#the clocks on their person are their soulmarks

[angelicyoongie]

lovesick (XI)

— pairing: yandere ot7 x (f) reader — word count: 4.6k — warnings: yandere, stalking, obsessive behaviour, other content that may be triggering. — summary: You dreamed of the day you would get your very own soulmark. Though, you didn’t expect to wake up to a searing hurt in your arm, the phantom pain of your shoulder being dislocated and your forearm fractured. As if dealing with the worst possible soulmark ever wasn’t bad enough, you also have to come to terms with the fact that you’re being stalked. When the letters and gifts you receive begin to escalate and the police offers no help, you have no other option than to figure out who’s behind it yourself – and hopefully before it’s too late.

Previous – Next

You rest your head on the back of the couch, staring out at the snowflakes that drift to the ground one by one. The trees outside are blanketed in a thin layer of snow, white powder clinging to barren branches. Time has moved quickly yet all too slowly since you were brought here, the days blending into nothing. Judging by the weather, you think it must be late November by now. You prefer not to ask – without the finality of an exact date, it's easier to pretend that you haven't been here for over two months.

There's a soft hum going throughout the entire cabin, portable heaters working overtime to keep the chill out. Seokjin must've bought out an entire store with how many there are scattered around, the first one already appearing the day after Namjoon brought you back. The heaters have been added one by one with each passing week as the temperatures have continued to drop and you're honestly amazed that the old cabin can even handle such a high energy consumption. You do sometimes wonder how Jimin has explained away the no-doubt skyrocketing electrical bill, but considering no one has come to check it out; the station clearly doesn't find it all that suspicious. 

You shiver instinctively as the wind howls, the thin windows fighting against the frost that's beginning to cling to them. The crackling fireplace can't keep every room warm, not anymore, but it still gives the common room a little boost of coziness, a little extra warmth whenever the wind picks up outside. You're not actually cold but that doesn't stop the arm around your waist from pulling you back, plastering you against Taehyung's chest.

Seokjin didn't lie when he told you that they would be watching you around the clock. 

Your personal bubble is constantly invaded, the chilly weather being the perfect excuse for the boys to cling to you like a second skin. Some part of you is always being touched, regardless of whether you like it or not. They like to pretend it's just to 'keep you warm' but you can see the thinly veiled threat for what it is. This is their way of reminding you that they don't trust you – that you've brought all of this upon yourself. 

"What are you thinking about, babe?" Taehyung mumbles sleepily against the back of your neck. 

"Nothing special," You say, the words tumbling out easier than you'd like. "I'm just not looking forward to how cold it's going to get up here." 

"Hmm," Taehyung's mouth flutters over your skin as he tightens his grip around your waist, "You don't have to be worried, Y/n, I'm sure we can come up with lots of ways to keep you warm." 

You can't remember when your skin stopped crawling at Taehyung's flirty remarks. 

Maybe it was after those two weeks he and Jimin had been banned from the cabin – their own personal punishment for pushing you too far. You didn't think much of it, didn't care about how they fought and yelled about how unfair it was. You were still trapped, so what difference did five or seven hovering soulmates make? After all, the two of them had set you up, ruined your plans, so it felt like a small victory that their actions actually had consequences. Taehyung and Jimin didn't cross your mind once while they were away. So why, why, did you feel like you had missed them the day they returned? 

It was like a switch had been flipped in their absence, one you couldn't turn back off. Ever since that night you let yourself be held by Seokjin, something had happened. You could no longer find the energy to flinch or frown when they reached out to touch you. Their sweet words and love stricken gazes didn't garner the same disgust as it used to. It was like the fight had been drained out of you. You were so tired of feeling scared, angry, hopeless, so you simply just... stopped.

Something in you finally gave up that night and decided it was time to accept your fate. It was easier. It hurt less. And so you've slowly been coming to terms with it, with this, ever since. 

You sink into Taehyung's embrace as he lays back down on the couch, your head on his chest and your legs tangled together in the cramped space. He lets out a content breath at the way your body relaxes into him, at how you hold on to him like you want to be there. 

Small patterns are drawn on your back as you listen to the steady beat of Taehyung's heart. A wooden log crackles and fusses as it breaks apart, sending small embers floating into the burning flames. You never expected that you would ever end up here, feeling uncomfortable and yet somehow, undoubtedly, safe in one of your stalkers' arms. 

It should make you horrified, repulsed, after everything they put you through, but you can't help the way your soul sings at the close proximity. Being around them is starting to feel right – and you're no longer sure how much of you, the real you, will be left by the time the soulbond truly settles. 

It doesn't matter how much you hate it. You can't do anything to change it as long as you're stuck here, with them. 

You stare at the flickering flames, releasing a shuddering sigh. 

Maybe... Maybe your next life will be better.

That's the only comforting thought you allow yourself to have. 

"Can you pass me the salt, sunshine?" 

You wordlessly hand the shaker over to Hoseok, watching as he only adds a little dash to the dough he's mixing up. His arm flexes as he combines it all into a firm ball, strong hands making quick work of the rather heavy dough. After you let it slip a few days ago that you were craving cookies, Hoseok decided to make it his mission to bake you some. The amount of dough he's mixing up would have been enough to feed you for weeks if you were alone – but since you're currently living with seven men who can eat their own body weight for breakfast, lunch and dinner – it might just last you two days if you're lucky. 

Leaning your hip against the counter, you bite your lip as you continue to watch Hoseok work. 

There is a question you've been burning to ask him, that you feel like you need to know before you can fully accept your new reality; how did he find you?

While the other boys have told you of their own volition, Hoseok still hasn't mentioned it. You know he first saw you at that fundraiser but that doesn't explain how he managed to figure out your name or address. You had barely worked at Filter for a month when the event happened, so it's not like any of the other vendors knew who you were. The booth for the café was listed under your boss' name and you weren't wearing a name tag, so how did he do it? 

"Take a picture Y/n, it'll last you longer," Hoseok grins as he catches you staring at his profile. 

"Huh? N-no, I–" You stammer, eyes widening as you realize you must have zoned out while you were thinking.

You're momentarily saved from your embarrassment as Yoongi peeks his head into the kitchen, hair windswept and his cheeks flushed from the cold.

"I got you what you asked for from the store," He announces, showing you the plastic bag in his hand. 

"Thank you, Yoongi," You don't fight the soft smile that settles on your lips, your heart fluttering treacherously at the sweet grin you get in return. 

"Anything for you," He mumbles shyly as he leaves the bag by the kitchen entrance, cheeks a little pinker than before as he goes back to the common room. 

Your eyes jump from the plastic bag to one of the kitchen shelves just above it, gaze getting caught on the familiar black box that's perched upon it. The sight of it still makes something sour explode in your stomach. The contents inside are the whole reason you ended up here in the first place and you hate that you have to look at it every day. You've weighed the consequences of getting rid of it once or twice, of tossing it into the fireplace and watching the kaleidoscope of coloured letters burn into nothing, but you just can't find it in yourself to do so. Even if you'll never be able to use it, it's still evidence.

It's not the only thing that's been collected from your apartment, either. The mantle above the fireplace is decorated with a few of Taehyung's postcards and some of Yoongi's lyrics are framed on the wall alongside pictures Seokjin snapped of you. They must've removed all their gifts and letters to cover their tracks shortly after they took you. You're not sure why they felt the need to bring them here but you're sure that they have some twisted explanation for it. 

You can practically hear Jimin's voice saying 'we got you such nice gifts baby, why shouldn't they be on display?' whenever you look at them. 

"Hyung is such a softie," Hoseok chuckles, his voice bringing you out of your thoughts. 

You make a sound in agreement, shifting your weight nervously as you watch him finish up the dough. He carefully adds a pile of chopped-up chocolate, working the pieces into the firm mixture. 

As Hoseok pops the bowl into the fridge and moves over to the sink to wash his hands, you clear your throat, finally blurting out a rushed, "Can I ask you something?"

Hoseok hums under his breath as he scrubs his skin clean, taking his sweet time as he leaves you waiting for an answer. You barely catch the quick flicker of his gaze on your neck, eyes lingering on the bare skin that's visible above your sweater before he turns back to shut off the sink. 

"Sure," He agrees, eyebrow quirking as he reaches out for a towel to dry his hands, "I'll answer your questions if you promise to do something for me afterward."

You swallow thickly, uncertainty prickling at the back of your skull. You have no idea what kind of favour Hoseok will ask of you in return, but you're too curious to pass this chance up. 

"Okay," You nod. The gleam in Hoseok's eyes leaves you a little unsettled but you need to know the answer to your question. 

The fridge buzzes loudly in the beat of silence that passes between you. Hoseok leans against the counter, crossing one ankle over the other as he gives you an encouraging nod. "Ask away then, sunshine." 

"I want to know how you found me, how you figured out where I live," You breathe, your pulse kicking at the flash of surprise that passes over Hoseok's features. 

"Hm. That's a rather unexpected question but you'll get your answer," Hoseok says, pursing his lips.

"I first saw you at the fundraiser, you know that. I wanted to approach you, offer to drive you home to make sure you were okay after that bitch touched you–"

Hoseok utters the word with such venom it makes the hair on your arms raise, "–but your friend beat me to it. Heejun, was it? I couldn't just leave you, not after finally finding my soulmate, so I decided to follow you." 

Your heart squeezes at the mention of your best friend, longing filling every inch of your chest. 

"I wanted to make sure that you got home safe. I actually tried to approach you a few times after your shifts at Filter but something always got in the way, and you slipped away before I had the chance to introduce myself," He sighs.

"After a few weeks, I felt like I had missed my window but I couldn't just give up, not when I had finally found you. So I figured there was no harm in continuing to watch you from afar, making sure you were safe while I figured out how to break the news to you. By the way, your building isn't all that safe, sunshine, I got ahold of your apartment number just by asking one of the old ladies who were having a smoke outside."

Hoseok shakes his head, clicking his tongue as if he wasn't part of the problem that made your apartment unsafe in the first place. 

"I thought giving you letters and gifts was romantic, that it would make you curious about who your secret admirer might be – that you would feel happy to know there was someone out there who cared for you," Hoseok gives a flat chuckle. His eyes are stormy as they flick over to the black box, "But it turns out I was doing the opposite. I can't believe Tae managed to influence the bond that much." 

Hoseok seems surprisingly upset about how things played out, like he actually thought he was doing something nice. 

You give a small shrug, knowing that there's nothing you can say to lighten the mood. Even without Taehyung's influence, Hoseok still took things way too far – he was the one who decided to drug you, after all. 

"Did that answer your question, Y/n?"

"Yeah, thank you," You murmur.

Although it still makes a burst of fear flare up in your chest every time you think about what they've put you through, it's nice to finally know exactly how Hoseok did it. Although it's too late to do anything about it now, there is some solace in finally getting an answer to one of the many questions you've had ever since the first envelope showed up. 

"Now for your end of the deal," Hoseok says, nimble legs already carrying him across the kitchen, "Stay here for a second, sunshine, I'll be right back!"

Hoseok is only out of the room for thirty seconds tops before he returns, one hand hidden behind his back. He watches you carefully as he presents a familiar flat squared box to you, dark eyes drinking in every minuscule detail of your reaction. 

"Oh, that's–"

Your voice tapers off as Hoseok opens the box, revealing a necklace you've seen before. It's one of the jewelry pieces he gifted you alongside his letters, one of many you had stashed away under your bed to forget about. The golden chain is attached to a small, dainty sun pendant, the design simple yet clearly expensive. 

You have seen this necklace somewhere else before too, though. Your gaze flickers up to Hoseok's neck as you're hit with the memory of your first visit to his shop; of how you noticed the chain that slipped out of his shirt as he assisted you.

It's the exact same design. 

"They match," Hoseok confirms as he gently takes the necklace out of the box. 

Couple necklaces.

You give him a weak smile, "That's very, um, sweet."

"Isn't it?" Hoseok looks fondly down at the piece of jewelry. "Will you turn around so I can put it on you?"  

You do so easily, knowing that Hoseok could have asked you for something far worse in return for sating your curiosity.

Hoseok's breath hits the back of your neck as he steps closer, the warmth sending goosebumps all over your skin. You can almost feel the rise and fall of his chest as he brings the necklace around your neck, clasping it in place. The tips of his fingers skate across your throat under the pretense of fixing the chain, your breath hitching as a fluttering kiss is placed just below your ear. 

"Fits you perfectly," Hoseok murmurs against your skin. 

"Thank you," You whisper, swallowing thickly. You bring a hand up to touch the necklace, feeling how the pendant rests in the nook between your collarbone. 

Hoseok hands trail down the outline of your body as he pulls back, squeezing your hips as he reluctantly says, "You can go join the others in the common room, sunshine. We need to wait a bit before we can bake the cookies and there's no point getting the other snacks ready too soon, the others will just hover it up." 

"S-sounds good," You almost feel a little unsteady on your feet as Hoseok's touch finally leaves you. You flash him another feeble smile as you try not to hurry too quickly out of the kitchen, your hand moving from your gifted necklace to your chest. 

Did your heart just race because Hoseok touched you – because he kissed you? 

You halt in the hallway, in the one blind spot the cabin offers from the common room. Taking deep breaths to collect yourself, you will your heart to slow down. This is what you wanted, what you accepted would happen when you decided to give up, and yet, you can't help but feel a little betrayed by your own body. 

It's only been a little over a month.

Just how badly is your soul craving them that you're able to give in so easily, so quickly? 

"Y/n, darling, I saved you a spot next to me!"

You startle as Namjoon calls out to you, your thoughts slipping away at the sound of his voice.

"Not fair hyung, I saved her a spot too," Jungkook's pout is audible from your hiding spot.

Squaring your shoulders, you push down on the unease that seems to have made itself at home in your bones. After all, isn't this what you wanted; for things to be easier? Why are you still trying to fight it when you know nothing good will come of it?

"Just let it be," You mutter, defeated.

The smile you plaster on as you walk into the common room comes a little easier than before, doesn't feel as fake as it used to. You let yourself be pulled down on the couch between Jungkook and Seokjin, allowing them to fawn over you to their heart's desire. 

You don't let yourself linger on the worrying thought that the constant attention is starting to feel nice, for very long.

"Is it too scary for you?" 

You startle at the hushed whisper that brushes against your ear just as the heroine screams on screen. Turning your head to look at Seokjin, you find wide eyes staring back at you, his skin paler than normal. He flinches as another shrill yell comes from the TV, his already tight grip around your right hand only growing stronger.

"I'm okay," You murmur back, giving his fingers a light squeeze. 

Seokjin visibly deflates at that, his uneasy gaze flickering back to the movie. You clear your throat to tamper down the laugh that wants to bubble up, finding Seokjin's false bravado a little cute. It's clear as day that he's terrified of the scary movie Jungkook chose for your movie night – even without the death grip he has around your hand. You've been feeling Seokjin flinch and cower at every loud sound so far, his body somehow halfway hidden between you and the couch. Still, it seems he doesn't want to admit that it frightens him when the rest of the boys hardly seem fazed by what's playing out in front of them. 

"I'm a little thirsty though, do you think you could get me something from the kitchen?" You ask lowly, mindful not to disturb the others.

Seokjin's eyes snap back to you, relief flooding his features at the easy out, "Yes! I'll be right back." He doesn't waste another second before he practically leaps from the couch, the lights turning on as he hurries to the safety of the kitchen.

You flex your fingers with a small wince, skin tingling as blood is finally able to rush back into them. You glance around the room as you wait for the feeling in your hand to fully return, noting how absorbed the rest of the guys look. Jungkook's hold around your left hand has gone slack, his attention fully on the movie. Namjoon, Hoseok and Taehyung are pressed together on the other couch, a big bowl of popcorn half-devoured between the three of them.

The cookies you 'helped' Hoseok make earlier are almost gone, only a few of them left despite the double batch he cooked up. You quickly reach out to snatch up another one before the rest disappears, your gaze slipping over to Yoongi as you lean back on the couch. He's curled up on one of the chairs nearby, his eyes closing every so often despite the loud bangs and screams that fill the room. 

The sight of Yoongi nodding off with his cheek squished in his palm is stupidly endearing, so you end up stuffing the cookie into your mouth to keep your smile at bay. You chew slowly, enjoying the slight crunch from the crispy exterior of the cookie and how the soft insides somehow manage to melt in your mouth at the same time. It's honestly a little unfair just how good it is.

As you swallow the last bite, you glance around the room, confused, realizing Jimin is nowhere to be seen. The previously occupied chair next to Yoongi is now vacant and he isn't sprawled out on the floor anywhere either. 

Just as the thought strikes you, you feel the back of the couch dip, a figure gracefully jumping over the backrest to settle into Seokjin's spot. The sudden appearance startles you so badly that you let out a shocked noise, your hand covering your racing heart as Jimin makes himself comfortable. You have no idea how he managed to get to the back of the couch undetected or even why he decided to sneak around, but you've learned over the past month that there's no use questioning Jimin's antics. He simply just does whatever he feels like, when he feels like it. 

"Sorry," Jimin grins as he leans closer, not looking very sorry at all. "If I made it too obvious that I was stealing Seokjin hyung's spot, the others would fight me for it." 

You can't help the way you instinctively tense up as Jimin draws closer, some hesitancy still lingering after that night he caused you to explode. It has gotten easier over the past month to be near him, the constant forced proximity hasn't given you much of a choice but to grow closer to them. But Jimin has, surprisingly, been putting in some effort to make being around him a little more tolerable too. He's toned down his vulgar flirting and he no longer hovers and glares at you with suspicion whenever you interact with any of the others. It's still not great, but it is better. 

Jimin's smile falters as you grow stiff. He lets out a small sigh as he decides to show you mercy and turn his attention to the TV instead of you, throwing his arm over the back of the couch. It isn't until you've gradually begun to relax again, preoccupied with watching the movie, that you lean back into the cushions, feeling Jimin's fingertips brush over your shoulder the moment you do. The touch is light and fleeting, barely even there, as he tests the waters of what you'll allow. 

It's clearly an invitation for you to lean into his embrace but he doesn't push you to do it, doesn't force you like he would have a month ago. You think this must be Jimin's attempt at making amends – of him offering to do things at your pace instead of his. 

He tentatively curls his hand around your shoulder when you don't pull away, fingers almost floating over your skin with how hard he's trying to not be overbearing. 

If Jimin is putting in this much effort, shouldn't you be too? It'll only make things more painless. 

Between one deep breath and the next, it almost feels like your mind blanks as you shuffle closer to Jimin, letting him tug you to his chest as his arm drops to your shoulder. He preens with satisfaction that you're allowing him to touch you, chest puffing as he presses a quick kiss to your forehead. 

"Hyung," Jungkook whines from your left as you're pulled further away. His grip tightens around your hand, refusing to let go as he moves after you on the couch. He presses himself flush against your side, huffing as he pulls your hand back into his lap. 

"Jungkookie," Jimin glances at him over your head, whispering out an amused, "Why are you holding on to Y/n so tightly, hm? You're not even scared."

Jungkook pouts in the return. "So what? I'm holding Y/n's hand in case she gets scared. I'm just being thoughtful." 

Jimin snorts. He raises his hand from your shoulder to ruffle the back of Jungkook's hair, messing up his locks. Jungkook grumbles under his breath at the action but doesn't move to push him away, his head lolling comfortably back into Jimin's touch. 

You smile at the cute moment, heart lurching at the ease and content air they have about them whenever they're interacting. They, along with the rest, are such good friends – made for each other, almost – that you often find yourself wondering if your bond is a fluke, if they were actually supposed to be soulmates without you. The theory doesn't feel too far-fetched, not when you see them interact like they're puzzle pieces falling into place, perfectly fitting together.

It only makes you miss Heejun and Jaemin more.

Biting your lip, you turn back to the TV, just in time to watch the heroine escape the house she's been trapped in for the past two hours. The monster she's been running from is left behind, roaring and pacing behind the windows as she runs into the rising sun. Your stomach feels heavy as a hopeful smile spreads on her lips, the horror she's faced almost forgotten as she moves closer and closer to her rescue. 

Your breath gets caught in your throat as the camera pans back to the abandoned house before it fades to black, eyes shaking as it hits you that you haven't even thought about leaving the cabin for the last few days. It used to always linger in the back of your mind, squeezing your heart whenever you looked out the window and saw the freedom that was so close, yet so far away. But you can't recall a single moment lately where that was even a fleeting thought. Has being around them constantly really strengthened the bond that much, enough that you no longer feel the urge to leave? 

You slump into Jimin's embrace, ears ringing as the others begin to stretch and stand up. 

With each passing day, it's becoming worryingly easy to just sink into their arms and forget everything you tried to escape from in the first place. Has running away not crossed your mind just because it's been easier to not dwell on a future that's slipping further out of your reach – or, perhaps even more frighteningly, is it because you simply just don't want to anymore? 

You stare blankly at Jungkook as he tries to whisk you away to his room for the night, gut churning as your mind runs circles around you. There is one question you can't shake, one you don't have a proper answer for;

Do you want to stay? 

a/n: please leave a comment and reblog if you enjoyed the chapter -it means the world to me and makes writing all that much more fun! 💖

dun-dun.... it seems like our poor mc is really struggling with her soulbond :( what do we think about the different scenes of her hanging out with the boys? of her realizing she might actually want to stay with them? i'd love to hear your thoughts!!

(it seems like some of you are a little upset that the mc isn't fighting back more, but please keep in mind that this story was never supposed to be this long and y'all voted for smut, so girlie needs to at least like them before that happens lol)

see you again in two weeks for the next update on november 10th!

#bts x reader #yandere bts #yandere x reader #yandere hoseok #yandere jungkook #yandere jimin #yandere yoongi #yandere taehyung #yandere seokjin #yandere namjoon #yandere kpop

[suppose-i-was-worm]

Like the Beat of a Drum pt 2

**I'm not entirely happy about this, and have NO clue where it's going next, but we'll see!**

The Red Hood clocked Danny as not all he seemed as soon as they were alone together. After some negotiation (Danny threatening to vanish into thin air and Hood threatening to tell Red Robin), they came to a consensus.

Danny would be in human form unless one of the other bats were around, and Hood would keep his big mouth shut.

“No spooky supernatural stuff in my borough, kid.”

Danny decided not to tell the other man that he himself had a fair bit of spooky supernatural stuff going on.

He should probably keep an eye on that- Corrupted ectoplasm was never a good thing, and Red Hood was crawling with it.

Living in Crime Alley was easy. Hood had put him up in a dingy little apartment, fully stocked with anything he might need- and no surveillance equipment. Danny had checked. He spent his time while he finished the healing process taking the toaster apart. And the microwave.

Hood visited while he was arms deep in the oven and put a kibosh on larger appliances, but he started bringing small broken appliances around for Danny to fix. It was nice, having another undead hanging around. Someone who understood the constant itch under Danny’s skin to keep moving, keep working, keep reminding himself he was alive.

He even was finally able to see his soulmark! It was a name, somebody called Timothy Drake-Wayne. Hood had seen it and made some sort of choking noise, and when Danny asked, he was told that Drake-Wayne was publicly markless. Weird.

Danny was pleased that the wounds to the area had healed completely though, not marring the text at all.

The wound on his chest, not so much. It stood out, inflamed and sore against his otherwise pale chest. Its presence reminded him a little of the lichtenberg scars that crawled down his arms in his ghost form.

Maybe the Drs. Fenton had somehow killed him again, and now he was a halfa twice over? This was his penance, he supposed, for trusting them after everything.

~~~

Tim’s favorite coffee shop was packed, save for one table with a lone occupant. Once he’d gotten his deathwish coffee, he made his way over to the table.

“Excuse me, do you mind if I-“

The table’s occupant, a young man with dark hair and piercing blue eyes, nodded toward the other chair before Tim could finish his sentence.

“Feel free, man. It’s a busy day today.”

Tim couldn’t help but wonder where he’d seen the other before- his face was familiar in a strange way, and he felt- he felt surprisingly attracted.

His soulmate heartbeat thing had been unusually quiet since the night Phantom arrived, whereas before it sounded loud and clear in his head at least a few times a day and long into the night.

He was allowed to talk to cute people while his soulmate was still young, right?

“Spend a lot of time here?”

The stranger shrugged.

“Here and there. Haven’t run into you before, which I think I would have noticed. I’m Danny, by the way.”

Tim didn’t think much of the name. This young man was far too old to be his Daniel.

“Nice to meet you, Danny. I’m Tim.”

He reached out a hand, and Danny shook it firmly, giving him an odd look that quickly passed.

The two of them sat and chatted for a while, and Tim found himself wondering how he’d missed this person around Gotham- he was well spoken with a soft accent, whip smart, and gorgeous.

Tim’s watch buzzed, reminding him he had a meeting- he could have sworn he had two hours between his coffee run and his meeting, but perhaps he’d been chatting too long.

“Shit! I have to go- it was nice meeting you!”

He chugged the rest of his now-cold coffee and darted out of the coffee shop.

It wasn’t until after the shareholder’s meeting that he realized he hadn’t asked for Danny’s number.

~~~

“Hood!”

Jason looked up from his desk as his office door was flung open, and then watched in amusement as Danny scrambled out of the grasp of the goon trying to pull him away.

“Sorry Boss, he slipped by us! I’ll- OW! He bites!”

“Stand down, Marcus, he’s a friend. Head over to medical if you need to- the little shit’s feral.”

Grumbling, the goon let go of a smug looking Danny and made his way to the other door while Danny swanned into the office and made himself comfortable on Hood’s guest chairs.

“How did you find this place?”

Shrugging, the kid pretended to inspect his nails.

“You know, just followed the scent of daddy issues and rancid ectoplasm- not hard. Didn’t peg you for the office type, though.”

Jason leaned back, crossing his arms.

“What do you want.”

“Timothy Drake-Wayne is Red Robin, yes?”

Trying to keep his posture casual and unconcerned, Jason tilted his head.

“What makes you say that?”

“I met a guy named Tim at the coffee shop and he’s got the same ghosts as Red Robin.”

Danny slapped a newspaper down on the desk between them- the cover page was Tim, looking very CEO and businesslike.

Jason was pretty sure Tim and Danny would get along like a house on fire, if Danny had already figured him out.

“Also, I felt his heartbeat when we shook hands and it matches the beat of my soul.”

Pausing, Jason parsed the information he now had about Danny.

“Wait, you can see ghosts that follow people?”

“You can’t?”

Jason stared incredulously at Danny for a few beats, and then the younger man sighed.

“Right. Your ecto is all screwy. Remind me to fix that. Yeah, I see ghosts attached to people- not everyone has them, and not all of the ghosts are actually, you know, dead people, but yeah. I don’t normally think about them because they’re everywhere, but same ghosts often equal same person.”

Danny slumped further into the chair after he finished talking, letting out a small whine.

“What now?”

“Jason, he’s cute.”

With a sigh, Jason pointed over at the newest handful of appliances he needed Danny to fix for the residents of Crime Alley.

