#so i went in to the library. asked if they knew of any other recruitment days coming up or if there was an alternative way to apply.

[areyouwho-ithinkyouare]

i love the library but BOY do they make it hard to volunteer there

#they sent me an email like ‘hey we’d love new volunteers!’ and i was like. cool i’ll do that. so i clicked on the link they sent. #went through everything on the link. it said if you want to volunteer you have to go to a recruitment day. there’s only one day scheduled. #i work that day and also it’s like a 2hr bus ride away. the library i want to volunteer with is a 10min walk from my house. #so i went in to the library. asked if they knew of any other recruitment days coming up or if there was an alternative way to apply. #they said. oh you can apply on the website. in my head i was like ummmm no u can’t. #they looked at the website and were like. yeah you click in this and it opens this thing etc etc. and they showed me and i was like. UHH #that’s not the page i was sent to from the email link???? it’s a completely different page. ok thanks. bye i guess.

[mamichigo]

shumika // first meeting (nobility au)

note: in this au, shu as a performer prefers feminine terms as a form of gender expression. this is NOT a genderbend.

*

Theater wasn't usually an underground activity, was it…? Mika didn't know much about any form of art the nobility seemed to love so much, but he was at least sure that they normally weren't this much of a complicated ordeal. He glanced at the flier in his hands for the fourth time that night: Dramatica, it read at the top in big, cursive letters. As far as he'd heard, it was a peculiar group that performed without any bit of publicity—they simply sent out invites to random guests, regardless of their social standing. 

The one responsible for getting Mika in was napping away in the seat next to him. He adjusted his position a little so his friend's head wouldn't slip down. Despite the sudden movement and the buzz of chatter around them, Ritsu didn't even twitch in response. 

(Three days ago, Ritsu had invited him in this manner:

"Secchan and Tsukipi are honeymooning again, and Succhan can't be discreet to save his life," he grumbled. "You should come to this play with me."

Mika stopped dusting the shelves in the Sakuma residency's library and turned to Ritsu. He blinked owlishly.

"...We gotta be discreet fer that sorta thing?" Mika asked, his confusion getting the best of him.

"Not usually, just for this particular play. You're not supposed to reveal your identity, something about how nobles peacocking around would distract the audience from 'true art'. I've heard the lead actress is picky about things like that." Ritsu yawned largely from his place on the ground. He skimmed the book in his hand, looking disinterested. "More importantly, my brother was the one to invite me, so I don't want him to know I'm there."

"Wouldn't it be okay to just let 'im know?"

Ritsu turned the page; ten seconds passed. That was that, then.)

If there was any comfort to be found in this strange situation, it was that the crowd really was mixed—if it wasn't for his knowledge of fabrics and their quality, Mika wouldn't have spotted the nobles chatting with other attendants. He could do without the full masks, however: it made everyone's gaze all that more prominent.

Without warning, the lights went off. There was no announcement or any sort of introduction—before he knew it, the play had already started. Mika stared at the stage in a daze.

"Ah, that's probably her…" Ritsu whispered quietly into his ear, almost making Mika jump out of his skin in surprise. Ritsu pressed a finger to his own lips, then pointed to the stage. "Look."

A woman in a stunning gown walked onto the stage. Like everyone else inside the theater, she wore a mask—adorned with white flowers and strings of pearl—but her eyes shone in the light like jewels, lilac and coldly beautiful. She looked down on the audience in a haughty manner. He couldn't tell if that was just part of her character, but Mika squirmed in his seat all the same when her gaze swept across the theater.

Was this the actress Ritsu had mentioned? She certainly had the kind of presence that commanded attention. He sat up straighter in his seat, irrationally afraid to look anything other than pristine in front of her.

The play soon kicked into action. The actress he saw at the beginning appeared often, but she wasn't the "hero" of the story. Maybe they were supposed to cheer for the protagonist, who went through a moral dilemma on whether he should kill the crazed woman or not. Instead, Mika found himself at the edge of his seat as the woman struggled and fought to recruit others to her cause. Everyone else on that stage became side characters in Mika's eyes as he rooted for the woman's victory.

"I, alone, am the master of this world," she declared firmly, her deep voice echoing in a mesmerizing harmony. "Will you fight your faith or be washed away in its waves? I'll realize your every desire, as long as you come along with me."

Looking at the audience, the actress extended a hand out in invitation. For a moment, a mere second, it felt as if she was looking straight at— into him. For the first time, Mika found he didn't mind someone's gaze, lost in it as the theater became quiet around him. On stage, the lilac-eyed actress glowed like a god. Mika raised a hand towards her.

"Mikarin."

Just like that, the god was gone, the moment was shattered—like a spell being dispersed. Mika realized what he had been about to do and smiled sheepishly at Ritsu, his cheeks burning. It was a relief that Ritsu didn't seem upset, just amused—though the hint of mischief in his lopsided grin spelled out trouble for Mika.

"Mikarin," he called again, leaning even closer so his whisper was lost to everyone but the two of them. "Have you fallen in love?"

A denial burned on his tongue, but it refused to leave his mouth. Around them, the audience suddenly stood up, clapping as loudly as the beat of Mika's heart. He had missed the ending scene, he realized. With a quick and apprehensive glance, he found the lead actress lying in a heap on the ground, slayed by the so-called hero.

He did not know her name yet, but Mika thought she might as well be called Destiny.

"I'll talk to my brother," Ritsu said. "He could probably introduce you two."

"No need t'do that fer me! Really!" He protested in a panic. The Sakuma siblings' shaky relationship was a well-known fact—why Ritsu would swallow his pride for something like this was beyond him.

"Don't think she'd want to talk t' me anyways…" He mumbled.

Ritsu huffed, but set his hand gently on the crown of Mika's head, ruffling his hair in small pats.

"You should be more confident," he scolded. "Mikarin is a good and bright person after all."

Although he tried to thank him, what left his mouth was a strange squeak that made Ritsu chuckle. If he felt like teasing Mika more, Ritsu reserved it for another time, as he turned to watch the stage.

Soon, the cast was back on stage. Someone with flowing, light hair spoke with a large grin as he thanked the audience. To his right, the woman in the floral mask remained taciturn, not bothering to introduce herself, much less speak at all. He was so lost in his staring, Mika didn't notice her turn her head until it was too late to look away. She held his gaze almost in challenge. Strangely, Mika felt as if she had been smiling under her mask.

The moment was gone as she lowered herself into a bow, delicate and picture-perfect. The play came to its end, and she disappeared beyond the curtain like a dream. He could still see her silhouette, engraved under his eyelids.

One day, perhaps, he'd get to meet her: his Destiny.

#shu itsuki #mika kagehira #shumika #enstars #my writing

[yandere-daydreams]

Title: Desperate Measures.

Pairing: Yandere!Kaeya/Reader (Genshin Impact).

Word Count: 2.2k.

TW: Kidnapping, Emotional Manipulation, Implied Stalking, and Delusional Mindsets.

Kaeya was a man, distracted.

Distracted. Divided. Not inattentive, but pulled away from his responsibilities by a force he couldn’t name and couldn’t say he cared for, either. He wasn’t a stranger to romantic inclinations — fantasies, sudden flings, slow-burning inclinations that died the moment his attention was called elsewhere. Predictably, the few relationships he allowed himself were short-lived, at best distasterous at worst, but he didn’t have a problem with that. If anything, Kaeya appreciated it. He’d always thought of company as optional, and what little loneliness he was still capable of feeling could be drowned with a generous glass of wine. He wasn’t one to linger. He tried not to overstay his welcome. He’d been sentimental, once, too emotional for his own good, and he’d learned his lesson. He didn’t intend to change.

He didn’t want to change.

And yet, here he was.

Distracted.

He couldn’t think. He couldn’t focus. It was all he could do to look like he might’ve been trying to read the most recent document left on his desk – this one from Jean, a directive for the younger knights or legislation she needed him to review or another vague, important report that he probably would’ve dealt with weeks ago, if he’d been able to concentrate.

He made a half-hearted effort to straighten his back as the door to his office began to open, but Kaeya dropped the act quickly, abandoning it completely by the time he heard the sound of heeled boots against hollow tile, caught a glimpse of a familiar (albeit, rarely used) catalyst, searched for eyes and found the cover of a thin book, instead, your face still buried in your newest novel as you stepped through the threshold, not bothering to knock. It was you. He should’ve known it would be. Who else did he deserve?

You, Lisa’s new assistant. You, the latest addition to the Knights of Favonius. You, his current, infuriating, unshakable fixation.

You, the new recruit who hadn’t paid him so much as a passing glance since your arrival, much to Kaeya’s frustration.

You didn’t look at him. You rarely ever did, but it hurt more than it usually did, today, as you dropped another form onto his desk, letting it replace the greeting you’d forgotten to offer. “Lisa needs you to sign this,” You started, laying out your priorities clearly, a skill Kaeya was beginning to resent. “It’s just next year’s budget. If you don’t want to read it, I think I’ll be able to look the other way.”

He glanced over the rows of numbers, the messy hand-writing, the columns of meaningless gibberish that blended together into a mess of ink and digits, and took your suggestion, scrawling his name across the only blank line. It was a lost cause, especially with you in the room. Especially with your unoccupied hand resting on his desk, your fingertips idly tapping an unsteady rhythm into the wood, and all he could think about was who he’d be willing to kill to feel that hand pressed against his cheek.

He considered asking you, for a moment, giving you an order and hoping you'd absent-mindedly obey. He thought about touching you, or running his fingers through your hair, or pulling you into his lap and mumbling sweet-nothings into your ear until someone else dragged you away.

He thought about a lot of things. Then, he said, “I take it your silence comes at a price?”

“Do I seem that selfish to you?” You were selfish. You had to be selfish. If you weren’t, then surely you would’ve been kind enough to put him out of his misery months ago. “I like helping people. Just remember this when I need a favor from you.”

“I’m sure we could work something more immediate out,” He went on, but you were already starting towards the door, calling the conversation to a close before Kaeya could begin to finish. In the back of his mind, something flared, the urge to catch your wrist, to go after you, to put himself between you and the only exit and refuse to move until you looked at him, but he forced it down, swallowing the temptation before it could eclipse his common sense. He couldn’t be impulsive. He couldn’t make rash decisions. He wasn’t prepared to deal with how difficult that would make things, not now.

Not yet.

“Join me for a drink?” He tried, again, attempting to sound unbothered. Nonchalant, casual, normal. Like he wasn’t itching to burn every book you’d touched. “I know you don’t have anything better to--”

“Another night, Captain.”

And just like that, you were gone, leaving Kaeya’s muttered response to echo through his empty office.

“Of course.”

~

Kaeya was a man, desperate.

Like a starving dog. Like a traveler who hadn’t seen water in thirty days. Like a distraught, distressed, disturbed knight, wandering through a maze of a library, cursing the existence of every shelf that separated him from you. He knew where you'd be. You were a creature of habit, and he’d already had more than enough time to memorize your routine. He’d had enough time to memorize everything about you, as ashamed as he was to admit it. It was a testament to his devotion, to how much time he’d spent trying and failing to win your favor.

It was evidence of how pathetic he’d gotten, over the course of his one-sided pursuit.

You were in your usual spot – tucked into the far corner of the library, perched on the edge of a windowsill, your attention monopolized by the tattered scroll spread across your lap. You were still pouring over it by the time he reached you, slumping against the nearest wall, taking in how brilliantly the muted sunlight looked as it danced across your skin. He didn’t try to hide the way he stared, anymore. He was long past worrying that you’d care enough to notice. Your hair was unkempt, proof that’d you slept in the archives again, if you’d slept at all. Your lips were bleeding, too, the lower one chewed raw and split down the middle, but it might’ve been stranger if they weren’t. It must’ve been a nervous tick, but Kaeya found it cute. Kaeya found it endearing. Kaeya found everything about you endearing, and to the archons, he wanted to see those lips wrapped around his co--

And he hated it. He found everything about you endearing, and he hated it. That was all.

He sighed, the sound airy, exhausted. You didn’t look up, but that was fine. It would’ve only hurt him further if someone as simple as that drew out your concern. “I’m in love with you.”

There was a hum, soft and contemplative. A rather generous response, by your standards. “I’ve noticed.”

“You’re all I think about.” It was an awkward confession, one he’d already used a hundred different times. He didn’t care. He’d use it a hundred more, if he had to. “I’m a wreck. I can barely remember my own name, and some days I can’t even do that. I can’t fight, I can’t eat, I can hardly breathe. Every morning, I wonder what it would be like to wake up to your smile, and every night, I stare at my ceiling and loath myself because I’m not holding you in my arms. For fuck’s sake, just yesterday, I almost kissed Albedo because the chemicals he was working with reminded me of the way your favorite kind of flower smells, and I’m just so fucking desperate, I convinced myself that was the closest I’d ever come to kissing you.”

He was rambling, by the end, panting, yelling, but you only blinked when he was done, once, then twice. Your dull nails bit into the edges of your scroll, but you didn’t seem to mind, nor did you move to roll it up as you finally turned to face him, the confusion written clearly across your expression. “You kissed Albedo?”

“You don’t get it,” He said, and you nodded in agreement. “You don’t fucking get it.”

“I think I do,” You admitted, more earnestly. Your gaze dropped back to the ground, and instantly, Kaeya deflated. “I just… I just don’t think it’d work out, if I’m being honest. I’m still new. I still have to give everyone else a reason to trust me, and I don’t think it’s in my best interest to start a relationship with one of my superiors so early on.” You paused, laughing to yourself, and something in Kaeya’s chest tightened. It was the happiest he’d been since he met you, and he still felt like you’d pushed a sword through his heart and twisted. “But, you don’t really want a relationship, do you? You’re just bored, and you need something to fixate on. I’m the most available option, so...” You trailed off, finishing your sentence with a vague, stilted sweeping gesture. “It’ll be easier for both of us, this way. I like you, Captain, but I don’t like you enough to put myself through that.”

It was all he could do to remember how to open his mouth. Once he did, the words came stumbling out on their own.

“Of course.”

~

Kaeya was a man, determined.

Determined might’ve been the wrong word for it. Too soft, too suggestive, the impression too positive and the meaning too vague. ‘Depraved’ might’ve suited him better, but that was too harsh, too primitive, and he’d like to think he’d been as gentle as anyone could expect him to be, given your stubbornness. He’d tried to be gentle. He’d wanted to be gentle. If he was going to do this to you, he could at least do it gently. You deserved that much, at least.

Or, maybe you didn’t. Maybe you didn’t deserve any of this.

He couldn’t really make up his mind, about that.

“Lisa?”

And he was gentle, more so than he had to be. Sure, you were on the floor, bare stone already beginning to chafe at your skin, but the shackles around your wrists were padded, and he’d given you enough slack to sit down, to ball yourself up, to act like it’d never crossed your mind that he’d resort to something so… easily misinterpreted. The blindfold was, similarly, an act of mercy. You’d panic if you woke up like this, chained to a wall in someone else’s cellar, and Kaeya didn’t want that. You needed time, and he could give you that. He would give you that. Even if it pained him to stay at arm’s length.

“Amber?”

He wanted to touch you. It’d be easy, now, easier than it’d ever been before. You wouldn’t be able to push him away, and even if you tried to, he could always overpower you. Take you by the neck, pin you against the floor, leave you shaking and trembling and begging, pleading with a captor you couldn’t see. He’d find a way to make it up to you, later on. He’d find a way to lie, to smile, to make it better, even if he’d failed to time and time again, out there. But, this would be different. You wouldn’t be able to cling to your excuses, and he’d be able to show you how much he cared, how much he wanted this, how much he loved you. This would be better.

“Kaeya?”

See? You were already coming around.

Your voice was already soft, hesitant, a sliver of a whisper that was constantly on the verge of dying out completely. You were trying not to make noise, trying not to seem as terrified as you really were, but he could hear the way your breath hitched as he took a step forward, your restraints rattling as you curled into yourself. You couldn’t hide from him, but you wanted to. That much was obvious. You didn’t want this.

But, he did. More than you could ever want to run away from it.

He wanted to touch you, but he held himself back. Instead, he only kneeled in front of you, letting himself linger for a moment before he spoke. “I’m here, love.”

“Where are we?” You were afraid, too scared to put the pieces together. Not while you could still hope there was another explanation. Not while you could still deny the apparent. “My head hurts, and I can’t--”

“I know, and I’ll make it up to you.” This time, he let himself reach out, cupping your cheek and chuckling as you tried to shy away. The two of you could work on that, later on. He could live with the guilt if he let himself enjoy it, now. “Just give me a moment, alright? Just a second, then I’ll take care of you.”

You opened your mouth, then you closed it again. Kaeya wondered if you’d be bold enough to refuse if he did try to kiss you, or hold you, or go further than the fleeting touches he’d swore would keep him satisfied, at first, at least. He wondered if he’d care, when you did. “Are… are you going to hurt me?”

He wanted to reassure you. He wanted to promise he’d be patient, that he’d understand if you lashed out, that violence wasn’t an option he was willing to consider, but he couldn’t, like this, could he? He didn’t want to hurt you, but he’d never wanted to kidnap you, either, not until you made it obvious he didn’t have another choice. He didn’t want to stoop so low, he didn’t want you to hate him, but…

But, he was lying again, wasn’t he?

To tell the truth, he couldn’t remember the last time he genuinely cared whether or not you loved him back.

You stifled a scream as his hand dropped to your jaw, his grip tightening as he jerked you forward, just close enough to wrap his arm around your waist, to bury his face in the side of your neck, to get a taste of what you’d deprived him of. It wasn’t enough, he doubted it’d ever be enough, but he had you. He had you, he was close to you, and he had you. That had to be enough, for now.

“We’ll see.”

#yandere #yandere love #yandere x you #yandere x reader #yandere prompts #yandere imagines #yandere scenario #yandere oneshot #genshin impact #yandere genshin impact #genshin impact imagines #genshin imagines #yandere genshin #genshin x reader #yandere genshin x reader #yandere kaeya #yandere kaeya x reader #kaeya x reader #kaeya x y/n #yandere fantasy #yandere fanfiction #yanderecore #yancore

[bwbatta]

The five times James Potter asked you to marry him

(and the one time he meant it)

Pairing: James Potter x Slytherin!Reader

Warnings: 18+, Sexual content, swearing

Word Count: 3.6K

A/N: I saw this done with Fred somewhere but can’t remember who it was that wrote it, so thought I’d do the same with our boy James. There is also a lil bit of smutty goodness within this so please don’t read if this offends you or if you are underage! 

One

The first time James Potter asked you to marry him was when he first met you. 

Quidditch season had begun and Gryffindor vs Slytherin was the first game, enticing everyone to the stands to watch the two rival teams battle it out. James was aware of the new team members he was playing against, but blissfully unaware of how one of them was you. 

Their Gryffindor keeper had just saved a goal from your teammate, throwing the quaffle to James, only for it to be stolen from his grasp before he could blink. 

“What the-”

His eyes caught sight of your green quidditch robes as you zipped away, throwing the quaffle for another goal and succeeding as it soared through. The Slytherin stands erupted into cheers, but James could barely focus on it as he was too focused on you. 

Shaking it off, James pushed himself to focus on the game again, more determined to score, yet when you somehow stole the quaffle away from him another time, he couldn’t help but laugh. 

Had Slytherin finally recruited a decent quidditch player?!

The sarcastic thought barely slipped through his mind before the quaffle vanished from his hands a third time. 

“Prongs!” Sirius flew up beside him, pointing his beater’s bat towards him in an accusing way, “stop giving her the bloody quaffle!”

James just rolled his eyes before flying off towards you with the intent to nick it back. 

Whilst you easily avoided a bludger that Sirius had hit towards you, James quickly pinched back the quaffle in the split second you were distracted. With a cheeky grin in your direction, he winked and flew towards the Slytherin goals. 

After that, it became more of a game between the two of you rather than the actual match. Stealing the quaffle back and forth had you both snickering at the other when they lost it. 

With the commentator suddenly breaking the information that the two seekers were in a battle to catch the snitch, James’ attention shifted for just a moment to watch, which was just long enough for you to steal the quaffle away once more, just as the game ended.

Noticing the quaffle no longer in his grip, his attention shot to you where you held up the ball with a grin, winking back at him. 

Despite the two of you messing around with each other the whole game, neither of you had said a word to the other. Breaking the silence between the two of you, James couldn’t help but laugh, despite the fact Gryffindor had just lost after Regulus Black had caught the snitch for Slytherin. 

“Marry me.” He grinned widely at you as you smiled back just as big. 

“Not today.” You snickered, winking at him once more before flying down to join your team. 

Sirius appeared beside his best mate with an odd expression on his face, having just witnessed the exchange. 

“Am I missing something?”

James just chuckled, but his gaze stayed on you, watching as you cheered along with you team at the win. He wasn’t aware of who you were before the game, but he was very aware of you now. 

Two

Despite the fact you were sorted in Slytherin, you didn’t get along with certain members of your house. The common room always seemed to be the hotspot for wannabe dark wizards who publicly shared their common views on blood status and who wasn’t worthy of studying magic. 

It was something you didn’t agree with and so avoided as much as you could. This was why you sought your refuge in one of the alcoves off the third floor corridor. It was quiet and you didn’t get nearly as distracted as you would if you had stayed in the common room, or even the library for that matter. 

Hearing a loud swear and then the sound of feet pounding down the corridor, you couldn’t help but be curious. Sticking your head out, you had to admit you weren’t surprised to see a panicked James Potter and Sirius Black running down the corridor towards you. 

The loud shout from behind them, which could only have come from Professor McGonagall, followed them as it echoed down the hall. 

The corridor came to a dead end and the two friends shared a look of dread. Before you knew what came over you, you stuck your head out and whispered to them.

“Psst,” their attention was immediately on you, “in here.”

Stepping out of your spot, the two boys clambered in as you walked down the corridor to come face to face with a furious Professor McGonagall. 

“Miss Y/L/N,” she controlled her anger as she questioned you, “have you seen Mr Potter or Mr Black come down here?”

“The two Gryffindors?” You inquired, your face void of anything that would give you away, “not down here, no, though judging from the noise and smell of chaos, I think they went that way.” 

Pointing down the direction of the opposite hall, the professor thanked you before turning and storming down it, turning the corner at the end and disappearing from sight.

With a snicker, you turned and headed back to find both James and Sirius with huge grins on their faces. 

“Oh, you’re not just a normal Slytherin are you?!” James gleamed, stepping forward, out of the hiding spot. 

“A normal Slytherin?!”

“Conniving, back stabbing, selfish.” Sirius listed off, “my entire family’s full of them, but you are different.”

“Glad I could break the Stereotype.” You shrugged a shoulder, before your attention shifted to James. “What did you two do anyway which set off McGonagall like that?!”

The pair of Gryffindor’s looked slightly sheepish suddenly as if they were reluctant to say. 

“Uhhh, maybe because we set up a prank for some Slytherins’ to drop honey and feathers on them as they walked through the Great Hall, but McGonagall ended up walking through it instead.” James grimaced at the memory of how furious the teacher was. 

“Well that was stupid,” you snorted whilst grabbing your bag from the floor, “she obviously just vanished it. Next time you should definitely add a sticking charm so they can’t just magic it away. Oh and get the right target. As far as I’m concerned, the Slytherin’s that are the biggest dickheads are fair game, deal?”

“Marry me.” James gazed at you like you just discovered the stars.

With a small laugh and a roll of your eyes, your attention was quickly drawn to a piece of folded parchment on the ground which you were sure wasn’t yours.

“What’s this?” You questioned as you caught sight of the front. “Messers Moony, Wormta- hey!”

“Nothing!” Sirius said quickly, snatching it from your grip and tucking it away.

“Yeah because if it was nothing, you wouldn’t just rip it out of my hands now?!” You snickered, “you know if you really don’t want it to be read, you should put a password phrase on it to at least make it look like it’s nothing.”

“Actually, that’s not a bad idea.” Sirius grinned, “you know, you’re not that bad.”

“So I’ve been told.” You laughed back at him, completely missing how James was grinning at you with utter wonder in his eyes.

Three

After inspiring the Gryffindor duo with both the prank idea and how to further the map, you didn’t expect that James and Sirius would rarely leave you alone. 

Because of this, you were introduced to Remus and Peter since both James and Sirius had determined you should be friends, especially when you could give them inside knowledge on which Slytherins to go after.  

You weren’t sure how to feel about it at first, but after a while it became natural to sit with the boys for breakfast or dinner. 

You also didn’t expect to see Amycus Carrow walk through the common room late one evening, mysteriously covered in honey and feathers after relaying a snide comment to you about your newfound friends.

The satisfaction you got from seeing Carrow try to explain there was obviously a sticking charm, preventing him from vanishing the sticky mess to his friends, was so much better than you could’ve imagined. You told the boys that very thing the next day. 

It also wasn’t long before James took the plunge and asked you out to Hogsmeade. 

The two of you had grown close despite your different houses, yet you both couldn’t deny there was a major attraction between you. (Something Sirius constantly commented on.)

Which was why you found yourself in the Three Broomsticks with James, laughing over butterbeers with story he told you.

“So then Remus enters the room to find it destroyed with Sirius handcuffed to his bed, naked, with only a pillow covering him. And you know what he said, like any other Tuesday? ‘I heard they’re serving Pie for dinner tonight’.”

“I’m telling you, those Ravenclaw girls are devious! Maybe even more so than us Slytherins!”

“Well if it’s any consolation, I would hate to get on your bad side.” James grinned at you, raising his glass.

“I’ll drink to that.” You snickered, clinking your glass with his. 

“Well well, I wouldn’t have expected to see you in here with this riffraff, Y/N.” A cold voice was heard from behind you. “Then again, you did always hang around with the wrong sort, a blood traitor no less.”

Turning around, your eyes met the steely blue ones of Lucius Malfoy. 

“Don’t call me by my first name like we’re friends, Malfoy. And for the record, at least I don’t associate myself with wannabe death eaters, like your friends.”

To further your point, your eyes flickered over to the group where Malfoy was originally sat, the group containing the Carrows, Mulciber and Snape.

Lucius’ expression was tight, yet both James and you could see the look of hate in his eyes. 

“You should leave.” James stood to match Lucius’ height as he rounded the table, effectively putting himself between the two of you. The two men stared each other down.

“And why should I?” Lucius questioned back, his voice cold. 

“Because it would be an absolute shame if anyone found out about your midnight visitor the other night. Right, Malfoy?” You questioned with a innocent look on your face. 

Standing up and linking your arm with James’, Lucius’ eyes snapped to you as you held his expression with a stern one of your own. 

“A Hufflepuff, wasn’t she? And a muggleborn no less. Which is weird because, aren’t you engaged to Narcissa Black? I wonder what her family would think, them being the ‘Noble House of Black’ and all?” 

Lucius looked furious, but you held his glare firmly, only for him to step back a few moments later, allowing a space for you to pass. Pulling James along with you, you headed towards the door with a spring in your step like you hadn’t just blackmailed one of the Slytherin prefects.  

“Ooh, can we go to Honeydukes? I need to stock up on chocolate frogs.”

James was stunned, captivated and slightly aroused. 

Watching you take on Malfoy like it was nothing more than a brain training activity, made him laugh in wonder as the two of you exited onto the street. 

You kept talking about the new limited edition sugar quills before you paused, realising James wasn’t really listening to you anymore. 

“Hey, you alright?”

“Marry me.”

With a grin, you just linked arms with him again, the two of you heading in the direction of the sweet shop, a growing list of sugary items to buy. 

Four

With a groan of pleasure, James pulled you tighter to him as you moaned out his name, your hands wound in his hair making it appear a lot messier than usual. 

The two of you had graduated Hogwarts only a few months ago, and after dating for just over two years, James asked you to move in with him once you finished school. 

The small flat the two of you shared was found in Diagon Alley, above the quidditch shop, which you wondered whether he had planned or not when he first suggested you view the place. Sirius and Remus had their own flat which the former had bought for the two with the money he had inherited from uncle, after being disowned from his family. 

Your small group of friends supported him the best you could, which included Sirius moving in with James and his parents for a while as they finished Hogwarts. Yet, when they entered the final months of their seventh year at school, Sirius insisted he would look for his own place, not wanting to intrude longer than he already had, not that the Potters’ would call him staying with them an intrusion of any kind. 

“Fuck, Y/N.” James gasped out as he quickened his pace, thrusting into you faster as you christened the different rooms. 

You had both started in your bedroom before moving to the living room, kitchen and then the bathroom, before ending up back in your room once more. 

His lips met your own as you pulled him by his neck closer to you, wrapping you legs around his waist tighter, effectively getting James to hit a spot deep within you, causing you to cry out in pleasure. 

Quickening his pace, James used his expert fingers to bring you closer to your brink, before you gasped out loudly, quickly reaching your climax. The feeling of you coming around him had James grunting out, thrusting harder to chase his own release. 

Gripping your headboard, he came with a groan, muttering your name over and over as he pulled you close to him, both of you basking in the bliss that came from the several orgasms you’d both experienced over the last few hours. 

“Marry me.” James murmured into you hair, pressing a kiss to the top of your head. 

“Maybe later.” You chuckled, exhaustion now hitting you hard as you both relaxed back in bed. “Too tired now.”

James snickered as he pulled a blanket over the two of you, finding a comfortable position as you curled up together, both utterly content within that perfect moment. 

Five

A lot had changed since you left Hogwarts and being inducted into the Order of the Phoenix was just one of them. 

Your closest friends were also recruited which both reassured you and terrified you. As much as you were glad that you were fighting on the right side of the war with the people you could trust with your life, if anything happened to any of them, you don’t know what you’d do. 

It was suppose to be a small mission, just quick enough to gain intel for the Order which was why Moody chose only a select few of you to complete it. 

James, Remus and you, accompanied by Lily Evans, who you had been properly introduced to in your seventh year, were the four chosen for the task. This of course had annoyed Sirius to no end as he hadn’t been picked and constantly moaned about it the few days prior. 

Accidentally setting off the taboo alarm, death eaters apparated before you causing the four of you to split into two’s, fighting back to back. 

Quickly hitting the three death eaters before you with a stunning spell, you turned and shot another ‘stupefy’ at one who had their wand aimed at Lily. She successfully took out a couple more as she was back to back with you, sharing a grin at how well both of your training had helped you.  

Glancing over at James unconsciously, you spotted one sneak up behind him as he was separated from Remus after one death eater blew up the floor beneath them. 

With the first spell that flew to mind, you aimed your wand at the advancing threat, shooting a bat bogey hex at them, just as their killing curse missed James by inches, only for him to be hit by a weak confundus charm.

You were certain your heart skipped several beats due to the stress and anxiety as you dropped to your knees next to him on the ground. His nose was obviously broken from one spell shot at him and a dazed expression was present on his face.

Taking his face in between your hands, you quickly got a good look at him to check for more injuries as Lily and Remus stunned the last of the attackers and started to round them up. 

“James, can you hear me?”

“Y/N,” he grinned widely, “what are you doing here?”

“Saving your arse from being killed.” You rolled your eyes but couldn’t help the small smile on your face at how dopey your boyfriend looked. 

“You always save my arse, I think you quite like my arse really.” James snickered loudly like he had just told a funny joke. “I think you might want to marry my arse. Ooh, I think you should really marry me though.”

You chuckled at him, quickly fixing his broken nose and helping him up. 

“It means you’ll have to actually propose to me then, with a proposal better than that, my love.”

“Really?”

“Really.”

James nodded, deep in thought before his eyes lifted to spot Remus and immediately he waved an arm to try get his attention.

“MOONY! I NEED YOUR HELP TO PROPOSE.”

Six

The truth was, as much as James joked about it, and as much as he said it within the span of meeting you, you did not expect it for one moment when he actually asked you to marry him. 

Saturday started off as any normal weekend would.

With the promise from Dumbledore to call only if it was an emergency, your group of friends was given the day off and so a plan was set in motion to have dinner at yours and James’ flat. Despite popular belief, James could actually cook very well and so insisted on whipping up a roast dinner for you all, shooing you out of the kitchen when you tried to help. 

Sitting around your dining table with your closest friends, you couldn’t have asked for a better day. It was the first in a while where everyone could relax slightly and take the time to enjoy themselves. 

Remus and you were in a discussion about a book he had recommended to you, when James entered the room with the meal, putting it in the centre of the table. Whilst Sirius was avidly denying James could cook, Lily and you snickered between you as you watched the boys interact with each other. 

The meal went by quickly, everyone enjoying their time together before Lily and you cleared the plates away as a compromise, after James cooked everything. 

You didn’t suspect anything going on until you reentered the room to find the boys in a hushed discussion, giant smiles on their faces, jumping away from each other after noticing you return. 

“Everything okay?” You asked slightly suspicious as the four boys shrugged off your concerns. 

“Yeah, absolutely perfect, wanna sit down?” Sirius wrapped an arm around your shoulders, guiding you to the living room with the others following. 

“You’re acting weird, Siri.” 

“I am weird, honey, I was born into the House of Black.”

