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#we’re gonna ignore the fact I haven’t written in like a month
luffyvace · 8 days
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Boa Hancock & Neferatari Vivi x female reader for women’s day!!
ik I’m late to women’s day guys!! But I’m still gonna participate! (Totally not an excuse to write for some of my fav op girls that I haven’t written much for yet)
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Hancock x a fem reader would be like the ultimate alternative timeline to her not falling in love with luffy lol
let’s say your in the kuja pirates specifically,
that would make more sense as to how you got closer since your on the same crew and obviously get to interact with her more versus just fan girling in the crowd lolol 😂
just the same as luffy, she’d realized her love for you after getting worried for your safety and feeling ill (love sick 😀) mid expedition at the fact that you might be hurt
when everyone gets back to the boat she tried to unsuspectingly scope you out (tried because she was actually frantically searching for someone and wouldn’t say who as everyone panicked-) and as soon as she saw you she sighed in relief! But soon after, she started blushing and she felt a warm fuzzy feeling!
what was this? Is this what they call..? Love?!
it was such a joyous feeling..! She couldn’t believe she was feeling such intense emotions at your presence alone!
”Lady hebihime!! Are you all right?!”
”Lady hebihime!! Are you all right?!”
”Lady hebihime!! Are you all right?!”
”all right..!”
”right..!”
”right..”
Your words echoed over and over again in Hancock’s spinning head. You..we’re worrying for her?! Your so…kind!- So!- so!- your such a selfless woman!!
and yeah that’s pretty much how it went HAHAH
you can pretty much guess you’ll get special treatment from then on, she’s in love with you after all!! Naturally it’s her duty to protect her lover! 😊 (you haven’t even asked her out yet Hancock! - Glorisa)
she invites you into the palace and gives you the best food and treatment straight away!! Put your feet up dear! Are you hot? tired? Do you need water?? “Hurry up and bring the giant fans! My lover is hot!”
no pun intended even though you are 😉
“lover..? Lady hebihime..! May I ask what your talking about..😅”
”o-oh! W-well..I was just thinking…maybe…we could go on a date..?! ☺️😅”
“ME?? Hebihime!! I- I’m honored but what brought this about?! This is….strangely sudden, you know? Not trying to be rude!-”
”Hancock!”
”eh??- I mean!- hebihim-”
”Hancock!! Y-you..can call me Hancock..if you’d like!- I mean if you’d prefer to call me something else like a pet name, honey or dear m-maybe-…!”
”But!- hebihime-”
“-And to answer your question! What brought this about……I’m not sure myself…I have no idea actually, I found myself worrying about you and when I saw you again….When I saw you..! When I…..Kyaaa! 😍”
”Hancock!! Are you all right?! What happened!?
“ !!….You…! You!- You said my name!! This must be..! This must be!! What they call!- Engagement!~ 😍😍”
”huh?? 😀 hebihime?-“
“No! Go back! Don’t call me hebihime anymore!! We’re getting married next month so!- So call me by my name from now on! Okay honey?! 😍💗”
*mutters while being carried bridal style by Hancock* “I’m getting married…to the hebihime..😵‍💫💫”
and yes you actually did get married the next month :)
being the wife of the pirate empress is the liiiife 😎👍 you get whatever you want, whenever you want and however much you want of it!! Without a question! Your words are as absolute as sold gold on the island of women! Hancock will likely even ignore elder nyon/Glorisa for you <3
and yeah you can pretty much just imagine your dream life for the rest! Expect that to become your reality when married to Hancock bc even thanos snap can’t compare 🗿😭
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Vivi is such an awesome girl - honorable mention okay? 😤👏
let’s say your not a straw hat tho :) just for funzies :3 imagine you’ve lived on alabasta just as long as she has and even infiltrated Baroque works with her. And also helped save alabasta!
best friends to lovers anyone?? Lesbian edition >:> 👩‍❤️‍👩 🧡🤍💖🏳️‍🌈
after it’s all said and done, and crocodile is defeated, you two say cya to the straw hats and you help Vivi rebuild her kingdom
somewhere during the time things start looking up as for alabasta’s cleanup, she confesses! Oops spoiler :}
“hey!!..I’ve been looking all over for you 😅”
“Oh hey Vivi! What is it?”
”oh nothing I just, well it’s not nothing…can we talk? Uh- you know..in private?”
”oh yeah sure! Come inside I was just cleaning up heheh, excuse the mess..”
“It’s nothing! Really, it’s fine no need to be so formal…we’re close, right?”
“Yeah :) what is it you wanted to talk about though? Is it something bad I’m nervous 😃”
”Oh! Nononono! Nothing bad nothing bad!-“
*sigh of relief* “hah, that’s good 😅”
*awkward yet adorable giggles come from both you and Vivi*
“well..what I wanted to talk about was…us, as in…who we are”
“Oh no Vivi don’t come out and tell me we’re aliens now we’ve barely finished cleaning up alabasta! 😭😂😂”
”what?? Hey! No! I-I’m trying to be serious here! 🤦‍♀️“
”OH! Oops 😄 go ahead go ahead!”