“Take that and get out of my office.”

~~~

“Timberly~”

Tim sighed and let his pen drop- if Jason was here and looking for him, he probably wouldn’t get much work done. Not that he was getting work done now- balancing a pen on his nose wasn’t really work.

Jason rounded the batcomputer, idly tossing his helmet from one hand to another, a massive grin stretching across his face. It was a scheming face, a face that said he knew something Tim didn’t, and Tim hated not knowing things.

“What.”

Jason’s grin stretched wider.

“You’ve been keeping secrets!”

With a sigh, Tim turned his attention to the computer. Of course he kept secrets- the entire family had secrets. Hell, the secrets that the entire family kept probably also kept secrets.

Undeterred, Jason shoved his head (read: his entire upper body) in between Tim and the computer.

“So, where is it?”

Tim raised an eyebrow at the other man, hoping he looked as judgmental as he felt.

“Where is what, Jason? My spleen?”

The grin on Jason’s face faltered for a moment before returning with full force.

“Your soulmark!”

The weights Dick had been working with in the training area hit the floor with a loud thump, and Tim could only assume their oldest brother was storming over to berate Jason.

“Jason!”

Heh. He was right.

Jason pulled away, grabbing the arm of Tim’s chair and dragging him along to be a human shield as Dick approached.

“Nu-uh, Dickie- I’ve got good info, here. Timmy has been hiding his entire soul from us!”

Tim would like it to go on record that he hated everything, everyone, and especially Jason. He tuned out Dick’s raised voice and Jason’s responses, trying to figure out how the other could have found out.

He almost always kept the patch on- it’s not like a civilian camera could have caught him without. Even when he took the patch off to wash or to tend a nearby wound, he made sure to do it in his Nest without any recording devices nearby.

The only way Jason could have- Maybe he’d met Daniel and seen Tim’s name? Some poor kid down in Crime Alley? A four year old at best. Eurgh.

He tuned back into the still heated conversation.

“-kindness isn’t hard Jason, and you can’t just use the excuse that we’re siblings to bully Tim for being markless! I never thought you had it in you, you-“

“It’s under my sternum. How’d you find out?”

Dick’s tirade stopped short as Tim answered, his mouth dropping open comically. Jason pumped his fist triumphantly.

“You handed him to me on a silver platter, Timbo.”

Tim did not gape, that would be unbecoming and Janet Drake would never allow a son of hers to be unbecoming.

“I’m sorry?”

Jason grinned, an evil, evil grin.

“Daniel Fenton. You gave his case to me.”

“Case?”

Dick’s voice was high and reedy, and Tim looked over to see that he was looking distressed and probably a little faint.

Jason snickered. Rude.

“I do not have a case for my soulmate.”

Jason snickered again, and pointed at the batcomputer.

“Then what’s that?”

Both Dick and Tim turned to look- it was just the file on Phantom- but by the time they turned around again, Jason was roaring out of the cave on his bike.

Tim flipped him off, just because he could.

Dick collected himself before Tim did, whirling to face him and yanking Tim’s shirt up before desperately scraping at the bare skin, trying to find the patch.

With a sigh, Tim pushed Dick’s searching hands away and peeled off the patch himself.

He felt bare without it- completely exposed to his brother’s sharp eyes.

“You never told anyone?”

Shrugging, Tim slapped the patch back on, pulled his shirt down, and turned back to the batcomputer.

“Came in late- didn’t want some poor kid to get saddled with me.”

By the hitch in Dick’s breathing, Tim could tell the older man was about to get sentimental on him, or berate him for talking bad about himself.

This day couldn’t get much worse, could it?

The Arkham escape alarm sounded from both boys’ phones, and Tim sighed yet again. Way to jinx himself.

~~~

Phantom floated invisibly above the Red Hood, filtering away the ectoplasm that rolled off of him in waves as he stood with the other bats.

“Nightwing and Robin, you’re looking for the Joker.”

The ectoplasm spiked at Batman’s growl, and Danny sighed soundlessly. Keeping Jason away from his vengeance was not the right way to go about things.

“You want another dead Robin if they find him?”

“I do not want a dead Joker, Hood, and I know there will be one if I let you after him.”

Red Hood crossed his arms with a snarl, and Phantom settled closer to the man’s shoulders, keeping a steady wave of calm floating from his core.

The beat of his soul was pounding with excitement, and he took a moment to glance over at Red Robin, who was glaring in Red Hood’s direction. Danny couldn’t begin to fathom why.

Once the bats scattered, Phantom brought his head closer to Hood’s. The older boy was muttering mutinously under his helmet.

“What if we found him first?”

Hood’s head shot up to look in Danny’s direction.

“I could help, and then we could go home and finish Jenga.”

“Help do what?”

Danny dropped his invisibility long enough to flash Jason a grin.