With a smile and narrowed eyes, you decided to ignore whatever secret it was the boys had, and focused on enjoying the time you had together.

It wasn’t until James stood and grabbed your hands, pulling you up from your seat, that you became slightly suspicious again. 

“Y/N, if you don’t mind, I’d like to say something to you and all our friends.”

Wrapping an arm around your waist, he brought you closer to him, pressing a kiss to your head. Wrapping your own arm around his waist in turn, you cuddled close to him, feeling absolutely content. 

“As we all know,” James began, catching the attention of the small group, “it had been an absolute shock for most of you hear today, that I can actually cook a meal and not poison anyone.”

A round of snickers passed around the group as James rolled his eyes at your reactions. 

“We also all know that me being able to cook, is far from the most shocking thing to happen to us all. The biggest shock, was of course, the Gryffindor quidditch team losing to Slytherin when this little minx showed up and stole the show!” 

“Here here!” Sirius agreed, lifting his glass of Firewhiskey in agreement.

“Another shock was also when I asked her on a date and she agreed, yet I think that was more Y/N’s mistake than anything.” James chuckled out, now looking slightly more nervous than he did before. “If we’re talking about biggest shocks throughout our relationship, her agreeing to move in with me was another, along with my shock when I discovered what she could do with her tongue-”

“James!”

“Ow! Okay, fine, no bedroom talk!”

The punch to his arm barely phased James’ smile though as he grinned at you so wholeheartedly, you think you might melt on the spot. 

“Anyway, one thing that probably isn’t a shock is the countless times I’ve mentioned my intentions to you. Which is why...”

James unravelled his arm from your waist as he quickly caught something thrown at him by Remus, before dropping to one knee in front of you.

You were sure your heart had stopped. 

“I’m now going to ask you again, legitimately this time.”

Opening up the small white box, a gorgeous diamond and ruby ring was readily positioned, shining up at you as your eyes flicked from the ring, to James and back repeatedly. 

“Y/N, I know I’ve said this before, but please, marry me?!”

Throwing your arms around his neck, you must’ve repeated the word ‘yes’ over and over again as James proceeded to kiss you, before slipping the ring on your finger. 

In that moment, surrounded by your closest friends and the man you loved more than anything, you felt the happiest you ever had and wished for nothing more than to live in that moment forever. 

Harry Potter Taglist:

@ochrythum @hahee154hq @loonyslytherin @fleur-tysworld @la3divine @fiantomartell​

Permanent Taglist: 

@whatthefuckimbisexual​ 

#james potter #james potter x reader #james potter imagine #james potter headcanon #the five times james potter asked you to marry him #harry potter #harry potter x reader #harry potter imagine #harry potter headcanon #sirius black x reader #remus lupin x reader #lily evans x reader #marauders imagine #marauders x reader #marauders headcanon #marauders era #marauders

[insphoeration]

rivals to lovers with Kun pt 1

college au

8.2k

i.

It all started with Qian Kun. In fact, Qian Kun started it all.

He always had to be so perfect, but it wasn't as if he couldn’t let anyone win, he just couldn’t let you win. Ever since that first day of university, the two of you have been competing for number one and to your dismay, more often than not, he came out on top. This annoyed you for a multitude of reasons, starting with the fact that you had always been on top as long as you put your mind to it.

Throughout all of highschool, you worked hard to be at the top where no one could touch you, but Kun had knocked you off your throne with the show of his dimples. Another reason he annoyed you so much was because he didn’t even try! Every time you saw him, he was around his obnoxious group of friends you later found out was a frat. Kun didn’t seem like the type of guy that would be in a frat but that made it even worse was the fact that a douchey frat guy was beating you. And yes, you knew other guys from the frat and no they weren’t all bad but Kun was just the worst.

And the final reason Qian Kun made your blood boil, something you vowed to never admit out loud (even though people already knew it), was that he was so damn attractive. It seemed like Nu Chi Theta was only accepting the most handsome guys on campus, every new recruit being just as handsome as the last. But Kun being so hot and smart at the same time was the bane of your existence. To make matters worse, Nu Chi Theta was always the talk of the campus and so, you were bound to hear things about Kun here and there and on top of being hot and smart he also cooks too! Mr Perfect never gave you a break.

You stabbed your spoon into the bowl of rice so hard Joy flinched, thinking it might break.

“I take it class went well?” Joy said, slowly. You felt bad for being in such a foul mood around someone literally named Joy but Kun brought out the worst in you.

“We’re lab partners!” You cried, stabbing the bowl of rice again.

“What?”

“The professor was so excited to have the two top students in the class he paired us together.” You explained

“Yikes.” Joy winced, “Although you’d think that the prof would want to pair you off with someone else to improve the overall average of the class."

Joy never saw the problem with Kun, she always thought he was pretty nice, but she was a good friend and thus hated him out of solidarity.

From the other side of the cafeteria, you could hear Yang Yang burst into laughter. He was a nice kid, two years your junior but any association to Kun made your jaw tense.

“Oh lighten up Kun-ge.” Yang Yang said, slapping him on the back. “It was just a joke.” Kun rolled his eyes even harder for emphasis.

“I’m gonna head to the library, I’ll see you guys later.” Kun said getting up and cleaning up his things.

“You do know if you want to throw that party, you’re going to have to do better than that.” Xiaojun chuckled as Kun walked out the doors, slapping YangYang on the back similar to the way he slapped Kun earlier.

“What party?” Sicheng asked.

“The best party of the year.” Yang Yang answered proudly.

“Only he hasn’t asked Kun-ge yet.” Ten laughed, picking at his lunch.

“I don’t get it, NCT has epic parties all the time, what’s going to make this one so special?” Sicheng asked.

“Other than being my birthday? Johnny gave me permission to plan if I could get Kun to say yes.” Yang Yang grinned, having the party already planned out in his mind.

“Okay, good luck with that.”

“I don’t need luck.” Yang Yang said.

“Right, he needs a miracle.” Ten snorted.

“No, I just need Kun-ge to lighten up enough to say yes.”

“I bet, whatever you have planned is not nearly enough for Kun-ge to say yes.” Ten said.

“You’re on because even though I don't know how I’m going to get him to say yes, when I figure it out, you’re going to eat your words.”

ii.

You dragged yourself to Chemistry the next day, dread weighing you down with every step. And when you got there, Kun was already sat at the lab bench, coat on and tablet out. Very few people looked sexy in a lab coat, unfortunately, Qian Kun was one of them.

You took your seat beside him, doing your best not to make any sudden movements as if he was a wild animal ready to pounce. You just wanted your first lab to go smoothly.

“Okay, before we begin today.” Your TA said, getting everyone's attention. “There's an opportunity for a group of students to go to a fragrance company and observe the work they do there. No it’s not mandatory but it would look really nice on your resume. If you plan on signing up, shoot me an email but please make sure it doesn't clash with your classes.”

Mentally you went through your schedule, seeing if you could take on something like this, but physically you were already buzzing with excitement, it was a great opportunity to get some experience in the field and to put on your resume and, the only perfume company in the area made your favourite that you wore every day and it was the same company you were planning on applying to after graduation.

As if he could read your mind, Kun’s hand went up.

“I’d like to sign up.” He said, making your stomach drop.

“Why?” You asked, following him out of the lab after class.

“Why what?” He asked, moving forward effortlessly as you tried to dodge all the people in your class who were trying to exit the building.

“Why did you sign up for the thing?” You demanded.

“The thing?” He stopped and raised an eyebrow at you. By now you were outside and you could see a few of Kun’s friends waiting for him.

“You know what I mean!” You pouted, Kun’s jaw tensed and you took that as a small victory knowing you had successfully annoyed him.

“It’s a good opportunity, you should know, you signed up too.” It was well known around campus that Kun would go to med school after graduation although there was a rumour going around that he had already been accepted to some of the best schools in the country, so why was he still greedy for things to put on his resume? “Or was that just to get close to me?” He smirked, stepping forward. Disgusted, you took a step back before he could invade your personal space.

“You are so full of yourself.” You spat, stomping away.

“Yet, you don’t deny it!” He called after you with a grin you never saw because you never turned around.

“What was that about?” Hendery asked when Kun reached them.

“Trouble in paradise?” Yang Yang teased. By now Kun was able to push down the feeling in his stomach but his ears, tinted pink, gave him away.

“Let's go.” He said, throwing Yang Yang in a headlock.

In the end, there were only three spots available for each school. Kun, Irene and yourself would be representing SMU while other schools in the city would be sending three students as well. Irene offered to give you a ride but you couldn’t accept as she would have to wait a whole hour for your class to end, so you decided you would take the bus. What you didn't account for, however, was Kun, taking the same bus.

Panic filled your body when he stepped on but you relaxed as he chose a seat close to the front and ignored you. You rolled your eyes anyway knowing he probably just wanted the attention when he gave up his seat for someone.

Kun stepped off the bus first and walked ahead of you into the newly renovated building. In the lobby were a few kids he didn’t recognize, and it suddenly felt like the first day of school all over again. Irene was already surrounded by people which didn’t surprise Kun. She waved the both of you over and introduced you to some students from YGU.

“This is a good friend of mine, Jennie, she’s actually the reason I’m here in the first place.” Irene said.

“I was wondering why a business major was interested in this sort of thing.” You joked. Honestly, Kun was curious too. The invitation was open to Chemistry students first but then was extended to the rest of the school when only you and Kun showed interest. You guessed it was pretty much the same for the other schools because then Jennie laughed and said,

“Actually I’m a law and society major.”

Looking around you wondered if the other schools had the same admission process as Nu Chi Theta. Everyone was so attractive, it made you a little self conscious.

Kun glanced over at you as you tugged on the sleeves of your sweater. Obviously he wouldn’t know what it was like to be self conscious with a face like that. There were two other girls from YGU, Jisoo and Lisa, neither of which were chemistry majors but all were big fans of the perfume the company made. Youngjae and Jackson were Chemistry and Kinesiology majors from JYPU along with Momo who was a food and nutrition major.

The program director, who looked like an overworked, underpaid intern lead them into a conference room where she began the presentation on the program, what they hope to achieve and what the students would be getting out of it, references and the like, and then she made them play icebreakers so the group could get to know each other and well, break the ice. It was awkward but they got let go an hour early and they left knowing just as much as they did about each other from when they met in the lobby.

“This is awesome!” Jackson exclaimed.

“Meeting new people is like crack to him.” Youngjae explained with a laugh when he saw the confusion of your face.

“We should go get drinks to celebrate our new internship!” Jackson grinned, shoving Youngjae playfully.

“That’s not even close to what this is.” Momo laughed.

“Well, how would you describe it?” She thought for a second, but came up empty. “Exactly.” Jackson said, pointing a finger in her face to which she swatted away.

“Thanks for the offer Jackson, but I’m beat, I’m just gonna head back to campus.” You said politely, swinging your bag over your shoulder.

“Me too.” Kun agreed, adjusting the strap of his messenger bag.

“Boo.” Jackson whined, pouting. “At least give me your numbers so I can make us a group chat!”

Internship friends

XXX-XXX-8314: HELLO FRIENDS

XXX-XXX-8314: Send your name so the others can add you.

XXX-XXX-2851: Jennie 👋🏼

XXX-XXX-8599: Lisa ✌🏼

XXX-XXX-5568: Jisoo🙈

Renebebe: Irene 🥰

XXX-XXX-7277: Momo😊

Nemesis💀: Kun

XXX-XXX-5402: Youngjaeeeee

You: Y/N!

Sitting on the bus, you saved everyone in your contacts. Glancing up, you saw Kun on his phone and you assumed he was doing the same thing. It was almost funny, the way you never pictured the devil doing mundane things like adding contacts into his phone.

When you got off at your stop, Kun saw someone follow you off the bus and in the same direction you were walking. Kun groaned, wanting to go home and go to bed but knew better than to just let you go alone, so he called after you.

You fell into silence as you walked together.

“Why are you going this way, isn’t the frat in the other direction.” You asked.

“Why are you always asking so many questions?” He asked, hints of amusement dancing across his face.

“I was just wondering.” You said. Kun wondered if you noticed that you said it with a pout, because there was no way you would ever intentionally be cute with him.

“I’m meeting a friend who lives in the same dorm as you.” He lied, hoping you would drop the topic.

“I'm exhausted.” You said after a few seconds of silence. Kun looked you you then away quickly, there was that stupid pout again.

“We’ve been walking for less than five minutes.” He teased

“Not physically,” You said, shooting him a look. “Mentally. Meeting new people always takes a lot out of me.” You said, taking a deep breath. “Especially the group today.” You chuckled to yourself.

“I thought they were all pretty nice.” Kun said.

“Yeah, pretty.” Kun narrowed his eyes at you the same way he looked at your lab report the other day, confused. Your cheeks burned from embarrassment, hating the way he made you feel stupid.

“They’re all good looking, and that’s intimidating.” You confessed.

“That’s dumb.” Kun stated, the amusement from earlier gone, replaced with the annoyance you were used to.

“You know what-“ You said, starting to raise your voice. “Never mind!” You turned on your heel and stomped away, not in the mood for a fight right now.

From where he was standing, Kun could watch you unlock the building and step in, the door shutting and locking behind you. Your confession was dumb because you’re pretty too, he thought, turning and walking back to the frat.

“You’re late.” Yang Yang said as Kun walked in.

“No I’m not.” Kun shot back. “Don’t you have a girlfriend you should be apologizing to?”

“Apologizing for what?”

“Literally anything.”

“Ha ha.” Yang Yang rolled his eyes “Maybe you should get a girlfriend then you won’t die alone.”

“Ha ha.” Kun copied. “I have no want or need for a relationship at the moment.”

“Because you’re too busy beating Y/N?” Yang Yang asked. “Maybe you should date her, or at the very least get laid-“

“Stop. Talking.” Kun hissed. Yang Yang knew Kun was rarely serious but when he was, Yang Yang knew to listen. Although Kuns reaction was interesting, it went beyond the scope of feminism. He never batted an eye at guy talk around the frat before but apparently when it came to you Kun was snippy. Yang Yang wanted to make a comment about introducing you to Hendery but he knew he would never make it out alive, so he kept his mouth firmly shut.

The next day Joy was walking to class when she heard someone call her name, when she turned around she could see Yang Yang running after her, bumping into nearly every person between them.

“Yang Yang.” She said, watching him catch his breath with his hands on his knees.

“I” Inhale. “Need” Exhale. “Your.” Inhale. “Help.” Exhale.

“With?”

“Kun needs a girlfriend.” And Yang Yang needed a gym membership.

“Okay and? No offence Yang Yang but I’m not friends with either of you so, how is this my problem.”

“Because.” He finally stood up straight although his heavy breathing remained the same. “It needs to be Y/N.”

Joy's perfectly manicured eyebrows shot up. “Why does it have to be Y/N?”

“Because, Y/N and Kun spend all their time around each other, thinking about each other-“

“That might be a bit of a stretch.”

“Okay fine, thinking about beating each other. They’re both insanely smart and good looking and they only have eyes for each other, they’re perfect for each other!” Yang Yang explained proudly like he just presented his fool proof thesis to the university.

Joy thought for a moment.

“Let me get back to you.” And she did, the next day.

“Okay I’m in.” She said, sitting down next to Hendery and across from Yang Yang and his girlfriend.

“Really?” He asked excitedly. She nodded.

“I asked Y/N why she hates him so much and she turned really red, now that’s probably due to frustration but good enough for me, I’m a huge sucker for a good enemies to lovers trope.” She said.

“Me too!” Yang Yangs girlfriend agreed excitedly.

“Okay, Okay.” He said breaking up their girl moment. “We have a lot of work to do-“

“We? Who said I was going to help you?” Hendery said.

“Yeah me too, I don’t want to mess with Kun.” Even his own girlfriend was against him.

“Guys we have to do this for our friend. Think about how much happier he’d be with Y/N as his girlfriend instead of his rival.” He insisted.

“I don’t know…” Hendery said, still not convinced.

“He’ll be off our backs if he’s distracted with a girl.” Yang Yang refrained from mentioning the party of the century he so eloquently dubbed it.

“And,” Joy added, shooting a look at Yang Yang, “I’m convinced they already like each other, they just don’t know it.”

“Okay, fine.” Hendery said, although he was a bit unsure, manipulating yours and Kuns relationship so they could party made him feel dirty, but he felt better as long as he was pretending he was helping you both.

“Me too.”

“Okay, lets commence operation get Kun-“

“Watch it!”

“Operation Wombat!” He corrected.

“Operation wombat?” Hendery asked.

“It was the first thing to come to me.” Yang Yang shrugged.

“Babe, it’s not a good name…”

“It’s too late! I’ve said it! It stuck!”

iii.

The next week rolled around and surprisingly Kun was a great lab partner. He was focused and driven and he was too preoccupied by science to bother you, that is, until he opened his mouth.

“Take a picture, it'll last longer.” He smirked. You rolled your eyes.

“I’m watching the pipette to make sure you don’t fuck it up.” You snapped.

“I never fuck it up.” He removed his eyes from the pipette for a second to wink at you, and still ended up being exact in his measurement.

Another time, he forgot a marker to write on his Petri dish and asked to borrow yours.

“Give it back when you’re done.” You demanded, holding it slightly out of reach. He leaned over, his face inches from yours and said,

“Now why would I do that? Especially if it means you’ll chase after me to get it back.” He smirked, leaning over and taking the marker from you.

“Joy” You whined into the phone. “He ruined Chem lab.”

“Honestly I’m surprised you lasted this long.” She sighed. “What about this perfume thing? Isn’t he being decent to you during that?”

“It’s only been one day.” You scoffed.

“Well, maybe this can be your new neutral ground.” She offered.

“Except there is nothing neutral about it.” You grumbled.

“What?”

“Nothing, I’ll see you back at the dorm later, love you.” And you hung up the phone.

On the bus, Kun went straight to the bus and straight back to ignoring you. Maybe Joy was right, maybe this would be your new neutral. Although you meant when you said it didn’t feel neutral, everyone else there felt like a supermodel, Kun included and you were just you, not ugly, just entirely average.

Your group met in the small room they had set up as a lab for you, as with before everyone was already there, only this time they were all wearing lab coats.

“Sorry we’re late.” You said quietly.

“You two should let me give you a ride.” Irene insisted.

“C’mon Irene, it’s obvious the couple wants some alone time on the bus.” Jennie said grinning. Youngjae ooooed as if he was in the sixth grade and the girls all giggled together. Heat grew in your cheeks and the tips of your ears.

“Oh no-“ A lab coat came flying out of nowhere and hit you in the head, although grateful for the distraction, you knew who the culprit was and now you were red with fury.

“You! I’m going to-“ Kun was slowly buttoning up his lab coat, unbothered by your rage.

“We’re not together.” He told Youngjae calmly.

“Okay, I see everyone is ready, let's get started! Y/N, as soon as you have your lab coat on you’re welcome to join us.” The program director said, calling you out making your emotions circle back to embarrassment. You quickly threw on the lab coat and buttoned it up, trying to pay attention to what the program director was saying but mostly just staring daggers into the back of Kuns head.

iv.

“Why am I here?” Sicheng asked.

“Because you wrongly thought we were actually going to be studying.” Yang Yang said.

Their little group was holed up in the study room of the library brainstorming ways to get you and Kun together.

“Proximity is out of the question.” Joy said. “They’ve been thrown together in plenty of situations over the years and have nothing to show for it.”

“Jealousy?” Yang Yang’s girlfriend suggested.

“That might work!” Joy said. “She’s never really dated since we started uni so Kun’s never had the chance to get jealous.”

“Okay, we’ll make him jealous, but with who?” Yang Yang asked, stroking his imaginary beard.

Slowly, they all looked toward Hendery.

“WHAT? Why me?!” Yang Yang shrugged.

“Ten and sicheng aren’t going to do it, Kun is the one we’re trying to make jealous, me and Xiaojun have girlfriends we love, and Lucas is obsessed with someone else, that leaves you.” Yang Yang went through the list of their immediate friends.

“What if he kills me, or worse what if Y/N falls in love with me?”

“You’ll be fine.” Joy snorted.

“Plus,” Yang Yang added. “He won't mind once he gets the girl!”

“This is going to blow up in your faces.” Sicheng rolled his eyes before picking up his things and leaving.

“It’s okay, we’ll set him up next.”

Renebebe: So Kun and Y/N are kind of intense

JOY: Dw unnie we have a plan

Renebebe: Ooooo

Renebebe: Do tell

JOY: We’re going to try and make them jealous

JOY: Then

JOY: Hopefully

JOY: The realize they like each other

Renebebe: I like it

Renebebe: But who’s we?

Renebebe: And are you sure it’ll work?

JOY: Some of Kuns friends and me

JOY: And like 86% sure

“Hey!” Hendery called, running up to the bus stop. He stopped in front of you and you moved out of the way, assuming he wanted to talk to Kun but he stood in front of you. “I was wondering if you wanted to grab a coffee sometime?” He asked, his smile making his dimples pop out.

“Pardon?” You asked.

“What are you doing?” Kun had made his way over from the other side of the bus stop. You looked at him, but he looked just as confused as you felt.

“Oh hey Kun!” He greeted as if he didn’t notice one of his closest friends standing off to the side. “So will you go with me?” He asked with eyes so bright you almost said yes.

“Hendery.” Kun said, not as a statement, more of a warning,

“Oh Um no thank you.” You said, Hendery’s smile fell. “You seem really nice, I’m just not- You’re not really my type.” You struggled to find the words to let him down easily.

“Oh uh I-“ Hendery searched for his own words as if he wasn’t expecting you to say no, and he wasn’t. Yang Yang was so sure of himself his plan never accounted for you to say no.

Kun put a hand on Hendery’s shoulder, squeezing slightly, “She said no, so maybe drop it huh?” The fire in Kun’s eyes made Hendery’s stomach drop, Yang Yang was going to pay for this.

“Yeah no absolutely, see you around!” He waved before retreating back the way he came.

“What was that about?” You asked, Kun shrugged.

“I don’t know.”

“What do you mean you don’t know, he’s your friend!” You exclaimed, cheeks still hot with embarrassment.

“Exactly Y/N,” He hissed. “I’m his friend, not his keeper. It’s none of my business if he wants to ask someone out.”

“You really didn’t put him up to it?” You narrowed your eyes at him.

“Why in the hell would I do that?” He demanded.

“To embarrass me.” You said, as if it was the most logical option.

“You do enough of that on your own.” He rolled his eyes as the bus pulled up.

v.

At the end of the program, you were going to create your own perfume, but until then you were going to learn about what went into making perfume.

“Everyone has their own scent, and when mixed with chemicals in perfume, that can alter the scent of the perfume, making it smell different on different people.” The chemist said. Then he asked for a volunteer that wasn’t wearing perfume which was a trick question because there were no external scents in the lab because that could throw something off during the chemical process. You and Lisa volunteered.

The chemist sprayed a spritz of perfume on each of your wrists and invited everyone to come up and smell the difference. Most people couldn’t at first but after comparing the two, they could start to tell.

Kun walked up and held your wrist in place, making the hair on the back of your neck stand up, then he lowered his face to your wrist and you sucked in a breath as all your senses went on overdrive. His hand left yours to repeat the process to Lisa but you were frozen in place. He came over to you again, to compare the two once more and used his hand to lift yours. His touch was so gentile it made you wonder what it would feel like if he were to be rough with you.

‘This is fucking ridiculous.’ You thought to yourself. ‘I need to get a fucking grip’ And just as fast as the thought came to you, it was gone as Kun leaned forward to smell your wrist, agonizingly slowly.

You ripped your hand away as the image of Kun kissing your wrist entered your brain. The others looked at you strangely but you couldn’t even come up with a dumb excuse as to why you took your hand back, you just cradled your wrist to your chest as if you had just been burned. Kun frowned when he realized you hated him so much you couldn’t even stand him touching you for even a moment.

That night you tossed and turned thinking about Kun and the smell of his soap and the softness of his hand and the way he held you so gently like he was afraid of hurting you. And when you finally got to sleep, you dreamed about his soft lips kissing your wrist and up the rest of your arm until his lips were almost at yours, and as you were leaning in, eager to finally know what Qian Kun tasted like, Your alarm went off and Kun disappeared from your hold.

Joy clenched her jaw, placing a hand on your knee to keep it from bouncing up and down for the umpteenth time in the last few minutes.

“I just want to eat my lunch in peace.” She pleaded, “You’re making me anxious, what’s going on?”

“I had a really vivid dream last night.” You lowered your voice and leaned in but not before looking around and making sure the coast was clear. “It was one of those dreams that felt so real that I’ve been feeling weird ever since I woke up.” You said.

“What was it about?” She asked.

“I’ll be fine in a few days, I just need to forget about it.” You shook your head, trying to go back to focusing on your lunch but stupid Kun and his stupid gorgeous face would not leave your brain.

“Are you sure you’re okay?” She asked. “Did something happen with Kun.” Just the mention of his name had you choking on your water.

“What? No!” You said, panicked.

“Are you sure? Because you haven’t talked about him in a few days and when you get quiet that usually means something drastic happened-“

“Nothing happened!” You exclaimed. “I swear.”

She didn’t look like she believed you, which was fair because you were a pretty shit liar.

“Although something weird did happen, just not with Kun.” You said remembering the other day. “Hendery asked me out.”

“Really?” She asked, a little too intrigued. “How come you never told me earlier?”

“I turned him down and then forgot about it.” You shrugged.

“Why did you turn him down?” She asked, her lunch abandoned in front of her.

“He’s not my type I guess.” You shrugged again, not really sure why you turned him down.

“Yes he is.” She scoffed. You raised an eyebrow at her.

“No he’s not! We’re too different.” You said.

“So you’re saying you want someone similar to you?”

“Not exactly but it would be nice to have something in common.” You mumbled.

“Interesting.” She grinned.

“What?” She shook her head.

“Nothing its just interesting what you think your type is.” You didn’t like her tone of voice or the way she was meaning to insinuate something but you didn't understand what it was meant to be.

“And what do I think My type is?”

“Kun.” She grinned.

“What?! No!” You said, jumping up, accidentally taking your lunch tray with you, making a mess of the table, and at that moment Kun was of course walking by.

“Told you, you embarrass yourself.” He smirked.

“Shut up.” You growled, slumping back in your seat. You refused to make eye contact with him, worried that if you got any redder, you might just start crying and you would never give Qian Kun the satisfaction.

Operation Wombat

Yang x2: Yikes

JOY: Nobody say a word.

JOY: Y/N is really embarrassed

Prince Eric: What was that about anyway

JOY: You actually.

JOY: Well, you and Kun

Eleven: Go on….

JOY: Sigh

JOY: We were talking about her type since I thought her turning Hendery down was odd since she always thought he was cute

Prince Eric: Wait WHAT?

Dejun mustard: Shush, this isn’t about you.

JOY: Anyways

JOY: I suggested that maybe her type was Kun and she flipped

Yang x2: Literally lol

Yang x2: Get it

Yang x2: Because she flipped the lunch tray…

JOY: I’m blocking you.

Joy didn’t have another shirt for you to change into but she had done more than enough, helping you clean up the table in the dining hall. So you rode the bus to the perfume company wearing your lunch.

“Hey guys wait up!” Jackson called, Kun stopped a few paces ahead of you and watched as Jackson jogged to catch up with you. “What happened?” He asked, looking at the mess of your shirt.

“I was a little clumsy today.” You said, looking away embarrassed. “I was hoping I could throw on a lab coat before anyone noticed.” You mumbled.

Jackson dug through his duffle bag and pulled out a maroon sweater with the letters JYPU on the front. “Here.” You were confused, mainly about how he fit his textbooks in a duffle bag without them getting damaged but also why he was holding his sweater. “I don’t think we’re doing lab work today so it might be a bit odd for you to wear a lab coat all day, plus the company can get kind of chilly.” He held the sweater out for you to take.

“And then she took it!” Kun yelled, pacing around the room. “And then!” He yelled again. “When we got inside everyone started teasing them because she was wearing his sweater and they walked in together, but we walk in together all the time and no one ever says anything!” Yang Yang watched in amazement as Kun ran his fingers through his hair frustratedly. “But do you wanna know the worst part? They didn’t even deny it!” Sicheng rolled his eyes but it was going so much better than Yang Yang could have imagined.

“What else?” Ten asked, loving the drama. They were all crammed in Kun and Yang Yangs room, watching Kun pace around.

“He pulled her aside and offered to buy her dinner since she didn’t get to eat much at lunch-“

“So they’re probably on date right now.” Lucas said innocently, Kun glared at him.

“Why do you care anyway?” Xiaojun asked, already knowing the answer. Kun was jealous beyond belief. You were out to dinner with Jackson Wang, the sports star of JYPU, who probably didn’t know the difference between hydrogen and helium, meanwhile you hated him so much you could barely look at him.

“I don’t” He spat. “I just don’t understand why all of a sudden everyone is all over her.” Kun said. Then as if an idea had just struck him, he turned to Hendery and narrowed his eyes. “What was that about anyway ‘I was wondering if you wanted to grab a coffee sometime?’” He imitated badly.

“Wh-uh um.” Hendery stuttered.

“Spit it out.” Kun demanded.

“I don’t know.” Hendery said, a little taken aback by Kuns attitude.

“Then why ask her out?!”

“I- uh she’s cute I guess.” Hendery mumbled.

“Of course she’s cute!” Kun yelled, throwing his hands up in the air.

“Kun.” Yang Yang giggled. “You know you just called Y/N cute right?”

“So? Everyone knows she’s cute, it's not like it's news,” Kun crossed his arms and rolled his eyes and Yang Yang did a little happy dance inside because he couldn’t have pictured it going any better.

Operation Wombat

JOY: That’s not what happened

Yang x2: What

JOY: she turned him down, they never went out for dinner

Prince Eric: Really?

Yang x2: It doesn’t matter

Yang x2: all that matters is that he thinks they did

Yang x2: NO ONE SAY ANYTHING

Dejun mustard: jeez

Lose Lose: Stop adding me back into this chat.

Eleven: No

Ever since that day that you accidentally made a scene in the dining hall, Kun has been more agitated than usual which didn’t make any sense because he was the one being rude to you. In labs he ignored you, he took the earlier bus to avoid you and he barely even looked at you anymore. All of which would have been fine but the only thing was, you kind of missed him? Maybe? No. Good riddance, he was an insufferable asshole.

“Null hypothesis,” you sighed. “Should we run it again?” You asked him. Kun bit his tongue to prevent himself from telling you to ‘go and ask Jackson’ because he knew that was childish and didn’t even make any sense.

“Let’s call it a day.” He sighed. Everyone else had gone home for the day but because of Kun refusing to speak to you until now, it took the two of you longer than necessary to complete your experiment. You rolled your eyes, annoyed that the two of you weren’t done yet.

“Fine, whatever.” You grumbled, starting to angrily put things away.

Accidentally, you bumped the Erlenmeyer flask with your elbow, causing it to tumble to the floor and shatter.

“Damn.” You cursed, bending over to pick up some of the pieces but before you could, Kun’s hand shot out and yanked yours back.

“Are you an idiot? You could hurt yourself.” He scolded. And yet, he leaned forward and started picking up the pieces.

“What are you doing?” You asked. “You’re the one who just said-“

“Ouch.” Kun hissed, holding up his hand to inspect the cut.

“What was that about being an idiot?” You teased, crouching down beside him. He glared at you as blood dripped down his finger. You pulled him up by the wrist over to the sink. “C’mon”

You took his glove off and held his hand under the water, and Kun hissed again.

“Are you enjoying this?” He asked, seeing your smirk. He tried to pull his hand back but you held it firmly in place.

“Can you really blame me, you’ve been nothing but a jerk the past few days.” Really, he’s always been a jerk, but it’s been bothering you more recently for some reason. Kun watched as you walked over to where the first aid kit was and he sighed.

“I’ve been in a bad mood.” He confessed.

“Yeah, I could see that.” You mumbled, opening up the kit and taking things out. “But did you really need to take it out on me? I know we don’t get along but-“

“I have no excuse.” He said. “You’re right, I shouldn’t have taken it out on you, I’m sorry.”

“Apology accepted.” You said trying to fight a smile. Turning off the tap, you pulled Kun closer by his wrist. “So, what was it?” You asked, blotting his finger.

“What was what?” He said, distractedly.

“That caused your bad mood?” You asked looking up at him. You hadn’t even realized that you pulled him closer at all, only meaning to pull his hand closer. He watched you so intently, it felt like he could see right through you. His breath fanning your cheekbone, you cleared your throat and tried to focus on the cut, hoping he wouldn't notice the redness on your cheeks.

“I don’t know.” He lied. The truth was, watching you parade around in Jackson’s sweater made him physically ill and put him in a bad mood for days. He hated that he was jealous and he hated that you hated him. “Can I ask you something?” You nodded, wrapping his finger with gauze. “Why do you hate me?” He whispered.

“Probably the same reason you hate me.” You said, dropping your hands, done with his finger.

“I don’t hate you.” He said.

“What? Yes you do.” You chuckled. He shook his head.

