didn’t notice a particular limb until it slammed into him from behind, knocking the air from him as he was flung toward the ground, flinging the tiny (Y/N) from his belt just before he hit the ground.
(Y/N) watched as the world whirled about her as she fell, the wind whistling loudly in her tiny ears as the unknown of how far she’d fall threatened to plant fear in her chest. Reacting quickly she covered herself in cushioned mushrooms that bounced her gently whilst her tiny form rolled across the ground.
Peaking one eye open she shook the shrooms from her body and looked around in hopes to study her current situation. With shaky legs she stood and observed Bakugo swiftly standing and quickly checking his side where she was previously, he looked panicked as he looked around himself and even under his boots, and where he sat. “Crud-“
“What’s wrong??” The figure asked tauntingly as he walked closer, cradling one particularly burned tentacle close to his body as the others crept closer to the panic stricken hero. "You lose something??? Aww~ That's too bad isn't it... especially since you're about to lose consciousness as well...."
The pale blonde whirled on the villain, firing a barrage of explosive shots at him, each one hitting a tentacle and the villain in the head. The man let out startled cries of pain and surprise before shaking it off, "You little-" He started before Bakugo flew at him with outstretched hands that crackled and spat sparks. "I'll make you pay you filthy low life!!" The hero spat, pouncing on the man who deftly dodged and defended himself against the explosive demon boy that tore at him like a feral animal.
(Y/N)'s eyes widened as she observed the giants fight. She had to help, but she couldn't get close, or she'd risk getting crushed. That's when it occurred to her. She looked down at where she stood to see exposed dirt.
Perfect!
Placing her hands on the ground, they glowed a bright green and long, dark vines began to creep along the ground quickly, toward the two who fought. With careful control she aloud the plants to ensnare the tall man and slowly entangle themselves around his body. "What the?!" Both men asked in confusion but Bakugo's eyes quickly widened with relief and realization as he remembered your quirk.
The villain snapped the vines quickly, "How do you have two quirks?!" He asked in astonishment and confusion before his eyes caught that the plants crept from a further and smaller human form. "Isn't it obvious?! Cause I'm the best gosh darn hero this world will ever see!!" Bakugo yelled back, not wanting him to know about his minuscule classmate and crush who was somewhere he was unaware of.
Narrowing his eyes, he focused all his extensive arms on the explosive teen, cocooning him quickly before tossing him off to the side brutally. He then snapped his head to glare at the tiny girl. (Y/N) startled as the villain walked slowly but steadily toward her, stunning eyes fixated on her. She quickly looked behind herself, silently praying that he was looking at someone or something else. But when she turned to look back he was bolting toward her, long arms outstretched.
The small girl let out a startled scream as she turned to run the other way before one of the scaly limbs wrapped itself around her and pulled her off the ground. "So you have an accomplice!" The villain chimed, turning to look back at Bakugo who was standing up from a pile of crumbled stone, one hand clutched to his side.
Bakugo's eyes widened with genuine fear once they spotted the small. He began to run at the villain with startling speed, "GET YOUR FILTHY LITTLE-"
"Uh-uh -uh! I wouldn't do that if I were you!!" The man teased maliciously, tightening his grip on the girl's small form as the scars opened themselves along his jawline to reveal a startlingly larger mouth full of dagger-like teeth. (Y/N) paled. "Make one wrong move and I'll make sure she isn't a problem.... got that??" he asked, still with a sickeningly terrifying grin playing across his facial features.
Bakugo skidded to a stop, growling as he was left in quite the predicament. "What the heck do you want then....." He asked through gritted teeth, his glare hardening on the criminal. "Let us go and I'll give your friend back." He responded before continuing, "I'm going to take her with me to make sure you don't follow, because if you do...." the man trailed off, flashing a very toothy grin.
Bakugo just glared back, carefully running ideas and scenarios through his head as to how to get his tiny friend back without getting her hurt or putting her in any more risk.
(Y/N) on the other hand gripped the villain's arm that held her and let her quirk go crazy, sapping his energy as thorns exploded across his body, rapidly tangling and ensuring him and each other.
The blonde took the opportunity to jump on the villain whilst he struggled against his restraints, roughly pulling the small woman from his grasp and striking him unconscious. "Stupid extra." He spat under his breath before returning his attention to his miniature crush. "You miss me??" She asked with a bright smile despite her shaky voice, to which he turned her in his hand, setting her on his palm. He began checking her up and down for potential injuries, poking, prodding and feeling at her with careful fingers, "You break anything, idiot??" he asked, avoiding her question, and hiding just how petrified he had been for her safety.
The tiny giggled as he hit some ticklish spot and swatted at his large fingers. "Yeah, i'm fine!!! it'd take more than some creepy Slender-Man dude to take me out!!" She told him to which he sighed, giving the thorn ball on the ground a rough kick. "Yeah, whatever, come on, we can't let those other guys get away." He told her, looking down at himself for a safer spot to place her.
(Y/N) watched him study himself, noticing that the braids were still intact. Honestly a beautiful sight!
"You know what, i don't even care anymore!" He grumbled, interrupting her train of thought and quickly plopping her onto his head, "Grow some dumb vines to secure yourself or something." He told her, marching off before breaking into a full sprint in the direction the other villains had gone. "Wait what about that other guy??" She asked, quickly growing some vines off his head to secure her tightly to him. "What, Bean Pole?! That dunce is done for, the other heroes will take care of him." He chuckled darkly as he continued to run, following a strange trail of blue slimy residue footsteps.
(Y/N) just lied back into the tall, crazy, spiky blonde hair. There was a stunning amount of it and its ridiculously soft texture made it clear that it held its messy composure without any kind of gel or treatment. Good gracious was she glad she didn't have shoes. She couldn't help but wiggle her feet back and forth through his silky tufts, fluffing strands and clumps of it through her hands and against her face as well.
Bakugo knew full well what she was doing and smiled softly to himself as he kept running, doing his best to ignore the burning in his ears as they turned red.
Soon they could hear voices...
"Do we just wait here for the boss???'
"Duh, what else would we do?!"
"Well, what if he got caught?"
"By that kid?! Please, Kanja Kaiju​ise wouldn't get taken down by a silly little twerp like that, just be patient, he said to wait here so we will." a feminine voice chided in an annoyed tone in response to the nervous male one.
Bakugo gave a sadistic grin at their confidence in their leader. “You should watch who you're calling a ‘Silly little twerp’!” He yelled, swinging himself around the corner with a powerful blast, using both legs to kick the two from behind, knocking them to the ground where he pinned them by standing on them. “WHAT THE-?!” They both exclaimed in surprise, grunting as they were pinned beneath the ash blonde teen. “IM GONNA BLOW YOU TWO IDIOTS ALL THE WAY TO HELL...." he rasped harshly in their ears. The woman was stronger built than the guy and her skin was a transparent, glossy blue. "I'd like to see you try, punk!!" She hissed though she didn't seem to have any mouth. And just like that she flattened beneath his feet, upsetting his balance briefly. "What on earth??" He muttered as a large, sticky blue puddle and empty clothes replaced the woman.
Like water, the strange substance began to sift from between Bakugo's feet and took shape behind him. Suddenly a sharp pain connected with the back of the boy's head, sending him flying forward. Miraculously, he stopped himself  before he ended up crushing (Y/N) who gripped onto his hair with surprising strength, tearing at his hair ever so slightly. "You alright Flower Face??" He asked, hands cupped over his head before a shaky answer came, "Y-yeah, never better!! Just focus on kicking this girl's butt!!" She squeaked, gaining a very eager grin from the giant, "Alright then, hold on tight!!" He warned. She tightened her grip before he flinched, "Ow, ow, ow, not that hard dummy!!!" He winced at the feeling of his hair being yanked at.
Turning to face his opponent, he was met by the sight of the women, her entire body made from the blue, glossy slime. It looked as if she wore a loose body suit as the goop lacked any other details. The blonde grinned, sparks popping sporadically, from his palms,  "Come at me!!!" He jeered, both crouching down into battle stances.
"RAHHH!!!!" The woman let out a fierce battle cry, rushing forward and morphing around Bakugo's attacks, delivering heavy blows in return. The giant boy coughed and grunted, catching a second wind before sprinting at his sludge-like enemy. "DIE!" He bellowed, utterly missing again.
(Y/N) on the other hand acted quickly in an act of desperation, she generated a long twisted, horned vine and allowed it to fall back around the woman in attempt to trip or snag her, though it caught around her neck, and went right through the glop, severing her head from the rest of her body in a way that looked a great deal like cutting jello. The rest of her body completely melted. The tiny was left star struck and terrified of what she had just done. That was, until the woman's head touched ground and the rest of her quickly formed back. "OH MY-" her breath caught in her throat as she witnessed what she had thought had just been her own manslaughter. But that's when it clicked, "BAKUGO!! I KNOW HER WEAKNESS!!! ONLY THE SLIME CONNECTED TO HER HEAD CAN BE CONTROLLED, SO IF YOU SHRINK HER DOWN YOU CAN BEAT HER!!!" The minuscule girl yelled, making the boy's eyes snap in realization.
It had happened so quickly, all within the time the giant stopped his missed punch and whirled around to see her form again. "I KNEW THAT DANG IT, JUST SHUT UP AND DON'T GET YOURSELF SPOTTED!!!" He yelled back, "Don't tell me to-!!" "I SAID SHUT UP AND DIIIIEEEE!!!!!" The hero whirled on the woman, this time, using her dodging tactics to blow up or kick off small amounts of goop at a time, instead of trying to blast her face into the floor. With each quick, controlled blow strategically taking out inches at a time, they fought till he towered over the woman who stood at only 3-4 inches tall. "Heh heh heh heh, whatcha gonna do now pipsqueak?!" He asked with a devilish grin, having her backed against a wall.  "You should watch who you're talking to you little-" She was cut short as Bakugo slammed a glass bottle over top of her, trapping her inside. "Can it!" He laughed maliciously at his own pun. She let out a frustrated growl as she banged slimy fists against the glass whilst Katsuki pocketed it in one of his heavy duty pockets on his pant legs, filled with other gear and equipment. He turned to see that the other villain was gone. "Coward!" He rolled his eyes with a click of his tongue. "at least he left the money,..." The boy muttered,. "Oi, Flower Face, you still alive??" he asked to which she answered sassily, "Psh- Yeah!!" she chirped whilst he sighed, grabbing the many, heavy duffle bags off the ground, slinging some over his back, the others over his shoulder, and the last two in his arms.
With a light grunt, he lifted the loot and marched back toward where the fight initially broke loose, where the other pro heroes and police were inspecting things and indeed dealing with the so nick-named "Bean Pole".
"Dynamight!!" a voice called as he marched over. "Eh?" He grumbled as a news reporter rushed over, "It seems you single handedly took out the leader of the villains responsible for this attack!! What can you tell the rest of us!?" The lady asked before practically shoving the mic into his face.
"Well (A, I took down two of those gosh darn villains, and got the money back, (B, i didn't do it alone, so get your stupid facts right." He finished his snide remark before shoving past her and marching steadily toward the police. "What are you talking about 'didn't do it alone', i didn't do squat!!" The tiny asked, genuinely confused. "Well, you wrapped Bean Pole in thorns and helped me figure out how to beat Pipsqueak, didn't you??" He asked, though it came out as more of a declaration. (Y/N) just smiled.
After a long chat with the cops about the third man, Bakugo handed the slime girl over to them, along with the stolen goods. Then they finished up an otherwise uneventful patrol and headed back to Best Jeanist's where the blonde would check in, change back into normal clothes and head home for the day.
Bakugo walked into the agency, no longer determined to hide his miniature crush as he had already gone on patrol so it didn't matter anymore. He reported quickly with Jeanist who was, as the boy predicted, angry that he had brought her along but couldn't do much about it any more.
He then went into the changing rooms, this time getting one with a mirror. "Alright, as soon as we get back to the dorms, i'm-!!!" "THE HECK!?" "DID YOU DO THIS YOU LITTLE FUN SIZED PUNK!?" The ash blonde giant roared, staring in horror at the neat little braids that followed the sides of his head all the way around.
(Y/N) paled, "Um well-"
"YOU SCRUFFY LITTLE BRAT!! YOU BETTER UNDO THESE THINGS OR I'LL UNDO YOU!!!"
"NOOO!!!! They look so cuuuute~!"
"I'M NOT TRYING TO LOOK STINKIN CUTE!! YOU HAD BETTER GET THESE ABOMINATIONS OUT OF MY HAIR!!!"
"Can we leave them-"
"NO! WE MAY NOT! NOW GET. THEM. OUT."
Bakugo was livid with her and clenched her in a hot, smoking fist as she was forced to undo the little braids that were far too small for his large fingers to fix. Though unknown to him was the fact that she left a particularly favorite one of hers in the back, where he couldn't see. "No way I'm letting you anywhere near my hair again!!" He snarled, earning a complaining whine from her. "And if you freaking kick me I will kill you..." the explosive giant growled as he stuffed the tiny (Y/N) into his pocket after having changed back into his clothes.
(Y/N) knew full well that he'd send her flying if she did so, though she didn't plan to. Instead, she made herself busy playing with pieces of lint, like one might a cloud or cotton candy, squishing and shaping it in her hands.
Sooner than she would have thought the sound of a door opening and closing caught her attention. "Hey!! Are we home!?" She asked, standing on his thumb to peak out of the pocket. Her question was answered simply by looking around. They were in a simple convenience store. "Tch- Whats it look like??" He asked with a click of his tongue. "Wait, I thought we were gonna head back to the dorms?" She asked to which her classmate let out an annoyed sigh, "We are, dummy, I just wanted to grab some snacks to eat before we get back."
"What do you mean?? You already have a snack!!"
"Eh? what- that plain crap ramen and potato chips back home?? I'm not eating that trash-"
"No, you've got me!!! I'm a hot pocket!!!!"
"..."
"Cause I'm hot! And I'm in a pocket!!!" Bakugo just stared at her with a blank expression as she returned one that clearly stated that she knew full well and was proud of her bad pun. She could have sworn his cheeks and ears turned red though, "Are you blush-" "Shuddup!!! Just pick something out already so we can check out!!" He yelled, turning to look away from his pocket and hide his face as his hand shifted beneath her, catching her tiny figure in his palm as he lifted her out of his pocket. (Y/N) decided not to push, but the thought alone that her comment had made him blush caused a hot pink to dust her cheeks whilst her heart swelled.
Bakugo carried her around the small gas station store to pick out some sweets and snacks. A certain treat caught the tiny's eye, "OOO, GRAB THOSE (fav unhealthy snack)!!!" "Are you serious!? Do you know the havoc those things can wreak on your body!?" He asked, disgust lacing his tone. "Yes!!! NOW GIMME!!!" Bakugo rolled his eyes, "Fine, just know I'm not gonna let this be all you eat, you better save room for something healthy!! There's no way I'm letting you eat too much of this junk!!" He chides, (Y/N) just laughing at his comment. "ok, I won't say no to that!!" she giggled.
After picking out some stuff for her, Bakugo bee-lined for the spicy ramen and other hot snack foods, grabbing some ghost pepper potato chips, dried chili peppers, and spiced almonds. "You want some food with that hot sauce??" The tiny asked with a sarcastic little scoff. "Ha!! This is the mild stuff!!!" He said, grabbing a pack of Carolina reaper snack sticks off a shelf. "This.... is the good stuff!!" He spoke with a triumphant laugh as her eyes popped, looking at the pack of seasoned sausages he shook in his hand. "Holy crap man!! How can you even still taste anything!!??" "I can taste plenty fine, and you're gonna eat these with me!!" He laughed, tossing them into the little basket he held. The tiny girl paled as she looked down into the basket below her, sitting on the wrist of his hand that held it. "No way, and you can't make me!" She responded after a moment as they came up to the register. "Oh yeah!? We'll see about that, Flower Face!" he laughed, setting the ingredients and snacks they planned to purchase on the conveyor belt.
The cashier rang them up, casting countless looks and glances at the shrunken human that sat on Bakugo's shoulder. It clearly got on the hot head's nerves as he eventually yelled at the poor guy to stop staring. The adult got defensive and demanded that the temperamental boy give respect to his elders.
"Oh yeah!? And who are you to make me!?"
"Someone who can kick you out of here without your food!"
"Try me Spider!! You're looking at the future number one hero!!!"
"Number one hero!? You're not going to be squat with that attitude!"
"WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY!? I'LL SHOW YOU WHAT AN ATTITUDE LOOKS LI-" The blonde was promptly cut short as the shrunken girl pressed both her hands against his face, squishing his cheek and getting him to stop. Bakugo had already gotten up and onto the counter, one leg propped up high the other ready to launch him forward as both hands sparked. "Sorry, he's a little hangry, if you'll pardon us we'll just pay for our food and get out of your hair!!" She apologized, still leaning against the boy's face.
The man just stared as Bakugo began angrily fishing the money from his back pocket with a sneer. "Fine whatever, just get out of my store already..." the cashier huffed. Bakugo clearly got angrier at this and moved to further threaten the man but (Y/N) pulled one of the blonde tufts of hair. "Come on, let's just go home and eat!" She urged before he snatched the bag of food and stomped out, "Whatever... " The small girl just let out a long sigh, "good grief..."  she groaned with a soft chuckle.
Bakugo then began walking back to the dorms with her still on his shoulder.
They soon arrived and the teen went straight inside where they were met by the three from earlier who had started the whole thing. "Yo! Bakubro!! How was your time out!? Where'd you guys go?? What'd you do!?" "It was hero work." he replies, giving the red headed, Kirishima, a skeptic glare. "You took her on a hero patrol!?" Sero asked sitting up from his spot on one of the common room couches closer to the kitchen where the blonde set down the food. "Well what else was I supposed to do?! You idiots were all too busy to provide any other supervision... if what you would do could even be called that." he added with a click of his tongue, (Y/N) laughing at his comment, knowing full well how true it was. Denki piped in, "Yeah but how was it???" He asks with a sly grin. Bakugo's scrutinizing scowl returned, "Why do you three dummies care huh?" "No reason, no reason!!!" They all quickly shut him down, throwing each other glances. "Yeah right...." He muttered with a roll of his eyes before grabbing out a pot for the ramen with the tiny girl still perched on his shoulder.
(Y/N) just observed him start the boiling water, silently praying that he forgot his little vow to make her eat the spicy food. "Why the heck did you go quiet all of the sudden, huh?? Usually your mouth runs like a stinking river." The boy commented as he fished out an apron from a kitchen drawer. "Oh! I don't know, just watching I guess." she shrugs. "Yeah well, remember that you're technically not even supposed to be up there so just don't get too comfortable." The boy commented with a sharp exhale.
Bakugo then pulled the strap around his neck, unaware that it loosely wrapped around (Y/N) till he pulled it tight and she was yanked up against his throat. "Hey!!" She cried out in surprise as the previously loose strap suddenly came up and around her stomach, pulling her tight against the giant's neck. "Oi, What are you doing?" "Nothing! The apron strap got me!!" she laughed, gripping the cloth strap around her waist. "The strap-? oh." And with that it loosened and she was able to slip free.
"You alright?" His question startled her. It came softly, as if meant only for her ears, despite being close to the boy's voice box. "I- Yeah I'm ok, just startled me" The small giggled, discovering herself slightly flustered at the fact that he cared enough to ask, especially given that he did not often check on people like that. "Don't take it like that, gosh dang it! I just wasn't sure if it caught around your stupid windpipe or something!" He yelled, though looking up at the subtle color of his face told her otherwise. "I thought you said you knew I could handle myself!" (Y/N) was unable to resist another chance to tease him."Shut up!! Don't think I've forgotten about our little deal!! I'll spice it up just for you if you keep being a little pain in the neck!"
"heh- pain in the neck~"
"I said to shut it already!!"
The blonde then carefully retied the apron, sure to not get the tiny caught up in it this time. (Y/N) Just beamed as she ventured to stand, carefully placing a hand along his jaw. She enjoyed criticizing his cooking and pointing out the few tiny and unimportant mistakes or differences in cooking that he made; be it the way he chopped green onions, the way he de-shelled garlic, or his choice in extra seasonings, she nagged him over everything. It very clearly was ticking him off more and more as she just got a kick out of the whole thing.
"Fine!! I guess you want me to dice up some raw ghost peppers!!"
"NO!!! NO No No Noooo Nonononononono!!! I'll stop, I'll stop!!"
"Heh, that's what I thought, you little punk!"
"Don't be spiky! You porcupine!!!"
"Tch- spiky?! I can show you spiky if that's what you're wanting to see!!!" Bakugo kept on grumbling at her remarks.
"Oh I've seen plenty!!!" (Y/N) laughed before following up, "I wanna help cook." The giant blinked, not only was her comment off topic, but how did she expect to help cook when only a few inches tall?  "Oh yeah?? How so??" "I don't know, but I feel like I haven't really done anything other than be carried around! I wanna help!" She pressed. It had been bothering her since they left the agency. "Alright, Peel the garlic then." He instructed, continuing to cook without giving her much of a way down from his shoulder. (Y/N) knew full well he wasn't going to stop unless she asked, silently giving her her wish of a chance to display her independence. "Okay!!" She cheered, waiting till his arm was hovering over the counter and near the garlic before she slid down, landing rather sloppily before standing back up with a laugh and dusting herself off. The tiny noticed a faint smile tugging at the corners of the blonde's mouth as she got to work on the garlic as he had requested.
She soon finished, and before she could say anything on the subject he scooped it up and plopped it onto the cutting board, promptly dicing it into tiny bits. "What next!?" She chirped. Bakugo scoffed, shaking his head lightly with a soft grin. "I need some of the chicken seasoning in the cabinet." He stated, nodding his head in gesture to the cabinet just above the floor and not too far from her. He felt he should test her with slowly bigger and bigger tasks.
(Y/N) took one glance and replied with a bright and determined smile, "Easy!"
And with that she jumped off the counter, sprouting a large and frilly flower from the soles of her feet, saving her from a dangerous fall. The giant teen watched her scurry across the floor from the corner of his eye, keeping tabs on her as he moved about the kitchen, careful to watch his feet.
The small girl swung the cupboard open with little effort, easily accessing its contents. The seasoning jar was about as big as her, so carrying it was the harder part of the ordeal. With a soft grunt she managed to lift it up and move it out and onto the floor where she rolled it up to Bakugo as he stirred their meal. "Got it!!" (Y/N) cheered in triumph.
"Took you long enough." He chided, her response coming back playfully, "Hey! I did really well given my size!!" The ash blonde just rolled his eyes as he picked the jar off the ground and added some of the dry mixture to the boiling liquid in the small pot.
"What else!?" "Eh? Now we just let it cook for a couple minutes, so why don't you make yourself useful and put stuff away." "Ok then!! Give back the chicken stuff!!!" With that, the giant set the jar on the floor before grabbing other items off the counter tops to return them to where they belonged.
(Y/N) watched the giant move around above her. Being on the floor was both terrifying and exciting. It was cool to watch him shuffle around from below, his feet being careful not to come too close to her, though he did occasionally step over her, his towering shape moving just overhead. She was quick to deftly put the dried herbs back into the cabinet. She then realized that everything else, including her friend and crush, were above her, and she was still on the floor.
She could either ask Bakugo for help, or further prove her independence and find a way up herself. The answer was obvious.
As the giant stood at the fridge, putting things away, (Y/N) took her chance. Moving quickly she climbed onto the boy's stationary feet, causing them to shift ever so slightly beneath her as he looked down to see his shrunken classmate. Bakugo just watched as the small began pulling herself up his pant leg til she reached his pocket where she managed to pull herself inside.
Bakugo couldn't help but smile at this. But he pretended not to notice, moving to grab two bowls of different sizes and serve the ramen. He then grabbed himself chopsticks and her a couple of toothpicks before he grabbed the bag of snacks. "Oi, Flower Face, Ready??" he asked, glancing down at his pocket where she peaked out, giving him a thumbs up. "Yup!!"
Bakugo marched up to his room, sending (Y/N) through another roller coaster of swaying motions. "We're going to your room??" "Yeah, so what?" "I just don't think I've ever seen it before if I'm being honest." "You were in here this morning..." "Oh yeah!! I guess I just didn't pay much attention then..." "Yeah, well then don't make it weird or I won't ever let you in again." He grumbled, opening the door and walking in.
His room, quite honestly, was an absolute aesthetic. The shelves were decorated by comic books and traditional books, he had some small string lights that draped over them too. Small succulent plants and potted cacti could be found here and there. His bed was up against one wall with storage underneath and in the headboard; a cork board hung above it. He had some posters up on the walls, some of U.A., others of All Might, and few of other topics. A laptop lay open on his desk, along with other supplies and small books. An open window allowed the wind to flow through the room. Over all the room's decorations were simple but homey, theming more around a sort of Lofi feel.
"DUDE!!! YOUR ROOM IS SO COOL!!! HOW COME YOU'VE NEVER LET ANYONE ELSE SEE IT BEFORE?!" "Tch- Because I never felt like it." He scoffed, setting the food down on the desk before clearing it up a little. "Well okay, but your room is so cool!!!!" She continued to compliment him. "Yeah yeah, now are we gonna eat this stuff or what??"
That's when (Y/N) remembered that the ramen was spicy, as in spicy spicy......
"Ohhhh.... Yeah.... Well-" She started before the explosive boy cut her off. "You're not bailing on me, are you?!" he taunted, flashing her a devious grin. "I- No!!" She shot back before realizing what she had done. "Good!" He laughed, pushing the small bowl forward. "Because this batch should be really good!" He chuckled darkly.
The bowl was gigantic in comparison to the tiny. There was no way she'd be able to eat all of it, though knowing Bakugo, he'd try and get her to eat as much as she possibly could. "Eat up Bite Size!" He coaxed, using a new nickname.
(Y/N) gave him one last foreboding glance before grabbing the makeshift chopsticks and lifting a noodle out of the bowl. Bakugo already had a full mouth and let a slight grunt of approval to the meal escape. "Well?! It's not going to eat itself!" He managed through his full mouth, finishing and quickly shoveling in another bite. "It's not even that spicy!!! Still pretty flavorful though." The small girl wasn't sure how much she trusted his judgement on that, but nonetheless she took a large bite.
Yup. It was bad.
The tiny human quickly swallowed it before exploding into a coughing fit, making Bakugo almost spray his food. Whilst (Y/N) fanned at her mouth frantically, tears began to well up in her eyes as her nose went bright red, becoming runny from the spice alone. "HOT HOT!!! OH HEAVENS THAT IS VERY VERY HOT!!!" She gasped and sputtered between coughs. "IT'S NOT THAT BAD!!!" The blonde giant guffawed at her predicament. "JUST GET ME FRIGGIN WATER!!!!" "FINE WHATEVER!!!" Bakugo was now choking on his own laughter as he got up and ran out of the room. Had he seriously not grabbed any kind of liquid before trying to get her to eat the stuff?! What was that idiotic brat of a gremlin boy thinking???!!! After what felt like eons of fiery mouth pain, he came back in, slowing from a run.
He dashed over, holding the large glass in his hands, moving to help her drink. In both their hurry to help (Y/N) with the spice, neither thought to be very careful, and the teen ended up drenching his friend in the process, tilting the still sloshing glass of water a little too much. "DUDE!!!" The girl yelled, getting more upset from the pain in her mouth than the actual water. "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!" The giant lost it, dropping the cup as it further soaked her. "BAKUGO!!!!!" She screeched, no longer in pain given that she choked on an entire wave, but now hopelessly soaked. 
The laughing Katsuki lay face down on his desk, face in his folded arms as his shoulders heaved from his chortling fit. "DUDE! YOU SOAKED ME!!!" "Sorry~" He managed between laughs, "You don't sound sorry." She huffed, folding her arms and glaring at him. Bakugo didn't answer, he just kept laughing.
Despite being sopping wet, (Y/N) couldn't help but smile. He didn't smile much so it was really nice to see. "Well then, since it's so funny, you got me wet, you can dry off!" She exclaimed before throwing herself onto him and scrubbing herself against him furiously. "Hey, get off me idiot!" He half laughed, half yelled, still grinning wide. The miniature girl clung tight, burying into his sleeve and drying herself even more violently. "Dang it! Let go of bite size punk!" He cried, wrapping his fist around her and trying to pull her away with little to no success as she continued to stubbornly cling. "The heck!?" The giant pried and pried, but his best efforts weren't enough. "I'll dry you the fun way if you don't LET GO!!!!" He threatened, his fist becoming increasingly hot as both steam and smoke rose from between his knuckles. "BET!!!" And with that a sharp pain collided with her entire torso, predominantly where he had been gripping her. "OW!" She startled as a loud crack filled her ears and bright light obscured her vision, a strong wave of heat washing over her for a brief instant. "You asked for it you little brat!"  he chuckled, dropping her roughly onto the desk whilst she shook herself from her daze. Her only response was to let out a few short coughs, still a little out-of-it from the blow.
"Tch-" Bakugo clicked his tongue, scoffing at the tiny. "Well... At least I'm dry and okay, but come on bro! What the heck!!" (Y/N) punched his hand that rested by her, causing him to flinch slightly. "Don't look at me Bite Size, I gave you fair warning!"
"..."
"That's what I thought, now hurry and finish your ramen!"
"FINISH MY- AFTER ALL THAT YOU THINK I REALLY WANT TO EAT THE REST OF THAT!?"
"Are you insulting my cooking?~"  The question came dangerously, as if testing waters that were sure to be filled with sharks. "N-No!! It's good, it's just too hot for me!!" She exclaimed, as she began to lightly shiver from the cold of her still lightly damp clothes and the wind blowing through the open window wasn't helping. "Yeah, well at least you handled it better than Dunce Face and Soy Sauce Face." "What's with you and ____ Face?" "Shut up. Plus I'm calling you Bite Size now." "That only concerns me further." "Just have your junk food or whatever." Bakugo scoffed, rolling his eyes with a faint grin still drawn up on his features.
(Y/N) gladly accepted the sweets and ate them quickly, Bakugo finishing both his and her servings of ramen. When he was done, the boy swiftly cleaned up their mess and returned to his tiny friend. When he returned to her, she was shivering violently. "Oi, What's wrong??" She startled a little, previously lost in thought and caught slightly off guard by his question. "Wrong?? Oh! N-Nothing I'm f-fine!" she stuttered out between chattering teeth. "Don't even think about lying to me, idiot." "No really I'm ok." "No you're not, you're freezing, gosh dang it." He huffed back, carefully scooping her tiny figure up in both his hands. "The heck, you freaking ice cube...." He commented softly before lifting her in cupped hands up to his mouth where he began puffing warm breathes across her small body.
Being this close to his face, and mouth no less, made her antsy; not to mention the boy's breath wreaked of peppers and literally everything else hot, and it took a decent amount of self control to not cough from the prickly smell. But his breath was warm and it felt very very good, so who was she to complain?
"Better??" He asked after a moment or two, her response coming as a slow nod, content from the heat. "Good. Wanna get changed into some of the dry clothes??" "Dry clothes??" "Yeah dummy, from my action figures." He clicked his tongue at her before cradling her in one hand, reaching under the bed for the shoe box. "Oh! The barbies! Yes please!" (Y/N) made the mistake of calling the dolls by their real name. "Action figures!!..."  Bakugo hissed back angrily, pulling the box out along with the little figures inside. One caught (Y/N)'s eye, one that Bakugo hadn't pulled out last time. It was a boy so that was probably why, but he wore some simple long sweats that looked especially warm, and the tiny girl wanted them very badly. "That one, that one!!" She cried excitedly, pointing to the very doll. "Him?" "YES." "Geez, chill."
The giant pulled the doll out and stripped it, handing her the clothes. "Be fast alright?" He instructed, placing her on his desk before turning around to face the other way. (Y/N) felt rather uncomfortable changing clothes without what felt like proper privacy, but he wasn't looking and she didn't have any other options, so she swiftly swiped her clothes, making herself decent. "Done!"
"Took you long enough!" Bakugo groaned, taking the wet clothes and laying them out by the desk light that was on.
"Thanks by the way!" The miniature teen girl chirped, earning the boy's attention. "Eh? For what??" Bakugo gave her a curious glance. "For taking care of me!" "You make it sound like some kind of dumb mushy thing, all I did was carry you around." He acknowledged her thanks with a gibe, trying to cover the fact that he really did enjoy it. "Plus I don't really care, it wasn't much effort..." (Y/N) just smiled, wrapping herself around his hand, "Well thanks anyways." She says with a bright smile. Bakugo gains a light blush before covering his mouth with the other hand. "Yeah whatever, I wasn't gonna leave you to get crushed by those idiots." He says before lightly shaking his hand and wiggling it from her grasp.
"Anyways, we have the whole rest of the afternoon, so what do you want to do??" The giant asks, gesturing to the  digital clock which read 4:26pm. The small just shrugged in return, not quite sure herself.
Since neither of them knew how much longer this would last, it seemed that now all they could do was kill time until (Y/N) turned to normal. "Well.... We could play a game??" She suggested half heartedly, shrugging whilst she said it. The ash blonde scrunched his nose, "What kind of game, cause most I can think of won't work for you right now...." He made his point. "Hmmmmm, got any multiplayer games on your phone???" She asked. "Tch- like what?" "I don't know, like Jelly Jump, Astro party, or Fruit Ninja??" "Really?? Fine... But they better be free. I'm not downloading some cheap-crap game if it's gonna rip me off my money." He told her, pulling out his phone and tapping around for a minute or two before setting it down, and confirming with her that they were the right ones, messing around a bit longer before setting it back down, the screen showing the three games downloading. (Y/N) smiled, "Have you ever played them before???" "Tch- no. I don't bother with lame games like those..." He scoffed. But this only made the tiny girl smile wider. "We'll see just how lame they are when I'm beating your sorry butt to a pulp!!!" She declared mightily, giving him a competitive grin. "What was that!? I don't care what these games are, I'll rip you to shreds!!!" Bakugo barked back, suddenly sitting more upright and attentive, until he leaned down to get somewhat in her face. "See you at the finish line!" "Yeah right, I'll make you eat those crappy words you dang Bite Size!!"
Once the games were installed and ready, Bakugo opened the first being the one titled Jelly Jump.
"Ok, so how does this work??" The giant asks gruffly. "This one is a teamwork one, and it's pretty simple." She explains. "Tch- teamwork?! How do I know you're not gonna just drag me down the whole time??" He complains as the screen turns to show a little gelatin like cube. "This already looks lame..." He adds with a grimace upon seeing the little thing. "Shush! Now gimme the phone, I'll show you how to play on one player mode!!"
Bakugo set the device on his desk for the ecstatic little girl. She quickly displayed how to play and spelled out how it applied for two player mode. Pretty soon the boy's room filled with vigorous yelling as the two tapped violently at the phone. (Y/N) was pretty much just slapping the screen, but it worked as they waited and timed things just right for the two small jello-like squares to keep jumping up levels.
Bakugo was quick to reprimand (Y/N) as the game grew intense "THE HECK ARE YOU DOING!?" "MY JELLY GOT STUCK!!!!" "WELL UNSTUCK IT THE BLACK STUFF IS RISING!!!!" "I'M TRYING, I'M TRYING!" "TRY HARDER THE NEXT THINGY IS COMING!!!" "I DID IT GO GO GO!!!" The two kept screaming at each other, earnestly trying to work through the game. "DOES THIS FREAKING THING HAVE AN END!?" "NO I'M PRETTY SURE IT JUST GETS HARDER AND FASTER UNTIL YOU DIE!!!" "*#^^&(%^* THIS **%&^%## &^$$" "BAKUGO PAY ATTENTION WE ALMOST DIED AND WERE SO CLOSE TO OUR HIGHSCORE!!!!" "SHUT UP AND FOLLOW YOUR OWN ADVICE, BITE SIZE!!!"
"WE DID IT!!!" "WELL DON'T STOP!!!" And it was then that their luck ran cold.  "NO!!! GOSH DANG THIS STUPID GAME!!!!!" Bakugo leaned back in his chair, gripping his hair in enraged fists, fluffy clumps sticking out between his fingers. "WOOOO!!!! WE DID IT, HAHA!!!!" (Y/N) on the other hand found a victory dance more appropriate. "Fist bump!!!" She cheered, sticking her arm out in waiting. "Yeah, whatever, I guess we did alright..." He grumbled, watching his tiny crush doing her funky little jig softening his mood. He complied and tapped his finger against her fist as she beamed up at him, her smile alone like an entire freaking sun.
Bakugo just smiled, though he quickly caught himself and stopped, "What were the other dumb games again??" He inquired, trying to distract himself from the cute and panicky thoughts running through his mind. "Oh! We could do Fruit Ninja now if you like, that one is a verses and is super duper fun!!!" He scrunched his nose. "Mmmm." "It also has brutally murdering fruit with knives." "Ok fine." (Y/N) couldn't help but smile wide at his quick cooperation.
They opened the app and let's just say the explosive Pomeranian didn't need any sort of instruction, and took to quickly wiping his shrunken classmate out, battle after battle.