“I meant who we are as in, as a….relationship! Like- um..we’re friends right? Soo..if we could be……”
“Vivi..you mean..?”
”YEAH! 😭😅 I mean if- if we could be..more, if- if you want if not we can just stay friends-“
”No! I- hahah, I honestly never thought you’d ask, like- literally! I’ve kinda been waiting but you never did so is assumed-“
lots of awkward laughing and explaining of feelings ensue from there 💗(🏳️‍🌈😜)
actually being in a relationship with her includes training, yes training, because you never know what could happen. Just as crocodile happened and no one knew he would. So from now on she wants to be prepared, she refuses to be blindsided again—for the sake of her people!
she’s a cute mix of awkward, kind and a tad bit shy 💗 it’s like, she almost wouldn’t know how to act around you if you weren’t so close, but you are! So that makes things easier :)
she’s highly knowledgeable and I feel she’d have quiet a bit of hobbies. if you like to do similar things she’d love to partake in those activities with you! But if you have different interests, exploring each one as you teach her about them would be fun too! <3
Vivi is a literally princess, which means as her lover you get princess treatment! 😘 (all puns intended) She can afford it after all! Pell and Vivi’s father would adore you! You make Vivi so happy, how can they not?!
she talks about you more often than you know 🤫 “Dad!! Don’t tell her that!- it’s kind of embarrassing you know?!” oops Vivi heard him
well anyway 😊
Vivi is a very caring and protective lover as seen with Nami (when she stayed by her side the whole time she was ill). So of course that’s not any different when it comes to you, it’s highly likely Vivi knows first aid so if you get a minor injury? Be more careful!! 🩹❤️‍🩹💋 A major injury?! Hurry! Rush her to the royal hospital! Quickly! Giver her the best treatment! It’s okay, relax, she’s here 💖
Vivi will be with you through thick and thin and her loyalty is unwavering. She may not be the strongest banana in the bunch but she’ll certainly defend you with all she has if it comes down to it! 😤💪
Also!!! Can’t believe I haven’t mentioned this yet!!- Karoo!!!! Karoo loves you <33 Vivi thinks your bond is adorable, especially how Karoo always lets you ride on him :} you bring him snacks and drinks and he runs to you each time. If your tired of walking he’ll carry you without complaints as well so that’s a perk!
I feel the other spot billed ducks would love you as well! Karoo probably tells them how great you are 🤗 You might even like one of them enough to make them your duck! (I would, they seem cooler than a freezer 😎👍)
Okayyy~ lovely readers, followers and anyone new here..!
I hope you enjoyed these headcanons!!~
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cjsinkythoughts · 3 years
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The Shield
Paring: Bucky Barnes x Avenger!Reader
Word Count: 5595
Warnings: !FATWS SPOILERS!, Cursing, John Walker, Emotions, Character Death, Mentions of Blood, I know people had a hard time with that last scene so please take caution because it is in this part! GIF at end is the ending scene, so be careful when you get towards the bottom! I feel like I’m forgetting some, so just know this one’s a bit more than the others.
A/N: Here it is, folks! The Part we’ve all been waiting for! It’s the longest one I’ve written so far but so much happened and I couldn’t find a better spot to end it than where the episode ended. Thank you all for being patient with me today. I know I didn’t get this out as quickly as I would’ve the past few weeks, but you guys are so awesome! Seriously! I love that you understand I do have a life and work comes first! Thank you, thank you!
This Part is a doozy, guys, and…I’m sorry? But not really. I’m SUPER excited to see where this is gonna go, especially considering Episode 5 is supposed to be the real tear jerker. I can’t believe there’s only two more episodes! I’ve grown so attached to these characters just in the past month! I’m so glad I’m able to share some of my thoughts and feelings with you guys, too! You’re honestly the best!
I’ll be doing more One Shots this week, so look for those on the Masterlist. I’m still taking requests for them, so if there’s anything you want explored about the reader and her relationships that you don’t think will be explored in this Series, just ask and I’ll try to add it to the One Shot list.
As always, this isn’t beta’d so please excuse any mistakes! Thank you for reading, be kind to yourself and others, enjoy this part and stay tuned!
FATWS Masterlist
cjsinkythoughts Masterlist
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(I couldn’t decide on which GIF to use because there are so many good ones! Thank you Tumblr Creators!)
!SPOILERS UNDER CUT!
“Doll…hey. Doll. C’mon, sweetheart. We gotta get moving.”
You cracked your eyes open begrudgingly, squinting up to see Bucky’s amused grin, head tilted and eyes soft. “Huh?”
He chuckled as you rubbed your eyes, confusion lifting an eyebrow. “The funeral. Zemo said we’ve gotta go if we’re gonna make it in time.”
“Wait, but…huh?”
Sniggering again at your reaction, he held up your phone. “You passed out in the middle of a chapter, sleepyhead.” He teased lightly, grabbing your hand and gently pulling you to sit upright. “It’s almost been an hour.”
You huffed tiredly, stretching and placing your feet on the floor, taking back the phone he held out to you. “Why didn’t you wake me up?”
“You haven’t been sleeping well.” He stated, like it should’ve been obvious. “How’s your arm feeling?”