“I’ve never hated you, found you annoying at times, but never hated.”

“But-“ You were stunned. “You were always so mean to me.”

“So were you.” He laughed.

“Yeah and I hated you.” His stupid smile was so contagious.

“Mostly, I respected and admired you, your drive to be the best. Your determination, all of it.” He said.

“Are you feeling okay?” You asked, placing your hand over his forehead to see if he was running a fever.

“You know what?” He laughed, moving your hand from his forehead. “I was prepared to offer you a truce,” He pulled you closer by the hand that was still held in his. “But not anymore.” This was the closest you’ve ever been to Qian Kun and not only did you not want to move, you wondered what kind of person would be so lucky to be this close to him whenever they wanted.

“What happened to your finger?” Yang Yang asked, materializing at his side, his face inches from Kuns. “And why are you staring at a hello kitty band-aid?”

‘The finishing touch!’ You beamed at him, holding out a bright pink hello kitty band-aid for him. At the time, he looked annoyed and maybe even a little disgusted but when you weren’t paying attention, he slipped the unwrapped band-aid into his pocket.

“None of your business.” Kun shoved Yang Yang away and the dramatic boy fell to the floor.

You: So

You: You know that bad dream I had a while ago

JOY: The one that had you looking like you didn’t sleep for several days?

JOY: Yes

JOY: What about it

You: It may have been about Kun.

JOY: WHAT

JOY: OMG

JOY: SPILL

You: It was nothing

You: It just

You: I honestly don’t even know how to explain it

JOY: I WANT DETAILS

JOY: START FROM THE BEGINNING

You: I’d really rather not 🥴

JOY: Bitch

JOY: You can’t just come to me with this information and NOT tell me what happened

You: I

You: He kissed me

You: Well he almost kissed me

You: He kissed my hand and then …

JOY: AND THEN

JOY: BITCH AND THEN WHAT

You: And then he kept going

JOY: ASINNDVLSOU

You: And then just as we were about to kiss

You: I woke up

JOY: I can’t believe you kept this from me

JOY: You know I love my tea STEAMING

You: I don’t even know why I told you

You: It doesn’t mean anything

JOY: Um

JOY: It means EVERYTHING

Operation Wombat

JOY: It’s working 😈

“Oh my gosh Kun! What happened to your hand?” Jennie exclaimed.

“Uh I accidentally cut it cleaning up some broken glass.” He explained shyly.

“Oh no!” She cooed, “you poor thing! You should be more careful!”

“Uh yeah, sure.” He said, brushing past her. Jennie raised her eyebrows at the others, who looked back and forth between you and Kun.

Get Y/N and Kun to realize their feelings for each other club

Jennie J: It didn’t work

Lalisa: LOL

Lalisa: Amazing

Lalisa: I don’t think I’ve ever seen anyone blow her off like that

Lalisa: ESPECIALLY a guy

Lalisa: Do it again. I want a picture.

Jennie J: No.

Renebebe: You have to

Jennie J: Pls don’t make me do this

Jennie J: Y/N is so nice

Sunshine: Guys I really think we should let them work it out on their own

Momoring: He’s right, clearly meddling is not working out

JackJack: YET

JackJack: They’re so close I can feel it

Sunshine: I don’t know….

JackJack: Let’s try one more time

JackJack: If it doesn’t work then I concede

Momoring: Swear?

JackJack: Swear.

“You really should change the dressing on that.” You told Kun, looking at his finger.

“Speaking of which, let me know if you need help with your med school application.” He joked, bumping your shoulder with his.

“Yeah right, I hate blood.” You shivered at the thought.

“What?” He grinned. “You’re a natural.” He held up his finger in your face and you swatted it away, smiling.

“Kun,” Jennie called, putting her phone down, both you and Kun looked at her expectantly. “I heard you’re a STEM student.”

“Chemistry Major.” He confirmed with a nod.

“Well then you must be good at math?”

“Uh Yeah, I guess.” He shrugged, pulling on his lab coat. You looked at him curiously. Kun was at the top of your advanced topology class, you knew because you were like 0.3 points behind him, and he never let you forget it.

“Well, do you think you could help me? I’m having trouble in my corporate finance class.”

“I thought you were a law and society major?” You accused, not meaning for it to come out as harsh as it did. Kun nodded in agreement.

“It’s a business law class.” She smiled. “So, do you think you can help me?” Jennie batted her eyelashes at him and you wondered if anyone actually said no to her.

“Well actually, Y/N and I are behind in our chemistry lab.” He said, nudging your foot with his.

“Yeah, we need to finish it up, we’re pretty behind.” You said, catching Kun’s pleading eyes.

Jackson sighed.

Get Y/N and Kun to realize their feelings for each other club

JackJack: I give up.

JackJack: These two are hopeless

JackJack: I’m done

Renebebe: I’m not.

Saying goodbye to everyone at the end of the day, your group parted ways in front of the building as usual. Irene stopped you and Kun just before you could depart for the bus.

“Jisoo is meeting someone from SMU for dinner tonight. Kun, do you think you can show her around?” She said, holding her hand.

“Uh, I usually walk Y/N home.” He said. You bit your lip to stop yourself from smiling, it was the first time either of you acknowledged out loud that’s what he was doing. It just became a routine after the internship, you would get off the bus and he would pretend he was doing something on the opposite side of the campus from where he lived. Even when you two weren’t speaking, he would walk by your side silently, looking anywhere but at you.

“Please.” Irene begged. “Y/N knows the campus, and Jisoo has no idea where she’s going, you don’t mind, do you Y/N?” She asked.

“No. Not at all.” Even women weren’t immune to Irene's charms.

“And then he agreed!” You exclaimed.

“God forbid.” Yeri mumbled. Joy shot her a look.

“So of course they sat together on the bus.” You rolled your eyes. Jisoo had looked up at you with her perfect visuals, from your seat, and batted her eyelashes the same way Jennie did to Kun. ‘Can I sit here?’ She asked, already seated. “Like why not sit somewhere we could all sit together?” You grumbled.

“So where did you sit?” Joy asked.

“At the back.” You crossed your arms over your chest and pouted.

“How very Rosa Parks of you.” Yeri mumbled, typing away at her computer. This time you’re the one who shot her a look.

“And of course he walked her to wherever she was going, which meant that I had to walk alone!”

“Why are you so upset?” Yeri stopped typing and turned in her chair. “He’s not your boyfriend, he’s not obligated to walk you home, so what’s your problem?” She demanded.

“Nothing!” You snapped. “It was just nice to have a guy around to walk me home. You know, it’s a harsh world out there and I am a woman.” You stuttered, trying to pull some sort of explanation out of your ass.

“Although,” Joy started. “Irene was right, you know that campus and Jisoo doesn’t. Plus, you used to walk around campus by yourself all the time!”

“That’s not the point!” You groaned.

“Then what is the point?” Yeri demanded again.

The point was Kun was showing a pretty girl around the nice side of campus, and no, he wasn’t your boyfriend, and maybe that was the point too.

Operation wombat

JOY: DID YOU GUYS KNOW KUN REGULARLY WALKS Y/N HOME

Yang x2: WHAT

Yang x2: I KNEW HE WASN’T GOING TO THE GYM

Yang x2: TAHT LYING MOTHERFUCKER

Lose Lose: You really believed he was going to the gym?

Yang x2: I DONT KNOW

Dejun mustard: C’mon man

Prince Eric: He never brought gym stuff with him

Eleven: And he always came back looking exactly how he left

Sushi: Even I knew.

Yang x2: You know what

Yang x2: Fuck you guys.

JOY: Whatever

JOY: AND she had a thirsty dream about him

JOY: Y’ALL IT’S WORKING

Yang x2: SHE HAD A WHAT ABOUT HIM

“Thanks again for showing me around.” Jisoo said, breaking the silence.

“No problem.” Kun nodded, going back to looking at the ground.

“Your campus is so pretty.” She said, looking up at the stars. Kun wanted to mention that the stars weren’t exactly part of Campus, but stopped himself.

“Which building were you going to again?” He asked.

“I’m going to the kwangya apartments.” She smiled. Jisoo was pretty, Kun could acknowledge that, just not his type.

The kwangya apartments was a series of townhouses on the edge of campus reserved for graduate students. A couple of guys Kun knew lived there, it also just so happened to be where Irene lived.

“So how come Irene made you take the bus?” He asked, not wanting to sound like he didn’t want to show her around, even though he didn’t.

“She said she was busy with something.” Jisoo shrugged. But when they got to the apartments, Irene's shiny red car was in the driveway.

“I guess whatever she was busy with got cancelled.” Kun laughed dryly.

Jisoo thanked him again and he bid her a good night, wondering if you were still up.

Kun: Whatever you’re doing, please stop.

Irene: I don’t know what you’re talking about

Irene: But thank you for dropping Jisoo off

Irene: So….

Irene: How was your walk? 😉

“How come you ditched Y/N?” Yang Yang yelled, ambushing Kun as soon as he walked through the door.

“I didn’t- How did you know about that?” Kun said, wrestling Yang Yang off of him.

“I have my ways.” Yang Yang gloated. “Anyways, that wasn’t very nice of you. It made Y/N jealous.”

“Shut up.” Kun said, but they both knew he didn’t mean it. “How do you know that?”

“An educated guess.” Yang Yang said smugly.

“So you don’t actually know that.” Kun glared.

“I have it under good authority that Y/N was very upset that you ditched her.”

Kun watched Yang Yang dance around the kitchen.

“What are you doing and who is involved in your shenanigans?” Kun demanded, trying to sound as intimidating as possible while saying the word ‘shenanigans’.

“Whatever do you mean?” Yang Yang grinned.

“I mean that you don’t know Irene well enough to be in kahoots with her so I wanna know what you’re planning and why?”

“Irene?” Yang Yang stopped. “What does she have to do with this?”

“Nothing.” Kun sighed. “Just stay out of it will you?”

“But I can help you!” Yang Yang pleaded.

“No.” Kun said. “I’ll handle it myself.”

“So you admit, there’s something to handle?” Yang Yang asked, wiggling his eyebrows.

“If you say anything even remotely close to a jab at Y/N, I’ll handle you.” Kun said through clenched teeth.

“Aye Aye captain.” Yang Yang saluted. “But seriously, you have no game, look how long it took you to come this far. You need me to meddle.”

“Yang Yang NO.” Kun barked.

#nct kun imagines #kun imagines #kun x reader #kun x y/n #kun scenarios #wayv scenarios #wayv imagines #wayv fluff #nct reactions #nct imagines #nct scenario #nct college au #wayv college au #qian kun x reader #qian kun fluff #qian kun fanfic

[marvels-bitch-boy]

Emerald Eyes: Chapter 3

Chapter 3: (Wanda’s Pov)

Word count: 1.3k

A/N: I got impatient and just said fuck it, here's chapter 3, I have the next 2 chapters finished already and Im very excited to continue this series

Chapter 1 , Chapter 2 , Chapter 4

A few weeks after the new recruits showed up Wanda found herself wandering the halls of the compound after another sleepless night, she walked towards one of the training rooms where groups of SHIELD recruits were flocking to, as she entered she noticed a crowd forming around one of the mats and saw a tall blindfolded (Y/H/C) haired man surrounded by three other large recruits. She watched as they slowly moved around him prepared to lunge at any moment, but their concentration was broken by a loud voice in the front of the crowd.

“JUST THROW A PUNCH ALREADY YOU DICKS!!”

Wanda didn’t need to see his face she already knew the voice belonged to none other than her brother "of course he's at the front", she watched as the blindfolded man took the opportunity and attacked the recruit closest to him, he took him down fairly easily and preceded to grab the batons from his hands, he then blocked and dodged oncoming attacks from the other two agents before countering with a few swift blows to the head using the batons and kicking one in the gut, he did get knocked to the ground with a blow to the back but recovered quickly and got back to his feet as he commenced fighting, Wanda started to walk away as the cheering and reactions from the blaring audience ruined the spectacle in front of her.

---

Wanda was yet again facing a sleepless night, she decided to try reading one of the books Bruce had recommended her to lull her to sleep but it was to no avail as she quickly finished the book and was now walking the compound library, she asked Friday what time it was and if she would be willing to give her a book recommendation.

“It is currently 3:27 am, and Ms Maximoff I would recommend…Great Expectations by Sir Charles Dickens”

She hummed and nodded as she thanked him and continued on her way to the compound library, when she entered the library she got hit with a wave of comfortable heat and the smell of peppermint, as she walked farther into the library the smell and heat got slightly stronger, the heat however never got overbearing only more comfortable as she got closer.

She made her way over to the section the book Friday recommended her was supposed to be in, as she was about to turn to the aisle she heard soft humming and saw a man with Y/H/L, Y/H/C hair facing towards a large window sitting in a beanbag with a cup of tea resting beside him, she continued to the aisle and began searching for the title when she got to the space the book should have been occupying she noticed it was vacant, she assumed she must have missed it so she went over the shelf again, and again until she sighed in frustration and all she could say was “really?”

She didn’t realize how loud she was but it was enough to pull the man relaxing one aisle over out of his trance, before she could leave a gravelly voice spoke up from the aisle over.

“You missing something?...”

She didn’t realize where the voice was coming from at first before she looked through the shelf and saw a tall man in a SWORD sweater with a pair of dog tags sticking out, she soon realized this was the SWORD agent she had overheard the other recruits talking about in the cafeteria -she sometimes would have to drag her brother out for their training sessions- she was pulled out of her thoughts as he spoke up again taking her silence as confusion.

“...a book?...what book are you missing?”

This time his voice was much softer and had a shy inquisitive tone to it, as tho he was afraid he could scare off the young woman in front of him...or even he would scare himself away from her…

Wanda now slightly embarrassed that she interrupted his peaceful reading replied “oh-uh um… Great Expectations by Charles Dickens I believe…?”

The agent in front of her simply chuckled to himself before he replied “so you got the recommendation too?... I thought Friday and I were beginning to have something special” he said in a faux hurt manner.

Wanda laughed at this “She tends to have that effect on new people...it’s probably the Stark in her”

This made the agent laugh at her dig against the man who funded the very library-no the very compound they are both standing in, a small moment of silence fell upon them before a hand popped a book between Wanda and the shelf in front of her and the agent spoke up “here, you can take my copy...I finished it a few minutes ago already...I promise you’ll enjoy it, Friday does seem to have good taste...or it might just be the Stark in her”

Wanda gingerly took the book from the agent’s hand and replied with a small thank you, as the agent was about to leave his aisle he spoke up once more “You should sit by the window and watch the water for a bit....it’ll help you enjoy the book more” Though Wanda would never admit to it she made her way from her aisle to the next one rather quickly to try and catch a glimpse of the agent, but all she could see was the back of the (Y/H/C) -haired man with a new book in one hand and a cup of tea in the other as he turned the corner.

She went to grab the beanbag and sit by the large window as she had seen the agent do before, but not before she noticed a rather fresh cup of tea as it was still piping hot sitting on a small table beside the window, she smiled at the kind gesture with a hint of confusion. She sat there in that spot for a few hours reading her book glancing up every few pages at the small body of water sitting in front of the window, she drank the cup of tea that was left for her and slowly but surely she was lifted away to sleep by the soothing atmosphere she was in.

Wanda ended up coming back to the library and that same aisle, she came back and talked with the agent every so often, but she never got his name, never saw his full face, and never got to thank him for leaving a cup of tea out for before he left to go to bed

Bonus: (Y/N’s POV)

After you finished your training exercise and the crowd of recruits dissipated you went over to the bench your things rested on and pulled your SWORD sweater over your head before you felt a tap on your shoulder, when you turn around you see a silver-haired guy with wide tight-lipped smile standing before you, you give him an uncomfortable smile back and he simply exclaims

“MAN, THAT WAS IMPRESSIVE!!...” He takes a moment to gauge your reaction before he continues “...why the hell are you still training with these newbies? You gotta up your game my friend!...YOU SHOULD REQUEST SOMEONE MORE ADVANCED!”

You simply shrug and respond “I don’t know man, if they think I need someone more advanced, I’m sure they would tell me themselves”

The man simply scoffs and says “Dude, I’m an avenger…” he gestures to himself “...I know what I’m talking about! And you, my friend need someone equally matched”

You raise your brows at his use of “friend” and ask him “what is your name again?”

He gives you a wounded look and holds his chest “I’m Pietro…” you still look at him confused “...quicksilver? The silver speedster? The fastest avenger?...really??”

You shrug and hold out a hand “Y/N, I’m the SWORD recruit that was shipped over here” he takes your hand and shakes it so hard and fast you think it's gonna fall off.

“Well Y/N, I think this is the start of a beautiful friendship” he says with a mischievous grin...what have you gotten yourself into is your only thought.

And that kids is how you met your emotional support, Pietro...

Taglist: (fill out the form to be added!)

@littlewinchester15

#Emerald Eyes M-B-B #SWORD agent idea M-B-B #wandamaximoff #pietro maximoff #wanda x y/n #wanda maximoff × reader #wanda maximoff fanfiction #wanda maximoff x m!reader #wanda maximoff x male reader #marvel male reader insert #male reader #x male reader #male reader stories #marvel male reader #marvel fanfiction #scarlet witch x m!y/n #scarlet witch #scarlet witch fanfiction #scarlet witch x reader #pietro x reader #quicksilver

[xxgoblin-dumplingxx]

Mind The Gap: One

Summary: In an age of Heroes, there's always one more Villain. Can Shang- Chi handle his girlfriend needing to walk a Hero's Journey of her own? And how will he handle the two of you not being the only "people" in your relationship?

“Where are you?”

“I’m safe- well. Relatively speaking.”

“Y/N-” He tightened his grip on the phone like it was a life line. Like if he clung on hard enough, he could find you somehow.

“I promise to explain it all when I get back,” you say slowly, in what you hope is a relaxed tone of voice. It’s a little had to do with a desert Eagle pointed directly at your nose but for Shang-Chi, to keep him out of this you’d try.

“Please,” he whispered. He could hear the difference in your tone. It wasn’t your usual easy going voice. The one that filled him with a sense of calm. There was a sharpness. And under current he’d only heard once before. And it made the hair stand up on the back of his neck.

“Tell Katy I’m sorry I have to miss Karaoke night,” you try, hoping to break his concentration. “I have to go, I love you.”

And before he can get anything else out, the line goes dead. The line goes dead and he can feel a hollow ache in his chest. One that tells him you’re in trouble. Big trouble. And without being able to keep you on the phone, there’s no telling where you went.

“She’s smart,” Xialing said frowning. “Either she’s done this before or she was warned. But we couldn’t get a fix on her.”

“She’s an archive,” Shang Chi said, trying not to sound bitter, “Smart is an understatement.” He folded his arms and looked over Xailing’s shoulder frowning. There had to be a pattern. Something had to make sense. You were a creature of habit. Very particular habits. When you ate and when you slept was a strict schedule. And on the run you’d be trying to hold on to something… Unless that was all part of your cover, too.

“What happens if-”

Shang- Chi felt his head jerk up and his eyes narrow, making Katy flinch reflexively, “If we can’t find her?” he finished.

Katy nodded hesitantly and he exhaled slowly trying to rein in his temper, “I don’t know, but it can’t be good.”

____

You toss your phone away carelessly and listen to the sound of a heavy boot crushing it under heel and scattering the pieces. But still, you don’t look away from the man pointing a gun at you.

“Not bad for a librarian… A little on the nose don’t you think?” he scoffed.

You force yourself into a nonchalant shrug and smile a little, “The best place to hide is in plain sight. At least some of the time.”

And that’s the last thing you managed to get out before that Desert Eagle cracked across the side of your face, sending you into the dark once more.

________

Wenwu watched his son pace, trying to stem the tide of panic. Your phone had gone from ringing out to nothing. Straight to voice mail.

“You got me, leave a message. Or don’t. Whatever.”

“Does she have enemies?”

Shang-Chi exhaled slowly and took a deep breath, “None. At least none that I know about. She avoided the snap but… There’s a bit of time before she wound up in the City she doesn’t really talk about.”

“So she could have enemies?”

He stopped and carded his fingers through his hair, “If not enemies because of who she is then… maybe because of what she is.”

“What she is?”

Shang Chi nodded reluctantly. He wasn’t even sure he completely understood. He only knew that your brother had warned him. Told him that there were things you could do that were… rare. That might attract attention. And he wasn’t sure if he could share that information. Even if it might bring you home. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. For all he knew you could be dying. You could be dead and it could already be too late. But if there was a chance… No matter how small, he could take your anger. He could take you never speaking to him again. As long as he knew you were alive.

She’s an- an Archive,” he said slowly. “At least. That’s what the world knows them as now, I guess.”

He watched in apprehension as he saw his Father’s eyes widen in understanding and it was clear that he’d met, or at least heard of the Archives before.

“What does she hold?” he asked, seriously.

“Secrets. Things that are hidden.”

Even as Shang-Chi heard himself say the words, he knew he didn’t understand, not really. That had been what your Brother had told him. Quickly. Quietly. While you were distracted with a tea kettle and getting out the mugs. And even his most intense searches could turn up no information.

“Secrets?” Wenwu repeated, “Such as?”

And all Shang-Chi could do was shrug. He’d seen you at work. Your fingers brushing the spines of books. Tenderly. Almost lovingly. And he’d thought that it was cute. That it was an extension of your curiosity. A love of knowing. He thought of the way you’d told him once that Libraries were where you felt at home. Where you felt safe. He thought of the evenings when he came to walk you home. The serenity in the security lights. The way you smiled at him. And his chest throbbed. The secrets you knew probably didn’t include any martial arts.

“I don’t know,” he admitted, leaning heavily against the table, hanging his head. “The only information I have came second hand from her brother. And even then, he only told me that she isn’t human. At least not all human.”

He didn’t like to think about it. And he didn’t like to think about the distance he tried to put between you when he found out. Or how that distance had lead him here. The reaction that had made you avoid coming to him for help. He felt the hand on the back of his neck. But it didn’t register. Not really. In the back of his head, he could hear you. A casual fact. Things about Aliester Crowley. Or Agrippa. Or the Knights Templar.

You’d always written off questions about it as being a weird kid. Or by reminding people that you had a doctorate in Anthropology. But it wasn’t… It never felt like that. It felt like you had just… said it.

Shang Chi didn’t need to be looking at his father to know he was frowning. Thinking. “If we can’t get to her, I need to try to call her brother.”

“What is her brother?”

“An engineer,” Shang Chi said smiling a little. And a former Marine. But he was going to keep that to himself. He had a hunch that your best chance wasn’t going to involve his Father going on a recruiting mission simultaneously.

Wenwu’s frown deepened but he nodded as he watched his son pull a card from his wallet and dial the number.

“Kai-”

“We have a problem,” Shang Chi said quickly, “Y/N is missing.”

“Missing missing or went camping for a couple days?”

“Missing, Missing,” he clarified, “I got a phone call an hour ago and she hung up before we could trace it.”

“Let me call you back-”

And the line went dead before he could say more. “Shit,” he hissed. He wasn’t sure what Pandora’s box had been opened with that phone call. And he hated bumbling around in the dark. He hated not knowing if you were safe. If you were hurt.

“He said he’d call back,” Katy said helpfully, “Maybe he’s calling family.”

“I don’t know if there’s any family to call,” he said pinching the bridge of his nose. He could kick himself for not pressing you for answers. He hadn’t because he’d not been prepared to give you any. He still wasn’t sure he wanted to drag you into his life but. It was looking more and more like he might not have any choice.

When the phone in his hand rang he almost dropped it and had to fumble with it for a second before he could answer, “Kai-”

“I’m assuming you aren’t alone,” the other man said shortly, “I’ll text you the coordinates. Get there as quickly as you can. I’m not sure if we’re going to extract her or clean up the mess. Those idiots have a tiger by the tail and they don’t even know it.”

The call ended and all Shang-Chi could do was stare at the phone for a second, “What the fu-”

“Y/N,” Katy demanded, “Our Y/N? The dirty chai loving, vintage wearing Y/N that cried for 30 minutes at the end of the brave little toaster?”

“Evidently-” he sighed, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Does anyone else here have a secret badass origin story?” she yelped, “What the hell?”

_________

The coordinates were, So far as anyone could tell, in the middle of nothing. A waste land of tall grass and trails left by herds of cattle in Montana.

But, even without asking he knew he was in the right place. There was a palpable sense of… mayhem in the air. Like the feeling before a nasty storm. Rising anxiety and energy crackling on the wind. Everyone was affected and everyone was quiet.

It wasn’t until they got closer that Shang-Chi and Katy could pick Kai out of the small knot of people. And it was something of a comfort that he looked relaxed. Or at least unconcerned.

“Hey,” Kai said taking a slow drag off his cigarette and exhaling a cloud of smoke towards the sky. He didn’t seem the least Perturbed that Shang-Chi hadn’t come alone. Or that they were all dressed for a fight.

“What-”

“We’re waiting,” Kai said shrugging. “She’s got to take the vortex apart. Then we mop up whatever comes out of it.”

Almost on cue, a Motor Cycle comes roaring over the flat ground as an explosion rattled the ground beneath their feet. “2 hell hounds and at least a baker's dozen in demons, grades 4 to 2.” The words sound like they're coming from you but. You don’t look like you. Skin coated in soot and eyes shining like silver in moonlight. It makes Shang-chi want to shake you.

“Y/N-” He starts, but when you look at him, he doesn’t know what to say. Or where to start.

“You’ll know what it is when you see it,” you say, spitting a mouthful of blood into the grass. “Take it down quickly. Headshots. If it doesn’t go down run for me. Demons don’t play. And, I make better bait. The rest of you are kinda like designer purses. Nice to have but ultimately disposable.”

“Is the vortex closed?” Kai asked grinding the cigarette out with his heel.

“With half the Golden Dagger on the other side of it. Everyone else scattered before I could get anything else for Lea.”

And then there wasn’t time for you to answer anything else. As the small hoard surged into the open field, Kai almost lazily tossed you the other sword he’d had strapped across his back and it was all a blur.

You were a blur. Almost preternaturally fast as you dismembered the bodies that hurtled towards you. It wasn’t until the last demon crackled on the fire that you crumpled like paper, sagging heavily against Shang-Chi who had made his way to your side.

“Shi-” he caught you, if only just. The dead weight taking him by surprise. And the warmth of the blood running over his hands. He could only gasp before the rest of Kai’s team descended like a plague of helpful locusts, loading you quickly onto the nearest stretcher and starting to try and repair the damage.

“I wonder how long she was out,” Kai mused, lighting another cigarette. “Or if she remembers anything. She doesn’t always.”

Shang- Chi opened his mouth to ask, wiping blood off his lip with the back of his hand, but Kai only shook his head. “She told you she’d explain. Let her do it.”

“Will she be okay?” He heard himself ask, but as he watched you loaded into a helicopter, nothing felt real. He’d just watched you dismember a demon. You’d looked at him… But hadn’t seen him. You didn’t look at him like you even knew who he was.

“She will,” Kai answered, looking at him sympathetically. “It takes time… but. The Archive has a vested interest in keeping her alive.”

____________

“Hey.”

“You look like hell.”

“Gee thanks,” you sigh, wincing as you try and sit up straighter. “You should see the other guy.”

“I did,” he said. And he can’t stop the frown when he looks down at your hands. They’re clean now. No trace of the black blood you’d been coated in. You looked like you. Your eyes were the same color that they’d always been.

“I’m sorry that I lied,” you tell him. “That I didn’t come clean when you came back from Ta-lo with Katy. I just… I guess I was still holding out hope that I could be normal.” You look away from him, taking a deep breath. “Becoming an Archive… I always hoped it wouldn’t be me. And then it was. And it was… it was a blessing and a curse.”

“You weren’t born an Archive?”

You shake your head and exhale slowly, “I was born a witch. If Lea and my grandmother can be believed, the most powerful witch born into this family in 400 years. I became An Archive when I was 12.” You swallow hard and take the hand that reaches for yours. “It- I remember the pain. I don’t remember much from before. I remember smoke and screaming. And I remember… I remember hunters and- and- when I woke up I was here.”

Shang-Chi squeezed your hand and reached up to touch your cheek, wiping away tears with his thumb. He’d been ready to be angry. He’d been hurt. But now all he wanted was to pull you closer. “The scars on your back-”

“I’ve been told it’s best that I don’t know,” you murmur. “Lea- She knows but.” You stop and take another deep breath.

For a moment, there is silence. It stretches out around the two of you while Shang-Chi digests those pieces of information and you try to try to put together a coherent explanation. Beyond the door, you can hear voices mingling in the kitchen. Katy. Kai. Lea. Wenwu. Xialing. Cousins. Your Grandmother. Both familiar and strange.

“What’s the last thing you remember?” Shang- Chi asked quietly.

“Calling you… I know I told you I’d explain I just- I don’t know how.”

Shang-Chi smiles a little, “It’s probably harder given there’s a lot you don’t remember.”

“A little,” you murmur. “Sometimes, the Archive condescends to tell me what they’ve been doing with my body but other times? It feels a little like waking up from closing down the Karaoke bar.”

“How much time are you missing now?”

“A day. Maybe two. I’m not sure.”

“What’s the longest time span you don’t remember?”

“Close to a year,” you sigh. “If my physical body is in danger, The Archive will take the driver’s seat until the danger has passed OR It’s deemed that I can handle it on my own… Now that I’m older and I’ve grown into the powers I was given I spend a lot more time driving.”

“Even when you’re with me?”

“The Archive seems to think it can trust you. Though if it’s just with my physical body or with the things we know I’m not sure. Sometimes it views those things as one and the same.”

“Do you- I mean. When we’re alone?”

“You mean when we’re having sex?” The blush that blooms over his cheeks makes you smile a little. “I mean. The Archive lives in my head. Sometimes it has notes though… I don’t know how it would know-”

“Notes?”

You nod and roll your eyes. And even if he’s confused and a little offended, he can’t help but chuckle, “What kind of notes?”

“Ugh-” you groan, “No. We’re not humoring the freeloader in my head.”

#Shang-Chi #Shang-Chi x reader #fluff #angst #cannon violence

[robininthelabyrinth]

Spilled Pearls

- Chapter 15 - ao3 -

“I thought Sect Leader Wen was above visiting other sects,” Lan Qiren said sullenly, leading Wen Ruohan on a tour through the Cloud Recesses. He had nothing better to do: classes had been temporarily dismissed on account of sect business, what with the teachers all being recruited to receive the Wen sect’s retinue; at this rate, this year’s rogue cultivators wouldn’t learn anything of value, and Lan Qiren had the sneaking suspicion that it was somehow all his fault.

“I can’t imagine why you think that. Don’t I attend every discussion conference without fail?” Wen Ruohan said smoothly even though that wasn’t what Lan Qiren had meant and he knew it.

Wen Ruohan normally treated himself and his clan like the imperium, preferring to summon visitors rather than go to visit. Presumably, in this instance, it was only that his desire to bother Lan Qiren had overcome his vanity, or else perhaps he’d reminded himself that even the Emperor would sometimes summer at the homes of his lackeys, allowing them an unasked-for opportunity to pay homage to him.

Truly a very irritating man. Lan Qiren was almost entirely sure that it wasn’t his adolescent brain speaking, either, though he supposed he couldn’t discount the possibility entirely – he’d been very irritated by Cangse Sanren, too, and they were friends now.

Actually, he was still pretty irritated with her sometimes. Maybe it was just a symptom of adolescence. Or perhaps it was that strange similarity he sometimes found himself observing between them, whether it was their seeming timelessness or their overweening arrogance...

Well, when in doubt, there were always the rules: Do not disrespect your elders.

Also possibly Have affection and gratefulness, though that one had always been hard.

Lan Qiren took a deep breath, held it for a few seconds, and then released it, taking stock of himself: his walking pace was steady, his hands were clasped together so that they didn’t flail, and his appearance was calm. It was just a matter of getting his emotions under control, and he had plenty of experience with that.

“You’re right,” he finally said, releasing his irritation with an effort of willpower. “You do. I was being rude, and it was uncalled for. Is there any particular part of the Cloud Recesses that da-ge would like to see? I doubt the Library Pavilion or the main buildings have varied much since your last visit, but the gardens and wild forest are beautiful this time of year.”

Wen Ruohan was quiet for a while, the two of them walking side by side in silence, and then unexpectedly he said, “Does the Lan sect use well-water or river-water as your main source of drinking water?”

Lan Qiren stared at him in disbelief. “I’m not telling you that. That’s private!”

“Is it?”

“Not everyone’s like the Nightless City, telling everyone that they rely on a half-dozen imported sources for their food and drink and challenging them to try to do something about it,” Lan Qiren said crossly, and tried to remind himself Sneering for no reason is prohibited. “I’m not actually a half-wit, you know.”

“You misunderstand me,” Wen Ruohan said, though his eyes, narrow with satisfaction like a cat, suggested that he would have been more than happy to take advantage of the situation if Lan Qiren had been so foolish. “I only wished to know whether it was the source of water they are drinking that has rendered them all blind to the treasure they hold in their hands.”