"Ok, I'm done with this game..." She eventually pouted after finally running out of juice and just accepting defeat. "The heck?? Did I really whip your butt for a full two and a half hours!?" The ash blonde laughed looking up at the clock and making her slouch more. "Yeah- very modest about it too!" she sassily shot back, earning a cocky smirk from the boy. "Oh?? Not so high and mighty now, huh Bite Size?! What happened to beating me to a pulp?!" He taunted with a wide and malign smile. "Be nice!!" She whined, flopping back and onto the hard surface. "Enough mopping you cry baby, you're almost as bad as that dang nerd." He shook his head, still smirking as he grabbed the plastic shopping bag off the desk not too far from where (Y/N) sat. He then pulled out the Carolina reaper sausages and some fresh fruit. "That's dinner??" She asked, slightly confused, mainly because she was so used to Bakugo cooking something in one way or another. "Yeah. It is. Now don't complain. I'm having to take a lighter day on everything because of you, you know." He berated her, pulling out a pocket knife from one of the desk's drawers.
"You have a pocket knife?!" She asked in disbelief. The explosive giant took a long, annoyed sigh. "Yes. Now would you just be quiet for a minute and stop questioning everything I do??? Geez...." He exhaled sharply before continuing in cutting up the fruit into slices including small edible cubes that were perfect for the tiny. "There, eat up." he instructed, setting the pile of minced fruit in front of her before grabbing some of his own fruit and popping it into his mouth. (Y/N) gratefully took the food and ate quickly, finding that even after such a large amount of food she was still a little hungry. "Could I have some more??" She questioned, taking some cautious steps forward and toward the giant's food. "Eh?? You finished yours already!?" "Yeah... And I may or may not still be hungry?" She tries carefully, watching his brows knit together. "More!? Tch- No way!! You had your share!! Don't be stinking greedy!" He scolds harshly through a mouthful of nashi pear.
So be it.
While the boy's eyes fixated on something else for a brief moment, the dwarfed hero-in-training took her chance to quickly latch onto a thinner slice of fruit and swiftly drag it a small ways away and begin eating quickly. "HEY! I TOLD YOU NO!!" His angry voice startled her as she devoured the slice of crunchy pear. "And I told myself yes!!!" She shot right back at him before shoving the last few bits into her mouth and turning to give him a sort of 'try me!!!' look. "Stupid little idiot!! Well that's all you get so make yourself busy doing something else to waste your gosh darn time, got that?!" He growled at her before returning his attention back to what it had previously been on.
Still hungry...
She watched the temperamental Pomeranian before snatching the last one. "YOU LITTLE-!!" She heard him yell and let out a surprised squeak before her legs involuntarily began carrying her further than she had meant. She cast a glance over her shoulder to see a large open hand extended toward her and that was enough to really get the tiny going.
Soon the minuscule little trickster was tearing across his desk, dodging grabby hands that barely missed her each time. That is till he got to close and she jumped up and onto his arm. Still running.
"The heck you think you're doing Bite Size!?" He snarled, his other arm flying to quickly snatch her up before she deftly dodged, "Quit it!!" He yelled at her as tiny feet scampered up to his shoulder, then neck. (Y/N) had dropped the pear by now and it was clearly more about him catching her and her keeping out and away from his dangerous hands. "Heh heh heh! Looks like you've run out of places to run!!" The blonde chuckled maliciously, both hands now quickly closing in and toward her as he bent his head down slightly, making things easier for him.
Clearly she hadn't really thought this far... or like- at all.
Panicking, she made to step back and away from his approaching hands before she realized there was nothing under her foot. Both her stomach and heart dropped in surprise as quicker than either of them could register, the tiny girl slipped and disappeared down Bakugo's shirt.
The explosive teen just stared forward, wide eyed for a minute and frozen in place as the girl disappeared off the back of his neck. "THE HECK!? GET OUT!!!" He cried out, a shiver crawling up his spine as (Y/N) fell about halfway till where his back was pressed against the chair stopped her, entrapping her between the cloth and the boy's bare back, before he arched his spine and made things worse.
One moment (Y/N) was on her classmate's shoulders, the next she was plunged into another ocean of fabrics and cloth, only this time she was pressed against Katsuki's spine. She tried to process what had just happened and began to shift when everything around her started moving, dropping her further down. "STOP STOP, YOU'RE MAKING IT WORSE, YOU'LL CRUSH ME!!!" She quickly yelled back as she quickly got tangled up in the clothes. "THEN GET OUT OF MY GOSH DARN SHIRT!!!" He belted back. The teen had clearly didn't know what to do and was panicking as he just sat there, trembling with rage from the embarrassment and the uncontrollable tickling it was creating. "I'M TRYING, STOP MOVING ALREADY!!" She ordered to which he didn't argue, using all of his will power to keep from jerking or accidentally smooshing her.
The shrunken high school student then managed to get herself loose and began trying to first figure out where exactly she was. "C-can you feel me??" She asked, tentatively reaching a hand out to rub his tense body. "Yes." He snapped, his voice strained. "Ok, where am I?? Which way do I go?" She asked, not wanting to move until she knew what to do. "Just go up." He instructed, to which she began to make her way back up to his shoulder. His shirt wasn't super loose but it wasn't super tight either, so she was able to move about with surprising ease. As she climbed, she could feel each muscle tense and trembled beneath her hands. It was kinda terrifying, felt like he might give in any moment and suffocate her. "Hurry. Up." Bakugo growled through clenched teeth as every part of him twitched and vibrated. It was humiliating to have to sit there and try to not flip. It tickled like heck and he was getting impatient.
After what felt like forever, the ash blonde could see (Y/N) heave herself onto his shoulder out of his peripheral vision. Finally.
Both their faces were beet red and Bakugo didn't move for a minute, seeming to try and calm the embarrassment that had just boiled up. His mini sized friend on the other hand was a giggling mess. "What so funny, huh??" He quickly accused, glaring at her from the side of his vision. "Nothing- its just- Everything!" She snickered, "I guess I'm just so relieved things didn't go worse than they did!!" she added before his expression softened. "Well, just don't ever speak of this to anyone else, ever..." He muttered, still red though calmed down. The small just gave a slow nod, still laughing lightly, draped lazily over his shoulder.
"Oh, and for good measure-" Before (Y/N) could react, Bakugo wrapped a tight fist around her and brought her up to his face where he gave her a victorious grin. "I win!" He taunted smugly before setting her back down on the desk and grabbing the discarded nashi slice and popping it into his mouth. His small companion just gave him a pouty glare, silently promising payback. He just laughed.
Bakugo flashed another glance at the clock before his brows raised slightly. "Mmm- it's getting late..." He commented before glancing around the room as if contemplating what to do first. (Y/N) turned to do the same, reading it. "Late!? Bro it's only like 7:43!!" She exclaimed, her gaze meeting his scowl. "Tch- just because you go to bed so dang late doesn't mean that's when you should go to bed." He scoffs. "Come on! There's no way-" "I have to take care of you, so that means I say when we head off to sleep." He cuts her off abruptly, earning another very annoyed look.
"Yeah, yeah. I'm going to get into something more comfortable." He tells her, getting up and walking to a nearby dresser and opening a drawer to pull out some lazier, and more comfortable clothes. The tiny turned away whilst he swapped out his outfit. Then, without much else warning, two large fingers wrapped around the minuscule girl's underarms, lifting her up and off the table top. "woah~" she squeaked out another cry of surprise. She was carried by the boy off and over to the lights where he flipped them off, and then to the bed. "Come on, I'm tired and ready to sleep." He told her, setting her gently on the headboard before rummaging around in the cabinet space underneath.
After some searching, Bakugo pulled out a match box and a little towel and some cotton balls. He then put the three together and created a makeshift bed for his small classmate and friend. "There, you can use this for tonight." He told her, setting it beside her gently.
"Wait!!! This is still super early for me, and I don't think I'll be able to sleep.... Could we maybe talk for a little bit??" (Y/N) asked timidly, watching his blank face for a moment before he let out a short sigh, lying down on the bed, having already thrown back the sheets. "Fine. Whatever. What do you even want to talk about anyway??" He asked, his tone becoming calm and quiet, reflecting the exhaustion that was coming over them both, though the small was determined to stay up. "I don't know, what if we just took turns asking each other random questions???" She offered, watching as he thought about it for a moment before slowly nodding, "Sure." "You go first!" she chirped, walking over the edge of the head of the bed before dropping down and into his blonde mess of hair.  "Me?? Fine..." The giant teen looked off to the side as he thought, not reacting much to the tiny now on his head. "I don't know, Who are your closest friends here at UA??" He inquired.
(Y/N) just blinked, it was a rather mundane question for someone like Bakugo, so she wonders if it had ulterior meanings. "Uhhh, Well, definitely You, Kirishima, Mina, Ochako, Deku and Iiida are really nice, But so is everyone, I guess that's just everyone I'm super close with...." She admitted, bracing her elbows just above his brows, chin in her hands.
The giant's large eyes scanned the ceiling for a moment longer before they fixated on her, dilating dramatically. "Mmm." He responded to her answer. The soft glow from the moonlight outside illuminated the room just enough to make out the soft details on each other as they both stared for a moment before the mini sized girl broke the silence. "My turn. Who are yours??" She asks, not sure what kind of answer she'd get, nor sure what she expected.
"Ugh- This is between you and I okay?? Share this with anyone else and I'll never tell you anything ever again..." He let out a low growl before taking a deep breath. "If I had to choose someone to consider my friend I guess I'd choose..." He seemed hesitant with his next words. "Don't take it weird, but probably you and weird hair... Then maybe Soy Sauce Face, Dunce Face, and Raccoon eyes..." He replied.
(Y/N) was ecstatic, "Wait really!?" She cried, perking up. Bakugo's face grew hot beneath her, "I said maybe!!!" He insisted, face contorting into an embarrassed glare. When he moved his eyebrows, The tiny fell forward, face-planting into the bridge of his nose. "Would you quit it with the being all over me?!" He growled, scrunching his eyes shut in instinct before grabbing her by the back of her shirt and lifting her off him. "Sorry..." She giggled before he let out an annoyed breath, gently placing her back where she previously sat.
"Who do you think will be the number one hero??" He eventually asks, resuming their little game. "Aha- obviously me!!!!" She laughed, "Ok but for real- Ummmmm either.... You  or Deku... I think Shoto, Momo, and Kirishima have pretty good chances too, maybe like top five for them, but like you or Deku for number one." She replied thoughtfully. "Tch- That dang nerd is good, but nowhere near as much as me." Katsuki scoffs, earning some merry little laughs from his fun-sized companion. "Right! Anyways, Okay, okay, Do you think I'll be a good hero??" "What kind of lame question is that!? Of course, idiot!!" "Really??" "Duh!!! You're smart, you're good at combat, you're strong, you're spunky, and stubborn, and I have no doubt you'll beat the heck out of any and every villain you meet." He says proudly, rattling off his little list as if he's given it much thought.
"You think so??" She asks softly, "I mean- what if people don't like me..." She tacks on, it's clearly something that's been honestly bothering her for quite some time now. "Then they can-" And with that the giant proceeded to use some very colorful language to further make his point. "(Y/N). You've got everything you need to become an amazing Pro-hero and more, way more than you credit yourself. And if you don't believe that. That's ok. I will... till you can." He told her. She wasn't sure if she had ever heard him speak so genuinely or passionately about something and it made the girl tear up.
"Th-thanks!!!" she stuttered out through teary eyes, sniffling softly as she wiped at them. "Hey, hey, calm down okay??" His voice comes tenderly, a cautious finger reaching up to pet her head and back, like one would a small animal, but (Y/N) didn't mind, it felt good. "You good, Bite Size?" He asked after a minute or two. She could only muster out a quick nod, not trusting her voice to not betray her and crack like a dry salt pan.
"Alright then, my question... Have you ever been in a relationship before??" He asked, his skin becoming increasingly hot against her own. "I- um- no??" "Really???- I mean- yeah, ok,"
"Bakugo??"
"Eh?"
"Do you-... do you have a crush??....."
The boy remained silent for some time before speaking. "Tch- Who needs crushes!!!"
"oh- ok."
"No I-...D-Do you?"
"Maybe...."
They sat in silence before the tiny continued.
"Bakugo?"
"Eh...?"
"Do you like me?"
"......... Do you like me???"
"Yeah."
"...Why?"
"..... BRO I JUST CONFESSED TO YOU AND THE FIRST FREAKING THING YOU ASK IS WHY!???" The shrunken girl was beside herself with a flustered mix of fear, excitement, anticipation, and confusion. "I DON'T KNOW!!!! I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING OKAY!?? I DON'T GET WHY YOU WOULD LIKE ME!!! I'M LOUD, I'M A BRAT TO ANYONE AND EVERYONE, I'M HORRIBLE WITH EMOTIONS, I'M TEMPERAMENTAL, AND I'M A HORRIBLE PERSON!!!" He cried, balling his hands into large fists and shoving them into his eye sockets.
"That may be true... Not the horrible person part but- you're also super kind and caring in your own way, you're considerate, you recognize your faults and are working on them, you're loyal, you're determined, ambitious, and you're an incredible friend." She said, "And that only scratches the surface...."
"Oh and you're like super duper hot like- really hot." (Y/N) adds quickly, the last part making him let a singular laugh slip loose. "Ok then..." he mumbles after a minute, the soft and subtle glisten of tears welling up in his large crimson eyes able to be seen.
The girl just lies there for a silent moment before pressing her previous question. "So do you like me??"
"I- I think so..."
"Well, what do you mean "you think so"??"
"I don't know. I do!! I like you!! A- A lot, I just- don't know if I'm ready for a relationship right now... or if I'm even looking for one... But at the same time...." He trailed off again, now refusing to make eye contact with her. (Y/N)'s mind began to race before it was quickly interrupted with the giant's gravelly voice. "But here-" And before she could really respond, a large and gentle finger was placed to the back of her head, whilst he tilted his up, bending her carefully over his nose to plant a very large, but soft and innocent kiss onto the entirety that was her face.
It seemed to last forever, but not long enough. A single blissful moment when all time stopped and everything was perfect. A single moment she wanted to experience as much as humanly possible, something one could truly describe as amazing. When she finally pulled away, she caught a breath she hadn't known she had been holding.
Wow~
"There, I'll think about it, but for now, I won't keep you waiting..." He told her kindly, her still draped over his nose, each word humming a warm breath onto the tiny's face as she continued to try and process what all had just happened. "But for now, I'm tired, so let's get some rest..." He finished, careful fingers gingerly scooping her up only to place her back down on his chest where he then draped one hand over her like a blanket, in a very protective manner.
"Goodnight (Y/N)..." The boy hummed, "Oh- G-goodnight!!" The young girl finally managed to retrieve herself enough to speak and actually make out what was happening around her, that it was real, and that she wasn't dreaming.
And with that, the shrunken girl was able to drift off, the powerful sound of the giant's steady heartbeat and the chorus of each strong breath flowing evenly through his enormous lungs just beneath her lulling her to sleep like a sort of lullaby.
(Y/N) awoke to one of the best nights of sleep she had ever had. And to some place she didn't quite recognize. As the girl was groggily coming to, she slowly pieced things together, finding herself still carefully wrapped in a careful, loving hand, clutched to the giant's chest. She honestly wanted to just curl back into his warm hands and go back to sleep, but she wanted to know if Bakugo had made up his mind yet, and was concerned about the fact that she was still no bigger than a few inches.
So cautiously, she wormed her way out of his fingers and began carefully walking up to the boy's face, where she pulled herself onto him and flopped. "Bakugo." The tiny lay sprawled across the lower half of his face, head resting on her folded hands that lay on the tip of his nose.
"Good morning!!" She greeted, though there was no initial response. "Bakugo! Wake up!!" She made a second attempt as his crimson eyes flew open before he remembered the night before "Mmm...." The boy grunted, shifting a little. His eyes quickly dilated upon spotting her, his mouth curling into a tender glow. She had to admit she absolutely loved how his eyes grew larger every time he looked at her, it honestly reminded her of a cat.
"Hi!" The tiny chimed, grinning from ear to ear. "How'd you sleep!?" she asked, still splayed across him. "I slept fine I guess..." He mumbled, careful of the fact that his tiny crush was over top of his mouth. (Y/N) let out a little yelp, surprised by the ticklish feeling created by the vibrations of his words against her stomach. Bakugo snickered, only making it worse as she squeaked again, quickly sitting up before tumbling off his face, landing on the giant's collar bone. "Oi, watch it, I don't want to have to take you to recovery girl this early, alright??" He chided softly, cradling a hand beneath her before sitting up in the bed, allowing her to slide into his large but gentle palm. "Sorry!! Just startled me!!" She giggled.
"Do-.... do you have an answer for me??" She asked after a few silent moments of inner debate. The ash blonde furrowed his brows in confusion for a mere moment before the night's previous events came back to him entirely. He seemed to linger on her decision before telling her,  "I- I guess we can try it but- don't go telling anyone about us just yet alright??" The usually so confident teen avoids her gaze whilst a bright red glow warms his face. "REALLY!!??" She cried, jumping to her feet, suddenly much more awake than before. "Geez, yes!! Just don't make it weird, got that!?" He warned, his second hand coming up to catch her should she fall.
"This is too good to be true!!!" she squeals, bouncing up and down eagerly, clutching to his thumb to keep from losing what little balance she had left. "I get it, I get it, just calm down already, I don't want to drag the nosey attention of everyone else in the entire stinking dorms!!!" He continues to try and hush her excitement in vain, more and more embarrassment filling him.
"Best day ever!!" (Y/N) squeals clearly not listening to a thing he had just said, lunging forward before falling onto his face yet again and stretching her arms to hug as much of the Pomeranian as she could. Bakugo panicked when she dove for him, her high energy so early in the morning just not being what he had expected. But as the miniaturized hero-in-training clung to him, he couldn't help but smile, "Tch- yeah, whatever..." He finally gave in, taking her up into his hands once more as his expression softened before pulling her down and into another kiss. 
Just as the previous one, the tiny was able to nuzzle her entire face into his show of affection, enjoying every moment of it. Upon finally breaking away, he brought her up eye level, holding her close. "As much as I'd rather stay here than deal with those nerds out there, we've got a full day ahead of us, we should get going." Bakugo whispered, and despite (Y/N)'s reluctants, the ash blonde was eventually able to coax her into greeting the day.
A request for: WinterKlover
WOW. OKAY. THAT WAS A REALLY REALLY LONG REQUEST!!!! I DONT THINK THEY WILL EVER GET AS LONG AS THIS EVER AGAIN BUT I HAD A LOT OF FUN WRITING THIS!!!! This was super fun despite its ridiculous length!!! Thank you to WinterKlover for being my beta reader and helping me sort my story to its finest!!!!! Keep up the cute requests!!! Ill be working on them as much as I can!!!!
Up next: ( ∆ requested, Ω inspiration)
∆~ Giant deku x YN - Baby Bird
∆~ Tiny Bakugo x YN - Dynamight!? More like Firecracker!!!
∆~ Shoto x Tiny YN - Baby It's Cold Outside
∆~ Giant Shinso x YN - Forest Spirits
Ω~ Giant Kirishima x YN - The Crown Jewel
Ω~ Tiny Deku x YN - Hickery Dickery Dock
Ω~ Bakugo x Tiny YN - Pest Control is For Pests
Ω~ Tiny Bakugo x YN - The Prize Fish
Ω~ Giant Kirishima x YN - Baby Shark
Ω~ Giant Kirishima x YN - The Big Bad Wolf
Ω~ Tiny Deku x YN - Peter Rabbit
Ω~ Tiny Bakugo x YN - He's A Pop-Rockin Pixie
Ω~ Tiny Kirishima x YN - Dragon, not Lizard
Ω~ Deku x Tiny YN - The Innocence of a Child
Ω~ Giant Kirishima x YN - I Fear No Man... But That Thing.... Scares Me
Ω~ Tiny Kirishima x YN - Crossing Worlds
Ω~ Tiny Bakugo x YN - A Figment of Imagination
Ω~ Tint Deku x YN - Shoulder Angel
Ω~ Giant Bakugo x YN - GREAT EXPLOSION MURDER GOD DYNAMIGHT!!!!!!!!!
Ω~ Giant Kirishima x YN - One Heck of a Softy
Ω~ Deku x Giant YN - A Pure Soul
Ω~ Kirishima x Giant YN - Snakes Are Very Manly, Very Manly Indeed
Ω~ Giant Deku x YN - ~Blep~
Ω~ Tiny Bakugo x YN - Red on Black, Poison Lack
Let me know if you guys want some of these sooner than others, I will count it as a request and add it to queue, right now they are in the order of request to inspiration. Requests willl come before inspiration.
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This is my art please do not trace or repost without my permission. Feel free to reblog i, I would appreciate that!
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aetheternity · 3 years
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Hard pass P4 (Levi x reader)
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Synopsis: Levi is forced out of his comfy dorm room and in a strange twist of events right into your arms at a college party.
"I talked to her!" Hange announced bursting into Levi's room with a slam of the door against the wall.
Levi just rolled his eyes, twisting his body away, with a huff he crossed his arms.
"Why would you do that?" Erwin questioned
"We needed answers!"
"Please tell me you didn't say anything outright at least." He groaned, squeezing his temple.
Hange rolled her eyes. "I didn't. Geez.."
"Oh yeah? How'd you phrase it?"
"I told her I heard from Moblit that she'd kissed Jean and I was curious as to if she was planning to get back with him. It's fine I'm always in her business." Hange said with a wave of her hand.
"You're always in everyone's business but go on." Erwin replied
"I really think Levi should just go talk to her." Hange stated
"Why the hell would I do that?" Levi butted in
"Because I'm pretty sure this is all a big misunderstanding!"
"What'd she end up telling you?" Erwin questioned
"Just that Jean kissed her out of nowhere and that she wasn't expecting it. She probably didn't even like it."
"Are you just inferring that she didn't like it or did she say that?" Erwin asked
"They were kissing for at least a minute and a half.." Levi grunted
"Geez.. how long were you watching? That's kinda creepy.."
"Hange.." Erwin tried
Levi sat up, turning to face Hange who was practically pacing the room. She randomly stopped crossing her arms over her chest.
"Listen, things are only gonna get worse from here if you don't suck it up and just talk to her.. I mean things can't possibly get any worse-"
"Don't jinx it Hange." Erwin interjected
"Well how should I phrase it! Look miscommunications are the worst things to exist in any kind of relationship. If you don't talk you can't learn anything so just go out there and talk to her!"
Levi sighed rolling his eyes. His stomach boiling over with an unnecessary amount of heat.
"It's just not a good time. And this is a very delicate situation. Levi should act when he's ready."
"But-"
"Hange, we promised we'd help if he asked for it. Right now he's not asking."
With shaky fists Hange let out a screech that was practically inhumane, arms raised before her hands were coming down to scratch at her head in agitation.
"Fine whatever.." She finally agreed
Erwin reached over patting Levi's leg twice as he stood up. "We'll check in in a few hours if you don't come back downstairs, alright?"
It wasn't quite a question but Levi was still answering it with a nod. Erwin practically shoved a very disgruntled Hange out the door and it shut with a light click behind them.
And this would've been the kind of peace Levi had searched for since he'd been unceremoniously dragged on this godforsaken trip. But his brain was splattered with Y/N the image of Jean and her on the stairs replaying like a scratched record.
Levi turned over onto his back, placing his fists on his forehead. Teeth gritting as he tried and failed to calm his agitated nerves. That is until a couple knocks on the door shattered his immersion.
He turned his head in that direction. It definitely wasn't Hange or Erwin coming back. It wouldn't be so silent on the other end. Was it Y/N?
The next set of knocks were much harsher and now Levi was wrenching himself up from the bed, walking almost too fast to open the door and see-
Jean.
Jean leaning against the doorframe. Jean with his weird mullet. Tall Jean and his peach fuzz of a dammed beard.
"We need to talk." He said plainly and before Levi could ponder or execute a response Jean was pushing Levi inside shutting the door behind them.
Levi didn't speak just stared up as Jean stared back. Though Levi was surprised to see a lack of malice in his eyes.
Jean put a hand out from his crossed arms, pointing his index finger at Levi. "I know you like Y/N."
Levi felt his heart drop at her name. His pulse quickening and his blood pooling to his feet. "What?"
Jean looked Levi over again in that way Levi hated. It made his blood bubble over as if were in a pot that was close to overflowing. Like Levi was an insect Jean had stepped on but could easily flick off the bottom of his shoe.
Jean began again. "There's no point in pretending you don't. I can tell."
"And what? Did you come here to tell me to stay away?"
Jean shook his head, lips slightly curved as he spoke again. "I'm not that kind of man."
"Seems like you were before she dumped you."
A flicker of something being held back something almost violent rose in Jean's eyes but it was barely noticeable after a couple seconds a little forced chuckle falling off his lips.
"I wanted you to know.. that I want Y/N too. I love her and I want her back but I'm not gonna tell you not to pursue her. Whoever she picks is whoever she picks, now I don't know you personally but I'm hoping you're not the kind of guy to purposefully sabotage the competition." He paused stepping closer. Levi looked up to meet Jean's eyes with the same bright intensity.
"Cause then things actually will get heated."
"Why.. can't you just step aside and let her be happy with someone new?" It was a question Levi hadn't even meant to ask but before he knew it the words were out of his mouth.
Jean turned from where he'd already begun to leave. "I made a couple of mistakes while dating her. One was letting her go and two.... two was being a guy she couldn't feel safe around."
He stepped forward once more. "But I've been working to correct two, she finally feels safe around me again. I can't let her escape if I have a chance to do better. I know you probably have your own reasons for liking her."
"Y-yeah.."
Levi felt a pit begin to grow in his throat but he quickly swallowed it down. Nothing about Jean had given him even the slightest impression that he genuinely felt for Y/N..
"And now this probably sounds a bit.. commanding but don't tell anyone I came to talk to you. Connie has already started suspecting that we have some kind of beef and he's an idiot who can't keep secrets if he finds out about your feelings Y/N'll find out that same day."
With that said Levi nodded and Jean finally took his leave. Retreating while Levi stood alone at the cracked door, head pounding with protruding thoughts.
~~~~
Day three
When Levi finally came to it was pitch black in the room. His eyes strained open slowly forming a picture from pieces of darkness. A loud banging sounded not only from his chest but what he soon discovered was his room door.
With an angry grunt he slid out of bed, yanking the door so hard it slammed into the wall behind it.
"Damn someone's got bed head." Hange grinned
With a huff Levi was slamming the door forward again but unfortunately Erwin caught it and him and Hange quickly followed Levi back into the room.
"Come on Levi get up! We're going to the grocery store!" Hange yelled, jolting Levi back and forth with both hands.
"I told you he'd be asleep." Erwin said with a sigh and a small yawn. "We all should be asleep it's 1 am."
Fucking-" Levi turned over "One in the morning? Go fuck yourself please." He yanked one of the pillows from the head of the bed over his face.
Hange sighed, "I can't do it twice in one night. That's overkill."
Erwin pulled a face but chose to move past it. "Jean was in here earlier. Well.. yesterday. What did he say to you?"
"Wait! He was?!" Hange yelped
"How do you even know that?" Levi asked
"I saw him being weird in the halls and then I saw him enter your room so what did he say?"
"You're starting to become as annoying as Hange when it comes to gossip."
"What'd he say dammit!" Hange practically shouted.
A couple of soft knocks distracted them and they all turned. "Guys we're leaving in a couple minutes hurry and come downstairs." Y/N called
Hearing her voice no matter how many times set a flame in Levi's stomach with enough intensity to keep a neighborhood warm for the winter. Simultaneously coupling it with a frigid intensity akin to a blizzard that froze everything in the first place. An icy chill through his veins.
"Tell us!" Hange demanded
"I'm going right back to sleep so get out." Levi replied, tossing the pillow at Hange's head.
Erwin rolled his eyes. "Well, I guess Jean will get yet another chance to show you up."
Hange joined with a laugh. "Levi makes it so easy at this point."
Levi muttered a curse, quickly slipping his discarded jacket from earlier over his shoulders along with his coat, gloves, hat, scarf and a couple hand warmers slipped into his empty pockets. He reached for his phone adding the device to the list of things in his pocket.
"What the hell are we buying at 1am?"
Surprisingly the car ride had been quieter than Levi expected. Connie giving Jean directions, Sasha stuffing her face with who knows what, Hange and Moblit talking, Erwin listening to another podcast through his earbuds and Levi sat right next to Y/N.
They'd only talked briefly conversated thanks to Levi's impressively bad wording of things and his terrible stuttering which only seemed to get worse now that it was so late.
Jean had barely parked the car before Connie and Sasha pilied out with Hange behind them. Hange had only a thin hoodie on which was pretty irresponsible even for her.
"Where's your coat, Hange?" Moblit asked, slipping his coat off his shoulders.
"Huh?? Oh!" Hange immediately laughed "Must have left it back at the lodge."
Levi squinted at the two in the fairly darkened parking lot. Connie and Sasha had run up ahead and Moblit and Hange were talking amongst themselves. She was being weird even for her. Playfully nudging her shoulder with his and whipping her hair a lot.
"That's interesting." Y/N was surprisingly watching too. Her smile downright mischievous as she made eye contact with Levi. "What'd you think they're saying?"
"I-uh.."
"Ok, so they do have marshmallows here." Jean approached from behind forcing Levi's soul to ascend though he tried not to outwardly flinch.
"Oh good!" Y/N replied turning back to Levi. "We wanted to make s'mores. Or well Sasha had the idea and we all just agreed to it."
It was a split second. Almost unnoticeable the way it flashed away, Jean's eyes slightly darker with the way they flicked over to Levi past Y/N's shoulder.
"Oh you know what I also want!" She turned to Jean breaking the little gaze between them.
"Hmm?"
"Milk!"
"Don't worry, I'll pay so get some snacks while we're here." Jean replied, his hand came up to Y/N's lower back giving her a gentle pat. To Levi's own irritation she stepped a little closer in their stride.
"Sasha will definitely eat anything I get." She continued the conversation.
Jean shook his head. "Don't worry, I'll hide some in my room and you can come get them whenever you're hungry. Whether it's afternoon or midnight."
"You're so sweet."
In the bright light stretching over the dark ground Levi could see Erwin almost at the entrance to the store. Just narrowly avoiding Connie and Sasha speeding past. Sasha with her legs kicking up in the cart loudly whooping and Connie pushing the thing at an alarming speed through the automatic doors.
"Shit." Jean growled quickly running to catch the two.
Levi quickly caught up with Erwin almost pushing him aside as he joined his stride. Erwin threw a glance over his shoulder. "Ok Levi, I know you're not good at this yet but.. she's alone. Why don't you take the opportunity?"
Levi let out an irritated huff. "We have nothing to talk about."
"Excuses."
"Huh?"
"I didn't stutter Levi."
The two of them walked side by side. Levi with both his hands in his pockets and Erwin holding his phone in one hand, while the other pulled his headphones off his ears.
"Do you need anything here?" Erwin asked
"It'd be nice to get some beef.."
"Beef?"
"I want stew.." Levi responded with a small hum of weariness.
"Why don't you get beef stew in a can so you don't have to spend time cooking?"
"I like cooking."
Erwin threw his hands up in mock defeat. "Hey, did you see where Hange disappeared to?"
"Tch why would I be paying attention to that?"
Levi paused staring up at the top shelf before immediately making eye contact with Erwin. Erwin chuckled lowly, "What do you need?"
"Red wine."
"Oh wait I can get it for you." Y/N marched over. "Which brand?"
"W-well.. doesn't m-matter y-you pick." Levi inwardly groaned, kicking his foot back and forth.
Erwin gave a quick thumbs up that Y/N fortunately couldn't see before rushing off. Levi stood up straighter as Y/N handed him the bottle.
She let out a playful exhale. "Phew, Levi I didn't know you drink." She pointed to it. "Try not to get too tipsy it'd suck if you didn't remember how much fun you had on this trip."
"N.." Levi looked down at the bottle suddenly very conscious of his sweaty palms. "No, n-no I don't.. well.. it's for stew."
Y/N immediately nodded. "Sorry to assume." She smiled her own cheeks beginning to look flushed. Or maybe it was just Levi being hopeful. "Maybe we should go get a basket? Cause I don't think we're gonna see Connie and the cart till after we check out."
"Ok.."
Levi was glad to feel the overly anxious sparks dying down. The basket about semi full. For whatever reason no matter what aisle they went down it was just the two of them in this big store. And as much as Levi definitely should've felt more concern he was also half hoping everyone had left them.
"Should we go look for everyone?"
No.
Y/N pointed down another empty aisle with her thumb. She pulled out her phone, scrolling over the screen. "I mean, Jean, Sasha or Connie would've definitely called me before leaving the store so I doubt they did." She brushed a thumb over her lips.
"I'm sure they're fine.." Levi replied, though he was a bit concerned that she hadn't heard him when she didn't reply for about a minute.
"Oh! Milk that's what else I came for!" She said, pushing her phone back into her pocket. "Do you need anything else?"
Levi stared into the basket, pushing aside and removing one item to look under. "No."
"By the way when that beef stew is ready you'll let me taste right?"
Levi could only nod and then be quickly led through a couple more aisles quickly turning into the dairy section. It was noticeably colder here. Tubs filled with frozen pizza lining the center of the aisles with big fridges against the walls.
Y/N quickly grabbed the milk holding it against her chest. "Ok, now we can go find the others." She chuckled
Levi quickly grabbed the milk from her grasp, placing it in the basket. "What a gentleman." She said, her remark innocent as it may have been caused heat to flow through Levi's body like he'd been stuffed in a furnace.
"Oh.." She stopped
"Huh?"
"This song! Oh! Come here Levi!"
Levi hadn't once paid attention to the music since they'd walked into the store. He didn't think he ever did but now that he was listening he immediately recognized it, though from where he had no clue? It sounded slow, not too slow to the point where it was boring but gentle and easy going almost.
"This is my favorite song! Come here."
"Wh-what're you?" His stupid voice cracked as Y/N pulled him in closer.
"Do you know how to dance?" Her breath flushed over Levi's cheeks. Sweet like sugar cookies was the first thought in Levi's mind.
"N-no."
"I need you to dance with me here though." She almost whined in her mild neediness. "Hmm I'll teach you."
Her fingers sifted perfectly into Levi's right hand. Other arm snaking its way under Levi's left arm to place his hand on her waist. And if he could catch fire and melt into the floor he probably would've by now.
"Follow my lead." Her voice was calm and soft. "Just shift your weight between your feet."
And Levi tried his best but he was stepping on her feet within the first minute. Surprisingly though she just giggled. "Don't move your feet ok. We can go the easy route."
Her arm outstretched itself on Levi's back, hands squeezing his as they swayed and rocked gently to the music blasting over the speakers.
"Much better right?"
Their bodies were pressed into each other like a perfect mold. Puzzle pieces slotting together in a empty dairy aisle at too early of an hour. This was the first time Levi was really able to look into her eyes. The color dazzling in an almost blinding way but he didn't look away.
No matter how scared that gaze made him feel it was in a good way. It was a perfect, warm, dangerous and relaxing combination.
The smile on her face had gradually faded but she kept her softened features. Lips slightly parted as the two of them continued to sway. She leaned in almost impossibly closer and Levi's heart was banging on his rib cage.
"Here comes the dip." She let out a breathy giggle as she slowly dipped Levi back. His hair flopping back from his face, everything turned upside down for just a few seconds before he was getting lifted close again. Right back into her arms.
So close. So perfect..
"You're such a fast learner." She said, continuing to rock him.
He kept up with the pace. Uttering a small thank you. He wanted to compliment her back but his brain refused to give him the words to do so and his throat refused him the saliva neccessary to make proper conversation.
"At some point we have to try this again, you know during a normal hour and in a different place."
"Y-yeah.."
The two of them once again fell silent and when the music stopped they were still standing together. Minus the hip swaying and the gentle dip. It was just..
It was almost quiet. Every noise that had once filled the supermarket seemed to leave along with Levi's fears. All of it exiting his body at once. He was standing here, holding the girl he liked in his arms, partially in her arms with their fingers intertwined.
Which.. speaking of intertwined fingers she was currently tugging at his. Their arms came down together and Levi let out a strained breath he hadn't even realized he'd held in.
"Levi.. I think I should tell you something."
Her face fell stern almost and Levi watched the quick movement of her throat as she swallowed.
"So.. in the store huh?"
"Huh!" Y/N stood taller, ripping herself unceremoniously from Levi. "Jean!" She chuckled nervously.
Jean let out his own little chuckle. "I know I never used to dance with you in the store. Glad you've got someone who would."
Y/N's eyes looked ready to pop from her skull and roll off. "I-I uh.. Jean it's.."
"Come, Connie and the others are already at checkout.
Y/N turned back to look at Levi as she quickly walked to follow Jean. And Levi could hear his teeth groan under the slight grit he administered. He yanked the basket up almost too fast storming after them with a grunt.
Jean had managed to cut the time to the line down by cutting across the aisles. That and he wasn't walking ridiculously slow with Y/N like some kind of old married couple.. Now that the image was place Levi actually began to wonder if that was how they looked together..
"Oi, how many times do I have to tell you to get out of the cart?" Jean asked as they finally joined everyone.
Sasha was a giggling mess inside the cart as Connie "unintentionally" tickled her stomach as he worked to remove items and place them on the conveyer belt.
"She can't right now or she'll crush some of the stuff." Connie replied
"She shouldn't have climbed in, in the first place." Y/N chimed in. "You know the way Connie pushes this thing is a hazard."