“Better than earlier. It’s just sore. That’s all.”
He studied your features for any hint of a lie. Not finding one, he nodded, holding out his hand. “Okay. But tell me if it starts bothering you.”
You placed your hand in his, marveling for a split second at how big his hands were compared to yours - something you noticed every time but still it never ceased to astound you. He tugged you up, and you looked up to meet his worried eyes, remembering his question.
“I will, Buck. Promise.”
He nodded, tilting his head towards the door. “C’mon, cuddle bug. We don’t wanna miss this.”
A groan passed your lips, but you nodded and followed Bucky out into the main room, where Sam chuckled at you from his spot at the table. “Sleeping beauty has finally awoken.”
You flipped Sam off groggily. “Are we going or not?”
“Do you wanna wake up s’more first?”
“No.” You answered the one armed brunette. “I’ll just splash some water on my face or something. I’ll be fine by the time we get there. Where’s-”
“Looking for me?”
Zemo strolled out, now dressed in that coat of his, that smug smirk on his lips. You scowled. “I wish I wasn’t.”
Sam stood up, standing subconsciously between you and Zemo. “Let’s head out.”
You nodded in agreement, shooting the Baron one more glare, before following him out the door and into the city, Bucky right besides you, shoulders brushing as if you weren’t ignoring him just hours prior.
The walk was mostly silent, a few jests between Bucky and Sam plus a couple comments from Zemo here and there. You talked about strategy, with Sam bringing up the fact that he wanted to try convincing Karli to step down. Zemo didn’t look pleased with the arrangement, but both you and Bucky relented, agreeing to let Sam at least try.
It wasn’t until you were close to your destination according to Zemo that anything exciting happened.
“Karli Morgenthau is too dangerous for you guys to be pulling this shit!”
Hell. No. 
The moment the voice registered in your brain, your jaw tightened, your teeth starting to grind together as you held back the very not nice things you wanted to say. 
“Ah! How’d you find us now?” Bucky called out, tucking you into his side protectively, and a little possessively you noted, as Walker and Hoskins came down the steps, the two groups nearing each other.
You were relieved when the subject of Zemo escaping jail went by relatively quickly, Walker latching onto the fact that you were going to talk to Karli instead of focusing on the escaped fugitive in front of him.
You very nearly punched him when he ran in front of you after Sam told him the plan, making the four of you stop in your tracks, but Bucky’s arm tightened around your shoulders, holding you in place next to him.
“You’re gonna let him do this?” Walker questioned Bucky in disbelief, self righteous judgement practically dripping from your tone. “You’re gonna let your partner walk into a room with a super soldier alone?”
Bucky’s jaw ticked. “He’s dealt with worse. And he’s not my partner.”
“And you?” Walker narrowed his eyes towards you. “I expected more from you; the last original Avenger.”
You snorted, shaking your head. He obviously didn’t know how chaotic the Avengers were. What Sam was proposing? You’d seen it a million times with Steve alone. Not considering Nat, Clint, Thor, even Bruce and Tony. All of them willing to try to negotiate before running in, bullets raining and hell rising. “First, I’m not the last original. I’m technically not even an original. Second, I trust Sam with my life and I’m standing by his decision. He’s my brother. As a soldier, I would’ve thought you understood that.”
Before he could respond, Sam stepped around Bucky. You saw the reluctance in Walker’s eyes as he admitted a temporary defeat once Hoskins agreed with Sam. The fact that he was so unwilling to try to save more lives - including Karli’s - made the truth that he wasn’t, and would never, be your Captain harden deeper into your heart.
Ignoring Walker’s confusion as you followed the little girl Zemo befriended - which was weird, you’d admit, but it was getting you closer to Karli - Bucky’s arm slipped from your shoulders, hand sliding across your back and skimming down your arm to grip your hand. Even through your jacket, you felt goosebumps erupt along his fingers’ trail.
You finally came to your destination and you let out a small breath. If everything went smoothly, this mission could finally be over and you could go home and take a bath, get take out, get out a bottle of wine, watch TV, and just relax.
What a dream.
“Hey.” You stopped Sam before he could go through the entrance of where the girl said Karli was, holding his forearm. “You want me to come with you?”
He shook his head. “I think it’ll be better if I go alone.”
You nodded, letting go without any hesitance. “Okay. Be careful.”
“Always.” And despite all you’ve been through, no matter how many times he’s followed Steve’s lead in doing something stupid, you knew he meant it. You nodded again, before he disappeared around the corner.
You leaned back against the wall, Bucky once again wrapping an arm around your shoulder now that you weren’t walking - he liked having mobility on the move, hence the reason he held your hand instead - leaning besides you and pulling you against his chest.
Ten minutes. You tried looking at Bucky’s watch, which was on the wrist of the arm around you. He noticed and turned his wrist slightly, bending his elbow more, which brought you even closer to him, showing you the time.
Giving a small sigh, you nodded slightly and dropped your head back against his bicep, your hands shoving in your pockets, one of your feet coming up to rest against the wall. Bucky shifted to your other side so he could stand in front of the doors to where Karli and Sam were, pulling you against his back, arms wrapping around your shoulders tightly.