“…I’m not showing you our treasury, either.”

Wen Ruohan barked a laugh. “That’s not what I meant, either. Why don’t you show me your Wall of Discipline? I’m sure there are a few new rules since last time.”

There probably were – the rules were like water, both eternal and in a constant state of flux – so Lan Qiren obediently turned his feet in that direction.

“It’s not a work-day,” he warned. “So you’ll miss out on any carving. But the rules are there, and I can answer any questions you have about them, if you like.”

“Any question? A bold claim.”

“Any question I know the answer to,” Lan Qiren clarified. “If I don’t, I can ask one of my teachers, or look at the books in the library.”

They walked in silence a little longer, although a surprisingly comfortable one given their age difference and Wen Ruohan’s general aura of barely restrained bloodthirst. Perhaps Lan Qiren was just getting used to it.

“Have I disturbed your afternoon plans with my visit?” Wen Ruohan eventually asked, gazing at the Wall contemplatively.

“I was going to meditate in the Cold Spring,” Lan Qiren said. “But it’s nothing I can’t do another time.”

“A Cold Spring?” A faint smirk flickered on Wen Ruohan’s face. “That’s useful for the suppression of yang energy.”

“And for cultivation, and for healing, and for encouraging clarity of thought,” Lan Qiren said, and managed to keep from rolling his eyes. “Of course, if da-ge is having some trouble controlling his lascivious thoughts, he is welcome to try it out. Such requests are not uncommon among newlyweds.”

Wen Ruohan was smirking outright now. “Tell me, little Lan, has that sharp tongue of yours ever cut the inside of your mouth? Or is that something you reserve for me?”

Lan Qiren pretended not to hear him and instead pointed out one of the rules on the Wall. “I always rather liked that one.”

Wen Ruohan glanced over and saw Have wins and losses - otherwise known, colloquially, as don’t be a sore loser - and grinned. “Oh, really? I find I’m rather partial to Honor the aged and wise, myself.”

“Really? And here I would have thought someone as humble as da-ge would opt for Do not say one thing and mean another, or maybe the prohibition against praising yourself.”

“Are you saying I do not count as aged, little Lan?”

“I would never question your years,” Lan Qiren said. “But the rule does include two clauses.”

Wen Ruohan was surprised into a snicker. “Sharp and sharper! Is this more of your vaunted Do not tell lies?”

“Be of one mind,” Lan Qiren retorted. “Anyway, you enjoy it, or else you would’ve just pointed out Do not argue with your family.”

“Indeed, I am not Qingheng-jun,” Wen Ruohan said, his smile poisonous, and Lan Qiren, struck dead on by the accurate blow, could only glare at him. “My little brother can argue with me any time he pleases…and does, I find. I told you to come to the Nightless City, and you disobeyed.”

“Learning comes first,” Lan Qiren said. “I had classes. Like I told you!”

“And your father and brother agreed with your prioritization?”

Lan Qiren winced, having not told them of Wen Ruohan’s request for exactly that reason.

Wen Ruohan only smirked, though, and did not call him out on it further. “Perhaps I will take you up on your offer,” he remarked instead, and for a moment Lan Qiren had no idea what he was talking about. “Travel is always so wearying, and I’ve heard fine things about the quality of the Cold Spring in Gusu.”

Right, that.

Lan Qiren was pretty sure he was allowed to make that offer.

“Unless of course you planned to have other company there…?” Wen Ruohan glanced at him and saw his confusion. “Your little immortal’s disciple lover?”

“Certainly not!” Lan Qiren exclaimed. “Men and women do not mix like that. Anyway, she’s not my lover. We’re only friends. She’s agreed.”

Wen Ruohan’s eyebrows went up as if Lan Qiren had revealed more than he’d intended.

“Very well,” he said, sounding almost agreeable. “I’ll take your word for it.”

Lan Qiren eyed him suspiciously.

“I’d still like to meet her.”

Of course he would.

“She might not like you,” Lan Qiren warned, shaking his head. Cangse Sanren was a warm and generous person, but her views were unshakable once set, and she feared nothing; he could only guess at the monstrous clash of egos that was about to take place. “But she should be by the training field at this time of day; we can go there next.”

Wen Ruohan reached out and ran his fingers along the Wall – seemingly at random, hitting Change clothes after taking a bath and No adornments that make sound as he did – and then turned to follow Lan Qiren with a look in his eyes that Lan Qiren did not understand.

“Then let us go,” he said.

As he’d thought, Cangse Sanren was practicing alone in the training field, looking especially fierce with her hair flowing freely in the wind as she danced with blade and horsetail whisk. Lan Qiren waited until she was done with her current set before clearing his throat to announce their presence; when she turned, he pulled out a ribbon from his sleeve – he’d taken to carrying spares – and offered it to her.

“I don’t know how many times I have to tell you,” he said to her. “It doesn’t matter how high your cultivation is, it’s still not going to help you in a fight if the wind changes mid-move and you get smacked in the face with your own hair.”

“Maybe,” she sniffed. “But I look amazing.”

Lan Qiren rolled his eyes.

“This is Cangse Sanren, a disciple of Baoshan Sanren,” he told Wen Ruohan. “She has no personal name, so don’t ask for one. Cangse Sanren, this is Sect Leader Wen.”

Lan Qiren had heard rumors that Wen Ruohan had once had a personal title, but that he hadn’t liked it, and that he’d ensured that no one ever dared to use it to his face. At any rate, Lan Qiren didn’t know it now and could not use it as an introduction.

Not that Cangse Sanren would have cared, of course. She raised her hands in a salute, boldly keeping her head raised and the bow shallow enough to be insolent.

“I’ve heard of you,” she said, her eyes slightly narrowed.

“And I of you,” Wen Ruohan responded. “It’s been a long time since a disciple has descended from the immortal mountain. Tell me, are you planning on joining the Lan sect?”

“I haven’t decided yet,” she said. “Are you planning on proposing some alternative you think I might like better?”

“Perhaps I will. You never know what the future might bring.”

“Knowing the present and the past would seem a sufficient guide to me.”

Lan Qiren looked between them in growing alarm as they exchanged seemingly pleasant words in cutting tones. It wasn’t that he hadn’t expected this, but perhaps not quite so quickly...

“Could the two of you maybe not do this?” he asked, feeling a little plaintive. He didn’t want to have to explain how a casual tour designed to kill time had escalated into an inter-sect issue. “Cangse Sanren, if my da-ge’s presence bothers you, we can just leave.”

Cangse Sanren broke away from the staring match she’d started with Wen Ruohan to frown at him. “You call him da-ge?”

“Is there any reason he shouldn’t?” Wen Ruohan’s voice was as smooth as the silk used to execute empresses. “He’s my sworn brother, after all.”

“Oh, I know that,” she said. “It’s only that he calls Qingheng-jun ‘xiongzhang’.”

Wen Ruohan seemed a little surprised by that. He glanced at Lan Qiren, who scowled back at him. “So what?” he said, feeling oddly defensive. “You asked to be called ‘da-ge’.”

“I suppose I did,” Wen Ruohan said, and his lips curled upwards in satisfaction.

“Hey, Lan-xiao-gege,” Cangse Sanren suddenly said, and Lan Qiren automatically glared: he didn’t like her calling him that. “Could you get me a ribbon from my room?”

“What? I just gave you –”

“There’s one in particular inside a qiankun pouch on my desk,” she said, barreling on. “You can just bring the whole thing. I need it rather urgently, and for various reasons cannot go myself.”

“But –”

“You shouldn’t deny a lady in need, little Lan,” Wen Ruohan interjected. “Don’t forget that chivalry is one of your rules. Go and return; I will wait for you here.”

“And I’ll keep an eye on him to make sure he does,” Cangse Sanren said, which was horribly rude even if he did somewhat need that reassurance. “Please, Qiren-gege? Would you?”

“…all right,” Lan Qiren said, having the distinct feeling that he was being ganged up on. “I’ll be back right away.”

There was a rule against running, but he’d long ago mastered the art of walking as quickly as he could without breaking any of the rules against haste; he was able to retrieve the pouch and return to the training field within a single ke, which he thought might have broken some sort of record. Even so, by the time he returned with the pouch, Cangse Sanren and Wen Ruohan were standing side-by-side with identical expressions of smug satisfaction that suggested that they’d accomplished whatever it was that they’d so obviously wanted him out of the way for.

Hopefully not a recruitment into the Wen sect. His brother would kill him.

“Ah, Qiren-gege!” Cangse Sanren said, and accepted the pouch. As if purposefully adding insult to injury, she tied it to her waist without even bothering to pretend to root around inside for the ribbon or whatever thing she had so ‘urgently’ needed from it. “You’re the best.”

“And you’re a pest,” he told her, but she only looked pleased with herself. He wasn’t going to get any answers out of her, and he didn’t even bother to hope for one from Wen Ruohan, who was exactly the same. He looked at him regardless: “Da-ge, are you done here? Even though they haven’t sent word, I’m sure the elders have finished preparing to receive you properly, so you can finally do whatever it is that you came to the Cloud Recesses to do.”

Get out of my way maybe, he meant, and not especially subtly, either.

“Uh, Qiren-gege,” Cangse Sanren said, grinning at him. “I’m pretty sure he’s already doing that.”

Lan Qiren refrained from rolling his eyes at her yet again – nobody would gather up their entire retinue to travel halfway across the cultivation world to see him – and turned expectantly to Wen Ruohan.

“I gave my lieutenants orders to begin negotiations without me,” he said, looking disinterested. “Your sect elders will not want me to disturb them until they have reached preliminary agreement on the main points, so as to avoid losing face for either sect in the event we can’t reach an appropriate resolution.”

Lan Qiren hadn’t thought of that. He supposed it made sense.

Irritating, irritating sense.

“We’ve already seen quite a lot of the Cloud Recesses,” Wen Ruohan added. “Why don’t we take some tea in your rooms?”

Lan Qiren thought about his rooms, which were still in a terrible state, and tensed – he’d neatened up as best as he could after his tantrum in the little time he’d had to himself, but removing all the broken things had left the space bare and uninviting. He wasn’t even sure he even had a matching tea set left.

“You should go down to Caiyi Town,” Cangse Sanren announced. “It has a thriving market full of unique goods, and from what I hear you have a new bride, Sect Leader Wen. If you don’t get her something from your trip, she’ll never forgive you.”

Wen Ruohan hummed thoughtfully, and Lan Qiren seized on the excuse to nod fervently and usher Wen Ruohan towards the gates instead of his rooms.

“I’m sure you’ll be able to find something to her taste,” he told Wen Ruohan, and for some reason remembered how the man’s long-nailed hand, capable of crushing mountains, had so delicately held the bowl Lan Qiren had painted as he had drunk his wedding toasts, as if he’d been afraid of causing the slightest damage to it. “There’s plenty there.”

“I’m sure there is,” Wen Ruohan said, and to Lan Qiren’s relief they were able to spend the next two shichen wandering slowly through the market. Wen Ruohan seemed to be particularly interested in stalls or shops selling household goods, whether vases or inkstones or paperweights, or else in paintings and other decorations; he solicited Lan Qiren’s thoughts on them all, and insisted on hearing them no matter how much Lan Qiren tried to demur.

“I really don’t know how much it’ll help you to know that I personally prefer my décor to have neutral colors with abstract designs,” he said, rubbing his forehead after one particularly extended discussion with a very enthusiastic shop manager in which they, again, did not make any purchase. “I doubt your new bride shares my excessively particular tastes.”

“What makes them excessive, rather than simply a preference?” Wen Ruohan asked, strolling over to where Lan Qiren was standing and running a finger along the blanket Lan Qiren had been absent-mindedly kneading with his hands out of lack of anything better to do. It was made of multilayer silk, airy as a cloud but trapping enough heat to allow for some warmth, and some clever designer had introduced some sort of subtle pattern to the embroidery that made it feel almost fuzzy. Lan Qiren had liked it at once, although regrettably it was the sort of expensive that was beyond the reach of even his generous allowance, especially since he’d so recently depleted it; it would have required him to rely on sect credit to obtain it.

He was technically entitled to do so, especially as one of the main branch family, but it wasn’t worth the snippy comments about Do not wallow in luxury that he’d invariably get for it. When he was younger, his brother had, in a rare moment of sympathy, told him that he’d be able to do much more and allow himself far more freedom while still avoiding such criticism if only he weren’t so insistent on talking about the rules all the time, but at that age Lan Qiren had struggled tremendously with focusing on other subjects and it had seemed easier to simply give up a few privileges. Later, of course, he’d realized that he didn’t have to give up those rights at all – the rule against luxury was intended to forestall dissipation and waste, the prioritizing of self-indulgence over duty, not occasional purchases designed to make life more comfortable – but his austere habits had remained. It was easier to pretend to have a preference towards asceticism and restraint than to admit that he was just being picky again, that he’d rather no blanket than a scratchy one or that loud colors or busy designs hurt his eyes and distracted him from his studies no matter how beautiful the art.

“I don’t suppose you remember those greens they were serving, the first time we met?” Lan Qiren asked dryly. “The ones I didn’t eat? It’s a bit like that.”

“Mm, I recall,” Wen Ruohan said, which surprised Lan Qiren: the other man’s memory must be prodigious to recall such a small event in such a long life. “You cried when you tried to force yourself.”

“It was a physical reaction,” Lan Qiren said through gritted teeth. How did Wen Ruohan always manage to find the most irritating take on any subject? “I gagged, that’s all. Anyway, all I meant was that I’m picky and particular, set in my ways and preferences, and what I like doesn’t necessarily transfer to other people.”

He wanted to ask Are you planning on getting something here already, but that would be crossing the line from blunt to intolerably rude, given that Wen Ruohan was his guest and his elder. Instead, he waited until it seemed like Wen Ruohan was done talking, and then edged pointedly towards the exit in the hope that the older man would get the hint.

In the end, they returned to the Cloud Recesses just in time for dinner, in which Lan Qiren was seated next to Wen Ruohan but which, per Lan sect rules, was silent, and was happily sidelined for most of the discussions that took place afterwards, which were mostly about sect affairs. The next two days Wen Ruohan spent fully ensconced in negotiations with Lan Qiren’s father and brother, and the day after that he was scheduled to leave – he had made plans to visit the Jin sect next before returning to Qishan, a route that ever so coincidentally would make it convenient for him to unofficially swing by Qinghe on his return as well – and in the end they only had time to take tea a few more times, almost always in the company of others.

Lan Qiren breathed a sigh of relief at having managed at least one successful one-on-one interaction with Wen Ruohan that hadn’t blown up in his face. He obtained belated permission for his invitation to the Cold Spring and mentioned to Wen Ruohan that he could take advantage of it during his next visit, whenever that might be – Wen Ruohan had seemed pleased by the offer – and obediently watched the visitors depart before returning, at long last, to his classes.

There were whispers, of course, but he ignored them with the ease of long practice. His sworn brotherhood was unusual, inevitably drawing attention; that would not change, just as it would not change the existence of it, and so other people would simply have to grow bored of their gossip first.

It wasn’t until later, when classes broke for the day, that he finally went back to his rooms.

His rooms, which –

Did not look like his rooms.

Lan Qiren stared.

What should have been bare walls and a cracked table and a bed with a single sheet had been transformed: there were paintings and vases, each with the subtle designs he favored, the latter filled with flowers emitting a cool and subtle scent; the incense burner had been replaced with one of delicate and intricate copperwork, a perfect match to the copper accents that adorned the new table, made of dark wood, that had replaced the one he’d broken. Even the pillows and blanket had been replaced – and he recognized that blanket, expensive and unnecessary, with clever embroidery and multiple layers of silk –

“His taste’s a bit much, I think,” Cangse Sanren said from behind him, having apparently followed him in at some point when he hadn’t noticed. “But I suppose you can’t fault him for efficiency.”

Lan Qiren turned to stare at her. “You – you knew about this?”

She grinned at him.

“You didn’t say – you didn’t tell – !” Lan Qiren looked around. “He was shopping for me?”

“All your fault,” she said cheerfully. “Apparently you were the one who started it all, giving him a gift –”

“He was getting married!”

“Some men are unreasonably competitive, Qiren-gege. Your sworn brother is one of them.”

“I – a competition – ?!”

“Possibly he also felt bad about getting you drunk and taking advantage of you,” she said. “And wanted to make up for it somehow. Just a thought.”

Lan Qiren flapped his hands in the air, unable to form words for a while – not least because he was pretty sure Wen Ruohan didn’t do emotions like felt bad, and probably maxed out at this made you have feelings which are inconvenient for me – and then finally settled on some: “What did the two of you talk about?!”

Cangse Sanren poked at the new guqin stand in the corner, dark wood and copper as well, embedded with a few dimly glowing night-pearls, and nodded to herself in satisfaction at its balance. “Blind people with no judgment or appreciation, mostly.”

“…what?!”

“I may have also mentioned that your room was looking a bit too ascetic recently…”

“Cangse Sanren!”

She laughed her peculiar laugh, the deep one that came from her belly and made everyone around her want to join in, and took to her heels as if afraid that he might chase her. Lan Qiren seriously considered it for a moment, wanting to scold her and also to extract every detail about how she had almost certainly tried to scold one of the most terrifying men currently living, but he found himself drifting over to the bed instead, putting his hands into the comfortable blanket and already imagining how well he would sleep with it tucked tightly around him.

Fine, he thought, scowling down at it with a glare that was for no one’s benefit, not even himself. Maybe next time he writes inviting me, I’ll even go.

#mdzs #lan qiren #cangse sanren #wen ruohan #my fic #my fics #spilled pearls

[folklorelise]

How did you become Levi’s girlfriend.

Levi Ackerman - how did you, from the MPs, become Levi’s girlfriend

--

When you joined the training corps, you did not have any friends. Then you met Hange and you became friends rather quickly. It was fun, lots of hard work and then even more fun. After three years of training, you ended up first at the end. You thought about joining the Military Police, but Hange and you promised to join the Survey Corps together.

“Congrats on finishing first!” Hange cheered during dinner.

“Thank you!”

“Soo... are you still planning on joining the Survey Corps?”

“Of course, I promised remember.”

“Yeah, but it’s just back then, we didn’t know if we could join the MP.”

Once in the Survey Corps, it was a lot of trainings. You ended up in Squad Leader Erwin’s squad. And very soon, Hange made Squad Leader too.

After one expedition where you almost died, you asked for a transfer for the MPs. They agreed to it because you were ranked first at the end. The night of the departure, you went to see Hange.

“I’m sorry Hange.” you sobbed.

She hugged you and repeated it was ok and that she understood. You promised her that you would visit her as soon as possible.

“We could write each other letters every day and it would be like I never left.” you proposed with a small smile.

Life in the MPs was boring. People were mean, they criticised the survey corps every chance they had. It was upsetting, that is why you never made any friends there. With your experience in the SC, the commander of the MP made you in charge of the communications between them and the SC, as well as every other business between them.

Every trip you made, you made sure to bring lots of food for Hange, Erwin and everyone else because you knew the Survey Corps did not have treats. Apple pies, lemon pies, some meat, and fruits.

You took your basket and went in the cart. You usually stayed a week before going back to Wall Sina. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It all depended on the business between the MP and the SC.

“Y/N!” Hange screamed once she saw you.

“Hange!” you screamed back dramatically.

Once alone, she told you everything Erwin did the last few days.

“So now we have three new recruits. Levi, Isabel and Furlan. They are really good, especially since they did not have any trainings for it. Levi is the most talented of them all even better than some of us.” Hange explained while eating an apple. “You should meet them! I saw them at the library and there’s never anyone there.”

She took your arm and ran to the library. You were pretty slow since you were still carrying your basket full of food.

“Slow down Hange, please.”

She opened the door and there they were. The three new recruits. Your eyes were fixed on the straight black hair styled in an undercut curtain one. ‘Didn’t know guys from the underground were so pretty.’

“This is Y/N.” Hange introduced you to them and sat beside Levi.

You sat beside Isabel and put the basket in front of you.

“What are these?” Isabel asked taking a strawberry and a pomegranate.

“Isabel! You cannot just take things from people like this. Not here at least.” Furlan warned her.

“Oh no, it’s fine.” you smiled. “These are just fruits; you can have them if you want.” You took out some more and gave them to Furlan and Levi. Furlan thanked you and eat them as well as Isabel. Levi just looked at you but did not take the food. You smiled shyly and put the fruits in front of him. “Mh, you can eat them later but not too late, otherwise they will rot.” you explained.

“It’s what we ate in the underground anyway.” Levi sighed in a stoic voice.

“O-oh mmh...”

“He’s kidding.” Furlan laughed and glared at Levi saying, ‘be nice’.

No one talked after that. It was rather uncomfortable. You looked at Hange and tried to tell her with your eyes ‘Let’s leave! We are disturbing them!’. But she did nothing. Hange tried to make conversation, Isabel and Furlan talked easily with you, but Levi did not. He just glared at you and Hange. It was late in the evening, so you proposed to eat the meat you had.

“This is amazing!” Isabel praised.

“If you guys like this, I could bring more next time. What do you like?” you asked.

“I’ve never had sweets. And the meat is really good too. Oh also, the fruits were amazing.” Isabel shouted excited.

“Isabel.” Levi reprimanded.

“No, it’s fine, what would you like to have?” you asked but he said nothing and just looked away.

“Big bro here loves tea and Furlan likes everything, so anything is fine.”

“Tea, great. I can do that!”

The door opened and Erwin came in. You hugged him tightly and sat back next to Isabel.

“I see you already ate.” Erwin stated.

“I have some left in my bedroom for you. I know you’re busy and I knew Hange would eat everything.” you said.

“Hey not true!” Hange gasped.

“I just wanted to make sure the new recruits ate well for their first expedition tomorrow.”

“Oh, you guys are already leaving tomorrow?” you frowned. “Hange, we barely spent any time together.”

“It’ll be fine, and we’ll be back quick. You’re staying a week, right?”

“Commander Shadis just told me that Y/N is leaving tomorrow evening.” Erwin announced.

Levi, Isabel and Furlan went back to their bedroom and you stayed with Hange and Erwin in his office. He ate the food you had, and you guys talked about what happened these last few weeks. Erwin and Hange had some last-minute squad leader related work to do so you left. You left for the kitchen to brew some tea.

“What tea are you preparing?” someone asked beside you.

“Oh my! Don’t do this to me!” you screamed, startled. He stared at you, waiting for an answer. “It’s chamomile tea. I can never sleep around here... do you want some?”

He nodded. You took another cup of tea and pour some in his cup. You two sat in the mess hall, in front of each other in silence.

“Hm, so... do you like it here?” you hesitated. He stared at you and gave a nod. You quickly noticed how he holds his cup and chuckled.

“What’s so funny?”

“Nothing!”

“You laughed, so what’s so funny?”

“It’s just... I never saw someone hold their cup like you do.” He, once again, just started at you. “I’m sorry if that seemed mean! It is not. It’s just - it’s a very unique way of holding a cup and so it’s more of a compliment you know. It means you are unique.” you blurted out nervously. He did not respond anything, he just started at you with a softer look. He brought his cup close to his lips and smirked slightly.

The next day, the survey corps left in the morning. You did not have the chance to say goodbye before leaving but ‘it’s fine, next time then’ you thought. Next time happened quicker than you expected. Only two weeks later you had to come back because your commander wanted the reports about the last expedition. You prepared your basket, remembering what Isabel said. You took every tea flavours you could find and put them in a pretty bag. Then, you took some sweets for Isabel and lots of apple for Furlan. You then took another basket and filled it with the usual food for your other friends.

Once in the SC headquarters, you went to see Hange first.

“Why the long face? Someone died?” you joked. She looked at you without laughing and you understood. “Who?” you whispered.

You run to Levi’s bedroom as quick as possible and knocked on his door. No one answered and you opened it slowly, but no one was inside. You put the basket on a bed. You stayed a minute, hoping for Levi to come back but nothing happened. You stood up but at the same time, the door opened on Levi. You started at each other for a minute before he moved inside of his bedroom.

“I’m sorry I broke in.”

He just sat on the bed next to the basket full of food. You turned around, ready to leave but Levi grabbed your wrist and forced you to sit beside him. You could feel his tense body and his harsh grip, but you did not say anything.

“You can bring the food back.” he breathed loudly, “They’re not here to eat it anymore.”

“I’m sorry this had to happen to you. They were really nice, this isn’t fair.” you sobbed.

He let go of your wrist slowly and sighed. He stood up and you hugged him. His body immediately tensed up, but he did not leave. Your arms were wrapped around his neck tightly and slowly, you felt his hands circling around your waist. You did not let go and waited for him to let go first. After ten or more minutes, he slowly backed away. You looked at him and smiled softly. You had to do something, so you took the bag full of tea and left for the kitchen. Levi just looked at you leave without saying anything.

You brew some black tea and went back to Levi. You gave him his tea and you drunk in silence. You took some food and handed it to him. He just looked away.

“You should eat. Please.”

He took the bread and the meat and ate it without protesting. You stayed with him the whole night. No one talked but you did not want to leave him alone. His back was against the wall, with his legs over the bed.

“You should sleep, you look like you haven’t slept in days.”

“I didn’t. I can’t sleep.”

“Here.” you tap the place between your legs. “I can give you a massage and it could help.”

He refused at first but gave in and settled in front of you, between your legs. You started your massage and he relaxed straight away. After thirty minutes, he fell asleep and his head fell back on your shoulder. You wrapped your arms around his chest and fell asleep with him in your arms.

The next morning, you woke up alone with the blanket over your body. Levi was already awake, eating the leftovers of the food you brought.

“Morning.” you greeted him.

“Thank you for yesterday. I really needed that.”

“Anytime.”

You spend the day with Hange, talking about what happened last night.

“You dog! You saw him twice and you’re already sleeping with him.”

“Hange!”

“I’m kidding. So, what’s going between you two?”

“I don’t know.”

“Do you like him?”

“I don’t know, I barely know him. I mean, he doesn’t share much but he’s nice, and I feel great when he’s around.”

During the week, you spent a lot of time with Hange because she is your best friend and you also spent every night with Levi. He did not talk much but he enjoyed your company. He was scared that you might not come back because you would be bored, but you always came. You, on the other hand talked a lot, and he listened. He liked listening to you. You would tell him about your life before joining the training corps, about your training days and how you were part of the survey corps once.

“I’m glad you’re not here anymore.” he started.

“What?” you stuttered.

“Because with you safe in the inner wall, I do not have to be worried about you, about losing you outside the walls. Knowing that you are safe inside makes me... feel great.” he admitted avoiding looking at you. You were so surprised that you did not know what to say but to Levi, it looked like you just rejected him by your lack of answer.

“I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have...”

But you did not let him finish and kissed him. His hands holding you close to him and yours on his face.

“I think... no I know,” you took a deep breath, “I love you, and you’re amazing.”

“I love you too.” he whispered close to your ear.

From that moment, you two were inseparable. When you visited, you were always with Levi. If Hange wanted to spend time with you, she had to spend time with Levi too. Only Hange and Erwin knew about this.

When Levi made Squad Leader, you celebrated by buying him a new cravat with his initial on it. You helped him clean his new office and his new bedroom.

“Clean better Y/N.” – “Tch it’s still filthy.” – “You missed a spot.” – “Do it again.”

At the same time, Erwin made Commander and after dinner, he dropped by to give Levi some paperwork.

You sat on the couch reading a book while Levi started to work. After an hour of reading, you looked at Levi and noticed how he was still working on his first piece of paper.

“How’s work?” you asked.

“Fine.” Levi answered firmly.

You did not know if you had to insist or just let it go — you did not want to upset him.

“Do you need help?”

“No.”

“Levi...”

“It’s fine I said.”

You waited a minute and thought about it a second. Did the underground have schools?

“Are you having trouble writing?” you hesitated. “Or... reading?” Levi just looked away and put his head in his hands. “Levi it’s fine. You should have told me; I could have helped. I still can.”

After that, you started to teach him the alphabet first. But then you had to leave again. “You should tell Erwin; he wouldn’t judge you. I’m sure he would help, and he would give you less paperwork.” you told him before leaving.

The next time you came, you had many books about teaching and learning. And you gave these to Levi and worked on it with him. He improved a lot since last time, and he told you that he asked Erwin for help. The commander was really understanding and made sure to help him the best he can.

Everything was perfect.

Until the 104th cadets graduated. After the 57th expedition, Levi lost his whole squad. Hange made a trip to wall Sina just to bring you to Levi, knowing that he did not want to bother you. When you arrived, Levi was nowhere to be found. You waited in his office and when he came back, he froze when he saw you standing in the middle of the room. He closed the door and run to you. A hug is what he needed.

“Thank you for being here. I needed you.”

“I’m sorry I couldn’t be here with you, to help. And I’ve been thinking... maybe I should come back here so I could be with you.”

“It’s too dangerous.”

“But I want to be with you. I always want to be with you, and I hate leaving you here alone. I want to come back.”

He nodded and kissed you tenderly and slowly brought you to his couch so he could fuck you nicely.

MASTERLIST

#attack on titan x reader #levi ackerman x reader #snk #levi ackerman #is this a one shot/imagine? #i wanted to put - in front of each paragraph #but it doesn't look like a hc so i decided not to #i hope it was ok #always scared to write people ooc but levi is extra hard *wink wink*

[wheredafandomat]

Chimera 🌌

Part 11 : Doctor

Prev

Next

6 years ago

It had been just over half a year that you had been an Avenger now. Great would have been a criminal understatement to how everything was going. As promised, whenever you and Loki had a day off, you’d both venture to the library together before stopping for food on the way back to the compound. You had both also started writing small poems to one another about phatic things. You’d both usually try and slip a word in that you didn’t think the other would know the meaning of. Most of the time, Loki would pretend he didn’t know the meaning and you’d explain it to him but his knowing smile never went un missed. Occasionally Cassie was able to join you both however she didn’t much enjoy libraries. Cassie wasn’t much of a reader or writer or lover of much. She liked expensive restaurants and going on missions.

You remembered when Cassie first recruited you. There were over 60 candidates all thinking that they were SHILEDs next greatest asset. Cassie always said how they were either too loud or too unfocused however you were quick, calculating and quiet. She’d often say that determination was evident in your stance and that was one of the main reasons she took a liking to you and helped to train you before you went on any actual SHIELD missions. When you found out that Clint was no longer going to be apart of the Avengers permanently, you knew that Cassie was an easy replacement so when she and Fury asked you to join, you were stunned. Almost immediately you agreed and that’s what brings you here now awkwardly watching her kiss her boyfriend.

“I would very much like to leave” you coughed, interrupting their kissing.

“I’ve always wanted to do it in a library” Cassie whispered to Loki.

“That would be wrong of us.” Loki replied, turning towards you when Cassie tried to kiss him again.

“Don’t stop on my account, I’m going to leave” you insisted, excusing yourself as you stood up.

“Fancy seeing you here” Stephen said standing behind you.

“Hello doctor” you smiled, spinning on your heels to face Stephen who you also had grown accustomed to in your time as an avenger. The constant flirting between you both hadn’t gone unnoticed, especially by Natasha who would always tease you about him. However the flirting was just that, flirting.

“How about we go someplace else, leave these two alone on their day off.” Stephen suggested.

“No” Loki interrupted standing up “we’ll all go.”

“Are you sure?” You questioned.

“Yeah, we’re done here anyways, we might as well all leave together.” He nodded.

“Alright, let’s go.” You encouraged.

The four of you walked out together. Loki and Cassie had linked hands whilst you and Stephens kept brushing past each other. Looking at him, he gave you a coy smile before grabbing your hand and swinging your arm as you walked, causing you to laugh. When the four of you reached near the top of the street, you spotted a crowd of people gathered around someone on the floor. Like instinct, the four of you raced towards the scene, pushing through the crowd of people to see a man laying on the floor and gasping for air.

“STEPHEN, DO SOMETHING!” You shouted.

“Ok everybody stay calm, y/n, phone an ambulance. Loki I need you to get me an outer cannula with an inflatable cuff, an inner cannula and an obturator. Cassie, make some space please.” Stephen ordered calmly.

Your shaky fingers dialled for an ambulance whilst Cassie got everyone to move backwards. Loki had managed to conjure the things Stephen had asked for however there was some sort of altercation.

“Stephen, what’s going on?” You questioned frantically as the man on the floor began loosing colour.

“I’m a neurosurgeon” he said taking a sharp breath “I don’t specialise in what I’m about to do. Right, scrap that. I need a ballpoint pen and for you to take a step backwards y/n.” He requested. Loki handed him a pen and Stephen removed the ink from inside before taking a deep breath and—

“STEPHEN” you exclaimed as he stabbed the man in the throat.

“I needed to clear his airway.” Stephen explained as the man on the floor relaxed as if he was starting to be able to breathe again. The sound of an ambulance arriving could be heard before medics rushed to the scene. Stephen stood from his kneeling position as the medics took the man before you grabbed him into a deep kiss.

“I knew you liked me.” Stephen grinned as you broke the kiss.