Sasha just let her head fall back in a fit of laughter as if that were the funniest thing she'd heard all year.
Y/N sighed quickly moving to help Connie as Jean moved past the three of them to the register.
"So how'd it go?" Erwin asked with a nudge as Levi lifted the basket up onto the edge of the conveyer belt.
"Jean interrupted us again."
"He's persistent." Erwin acknowledged "But then again I don't even know if he has to try, she seems kinda drawn to him on her own."
Levi watched as Jean and Y/N playfully fussed over the food sliding its way towards them. Their barely audible conversation including small remarks about the price and how they had definitely gone over the amount they had wanted to pay but Jean didn't let up.
"By the way where's Hange? And Moblit? I haven't seen them since we entered the store.."
Y/N was grabbing Jean's shoulder slightly rougher at this point her eyes rolling, teeth gritting together but she couldn't hide her smile. And Jean was still doing that thing that made Levi wanna shove him into on coming traffic.
His hand rested splayed on Y/N's lower back. And Levi had missed most of the conversation as it droned on lowly under the music blasting through empty aisles but this part actually struck him.
"You guys make a cute couple." The woman behind the counter laughed.
"See? She thinks we're cute." Jean took the opportunity as if it'd flung itself into his arms. Problem was it had. He pressed Y/N closer to him.
Though.. oddly enough Y/N only grinned, patting Jean's chest as he spoke with the cashier. Though.. her eyes trailed away and her smile was quickly fading. And Levi could see an opening.
He was moving faster than his brain could access the situation. "Y/N, I'll buy your milk for you." He managed, honestly proud of himself.
"Oh that's yours?" Jean asked suddenly snapped out from the conversation he'd been engrossed in. "It's cool Levi I got it."
"You've got everything else, let me." Levi replied
All the other groceries had already been piled at the end of the conveyer belt and Connie and Sasha were stuffing it back into the cart. Completely unaware of the current stare down that was happening right in front of them.
"Levi, I insist it's cool I have enough money." Jean retorted
"I already said I'd pay for it."
"You have your own groceries let me worry about the milk."
At this point Jean reached over but Levi was quicker snatching the milk off his basket and holding it to his chest like a newborn baby.
"Jean, just let him pay.." Y/N said
"I had already said I'd pay for you."
"Don't start this right now. Just let him pay for it so we can go."
At some point Moblit and Hange had rejoined the group and everyone was staring at the scene before them. Connie and Sasha with their hands deep in the chips Jean had paid for eyes wide with attention. Levi just looking to Y/N who was shaking her leg, arms crossed and hand on her forehead.
The cashier returned Jean's card and he almost snatched it away. "I'll pull the car up." He simply said
Y/N squeezed the bridge of her nose with her thumb and index finger and everyone stared in awe, Jean's figure retreating to the parking lot as Levi slowly placed his own basket of food onto the conveyer belt.
He felt Erwin brush a hand over his shoulder before giving him a look. He approached Y/N as if she were a rabid dog on a leash. His fingers clenching as he inched his hand closer until it was rubbing her arm.
His gaze fell away, "A-are you.. ok?"
Her lips twitched at the corners and she returned Levi's affectionate grasp. Squeezing his shoulder with one hand. "Don't worry too much about me." She replied
Though the statement didn't help at all.
The walk to the car was surprisingly slow and awkwardly silent. Connie pushing Sasha along as she practically inhaled another bag of chips. Hange and Moblit matching pace with each other with barely enough space between them to fit a piece of paper from the look of it. And Erwin back on his phone.
"Thanks." Y/N said suddenly and Levi stared up at her in confusion. She glanced over and a small huff of a laugh fell from her lips. "Dancing with me." She elaborated
"O-oh! No problem.."
When they got to the car Levi held the door open for Y/N and she slid inside with a smile patting the seat next to her. Which Levi quickly took. The rest of the seats filled in fast with Connie being the last one in after he'd shoved the food into the back.
"Buckle up." Jean grunted, he snuck a gaze into the rearview mirror that Levi almost smirked at.
Y/N's little yawn didn't go unnoticed and it was even harder not to notice the way she leaned into Levi's shoulder. Her hair tickling his skin and making the entire car impossibly hotter.
"I hope you don't mind." She muttered so only Levi could hear. "I just find you kind of comforting."
(Hey Siri, play Sweet by Cigarettes after sex)
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yourmcu · 4 years
Text
Bloodlust
Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x vampire!reader
Summary:
There’s a vampire in the city. Natasha (and Steve) went to investigate the aftermath of your killing spree.
Word count: 2,402
A/n: disclaimer! all info about vampires, description of vamps are based on tvd
Warnings: blood, violence, swearing, angst but fluff at the end? kinda confusing if I’m being honest but that’s ok! lmao
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gif not mine! credits to the owner^^
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Natasha found herself walking around the woods again. Not because she wanted to - well, half of her did, but she needed to find and talk to you for more important reasons.
The day (or night) before yesterday, she crossed paths with you. She went out with Steve in the woods to investigate more than a dozen deaths that occurred in less than two weeks, it was nothing compared to Loki’s attack in New York but they were... gruesome.
Steve pressed a button on the remote, showing three different pictures of the victims as holograms. They weren’t normal - murder - pictures, no bullet wounds or knife slices/stabs. One had bite marks all over their body, one’s head was entirely snapped off. But they had one thing in common: they looked drained, and thin. “There are fifteen more like that. Each gory than the other.”
They all let out noises of disgust.
“Definitely a psychopath,” Tony muttered.
“A deranged serial killer?” Bruce suggested.
“There’s bite marks. It’s probably an animal.” Sam emphasized on ‘bite marks’.
As she continued to walk, Natasha’s fingers brushed on the mark on her neck. For something that was two days old it still stung really bad sometimes. She’s not proud of it. You made her feel incredibly vulnerable that night, weak.
It all started when you jumped from a tree and landed on your feet just behind the redhead-
Natasha had her gun pointed at you in an instant. She was trained and could identify a murderer when she sees one but surprisingly, you looked... normal. Her eyes lowered, checking you out if you had something sketchy on you, but you just looked like a civilian in their mid-twenties or thirties.
You put your hands behind your back, smirking. You licked your lips and mimicked the way she looked at you up and down, not showing any signs that you were threatened by her lethal weapon. “Hey there.”
She was beautiful. Red hair with blonde tips, green eyes, plump lips, she gave off a fierce aura. She looked tough. You liked it.
Natasha kept her usual cold expression and her tone wasn’t any different. “You shouldn’t be here.”
“Neither should you...” you reached out to rest your palm on the barrel of her gun and-
Bang!
She let out a shaky breath when you barely flinched as she shot a bullet through your hand, eyes widening. It was a metal bullet, it had little to no effect on you. You made an amused noise before ripping the weapon out of her grip and used all your strength to pin the fighting ex-assassin against a tree.
Her speed and strength surprised you. She kicked you hard in the abdomen before her back hit trunk and punched you across the face several times. For you they only stung for a moment; she had no match against you. She had no idea what she was dealing with.
Natasha looked up when she doesn’t hear pained grunts or signs of weakness from you. You smiled, gripping both of her wrists again. “I’ll have a go now, yeah?” She was grunting, struggling, trying to push you away. “You’re stronger than I thought you’d be.”
You forced her to look straight into your eyes. The only light source was coming from the moon but you could still see her green eyes perfectly. So beautiful.
“Think you can relax for me, hun?”
Natasha stared up at you curiously, breathing steadily. To her you looked so irresistible all of a sudden that she had no choice to listen. Her hands that gripped tightly on your arms relaxed, she was now the one holding on to you.
You moved a side of her hair back to get a clear view of her neck, smiling, “good girl.” Your fangs protrude and poked the sides of your lips, the whites of your eyes turned crimson red as black veins popped out just outside both of them. The smell of her blood filled your senses more intensely-
Well you all know what happened next.
Steve decided to show up while you were feeding on Natasha, successfully saving her from you, much to your dismay. They evacuated right away so you wouldn’t do more harm to the pair. They’d be fighting for a long time against you if they stayed, now knowing what you were capable of.
Natasha hated that she felt intrigued and curious by you, or eager if that’s one word to describe it, she doesn’t know exactly what she was eager for but, she can’t help but think about you.
A small cottage came into view, finally, and Natasha stopped walking. Under different circumstance she’d say it looked pretty cozy. She went on to knock on the door, not sure if you were the one occupying it, but she was right.
You answered the door, raising an eyebrow when you saw who it was.
She doesn’t say anything but her heartbeat quickens. You wordlessly stepped aside to let her in.
“Miss Romanoff,” you said softly, not wanting the air to be filled with awkward silence. Your eyes trailed her as she looked around your - the supposedly abandoned cottage that you may or may not have forcefully stole from a now deceased man. “After what I did to you I was sure the last thing you wanted was to see me again.”
She opened her mouth to speak but was astonished by how fast you’ve gotten in front of her to look at her neck. The bite mark you caused was still there and still looked bad. She tried to read your expression but couldn’t, and was taken by surprise when you bit your thumb without hesitation, a generous amount of blood oozing out.
“I... I don’t-”
“It’ll help but, suit yourself,” you shrugged, wiping away the blood and the wound immediately healed right after. You disappeared for a moment in the kitchen. “I apologize, I’m not used to having visitors. Are you here to kill me, Miss Romanoff, or did you want something else?”
Your stare lingered on her when you came back with a bottle of wine. You did a lot of digging on this woman ever since your encounter and if it wasn’t for your sudden attraction to her you would’ve finished her off already. You thought she was merely a sidekick to Captain America but as you dug further, she might as well be as dangerous as you.
But she was quiet, soft and maybe nervous around you, giving you the feeling that she felt the same way. Your little crush grew more at the thought. As a vampire, everything about you was magnified. Your senses, strength, and if you ever felt it for a certain person, feelings.
“I’m here on behalf of the Avengers,” Natasha spoke, slowly as if she’s choosing the right words to say. “Look, we mean no harm to you, or your kind. We just want to know your intentions...”
“It’s Y/N,” you said absentmindedly, and added, “you’ll never convince me, unfortunately. I won’t come with you.
“I’ve been around for, what, two centuries now and... that sort of play’s getting old. I lost friends the last time I heard that same line.”
You rubbed your temple while taking a swig of the red wine straight out of the bottle. 
“I’m sorry to here that.” Natasha shifted from where she was standing, still not budging whenever you urged her to take seat. 
She didn’t know where to go from here if she was being honest. The plan - well, the original plan, was to kill you. Stake to the heart. Just like that. But after hearing that little story, Natasha’s regrets about suggesting an interrogation on you faded. It’s not like you wanted to be a bloodsucking, immortal monster in the first place, right? You were human once. And it didn’t seem like you dedicated yourself to be completely against humans, because if you did, Natasha would be dead right now without a doubt.
She may or may not have suggested that because you also did leave quite the impression on her.
“Is that genuine, or is this all part of your plan to kill me?” You said coolly, getting up once more to put away the bottle. “Because you’re doing great - oh I forgot, you’re a spy, after all-”
In a swift movement you found yourself on the floor, bottle shattering, drilling pain on your shoulder and Natasha above you, pulling out a pistol. You winced as you struggled to pull out the thick wooden stake buried in your shoulder. You definitely did not expect that.
Natasha gave you an almost apologetic look, but it returned to its usual stoicism. “I’m giving you a chance to do this the easy way,” she breathed out. The sudden attack made you turn to your original form, she looked at the way your eyes faded from red to white again, black veins still pulsing around them.
With your incredible speed and strength you applied pressure to her stomach with your knee and pinned her against the wall again. “What the hell do you want from me, Romanoff?”
What was she waiting for? She could’ve stabbed me already and her job’s done. She’s easily done this before, why was she hesitating now?
Your foreheads were touching and both of your breaths were ragged. Her eyes were so beautiful up close. “You never wanted to be like this,” her voice was barely a whisper. “It’s never too late to change.”
You weren’t all that bad, Natasha was right. You still had a bit of goodness left in you. The vampire that turned you so many years ago didn’t give you a choice, everything just sort of happened. You had no choice but to live like this.
“Is that what this is about?” You mumbled back, loosening your hold on her.
Both of your guards were completely down now.
“I’m a monster,” you said bitterly. “I’ve done horrible things. I’ve killed so many innocent people.”
Natasha gave you a sad smile. She almost had the same background as you. Being an ex-assassin, yet now she was saving lives almost every day.
“You know,” she said, feeling a tingle when your lips brushed against hers. “I don’t judge people on their worst mistakes.”
You gulped, suddenly struggling with your words. But you didn’t have to say anything anymore since her lips connected with yours. Natasha ran her hands on the back of your head while you cupped her face. 
The warm sensation didn’t last for long. You heard something whiz by, and the next thing you knew you had a burning sensation all over, it made you weak. You pushed Natasha off you to look for the source but you were too weak-
The last thing you heard was the door opening and Natasha saying “Clint!”.
-----
Your cell reminded Natasha of the one on S.H.I.E.L.D’s helicarrier, specifically the one they used on Loki. But yours was more small and instead of it being inside an aircraft it was inside the compound.
It’s been a few hours since you went unconscious. Clint used four vervain shots just to knock you out.  Natasha had to remind Steve endlessly that you were not to be killed unless things don’t go well.
“Are you sure this one’s a vampire? ‘Cause it looks like you just closed your eyes and picked a random person outside.” Tony leaned over the glass to get a good look at you.
But once you gained consciousness you lost it. You sped up to the glass, slamming your whole body against it which startled Tony. Not to mention you were in your vampire form.
Some of them cursed when you managed to get a crack on the glass on your third pound. “I don’t want to be here.” Your fists visibly shook as you spat at Natasha. “How do you expect me to change when you trick me, Romanoff?”
“Stark, do something about that glass.” Steve ordered as he pulled Natasha away from your cell.
“Right. You better have those shots at the ready too, Robin Hood.”
“Steve, I’m going in there,” Natasha removed his hand from her arm. She already knew what the look he was giving her meant. “I’ll be fine. Even I didn’t expect Clint to engage last night.”
So she made her way inside, the steel door shut behind her. You were silently pacing back and forth, still shaking. You had given up on the glass when it was replaced by a more durable one.
“Y/N...”
“Get the fuck away from me.”
“I’m sorry.”
You scoffed, glaring at her and glaring at Steve outside the cell who was watching you intently. “Just get your pals in here and finish the job.”
“I really do believe you can change-” she insisted.
When she went to touch your shoulder you immediately grabbed her wrist. Natasha was speechless when she saw your twisted face, eyes scarlet and unrecognizable, your fangs just waiting to sink into flesh.
“I can’t change.” you whispered. “I was meant to be like this.”
-----
Ending 1: Natasha fights and convinces you that you still have a bit of humanity, despite being what you are. You end up having to fight Steve and the others too but they manage to knock you out a second time. When you wake up, Natasha’s the only one in the room with you. That’s when you both get to talk properly, and then you get to be one of the Avengers. It’s unusual, but it works, using your powers and abilities for good, not having to kill people but you feed on blood bags instead (occasionally). And maybe you even end up dating Natasha.
Ending 2: You completely snap at Natasha in the cell. Steve and Clint burst in to help her. This causes you to get even more aggressive. The fighting took a while, Tony and Rhodey even got into their suits to fight you, but you threatened them with the lives of their friends so they couldn’t do much. You knocked out Steve, Natasha and Clint, so it was now Bruce’s turn. They were a bit conflicted of letting Hulk out since they were sure he’ll destroy the whole building. But Wanda came out, using her witch powers to weaken you, it finally ended with a stake to your chest.
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qingxintea · 3 years
Text
➼ chongyun || hiraeth
tw: mention of knives (no violence), kidnapping, explosion _______
you angled your camera to catch your face and upper body correctly and adjusted your blinds for the correct lighting. you put thin pieces of yellow and pink paper over your lamp to give off a sunset lighting sort of aesthetic in your minimalist room. your tiny cacao tree sat in the corner of your room, setting some sort of simple beach vibe.
then, you began to stream.
you watched as majority of your followers came to view as you sat in your rolly gaming chair. the greetings came rushing in and you noticed two of your friends had came along too, xingqiu and chongyun.
"hey gang, it's kingexplosionmurder here with your weekly sunday stream," you smiled and watched as comments came in asking you to notice them. beginning to select randomly, you flicked a short strand of hair behind your ear. "you have been noticed, yourlocalsugardaddy," you blessed them. and you swore you chose randomly.
on the other side of the screen, chongyun's face slightly flushed before eating his popsicle again. yes, that was his username, selected by xingqiu after the guhua heir was somehow able to trick him into selecting so. the situation must've been that he accidentally consumed some jueyun chili's, that was also xingqiu's doing.
he watched you smile as you explained your schedule for this stream, when he noticed you suddenly began laughing. it sounded genuine, he wanted to believe it was genuine, but there was a trace of disappointment in it. he observed your face, noticing you were looking at the chat box. "i agree too, scarymoose."
scarymoose: this streamer's kinda dog shit ngl 😐
by instinct, his fingers grazed over the keyboard as he analyzed the tone. this kid wasn't joking around with himself, he was really out to bring you down. he exhaled, shaking his head, wondering how you would deal in the situation.
yourlocalsugardaddy: miss karen this isn't yelp 🙄
he wasn't content with that yet, things could've gone onto more serious matters, but he knew you liked to keep your chat clean and peaceful. you went to the farther extents to keep that from happening, agreeing with rude comments yourself as a said joke, but actually have it sometimes harming you.
so chongyun tried his best to keep you happy.
redrumreaper: yo moose chill 😳
he recognized his friend xingqiu also trying to calm the situation as you just laughed it off and attempted to continue, sooner enough just beginning to ignore all his comments. some other viewers came up to your defense but in all honesty, you wanted to move on.
"s-so, i found some silk flowers outside of wangshuu inn yesterday, aren't they pretty?" you took a tiny bouquet of the said silk flowers and presented it to your viewers, holding it next to your cheek. the pink tone of the flowers matched the color of your cheeks and made for a nice picture. chongyun would've screenshotted it, but he respected your privacy.
yourlocaldumba$$: yes they're so pretty we love you 😍
13lue13erry: yes ong ong 💕 thiccer than my granny
Straw13erry: don't bring madame ping into this 💀💀
colino: are you sure it's alright to take from someone's legally owned property ?? much less from their garden
Straw13erry: u mean ur neighbors don't harvest ur flowers every day? 🙄 privilege spoke 🤚
yourlocalsugardaddy: vv pretty 😳
redrumreaper: simp 💀
you slightly choked over on your side and xingqiu calling chongyun a simp, for you. quickly clearing your throat, you regained your composure. your viewers could see that your cheeks had been dusted with a darker shade now.
13lue13erry: 👀
Straw13erry: 👀
yourlocaldumba$$: 👀
redrumreaper: 👀
sireluck: 💀
bazinga: 👀
dandelionn: 👀
poetichoe: 👀
"okay- anyways," you pushed that aside, watching the chain of 👀's coming in. you weren't too sure at what they were referring to, but just assumed that they were interested in xingqiu exposing chongyun. but, there was no way chongyun really felt like that, right? it was just a friendly compliment from what you believed. "just a tiny flex but y'all guys, i am so cracked at apex, not gonna lie. for all the new followers out there," you randomly commented. 'and to change the subject.'
"actually, you know what? fuck the schedule, let's go to trolling little eight year old kids posting selfies on instagram. due to certain reasons i'm just not gonna be blurring their usernames out, but please don't spam these people, i don't wanna be cancelled 💗" you sweetly smiled as you pulled up instagram and started streaming on your phone.
of course your sus notifications ruined it 🤡🤡
because xingqiu took advantage of the situation, sending messages to your discord. nothing mentioning your romantic life because he knew better than that, but just trolling. 'HEY GANG. ITS ME, TONY, AND TODAY WE'RE GONNA SEE IF IM FASTER THAN THIS MOUSE TRAP.' 'TURNS OUT, I AM NOT FASTER THAN THIS MOUSE TRAP.' 'AN UPDATE, IT HURTS. ALRIGHT. BYE GUYS.' you tried hard to contain your laughter, but certain giggles came out in the end, giggles that made chongyun's heart flutter.
xingqiu just kept spamming without a stop, to the point that you accidentally clicked into the notification instead of someone's username on a selfie post. so now everyone could see your group chat with xingqiu, chongyun, and a few other viewers that were actually your other friends.
13lue13erry: oh no 🤡
Straw13erry: 🗿
yourlocaldumba$$: HAHAHAHA WE'RE EXPOSED 🤡👌
just water support boy 😔: image.png
oh my god he's sending chongyun catboy edits. you made this concerning noise, glad no one really seemed to know who chongyun really was on twitch. you went back to instagram, beginning to dm a random kid, ignoring the situation that had just happened.
chongyun choked, slight heat running to his cheeks. what the fuck was xingqiu doing- how did he even get those pictures? maybe it was that one time xingqiu forced him to go to a furry con, but how did he ever get the time to photograph these? he nervously fidgeted and played with his fingers.
13lue13erry: 🤡
Straw13erry: 🤡
yourlocaldumba$$: 🤡
redrumreaper: 🤡
<— oraoraoraor
kingexplosionmurder: chav check
oraoraoraor: what
kingexplosionmurder: chav: check 😹😹
oraoraoraor: bruh
oraoraoraor: who tf are you
kingexplosionmurder: hope you like baddies cause i'm bad at everything 💗
oraoraoraor: bruh ok i'm blocking
kingexplosionmurder: stop dming me
oraoraoraor: 😐
kingexplosionmurder: stop dming me
oraoraoraor: wtf
kingexplosionmurder: stop dming me
oraoraoraor: wait wait UR that one twitch streamer?
kingexplosionmurder: stop dming me
oraoraoraor: ig ur fans gonna be so disappointed in you
kingexplosionmurder: stop dming me
oraoraoraor: hahaha wtf i'm gonna post this and tag you
kingexplosionmurder: stop dming me
afterwards you sent a barrage of really cursed images and left the person on read when they tried to complain and get a reaction out of you. you chuckled, extremely satisfied with yourself. this is what your viewers followed you for. you went on hunting for another user, "GO Y/N GO" filling up your chat.
you were just about to dm this other kid until you heard a ring from your doorbell. "oh what the fuck, i didn't invite anyone. but you know what, i'll pull something up to entertain y'all guys while i'm afk." searching on youtube, you typed in 'banana fish ep. 1' and clicked on the longest video you saw. then you got up from your chair, making your way to the front door.
you didn't mute yourself before because you thought there was really no need to, and you underestimated your mic sensitivity. god did you wish that you could go back and time and do just that.
twisting the doorknob, you opened your door and was met with... a certain, someone.
someone that you recognized and has caused you so much pain, and it was all so fun and games before they had to come along. "bruh. aight what you here for fam?" you played it super chill, though you were really sick and tired of this person's shit.
"(y/n). we need to talk," her stern voice made you flinch as you just stared straight into her eyes. you simply nodded your head and crossed your arms, shifting your weight onto your right leg. "we're thinking of taking you back home."
your froze, your breath hitching as you just stood there, waiting for her to go on. clenching your fists and looking down, you stayed silent for a little moment and questioned, "...why?"
"well, you have a stable income source, right?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips. "you can finally be of use to us," she clasped her hands together, a bright smile on her face. your finger twitched, awaiting an explanation. "you're a streamer, yeah? so you can be a useful asset to our family name."
"...you only want me to come back so i can make you all seem... good?"
and here you thought, just for a second, that you would be accepted back into the place where you really belonged. your shoulders slumped, as small tears began to well up in your eyes. "and for our profitable gain of course, it would be a shame to not acquire that from you."
you composed yourself and looked up. "im afraid my profit can only cover for one person, and it would be myself that i focus to make a suitable and independent living out of. you've kicked me out ever since i've graduated from college and had me fend for myself, now inviting me back once i have a stable job?" you breathed, fiddling with the sleeves of your black hoodie.
"oh, not inviting, dear. taking."
confused by her words, you let your guard down as she suddenly pushed a warm cloth over your mouth as you let out a constrained scream. you tried to break free of her grasp, reaching for the switchblade in your pocket, but the drowsing chemicals from the cloth took control of you and you felt disoriented. "you... bitch..."
your head hit the floor.
》●✿ time ● skip ✿●
silence.
thats all you heard when you awoke.
pure, unfiltered silence that overwhelmed you as you were completely lost. what was happening?
you tried turning to the other side of your childhood bed, the moon casting light shadows into your 'room'. there was a rope around your wrists you noticed, so you brought them up to your lips and starting gnawing on them until it broke apart. (guys we feral its not a furry instinct ok?/ ??  ?)
the material had irritated your skin, but you put that aside for now. escape- thats what you really needed to do. it was fairly dark, but you didn't have a good estimate of time. the analog clock was broken and set to a different time that displayed 11AM. you sat up, your fingers running along the frame of the window next to you.
for a moment, you stopped, thoughts rushing into your head. what if you could start a whole other life here where things could finally be peaceful, what if you didn't have to feel so isolated anymore, what if you could- ...
no. (y/n), get yourself together. what has happened will anyways stay there, and there is no healing scars. ...still, you couldn't shake off the feeling of missing this home so much when you had an amazing childhood, though full of fake actors who had manipulated you.
opening all the cabinets silently, you grabbed things that you assumed would come to your aid. a tiny backpack, which you then stuffed with other things around it. a first aid kit, a spare knife just in case, along with a clean oversized sweater and a couple dollar bills. all that, along with a compass.
you turned towards your window, stepping on your bed.
pushing open the sides of your window, your stepped on, the brown coldness of the frame coming in contact with your feet. you shivered just a little bit before stopping to think. what would you do once you were out of here? you barely knew your way here. and not to mention, your devices were still left at your other house, so there was no way of contact.
...
did your stream ever end? even if it did, had you muted yourself before leaving? no, you didn't, and you could remember in precise detail. someone out there, anyone, would be willing to help, right? you couldn't possibly be here forever, not when you're basically blown up all over your socials?
your friends, yes, your friends! xingqiu and chongyun were watching the stream and had made obvious interaction in doing so, and they'd be willing to protect you. if they just had a lead...
but... what lead was there? all they heard was the woman's voice and, that was probably it, wasn't it? only a voice with no other clear features that could identify her. it looked like you were doing this on your own.
you came in contact with the blades of grass tickling your feet and conveniently found a pair of sneakers outside. it definitely wasn't yours, and it smelled like the scent of your old room. most likely, it belonged to someone from inside your house, lavender and mint, but who inside there was in the age range to wear modern day sneakers..?
brushing that question aside, you unhesitatingly laced them on and they were just a bit too big, but you could manage.
you breathed, inhaling the freedom intertwined air, a much needed factor of bringing you back to your lost sense of happiness. then, the fear struck you once again, because you needed to improvise now. you needed to run, but which direction? you barely knew this place at all.
you dug around your pocket for the compass you had and it was pointing east. you remember that stepping out of your house was facing west, so you were going the right way... but who knows how messy the path was? it couldn't have been an exact pathway, but going directly ahead was your simplest option.
you heard a pair of footsteps coming from inside the house, probably a few seconds away to opening the door. you sucked in your breath and ran, ran as far as your legs could take you. your intimidating speed and played into your advantage, and taking one last look, you saw the lights on, before continuing.
a few minutes into it, you felt some elemental energy. it was a sense you learned to develop since you were young, giving you the upper hand in a variety of situations. you followed the trail of glowing lines, the air starting to get colder and colder. you shuddered, the crisp coldness nipping at your skin.
you sat below a tree, taking your backpack off your shoulder and took out the oversized sweater. you put it on over your black tee and light blue skinny jeans, its nostalgic aroma filling your sense of smell.
it was... warm.
it shouldn't be warm.
the warmth proved as a sign that someone had worn it before, but this size was from what you knew, too small to fit the woman you came across again, and you absolutely did not recall any other beings within the house. it was a small household.
suddenly, you remembered what she said.
we're thinking of taking you back home. you can finally be of use to us.
plural. you should've noticed it before and you shook your head, slightly disappointed in yourself. you didn't remember any other birth siblings. could it be the fact that during the time, they had, in a way, replaced you?
you sat up, then suddenly went drowsy. your eyelids were getting heavy as your back hit the same tree. ah, that clever bitch. you chuckled to yourself, but still unsatisfied how this was gonna end. reaching inside your pocket, you grabbed a bomb that a little kid gave you, and threw it as far as you could. it wasn't as far as you hoped, but it was exceptionally far considered your sleepy state.
in a few couple seconds or so, it was going to explode. you did that to divert the attention of her and slowly ran as far as you could. a few seconds in, you gave in, hoping that your efforts were enough. 》●✿ perspective ● shift ✿●
chongyun heard an explosion.
he raised his head in the direction smoke was coming from, and made a run for it, then stopping to think. no, you're smarter than this. he gathered his shit together and remembered that one day klee gave you a bomb. he deducted that you had used it as a diversion, and began to search around the area.
and finally, he came across your sleeping body. to ensure your living state, he crouched down and let two fingers travel across your neck, searching for a pulse, and was relieved when he found one, pulsing at a normal rate.
he then carried you on his back, picking up the pace since he deducted someone was out for you, would you need a distraction. he remembered some details of the woman, she had ended your stream with your sleeping form in her hands, a dirty smirk coming across her lips. she had dark hair with some natural highlights, but that was all he saw because the rest was concealed by a cloak.
a few minutes, maybe half an hour later, you began to stir. chongyun decided that he ventured far enough to liyue and slowed down for your comfort. he wanted you to get some well deserved rest. but slowly, you woke up, but only the tiniest movement was made. your eyes were still droopy and you wanted to return to sleep.
but the sight of pastel blue hair kept you from doing so.
you felt the familiar silk coming in contact with your arms as he kept on trudging forward at a more consistent and smooth pace. "..chongyun?" you muttered out weakly, earning a small smile from the male. he hummed in response, continuing forward.
your mind was cloudy, unable to interpret the language of the world. but softly, words effortlessly escaped your lips, "... did i do the right... thing?" blinking multiple times, you awaited his answer.
"yes, yes you did," his soft voice reached your ears, making you smile a bit. you nuzzled deeper into his shoulder, clinging onto him tighter, unwilling to let go.
"thank you," you whispered.
he chuckled a bit before responding, "anything for you."
_____
bro ending is a little off because i'm wrote this at 2:53AM and so my brain has went ⬇️⬇️ also i'm just hungry
copy and pasted from my wattpad,, @ppeachtea_
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whimperwoods · 3 years
Text
Part 7 of Gozukk and Anna.
First part is here. Second part is here. Third part is here. Fourth part is here. Fifth part is here. Sixth part is here. At this point I should probably just make a masterpost, but there’s a 50/50 chance I’ll be too lazy.
tw: slavery (past), tw: past rape/noncon, tw: past abuse, tw: fantasy racism, tw: anxiety/fear
Let me know if you want to be added to the taglist!
Tag list: @redwingedwhump, @nine-tailed-whump, @thehurtsandthecomfurts @kixngiggles, @bluebadgerwhump, @dragonheart905, @carolinethedragon, @whumpzone, @newbornwhumperfly, @cupcakes-and-pain, @much-ado-about-whumping
****
Anna woke with a start and immediately noticed how soft the furs were underneath her. Her heart leapt into her chest. No! She pulled in on herself, listening for Master Kir or one of the other men beside her, but the only sound was light snoring some ways off, not close enough for whoever it was to reach for her in the dark.
She didn’t immediately recognize the tent or the furs or the sleeping mat under her, but she knew she was alone, and she wouldn’t stay that way if she didn’t move now.
Clambering to her feet, she blinked to clear her eyes. She was - she was - that was right. She was away from the caravan. Her breathing had been short and ragged, but relaxed a little bit, though she couldn’t calm her heart. That was right. She was with the orc chief, now. Gozukk. He must not have come back from dinner, or perhaps he just hadn’t been drunk enough to break his word that he’d sleep in the other half of the tent.
Her hands were shaking, and she clenched them into fists, pulling her arms in toward her chest and creeping forward to peer through the doorway out of Gozukk’s bedroom.
The orc man was a large, blanketed lump on the rug where she’d sat earlier, his back turned toward her as he lay on his side, body curled in a gentle curve. Faint moonlight streamed through an open vent in the roof, and she wondered if orcs could see in the dark as well as she could.
“That’s the best thing about filthy little half-elves,” Master Kir’s voice echoed, unbidden, in her mind, sinking down into a dark, hoarse whisper she’d learned to hate even more than a raised voice. “Even in the dark, you can see exactly what I’m about to do to you.” He’d laughed, when he said it, and the memory sent spikes of terror down her spine, even though she could move, this time. “Are you afraid, mongrel?”
She was afraid, then and now and always, nearly blind with it, the fear a lump in her throat, and she had to get out of here, because at least if she were sleeping by a fire outside - by a fire outside - she - she - Her pulse was fluttering in her neck, too fast, and she could hear the rush of her own fear in her ears, blanking out the orc chieftain’s soft snores and distracting her from even her own thoughts.
She tried to creep around the outside of the room, to stay away from her new master, but then she knocked into the table she’d knelt beside yesterday, the corner of it banging into her hip and the cartographer’s tools laid neatly across it rattling as the whole table shook.
Gozukk stirred. Her eyes teared up as she froze in place. Maybe - maybe he hadn’t woken?
He sat up, his hair mussed with sleep, and she collapsed instantly down to her knees, lowering her head and hoping that he would go back to sleep without looking for her, and that he wouldn’t be angry if he did.
She could feel an electric prickling in her skin, running up and down her sides, and she bit back a sob. This wasn’t what she’d wanted. She’d just wanted to get outside, to get - to get where, exactly? She’d wanted to get outside and she couldn’t even explain herself, couldn’t tell him why, and what if he tried to make her? What if he tried to make her?
His footsteps were coming toward her, and she curled farther into herself, shrinking down and wrapping her arms tightly around herself, squeezing her eyes shut tight and tucking her head down.
A soft thud told her he’d knelt in front of her again, like before, and it was - it was - a sob broke out of her throat even though she couldn’t make her mind work to figure out why.
Gozukk said something soft and sad in orcish, something she didn’t understand, but that sounded like it was meant for her. His voice was calm and gentle, quiet, but roughened only by sleep, with none of the harshness of the whispers in her memory. “Anna,” he said, his rich baritone getting clearer and warmer as he talked, “I need to know if you’re alright. Did you hurt yourself?”
Her hip stung, almost certainly going to bruise where she’d hit the table, but as long as she didn’t think about it, she doubted she’d notice. She shook her head no.
She could see his hands moving toward her, but then they stopped, hovering in the air, his fingers half-twitching in her direction before he pulled his hands back into his lap.
“I’m sorry I frightened you,” he said, “Why don’t I help you find whatever you needed and we can both go back to bed? I don’t think I showed you where everything was. The latrines, I mean. Or extra water. Are you hungry?”
She looked up, as if seeing his face would make sense of things, and realized he could see the tears beading in her eyes when his brow furrowed, a little concerned line showing between his eyebrows.
He rose quickly, too quickly, and she flinched away, only for him to reach toward her again and stop himself again, an aborted motion too slow to be threatening, but that still made the lump in her throat tighten.
“Let me light a lamp,” he said, “Make the edges of the table a little clearer.”
She stayed on her knees, watching him as he retrieved a lamp and lit it, the flame inside lighting his face and revealing the green tone to his skin, the tusks that cast shadows across his skin. She shivered, but the tears hovering in her eyes didn’t fall, and she didn’t feel more tears coming. Her arms relaxed around her, not holding quite so tight.
When he came back to her, he slid onto his knees again, getting down to eye level before he put down the lamp. He had a handkerchief in the other hand, which he offered to her when he saw her eyes on it. “Here - dry your eyes. It’s alright.”
She did as ordered, wiping away the tears she hadn’t even cried this time, and then clenched her hand around the handkerchief, not sure whether to give it back or whether it was too dirty now that she’d touched it.
“I should have asked what woke you,” he said, “Mazogga said you’d be having nightmares - as if she needed to tell me.” He smiled faintly, fondly, and she bit her lip, not sure if she should make up a nightmare when she’d really been too exhausted to have one, or if she should tell the truth.
“But it’s alright, either way,” he continued, “I can get you whatever you need or - we can do what Djaana always did when we were little. I always knew if a splashing noise woke me up from the women’s side of the tent, it was Djaana having had a nightmare.”
“Why was there splashing?” she asked, in spite of herself.
“She always needed to wash her face. But if it was a really bad one, like after our father died, Mother would wash her hair. Always took ages, but I think it helped. I don’t know. I mostly just -” he cut himself short, looking suddenly down at the lantern, “I had other ways of dealing with it.”
“Oh,” she said.
She needed to figure out what to say next, what would get her out of this situation, away from this man, back on her own.
“I don’t think I had a nightmare, but I, umm - I did need the privy,” she said, “But I can go myself. I don’t mean to keep you awake.”
Gozukk smiled softly. “It’s alright. You’re not the first and you won’t be the last. You should hear Azzor snoring on a hunting or scouting trip. He rolls over at the wrong angle and you’d swear the whole camp was going to wake up. Not that we stray out that far too often.”
He rose to his feet, then offered her a hand. “Come on. I’ll show you the way.”