“Payback.”

~~~

Red Robin and Spoiler crashed into a warehouse, weapons at the ready, only to find half the rogues they were looking for tied up and watching a fight going on in the center of the room. Tim’s heart was beating a mile-a-minute with adrenaline, and so was his second heartbeat. He had been rushing to find the Joker at least, especially after Red Hood went off comms.

It took him a minute to identify the people in the fight, if it could really be called that. From what he could tell, it was a mostly unilateral beat-down of the Joker by Phantom.

“What the fuck.”

Stephanie was watching with wide eyes from his side, and Tim caught a glance of Jason watching from the other side of the warehouse, helmet off and a green glow about his face.

“We need to get to Hood and make sure he doesn’t do anything.”

Spoiler nodded, but before she could move, a shadow shifted next to Hood and Black Bat slipped from the shadows, putting a hand on the man’s arm. Hood turned his head in her direction, nodded, and then went back to watching the show.

Black Bat stepped away, seeming satisfied with Jason’s response.

Phantom smacked Joker with a backhand slap loud enough to startle Tim, and the psychopathic man went flying back into the wall, crumpling into a heap at the base.

Tim watched as Phantom floated over to Hood, chest heaving despite no sounds of breathing.

“Are you Avenged, Bat of Gotham? Feel it in your Core.”

The greenish glow to Jason’s face flickered and then floated up and away from his face, dispersing in a thin mist.

“I am Avenged, Phantom.”

Phantom landed with a smile.

“See? Killing him wasn’t necessary- just a little beatdown.”

The second heartbeat in Tim’s sternum began to slow as Phantom held out a hand to Red Hood.

Jason took it and shook, smiling grimly.

“Red Robin?”

Spoiler was at his shoulder, but Tim couldn’t tear his eyes away from Phantom’s face.

“Red, we need to get Joker to the hospital.”

Black Bat moved from beside Jason and punched Tim on the shoulder.

“Ask him out.”

Tim startled.

“I- what?”

She made the sign for soulmate discreetly, and Tim felt his face flush. Phantom couldn’t possibly- but then he thought about Jason’s cryptic wording about Tim’s soulmate the other day.

Surely not. Surely.

#dp x dc #dp x dc fanfic #dp x batman #dpxdc #dp x dc crossover #brain dead #mild violence #soulmate fic

[bts-multi-stan]

Jeon Jungkook- Soulmates

AN: Not me literally posting in 2021 and then disappearing, LOL. I hope you guys like this one! xoxo

********************************

“Y/N how are you feeling? Only 5 minutes until you get your soulmate tattoo!” I glanced over at my friend Soo-ah, who was sitting up on her knees while staring at me excitedly. It was the night before my 21st birthday, and we were staying up until midnight so I could see my soulmate tattoo for the first time, right when the clock hit 12. The tattoo appears somewhere on your body, and it’s supposed to help you find your soulmate, the person that the universe fated you to be with. Some tattoos were a direct match of each other, but they could also be two different tattoos that compliment each other. Take my parents, for example. My mother had a bumblebee on her ankle and my father had a sunflower on his ankle. When two soulmates touch for the first time, their tattoo starts to tingle, and then glow, indicating the match.

“I would say I’m nervous, but I’ve been so nervous all day that now I’m just tired and want to get it over with and go to bed. I had a horrible night's sleep last night in anticipation. I’m exhausted” Soo-ah nods sympathetically. She had a similar experience the day before she received her soulmate tattoo. Except, unlike tonight, she ended up falling asleep right before midnight and didn’t see her tattoo until the next morning. So this time, she was determined to stay up with me, “to live vicariously through you,” she said earlier in the day. “I’m just gonna take a 5 minute power nap to rest my eyes, let me know when it’s midnight.” I shut my eyes and we sit in silence for the next few minutes. As Soo-ah’s alarm rings, I start to feel a tingling sensation on my right shoulder blade.

“Y/N it’s midnight!!!! Oh my god what’s your tattoo?! Where is it?!” I winced while opening my eyes while sitting up in her bed.

“It’s on my shoulder, help me up to your mirror please?” I reach both my arms out, and Soo-ah pulls me out of bed and towards her floor length mirror. Shrugging off my sweatshirt and turning around, I gasp. The tattoo is fairly small, but incredibly detailed. It’s a line of the planets in the solar system, in striking black ink. But what stood out was the sun and the planet Venus. Instead of the black ink, the two were outlined in purple, and had a slight shimmer to it. Reaching awkwardly around my back, I traced over the tattoo with my finger.

“It’s so beautiful, far more exciting than the jar of peanut butter on my wrist” Soo-ah said, causing me to laugh. “Here, let me get a photo of it,” I nodded and moved my hair to the side, while Soo-ah snapped a photo, and texted it to me. “Are you planning on posting it on any of the tattoo forums?”

“Probably not, but I’ll definitely join some to see if anyone has posted a photo that seems to match or compliment mine” I sat back down on the bed, forwarding the photo to my parents, who had already sent me happy birthday messages. I would’ve spent the night with them, but they were both in Europe for some work trip, hence why I was with Soo-ah. Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

“Happy 21st birthday Y/N!! And happy soulmark day! Let me see” Soo-ah’s mother entered the room, holding two pink velvet cupcakes and handed them to Soo-ah and me. Soo-ah’s mother was like my second mother, always stepping up to be there for me when my parents were away on business, which was often. When we were little, I would stay at their house, sometimes for weeks at a time. She worked as a producer at the HYBE Corporation, helping write and produce songs for BTS, Seventeen, and several other kpop groups and idols. Although, no amount of begging from me and Soo-ah would convince her to let us go to work with her.

“Thank you Mrs. Lee” I took the cupcake from her and turned around so she could get a good look at the tattoo, while I devoured the cupcake in a few bites.

“Hmm, this tattoo looks familiar to me” Her mom said, while whipping out her phone to snap a photo of it. I swear, I’ve seen it before” Soo-ah and I’s heads whipped around to look at her, while she typed on her phone.

“Really mom? Do you think it was from one of your friend’s kids, or maybe from someone from church?” Soo-ah asked. Her mom shook her head.

“I texted it to one of my colleagues. I think it’s from somewhere at work” My eyes widened, and Soo-ah and I shared a look with each other. My soulmate could potentially work at Hybe? Could it maybe be a trainee, or an idol? Soo-ah’s mom continued to observe my tattoo for a few minutes, when suddenly her phone rang. Who could be calling at this hour? She answered, surprisingly, “Hello? Ahh really? And it’s confirmed that it matches his tattoo? All right, I’ll let her know, thanks, see you tomorrow. Bye.” Soo-ah and I had moved towards each other, clutching each other in stress and anticipation.

“What was that all about? Did you find my soulmate that quickly?” I asked her. Her mom shook her head in disbelief.

“I just got off the phone with that colleague I told you about. He said that your tattoo is a 100% match for Jeon Jungkook’s tattoo. HR and their manager have already confirmed it.” Soo-ah and I’s mouths drops and I stare at her. I stare at her for so long that she starts waving her hands in front of our faces to snap us out of our trance.

“No. Way. So what happens next?” Soo-ah asks, while grabbing one of her plushes and pulling it close to her. She also throws her panda plush to me, which I am grateful for. I need something to squeeze in stress.

“Well, if you’re comfortable with it, HR wants to set up a meeting with you to talk about the situation. My guess is they’ll probably pull in some of BTS’ management team, PR, and some other professionals. Jungkook is currently in Japan promoting their comeback, but I’m sure he’ll be notified in the morning, alongside the rest of the guys. They’re thinking of having the meeting tomorrow. Are you okay to go in?” I nodded silently, still trying to process the whole situation. “Soo-ah, you can come too, since you’re now in on the secret. Y/N, hold off on telling your parents for now. I’m sure you’ll get all your questions answered tomorrow. And I’ll be with you the whole time” Soo-ah’s mom took my hand and squeezed it gently. “Try and get some sleep. I know how tired you are. In the morning we can write a list of all your questions over breakfast. And don’t forget, it is your birthday. We won’t forget to celebrate.” Throwing the panda plush aside, I wrapped my arms around her in a big hug.

“Thanks so much Mrs. Lee. You and Soo-ah’s support means everything to me.” She hugged back, and then got up to retire for the night.

“Good night girls. If you need help falling asleep, don’t forget there are melatonin gummies in the bathroom cabinet.” The door shut behind her, and Soo-ah and I stared at each other for a few moments. Then, she spoke.

“I think we’re going to need those melatonin gummies.

********************************

The next morning, Soo-ah’s mom woke us up from our deep slumber for breakfast. As we sat down to eat, she let us know that the meeting was set for a few hours later in the day, and what to expect. We also brainstormed some general questions for them, mostly regarding privacy concerns, and other stuff. She also told us that Jungkook and the rest of the boys had been notified of the situation, and that he had already asked to send along a message for me.

Happy 21st birthday, my soulmate. I’ll see you soon, my love.

How is this man so damn perfect?

“I must’ve saved the country in a past life for the universe to reward me so generously” I said, while applying my makeup. Soo-ah snorted.

“Not just save the country. You must’ve saved the world. I’m so jealous of you. But I'm happy. I’m so happy for you. You have a heart of gold, and Jungkook is a lucky guy to be your soulmate.”

“Ahh, don’t make me cry! I just put on my eyeliner!”

“Oops, sorry about that. I’ll stop with the sappy talk now. Are you ready to go? We still have to drive to the building, so we should probably head out soon.” I nodded, standing up and adjusting my jeans. “Allright, lets go!”

********************************

“Is this what Soo-ah’s mom does everyday? This is a horribly redundant meeting” I thought, while sitting in the conference room. For the past 2 hours, Soo-ah and I sat listening to employee after employee discuss their department’s plan for when the members started to find their soulmates, and how to move forward. I’ve already signed what feels like 100 non-disclosure agreements, and provided all my personal information so the company could have it on file. This was the first time a member had connected with their soulmate, so I guess I’m the guinea pig for the company response. Hopefully it gets less painful for the rest of the soulmates when they’re found. Finally we finished everything on the agenda and were allowed to leave. I was quickly brought down to HR, where my photo was taken and my ID badge was printed, giving me all access to the building. Then Soo-ah’s mother gave us a quick tour of the building before heading to her studio for the day to work on some music. Soo-ah and I headed back to her house to chill out and process the events of the past 24 hours. As we lay sprawled on her bed, she turned to look at me.

“What do you want to do for the rest of the day y/n?” Soo-ah asked me. I bit my lip while contemplating how I wanted to let off some steam. I was definitely tense from all the information that had been thrown at me.

“How about some fried chicken, beer, and karaoke?”

********************************

One week later, I sat patiently in the private airport terminal, awaiting the arrival of BTS’ private plane. A few hours after the meeting at the HYBE building, I had gotten a text message from Jungkook, who had gotten my number from his managers. After the initial nervousness wore off, along with being starstruck, we quickly became quite comfortable texting and calling each other. We talked almost every night, getting to know each other, and catching up on years of information. I had already received a package from him, a beautiful bracelet with two small charms of Venus and the Sun, a reference to our shared tattoo. I also received another package full of BT21 Cooky plushies and decorations. Jungkook had found out during our first phone call that I was a big Chimmy lover, to his disdain and Jimin’s delight.

“I will not let my soulmate love Chimmy over Cooky. I will convince you Cooky is far superior” I remember him saying. I thought he was joking, but I guess he took it as a challenge. I’m quickly starting to realize how he got the reputation of being the most competitive in the group. Before I fade off into deep thought, footsteps pull me out of my thoughts. I look up to see Jungkook full-on sprinting towards me, with the rest of the members and staff not far behind him.

“Y/N! You’re so beautiful, how did I get so lucky?!” He grabbed me by my waist and picked me up and spun me around while laughing. It was truly a fairytale moment. He set me down, but didn’t let me go, continuing to hold me in a tight hug, while everyone else caught up to him. I felt the tingling of our tattoos connecting for the first time, but all I could think about was Jungkook holding me tight. As I pulled away slightly, he looked down at me and giggled, placing a soft kiss on my forehead, and then my cheek. Before he could capture my lips, I turned my head away shyly, my face getting hot, and feeling an intense blush creep up my cheeks.

“Jungkook, there are people watching us.” I hid my face in his chest, while he softly stroked my hair, pushing it out of my face. Taking my chin and tilting my head up to meet his face, he softly said to me,

“My love, I’ve waited my whole life to hold you in my arms, and now that you’re here, I have no intention of ever letting go,” and bent down to press his lips against mine in a soft kiss.

#bts #bts x reader #bts scenarios #bts fluff #jeon jungkook #jungkook x reader #bts soulmate au #jungkook #bts imagines

[440mxs-wife]

Written in the Stars

Pairing: Dr. Leonard “Bones” McCoy x F!Reader. Other Characters: Jim Kirk, Nyota Uhura, Cmdr. Spock, Christine Chapel (mentioned).

Word Count: 8029

Warnings: Soulmates, show-level violence, Away Team member injury, mutual pining, a smidge of angst due to perceived unrequited love, but FLUFFFFF

Summary: When Dr. McCoy got married, he knew she wasn’t his soulmate, but it didn’t matter to him. After the divorce, he figures he’s missed his chance, due to his age and previous marriage. The Reader joins the crew as the new Science Officer aboard the Enterprise, assigned to Cmdr. Spock’s team. She hasn’t met her soulmate yet, but she seems drawn to a particular member of the Enterprise crew. Could these two lost soulmates have found each other at last?

A/N: If you’ve been tagged here, it’s because you’ve interacted one or more times on a McCoy story of mine, or we’re moots. Whether you like or reblog, I am eternally grateful for your support. If anyone else would like to be tagged on any future Karl Urban character postings, please let me know. Thank you, and enjoy the show!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Dr. Leonard McCoy joined StarFleet and was assigned to the Enterprise after a few unfortunate events. He left for the five-year mission right after his divorce, having known full well that the woman he married wasn't his soulmate. It didn't matter though, because Leonard didn't believe in that stuff. He was impatient, not interested in living alone anymore, therefore not waiting to find his soulmate. At the time, he'd loved Jocelyn enough to marry her. Only she didn't love him enough to want to stay married to him, or so she'd said.

Of course he had his soulmark, just like everyone he knew had one, with his shaped like a starburst and visible on his wrist. At his age, though, he felt that he should have met his person by now, the one he was destined to be with forever. So after the fiasco with Jocelyn, he'd stopped looking, figuring he'd missed his chance. Which is precisely when his soulmate appeared, and where he least expected it.

The Enterprise was making a scheduled stop at Starbase 42 to pick up supplies and some new crew members. Capt. Kirk had sent over the files, which Dr. McCoy decided to review before the ship reached its destination. Most of them looked pretty routine, a couple of ensigns for Engineering, three for Security. Then there was your file.

According to your bio, you were to be assigned to the Science Department, under Cmdr. Spock. You had been in StarFleet for a bit longer than the average crew member, and had risen to the rank of Lieutenant-Commander (LCmdr.). However, to Dr. McCoy, that only meant you carried a wealth of life experience with you. The only family you had left were your two brothers, each with their own families, and a best friend who became more like your sister.

Leonard glanced at the clock and noticed it was time to head to the transporter room to greet the new additions to the crew. Though the information in your file was fairly standard, Leonard couldn't help but give yours a bit more attention than the others. It was like he was drawn to it, wanting to dive into it and find out all there was to know about you. He arrived at the transporter room and walked in, finding Capt. Kirk and the other officers waiting. "All right, Jim. I'm here, so let's get this show on the road," he grumbled.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

As the shimmering light-particles of the transport beam disappeared, you had re-materialized aboard the Enterprise. It was your dream assignment, to be on StarFleet's flagship, and you looked forward to working with Cmdr. Spock. And of course, you were excited to be serving with Capt. James T. Kirk, one of the most decorated and colorful captains in StarFleet. But almost as soon as you appeared on the pad, you felt a pull in another direction, something you hadn't experienced before.

Once everyone had arrived, the captain introduced himself and the other commanding officers. Your companions handed over their orders, then exited the transporter room to be shown to their quarters. You stepped forward and handed your paperwork to Capt. Kirk and introduced yourself in the process.

"At ease, Commander," Kirk smiled. "We're a little less formal and bit more family around here, not that I don't run a tight ship," he explained.

"Of course not, Captain, and thank you. I'm honored to be here," you responded.

"Your credentials are impressive, Commander," Spock commented. "I am looking forward to working with you."

"I'm fortunate to be on your team, Cmdr. Spock. Thank you," you acknowledged before turning your attention to the dark-haired man in the blue medical uniform. He was standing off to the side, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest. As you took in his appearance, his furrowed brow seemed to relax and you felt that same pull as when you first arrived.

Your silent observance of the man by the door did not escape Capt. Kirk's notice. He walked over to where the man was standing and clapped a hand on his shoulder. "Commander, this is our Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Leonard McCoy. Bones, say hello to our newest crew member," Kirk grinned.

You stuck your hand out in greeting. "Pleased to meet you, Dr. McCoy," you remarked.

"Likewise," he replied as he took your hand and shook it. The instant your hand touched Dr. McCoy's hand, a jolt of electricity shot up your arm. It surprised you, but you kept your hand in his. What the hell was that? he thought. Instead, he inquired aloud, "Are you all right?"

"Yeah, sure, everything's fine, Dr. McCoy. I'm kind of a little nervous. May I be shown to my quarters, please?" you asked.

"Right this way, Commander," Spock gestured with his arm for you to precede him out the door.

When you reached the doorway, you popped your head back inside and caught Dr. McCoy's attention. "By the way, hope to see you around, Dr. McCoy," you winked and left the transporter room.

"So, that was inter--" Kirk started.

"Jim, no comment necessary," McCoy muttered. Despite his gruff reply, there was the ghost of a smile on his face, thanks to the Enterprise's new science officer. Interesting indeed, he thought.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Once inside your quarters, you started to unpack your bags. You hung up your uniforms in the closet and arranged your toiletries in the bathroom. The rest of your personal items were placed throughout your room. You were surveying your work when you heard a chime at the door.

Your visitor introduced herself as Nyota Uhura, Communications Officer. While you unpacked, she perched on the end of your bed and you got to know each other. She brought you up to speed on herself and life on the Enterprise.

The topic came around to your personal lives, Uhura mentioned that she and Cmdr. Spock discovered they were soulmates a few years ago. "What about you? Have you met your soulmate yet?" she asked.

"Sadly, no, not yet. But I hope my posting here will put me closer to finding out who it is," you replied, thinking back to your electrifying encounter with Dr. McCoy.

"Oh, really?" Uhura was leaning forward, her curiosity piqued. "Who do you think it is?" she wondered.

"Hmm, not sure, but I've been having this certain feeling, like whoever it may be, he's here onboard this ship. Add that to one of the many reasons I'm glad I'm here," you chuckled.

"Well, we're glad to have you. There's a 'Welcome to the Enterprise' party going on later in the recreation area. It's a chance for us to get to know you all, and for you to mingle with the senior officers," Uhura mentioned.

"Sounds great, I'll be there. Um, about what time?" you inquired.

"I believe the captain said it'll be getting started at 1900 hrs.," Uhura replied, then checked the time. "Oops, I'm supposed to be meeting Spock in a few minutes. See you later at the party?" she asked.

"You bet, I'll probably see if I can take a quick power nap before then. Want to be well-rested before meeting up with everyone so I don't say the wrong thing," you replied nervously.

"I understand that, but don't worry. Everything will be fine, and I already have a feeling you and I are going to be great friends," Uhura remarked as she walked to the door.

"Thank you, and I'll see you later," you called. Once Uhura left, you crawled into your bed and settled in for a nap. You made sure to set an alarm to give yourself time to get ready for the party, then closed your eyes and drifted off to sleep.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Back in his quarters, Dr. McCoy was reviewing some information on his PADD when his door chimed. At first, he ignored it, because he rarely had visitors and didn't want to be disturbed. When it chimed again, he rolled his eyes and strode to the door. He opened it, only to find Capt. Kirk on the other side, grinning from ear to ear. "What do you want, Jim? I was in the middle of something important when you interrupted me," he bristled.

"Hey, Bones, good to see you," Kirk replied as he breezed past his friend and plopped into a chair.

"Make yourself at home, Jim, by all means," McCoy stated dryly. "Whatever it is, the answer is no."

"Wanted to drop by and let you know there's a 'Welcome to the Enterprise' party for all the senior officers to mingle with the newbies. Now I know none of them are medical, but it would be nice if you'd put in an appearance. By the way, that new one on Spock's team was pretty cute, wasn't she?" Kirk asked.

"Jim, I haven't got time for this. Besides, what are we, in high school?" McCoy retorted.

Kirk shrugged. "Looks like the two of you shared a moment in the transporter room, that's all," he remarked.

McCoy rolled his eyes at Kirk's observation. "There was no 'moment', it was an introduction. Stop trying to make something out of nothing. Except it didn't feel like 'nothing' when our hands touched, he thought. "Look, I'll try to swing by, if I get a chance. Good enough?"

"That's the spirit, Bones! See you later," Kirk hastily replied, clapping a hand on his friend's shoulder before bolting out of the room.

McCoy shook his head, then went back to where he'd left his PADD. He picked it up, intending to read, but instead stared off ahead, deep in thought. What would it hurt to show up for a drink or two? I suppose that would count as 'putting in an appearance', he reasoned with himself.

His mind made up, Leonard changed into a more casual attire of jeans with a hole in the right knee and a navy-blue Henley. He left the top two buttons undone and pushed the sleeves up to his elbows. He slipped on his well-worn dark brown cowboy boots and dabbed on some cologne before heading out the door to the rec area.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You entered the rec area a little after 1900 hrs., when Uhura said the party would be starting. As soon as you walked in, your eyes scanned the area for her or anyone else you recognized. Fortunately, the captain soon spotted you and waved you over to his table.

On your way to meet him, you wandered past a beautiful mahogany pool table with clawfoot legs. It was covered in blue felt and had leather nets under each of the six pockets to catch any one of the fifteen brightly colored orbs. Hmm, wonder who might be up for a game or two later, you thought as you ran your hands along the rails.

There were two open chairs on the captain's left side, one putting you next to him or, the other, Lt. Uhura. You chose to sit next to Uhura, who immediately stood to give you a hug and raved about your outfit. You were wearing jeans with a pastel purple, off-the-shoulder peasant blouse, along with your black suede ankle boots. Around your neck was a teardrop pendant of your birthstone on a delicate silver chain.

You were about halfway through your first margarita, when you heard a deep voice behind you ask, "Is this seat taken?"

Turning around, you were pleasantly surprised to see Dr. McCoy standing behind you, a glass of bourbon in his hand. "Um, n-no, Dr. McCoy," you stammered. Way to go, you berated yourself with a mental facepalm.

"Relax, Commander," McCoy chuckled. "Please call me Leonard."

You gave him your name in return, stating it was better than being called "Commander" all the time. "Especially with so many of us around," you joked.

The captain finally noticed that Dr. McCoy had joined the table and taken the seat next to him. "Bones, you made it after all. Good to see you!" Capt. Kirk exclaimed.

"Why thank you, Jim, I was beginning to wonder if you were even going to notice," McCoy replied.

The doctor's nickname used by the captain did not escape your notice, but you filed it away to ask about later. "So, Leonard, tell me about where you're from," you started.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Your conversation with Dr. McCoy stretched far into the evening, the two of you asking questions to better get to know each other. Eventually, your Q & A transitioned to the pool table for a friendly game of 8-ball. One by one, the others left the recreation area and returned to their quarters. Neither you nor Leonard noticed you were the only ones left until you were deep into your third game of pool, with you lining up your shot.

Standing up after watching the #15 roll into the corner pocket, you looked around at the empty recreation area. "Leonard, what time is it?" you asked.

He checked the time and was surprised at the hour as well as the deserted room. "It's after midnight. Guess time really does fly when you're having fun," he grinned. "Your shot, darlin'," he drawled. You noticed his Southern accent was a bit more pronounced after a few rounds of bourbon.

"Okay, but after I knock in this #12, I'm on the 8-ball," you smirked. You took your time to survey all the angles before settling in to take your shot. With a smooth, fluid stroke, the cue ball connected with the object ball, which went in the side pocket. The 8-ball was of little challenge to you as well, sailing into the exact pocket you intended.

"Well, I guess that's the game, then," McCoy remarked. You gave him a small curtsy before placing your cue stick on the table and returning to finish your drink. "Where'd you learn to play like that?" he wondered.

"Had a pool table in the basement growing up. I used to spend quite a few hours a day, practicing until I was good enough to win against my brothers and all their friends. Then I met my best friend at the Academy, and we took turns, um, how shall I say this? Oh, yeah. Separating the new recruits from their money," you grinned sheepishly.

Leonard threw his head back and laughed. "You are full of surprises. Which leads me to my next question, and feel free to punch me for it if you want, but I have to know. How is someone as lovely and fascinating as you are still single?"

You felt your cheeks grow warm with the compliment. "Well, I won't punch you for asking a question like that. The simple answer is, I haven't found my soulmate yet."

McCoy gave you a sideways glance, one eyebrow raised. "You believe in that? One person, one heart, all that?" he wondered.

"Sure I do, don't you?" you replied. "I mean, a person as handsome and charming as you isn't attached to anyone either. Why is that, if you don't mind me asking?" you quizzed.

"I don't mind you asking, darlin'," he replied, then took a sip of his drink. "I was married once, but it didn't take. At the time, I loved her, and even though she wasn't my soulmate, I didn't care. I was too impatient in my youth and didn't want to be alone the rest of my life, so we got married. When I came onboard here, I was fresh off my divorce. When I met Jim, I told him that my ex got everything, and 'all I got left is my bones'. Probably why he calls me that," he muttered.

"Hmm. And here I thought it was because you were in the medical field. You know, a doctor used to be called a 'sawbones', I figured that's where it came from," you quipped.

"I guess it could go either way, although your explanation is a little less depressing," Leonard conceded.

You reached over and covered his hand with yours, trying to ignore the small spark at the contact. "Your soulmate is still out there, waiting to be found. I'm just sure of it," you remarked.

McCoy gave you a hopeful smile. "You think so? I guess I figured that with my age and jumping the gun and marrying Jocelyn, that I missed my chance," he replied.

"What do you mean, 'with my age', you're hardly an old man, Leonard. Besides, I'm betting that you haven't missed your chance, so keep the faith," you winked. "Come on, Doc, it's late. Walk me to my quarters?" you asked.

McCoy drained the last of the bourbon from his glass and stood up from the table. His grin grew wider as he held out his elbow for you to take. "Shall we, shweethahrt?" he said in his attempt at a Bogart impression.

You laughed as you looped your arm through his, and he tucked it in closed to his side. "Leonard, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship," you answered.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And it was. At first it was you and Dr. McCoy, two friends sharing breakfast together on most, if not all, mornings. Sometimes the captain, or Spock and Uhura would be there, which made for lively discussions. But you were most content with the days it was just you and the good doctor enjoying each other's company.

It wasn't just the mornings, you took turns hanging out in each other's quarters, watching old movies or reading together. Other times, it was sharing stories about your lives, your families, even your Academy days. Being with Leonard was a comfort for you, a natural and easy friendship to fall into.

The first time you noticed your thoughts wandering from friendship to more was one night you were cooking dinner in McCoy's quarters. Your room was not equipped with a kitchenette, only a replicator, so Leonard offered to let you in to his to make dinner. He had some last-minute duties in the MedBay, but said he would join you later.

You were putting the finishing touches on your Cheesy Chicken and Broccoli casserole to put into the oven, when Leonard strode through the door. He stood behind you, put his hands on your shoulders and glanced down at the dish. "That looks amazing, sweetheart," he grinned and gave your shoulders a squeeze before heading to the showers.

As you watched him walk away, you couldn't help but notice how domestic the whole scene was, and how comfortable it all felt. Leonard coming home to you after a difficult day in the MedBay, to see you making dinner. Of course, it could also just as easily be the other way around, with him in the kitchen, waiting for you to come home. Then you shook your head to clear those thoughts. Although the two of you had become best friends, that still kept you in the "friend zone", right?

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Leonard reached for his towel to dry himself off after his shower. Coming back to his quarters to see you in his kitchen was a comforting sight to see, not to mention how natural it felt. Like it had been that way for years instead of the months since you'd gotten to know each other. Lately, there was many a night he'd lain in bed, staring at the ceiling, wondering if you were having as much trouble sleeping as he was.

Ever since he met you in the transporter room, Leonard knew there was something different about you, but couldn't put his finger on it. That night the two of you spent in the rec area at Jim's "welcome" party was one of the best he'd had in a long time. Sitting and talking with someone, finding out you had like interests and similar values was refreshing for him. You were sweet, intelligent, and you made him laugh, something his friends thought he needed more of in his life.

Most of his time was spent in the MedBay, caring for others, but there were times when he wanted someone to care for him. You certainly fit the bill for that as well, such as when you stopped by with a coffee for him on one of your breaks. Or when you sneaked into his office to hide scraps of paper with jokes written on them to make him chuckle. And your home cooking was some of the best he'd had since the last time he visited his ma on Earth.

There were dozens of reasons why and multiple occasions when he wished there was more than friendship between you. However, after his experience with marriage to Jocelyn, he was a little hesitant to pursue anything beyond friendship with you. Jim would probably say he was "spooked", whereas Leonard would counter that he was "protecting his heart".

Early on, you'd admitted to him that you believed in soulmates and were still looking for yours. He'd been down the road once where he ignored the concept, if only to avoid being alone for the rest of his life. You deserved that one person, that one heart that Fate had decided truly belonged with you. He'd never want you to settle for a life with him if he wasn't your soulmate. Thus, he continued to keep things with you in the "friend zone".

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

A couple of weeks later

"You want me to do what, now?" you asked the Captain.

"I know you heard me, Commander," Kirk replied. "It's a few weeks until Valentine's Day, and I think it would be a great idea to have a celebration. Music, food, drinks....and you dancing with a certain country doctor would certainly be all the entertainment I'd need for a while," he smirked.

You, on the other hand, rolled your eyes at his obvious matchmaking attempts. "Jim, we're just friends. And I resent your insinuation that Dr. McCoy would want anything to do with me beyond that," you retorted.

"Why is that so hard to believe, that Bones would be interested in you as more than a friend?" Jim persisted.

"Because...." you murmured, your gaze dropping to your hands in your lap.

"'Because....' why?" he gently prodded.

You huffed in exasperation. "Because I'm me, and he's....handsome, witty, fascinating, charismatic and could have any woman in the universe he wants. I've seen him at those diplomatic functions, Jim. Women more or less throwing themselves at him, hanging all over him and what does he do? He just smiles at them and turns on the Southern charm. Soulmate or not, what chance do I have," you whispered.

"Wait, he's your soulmate? How do you know? More importantly, why haven't you told him?" Kirk peppered you with questions.

"You're just full of curiosity today, aren't you?" you sassed. "I saw his soulmark on his wrist, and it matches mine here." You tilted your head and pulled your hair back to reveal a matching starburst behind your left ear. "I've been in love with him since that 'welcome' thing you arranged, when we talked and shot rack after rack of 8-ball till after midnight. But I want him to love me for me, not due to some pre-destined, matching tattoo on our bodies."