“I’m never going to stop calling you doctor now” you smiled. “This kiss is also just me getting rid of all this built up adrenaline from watching you save a life.” You added before kissing him again. The people around you clapped before you and Stephen pulled apart from each other.

“PDAs are disgusting.” Cassie joked.

“Indeed.” Loki added with a grimace.

“Considering we’re all off today, we should have a small celebration in the compound. A few drinks, it’ll be fun.” You suggested as Stephen put an arm around your back.

“I was just doing what I swore an oath to do.” Stephen said, putting the other hand on his heart.

“You’re being modest doctor. Tonight, we drink.” You cheered before the four of you headed back towards the compound.

On the journey back, you could mainly hear Cassie speaking to an unresponsive Loki as you all walked.

“Are you even listening?” She asked, swatting his shoulder.

“Reticence” you mumbled under your breath.

“What was that?” Loki asked, finally speaking.

“Reticence” you repeated “you’re showing quite a lot of reticence Loki, you’re being uncommunicative.” You tittered.

“I’m impressed.” He retorted with a smile.

A/N: Doctor 🤤 Let’s partayy!!

Tags:

@mischiefsarawr

@nikt-wazny-y

#tom hiddelston loki #loki x reader #loki x female reader #loki fanfic #loki (marvel) #oc fiction #loki fanfiction #dr strange x reader #dr stephen strange

[anyoneseenadam]

The Moon Spirit - three

Dorian x reader, Fenrys x reader (throne of glass)

Description: When you’re taught to be a queen from such a young age, nothing could go wrong. But when the king starts to fear your growing power you find yourself thrust into a world of faeries, evil magic and powerful men, learning to stand on your own can be harder than it seems.

warnings: Fenrys being cute, badass reader but like a shit ton of angst, allusions to sexual assualt (Fenrys canon stuff), mentions of weapons? idk if that counts

word count: 4.4k

a/n: so this took a while but it’s finally done, please comment it genuienly keeps me going cause it’s super easy to get unmotivated, hope you enjoy <3

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After he left you, Fenrys begrudgingly found himself back at the palace, bowed on one knee in front of Maeve. She looked cruelly beautiful as always but there was something more sinister sparkling in her eyes today, remaining quiet as he stood back to his full height, meeting her gaze with wavering confidence.

“Who have you been with?” she finally broke the silence and he cursed himself for thinking he could ever get away with that.

“I just walked a young girl home, she was new, and I was afraid someone may take advantage of her if she was alone,” he spoke truthfully, allowing Maeve to push into his mind as she searched for a hidden lie.

He watched as she drew in a sharp breath, something like fear flickering across her face before her tightly drawn lips spread into a wide smile.

“Come here,” she commanded, and he went to stand in front of her, close enough to smell her sickening perfume and to see the flawless texture of her skin. “Do you love this girl?”

He shook his head, no, and she ran a hand down his face in a motherlike way. “Good, you will be recruiting her.” His eyes widened and he had to put his energy into not flinching away.

“What?” he spoke with an incredulous tone and Maeve glared at his lack of respect making him bow his head. “Sorry your majesty, I’m just slightly confused. She was just a young girl and didn’t seem to have any former training.”

“And that’s why I’m in charge, you men are too foolish. That was a powerful girl, and I would rather she remained on my side than any other.” He frowned, powerful? She had seemed kind, lost and strong enough to hold her own – but not powerful.

“I need you to see her again, convince her to join.” Fenrys physically felt the command go through him and he stood taller again, nodding gruffly as she waved her hand in dismissal.

--

Your first few days of work had been harder than expected, and you had gone home with aching muscles from lifting books and sore cheeks from plastering on smiles. Albert had made your days easier, drinking hot tea with you as you slowly revealed more and more about your past to him, his kind, old eyes lulling you into a comforting state.

But you didn’t receive rest when you got home. Ploughing through books on spirits and practicing using the limited magic you had found until the early hours of the morning, getting barely two hours of sleep a night unplagued by nightmares. By your fifth day Albert had handed you a pot of cosmetic product to hide the circles forming, commenting on scaring the customers away as you stuck your tongue out at him but smearing some on regardless.

On the second Saturday after your arrival you had a day off and used it to venture into the market, your empty shelves no longer sustaining you, let alone Amaris. Your basket soon filled with colourful fruits and vegetables, and you were browsing the fish section when a shadow fell over you.

“Let me take that for you,” you turned to see Fenrys standing over you with that same easy smile, his head tilted slightly. You rolled your eyes, trying to block out the feelings expanding in your chest at just the sight of him.

“And here I thought I had lost you,” you muttered, and he laughed, taking your basket from you, and paying for the wrapped salmon you had just been passed. “You don’t need to do stuff like that,” you told him, and he took your arm as he led you out of the market.

“Can’t help myself, I see a pretty girl in need and boom, I have to help.” He joked and you laughed lightly.

“Oh yeah, the damsel in distress disease, I’ve heard that’s a nasty one to cure,” he smiled down at you with a sparkle in his eyes.

“Not really, all I need is a kiss,” he tugged you closer and you squealed, shoving him away as he laughed.

“As I said, nasty.” He dramatically put a hand to his heart, throwing his head back in distress.

“You wound me darling,” he complained, and you laughed, hating how much you genuinely enjoyed his company. You reached your apartment in no time, and he stood at the bottom of the steps leading up to your door.

“So no invitation of tea, a glass of wine, a home cooked meal?” he asked, and you rolled your eyes,

“I’m afraid I reserve that for people I like,” he raised his eyebrows, hopping up the steps two at a time.

“Even if I have genuine cause to talk to you?” he asked and the sincerity in his eyes made a shot of fear run through you. He couldn’t know, could he?

“What is it?” you asked, and he smiled softly, a little pain shining through his loving eyes.

“The queen has a proposition to make.” His voice quietened and you straightened your posture, your entire demeanour switching in a second.

“Come in.” you opened the door and stepped in, allowing him to duck as he followed.

The first thing he noticed was how barren your apartment was, a simple kitchen, connected to a room with a pale blue sofa and worn coffee table. Your shelves were bare, and he sneaked a look into your room as he passed the open door, your mattress on the floor covered by only a thin blanket and a few cushions, one incredibly expensive looking gold dress on the floor, stained dark red. But before he could venture further in he heard you cooing in an impossibly soft voice.

He turned the corner and blanched at the sight he saw, “What the?”

You turned from were you were feeding small bits of salmon to a pure white bundle of fluff that hissed as soon as it saw him. “Amaris, be polite!” you scalded, and he surveyed the cat with a wary look, untrusting of the small creature.

“You have a cat.” He stated, suddenly completely unsure of his taste in women.

“No he’s actually a spider,” you deadpanned and Fenrys pouted.

“But I thought you’d be a dog person,” he complained, and you laughed, moving to throw open the curtains in the room before you started putting away the food you had bought, boiling a pot of water over your stove.

“I just like animals, why does it matter?” you asked, and he threw his arms up before transforming into his wolf form. You gasped and Amaris meowed loudly, scampering to hide behind your legs.

“You’re a wolf.” You stated and he turned back with a smile.

“No I’m a spider,” you flipped him off as you turned to put the rest of your food away.

“I prefer you as a wolf, they’re one of my favourite animals,” you told him and he smiled, sticking his tongue out childishly at Amaris who just sauntered of to doze on a pillow.

“So, what does the queen want?” you asked, pouring the hot water into a pot you had prepared, and he sat down on your worn-down sofa, cringing as it creaked under his weight. You followed suit soon after putting the pot and two mugs down, curling your feet underneath yourself as you looked at him.

“Well, she has told me that you’re actually extremely powerful and because of this she wants to recruit you. She wants you to join the Cadre.” He spoke surely and confidently but his eyes shone with wariness.

“Okay first of all, I’m not at all powerful, secondly how would she even know if I was, which I’m not! And third, what is The Cadre?” he laughed slightly and moved forward to pour himself a cup of tea.

“Well you clearly are because she recognised you and always knows these things, trust me. She’s never wrong about this. And The Cadre is a group I’m in, elite soldiers sworn to protect Maeve.” He explained and you shook your head.

“Fenrys I barely know basic self-defence, I’m not a soldier. And I don’t want to be sworn to royalty.” Your hands were shaking slightly at the thought of being sworn to another tyrant, “Plus in all honesty I only found out I was Fae on Monday, so I’m not exactly well versed in this shit.”

“How did you not know before?” he asked – frowning.

“The country I… come from, there was no magic. The king wiped all magic out years ago.”

“Why?” It was an understandable question but still made you panic, he couldn’t know.

“I don’t know, all I know is he did, so those alike me – with magic but born into a magicless world – never got to know.” You were good at concealing emotions, that much Fenrys could see. You seemed to have iron walls built into the clouds around your heart, protecting it as fiercely as you would Amaris.

“Well, Maeve wants to meet with you soon, so let me know when you decide gorgeous,” he stood, and you smiled at him gratefully for not prying further.

“I’m really sorry Fenrys I just don’t think it’s a good idea. As I said I’m not a soldier.” He nodded but his eyes still conveyed a sense of worry.

“Well keep in mind you would get to train with me, probably shirtless.” He joked as you opened the door for him, grinning when you laughed loudly, shoving him through the door.

“Bye Fenrys,” you said, eyes sparkling as he waved, whistling his way down the street comically.

You closed the door as your smile fell, a weight settling on your chest as you already knew why he looked so wary – Kings and Queens didn’t understand the word no.

--

You practically ran to the library the next day, opting to bring Amaris with you as he peeked out of the small handbag you had found stuffed into the back of your closet. When you flew into the library you instantly sought out Albert, who took one look at your flushed, shining appearance and abandoned the pile of books he was putting away, motioning for you to sit down.

You sat quickly, huffing out a breath as Amaris crawled out of his makeshift home and started exploring the new territory of the small backroom reserved for staff only.

“What bothers you child?” Albert’s voice was steady as always and his dry, warm hands grasped yours gently as your eyes filled with unshed tears.

“I just – I needed to talk to someone,” you stuttered out, your breath coming in harsher pants as he shushed you.

“Take a minute and allow yourself to breathe first dear,” he commanded, and you pressed a hand to your heart as you tried to slow its pounding. “Start from the beginning, tell me what’s wrong.”

“The man I loved, his- his name was Dorian, Dorian Havilliard.” You said quietly and Albert let out a small chuckle.

“I presumed as much, I visited Adarlan once, and an old man never forgets the face of a princess.” You looked at him through blurry eyes, confused.

“You knew?” he smiled sadly at you.

“I was 90% certain, but I would never have pressured you to reveal secrets like that.” He passed you a tissue, “But I sense that’s not all that weighs heavy on you?”

You shook your head, “Queen Maeve has made clear that she wishes me to join the Cadre.”

Albert’s face changed with the clear shock, and you bowed your head, shamefully.

“And what did you say?” he asked slowly.

“No, of course! I don’t have any desire to be another monarch’s puppet.” You stated and he shushed you again.

“You need to remember that people always listen.” He scolded, repeating one of the first things he had told you when you started working. “I agree that you should be cautious, but perhaps gaining the queens protection would be beneficial. Plus you would become an extremely skilled swordsman.”

“I am not a man, nor do I wish to be.” You said through gritted teeth, “And I vowed that I would become skilled on my own and go back to Dorian.”

“Yes but if you join, you will be more skilled than ever before,” Albert reasoned and you shook your head, tears welling up again.

“I thought you’d be on my side for this, you are the one who told me to be careful around powerful people.” You felt unjustly betrayed as he spoke and his shoulders slumped slightly, sighing before grasping your hands lightly again.

“I am dear, and I urge you to do what you think is best. But I am simply reminding you that if you truly want to beat this king you are being offered power on a silver platter right now, and perhaps it would be foolish to deny yourself it.” You let his words run around your head as you worked overtime trying to figure out a plan.

“Say I joined – what do I need to do to ensure I don’t become another puppet?” you asked, and he smiled at you.

“First of all, she will offer a blood oath and you must refuse it with everything you have in you – she came to you remember you hold the power. On that note you must summon all those queenly powers of yours and ensure when you speak to her, she is meeting you and she is trying to win you over. Never the other way around.” You nodded, pocketing the information in your head. “When in the palace you are always being watched, always being listened to, so keep your wits about you. But I’m sure you’re used to that by now.”

You laughed under your breath, “It’ll be just like going home,” you commented, and he smiled.

“Sadly yes, now take this money. Go but a new dress and tomorrow you will take a carriage, you can’t walk there.” You thanked him softly, placing the gold in the purse you held, “You’re a kind girl, that is what makes you strong and that’s what will make you a good queen. Don’t let them take your heart.”

Your throat tightened and you nodded due to the lack of trust you held for your voice, standing, and collecting your bag in one hand and Amaris in the other. Albert stood to take you to the door with a smile, and a gentle pat on the shoulder.

“You can have tomorrow off work as well, however I feel our work together is already coming to an end.” You smiled softly, allowing him to pet Amaris’ head softly before he kissed your cheek gently, ushering you out the door.

“Have a good night Albert,” you said, turning to see him watching you with sorrowful eyes.

“Remember what I told you dear, don’t let them take your heart.” Your smile was sad as you spoke,

“I won’t.” You both heard the lie but, neither of you decided to correct it. Not tonight.

--

Of all the things Fenrys expected to see the next morning, you were the one he hoped for. But as he looked around at the powerful men surrounding the room he felt white-hot panic seize him as he realised what you were about to do. You hadn’t even looked at him when you walked in, keeping your eyes trained solely on Maeve, not even dropping them as you dropped in a low curtsy.

He was even more shocked by the blood red dress you adorned, the v-neck deep and skirts long with a slit up either leg, high enough to reveal the halter you wore with a silver dagger and a ruby encrusted hilt secured into place. Every man, woman and mouse watched as you walked through the room – head high and shoulders back, revealing enough to entrance everyone in the room but covering enough to keep them wanting more and he felt his anger grow as he watched you.

You waited with a soft, but condescending, smile on your face, allowing Maeve to regrasp some power by speaking first – every movement so calculated and precise. As he watched you he saw the power and understood the fear and lust building in the room.

“So I guess you heard my offer.” Maeve finally said, drawling low with relaxed posture.

“I did.” Your statement was short, to the point but you saw it grate Maeve’s nerves and smiled as sweet as spun sugar, “Your majesty.”

“And?” he watched as Maeve grew more agitated and was surprised she hadn’t killed you yet, usually not standing for even an ounce of insubordination.

“I am willing to accept on one condition – I’m not taking a blood oath.” He had to fight jumping in the air with glee as you spoke, so afraid you were going to get tangled in the mess he was in. Maeve’s face grew dark, but you held your ground, never letting your eyes stray lest she see your weakness.

“Well that’s simply not viable,” she stated, glaring you into the ground but you just smiled again, nodding with a polite laugh.

“I see, well this was a lovely meeting, gentlemen.” You raised your hand politely as you moved to leave, your eyes finally flittering over him and the rest of the cadre. You bowed once again to Maeve, making to leave when Maeve raised her hand.

“We are not finished.” She stated.

“Well I’m terribly sorry your majesty but I’ve made my terms extremely clear, and since you refuse to budge - I believe we are done.” Your voice was still sweet, but he watched your face change slightly, every bit a queen looking down upon her people. He couldn’t help but wonder were you learned to speak this way, but Maeve simply laughed.

“Yet here you are,” she spoke with a mocking tone, and you smiled with your teeth this time.

“Need I remind you that you sought me out, if I have terms it should be in your best interest to meet them if you wish me to join your miniature army.” Fenrys heard Lorcan snarl lowly next to him but gripped his arm in warning.

“Oh your training is impressive princess, but I’m afraid it will be of no use.” Your face didn’t budge as Maeve spoke, but Fenrys watched as something flickered through your eyes, “You see, I learn of misdemeanours in other courts very easily and I wish to show you what I learned of Adarlan.”

“There’s nothing you could show me that I won’t have seen before,” you said, and he watched the two of you laugh like you were mingling at a party instead of standing of in a court.

“Oh I’m afraid this is relatively new, you might reconsider your terms after this,” you stood straight as Maeve walked down the steps and moved to whisper something the rest of them couldn’t hear in your ear, her hand pressed lightly to the base of your neck.

She pulled away after a few minutes and he took in your now shaking hands, eyes filled with tears you clearly refused to let fall. You took in a steadying breath before speaking, “You’re lying.”

“Oh I wish I was princess, but I can only show the truth and it appears your prince had moved on rather quickly, what use is there going back to a country where you can no longer rule.” She stroked your hair condescendingly and you chewed the inside of your lip as it quivered. “But here, here – under my control – you have power of your own. Men will no longer hold onto you like a prized pony, you will become something they fear, you will be my perfect princess, the daughter I never got to have.”

Fenrys inhaled sharply, he knew Maeve never planned to relent the throne, especially not to a woman from another country. She looked at you like you were a doll, something for her to reshape and change. You must have seen it to, but through your blurry eyes everything had changed.

“Okay,” your voice was smaller than before, and he wanted to tear Maeve limb from limb for having broken you down so harshly with just a few words. She smiled cruelly at you as she cut a small line along her forearm and you bowed your head in pain, before falling to your knees – graceful even as pain consumed your entire being. You brought your lips to her wound and drank as she repeated the words that he remembered all too well.

When you rose your lips were sparkling red, and your eyes were glistening with tears still unshed – but you raised your head like a queen and Maeve smiled.

“I believe you have already met Fenrys, he will be training you as the training you have received is not proficient, I’ll have all your belongings brought to a room here.” Maeve waved her hand to some guards, but you stopped her.

“I only need Amaris brought here; the rest can burn.” You muttered.

“And for your new wardrobe?” She asked and you smiled looking down, wiping your mouth slowly.

“Make it red.” You finally met Fenrys eyes, and he stepped forward, desperate to drag you far, far away.

“Shall I escort her to her new room?” he asked Maeve and she flitted her eyes to him, then to the hand he had pressed to your back.

“Yes and then afterword’s come find me,” she smiled cruelly at him, and he felt you stiffen under his hand, but he just nodded and began to lead you out of the room.

He led you through the corridors and up the stairs in silence, angry at you for accepting and at himself for not putting up more of a fight. When he reached the room he presumed would be yours he opened the door for you, following you in as you sat on the bed, your usual lightness replaced by the weight on your shoulders.

He watched you bow your head and came to sit beside you, “I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to apologise; this was my choice.” You said and he reached an arm around your shoulders, but you quickly shrugged him off.

“I shouldn’t, we shouldn’t, if you and the queen are…” you trailed off and Fenrys bowed his head in shame.

“It’s not like that, she, she makes me,” he muttered, and you inhaled sharply, turning to him with those watery eyes.

“I had no idea, I’m sorry,” you whispered, instantly looping your arms around him neck and holding him tight. “She’s a monster.”

Fenrys huffed a laugh, pulling away, “You’re telling me.”

He reached a hand for your face slowly, wiping under your eyes where a tear had escaped, “how did she change your mind?” he asked, dark eyes searching your face for clues as your bottom lip quivered in pain.

“She showed me home,” was all you said, and his shoulders dropped. He would leave it for now, you were young and clearly not ready to speak – and now, they had all the time in the world to speak.

“Sleep tight, training starts at seven tomorrow,” he stood and kissed your head lightly and you nodded, words getting caught in your throat. He left quietly, walking away as quickly as he could to avoid hearing the soft sobs that erupted as soon as he closed the door.

--

You could barely contain your tears until you got to your room, repeating rule thirteen over and over in your head, crying in public is only appropriate at funerals and weddings. But as soon as Fenrys left your room you sobbed into your hands, wailing, and crying like a child throwing a tantrum as you let out the emotions, the screams that have been locked inside of you for so long.

You had done everything for Dorian, changed every part of yourself and become the perfect princess, girlfriend, fiancé – and he, mere weeks after you had to run, was already moving onto a new girl.

As hard as you tried you couldn’t get rid of the image of him and the blonde girl out of your head. How he kissed her softly, his hand on her lower back where it always used to rest on yours. The smile when he pulled away, the way he laughed with her, the way Chaol smiled at his brother when he was happy. You had been forgotten, replaced, almost instantly, the warmth you used to feel when you thought of home, of your princes’ arms replaced by a tight chest and a cold feeling encompassing your heart.

“I’m sorry Albert,” you whispered into the air as you stood looking out on your balcony, gripping tightly to the rail as you feared your legs would give out, “She already took it.”

You were interrupted by a quiet knock on your door, wiping your eyes as you opened it – taking Amaris from the tall guards’ hands as a flurry of women pushed in, filling your drawers with clothes and cosmetics, candles and hair pins, books and plants, a million supplies for Amaris and then some. You smiled politely at them as they left without saying a word, in and out extremely quickly as you stared at a knot in the floor.

Another knock sounded soon after and you turned your head to see one of the Cadre staring in with piercing green eyes. You motioned for him to come in and stood, tilting your head up to meet his gaze as he took in your messy, tear-stained expression.

“You’re the first female member of the Cadre, ever.” He stated and you blinked slowly.

“Lucky me,” your tone was sarcastic, voice rough from the crying but the man smiled.

“I’m Rowan, it’s good to meet you.” He reached out a hand and you met it, allowing him to kiss the back gently.

“(Y/n)” you returned, with a slight curtsey.

“I look forward to fighting with you (y/n),” he stated, releasing your hand and turning to leave, stopping right before he reached the door, “Oh, and don’t lose that dagger, you’ll find a shocking number of men dislike powerful women.”

“First I’m hearing of this,” you deadpanned, and he chuckled.

“Goodluck kid.”

#fenrys moonbeam x reader #fenrys moonbeam #fenrys x reader #dorian havilliard x reader #dorian x reader #dorian havilliard #throne of glass #tog #rowan whitethorn

[n0wornever]

Big Reputation - Luke Patterson x Reader

Can u do a luke x reader where luke pretends to be a bad student (helps with his rockstar reputation) but is actually really good at school subjects. The reader has been having trouble in a class and luke is recruited by the teacher to tutor her? 

I LOVE THIS IDEA I’M SQUEALING, THANKS ANON, I hope you like it!

“Y/N, I’m sorry...there isn’t much else I can do to help you dear,” Ms. Clementine said, staring up at the girl with wide eyes. “All my tutoring sessions are booked up for the next week or so, but I will try to definitely get you in the next time around?”

The girl nodded, sliding her test with bright red F spilled across the top back into her hands. She had failed another math test and she was certain that her mother was going to go ballistic as soon as she walked in the door and showed her the most recent mark she’d received. She really did try to focus this time, but her brain couldn’t seem to calculate the formulas correctly no matter how hard she tried. 

“The good news is, is that we still have several other homework assignments and three more tests coming up, you have a lot of time to make up your grade.”

Y/N tried to gather her burgeoning negative thoughts as she forced a smile onto her face. She held the paper to her chest as she paced quickly toward the door. As her eyes turned toward the open hallway, her path was blurred by a vision in all black. 

She recognized the boy in front of her, Luke Patterson. His band had recently made their big break and opened for a late night show at The Orpheum and ever since, the school had been buzzing about the band members. He was in three of her classes, and although he seemed very charismatic on stage, he sat pretty still in class. She did take note that his posse was absent from this course, and they were rarely ever seen away from each other. Her eyes fell to the rings resting against his knuckles that were pinched in a soft fist and his chain that rattled against his black cargo pants before her view shifted to his face. 

Luke studied her with cautious eyes, his lips pulled straight across in an emotionless gaze. She quickly pointed her attention back toward the door and started walking faster. As she finally hit the open doorframe, a voice called her back inside the room.

“Y/N, wait just a moment please.” 

She spun around on her heels, eyes falling on the teacher’s beckoning hand. She walked slowly up to her desk, keeping her distance from the brooding student that stood to her left. Ms. Clementine pointed at Luke with a smile before addressing her again.

“Y/N, you know my star student Luke Patterson... right?” 

Star student? She questioned internally. It wasn’t that she had ever thought that Luke was dumb. She took notice to how quickly he finished exams and how often people asked to be paired with him for group work, but she assumed it was always to schmooze him for tickets to the next Sunset Curve show, not to raise their grades. Luke’s lyrics were always ripe with rebellion, so the idea of the eyeliner-clad, angst-driven teen being anything more that sticking to the status quo in terms of high school academia. 

The older woman pointed between the two students, that knowing grin still laid on her face. 

“I have an idea that may help both of you,” She said as she tapped her pen against the wood desk below her.

“Y/N you do need help with raising your grades...”

Y/N shifted her weight to her other foot as she listened to her teacher talk, refusing to make eye contact with the boy she could already feel staring at her. 

“And Patterson over here needs a stellar recommendation letter to get into that ivy league program.”

The girl’s eyes shifted over to him, his falling toward the window. Ivy league? She wasn’t even sure that Luke would go to college with the band taking off. Y/N’s eyes fell onto the reddish hue that took over the boy’s neck as he continued to refrain from making eye contact. Y/N looked back over at her teacher, who shook her head at the boy before shifting her eyes back to the girl.

“So I think that it would be a perfect plan for both you and for Luke here,” The boy’s eyes fell back toward the conversation at hand. “Is for him to be your new tutor!” 

Luke opened his mouth seemingly to protest, but Ms. Clementine placed her hand up, silencing him. 

“Luke, I would be able to writing a glowing review of the extra time that you took to help a fellow student, and Y/N here could pass my class with flying colors with your assistance!” The woman clapped her hands in glee as she spoke.

Y/N’s gaze crawled over to him again. His eyes were firmly planted on the floor with his fists now tightly wound at his sides. The room went silent for a moment as neither student replied. Y/N looked back over to her teacher with pleading eyes and the older woman turned to the boy. As she was about to speak, Luke’s head perked up and he nodded. 

“Are you free at 3 on Mondays, Wednesdays and Thursdays?” 

The girl swallowed hard, unable to formulate her next thought. Instead, she simply nodded in his direction. His gaze swirled around her face for a moment before her gave her a quick smile. If she would have blinked, she’d probably had missed it. But it’s quick presence still sizzled enough to warm her cheeks.

“Cool, I’ll meet you at the library then, starting today.” 

With that he stuck his hands in his pockets and moved toward his desk. Y/N turned to the right to thank her teacher before scurrying out of the classroom. Her brain started spiraling the moment she entered the crowded hallway, her eyes searching for her best friend Grace. 

She saw the girl leaning against the stairwell in front of her, scrolling through her phone. Y/N practically ran to her friend, almost taking her down to the ground as she grabbed the girl’s arms as she reached her. Grace looked at her wide-eyed with a smirk on the left side of her face sliding forward at the nervous state Y/N presented back to her, hands. shaking at her sides as she released her grip on her. 

“What is up with you, incredible hulk,” Grace asked, rubbing up and down on her arms.

Y/N pulled her into the less rowdy side hallway in a huff. The girl pulled her taller friend behind her, leading her to the outdoor plaza in the middle of the school, Grace giggling as she trailed along. As they made it to their final destination, she leaned against the window as she crossed her arms at her chest, waiting for her best friend’s urgent answer. Y/N took a second to catch her breath before talking.

“I,” She took in breath of fresh air, pointing a finger toward her awaiting friend. “Ms. Clementine assigned a new tutor to me to help with my grades.”

Grace rolled her eyes “That’s what all this fuss is about?”  

Y/N shook her head, leaning next to her friend. She turned to face her with wide eyes.

“My tutor is, Luke Patterson.”

Grace’s mouth gaped open, staring at the girl. She pushed off the wall and walked in front of her friend. 

“You mean Sunset Curve’s Luke Patterson?” She tapped her finger against her chin. “Huh, I never took him for a scholar.”

“Me either,” Y/N whispered, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. 

“Why are you so nervous? You two barely know each other...” Grace asked with an eyebrow raised.

Y/N sighed loudly. She knew that she barely knew him, but that’s exactly what made it so nerve-wracking. She was okay hanging out one-on-one with people she knew quite well, but the second she was left alone with a stranger she froze like an icicle in the middle of December.

“Exactly Grace! I don’t know him, you remember the last time with that group project?” 

Grace nodded, letting a little giggle escape her lips “You mean when you almost had a panic attack on Reggie’s kitchen floor because he asked you what you thought about the slideshow he created?”

“EXACTLY,” Y/N was shouting at this point, running her hands through her hair.

Grace looked at her friend with a sympathetic smile. She moved back over to the window to sit next to her, the girl’s head falling onto her shoulder. 

“It will be okay love, you can text me at any moment you’re feeling anxious, and excuse yourself to the bathroom. I’ll stick around for an hour after school just to make sure you’re alright.” 

Y/N took a deep breath, mumbling a thank you in her best friend’s direction and Grace placed a kiss on the girl’s head. 

Y/N headed over to the library exactly five minutes before three. As she walked in, she waved at the librarian that often let Grace and her avoid the cafeteria by turning a blind eye as they ate their sandwiches in between the stacks. Finding an open spot by the window, she set her bookbag on top of the empty table. She took out her textbooks and sank down, finally let herself rest against the chair.

At exactly 3 p.m., he walked in. He met her gaze with wide eyes, shaking his head at her. She tilted her head to the side as she watched him speedwalk toward her. He grabbed her book off the table and tapped against the hardwood.

“Nope, too public, come on.”

She stood up and grabbed her bag, throwing it over her shoulder, rushing to keep up with him. She followed him down the narrow corridor toward the bathrooms. She furrowed her brows in confusion as Luke turned to her. He pointed at a door on the lefthand side and then stepped forward to push it open. The small stairwell led them down to the basement where a lot of the archived newspapers and anthologies were stored. Y/N could smell the books as soon as she entered the room, letting her eyes closed as she breathed in their scent. 

Luke slammed her book down on the table near the film reading machine and smiled sheepishly at her. She moved toward the other side of the table and sat down without another word. Luke eased into the chair across from her, leaning his head against his fist resting on the table.

“Are you okay?” He asked softly.

She turned to meet his eyes, biting down on her bottom lip. “Is this where you kill me?” 

Luke’s face broke out into a full smile at that point, unable to hold back the full-blown cackle that racked through his ribs. She watched as his head fell back as he laughed, letting a small smile fall onto her lips too. As he rose to meet her eyes again, the smile stayed.

“You’re funny, huh?” 

When she didn’t answer, he spoke up again. “I don’t want people to getting the wrong idea.”

“What, that you’re a secret genius? How terrible!” 

She shrugged, pursing her lips as her shoulders rose. Luke’s jaw locked as he looked at her for another moment, a smirk rising to the right side of his face. 

The silence hung a bit too long and Y/N knew her cheeks were growing redder by the minute. She shifted her focus back to the textbook below her.

“So, where do you want to start?” 

She forced her eyes to meet his again and his regular scowl was back in rotation. He placed his pencil behind his ear, looking off into the corner of the room for a moment before holding her gaze again.

“Next week’s quiz is the last one on chapter 9, so let’s start there.” 

She nodded at him, flipping the book open and diverting her gaze to the pages of text. She heard his voice ask a question over her head.

“What’s the most difficult question for you on the last homework assignment?”

She chewed on her bottom lip, if she was honest, she’d say all of it. But she knew they only had an hour a day, three days a week. So she pulled out her marked up piece of notebook paper. She tried to hold it close to her  to hide the red from his eyes, but she knew the marker ran through the paper. She gave in and laid the paper flat on the table, and pointed to the fourth problem in the first row.”

“Probably question D, I don’t even remember her talking about this ever??” 

He leaned over her shoulder, looking at her paper. She tried not to think about the woodsy aroma of his cologne that wafted close to her as he did, trying to focus her attention the paper shaking in her hand.

“Ahhh no, that’s a tough one.” 

He leaned back over to his side, pulled out his red folder and brought out the same worksheet. She watched as he looked over his work before turning to her again. He looked over to her paper and read over the equation she had written. Y/N let her eyes gaze over to the clock on the wall, not wanting to watch as he realized how terrible she really was at math. 

“You literally made the tiniest mistake,” he said with a chuckle. 

She turned her head and looked at him, his crooked smile directed right at her. She look of confusion fell into a pout as she tilted her head at him. He pointed down at the paper and walked her through the entire problem. As they reached the end, Y/N fell back into her chair with a groan.

“You’re literally telling me I just forgot to carry the 1?” She said as she nervously gnawed at the end of her pencil. 

He squinted one eye as he braced for his next statement. “Afraid so, that seems to be the only issue with your process.”

She lifted her head to the ceiling, shaking it as she laughed angrily at herself. As her gaze fell back to the table, she saw him already looking at her with a strange look, his eyes were wide and the line across his forehead sat tensed.

“What?” She asked, letting her hands rest on the table.

“You’re a little too hard on yourself.”

That statement sent a shock through her system. His soft eyes and worried gaze was galaxies beyond what she expected Luke Patterson to be like. Her eyes fell to his hand where his fingers anxiously tapped against the table. He was waiting for her to respond. She pulled herself together, meeting his eyes again with a forced grin pulling at her lips.

“No, it’s just that....I’m just really bad at math.”