It was a long ten minutes. You kept eyeing Walker, and you couldn’t help the anger burning through you as he held the shield in his hands. That damn shield. It wasn’t his. It would never be his. And he would never understand it. The fact that the shield didn’t make Captain America. The shield isn’t what made Steve a good man. Not even the Serum did. He already was one. Steve made the shield what it was, not the other way around.
But then you remembered a conversation you had, years ago, and your eyes flitted up to Bucky’s hardened face, the brunette staring intensely at the ground.
~
You didn’t get it. You were confused. You knew how important Barnes - Bucky - was to Steve. But apparently you didn’t understand it quite yet.
You watched from the entrance of the hallway, leaning against the wall, as Bucky went under once more.
Steve stood there for a moment longer, before turning and walking towards you. “Why’d you do it?”
He raised an eyebrow at you while you turned to walk with him down the hall. “Do what?”
“Give up the shield. And don’t say it doesn’t belong to you. It does. Howard gave it to you. You’re the reason it’s…a symbol.”
He hummed. “And what exactly is it a symbol for, honey?”
You scoffed. “Uh, freedom? Justice? Resilience? The defense of the whole life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness thing?”
He stopped, facing you with a strange expression on his face, thoughtful. “I dropped it because I can’t be that anymore. Not right now. People don’t have the same beliefs they used to have. How can I stand up for freedom and let the Sokovia Accords track every person they deem a threat, just like HYDRA tried doing? How can I be a symbol for justice and let Bucky take the fall for something that he wasn’t in control of? I can’t. And until the world is ready to change…I can’t be Captain America.”
~
And suddenly, it seemed to click. Steve gave up the shield for Bucky because the world wasn’t ready to admit it was wrong. Just like Sam gave up the shield for himself and his family because the world wasn’t ready for the truth that would come with him becoming Captain America.
God…when did a metal circle become so complicated?
“What’s goin’ on in that pretty lil’ head’a yours?” His whisper in your ear startled you out of your thoughts, his nose brushing against your temple tenderly as he placed a chaste kiss on your cheek.
You looked up at him and shook your head. Of all the things Steve gave up, he never gave up Bucky. And it used to confuse you, but you understood then. His blue eyes sparkling with curiosity and slight concern, his fingers tracing patterns along your collarbone with a barely-there touch that was so light it didn’t seem to exist. You finally understood. Not just Steve’s decision, but Sam’s too. And maybe you didn’t understand it fully, and that was okay, because you weren’t them, so you never would, but you understood a little bit.
“Nothing.” You shook your head, keeping your voice down so the others couldn’t hear, the conversation being a private one, “I’m just waiting for this to be over.”
He hummed, nodding in agreement, setting his chin on your head. “Me too.”
Walker started pacing the room about half way through, getting too antsy for your liking. “Shhh.” Bucky mumbled under his breath, feeling you tense as Walker started talking. “It hasn’t been ten minutes, John. Just sit tight.”
“Don’t do that. Don’t patronize me.”
“He knows what he’s doing.” Bucky stated confidently, straightening slightly from his leaning position, arms falling from your form. The two of you exchanged glances as Walker checked the clock over on the far wall, blocked from your view.
“I’m going in.” Walker strode across the room, heading for the entrance, no doubt willing to steam roll anything - anyone - in his way.
Bucky stopped him with a hand on his chest. You glanced back and forth between the two as Walker spoke, arms crossed tightly over your chest. “Buck…we promised him ten minutes.” You reminded him, seeing his resolve crumble a bit. You could guess he was thinking of the nightmares. The people he couldn’t save. The blood he already considered on his hands.
Walker used his moment of hesitation, shoving past him roughly. “I’m not waiting.”
“John!”
“Walker!”
You followed after him, you and Bucky arguing with him and Hoskins about giving Sam more time, but it was too late.
“Karli Morgenthau! You’re under arrest!”
“Fuck.” You hissed out when you saw Sam’s panicked expression, looking at you confused. Walker was flown across the room when Karli punched him, Bucky shoving Hoskins out of the way to run after her.
“Y/N-”
You threw your hands up. “I tried, Sam! C’mon!”
You and Sam ran over to some stairs, turning corners and trying to remember what the building looked like from outside to cut her off, but you only ran into Bucky again. 
“I wish we had the layout or something.” You grumbled. “We were that close-”
“We’re not done yet, doll.” Nodding, you followed the boys out, Bucky pausing every so often to try to hear anything. “I’ve got gunshots.” At that, the three of you took off towards the sound, Bucky leading the way.
Just around the corner from where Bucky heard the gunshots, you thought you saw a couple people slip around another bend. Noticing you had stopped, Bucky backtracked. “You okay?’
“Yeah.” Deciding it wasn’t worth the pursuit, you turned to him and nodded towards the doorway Sam already went through. He gave you a look, but nodded and the two of you jogged into the room.
You sighed heavily, seeing Zemo knocked out on the floor, Walker standing over him and broken vials that were previously full of, what you assumed was, the Serum. Hoskins ran in right after you, meaning no one but Walker and Zemo knew what happened. Meaning you would probably never get the full, true story.