Kirk stepped out from behind his desk and took the chair next to you. "Listen. I've been friends with the man for a long time. I've seen him at those diplomatic galas, and let me tell you that I haven't seen him look at any of those women the way he looks at you," he explained.

"Now I know you're out of your mind," you snorted. When Kirk tried to protest, you held up your hands. "Stop. Okay? I'll do as you ask, plan your little Valentine's Day party for the crew. It's a nice idea, and I think we're due for some fun around here. Just please quit trying to push me and Dr. McCoy together, huh?" you pleaded.

Kirk reached over and sandwiched your hand in his. "Although I know I'm right, I will honor your wishes and stop forcing the issue with you and Bones. Fair enough?" he asked.

You nodded and stood up from your chair. "Yes, thank you, Jim. I appreciate it. If anyone needs me, I'll be in my quarters, trying to figure out how to put this thing together," you replied. You gave him a weary smile before exiting his Ready Room.

Jim waited until you were out of his office before voicing his thoughts. "I may have agreed to honor your wishes, but that doesn't mean I can't go at it from Bones' point of view," he vowed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

The following week, you were busy transforming one of the large, rarely-used conference rooms Jim set aside for you into a sea of red, white and pink. There were pink paper hearts attached to the walls, along with red cutouts shaped like Cupid with his bow. The long conference tables would be used for food and drinks, and were set up along the outside edge of the room.

You were scanning through the food and drink list on your PADD when Leonard walked in. A bright smile graced your face at the sight of your best friend. "Why, hello Len! What brings you here?"

Leonard scanned the room before answering. "So this is the 'secret project' you've been working on for the past week," he replied. "I've been looking everywhere for you. I started in the lab, then I checked your room. Had to ask the ship's computer for your location," he remarked.

"Yeah, sorry, Jim put me in charge of this, so here I am. And it's not a 'secret project', as you called it. We have all these decorations and the tables will be full of drinks and all kinds of foods," you explained. "While we're on the subject, I have something to ask you, Leonard."

"Oh? What's that?" he wondered.

"Well, this is going to be kind of a formal, dressing-up kind of thing. And there'll be music and dancing, so I was wondering....if you'd like to go with me....as my date?" you asked.

Leonard froze. A date? he thought. His heart wanted very much to take you up on your offer to accompany you to the party. He could picture you all dressed up in a formal gown and your hair perfectly styled, a veritable vision of beauty. His next mental picture was of the two of you walking into the party with your arm safely tucked into his side. His brain, however, reminded him that this was a Valentine's Day dance, and you two were not romantic partners, only friends.

You must have heard his brain's internal reminder loud and clear and interpreted his hesitation as a decline of your invitation. "You know what, never mind. It's all right. Forget I asked," you backpedaled. "I'm sure you have much more important things to do than go to a stupid dance with me," you muttered as you gathered your PADD and other supplies.

"Wait a minute, where are you going?" McCoy implored.

"Uh, I forgot I told Cmdr. Spock that I would come into the lab later and see if I can make some more progress on my assignment," you explained. "So, I'm sorry, but I can't meet you for dinner tonight, Dr. McCoy," you added, then hurriedly left the room without a backwards glance.

Leonard stood gazing at the floor, hands on his hips and shaking his head. As he stood in place, he was trying to figure out what just happened and how he knew he had to fix it. Uhura was watching your interaction with Dr. McCoy since he joined you, so she walked over to him. She placed a hand on his arm to get his attention. "Dr. McCoy, are you all right?" she asked.

He looked over to see the concern in Uhura's eyes. "I....I don't know," he rasped. "I think I made a huge mistake with her and I may need your help."

She led him over to one of the chairs, where he filled her in on his conversation with you. Uhura listened intently, waiting for him to finish providing as much information as he was willing to share. When he finished, she was silent as she thought about her response. "I'm going to ask you a few questions, and I want you to say the first thing that comes to your mind." McCoy nodded. "Are you in love with her?"

"Yes," he immediately answered.

"As a friend, or more than a friend?" Uhura asked.

"More," McCoy hastily replied. A startled look crossed his face at the realization. "I'm in love with her," he whispered. "But she said she was still looking for her soulmate, and I don't know what her soulmark looks like or where it is."

"Dr. McCoy," Uhura gently chided. "Do you really need visual confirmation of her soulmark to know that you belong together? From that first night, everyone could see it, based on how the two of you looked at each other, how you interacted. How long did it take you to realize that everyone had left?" she giggled.

McCoy grinned. "We didn't really notice much of anything outside of ourselves until after midnight. She'd just beaten me two games out of three at 8-ball," he chuckled ruefully. "I have to find her and tell her," he declared as he hastily stood up.

"Whoa, whoa, wait a minute. I don't know if now is the best time to tell her," Uhura warned, taking his arm to stop him.

"Wha--why shouldn't I tell her right away how I feel about her?" McCoy asked, confused.

"She may not be in the right frame of mind to hear it right now. Think about, Dr. McCoy. She gathered up her courage to ask you to be her date to the dance. When you hesitated to answer, her brain told her not only was your answer 'no', but that you didn't reciprocate her feelings. That's why she bolted out of here, she was trying to protect herself from embarrassment, from her heart being broken any further. Give her some time, then try and talk with her again," Uhura advised.

"How long should I give her?" McCoy asked.

"Try again after a couple of days, Doctor. She should be ready to talk by then," Uhura replied, gently patting his arm.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You checked your notes again, frustrated that the data was not matching up with the results. Irritated, you pushed away from the table and flopped onto a chair. You closed your eyes as your fingers massaged your temples, trying to stave off the impending headache.

"Are you all right, Lieutenant?" Cmdr. Spock asked. "It is late, and I have observed that your evenings are usually spent with Dr. McCoy. May I ask why you are here instead, working?"

You took a deep breath. "I'm fine, Cmdr. Spock. Just trying to keep my headache at bay, that's all," you replied, managing a weak smile.

"If you are feeling a pain in your head, I am certain Dr. McCoy can relieve it with a hypospray," Spock suggested.

"Not when he's the cause of the headache," you muttered.

A puzzled look crossed Spock's face. "I do not understand. Is there some sort of problem in your relationship with Dr. McCoy?" he inquired.

You took a deep breath before explaining the events of the afternoon, beginning with Capt. Kirk's assignment of the Valentine's dance. Then you told him about asking Leonard to be your date for the dance, and how mortified you were when he declined your request. "The only relationship I have with Dr. McCoy is one of friendship. Though my feelings for him have gone beyond the friend level, I should have known better that his do not, and likely never will."

"To assume that Dr. McCoy does not think of you as more than a friend without his express verbal confirmation is not logical," Spock replied. "You must ask him how he feels about you."

"Since when are the human heart's desires logical? Anyway, I'm sure I've already embarrassed myself enough for one day. Permission to return to my quarters?" you asked.

"Permission granted, Lieutenant. I sincerely hope that your personal difficulties with Dr. McCoy will soon be resolved," Spock offered. "It is also not logical for two people as compatible as the two of you to be separated."

"Thank you, Commander," you remarked. "For your counsel and your understanding." You gave him a small smile, then left the lab.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

You had almost reached your quarters when the captain requested you to come to his Ready Room. "On my way, Captain," you replied, tapping your communication badge. In your head you grumbled that you hoped his request had something to do with real work and nothing to do with Dr. McCoy.

In the captain's office, you were briefed on an upcoming Away mission, in which you would play a part. A fairly routine mission, you were tasked with gathering soil and mineral samples that would be catalogued upon returning to the Enterprise.

The area where your team would be working had been declared as deserted. That meant you would not be at risk of encountering any difficulties from any local inhabitants of the planet. All in all, a good mission to help me gain experience as part of an Away Team, you thought as you stepped onto the transporter pad.

You also hoped that going on this mission would also help you sort out your feelings about Leonard and figure out your next move. As much as you didn't want to, you were going to have to distance yourself from him. It'll only be for a couple of days, you reasoned. When I get back, Len and I should probably have a talk about what happened and what it means for us going forward. Decision made, you picked up your PADD and reviewed the parameters of the Away mission.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For the past two days, the MedBay environment was not the most pleasant place to be. Dr. McCoy had been more demanding and grumpier than usual. His staff had no idea that his thoughts revolved around you and how badly he needed to talk to you. He was trying to do as Uhura suggested, by giving you time to yourself. When he could no longer wait to speak to you and confess his feelings, he put Dr. M'Benga in charge and left the MedBay to find you.

He checked your quarters first, but when there was no answer, he figured either you weren't there, or you knew it was him and didn't want to answer. He left and headed down to the conference room, but no one there had seen you for the past couple of days. Finally, he tried the lab, praying to find you there. When he asked Spock where you were, nothing could've prepared him for the answer he received.

"What do you mean, she's on the Away Team?" McCoy demanded.

"I should think my response is fairly self-explanatory, Doctor," Spock replied.

McCoy rolled his eyes. "She's not ready for an Away mission yet, anything could go wrong down there!" he exclaimed.

"On the contrary, the Commander has proven to be more than competent in performing her duties. The captain and I felt that this relatively low-risk mission was the perfect one to introduce her to this aspect of her duties," Spock explained.

"Since when does something deemed 'low-risk' ever turn out that way? You don't understand, Spock, I can't lose her," McCoy implored. "Not before I've had a chance to tell her I love her," he whispered.

A faint smile graced Spock's features. "It appears I was correct in my theory regarding your feelings towards her," he answered. His tone that could almost be considered smug, if not for the fact that he was half-Vulcan. At the confused look on Leonard's face, Spock relayed the conversation the two of you had after he'd found you in the lab working.

"So she cares about me like I care about her," McCoy murmured. "What time are they scheduled to be back? I have to be there right when she gets back so I can tell her how I feel. I've already wasted too much time," he muttered, then jumped up from his chair. Before he could walk out of the lab, Capt. Kirk was at the door.

"Good, you're both here. The Away Team is returning to the ship ahead of schedule. It appears that they ran into some problems on the planet's surface. Something about a run-in with a band of native inhabitants," Kirk explained. "Possible weapons discharges and there may be injuries," he reluctantly revealed.

"StarFleet's report stated that the area in which the Away Team would be working was declared as deserted," Spock pointed out. "There should have been no reason for any discharge of weapons."

"You see?? This is exactly what I was talking about, Spock!" McCoy exclaimed, his arms waving in the air. "How could you send her down there, Jim? She's not ready for something like this," McCoy snapped.

"I chose the team based on their skills and how it matched the intel we were given. Do you really believe I like putting people I care about in harm's way??" Kirk retorted sharply. "I have a job to do, but so do the two of you. And right now, the Away Team is depending on you to carry out those duties to the best of your ability. The personal stuff can be sorted out later, all right?" Kirk barked. "For now, let's just get everyone home and safe."

Spock and McCoy nodded and each of them went their separate ways to begin assisting in the missions aftermath. Kirk was on his way back to the bridge, while Spock was gathering his equipment. "Captain?" McCoy called out before Kirk had fully exited the lab.

"What is it, Bones?" Kirk asked wearily.

McCoy walked over to join his captain at the door. "I'll be in the MedBay, standing by for any casualties," he replied, then started down the hall.

"Thank you, Doctor. And Bones?" Kirk added, causing McCoy to turn and catch Kirk's gaze. "She'll be all right. Besides, you probably owe her a dance, right?" he smirked.

"Among other things, Jim," McCoy admitted before finally resuming his path to the MedBay.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

When McCoy returned to the MedBay, it was a flurry of activity. The casualties had already arrived, only three of whom were being worked on by multiple teams. Head Nurse Christine Chapel met him near the entrance to give him a PADD with a rundown of the injuries. He had just started scanning the list when he heard, "DOCTOR!! Dr. McCoy, we need you over here!!"

McCoy all but sprinted to BioBed #3 and was shocked at the sight before him. You were the injured party, with a stab wound to your left shoulder that had seemed to stop bleeding. There was a moderate head laceration near your hairline, but its bleeding also looked to be under control. However, it was the 6-inch gash across your stomach that was of utmost concern, because it was still steadily leaking blood.

"Oh darlin'," McCoy whispered as he pushed your hair back from your face and tucked it behind your ear.

"Hey, Dr. McCoy," you rasped, which sent you into a minor coughing fit.

"Shh, take it easy, sugar. We're going to take good care of you, get you all patched up good as new," he soothed.

"Len....'m sorry....about earlier," you wheezed but were thrown into another coughing session. "Ow, it hurts," you whimpered.

"Hold on, sweetheart, I'll get ya something to take away the hurt," McCoy promised. One of the nurses promptly handed him the hypospray containing the pain med. Leonard gently rolled your head to the side for better access to your neck. He pushed your hair out of the way and pressed the hypospray to your skin and delivered the pain medication.

When McCoy withdrew the instrument, he was startled when he saw your soulmark behind your left ear, a starburst that matched the mark on his wrist. It was you. You were his soulmate, the one he should've waited for and he was the one you were waiting for. As he stood next to you, he felt the bond between you grow, as it sent a wave of warmth through his body.

You somehow found his hand and took it in yours, giving it a gentle squeeze before dropping it. The movement and seeing your hand hang limply at your side was enough to snap Leonard back into action and tend to your injuries. "All right, let's get this bleeding stopped so we can close up this gash and clean up these other wounds," McCoy ordered, getting back to the task at hand.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

For some reason, you couldn't move your right hand due to some sort of weight on top of it. You were having a hard time opening your eyes as well, though you did manage to crack them open halfway. There was an IV in your left arm and as for your right side, you smiled when you saw a familiar crop of dark hair. Leonard was hunched over the edge of your bed, his head resting on his elbows and covering your hand. You could only imagine how tired he must be after the events of the past few hours.

The Away mission was your first since you came aboard the Enterprise, and not exactly the low-risk scenario as mentioned in the file. The briefing said the area had been declared uninhabited, but the natives you encountered proved otherwise. Some of their weapons were rudimentary by StarFleet's standards, while others looked confiscated from other unsuspecting visitors.

You were the first to be attacked, by a stab to your left shoulder and blow to the head, then all hell broke loose. The wound in your midsection was caused when you stepped in to defend a fellow crew member. You were relieved when you saw the familiar surroundings of the MedBay, and even more relaxed when Leonard's face appeared. However, you'd have given anything to take away the pain and worry you saw in his eyes as he hovered above you, assessing your injuries.

Gingerly, you felt around on the bed for the call button, not wanting to disturb the doctor sleeping at your side. Your slight movement caused him to lift his head and for his eyes to immediately zero in on yours. A sleepy yet relieved smile graced his face as he slowly reached up with his right hand to cup your cheek. "Hi," he whispered.

"Hi," you whispered back. "How long have I been out?"

"About twelve hours," he answered. "You had me worried there, sweetheart," he murmured. "I thought I wasn't going to get the chance to tell you something very important."

"I'm here now, though. What is it you wanted to tell me?" you asked. You shuffled around in your bed, trying to raise yourself to a more upright position. Leonard saw what you were doing and helped to rearrange the pillows and angle of the bed to where you wanted it.

Leonard returned in his chair and pointed it so that he was gazing directly at you. He brought your hand up to his lips and kissed the back of it. "Ever since Jim handed me your file, I knew there was something special about you. I felt it when we shook hands in that transporter room, and I think you felt it too," he replied.

You nodded. "Felt like electricity shooting up my arm," you smiled.

"Exactly. The more I got to know you through the time we spent together, the more I believed in the idea of a soulmate. I only dared to hope you were mine. I saw the mark behind your ear, so now I know you that are the one I belong with in this life. Even without that, darlin', I fell for you anyway. Your kindness, generosity, your gentle spirit and so many more reasons are why I love you," Leonard remarked.

You could've been knocked back unconscious with a feather. Of all things you thought would happen when you woke up, a love confession from Leonard wasn't anywhere near the list. Although it made you happy to hear that he loved you in return, there was also a part of you that was having doubts.

Leonard mentioned that he'd seen your soulmark, and that he'd fallen for you anyway. Jim knew about the matching marks, and how you wanted Leonard to love you for who you were, not some cosmic tattoo. You'd put your heart on the line once when you asked him to the dance, and it didn't end well. Did you dare take that kind of chance again?

"Sweetheart, please say something," he implored hoarsely.

"Guess this means you owe me a dance?" you replied with a watery smile, as you decided to take the leap. "Len, of course I love you, and not because of some mark put on us by Fate. You are the one I've been searching for, and you're well worth waiting for."

That was all the confirmation Leonard needed, and more. He stood up from his chair and walked around to the left side of your bed. You scooted over a bit to leave room for him to sit on the edge of your mattress. Leonard placed a hand on either side of your face and tilted your head up to meet his gaze. As his left thumb gently caressed your cheek, you latched your hands to his wrists, with your finger tracing over his soulmark.

Leonard leaned his head towards you, tenderly brushing his lips over yours at first, then returning with more passion. His soft yet insistent lips moved with determination, expressing the depth of his emotions for you. When he nipped at your bottom lip, you gasped in surprise, creating the perfect opening for him to slip his tongue in to explore your mouth. Your sweet sound of pleasure that escaped seemed only to spur him on.

The kiss broke before the alarms could be set off on the BioBed for your elevated heart rate or any other escalated vital signs. Leonard leaned back slightly to give himself and you a chance to catch your breaths. He gingerly brushed the hair back from your face and tucked it behind your ear. "So beautiful," he whispered.

"And all yours," you whispered back. Your hand drifted up for your fingers to run through his dark locks, your nails scratching his scalp. The gesture earned you a deep sigh from him and he closed his eyes in contentment. "Have been for a while now, you know," you added. "I love you, Leonard McCoy."

Leonard opened his eyes and smiled softly. "And I'm all yours, my body and soul belongs to you. I love you too, sweetheart," he remarked as he touched his forehead to yours.

The two of you stayed like that, holding each other, until the sound of a throat being cleared broke the silence. Leonard turned his head slightly then rolled his eyes at seeing Capt. Kirk and Cmdr. Spock. The captain wore a look of smug satisfaction at seeing his two friends finally getting together. On the other hand, Spock's face held a look of concern about your recovery from your injuries.

"Guess you can't outrun Fate, can you, Bones?" Kirk crowed. "Seriously, though. I'm happy for you two," he winked.

Spock turned to you. "It would seem that you have received sufficient confirmation of Dr. McCoy's feelings towards you, correct?" he asked.

"Complete confirmation, Spock," you answered. "Did you come to gloat too, or was there something else you needed?" you inquired.

"Vulcans do not gloat. I am merely checking up on the health of one of my team members. It is fortunate that Dr. McCoy was able to successfully treat your injuries and put you on the road to recovery," Spock observed.

"Fortunate indeed," you concurred. Off to the side, you spied Uhura making her way to your bedside under what looked like quite a head of steam.

"I leave you two alone for five minutes, and you're down here causing trouble. Hi there honey, Dr. McCoy," Uhura greeted you and Leonard. Her words to you and Leonard were in direct contrast to those she aimed at Kirk and Spock. "All right, these two need their rest, so off you go. Bye sweetie," she winked. After your friends exited the MedBay, you and Dr. McCoy breathed a sigh of relief.

"Never want to be on her bad side," Leonard quipped. "Alone at last," he murmured, brushing the back of his knuckles on your cheek.

"Just the two of us now," you replied. You shuffled over further in your bed to make room for Leonard. He settled in next to you, curling his arm around you and guiding your head to rest on his shoulder. You slung your arm around his midsection and snuggled into his warm embrace. "Sweet dreams, Len. I love you," you mumbled.

"Goodnight, my love," he whispered, kissing your temple and closing his eyes.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Tags: @marvelouslytrekking @spacedancer1701 @anna-phora @hailbop1701 @writercole @lassie-bird @huffle-pissed @phoenixisred @wayward-dreamer @erindiggory @strangesgirl @dumpsterhippie @genevablog26 @lokis-deares @medicatemedrmccoy​

#leonard mccoy x reader #leonard bones mccoy x reader #bones mccoy x reader #bones x reader #star trek aos #karl urban character x reader

[themorningsunshine]

Choice

Pairing- Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary - Soulmate AU where the first words your soulmate says to you are itched on your arm.

You never thought a lot about the confusing words on your arm until an intruder breaks into your apartment.

Warnings - Brief description of violence (very brief), guns, mentions of blood

Word count - 1.4k 

Being a SHIELD agent could be extremely exhausting.

You loved your job, dearly. The thrill of adventures, the pride in successfully completing a mission, the satisfaction in doing good, that is what made you apply in the first place.

Being strategically smart and swift in combat, helped your case. You were one of the finest agents of SHIELD and even if the job could be gruesome sometimes and rid you of all sorts of social life, you wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Maybe that's what got you walking alone in what seemed like the darkest alley in all of DC. You weren't scared for your safety, that wasn't a worry, but the cold breeze was.

The adrenaline of the mission and the glow of its success had probably warmed you but now that you were walking back to your apartment, the breeze didn't escape your notice.

You pulled your jacket more tightly and as you did that, your left writst caught your attention and your soulmark was sitting right there, as if mocking you. 

You never really looked for your soulmate because if there was one thing you knew about them, it was that you never really found them by looking. You had not found them yet, and there was a small part buried deep inside you that wished that you had.

You never believed yourself to be the romantic type. From a very young age, your life consisted of weapons and gruesome training.

The words itched in your arm a reminder that there was somebody out there who you were meant to be with and you would take this secret to your grave, but the thought brought some sort of warmth to you.

You never really understood your soulmark. You couldn't imagine a scenario where those words could be said to another when they first met but there was no harm in hoping, right?

The thought of having somebody to come home to, sounded ... nice.

And in a sick, twisted way, your wish did come true.

.❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。❀。• *₊°。 ❀°。❀。

Something was wrong. You could sense it since the time you entered the hallway leading up to your house. A deafening silence surrounded your place and even if that was what you expected coming home at midnight, there was some tension surrounding it.

Too tired to think much about it, you put the key into the lock and entered your house and your suspicions grew. There was something , or more precisely, someone.

This was not what you expected after a tiring mission like that but you were prepared. Your hand went swiftly behind your back to take the gun out of your jeans pocket when you felt it.

A larger, rougher hand grabbed yours and stopped it inches from your gun. Your breathe hitched in your throat. You had trained enough to not be scared by an intruder, but this was different and you knew it wasn't going to be the peaceful night you had anticipated.

The person behind you held your hand rougher and held a knife to your throat. He was swift and precise, you had to give him that. But too bad you weren't in the mood to get your throat slit open.

In one swift motion, you kicked the person away and dodged the knife. You were pretty sure he had much more of them but you weren't about to go down without a fight.

You ducked for the knife hidden in your boot when you realised he had taken the one in your pocket but when you looked up, he had clocked his gun at you. Standing some steps away, you were pretty sure he wouldn't miss the shot.

That's when you got the first actual glimpse of his face. And there stood, in all his glory, the winter soldier.

You were rooted at the spot, unable to move. Not with fear, but something foreign.

You realised all those reports and documents didn't do him justice.

Nobody mentioned how blue those eyes were. The eyes filled with defeat, with desperation. They weren't so cold. It looked like he was fighting a battle from within. You felt something in your heart, an urge to extend your hand towards him and to assure him that you weren't going to hurt him.

But it was stupid. He was here to kill you. You should be fighting to save your life and not look at him like you just found something you didn't even know you were looking for. But was it really that stupid if he was doing the same? Was it stupid to feel like the both of your souls had somehow recognized each other?

The both of you stand there, unable to move for what feels like eternity. The battle within the soldier seemingly at its peak. Something inside him, which should have been dead years ago is peeking through his eyes, buried deep within the tortured confines of his soul.

You don't know what you are doing. The years of training seem to be useless right now as all you can do is stare and somehow convince yourself that it's not it. That you need to fight.

But the soldier is still holding the gun at you and you would have fought but it seemed like the soldier was fighting a battle with himself and seemingly losing.

You don't know what gets over you, but the words leave your mouth before you can stop them, "You don't have to do this."

Something flashes through the soldier's eyes and he is stunned by the words.

A part of him identifies those words, The part which was supposed to have died decades ago, finds those words eerily familiar.

It reminds him of warm summers, of lighter days, of easier times. The hours he had spent thinking about the words. Fantasized about scenarios where he could hear those words. But none of them included him holding a gun at her head, decades later, after he has lost everything, including himself. None of them included her being his mission.

The last thought flashes something in the soldier's eyes again. And they are cold now, almost emotionless. You would have guessed he had become the ghost again, the ghost feared by everyone, had it not been for his gun moving down slightly.

You told yourself that this was the right time to defend yourself if you wanted to come out of this alive. The soldier was confused. The gun could be snatched from him and you could shoot him but you still couldn't move. There was just something about him, about the way he was looking at you, desperate, as if you could provide him with answers. How could you tell him that you didn't have any either?

The soldier suddenly steps closer and pushes you towards the wall. As your head hits the wall, the world becomes blurry for a moment before you can see clearly again. When you do, your eyes are met with his blue ones.

You slowly extend your hand towards your knife, even if you couldn't kill him for some reason, you had to defend yourself. You weren't going to die this way.

The soldier opens his mouth to speak and the words that leave his mouth don't surprise you the way they were supposed to. Because that would answer so many of your questions. Would justify the way you had felt, the way your soul had seeked his. "I don't have a choice."

You don't need to look down to know that he had shot you. That there was blood coming at an alarming rate out of your stomach. That you were not going to make it.

The world fades around you and as the soldier takes a step back, you fall on the floor.

He looks at you from where he is standing and he will never know why, but he looks at your left hand. and there is a sentence engraved there.

                                        𝓘 𝓭𝓸𝓷'𝓽 𝓱𝓪𝓿𝓮 𝓪 𝓬𝓱𝓸𝓲𝓬𝓮

He stays there for a little more time. Staring at your now dead form. He hoped they wouldn't notice. He didn't want to be punished again but he realises it didn't really matter. For some reason, for the first time, the soldier wishes he had failed the mission instead.

#bucky #bucky barns x y/n #bucky barnes #bucky barnes angst #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes fluff #bucky x female reader #winter solider x reader #marvel #soulmate #soulmate au #soulmarks #oneshot #bucky barnes x y/n

[chenziee]

Chains meant to be broken

@lawluevents - Day 1: Soulmates/Loyalty @onepiece-bingo: Chains

Alternate summary: that one broken roof in Dressosa can fit so many fics...

I couldn't have possibly made this year's LawLu week fit into the It's the little things verse (repeated prompts and also too many canon scenes already covered there xD) so I had to ask myself, "How do I make this harder?" And then remembered my OP bingo card so here we are with day 1/square 1!

[ Read on AO3 | series ]

—————

To have a soulmate is a blessing, Law’s mother used to say. She always did so with a soft, knowing expression on her face while stroking Law’s arm, tracing his soulmark with gentle fingers.

Law used to believe her… but that romantic naivety soon burned away—leaving behind nothing but the growing white spots on his skin and a clock ticking, counting down the seconds of his remaining lifespan.

He didn’t believe anything after Flevance. He didn’t believe anything except destruction and he most certainly didn’t believe in some random person he had never met swooping in and making everything right just by the virtue of being his soulmate. That was something that happened only in fairy tales—stories of princes appearing before damsels in distress to save them, to give them a better life, fixing whatever fucked up mess there was in a matter of minutes with little effort. Law always thought it was stupid, even as a child; life never worked that way after all. No matter what kind of magic you used, shit would always happen. And in his life… 

Shit happened and then kept happening.

There was no magic.

There was no soulmate.

There was nothing left.

Nothing but Doflamingo and the hope to make Cora-san’s ambition come true.

By the age of 15, Law knew that even if he ever met his soulmate, it wouldn’t matter to him in the least. After all, what was a soulmate if not a chain meant to keep you from doing what you needed to do, to hold you in place and restrict your freedom.

Some days, Law had to laugh at the metaphor.

How ironic for his own soulmark to be a chain that covered his entire left arm, running from his wrist all the way to his shoulder like a snake trying to break him. Break him, just like the chain itself was broken—just like everything else in Law’s life.

That was how it was, and how it was supposed to be.

After all, everything Law did in his life after Minion Island was for one reason and one goal and he didn’t care how many things he broke along the way.

—————

Law was 26 years old and barely alive when he first realised what a broken chain stood for.

He had never bothered to think about it until that point; it didn’t matter to him—he thought it didn’t matter to him.

But then he found himself sitting on the roof of a half-broken house in what used to be the bustling heart of Dressrosa. His entire right arm was throbbing with white hot pain from where it had been severed and then sewn back on, the injury still fresh and bleeding and painful, but Law barely noticed it over the sounds of destruction around him—sounds of Doflamingo turning the entire town into strings, Straw Hat throwing his own, just as damaging punches right back at him, people screaming…

But all Law heard from it all, all he felt… was the chain around his heart creaking, its metallic links straining against each other as if Straw Hat himself had grabbed it and pulled, trying to rip the thing apart with bare hands.

And then…

Straw Hat tore down the Birdcage and with it, the chain finally broke as well.

And in that moment, Law understood.

“How stupid,” he muttered to himself, shaking his head. He wasn’t sure if he meant the metaphorical chain Doflamingo had on his heart, the soulmark on his arm—how long has it been since he had called the thing that?—or if he meant himself.

He supposed it didn’t matter right then.

“Room.” It took a great deal of willpower to force his ability to work but he refused to give up. He gritted his teeth, making the Room grow as big as he could make it. “Shambles.”

A split second later, Straw Hat appeared on the roof next to Law. He looked terrible, covered in dirt and sweat and so much blood, but there was a smile on his lips as he snored softly, already dead to the world.

Law huffed to himself; how careless of him to fall asleep the second he had defeated Doflamingo. Was he so certain his crew had taken care of every single person who would still be out to kill him? Did he think someone would catch him? Or did he honestly think would be okay just crashing to the ground, even being a rubber man, and then just staying there like that?