She took the offered hand tentatively, certain, if nothing else, that refusing it would be rude, but he was gentle as he helped her to her feet, and she found herself starting to calm down as she straightened up, her legs taking her weight without trouble even though she’d been afraid.
“Oh - Th-Thank you, Sir.”
“Just Gozukk is fine,” he said, his voice still gentle and warm, “Chief and Sir are for when there are strangers around.”
Walking behind him, with her feet under herself, felt safe, even as he held open the tent flap and she had to duck under his arm to get outside. In the full light of the moon, she could finally catch her breath. “Ok,” she said quietly, “Thank you, Gozukk.”
“It’s no trouble.”
She could sense his hand almost but not quite reaching for her elbow as he led her toward the latrine, but it pulled back, and he didn’t touch her.
She breathed again, feeling the tightness in her throat finally ease a little, her heartbeat settling back down.
Was she really not a stranger? That seemed like an odd thing, but something about it - something - she couldn’t catch it, couldn’t put words to the half-thought.
Gozukk indicated where she could find water, if she needed it, or food, though she said it was best not to snack outside of mealtimes without the healer’s say-so. He pointed out Djaana’s tent, and the midwife Mazogga’s, and the healer’s, as if she could go there any time she wanted, as if she might need to know on her own.
It felt - good. She still had her arms wrapped around herself, loosely, but she felt - good? Alright? At least alright.
The night air was colder than she’d expected, and the fire at the center of the camp was banked lower. Maybe she wouldn’t try to sleep outside after all, and wasn’t that a strange thought?
Gozukk didn’t accompany her all the way to the latrine, stopping when it was in clear view and pointing it out, before turning his back politely so she could walk there on her own.
Maybe - maybe she wouldn’t try to sleep outside.
“Thank you, again,” she said, fighting back the urge to add “Sir” and stepping away quickly so she wouldn’t lose her nerve and blurt it out anyway.
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Love Doesn’t Do Encores Ch7 The Entrance Ceremony P2
"Y/N!! WAKE UP!!"
"AH!!" You immediately shot up and your head nearly collided with another's as you blinked at the sudden light with a groan and reached up to rub your face. "What the-"
"WAKE UP!!," Gloria called shaking your body as she smiled. "Today's the big day! The Entrance Ceremony's about to begin!! If you don't wake up we'll be late!!"
"Alright alright,'' you mumbled moving so you could poke one of your arms out of the sleeping bag and unzipped it with a small zipping noise before leaning up from it. Stretching out your body with a loud yawn. Beside you your sobble tiredly mimicked your yawning and stretching as it unfurled itself from the curled up position it had slept beside you in the sleeping bag. It reminded you so much of how a cat would behave. You rubbed your eyes before cracking them open. "What time is it?.......And what are you wearing?"
Gloria sported a mostly white uniform with her backpack and things slung over her shoulders as she gave a proud pose. "Oh this thing? It's an offical uniform for the ceremony! They gave it to us when we registered the other day. We're supposed to wear them as we do the ceremony. We're also supposed to be meeting the Chairman and his top assistant. I think he's the one who paid for everyone's hotel fees...." She shrugged. "Either way we should get a move on it! My Mom's gonna be watching from home along with everyone from Postwick! In Lee's own words!!" She struck the famous Champion Pose you remembered Lee doing before. "LET'S HAVE A CHAMPION TIME!!"
You would've chuckled at her eagerness but you were still tired and hungry. "Breakfast?"
"We can eat AFTER the ceremony! Now get up and dressed! I don't want to be late."
You had grumbled but not wanting to fight with her you oblidged and got up and got dressed again, Gloria packing up the the sleeping bag, and soon you were presentable enough to go outside without looking like a sleep dreprived hobo. Backpack slung over your shoulders and your sobble riding on it not that you minded. The only problem you had was that you were hungry having no breakfast but there wasn't much time to complain about that before Gloria was ushering you to go out the door which closed behind you with a click. From there you were rushed down the hallway, into the elevator where Gloria pressed the button to take the two of you down from the third floor, and into the lobby where someone was already waiting for the two of you. Victor was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, tapping a foot, arms crossed, frowning, and glancing at his phone every so often to keep an eye on the time, but he had turned towards the both of you once he heard the rushed footsteps coming towards him.
He met his twin with a scowl throwing his arms out at her. "WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN!? Everyone was already escorted to the stadium already! Hop had to leave an hour ago because you wouldn't wake up when we pounded on your door like a monchomp breaking boulders!" he exclaimed angrily at her.
"Sorry, sorry, sorry!," Gloria apologized bowing over and over as he placed his hands on his hips. "I didn't mean to sleep in! I was just overwhelmed by everything that happened yesterday!"
"That's no excuse! This is the big leagues now!," he scolded her. Huh. He sounded a lot like their mother. "If you can't get to there on time you could make a bad first impression! You can't just pretend you can't wake up!"
"What time is it even?," you asked stiffling another yawn.
"Eight fifty two," he answered.
"Isn't that still fairly early in the morning?"
"The ceremony is being broadcasted live at ten!"
"AH!!" Gloria momentarily grabbed her face with a panicked expression coming over. "HOW COULD I HAVE FORGOT!?"
"That's what I just asked!"
"Gym Challenger Gloria?" All three of you had paused upon hearing an older man's voice, and when the trio of you looked over you noticed one of the uniformed men from earlier standing there hands on his hips looking impatient behind the sunglasses he wore.
"Um....Yeah?," Gloria answered unsure glancing between him and Victor.
One of his hands came off his hip as he motioned towards her. "The Opening Ceremony is starting soon. Please allow me to escort you to the Gym Stadium where the others are waiting for your arrival." Oh. Well this was good timing. The man beckoned for her while turning to the doors. "Alright, follow close and be careful not to lose sight of me. We're already behind scheduale." Without anymore words the three of you quickly followed after the uniformed man as you stepped out the doors and followed him through the VERY VERY thick crowd. What the- Where did all these people come from?? You asked the man in front of you as you and the twins struggled to keep up with him through the large crowd of people pushing you. "These people are from all around Galar to attend this year's Opening Ceremony!" He shouted back. "Some are supporters of the Challengers or their family and friends, but most are just fans or spectators for this once in a few year events!" Oh! You got it. Like the Olympics back in your world! Now that you thought about it..This Gym Challenge was almost exactly like the Olympics in lots of ways. Only with pokemon and younger contenders. Once he stopped in front of the doors Gloria entered yesterday you noticed there was much more security around it but they let Gloria in. "We've made it to the stadium entrance! Please hurry to the opening ceremony!" He then turned back to you and victor. "Im sorry but this entrance is for registered trainers to enter. You two are going to have to get a stadium seat like everyone else if you want to witness the ceremony."
Victor tugged on your sleeve and nodded towards where the crowd of people were going, pushing you two's backpacks with their movements. "We should get going if we want to nab some seats before they're out!" Victor had to yell for you to hear him over the chattering of people and you nodded.
As to not lose sight of each other you allowed Victor to use one hand to grab onto your backpack's shoulder strap as you two walked. Your sobble seemed to be nervous and didn't like all the noise the crowd was making as it made a scowl and a few annoying chirps and squeak sounds at sudden noises it didn't like, half standing on your shoulders to get a good view around itself. You two followed the crowd around the stadium. Huh. You don't remember this in game. To where there was more visible pathways to skyscrapers and more of the city which was HUGE from your viewpoint and if you weren't preoccupied with getting into the stadium you would've loved to stop and admire the buildings and even explore the bigger half of this city, but instead you followed everyone until the other side of the stadium grew larger and it looked like you were approuching a football stadium. The entrance was wide and many people at a time were going through with more security on either side and you looked up as the two of you walked on through smooshed together by multiple people gazing at the shadow of the entrance covering you for just a moment before you entered the light of the exit...and were astounding by what you saw. It was a stadium just like the one from that crazy dream you had before you arrived here! It was M A S S I V E!!! AT LEAST FIVE FOOTBALL FIELDS AND THEN SOME!! NO WONDER THEY WERE ABLE TO LET SO MANY PEOPLE INSIDE!! Surrounding the stadium was hundreds of seats with spectators cheering loudly and chattering. It was like the Olympics alright. You were jumped out of your shock when Victor tapped your shoulder to gain your attention. You had stopped and people were pushing and nudging past you as you blocked their way.
"Let's go sick down and get out of everyone's way! OK?!," he yelled to you over everyone cheering.
You nodded and the both of you went off in one of the directions of the rows of seats and managed to score two seats that were pretty far up. The only problem was is when you looked down you could barely make out anything or anyone on the field below. Good thing the stadium had the giant speakers and Tvs like the one from your dream as well....You pondered if this was the same stadium from your dream for a moment before someone in a dark grey hoodie and a scarf covering their face sat down next to you, they were pretty tall too. About six foot. Strange considering it was fairly hot outside, but you only gave him a sideways glance.
"WHAT TIME IS IT!?," you shouted to Victor over the crowd's chatter and he responded by pulling out his phone to look.
"Nine twelve in the morning!," he shouted back, "We still have about an hour left before any real action starts so we should just wait a while."
You nodded and sat down as more people filled up the rows of seats behind and in front of you. Your sobble by now had clambored with a sour expression onto Victor and you snorted when the teen had shouted 'HEY!' as the poor grumpy pokemon crawled into his head and under his large beanie to escape the noise only leaving the tail poking out. He gave you a frown but didn't make a move to remove the irritated pokemon from it's hiding place. Maybe for the best. You weren't sure how the poor thing would react to watching large pokemon fighting in front of you-
"OW!" You flinched when someone's elbow rammed into your side hard and you snapped a scowl in their direction, one hand reaching up to rub your side that got hit. Unfortunately it was too loud for Victor to notice. He was a little busy setting up his camera to presumably take pictures of his twin when Gloria eventually took the stage. The one who hit you was none other than the man who was covered in those baggy clothes and scarf hiding his identity. When you shock a glare at him he froze for a moment before holding up his hands.
"Sorry 'bout that," the man apologized with that you could a brittish accent. From what you could make out the stranger had pale skin with bright ice blue eyes. "Some bugger shoved me inta you 's all. Hope I didn't cause too much harm."
You stared at him a moment before sighing and shaking your head. "No. It's alright. There is a lot of people here isn't there?"
"You're not wrong." His eyes crinkled in a way you knew in what must've been a frown as he looked back towards the stadium around you two. "Bloody show ponytas gallopin' 'round like it's a wrestling ring. There's usually no darn system to calmly get people seated anymore."
You found yourself nodding in agreement. "Yeah. Where I'm from usually you'd have to buy a ticket to enter a stadium as big as this! Not just let everyone walk in."
You didn't notice but the man looked back at you. "That sounds like a decent system and could raise funds! Nowadays it's like a bloody mob of beedrills swarmin' a honey farm!"
You shrugged. "Well every place is different! And I guess it's not a bad thing they're not selling tickets! I don't think I could've afforded to buy one to come see this with my friends!"
He blinked at your words. "Oh yeah? You friends with one of the challengers?"
You nodded. "Two actually! They're from the same town! What about you?"
He looked over you for a moment humming. "Two from the same town, eh? Strange." He shook his head. " I'm 'ere for my lil sister."
"Oh!" You smiled. "You're little sister is competing?"
He nodded. "Yeah. Real proud o' her too." He sighed. "She has some really good potential. I can't wait to see everyone's faces when they see her."
Your smile widened a bit. "I think that's really sweet of you to come here and support her then!"
His head tilted a little bit back to you as if a bit curious or surprised(you couldn't tell behind that hood and scarf) but he nodded. "Thanks. 'S real nice of ya to support your pals too."
You nodded and was going to respond when a giant microphone static sound from the speakers made you wince in pain slightly.
"Looks like they're starting a bit early."
You couldn't tell if Victor or Hood-Guy said that but you did pay attention to the man on the speaker's announcement.
"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN OF ALL AGES!! WELCOME TO THIS YEAR'S OPENING GYM CHALLENGE CEREMONY!! PLEASE GIVE A WELCOME TO OUR CHAIRMAN!!," the loud man's voice boomed and immediately there was an UPROAR of cheers that almost got you wishing you brought ear protection with you. The kind construction workers used.
From before you could barely make out two very, very small blurs walk out onto the stadium. Luckily that's where the giant TV sets came in and you could clearly see-....Hey....wait a second. IT WAS THE GUY FROM YOUR DREAM!!! You stared frozen as you watched him. The man on the giant screen had a dark skin tone with black hair and a grey suit to match his red tie. His green eyes smiled up to everyone in the audience. EXACTLY LIKE THE MAN FROM YOUR DREAM!! Your eyes really widened as you remained frozen watching the tv like a hungry lion who hasn't eaten in a whole year eyed a zebra. Beside the man this time however walked a tannish-grey haired woman in a black skirt/leggings/heels, with a red shirt, and white labcoat similar to the one Professor Magnolia wore when you first met her. They stopped somewhere in the middle of the field with the camera's catching them on the TVs and the woman handed the man a microphone calmly and professionally if professionally handing someone a microphone was a thing at all.
You say his mouth move, probably thanking the woman, before he held it up to his face with a bright smile around him. "Ladies and gentlemen!" OH. MY. GOD!! IT WAS THE SAME VOICE!! "I welcome you to this year's official opening of the Gym Challenge!!" The crowd uproared in cheers as people cheered on the man in the grey suit. "I am Rose, Chairman of the Galar Region's Pokemon League! I know that everyone gathered here and everyone at home have all been waiting for this big moment! It is my pleasure to announce that finally the Galar Region Gym Challenge will now begin!!" People cheered louder and between them and how loud the speakers were you had to cover your ears and hissed from the noise. How could anyone stand this?! "Yes, the Gym Challenge! Participants must defeat at least eight of our ten gym leaders and gather eight gym badges to prove their skill as a trainer! Only the most worthy will have the honor of challenging the greatest Champion in history! Now I would like to invite our ten great gym leaders to show themselves! Please welcome the Galar Gym Leaders!"
More cheering and you watched curiously as the camera panned away from the Chairman and towards a door leading onto the field from the stadium. It opened wide and you watched curiously as the first person to step out was a man who very well could've been a body builder and famer popped onto the Tv.
"Ladies and gentlemen! Introducing The Fighting Farmer! Here's the Grass Type expert Milo!" Then a woman with a darker skin tone and blue streaked hair graced the screen. "The raging wave! You may have seen her cover on Water Wear Monthly! It's the master of Water Types, Nessa!" Then an older man with grey hair. "The ever burning fire! Here comes the Fire Type Vetran, Kabu!" Then a younger woman also with grey hair. "The Galar Karate Prodigy! Nobody's better with fighting types than Bea!" An Elderly woman who looked old enough to be your grandmother and looked to be the oldest among the nine people there. "The master of a fantastic theater! It's the charming Fairy Type user, Opal!" Then a man in sunglasses. "The hard rock crusher! Please welcome the Rock Type master, Gordie!" Then who must've been the youngest among them, a swaying young boy who couldn't be older than twelve or thirteen tops. "The silent boy of mystery! Allister, friend to Ghost Types!" Then an older woman who didn't look THAT old. Maybe in her late forties with white hair and a winter outfit. "The ice cold professional! Please welcome the Ice Type Master, Melony!" And then-....
You froze again. IT WAS THE OTHER GUY FROM YOUR DREAM!!! Another darker skin toned man took the screen with the orange bandanna around his head. IT WAS THE GUY LEON WAS FIGHTING WITH IN YOUR DREAM!! Before you suddenly woke up in the crow-...Uh...Corvinknight's nest! He was smiling, waving to the crowd phone in hand, before stopping to smile with a thumb's up and took a picture of himself. Oh right. Gloria said something about him taking pictures all the time.
"And last but not least, the tamer of dragons! It's Raihan! The top Gym Leader!" All nine of the gym leader lined up in the middle of the field waving and smiling at the crowd in some way or form. Rose's voice continued. "Unfortunately we're missing one but...I'm sure our Musical Dark Type Piers sends his warmest regards!!...*ahem*" OH! That's right. One was missing from the ten gym leaders wasn't there? The man next to you squirmed and looked down for a moment to not make eye contact but you didn't notice watching the screen go back to Mr. Rose. "These are the Gym leaders that we in the Galar Region are proud to call our own! Now....Let's give a GIANT round of applause for the trainers that these remarkable people have chosen to sponser and take part in the challenge that awaits them! People of Galar and around the world watching!! I present to you our Galar Gym Challenge Challengers!!" He pointed in the opposite direction of the stadium and immediately the camera panned over to where the door was as it opened and out came the first young trainer. "Please welcome BEDE!! From the very capital of our beloved region!!" The young boy with fluffy white hair smiled proudly as he walked across the field towards the Chairman in the same white uniform Gloria was wearing that morning. "Welcome Sadie from Hammerlocke!!" A young girl with bright pink hair and blue hair that traveled in pigtails traveled down her back walked out in the same white uniform. "Travis from right here in Motostoke!" Another boy. You lost count how many children there were or how times Hop lost count. You kept your hands over your ears to help combat the hurtful noise and kept an eye out for the two children you knew. "Marnie from Spikemuth!" HEY! It was the girl from yesterday that helped you guys out! She walked out waving to the camera as she passed before walking away like she never even noticed it.
"GO MARNIE!!" The man next to you stood as she walked towards where the others were lined on the opposite side of the Chairman. Waving a long arm as he did. "YOU'RE BLOODY BRILLAINT THERE!!"
"And lastly our double trouble from Postwick! I give you, the audience, our finals participants in the league Hop and Gloria!!" You perked up right away as Victor smiled widely and snapped a few pictures from the screen with his camera.
....He slowly lowered the camera from his face and stared wide eyed at the screen as the last two made their way out. ".....Oh no!" The two were holding hands and waving but...something was off. Gloria's smile looked a little...forced as she waved. And even if it was hard to tell, Hop seemed to be pulling her along just a wee bit. "Shoot! I was hoping this wouldn't happen!"
"WHAT?!," you asked giving him a confused look from the screen. "What's wrong?!"
..Victor shook his head before lifting his camera back up. "Ill tell you when it's easier to talk!"
What was that all about?
"These are the future of Galar standing before you today! Gaze upon them carefully! You might be seeing the new Champion! But the question is just that! Will any of them be able to beat the Great Champion Leon or will Leon reign supreme until the next Gym Challenge?! Only time will tell! LET US END THIS YEAR'S OPENING BY WISHING OUR CHALLENGERS AND GYM LEADERS THE BEST OF LUCK EVERYONE!!" Another giant roar of cheers came from the crowd as the Challengers and Gym Leaders turned to face each other and bowed. " GOOD LUCK TO ALL OF YOU ON YOUR JOURNEY!! IN THE WORDS OF LEON MAY ALL OF US HAVE A CHAMPION TIME!!"
With that the Chairman bowed before turning back to the woman and handing her the mic. She nodded before the two of them followed the trainers towards the door they came out of and the Gym leaders turned and began going the opposite direction towards where they entered- You jumped as Victor grabbed your arm with a serious expression and nodded towards the opposite way. You didn't understand but didn't question it as you both got up and started to exit the crowd. Going past Hoodie-Guy as you did so and other people until you were standing on one of the stairway's between the collums of seats and victor grabbed your sleeve.
"WE BETTER GET BACK TO THE FRONT DOORS!! I NEED TO CHECK ON GLORY!!"
He seemed genuinely concerned and even tho you still hadn't the foggiest idea what was going on you nodded and were a bit surprised when the teen boy turned and RAN up the stairs towards the exit, and after a few seconds of staring you ran after him. Surprised he could move so fast despite the heavy suitcase like backpack he carried. But that was for later. The two of you ran out of the stadium back out the exit and you followed as Victor ran back around the way the both of you came past security and around uphill towards the stadium's original entrance. The both of you ran until you were wheezing and managed to turn the corner with him already at the entrance. He was in front of the secured front as he looked to be talking with two of the security people....but they shook their heads at something he said which ended up with Victor scowling hard at the two of them as you walked up out of breath. You really needed to get in shape.
"They're not letting us in," he said turning to you as you breathed heavily and nodded.
"Why....*wheeze* w-were we even r-running ...*gasp* i-in the first place?", you wheezed between pants as he looked you over and sighed.
"I suppose Glor hasn't told you then."
"T-Tell me what?"
He didn't answer at first but instead grabbed you by the arm gently pulling you away from the security and other people as there was still considerably a large amount of people on the street, until the two of you were at a corner and he gave your confused face a frown. "Alright. I'll tell you as you are going to be with her traveling around, and I'd rather prefer the person she's traveling with know of her situation." Her situation?? What could he possibly mean- "Glory has stage fright."............What? "She has trouble being in front of big crowds I mean. I thought she grew out of it by now since she was so insistant to join the Gym Challenge, but I guess she still has some left over." He pondered for a moment, "Although it did look like she mostly grew out of it there."
"WHAT!?" Stage fright!? Well that was just great wasn't it? This could make things a lot harder to deal with with then if you weren't careful. You groaned and reached a hand up to rub your face.
"Yeah. I know, I know," Victor said understanding your frustration "but she must've gotten better at it." He reasoned. "She used to just freeze up to where you'd think she was frozen by a beartic's ice beam. But she was able to go on field without too much of a problem.....But still..I guess it couldn't be helped."
"I'll think of something-"
"HEY!" Both of you looked up. Well speak of the devils. Here they came. Hop was waving to the both of you one arm around Gloria as she looked better than she did on screen as they walked up towards the both of you. "We thought you'd wait for us by the doors."
Victor rose a brow. "We were but I had a little distraction." He gave his twin a look. "What was that back there on the field!?" He demanded making her tense up.
"Uh-....Pre-Gym challenge jitters?"
"Glory! I thought I already talked 'bout this!" He pointed a finger at her. "You need to step up if you want to compete in this league!"
Hop took a step in between the two. "Hey, mate. Let's cool our jets. I was there to help her wasn't I?"
"But you won't always be!"
"I can handle myself, Vic. I promise! You don't have to treat me like a baby anymore!"
"You ARE my baby sister! It's my job to worry about ya!"
"We're the SAME AGE!!"
"OK!! THAT'S ENOUGH YOU THREE!!" You carefully nudged Hop out of the way and replaced him with your arms between the two twins. "Look. Stage fright or not it can't be helped. We'll...work it out but stop your fighting!" You sighed. It was going to be a LONG ride to get back home you could tell now. "Right now I think we should figure out what we're going to be doing next."
Hop perked up. "Actually I already figured that out." He pointed ahead away from you lot. "The nearest gym is in Turffield to west of here along Route Three of the railroad from Motostoke." He explained to you three. "That's as good of a spot as any to start! We can either take the train which would be about a whole day or by Flying Taxi which would take half a day!"
"Isn't that the Grass type Gym?"
He nodded. "Sure is! Sounds like a good place as any to start us off with! We can be there by tomorrow!!"
"Aren't we getting a little ahead of ourselves?" You asked raising an eyebrow. "You guys literally just got out of the ceremony and you want to go rushing off...Besides. Even if you get there wouldn't there not be anyone to battle against yet? If what you say is true then wouldn't the Gym leaders need time to get back to the gyms and set everything up?" Hop paused as you looked off in thought. "If you can't fight them then you wouldn't get any badges yet."
"Uh..." He rubbed the back of his head. "Huh. I- Well.....I hadn't really thought about that actually. ..That's a good point."
You nodded. "I think we should wait a day before any of us go galavanting off into more trouble."
"But we don't have any money."
You blinked. "Huh?"
"The Chairman paid for our hotel rooms...but just for one night," Hop explained, "If we want to stay a second night then we'd have to pay and I don't have enough money to pay for a whole hotel room."
"Whelp! That's what tents are for!," you answered. You HAD to be optimistic and look on the bright side in this thing. If not for your sake then for theirs! "We can camp up somewhere and then leave in the morning!"
"I agree! That's sounds like a great idea. It's what I've been doing since I left home," Victor agreed making the other two agree in turn too.
"Then it's settled! Hey Glory!" He did that signiture fist pumped pose of his before turning to Gloria. "Let's have a battle! You and me! We'll get in a bit of training!"
"But why?"
"Seriously?", he asked standing back up raising a brow, "This is the moment you play along and act pumped up for battle. If you've gotta ask why we should bother training you'll never make it through the Gym Challenge!"
She hummed...before smirking. "All right then! Bet I can beat you!"
He smirked back. "I knew you'd be up for it! We've got to stay keener than anyone else if we want to steal the spotlight from our rivals!"
"YOU'RE ON!! Wait til I-" She was stopped when you once again stuck a hand between the three of them.
"I appreciate your enthusiasum but let's get OUTSIDE the city before we do anything that might cause property damage."
Well.....That was it. All settled. The day was still fairly early considering it was barely noon so the four of you traveled outside the city towards the south Hop pointed out and it lead off too a dirt path thank goodness. And you got to witness the two rivals have a small battle.....Hop lost but it was nice how good he took it too. In fact even encouraging Gloria through his lost. He was a pretty positive person you had to admit and Gloria's scorbunny evolved?? You weren't sure what was going on with that. In the meantime Victor was scouting a bit of the grassland off the road to decide where to put up the tents and you let him, as Gloria and Hop told you about what happened at the Entrance Ceremony. Apparently they had met up with Leon and even got to meet the Chairman for a few seconds where he gifted them Flying Taxi passes before they left. Apparently even Leon had noticed Gloria's stiff behaving and had a word with her, which Hop had mentioned was probably why she was in such a calmer mood by the time they left. Older brother like younger brother with encouragement you supposed. The rest of the time passed by rather quickly after you watched the battle between the two gym challengers and went to check on Victor's progress checking on a spot for camp and he did end up finding a spot in a small clearing a few yards away from the road. And had already started setting up his own tent and you came to lend a hand. Luckily a few previous camping trips as a kid helped you prepare for this moment. You were able to help Victor set up his tent before Gloria struggling with hers, asked you to help her out and you happily oblidged. Setting up the two plain but usable tents and then only after all the hard work was done you heard a rumbling sound. It took a moment for you to realize it was hop's stomach as he chuckled embarrassed and you decided it was time to stop and have a late dinner. You didn't have anything to cook with but luckily Victor did. You were amazed when he pulled out a traveling camping stove out of his suitcase backpack and you noticed your sobble on his shoulder. Oh yeah. You almost forgot about him, he must've stayed on Victor's shoulder for the entire time since the ceremony. You didn't mind tho. Sobble seemed to be enjoying watching Victor worked as he set up the kit, and looked back inside the suitcase.
"Hey, Y/n. Have you ever had Sausage Curry before?," he asked pulling out a couple packages of food from his suitcase.
You shook your head. "No but it sounds delicious."
He smiled. "Well then I think you'll really like it. I'm not the best cook, but I can make a decent curry."
The three of you waited in the shade of one of the trees by the tents as Victor got to work setting up the cookery and pulled out a few mini pots and pans and began to work lighting a fire, boiling some rice, and heating up what looked liked a small dish of sauce. You guessed it must've been the curry sauce for the rice. In the meantime the two told you more about the encouter they had with the Chairman, briefly of course as he had to step away quickly. As you gave your sobble some fruit you had in your backpack. Apparently he was nice and mentioned how his company made Dynamax bands. Did that mean Professor Magnolia work for the Chairman or his company if she was able to make these two some bands? Not too long after victor was able to hand you all the food he cooked up (Gloria taking a picture for her Curry dex thing-) and it wasn't too bad. But it just tasted like the plain curry Mrs. G made for you with just a few added hot dogs. You weren't about to complain about free food tho and hurt Victor's feelings so you ate in silence as the group ate. The rest of the day was spent with you helping Victor clean up the dishes and space used and the other two exploring the nearby field for more pokemon and you think Hop may have caught another one or two before they returned as the sun was setting. So Victor packed up and it was decided the four of you would head to bed for now and decide what to do in the morning. Unfortunately there was only three sleeping bags not that you minded too much, you were fine just sleeping on the ground and using your lumpy backpack as a pillow. Your sobble however sleeping next to you head snoring wasn't making things easier, and it took you a while before sleep finally took hold and you fell asleep. The next day you awoke with a crick in your neck and a groan coming from your mouth-
"Ack!?" You flinched when something smacked your face and it took you a moment to realize it was your sobble's tail wagging in it's sleep hitting you over and over again until your hand grabbed it making you groan. It was definately like a cat.
"Hey! Are you awake?" There was a zipping noise as Gloria opened the front of the tent enough to stick her head inside, catching you rubbing your face, sitting up, and groaning at the sunlight peeking in now. And she smiled. "Oh good. I couldn't get you to wake up earlier so Vick suggested to let you sleep in again."
"What time is it?," you mumbled blinking at her.
"Ten in the morning. Been waitin' for you all day to wake up! The others already left."
You paused..."The others went where?"
"Hop wanted to go ahead and take one of the flying taxi's to Truffield. So they left a while ago but I wanted to just wait for you to wake up."
"They LEFT!?"
"Don't worry. Victor knows what he's doing!"
That wasn't too reasurring ...but there was a moment in the game where the player or Gloria in this case, would start traveling alone from Hop and you guessed this was when it first started. Didn't want to stop the game's process but didn't mean it was any less nerve racking. So with a sigh and a stretch of your muscles you reluctantly got up. Still tired and with a crink in you neck from the awkward sleeping position you were forced to endure for the night. Note to self. Pick up a sleeping bag as soon as you could. Once you stepped outside, true to Gloria's word, the boys' tent was gone and the only signs they were even there in the first place was a few holes in the ground from the tent picks. They were gone alright. Man. You really needed to get used to getting up earlier if you wanted to keep up it seems.
"So they really left huh?"
"Yeah, but I told 'em we'd meet up later if we caught up at Truffield."
You looked over her. "Oh. So you did decide that's where you wanna go first huh?"
She nodded. "You bet! But I wanted to walk rather than take a train or the taxi's. We'd just get stuck again if more pokemon got onto the tracks, and I figured we'd put off the taxi's for now considering your bad run in with corviknight."
"That's very considerate of you. Ok. So how long would it take us exactly to get there if we walked?"
She pointed down the path away from Motostoke. "Well like Hop said, it's one and a half day by train and one whole day by taxi. If we walked we should get there in two to four days!"
"TWO TO FOUR DAYS!?"
She nodded totally unaffected at your wide eyed shout. "Yeah! I mean we have a full year until the challenger finals and it's only the second week of January. So taking a few days to get somewhere shouldn't cause too much trouble! Plus it'll be a great change to get some exercise and sight seeing in!"
A whole year. Yeah you forgot about that part. You'd have to spend a whole year traveling in this world and waiting for the finals to end. ...And even then you weren't sure if it'll mean you get to go home but it was the only chance you got! So far things were going just how they were (or mostly how they went-) in game minus a few minor details and if this really some kind of weird dream world where you were trapped in an alternate reality of pokemon then your only shot was to stick it out until the storyline ended then maybe you'd get to go home. It was a far fetched idea...but it was the only one you had. You couldn't just ask anyone here for directions back to your own world. They'd think you were crazy. So instead you slung your backpack on and asked.
"So. What's your game plan for the challenge then?"
Gloria seemed happy to tell you. "Simple! There's only 6 steps to follow!! Step 1 has already been complete! Get that endorsement and attend the opening ceremony! Which included the registering, first pokemon, and all the beginner's jazz!"
"Ok....What's the other steps?"
"Step 2! Get stepping and battle the gyms to earn those badges! Step 3! Grow stronger in the process! Step four! THE FINALS!! And step five is maybe or maybe not become the Champion....I can't get my expectations too high. Lee did say I shouldn't get too over confident and let go to my head."
You nodded glad she was taking what Leon said seriously. "Alright. But what's set six then?"
"Do a whole bunch of fun stuff in between of course!"
You chuckled. "Alright. Fair enough I suppose. Help me pack the tent before we head off."
After the two of you packed up the tent and put it away, Gloria looked up a map on her phone and eventually pointed down the road leading into the country side and the two of you took off walking down the road. The first day was mostly uneventful. It was just the two of you walking down the road and occasionally passing by another traveler heading the opposite direction or camping out, or a country folks' farm but otherwise there wasn't anyone around besides the two of you and the small sobble on your shoulder. You two stopped every so often and rested under the shade of a random tree before getting up to travel again. Once or twice stopping and digging into your bags to pull out some of the camping foods Leon had given the two of you and eating what was essential granola bars and dried foods before starting to walk again. Gloria and you chatting about the gym that the two of you were heading to first.
"So you're challenging this Mr. Milo right? Any idea what he's like?," you asked her.
She waved a hand. "Eeehh. Sorta? I don't know that much about him like I do Leon who's my friend and Raihan who basically posts all of his life online. But I heard he's the nicest out of all of the Gym Leaders and he runs his own farm alongside the gym. In fact I believe most of wool you can buy from Truffield's is from his farm. But I'm not sure. I've only heard a few things, and yesterday was the first time I really met any of them face to face."
You blinked. "You didn't get to talk with any of them?"
She shook her head. "Nuh uh. Only Mr. Rose and Lee of course but only a little bit. They're both pretty busy right now with the Gym Challenge just starting out and all."
"Well that makes sense I guess. This sounds like a big job for only a couple people. What exactly does a Champion do outside of being challenged and joining the pokemon league?"
"You don't have your own Pokemon League in Kanto?"
You mentally slapped yourself and stuttered. "Uh....W-Well...I was just curious about this region's League is all."
"Oh I see. I keep forgetting you're not from around here. Basically he helps make all kind of descisions concerning The League's rules and regulations and making sure things are kept fair until the next Gym Challege. On top of that he's also responsible for making sure the ten Gym Leaders take their responsibilities of keeping the Gyms in Shape."
"Really? That's all?" You looked at her. It sounded so easy.
She huffed. "That's just what comes out of mouth. It's more harder to do as Lee said. There's health and safety regulations, even more for our gyms because unlike others 'round the world they're bigger and built more sturdier to accomodate dynamaxing while keeping everyone safe. It's not easy to keep the fields in shape after every battle and keeping it cleaned up to health codes. Did ya forget how big Motostoke Stadium alone was?"
....Oh.....Well when she put it like that you guessed it WAS a HUGE responsibility to be in charge of that. Not to mention Leon being in charge of all of them technically as well-
"And then there's the employees-"
"Employees?"
She gave you a look like you grew a beard all of a sudden. "Did you really think that one person cleans and regulates a GIANT stadium and the field by themselves? The gyms in Kanto must be really different than ours. Of COURSE EMPLOYEES!! One person can't just take care of a stadium that big by themselves! They also got people they pay to clean up everythin' n' help 'em!"
"......Oh-" Of course they'd have to hire people. You kept forgetting this was a real world outside the game, at least for now.
"So not only are they bosses on top o' that, but they also have to keep up with training, public appearances, and they're also in charge of training the next gym leader who'll take over for 'em. Not to mention some o' them have jobs outside of being Gym Leaders too. Like Milo. There's a reason he's called 'The Fighting Farmer'."
Oh right. She mentioned Milo having a farm too earlier in your conversation. You two continued walking until it was sundown and you decided to resign for the night by setting up the tent again and you having another night of finding it hard to sleep. The next day went by rather slower than usual. You guys repacked up the tent and started walking again. By Now Motostoke wasn't visible if you looked back, and by luck you two found a couple berry trees you furiously shook until it dropped a couple of them, although your Sobble seemed more than happy to do a little tree climbing to get his full before continuing on. You were rather content with seeing the large stretches of country side and forests tho. You barely got to do anything like this back home. You were lucky if you had a weekend go by without working or your mother pushing you to study and get better grades. The nature around you was filled with wild ani-...uh pokemon that scattered usually when they first saw you two and Gloria every so often got a new picture of a random pokemon but most were too blurry from the pokemon scurrying away to tell what they were. The nature and fresh air was a very good change of scenery as you inhaled in a breath- And then coughed at the smell of smoke. .....SMOKE!? You coughed and shook your head catching Gloria's attention as you looked up towards the sky and were surprised to see the distant remains of smoke in the sky. What the?! Was there a fire somewhere!? You got your answer when Gloria suddenly grabbed your arm making you flinch and pointed up the path ahead of you two.
"Hey! It's Sonia!"
The shout seemed to catch the attention of the orange haired woman who turned to the both of you from up the pathway. There she was! Standing next to some rocks off the path and a roped off pathway leading away from the larger pathway towards something. You learnt what when you got close enough to look past the rocks off the dirt road, you noticed the smoke and the smokey smell was coming from what looked like a coal factory or oil rig a far distance from the trail.
"Heya, Gym Challenger!," Sonia greeted waving to Gloria once in hearing range, "And you too, Miss Y/n. You looked real ace out there during the Opening Ceremony. Oh..." She looked behind the two of you. "But where's Hop? I thought he'd be with the two of you."
"Hi, Sonia!," Gloria happily greeted back, "Oh him? Psh. He went on ahead of us the impatient murcrow."
The older woman sighed. "He can't sit still at all, can he? Guess he really wants to catch up to his brother."
"What are you doing all the way out here?," you asked pointing behind you, "I thought you would've taken the train or a taxi like everyone else."
She waved you off. "It's been so long since I even left Postwick. Im planning on taking my time and researching a few spots I think is worth checking out along the way." She turned towards the oil rig...thing and pointed. "Speaking of which. I heard you guys met the Chairman right?"
"Uh she did but I didn't," you clarified pointing at Gloria.