What fun it is to work with manipulators and liars.
********************
“I don’t like him.” Bucky grumbled, the two of you walking up to the place you were staying in, Bucky holding the door open for you.
“I know you don’t, Buck. I don’t either.” You had asked Bucky to go with you to get some fresh air once you got back, Zemo having woken up a few minutes after and Walker and Hoskins had to make a call or something official like the good soldiers they were. “He’s hiding something.”
“You think?” Bucky scoffed, giving you a look.
You rolled your eyes. “I mean…I don’t know. When we found him and Zemo…my gut twisted.”
He nodded in understanding, his face twisting into a scowl. “Yeah. Mine did too.”
You stopped him before you could walk through the door to the main room. “Do me a favor?” He nodded again with a little hum. Catching his chin between your fingers, your free hand moved to smooth out the creases between his brow. “Stop brooding so much. It makes me worried.”
His tongue darted out to wet his lips, features softening slightly. “Are you really gonna leave in the morning? I know you’ve had a lot of people telling you to take a break, and it’s selfish for me to ask you to stay, but…I dunno if I can finish this without you.”
“I-” You sighed, ducking your head as you thought of a response, before looking up in his wide eyes, begging for you to stick around longer. “Let’s just finish the day and see what happens next. Okay?”
He bit his lip, nodding slightly. You gave him a smile, before tugging on his hand. “I need a drink.”
He chuckled at that. “That I can fix, doll.” He, again, opened the door for you, and the two of you walked in.
“What a gentleman. Straight outta the 40’s.” You joked, making him roll his eyes.
He took off his jacket, heading to the kitchen, while you sat on the opposite side of the island. “Somethin’s not right about Walker.”
Sam gave you two an amused look. “You don’t say.”
“Well, I know a crazy when I see one.” He opened the lid of the bottle he grabbed, starting to pour two glasses of whiskey for the both of you. “Because I am crazy.”
You rolled your eyes as Sam responded, “can’t argue with that.”
“You shouldn’t have given him the shield.”
Giving Bucky a disapproving look over the rim of your glass, you sipped your drink, narrowing your eyes when he ignored you. “I didn’t give him the shield.”
“Well Steve definitely didn’t.”
Your glass slammed down on the counter. Why did he have to bring this up right now? Seriously? You were just having a nice conversation about places you wanted to visit while taking a walk outside. Why was he suddenly snapping?
Before you could scold him, the doors burst open, making your head whip over as Walker stormed in, “ordering” you to hand over Zemo.
You stayed sitting, leaning on the counter and facing the opposite wall as Sam told him off, giving an amused snicker as you sipped your drink. Bucky sat besides you, facing Walker, and you recognized from the angle he was positioning himself that he was blocking you from Walker’s view, whether intentional or not.
You raised an eyebrow, turning in interest when Walker put down the shield, knowing Sam wasn’t about to fight the man. What an ego the blonde had.
Before anything could happen, however, a spear pierced through the air, lodging in the pillar next to Walker��s head.
Your frustration with Bucky’s comment flew out of your head as Ayo and a few other Dora Milaje walked in. Bucky sat up straighter and you stood up, leaning ever so slightly against his arm.
You nearly facepalmed, a sound of complete disbelief leaving you as Walker introduced himself. Sam looked over at you two, an entertained, slightly incredulous smile on his face.
Sam tried warning him. He really did. But Walker, you’ve come to find, was an arrogant, egotistical narcissist who only wanted to win and would do whatever it takes to do so. Even when there wasn’t really a winner. At least, not in that situation. It seemed that Walker liked ignoring the gray area in the world, which wasn’t good. Not in the least.
Which is why you couldn’t really feel sorry for the man. You saw it coming as soon as he told them they didn’t have jurisdiction. And the moment he touched Ayo?
You put your chin on Bucky’s shoulder - who had stood up from his spot - watching the Dora Milaje kick Walker’s ass, wincing and cringing mockingly at the right moments, making Bucky smirk at you.
“We should do something.” Sam said, although he didn’t look thrilled about the prospect.
Bucky crossed his arms. “Looking strong, John!”
You gave a slight snort, not wanting to encourage anything, but unable to hold in your amusement. Bucky winked at you, clinking his cup of whiskey with your own, before taking a gulp.
“Bucky.” 
You huffed and stepped back at Sam’s tone. “C’mon, Buck.”
“Fine.” Bucky grunted. “But ‘M not happy about it.”
Soon, the three of you, plus Walker and Hoskins, were all occupied with a member of the Dora Milaje. You knew you couldn’t take them; they were on a higher level that Natasha, and you could barely beat her. But you weren’t necessarily trying to win.
It was a strange fight, knowing that no one - except Walker, probably - actually wanted to hurt anyone. Of course, that didn’t stop one of them from exploiting your injured shoulder that she spotted rather quickly. The hits were quick and precise, the tip of her spear cutting along the graze, hitting the spot just perfect enough to reopen it. The stitches that had been placed only a couple days ago ripped, making you wince and clutch your now bleeding shoulder.