With a sigh, Law closed his eyes. He could feel the exhaustion pulling him under too… But he at least refused to sleep until he was sure it was safe.

“Torao?”

Law’s eyes snapped open as he startled at the weak call of his name. He blinked, turning to look at Straw Hat to meet his half-lidded eyes and lazy grin that only widened the longer Law looked at him.

“I knew you’d catch me. Thanks,” Straw Hat said in a voice so quiet it was barely audible.

“Don’t be stupid. You think I’m that loyal to you after meeting again yesterday?” Law retorted. He wasn’t even sure why he bothered to defend himself when all the evidence was so painfully obviously against him.

Straw Hat snickered at his words but didn’t argue. He only gazed up at Law, something so incredibly soft in his eyes that it almost hurt and Law wasn’t sure if he was brave enough to face it. 

But… considering who he was dealing with…

Law wasn’t sure if he would even have a fucking choice.

He barely knew Straw Hat but he already knew all too well how goddamned stubborn this man was.

“Our soulmarks finally make sense together, don’t they?”

Stubborn, perceptive, and completely fucking shameless.

Of course he had noticed. Of course he had figured it out way before Law did. And of fucking course he just had to toss it in Law’s face without any regard for the situation or their surroundings.

“Shut up, Straw Hat-ya. Go to sleep,” Law growled instead of acknowledging what Straw Hat had said.

Before Straw Hat could so much as giggle at Law’s admittedly pointless defiance, a shout came from somewhere close to them.

“LUCY!!” 

Law jumped, having almost forgotten about the two women who were on the roof with them. Clicking his tongue, Law turned away, not about to watch as the young kid in skimpy armour sobbed over Straw Hat, thanking him over and over and over again.

How annoying.

Did she have to move Straw Hat just put his head in her lap in the first place? He was injured for fuck’s sake. Just let him rest and have a doctor look him over and give him treatment…

Although, well… Law didn’t have any room to talk. He himself hadn’t done much in that department and he was the doctor here. But he was just so tired. It was okay to sleep now, right? It didn’t seem like anyone was coming after them anymore; if they were, he probably would have noticed their presence by now. It was fine. Probably. 

Hopefully. 

And if not, well—then they were fucked because Law couldn’t fight the pull any longer, exhaustion and blood loss working hand in hand to drag him under.

Law didn’t have the strength to fight it anymore—not the sleep and not the way the broken chain on his arm burned from having found its missing link. The link that broke it and set Law free.

Law was going to sleep now and then…

Then they could see where the ocean took them.

#one piece #lawlu #trafalgar law #trafalgar d water law #luffy #monkey d luffy #opfanfic #lawlu fanfic #lawluweek2023 #soulmate au #soulmate identifying marks #dressrosa #canonverse #getting together #katie pretends to fic #how many fics can i write on that roof? yes. #still deciding whether to keep that series btw #or if i'll make it all a multichapter #like it's not a multichapter #but i think they're more closely connected than it's the little things.. #100% just because of the soulmarks ahahaha #uhhhhh idk! #we'll see tomorrow i guess #chains of fate

[moreespressoformydepresso]

So to get to the soulmate identifying mark and the actual story/fix-it part of the my Treech x Gaius x Festus soulmate AU, it uhm… took me longer than expected to type this. I was a dumbass who decided it was bedtime and then completely forgot to keep working on this draft lmao. Whoopsies.

There are many soulmate identifiers that could work in this AU, but I tend to stick with marks because it gives Treech a good excuse to already be aware of the bond. It adds an extra layer of character that he’d know about it and actively choose not to share this information. Their mark has a floral pattern, symbolizing Festus and Gaius’s positive personality traits. The aspect of the mark that represents Treech is the fact that this floral pattern is actually a wood carving. The wood texture is easy to miss if you aren’t looking for it, but it’s there. It represents not only Treech’s passion for wood carving, but just his creative side in general. He's also not scared to speak his mind, and art is a form of self-expression. Treech is present in the core of the mark, under the surface but undeniably there. Kind of like their eventual dynamic, where Gaius and Festus have power but they’re so in love that Treech is the one calling the shots. Since Capitol elite is a whole lot of social climbing Treech is arguably the first person to ever show outright disdain for them, and even when he starts to like them he’s not afraid to speak his mind. And since he’s their soulmate, they actually care about his opinion.

Alright, with that ramble out of the way, lets get fixing:

So this AU starts on the first day, where Coryo brings Lucy Gray the rose and she mentions it reminds me of her soulmark (part of the mark is a guitar with a white rose motif). Then in the zoo she mentions playing the guitar and the gears start turning in Coryo’s head. After a brief stint of denial he realizes that Sejanus is also his soulmate and from the districts so really it’s not that impossible. One trip to the zoo later confirms that yes they’re a threesome. Coryo goes through his mental gymnastics of “well she’s Covey so it’s fine” until Sejanus smacks down his pitiful grasping at straws. After all, he considers himself district, so Coryo’s logic isn’t logicing very well. He brings it to Tigris, who helps him come to the correct conclusion that maybe the world isn’t black and white. Maybe judging people based on where they were born isn’t good, actually. And also Lucy Gray is gonna be sent into an arena to die soon so really regardless of whether she’s district or not the clock is fucking ticking so he better figure something out and get a move on. Which he does by talking to Gaul, who does not listen to a word he says hammers on about her stupid theory about humanity.

One talk with Sejanus helps Coryo realize that maybe Gaul’s world isn’t gospel and actually she’s kind of crazy? Sejanus, meanwhile, has the realization that his boyfriend isn’t exactly healthy minded and hasn’t been all that upfront with him about how close he is with Gaul. What nonsense she’s been feeding him and all that. So he starts digging, as he does, and over the course of this story he and Lucy Gray slowly help Coryo realize that Gaul is wrong and that while the loss of his parents is sad, the Capitol has done much worse than the districts ever did for far longer. Their treatment of the districts caused the rebellion, so if anyone’s to blame it’s the Capitol. But before they can bring systematic change they need to make sure Lucy Gray doesn’t die next week, and while Coryo is planning to stick with cheating his soulmates aren’t about that. The other tributes deserve to live as well, so hey why not shoot high and try to cancel the games entirely? But Gaul isn’t gonna stop and Highbottom has no say so what can they do?

Expose the bond. That’s what they can do. They get a news crew to the zoo and reveal their shared soulmarks on camera, live so no Capitol censorship can take it down. It causes quite the problem for Gaul, who tries to save her precious games and thus basically “disowns” Coryo as her apprentice. This is the final push that gets Coryo to choose being a good person. However, he has two soulmates that are considered district and the Snow family lost a lot of influence so Gaul is using that to argue that this bond doesn’t “count” as proof that the district people aren’t vile animals. This is where Treech and his bond comes in. Gaius and Festus have been pushed as a power couple for a long while so at some point Treech caught a glimpse of their soulmark and realized it’s his own. It’s in a pretty hidden spot (either on their sides or torsos) so he decides to keep this information to himself. Until he realizes the games may actually at least be postponed if he reveals it.

But he has no idea how to go about it until Gaul’s pushing causes the interviews to come around. It’s the day before the games and it’s not like there’s anything to lose so Treech decides it’s time for a hail mary pass. And on live TV, in front of a massive audience, he reveals the mark. Lucky asks him whether he knows his soulmate and whether they’re waiting for him, so Treech smiles and says he’s never talked to them but he knows who they are, and he’s not sure whether it’s a blessing or a curse. Then when asked what that means, he starts lifting/pulling aside his shirt to show the mark while saying:

“Well, one of them lives in luxury thanks to the pain that me and everyone I’ve ever known has been put through. The other one openly jokes about said pain and clearly thinks it’s funny. I’m not sure if I really want to get to know them.”

Cue gasps all around. Shocked whispers and murmurs floating through the air while Lucky tries to figure out how to salvage this situation before a whole brawl breaks out because guess what? Treech has just irrefutably debunked the only thing that kept the games from being cancelled. Lucy Gray’s bond wasn’t with true capitolites? Well Gaius and Festus have been pushed as the greatest example of a golden capitol bond and now this nobody from the lumber district turns out to be a part of it! There isn’t really any arguing against that. To rub further salt into the wound Treech continues.

“It’s okay, they probably wouldn’t want me anyways. Since they need me dead to win a cash prize and all that. As if they need more money when the shoes they’re wearing right now are already more expensive than my entire existence.” Treech smirks. “And if they do want me, then too bad. I don’t want anything to do with them.”

“Why not?”

“Well again, one of them is the son of the guy behind all of my suffering. The other one… he was mean to Panlo. How dare anyone be mean to Panlo?!”

That accidental display of humanity (dismissing someone entirely because “they were mean to my friend”) is the straw that breaks the camel’s back, and finally there’s enough proof for those opposed to the games to grow in numbers and start mass-protesting the day of the games. Some gather in front of the president’s mansion while the rest groups in front of the arena to prevent the games from starting. And it works. I have several snippets of what happens after this but I’ll write those out later. And I’ll write a short post with all the quotes I’ve thought up for this AU. Eventually. For fun.

#the ballad of songbirds and snakes #tbosas #the hunger games #10th hunger games #hunger games #treech tbosas #treech #tbosas treech #fix it au #thg treech #treech thg #festus creed #gaius breen #coriolanus snow #sejanus plinth #lucy gray baird #sejanus x lucy gray #coriolanus x lucy gray #coriolanus x sejanus #lucy gray x coriolanus #volumnia gaul #gaul gets reckt #as she deserves #soulmate au #treech is the bbic of his relationship #i need you to know this

[gardeniashellfire]

Lore Post #1

Lore post! I always wanted to do one of this, let's so!

Your soul is a flower, could be your favorite flower, and could do something with your personality, whatever, but your flower is linked with another person's flower, ergo, you guys are soulmates.

Your soulmark is the flower of your soulmate, it can appear on any part of your body, it's like a tattoo.

Solmates are also called soulflowers.

Multiple soulmates are called arrangement (when not completed) and bouquet (when completed.)

There is social stigma around bouquets due to people thinking it's "selfish".

People with no soulmates are called Soulless. They lack all type of feelings thanks to this.

People that developed their soulmark late in life, are called Late Bloomers.

Your mark appears at the age of 16 on your birthday when the clock strikes 12 (could be at night, could be in the after noon).

You have to make eye contact with your soulmate for your mark to glow. Once that happens, it would be surrounded by a golden rim.

If you touch your soulmate, but not make eye contact with them, your mark will adquiere a dim golden rim.

"Soulmate sickness" is a term used by people that just met their soulamte but in that same intant, they lost them, via a large crowed, a train leaving, so you start feeling unwell (stomachache, migrains, colds, etc.) It will last until you find your soulmate again and bond properly.

When your soulmate dies, the flower on your body will die, and you will feel the pain even if you haven't met them.

Welp! That was our first lore post, the later ones are gonna be more of a deep dive so yeah.

#ao3 fanfic #ao3 writer #fanfic #skz #stray kids #han jisung #bangchan #seo changbin #hwang hyunjin #lee felix #lee minho #kim seungmin #yang jeongin

[p-artsypants]

P-Artsypants Fanfic Masterlist

I’ll update this doc whenever I post a new story. As I was checking it over, I realized I was missing a few misc. oneshots. Should be up to date now! This list is always available on my blog (but not on mobile, of course 🙄) 

Find most, if not more, of these fics on:

fanfiction.net | archive of our own | wattpad

(~AU’s, *Finished, ❤️Author’s Favorites)

Miraculous Ladybug

One Shots

*❤️amalgam- When an young man is rejected for being ‘incompatible’ he turns into the akuma ‘Amalgam’ able to fuse two people together. And later Adrien and Marinette would debate if it was lucky or unlucky that they got hit. (Also Available in russian)

*sing we all noel- After receiving the worst Christmas present ever from his father, Chat Noir finds himself out on the streets with nowhere to go on Christmas Eve. Thankfully, Ladybug finds him and brings him home.

*speechless- In a world where everyone has a soulmark, the first words their soulmate will say to them, Marinette is born without one. But Adrien Agreste has two. Curious, considering he’s mute.

*❤️tunnels of love- The night started out with an accidental kiss from Adrien Agreste, and ended with her bleeding in the Catacombs of Paris. Ladybug, the wielder of the miraculous of good luck. Yeah right. (Some blood)

*the reveal that wasn’t- first parts My ending to kittybug’s Tumblr Prompt

*what a mess we’re in- Ladybug has a lot on her mind, and when Chat Noir bugs her enough, she tells him she’s going to confess to her Crush, Adrien Agreste. Chat’s reaction is not what she’s expecting.

*oblivi-oh no! - A retelling of Oblivio, except Ladybug is the only one to lose her memory. How will Chat deal?

*bad day (3 chapters) - Marinette was Ladybug! This was Adrien’s luckiest day ever! Except it wasn’t, because all his good luck was used up in one go. Turns out this might be the worst day of his life.

*one win, so many losses- Marinette was forced to break up with Adrien. It had been a low blow from Gabriel, to be sure. But she was Ladybug. She’d find a solution…right? An alternate ending to Chat Blanc, where Adrien doesn’t Cataclysm the akuma.

*❤️five minutes- Gabriel has had enough of all these girls fighting over Adrien. He decides it’s high time Adrien picks one, and arranges the perfect opportunity for him to do so. Each candidate has five minutes to present why they’d be a good girlfriend. Marinette decides to take this opportunity to shoot her shot.

~*panache- Every eligible maiden was invited to the Prince’s ball. That included Marinette, scullery maid in her own household. But her stepsisters destroyed her dress, and she can’t go to the ball in rags. Or can she? (Cinderella!AU)

*perfect, no matter what-In which Gabriel sets the bar even lower for himself, a reveal happens because of pain medication, and the new guardian actually goes to Chloé for advice.

*crushed- Stuck under a collapsed building together, Chat Noir and Marinette have a heart to heart.

*lovelace- Convinced that he’s unlovable, Adrien is quickly thrown for a loop when Marinette confesses her love for him out of the blue. An akumatization and reveal later, he changes his mind about being unlovable.

*a gift from mr. blanc- Marinette’s worst nightmares were of Chat Blanc. But that’s all they were: nightmares. Until one day where in the stone cold light of day, Chat Blanc walked into the classroom, with a gift in hand.“This will make you love me again, My Lady.”

*all the time in the world- In a world where the laws of nature dictate that you age to 16, and then stop aging until you meet your soulmate, the only truth to someone’s age is a clock on a person’s wrist. Adrien’s clock stopped when he turned 16...about a thousand years ago. But soon, that will change when his new guardian allows him to attend school.

Long Fics

*❤️Longest Night- (ff.net | ao3) - The day started out sucky to begin with. Her crush ousted to the class and Adrien. Lila taking pride in exacting her revenge. But by the time patrol was over, a young man was dead, and Ladybug’s identity was at risk. Lila was the least of her concerns. Good thing Adrien was taking it all like a champ. (Rated M for scenes of torture)

*❤️nine lives- (ff.net) When Adrien Agreste is scheduled to go to a Military School in Germany, Chat Noir must make a critical decision. Does he give up his Miraculous? Or does he give up his life as Adrien? I’ll save you the trouble of guessing, he gives up being Adrien.

*tender words- When Marinette finally gets the guts to confess her feelings for Adrien, some things go so wrong, and other things go so right.

*integrity- Overwhelmed with her responsibilities, guilt, and drama, Marinette has an emotional breakdown in front of everyone, and even hands over her earrings in a moment of weakness. Only for a few seconds, but the damage was done. Adrien’s pretty quick on the uptake like that.

~much obliged- Everyone deals with grief differently. Some take to drinking, others devote themselves to charity. Adrien Agreste? Well, he became a cowboy. Marinette Dupain-Cheng is a witch, one of very few in the world. She knows what it’s like to be doubted, and assumed delusional. Maybe that’s why they got along so well. Or maybe it’s just because they both like big hats. AU where everything is the same, except instead of superheroes, Adrien is a Cowboy and Marinette is a witch. (Unfinished) (Based on a AU by @bugaboo-n-bananoir)

*i’ll handle this- “I’ll solve all your problems,” Plagg had said. “You just have to agree to it.” A fixed relationship with his father, Lila to stop bothering him, and Ladybug to fall in love with him? Who wouldn’t agree to that? Except Plagg was the God of Destruction and Chaos and had a more…hands-on approach. Adrien just wants his body back. (Body swap fic)

the ghost of smokey joe- Adrien Agreste was acting bizarre. Stilted body language, plastic smile, and he seemed to have forgotten how close they were. Before she can get the truth out of him, Marinette finds herself as the sole heir to the Gabriel brand and the mansion, following the murder-suicide of both Adrien and Gabriel Agreste. The mystery continues as Tikki explains that Adrien was Chat Noir…but if Adrien is six feet under, why is Chat Noir still running around?

How To Train Your Dragon

One Shots

The Vikings Have Their Tea (ff.net | ao3)

arranged marriage- Takes place at the beginning of HTTYD

❤️breathe- Survival of the fittest

~childhood friends- At the Sandbox

❤️easy fix- In which Hiccup has a bad day

~fashion designer- Astrid needs a fill in

❤️frozen- In Which Astrid takes a Dip and things get frisky (Rated M)

❤️headache- In Which Hiccup hits his head….really hard

❤️heir- In Which Hiccup is Picked (longer version by fatecharms)

illness- In Which Stoick is a dad

~illusionist- Trick gone wrong

~in the walls- In which there’s a poop ghost

~knocking on the wrong door (2) - A chance encounter

❤️messages- Astrid is Frustrated with Hiccup’s obliviousness

~to mirkwood- Hiccup is not a dwarf

~monster falls- Hiccup and Astrid take a dip

❤️mute- In which there’s a quiet stranger

~music video (ImgHS)- He didn’t expect it

❤️operation: lovebirds- In Which the gang makes a plan, and Hiccup gets Drunk

~over- Too many nightmares

~partners in crime- A normal day at work

~pirate- Astrid is the greatest treasure

~prince- He doesn’t want to be a broken King

❤️sorting things out- In Which Astrid gets her ducks in a row

~the dragon and the dame- Beauty and the Beast Au

the pit- In Which Hiccup is rescued

hide and seek- Part 1

lost and found- Part 2

Long fics:

*❤️infernal responsibility- Being the son of the chief takes brains, courage, and a lot of patience. But at his father’s the request for marriage, Hiccup decides he has had enough. When he seeks out a life of ease, he runs into more than what he bargained for.

*❤️roses and lilies- “Astrid, you and I both know you’re much tougher than I am. You’re more brave, and a better fighter…but just for a little while…could we pretend that I’m the one protecting you?” “Oh gods yes!” (Also Available in spanish!)

*~what the water gave me- The sea is a wild and dangerous thing, something that cannot be foretold or predicted. Hiccup discovered this many years ago, in human naiveté. Yet, what was meant as a sacrifice became a new life, one like no one could comprehend. He now finds himself once more in the unknowing hands of those that sentenced him to death. He only prays things will be different this time. Merman!AU

*parasite- Soulsnatcher Dragons are rare but deadly. But, As Hiccup finds out, it’s the eggs you have to watch out for.

*~320 state street- Gobber’s Goods. A Hardware Store that was rumored to have everything you needed. She thought she only needed a job. Turns out, she needed a lot more than that. (A Modern AU no one asked for)

*~❤️the north tower- When Finn Hofferson died, Astrid inherited his castle in Wales…and a whole lot more. Something sinister lurks in the North Tower.

*~❤️boy toy- ao3 - At the age of 21, Princess Astrid lawfully has to pick a husband. But when the perfect groom is nowhere to be found, she requests the toymaker to create one for her. It’s safe to say that everyone in the kingdom is a little concerned. (Pinocchio!AU I guess?)

no, you go first- ao3 - The Chief of Berk was a headstrong viking, stubborn and full of pride, and willing to do whatever it takes to keep his village safe. But for a moment, he puts that aside, and listens to his son. In which Hiccup convinces his dad not to make him go through Dragon Training, and the subsequent changes that follow.

*in due time- ao3 - As another illness sweeps through Berk, Gothi needs another ingredient for her medicine…one that doesn’t exist anymore. Fortunately, she kept that old spell book around for such an occasion. Big Hiccup is sent to five years into the past, and his younger self sent to take his place in the future. But it’s only a few days, what could go wrong?

Kingdom Hearts

~❤️Rage Awakened ao3 | ff.net- Ten years ago, Terra, Aqua, and Ventus lost their fellow apprentice, Sora, in Deep Jungle. Now, they are to return with two new students, Riku and Kairi, to lock the heart of the world. All the while, something watches from the trees. Feral!Sora AU

My Kingdom for a Heart ao3 | ff.net - The curse of being one of the Princesses of heart, is that there’s always someone out to get you. As Xemnas looked failure in the face, he reached out in a last ditch effort and destroyed Kairi’s heart. Now her friends must travel the worlds again. Sora, to find a way to recover Kairi’s heart, and Riku, to make amends to those he has wronged. All the while, the darkness grows. [Unfinished, on permanent hiatus]

Trollhunters: Tales from Arcadia

❤️arcadia or bust- In Which Arcadia welcomes back it’s underground citizens.

Teen Titans

Oneshots:

~big brother- Don’t turn out the light (Horror)

dear jason- Bruce Writes a letter

just drawing- Bruce thinks about Robin

the prisoner- Starfire is Guilty

of mustard and three foot purple tongues- A collection of Oneshots and Drabbles

Long Fics (*Finished):

*~❤️carol of the bells- High in the dark Bell Tower of Notre Dame, there lives a mysterious bell ringer. Legend tells of the angel who fell from the sky, and the curse she bares. There are few who know her true identity though; her master, the priest, and the acrobat that performs on the streets below. Based loosely on ‘The Hunchback of Notre Dame’ RobxStar and slight BBxRae

*no escape- Three years ago, Starfire escaped an Alien race called the Gordanians, to arrive on Earth. They’re back, and ready to put Starfire back where she belongs, behind reinforced Titanium bars. Robin’s not about to let her go…if only he hadn’t got captured first. How does it feel to be the alien, Robin?

*now you know my pain- When the new Villain, Gender Bender, comes to down, the Titans find themselves in an odd situation. They’ve been turned into the opposite gender against their will! Now in order to change back, they must learn to understand the gender they’ve turned into. Rated T for obvious reasons. A great read if you’ve ever wondered why girls or guys do [blank].

*paint it black- Robin disappeared three months ago. Now, Jump City’s crime rate is mysteriously being taken care of by a normal, albeit strange, teenage boy who goes by the name Black. As the Titans befriend this lunatic, they begin to see a relation between him and their missing leader. Will they be able to find Robin, or will Black turn them all insane as himself? Actually, contains NO OC.

*saving grace- “When I’m done with you, you won’t be able to walk upright or speak coherent sentences and all you’ll see is my mask and my voice repeating in your head…Weak. Richard Grayson, I am not tough, I am everything that you fear.” Happy Ending! Smudge of RobStar. NO Slash!

Other Fandoms

Final Fantasy XV

❤️requiem for pitioss-“O King. The god’s have heard your cries. Know that we weep with you. The Oracle’s calling has not yet been fulfilled. But…Lunafreya as you know her cannot return the way she was.” Noctis looked up, hopeful. “But she can return!” Canon divergence from Chapter 9. Happy ending. Some spoilers.

*the dame and the daemon- The daemon had yet to attack, only turn her around in its claws. Luna panted as her heart hammered in her chest. It was studying her, curiosity in its haunting blue eyes. "...not like others..." it said with a familiar voice. "...Noctis?" Scourge AU Two Shot

*aftermath- It was the will of the Astrals that the line of Lucis continue. So Noctis wakes up with a sword in his chest. That's just the first in a series of roadblocks keeping him from his happy ending. One-shot

Final Fantasy X

i do…i guess? - “I would…like to ask you something.” “Shoot.” “Well…if it’s not too much…I’d like to ask you…to marry me.” Knowing what’s to come during her pilgrimage, Yuna asks Tidus to marry her, strictly for convenience and having an official next of kin, of course. Starts after Luca and how this decision would affect the rest of the story.

Beauty and the Beast

*❤️behold the beast- A Oneshot alternate ending to the Animated Film

Cinderella

*❤️midnight- “When the clock strikes twelve, the spell will be broken,” the fairy godmother had warned. A retelling of the story, when Cinderella doesn’t escape the ball in time. Oneshot

*so this is love- What if Jaq and Gus hadn’t made it in time to help Cinderella? A new twist on the ending of the classic Fairytale, and what lies beyond the story. She still gets her happy ending and her Prince, and her step family gets their just deserts.

Sleeping Beauty

*❤️a love song back to me- Maleficent saw the loophole that stared her in the face. Prince Phillip would break the curse in time, for sure. After all, he was betrothed to Aurora. So in an effort for her evil plan to stay in action, Maleficent takes care of the young prince herself. Phillip never imagined having to live off the land like the birds above. Alternate twist on the classic Disney tale.

Escaflowne

down feathers- Hitomi’s depressed. She’s been away from Van too long, he comes back to visit her…but what if something went wrong with the transfer? (Not finished. Never will be finished. Mwahaha) Circa 2012

*angel’s wounds- Fanelia’s been victorious in their most recent battle with Basrum. Unfortunately, someone is wounded and just seeks solace in his love that lives so far away. Post Anime.

momma look sharp- With the war between Fanelia and Basrum finally coming to a close, the kingdom is celebrating. The young king, however, is suffering from an experience unlike any he had before. Van finally seeks solace in his wife.

#fanfiction #fanfic #miraculous ladybug #Teen Titans #httyd #how to train your dragon #Final Fantasy #Final Fantasy X #final fantasy xv #sleeping beauty #cinderella #tales of arcadia #trollhunters #escaflowne #kingdom hearts

[frostbitebakery]

soulmark

art for @chicklette‘s and my The Dark Rift project

#stucky #bucky barnes #steve rogers #stevebucky #fan art #my art #lemony #finally posting this after many a year #the clocks on their person are their soulmarks #magical tattoo #of sort #that stops ticking when they meet their soulmate

[cupidcreates]

MHA SMAU Masterlist

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All of my work is intended for an 18+ audience / Minors DNI / All work properly tagged / Parings listed / All characters are depicted as adults (18+) / Mind the tags - sexual and horror themes present

✨Links Under the Cut✨

🎀Completed Works🎀

🌸Love You Equally

Reader/Hawks/Dabi/Shinsou/Tamaki/Bakugou

Summary:  Y/N is a soon-to-be college student attending UA University along with several of her classmates. She knows that soulmate bonds are formed sometime during the year of the youngest soulmate’s 18th birthday but she plans to not worry about it and focus on school. However; her plans get rocked when she finally gets her soulmarks and has not one, not two, but five separate partner marks denoting her significant others. How is she supposed to balance a six person relationship with their University course work?

College AU, Modern AU, Soulmate AU, Polyam - No Single Routes, Quirkless AU, NS.FW Sm.ut Tag, Violence Warning, She-Her Reader, Race-Ambiguous Reader, Multiple Partners, Suggestive Themes

40 Chapters

✨Overworked and Underpaid

Reader/Midoriya/Bakugou/Todoroki

Summary:  You could never tell what was on your boss’s mind; sure he was a super nice guy and paid very well but the inner machinations of his mind were an enigma, truly. So when he suggested you train three of the new employees over text you couldn’t really be surprised. As long as you was allowed to have your phone on the clock you wouldn’t complain, even if you now have three new unwanted contacts.  

No Quirk AU, Modern AU/ She-Her Reader, Race-Ambiguous Reader, Multiple Partners, Suggestive Themes, Sexual Themes

28 Chapters

🎀In Progress Works🎀

X

🎀Upcoming Works🎀

X

✨💖🌸Perma-Tags @🌸💖✨

@smileybokuto @furfoxsake22 @iambashfulperson @sailorcorgis @barnesparkers @fucktheworlddude @andrastesbeard @chaosatmidnight @thepuckishrogue @black-rose-29 @loveinhaikyuu @katsumi-sumi @rvgrsbrns @andrastesbeard  @kara062284-blog​   @ofinkandpaper​  @askingdaniella-blog​​ @sunnywonki

#mha masterlist #bnha masterlist #cupidcreates #cupid masterlist #mha smau #bnha smau #smau mha #smau bnha #smau masterlist

[mutants-and-soldiers]

Sweet Delay

summary || You had long since given up finding your soulmate. The scars where your mark should be made plenty sure of that. It isn’t until Bucky comes along with his metal arm and missing soulmark that you find a little bit of hope.

pairing || tfaws!bucky x Reader

word count || ~4600

warnings || Light angst, soulmate AU, quick burn, fluff, hurt/comfort, smut, oral (f recieving), unprotected sex (TW: Scars) — 18+ ONLY//MINORS DNI

“And then we just...locked eyes and our marks just...changed!” your coworker states, showing off the beautiful designs on her wrist that were now a bright golden color. Just yesterday, it had been a few drab, straight grey lines on her wrist. Now the lines had curled and swirled around each other until they made a delicate, feminine pattern.

“Oh my god how romantic!” the other teacher at the table gushes, touching the mark with her fingers. “Is he cute? Do you have a picture?”

You try to smile and be happy but...it’s all fake. It made you insanely jealous to hear your two best friends go on and on about their soulmates. You look down at your own mark and grimace at the scars. It was the straight lines like Merediths had been but instead of being grey...they were scarred flesh.

They had been that way since you were born. The doctors couldn’t really figure out what it meant because there were no recorded instances of a baby being born with dead-lines. Scars usually meant your soulmate was dead. It meant you would never meet your soulmate and that the best you could hope for were the lines lighting back up with a new soulmate (this only happened 1% of the time with dead-lines) or falling in love with another person whose soulmate had already died.

At your age, there was very little chance that you would end up with someone who already had dead-lines. You were in your 6th year of teaching music at this elementary school in Louisiana. There weren’t any teachers or people you were close to with dead-lines. They were either with their soulmates or waiting for them, which meant you were good for nothing other than a quick fuck.

“I’ve got to go,” you smile at your friends.

You quickly leave, unable to truly be happy for them while they talk about their soulmates. There were enough problems in the world after the new Captain America’s naming and the fact that he lived in this small little town to worry about. The kids were ramped up because of it and were hard to deal with sometimes.

Distracted, you turned a corner without thinking and bumped right into a brick wall of a man. “Butter biscuits!” you mutter, stepping back to catch yourself before you could fall.

“Butter biscuits?” a smooth voice laughed, making you look up.

He was handsome, and slightly familiar, with his masculine face, hint of five o’ clock shadow and piercing slate blue eyes. You feel your chest tighten at the little sideways grin he has on his face. “Uh…” you say unintelligently. “Can’t cuss...it’s a school.”

He gives a little laugh, “I guess you’re right. Sorry about runnin’ into you.”

“No, no, I ran into you!” you laugh, tucking a piece of hair behind your ear. “Do you know where you’re headed? I can help you find where you’re going.”

The man looked around at the multiple hallways and shrugged. “I’m not too big of a man to admit I’m lost,” he smirked playfully, earning a chuckle from you. “I’m Bucky.”

You give him your name as you shake his hand. He’s wearing gloves, which is odd considering how hot it was outside, but to each their own. You knew kids who refused to take their oversized hoodies off because the fabric made them feel comfortable. Everyone had something they wanted to hide about their bodies, including this beautiful man.

“I’m headed for the cafeteria. I promised someone I’d eat lunch with them today,” he explained, following you when you turned around.

“Oh, that’s nice of you! Which student?” you ask, as you reach out to open the cafeteria door for him. He quickly grabs it from you so that you can walk into the loud room first.

He was about to answer when someone screamed from across the cafeteria, “Uncle Buck!”

He gave a dramatic ‘oof’ when the young man plowed right into him for a huge hug. “Hey, AJ, told you I’d be here,” the man smiled, patting the kid on the back gently.

AJ said your name excitedly, “This is my Uncle Buck! He’s a superhero!”

You looked over at the man with a smile, “Oh yeah? He didn’t tell me that, AJ.”

“Oh yeah, he fought the Flag Smashers with my Uncle Sam!” AJ went on, taking both your hand and Bucky’s hand to drag you to the table where his friends made room. “Uncle Buck, this is my music teacher.”

“Music teacher, huh?” the man said, looking over AJ’s head. “Sorry to lump you into lunch with the kiddos.”

You were going to answer when AJ started bouncing up and down. “Come on, Uncle Buck, show them the arm!” he shouted, catching everyone’s attention around the table. It was obvious that everyone knew what his arm looked like even if you didn’t.

“Now, now, guys,” you placate the children gently. “If Mr. Bucky doesn’t want to show off his arm he doesn’t have to. That is his choice to make, remember? We ask nicely but people are allowed to say no.”

The group groaned loudly at your usual teacher talk. “Uncle Buck, will you please show them your arm?” AJ adapted with those big brown puppy dog eyes. You cringed a little, knowing how hard it was to say no to that cute little face. You looked at Bucky, startled when he was looking at you with his intense eyes.

“Sure, okay, alright,” Bucky laughed, getting a round of excited screaming and cheering from the group. He first took off the black leather glove on his left hand. Your eyes widened when you realized his hand was completely metal. He then shucked off the jacket and you realized it went all the way up under the black t-shirt’s sleeve. “There? Happy?”