"Oh. That's too bad.....Oh! I know. Let me tell you something a bit interesting. You see that building over there?" The both of you turned to where she was looking. "It's a company owned by Chairman Rose."
"Really? Way out here?"
She nodded. "Just past Route 3 there's a mine where they dig up ore. That building over there processes it into energy. In other words, the Chairman is responsible for providing the Galar Region with it's energy too." Really now? Huh. Well you guessed that made sense seeing as you guessed the Chairman was like the President or leader of whatever kind of system ran this region in this world. "Can't say I really get him, but the Chairman seems like a pretty brilliant guy right?"
...You shrugged. "Wouldn't know really. I only ever seen him on the giant TV." And in your dream but you weren't about to tell her that.
"Anyways, I assume you two are heading to Turffield?"
Gloria nodded. "Yep! Milo seems like the kind of guy that'd be a good start off."
Sonia nodded. "The way to Turffield is pretty long, but that's a kind of challenge in it's own right."
You huffed. "Trust me I know. My feet are already sore."
"You wanna come with us?"
Sonia shook her head. "That's a nice offer but I wanted to see if I could check out the processing factory here and maybe get a better idea of the energy supplies. Who knows? Might help with this crisis. But I wish the both of you safe travels."
The both of you bid good bye to Sonia before continuing on your way down the path, and you learnt one thing quickly. Sonia was right about it being a pretty long way to Turffield because for about the third time you guys had to set up camp when it became darker down the road and again you woke up the next morning sore and aching and still very sleepy. You had gone camping before but never remembered having this much trouble sleeping! For the third day in a row the two of you walked down the road eating what was in your packs for food until the two of you stumbled across more giant rocks and another path going up to what looked like a man made tunnel and right outside the tunnel was some heavy duty equipment like what you'd see at a construction sight. This must be the dig sight Sonia told you about from yesterday along Route 3. As you two approuched Gloria pulled out her phone to recheck the map and you noticed a wooden sign along the road. It read: Galar Mine Lie Ahead. Along with a 'no tresspassing' sign. Not that you two would do so anyways-
"HEY! Good news! I found a short cut!," she suddenly shouted startling you.
"....Oh. GREAT! Where?"
She pointed ahead and directly into the mine's entrance. "Through there! There's an exit on the other side that'll cut fifteen miles off our scheduale!"
"Wha- No way!" You pointed to the sign. "That literally says 'No Tresspassing!' I don't think getting arresting for tresspassing is a good start on your first trip. And who knows what kind of dangerous stuff is in there!"
She waved you off walking towards the pathway branching off from it. "Relax! We have scorbunny to light it up if it gets too dark or if there's any scary pokemon waiting."
You briskly walked behind her to catch up. "That's not the point! If that's the Chairman's mines we could get in big trouble by walking on in there! I think I'd rather take the long way around and spare the trouble!"
"Oh relax! What's the worse that could happen?"
There is and will always be a VERY good reason why one should NEVER EVER ask THAT question. As soon as you both got inside you were hit with a typical mineshaft work space vibe. Lots of drilling and hammering sounds as well.....and people in hard hats and orange vests. They had easily spotted you two and gave chase when Gloria grabbed your arm and retreated down the mine further until you thought you'd pop a lung out from how much running you guys were doing. And throwing her a scowl as if to say 'I TOLD YOU THIS WOULD HAPPEN!!' Eventually you demanded she find an exit so the two of you could get out of here immediately before you got into even MORE trouble and she agreed fumbling with her map. Walking down one shaft in particular. Beautiful sparkling gems sparkled in the walls lit up by the multiple lanturns. At one point Gloria picked up one gem from off the ground called a Star Piece. It was a red sparkly diamond worth a lot apparently. Her map directed the two of you lost around the corner after what felt like FOREVER just walking around and looking over your shoulders for anymore people chasing after you. You were going to have a long chat with her after this! Turning a corner you two finally saw it. THE EXIT! Sunlight seemed out of a large entrance similar to the one you guys first entered through and you sighed in relief.
"See?! I told you we'd find the exit."
"Yeah. AFTER the fact you got us lost inside a mine shaft. We are never doing this again."
"No one got hurt."
"That's not the point at all. Let's just use that exit over there-"
"Coming this way?," A male voice asked. You both stopped and looked ahead of you as someone a little shorter than you stepped from out of the shadows and in the middle of your pathway. Revealing itself to be a teenage boy about Gloria's age. He bore a large and baggy pink coat and his hard was a curly, fluffy white. Similar to that of a cloud. His purple eyes bore into Gloria's as he frowned her way. "I'd advise against it. Any trainer with a Wishing Star is in for a beating from me and my pokemon."
You rose a brow sizing up the younger boy in front of you before asking. "Sorry. Who are you?" But Gloria answered that question.
She pointed at him with a flash of realization on her face. "Hey wait! I know you! You're that rude kid from the Entrance Ceremony a couple days ago!"
His frown deepened before he smirked proudly before pushing some hair from his face. "You...You're the Gym Challenger endorsed by the Champion, aren't you?"
"Well...Yeah but only one."
He huffed as if amused. "What a joke."
She paused before giving him a scowl. "EXCUSE ME!?"
"Oh boy. Here we go." You mumbled....WAIT!! Wasn't there a rival Gloria would meet on her way to her first gym battle??....YEAH! Besides Hop there was two other rivals! This must've been the second one! You were starting to remember now!
He simply waved her off. "You are aware that the Chairman is more important than the Champion, right? I was chosen by the Chairman himself, so that makes me more amazing than you!"
You gave him a deadpanned look. "That's not really how it works-"
"OH YEAH!?," Gloria shouted angrily at him pointing, "I'LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT I'M JUST AS GOOD AS YOU IF I WAS CHOSEN TO BE A GYM CHALLENGER IN THE FIRST PLACE!!"
He huffed. "I suppose I should prove beyond doubt just how pathetic you are and how strong I am."
"OH IT'S ON MAREEP HEAD!!"
"....." He scowled again this time with more anger. "WHAT DID YOU JUST CALL ME!?"
"YOU HEARD ME!! YOU WANNA GO!?"
"Maybe we should just take this outside-"
"Oh it's on, Girl!" With that the boy held up a pokeball and threw it into the air. In a flash of white light a solosis appeared before you! Gloria doing the same before you could stop here and sending out a Budew she must've caught in the Wild Area while you were there. Here you go again. The boy scoffed at the cute looking pokemon. "You honestly think tha-"
"STUN SPORE!!" At the order with a flash of bright yellow sparks like fireworks, the Budew immediately did as Gloria said and made the shot. Which directly hit the poor solosis with a couple big sparks of electricity and making your poor sobble chitter in fright turning itself invisible on your shoulder.
Stunned for a moment the young boy stared before gritting his teeth in anger and pointing back. "Counter that stun with Confusion!" Despite the poor thing being stunned it was able to carry out the young boy's command in a colorful beam hitting the Budew and making it yelp in pain!...before it began to wobble around like it was dizzy. A side effect of the move you guessed. Gloria did something you didn't expect and held out the pokeball to retract her Budew making the boy chuckle. "Giving up so soon?"
"Just getting started actually! Let's go Raboot!" With a loud squeak the rabbit looking pokemon appeared before your eyes and you watched as it swayed on it's feet as if waiting to attack.
"Psh. You think switching from a mowed lawn ornament to a fire starter will help you? SOLOSIS!! DEFEAT THEM WITH YOUR CONFUSION-" The poor thing let out a pained noice once sparks lit it up for a few seconds. A worried face coming over the pokemon and the trainer giving a surprised glanc-
"FIRE CHARGE!!" You nearly jumped out of your skin when the rabbit looking pokemon suddenly lit itself on FIRE and with inhuman speed shot forward and crashed into the solosis. The poor thing hit the floor and skidded to a stop in front of the boy's feet. Not moving again to get back up. The boy staring at the solosis before fixating on Gloria who smiled. "What? Did you forget a Budew's Stun Spore can paralysis it's opponent?" She smirked and reapeated one thing he said earlier. "Giving up so soon?"
"Absolutely not." He stated reaching a pokeball out to return the poor solosis before switching it for a different one. "I'm just giving your pokemon a little chance to shine. That's all. My gothita will take you down!"
"TACKLE!!" Gloria barked and pointed at them just as the Raboot did as she commanded.
"What a weak attack. PSYBEAM!!" Immediately obeying a dark purple light formed in front of the small pokemon as it prepared to sho-
"JUMP OVER IT!! QUICK ATTACK!!" It was as if time slowed and the Raboot, (like how rabbits were known for their speed-) LEAPED over the purple beam that shot out and landed right between the boy and his pokemon, turning with a glint in it's eyes. AND. CHARGED!! The poor gothita didn't see anything coming as it was hit from behind HARD! Skidding a few feet before landing in heap away from the trainer. It all happened so fast you could barely register it. The psybeam completely missing and hitting the wall behind Gloria not that she did so much as jump shield her face from the rock fragments breaking off from it. "Is that it? Or do you have something else in mind?"
He still stood there for a moment before huffing and turning his head to a golden watch on his wrist. "Oh dear. What have I been doing? Well whatever. Let's just get this over with."
"Fine by me! You started it!"
He gritted his teeth again before collecting his gothita and sending out a pokemon you didn't recognize but it was a Hatenna. "Let's wrap this up! Hatenna use confusion!"
"DODGE TO THE RIGHT!!" The same colorful energy as from the solosis's move shot out from the small pokemon but with Raboot's speed they were easily able to dodge the attack. "Use Quick Attack to gain speed!!"
"That's your trick? COUNTER WITH-"
"TO THE LEFT AND GIVE IT A TOSS!!" It was like watching a cheetah make nearly impossible turns at high speeds as the Raboot leaned on it's left foot, one paw touching the ground to help it turn without falling, and did a sharp U-turn from right to left and thanks to the speed boost charged straight at the small pokemon. Ever seen a mouse get snatched right out of the air by a fast flying hawk? This was exactly what happened when the pokemon was snatched by one of it's blue limbs and T H R O W N high into the air. Making panicked sounds as it flailed about.
"HATENNA!!,'' the poor boy stared in wide eyed shock at his pokemon now falling to it's defeat- "USE-"
"FLAME CHARGE!!" In a burst of flames, you knew it was over. And you weren't wrong either. The bright ball of fur and fire charged right at the falling Hatenna jumping the rest of the distance between them and delivering one last firey body slam to them. K.O.ing the poor pokemon right in front of their master's feet. "Who's the joke now!?"
The boy immediately returned his pokemon to it's ball before balling his fists at his side shaking slightly scowling at Gloria. Before he turned his head to the side and huffed. "I see...Well that's fine! I wasn't really trying all that hard anyways."
"Then why'd you say all that smug stuff? If there's one thing Leon taught me it's that you shouldn't get cocky on your levels."
The boy looked as if he would blow a fuse at her but you quickly walked between then staring him down. "OK! That's enough! You shouldn't be in here anyways. We should all just leave now before we get in trouble."
He stared at you slightly confused for a moment before turning his face up. "Well That was unepected.....I suppose you're more able than I thought." That smug smile returned. "Naturally, I'll remember your battle style and strategies now. I'm sure to defeat you easily if and when we face each other in an official match. Now that we've established that, I won't waste anymore time on you." He waved a hand and turned away. "I've already gathered every wishing star in this area."
"OH WAIT!!" Both you and Gloria's Raboot yelped as she suddenly sped up past you and the poor boy was instantly taken aback when she smiled and practically shoved the camera in his face. "I want a picture of your Hatenna!"
He stared at her like she grew a second head. ".......What?"
"I want a picture of your Hatenna. I'm doing this Dex challenge and I don't have a Hatenna yet. I still need like three hundred pictures."
....He scowled. "Is...Is this some kind of game!?" He pointed at her with furrowed brows. "Out of my way, Girl! I don't have time to waste on something as meaningless and childish as that!"
She blinked...before smiling wider. "But you have a Hatenna!"
"And what does that have to do with anything?!"
"I saw you give it such love and care while we were getting registered at the ceremony." At this he rose a brow and looked a little taken a back as she tilted her head. "Hatennas sense strong emotions like most psychic types do and they're pretty shy but yours acted so calm and bounced around you like it was so happy. They're easily scared by their trainers who have anger issues and despite your outward acts....You must have a pretty good heart."
His face went completely to surprised at this now, and so did yours as your brows shock up. "....I..Well-" He paused when the camera was nudged closer.
"Could I at least get one picture please? If you're going to become the next champion I'd like to have a lil memory of how I got to beat the new champion even once! Plus it'd be a way to immortalize your kindness and love for your pokemon."
"I-..." He opened his mouth but snapped it back immediately as she chuckled. Huffing and turning away. "HMPH!! Fine! If only so you won't follow me and nag about it!"
"Yay! Thank you!"
"Stop with the childish actions already!"
You were still standing in surprise when he let out his Hatenna again with a grumbling and pout letting Gloria take a picture before quickly regathering his pokemon and stomping off as she waved good bye with a smile. ".....What the world just happened here?"
She gave you a sly smile. "Yknow that phrase 'kill them with kindness'?" You nodded. "Sometimes it actually works. Especially on guys who like to act tough but turns out to be mushier than pudding."
You snorted a bit before shaking his head as Gloria got out a ball. "Well that's one way to put it...Hey. Didn't you say he was one of the boy's from the ceremony?"
Gloria nodded as she returned her raboot. "Uh huh. Everyone's names here announced too. I think his name was Bede."
"Bede huh?" You shrugged and started towards the exit with her following you. "I guess he must've been on his way to Turffield too."
"I guess. But I wonder why he was collecting Wishing Stars?" She held up her own band. "He already had a Dynamax Band on his arm."
You shrugged. "Dunno. I think right now we should focus on just getting to that stadium."
She agreed putting her Raboot's pokeball away. You were quick to usher her out of he mines to avoid any more trouble and FINALLY stepped outside into the fresh air. The rocks by the entrance opened up to the rest of the dirt road and you could clearly see the view before you. LOTS of rolling hills and brick fences with yellow plants that took you a moment to realize what was most likely wheat or corn. A couple houses could be seen which you assumed were farm houses, and as you and Gloria trudged up the hill to where in went down into a valley, you could clearly see it. A GYM STADIUM!! It's shiny metal exterier shone bright in the sun light and surrounding it was a very small but managable village. Not too much bigger than Postwick it looked like. As you two walked looking around the area, the two of you pasted a sign that read: Route 4 upon it. This must've been where Route three ended and Route 4 began. You could've sworn you heard the baas of more wooloo somewhere too, concluding this was a farming community with a giant stadium in the center.
Gloria smiled and pointed to it as the two of you walked down hill on the path. "Look! See? I told ya it was a good idea to take the short cut."
You looked down at her deadpanned, the baaing becoming louder the farther you two walked. "Uh huh. And those people chasing us in the beginning was part of the 'good idea'?"
You two didn't see the thing coming towards you from down the path or the man giving chase to it. "Oh come on! It wasn't that bad. We got here faster and now we can rest up and see 'bout that gym."
"Oh yes. And battling someone inside a mine is a good idea too-"
"Nonono! Miss! Watch out-''
Something hard rammed into your legs and they went flying back, sending your front shooting forward and in an instant you faceplanted the dirt road hard. A resounding 'THUMP!' sound echoing out as whatever rammed into you just as suddenly disappeared. It was like a your legs were pins and you just got ran over by a bowling ball. Stunned your body just sat there face first on the ground with your sobble thrown from your shoulder a couple feet away. You didn't move even as a gasp reached your ears, along with baaing and running footsteps. Your sobble chirping in annoyance upon being flung sat itself up and shook itself off, but scurried away and burried itself under your limp noodle of an arm when someone bigger nearly ran it over. Still you laid there stunned.
"OH NO! OH NO!!" A man's worried voice reached your ears just as your brain finally started to register you had been knocked over. "I AM SO SORRY!! MISS!? ARE YOU ALRIGHT!?"
"Y/N!!" Gloria shouted and you felt her shake you frantically. "NO! This can't be how you die! Bowled over by a wooloo isn't a good way to die so please get up!!"
.....You coughed. And groaned. Your vision blurry as your now dirty face slowly lifted itself from the ground and looked up. Blinking at the two faces before you. Gloria who was obviously concerned, but the other was a man one hand clutching a hat on his head as he looked you over with worry. "What was-"
"I am SO sorry, Ma'am!" The man you assumed kneeled down letting you get a better look at his freckled face. "My...Are you ok!? You took that tackle head on!"
"What happened?," you mumbled and your answer was being easily lifted by the man by strong hands grabbing your shoulders.
"One of my wooloo! I'm so very, very sorry! She keeps running away everytime someone leaves a door open and I need her for the gym so I keep having to chase her down and bring her back!," the man quickly stated holding you up on wobbly legs as you shook your head as your poor sobble refused to let go of your arm. Hanging onto it like a koala bear would. Hands dusted you off. "Oh no. You're all a mess because of me. I hope you're not hurt, Ma'am."
You waved him off. "It's fine. Wouldn't be the first time I had to deal with troublesome wooloo," you grumbled remembering the Slumbering Weild incident. "I feel fine. Just a few dirt stains aren't gonna hurt."
The man sighed in relief. "Oh thank goodness. I was really worried when you fell so suddenly." His face quickly snapped with a frown to the wooloo who baaed at him. "And you! What did I tell you about running off like that!? This time you did hurt someone!" It baaed louder at him. "Don't you talk back to me! You're in big trouble young lady!......Hm?" He looked to Gloria who was currently staring at him in surprise before he suddenly smiled at her. "Oh. You must be one of the Gym Challengers, right?"
"I- W-Who me!?" She sputtered before nodding quickly. "Y-Yes, Sir! I am!"
"Ah! I thought so." His polite smile widened. "I saw you at the Opening Ceremony earlier this week! My name's Milo. It's nice to meet you."
"I know! AH! I mean!" Gloria sputtered holding up her hands. "I s-saw you too with everyone else! I'm so sorry!"
He held up his hands. "Oh no. If anything I should be the one apologizing to you and your friend here for the trouble I put you through."
"Milo?," you asked confused gaining his attention.
He nodded. "I'm a Gym leader here and partial to Grass Type pokemon. And if I'm not mistaken your friend here is one of the ones Leon keeps going on about. I've been itching to see just how good the Champion endorsed Gym Challengers are..." he sighed moving his hands to his hips. "But I'm afraid you might have to wait your turn."
"Huh?" Gloria blinked.
"I know usually my gym's the first one trainers pass by on their trip, but I didn't expect so so many to come here right after the ceremony. I've been completely swamped and I still have three trainers waiting for their turns with me right now. And it doesn't help this one keeps running off the first chance she gets."
"You mean I gotta wait until you have more time off just to fight me?" She groaned with a pout. "Maybe we should've taken the train to get here faster after all."
"Hey. The man's busy" You patted her back with a frown. "And obviously he's having a hard time right now. You said we had what?....A whole year until those finals come up? It hasn't even been a whole week yet. We can wait a lil bit longer and let Mr. Milo here sort himself out."
Milo gave you a surprised look and Gloria sighed before nodding. "You're right. We're here and that's the most important thing! I can wait a few more days if I have too."
You smiled. "That's the spirit!"
Even Milo eventually smiled. "Well then. Let me find out at the Gym Stadium when you're ready." He pointed behind him. "Just head on down this route and you'll run right into my stadium. See you there!" He then turned to the wooloo. "Come on now. Back to the stadium with you too. We can't keep the Gym Challengers waiting." It baaed at him in protest but didn't give too much of a fight when it started to follow him as he turned and gave one wave back to you two. "Again sorry for the trouble! Hope to see you soon!"
With a sigh you brought your arm up and your sobble blinked at you...before grabbing your cheek with a questioning chirp. "I'm fine. Just a little sore."
"You sure?," Gloria asked as your pokemon started climbing back onto your shoulder. "You hit the ground pretty fast."
"No different than tripping over a rock I guess," you groaned and stretched out your back. "I don't suppose there's any hotels around here...Not that we could afford them anyways."
Gloria shook her head. "Nope." And brought up her phone. "According to the town's map online, there isn't. But it does have a small market, camping area, and a Poke Nursery on the edge of town. This place is mostly just a large farming community. ....OH! We should go see the geoglyph!" She smiled as she started walking again.
You rose a brow and followed. Your legs now a bit sore from the wooloos tackle. That wools not as soft as it looked. "The what?"
"The geoglyph. It's a really old history drawing carved into the ground and on a whole bunch of rocks around here! It's a part of a historical landmark and it helps bring in visitors along with the Grass Type gym!" She laughed happily. '' I can't believe we get to meet the gym leader himself as soon as we got here! How lucky!"
"I wouldn't call my encounter lucky. I look and feel like I was bowled over by a hay bail."
She snorted. "Relax. I'm sure you'd like the geoglyth. We got nothin' else to do right now so we might as well just see what this town has to offer right?"
Well you really had nothing better to do-...Wait. You blinked remembering something. "Hey. How many Gym challengers are there anyhow?"
She paused. "Uh..." And scrunched her face in thought. "Well usually there's a lot every time a Gym Challenge comes along, but it usually winds down to a smaller amount by the end of the year. And it's if you were sponsored personally by a member of the Pokemon League like Leon or someone who Sponsors the League personally."
"How many was there this year?"
"Including Hop n' me, twenty five."
"That's a lot."
She shrugged. "Not really if you compare us to the millions of other people living in Galar."
"....Touche."
The two of you finished going down the hill's path and it was only then you noticed the loud sounds of cheering coming from the HUGE stadium. It was similar in size to the gigantic one in Motostoke and you must've guessed Milo was currently in the middle of a battle with someone inside. You hope the poor guy wasn't over whelmed by these twenty five trainers, or whatever ones decided to come here first that is. Gloria continued to look at her phone before suddenly pointing right from where the path branched off into three parts towards the giant stadium, Pokemon Center, and a path that started off with a fence made from rope and wooden posts like the one by that factory you two passed by two days ago.
"The geoglyph and stone carvings are this way." You followed her towards the left and began to go a little up hill as the path split a bit but still roped off at certain parts. You passed by some stones stacked up on one another in a way that reminded you of Stone Hindge in Scottland back home. Most had zigzag like patterns carved into them or diamond shapes. You two passed by a few other people either looking at the stones or taking pictures before Gloria pointed at the very top of the small hill you two were walking upon. "It should be up there! C'mon!"
The two of you walked off onto the end of the path and you surprised at what you saw once you reached the top. It was a hillside. Roped off of course, but what was carved into the giant hillside was what made you pause. A giant white carving of...of...of some kind of monster looking thing was carved into it and next to it was a giant swirl with what looked like lightning bolts came from it. In the circle of rope fencing, there was a few benches with people sitting, talking, and taking pictures. There was even some kind of picture stand where you could take pictures pretending to be some kind of pokemon. But it was one person on the one of the benches, with bright orange hair and a ponytail, and a small yamper laying lazily at her feet. No. It couldn't be. There was absolutely NO WAY it was-
"SONIA!!," Gloria shouted happily scottish accent present as she walked immediately over towards her.
The woman turned her head to confirm that it was in fact Sonia. She smiled upon seeing the two of you and turned around on the bench she sat upon. "Hey you two! Glad to see the two of you made it here after all." She paused upon seeing your dirtied body. You must've looked like you rolled around in the dirt like a dog. "Oh wow. What happened to you?"
"I went bowling with a wooloo and lost."
.....She blinked. "What?"
"Nevermind. How did you get here before us?," you asked, "We didn't see you on the path here unless you traveled during nighttime."
"Oh. You remember that factory I mentioned earlier?" You nodded. "Well it turns out they were shipping some of the products they make out and it just so happened they were passing right by Turffield on the way there. So I asked for a ride here and they agreed."
"Of course you got a ride," you mumbled feet sore. Maybe you should've just taken the train or taxi like everyone else.
"Oh don't be so salty. I wasn't exactly expecting to run into the two of you here either." She turned back to the geoglyph and you noticed she was taking notes with the paper and pencil in her lap. "I was actually stopping by to see this. It's connected to the legend as it was carved in accordance with the legend. I thought seeing it might've helped with anything similar I encounter later. Unfortunately I'm not allowed to get a closer look than this. What's your opinion of it?" She asked turning to the two of you. "In historical terms. Im stuck and sometimes an outside opinion can be useful.What do you think of it?"
The both of you looked at one another, then to the strange markings....And you shrugged.
"I haven't the foggiest clue to be honest. I've never seen it before." Except that you HAVE but can't remember barely a gosh darn thing and you're TRYING to remember as much as you could with no luck.
"Huh...It kinda reminds me of a dynamax pokemon. It's so big, and it doesn't look like a human."
Sonia hummed before looking back to the carvings and nodding. "Seems Likely. It certainly looks like a gigantic pokemon. I suppose people three thousand years ago could've just imagined this, but it looks too similar to Dynamaxing. It can't just be a coincidence." She sighed pressing the eraser of her pencil to her cheek, thinking and mumbling to herself. "A long time ago...a great black storm covered the Galar Region. Giant Pokemon ran rampant...But what was that black storm they called 'The Darkest Day'? What connection does it have to dynamaxing?...Or is the legend even connected to Dynamaxing at all and just a story?" Gloria looked at you again gesturing to Sonia mumbling to herself and you again shrugged. "Guess I'm the lucky lady who'll be be looking into that. Gran sure gives me a lot to do. She finally seemed to remember the two of you were there and smiled. "Thanks for your thoughts on the matter. It'll give me some stuff to think about!"
"Hey, no problem...Hey. You know if there's any hotels or something around here?"
She shook her head. "No. But there is a camping ground a little ways from the stadium I believe. I don't plan on staying here for too long....Hey. Aren't you going to challenge the gym leader here?" She asked shifting her gaze to Gloria who sighed. "That is what you're here for right?"
"Yeah. Well when we met him earlier he said he was completely booked and needed some time to take care of everything cuz of so many trainers comin' 'ere firstly."
Her eyes widened. "You met the Gym Leader outside the stadium? When did this happen?"
"When Y/n got bowled over by his wooloo."
"....What?"
"Nevermind," you butted in, "Let's go see about that camp sight. We're probably going to have to spend the night." And you slightly hoped that somewhere in the small market someone sold sleeping bags so you wouldn't have to sleep uncomfortably again.
The two of you bid good bye to Sonia and left but not before Gloria got her a nice picture of the geoglyph and insisted she take a couple of you and her in that ridiculous cardboard cut out thing before you left back down the hill towards the market. The cheers from the stadium farther away still ringing out. Whoever Milo was battling must've still been fighting you guessed as you both walked past it. The first stop was this town's residential center so Gloria could get her pokemon checked out by Nurse Joy, mostly her Budew and Raboot, to make sure they weren't too badly injured by that boy from earlier. ...Bede if you remember right. Then the two of you finally was able to visit the small....and you mean SMALL market there was here. Apparently most of the few houses and land surrounding the stadium was owned by farmers or the Galar Historical Preservation Society (concerning the geoglyph) and no one was allowed to cross onto minus wild pokemon of course. The only other things here worth looking at besides the stadium was a Florist shop which you learnt upon entering was also a souviner shop for the Geoglyth, the Pokemon Center, and the Pokemon Nursery which was at the very edge of Turffield, a small food stand net to the Floral/Souviner shop, the Geoglyph, And of course the camping sight. At least you were able to sit down and relax a bit in the flower shop. Gloria had skimmed through one of the magazines for sale by the table you two sat at and at one point pointed the book to you showing what you had to admit was a fairly beautiful lady with blue strips in her dark hair modeling a rather lovely looking long blue dress. Explaining to you that she was one of the Gym Leaders who like Milo had a second career, but instead of a farmer, she was a fairly succsessful model. ...OH RIGHT!! You vaugely remembered her on the field. Nessa you thought the Chairman called her. But it seems the day of surprises for you wasn't over yet, because your stomached had rumbled and Gloria suggested seeing what the small food stand was selling instead of going through your food rations Leon gave you, which you agreed fully. It might've been a good idea to save your food for later in case you had to wait another four days for the next battle. As soon as the two of you stepped outside guess who you ran into looking like he was tossed into the dirt like you?
"Glory!" Golden eyes smiled widely at her.
"HOP!! BRO!!" Her greeting was to run up to the two teen boys and wrap one arm around each of them in a hug. "I thought you guys skipped town already!"
"Are ya kidding me?!," Hop asked a sudden tired look on his face as she pulled away and watched him roll his eyes with a groan. "I just got done with my battle."
She gaped at him. "....What?!"
"Yeah. The Gym leader just returned to battle me too. Something about a run away pokemon I think??" Your face immediately soured as Gloria snickered slightly not that Hop noticed as he continued. "The place is jam packed with trainers when we got here, and there was still two more in there once I was leaving. It'll be a while before it's your turn I reckon."
"How many were there when you got here?"
"including the two people still there right now? Ten," he answered bluntly.
Ten.....TEN!? TEN TRAINERS WERE THERE IN THE THREE DAYS RIGHT AFTER YOU GUYS LEFT!? Well four counting today as you imagine Gloria wouldn't probably be able to battle Milo today considering how busy he was apparently dealing with so many trainers and run away wooloos. The poor guy must've been exhausted!! You felt so sorry for him. And you briefly wondered if one of the two trainers that were still there was the white haired boy the two of you encountered in the mines a little while ago. A rumble of your stomachs interrupted anything else and Victor suggested you four see about the food stand about food and you happily agreed. And you shouldn't have been surprised, but it was more curry, Leek curry. Like the curry Victor had back at the Budew Inn in Motostoke. There was also curry with apples and beans to which you weren't surprised as this WAS a farming community so the curry served would have fruit and veggies they grew added to it. You didn't care what you got so you just mentioned you were fine with whatever they picked, when you remembered that....You didn't have a lot of money to spend on things until Hop offered to pay for you all.
You gave him a look. "Are you sure? I don't want you guys to make a habit of just giving me stuff for free y'know."
"It's totally fine! Challengers are given a specific amount of money after every battle from the Gym League. It's to make sure we're well taken care of."
Oh. Well you were still really reluctant, the only things that made you agree was Gloria agreeing and your own hunger even if you already consumed a lot of curry at this point. If you were going to be traveling then you weren't going to be greedy. So hop just ordered Leek Curry for the lot of you, but everyone had different taste. Bitter, Sour, and Spicy went to the three teens who apparently had a different taste than you. You on the other hand asked for Sweet Leek because you liked the last sweet something curry you had, and because you planned on giving the leek veggies to your sobble who for the entire time was eyeing and chirping at all the food in the stand. You.....weren't too keen on letting this small timid creature eat any veggies with the words 'bitter', 'dry', 'sour', and DEF NOT 'Spicy'. So sweet seemed like the safest option for the both of you....That and it meant Gloria could get four more pictures for her Curry Dex. So it's a real win for everyone really. Until you were in the middle of feeding said sobble one of the veggies when Victor finally took notice of your scruffy appearance and pointed a plastic fork at you.
"What happened? You look like Hop after he wrangled a wooloo."
....Gloria snickered and you lowered your arm to turn and shoot her a look making your sobble reach out for the veggie from your shoudler. "....You could say that-"
"Say that? She was plowed over by one of Milo's own wooloo! I thought she died from how fast she went flyin' to the ground."
And from then you made a mental note to tell the boys about the embarrassing moment you had to save Gloria from an Onix in the Wild Area because she insisted on getting a picture later as revenge. Luckily neither looked in a laughing mood as Hop choked on his food coughing and Victor offered a concerned glance.
"My are you alright? Wooloos are small but they can tackle pretty hard."
Tell me about it. You shook your head and nodded to Hop pounding his chest. "Yeah. But you said you just got here from your gum battle. How'd it go?" You asked changing the subject.
As soon as regained breathing skills, he was quick to smile. "Oh I got through alright! Here Ill show ya!" You all watched as Hop went digging into his bag and pulled out a golden circle that was mostly empty except for one small badge on it with what looked liked a green leaf image carved into it, and your sobble was scowling at you now. "BEHOLD!! The Grass Gym Badge! I got it in one try!" You briefly wondered it that part was due to Milo being so overwhelmed. "I reckon I'm just the greatest when it comes to wrangling wooloo. I've had plenty of practice after all. I'm sure you can win this one, too. You are my rival after all."
"....You have to wrangle wooloos to win now?"
"You have to for the Gym's Challenge."
Gloria stared at Hop for just a moment before her eyes nearly buldged from her head like a cartoon character's would. "THE GYM'S CHALLENGE!? I FORGOT ALL ABOUT THOSE!!"
All three of you looked at her. You in confusion as to what they were talking about and both boys shocked, then as if they were thinking the exact same thing, both Hop and Victor yelled.
"HOW COULD YOU FORGET!?"
"Gym's Challenge?? You mean battling?"
victor groaned and facepalmed himself as Hop explained with a shrug. "The whole thing's called the Gym Challenge for a reason, and we're Gym Challengers for a reason. Each Gym has a challenge or puzzle I guess you could call it you gotta do in order to earn the right to battle the Gym Leader. Every Gym in Galar has one...." He scrunched up his face. "Well....Except the one in Spikemuth I think? It's all about proving yourself to be the strongest. You can't just waltz in and demand to battle with them. You gotta earn it just like everything else. Milo's challenge just happens to involve wrangling wooloos is all."
Oh. Well that might be a little more difficult then. It was a good thing Gloria was reminded of this now instead of later when she was actually about to go challenge Milo.
"I swear you're forgetting everything! We're staying to watch you battle then to make sure you don't forget your pokemon next!" Victor stated giving his younger twin a stern look making her scowl.
"HEY!! It's not like I forgot on purpose! And Hop ain't the only one who's wrangled wooloo before! Haven't you forgotten we live in wooloo city?"
"We are?"
Hop's question went over the two twin's bickering until you grabbed Gloria's shoulder in one last ditch effort for them to stop arguing like a duo of alley cats. "OK! I think I've had enough surprises and arguing today to last a life time. Let's just eat and set up camp for tomorrow K? We know now so everything's fine."
They looked at you before they (thank GOODNESS-) settled down with both twins frowning.
"Fine."
"Agreed, but this conversation isn't over."
"Good. Now let's finish eating so I can see about our tents." A small paw grabbing at your shoulder next to your ear made you turn to a very hangry sobble and it was only then you realized that you were still holding onto the veggie you intended on feeding him. ".....Right after I feed you first."
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kchuarts · 4 years
Text
Instinct 2
A/N: >:3c I need to be in h*rny jail for this.
Summary: The journey to Jotunheim takes off smoothly, no issues to report. Loki and his crew believe that the mission to close the ripped seam shouldn’t be difficult. However, things do appear too good to be true and events take a turn…
Warnings: 🔞🔞🔞 SPICY SMUT, breeding, dubious consent, impregnation, angst, etc… DO NOT READ IF YOU ARE UNDER 18 🔞🔞🔞
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“We are approaching our destination, Prince Loki.” The pilot informed the God in the co-pilot seat. He nodded in response and leaned forward a bit, brows scrunching… Something was very off. “Captain, can you change coordinates to land behind that cluster of trees? Just over there.“ Loki pointed to a clearing to where he had just mentioned. The pilot nodded, tilting the ship in that angle and safely landing in position. "What had you change your plan of landing, your highness?” An Asgardian S.H.I.E.L.D agent raised his brow. Loki looked to the agent then at Astrid who was preparing necessary medical items for the journey. “I need to make sure that we are under complete cover. I have brought my wife with me due to her medical expertise and insistence on joining us… Plus, there could be some medicinal remedies not yet discovered and I am most certain she would be quite cross with me if I had her miss out on such a feat.” He smiled slightly. The man looked to Astrid and smiled brightly, “Why your highness, I hadn’t a clue she was your wife. I thought she looked familiar from yesterday when you both brought my little girl safely to me! What can I, Brand Jorgunson of Asgard, do to repay your graces kindness?” He looked hopeful at the prince. 
Oh. Well, Loki was not expecting the father of the little girl to be Asgardian. This fact calmed his nerves about what he had said yesterday. “Your hard work and perseverance is all that I require-” His smile dropped as there was a screech among the harsh winds of the planet. The fleet became silent and Loki crept over to Astrid out of his instinct to protect her. He looked down at his wife as she grabbed his arm and shuddered. “Th-That wasn’t the same noise from yesterday.” She spoke in a hushed voice, holding onto him a bit more tightly. “No, it is not. I do believe that we are as close to the tear as we can physically get without tampering space and time. There are more beasts concentrated in this area due to the high frequency of the tear.” Loki pondered, releasing Astrid. They needed to get to that seam quickly if they were to stop anymore Frost Beasts from leaking through. A familiar feeling of unease washed over the Trickster once more as he stopped right in front of the ships exit. 
Loki waved his hand to signal the fleet to prepare for stepping foot outside of the ship. With haste, everyone put their anti-cold suits on and awaited Loki’s next order. “Someone needs to stay close to the ship just in case things go wrong.” One of the crew members whispered. Brand raised his hand, “I will volunteer to stay with the pilot and give the signal.” The Prince nodded in agreement as the thought of the little girl, Brands daughter Lorraine, crossed his mind. He shook his head gently, why was he even concerned about that? He shouldn’t care that much. The pilot nodded, pressing the button as the door slowly opened with some difficulty due to how strong the winds were. Loki grabbed Astrid’s hand again, whispering to her “Stay close to me.” The brunette girl squeezed his hand in reply, not even wanting to go anywhere else but his side. Almost immediately, Loki’s skin changed from it’s pale ivory tone to sapphire. Brilliant lines stood out on his blue skin and his crimson eyes seemed to pierce through anything. Astrid found herself staring at her husband in awe, captivated by how breathtaking she found him. This was indeed a rare sight as Loki almost always refused to show his true form. “Are you alright, my love?” Astrid flinched a little as she was brought out from her stare. She nodded, giving him a smile “You’re beautiful.” Her cheeks were a light shade of pink under her helmet. 