“Oh fuck.” You groaned. “You were always good with those things.”
She gave you an almost apologetic look, before she looked over to Ayo, who stepped through the room towards the bathroom where Zemo had locked himself in during the chaos.
When you caught sight of the shoulder thing she did to Bucky, his metallic arm now laying on the floor, his eyes wide and his stance stunned, your jaw nearly dropped. You guessed it made sense that they had a way to do that, but, still. None of you were expecting it.
“Did you know they could do that?” Sam asked once they started leaving, Bucky picking up his arm and connecting it to his shoulder.
“No.” The arm whirred as he swung it, getting it back to normal.
You couldn’t help the little giggle that left you, making Bucky raise an eyebrow at you. You tried holding in more laughs, but they just kept coming. “She-she...she disarmed you!”
Bucky rolled his eyes as you chortled, holding your stomach and bending over. “Ha ha. Very funny.”
“Oh come on!” You straightened and wiped your eyes. “That was good! Wasn’t it, Sammy?”
Sammy chuckled and nodded. “I’ll admit, it was pretty good. This, however, is not.”
Your laughter died as Sam made his way over to the bathroom, the light air that came with your cackles dissipating as quickly as it came.
“I can’t believe he pulled an El Chapo.”
You stared at the drain that was uncovered - large enough for Zemo to slip inside and escape. He did it. The son of a bitch finally did it. It took him long enough. You would’ve betted against him days ago.
“I can.” Bucky turned and grabbed your hand. “Come on. Let’s get you cleaned up.”
*********************
“I thought you told them.”
Bucky looked up from wrapping your shoulder, an eyebrow raised. “What?”
“I thought you told them. The Dora Milaje. Wakanda. T’Challa. I thought you told them about Zemo.”
He leaned back with a sigh. “It was kinda a last minute decision. You know that. You were there.”
You nodded. “I do. But I also know what they’ve done for you. Shuri and Ayo. I was there for that, too. And you know what he did to them. To their country. Their king.”
“I know, I know. I almost died several times because of it.”
Your eyebrows pinched in confusion. “So why-”
“I thought it’d be quick. I thought, maybe, I could do it without them finding out and then we could get to Karli and they wouldn’t be disappointed. Win win.”
Your cheek caught between your teeth as you thought. “You could’ve just asked-”
He shook his head. “They would’ve said no. You know that.”
“Okay. Fine. Yes. I know that. But…but giving them a warning would’ve been better than this.” He hung his head, closing his eyes. “Bucky. Hey,” hooking a finger under his chin, you tilted his head back up to look at you. “I know it’s been hard for you. Everything has. And I’m sorry I dragged you into this. I shouldn’t have let you come along. You should be healing, and it’s my fault you’re not.” He opened his mouth, face scrunching up in disagreement, but you shook your head. “It’s true. I just…I didn’t know it would come this far.” You gnawed on your bottom lip studying those captivating eyes, before sighing. “Which is why I’m not leaving.”
He perked up, those pretty eyes going wide, jaw slackening. “You-you’re not?!”
You shook your head. As much as you wanted to run away, you couldn’t. It wouldn’t be right. “It wouldn’t be fair to you or Sam. I promised to help, and I brought you into it. So I’m gonna stay.
“Are you, uh…are you sure? You don’t hafta if you don’t wanna, doll. I know I kinda pushed you earlier, but-”
“I’m sure Buck.” You nodded firmly. “Just…do something for me?”
“I dunno if I can promise not brooding, sweetheart.”
You giggled at his words. “Not that. Just…stop giving Sam a hard time. About the shield. Please.”
His soft features hardened and he scowled. “If he didn’t give it up-”
“He thought it was going to the museum. I told you about that, remember? I told you we’d go when I got back.”
Giving a slight nod, he sighed. “We never did.”
“We will. But, I’m serious, Buck. Please. It’s not his fault. He did exactly what Steve did.” At Bucky’s confused look, you pursed your lips, looking down at his hands, starting to play with his fingers. “Remember how I was thinking during those ten minutes we had?” He nodded. “I was thinking about how Steve gave the shield back to Tony. After saving you. In Siberia. You remember that?” Another nod was given, so you continued. “It was for you, James. Because you made him realize that he didn’t want to be the face of a country that preached one thing, but did another. And that’s what Sam did. He did it for his family. For himself. Because no one wants to fight for a country that goes against your personal beliefs, no matter what they say.”
“I-I don’t understand.” Bucky’s eyes squinted, his brow creasing as he tried processing what you were telling him.
“That’s okay. Not everyone will. Really only they can understand their own reasoning. But you have to try to understand that he did what he thought was best for himself. For Steve. For the shield. And I know - dammit do I know - that it’s the last thing left of him. But it is just metal. Isn’t it? Steve’s the reason it is what it is. No one else. And no one is going to change that.”