The kids gawked at the arm, asking if they could touch it but you were focused on the metal wrist for a different reason. Your fingers instinctively touched your left wrist where the scars were. He didn’t have his soulmate mark either. He wasn’t wearing a ring or any indicator that he had a partner but that didn’t mean anything. Someone that handsome surely had a partner, right?

He caught you staring at his arm and glanced at where you were touching the marks on your wrist. Sadness and sympathy passed through those beautiful eyes but he didn’t say anything. You were grateful for the small kindness.

Checking the time, you realized you were almost late for your next class. “I’ve got to get ready for my next class,” you said with a smile. Some of the kids groaned which made you laugh. “You’ll see me when you have music class next. Nice to meet you, Bucky.”

You had almost made it to the door when you heard the man say, “Wait!”

Turning around, you found the man standing in front of you with a little bit of apprehension on his face. “I just...you doing anything tonight? It’s Friday and the Wilsons were going to have a barbeque. I...would you like to come? I get it if it’s weird being around your students after hours but-”

“I’d love to,” you say, surprising even yourself. Maybe it was the fact that he didn’t have a soulmate mark or perhaps it was because it meant he didn’t have a partner. Either way, you felt compelled to say yes. “Here.” You quickly pulled out a pad of sticky notes and pen from your pocket.

“Do you...keep those on you at all times?” he laughed, accepting the sticky note with your phone number on it.

You give him a look, “I’m a teacher...of course I do!”

You both laugh for a few seconds before AJ is calling after Bucky again. “I’ve got to get back but...I’ll text you the details, yeah?”

“Sounds great,” you smile, feeling the warmth in your chest.

It was right after school that you got the text message that you had been thinking about all day. It made you jump nearly out of your skin. You fumbled with the phone as you tried to pick it up from your desk, dropping it a few times before finally tapping the screen.

Hey, it’s Bucky. The BBQ is starting at 4pm at the Wilson house. Know where that is?

You quickly type back a reply. Yeah, I know where it is. I’m excited about it. Thanks for inviting me!

You grab your things while waiting for a response, walking the few blocks to get to your house. You counted yourself as lucky that your mother had left you your house long before the blip. So many people had bought houses afterwards and then when all of those people came back...it was just chaos.

I’m excited too. Sam’s over the moon. Sorry if he’s weird.

You laughed at the text message, tossing the phone to the bed so you could get dressed. It was a fight with yourself to stay casual. It felt like a date, though you had no right to think that, truthfully. You grabbed your favorite pair of jeans and a simple, white blouse with long, flowy sleeves and cold-shoulder holes before looking at yourself in the mirror.

You were on the fence about grabbing a pair of heels but decided on your light blue canvas shoes instead. It was most likely going to be outside. You wanted to keep things simple. Overall, you felt pretty good about yourself as you grabbed your keys and bag.

The Wilson house wasn’t too far from yours so you walked. It was a nice day, if not a little hot. School was about over so it was quite muggy. You were glad for the choice to wear lighter clothing because even just the short walk had you sweating.

You walked up the driveway that was lined with trees and could hear the commotion before you even saw the house. The only people you could see were the family and Bucky; you smiled when you saw Bucky picking up the older boy, Cass, playfully holding him into the air above his head. The muscles in his real arm flexed all the way up to his neck and even from where you were standing it was impressive.

AJ yelled your name, running across the distance to give you a tight hug. “You came!” he said happily, bouncing up and down. Once Cass was put down, he came over too.

“Cass, look at how big you’ve gotten!” you say, hugging the taller boy tightly. “How’s middle school?”

“It’s good,” he smiled, pushing his glasses up his nose. “Playing trombone in the band.”

“Are you?! That’s fantastic!” you gush, looking up when Bucky walks over. He looked good in his faded jeans that had a few holes in them and his dark red henley. His metal arm wasn’t covered this time and you enjoyed the black and gold pattern. “You need to tell me when your concert is and I’ll come listen!”

Cass’ eyes lit up. “Really?! Mom!” he yelled, running over to his mother who was standing with Sam near the grill. AJ ran after him, caught up in all the excitement.

It left you alone with Bucky, who, for all his masculinity and big muscles, seemed a little unsure. “I’m glad you came on such short notice,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

You smile up at him, gesturing so that the two of you could walk towards the group. “I’m glad you invited me. I haven’t seen Cass since he started middle school,” you say easily, noticing the man was freshly shaven. “Sam, Sarah, it’s so nice to see you again!”

Sarah wraps her arms around your neck, embracing you like you were family. “It’s so good to see you too! I wanted to personally thank you for all of the noise that’s been happenin’ in my house!” she teased, looking pointedly at Cass.

You laugh brightly, “It gets better, I promise!”

“I’ll take your word for it,” Sam butts in, giving you a side hug with a mischievous look on his handsome face. “AJ can’t stop talking about that rap you did the other week.”

There is a distinct warming of your cheeks when Bucky levels you with a look that is equal parts impressed and curious. “Rap?” he asked, accepting a beer from Sarah.

“Yeah, it was great!” AJ cuts in, waving his arms around while chanting, “There’s a Wocket in my Pocket, There’s a Wocket in my Pocket!”

“It was a Dr. Seuss rap,” you admit, lips thinning with a bit of embarrassment. “And, trust me, the kids did way better than I did once they learned it!”

“Well, I’d love to hear that but do you want a drink first? We’ve got seltzers, ciders and beer,” Bucky offered, showing you his beer.

“I’ll take a cider,” you smile thankfully, watching him walk off. It left you with Sam and Sarah who seemed far too eager to have you there. “Congratulations on your new title, Sam. It’s all the kids can talk about at school.”

Sam seemed a little sheepish but smiled. “Thanks, still gettin’ used to all the attention,” he admitted softly. “I’m kind of shocked Bucky invited you, truthfully.”

You could tell a subject change when you saw one so you let it go. “Me too,” you whisper, rubbing the back of your neck.

You know the looks that they’re both giving you too well. It was a mixture of sympathy and sadness. They knew what your marks looked like and they probably assumed your soulmate had died a long time ago. There weren’t many people who knew the truth because that made them pity you and you hated pity.

Thankfully, Bucky rescued you by walking over to hand you a bottle. “It’s a seasonal cider that I really like,” he explained, either completely obvious to the atmosphere or ignoring it on purpose. “It’s got some peaches in it.”

“Oh that sounds amazing,” you say while taking a swig. The fruitiness burst across your tastebuds with the slight hint of crisp peach. “That’s good!”

You were expecting more people to show up but it became very evident that this was just a family party. It made you feel just a tiny bit awkward as you sat down at the picnic table at the edge of the sandy beach. AJ and Cass tried to frame you but Sam was quick to send the older of the two into one of the foldable chairs at the end so Bucky could take the spot.

You had to admit that it had been a long time since you had been invited to something like this. Both of your parents were dead and your siblings were all scattered across the states and you hated most of your extended family so you never got to do things like BBQ’s. It was nice and casual. Sam and Bucky’s banter made you giggle while Sarah’s expressions and the kids’ jokes had you rolling.

It wasn’t until the sun started to go down that you realized how late it was. “I had better head home,” you say, downing the rest of your drink quickly. It was your third cider in a few hours so you were pleasantly buzzed but not so much you couldn’t walk home.

“Let me walk you,” Bucky said immediately.

You said your good-byes before heading down the beach with Bucky. “We can walk most of the way on the beach and then we can cut through some backyards to my house,” you explained, mostly to fill the silent air with talk. You didn’t want him to think you were trying to be romantic or anything.

“Mind if I take off my shoes?” he asked, waiting for you to shake your head before taking the shoes and socks off. You followed suit, happy to hold the shoes dangling from your fingers. “Nothing beats having your toes in the sand.”

The laugh you let out was probably the most genuine you ever had. “That’s why I decided to stay here,” you explain, brushing some hair out of your face when the wind picked up. It brushed your eyelashes with saltwater. “I do miss the mountains but I love the sea.”

The two of you casually walk down the beach in comfortable silence. “Can I ask you a question?” he finally said, looking at you.

“Only if I get to ask a question afterwards,” you smile, knowing what was coming.

He nods, gesturing at your left arm. “What happened?”

You subconsciously touch your wrist where the welted scars were, deciding if you wanted to make up a story or tell him the truth. It took a moment before you just gave a deep sigh. “I was born with the scars,” you finally admit quietly, holding your wrist up to look at the straight lines. “None of the doctors seem to know why it was like that or what to do about it. I’ve just...always lived knowing my soulmate is dead.”

He gets a weird look on his face, stopping in his tracks. You stop too just a few steps away. “I-” he starts but stops, looking out at the ocean. “I assume you know about me?”

You nod, unsure of why he had reacted so oddly. “You were the original Captain America’s best friend in the war,” you say slowly, watching him touch his metal wrist like his soulmark was still there. “Are you okay?”

Reaching out, he takes your hand to flip it over. You almost pull away but the look in his eyes is one of reverence and awe. He runs a finger across your scars, glancing up. “Yeah, I just...I didn’t believe Sarah when she told me about your scars,” he breathed out. “I thought I was the only one.”

A shock of realization rushes down your spine, prickling your skin to goosebumps. “What do you mean?”

“I was born with marks that were scars too,” he finally said the words that made the air leave your lungs. “I can’t show you because-” he gestures vaguely with his metal arm. “But when Sarah said you refused to talk about your marks...I just...knew.”

You feel hope and happiness rush through your body. “Oh my god,” you whispered, feeling the world suddenly light up even though the beach was dark. Everything focused on the man standing in front of you until you could hardly breathe. “You’re serious.”

“Dead serious,” he nodded, looking so genuine and happy that it hurt. “I can’t prove it to you so I understand if you don’t trust me but…”

You don’t give him anymore time to talk as you slot your mouth against his. He doesn’t hesitate to wrap you up in his arms, holding you like you might disappear if he lets go. So many overwhelming emotions crashed inside your mind until you couldn’t see past the tears in the corners of your eyes.

He pulls away only to stare down at you in awe. “You’re house?”

“It’s not far,” you whisper, dragging him by the metal wrist through a few backyards until you get to your backdoor. Your hands are shaking enough to jingle the keys. His lips were on the column of your neck, kissing and nipping lightly. Your skin was tingling with anticipation as you finally got the door unlocked.

The two of you stumble into the kitchen, his lips on yours again when you turn around. You wrap your arms around his neck all the while kicking the door closed. His hands were under your legs, hefting you up onto the kitchen table. “Bedroom’s right there,” you say breathlessly as he is pulling your shirt up and over your head.

“Too far,” he rumbles darkly, going back to kiss your neck. “I’ve waited too long for you already.”

The words cause you to become unbearably wet as he unhooked the back of your bra and tossed it to the side. He presses his broad form between your legs; you had to spread scandalously wide to get him to fit. His mouth was all over the place, your collar, your neck, your lips...he just couldn’t seem to kiss you enough.

“Pants?” he asked, hands halting on your hips.

“Pants,” you agree with a moan, shucking the jeans and underwear in one go so he could put you back on the table. You’re a little shocked when he goes to his knees between your legs. “B-Bucky-”

The word turns into a long, drawn out moan when his tongue sweeps broadly through your folds, ending at your clit. “Lie back, doll, get comfortable because I’m not fucking you until you’re begging,” he drawls out in his low rumble of a voice. You were about to protest when his tongue made circles across your clit; it effectively shut you up when the electric shock of pleasure rushes through you. “I’ve gotta make up for lost time.”

You felt yourself reel from the sudden onslaught of pleasure. It wasn’t like you hadn’t done this before, though, truthfully, never on a kitchen table, but there was just something about the man. Maybe people were right and sex with your soulmate was better?

Thinking about things wasn’t going so well so you just stopped and enjoyed the way he alternated between fingers and tongue. “You taste better than I could have ever imagined,” the man groaned, looking at you like a piece of artwork. “You close?”

“I-I kind of need fingers to orgasm,” you whisper, feeling a little embarrassed.

Bucky didn’t seem to mind. “Which hand would you prefer?” he asked slyly.

You felt your face grow a little warm when you realized exactly which one you wanted. “Would you judge me if I said the metal one?”

The little smirk grew a little wider. “Not at all, doll, whatever you want.”

A cool metal finger runs up your folds, taking up some slick before pressing into your entrance. You feel a little dirty when a desperate whine escapes your lips. He doesn’t stop, slipping another finger once you were nice and worked open with the first. His lips wrap around your clit, licking and suckling the bud until you could feel the orgasm coming.

“I-I’m so close,” you whimper, digging your hands into his hair to keep him close. “Fuck, don’t stop!”

You feel the stretch of a third finger and come undone.

“Fuck, doll,” he moans, pulling back when you gush. You were a little embarrassed for not warning him but you get a look at his face and realize he wasn’t upset or disgusted. “I want to see you do that again.”

He dove back in without any warning. You were spasming by the time he had wrung another three orgasms out of your sensitive pussy. There was definitely a mess to clean up but you could worry about that tomorrow.

“B-Bucky, please!” you whimpered as he stood up, slipping between your legs.

“Don’t worry, I’ve got what you need,” he smirked, leaning down to press his arms on the table above your shoulders. It was overwhelming, being completely and totally enveloped by his masculine scent.

You felt the blunt tip of his erection pressing against your folds and bit down on your lower lip. He watched your face closely as he pushed forward into your warmth. His face took on a look of abject pleasure that matched your own.

Clawing at his back, you wrapped your legs around his waist to keep him as close as possible. Everything about the way he felt, his length and girth and just the way his body felt pressed against yours was perfection. It was probably the thought of him possibly being your soulmate, which wasn’t even confirmed, but at least you had a chance with him.

Once he bottomed out, he paused for a few seconds. “You good?” he asked, gently kissing your lips.

“Yeah,” you whispered, feeling stretched to the limit around his cock. It was almost to the point where three fingers weren’t enough to prepare you. “Move.”

When he did, you immediately felt yourself tip over the edge again. He was so deep that he dragged across your g-spot perfectly. It was like an ongoing orgasm as he thrust into your body, his hands touching every inch of skin he could get to. His fingers pinched at your nipples, causing you to arch your back and whine.

“H-Harder,” you whisper, watching him look at you. He tentatively applies a little more pressure to your nipples, smirking when you shudder at the contact. “Y-Yeah, like that.”

“That’s right, doll, keep tellin’ me what you like,” he encouraged, not at all discouraged from fucking into you voraciously. It was probably the first time a man had actually encouraged your verbalizations of your needs. There had been a time when a man had walked out of your bedroom because he got butt-hurt by your suggestions.

“Fuck!” you yelp when his teeth bite down on one of your nipples. It sent a flash of pain that immediately turned to pleasure through your body. He lathed the sore bud with his tongue and suckled on it gently.

“Not gonna last, doll,” he gritted out of clenched teeth. He placed his hands on your hips and started a bruising pace that had the table creaking ominously. “Want me to pull out?”

“No!” you gasp, reaching out to wrap your arms around his neck. “Cum inside me, please.”

He groans, letting you sit up to hug him tightly while he pistoned into your pussy. “Oh fuck,” he whispered, seating himself fully inside of you. You clung to him desperately, feeling his cock throb as he came. “Come on.”

He picked you up off of the table and headed down the hallway. “First door on the left,” you mumble into his shoulder. He only pulled out once he had stepped into the room and set you down to your feet. “I’m going to...you know…”

You gesture vaguely before disappearing into the bathroom. It was hard to get through all of your feelings by the time you stepped back into the room with your robe wrapped around your body. He was sitting on the edge of your bed looking a little lost and confused.

There is a moment of silence before you smile. “You can stay the night if you want,” you offer, watching the man’s eyes clear a little.

He rubs the back of his neck before laughing. “I’m sure that would make Sam and Sarah very happy if I had to do the, what’s it called?, walk of shame.”

You laugh with him, feeling like this was moving a little fast. “I’m...I’m sorry if I went a little fast,” you voice softly. “I just...I always thought I was the only one.”

“Me too!” he said quickly. He stood up and walked over to run his hands down your arms. “I can’t prove to you that I’m your soulmate but I’d like to try proving I’m a good enough man for you...if you’ll have me.”

His words made your heart ache and throb all at the same time. There was such a genuine and slightly desperate sound to them. It was like he was trying to convince himself that he was worthy of you.

“If you take me on a date tomorrow,” you smile, wrapping your arms around his waist. “I’d like to get to know you a bit more than your tongue and dick.”

The laugh he let out was real and full. “Deal, though, I don’t think I know your pussy well enough,” he teased, pulling you back until you were straddling his lap. “Let’s remedy that.”

Taglist: @ladydmalfoy

Please reblog, comment and like if you enjoyed it! If you'd like to be added to my taglist then please just send me a message!

#bucky barnes x y/n #bucky barnes x reader #bucky barnes x you #bucky barnes x female reader #soulmate #soulmark #TW: Scars #smut #one shot #hurt/comfort #tfaws

[phoenixyfriend]

SW Masterlist - Meme Fills

Main Masterlist

Tumblr has a Maximum number of links you can have on one post... and I hit that limit. Multiple times.

This post is organized into:

Disaster Lineage, Prequels Era (Gen)

Rexwalker

Other Anakin Ships

Ahsoka Ships

Jango-Obi-Satine ships

Other Obi-Wan ships

Clones

Quinlan

Other Jedi

Other Prequels/TCW characters

Original/Sequel Characters

Rebels/Imperial Era

Misc.

Crossovers

Disaster Lineage, Prequels Era

Disaster Lineage, “the mortifying ideal of being known”

Disaster Lineage & Cody: First Sentence Meme, stealing a planet

Disaster Lineage: First Sentence Meme, Ahsoka with a Tooka

Disaster Lineage: First Sentence Meme, scaring the shinies

Disaster Lineage: Squad Meme

airport/moving/improv: Dooku, Qui-Gon, Obi-Wan

slow burn/fake date/enemies to lovers - Qui-Gon, Dooku, Ventress -

* Anakin & Ahsoka, "you can hold my hand"

Anakin & Ahsoka - It’s Shake a Lemon at God Week

* Anakin & Obi-Wan, “You weren’t supposed to hear that.”

Anakin & Obi-Wan, made up fic title: heavy metal hearts

Anakin & Obi-Wan: Anakin with dermatilomania -

Anakin and glassblowing

Anakin and music

Catgirl Beam

The House Just Keeps On Winning (I've Got a Wildcard Up My Sleeve) - Never a Jedi!Anakin accidentally takes over Tatooine as a teenager

Title prompt meme, has two AUs. In the first, Anakin’s soul gets lost in the Force; In the second, TCW R2D2 has adventures time-traveler BB-8.

“I Sure Can Smell The Rain”

Anakin hits someone with his car -

Feral!Obi

Obi-Wan and technology

Why I would not date Obi-Wan Kenobi

Obi-Wan headcanons -

Ahsoka, shopping and childhood

Ahsoka shipping process

Ahsoka fics summarized

Ahsoka hears non-sounds in the Force post-Mortis

Ahsoka headcanons -

interesting stinky cheeses and other things qui gon jinn is not allowed to bring into the jedi temple: Qui-Gon Finds Plagg

The Feemor AU -  With a FASCINATING addendum by @stardust2flame - Hey now with an ENTIRE FIC ON AO3 by the same person, go read it, it’s really good

Disaster Lineage, title prompt meme (also contains a Jedi epistolary prompt, and a Force-Sensitive Fives AU)

AU where Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan are centaurs

Modern AU exploring the broken nature of the lineage’s relationships

Pirate AU

Rexwalker

* Rexwalker, matching soulmarks

* Rexwalker, soulmate names

* Rexwalker, “Sure, you can use me as a pillow.”

* Rexwalker, “I’m sorry, run that by me again.”

* Rexwalker, pretending to hate each other

Modern AU Marriage of Convenience

Anakin gets “turned into a girl” and Rex is jealous of people flirting

Rexwalker, Tatooine

Rexwalker Ship Meme (collection of AUs)

Rexwalker Ship Meme (headcanons) 1

Rexwalker Ship Meme (headcanons) 2

Rexwalker, shipping (plot summary)

Rexwalker Ship Meme (headcanons) 3

Anidala

Controversial opinions, Anidala

Anidala Ship Headcanons 1

Anidala Ship Headcanons 2

Anidala Ship Headcanons 3

Letting each other get away with things

Senator!Anakin/Jedi!Padme

Three fic title prompts, one of which is Anidala

Anidala prompt, plus a Rael&Nim

Dancing on glass, Between the tick and the tock of the clock - two title prompts: one Anidala+Ani&Obi (can be read as obianidala), one ‘force vision of the next thirty years’ prompt - Followup about the twins

Once upon a darkened night - Royalty AU, arranged marriage

“A Marriage of Heaven and Hell”

Anidala - A bevy of AUs

Rexanidala - dates meme

Rexanidala headcanons list

Rexanidala - bevy of AUs

Anidala -> Rexwalker, Sith!Padme

Dictator Padme AU

Other Anakin Ships

Codykin Ship Meme 1

Codykin Ship Meme 2

Codykin Ship Meme 3

Codykin: Made up fic title: You’re humanity’s biggest idiot but the sex is great.

Codykin - what do they fight about

Why is Aniclones Good

The Anakin/Mace time travel fic, ft. Domino twins

Anakin/Bo-Katan

What happens in the 501st stays in the 501st (except when it doesn't) - (nsfw) Anakin/the 501st + Anakin/Cody

Mutually Assured Destruction - Vader/Grievous

Foxakin Ship Meme

DarthFett Ship Meme

"The Liberation of Night" - Aayla/Anakin

“Mambo #6″ - Windwalker

Ahsoka Ships

Rexsoka, Headcanon List 1

Rexsoka, Headcanon List 2

Rexsoka, Headcanon List 3

Rexsoka nsfw headcanons

Bo/Ahsoka time-travel

* Quinlan/Ahsoka, “Wait a minute. Are you jealous?”’

Jangosoka, Headcanon List

Jangosoka, AU List

Ahsoka/Clone of choice, ft. Anakin

Fox/Ahsoka and Fives/Ahsoka

Jango-Obi-Satine ships

* Jangobi, going through a divorce au

* Jangobi, soulmates AU, with tags by people who are funnier than me

Jangobi, Obi-Wan’s kids go to Jango’s summer camp

* Obi-Wan & Jango & Satine, “Tell me to stay and I will be here for as long as you’ll have me.”

Obitine (plus Jango), “You did what you had to do.”

Jango & Satine: made up fic title: Alright, alright. Let's try this again

Jango/Satine

Obitine ship headcanons

Obitine modern AU, trans Obi

Obitine Shipping meme

Obitine - A bevy of AUs

Other Obi-Wan Ships:

Obi-Wan/Leia, “Wielding Fates Needle”

Obi-Wan/Leia, “Heavy Sits the Pointless Crown”

Codywan Ship Meme 1

Codywan, modern au, First Sentence Meme

Codywan Ship Meme 2

Codywan on the bearskin rug

Shippy Ship Ship thoughts (FoxLeia, Obitine, BailObi)

Obidala Ship Meme

Quinlan/Obi-Wan, “Ghost Whisperer”

Quinlan/Obi-Wan Ship Meme 1

Quinlan/Obi-Wan Ship Meme 2

Obi-Wan/Luminara - married life meme

Quinlan/Obi-Wan/Luminara

Title prompt meme - Obi-Wan/Hondo

Codytine is only ever in the context of Codywan/Obitine

Obi-Wan/Mace

Clones

Rex food headcanons

Rex, various headcanons 1

Rex, various headcanons 2

Rex, various headcanons 3

Rex, music and humor

Rex/Ventress Ship meme

* Bail Organa & Cody, “He’s missing, not dead.”

Cody POV on the limitations of running an army and a war

Cody Headcanons

More Cody Headcanons

Modern AU: Cody's relationship with his family

Bail Organa and Fox, “A Tombstone Every Mile”

Commander Fox, appearance headcanons

They Didn't Teach This on Kamino - Fox has to out-treason a Sith

Boba's sense of humor

Unpopular headcanons: Domino Squad

Echo haunts Tarkin

Hardcase and Fives take Ahsoka out for a paintball game

Clones having nightmares about O66 before it happens

A Rebels-era scavenging operation finds Kix

Ghosts of clone cadets haunt the oceans of Kamino

Quinlan

Quinlan/Ventress: Same Time Tomorrow?

Quinlan & Ahsoka, “Second Rate Souls”

Reverse Psychometry AU

Quinlan Shopping headcanon

Other Jedi

Kit Fisto & Clones: First Sentence Meme

Siri Tachi & Adi Gallia: First Sentence Meme

Plo Koon & Wolffe, The Unworthy Craft Their Own Demise

SHAAK DESERVES TO HUNT VADER IN A JUNGLE FOR SPORT

Mace and Anakin Save Tatooine

Mace character meme, also has Anakin

* Mace/Fox, “Listen to the Fires Scream”

With a Monster’s Eyes: Barriss in Prison

* Dooku/Sifo-Dyas, going through a divorce au

* Chewku Soulmates AU

Chewku, “Those things we left unsaid”

Barris headcanons

Other Prequels/TCW characters

Trope FMK: Satine, Bo, Ahsoka

Satine headcanons (childhood, friendship, family)

More Satine Headcanons

Some more Satine Headcanons

Satine Headcanon meme

Satine Lives AU

Modern AU: Maul keeps breaking into Obi-Wan’s Office

Maul & Obi-Wan: Made up fic title: Cornfield Chase

Jango/Shmi, Headcanon List - Shower things 1 - Shower things 2

Fact versus Fiction: Investigative reporter tries to report on Jedi positively

Jango Meme Fill

“From The Mouth Of Babes” - Jango&Boba

Morai&Maul

Ventress/Bo-Katan - Headcanons

Barriss/Bo-Katan - lotus eater plot

Kill/Betray/Zombie Apocalypse Team - Ahsoka, Rex, Satine

Padme headcanons

General Shipping meme

Slow burn/fake date/enemies to lovers : Satine - Bo Katan - Padme

Pre/Bo ship meme

C3P0/Captain Typho

Padme/JarJar - Fake dating

Quinlan/Jaster

Slow burn/fake date/enemies to lovers: satine/ahsoka/padmé

Satine/Padme/Asajj

Riyo/Asajj

Rebels/Imperial Era

First Day of Infinity: Time God Ezra

Dropped Stitches: Ben Kenobi on Tatooine

made-up fic title game: Tooka Outta the Bag, Kanan & Ezra

Rex & Ahsoka: Made up fic title: “Sometimes a person needs a story more than food to stay alive”

Resonance: Ahsoka

Time Travel Plot Concepts

I Know that Light Carries on Endlessly - Ahsoka and Ezra

Paths Untrodden - title prompt meme, Ahsoka, twins, Ezra

Title prompt meme: three prompts, one is Rex&Soka being maudlin about Vader; second is Qui-ghost POV on the period immediately before the Kenobi show; third is Maul and Ventress being raised together.

Title prompt meme: three prompts. One is a comedic Qui&Obi time-travel; second is Ahsoka captured by Reva a few years pre-Kenobi show; third is post-OT Ahsoka looking back on how fucked her lineage is.

Time-travel, Ezra introduces PT Jedi to his gunsaber

Ahsoka and Maul on Mortis, about to time-travel (but not actually showing the results); also has a GG crossover where Anakin is a Heterodyne, and a prompt about the Code

Ahsoka dragging Vader back to the light

Boba/Cal

Original Trilogy/Sequel Characters

Anakin&Luke&Leia, The Halls of Broken Glass

Trope FMK: Fennec, Bo, Boba

Characters and why I would not date them

Rey and Master Luke

Anakin and food, Luke and school

Speed the Collapse: Luke & Leia & Artoo time-travel and kind of tear apart the galaxy (plus a podracing AU)

Title prompt meme: contains three AUs. First is Dooku POV of a Luke&Leia timetravel; second is Ventress killing and necromancying Obi-Wan; third is Boba on Concord Dawn.

Title prompt meme: contains three AUs. First is Luke&Leia&Han, post-canon; second is a for-want-of-a-nail of AotC; third is Vader ruminating on Obi-Wan.

Why I would not date Leia Organa

Kylo Ren successfully necromancies Darth Vader - The time-travel variant

HanLeia hair braiding

“Skydust” - Luke & Leia

Din Djarin/Han Solo

Misc.

Fic title meme: Unstated cast, and a Reva prompt

Pre-Canon shipping

Maul/Luke

Cad Bane/Darth Bane

Slow burn/fake date/enemies to lovers: Pidge Gunderson, Bo-Katan Kryze, Nebula (GotG)

Dystopian AU of an already dystopian setting

Crossovers

Anevka and Obi-Wan study Geonosian brain worms together

Peter Parker explains Star Wars to other Dusted heroes that got teleported to the SW universe

Canonverse Mace Windu gets the Pig Miraculous from Miraculous Ladybug

Disaster Trio in Twilight

#Star Wars #Phoenix Posts #Masterposts

[laireshi]

first lines meme

Thanks to @rose-nebulijia​, @fizferret​, and @merinnan​ for taggging me!

Rules: List the first lines of your last 20 stories (if you have less than 20, just list them all!). See if there are any patterns. Choose your favourite opening line. Then tag 10 of your favourite authors!  

My 20 most recent fics are mostly pingxie, with one unrequited yanping and two origfic drabbles thrown in, so I marked the ones that are not pingxie ;) Also, first line... Is that the first sentence or paragraph? I went for paragraphs.

1.

Wu Xie spent a lot of time just watching Xiaoge, in the weeks after getting back from Changbai Mountain, getting Xiaoge checked out in hospital and released with stern orders to rest, and finally moving to Yucun, to the house Wu Xie bought for Xiaoge— 

(the break of day)

2.

The thing about seeing, meeting, and accompanying Zhang Qiling in the flesh was that he couldn’t be described.

(Transcendent - the zhang haiyan/zhang qiling one one!)

3.

He was almost out of Golmud Sanatorium, Wu Xie right behind him, when something in the corner of his eye caught his attention. He couldn’t tell what it was—a play of light or just looking at it from the right angle—but he stumbled, almost fell, caught himself with a hand on the wall.

(What You Looked For)

4.

Xiaoge didn’t sleep at night. Wu Xie knew, because neither did he. They lay next to each other in the darkness, breathing quietly. Xiaoge’s hand found Wu Xie’s wrist; he squeezed.

(No Way Out)

5.

It was horribly unfair.  He was a monster under the bed, and Halloween was coming. He’d been looking forward to it.

(A New Home - original fiction drabble #1)

6.

Wu Xie had thought Xiaoge’s mere presence could force the monster Wu Xie had become back under his skin.

(cut my name in your heart)

7.

Celia was the best in her trade. Any spell, any charm: you name it, and she could beautifully ink it under your skin. There was just one thing she didn’t like to do: soulmarks.

(Soulmarks in Ink, original fiction drabble #2 in this list)

8.

“Retirement,” Pangzi complained. “We’re retired. Why does no one get that?”

(never too late to have a childhood)

9.

Here’s something Wu Xie never told Xiaoge, all during his insane chase after him all the way up Changbai Mountain: there was a thin bracelet in his pocket. It was just a simple wristband made from silver with an inscription on the inside: You’re Zhang Qiling; you have a past and a future.

(Past and Future)

10.

Hei Xiazi had known Yaba Zhang for a long time, though Yaba Zhang remembered very little of it—but then, when they’d met, Yaba Zhang hadn’t even remembered his own name, so Hei Xiazi definitely didn’t hold a grudge. Having a lifespan somehow out of sync with the rest of the world changed how you look at things, and it was good to know someone to share it with, even if that someone forgot more than he remembered.

(Two As One)

11.

He’d bought the house in Yucun before Xiaoge even came back: a big dare to the fate; a refusal to contemplate a future without Xiaoge in it; a commitment that Xiaoge would never ask for, but Wu Xie had still wanted to offer from the first moment.

(The More Things Change)

12.

Wu Xie was not a cat person.

(Purrfect Happiness)

13.

Wu Xie finished an article on the restoration of centuries old paintings and blinked. He wasn’t sure how he got there; he’d only meant to research a bit about new trends in architecture. He set down his glasses and stretched. The clock told him it was now almost the evening, and it was true; the light falling inside wasn’t as bright anymore. He decided he hadn’t seen his boyfriend in way too long time—it’d been hours!—and Xiaoge wasn’t dozing off on his favourite branch that Wu Xie could see from his office, so he got up and padded downstairs. Xiaoge wasn’t inside, so Wu Xie went to the garden. If he were lucky, he’d find Xiaoge training . . .

(Warm Evenings)

14.

Learning how to live with Xiaoge was unspeakably easy in some ways and terrifyingly difficult in others.

(One Day at a Time)

15.

Zhang Qiling had gone behind the Bronze Gate before; had remembered parts of it; had thought he’d known what to expect.

(Countless Futures)

16.

“Look out!”

Wu Xie barely had the time to process what was going on: one moment, the suitcase dropped to the ground, the next, Xiaoge was pushing him down.

(like you would do for one you love)

17.

Beijing was overwhelming.

(lost (not found))

18.

Wu Xie, completely overjoyed at the chance to finally accompany Sanshu on an adventure, nevertheless did not enjoy Guangxi in summer. The air was thick like a soup, it rained more often than not, and all the insects seemed to love his blood.

(Safe Together)

19.

At night, Wu Xie dreamt of death.

(A Problem Shared)

20.

That first night in the desert, Wu Xie and Xiaoge didn’t talk about putting their sleeping bags close together, far away from the rest of the camp. They came together in a way that was only natural, without needing to talk. Wu Xie still remembered the pain in Xiaoge’s eyes as he said no one would notice if he were gone; he wanted to convey with his actions as well as his words that it wasn’t true. That he was noticing Xiaoge now; that he would definitely notice if he disappeared.

(Entanglement)

And that’s it!

tagging @jockvillagersonly @humanlighthouse @extraordinarilyextreme @janekburza @selenuntius @ishipallthings

#pingxie #dmbj #xieping #fic meme #i've been feeling pretty meh today...lately...about fandom #like...really very meh #so thanks for tagging me #it was a nice distraction

[thepixelelf]

[when introduced to new environments] “I’m not really… a club sort of person,” Felix tells you as he looks at the dauntingly lit entrance to the place you’ve brought him to.

You raise an eyebrow at him, a corner of your lips quirked up. “Have you ever been to a club before?”

Shifting his shoulders, Felix meets your eyes and shrinks a little. “No…”

“Well, it’s not really the neon lights, jello shots, thirty-year-old DJs kind of club,” you explain. “It’s more like a place for people who share something in common.”

“Like a book club?”

You snort. “Sure. There’s a little more alcohol involved, though.”

The bar is underground, below a bookstore that operates on opposing hours to it, apparently both owned by the same person. It’s a place people who don’t want to be tied to the ideals of soulmates and soulmarks go to meet people who think like them. No judgement, no invisible strings to hold you down. Just living – and drinking. You explain all this to Felix while you pull him through the high tables and crammed booths to reach the actual bar, where a single bartender stands behind the counter and serves a drink to a woman wearing blue. He has tattoos running up both arms in sleeves, and when he spots you approaching, he smiles and calls out your name.

“Chan!” you call back, letting go of Felix’s hand to rush towards the bar. Across the counter, you reach out your hand and perform a weirdly elaborate handshake with the bartender.