Luke peered over to her paper again and her heartbeat rose. She watched as he scanned all the bright little dots and checkmarks before returning his eyes back to her face.

“No, like a lot of this stuff is really easy to fix.” His hand moved to point at a problem. “You just get to about the middle and slip up a bit, which derails the final answer. Totally fixable, you’re on the right track.”

She shook her head at him “Why are you being so nice to me?”

He let out another laugh, eyes crinkling at the impact. “Did you expect me to be terribly mean?”

She paused for a moment, word vomit spilling out from her mouth without giving her a warning. 

“Honestly? Yeah, a little bit.”

Luke brought his elbow up to the table, letting his cheek rest inside his hand. He let a small smile spread across his face as he looked at her, biting down on his bottom lip. 

“I do love to prove people wrong, so I’m going to take your wide-eyed look of confusion as a compliment.” 

She immediately dropped her gaze, giggling down at the table. She looked back up and his eyes were on the stacks, monitoring the collection of old papers that lined the shelves. 

“You know, I don’t think it makes you less rock and roll to be good in school,” She finally said, her tone coming out in a soft whisper. “You don’t need to hide in the basement of the library.” 

His gaze pointed back at her and she immediately stiffened. She had pushed too far, she thought as she looked at his pensive face. But a smile fell onto his cheeks quickly after, sending a sigh of relief though her.

“You’re probably right,” He admitted, leaning back in his chair. “But I’m not necessarily hiding anymore with you here.”

The left side of her mouth rose as she held his gaze. The two sat in silence, staring dreamily at one another for a moment. Finally Luke broke the silence by clearing his throat and looking at toward her worksheet again. 

“Ready to try another one?”

She let her eyes fall on his side profile for a moment before responding.

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” 

She waited to hear that chuckle again before looking down at the paper in front of her again. 

.

.

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Tag list: @xplrreylo @lovesanimals , @anythingandeverythingfandom , @crybabyddl  @themaddies-obx , @lukeys-giggle , @bumbleberry-pie @kiss-themoongoodbye  @marinettepotterandplagg , @lolychu , @bathtimejish , @dasexydevitt13 @musicconversedance , @txrii  @bestdressedandstressed @daisiesforlacey  @epikskool  @bookfrog247 @carleywhittaker @princessvader15 @rudysbay @spooky-season-bitch  @kcd15  @meangirlsx @itz-jas @parkeret @writerinlearning @calamitykaty @whatever-happens-imma-stand-tall @teenwaywardasgardian @dream-a-little-bigger-x @tenaciousperfectionunknown​ 

#luke patterson #luke patterson x reader #luke patterson imagine #luke patterson fanfiction #jatp #julie and the phantoms

[archonssun]

Uhm.....Hello!i love your writes,can i request little sister headcanons for Childe, Xiao, Noelle, and Mona....?

Of course! 

Little Sister HCs

characters: Childe, Xiao, Noelle, Mona

notes: oh. my. god. I got so carried away with Childe’s and Xiao’s, then Noelle’s and Mona’s are so short 😭😭😭  again, I AM SO SO SORRY THIS TOOK ME SO LONG TT^TT I’m worried I didn’t write Noelle or Mona well, so I’d appreciate it if you guys would let me know what you thought about their parts 👉👈

CHILDE:

Ajax is the Shit-head Elder Brother, but everyone knows it’s all done with love is it tho

He spoils you

archons does he spoil you

like him, you’re the middle child (only two years younger than Ajax himself), and in his mind you two have to stick together against your older and younger siblings

And with your Cryo vision ...

well, let’s just say that when the two of you are fighting, Ajax ends up frozen more than once

as your older brother, he has a knack for pushing your buttons, inciting violence in his sister that is usually the most passive of people -- and he lived for it

On more than one occasion he would scare away potential lovers -- they all knew what that red mask meant and chose to stay away as soon as they saw it

You were his only younger sibling that knew of his Harbinger status, and for good reason -- having been blessed with a vision from the Tsaritsa herself, you had been recruited into the Fatui around the same time as your brother

Surprisingly, it was the Tsaritsa herself that taught you how to utilize your vision, showing you how best to call forth ice and snow and testing you with various weapons before you ultimately chose to fight with a bow like brother like sister kajslhdfs

As soon as Ajax rose to Harbinger status, you were placed under his watch more like you had to watch him, and had even traveled to Liyue with him

and when the whole Golden House incident happened?

You had never wanted to kick his ass so much

which is exactly what you did after he failed to summon Osial: you took him to a field far from the harbor and thoroughly handed him his ass

"Slow down, would ya?!” Your brother parried every strike you sent his way, which only proved to enrage you further. You scowled at the man, picking up the pace and striking him faster than he could counter or dodge.

“You are a verifiable dumbass! Did you really think that the Qixing and the Adepti would forsake the city they pledged their lives to protect?!” Your scowl deepened into a snarl as your fist connected with Ajax’s cheek, sending him tumbling to the dirt. “Or were you so blinded by your loss to the Traveler that you weren’t thinking?”

“Now that’s a little much, dontcha think, sis?” Ajax smiled. It was a smile you had seen thousands of times before, and it took you no time to know it was fake.

You leveled him with an icy glare, and he actually felt his body grow cold.

Oh wait, that was the ice you were currently encasing him in.

“You will be stuck here, frozen, until I deem you have learned your lesson,” you said simply, stuffing a hand in your pants pocket as you slipped on your Fatui mask and turned your back to your brother.

“Aw, come on, lil’ sis! That’s so cold!” Ajax whined, and you had to take a few deep breaths before you looked at him over your shoulder.

“That’s the idea, dipshit,” you growled, reveling in the fact that he flinched at your tone. With that, you turned back around to head back to the harbor when your brother’s whispered words drifted to your ears.

“You’re just as cold as Signora. How could I have let this happen?!”

Ajax yelped as a shard of ice thwacked him in the forehead, blood trickling down into his eye. He managed to catch the dangerous look on your face before you disappeared from view, and he swallowed past the fear he felt rising in his throat.

Uh oh. Think I might have teased her too much.

XIAO:

he is the Over-Protective Elder Brother

he is immensely bitter that he missed such a substantial portion of your life, losing the chance to watch you grow up into a strong warrior

Xiao was taken from you when you were barely old enough to wield a weapon properly, so you grew up without him, until Morax had liberated your brother

before that point, you had survived under Morax’s watchful eyes, and the god was the one to teach you how to fight, even gifting you a Geo vision to wield as your own

when Morax freed your brother, you were the first person Xiao asked about. It had been many years since he had been taken from you, and he could only hope you were still alive.

“Xiao.” The sound of your voice had the Yaksha jumping to his feet, wide amber eyes meeting your own. Although you hadn’t grown up with him, you knew he wasn’t one to let emotions get the better of him. And yet, you noticed the tears welling in his eyes as you stood before him.

You approached him slowly, as if he were a scared animal, a gentle smile tugging at your lips. You stopped just a few feet in front of him, about to speak when your brother’s body barreled into you. His arms wrapped tightly around your back, the fingers gripping the back of your shirt trembling.

“It’s okay,” you whispered, the two of you sinking to the floor, just holding one another. You could feel his tears soaking into your shirt and you lifted a hand, running your fingers through his hair. It was something Guizhong would do to calm you when you were a child, and you r actions had Xiao sobbing even harder.

Xiao rarely let you leave his sight after the two of you were reunited

he was adamant that he go with you, no matter where you were going or what you were going to do

he knew you were a capable fighter, wielding a pole arm and a Geo vision much like your teacher

but he had already lost so much time with you

he didn’t want to lose any more time

Xiao would train with you, fight by your side, would listen raptly to all the stories you had been a part of while he was gone

he made promises a lot: promises to protect you, to stay with you no matter what

you were the only one other than the Traveler that he willingly stayed around

when you would wake from nightmares, Xiao was there to help chase them away

but when your older brother was the one suffering from nightmares, it was always you that helped ease the pain, whether it be by singing a soft tune or training with him to get his mind off of the nightmare

when Rex Lapis, ahem ... “died”, it had fallen to you to make sure Xiao didn’t completely shut himself off from others

and suffice it to say that when the mortal Zhongli appeared at Wangshu Inn three weeks later, you had immediately recognized your teacher.

“Xiao!” You beamed, tugging at your brother’s sleeve as a wide smile split your face. “Xiao!”

“What?” he growled, sharp amber eyes flitting to you. But your gaze was set on something else, something in front of the both of you, and when Xiao looked he felt his breath catch. Standing before you was a man Xiao would recognize even in death.

“It is good to see the both of you doing well.” Morax gave the both of you a delighted smile, resting a hand on your head. You were vibrating from the excitement that seeing your teacher -- alive -- brought, an excitement that, for once, was reflected in your brother’s smile.

NOELLE:

you were just a few years younger than your sister, and just like her you had been blessed with a vision

you couldn’t remember your parents; for as long as you could remember, it has just been you and Noelle

you worked with Lisa in the library, mostly organizing and reorganizing books and papers, as well as practicing using your Electro vision with the librarian

but every day, without fail, you and Noelle would meet for lunch. sometimes you had to drag your older sister away from work, but it was the one thing that never changed as you grew older.

you would help her get into the Knights of Favonious after all you had a few connections ;)

it wouldn’t happen right away nothing ever does :( but you wouldn’t give up until Noelle had a place with the Knights as something more than a maid

the two of you would be fiercely protective of one another, and would gladly maim someone if they were to endanger you

more often than not, it is Noelle’s Geo shield that protects your team from your haywire Electro manipulation

“Noelle!” You shouted over the thrum of battle, and in an instant everyone on the team had been shielded by your sister. Just as quickly, a wicked smile adorned your face and you coated your pole arm in Electro as you charged the gang of slimes.

In the time it takes someone to blink, you traversed the entirety of the battlefield, striking every enemy as you went. That is, until you hit one of the Pyro slimes, the resulting explosion knocking you from your feet. 

You cursed yourself, readying your weapon just as Noelle’s shield disappeared and the slimes that hadn’t been culled attacked you. You locked eyes with your sister, giving her a nod as she shielded herself and your teammates. You breathed a sigh of relief before steeling your nerves, coating your weapon in Electro once more.

Electro crackled in the air around you, bolts of it arcing off of you and your polearm and traveling to the ground. You didn’t have long, and so you struck the remaining enemies quickly.

As soon as the tip of your weapon touched the first slime, Electro energy exploded forth from your body and touched every slime surrounding you. You willed the energy to keep shocking the slimes until they had disappeared, and by then you could feel your skin prickling; could see the jagged markings appearing on your hands -- no doubt they were present on your legs, as well, but you didn’t have near enough energy to keep yourself standing.

Noelle was the first to reach you, one hand grasping your shoulder and helping you sit up. She frowned at the dazed look on your face, and immediately pulled you onto her back as she and the rest of the team made their way back to Mondstadt.

“You did amazing, (Y/n).”

Your eyes struggled to stay open, your brain fried from using too much Electro, and so you barely heard the praise fall from your sister’s lips. But it had a small smile tugging at your lips before you drifted into darkness.

MONA:

Oh boy...

Okay, so: both you and Mona were taken in by her master, but only Mona decided to learn under them. you were content as you were

you weren’t blessed with a vision like your older sister, but that didn’t mean you couldn’t fight: you had learned how to wield a blade by watching others around you

You would frequently travel with Mona when her master sent her on errands, chattering and laughing with her without a care in the world

but every time the two of you would run into trouble, the both of you would fall silent as you battled

There was only one time in all of your travels where you had come close to death

You had elected to jump between Mona and a Cryo slime, taking a hit to your side that momentarily made you freeze, and the slime had taken that opportunity to charge into you, sending you flying backwards into a tree

“(Y/n)! Are you alright?!” Mona was at your side in an instant, her gray eyes wide with worry. You tried to laugh, to alleviate her worries, only to fall into a coughing fit.

Your sister became increasingly worried as her eyes drifted down to the ice covering your wound. Just as she reached to touch it, something caught the sun and blinded her for a split second.

“(Y/n), what is that?” As your sister pointed towards your closed hand, you finally registered the cool feel of metal on your palm, and as you unfurled your fingers you were greeted by a Dendro vision.

A tired smile tugged at your lips as you looked down at the pulsating vision, a wry laugh falling from your mouth.

“Huh, guess nearly dying does have it’s perks,” you chuckled, delirious from both the cold and the hit to your head. You heard Mona screech at your words, and you could only chuckle as you turned to meet her eyes. “Don’t worry, Mona. I’ll be fine.”

“Don’t joke about dying, you stupid little sister!”

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Masterlist

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Let me know if you wanna be added to the tag list for Genshin Impact!!

@anatthesavage

#genshin impact #genshin impact xiao & reader #childe/tartaglia & reader #noelle & reader #mona & reader #reader insert #genshin impact/reader #female reader

[xfeliciahardyx]

Summary: What happened in the bakery changed you. The next few years would force you to harden and build so many walls that you vowed to never let anyone in. You can probably guess what happens when a certain soldier starts to scale those walls so that he can get to you.

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x reader

Warnings: mention of blood, intense details about ww2, side character deaths, traumatic backgrounds, mention of Nazis, mentions of broken bones and bullet wounds, children suffering due to the war, imprisonment in a concentration camp, someone does get stabbed, and angst (Warnings will be added as the story continues if need be. This is just for the first chapter!)

Taglist: ~Here~ (Feel free to add yourself to any other categories!)

Word Count: 9k

Author's Note: Okay everyone reading I first want to say thank you for reading my imagine. There are some things that I need to clarify before you start reading this. The entire series will be me going through the Captain America movies. It first starts at The First Avenger and continues through the places in time where Bucky is and where he is not OoOoOoO plot twists. But yes this can be overwhelming to read because some details are VERY graphic. i did use techniques from my medical skills class so all the medical procedures are researched and correct. Please enjoy The Winter Soldier and The White Feather or as I like to call it WSWF

The war was changing you and everyone around you. It was making kind people turn green and bad people even worse. You learned that the hard way of course. When you’d had been taken to the facility you didn’t know what to expect. Now you had been in it for God knows how long and you didn’t know what would happen. You had no way of contacting your family. Of contacting anyone you knew really. You were lost, scared, hoping for a savior that didn’t seem to be appearing. Lost traveling in a fog ridden meadow without any sense of direction. It killed you to see how many people died and suffered at the hands of the Germans, but your screams were of no use. The way they treated everyone was as horrible as a cat chasing a mouse. Like you were the filth on their boots, the scum of the earth. Any time someone said something to them they’d react as if a fire touched their skin and recoil away. They acted as if they didn’t have enough money to feed anyone properly. The food was sure to break several health codes back in the city but that didn’t seem to stop you all from eating it. If it wasn’t stale bread that you could knock someone out with, it was week old soup that had hints of green to it. The water was as piss pore and was a dull gray. Not your best moments or the biggest feast for the holidays but it was for survival. It was meant for you to get on through the day and do as you’re told. The inmates had started to call it the end of the world. You didn’t blame them because it was. That didn’t stop them from constantly complaining about every little thing. You on the other hand couldn’t give a fuck. It was like every single one up and flew away with the happiness that had been your life in France. You couldn’t even speak after the horrors the world and slammed into your life. You avoided everyone and everything that lived, scared and desperate to stay hidden. It was the way to go and others followed your lead. You weren’t one to speak or do anything with another person and the others around you knew it. So, they cleared their distance and you appreciated it. You had never been one to stay quiet for long around people. Eventually you’d try to get to know them. But you had changed just as times had. Even now you knew to keep your cool and to keep up with your manners. At any minute they could kill you. Or they could do something to shatter your already scarred mind. You knew you weren’t like the people who decided to suck up to them. Kissing the floor, they walked on for a little bit of clean water, or a bowl of soup that was freshly made. They were horrible to the suck ups and laughed at them as they did their best to seem appealing. You would never stoop as low to be a person who supported the people who had made this sad reality your life. Despite everything your parents had done to you, you always managed kindness. The girl who was secretly the crush of every guy because of her brains. The kind of girl that went to the library in her free time. The girl who never dated because she claimed she wanted to focus on school but could never know how to talk to guys. Went to the movies with her one friend who she cared about more than anything. The girl who made life positive because her family had always made it negative. Yes, you were over all kind but when you needed to be you could be as sharp as a spear. So, why did they kidnap you? It was simply a case of being at the wrong place in the wrong time. But that didn’t excuse their actions following the moments they walked in that bakery with their rifles held high and their voices screaming in curses. Why did they have to kill one of the most important people in your life right in front of you? Shot her straight through the heart at the bakery around the block from the school. All because she was Jewish. Their logic didn’t explain why they had the right to take her life. Her younger siblings had been complaining about food and you had an extra food stamp to use. You’d despised the stars they had to wear on their chest that prohibited them from having the normal things every person

needs. You all had practically skipped to the bakery in hopes that they’d have chocolate. It was a nice moment thinking that everything was back to normal. She had only been 21 and you 20. That was 3 years ago. Even so long after you could still imagine the events that had occurred. Her blood had splattered all over your polka dotted yellow dress. All she had asked for was food for her siblings. Sure, sweets would have been kind but you were all hungry in general. When the soldiers had come in, they’d been attracted to her star. You should have been on guard more, but you’d been naive to think they wouldn’t harm them. One had grabbed Ciera and pushed himself against her. In her reaction she’d kicked the German away and his comrade shot her. Her siblings that had been clinging to your side as they shot her cried out for their sister as she dropped to the ground. Siblings that had their throats slit as they clung to your arms. You had begged for their lives. They were just two children. You thought they would have a little mercy. You knew you would take care of them for their sister. You tried to explain that Tommy and Cassandra had been hungry, and their sister had been killed right in front of them. The trauma they had suffered was enough for their minds to endure. All of what was happening was enough to make anyone mad. It was necessary that they cry and mourn. But as heartless as they were, they showed no remorse. That two children crying for their dead sister would never and hadn’t stopped the Germans. They’d ripped the children from your hands and pressed their silver knives to their throats killed them. You wanted to fight for them. You loved them like your own siblings. They didn’t deserve the fate that had been handed to them. The third soldier had held your arms behind your back to stop you from tearing them away. You had tried to fight him, but you knew he wouldn’t let go. You watched the blood slip from their throats, and you sagged against the soldier. He had been the kinder of the three. A recruit perhaps. You didn’t realize until later that he’d held you in his embrace throughout the car ride to the place where you’d be transported. The screams that left their mouths still haunted you and you saw their terrified faces in your dreams. Sometimes they would come together as a group. Other times Tommy would visit you with blood seeping from his throat asking you for his sisters. You blamed yourself for not fighting hard enough. You watched as the life left your eyes when you knew it should have been you. You should have been dead on the ground with them as they lay dead next to their sister on the ground. Yes, life was unfair. But if life was unfair than war was no comparison.

“Gurl!” A German soldier yells pointing his finger to a spot in front of him. Most of them could barely speak English and when they did it was so slurred. Half the times you had to watch their hand motions to understand what they wanted. His eyes are locked on you from your spot by the back of the courtyard. It was a quiet place that everyone avoided because of the sun that would beam on you. They preferred the shade, but you just needed the quiet heat to cleanse your mind. You cursed and grabbed onto the chain fence behind you to lift yourself up. It bent with your weight but you knew it wouldn’t break. It was a trashy fence that if you tried to climb, you’d either be shot down or just get so scratched that you’d just end up doing more harm than good. The fence traveled around the vast courtyard that was rundown and brown. The fence had rust in certain spots from when it rained but it never did anything for the concrete. Blood stains covered the floor from where prisoners had been shot and dragged away. There were splatters and puddles all over the already dirty floor. Even on the ground leading into your cells you’d find the lengthened blood beneath your feet. The courtyard was the only time you got to see the outside world. They also had a calendar on the wall that told you what day it was. You weren’t sure why but maybe it was to bring down the spirits of everyone. You on the other hand had been there for 3 years 2 months and 25 days. Since the beginning of the German’s invasion of France. It was made up of mock punching bags filled with paper plates and hard pillows that no dared to sleep on. People sat in cliques all around speaking in different languages. Most of them spoke French and in your time there you’d picked up bits of other languages. Nothing too major but just enough to understand.

“Ve dount ave foreevare vittle gurl.” He yelled again and you picked up your pace. You didn’t want to do anything to cause any more attention to yourself. His accent sent prickles of fear up your spine and the hairs on your arms stood on end. As you walked by a few whispers drafted into your ears and people glanced away. Being called over by a soldier wasn’t a good thing and people avoided it as much as they could. There was always the possibility of someone getting shot or having to do something you weren’t mentally or physically prepared to do. So, the terror that was filling up your mind with endless possibilities wasn’t a fun thing. Anxiety tightened the space in your chest and your throat was constricted with worry. You stopped a few steps in front of the soldier who towered over you and said nothing as his eyes trailed over your body. Once upon a time you would have blushed and shifted awkwardly where you stood but now you stand still and stare straight at the wall behind the soldier to avoid eye contact. The mic on his shoulder beeps and he holds out a finger to you. You don’t respond and continue to stare straight ahead. He responds to the German voice in his native language rapidly and you fiddle with your hands behind your back. You could feel the tension rising around the two of you and it wasn’t good. His eyes had begun to harden more, and his posture grew rigid. His eyes darted around the dirt filled courtyard until he turned around and stared at a man. He had been beat up. On his eye was a purplish hue with hints of green. You saw a small limp in his walk as you turned your head in his direction. He stopped and leaned against the fence with his arms crossed a pair of tags dangling around his neck. The green Henley he wore was matted and had spatters of dried blood. His pants hung off his body, still fitting but with tears. Looking from the outside in he looked just as bad as every other prisoner of war. He had an unreadable expression as he surveyed his surroundings. You caught a small calculating look in his eyes as he scanned people that walked by. His eyes caught yours and your breath caught in your throat. He didn’t just stare at you from afar. He seemed to bare your soul out in front of everyone to see. His gaze was intense, and a hint of curiosity was in his dark eyes. The soldier beside you muttered something into his radio and your gaze snapped away from the handsome stranger and you turned back at attention. You couldn’t get the image of him out of your mind even as the soldier gave you your new group to follow to your cells. Everyone was given a number when they were placed in the camp. Each cell was alphabetized and most of the time people didn’t even pay attention to them. They did it to give themselves a feel of control. The only one you didn’t follow. You didn’t say anything back to him and when he dismissed you, you promptly walked back to your spot. You didn’t want to turn your head in the direction of the stranger you knew was walking over to you. You wanted to disappear, and you knew the moment he talked to you your tough exterior would break. There was something different about the way his head was held high and his shoulders never slumped. You could practically feel his confidence from across the courtyard and out of your peripheral vision. You slid down the fence with a sigh as you put your head in your knees. You took a few breaths to keep yourself calm as a pair of shoes came into view. They were brown and matted and looked like they’d seen better days.

“You okay?” a voice followed. It was low and soft, but it sent shivers down your spine. You slowly raised your eyes up the body that was wearing them, and your eyes widened in surprise where the man from before stood in front of you. He’s much taller than you initially realized and his eyes a deeper brown. He stares down at you with worry and you just stared at him not knowing what to do. He was around your age and it was rare you found anyone your age and that spoke a language you could speak. Sure, there were people who spoke your language and had tried to talk to you. Soon enough they stopped coming around because staying in a group too long would strike fearing the people because they wouldn’t want the Germans thinking new company meant rebellion. He moved to your side and carefully slid down the steel fence. You stared ahead at the people who stood in the middle of the courtyard.

“So, you people watch.” The stranger says motioning to the people in front of you both. You nod without looking at him keeping a close eye on the people in front of you. Something felt wrong about the gathering. It wasn’t anything good. Someone was shoved across into another person and you heard the stranger suck in a breath. He felt the sudden shift too and he pointed a finger towards a short man in broken glasses. His eyes flipped from each side of the courtyard where the two soldiers stood. His hands were clasped together, and his feet were headed in the direction of the crowd. You nudged your elbow into your newfound companions’ arm tilting your chin up in the direction of the people. The air felt stiff in the courtyard more than normal as the crowd began to step into a circle the short man now joining them. The soldiers seemed to notice it too because their gazes were hardened, and their guns were pointed. Your heart began to pound as you knew what was coming next. It haunted you every night ever since you had seen it the day you’d been kidnapped and taken to this camp. The images of Ciera’s body falling to the ground flashes through your vision and you shake your head, feeling your heart squeeze. The screams of her siblings were in the wind you closed your eyes tight and took in a deep breath. They were screaming out orders in German, but the group paid them no mind. You couldn’t breathe. Your hands rubbed against your rugged jeans completely lost to your nightmares that were coming to life. You opened your eyes slowly and looked around to see if anyone else was witnessing what was going down. A few other small groups of people watched from afar with dead eyes, but none made a move to assist. Your eyes were locked on the German soldier directly across from you that was walking towards the group. With each footstep your breathing became faster and your mind screamed for them to heed the warnings the Germans were giving. The group was large and growing by the minute which in the eyes of your captors was a bigger threat. The German nudged one of the people in the group with his gun and what happened next you had never expected. The stringy thin man with blood hair who had been poked spun around and stabbed the soldier in the neck with a foreign object and someone screamed. His hands went to his throat and he dropped his gun. The man dove for it as the soldier fell slowly bleeding out on the concrete. Everything was chaos as the gun dropped and a single bullet escaped from its chamber. The bullet flew across the courtyard and your eyes flew with it watching it impale a single child.

“No!” you screamed bolting up from your place by the fence. The soldiers burst into action firing down anyone who had been in the huge crowd. Everyone went running towards the inside of the prison, trying to avoid the bullets. It was pure chaos as people from everywhere were getting shot as they tried to escape the rage of the soldiers. There were screams of all different languages and you heard the cry of the mother above all. Her cries for her baby filled your ears as you raced across the courtyard toward the downed child. The man followed you close behind, and you paid him no mind as you shoved through the on rush of people. People were getting into meaningless fights as they tried to get away. A man stops in front of you making a grab for your waist. A hand presses against your chest shoving you back as the stranger jumps in front of you. He throws a hard punch at the man who’d made an attempt touch and he gets knocked to the ground. You grabbed his hand and started running again. The mother’s screams in French guided you through the crowd. You felt your foot hit something before you went flying. Your hands moved out in front of you to stop the fall by instinct and on impact you hissed in pain. You had landed hard on your free hand but was yanked back up just as quickly.

“We have to go.” The man from before whispered in your ear.

“The child needs help.” You whispered back and he didn’t say a word back as he supported you on the remaining distance. The child lay on the ground holding his mother’s hand as she screamed for help. The brown-haired man set you on the floor beside the child and you immediately began ripping your jacket off your arms. You ripped the sleeves off the jacket and used the back to apply pressure to the wound. The single bullet hole was small but on the size of the boy was enough to cause a lot of damage. You quickly felt it become wet with blood and pressed down a little harder as the boy cried out in pain.

“Mon garçon, s'il vous plaît, sauvez mon garçon.”(My boy, Please save my boy) She sobbed as her eyes covered her face. Her hands were covered in his blood and your mind flashed with the memory of your own hands covered in Tommy and Cassandra’s blood. You ignored her cries but that didn’t stop you from helping her. You kept a steady push on his leg to slow the bleeding. After a few checks you eyed the wound and you couldn’t help the feel of triumph that flowed through your heart. The slow of bleeding meant you could check the wound for any other injuries it could have caused. You ripped open his pant leg and wiped the blood away to get a good look at the wound. This wasn’t the first time you’d be a medic and it wouldn’t be the last. Your father had gotten plenty of hunting wounds and you had been the one to take care of them. His leg only held one bullet hole, but his leg was so skinny it could fit in the palm of your hand. Your heart ached that this would be the childhood he remembered and not one filled with days of running in a field with his mother or being in school with his friends. He was one of the lucky ones you had to remind yourself. He was alive and you were determined to keep him that way. Your hands moved with remarkable speed as you lifted the child’s leg and looked for the exit wound of the bullet. A small hole was in the back of his leg and you wiped it clear of blood. You lifted the sleeve from earlier to your teeth and made a big enough tear that you could rip it with your bare hands. The long piece of clothing dangled between your fingertips as you examined the length. From the way the threading looked it wouldn’t hold for long, so you’d have to find a more permanent solution. But that was later and the thin cloth would do good for now.

“How can I help?” The man whispered in your ear again as your mind whirled with adrenaline. Your instincts in healing were helping you move through the steps you’d done so many times before with ease, but you couldn’t help the storm brewing in your feelings. You were enraged, scared, and so many other feelings all at once. You had gotten lost in the moment as you rushed to save the boy that lay before you. People were still running inside, and the screams had begun to slow. The courtyard was filled with sobs of families returning to their loved one’s bodies that lay dead on the floor. The blood on the ground would haunt them for the rest of their lives as the bodies were carried away by the ‘healthy’ prisoners.

“Lift his leg carefully. I need to make a tourniquet to stop the bleeding.” You said softly showing him the places to place his hands. He placed his above and below the wound just as you’d asked and lifted slowly. The boy screamed in pain and the mother began to reach her hands out to stop you. You glared at her, but she ignored your attempts to stop her from distracting you. She was screaming at you in French, begging you to stop hurting her boy. You ignored her cries and curses and continued to work. Her hands were gripping yours now as she tightened them around your wrists, and you struggled to tie the knot.

“Si vous ne retirez pas vos mains, votre fils mourra!” (if you don’t pull your hands away your son will die) you snap back at her in French and her nails stop digging into your skin. She pulls away quickly but doesn’t move her eyes away from your face. You sigh in frustration as you tighten the knot around the boy’s leg. You can hear the boy crying for his maman and she’s trying to calm him but it’s no use. You grab the jacket and place it over the boys wound again and apply pressure. The mother is sobbing as she holds her sons face and you watch knowing that you can only help minimally. You motion for the man to lower his leg softly and he does. He watches you carefully as you wrap the torn jacket around his leg and tie it again in the back. The bleeding has slowed to minimal trickle, but you’ll have to find something to clean the wound to keep away infection. You sigh in relief collapsing on the back of your heels as the woman steps away from her boy and walks over to you. She offers a hand over to you and you stare at it not sure what to do. She smiles weakly and shakes her hand again. You realize she’s trying to get you to stand up and you take it willingly. She helps you stand up and as soon as you’ve got on your feet, she pulls you into a hug.

“You…help…. me Henry.” She whispers in your ear as she pulls away. There’s a new look in her eyes as she apologizes for hurting you in French. She pulls your wrists to her mouth and places small kisses over the crescent moon shaped marks. Her fingers run over them in a silent guilt and you pull away and give her a small smile. Her hand brushes your cheek leaving a trail of blood, but her eyes are locked on yours. She leans in placing a kiss on your cheek before releasing you from her embrace. She quiets quickly once you tell her that it’s alright and that you have something to tell her. You start to give her basic instructions that will keep her son alive. How to clean the wound and tell her the signs of infection. Her hands grip onto her fingers, and her eyes are eager to make sure she doesn’t miss a word. You tell her your cell keep so that if she may ever need your assistance, she can send someone. The man who helped you stands beside you as you give her these instructions nodding as you list off everything. Once you trust that she knows everything you bid her goodbye and tell her to stay safe. She doesn’t respond as she looks away from you down to her son whose hand is out reached for her. She rushes to her knees and grabs his hand and doesn’t give you another glance. You know she won’t leave him alone for a minute. The fear of losing her family wasn’t a good one and it had scarred her heart forever just as it did to you months ago. She would hold on tight to his hands and watch for any signs of sickness. She would not sleep through the night but would tell her boy that she did. She’d do anything to protect her last light in the dark world. Your eyes travel from their joined hands to the boys’ face. It’s pale, most likely from the blood loss but he smiles at you. He opens his mouth to say something, and just as quick as it opens it closes as a grimace of pain flashes over his face. You shake your head giving him a weak smile. You kneel beside his head and place a soft kiss on his sweaty forehead and murmur a good-bye. You give the mother and son a small wave before standing once more and turning on your heel to walk away. Your tail follows you as you make your rounds around the courtyard. People cry out to the two of you as you try your best to help anyone and everyone. Most people have died by the time you reach them, and you close their eyes for the dead to mourn. Some don’t accept that their loved one is dead and continue to scream their fury at your insistence. One man almost attacks you because he refuses to believe his wife was killed and the stranger has to stop him. Tears stream down your cheeks at the sight of each body that lies on the floor. There was so much blood on the court now that it was rare you saw an old patch that was dried. It runs underneath your shoes and covers each piece of cement with ease. It soaks the clothes of the people lying beside their families and friends crying their hearts out to someone who is no longer there. Their pain has become apart of you and you can feel the shock of it numb you by the time you reach the last patient. Your tears have dried up and your hands are covered in so much blood that pieces flake off when the wind blows through the courtyard. You stand beside the teenage girl that holds her arm limp as her companion stands nearby attempting to talk to you in German. You attempt to converse with him in French the only language you’d been able to learn in your months of imprisonment but it’s no use as he doesn’t understand you. The girl cries softly as you touch her arm trying to figure out what was wrong.