Bucky took a breath, glossy, worried eyes meeting yours. “Walker’s going to ruin it. I know he is. I can feel it. Everything Steve worked for. I don’t care about Captain America. I care about the kid from Brooklyn who wanted to make a difference, no matter how little he was. I trusted him. I followed him through bullets and blood, with only that shield between us and them. He was home on a battlefield in Italy across the ocean from New York. And that shield was the welcome mat. It doesn’t matter what it says, what it looks like…but it protected my home when I couldn’t. But now? I feel like it’s tearing my home down. Pulling out the bricks. And it hurts. It was never about the shield, Y/N. It was always about the man it protected when I couldn’t be there for him. And now?”
Gathering him in your arms as he trailed off, you gave a couple little sniffles, pressing your face in his hair, nails scratching the nape of his neck lightly. “I’ll be your welcome mat, Buckaroo.” You offered.
He shook his head, pulling away to hold your face between his hands. “No, sweetheart. You’re not the welcome mat. You’re the new bricks replacing the old. You’re…you’re my home, now, doll.”
You swallowed thickly, unable to handle the rush of emotions that just poured through you, the sudden change in topic making you feel more vulnerable than you’d like. You leaned forwards, placing a gentle kiss to the corner of his mouth, feeling him go lax in your arms. “And you’re mine.” You murmured softly, before getting up and heading out for the room, unable to stay any longer. You still had a mission to do. One that became even more desperate with Zemo loose, Walker unhinged, and Karli being so close.
******************
There was a silent agreement to not bring up your conversation. Not yet, at least. Sam had eyed you both when you came out of the room, saying you were ready to get moving, but he didn’t say anything either.
None of you really knew where you were going, only what you had to do. Find Zemo and get to Karli before Walker could. Both of which were a lot easier said than done.
Until Sam got a call from Sarah, who told him Karli contacted her personally and threatened her and her sons. She left a contact number for Sam, evidently wanting to meet. His phone dinged not a minute after he texted the number.
“She said come alone.”
“Well that’s not happening.” You opposed, crossing your arms.
Bucky nodded with your sentence. “We’re coming with you.”
Sam didn’t say anything against it, the three of you exchanging glances, before heading out to the location, changing into your tactical suits along the way.
Karli didn’t seem to mind you and Bucky tagging along, and you understood why the moment she mentioned not killing Sam because he wasn’t hiding behind a shield. It was a distraction. They were going after Walker.
It was confirmed only moments later when Sharon contacted Sam. “Looks like he found them, or maybe they found him.”
As soon as Sam announced that it was Walker, you jumped into action, Sam disabling Karli for just the right amount of time for you to get a head start. “I’ll send you the location. Go.” He told Bucky, who nodded and took off in his super soldier sprint. “You hitching a ride?”
You rolled your eyes at his slight tease. “I hate this so much.” You grumbled, catching his hand as he took off in the air with his bird costume. He held onto you tightly, like the millions of times you’d done this before, although it didn’t make you any less dizzy, traveling that fast, that high, with only his hold keeping you from dropping. “You’re lucky I trust you so much!”
He gave a small chuckle at your shout over the wind. “We’re landing! Brace yourself!” You followed his order, just in time for him to break through the glass ceiling of the building Walker was in. The both of you landed on a platform on the staircase just as a Flag Smasher was thrown through double glass doors, down the stairs, and into a power box. Your eyes went wide as Walker strolled down the steps, oozing a confidence that made you nervous. The moment Walker stopped the Flag Smasher - the Super Soldier - from hitting him with the pipe, you knew even before he twisted it like a pretzel.
“Sam.” You breathed out. You couldn’t even do anything, only watching as the Flag Smasher got up from being thrown again, and running down a hall.
“What’d you do?”
“They got Lemar.” Was the only reply he gave, brushing past you and Sam. You gave Sam a look, but he just jerked his head down the hall, in the direction the Flag Smasher went and the way Walker started heading. You nodded, willing to drop it for now to save someone’s life, but you were so bringing it up once this was done.
Jogging into the room, you should’ve expected the ambush in the room, but, to be honest, they didn’t take as much advantage as they could’ve, so it wasn’t too difficult of a fight. You had trained with Steve millions of times before, so you knew how to go against a Super Soldier. Granted, your Cap wasn’t trying to kill you while training, but it was better than nothing.
You protected your shoulder, knowing that was your weak point, while trying to disguise it so whoever you were fighting wouldn’t realize your Achilles’ Heel. Something you often found while dealing with Steve, and even Bucky, was that Super Soldiers, as quick as they were, tended to favor the super strength side of their enhancements. This made it easier for you to dodge the attacks, knowing most of your blows wouldn’t do much.
Knowing you wouldn’t be able to stay on the defensive for long, you decided to try to get an advantage over them. Disarming them and taking their knife was easy enough. A small advantage, yeah, but now you had a weapon, and you could work with that.
You weren’t exactly sure when Bucky joined the fight, but he did, immediately coming over to you when you body kicked your opponent, helping you up. “That was a Steve move.” Your eyes caught sight of the Flag Smasher behind him and you shoved his shoulder down, throwing your knife, making it land solidly in the man’s shoulder. Bucky looked up at you from his crouch, impressed. “And that was a me move.”
You shrugged. “I’m a visual learner.”
You, Sam, and Bucky were about to go for another round with the guys when a sickening crack sounded behind you, and you whipped around. 