Felix isn’t sure how he feels about being here. He didn’t know you thought this way about soulmates, or at least strongly enough to know of a place like this, and he should feel unwelcome, but… something about this place makes him curious.

“I swear you’re not on shift tonight,” the bartender – Chan – says to you.

“Unless you plan on paying me and making Felix and me some drinks tonight…” you say with a grin. “…then no, I’m not on the clock.”

Chan laughs. “Hm, now I barely want to give you your discount.”

“Oh, come on Chan.” You put your hands under your chin and flutter your eyelashes. “You love me, don’t you?”

Just as Chan shakes his head with another laugh, Felix finally approaches the bar behind you. His eyes fall to Chan’s tattoos again.

“Is this the person you mentioned?” Chan asks you, pulling Felix’s attention back to his face. “Anthrax?”

You roll your eyes. “This is Felix,” you correct. Putting a hand on his shoulder, you bring him slightly closer to the bar’s edge, next to you. “My…”

You look at him.

“…friend.”

•

Do You Want Me? (Like I Just Wanna Know You) masterlist

#stray kids scenarios #stray kids imagines #stray kids x reader #lee felix scenarios #lee felix imagines #lee felix x reader #felix lee scenarios #felix lee imagines #felix lee x reader #skz scenarios #skz imagines #skz x reader #kpop scenarios #kpop imagines

[milfgritty]

constellation of asters | m. frost & j. farabee

❀ ⇢ requested: yes | no ❀ ⇢ genre: poly!au | soulmate!au | gender neutral reader ❀ ⇢ word count: 12.9k ❀ ⇢ a/n: yea i have no excuses for this. enjoy.

everyone has a soulmate, it’s just a simple known fact. a red string, a soulmark, first words tattooed on the inside of your wrist, there’s something to help every person find theirs. except, well, you never had any of those. growing up, you (kinda) came to terms with the fact that you might just not have a soulmate at all. it’s not until you meet morgan and joel that you begin to reconsider the possibility that you actually have not one, but two.

⇢ posted: 02.07.21 . | . masterlist

There are the lucky ones in the world who are born with an identifying soulmark. Something that leads them straight to their soulmate, whether it be a red string of fate, or the date of their other half’s birth, or even a tattoo shared only by the two of them. 

You, though?

You wish you were one of them. But alas, no string, no tattoo, no drawings, not even a damn clock. Nothing to ever even allude to the existence of your supposed other half. When you were younger it terrified you, made you think that something went wrong wherever soulmates were paired. Left you alone, destined to never be the perfect match for anyone. You used to watch in envy of all the kids in the schoolyard proudly displaying their tattoos, showing off whatever new their soulmate drew on their skin that morning. Knowing that they would remember that you were one of the unlucky ones soon enough, the ones people whispered about under their breath, never loudly as though terrified if someone heard them their own soulmate would vanish.

Not having a soulmate was kind of a big deal, if you couldn’t tell. 

And still years went by and you grew up with half-assed reassurances of ‘don’t worry, I’m sure your soulmate is out there somewhere, you’ll see’ and ‘maybe you just have an invisible soulmark, didn’t you know those are a thing?’. Years went by, and you grew up, and you rationalized. 

You didn’t need a soulmate. People without them got along just fine, and sometimes people lost theirs without ever meeting them in the first place. Hell, you were actually luckier than everyone else because you had the free will, the agency, to pick who you wanted to spend the rest of your life with. So what if they weren’t handpicked and perfect for you, you would be happy, dammit.

That’s what you told yourself, at least. 

~

Done with a particularly rough day of classes, you figured it was only fair to reward yourself with your favorite drink from your favorite cafe near campus. It was a special treat that you rarely afforded yourself, what with you fitting the stereotypical broke college image to an almost painful extent. Dodging other people on the sidewalk, you clutched your jacket closer around your body to protect from the harsh wind. The bag on your back straining under the combined weight of your single (five subject) notebook, textbooks, and laptop, you cursed yourself under your breath for not at the very least putting it in your car before making the five minute trek. 

Slipping into the tiny cafe nestled on the corner, you allowed yourself a sigh of relief. You took the moment to drop your stuff at a vacant table before making your way to the counter. Waiting in line, your eyes scanned the menu despite knowing exactly what you would get, as you did every time you let yourself come here. Back aching and your hand attempting to massage it from the worst possible angle, the line continued to shorten until you could order and retreat back to your table. 

You were tempted to stay, even after getting your coffee. Free wifi, decent music, and minimal noise? Easily get through at least homework for one class. But a larger part of you yearned for your warm bed and cozy blankets, preferably with pajamas. And so, it was with maximum effort that you picked back up your bag and coffee and slipped out the door and into the windy outdoors once more. 

The walk back to your car was more bearable with the addition of a hand warmer, so much so that you took the longer way through the small park you had walked past on your way there. With the trees above and around you and the dancing leaves raining down, their colors slowly changing from their normal shade to the yellows and oranges of autumn, a smile slipped onto your lips. Your eyes lingered on the flowers lining the pathway, your mind trying futilely to identify which ones they wer—

A body slammed into yours, shoulders knocking violently as you were shoved off balance. Your still mostly full coffee fell from your hand, lid flying off and spilling onto the ground. You landed miraculously not in the growing puddle of hot coffee, but still flat on your ass as you stared up in shock at the man who had somehow remained standing. 

Seconds ticked by as you stared at each other, uncomprehending. The tall and outrageously sturdy stranger broke through his shock first.

“I’m so sorry, holy shit,” he rushed out, hand reaching down to help you up. Gazing unblinking at the outstretched limb, you allowed him to pull you up. Bare skin touching yours, you only allowed a split second of disappointment when there was no discernable reaction before smothering it back down.

Really, you thought, what did I expect? A mark to show up on our hands linking us together? How naive. You really thought you had gotten passed doing that.

“It—it’s fine,” you mumbled, sparing a despaired glance down at your spilled coffee, “don’t worry about it.” How neither you nor your bag didn’t end up in the puddle was beyond you, but you’ll take it. 

His gaze followed yours, landing on the pitiful cup. “Fuck, your drink, I’m so sorry.”

“Seriously, it’s fine. Stop apologizing,” you told him, adjusting your bag and turning to leave. There was no way you were going back to the cafe and getting another drink, this one was already indulging yourself. 

“No, hey,” he lightly grabbed your jacket, stopping you. “Let me buy you a new one, make it up to you for spilling that one.” 

Suddenly much closer to his tall frame, your eyes caught on his brown ones. There was just something about him that you could already feel your resolve chipping away. 

“I was on my way to Starbucks anyway, it’s no problem,” he continued, as though sensing he was breaking you down. At the mention of Starbucks, though, your nose involuntarily scrunched. Something he definitely caught. “Or wherever it was you got that,” he laughed, his smile making your heart catch a beat. 

You shouldn’t, you really shouldn’t. Not when he’s oddly pretty and he could have a soulmate who’s not you and—

“Yea, sure.” You smiled, “Luckily for you, it’s pretty close to here.”

His smile widened, eyes crinkling at the corner, and his hand dropped from your sleeve. It was strange how much you felt its absence, but you pushed the thought away. “After you then,” he stepped aside, gesturing you forward. 

Moving around him, you fell in step together, going back the way you came. 

“I’m Morgan, by the way,” he—Morgan—introduced himself after a beat. Studying him for a split second, you thought the name suited him. 

“Y/N,” you said in response, ignoring the way his smile made you want to smile, too.

“It’s nice to meet you, Y/N.” And the two of you kept walking. 

~

Two months. It had been two months of hearing Morgan talk about Y/N this, Y/N that, and Joel still wasn’t quite sure if he liked or hated you. 

Depends on the day, really.

It wasn’t anything against you as a person; it was just, well. He wasn’t sure what it was if he was being completely honest. Maybe it was the way Morgan brightened at the mention of your name, maybe it was how he always brought you up in conversation, maybe it was how obvious it was that he liked you.

But he definitely wasn’t jealous. Of course not. How ridiculous.

He watched Morgan move around in their shared kitchen, rambling on and on. Something about how you joked earlier when you were hanging out that you would wear his jersey if he bought it for you. At that moment, he couldn’t hold the thing he couldn’t quite identify in anymore. “So have you brought up how you feel, yet?” 

Morgan stopped and closed the fridge door that he had half his body shoved inside and digging around in as he turned to face him. Brows furrowed, he shook his head with a look of poorly feigned confusion. “I—what? No, it’s not like that. Why would you even ask that?” he questioned, staring him down.

Joel shrugged, fidgeting on the stool he had perched himself on when Morgan went into the kitchen. He really wasn’t sure why he had asked. He just had. A part of him didn’t want to know why.

“Just feels like the two of you have been hanging out as much as you can. The way you talk, it’s pretty obvious how you, at least, feel,” he replied. He picked at his sweats, avoiding his roommate's gaze.

Morgan cleared his throat, turning back to the fridge. “I don’t—not like that, man,” he told him over his shoulder. He gave the fridge a second glance before closing the door, walking past Joel and out of the kitchen. 

“It’s not a big deal if you do,” Joel said as he followed him back into the living room. “You haven’t found your soulmate yet, plenty of people date before they do.”

“Why are you so concerned about it, Beezer?” Morgan pivoted on his heel to face him, forcing Joel to stop in his tracks unless he wanted to run him down. 

“I—I don’t, I’m not,” he answered, mind racing, “I just think you’ve been practically obsessed with them for months and I haven’t even met them—”

Morgan laughed sharply, cutting him off, “Is that what this is about? Seriously?”

“I mean, kinda? It’d be nice, at least.”

“Fine, then I’ll ask if we can all do something together this weekend. Is that good for you, Joel?”

Ignoring the sarcasm in his last sentence, he maneuvered around his body and flopped down onto the couch. “It is actually, thanks.” In his head, however, he was less certain. How was he gonna be able to interact with you? Would his jealousy—no, not jealousy—be obvious to Morgan, to you?

Aside from the noise coming from the TV, the next few minutes passed in relative silence after Morgan crashed down next to him. Their previous conversation already partially forgotten, Joel became focused on the shitty reality show that had started to play without them noticing earlier. 

“Look, it’s not like I’m an idiot,” Morgan started suddenly, scaring him slightly. Joel’s head turned toward him, brow lifting in question. Morgan glanced at him before returning his gaze to the TV and continuing. “It’s just, yea. Maybe you’re right.”

He trailed off, leaving him to wait. “And?”

Morgan rolled his eyes and shuffled further into the couch. “And, I don’t know if I even have a soulmate,” he steamrolled on, “Just because I might not doesn’t mean—doesn’t mean no one does, you know? I don’t want to be the selfish asshole who gets into a relationship with someone who might have a perfect match waiting for them, someone that isn’t me.” 

“You don’t know if you have a soulmate?” The piece of information stuck out to him. Hit him in the gut and made his heart jump into his throat.

His roommate shrugged, continued to steadfastly ignore him. “Never had a mark or any of the other shit people had. It’s not—not that big of a deal. But I don’t want to be with someone and always be afraid that they’re going to find what I can’t and leave me behind.” 

Joel swallowed roughly, his heart racing. “Oh,” he mumbled, voice as quiet as Morgan’s had become by the time he had gotten done speaking.

“Yea,” Morgan huffed a bitter sounding laugh, “Oh.”

“You know,” Joel spoke lightly, softly, as though worried that talking too loud would ruin everything, “People always say that things work out in the end, even if it’s shit getting there.”

This time the laugh that escaped Morgan was more real, less cold. “Is that your way of making me feel better, Beezer?”

“Depends,” he smiled, bright at the sound of his laugh, “is it working?”

Morgan threw a pillow at him, it bouncing lightly off his head. “Dude, shut up,” he told him, the smile on his face softening his words. Following his advice, Joel adjusted himself on the couch, heart feeling just a bit lighter than it had previously.

~

“So I was thinking,” Morgan started as you walked down the street together.

“Absolutely shocking, continue,” you cut in, rewarded with a shove as you laughed.

“As I was saying,” he stressed, “You should come over for a game night or something this weekend.”

“Uh,” you stuttered out. “Yea, sure. Sounds fun. Will Joel be there?” You hadn’t meant to sound so shocked, but as it was, you most definitely were. In the what, two, three? Months since you had known Morgan, you never went to his place. Never met his elusive roommate. Sure, you had heard about Joel. It was hard not to when Morgan could—and had—talk for hours about his teammate. 

But you had never met him. And to be honest, at this point you were kinda scared to. 

Sure, he seemed like a nice enough guy. Except he clearly meant the world to Morgan, and well, Morgan meant the world to you. And yea, you weren’t sure when he began to mean so much, but he does. And you want Joel to like you. What if he doesn’t?

“Yea, Beezer’ll be there. Finally get to meet him.” He nudged you lightly, shooting you a smile. Smiling nervously back, you ducked under his arm and into the cafe as he held the door open for you. 

Coming to the little cafe on the corner had become tradition, Morgan falling in love with the shop just as much as you had. It didn’t bother you in the slightest since he pays for you whenever you two come. Which is, to say, far too often.

Placing both of your orders and finding a table, you turned to your friend. “Do you think,” you began nervously, picking at the edge of the table, “do you think he’ll like me? Joel?”

Morgan looked up from his phone and tilted his head. “Of course he will. Why?”

“I don’t know,” you shrugged, lying through your teeth. “It’s just, he’s your roommate—and your teammate—and wouldn’t it be, like, a little awkward if he actually hates me?”

Your question seemed to stump Morgan for a minute, his mouth opening and closing, eyebrows scrunched up as he looked at you from across the tiny table. You sat quietly, watching him think over his answer. Eyes wandering his face, your lips quirked as you just managed to pick out the way his lashes curled at the ends. So unfair, you thought, why does he get the long eyelashes? Finally, he seemed to get his words in order.

“Even if he doesn’t like you, which he definitely won’t,” he rushed out the last half, “But if he didn’t, it wouldn’t matter. It’s not like we would stop hanging out or anything. We would just, just keep hanging out the way we have been.”

Watching him, you chewed on the inside of your lip. “Promise?” you asked, voice coming out quieter than you had wanted. You hated the way you feared losing Morgan, scared that he had wormed his way into your life so quickly. 

His foot nudged yours under the table, breaking you out of your thoughts. Eyes meeting yours, your heart gave a tug at the sweet smile dancing across his lips. “Yea,” he told you, “I promise.”

Breath catching, you smiled back. “Then this weekend it is.”

~

The weekend came far sooner than you expected. 

“But you’re on your way, right?” Morgan questioned you over the phone. Figured you were running late today of all days. It was Saturday, dammit, you slept in late. That wasn’t a crime.

“Yes, Morg, I’m on my way. Leaving right now,” you reassured him, grabbing your keys off the counter and making your way to your door.

You heard his—frankly, exaggerated—breath of relief even on your end, gaining a fond eye roll out of you. “Okay, good,” he replied, “See you in like, twenty?”

“Uh-huh,” you muttered halfheartedly in response, more focused on locking up behind you. “I’ll see you in twenty.”

The only downside, of course, is that twenty minutes was definitely not enough time to settle your anxiety. And so soon enough, you were at Morgan’s shared apartment, and walking up to Morgan’s shared apartment, and oh god you were in front of his door, oh no—

This is fine. This is fine. Taking a deep breath, you reminded yourself that no matter what, even if Joel didn’t like you, Morgan wouldn’t drop you. He promised. 

Christ, that sounded lame even in your head. 

Psyching yourself up, you raised your hand to their door and knocked. Ignoring the way your hand trembled lightly, you almost jumped when the door swung open faster than you expected.

“Hey,” Morgan appeared in the doorway, beaming down at you, “You made it.”

A snort left you without your permission. “Yea, you dork, I made it.” 

Catching his eye roll, you grinned as he stepped aside and swept his hand out. “Welcome to our apartment.” Your grin widened at how dumb he was and moved past him, brushing lightly against him as you entered. 

Walking in, your eyes caught on the form draped against the couch. Heart stuttering, all the anxiety that had briefly left you came flooding back. Morgan stepped around you, guiding you over to the living room. 

“Hey, asshole, you gonna say hi or what?” he asked, picking up a pillow and throwing it at Joel. It thumped softly onto his chest and rolled off the couch, causing him to glare up at Morgan. 

You stared wide eyed as Joel huffed and slung his legs over the side of the couch, standing up and unfolding to a height similar to Morgan. Giants, you scoffed lightly under your breath, they’re literally giants. Casually, you maneuvered until your body was just barely behind Morgan.

“Sup,” he did a weird head nod thing, his eyes roaming up and down your body. “I’m Joel, it’s uh—it’s nice to finally meet you.”

You smiled weakly up at him. “Y/—” you tried, cutting yourself off and clearing your throat, “Y/N. Nice to finally meet you, too.”

The two of you stared the other down, silence filling the room as Morgan watched the two of you watching each other. Rocking on your heels, you alternated between looking at him and around the room. 

“You know, uh,” Joel started abruptly, slipping his hands into the pockets of his sweats, “Frosty talks a lot about you. Can’t shut up, I don’t think.”

“Dude,” Morgan hissed at him as a laugh slipped past your lips. You felt your cheeks warm, your smile finally feeling less forced and more genuine.

“It’s funny,” you told him, ignoring Morgan, “he talks a lot about you, too. Once he gets started, it seems like he can’t stop.”

“I hate both of you. Why did I think this was a good idea,” Morgan said, throwing his hands up and slipping in between the two of you into what you assumed was the kitchen. The sound of yours and Joel’s laughter followed him, the pair of you sharing a conspirator’s smile. 

Joel was the first to break, his smile lingering as he spared you a glance and followed Morgan. “Don’t be like that, Morg. We’re getting along already. Isn’t that what you wanted?” 

Giggling, you walked in after them. “I don’t know what I was worried about,” you teased, sidling up to the counter, “Joel is great.” 

“Oh, you would think so,” Morgan rolled his eyes, pulling a sweet tea out of the fridge and handing it to you. Smiling in thanks, you opened it and took a sip.

“Wait,” Joel stopped and shook his head, “were you actually worried about meeting me?”

Eyes widening and head shooting up, you were positive panic flitted across your face. “Uhhh,” you started, shifting from foot to foot and shrugging, “A little? I mean, you’re his roommate and teammate and he talks about you all the time—”

“—I do not—”

“Yea, you do, Morg,” you laughed, glancing over at him before returning your attention to Joel. “But, yea. After so long without meeting, I guess I kinda built you up in my head and I got worried you wouldn’t like me and things would, I don’t know, be awkward for Morgan. It’s dumb.”

It was dumb, you realized, standing there. Joel was...you didn’t even know how to describe it. He was soothing. Calming in the same way Morgan was to you, like a balm to your anxiety. Easy to talk to, joke with. It had barely been ten minutes and already you could tell that. It was the same feeling that made you let Morgan buy you another drink when you first met.

“It’s not dumb,” he told you, lifting one shoulder in a half shrug, “I guess I felt the same way.”

“Really?” you asked, surprised. For some reason, you didn’t really expect him to feel much of, well, anything when it came to meeting you.

Grinning, he nudged your foot. “Don’t look so shocked. Even NHLers have feelings, you know.”

“Shut up,” both you and Morgan chorused, glancing at each other before laughing. It was then you realized how close the three of you were, the kitchen not exactly the largest room. If you moved one way, you’d bump into Morgan. If you moved the other, it would be Joel. 

“Wanna play fortnite or something?” Morgan asked, clearing your thoughts. He knew you well enough to figure out what the scrunch of your nose after his suggestion meant. “Or not fortnite, you have a better idea?”

“What else do you guys have?” You asked, hoping against odds they would have something that wasn’t completely awful. 

Joel and Morgan shared a look, communicating silently. 

“Uhh,” Joel started, “I think we have like, Skyrim? Never got around to playing it, though.”

Eyes immediately brightening, you straightened. You almost didn’t notice how the move brought you that much closer to him. “Dude, Skyrim came out like ten years ago. How have you never played?”

“Looks like Skyrim, it is,” Morgan muttered, squeezing past you to the living room. 

“I don’t know,” Joel tried to defend himself, “It’s not what I usually play.”

“Well, that changes today, buddy.” 

“Did you just call him buddy, oh my god,” you heard Morgan’s voice distantly, covered mostly by Joel’s shocked snort. 

Thirty minutes later found the three of you sprawled across the couch, limbs just barely intertwining as Joel tried still to make his way through the character creation screen. 

“Is that a cat? Do they have fucking furries in this game?”

“I swear, I’m gonna throw my sweet tea at you,” you threatened while swallowing down laughter at Joel’s commentary.

“Do it, I’m not getting you another one,” Morgan told you, his hand lying lightly on the bottom of your calf. 

“Yea, you would,” you smiled over at him. 

A snort came from Joel’s direction, followed by, “Dude, you would.”

“Shut the fuck up, Beezer, I didn’t ask you.”

Mock gasping, you reached over and hit Morgan’s shoulder, eliciting a sharp ‘hey’ from him. “No being mean to each other,” you laughed, settling back down, shoulder brushing against Joel’s side.

“You heard the lady, Frosty,” Joel smirked, sticking his tongue out at him. 

“I’m never letting the two of you hang out again,” Morgan groaned, throwing his head back. His thumb had paused in the motion of rubbing circles into your leg. 

Exchanging a glance with the boys, you smiled. “I think it might be a bit too late for that.”

~

“You know,” you had innocently told Morgan and Joel a few days ago, “it’s kinda funny that two of my closest friends are professional ice hockey players and I’ve never even gone skating before.”

He was shocked at the revelation. Horrified, even. And definitely planning on rectifying that minor fact, something Joel fully supported and helped plan. Sadly, it took a few days before he and Joel were both home and didn’t have practice or a game and you didn’t have classes or homework, leaving the three of you able to hang out. 

He always counted it as a minor miracle when all of your schedules lined up. In the months he and Joel had known you, it happened far less than he would’ve liked. But as much as it felt better, more…more right, for it to be the three of you—which was normal, you were best friends; he didn’t like one of you more than the other—he took what he could get and didn’t complain. 

Much.

That’s how Morgan found himself at an ice rink with his two closest friends on his day off, watching one of them tie the other’s skate.

“You could’ve done this yourself,” Joel told you, fingers making quick work of your laces.

You beamed down at him, a satisfied little smile on your face, “But you do it so much better than me.”

Morgan laughed to himself, bending down to finish lacing up his own skates. Joel had gotten his done first and found himself helping you, not that he exactly put up a fight. Finishing up, he stood and leaned against the boards, peering down as Joel worked. 

“You waiting for us? That’s so sweet,” you smiled up at him, resting your weight on your hands behind you. 

Joel huffed a laugh and half turned to look over his shoulder at him, flashing him a smirk, the asshole. “Our Morgan? He’s just a sweetheart, isn’t he?”

Morgan reached out and kicked him, mindful of the blade of his skate. Rolling his eyes, he maneuvered around both of you and stepped out onto the ice. 

“Just for that, I’m going without the both of you.”

Hearing the teasing calls of his name accompanied by laughter, he smiled and went to do laps around the rink. Slowly he went through the motions, glancing behind him now and then to see if Joel had finished yet. 

When he finally did, Morgan made his way back to the two of you. “You ready to see what you’ve been missing out on?” He teased, eyes catching on the way you wobbled unsteadily and clutched tightly to Joel’s arm next to you. 

“Quick question,” your laugh came out high pitched and as unsteady as your walk, “just how hard is skating?”

“Please, don’t worry,” Joel scoffed, shortening his steps to help you. Morgan watched his teammate stabilize you, the steady rock to your choppy sea. “Skating is one of the easiest things in the world.”

“Okay, let me rephrase,” a cheeky smile flitted across your lips, “how hard is skating for us normal people?”

He shared a fond look with Joel, laughing quietly. “Trust us, you’ll be fine.” 

“I do,” you responded without a moment’s hesitation, pausing in your baby steps before continuing. “Trust you, I mean.”

The breath left his lungs in a quick rush, not expecting that, not expecting how sincere and matter of fact you had said it or how it affected him. It wasn’t fair, how quickly you could throw him off balance with what seemed like barely a thought. 

Joel cleared his throat, his hand tightening around yours. “Good,” he told you, voice remarkably soft and low before returning to normal. “I guess it’s time to get you on the ice, then?”

Morgan had to laugh a little at the fear that filled your face at Joel’s words, the way you immediately clung somehow even tighter to him. Smiling, he reached out to you, offering you his hand.

“You said you trusted us,” he told you, “So trust us. We’re not gonna let you get hurt.”

He watched your eyes meet his and fly down to his outstretched hand, back and forth between the two. One of your hands slowly let go of their iron grip on Joel and settled into his.

“Promise?” You looked from him to Joel, eyes painfully doelike. 

Once again, he shared a soft glance with his teammate before looking back at you. 

“We promise.”

You nodded, taking a deep breath and appearing to steel yourself. “Okay, alright, I’m good. Let’s fucking do this.”

Laughter peeled out of him and Joel. “There’s our Y/N,” his teammate grinned, helping you out onto the ice. The two of them kept their grips on you tight as you shakily stepped onto the ice, making sure you didn’t immediately fall.

Your first steps were wobbly, with the only thing keeping you from eating ice being him and Joel. Slowly, the three of you made your way across the ice. “There you go,” he encouraged you, “just like that. Slow and steady for right now—”

“Head up, try not to look down so much, alright? We’ve got you,” Joel reassured, the two of them going back and forth, offering advice and making sure nothing happened.

It took a bit, but soon you were giggling and flashing them pretty smiles, your grip on them loosening slowly but surely. It was enough for Morgan to speed up and swing around to skate backward in front of you.

Catching your worried glance, he smiled. “Still here, just letting you skate more on your own,” he squeezed your hand, now being held more for assurance than to help keep you up.

And so the three of you kept skating around the rink with you getting more and more confident until you were on your own and no longer needed them to hold on to. Morgan watched proudly as you went from wobbly steps to actual skating, though your arms still stayed out by your sides for balance. 

“Show off,” you yelled and laughed, attempting to shove Joel when he went to skate in wide circles around both of you. 

“What?” Joel threw his hands up, laughing loudly and dodging you. “I’m just skating circles around you.” 

“Ha ha,” Morgan grinned when you sarcastically laughed at Joel’s antics. “You’re simply hilarious, you dork.”

“I know,” Joel smiled happily, swooping in to smack a loud kiss to your cheek before speeding away. The kiss nearly knocked you over, leaving you gawking after him.

Morgan observed the two of you as he glided in front of you, a wide smile stretching across his lips. Small huffs of laughter left you as you skated—still not great, but definitely better—over to him, grabbing his hand and trying to tug him. 

“Morgan, come on,” you giggled, “help me avenge my honor.” 

“Oh, of course,” he replied, nodding his head in mock seriousness. He pulled you along in chase of Joel, the three of you laughing as you went around and around the rink. 

It wasn’t until you two caught him—Morgan suspected Joel had let them catch him, like they wouldn’t have been able to eventually—and Joel decided to try to teach you how to skate backward as Morgan followed that he realized something. 

He realized as he watched the two of you smiling and laughing, as he skated behind while Joel held your hands, as both of you made corny jokes and looked back at him to make sure he was still with you, he realized that—fuck.

He was fucked. 

Because he looked at you and heard your laughter and felt his heart tighten. Because he looked at Joel and the way he looked back at him with a fond look and toothy grin, and his heart stopped.

Because he looked at both of you and felt the same exact thing. And he realized it didn’t feel right when all three of you were together because you were just his closest friends. 

It was because when he was with the two of you, his heart skipped beats and all of these feelings weighed him down and lifted him up and—and—

Fuck. He was well and truly fucked, that’s what he realized.

~

Humming quietly under your breath, you picked up the plates from the table and made your way back to the kitchen. Stepping around Morgan, you reached down to put the dishes into the sink for him to wash. After you let them sit, you hoisted yourself up and onto the counter next to him and watched as he grabbed for one of the dirty plates.

“You think Joel will be back soon?” You asked him, tilting your head and pursing your lips. 

Morgan met your gaze and held it as he washed the plate. “Hopefully, we can’t start the movie without him.”

Dinner and a movie at their place. It was almost like a date if you let yourself think about it. But you didn’t, because they’re just your friends.

Your tall, attractive friends that you had completely platonic feelings for. Okay, mostly platonic feelings for. Fine, not at all platonic and actually very romantic feelings, but you refused to think about it. There were two of them and one of you and that, that was weird. Right? 

Right?

Kicking yourself mentally, you shot him a tiny smile. “Do we even want to know what he chose this time?” Every movie night, a different one of you had complete control over the movie. Tonight was, regretfully, Joel’s night to choose and he refused to tell either of you what you were watching. 

It went without saying that you were a bit scared. 

“I don’t think so,” Morgan made a face, putting another plate in the dish rack. You laughed lowly to yourself, watching a smile creep over his face as he glanced back at you.

“Either way,” you told him, “he needs to get back soon, I’m starting to miss the weirdo.” Shimmying down from the countertop, you walked over to the fridge to get a drink. 

Morgan made a noise of agreement, finishing up and turning off the sink. He turned to face you, grabbing a hand towel from next to him and leaning against the counter. He stared down at you without responding; the action causing you to grin slightly in confusion. 

“What’s up?” You questioned him, stretching your foot out to lightly tap his.

Head shaking slowly, his mouth opened a bit. Closing it, his eyebrows squished together in what seemed like deep thought. 

“Do you ever think about your soulmate?”

The question caught you off guard, making your body physically recoil just a touch. You shook your head, mouth hanging open. “Uhhh,” you stuttered, a startled laugh making its way past your lips. “Not if I can help it, why?”

“What do you mean?” He asked, brows still furrowed and an intent look painted across his face.

Shrugging, your eyes flitted around the room. At your side, your fingers twitched against the counter, creating a muted tapping noise. “Nothing, just...I don’t know. It’s not my favorite subject. You?”

“Yea,” he said with a forced smile, “Same thing, I guess. Not if I can help it.” 

You hummed softly, trying to figure out his expression and the change in subject. You couldn’t recall ever, ever, talking about soulmates with either Morgan or Joel. Not in the entire time you had known them. It was like some sort of weird unspoken taboo topic, never brought up, never talked about despite how popular it was for everyone else. Never asking what your soulmark was, or what date was splayed across your skin. Like there was a sense of fear lingering around it, which made sense for you but never for your boys. 

The boys. Not—not your boys, you scolded yourself.

“It’s just, you and Joel,” Morgan started, scaring you a little. “The two of you get along really well.”

Was he? Was he implying that you and Joel? Soulmates?

For a split second, your mind ran wild with the thought. To be soulmates with Joel, with his smiles for just you and Morgan, and his wild hair and dumb hats, and horrible facial hair and horrible jokes and—

How nice it would be. How irrevocably nice it would be. 

But even as you let yourself think about it for that split second, you knew it wasn’t what you wanted. Not entirely. Because it wasn’t just Joel in your daydream, but Morgan, too. With his pretty eyes and the look of exasperation he always had when he was with the two of you. The three of you. 

Always the three of you.

Shaking your head before you knew what you were doing, you replied, “Me and Joel? No, no, I mean—”

“You’re always happy and smiling around him,” Morgan cut you off, not making eye contact, “maybe the two of you—”

“I’m always happy and smiling because I’m with the two of you, you idiot,” you rolled your eyes as you cut him off in return, ignoring the way your heart pounded in your chest. 

He pursed his lips, about to retort when the sound of the door opening caught your attention. 

“Alright, assholes. I’ve got the goods,” Joel’s voice called out, the door closing behind him and keys clattering loudly into the horrible gritty tray you had gotten them. You and Morgan remained quiet as Joel made his way into the kitchen, digging around in the bag he was holding. 

He paused upon entering, eyes lifting to look from you to Morgan and back. His arms slowly fell, his face screwing up in cautious confusion. “So, uh, what did I...miss?” he asked, stepping inside apprehensively. 

“Soulmates, apparently,” you told him sarcastically when Morgan kept silent. You made grabby hands for the bag, reaching in to grab your bag of peach rings. 

Joel winced, a just barely audible ‘oh boy’ falling from his lips. “What got you on that god awful subject?”

You snorted, already shoving a peach ring into your mouth, “So you agree? It’s an awful subject?”