“Was ist mit ihr passiert?” (What happened to her?) your partner says in German earning a glance from the boy. He speaks faster now the urgency in his hand motions clear. You can’t help but watch in awe as the man who has been helping this whole time stays remarkably calm. He nods and continues to ask him questions and gives him responses without hesitation. He doesn’t interrupt when it becomes clear that the boy is in full out panic mode. You place your hand on the girls’ shoulder and she flinches away before you give her a small smile. She stared at you with a suspicious glare in her eyes, but you tapped your eyes and then pointed to her shoulder in hopes that she would understand. Her eyes are wide with understanding and she leans in closer to you. You press your fingertip towards the top of her shoulder, and you feel her flinch. Doing this a few more times as you examine her shoulder you realize it doesn’t look like the other. It’s bent at an odd angle and you curse yourself for not realizing sooner.

“Her shoulder is dislocated presumably from being trampled in the panic. I know how to put it back in place, but it’ll be a two person job so I’ll need your help...” you trail off not knowing your assistants name. He glances over his shoulder giving you a smile makes you look down at your hands tat have begun to fidget.

“Call me Bucky.” He winks but you can tell he immediately regrets it because he turns away and starts muttering something under his breath. You catch a small huff of frustration that he cuts off quickly with ‘idiot’ following in English. You chuckle a little and his eyes brighten at your show of emotion towards him. Besides the subtle nudges of worry from before the attack, it was the only one you’d shown. His whole demeanor changed then, and you couldn’t help but feel drawn to the sudden beam of light. He was trying to hide his ear to ear smile as he shifted in place. You shake your head slightly and notice the two people that had been forgotten for a short moment. The man from before is quiet now as the girl talks to him in a soft voice. You motion Bucky over, and he leans down to your level.

“She needs to lie on her back. I’m going to pull it back into place.” Bucky gives you a single nod and begins talking to her in German. She stares at him in confusion but then as he explains it even more, she begins to nod her head in understanding reaching out to her boyfriend for assistance. He grabs her lifted hand and Bucky grabs her waist. Her boyfriend kneels beside her and the two exchange soft words that you don’t attempt to hear. Yes, there were things worse than what she was going through but what you were about to do wasn’t about to be as painless as she’d think. Besides the love that you could see when they looked at each other felt like you were intruding every time they looked at each other. When both men have settled, they both slowly lay her down onto her back, but your eyes don’t miss the flinch she gives once Bucky goes near her and her partner has stepped away. You slightly nudge Bucky out of the way and lightly grab her arm. You can see the gratitude in her eyes, and she tries to grab your hand most likely to thank you in the only way she knew how. You gave her a small nod and remained silent because somethings were better left unsaid. As you go through the steps you tell Bucky what you’re doing and in turn he translates. She doesn’t take her eyes off her partner the entire way as you begin to move her. Her arm is causing her a lot of pain, so your touches are featherlight. She is squeezing his hand and you take a lot of breaks to offer her some relief. Once her arm is outstretched towards you, you place your foot underneath where her shoulder is. You take a deep breath and without warning pull her arm at the same time as you push into her side. A loud pop sounds from her arm and you immediately stop pulling on her arm and let it sit on your lap. A blood curdling scream leaves her mouth and she begins to sob in pain. You can see her body shake as her free hand covers the tears that stream down her face. The three of you aren’t the only ones that heard her of course and a German soldier runs over to you all and starts yelling commands that you don’t understand. The girls companion starts responding to him much quieter than before most likely being careful with what he says. Even with the man explaining the soldier still has his eyes locked on you with a hatred you’d never seen before. It’s as if the soldier doesn’t care that you helped her and that she’d be better off in pain. You glare right back at him without a second thought before he turns his gaze away. He doesn’t respond to the boy before walking back to his post near the corner a few feet away from you. You let a breath you didn’t know you were holding in as he leaves the four of you alone on the courtyard again. You look down at the blonde girl who lies with her hair matted in blood from the concrete. She looks at you with a blank expression on her face that soon turns into gratitude. It’s not the first you’ve gotten but something about the way she put her trust in you makes your heart jump for joy. She lifts her arm into the air slowly but gives you a thumbs up, which in turn makes you laugh a little. She grins at you as you return her thumbs up right back and she looks away reaching out to her lover. He grabs her hands quickly and helps her to her feet. It’s a slow process as she slowly tries to get a handle on her pain tolerance, but eventually she stands up. She holds onto his hands to balance herself and gave her shoulder a roll. She let out a soft laugh in triumph and glanced over to where you and Bucky stood. Her eyes warm with happiness that would only last in the moment but were well deserved. She directed her eyes to Bucky and gave him a small smile as she spoke to him in German. You took the chance to finally look at the man who’d introduced himself to you. Here he was in the middle of a war willing to trust you and take care of all these people and be your assistant and he didn’t even know your name. You could tell by the hard built of his shoulders and the way his jaw tensed was because he was strong. Not in a physical way but in

a mental was as well. He could be one to give support and be just as willing to take it away. He was strong but not with many walls. He was determined but not without conscious. He was a good man. A handsome one at that you think before turning away and blushing. Here this man was helping you as a translator and you were thinking about how strong and physically built he was. You shake your head biting on your bottom lip to avoid the smile that wants to appear on your face.

“What have I got something on my face?” he jokes placing his bloody hands to his mouth. You shake your head but can’t help the small laugh that leaves your mouth. Even as a good guy who’d helped you save 20 people who were either bleeding or needed something fixing, he was a dork. The couple gives you a wave before walking off the courtyard towards the yelling Germans. It was time to go to your designated area. The cell of which you’d have to stay in until mealtime which would be in about an hour. As if on cue your stomach growls extremely loud and you place a hand over it. Usually you could hold your hunger over with some water, but it didn’t seem like there would be anything clean for a little while. The usual stream that came out of a hose was used to clean the victims’ blood away. You turned towards the hose where it had only on clean spot on the concrete. Today had been horrible and you knew there would be more days just like this to come. You still felt the ache for the people you couldn’t save and how their blood was still on your hands. You looked down at the floor and your eyes connected with the blood that covered your shoes. You felt the sudden urge to rinse it off and clean them with bleach, but you knew they would never truly leave. The stains would wash off physically, but it would stay with you forever and trap you in its horrors.

“Don’t let it scar you more than it already will.” He whispered into your ear. You didn’t have the strength for words as the day’s exhaustion hit you. You felt your knees buckle and Bucky’s arm wrapped around your waist quickly, keeping you up. All the adrenaline was dying out and you could barely keep your eyes open as he attempted to have you walk. You couldn’t though and it made your feet hurt 10 times more. You groaned and forced him to stop for a minute. You were blinking rapidly as your vision faded in and out.

“I got you.” He murmured placing an arm under your knees and swooping you into the air. His arms pulled you closer to his chest and you placed a hand on your stomach. You wanted to say thank you, but the words wouldn’t come. You were burnt out of all your energy and your eyes lazily rolled over the man who was walking you across the courtyard. He looked straight ahead, and his gaze sharpened at the people who passed by. It was clear he didn’t trust the people around you. It wasn’t something anyone should ever give out willingly but the thought that he had given you such a fragile thing made your mind whirl with possibilities. You kept staring at him in wonder and you weren’t sure if it was from the lack of food and water, but you felt a sort of friendship growing with Bucky. He made you feel safe and he hadn’t abandoned you as you fell but instead, he’d picked you up. He’d let you work and hadn’t tried to take over either. Your hand gravitated towards his cheek and you held it there. Something about the action felt right and it comforted you. From what you saw it had the same effect on him. He looked down at you with a sincerity in his eyes and a small smile formed on his lips. It warmed your heart that you were able to get that reaction from him after such a long day and you couldn’t stop the smile you returned. He looked up and his gaze sharpened once more but there was something else displayed across his face. It was more lie… astonishment. You turned your head in confusion to see what had made him look such a way and you let out a small gasp. The area around the only source of water wasn’t crowded like it had been when you’d glanced at it. The people had made two lines directly to the water hose. You recognized these people as the ones you’d helped. Men and women who’d lost their loved ones and had found some broken but ready to be helped had stepped aside so that you could get some water.

“No.” you croaked nudging Bucky. You needed them to know you weren’t any special. You weren’t some savior. You’d been able to save them, but you couldn’t save your best friend and her siblings. That their ghosts still haunted you in the depths of the night. You began to squirm in his arms your energy suddenly making its way back into your body. He glanced down at you as you struggled to get down. He lowered your legs and planted them on the floor without a word, but his arm didn’t leave your waist. You were glad because if it weren’t for the support you were sure to fall. You pointed to the hose and Bucky nodded and began walking the two of you towards it. The area was clear as the people watched you from the sides. You could feel your terror rising as you looked to the guards that watched from afar. Your heart was beginning to pound with anxiety. You didn’t want another shoot out. Too many people had died already, and you wouldn’t let any more die. You urged Bucky forward and soon you reached the front to where the boy, Henry stands as his mother washes his wound. He looks up at you and gives you a small wave and begins tapping his mother. She looks up from her action with a look of annoyance, but it vanishes the minute she notices you. Her gaze softens and she smiles urging you forward. You kneeled beside them and murmured a silent hello as Henry proudly held back the torn-up pant leg. He was telling his maman in French about how he would be a strong boy and protect them both from harm. She said nothing but only let a smile and a few laughs through her tough exterior as she let you inspect the wound. There never was a lot of talking in the prison except for the quiet whispers between the terrified families. People weren’t the chatty types when they’d be kidnapped out of their homes and forced away from their families. You shook your head as images of Jews being thrown out into the street and onto a bus in your hometown flashes across your mind. Just like you couldn’t save Ciera and her siblings you couldn’t even save them. But you could save these people. Some part of you hoped that you could help push the everlasting guilt away, but you knew you would always feel that pain. So, you internalized it and turned to the wound on the boys’ leg again. The flesh surrounding the wound looked clean which was already a very good sign. You checked along his leg for any red lines that would travel up. It was a common sign of blood poisoning but seeing as he had none you knew he would be alright for the time being. If there were any of the blood red veins trailing along his pale skin, it would be a sign of infection and with no antibiotics would be the death of him. She pulls the pant leg away from the boy at your request because he dances away from your touch. He giggles because your touch is warm against his cold skin and you smile at her and her boy. Giving her the good news is probably a moment you’ll never forget as she wraps her arm around her son tightly. You can tell from the way she’s beaming at being able to stay with her son for more time means that in some way they’ll get through this together. It makes your heart jump for joy and you can’t help but let the happiness consume you. The mother hands her son to Bucky and he kneels on a rock nearby holding the child. At one point while the mother washes a wound you catch Bucky letting the boy squeeze his cheeks and pull at them every which way. He doesn’t let this stop him from tickling the boy and the sight is so pure that you’re smiling for the rest of the time. More and more patients leave to go towards their cells after you give them direct instructions. They all come to the water and you and the mother wash out their wounds and they walk away. It’s a process that soon you start to do without realizing how many people you’ve helped. Some were far worse than her son with multiple wounds that fill with blood at the touch. It takes a lot to break a person and seeing multiple scrapes and bullet wounds would make anyone sick. After about the 15th person she ran away to throw

up because of the smell of cooking flesh from the sun above. Bucky immediately took her place in helping you clean the wounds. You looked over at the woman in concern but found her son rubbing her back as they sat on the concrete holding each other. You felt for her because this scenario was nothing good or that pleasing to see. Knowing all these people were hurting and that the men who guarded you all watched from afar and refused to help was making you feel 20 shades of green. You wanted to just react at them. To hurt the people who were hurting all these innocents. You despised them and with each wound that began receiving care by your hands the hatred began growing bigger and bigger.

“Neutralize your expression. Showing you’re angry will upset the Nazis even more.” Bucky’s hushed voice interrupted your thoughts. You lift your eyes to meet his as you turn the faucet off and dab at the patient’s jacket to dry his wound. The confusion you felt must have been visible on your face because his eyebrows raise as his head jerks to his right. Your eyes slowly follow the trail to where a German soldier stands with his gun in his hands. His eyes stare directly at your actions as if you were a criminal about to attack.

“They’ve been watching the entire time. Through the cameras in the corners. They have orders to let us be but to shoot if they see anything wrong.” You immediately drop your expression and place a blank look on your face. Bucky’s nod confirms that your expression is fine and you both help the man who’d been stabbed on the right side of his chest. The panic of knowing you were being watched never quite faded so you dived deeper into doing whatever you could for the people’s wounds. He’d been lucky for the knife to not puncture his lung because if that had happened his lungs would have filled with blood and he would end up choking on his own blood. If that had been the case, there would have been nothing for you to do at least long term. You were slowly coming to realize that all those trips spent in the library studying the multiple medical books were coming to work out in your favor. Bucky calls out the information in which you’ve told him to tell the girl who accompanies the man. She nods vigorously before grabbing his hand and helping him walk over to the opening that leads to the cells where you all would be holed up. The prison inside of the prison. How ironic. You call out for the next person to step forward but are met with silence. You look to the previous line to be met with open space.

“Come here.” He urges. He’s kneeling in front of you from where you sit on the high-rise rock. You ignore the outreach of his bloody hand and you walk around him. He sighs as you reach down to the faucet. The cold water greets your fingertips and you don’t move away from it. Bucky taps your shoulder and you turn around to see what he needs. He’s staring at you like you’re the smallest child in the playground and that if you don’t listen, he’ll throw you in time out. He points to his raised knee and you scoff shaking your head.

“Either you do it willingly or I force you.” You shake your head again and he groans throwing his head back in mock pain. You giggle and lean forward to reach the faucet again but you’re swiped off your feet as hands grip your waist tightly. He sits you on his lap and you have to wrap your arms around his neck to keep from falling. You whip your head around to glare at him because you’re certain he’s a mad man and he grins leaning towards the faucet. You let out a squeal and you grip his knees as he shifts back on the rock sitting you square between his legs. You know you look beyond pissed because he avoids your eyes. He’s still grinning though at your reaction as his hands release your waist and reach towards the faucet. You move your hands away quickly and lean forward with him, eager to get the remaining blood off your skin. Bucky turns the faucet to the left and water starts spilling from it. He tuts when your hands almost touch the water and he grabs your wrists. The interaction makes your skin tingle and interlocks your fingers with his. In that moment you feel the firs spread throughout your body. Everywhere he touches you sends a different burn straight to your heart. His chest presses against your back as he washes the blood off both of your hands. When he breathes you can feel it hit your ear and it makes the hair on your skin rise. His hands caress yours as they wash 30 or more people’s blood off. His fingers slide into between yours with ease that you watch in awe as your hands become yours again. Except with his hands on yours you aren’t exactly sure where he begins and where you stop. Funny thing is, you don’t ever want to figure it out. His fingers brush over yours and they move away too soon. Before you can grasp what you’re doing you grab his hands and start the same movements. You slide your fingers against his long ones and watch as they become his just as yours were yours. You hear Bucky’s breathing grow uneven and you look over your shoulder to see what’s wrong. His eyes immediately lock on yours and you can see something that you’d never seen on his face before. You can’t read it, but you know it’s something he tries to hide because his face becomes black once more and his hands move away from yours. You gasp softly at the loss of contact and swallow the complaint that tries to force its way out. The moment has disappeared, and you can feel the slight tinge of embarrassment floating its way through your senses. You wipe your hands on your pants and the sight of you and Bucky’s hands together burns itself into your mind. You know it shouldn’t be there, but your heart holds it close and locks it away for safe keeping.

“You ready?” he whispers. His hand lays on your stomach which does a flop at the sight of it and you nod not sure if you could even get through a full sentence without stuttering. You stand up and take a step away from him. You were trying to get a grasp on your emotions but the only thing you could focus on was how his scent no longer surrounded you. Your legs wobble as you try to walk but your knees give out. Bucky grabs your hand and pulls it around his neck.

“I don’t think I can walk.” You whisper. He doesn’t respond at first but you can tell he’s debating what to do.

“Hop on my back. I’ll carry you.” You nod slowly as you walk behind him and grab onto his shoulders. His hands wrap around your thighs and he pushes you up in the air. You jump and let your legs fall around his waist and let your arms hang loose over his shoulders. His figure shakes a little as he tries to steady you and start his long walk towards the open steel doors. You place your chin on his shoulder and let out a small sigh.

“My knight in shining armor.” You tease half heartedly and he laughs. The sound warms your bones more than anything else could and you don’t catch the small smile that spreads across his face as he starts walking towards the yelling Germans. It’s time for everyone to go back to their cells and if told once more there would be consequences. Your arms become heavy and feel like blobs of jello as they swing. You can feel yourself absentmindly snuggling into the warmth of the man carrying you, but it doesn’t register as your senses begin shutting down. You blink a few times as you stared down at the dog tags that swung on top of the green Henley that adorned Bucky’s chest. The faint sunlight disappears as he enters the prisoner compound and the room becomes dark. You lift your head up as shouts erupt around you. You catch people clapping and you have the urge to tell them to stop. Drawing attention of the soldiers wasn’t a good idea because they had just witnessed what happens when you cause a ruckus. You bury your head back into Bucky’s neck as you silently wish for the cries of joy to stop. Despite all the good you’d done you still couldn’t get over all the good you could have done so many years ago. Bucky senses your discomfort and starts to walk a little faster than before.

“Get some rest. You look like you could use it.” He says softly as a metal door creaks and it gets held open for the two of you. You nod slowly feeling your eyes shut again. You listen to him this time and let the exhaustion finally take over your body.

Tagging some peeps~@randomfangirl82 @stucky-my-ship @jules-1999 @starkssnarks @dallaswinstonswife1109@notsosecretspy @kyn-lyn-blog @alltoowell-taylorsversion@creecree-4-life

#bucky barnes fanfiction #bucky barnes x reader #bucky x reader #bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x self insert #bucky barnes x female!reader #James barnes #Bucky barnes x oc #bucky barnes fluff #buxky barnes smut #bucky barnes slow burn #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes series #bucky barnes fandom #bucky barnes fanfics #marvel fanfiction #sebastian stan #Thw winter soldier #tw war mentions #tw blood #tw gun mention #steve rogers #captain america #mention of character death #tony stark #ironman #marvel memes #marvel imagines #bucky barnes imagines #hail hydra

[angelanimedesaray]

Wings in the Dark Chapter 3:  Quicksand

AN:  Okay, so this admittedly goes a little slow at the very beginning, more snooping and such, but I promise it picks back up about halfway through.  And will pick up from here on out.

Characters:  Levi, Vampire!Reader, Erwin, numerous BG characters

Pairing:  (Eventual) Levi x Vampire!Reader

Warnings:  Language, Peril (Temporary)

Word Count:  6940

<----Previous Chapter    Masterlist    Next Chapter---->

*Levi’s POV*

You could tell a lot about a person from how they treated animals.

For the Scouts, it was the horses especially that mattered, as they were one of the few lifelines out beyond the walls.  With how the horses had avoided L/N with everything they had, people in the vicinity would mutter about how she would never go beyond the walls at this rate, or how she had to be a bad person and the horses were sensing it.

That was one theory to go with.

However, as Levi continued to watch her, he never once saw her get angry or frustrated with them.  Sometimes there was sadness, or it looked like she was on the edge of admitting defeat, but she continued to approach them with patient understanding, as if she knew exactly what they were afraid of, and was asking them not to be because she couldn’t change it.

Gradually, the dappled grey allowed her to come closer and closer.  They started having problems giving someone else the job of cleaning the stables because she was spending so much of her free time in there, and she would clean while there to allow her to spend more time around the horses and give her something else to do besides just sitting there waiting for skittish horses to calm down.  She was smart enough to know that she needed more than just one to calm down around her, though she was still putting in the work to form a bond with at least one.  In case she was ever in a position where she needed another horse, though, it seemed she wanted the other horses to at least be comfortable with her presence--hence all the time spent in the stables.

If she wasn’t out in the field walking with the mare, then she was inside by the horse’s stall, leaning against the wall or sitting against the door.  Then, at long last, she could be seen walking around side by side with her horse, the lead short and fairly loose.  And after a few days holding a treat into the stall and waiting for the horse to feel comfortable coming up to her to eat it out of her hand, she finally made it /into/ the stall.  Her hard work was paying off, as now she could be found inside the stall, gently brushing the dappled grey mare while she spoke in soft tones to the horse, continuing to build up the trust and bond between the two of them.

As Levi stepped into the stables, he could hear her speaking softly with the mare, her words underlined with each thoughtful brush stroke.

“There we go...that’s a good girl...see, just like I said, nothing to be afraid of.  I know I’m scary, you all remind me every time I come in here, but I’m not going to hurt you.  I don’t want to hurt anyone--I’m just here to help.  See, that feels much better, doesn’t it?  I’m not going to hurt you.  I promise as long as I’m around, nothing’s going to hurt you.  There we go...Steady...Shh…”

Levi’s head turned slightly at the subject of her rambling, his gaze following down the line until he spotted the stall his horse was in, not far from L/N’s horse.

“You don’t mind all my rambling, do you, Zephyr?  It’s nice to talk to someone, even if they’re not going to talk back.  I haven’t had anyone to talk to in…”  She grew quiet, and even the brushing stopped for a moment.  Curious.  “...too long,” she finished, her voice hardly above a whisper.

She seemed to quiet down entirely as Levi risked stepping into the stables, and he realized he had been heard, or at the very least she’d become aware she wasn’t by herself.  Continuing forward casually, Levi turned his head to look into the stable as he passed, spotting L/N with the brush set off to the side and currently working on undoing any tangles in Zephyr’s mane.  Their eyes met for a moment, and Levi paused.

“Will she let you ride her, yet?”

She turned away, the faintest touch of red entering her cheeks at the mention of her trouble with the horses.  “Not yet.  But I don’t think it will be much longer before she does.”

Levi’s gaze swept over the stable, kept immensely clean with fresh straw, water, and food, and the coat on the horse smooth and lustrous.  At this rate, the mare was going to be more of a show horse than a war horse.

“You’re not slacking anywhere else, are you?” Levi asked as his gaze slipped over the pristine stall and back to her.  A stall didn’t get that clean without a lot of constant work.

“No, sir.  This is where I was lacking the most, so it’s getting more of my attention.  But I’m making sure other parts of my training aren’t suffering.”

Well, he’d be the judge of that.  With the way she held up in training, any degree of slipping would be easy to spot.

Levi resumed what he was doing, walking deeper into the stables to check on his horse, which he planned to take for a brief ride to stretch his legs.  “Don’t make a promise you can’t keep,” he added before L/N left his field of vision.  The stable was quiet for a few moments, broken only by the sound of Levi getting his horse ready to go.

So quietly he almost didn’t hear it, Levi got a reply.

“This one I can keep.”

Earlier in the day, Levi had jumped on the chance to get a more personal glimpse at L/N, taking over the cleanliness checks in the barracks, much to everyone else’s dismay.  He was well aware that his standards were far above everyone else’s, but today they were just going to have to deal with it, and step it up.  On the bright side, as he walked down the lines of beds, he was able to see who was terrible at doing a decent cleaning job and who had potential.

He gave criticisms at every bed--dust, missed spots, trying to hide part of the mess under the beds, half-assed jobs, on and on the list went.  When he got to L/N…

Now this was starting to get creepy.

His practiced eye swept over her space as she stood at attention just off to the side, taking in the bed spread smoothed of wrinkles, the dusted and wiped down surfaces, everything tucked away, floor swept and clean in her area--even a little into the surrounding spaces.  There wasn’t anything in the way of personal effects, though--not out in the open, anyway.

It was immaculate.  Up to his standards practically to a T.  It was an unexpected discovery, amongst the many things he thought he’d see.  He thought he might see a personal effect here or there that would give him a bit more on her personality, but there was nothing he could see during a cleanliness inspection.

He’d have to come back later.

Shit, I’m starting to sound like a goddamn stalker.

Carefully, Levi ran a hand on the underside of the bed, the nightstand, anywhere there might be dirt left over, and came away with nothing.

She was the only one he walked by without saying anything, because he had no critiques to give.  He wondered if she was always this clean, or she’d heard he was doing the inspections and pulled off a miracle.

He went back when there was no one around to do a more thorough search, still believing that she might have something that would tip him off a little more.  Frankly, if he continued to find a complete lack of personal effects, that would bolster his suspicions as well, because it signified something to be hidden or something that was trying to be forgotten, or a preparation to run at a moment’s notice.

He didn’t know what he would find, if anything, but if it was another lead, he would take it.

The barracks were currently empty, and he had made sure they’d be empty for a while, choosing the time there was a morning drill going on for the new recruits to sneak in and do some digging.

First he checked the footlocker at the end of her bed, opening it up and carefully shifting through.  Mostly it was made up of uniform clothes, a pair of nice plainclothes, a pair of casual plainclothes, a couple more comfortable workout clothes, a plain black cloak--

His hand paused on the cloak.  It looked like it could be the one being worn by the person he’d pursued and lost that one night.  Not a confirmation, but it was further evidence she was sneaking out at night, even if he hadn’t seen her face.

Finding nothing else suspicious in the footlocker, Levi checked under the bed and found only dress shoes and casual shoes, and then moved onto the nightstand.

Here, he found a book from the library on herbology with a bookmark on custom tea blends, as well as a tin of some of the said tins.  There was quite a bit of chamomile and mint from the whiff he was immediately hit with upon checking inside the tin, with a couple other blends--but mostly the chamomile and mint.  Inside, he also found a tightly bound bundle of white sage in a cloth covering, blank sheets of paper, more writing utensils than he would have expected, and a leather bound folio.  Opening it revealed no official documents missing from her background, no personal letters or intercepted reports.

Inside, it was gorgeous artwork.  Sketches of the horses in various poses of rest or activity, of the scenery around Wall Rose, a sketch of one of the few mansions in the district, and--

Levi paused, eyes widening as he stilled, the silence in the room pressing in on him.  His mind flashed back to just the other day, when he’d seen Zephyr out in the field away from the other horses, laying down and looking contently about, but not moving.  He’d only been able to make out part of L/N through the long grass, leaning against the horse with her knees pulled up, looking lost in something.  He’d assumed it was a book from the distance where he was once more leaning against the wall in the shadows of the stables, or that she was writing something.

Amongst the more recent drawings of the horses, there was a portrait of him, leaning against that wall at the stables, arms crossed, head slightly bowed but eyes centered on the observer, or, in this case, the artist.  Even the shade was accounted for, making the features a little more difficult to make out, but they were still clear and detailed.

She’d seen him well enough at that distance to make out and sketch his features in this detail?  Or had some of it been visualization?

More importantly, it was pretty much confirmation that she knew he was watching her.

Levi closed the folio, putting everything back in its proper place with care, feeling intrusive and out of place now that he’d failed to come up with anything malicious in nature.  There were only a couple things that made him uneasy with the implications, never anything that proved to be outright dangerous, as always.  And he couldn’t exactly say anything about the sketch of himself without her knowing he’d gone through her belongings.

Levi was gone long before the recruits returned to the barracks from their drill.

She’d slipped away from the main group after the next combat training session, hanging back and going a different direction than the rest of the group.  Levi had a brief moment where he thought she might be slipping away to the same place she went at night, and had followed her on the off chance that was the case.

She ended up going to a quiet corner of the Scout headquarters, at a corner of buildings near the forest that no one bothered with.  Once there, she kneeled down, tending to a cluster of plants that was lined up in the familiar form of a small garden.  It was fairly new, too, from what Levi could see, which told him she probably planted them herself not too long ago.  How long had she been working on this little side project?

Just another one of his suspicions turning out to be harmless activity.  He was just about ready to write off his uneasy feeling as paranoia.

He could have just walked off and left her alone, but he lingered, waiting until she finished what she was doing and left before he quietly approached the garden to satiate his own curiosity.

Kneeling down, he realized that the tiny garden was made up of plants, mainly herbs, that could be used in tea making.  There were brushes of mint, chamomile, and lemongrass as the most notable plants, and near the corner where they would get full sun and could help hide the little herb garden there were even three freshly planted bushes, hibiscus, raspberry, and rose, with the flowering bushes meant to support the raspberry in the middle.  The soil was dark and the leaves had beads of water still on them that shined on his thumb after a careful stroke against a leaf to see it healthy and strong, showing that L/N had been by to water them.  They were doing fairly well, from what he could see, even though the plants were too young to harvest anything from.

Was she attempting to grow the materials to make her own tea blends so she wouldn’t have to spend much of her salary on tea?

Standing to leave as that pesky feeling of intrusion started to worm its way back into his mind, Levi caught sight of a small collection of white sage, directly out in the sun and recently planted, but noticeably far away from the other plants.  It was curious, the way it was planted so that it couldn’t be missed and could be easily avoided.  At the same time, though, it could just have been an aggressively growing plant that would take over the other plants if it got too close to them.  While he knew it could also be used in teas, it wasn’t as common...and he’d seen a bundle of the sage spikes tightly bound and covered in her nightstand.

What was so special about it?  Why did she have it?

Levi shook his head, turning to leave and mentally filing the questions about the white sage under “personal questions” instead of “suspicions.”

His suspicions weren’t entirely gone.  While he was getting a stronger sense of her character that caused his doubts about her to waver, he still had some glaring questions he couldn’t ignore that caused his wariness to endure...for now.

ODM gear training--another essential part to life in the Scouts.  At this point in time, it was a chance for officers to get a feel for the skills of the cadets first hand instead of just what it said on paper about their Cadet Corps training.

The trees here were thick, allowing perfect cover for their Titan dummies spread sporadically throughout the woods.  At the highest points in the trees, the officers stood on platforms to observe quietly, moving from platform to platform as needed while the recruits moved through the trees, watching the cadets zip around the forest looking for Titans.

Levi’s eyes, however, were drawn to the fact that Erwin was out here.  He knew for a fact that Erwin had better things to be doing than watching rookies try to hunt down dummies, but for some reason he was always near the same spot Levi was, his gaze fixed complacently in the same area, flickering in disinterest past most of the cadets.  If any of the rookies knew he was here, the word would spread like wildfire, and they might shift their attention to trying their damndest to impress the Commander instead of doing the drill properly.

But there was a gleam in Erwin’s eyes.  He was here for a reason.  Levi just didn’t know what it was, which unsettled him, but didn’t distract him from watching the recruits.

Erwin’s gaze caught Levi’s, and the faintest, unsettling smile appeared on his lips, gone in the next second as his attention was drawn towards an oncoming recruit who was high in the trees, apparently trying the high-ground tactic to spot a Titan before the others.  A terrible approach, really, since it allowed more tree cover for the Titans by adding more branches and foliage below the individual.

Levi started to turn away in disinterest, hearing the sound of another fast-approaching recruit coming towards them.  While the recruit was still in his peripherals, they disengaged the cables, ready to fire them into another tree to make a sharp turn.

Except the cables didn’t deploy.

The recruit let out a shriek and plummeted towards the ground from a dangerous height, gear malfunctioning and not sending out the cables to catch them on their way down.  Levi whipped around, hands flying out to his holstered ODM controls--

--Erwin didn’t look surprised by what was happening--

Someone darted in low and fast.  It was one of the recruits, the one that had already been moving in their direction, and as such, was in the best position to react first.

Of all the people it could have been, it was L/N.

She wasn’t using any gas, her falling momentum casing her to come in low and fast to the ground, cables deploying at the last moment to even out her fall and propel her forward, her back running parallel with the ground as she shot towards the falling cadet.  When she was close enough, she angled herself back up to intercept the recruit, gas propelling her up into the air instead of her momentum.  There was an audible thud and grunt as they collided, L/N’s arm wrapped around the fallen recruit’s midriff as she twisted to fire another cable to bring herself up to safety.

The only problem was that there were two dummies in the direction she was flying, and the training didn’t stop because of a hiccup.

One of the dummies swung down and towards her, on a clear collision course if she didn’t see it and couldn’t react fast enough.  At least now it would hurt like a bitch but it wouldn’t be fatal.

L/N let loose a sudden burst of gas to speed up and rolled so she was facing the ground, back upwards and exposed to the falling dummy.  For a second, he thought she was going to take the brunt of the blow--which would mean death if this had been real.  She pulled herself upright at the last second, sailing right underneath where the dummy titan’s mouth would be, her body twisted out of reach of the dummy, and she kicked off the side of its neck to give herself another boost, cables firing upwards high into the trees and causing her to sore upwards, another brief burst of gas allowing her the momentum to keep her going upwards with the added weight still tucked against her side with one arm.

The second dummy swung out from behind the trees, fast enough to knock someone clean out of the air.  Instead of going under like she did the first time, she twisted again, keeping the recruit in her arms safe from impact.  She arched over him in an upside U, cables firing up and out to bring them safely onto a tree branch.  She set the other recruit down, a hand on their shoulder as she said something to them, checking their gear with them before waving for one of the other officers to come over and get the recruit.  Once the recruit who fell was guaranteed to be alright, she kicked off, doubling back to slice through the Titan dummy napes before disappearing back into the forest.