His own cheeks darkened slightly from her comment and he felt a warm stirring inside of his chest. Images of her with that same blush, only more deep, flashed in his mind. She was writhing beneath him, panting, crying out his name- “Laufeyson.” He was brought back down by one of the agents impatient tone. What the hell was going on with him? To make matters worse, he felt a growing tightness in his pants... Not good. It couldn’t be mating season for the Frost Giants already, couldn’t it? Loki did his best to distract himself from that theory by leading the team behind a pillar of frozen rock. “There.” He nodded his head toward a visible hole in the atmosphere, Frost Beasts going in and being sucked into the tear. “Amazing. I’ve never seen anything like this!” One of the crew tried to push past the god to get a closer look, mistakenly placing a hand on the small of Astrid’s back. The agent was then firmly slammed against the pillar with a snarling Trickster leering at him. “You do not lay a hand on my wife!” He hissed at the agent, tightening his grip. “Loki let him go! It was an accident.” The brunette placed a gentle hand on her husbands back, getting him to do so. 
Rightfully so, the agent was a bit more than upset at this sudden action. “What the fuck is wrong with you!? Maybe we should have brought Thor instead of this untrustworthy criminal!!” The agents voice became louder out of anger. “Travis! Shut up!!” Another agent grabbed the agent known as Travis’s shoulder and shook him aggressively. Ignoring the commotion, Loki’s now larger form loomed over Astrid’s, his eyes glazed over. “Are you alright, my dove?” He wanted to take that damn helmet off to feel her skin. She nodded, her brows scrunched in confusion “Baby, are you ok? Maybe we should contact Brand and get him to send for back up.” She reached up and did what Loki had wanted to do to her. The Prince’s large hand held her smaller one to his face as he still looked into her eyes. “That is unnecessary to call for reinforcements...” He walked closer until Astrid was pinned against the wall, her eyes full of fear instead of confusion. She had not the slightest idea what suddenly came over her beloved, but he had to stop it now. “Loki we should really call for back up, you’re not yourself.” She removed her hand from his grip and placed both of her hands on his chest. Her breath picked up and eyes became wide as he tried to take the helmet off, “Loki stop!!” she tried so hard not to scream. 
Just as he was about to take it off, one of the agents let out a scream of terror that was followed by a ferocious roar. Whipping around, Loki saw the agents being mauled to bits by 2 Frost Beasts who had stalked them down. “This is your fault!!” Travis pointed to Loki, blood splattering in the helmet as one of the beasts chomped down on his lower half. The sight caused Astrid to yelp in horror and grab onto Loki tightly. “Brand!!” The prince pressed in on his ear piece as his mind was out of that amorous fog it had previously been clouded by. “Brand come in!!” His jaw clenched, his eyes focused on the beasts approaching. “Your highness! We heard screaming! We are on our way-” , “No!! You will call for reinforcements from my brother and get out of here NOW.” Loki scooped Astrid up in his arms without warning and sprint for the dark, dense wood. At least the stubbornly thick trunks of the frozen trees would slow the beasts pursuing just a little. A loud roar of an engine blasted to life as Brand and the pilot had done as they were told, nearly missing the tear. 
As long as they reached Earth safely, then Thor would be here in no time... At least Loki had hoped. In truth, he didn’t know how many beasts could have crossed the realm at this point. “LOKI!!” Astrid screamed as a large clawed foot came down on the both of them. It was too late for the Trickster to make any proper move and Astrid was knocked from his arms. He looked up after the initial impact, frantically searching for his wife until his heart almost stopped. The prince did indeed spot her, but her long brown hair was spread out and her helmet missing. Loki leapt up, rushing over to her and hoisting her back into his arms. Her cheeks and nose were bright red with a nice cut on her forehead to match. “Shit!!” He held the unconscious woman to his body close, hearing the beasts approaching faster than he would like. As if it wasn’t hard already, spears began to fly out of no where. Thankfully, the beasts became distracted by the new intruders and gave Loki time to escape. However, the spears continued to fly in his direction and nearly hit he and Astrid both. The Trickster ripped one of the spears from the ground as he fled, still clutching the woman in his arms tightly. 
Loki ran for what seemed like a while and after a brief period of time, the spears stopped. Relief washed over him as he saw an abandoned Jotun village in sight. These structures were built into the mountain and were questionable when stability was considered; but it would have to do. If they were lucky enough, this settlement would have a natural hot spring inside as well. Hastily, he entered in the cave and found that luck was on their side after all. In the cave, there were used furs, baskets that had not been touched for quite some time, some pillows,  a few spears similar to the one Loki had grabbed, a hot spring and a fire pit. “Mother, if you lead us here... Thank you.” He let out an exhausted sigh as he carefully set Astrid down on the furs and adjusted them to keep her warm. His touch against her slowly warming cheek lingered a bit longer than he wanted and the unwelcome arousing thoughts returned. Loki felt his cock harden painfully to the idea of stripping the resting brunette from her suit and ravaging her mortal body. “No.” He swallowed, looking away from his wife before getting up. “I will not do that to her.” He scolded himself and took a deep breath. Perhaps scouting the area would get his mind off of these intrusive perversions. 
As the prince examined the area, he found quite a few useful tools and ancient artifacts of the people who once lived here. Loki looked down at his hand, noticing he was still blue and tried to shift back to his Aesir form. No such luck. Not only that, but his length was still throbbing with desperate need. He sighed in great irritation and frustration as he concluded it was indeed mating season. “Great.” He ran one of his hands down his blue ridged face. How in the hell was he supposed to protect Astrid from everything on this forsaken planet when he was also one of those dangers? Thor and company could not come any faster or get that damn portal shut; he hoped Brand made it back. His body froze in place as he heard movement coming from where he had placed Astrid. As quietly as he could, Loki crept from the other side of the cavern and almost moaned at the sight. The girl had indeed awakened and was completely naked in the spring, warming herself up. She looked ethereal to the prince with how her skin shined with droplets of water and her long hair floating effortlessly when she sat down. 
“She is ready, rightful king.” 
Loki jumped slightly from the sudden voice, looking around to see where it came from. 
“Do not be stupid, boy. It is your own feral side speaking with you. She cannot hear me.” 
He let a shaky breath out, closing his red eyes and attempting to calm his mind and hormones. 
“I know you can smell her, she is ripe and ready to be bred. Her hips are so deliciously worthy of child bearing. You will submit in the end... I know how badly you want her in that regard, I have seen your thoughts of her full with your child-” 
“Enough.” He whispered to himself, grabbing his head as it began to throb. “I will not do that to her.” 
“Baby? Are you ok?” Astrid’s sweet voice captured the prince’s attention. 
Her body stood half out of the water, allowing him a view of her breasts, abdomen, hips... 
The voice chuckled darkly inside of his head “Baby? Hmmm... She calls you what she has craved to give you all this time. How endearing, but yet you hold back... Because you know it will kill her weak mortal body. But you want to fuck her, claim her, breed her and show everyone that she is yours-” 
Loki gasped sharply as he felt Astrid touch his cheek and he ripped away, his pants uncomfortably tight. “Hey, what’s wrong?” She rose from the steaming waters to get closer to him. “You’ve been acting so strange ever since we arrived, please tell me. I want to help you.” Her large teal eyes glimmered in the dim light. The prince swallowed hard, looking away from his wife before his natural instincts consumed him. His heart beat faster, blood pounding in his ears loudly the longer he looked away and fought himself. “Y-You need to go. I cannot be near you. Please, Astrid go back where I had placed you and rest.” His voice was hoarse from the panting he hadn’t realized he was doing. “I’m not leaving you. If you’re hurt please tell me-” She stopped, stepping back as Loki stood with his full height over her. “I will hurt you if you continue to be near me. Now go.” He spoke through his teeth, watching the frightened girl make her way back to the furs and wrapping herself in them; not bothering to put her undergarments or suit back on. 
“I....” He started, turning away from her and picking up one of the Jotun spears. “I am going to hunt. I will try to be back as soon as I can, so please just.. Just do not leave this cave.” Loki ran a hand through his dark locks, exhaling loudly before exiting the cavern. Astrid blinked a few times, pulling the furs a little tighter to her body and laying down upon the oddly comfortable pillows. She watched the bonfire until her eyelids became heavy and sleep claimed her tired form. 
For at least what seemed like an hour or two, Loki had been successful in hunting a few small creatures that were similar to rabbits. During this time, that awful voice had left him alone and it gave Loki some clarity to think. He glanced at the sky and saw no sign of back up arriving as the tear was still pulling energy into it like a black hole. What kind of trap or battle tactic was this? Sure, Thanos had managed to get Loki alone per say, but made no sudden attack yet. Was this all just an assumption that the Mad Titan was behind it? He already had terrifying numbers for his army, what more did he possibly need and why Jotunheim of all places? The dark haired prince shook his head, shrugging to his own questions before turning around to head back. A sharp thudding pain returned to his head after he thought he had finally been rid of this nasty headache. “Damn it.” He leaned against a tree, grabbing his forehead and squeezing his eyes shut. Along with this upper pain, the lower pain also made itself obviously present. He glanced down at the large bulge in his trousers and whined from how badly his cock throbbed. 
“You have what you need, now go and take what is yours.” 
The voice returned with an even louder presence. 
“You will not gain anything from ignoring your prowess; you will continue to suffer more the longer you fight until you cannot do so anymore. Succumb to it. Breed her and take what is yours!... If you do not, then I will and there is no such thing as being gentle with me.” 
“Alright!! I-I’ll do it!!” Loki felt a wetness slide down his cheek. The thought of hurting Astrid was destroying him. The thought of her dying because of what he did to her- 
“Just agreeing with me will not do. So unless you want me to take over for you, then I suggest you give into your bodies primal need. This is the last time I will give you leeway before I take control.” 
Letting out a weak sob, Loki trudged forth whilst dragging his kills behind him in the snow. His body ached so badly for release and freedom from this torment, but Loki knew how breeding worked and he was terrified. Astrid would be subjected to almost a week of non stop fucking until he was certain she would fall pregnant with his child. As much as he wanted to literally drag his feet and get to the cave as slowly as possibly, his body would not allow it. Within minutes, he was back inside and shedding his armor rather roughly. He had to do this lest that dark side of his do something he would regret. Once he removed everything, Loki winced at the painful pulse that throbbed through his aching member; pre-cum dripping from the angry dark blue head. Supper would have to wait for now, or at least he hoped they would get a chance to get some type of nourishment. He walked over to the sleeping girl and noticed her phone. Perhaps by some odd chance, she would have a signal? He picked it up to test that theory, but no such luck. However, something else caught his attention... She had a period tracking app. He touched the screen, opening the app and feeling his cock throb again as he read that this time she was most fertile. 
His nostrils flared as he tossed the phone aside, the screen shattering in the process. She could get a new one later if help arrived quickly. Loki crawled over the sleeping girl and peeled the furs away from her naked body. A growl ripped through his chest, startling Astrid awake. Her lips parted slightly as she wanted to say something, but lost the words. The brunette let out a squeal as the god above her pinned her wrists to the make shift bed. “Loki stop. You’re scaring me.” She whimpered, breath picking up quickly. He did not respond but instead, leaned forward and captured her lips in a sloppy kiss. Astrid’s squirming of protest and small whines only made Loki want her more while she was beneath him. “Loki, stop!!” She gasps, giving a small sob as she felt his teeth sink into the flesh of her neck. This wasn’t the man she married; this wasn’t her Loki. Flashbacks to that day he tried to assault her began to play in her head, and with all her might; she shoved the god off of her and scrambled up. Astrid struggled to crawl to a near by corner of the cave, her chest rising up and down quickly. 
The god growled out of vexation, quickly rising to his feet and sauntering to the trembling girl. Astrid noticed his dripping cock, her body betraying her by shooting heat to her lower lips. He was HUGE. This was not to say Loki was not well endowed, because he very much was. However, in this form his length had not only gained an inch or two but also had become more thick. He was going to split her in half with that monster between his legs. Astrid turned her gaze back up to his and held eye contact. Once Loki saw tears slide down her face, he briefly snapped out of his aroused state and knelt down. “Pet... Oh Norns.. I-I’ve scared you, haven’t I?” He cursed himself for doing so. She was still too shaken to say anything but gave him a small nod, curling in on herself. “Astrid.” He gently took her arm, pulling the hesitant woman to him. “I need you, please.” His forehead pressed upon hers and his eyes shut. Astrid began to calm down, sensing that this was not his fault at all and released a shaky breath. Loki’s head began to throb once again, the threat of that dark side of him rearing it’s ugly claws. “Listen to me.” His lip twitched, fighting that voice off as best as he could. “F-For the next week I need to breed you.” Loki felt like wanting to die saying that sentence. 
Astrid gaped, her heart racing at what he just said. “But I thought-” She was silenced with a needy kiss. “My feelings about that remain unchanged, but for the time being,” He looked at her “I need you to endure me. I understand you are mortal and have needs. I will do my best to let you eat, sleep, bathe and relieve yourself but I will not stop fucking you. Not until I am sated and positive that.. That you are with child.” defeat laced his voice. Astrid removed her forehead from his, lifting his chin gently to look at her as he had cast his gaze aside. “I love you, Loki. I love you with every fiber of my being.” Her hands moved to cup his face, her thumbs stroking his sharp cheek bones. “I know you know how I feel about it but, we can work something out if anything happens....” Astrid smiled softly, placing a smooch to his forehead before continuing with a nervous look in her eyes. “I will do this, for you but I-I need you to promise me something. If I do end up..” She began to choke up. “I want to keep it. I’m contradicting myself by saying this but Loki.. I love you so much and I want to give you a family of your own. I want to have children with you and raise them together-” 
The woman is cut off by Loki scooping her into his grasp and going back to the furs, placing her down on them. “You are so willing and ready to carry my child-” He growled, nipping at her neck. “Yes I- O-Oh Loki!” Astrid moans, breath hitching as she felt his fingers stroke her clit in small circles. She felt his cold lips trail down her collar bone to her breasts, taking a hardened bud into his mouth. Her back arched slightly into him as he sucked and kissed at her breasts hungrily. “I cannot wait to see these swell with milk for our child.” He growled out, abandoning her pearl in favor of kneading her fleshy mounds. “I have dreamt about taking you like this and feeling your quim flutter around my cock as you scream for more.” He reached down, chuckling as he felt how wet she had become just from dirty talk. “My, my... I’ve barely touched you and here you lay, your tight pussy dripping with desire from my words.” He slides two of his slender digits inside of her, drinking in the sound of her moans. Loki hummed at how her walls clenched around his fingers as he pushed them in and out. 
“F-Fuck!! Loki!” Astrid whines, throwing her head back as she feels him add a third finger in preparation for his length. She panted loudly, her hips bucking upwards for more friction. Loki grinned at her movements, his thumb now applying pressure to her clit as he continued to finger her. “Look at you, bucking your hips. My fingers feel good, don’t they? Mmm yes, but nothing quite like what I am about to give you.” He pulled his fingers from her cunt, slurping her essence off of his fingers crudely. The brunette whines, she was so close to orgasm before he had to- Oh. 
A new pressure stretches her walls, making her gasp a little out of surprise and a bit of pain. “You’re so tight.” Loki moans into her ear, pushing his hips forward into her heat. He does not have time to go slow or slow down for her, his instincts were kicking in. Both of them stilled for a moment in equally and impatiently panting messes before the prince bottomed out and withdrew completely from her before slamming his cock back in hard. Astrid’s nails sunk into her lovers back as his pace was brutal. His hips slammed into her and he growled into the side of her neck, biting the junction where her neck and shoulder met. “You’re g-going to tear me in half!!” The brunette held onto the god for dear life, her whimpers loud from pain and pleasure. It was all too much and had Astrid thinking second thoughts, but it was too late for that. There was no going back and no escaping a horny Jotun male needing to breed. 
Loki made a noise somewhere between a whine and a moan as his hips stuttered, spilling his seed inside of her. Astrid moaned at the feeling of his hot seed filling her up, but yelped as she felt him start to jackhammer into her again. He wrapped one of his large hands around her slender neck, staring down at her through animalistic eyes. One of her hands grasped at his wrist lightly in case she needed to signal him when she was at her limit. Astrid’s airflow was cut off, her pussy clenching down on Loki’s cock and milking him on his way to another orgasm. “Mmm my little cock slut.” His voice was rough, heavy with desire. He reached down with his freehand, playing with her clit and laughing as he watched her squirm from overstimulation. Loki squeezed her neck harder and brought her to the edge of sweet bliss as he thrust into her. “Cum. Now.” He ordered, releasing her neck and watching his wife come undone on his cock. There was a sudden glint of fluid that escaped Astrid while she came, Loki had managed to make her squirt. 
His pupils widened at this and he came on the spot, groaning loudly. Again, Astrid whined from the ropes of cum he shot inside of her. The girl panted hard, her limbs quivering and exhaustion not too far behind. Loki pulled his rock hard member out of her, placing her on her hands and knees. He watched as his cum dripped from her reddened cunt, making him lick his lips. “Ah!” Astrid jolted forth slightly from Loki entering her again. His pace remained the same and the sound of their fluids smacking together bounced off the walls. The brunette squeaked as a strong grip pulled her back flush to the prince’s chest, his breath hot on her ear. “Such a good girl taking my cock like this, my sweet girl.” He moaned into her hair, breathing in her scent and growling. While his right arm held her against his lithe torso, his left hand traveled back down to play with her sensitive nub. “Oh my god!! L-Loki I’m still sensitive!!” Astrid cried out, her legs spreading a little wider and shaking. It was not long before he had her coming hard over and over again. He would not relent or back off to let her rest as his hormones raged. 
Loki took her hand, placing it over her womb and grinning “Do you feel it? My cock fucking you? Burying my cum deep inside you?” 
“Y-Yes” she said breathlessly as her husband continued to pound away. 
“Yes what?” He growled
“Yes, my king!!” Astrid’s mouth fell open and her clit throbbed from overwhelming pleasure as another orgasm ripped through her tired body. Her eyes were so heavy and her core already ached from the relentless abuse. Astrid tensed up slightly as she felt his fingers on her clit again and another large amount of his cum spilling inside her. “T-Too much!! Too much!! Loki let me rest! Please!” She whined, gasping as he pulled out of her. Astrid was spent. She could not move at all and sleep begged to claim her. “Please.. Let me-Mmm!” She winced, feeling his cock slide back into her but Loki unmoving. “I-I’m sorry my love.” He panted into her ear, cock twitching inside of her. “I will allow you to rest for a bit until I can no longer take it. I am so sorry.” He buried his face into her long, now slightly dampened hair as he curled his body around hers. Loki would certainly try his best to give Astrid what she had required, but the voice still nagged in the back of his mind.
---------
“Brother?!” Thor called out into the cave and made his way in. 
His cheeks turned a deep shade of pink as he heard panting, moaning, and skin slapping against skin. As he walked into the room, he immediately regretted the decision as he witnessed Loki holding a very limp and exhausted, yet still coherent, Astrid. With a final cry, Loki spent the last of his seed and energy inside of his wife, collapsing on top of her and his Aesir form returning. 
“Hey, buddy what’s going on in here?” Bruce had attempted to poke his head in but Thor quickly pushed him out, his pants embarrassingly tight. “Er, my brother and Lady Astrid have been fornicating. Let us just be thankful that Stark is not here.” He gave the doctor a sheepish smile. Bruce felt his cheeks become a bit warm, “Right, right. Ahem,” He cleared his throat “Well it has been about a week and a half and I know they’re married so I can’t say I blame ‘em.” He coughed again, wanting to get the show on the road. “Oh for the love of- I’ll go get them.” Brunhilde scoffed, rolling her eyes and walking in to retrieve the debilitated couple. Thor gave yet another awkward smile, “That is exactly the issue, Banner. Loki is a Jotun... He... He has these times where he er, he goes into a..” To save Thor anymore trouble, Bruce waved his hands and nodded “I get it.” 
Thankfully, Loki and Astrid remained entwined and unconscious in each others arms the entire ride back. Thor and company had arrived a day or so ago to take care of the portal and find the missing team. The reason why it had taken them a week and a half was due to the Frost Beasts also breeding. 
----------
2 weeks later 
“I-It’s negative.” Astrid smiled sadly to Loki, showing him the test stick. His brow raised and he sighed out of relief. Just to make certain, Loki even had Bruce, Doctor Cho and a few Asgardian healers check to be absolutely sure. 
“Darling, I know-” The god paused for a moment, thinking of how to word what he wanted to say without causing any grief. “I know that you want to and I am beyond touched that you would go that far for me.” He took her arms gently and rubbed them, “Please understand that I am scared for your safety. We do not have enough research on cross breeding or if you will even survive the pregnancy let alone childbirth. Not to mention Thanos is still actively destroying everything in sight” He paled slightly and shook his head of that thought before looking back into Astrid’s eyes and pushing some hair from the frame of her face. “If I may speak freely, I am terrified that I will be no better than Odin or Laufey. I apologize for withholding information from you, but now you know why I... Why I do not want children.” He quickly placed a kiss on her head. “Be safe and have a good day at work. I will see you later.” 
With that, Astrid was left alone and tears sliding down her cheeks. She loved Loki so much and wished he would at least try to understand... But if she had to give up that dream, then she would have to- 
“O-Ow..” Astrid bent over all of a sudden, her hand on her scar. She felt.. Cold. She placed her other hand over her womb and felt the same chill. Quickly, she ran to the bathroom in hers and Loki’s shared apartment and turned the light on. Astrid lifted her shirt and saw that the skin where she held her hands was red as if she had laid in the snow. Swallowing hard, she pulled her shirt down and picked the test stick from the trash. It still read negative... “I-I must be imagining things.” She laughed nervously, swiping her clean hand through her hair and turning to wash her hands. As she turned the light off and made her way to work, the test stick changed from negative, to positive. 
DUN DUN DUNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
Man why am I not writing their story out as one big fic? idk. Anyways! I hope you enjoyed this <3 It definitely wasn’t as spicy but eh, I still think it was. 
taglist: @lucywrites02​
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gh0sture · 3 years
Text
Under the Sea
Trafalgar Law x gn!reader
Part 2, Meet the gang
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You've never been particularly good at meeting new people or making good first impressions for that matter but this, by far, has to be your worst one yet. Your clothes are soaked still, your hair a sticky mess from the saltwater and your mouth is opening and closing lika a fish gasping for air as it flaps around on a bridge after being caught. It's not one of your best looks you'll admit but it is all you can offer at the moment given the circumstances.
You try to form coherent thoughts, you really do, but this is just way too much for you to take in. He reaches a hand out and you flinch before grabbing it to make an awkward shake.
This isn't just insane. This is completely knock-your-socks-off bonkers.
You feel as if you were looking at the golden gates of heaven themselves, not daring to look him in the eyes out of fear that you might go blind from the sheer radiance of his aura meanwhile the man in question just looked at you blankly. Possibly with a hint of disgust. Definitely a bit of disgust.
"The name's Trafalgar Law, captain of Polar tang" his handshake is firm and he looks at you expectantly while retrieving his hand and crossing his arms over his chest.
Neither of you say anything. He clears his throat but you give no reaction. Still staring at him like a five year old looking at a blackboard of university level algebra equations. He grimaces slightly at your behavior.
"Are you ok? I don't remember finding any trauma to your head, you should be fine" he grabs your chin and tilts your head around to inspect it disapprovingly in search of an injury. Although, he is an expert doctor so he would never miss any injuries, his pride wouldn't let him. This does nothing to soothe your symptoms though and doesn't exactly help with calming your heartbeat at all.
"I wouldn't have missed anything what's wrong with you" he mutters to himself when you finally managed to collect yourself enough to remove his hands.
"uhh no! no, i'm ok! thank you for ,uh, saving me by the way" this is the best and worst thing that have ever happened to you.
"it wasn't my choice" he deadpanned and turn back into the room to get a den-den mushi with a familiar penguin hat on it. Its so strange seeing on in real life. Although, you don't know if this is real life (is it just fantasy?). He proceeds to make a phone call (mushi-call? den-den call?) into it while you shift awkwardly on your feet in the hallway. Your feet ache from walking on the metal grid barefoot you had barely noticed until now. After exchanging a few words he walk over to the desk where he'd previously  been sitting and open a journal, presumably to continue doing whatever he did before.
"One of my crew members will be here shortly to get you settled for now and give you some necessities. We reach a port in nine days where you can leave." his voice was calm and composed, like pouring molten chocolate into your ears even though the words themselves were less than pleasant. When he spoke you could feel your knees get weak and you feel tempted to ask him a question for the sole purpose of hearing him speak more. God this man was hot. You nodded at his statement at first, not really paying attention to what he had actually said until you realized that nothing he said had been actually registered in your head.
"Wait, what?" you asked. He doesn't look up from his writing but you can hear the mild annoyance in his voice when he answers.
"Looking at you, you are rather ill equipped for staying here until we reach a populated island. Since you don't have any money or anything valuable, my crew will provide for you until we reach the port where you can find another ship to go back wherever you came from...Whatever weird country that's supposed to be...Now go down the hallway, He should be there already to help you so leave me alone" you get the feeling that you'll loose a limb if you stick around longer so you turn to head down the hallway and find "Him" who you hoped would be more polite.
"Not that way" you hear from the study and you turn around to head down the other way, somewhat (very) embarrassed.
You really wished that your first time meeting a celebrity would've gone better, but then again they do say that you should never meet your heroes. Was he always this rude in the series and book? Sure he came across as a bit of a tsundere but he seemed at least approachable in the series. You don't have the charisma or extroverted superpowers that Luffy have so that is probably an important thing to consider. As you head down the hallway you come across a man walking in your direction pretty soon. He seem far more ok with your existence and even appear to lit up a bit when he sees you and give you a friendly wave. This is already going a lot better than last time.
"Yo! You're the one we found floating around yesterday! Nice to meet you, people around here call me Penguin" He gives you a wide yet genuine smile as he grab your hand and shake it enthusiastically before you even have the chance to reach out.
"thought you were a goner when we found you haha!So it's good to see that you're up n' about, c'mon let me show you a round!" he turn around to walk from where he had just come from while you follow behind him silently.
Penguin makes it his personal responsibility to keep a conversation going even if it's pretty one-sided but it's nice. Comforting even, as he went on about how nice the other crewmembers are with the exception of the captain but you shouldn't take what he says too personal as he's a bit misunderstood. He  ask you different questions like your name, where you came from, complimenting you on your weird clothes, although it feels like that was mostly him being polite and you didn't have heart or energy to tell him that you're wearing PJ's. He doesn't mind your short answers and seems satisfied with the information he's able to divulge. To be fair you aren't sure how to answer since you don't know how you ended up here but also out of fear of ripping the space-time continuum open by telling him forbidden knowledge about his universe. It would be rather awkward explaining to him that you know a lot about them and what they've done/are about to do. You've technically stalked them through tv and books and if someone told you that they've been watching you, you would freak out. Rightfully so too. They might even think that you're a navy spy sent to gather information action for their arrest and they could kill you. Yeah, this is a mess and a half but you'll burn this bridge when you get to it. You did tell him your name though and he doesn't seem to suspect you working for some nefarious organization so all is well.
He showed you where the important places in the submarine was such as the kitchen, living quarters, rec area and bathrooms. You still have trouble telling up from down will undoubtedly get lost but he assures you that after a while you'll know this maze like the back of your hand. After leaving the living quarters he guides you to the top deck to find someone else he says will help you so that he can get back to work.
The yellow ship had surfaced at a deserted summer island and everyone was outside enjoying the sun after spending several days in the dark of the ocean. You hadn't been down in the submarine for that long , at least not while being conscious, and was already getting a bit unnerved over how cold and cramped it was. As soon as the warm rays of light hit you both the cold and your worries melt away.
"Hey Ikkaku! You have to help the drifter get some clothes!" He yelled at a woman laying in a sun-chair on the deck with her eyes closed. The familiar heart pirates uniform was open to reveal a green tank top and an orange and yellow striped hat was laying beside her.
"Haah!? Why do I have to do it?" She sat up to glare at Penguin and was about to protest when she spotted you behind him. One second you were hiding behind Penguin and the next you're face to face with a very pretty woman with very poofy hair. Her glorious lion name bounces a bit as she hold up both your hands in hers and lean over a bit to stare into your eyes. Everyone is so tall here why is everyone so ridiculously tall. Anime proportions are wild.
"Oh my god!! We were so worried about you, we thought you were dead when we found you!" You felt uncomfortable with her being so close to your face and politely thanked her for saving you while doing your best to avoid eye contact.
"Oi! Where's your manners! They've been through a lot being stranded in the ocean have some respect!" He bops her on the head and she lets you go to tell him off (and/or punch him back) but she remembers the shiny new toy in front of her and settles for staring daggers at him instead.
"Oh shut yer trap" She stares at you intensely as if to make sure you wouldn't run away or vanish into thin air. It's kind of nice being fawned over like this, and clearly the crew enjoy having a visitor.
"It's so nice having a fresh face around, It's been years since Captain let anyone new stay onboard  and being stuck with all the same jerks weeks on end gets a bit tiring you know. Now come on and let's go find you some proper clothes!" She grab your hand to drag you along back into the dark,dark depths of the submarine.
Oh joy. more cold, feet grating and claustrophobia.
"You're a bit smaller than everyone so we should probably ask Uni to sow it in for you if it's way too big" She says more to herself rather than you while handing you the classical white uniform with the heart pirates logo on the chest over your heart.
The woman who's name you had learned to be Ikkaku turn around and continued rummaging around the small closet in front of her in search of more clothes for you while you change into the white uniform when she isn't looking. It feels incredible to finally get out of those damp and sticky clothes and into something soft and warm instead. You are also the proud owner of a pair of fuzzy socks and black boots. Your poor abused feet are overjoyed that they no longer have to walk the metal grid of a thousand needles. Life is good.
"Once we get to the port of Pellar island you can probably trade your way to some more clothes but this should be fine for now"
In the little time you had spent with her you had learned quite the few things about the crew on the ship. For starters there were 21 members in the crew (including the captain), You were lucky number 22 according to Ikkaku, even though you aren't a part of the crew it's apparently better to have an even number of people aboard the ship. And hearing the stories of what they've been through it seems like you're their new rabbits foot. Since you're considered baggage or fancy cargo rather than someone useful she gives you some times on how to stay out the way, especially out if the captains way which you feel is probably a wise decision but you offer your help should she need it in the kitchen which she greatly appreciates. You hate feeling useless.
You can't help but wonder where you are in the Once Piece timeline as you rolled up the long sleeves of the uniform on your arms and legs for comfort. Had Luffy and Law already formed the alliance? Were you before the timeskip and the incident at Marine Ford? Maybe you were even ahead of the manga and anime itself in a future arc even. You were snapped out of your thoughts when Ikkaku pushed a bundle of toiletries into your arms involving a towel, a toothbrush, and a bar of soap.
"We haven't figured out where you'll sleep for the moment but it'll work out soon enough. Otherwise you can just sleep in a spare bed in the infirmary but come help me gather food from the island! We don't want to get scurvy while we're submerged!" She drag you away towards the deck after leaving your things in her room for safe keeping for now.
This woman is going to pull your arm off.
She seemed very sweet but all the touching and stereotypical anime arm-pulling is weird since you have literally just met. The way she smiles while asking you about your favourite foods and how she excitedly plan different recipes out loud make you almost forgive her though. Almost.
You move sluggishly towards Ikkaku's room to get the only material items you currently own in this world. Foraging for fruits and herb until nightfall was tiring but at least you didn't have to carry that much stuff, a guy with a black pompadour haircut had come along to help carry the crates of stuff you and Ikkaku gathered. He seemed very nice too, somewhat cocky though. You had asked Ikkaku for information on a certain Straw-hat pirate while making small talk and have come to the conclusion that he probably hasn't even started his adventure towards becoming the Pirate King yet. She didn't know who you were referring to and was even showed some seagull newspaper from their library but no info of the gummy monkey man could be found whatsoever. Since you recall him making news very early on in his "career" it's fair to assume that he hasn't gotten up to his mischief yet.
It feels a bit weird to be honest. To be in the prologue of the story like this and you have no idea what kind of things anyone other than the Strawhats and Luffy had been up to since the story followed them, maybe some vague details about Law's past and fragments from some characters backstories but this is all uncharted territory. Your thoughts are interrupted as you suddenly bump into someone and fell backwards. You reach your arms out like a bad imitation of a seagull in attempt to grab the wall but someone grabs you before you manage to take hold of anything. Your grab their shoulders to steady yourself and let go once you're back on your feet but they don't remove their hands from you. You look up to thank them for catching you when all the colour drains from your face and you realize who you're standing prom-slow-dance proximity to. It is but the one and only person you'd least want to embarrass yourself in front of. Again.
"Do you have a death wish or are you just plain stupid 22-ya" He looked down at you with what you assume to be the ghost of an amused smile or slight disgust. Probably disgust. Again. while you're distracted by his closeness and the humiliating event that is currently taking place. It could be much worse though, right? you can salvage this situation probably.
"Crap, sorry I was just zoned out.." You tried looking anywhere but his oh-so-handsome face to avoid you making this anymore awkward than it already was. You are not immune against handsome people after all. You tried moving away from him slightly but his hands stayed firm on your shoulders and could feel his gaze on you like needle pricks on your skin. you definitely do not dare looking him in the eye.
"You have to look where you're going or you might get seriously hurt next time" He mused. He may be attractive but he's definitely a jerk.
"It's impossible to see down here it's so dark..." you mutter under your breath and quickly move to side to walk past him, he let's go this time rejoice that your attempt to escape the harassing captain is successful, desperate to get away from this weird atmosphere you have created. Unfortunately for you, the universe have other plans  as he start walking behind you in the same direction you are and boy, is it awkward.
After a bit of walking you start to get a bit suspicious though. Was he following you around, waiting for you to get lost so that he could make a smartass comment about it? He is the kind of person who would find great amusement in petty bullshit like that for sure but then again you do have a tendency of assuming the worst in every situation. You decide to test this theory out by steeping to the side and make as much room as you could in the hallway and drop down to pretend fixing your shoelace. Instead of trying to walk past you he stops completely right behind you. You move as slow as you can without arising suspicion but he so kindly wait patiently behind you. When you're done "tying your shoelace" and stand up to continue your journey he follows close behind.
Oh hell no.
You can handle rudeness but this is some psychological warfare or foul play that you want no part of. No matter how handsome the guy is you will not stand for this kind of fuckery. You make a sudden halt and quickly turn around to kindly tell him to fuck off.
"Do you need something from me?" you ask with as much calm you can currently muster, irritation building up behind your customer service smile but he doesn't say anything and only look at you with the same dumb face as before. Almost like he's sizing you up before a fight. Possibly with even more disgust this time.
This Motherfucker.
When he still doesn't say anything for several seconds you just decide to be the bigger person and turn around to start walking again. Of course, with him still following you. It's better to just ignore him and he'll go away, you know where you're going. You finally reached Ikkaku's room and gather up the few items that belong to you when he finally speak up.
"You don't have a room assigned yet right?" You gave him a somewhat puzzled look. That's what he needed to know? That is why he followed you?? To ask you this???
"No? why?" You admit cautiously, almost preparing for him to start fighting you or using his power to "confiscate" one of your organs. For a brief second you could've sworn you saw a mischievous glint in his eyes you know that something bad is brewing. The cogs of evil are turning in his mind and you know that whatever comes out of his mouth next will undoubtedly mean bad news for you.
"I have an idea"
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anarchyduck · 3 years
Text
Peas in a Pod
Day 20 Alt Prompt: De-Aged 
(posted it on AO3 yesterday, forgot to post it here oops) AO3
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“So let me get this straight,” - Tony massages his temple in effort to soothe his growing headache - “There was a wizard.”
“Yeah,” Ned nods. “And he was shooting off fireballs, like real fireballs, and it was awesome and kinda scary and-”
“Ned. Ned. Find the shortcut to the point. Because nothing explains” - Tony gestures towards the couch - “that.” 
Ned blushes with embarrassment and nods . “Right! Sorry, sir. So, uhm, Pete was fighting the wizard guy and he was doing really good! Was totally kicking his ass! And then the wizard like, shot him with some kind of purplish black energy ray stuff? Like it shot right out of his hands. Then the wizard was gone and Pete was… like this.” 
Tony eyes the kid on the couch. Same curly brown hair. Same doe brown eyes. It’s everything else that’s wrong. Peter is sixteen, a teenager, and this kid looks like he’s no more than five years old. 
As for Peter, well, he looks content watching videos on Ned’s phone. Some children’s cartoon about dogs or something, Tony didn’t quite catch it. But the kid likes it and he isn’t crying anymore so Tony counts that as a win. Judging from the confused state the kid was in upon arrival, it’s safe to assume Peter’s memories are wiped. Or, rather, memories of his life in the present day which is a problem in and of itself.  