“Oh yea,” he nodded, reaching over and tugging at the peach ring balancing between your teeth before it tore in half, shoving his stolen half into his mouth and chewing obnoxiously. 

Pulling back, you batted at his outstretched hands, “you should’ve gotten your own. Stop stealing, thief.”

“I prefer the term rogue,” he replied, shooting you a cheeky grin. A soft ‘oh my god’ left you with a groan as you rolled your eyes and set the bag down.

Morgan’s continued silence worried you, and you could tell it unnerved Joel just as much. You stole glances at him, his posture tense and face troubled. The whole soulmates thing wasn’t your favorite, but what was going on inside of his head that had him like this? Was he still thinking about you and Joel—which was a ridiculous idea. But maybe that’s just because you knew the truth you resolved yourself to. That you just didn’t, for some unknown reason, have a soulmate to begin with. 

“What’s going on in your big boy brain,” Joel nodded at Morgan, eyebrow quirking as he watched him.

Morgan startled almost imperceptibly, his attention shooting to his teammate. He shook his head, “Nothing, just the whole soulmates thing.” 

“Still?” You frowned as you crossed your arms, puzzled. 

“Dude, just move on already,” Joel told him.

Morgan rolled his eyes, shifting his weight from foot to foot. You saw his grip on the countertop behind him tighten for a second before relaxing again.

“What’s going on?” You asked him, reaching out to lay a hand on his arm.

He flinched back, a tiny movement that you wouldn’t have noticed if you weren’t already watching. Swallowing roughly, you stopped and let your hand fall, hurt coating your insides. Morgan licked his lips and rubbed at his chin, face screwing up. 

“Don’t either of you ever think about the people you have feelings for being a perfect match for someone else? That it doesn’t matter what you feel in the end?”

Taken aback, you share a look with Joel as you grasped for words. Because you do think about that, about how Joel and Morgan have someone waiting for them that isn’t you and you don’t know when it’ll happen, only that it will and you’ll end up left behind like you always are. Alone. It wasn’t often, but late at night, the knowledge crept over you like thick sludge, refusing to move or leave.

“All the time,” Joel spoke before you could string together a sentence, his voice weak and a frown marring his features. “But it does matter, doesn’t it? Because you still have time with them now, and you can’t waste it for something that might happen.” 

“But it will,” Morgan stressed, the hand that had rubbed his chin flying out to his side with a look of helplessness. “It will happen.” 

“But you don’t know that,” you countered, fighting to get the words out. Your throat was tightening up, your heart pounding away. “No one really does. You don’t even have to end up with your soulmate.”

“Why wouldn’t you,” Morgan laughed without humor, “why wouldn’t you leave to be with the person hand picked for you?”

“Because I don’t have one,” slipped past your lips without your permission, the truth behind your words hitting you like a brick. Tears pricked behind your eyes as you swallowed harshly, stepping into yourself. 

Morgan moved back and hit the counter behind him with a dull thud, staring at you with an unreadable expression. To your other side, Joel looked down at his feet, hands shoved into his pants. 

“I never had one,” you continued, softer, quieter. Weaker. “I’ve always been the person without someone made just for me, but I’ve moved on. Because it doesn’t matter. It’s what I make of it, and it’s the scariest fucking thing, but it is what it is.”

“What if I can’t move on?” Morgan whispered, unable to meet your eyes. 

“Then the people you were scared of leaving weren’t worth it to begin with,” Joel told him, gazing at him sadly. 

Morgan’s face dropped forward into his hands, rubbing harshly. The three of you were silent, the tension nearly suffocating. Waiting, just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

“I can’t just get over it,” Morgan said, shaking his head. 

“Why not,” Joel questioned just as quietly, running a hand through his hair. 

“Because I just can’t,” Morgan threw his hands up, voice raised as he stepped forward. “I can’t stop thinking that my feelings are a waste. That all of this is just a waste.”

“All of this?” You asked, uncomprehending.

“Yes, all of this,” he told you, gesturing wildly between the three of you. “Us. This. It’s a waste.”

“What’s that supposed to mean, Morgan,” Joel was the one to ask this time, his voice low and daring. Daring Morgan to say it, to tell you exactly what he means.

“That I look at both of you and see two people who are going to leave me. Two people that I care about, that I want to be with, and know that it won’t last.”

The shock that came from him admitting his feelings and finally giving you the knowledge that you weren’t alone in your pining all these months still wasn’t enough to overwhelm the rest of his confession. The part that said that we were a waste, that cut a part of you that you kept hidden.

“Did you ever stop and think about how we felt?” The words left you as you stepped away, needing to get away. “That we might, for just a second, feel the same?” 

“But it doesn’t matter,” Morgan nearly cried, voice shaking. “It never did.” 

Nodding, you swallowed down tears. “Okay,” you whispered, maneuvering around Joel, who had remained quiet. “Okay.” 

“Where are you going?” Morgan asked, reaching toward you.

Nearly laughing, you told him, “Away. I’m sorry, Joel, but I can’t be near someone who thinks everything about us, our friendship, our relationship, our feelings, are a waste. Not right now.”

Joel nodded, glancing back at you and offering a weak smile. “Don’t worry, I get it.” 

Returning it, you turned and went to grab your things. 

“Wait,” you heard Morgan before you saw him try to follow you, looking between you and Joel. “No, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

“It doesn’t matter, Morg,” you whispered, shrugging lightly. “I’m gonna go for awhile. I need to go.”

“No, please—”

Dodging him, you left the apartment. Vaguely, you heard Joel tell Morgan to stop, to let you go. Silently, you thanked him. You just couldn’t be near them right now, constantly reminded of your feelings and knowing at least one of them thought it was all useless.

All of this is just a waste. Us. This.

You nearly ran out of the building and to your car, just barely making it in before a yell forced its way out.

“Fuck,” you hit the steering wheel, letting your head droop forward to rest on it. You gave yourself a minute to pull yourself together and turn your car on, starting your journey back to the apartment you had slowly considered home less and less. 

And so you drove away from the one you had begun to consider home, and from the boys that made it feel like that, and to the place you could finally let yourself break down.

~

Day after day became a week and then two. There was now this tension between him and Morgan, you weren’t replying to his texts the same way, and he wasn’t even sure if you and Morgan had talked at all since that night. He hated it.

Joel hated this. 

It didn’t help that everything was bleeding over onto the ice and he couldn’t stop it. Couldn’t stop making rookie mistakes, couldn’t do anything when Morgan got yelled at for fucking up on a play. Couldn’t do anything.

The two of them were this close to getting benched, they both knew it. He knew this couldn’t keep happening, but he didn’t know how to stop it. 

He saw his phone light up on his nightstand out of the corner of his eye. Mentally, he debated leaving it and continuing his inner dilemma, but a glance at it convinced him otherwise.

Sitting up in bed, he struggled against the blankets tangled around his legs to reach over and grab it. He crashed back down, lifting his phone above him and pulling up the text.

[10:38pm] armrest ; coffee tomorrow? 

Seeing the name he had you under brought out a grin. You hated it the moment you saw it and argued that everyone was short next to a group of hockey players, which is exactly why both he and Morgan had you listed as it. In a sense, it was a reminder of better times.

[10:40pm] bumblebee ; yea ofc

[10:40pm] bumblebee ; the two of us?

He didn’t miss the fact that you texted just him and not the groupchat—the one aptly named the 3 stoiges, because Morgan made it with a typo and you and Joel kept it there to bully him. Time after time, Morgan tried to change it, and yet every time he went back, there it was once again in all of its dumbass glory. 

[10:43pm] armrest ; yea i wanted to talk about everything. just the two of us for now

[10:44pm] bumblebee ; im there just lmk when

You texted him back the time, and that was that. The entire exchange left him feeling underwhelmed and anxious. It felt wrong. Stilted. He missed the jokes and subtle digs at each other. The goodnight texts that just kept on going. 

He had a hard time going to sleep after that, not that he was doing a good job of it before. Tossing and turning, knowing that his teammate was his roommate and just a door over and that it didn’t matter because they hadn’t actually talked since the fight. And probably wouldn’t, since that was how things seemed to be going.

But tomorrow, maybe tomorrow would change things.

~

Morning came and went and he woke up to his alarm, feeling the opposite of well rested. He had slept like shit, just like he had been for the past two weeks. Getting out of bed, he got ready to go meet up with you, ignoring the absence of Morgan in the kitchen or on the couch. The lack of a good morning and a smile from his arguably favorite teammate. 

He left the apartment in a rush, something he had found himself doing a lot of lately. Not on purpose, he didn’t think. It was just like a lot of other things in his life now; it felt different. Less warm, duller. Void of life, of everything that made it home to him. 

An open bag of peach rings still abandoned on the kitchen counter, never moved. A little shittily made origami crane knocked over on the coffee table, never fixed. Hoodies missing, never returned. Reminders.

He made it to the little rinky dink cafe on the corner soon enough, refusing to admit he hesitated a bit before he went in. It wasn’t like he hadn’t seen you at all since that night, but he would be lying if he said it was the same as before. 

You were at their usual table, wearing a recognizable sweatshirt—one of theirs, but at this point he wasn’t really sure if it his or Morgan’s—and clutching a cup in your hands with a cup sitting across from you. Hearing the bell ring, you looked up and spotted him, giving him a tiny smile.

He didn’t want to think about the way the sight made the tension bleed from his body, the familiarity filling him with a rush of warmth. He made the short walk to you, slipping into one of the open seats.

Both of you ignored the still empty third seat.

“You’re late,” you told him, with just enough of a smile to take the edge off. 

He grinned back. “You telling me you weren’t, too?”

Your laughter rang softly through the mostly empty cafe. “No.”

“Thought so,” he replied, taking a sip of the coffee in front of him. His go to order, just the way he always got it. 

God, he missed you. 

A few beats of silence passed with the two of you just soaking up the other’s presence. 

Clearing your throat, you looked down at your hands and picked at your nail. “I think it’s probably time we talk about…”

“That night?” he finished for you. “Yea. I think so, too.”

Another pained smile passed between both of you. Another beat of silence. 

“You know—I mean—” you tried to say, taking a moment to close your eyes and take a deep breath. “I care about you and Morgan. About both of you. Not—not platonically either.” 

He couldn’t stop the smile from spreading, the heat creeping into his cheeks. “Yea, I figured.” You deadpanned at him and he had to resist the laugh bubbling up inside of him. He nudged your foot under the table. “Me, too. Non-platonically care about both of you.” 

“Yea,” you rolled your eyes, grinning, “I figured.”

Letting the laugh out, he shook his head. “Ass.”

You shrugged, taking a sip of your drink, “You started it.”

“I missed you.” 

“I missed you, too,” you whispered back, smile gaining a sorrowful edge.

Staring at you, he felt so many emotions. So many things, and yet something was still missing. 

Licking his lips, he risked a glance to his right, at the empty seat next to him. “It doesn’t—things don’t really feel the same without him, though.” 

“Yea,” you looked at the chair for a second, pain flashing across your face so fast he almost didn’t catch it. “They don’t.”

Hearing you agree, he let the breath he had been holding go. He picked at his cup, resisting the urge to down it. Dimly, he realized you had gotten his coffee before he got there. Which meant you bought it for him. The broke college student who rarely gets anything from here got him coffee without thinking twice. That feeling in his chest grew, fondness for you radiating throughout him. It was a small gesture, one you probably barely thought about, but it made him fall even harder.

“You know, I keep,” you stopped, tilting your head with a jaded smile before steamrolling on, “I keep hearing him say it in my head. ‘Everything’s a waste.’ And I know he didn’t—didn’t mean it like that, but…”

“But it still hurts,” he finished for you quietly, watching you and the way your shoulders hunched forward. 

“Yea, it still hurts.”

“We’re all just miserable anymore, aren’t we?” he asked, knowing the answer and asking anyway.

You laughed softly, glancing up at him. “That we are.”

“It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”

“No,” you held eye contact, steady and intent, “It wasn’t.”

The bell above the door jingled, your conversation dying down. The two of you nursed your drinks, avoiding the painful subject. Pushing it off and dragging it out just a little more.

“I don’t want us to end here, Joel,” you told him, voice barely a whisper. “Not like this. I don’t think I could handle it.”

“I don’t think I could either,” he replied. He could handle not being everything he wanted with the two of you. He resigned himself to that a long time ago. Could handle not being in a relationship, unable to hold or kiss either of you, to look at you and know both of you were his.

He could handle that. What he couldn’t handle? 

This. 

These past two weeks, the three of you barely talking. The tension, the awkwardness, the lack of everything that made you work. Not having either of you really, truly, in his life anymore. 

“I’m gonna talk to him,” he told you, not letting himself think too hard about it. He nodded, ignoring your unreadable expression, and kept talking. “I’m gonna talk to him and then we’re gonna—we’re gonna—”

“We’re gonna fix things?” You croaked out, gnawing at the inside of your bottom lip.

“Yea,” his throat tightened, making him force out the words, “Yea, we’re gonna fix things.”

~

He cornered Morgan later that night in the kitchen when he finally came out of his room to get something to eat. 

“We need to talk.”

Morgan jumped, keeping his back turned to Joel as he dug through the fridge. “About what?” He asked, the forced casualness of it shining clear.

“I think you know what.”

He slowly drew himself up and closed the fridge. “I don’t think—”

“Yea, we do,” he cut his roommate off, his arms folded across his chest. “We both know we do.”

Morgan turned around, facing him with his eyes closed and shaking his head. “Please—”

“We can’t keep going on like this, none of us can,” Joel forcibly told him, refusing to back down. He was doing this for them, for you and for Morgan and for him. “I was with Y/N earlier.”

Morgan flinched back, ducking his head. “Yea? How—how is—”

“Good,” he softened his voice, uncrossing his arms and taking a step toward him. “Come on, let's go sit down.”

“Okay,” Morgan whispered, nodding and following him slowly to the couch. They sat further away than they usually would, a space left open for the one not there with them. 

Joel opened his mouth to start, but Morgan cut him off before he could.

“I’m so sorry,” he told him, avoiding eye contact. Clenching his hands tightly on his lap, he squeezed them periodically. “I didn’t—didn’t mean anything I said that night. Not really. Not like that.”

“I know.” 

“I was just scared,” he kept going, still not looking at him, “I still am. Fuck, I wish I could go back and just—”

“Morgan,” Joel stopped him, getting up and moving to sit down on the table in front of him. “Look at me.”

It took a second, took him reaching out and nudging his face toward him. 

“We know. We’re all scared. And we can’t take back what was said, but we can move forward. Together. The three of us.” 

Morgan shook his head, tears lining his eyes as he leaned imperceptibly into his hand. “How?” 

He almost laughed, but stopped himself in time. “I don’t know,” he shrugged helplessly, smiling at him. “But we will. Because we care about each other. That’s all that matters.”

“Yea?” 

“Yea,” he laughed this time, his hand pressing further into Morgan’s face, the other coming up to rest on his knee. 

Morgan’s hand found his, and they stayed like that for a while, taking comfort in finally being near each other again. Mentally, physically. 

“I missed this,” Morgan told him, blinking softly up at him. 

Joel grinned back, “Well, I don’t know if we’ve ever done anything like this before, but—”

Morgan scoffed, rolling his eyes and pushing him away. One of his hands came up to subtly wipe at his eyes and Joel pretended not to notice as he reached out and pulled him back to him. 

Hand threaded in his hair, he tugged him in to rest his head against his neck. “Kidding,” he laughed, turning to nuzzle into Morgan’s hair. “But seriously, I did, too.”

Morgan’s hand squeezed his side, the two of them lapsing back into silence. At least, until he broke it.

“So, which one of us is gonna text our better part?” 

~

[8:17pm] frostbite ; come over?

The text from Morgan lit your phone screen and sent your heart into a steady gallop. You knew Joel was going to talk to him, but for some reason, you hadn’t thought it would be so soon. 

Was it bad that you didn’t feel ready?

Honestly, if you thought about it, you didn’t think you would ever feel ready. In a way, this was the buildup of months of dancing around each other. It was terrifying, that tonight everything would be out in the open.

You would be lying if you said a part of you couldn’t wait.

[8:19pm] armrest ; omw over

Rushing around, you put on shoes and threw back on the hoodie you were wearing earlier when you saw Joel. You grabbed your keys and locked the door behind you, making your way to your car. 

The drive to their apartment was short, though it still took everything in you to obey the traffic laws on the way there. The walk up filled you with even more anxiety, your hands shaking despite your best attempts to settle your nerves.

You knocked lightly on their door, unable to manage more than a mediocre tap. Luckily, it was Joel that opened the door, beckoning you inside with a hand on your waist. He pressed a kiss to the side of your head, sending heat into your cheeks.

“He’s in the kitchen making tea,” Joel told you, closing the door behind you. 

You nodded, dropping your keys onto the Gritty tray. Together, you made your way to the kitchen. 

Seeing Morgan for the first time in two weeks, after not having spoken at all was...was strange. It hit you like a fist to the gut. 

You saw how exhausted Joel looked earlier, disheveled and messy. But compared to Morgan, he looked only a bit different from usual. Morgan, though—

He looked rough. 

Heavy bags under his eyes, hair wild, clothes wrinkled. Even his shoulders were hunched in more than usual. Your heartstrings tugged just looking at him. 

“Hey,” he mumbled when he looked up and saw you, mustering up a weak smile. 

Slowly, you made your way to where he stood. He set down the cup of tea he was reaching out to offer you, worry plastered on his face.

He took a deep breath and started to talk, “Look, I’m so sor—”

You caused him to stop mid-sentence, throwing your arms around him and gripping tight. “You’re such an asshole,” you told him, voice muffled in his shirt. Burying your face deeper, his arms came up and wrapped tightly around you.

“I know,” he said, laying his head on yours, “I’m so sorry.” 

You didn’t respond, taking the moment to really let everything sink in. Giving him one last squeeze, you let go and stepped back, picking up the mug that you claimed as yours on one of your first visits.

“Living room?” you asked, smiling at the two of your boys—because you finally let yourself give in and call them that, because they were yours and you didn’t plan on letting go so easily. 

“Living room, it is,” Joel answered, reaching around to grab his mug and guide you over. Morgan followed behind, staying close. 

Like none of you could bear to be more than a few feet anymore. It was just a tad ironic at this point. 

The three of you settled down in your usual seats, with you in the middle, Joel to your right, and Morgan on the left. You put your tea down after taking a sip, smiling when it tasted exactly how Morgan always makes it for you. 

“So, I guess this is where we talk about everything,” Morgan said, putting his cup down next to yours and turning to face the two of you. 

Joel followed suit, nodding. “That it is.”

For a second, the three of you sat there in silence, looking around at each other. 

“Any volunteers to go first?” You ventured finally, raising your eyebrows. Your question earned you a pair of laughs. 

“I’m the one that started this mess, so I’ll go, I guess.” Morgan darted his tongue out to lick his lips, glancing between the two of you. 

“That night, I let my fear take over. And I know I’ve already told both of you, but I’m sorry.”

“Morgan,” you tried, but he stopped you. 

“Let me talk,” he smiled, so you let him. “At that point, I just really let myself consider that I had feelings for the two people I thought of as my closest friends. And it made me scared, because there are soulmates out there and I know—I think—I don’t have one. But as far as I knew, both of you did. The thought of losing you to someone I had no chance against, it made me lash out. 

That was wrong. I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. We’re adults, mostly, and I should’ve handled it better. I’m sorry.”

You were aware you were gaping a little, but you were unsure on how to stop. Joel got his bearings back before you.

“Yea, you definitely handled it like shit,” he said, shrugging and getting a snort out of you and a ‘fucking hell’ from Morgan. “But it is what it is. It got the ball rolling and we can’t go back. We can only go on.”

“When the fuck did you get good at talking about your feelings?” You turned to him, an incredulous look on your face. “Seriously, you were like the last person I expected to be spouting off relationship wisdom.”

“What can I say,” he grinned, “I’m a man of wisdom. Isn’t that why you care about me non-platonically?”

“Why do I like you,” Morgan muttered to himself, covering his eyes, “Literally why.”

“Moving on,” you announced, choking back a laugh, “On the subject of soulmates, as far as I’m aware, I don’t have one either, so there’s that. And right now, I don’t know if me having one would even stop me from wanting to at least see if this is something worth having. Which I think it is.”

“Yea, I remember you mentioning the soulmate lack,” Joel nodded, “And I agree, with the second part.”

Bumping his shoulder, you went to pick up your tea. 

“So that’s two out of three?” Morgan asked, looking at both of you.

“Make that three out of three,” Joel butted in, raising his hand. “Like 99% sure I don’t either.”

“So none of us have soulmates?” You looked between Morgan and Joel. “Really?”

“Lucky?” Morgan hazarded a guess. 

“I’ll take it.” Joel grinned.

“And to clarify, there are mutual feelings here? Threeway feelings?” 

“Don’t—don’t call it that,” you replied to Morgan, wincing. “That’s just bad.”

“I don’t know,” Joel told you, grinning, “I like it. Threeway Feelings. New groupchat name?”

“Yes.”

“No.” 

You glared at Morgan, repeating, “No, motion overruled.”

“You’re two to one,” Joel teased.

Smiling sweetly back, you told him, “Cute that you think this is a democracy.”

Laughter rang through the apartment. It was almost like the past two weeks had never happened at all. 

“But let me clarify,” Joel started, sitting up straighter and holding up a hand, fingers up, “All of us think we’re soulmate-less, and even if we’re not, it’s something we’ll deal with when we get there,” one finger down, “All of us have feelings for the other two people in this room,” another finger, “and we’re not dating yet?”

“Correct,” you confirmed.

“Sounds about right so far,” Morgan nodded.

“But we should, though,” Joel said, glancing at you, “Date, I mean. It’s the next logical step, right?”

“Kinda worrying when he uses logic,” you leaned over to stage whisper to Morgan. 

He nodded, leaning close, “I agree.”

“I’m right here, jackasses,” Joel threw a throw pillow at Morgan, apparently taking the name literally. 

“Were you? I couldn’t tell,” Morgan replied sarcastically, throwing it back. 

Closing your eyes, you sucked in a deep breath and tried not to laugh. 

“I agree with Joel, though,” you told them, stopping them in their tracks. “About dating.”

“You wanna date us?” Morgan asked you, Joel pointing at him to back up his question. 

Rolling your eyes, you smiled, “Yes, I wanna date you. Do you wanna date me?”

You felt ridiculous for asking, like a flashback to kindergarten with a note saying ‘do you like me? yes or no’.

“I don’t know, what are the options?” Joel asked, pretending to think about it.

“Yes or yes,” you deadpanned.

“I think I’m gonna have to go with yes on that one,” Morgan told you, leaning in to press a kiss to your cheek. 

“I’m gonna have to go with yes, as well,” Joel nodded, kissing your other cheek. 

“Okay,” you tried to ignore the pulsating heat in your cheeks. 

“Wait,” Morgan stopped, clearing his throat and looking over at Joel, “Are we? I mean—”

“Dating?” Joel asked, lips quirking into a soft smile. 

Morgan nodded, staying quiet. 

Joel shook his head and laughed, “Yea, I think I could manage dating both of you.”

“Yea?” Morgan smiled. 

“Yea.” Joel returned it.

“Cool,” Morgan said, running a hand through his hand before stopping and frowning. “I know that all of that shitshow was my fault, but we’re never doing that again, right?”

“Oh, seconded,” you immediately replied, “Never again.”

“Thirded,” Joel agreed, nodding wholeheartedly.

You looked at your boys—now officially yours—and smiled. 

~

Their first date, it was decided, would be dinner at Morgan and Joel’s apartment, just the three of them. Private, no pressure. 

You showed up, dressed up but not too much, as per Joel’s vague instructions, at 8pm on the dot, making it the only time you were ever on time for something. You liked to think that if it wasn’t at your boys’ apartment, they’d be late, too.

“Well, don’t you look lovely,” Morgan let you in, bending to kiss your hairline. 

“I could say the same for you,” you replied, taking him in, pressing a kiss to his chin.

Not the usual pre-game suit, you noticed, unable to decide if it was disappointment or relief in your stomach. He was clad in a nice pair of pants, his dark blue button up undone at the top and the sleeves rolled up to his forearms. Sans shoes, because of course.

On the whole, a very nice look, in your humble opinion.

He noticed your glance down at his lack of footwear and grinned, “Footwear optional.”

“You should’ve mentioned that sooner,” you groaned, bending down to remove your own shoes that had already begun to pinch at your toes. 

He laughed, waiting for you to finish and take his hand, leading you to the kitchen. 

Joel waited for you there, bent over a pot on the stove. Shirt completely unbuttoned, tie hanging around his neck. Shaking your head, you stepped up behind him to wrap your arms around his back, kissing his shoulder blade. 

“Who let you be in charge of dinner?” You teased, catching his eye as he turned around in your embrace to return it. 

“Say the word and we’ll order pizza,” he whispered back into your ear, lips lightly brushing it.

A tingle ran down your spine as you withdrew, sharing a secret smile and ignoring Morgan’s snort. 

“I’m sure it’s not that bad,” you told him, leaning against a counter. 

A laugh bubbled up and out of you at Morgan’s subtle wince. “Dinner’s just about done, anyway. Guess we’ll find out,” he said, getting out a few plates. 

“So, what exactly is on the menu?” You questioned, unable to quite tell. 

Joel looked up at you, opening his mouth and closing it quickly. “You know,” he answered, hand bracing on the countertop, “I’m not sure if I can pronounce it right.”

Giggles flew out of you even as you felt a sense of apprehension take over. “This is gonna be good.”

Sharing a laugh, you got to work setting the table and bringing over the food, which you cautiously noted smelled somewhat decent. Not—not really entirely good, but decent.

“Not gonna lie,” Joel told both of you once everyone was seated with a plate, “Kinda scared to eat this.”

“You’re really not filling me with confidence here, babe,” you replied, getting a tiny forkful of food. 

“On three?” Morgan proposed. 

“On three,” you and Joel agreed. 

“One,” you started.

“Two,” Joel continued.

“Three.”

You shoved the food into your mouth, barely giving yourself a moment to reconsider. Slowly, you chewed, watching your boyfriends’ faces.

It seemed the general consensus was…not good. 

“I think we fucked up somewhere,” Joel swallowed loudly, grimacing.

“Oh, we definitely did,” Morgan agreed, pushing back his chair and standing. “I’ll get my phone.”

“Pizza?”

“Pizza.”

~

“We’re only here to get essentials,” Morgan reminded the two of you, grabbing a cart. 

You and Joel followed behind, hands swinging between your bodies. “Yea, totally,” you smiled, “Essentials.”

“Of course,” Joel nodded gravely, before turning to you and whispering, “We’re definitely getting the stuff for ice cream sundaes, right?”

Giggling, you nudged into him. “He said essentials, Joel. Obviously, we’re getting the stuff for ice cream sundaes.”

“I can hear both of you, you know,” Morgan called back, looking over his shoulder at the pair of you. 

You shot him a smile and blew him a kiss, knowing Joel was beside you doing something just as cheesy.

The next thing you knew, Joel was speeding up and dragging you along to catch up to your other boyfriend. “I’m getting in,” he dropped your hand, lifting a leg over the side of the cart. 

“No—Joel—oh my god,” Morgan tried to jerk the cart away, laughter spilling out of him.

“Joel, you’re not getting in the cart,” you shoved him, blissfully ignoring the stares coming from the old lady down the aisle. 

Joel pouted exaggeratedly, turning to face you. “Why not?”

In a quick motion, you propelled yourself into the cart. “Because I am!” Your giggles came out maniacal, joined with Joel’s bark of laughter and Morgan’s groan of disappointment. 

“Where’s the food gonna go?” Morgan asked, continuing to push the cart with you in it. 

“In the cart with Y/N,” Joel told him, bumping lightly into his shoulder with a grin. 

You pointed at Joel, agreeing. 

Morgan shook his head, that exasperated fondness prevalent on his face as he sighed and tried not to smile. “Fine,” he relented. 

~

“You know, that monkey kinda looks like you,” Morgan overheard you tell Joel as he paid for the cotton candy. 

“You’re such an ass,” Joel pushed you, laughing. 

“Speaking of asses,” Morgan said, coming up behind you and handing over the cotton candy, “Do you think they have donkeys here?”

You threw your head back with a loud laugh. 

“This is the zoo,” Joel replied, grabbing his hand, “...I actually don’t know. We should check.”

“In the whole zoo, you want to see donkeys?” You asked in bemusement, leaning into him. 

He shrugged, wrapping his unoccupied arm around you. “What can I say, I’m a man with taste.”

“Oh, for sure,” Joel retorted, snorting and squeezing his hand in his own.

~

Limbs tangled, you relaxed on the couch with your boys.

A book in one hand, you carded your fingers through Joel’s hair with the other. Sprawled across your lap as you rested against Morgan, he was the perfect image of relaxation. Rain pattered against the windows as a romcom played in the background, the volume just low enough to zone out. Morgan and Joel—okay, just Morgan, because you were pretty sure Joel was half asleep at this point—were watching, attention set on the tv.

All in all, an excellent night. 

~

Seeing your boys over the summer was difficult, but you made it work. You always did.

It was one of those incredibly rare days where you lounged about in the midsummer heat with them, Morgan and Joel taking a slight break from offseason training to just be together. It was nice, and it was quiet and exactly what you needed. 

You had made the mistake of putting on one of their thinner, more threadbare hoodies last night and the decision was catching up to you. You untangled yourself from the pile of limbs on the bed belonging to your two boyfriends, ignoring their cries of protest, and just barely managed to get up. 

First, you were gonna turn up the air conditioning, and then you were gonna take off this damn hoodie. 

Meandering over to the A/C, you accomplished one mission and moved on to the next one. Pulling the hoodie over your head, you felt your shirt slide up and refuse to separate from it. 

“Hey,” you heard Joel call from behind you, “Did you get a tattoo without telling us?”

Confused, you yanked the hoodie the rest of the way off and turned back to them. “No?” You answered, but it came out less sure than you would’ve liked. 

“I definitely saw something on your back,” Joel insisted, reaching over and swatting at Morgan to get his attention. 

“Hmm?” Morgan grumbled, switching sides to look at you. 

“Come here,” Joel beckoned, an action you reluctantly obeyed. His hand on your hip turned you to face away from him, your back in his line of sight.

You shivered, feeling his fingers glide across your skin as he lifted your shirt. In an instant, you felt his grasp waver, a choked gasp slamming out of him.

“Holy shit,” Morgan breathed, the bed creaking as he shot up. 

Spinning, you turned to face them, grabbing at your back. “What?” You demanded, terrified of their answer, “What it is?”

Adrenaline poured through your veins as Joel lifted his gaze, now wet with tears, to meet yours with a wide smile.

“It’s a soulmate tattoo,” he told you, standing up and cupping your face. His lips came down fast and hard to yours, the emotion behind the kiss slamming into you. 

You felt Morgan come to stand behind you, lifting your shirt to look. His fingers traced down your spine, almost reverently, sending shiver after shiver through your body. 

“Liar,” you croaked when you and Joel split, refusing to believe it. 

Joel shook his head with a disbelieving laugh, “I’m not. Go look in the mirror.”

You pulled away, making your way slowly to the mirror by the door, your boys close behind. You twisted around, craning your head as you pulled up your shirt. Your breath stilled to a halt when scrawled writing along your spine become visible out of the corner of your eye with every inch of skin shown. 

And there, once your shirt was all the way up, was an indisputable soulmate tattoo curving down your spine.

morgan frost ~ joel farabee

The names of your boys—your boys, you nearly cried—written in calligraphy on your body, separated only by three flowers. 

“Soulmates,” Morgan whispered, finger stilling on the flowers. 

Recognition sparked deep in your mind, a memory surfacing behind your eyes.

Your eyes lingered on the flowers lining the pathway, your mind trying futilely to identify which ones they wer—

“I know those flowers,” you mumbled, lips parting as you stared uncomprehendingly. 

Joel laughed a little, fingers running up and down your side. “I didn’t think you were into flowers.”

You shook your head, fixated and unable to look away. “No, I know those flowers. Asters. They were—”

“In the park by the cafe,” Morgan finished for you, catching on, “The day I bumped into you.”

“The day we met,” you said, smiling. “I was trying to figure out what kind they were, it’s why I was distracted. Why we—”

“Met,” Morgan gaped, a smile slowly spreading across his lips. 

You nodded, unable to talk just yet. The sight of those flowers, ones that you hadn’t really given any thought to after you had googled them one day after being curious. Flowers that were now imprinted on your body, a permanent reminder of everything you gained in such a relatively short amount of time.

To your side, you watched Joel take off his shirt and turn around, revealing flowing names down his spine separated by three dainty flowers. 

y/n ~ morgan frost

Morgan mirrored him on your other side and sure enough, there were your names in identical print and the same tiny three flowers. 

joel farabee ~ y/n

A perfect set.

~ fin ~

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