Levi looked back over at Erwin, able to immediately recognize that gleam in his eyes as Erwin looked out in the direction L/N had taken off towards.  It was the same look Levi saw in the Underground, back when they met.  Ulterior intentions or not, Erwin was going to do his damndest to make sure she was on their side in the end, and speaking from experience, Levi knew it was possible.

Releasing his grip on his ODM controls, Levi’s gaze flickered back over to the recruit that had fallen, that look he’d seen on Erwin’s face moments before it happened flashing through his mind.

I know you can’t guarantee finding the answers to all of your questions in such a short amount of time, but you could at least find out if she will have the back of her fellow scouts on the first expedition.

That had been planned, hadn’t it?  He wanted to test if she had her comrades backs in a moment of danger, and she had responded immediately and without hesitation.  Levi had to trust that there had been some kind of backup plan to make sure that recruit didn’t end up dead--Erwin wouldn’t have done something like that without having someone waiting in the wings in case L/N acted selfishly.

He was sure everyone was impressed after what she’d just pulled off even with someone under her arm, but part of him...wasn’t really surprised.  Then again, Levi was the only one who’d had a first hand taste of how strong she really was.  This was a reassurance that her other training had not slipped while she put so much effort into the horses, and was further confirmation at the asset she could be to them as a member of the Scouts.

Let’s hope she could keep that even head when it was Titan jaws snapping at her and not just wooden figures swinging her way.

He felt absolutely drained.

It was the night before the next expedition, and Levi found himself sitting alone in the mess hall, a cup of steaming tea resting on the table in front of him with his fingertips lingering lightly on the rim of the cup.  Ever since that first night he’d caught L/N sneaking out, he’d been staying up as much as possible to try and catch her sneaking out again.  He was already used to not sleeping much, but even he had his limits.  His eyelids were heavy, and his focus kept slipping, even as he tried to get down a cup of tea to help him sleep more soundly tonight so he would be at his best tomorrow.

He would finally get to see L/N in the field.  Erwin was still planning on keeping her in the formation where Levi would have her in his sights at all time so he could see how she did when it wasn’t training anymore.  Not to mention, he was looking forward to it.

His suspicions had started to die down in the back of his mind, giving way to glowing embers of a curiosity he figured would be satiated with time.  Perhaps that uneasiness in his gut had nothing to do with her trustworthiness, and he had simply been caught off guard by her abilities.  Perhaps the thought of a rookie already able to go toe to toe with him had unnerved him, and that was where the feeling originated.

The more he pried into her as a person, the less of a reason he found to be doubtful of her intentions.  The recruits who’d been in class with her had described her as cold and unsociable, someone up to trouble that was never discovered and far more skilled than she let on.  However, when he observed her and came within proximity to her, she was warm, and careful, and considerate, although he still did not miss the hesitation, the way she was ready to pull away at a moment’s notice and increase the distance once more, the way she seemed to always be holding something back…

But that didn’t mean she was a bad person.  If anything, he was worried about her because she seemed far more empathetic under the surface than she let on.  He’d seen the garden she tended to quietly, seen her artistic hobby, seen how she interacted with her horse Zephyr now that she was able to ride the mare.  Even if she didn’t have any close friends in the Scouts, she was close with that horse, spending most of her free time with Zephyr, brushing her, laying with her in the field while she drew or read, simply walking with her.

She seemed...gentle, at heart.  Before he knew it, he was softening towards her.  How could he see all of that, and not start to let go of his suspicions?  It’s why watching her had suddenly felt intrusive, why this final night he had stopped staring out the window watching for a hooded figure and come into the mess hall to seek tea to help him sleep instead of forcing himself to stay up all night again to keep an eye out for her slipping out into the night.

The silence was comforting, his limbs feeling heavy, head tilting downwards, fingers going limp around the empty cup as he slowly...nodded off…

He was so exhausted...

*Reader’s POV*

Your steps down the darkened halls of the Scout Headquarters were silent, your hood still drawn as you made your way deeper into the stone building.  While your face was still hidden in shadow, your hand did a careful rub around your mouth to be sure that you didn’t have any trace of your meal lingering on your face.

You hadn’t needed to sneak out for another bite, but considering you were going on an expedition tomorrow, you’d decided to play it safe and sneak out again to make sure you were fully satiated.  You needed to be at peak performance, and you needed to make sure your bloodlust was fully satiated in case you found yourself in the middle of a bloodbath.

The last thing you needed was to lose control in front of everyone and feed off of a fellow Scout.  All the pleading and rationalizing in the world wasn’t going to save you from a vengeful blade or banishment in that kind of situation.

Once you were sure there wasn’t any blood on your face, you lowered your hood, quietly making your way into the barracks and retrieving one of your bought chamomile tea bags before slipping away to the mess hall.  The only sounds in the castle was the faint talking of guards at the entrance, the huffs or snickers of the horses in the stables, and the soft breaths and heartbeats of the sleeping scouts that filled Headquarters.

The closer you got to the mess hall, however, the more you could make out a singular heartbeat and soft breathing, the familiar sound of someone fast asleep.

In the mess hall?

Once you were close enough, you managed to catch the faintest scent that immediately told you who was asleep in the mess hall.  That scent had been following you since your sparring match.  It had wafted on the wind from the distance as he watched you from beside the stables or across training grounds, had lingered on your personal effects after you came back from a morning drill, had briefly lingered amongst the perfume of herbs and flowery plants in your little garden, and had cut through your senses the last time you’d snuck out for a bite, informing you that you were being followed long before you heard his breaths and heartbeat.

You’d known Captain Levi was watching you closely, and as such, you’d learned to attune yourself to his scent so you would know when he was nearby.  He was always clean, with traces of tea and mint lingering despite the strong scent of soap, either from cleaning his surroundings or himself.  But there was also the scent of his blood, sometimes unique for people with potent bloodlines, whose blood would be exceptional if you dared to partake.

Of course, Captain Levi, Commander Erwin, any of the Scouts were a hard off limits, so that was never something you were going to give into, never a taste that you would know.  But that didn’t mean you would fail to pick up on the rich aroma his blood gave off.

God forbid his blood was ever spilled in front of you.  That would be a challenge to resist.

Able to tell that he was asleep, you entered the mess hall quietly but without reservations, determined to make your cup of tea even if there was someone else in the room.

He seemed to have fallen asleep at the table, head slumped over into his chest, one arm still lying limply next to a cup of tea that, due to the scent that still had traces in the air, had been meant to help him sleep.  His hair fell carefree into his face, lips parted slightly for his quiet breaths to slip between.

Good.  He’d been looking exhausted recently, and you knew it was because he was keeping such a close eye on you.  It was almost like you couldn’t go anywhere without Levi one step behind you.  The rumors said it was because he was thinking of having you join his squad, but you doubted that was really the reason.  Your suspicion was that he’d grown suspicious of you after your spar, and he was trying to figure out what you were hiding.  If he’d simply been looking to have you on his squad, he wouldn’t have gone poking around your personal effects or been following you whenever you were by yourself.

You didn’t hate him for it--he was just doing his job, and he had every right to be suspicious.  Hell, if his instincts had told him there was something wrong with you, that there was something dangerous about you, they weren’t wrong.  He was right to follow them and poke around.  It was just for your own sake that you hoped you could dodge him until his suspicions disappeared and he could accept you weren’t here out of malice.

You really were here to help.  Your intentions were genuine, even if you had some personal monsters you were trying to keep in the dark.  You just weren’t so sure you could convince them that you weren’t a threat if they were to ever find out what you were.  You didn't even want to think of what Captain Levi’s reaction would be if he ever found out, especially if he found out while armed and in the same room as you.

There were already those who knew about your species, and considered you to be a far more lethal threat to humanity than Titans, one that needed to be expunged indiscriminately.  The fear was always there that if someone discovered you, they would see things that way, that they wouldn’t hesitate to put down a clear threat to humanity.

Shaking the dark thoughts from your mind, you focused on the here and now instead of what ifs that might never come to pass.  Instead, you carefully removed your cloak from around your shoulders and approached Levi quietly and carefully, draping the dark cloth around his body to keep him covered up.

You’d just been outside, so of course you were aware that it wasn’t the warmest night.

You paused just short of lifting your hands, hearing a shift in his heartbeat and breathing that suggested he might wake up.  It figured he would be a light sleeper.  Maybe you should have just left him alone instead of risking waking him up.

Well, either way, it would be more awkward if he woke to you just standing there next to him--if he did wake up.  There was still the chance he would slip back into sleep.

Attempting to stay silent so you wouldn’t disturb him anymore than you already had, you slipped away into the kitchen, going about making your cup of tea as quietly as you could, movements exaggerated with how slow you were going in an attempt not to let the kettle and other dishes rattle.  While you made your tea, you could hear the slightest shift of fabric, hear a pause, his heart rate and breathing back to normal waking pace.

Well, shit.  It looked like you’d managed to wake him up with your act of kindness now gone wrong.  You should have left him alone instead of disturbing his sleep.  And now you were going to have to be social when you left the kitchen.

Well...maybe that was a good thing.  With all this watching from a distance, maybe it would help to put his mind at ease if he was to simply talk to you, just a little.

Though you could also very likely end up headed towards a conversation you weren’t ready to have, one you couldn’t answer even though they were so simple, like ‘where did you come from’ and anything related to family.

You let out a soft sigh as you poured your tea into your cup, resigning yourself to the incoming late night conversation with Captain Levi.

As you walked back into the eating area of the mess hall where Levi had fallen asleep, you could see him sitting up properly again, your cape folded up neatly and sitting on the tabletop with his hand resting thoughtfully in its center, a small frown on his lips.

He looked up when you entered the room, and something flashed in his eyes, gone as soon as it appeared.  It made you uneasy.

Was there blood on your cape?  No, you were certain there wasn’t any blood--you knew what you were doing, and you knew how to eat without spilling any blood or making a mess.  There wasn’t any blood on your cape.  So what was that look for?  Was it just from his suspicions?  Had he figured you had just come back from sneaking out again?

“What are you doing up?” Levi asked bluntly as you approached, teacup in hand

As much as you wanted to turn the question around on him, the one who had fallen asleep in the mess hall, you knew better.  You were trying to stay on his good side, not antagonize him, which was already difficult when the odds were already so stacked against you.

You took a seat, raising the cup slightly as both your hands curled around the hot cup to cradle it in your grasp.  “I was feeling restless, so I came down here to get something to calm my nerves,” you told him honestly, taking a slow sip of tea once you’d finished speaking.

“And you felt the need for a cloak on the way from the barracks to the kitchen?” Levi asked skeptically, eyebrow cocked challengingly.

You shrugged, outwardly unfazed by his question.  “I tried walking it off first.  Didn’t work out like I’d hoped.”

“Are you nervous?”

Your eyes flickered his way, meeting his steady gaze and briefly wondering if he was actually referring to tomorrow, or if that was meant to double as referring to him always watching her, asking if she had a reason to be nervous about it.

“I suppose I should be.  Afraid, even.  But whenever I start to get worried I tell myself whatever happens, happens.  I’ll do what I can, when I can.  If I come back, wonderful, if I don’t...I won’t be going out quietly,” you said, grip tightening slightly around the cup as you stared down at the water colored by the chamomile blend.  “Maybe subconsciously I am nervous, and that’s why I’m restless tonight.”

Levi was fixing you with a hard look at your rather passive answer, eyes probing, reading every muscle twitch looking for a lie or a deeper meaning.  “Aren’t you itching to kill Titans?  Or at least shitting yourself at the chance to go outside the walls?”

“Except I didn’t come to kill Titans, specifically.  Going outside the walls, seeing what’s out there, that’s a bonus.  I came to help.  Whether that means killing Titans, guarding carts, playing messenger or lookout, or mucking out stalls.  As long as I feel like I’m doing something to help.”

Levi leaned back in his seat.  He didn’t look particularly impressed with your attitude.  “Why did you join the Scouts?” he asked bluntly.  “Why not the MPs or the Garrison?”

Images flashed through your mind.  Drunken garrison members stationed in Wall Rose who only sat around gambling, drinking, and ignoring their duties.  Your eyes lifted to the raven-haired man in front of you, and you had the faintest memory pass through your mind of a black haired youth pressed into the ground by Military Police, about to beat the kid to a pulp to teach the Underground gutter rat not to steal, even though it was the only way the kid was going to get something to eat.  Corruption, complacency, and current uselessness in the fight against the Titans, that’s all you thought when you heard Military Police or Garrison Regiment.  You knew it was a harsh viewpoint, and a blanket one that didn’t truly apply to everyone in either branch, but that impression had been made so strongly on you that you couldn’t resolve it, not at this point.

Also, this was a good chance to plant the seed that she really did want to help, that she really was an ally and not an enemy.  Just in case she was found out.

“I wanted to go somewhere I could actually do something, where I could put my skills to good use and do something worthwhile.  I know that’s not the general public feeling about what the Scouts do, but I knew if I went to the Garrison or the MPs, I’d be wasted there.  Complacency isn’t for me.  I knew the Scouts was the best place for me to go if I wanted to do something that could actually help.”

You quieted again, taking another sip from the cup.  Once more, it was true.  If you wanted to use your vampiric abilities to make a difference, the Scouts was the best place for you.  You were tired of existing in shadows, of letting days slip by without making any kind of impact on the world around you.  No more complacency.  You wanted to take action and do something with your abilities other than hunt and eat people.  What better way than to go out and fight the Titans?  They were still a threat to you, you couldn’t regenerate like a Titan, and decapitation from teeth would kill you just as surely as a stake through the heart.  But you had a better chance against the Titans than the average human, and you wanted to use your better chances to give humanity a better opportunity to fight back.  That would make your existence feel...worthwhile.  Instead of parasitic.

Down at the other end of the table, Levi sighed, pushing himself up onto his feet, likely to head back to his room before he fell asleep in the mess hall again.

*Levi’s POV*

Levi wasn’t too enthused by most of her reasoning for joining the Scouts.  He had seen far too many pointless deaths to optimistically say that she wouldn’t die pointlessly in the Scouts.  Hell, she had a higher chance of dying needlessly in the Scouts than anywhere else, especially if she had the wrong attitude going out there.  A hero complex could get her killed just as easily as complacency.  She should be focused on survival, and how casually she spoke about what could happen tomorrow made him uncomfortable.  He’d be more at ease if she was displaying a determination to come back, some kind of fire, a spark.  Instead, it felt like she thought there was something she needed to prove, and he worried it was the wrong priority.

Hopefully, her attitude would change once she saw the hell of the Titans up close.  If not, he wasn’t going to have much hope for her going forward.

Getting to his feet, Levi grabbed his teacup to clean up in his chambers, leaving the cloak folded on the table for her to retrieve when she was finished down here.

“Make sure you come back to tend to those plants.  They’ll die if there’s not someone around to take care of them,” he said in a monotone voice before turning to leave.  He made it almost to the door before she spoke up again.

“Captain Levi?”

He paused, but he didn’t turn or say anything, waiting to hear what she wanted to say.

“Just because I’m not open with everyone, doesn’t mean I’m a threat.  There’s just some parts of myself I would like to keep to myself,” she said softly.  His head twitched to the side at the unexpected comment, catching the sight of her forlorn expression as she gazed down at the cup just in front of her lips.

He didn’t say anything, instead continuing down the hall and disappearing from her immediate sight.  Once he was within the safety of his chambers, a hard glint flashed in his eyes.

The scent of blood and shit unique to one place within the walls lingered on her cloak.

Next Chapter---->

Levi Tags:  @clary-quinn​ @humanitys-hottestsoldier @whalerus​ @sunny-flo​

Wings in the Dark Tags:  @regalillegal​ @animeluver23​ @theshylittleelfgirl​ @queenthorin1​ @dilucs-thighs​ @sociallyanxiousmouse

#levi ackerman #captain levi #levi heichou #levi #aot levi #snk levi #levi snk #levi aot #attack on titan levi #levi attack on titan #shingeki no kyojin levi #levi shingeki no kyojin #levi x reader #captain levi x reader #levi ackerman x reader #aot levi x reader #vampire!reader #reader insert #levi x vampire!reader #captain levi x vampire!reader #levi ackerman x vampire!reader #aot levi x vampire!reader #levi fanfiction #levi fan fiction #levi fanfic #levi fan fic #levi ackerman fanfiction #levi ackerman fan fiction #levi ackerman fanfic #levi ackerman fan fic

[angelicmichael]

Willow

Michael Langdon x reader

Summary: Reader, who is a witch (not tied to the og coven) is best friends with Michael. They decide to spend Valentines day together in outpost three. Based on this post, and the 'willow' music video by Taylor Swift.

Words: 3.0k+

Warnings: mentions of rituals/covens (its vague tho), slow burn, light angst, mutual pining, gross fluff, plot heavy and VERY descriptive I'm sorry dhdhd, valentines day fic, mentions of food, friends to lovers

A/N: yall rlly liked my last Michael blurb so I made this kinda similar!! Also the idea of witch! Reader not being tied to the og coven is NOT my idea, others have done it before - I just did it cause it made sense w the music video this fic is based off of ✌🏻. This is mostly me self indulging ngl so if the fic doesnt make sense that's why haha. The v beginning is like Sojourn! Era and then the rest of the fic is somewhere between fire & reign and outpost era. this fic is rlly just me trying to say happy early mf valentines day !! 💖💖 okay bye

February 14th was always a day you dreaded; The idea and concept of a whole fucking holiday being dedicated to just love.. really put a bitter taste in your mouth. In your opinion, it was just a reason for couples to show a disgusting amount of PDA and get away with it.

However; due to a incredibly corny and cliché situation you found yourself in; you now were seeing the incoming holiday in a different light. When you thought of the holiday.. You first thought of Michael. Michael Langdon.

Meeting Michael at all was a complete accident - You met months ago in fall; on a dark cloudy night. Every detail from that evening was etched and woven into your mind as if it had just happened yesterday; and you could only hope that it would remain that way forever. After all; that was the night when you had met your favorite person. You even remembered the weather.. The bitterness of the cold wind making it seem as if it was seconds from storming.

You were part of a small coven which was meeting due to a full moon, it was a rather mundane and basic ritual you were preforming. One of which you had preformed more times you could even count on your fingers.. However; what made that ritual special is that your coven happened to be recruiting.

Full black outfits, including thin, long cloaks is what everyone wore to the occasion.. After everything was over and done with; you went to leave - the bitter coldness of the night urging you to leave rather quickly.

However; something.. almost a invisible force made you stop walking away from the crowd and made you physically stop. You slowly stopped walking; and turned around. You sharply gasped when you saw a figure directly in front of you - wearing a dark ensemble that matched yours nearly identically.

Immediately you grew weary. A sharp, nauseated feeling started to manifest inside of you.

"Were you following me"? You spoke with your voice raised, your hands which previously fell loosely at your side were starting to curl into fists.

You could feel yourself getting defensive. You quickly flicked your eyes over at the other coven members - making sure you weren't causing a scene; not wanting to draw attention to the situation until it grew necessary.

"Yes, but.. look. I just wanted to talk to you.. away from the others". The boy stated.

You bit your lip to suppress a groan. You rolled your eyes, not really caring that he could see how bothered you were.

"Fine. But c'mon, make it quick". You said, not trying to hide the irritation in your voice.

You turned around and walked a few feet away from the crowd, not looking back but merely expecting him to follow you. You were expecting he was just another newbie with dumb questions, or needed clarification on something.

You turned to talk to him, and that's when you noticed something you about him you seemed to overlook earlier - his beauty. You were completely taken aback and breath taken. Light blue eyes met your gaze as you stared blankly at him; momentarily stunned. He looked beyond ethereal; his pale cheeks flushed a light pink from the cold and his blonde hair looked as if it could be spun from gold. It was almost like he could sense how you were suddenly taken aback.. A smug smirk played on his lips; if you didn't know any better you would say he almost seemed cocky.

"There's something about you that's different from the others. I could sense it". He stated.

"How"? You stuttered.

You watched as he took a couple steps toward you and in one quick swoop, pushed the hood of his cloak fully back. He got even closer but you didn't dare move. You watched him curiously as he turned to the side, pushing his blonde locks of hair out of the way to show you something behind his ear.. Your blood instantly went cold once you saw three sixes; however you weren't scared. In fact you were really the first person that Michael met that didn't practically faint when they saw his mark. Looking back; you supposed that's why you and Michael bonded so quickly and became so close.

It didn't take long for him after that to confine in you that people either avoided him or became obsessed once they knew; both reactions ultimately stemming from fear. You were the first person to look past that and to just see him as a actual human being - not just a vessel for some fucked up prophecy to play out.

Even though Michael's beauty was undeniable to you; the relationship you two had was strictly platonic.. and in the past that was never something that bothered you. You supposed that he was tired of people throwing themselves at his feet and what he really needed more than anything was a friend - so you chose to be that for him, not daring to try and test the boundaries your relationship had.

However; the boundaries were seemingly starting to come down naturally - because your relationship wasnt entirely platonic anymore. Things between you two weren't exactly black and white as they used to be; a great example of this, was how you two were planning on spending Valentines Day together.

You and Michael agreed to spend it as friends. Neither of you had a date and spending Valentines alone when you had Michael seemed redundant.. and honestly just boring. Instead of making Valentines day an all day event; it started for you two as a 'date' at 6 pm.

In order to avoid having to confront putting a label on your.. situationship, the venue for your lavish Valentines date was at a more.. private venue. He only gave you a address and instructions, you didn't really know what exactly to expect but you knew you weren't going to his house. It was somewhere new.

It was nearly six pm, the sun had just set - leaving the sky a shade somewhere between navy blue and pure black. The air was cold on your skin as you stepped out of the car, wondering where the hell you even were.

The area you found yourself in was completely bare and void of any trees, the only object or building you saw was a giant, black, metal structure. The instructions Michael gave you had told you about this but.. seeing it in person was merely jarring, oddly unsettling. You approached it, trying to ignore the nerves and anxiety you could feel creeping in.

You couldn't help but wonder what the hell this place was and why out of all the places you two could have a 'date', it would have to be here?

As you stood in front of an elevator - stepping in, you felt very reluctant to do so. It definitely felt a bit weird that Michael wanted to meet you in such a secluded place but.. he was your best friend. He would never hurt you.. especially on valentines day.. Right?

The doors opened and you slowly stepped out, immediately taken back. You were now in a oval room, with a long hallway stretching out. You first quickly scanned your surroundings for Michael but, he wasnt here. Not in your line of vision anyway. You nearly forgot you were here for Michael at all for a second. The interior was breathtaking; resembling a old, Victorian style mansion. Even though you were still utterly confused; Michaels reasoning for choosing this venue was starting to become more clear to you.

It was the cozy, romantic vibe the 'house' seemed to radiate. The dim lighting also amplified this affect; seemingly giving everything in sight a subtle golden glow, otherwise everything remained relatively dark. You walked through the building; down hallways, looking for any sounds of life at all. Your witchy senses didn't always work on Michael, so you didn't even bother to try to use those. He was right about how you were powerful but, his powers still outshone yours unfortunately.

You finally heard something, something faint; soft music playing distantly in the background. You followed it swiftly, the music getting louder and louder until you found him - in what appeared to be the library.

The room was immense; books were lined on shelves that bordered the room. Couches, along with a decent sized fireplace and chandelier - and of course a record player, also resided in the library. Playing a tune that sounded similar but you couldn't quite remember what it was.. whatever it was, it sounded old and romantic - maybe from the 50s.

"Your not very good at hiding, you know. The music was a dead giveaway". You commented playfully.

Michael greeted you with a smirk, obviously holding back laughter. He stood up from one of the couches; approaching you. He looked incredibly handsome in the normal black ensemble he was wore but tonight he sported a long black coat. Making you fondly nostalgic of the night you two met.

He got dangerously close to you, almost in your face but you weren't intimidated. Plus, you knew he wasnt trying to actually intimidate you. Michael being the way he was; you knew he wouldn't have asked you to spend Valentines with him if he didn't tolerate you in some way.

"Its a good thing I wasnt trying to hide then, is it"? He spoke; his eyes pierced into yours.

The direct eye contact was starting to get unnerving and so was the.. apparent tension. You took a step back, looking away and laughing awkwardly - trying to remind yourself you two were strictly friends. Best friends, in fact. Nothing more.. and nothing less.

"So.. what even is this place? You don't own this or something.. do you"? You asked, slyly changing the topic.

"Actually I do. It's being saved for something I have in the works; but nothing's official yet. I wanted to get your opinion though.. what do you think"? Michael asked.

Even though you absolutely loved, whatever the hell this place even was, something.. felt off. Perhaps it was the fact it was completely secluded and private. Too private. You knew Michael was into some weird shit with the Satanists but; you figured he would atleast tell you by now if he was planning on something big with them.. Something that would require a huge fucking mansion underground.

"This place is beautiful, Michael. But what is it for"?

"Your too eager for your own good, (y/n). You will know in due time, I promise; but for now.. come sit with me".

He gently grabbed your wrist and guided you over to one of the bare, black couches; you followed - sitting next to him.

The hours continuing were filled with incredibly cheesy gestures that you only rolled your eyes at, and teased him for. The first being a few small, pink flowers he had conjured up and then tucked into your hair. At first you really thought nothing of it, they were just pretty flowers. However; you knew due to Michael's nature that he didn't just so happen to come across those flowers, he summoned them purposefully - specifically for you.. You didn't bother to try and hide how flustered this made you.

"Those are beautiful; what are they"? You asked, gesturing to the flowers.

"Thought you'd never ask. Wild roses. They hold many meanings; most agree they represent both love, suffering, beauty.. life. They're even said to protect the living from the dead".

You couldn't help but to laugh at his explanation.

"Will they protect me from you? You know your not exactly human yourself". You teased.

The corner of Michael's lips slid into a slow smile, one that you couldn't quite decipher whether it was an ironic or genuine gesture.

You nearly jumped at how quickly one of Michael's hands suddenly slid up into your hair; seemingly picking out one of the petals that had fallen from one of the flowers - he retracted his hand, holding onto the petal.

"No. Your going to need something stronger than that to keep me away". He said playfully, before crushing the already wilted petal in his hand - letting it fall carelessly to ground.

You could only roll your eyes.

Next came the food and well.. you were beyond impressed. Your not certain exactly how he managed to get your favorite food down who knows how many feet underground, but.. he did. And it was perfect.

You were both pretty quiet during that time; Michael didn't really have a reason to be but you couldn't help but to get lost within your thoughts. Sure; you two were best friends but.. that didn't necessarily warrant him to do all of this for you. Was it possible that he felt.. something else, like you did?

You couldn't help but to shut that thought down as quick as it came; that had to just be you projecting. There was no way in hell he could love you back..

Wait.. love?

It was like a involuntary reflex the way you suddenly jolted up and backed away from the table. Even though it was just a thought, the fact you just admitted to yourself that you loved him.. What the fuck did that even mean?

Michael looked startled at well, you could tell by the color of his knuckles that he now had a death grip on his silverware. His icy, blue eyes matched yours with a startled gaze.. As if he was trying to contemplate your next move or to get a good read on you. You were more than well acquainted with Michael's powers by now; you knew how he had the ability to read minds and that's partially why you found yourself, slowly at first, starting to take steps away from him. Wanting desperately to get the fuck away from him. You knew that if Michael even suspected what you were thinking or how you felt, that your friendship could possibly be over. That would be it, he would want absolutely nothing to do with you. You would be no better than the dozens of women and even men that threw themselves at Michael; Maybe even worse.

You made it down a random hallway until you found yourself physically colliding into him - fucking transmutation.

You felt a sudden urge to just turn around to try and escape again but you knew he wouldn't let you. Instead you let yourself be captive, you let him hold you. Gently encasing you into a hug. It was painful how hard you were trying to hold back your tears - blindly running away was already embarrassing enough, letting him see you cry would be too much.. Too much for one night, anyways. You felt him let go of you - stepping back a little bit in order to make eye contact with you.

"What has gotten into you-" He started.

"Michael- I'm so sorry but I just need to go. We can talk about this tomorrow but for now I just really need to be alone-"

You tried to turn around in order to make another (more calm) attempt at leaving but you felt something grab at your wrist, yet again. His grasp, along with his hand were achingly soft. You hated how much you enjoyed him making physical contact with you - even if it was something just as docile as this. You also couldn't help but to hate the spark of electricity you felt when his skin touched yours - and you couldn't help but to wonder whether he felt it too.

"No. I need to know what I did wrong. I'm not letting us end today like this". Michael said, his voice was strained with emotion.

His words were spoken urgently, his voice unsteady and even threatening to break.. That's when you knew you completely fucked up. He totally misinterpreted your actions.. the sudden realization hit you, piercing your heart like a knife.

"No, your right. Can we sit"? You asked.

He let go of your wrist coldly, sauntering out of the hallway you two were in. You would be lying if you were to admit that his sudden cold actions didn't hurt you; it definitely stung but you couldn't help to feel in this moment that you kind of deserved it.

The walk over was quiet and even a bit awkward. When you two sat; he looked at you expectedly.. waiting for you to talk first and explain your sudden, impulsive actions.

"It wasnt you.. that's not why I tried to leave at all, Michael. You did everything right. I mean that's really the 'problem', even though calling it a problem still isn't the right word but.." You paused before carrying on.

"What you did tonight for me was perfect, and I'm so thankful for that, truly. But I just feel like I'm starting to interpret your actions in a different way than in which you mean them and that's not fair to you. I know you just want a friend-" Your words continuously came out faster the longer you spoke, you were completely rambling at this point but Michael stopped you.

"Hey, stop". He said softly.

You felt as if you were dreaming when you saw him start to move closer to you.. it happened so quickly it almost felt fake. Michael gently pushed you back onto the couch, so that you were basically laying down flat on your back. You pulled him back with you so that he was on top, your hands automatically going to his shoulders.. feeling the sudden urge to yank his black top off and to feel his skin under your palms. The feeling was tempting; you could feel how hot his skin was even with his shirt on. You assumed your hands were cold by the way Michael shivered and even groaned when you touched him, that had to be the only logical explanation for him acting like that..

The manner in which he bent down, his lips getting closer and closer to yours was nothing but diabolic. He stopped until the point where his lips were just ghosting above yours - maybe only really a mere centimeter away from touching. It felt entirely far too tempting to just - barely tilt your head forward and stop whatever game your friend Langdon was trying to play, but.. you didnt. In reality; the teasing was far too delicious for you to want it to end so soon.

"Who said I just wanted to be friends"? He whispered.

You could taste his breath as he spoke, you felt trapped.. But if you were to be honest with yourself, you wouldn't rather spend Valentines Day any other way than in this manner.. Trapped with your absolute favorite person, with nothing else in the world to do but to get lost in each other.

His lips roughly collided with yours with such passion that you really haven't ever felt before. It threw you off guard for a moment, but you figured there was no sense in shying from it. You had been craving to be loved by him for so long; craving for him to touch you like this and now that it was finally happening.. you only relaxed and embraced the feeling.

Time slipped away from you far too quickly but after all; time didn't really feel real at all when you were underground in a bunker. No windows or clocks to help ground you back into reality..

You knew it was atleast passed midnight now; hours had passed and you two were now residing in one of the random rooms that you had come to learn was of 'Outpost Three'. It was apparent how careful he was with his words when he told you about the place; almost like he didn't want to tell you too much. He told you most of everything, like the cooperative and how this building was for some type of event that would be taking place in the summer but you didn't probe farther. You knew he would tell you in all due time.

You two were lying on a random, spare bed. It was luxurious and dangerously soft, but if you were honest - the sheets almost seemed scratchy in comparison to Michaels bare skin. Your head wasnt on a pillow but instead on Michael's bare chest, his rhythmic heart beat nearly lulling you to sleep. Almost putting you in some type of odd trance.

You both watched the movie that was playing on his laptop; propped up on a few sparse pillows at the end of the bed. Although you really weren't trying to keep up with what was happening or what the actors were even saying. Instead, you chose to be fully present with Michael, almost entranced in his presence. You two weren't talking but, just being surrounded by him - feeling his fingers lazily playing with your hair was heaven to you.

You still felt as if you were in a dream. After all in what timeline would you ever be so lucky to call someone like Michael, yours?? Even though you two weren't exactly official, you really didn't mind at this moment. Labels only seemed to really complicate things and in your opinion; you felt more than privileged to just sit here entangled with Michael, and to escape the rest of reality for a while.

Taglist: @mina672 @michaellangdonstanaccount @langdonsexual @jimmason @blakewaterxx @dark-mei-rose @9layerdevilfoodcake @prophecy-is-inevitable @matildaofoz @beautyiswithinchaos @frenchlangdon

#michael x reader #michael langdon x reader #michael langdon fanfic #michael langdon fanfiction #ahs fanfiction #my fic #i hope yall like this 🥺 its kinda odd i feel like but.. idk. im proud of the ending lmao #will post to ao3 in a few hours or so #lemme know if u would like to be on the taglist #I almost cut out the backstory of how they met but i just feel like it overall adds to the fic?? #ALSO the timing of this fic is probably not accurate at all like canon wise loll but idc