“So,” Ned’s drawl catches his attention. “What are we going to do?”
Tony raises an eyebrow. “We?” he shakes his head. “No, no, you are going home.” 
“What about Peter?” 
Yeah Stark, what about Peter? 
“He’ll go with his aunt.” Tony says simply. Easy enough solution. 
“You mean you can’t like, fix him?” Ned asks. “What if he ends up staying like this forever?” 
Tony waves off the teen’s concerns. “He won’t.” he assures. “Whatever the wizard guy hit him with will probably wear off in a couple hours. Easy peasy.” After all, the kid couldn’t stay like this forever, could he? That is just absurd. 
----------
The effects don’t wear off. 
Two hours later and Peter is still a child. Ned is gone, reluctantly dragged out by Happy who also delivered clothes that fit the kid better so he’s no longer swimming in the Doctor Who shirt Tony assumed belonged to one of the boys. During that time, Tony contacts May to fill her in on what’s going on. The woman is stuck at work (“We’re incredibly short staffed today, it’s ridiculous.”) and unable to leave before her shift is over. 
It leaves Tony in charge of the kid which, while normally wouldn’t be an issue, he suddenly finds himself out of his depth. Teenagers, he can handle. No problem. They could be reasoned with. But small children? 
“Mr. Tony?” 
Tony jumps, spinning on hell with his hand pressed firmly against his heart. “Holy shit!” he gasps.
Peter flinches back, eyes wide and looking as startled as Tony feels. Then his bottom lip begins to quiver. 
“No no, don’t cry.” Tony says in a rush. “I didn’t mean to scare you, kid. You snuck up on me. Ought to put a bell on you someday.” 
That earns him a giggle which washes away the rising guilt. “Uncle Ben says that too.” Peter says. “Says I’m really good at sneaking.” 
“You are good at sneaking.” Tony affirms. “What are you doing down here anyway? Thought you were watching TV?” Least that’s where Tony left him. Kid was content with watching the cartoon with the dogs and he figured he could get some work done tracking down the wizard guy. 
“I was, but it’s over now.” Peter says dismissively, his eyes already wandering the workshop. Then he actually begins to wander. Tony watches him, contemplating on whether it’s a good idea to let a four year old wander his workshop. It isn’t exactly kid proof and if he knows anything about kids (which is very limited) it’s they like to touch everything. And put things in their mouths. 
“What’s that?” Peter asks and Tony leans to the side to look past the monitors and equipment to see what the boy is pointing at. 
“Oh that’s DUM-E.” 
The robot chirps in response, clicking it’s claw as it peers curiously at the boy. Tony takes a couple steps towards them, immediately thinking Peter might fear the robot. Much to his relief, the boy’s mouth is agape with wonder and eyes equally wide. 
“Wow!” he gasps. “Hi DUM-E. I’m Peter.” Peter reaches up to pet DUM-E’s extended arm, giggling as the robot chirps at him. “So is he a robot?”
“Yep. I made him.” 
“You made him?” Peter gives him the same look of wonder and amazement. “Wow. Are there other stuff you’ve made?” 
“I’ve made a lot of stuff.”
And so Tony gives the kid a proper tour of the workshop. Like his older self, Peter is sharp minded and incredibly smart. He asks questions Tony doesn’t think a four year old would know to ask and hangs onto every word Tony says. When he introduces Peter to FRIDAY, the kid is so ecstatic he can’t sit still. It warms his heart to know Peter keeps that same excitement as he aged. 
After the tour, Tony brings him into the kitchen to feed him a late lunch. The kid sits on the kitchen counter next to him, watching Tony’s every move. PB&J sandwiches are the easiest thing he can fix and turns out to be the kid’s favorite.
“So you’re a superhero?” Peter asks curiously. 
“Sometimes.” Tony replies as he spreads the peanut butter onto the bread. 
“Like Batman?” 
“Kiddo, I am way cooler and richer than Batman.”
Peter giggles and Tony thinks it might be the cutest goddamn thing he’s heard all day.
“My daddy is like you.” the kid says suddenly.
“Oh yeah? How so?” Tony asks, finding himself equally curious. He knows through his early research into Peter Parker that the boy’s parents are deceased. Father worked for OsCorp, mother worked for some type of law firm. Aside from the atrocious choice of working at OsCorp, both of them seemed relatively normal. 
“Because he makes stuff. B-But not robots like you do. He makes other stuff and-and he white wears a coat and he helps people.” Peter gives a long, wistful sigh then and adds, “I want my daddy and mommy.” 
Tony freezes, butter knife stuck in the jar of jelly. Quite suddenly he remembers something else about Peter’s parents. 
They both died in a plane crash. 
When Peter was four years old.
The man internally panics, mind going blank on what to do, what to say because what can you say? 
“Mr. Tony?” Peter’s little voice draws him from his internal crisis. He tilts his head, looking at him curiously and, dare Tony say it, concern. “Are you okay?” 
“Yeah.” Tony sniffs and finishes up the kid’s sandwich. “Yeah, totally fine kiddo. A-OK. So you want this cut up?”
“Yes.” Peter replies, apparently moved on from the incident. Yet, as Tony puts the knife to bread in order to cut, the kid shouts, “No! No no, not like that! You have’ta make the X.” 
“Huh?” Tony looks a little helplessly from the kid to the bread.
“The X!” Peter leans over and traces an X on the sandwich. “Like that!” 
Tony cuts it up according to the kid’s desire and it’s only then that he sees what the kid means. “Yeah, guess it does look like an X when you cut it, huh? Well, here you go kiddo. Eat up.” He slides the plate to the boy’s side. 
Peter takes a large bite and hums with approval as he chews. “‘Ood yob!” he says around his mouthful. It’s the additional thumbs up that makes Tony chuckle. He grabs a juice box from the fridge for the kid, something teenage Peter would have rolled his eyes and grumbled about. Toddler Peter says a polite ‘thank you’ and picks it up with fingers covered in grape jelly. 
He decides to capture the moment for May and pulls out his phone. “Heads up, kiddo.” he says and takes a picture. Peter is caught in a half smile, peanut butter smeared on the corner of his mouth. There’s a glob of jelly on his shirt that’s run down the image of Thor’s hammer. 
“I wanna see! I wanna see!” Peter instantly demands. 
Tony moves to stand next to him and flips the phone for the kid to see the picture. Peter grins and immediately reaches for the phone. “Uh uh, sticky fingers.” Tony says, which gets the kid giggling about being called ‘sticky fingers’. He moves the phone out of reach and sends the image off to May. 
“So,” Tony says. “What do you want to do after lunch? TV? Go play with DUM-E? Whatever that wannabe Merlin did to you took away your powers, or maybe just suppressed them. Maybe we ought to run some tests to figure that out.” 
On second thought, maybe not. Teenager Peter detests needles; he imagines little Peter hates them just as much. 
“DUM-E!” Peter says excitedly. 
“You’re going to spoil that bot, kid.” 
---
“Thank you so much, Happy.” May says as she steps into the Tower’s elevator. “You really didn’t have to pick me up. I could have drove.”
Happy directs FRIDAY to take them to the penthouse then shakes his head. “It’s no problem.” he says. “Boss wanted to make sure you got here quickly and with that guy who attacked Peter still running around-”
“Right.” May sighs. “Well, guess he could have done worse things than turn Peter younger. At least him and Tony seem to be hitting it off.” She smiles fondly as she recalls the image Tony sent her. She only hopes Peter has been good while they wait for her.
“Yeah, well, the kid’s grown on him.” 
“I feel a little jealous, honestly.” May admits. “Peter was so cute when he was little.” 
The elevator comes to a stop, the doors slide open to the entrance of the penthouse. It’s oddly quiet inside and the lights are dimmed. “Tony?” Happy calls out as he and May walk through the foyer into the living room. 
It looks like a tornado hit it. There are papers thrown about with childish drawings covering them. A sheet covers the kitchen table which has been pulled away from the dining area and there are mini marshmallows covering the floor with some sticking to the large windows that overlook the city. A device that looks like a mini catapult sits on top of the table next to a pile of marshmallows and markers. 
May follows the chaos, finding the TV on with the Incredibles playing on a low volume and both Tony and Peter fast asleep on the couch. Peter is still a toddler in every way May remembers, sleeping with his head on Tony’s chest. There are stickers on their faces and she spots marker smears not only on Peter’s arm but also on the hand that’s resting on Peter’s back. 
“Did you find-” Happy starts, quietened as May shushes him. He comes to her side, expression softening at the sight. “Least they kept each other busy.” he remarks. 
May nods in agreement as she pulls out her phone to take a quick picture of the two. “Like two peas in a pod.” 
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ssa-daddyhotchner · 3 years
Text
Undercover - Chapter 13
Chapter Selection
It had been a week since Hayley and the case. I had multiple sleepless nights. I consistently saw the couple in my dreams and just in general. Aaron and I decided it was a good idea to go back to work. 
Right there in front of me, from the view of my desk to the elevator I saw Monica and Steven. They were 'alive' but there was no slice of their neck but healed scars. 
I looked away and blinked a few times; they disappeared. "Hey y/n you okay", Spencer had seen me spacing out a few times. "I'm fine", that was big fucking lie. I felt like everyone knew what I did. Me and Aaron had to write the case report. Even though Carmine forced us to kill them I still felt as though I was in the wrong.
I put my hand on Spencer's shoulder, "If there's a problem I'll let you know." I smiled weakly at him and he nodded turning back to his files. I turned my attention to Hotch's office, I should talk to him. 
I walked up the ramp getting a few glares from everyone. I knocked on the door, "Come in." 
His low deep voice rumbling through the door. I opened and shut the door; locking it behind me. "What is it?", I ignored the question; I took a seat on the couch and laid down turning away from him. I heard his footsteps as he was getting up from his desk. 
He reached the couch and kneeling in front of me, he put a hand on my shoulder and I flinched.      "Are you gonna tell me what's wrong or do I need to guess." He chuckled trying to cheer me up but I dismissed it. I rolled over facing him unable to meet his eyes. 
"I keep seeing them", he gave me a puzzled look and I continued. "The couple... the people we.. "I trailed off and he sighed. "Do you feel like you're being haunted by them." I nodded. 
He moved my legs and laid them on his lap as he sat next to me. "I think you need to talk to someone about it... not necessarily me but someone." I sat up leaning my head on his shoulder. 
"I would talk to someone else about it but no one knows that we killed them" Aaron let out a small I know. "I wanna talk to you about it, no one else would understand." 
"Ok", he kissed the back of my hand. "When do you wanna start." 
"Now please, even if it's just for a few minutes." He nodded and got up to sit in the seat in front of his desk. He turned it to face me. "Let's talk about the moment Carmine brought the couple out." 
"When I saw them I didn't wanna believe what I was seeing, in the back of my mind I knew what he wanted up to do." 
"What about when he dropped the knives and told us to kill them." I recalled the moment and it felt like it was yesterday. 
"I know we didn't really have a choice but I knew we had to do it." I felt tears springing in my eyes but they never dropped. "And when I slid the knife into and across their throat I felt empty and alone. I was just forced to do the one thing that scared me the most. At that moment I felt like the people we’re trying to catch. Ever since that day I've been having trouble sleeping and I just wanna feel better." 
There were tears running down my face. I couldn't see straight, Aaron was crying too. He was reliving it; I didn't take into account that Aaron probably felt the same way. Talking about the situation helped a little bit, like it wasn't this dirty little secret I was hiding from everyone. 
I had a bad habit of internalizing my pain but this was one thing I couldn't get through alone. I wiped the tears from my cheeks and eyes. "I uh think that's it for today", we both stood up and he walked me to the door. "We will get through this ok", he reassured me by putting a hand on my shoulder and pressing his lips to mine. 
It was short and sweet, I wrapped my arms around him. Hugging him tightly; I opened the door and walked back to my desk. When I sat down Morgan turned his chair, "Mama are you ok... you look like you were crying." I looked at him. 
"Yeah I was, I've just been having a rough time." 
He rolled his chair to mine, "You can talk to me you know. I've had my share of tough times, I might understand." I hugged him, "Thanks." 
"No problem", he went back to his desk and we both continued our work. 
______________________________________________
I was sitting at home when something slipped under my door. It was a note that read.
Found you
I was confused until I remembered my ex. I had run away from him, I didn't know what happened to him after I left. I figured he would've gotten arrested; I was wrong. My breathing started to pick up when I dialed Aarons number. 
He picked up, "Hey baby." When I didn't answer I could hear the concern in his voice. "Y/n? Are you okay." I finally answered. 
"Aaron can you come and pick me up please, I'm gon- gonna stay with you for a few days okay." 
"Okay pack a few bags I'm coming now." I heard the car door shut and the engine turn on. I ended the call and started packing.
I had clothes there but only enough for a few days. Hearing him honk his horn I looked out my window. He was right by the front door. 
I walked out, locked by door, and got into the car. "Are you gonna tell me what's going on." I showed him the note instead of talking. "Your ex?", I nodded and pressed my head against the seat. 
We got to his place and I walked inside going straight for the bedroom. He followed me bringing by things and placing them by the door. "How long has it been", I rubbed my eyes and sat up. 
"Not long enough. This brings back a lot of memories, you need to remember the last time I saw him I was tied to the bed while he was basically torturing me." 
"I really don't need this right now", I groaned out. "Can you show or tell me what he looks like, at least then if I see him I can kick his ass." We chuckled at the comment, I got undressed and walked into the bathroom. Going into the shower I wanted the water to just wash away the stress and anxiety but It did neither. 
When I got out Aaron was on the bed trying to go to sleep. Putting on my pajamas I climbed into bed laying next to him. "Couldn't sleep without me huh", I grinned and he hummed. I was about to fall asleep when I heard pattering. 
I opened my eyes and saw Jack running into the bedroom jumping into the bed and plopping down  in between Aaron and I. I started tickling him, the room was filled with his laughter. "Are you staying with us y/n", him calming down and laying down. I pushed the hair out of his face, "yeah I am buddy." 
"Can I sleep in here tonight?", I looked at Aaron and he nodded. Seeing Jack and I talking all Aaron could do was smile. He loved that we got along, he loved that Jack liked me. 
I fell asleep with Aarons arm around Jack and I. He was nestled between both of us but he was almost laying on Aaron. 
_______________________
I walked over to Garcia's office putting in the code and walking in. He was playing a game on her phone waiting for something to do. "Pen I want you to get the team together for a drink, it would be a lot less depressing if I got drunk with people than alone." 
She turned around pulling my hand to sit down. "Did you hear me?" 
"Yeah I heard you but I wanna talk about you and Hotch." I chuckled and looked away then back at her. "What I told you we have to talk, and I was serious." She had the biggest smile on her face, I swear this woman lived to gossip. "What do you wanna know"
"What's he like outside of work, does he actually know how to have a good time", I hit her arms and smiled. "He surprises me, he's protective, possessive." Garcia raised her eyebrows, "Like the good kind or..." 
"The good kind he wants what's his to stay his if you know what I mean but, he's also kind, gentle, and yes he does have a sense of humor." She smiled. 
"Have you met Jack yet?", I nodded and she got very excited. "Oh my god I'm so happy for you guys but I wanna know one more thing. Are you guys getting serious?" 
"I would say so yeah, like.. before we left for the case we got drunk and before we went to sleep I swear I heard him say marry but I was already almost asleep... now that I'm thinking about it I could've been dreaming about it." 
That made her eyes light up, she stood up and hugged me so tight, "Does that thought make you happy." I gave her a puzzled look. "Marrying him." 
I smiled brightly when I heard the door open. Hotch walked in, "Y/n I was looking for you but uh can we talk for a minute." Garcia glanced at him and walked out the room, "You guys can talk in here it's fine." 
Pen shut the door behind her and I walked towards him, "What's up." 
"I wanted to know how you were doing." He grabbed and held onto my hands looking down at me.
"I'm fine, I've felt better now than I have in the last few weeks since the case." I wasn't seeing them anymore but I still had some restless nights. I was slowly starting to forgive myself for what was happening.
"Pen was talking about a night out with the team, I think that'd be a good idea to reconnect you know." We walked out of the office walking down the hallway to the bullpen. "Okay." 
I pushed the doors, "How does everyone feel about getting drinks tonight." They all gathered around it was 4pm and we left at 5. "Let's do it", all of them said. I sat back down at my desk doing the remainder of my paperwork. 
By the time I was finished it was 7:30 and the team agreed to meet at 8. I was the only one left in the office other than Aaron. As we all knew he always stayed after finishing up more work. I walked up to his office dropping off my files.
"I don't wanna rush you but do you plan on ever leaving", I chuckled as he looked up at me. 
"Well yeah but Strauss is out for the moment so I took some of her work", I nodded going to sit down. "What are you doing", he stared at me, not remembering. "You drove me here babe." He dropped his pen and put his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, I forgot." 
"It's fine, no need for you to be sorry. It's just work", I reassured him. "You know what we're leaving now", Aaron stood up getting his bag and holding my hand as we left the building. Not many people were there so we didn't worry. 
We went to his place and changed to go to the club, we were the last one there. Almost everyone was in the corner booth that had a view of everything in there. Morgan and Garcia were on the dance floor. Rossi was on his 3rd glass of scotch. JJ and Emily were 7 shots deep in vodka. Reid was sipping on a tropical mixed drink, still on his first one. 
I figured Aaron and I should catch up so I broke off from the group and went to the bar. "Can I get 10 vodka shots. As I was waiting for the bartender to fill my order I was waiting; sitting on one of the bar stools. A man approached me, I could smell the alcohol on his breath. 
"What are you doing here all by yourself?", he leaned against the bar lightly touching my hand. I ignored him, I knew the types just blow them off and they will back off. But he didn't, he rested his hand on my thigh. His hand rose higher and higher. "What the fuck are you doing", I turned my attention to him. 
"Don't talk back to me", He squeezed his hand so tightly on my thigh there were going to be bruises. His fingernails slowly went into my skin.  
My heart rate started to pick up. I was internally begging for the bartender to just give me my drinks. He tightened his grip, his other hand moving to my ass. I looked over and saw Aaron glance over at me. I stared at him, tears welling up in my eyes. I was too scared to do anything, Aaron noticed the man on me. I've never seen him get up faster, He rushed over and shoved him off me. 
"What the fuck", Aaron punched the man in the jaw. He backed off real quick. All attention was on us. "There's nothing to see here", the bartender yelled to everyone and they all resumed what they were doing. He cradled my face, "Are you okay?" My face burned hot in embarrassment. 
How could I just sit there, if he had approached me when I was alone he would've gone further. What the fuck is wrong with me. 
I shook my head. He pressed me head to his chest. holding me. I pulled me to a secluded side of the club with only a few people. "Let me see", I lifted up my skirt enough to see the forming marks. I looked upwards and blinked away the tears. "I really wanna get drunk now", I tugged him back to the bar grabbing the shots and downing them. 
We went back to the booth, "Y/n what was that about." I stared at the table in front of me. "It was just some asshole that wanted to get something he couldn't." Aaron pulling his hand from on the table and onto my thigh. He felt me flinch but I soon realized it was him and rested my hand on his. 
Around two hours later I had dragged Aaron to the dance floor. We were dancing, I glanced over and saw JJ and Emily in the corner of the club up on each other. Emily had JJs leg up on her waist holding her against the wall. Emily's mouth kissing up and down JJ's jaw and neck.
Their hands tangled in each other's hair. I turned Aarons attention to them and we started laughing. 
We were stumbling over our own feet. I walked back to the booth, "Reid!" I yelled out his name making him flinch a bit. "Can you drv- us home", I pointed between Aaron and I. "Yeah it's getting late anyway come on." Spencer held both of our hands walking us out to his car. 
We both climbed into the back seat, I automatically climbed onto Aaron's lap. Both my legs wrapped around him. We both were in our own world completely forgetting that Spencer was in the driver seat. I grabbed Aarons face, placing a firm and passionate kiss on his lips. His hands found my hair tugging on strains making me moan into his mouth. 
He bucked his hips grinding us together. Before anything went further we heard Reid clear his throat. "Were uh... here", we got out of the car and I fell into the grass. Spencer got out helping me up. 
Aaron fumbled with his keys so Reid unlocked the door. Aaron tripped in the front door, Spencer carried my inside with my arm around his shoulder. He placed me on the couch, Aaron walked over and fell onto the couch with me. 
He wrapped his arms around my waist pulling me close. I mumbled, "Thank you Spencer... you're a good friend." I heard him chuckle, "No problem guys." He shut the and left. 
Spencer had a small crush on y/n and it was no problem that she was with Hotch but it did hurt him slightly. 
________________________
@mac99martin @donttellanyoneireadfanfiction @appleblossoms-posts @oreogutz @marie1115 
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Text
Between Bars (Spencer Reid x OC)
Summary: Spencer is wrongfully arrested for murder and placed in Millburn Correctional Facility awaiting trial. While he attempts to survive until his friends can prove his innocence, his cellmate Oscar has an unexpected effect on Spencer during their time inside together.
AN: Thank you to @april-14-blog, @zhuzhubii​, and @imagining-in-the-margins for your unwavering attention and support while writing this. 
I’m writing another post-prison Spencer fic but idk when it’s coming out. I’m still caring for my dad and prepping for my nan’s funeral.
To the anon who asked for an Emily Prentiss x Trans!Male reader smut, it’s in the works I promise!!
Word count: 11k words
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Content warning: Usual criminal minds violence, character death, spoilers for season 12, threats of violence, stabbing, PTSD, mentions of battery, mentions of panic attacks. Let me know if I’ve missed anything.
Masterlist // AO3 Link
“My last roommate got shanked.”
Spencer struggled for a second to keep his composure. The cell door slid shut with a loud buzzer and a clank of hollow metal.
His cellmate, in that identical grey jumpsuit, was tucked up on the bottom bunk with a book in one hand and a green crayon in the other. He was underlining something. Once he was done, his eye lifted off the page. They just as devoid of emotion as his opener was. That scared Spencer more, that this man had clearly spent a long time in here being dehumanised to the point where he held about the emotional range of a mannequin.
But at least he wasn’t violent. Yet.
Spencer approached the foot of his bed. His hands, one of them still sore from the cut on the palm, placed his belongings there. A tremble ran through them when his cellmate moved out of his line of sight; the sudden thought of being stabbed through the underside of his bunk kept him standing for now.
“I’m not gonna shank you.”
Spencer’s shoulders squared, “Ok.”
“Name’s Oscar.”
“Spencer Reid.”
“Welcome to hell, Spencer Reid.”
 ---> ---> ---> ---> ---> 
 His chore was laundry. It was somewhere without sharp objects, which meant inmates brought their own. Spencer was doing his best to walk the balance between standing his ground and not making himself a target. But apparently there was no such line to follow and no help from his cellmate, sifting through his own cart of laundry on the other side of the room.
That was until the inmates began taunting Spencer over his belongings.
“Excuse me.”
The crowd immediately parted to make way for Oscar, whose unflinching gaze pushed them further back.
“Thank you,” he said in the same empty tone. His very deliberate stare landed on Spencer as he passed and collected a pile of towels from the table at the room’s centre. The group around them dispersed and remained so even as Oscar returned to his station.
Oscar’s hands weren’t shaking before then. Now, certainly, as he stuffed bedsheets into the giant machine, a tremble ran through his arms and stuck in his wrists.
Spencer didn’t comment, not even that evening as he climbed onto his bunk, his back pressed hard against the wall. His knees pulled close acted as a desk for his journal. His pen scribbled away long after lights out, putting down his thoughts, his innocence, trapping his worries onto the paper. It was too long until his next evaluation. His notebook was his only confidant now.
A creak beneath him stilled his hand, and he felt himself freeze as the shadow of Oscar rose up from his bunk. One of his hands was behind his back. Spencer’s feet dug into the mattress and forced him hard against the concrete. His eyes flinched shut as Oscar brought his hand out. But they opened as soon as they were closed and they were met with surprise.
In Oscar’s palm sat a red crayon.
“You’ll wanna swap to this,” He said with such a softness that Spencer spent the next ten seconds processing it. His incessant blinking did nothing to clear up what was happening.
Eventually he said an equally quiet voice, “Why?”
Oscar’s shoulders shrugged an inch, the tension he held in them inflexible, “Worst you can get from this is a bruise.”
Slowly, Spencer accepted the crayon with his left hand and rolled the pencil around in the right. “What should I do with this?”
“Hide it.” And Oscar disappeared from view.
Spencer ran his finger over the tip of the crayon before he dragged it across the paper. It would suffice for now. Maybe he could ask one of his friends to send some his way in their next letter. If they weren’t too busy trying to solve his case.
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 JJ’s presence was the most welcomed part of Spencer’s life here. But he almost hated it.
Opposite him, always several inches between them as well as a divider, JJ holding up one of Henry’s drawings but unable to hand it over to him, it drove him insane. The constant reminders on the walls – and often barked by guards – not to touch coated their conversation. JJ didn’t ask about the bruises from his most recent beating. She answered Spencer’s queries, updating him on his case.
Spencer tried very hard not to sound so eager about getting out. His hopes were already dashed to pieces; the fragments were just holding on. He needed that hope to survive but if it grew too strong, it would destroy him.
For half a second, his attention was drawn out of the goodbye to see Oscar nearby. He was standing before another visitor’s table and a young woman who had the same nose as him on the other side.
He missed JJ’s hugs. He longed for one long after she had disappeared from view, shuffling along with the rest of them towards the refectory.
A commotion erupted up ahead. Spencer watched with masked reverence and the rest of the line as Oscar remained unflinching in the volume of the guard’s shouting. Even when he got right up in Oscar’s face, Oscar was stoic as spittle sprayed across his face. Moment after the guard walked away, Oscar wiped his face clean, a terrifyingly neutral expression held together.
Once lunch was done, Spencer re-joined with his new friend Luis in the laundry room, who was still not over Spencer’s injuries. There was something else that Spencer wanted to talk about.
“Do you know much about…” Spencer dropped his voice to barely a whisper, “Oscar?”
Luis looked at Oscar with the subtlety of an elephant seal then back to Spencer to deliver his answer, “He’s gone after people in the prison, but nothing ever gets tied to him.”
And Luis proved his point when Oscar pressed his hands against the stab wound in Luis’ neck, a futile attempt to save his life after Frazier and Duerson’s failed recruiting of Spencer. Oscar fled the scene without consequence, leaving Spencer in the pool of blood, and he never once tripped on his alibi or took off his armour. Not even when Spencer spoke at him about it before lights out.
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 But Spencer found a chink in the armour.
Oscar’s sleeping problems were apparent throughout the night. If his offering of a crayon earlier hadn’t been enough evidence, the yawning and tossing about the bottom bunk. Spencer knew why Oscar was awake too. He wasn’t the type to stay awake to ensure his continued survival. Insomnia was a symptom that Spencer was starting to show too. He had been struggling to rest while he gathered the aforementioned evidence. For some reason, it brought him a slither of comfort, because it made Oscar more human.
Another was the letters he had in his pillow case – the most obvious place to hide something, therefore the least obvious? Reverse psychology aside, some nights featured the rustling of paper
Work in the laundry room continued as if there wasn’t a man murdered in it just days before. Oscar was reinforcing the contrast between yesterday and now with a faint hum. He was clearly a little more comfortable since it was just him and Spencer in the room.
Spencer’s mind pulled up Howl’s Moving Castle which he watched with Penelope. Oh, Penelope. With her bright colours and optimism. It was not a film he pictured Oscar to be a fan of. But he hardly knew him, and he wanted to.
“What song is that?”
Oscar shrugged. A huff forced itself out of his nose. “Don’t remember.”
“It sounds nice.”
He huffed again, clearly closing the conversation. Spencer counted in items he tossed into the machine, flinching still at the marks on the bedsheets. His eye avoided them but landed on the dark patch of concrete where Luis had bled out.
“Oscar, why did you defend me last week?” Spencer asked.
“I don’t know.” The irritable edge in his voice prevailed the more he spoke, “But you owe me so consider this: don’t be a mule for them.”
It was an almost anger that Spencer felt at this request. Surely Oscar would understand, of all people, after being in here that:
“They’ll kill me if I don’t.”
Oscar sighed and turned his back to Spencer, no longer humming. Spencer felt a twang in his gut pluck away at his rage. But he also felt satisfaction in the fact that he had gotten Oscar to crack again. Not in a malevolent way, he felt like he was getting Oscar to open up more and more.
“I’m doing what I need to survive,” Spencer added. For his sake, maybe, but he knew it was a little more reassurance for Oscar.
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 “I am innocent.”
“You’re gonna get killed if you keep saying that so loud.”
Spencer stopped speaking, but he kept moving about the floor space of the cell. The worst part was the walk up to the bars. But, with his notebook confiscated, he had no other outlet and he made sure that Oscar knew this as well.
“It keeps me grounded, reminds me of who I am.”
Oscar didn’t say anything about Spencer’s incessant pacing, simply turning a page in his new book, “That must be nice.”
With a deep breath of stale prison air, Spencer’s speed grew erratic until he very nearly kicked at the bars in frustration. He stopped himself just as the instruction reached the surgery scars on his knee. It stung as he jumped up into his bunk and squeezed his knees to his chest, his arms shaking with the pressure he put on them.
“How many years do you have to go?” He said quietly.
“Half a year until an appeal, six years if I serve the rest of my sentence. You?”
“My trial has been postponed. I was offered a plea deal. But-” Spencer stopped to swallow, a pitiful attempt against the absolute Sahara that was his mouth “- But I didn’t do it.”
His hand pushed the heel of his palm into his eye. The other screwed itself shut as his mind zeroed in on his actions. When Spencer’s hand lifted away, Oscar was standing up in front of him. His white shirt was on show, the top half of his jumpsuit rolled down with the arms tied around his waist. He was stretching his arms up, and his head was tilted a few inches to the left as he watched Spencer with a blank face.
No, not blank.
Open.
Then his stoicism clouded over and Oscar dropped his arms. “Nice rehearsal for the jury.”
Spencer’s irritation became inflamed, “That kind of attitude might get you a badge of honour here-”
“This kind of attitude,” Oscar interrupted, and immediately Spencer regretted his words, “Has helped me survive here. I suggest you stop running your mouth if you wanna do the same.”
The burst of anger fizzled out fast like a firework, and Spencer watched Oscar disappear out of sight with a dull thud on his mattress. But before he could, Spencer had noticed that Oscar’s hands were shaking again, just like he hadn’t seen since the fight in the laundry room – the first one.
Spencer’s hands gripping his shins, he worried that he had lost another… friend? Ally? He didn’t really know what to use as a description for their relationship but Spencer knew what he wanted. Least of all, he wanted Oscar to be upset with him.
“Oscar?”
Nothing. Spencer slipped off the bed and pressed his back against the wall, sinking down until he was on the ground. His eyes were on Oscar, who was staring without seeing Spencer opposite him. Nevertheless, Spencer stayed in his sight and asked a tentative question.
“What’s the first thing you want to do when you get out?”
Oscar blinked and his gaze shifted a millimetre to Spencer and his peace offering. Then Spencer saw it. A quiver of Oscar’s bottom lip, then it shifted and Spencer noticed that Oscar was biting the inside to stop his reaction taking over any more of himself.
When his mouth opened, it released a sigh before he spoke. “Hug my mom.”
Spencer nodded, the stuffiness of his throat returning as he fought to keep back tears, “Me too.”
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 It was an attempt to get Frazier and Duerson off Spencer’s back. Maybe to stop him from taking the drugs himself. The temptation was certainly lingering stronger, with the promise of a temporary respite.
But now the prison was locked down. Shaw, along with four other inmates, were isolated in the infirmary. These were far from innocent men but God that didn’t mean what he had done was right.
He’d done it to survive, but it was still all his fault.
“What’s up with you?”
The gate to their cell sliding shut behind Oscar. He stared at Spencer sat in the bottom bunk, his head in his hands. Footsteps echoed down the corridor before another buzzer and another gate opened then shut again. They were far from alone, the concrete providing an illusion that there wasn’t an endless tunnel with two men per cage.
“Spencer.”
He stood up, dropping the grip from his hair. His ears tuned into the noise from other prisoners. What he wouldn’t give for some silence right now.
“The poisonings were my fault.”
All air sucked from Spencer’s lungs as Oscar was suddenly upon him. He was smacked against the wall, Oscar’s hand over his mouth, his forearm pinning him into place. Spencer let out a cross between a gulp and a sob, caught into his throat as Oscar harshly shushed him. Spencer’s eyes looked around Oscar terrified, he struggled against him.
Oscar’s voice rasped with a spitting disgust, “You’re really fucking stupid!”
And he slammed his weight against Spencer again, his breathing heavy, his pupils dilated, “Don’t you fucking dare repeat that to anyone.”
Spencer’s head knocked against the resolute wall when Oscar shoved him once more, stepping back and creating distance between them. With the ache at the back of his skull, Spencer stared dazedly at his cellmate.
Oscar’s voice matched his haggard appearance when he said, “You’re a dead man, Spencer.”
The intimacy of his name striking right at his heart, Spencer worried that he would join Oscar in tears. But there was no time; a guard rattled his baton against the bars.
“What’s going on in there?” He bellowed into the cell.
Oscar clenched his jaw, “Nothing.”
Then he reclaimed his bunk and faced the wall.
“Into bed, inmate!”
Sparing a glance to the vulnerable position Oscar was laying in, unable to receive the look of gratitude, Spencer got into his bunk. The silence he wished for enveloped him and he longed for it to vanish.
He pressed his palm against his lips. It wasn’t the same as when Oscar did it.
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 His second meeting with Dr. Tara Lewis revealed that Spencer had manufactured his own memory and that he had been coerced. But the BAU needed proof of his innocence, and Spencer resumed his waiting game in the yard.
Oscar was taking a new route around the edge of the wire fencing as opposed to spending his free time in the gym. His shoes scuffed in the dirt, no doubt rubbing a blister into his heel (based on his gait), and his step weaved around the groups to avoid interacting with anyone. Wordlessly, Spencer joined him. Oscar looked at him but didn’t speak.
Spencer’s session with Tara had brought forward a question he had considered asking before. Tara had spoken about his mother, how life was before prison. Spencer missed being known, knowing someone. The rawness of that need hung off his frame with his jumpsuit. Oscar was probably still pissed off with him. But God, Spencer needed to cease this withdrawal from human contact more than anything.
“What did you do, Oscar?” He asked under his breath, “To get into prison?”
“I knew a guy; he was the worst kind of person to get caught up with. He did some things to me. So I beat him up, and I cut his pecker off.”
It all sounded so very rehearsed, and Spencer wondered if Oscar had been planning what to say since they first met. The two men continued to walk in step until eventually Oscar broke the silence.
“Yours isn’t on my to-do list.” The left corner of his mouth twitched as he spoke
Spencer lifted his stare from Oscar’s mouth, hoping the heat around them would mask his blush, “Did he die?”
“No,” Oscar ironed his lips back into a straight line, “Unfortunately.”
“You don’t regret it.”
“No.”
“Thank you for not telling the guard what I did.”
“What did I say about repeating it?”
Spencer pressed his chin into his chest, forcing his mouth shut. It naturally deflected the glares that were aimed in his direction from other prisoners as he and Oscar sat down at an empty table.
“It seems I only give you grief.”
But Spencer’s pity was cut short by that touch of a smile on Oscar’s face returning, “Your company somewhat makes up for it.”
The distractions ended. Spencer was once again aware that there was very little he could do in this place. He restrained his yearning to hold Oscar’s hand across the table, to feel his tender palm again, until he was back in his bunk with an entire night to think about what it might be like in a situation where Oscar wasn’t threatening him into silence.
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 It was going to be another sleepless night.
Spencer reached his arm out of his foetal position and over the edge of his bunk. Oscar was likely still awake; Spencer was hoping that Oscar would ask him about what was up, like he usually did. Like he already had after Spencer’s mother had visited with her new care assistant.
As he waited, Spencer sniffed back his tears. He didn’t want anyone to see him cry, even if tears were supposed to be good for the skin – God knows his skin needed it after all that Dial soap. The red eyes were already hard enough to hide without the addition of damp cheeks. Grief weighed down his eyelids, but fear kept opening them – just in case.
Then five calloused fingertips touched the back of his hand. Spencer gripped the air, his wrist bringing his hand an inch in. But as the fingertips spread across his skin, he allowed them to continue. Oscar’s mattress groaned below him and his fingers linked with Spencer’s. The thumb wrapped around to press into Spencer’s palm.
Spencer almost whined when Oscar snatched his hand away, but a split second later his stomach dropped at the sound of a clatter down the hall.
Minutes passed like hours before the bottom bunk let out a familiar creak of Oscar rising from it. He rested his forearms against Spencer’s mattress, right beside Spencer’s outstretched arm. Goosebumps rose and the hairs stood on end, coaxing Oscar closer.
With a quick glance at the bars, Oscar whispered, “Your friends will get you out. They’ll help your mom.”
Spencer sniffed, “What happened to being a dead man?”
“I don’t think you – or your friends - are going to let that happen.”
“What about you?”
“I guess I could fall under ‘ally’ for once.”
“What if I wanted you to be something else?” Spencer’s arm shifted and his hand brushed their knuckles against Oscar’s stubbly cheek.
Oscar hinted at tilting his head against him, and Spencer couldn’t help but press a little firmer as Oscar said, “You should sleep.”
“I can’t.”
Oscar’s finger stretching out to brush the crook of Spencer’s elbow, “Me neither.”
Nevertheless, Oscar let Spencer go and got back down into his bunk just moments later.
Both men pretended to sleep until the fantasy became real. The whole time, Spencer was thinking about how hearing faith in his team from someone who had never met them – or even displayed an ounce of hope within his entire relationship with him – meant so much.
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 Spencer had a new wall to force his back against. His left leg was not in a state to keep him taut against it, the throbbing ache a poor disturbance from his thoughts. Time, time, all he had was time to think and do nothing else.
About how his occupation in the government was leaked to what felt like the entire prison population.
How the note with the promise of invading solitary confinement lay screwed up by the door.
How Shaw had threatened him before bawling like a baby when the guards tackled him for stabbing Spencer.
How Oscar, with his jaw slack and eyes glassy, was outlined in Spencer’s blurring vision.
Oh, Oscar. Shoved back by inmates in the scuffle before he disappeared from view. He was only there because Shaw had made the first move. Spencer had seen Oscar reach into his pocket as he crept behind Shaw. No regard for his own safety. That was when Spencer grabbed Shaw’s hand and manipulated it into plunging his shiv into his leg and arm.
The night before, Oscar had been quiet, and Spencer figured that he had learnt that Spencer was an FBI agent. No chat before bed, Oscar just curled up under his blanket and read until lights out.
Spencer was patient. He waited long into the night before bringing out his toothbrush. There was no time for resting now; he scrapped the end of the brush against the edge of the bunk frame. Flakes of plastic snowed down onto the concrete floor, but he didn’t get out to sweep them beneath the beds just yet. That was a job for the morning – if it came.
Suddenly Oscar popped into his field of view.
“It’s better if you do it like this,” He said, taking Spencer’s hand in his and demonstrating the direction with which to carve his shiv, “And make sure you – never mind.”
“What?”
“Forget it. You’re a fed. They probably trained you with this shit.”
He took himself away and Spencer swallowed hard, “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”
“I’m not. Means you’re learning to protect yourself. I’m more grateful for that.”
Spencer’s hand still tingled from the way Oscar held it. The simplest of touches grounded him, and it was almost as if Oscar knew that. When they were called to lunch by the alarm, filing out of the laundry room, Oscar had gone out of his way to walk by Spencer and brush their hands together. Not a single break in his stride, the touch was brief but it breathed a sigh of courage into Spencer’s lungs and he went into the refectory calmer.
He bit the inside of his cheek, willing away the stinging of tears with his head leaning back against the wall.
His palms flattened against his legs as he heard the key turn in the door. His eyes watched it creak open, revealing a guard
“Get up.”
Wincing, Spencer moved off the pathetic excuse for a bed, “Where am I going?”
No answer.
Spencer shuffled through the hallway with dread weighing each step down. The last fragment of hope was waning, but he clung to it as he was shoved into an empty room. Even as the guard closed the door behind him and his ever-vigilant eye was stuck on the glass of the window, Spencer held that hope close as he waited for someone to come in.  While not necessarily a believer, he called to anyone - who might hear a sinner’s prayer - that he could touch Oscar once more before he was killed.
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 It had been a long time since Spencer had sat on this side of the table. On the job, visiting a suspect or informant in a case, but now his entire perspective had shifted.
He wondered if any of the guards recognised him now that he had a suit, a visitor’s badge, and a few extra pounds around his middle.
An instinct, he flinched at the buzzer. The memory had tormented him for weeks and hearing it fresh and raw against his eardrums was worse. Steps sloped into the room in a dull out-of-sync march. The prisoners found their allotted tables one by one, some with enthusiasm and others without.
Oscar dragged the chair across the floor before taking his place opposite Spencer.
“Hello.”
Spencer was completely torn between smiling at his presence – his voice – and keeping a composure so as not to draw attention from other prisoners. “Hello.”
Oscar wrapped his arms in each other, elbows pointed on the table, “Did you get to hug your mom?”
It was hard to forget the grip on Diana’s frail body, the relief seeping through Spencer’s body at her safe recovery.
“Yeah, I did.”
“Good. I’m glad she’s ok.”
“She’s in a facility now, being taken care of full time. Did you get my letters?”
“I did, thank you. And did you get mine?”
“Yes. How is your new cellmate?”
“Some dipshit in for possession. Nothing to worry about.”
Oscar’s fingers tapped on the table, and Spencer could see them trembling still. He nodded; his mouth pressed into a line. He couldn’t think of what else to say despite his many rehearsals beforehand. It felt wrong to talk about being out of prison, like dangling a bit of bacon in front of a dog before popping it into one’s mouth.
So he went straight for the jugular, “I’m getting you out, Oscar.”
Oscar frowned, looking almost offended. “Don’t say that.”
But Spencer continued, “I’ve spoken with your lawyer, Zoe; she’s got all this stuff ready for your appeal.”
“Spencer.”
“Your family completely support what we’re doing. I’ve spoken to them over the phone.”
“They wanna meet with me and your lawyer, properly coordinate. We can do this!”
“Spencer, stop!”
Said person stopped relaying his grand plans for the future. Oscar had barely raised his voice but he caught the attention of the nearby guards, already reaching for their belts. Oscar’s nostrils flared as he exhaled, his eyes not even crossing the threshold that separated him from Spencer.
His voice caught in his throat, “Stop it now. Don’t give me hope.”
Spencer blinked. A second time, a third, then he frowned right back at Oscar bewildered.
“Why won’t you let me fight for you?”
He didn’t get an answer immediately, so he kept talking.
“You fought for me, Oscar. You kept me alive in here. Let me do the same, get you out. You can’t stay here!”
It started subtle. But Spencer saw Oscar shaking his head at his words. He refused Spencer any more eye contact, not even when Spencer begged Oscar to look at him so that they could talk more about the upcoming appeal.
The buzzer sounded again and Spencer began to panic as Oscar rose from his seat. No way was their time up already. An urge to reach across, grab Oscar’s hand, make him stay, shot through him. It only stopped because he didn’t want some desperate grab to be the last touch between them. He tried to call after him, but his voice stuck in his throat at the sight of a baton being used to force Oscar into the queue.
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 Spencer had walked the paths of the bullpen thrice now: once to get coffee, second to “get the right form”, and the last time he didn’t say why to his curious colleagues. Clearly none of those were the true reason but they left him alone. That was their problem. They never spoke to each other about what was wrong until it was too late.
The second his phone rang, he lunged for it. His slim fingers scrabbled to slide across the answer button and bring it up to his ear.
“Hello!” Instantaneously, his shoulders slumped and he pinched the bridge of his nose, “Sorry for shouting. Look, I’m waiting on an important call, can I ring you back?”
Before the caller had time to respond, Spencer slammed the phone face down and began his route again, leaving it on the desk so that he wasn’t constantly checking the screen.
“Have you ever seen him so attached to a piece of technology?” Luke grinned at JJ.
“Never.”
“This con must be something.”
The phone went off again when Spencer was getting another mug of coffee. Its ringtone was loud but not loud enough to reach the break room.
Simmons raised his voice ever so slightly, “Spencer! Phone!”
A ceramic clashed with a sideboard, and Spencer appeared, his hip clipping Luke’s desk on the way over. In his frenzy, he found the wherewithal to check the caller ID before he answered, “Tony?”
Spencer had already begun powerwalking out of the bullpen, but he stopped when he heard a cry from Eliza in the background.
His friends and co-workers watched his expression falter from focus to frustration.
“I’m sorry.” His voice failed him, clearing it, “I’m sorry, Tony, for you and your family. Can I call you back?”
This time, he waited for confirmation and he stayed on the phone for half a minute longer to reassure the Dunnagan family on the other end that he would not give up. Once the call dropped, the phone did too – against the desk. Spencer folded his arms in on himself. His fingers were bent into claws, digging into the creases of his elbows. Upon realising what they were doing, he covered his face as if to weep, but there were no tears.
“Spencer.” JJ touched his shoulder
“The appeal didn’t even have the chance to be unsuccessful,” He dragged his hands across his face into prayer, “Oscar cancelled the hearing this morning without telling us.”
He swallowed back the lump in his throat, “I don’t think I can be alone right now. Can I stay at yours and Will’s tonight?”
“Of course,” JJ’s hand smoothed out a wrinkle on his suit jacket.
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 Upon entering the attorney’s office, Spencer was embraced by Dakota. Eliza kissed both his cheeks, Tony shook his hand, and Zoe gestured for him to sit in the final empty chair.
Together, they discussed the plan for the appeal. It was to be fool proof. There was the added benefit of a recent sessions with a therapist; Spencer was still willing to go and talk about how Oscar had saved his life in prison. But Spencer was also fighting this disgusting urge to say that “none of that matters because an appeal panel won’t see him at all if Oscar keeps withdrawing”. He kept pushing it down to simmer in his stomach, away from his vocal chords.
He was almost glad when his phone began ringing, “Excuse me, it’s my boss.” Stepping out of the office, Spencer narrowly avoided another lawyer walking along the stripes of the carpet. “Hey Emily.”
“Hey. I know it’s one of your days off. I just wanted to see how you’re doing?”
“We’re just going over Oscar’s appeal.”
“That doesn’t answer my question.”
Wow, he really walked into that one.
“I just keep thinking about how he sabotaged himself. I mean, doesn’t he want to get out? Why doesn’t he want to get out and be with me?!” Spencer swallowed back the lump in his throat, “And I know none of the team approve of him.”
“Spencer,” Emily had her parent voice on. An expert voice for someone who didn’t even have kids yet.
But Spencer just carried on in spite of it, “He’s a convicted batterer, not exactly the best option for a boyfriend and especially for an FBI agent, but do any of you know why he did it?”
His agitation was muzzled when Zoe poked her head around the door and Spencer softened his tone to apologise, to assure he would be back inside shortly. He waited until the door closed before he spoke again.
“Emily, Oscar is the only person who knows what I’m going through right now. He’s a good man, I truly believe that, or else he wouldn’t have helped me. And I need him to get out. I can’t stand knowing he’s in there for why he did what he did. Knowing he’s not getting the help he needs.”
It was then that Spencer realised, even as they were interrupted, that Emily had been waiting patiently for him to finish. She was now letting his words sit between the phone lines, likely mulling over what to say next. Spencer really fucking hated waiting.
Thankfully his patience did not need to wear itself thin, this one time:
“I do know why he did it. I had Garcia pull up his file when you went to visit him for the first time. Spencer, I’m glad this man has you on his side. Let me know how the meeting goes.”
“Thanks, Emily.”
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 As Oscar placed himself down opposite Spencer, he flinched in the plastic chair. Spencer fought his own wince at the sight of so much swelling, so many bruises, so many cuts, littering his face.
But he gave the tiniest of smiles in spite of the state of his face, “How did you know, Spencer?”
“Your mom told me. She’s a lovely woman.” Spencer flexed his fingers before linking them again, “I wish I had a proper gift to give you, but I was scared the guards would just confiscate it.”
“The card was more than enough.”
A bright blue card with balloons on it was tucked into Oscar’s pillowcase. Inside were as many notes on what he needed to say for the appeal as Spencer could fit around the “HAPPY BIRTHDAY” already printed into the card.
“I forwarded them and the rest onto your lawyer. She should go through it with you.”
Oscar’s smile tainted by hesitation as it crawled off his face, “I don’t know.”
Spencer could see him withdrawing, hiding in his jumpsuit. But even then, Oscar’s expression wore his melancholy like a veil. It blocked out any semblance of neutrality from when he had first met Spencer. The state his protection was in, he wouldn’t last long at all.
“Before prison, I was really sensitive to touch, germs. But now-” Spencer stopped, his voice so quiet he nearly couldn’t hear himself as he finished, “I can’t wait to touch you again.”
Oscar shivered. His eyes screwed shut as if to protect him from what was being said. But Spencer persisted.
“What would you like to do for your birthday? If you could do anything.”
“Picnic in the park,” said Oscar after some thought, “Uh, a real big Cuban sandwich, with roast pork, Swiss cheese, lettuce, pickles, and ham. And chocolate covered strawberries.”
“What, in the sandwich as well?”
“Yes.” Oscar rolled his eyes, misty and threatening to spill, and Spencer felt a rush of panic. More emotion was only good for him. Oscar, left behind in his cell, this could be disastrous. But he couldn’t get enough of it, and he selfishly persevered.
“When you get out, would you let me hold you?” The buzzer went off, but Spencer spoke over it as he stood, “Please, Oscar, consider this appeal.”
“Ok, Spencer.”
From his place at the table, Spencer watched Oscar try to cover his emotions, but there was still a glimmer of a tear retreating as he joined the queue of prisoners heading back to their cells.
Before he stepped out the prison, Spencer slipped his sunglasses back over his eyes to hide how red they were from the guards.
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 Stood in the shallow shade of Eliza’s range rover, Spencer switched the bouquet of sage flowers from one hand to the other. Dakota had suggested them; she said her brother liked the colour most. Spencer wiped his free hand down his trousers before checking the time. He’d done that four times already. He hoped no one was giving him odd looks from the other side of the fence.
Utter relief was not usually how he would describe hearing that buzzer. But for the first and last time, he did feel a sense of respite knowing he would likely never be coming back here for such a taxing visit.
Then he remembered what that sound actually meant. His back straightened right up; his hand brushed through his hair and checked his breath once more.
Tony led the way out of the prison. He was clearly trying to remain casual but the glee seeping out of his body was just palpable. He had an arm around Dakota, kissing his daughter’s head so vigorously that her half-up hair was messed up. Clearly Dakota didn’t care though. Her hand was behind her and she turned to see the person holding it.
It was Oscar, arm looped with Eliza who clung to him like a crutch. Their eyes matched each other, shining brown like horse chestnuts.
Spencer found that he could no longer look away from Oscar. A breeze rustled through his hair. His face was alive with tear tracks and a grin that ached on his rosy cheeks. An old suit, one clearly meant for court and court alone, slouched on his shoulders. But for that short moment where he breathed fresh air and leaned his head on his mother’s, there was no weight to him.
Then Oscar found Spencer, fidgeting with his tie and his grip slacking on the bouquet, and all the emotion he had repressed for five years in prison custody were exploding into a supernova.
Oscar forgot Eliza’s arm, dashing around his family to run for Spencer. Spencer found himself matching the pace and the destination. His feet carried him quick until he and Oscar collided. A fierce hug crushed them. Oscar’s hand was constantly adjusting its grip on the back of Spencer’s head, and Spencer’s free one fisted at Oscar’s suit jacket, trying to bury themselves in his ribcage. Neither missed Oscar’s shaking, his sobbing. Spencer curled into Oscar, wrestling with his instinct to pull away. Lindsey and Cat, they ruined so much for him already; they couldn’t take Oscar too.
When they heard the footsteps of the Dunnagan family stop nearby, the men drew apart – only about a foot or so. Oscar’s cheeks were wet behind his wide smile and Spencer saw that one of his front two teeth was a little crooked.
Spencer then presented his gift in the small space between them, “For you.”
Oscar gently clasped the bouquet on the white ribbon that wrapped around the stalks, “No one’s got me flowers before.”
Spencer then vowed to buy flowers as often as he could for Oscar, and especially sage. He looked so good with purple.
The ride to Danny’s Food Truck had Oscar sat in the little middle seat, his sister on one side, Spencer on the other, and he held both their hands. His bouquet was cradled in his lap. The wet ends of the stalks dripped twice onto his suit trousers, just before his bouncing knee.
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 Once again, Spencer had lost himself in his work. When he was interrupted just an hour before, Oscar was there. He had waved a hand into Spencer’s peripherals but Spencer still jumped at it. He hated that his skittish behaviour was still prevalent, returning just as Oscar had started appearing in his personal life. In his apartment.
“Sorry, Spencer,” Oscar had said in a gravelly voice, “I just wanted to ask if you were ok with Randy’s for dinner tonight.”
It was two hours before they were due to have dinner.
“Of course, it’s your turn.”
“How’s the work going?”
“It’s good,” and Spencer showed him the notes he’d written so far.
Oscar had taken them into his hands and read over them. Meanwhile Spencer watched his micro expressions. The huff of air through his nose, the corners of his mouth wriggling about as if to smile before flattening themselves out, all seemed positive as Oscar offered the papers back.
“Nice joke!”
“Right, joke…” Spencer accepted his notes back, “Where?”
“There,” Oscar leant over Spencer’s shoulder and tapped the second line of the first paragraph. Spencer noted that he smelt nice. So much better now the Dial soap was out of their care routine.  
And it was now that Spencer found himself missing that smell. It was a nice distraction. Burying himself in his work was not a good distraction anymore.
He stood away from his desk and took his mug out to the kitchen sink. Despite trying not to look at the pieces of a vase half-wrapped in newspaper, Oscar’s wailing at the very start of their day together punctured its way into Spencer’s head. One particular thought posited that Spencer should keep one of those jagged pieces – just in case. Just in case of what?
Shaking his head, Spencer went and found the source of his chills: his living room windows were wide open, the curtains lifting gracefully in the breeze. Rain pattered against the world outside, some of its drops reaching the carpet. The smell of the rain was light in the room. It was almost drowned out by the sound.
He found Oscar passed out on the couch, his bare feet poking out from under the throw. His head was resting between his folded arms, one hand under the pillow. His headphones askew and playing “The Flower Garden (Extended Version)” by Joe Hisaishi.
Kneeling next to Oscar, Spencer touched his arm, “Do you want me to order for you?”
Oscar nodded, stretched out, then promptly fell back asleep. He would have trouble later tonight. But Spencer was glad that he finally found some respite. His seemingly endless apologies for breaking the bowl were over.
That was where the good news ended though. Spencer looked closer at Oscar’s hand, now unmasked. A medium piece from the broken vase rested in his loose grip. After some moments deliberating, Spencer eased it out and placed it with the rest of the vase. Then he went to his phone and dialled.
“Hey JJ. I hope it’s not too late, but,” Spencer tapped his nails against the plastic handset, “Would you mind coming over? Oscar is here, but I don’t know if he’s ready to help me through this.”
He smiled at the flowers he’d bought that day standing awkwardly in a jug before hanging up. He and Oscar really should move in together. Or at least he should invest in a sofa bed.
Twenty minutes later, there was a knock at the front door, and Oscar was up on his feet. The sofa’s throw clung to him.  
“I invited someone over,” Spencer said quickly, “Sorry I should have told you, but I didn’t want to wake you again. Do you want to wait in my room?”
Oscar stayed in place and shook his head, so Spencer went ahead to open his front door.
Two days apart was far too long. JJ embraced Spencer tight, rubbing his back as she rested her chin on his shoulder. She gave the best hugs. Maybe rivalled by Oscar, but Spencer would never tell her that.
“Can I get you anything to drink?”
“A coffee would be great,” JJ shrugged off her jacket
He pivoted in a half circle, “Oscar?”
“No, I’m good, thank you.”
Spencer wasn’t really sure what happened in his absence – besides his stomach turning itself over and over. When he returned with two mugs, the only information he could garner was that Oscar had dropped the throw back onto the sofa that stood between them and JJ had inched a little closer
“Here!”
Oscar twitched at Spencer’s loud entrance, visibly relaxing by the time JJ had her mug of coffee in her hands. He adjusted the throw until it was back to its original position then crept towards the door.
Spencer frowned, ruining the quiet exit as he said, “Where are you going?”
Oscar thumbed in his direction of travel. “Bathroom.”
“Oh,” Spencer felt his cheeks heat up, “Good luck.”
He saw Oscar rolling his eyes but there was a flash of a grin and a tiny wave to JJ before he disappeared from view. Spencer’s stomach steadied itself, busying itself with sloshing his coffee about instead. His grip around his mug adjusted as he turned to JJ.
“He’s not what I was expecting,” JJ said. There was nothing malicious in her tone. In fact, if there was anything, she seemed pleased that Oscar had subverted her anticipations.
Spencer nodded, his mouth turning up a little smile, “That’s what I thought too. Thank you for coming so quickly.”
“It’s ok, anytime.”
They sat together on the sofa, leaving the armchair free just in case Oscar wanted to join them again.
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 Moving in together was supposed to solve everything.
Neither Spencer nor Oscar explicitly said or thought that. But when their triggers persisted and their behaviour shifted dramatically still, they couldn’t help but be a little disappointed.
Spencer had another nightmare last night and woke Oscar up at around half past three. They couldn’t cuddle each other, but their hands would brush and the two men would avoid looking at the matching scars on their thighs – and Oscar’s on his stomach, Spencer’s on his arm.
“Would you have killed Shaw, if I hadn’t done anything?”
“Yes.” “Does that scare you?”
In the dark, he could hear the fear in Oscar’s voice
“No, because I think I would have done the same.”
Carried on as if he hadn’t heard, still scared of himself, “I wouldn’t do something like that now.”
Oscar spent the rest of the night on the couch, so he wouldn’t touch Spencer in his sleep. Words of his therapist spun around his head: “Prison twists and warps people until they’re worse than they were before. We can’t speak now for what we would have done then.”
It was a quiet day as a result of the restless night. Quiet was nice sometimes; it was something new for them to experience together. Spencer and Oscar had breakfast together, washed and dressed, before they went down to the communal laundrette together. Washing and drying clothes was too big a task to do alone, even now, and Oscar needed his shirt to be clean for his job interview in a few days. The nightmare Spencer had faded into the background as he tried to focus on something else.
Without realising, he said aloud to Oscar, “I wanted to kiss you in the laundry room.”
Oscar stopped stretching his damp pyjama shirt out, and it was clear that he had joined Spencer in reminiscing about their job in prison.
“Which time?”
“Every time.”
Spencer watched as Oscar let out a quiet “heh”, a shy smile playing on his lips. But Oscar cut it off quick before either of them could enjoy it, and he reset his expression to blank. The silence that followed swallowed them both whole.
“Oscar,” Spencer moved next to Oscar and, in clear view, touched him on the arm, “It’s ok. You can laugh.”
“I know.”
“You can smile if you want to,”
“I can smile,” Oscar repeated, his words grounding him next to Spencer, his hands flattened atop the dryer as it rumbled into life. His lungs took in a few more breaths to spread a thin layer of calm over him and he looked back at Spencer, “I can also kiss you if I want to, if you want.”
Checking the laundrette door, Spencer’s hand moved from Oscar’s arm to Oscar’s cheek, guiding him home. Their lips met in messy perfection. Short and sweet, with a sigh shared between them, Spencer was pleased to see the smile returned to Oscar by the time they separated. As tense as Oscar felt in his arms, even with the smile soon fading, Spencer could feel the tiniest slack in his shoulders now.
With the most burdensome chore out of the way, the two men returned to the flat. Spencer helped Oscar compose another covering letter to ship off to another job opening before they called Oscar’s family for lunch.
Facetiming was always a trip when they were calling the Dunnagans. Tony had a similar understanding of “technology” as Spencer, so when he answered the call, it was a close up of a nostril or a frowning muted face that greeted Oscar and Spencer on the laptop screen. Eventually Eliza saved them from an eternal farce. She brought them into her kitchen, bringing Dakota and her partner Ellis in on the call when it was time to prep for lunch.
Dakota led the way with a recipe from her restaurant, “If any of you dare share this with anyone, I’ll knock you out.”
Her laugh only sang one note before she slapped her hand over it and looked down at her screen with a face full of guilt. Oscar laughed it off, maybe a little forced, then he swiped at the nearest conversation topic – the world’s hottest pepper.
“Maybe you could stick in in your next recipe. Do a competition where if you eat all the spicy stuff, you get your name on the wall and get half off or something.”
And the call continued for a little longer.
Spencer was just testing out the new spices acquired in their online shop – because according to Dakota there was nothing is worse than being able to actually taste the chicken – when the screen froze. A tiny widget popped up to inform the men that the signal was too poor to continue the call.
Oscar wiggled the mouse, “Oh, God, your connection’s gone again. You mind if I try and find us a better provider?”
“Go for it.”
They clinked their wine glasses together, sipping with questionable responses to it. Oscar dared another sip while Spencer was satisfied with just the one, deciding instead to check on the chicken.
“Spencer?”
“Yeah?”
Oscar placed his wine down. “Are we boyfriends?”
In all their time together, Spencer realised they never once spoke about their relationship status. They just sort of… moved in together, shared a bed, held hands and kissed occasionally – without discussing what was going on.
He said with relative boldness, “I’d like to be.”
“I’d like to be too,” Oscar bit his lip, the smile distorting but still charming as ever. His arms swayed a little. “Can I hug you please?”
With a renewed sense of vigour, Spencer said, “Yes please.”
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 Spencer’s mind needed a rest; perhaps returning to the geographic profile after some time apart would garner a new connection. This case was driving everyone nuts, not just him, and it was only the third day in. he plucked his mug and headed over to the coffee pot for a top-up.
Whilst pouring his third cup of the morning, Spencer took note of his phone’s weight in his trouser pocket. He decided to lessen it, his hand reaching in and dialling for Oscar.
The call clicked after three rings then a boisterous laugh erupted from the speaker.
“Sorry, Spencer! This little one keeps jumping up at me! She barely reaches my knees!” Oscar’s voice was playful. Little claws clicked on a hard floor followed by a tiny yet indignant yip that was echoed by several much deeper barks. Spencer assumed this little one was a ring leader at the dog kennel, the one Oscar was trying to sweet talk.
“That’s ok. You sound like you’re having a good time.”
“It’s brilliant! They let me take four dogs out on a walk at a time!”
The ache in Spencer’s left shoulder from sleeping in an odd position alleviated just a touch. “Yeah?”
“I think I might try to get my licence back, so I can maybe drive them out to the countryside.”
“That’s brilliant news.”
“How’s the case?”
“I’m just taking a break.” Spencer sipped his coffee, burning the back of his throat. As he flinched, he caught sight of Luke’s hand, waving him back over to the conference room. “Sorry, Oscar, I have to get back to the profile.”
“I really like how you say ‘Oscar’.”
“I’m just saying your name.”
“I know,” and Spencer could very clearly hear Oscar’s smile in his voice – even over the constant din from the dogs he was caring for.
“I like how you say my name. See you later?”
“Hopefully. Take care of yourself.”
What a delight to see Oscar, after a rush of evidence flooding in and the pieces slotting together in a now-obvious profile. That evening in fact, Spencer made it back to his apartment at the same time as Oscar. He was carrying a plastic bag to mirror Spencer’s satchel. He didn’t feel like cooking and knew that Spencer wouldn’t be in the mood either; it was a few microwaved meals from the local store in his bag.
They ate dinner in the sitting room on trays - as a treat – and they partook in a very one-sided conversation about Star Trek. Oscar didn’t seem to mind, and honestly Spencer liked the freedom that came with talking here. It was like a hint of who he was before was bleeding through. Every so often though, Oscar would remind him that his food was going to get cold. Spencer would take a moment to eat before the next interesting factoid was inspired from the episode on the TV.
At the start of the next episode, his plate empty, Spencer noticed that Oscar’s gaze was a little restless as he finished his dinner.
“Is something bothering you?” He asked, adjusting his position on the sofa.
Oscar shrugged as he put his cushioned lap tray onto the carpet, “Not bothering me. I’m just curious about something.”
Naturally, Spencer said, “Ask me.” Maybe it was the difference between Vulcans and Romulans again.
“When you stabbed yourself while looking at me, before you got out, was that a substitution for sex?”
Spencer blinked several times. He could feel pinstripes forming on his forehead. He cleared his throat, took a sip of his water, cleared his throat again.
“No, no. I… um.”
Then he stopped because he realised he didn’t quite have an answer yet. His mind was busy straying back to that moment: the flare of pain in his leg and arm, the roaring of inmates around his head, and Oscar - an island of frozen calm amidst the chaos of Spencer’s actions. Eventually, Spencer found a semblance of a reply and he delivered it.
“I was just looking around, and I found you. I think I was looking for comfort.”
Seemingly accepting of this, Oscar’s attention moved back to the TV. His hands occupied themselves with each other. However, Spencer was not quite ready to let the subject go; he’d been thinking about this a lot lately.
“I’m sorry we haven’t…”
Oscar picked up what he was putting down, “Don’t be sorry, Spencer. Don’t ever, ever be sorry for that. I didn’t ask to guilt you. It was in the lesson you taught last week. I listened to it on my break today.”
The image of his Dictaphone on the desk at college - and another of it hanging out of Oscar’s rucksack’s front pocket – recalled itself in Spencer’s head.
“I probably could have asked you a bit nicer,” Oscar altered his position on the couch to bring his knees up to his chest.
“Probably.”
“I’m sorry, Spencer.”
“You’re forgiven.”
“Could you tell me more about the Romulans please?”
As Spencer restarted his speech, albeit with less enthusiasm than before, Oscar brought out his notepad from his backpack. His fingers pinched around the blue crayon as he scrawled Spencer’s facts, putting the differences into a roughly drawn table.  
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 Seeing Oscar standing in the bullpen with a visitor’s badge was not what Spencer expected to see today. He certainly didn’t expect to see him sipping tea with Penelope and chatting away at Spencer’s empty desk. Oscar had clearly just arrived, still bundled up in his coat. The flowers Oscar had sent to the office that morning stood gorgeously arranged beside his oft-neglected computer desktop.
“Hi!” Spencer power-walked up to them, almost reaching a jog. Oscar met him halfway, but his pace decreased the closer he got to Spencer. It was the sound of the team drawing through the glass double doors that told Spencer what was going through his head.
He turned to his family, already gesturing behind him where Oscar stood, “Everyone, this is my boyfriend Oscar.”
Waving, Oscar had his other hand stuck deep in his pocket as he spoke, “Penelope gave me the rundown of your names. Nice to meet you.”
The team was rather tired from the case and obviously a little caught off guard by the fact that the felon Spencer had fallen for was just hanging around in their bullpen. But Spencer was relieved when they all greeted Oscar with a fairly warm manner, wished Spencer "happy birthday" again, before they shuffled off to their respective desks and offices. Penelope bid her farewell to Oscar with the promise of a movie night some time in the future. Then she hugged her Boy Wonder and returned to her batcave.
“Sorry,” Oscar said quietly, “I wanted to travel home with you. Kinda forgot that I would be running into your whole team.”
“I don’t mind. In fact, I wanted you to meet them.”
Spencer’s hand stayed in Oscar’s for the entire walk back to Oscar’s new car in the lot. While they parted momentarily en route, they found each other again when Oscar had to pull over during the drive home. The car that had swerved and cut in front of them became two red lights in the far distance, the sound of its engine and screeching tires muted by Oscar’s heavy breathing.
Oscar released the steering wheel and clung to Spencer’s hand, but Spencer could feel that Oscar was holding back, trying not to crush his fingers. He rubbed over Oscar’s knuckles.
“In, two, three, four,” Spencer counted, “Hold, two, three, four. Out, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight.”
He repeated this five times and Oscar leant back in his seat.
“I was doing so well,” He said, his voice cracking in its quietness.
“You still are. We both are.” Spencer kissed the back of Oscar’s hand, “Come on, I’ll drive us the rest of the way.”
Two blocks later and they were about to enter their apartment.
Oscar stopped them though, just before Spencer’s key met the lock, “Could you wait out here? Just for a minute, please?”
Spencer complied, a countdown in his head clicking off the seconds as soon as his front door was closed to him. A smile crept onto his face as he heard Oscar clattering about the apartment. He wasn’t exactly being subtle; Spencer wouldn’t have it any other way.
Once Spencer was finally allowed in, he was greeted by a low-lit scene. Oscar was holding a match to the last candle at the table. He’d taken off his long coat to revealing a freshly ironed floral pattern. The stereo speakers were already humming Mozart. The crumpled takeaway paper bag by the pedal bin didn’t go unnoticed, but Spencer decided to focus instead on how the food was arranged on the plates - either side of a delightful floral arrangement.
“Oh Oscar, you already got me so much this morning,” Spencer said sheepishly, with the knowledge that he had avoided looking up the prices of his gifts so he could calculate just how much of Oscar’s third paycheque went into his birthday.
“I know, but I wanted your birthday to be perfect,” Oscar opened up one of the tubs, a wave of steam lifting gently with the lid, “It’s from the new Thai place down the road.”
Spencer hung up his satchel on his its hook, “I suppose I have been wanting to try their green curry for a while now.”
Once he had changed into something more comfortable (plus a hint of smartness), Spencer sat down with Oscar for dinner. Both men found that he was not immune to the romanticism of a candlelit dinner with his boyfriend, and Spencer more so. The effort behind it, the aroma of the lavender candle with the spiced food, the glow around his Oscar’s face as he went over the day behind them, it was all getting to him.
Of course, Oscar offered to clean up once they were done eating and talking – for now at least. Spencer still helped though. Any time with Oscar was time well spent. Even loading the dishwasher. Except now Oscar was staring at Spencer’s face, gaze fidgeting between his eyes and his mouth, and Spencer was worrying about it.
Christ, what was he meant to do to let Oscar know he wanted to kiss him without saying so? Pout?
“Are you ok?” Oscar’s brow creased.
Fuck.
“Yes,” Spencer said, quickly removing the pout from his lips, “I’m good.”
“Good.” Oscar swung their linked hands between them thrice. Then he let go of one to thumb across the corner of Spencer’s jaw and he closed the gap between them. Spencer felt Oscar’s recently applied lip balm on his chapped lips, those stupid lips that Spencer spent too much time thinking about. They felt so much better against Spencer’s and smiling with reckless abandon. So reckless, in fact, that the smile grew into a laugh, buzzing against Spencer and tickling him more than his facial hair.
Oscar pulled away, still giggling and apologising, “Sorry, sorry, I’m not laughing at you.”
“I know you’re not. You’d never laugh at me.”
  ---> ---> ---> ---> --->
 A chorus of “hello!” harmonised in the doorway as the Dunnagans’ entered Spencer and Oscar’s apartment. Laden with gifts and food offerings, Tony, Eliza, and Dakota kissed and hugged their way into the sitting room.
Oscar and Dakota were the ones in charge, everyone else on some kind of prep duty while they ordered them about in the politest manner. Spencer was trying to be a good prep boy but Eliza was just better and faster, so he stuck to cleaning as they went. Oscar kissed his cheek while passing by; Tony had hung up a sprig of mistletoe just over their heads. Ducking away to avoid kissing his potential father-in-law, Spencer chased the sound of his phone ringing. He even ducked under it as if lowering his torso would avoid the mistletoe above him.
All five swayed ever so slightly out of sync as they bellowed the classics and groaned over the pop renditions. Spencer’s new watch hugged his wrist and ticked away each pleasant second.
“No, don’t hide your hair!” Eliza ripped off the Santa hat Spencer’s head and pulled up flattened tufts of his hair until it resumed its usual messy state.
“There! Never get a haircut, you’re too handsome for that.” She patted his cheek before taking another swig of her red wine – the same shade as her Christmas jumper and Spencer’s cheeks. Spencer looked to Oscar, not to protest but to see if he had Oscar witnessed this.
Oscar merely shrugged, “I mean she’s not wrong.” He finished off peeling the sprouts, handing them over to Tony for chopping, “I have to admit, it was one of the things that drew me to you when we met.”
“Really?”
Another nod in response, Oscar drew nearer, closing the conversation to everyone but Spencer, “You and your Bambi eyes and your hair and your perfect mouth.”
Spencer suddenly found himself unable to look directly at Oscar, as if he were the sun. An outsider looking in might infer that it was the gaudy red of his horrendous Christmas jumper that made his cheeks seem so pink. They would be wrong.
Spencer burst out, “It was Rossi on the phone. He wants to know if you’re still coming tomorrow?”
“Yeah, I’m not backing out. If I start to, I need you behind me and pushing me through the door.” Oscar’s shoulders twitched with his laugh.
“I don’t know, feels like you could toss me over your shoulder if you wanted.”
“I could. Technically.”
Spencer’s cheeks went scarlet at the thought of Oscar carrying him down Rossi’s driveway in such a way. But before he could ask Oscar to slow the flow of compliments, Dakota called to them across the room: “Aw, Oscar, you’ve got your own stocking?”
“Yeah, Spencer bought it for me, early gift!” It hung proudly on the bookshelf beside Spencer’s.
The table had already been set for the family. Dakota brought her own crackers, informing them that the snap had been removed. Terrible paper crown and horrendous jokes were passed around the five people before they dished up their Christmas dinner. Comically small in his hands, Oscar cradled the box of the primary coloured crayons in his palm and frisbeed the ruler with the shapes cut out over to Eliza.
The pigs in blankets were a little burnt, the nut roast barely touched, and there was so much left over that they would be eating ham and turkey sandwiches for days to come.
Spencer was so full of food and joy that it would be impossible to be carried on his boyfriend’s shoulder. He settled instead for being held in Oscar’s lap as they squished into the armchair, the rest of the family on the couch to watch the garbage Christmas specials. Dozing on his shoulder with a close-lipped smile, Oscar looked content. His yellow paper crown was crushed near the front, slipping down his left temple.
Oh, Spencer was grateful for his dedicated memory. He could match and topple all those memories of them in prison with times like these forever – and he planned on doing just that.
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