Hoskins was against a split pillar, a crimson streak running down his forehead, head lolling to the side, lips red and cracked. The fight stopped as Walker rushed over to his friend, but you knew there was no way he survived. A punch from a Super Soldier? That hard?
Eyeing the Flag Smashers, you turned to Sam and Bucky when they started dispersing, Karli running out as well. They nodded towards you and the three of you took off after her, not wanting to let her get away again and, for you, at least, wanting to give Walker some time.
You weren’t expecting his grief to turn into such raw hatred. 
Running up to the city square, you didn’t actually see it happen. Just the aftermath. Which was good, considering you nearly threw up just seeing that.
You heard the change in Bucky’s breathing, barely recognizing the way he stepped in front of you, only realizing you stepped closer when you felt his sleeve against your palms, fingers tightly wrapped around his forearm. A choked sound came from somewhere, but you didn’t know it was you, even as Bucky reached his arm around to hold your waist, keeping you behind his shoulder. 
Tears leaked down your face silently, eyes unable to look away as Walker straightened, sliding the shield on his arm, too nonchalantly for someone who just murdered another in front of a crowd full of people, cameras pointed towards him.
The shield. That piece of metal you had been wondering so deeply about the past couple of weeks. The link to the first person you’d ever loved. Ruined. Tarnished. Stained.
You could barely breathe, your throat clenching so tightly it was a wonder you were able to get anything out at all.
“James…”
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thefanficmonster · 3 years
Text
Infatuation
Corpse Husband x Reader (Female)
Warnings: Swearing
Genre: FLUFF, RPF (Real Person Fic)
Summary: It’s not a secret that Corpse prefers taking care of his hair himself rather than going to a hair salon to get it trimmed and/or tampered. However, he only has so much knowledge of how to properly do it without having to obliterate his budget. Luckily, his girlfriend comes to his rescue.
Requested by Anon. Hi lovely! Thank you so much for the incredibly fluffy request! I’ve been very pumped to write it and now here it finally is - so sorry it’s taken me so long to complete and post it but I still hope you come across it and give it a read! Love, Vy ❤
“Um, what are you doing?“
I just walked into Corpse’s apartment to find him barricaded in the bathroom, giving himself a hair appointment. We were supposed to have a chill night in watching movies, but it seems to me like those plans will either have to be delayed or canceled, given the chaotic state both Corpse and his bathroom are in. I mean, how dumb was I to expect he was actually doing his hair justice when he told me he styled it himself? Why didn’t that immediately raise an army of red flags in my head and lead me to question his methods?
I’m honestly quite jealous of Corpse’s hair. It’s always so soft and silky and no matter how much or how little effort he’s put in it, it always looks good: either evidently carefully styled or boyishly messy, it leaves me with heart-eyes regardless. But to see him massacre it like this, it makes me wish I could report it as a crime.
“Ain’t obvious?“ He sounds rather frustrated and I feel at least slightly better due to this fact. He deserves to be as frustrated as I am by the sight of the crap he’s doing. “Sorry, you’re gonna have to wait for me for...a little while. I just need to get this under control and, um, clean the mess. Sorry for ruining your night like this, babe. I-I really wasn’t planning on it to take this long but I forgot to buy one of the products and I thought I could wing it without it but...I very clearly can’t so...“
“Please, stop talking. I don’t need to know what sins you’ve committed - if I do I’ll probably have to give you the silent treatment for like a week or so.“ I call out to him as I quickly skip over to the kitchen to leave the food I bought on my way over before returning to the bathroom and carefully taking a step inside, mindful of where there are hair strands on the tiles. Even severed, his hair is beautiful and I have a ton of respect for it - ok fine, I adore it. Corpse definitely doesn’t appreciate it properly. I walk over to the shower, reaching out to the two shelves inside which are lined with different types of hair products. “Oh fuck...“ I let out the whisper without even realizing it because I’m so stunned by the brands I see on those shelves. “Corpse, um, what the actual fuck?”
He turns to me, eyes wide and terrified because of my menacing tone. “What? What is it?” His gaze searches the spot where mine was just pointed at, looking for anything that could’ve provoked such a reaction from me. Seeing nothing but the hair products, he meets my deadly glare yet again, “What’s wrong?”
Alright, this man-child needs some serious help
“I’ll tell you what’s wrong.“ I say, stomping towards the exit of the bathroom, “You’re gonna stay here and wait for me to come back and don’t you DARE, even touch your hair, let alone bring a pair of scissors or any chemical near it. Copy?“
“Copied and pasted, ma’am.“ He salutes me, knowing better than to ask questions when I enter my commander role. There are quite a few things that set me off into this bossy-ass persona, and hair mistreatment is most definitely one of them. Thing is, Corpse doesn’t know that. Well, he didn’t know that, pretty sure he’s guessed it by now.
Feeling myself soften at his obedience and trust, I give him a smile and a wink over my shoulder as I go to grab my bag and leave the apartment to complete my mission, “Good boy.”
                                                              *  *  *
“Isn’t that a lot better?“ I ask, gently running my fingers through Corpse’s freshly cut, washed and dried hair. I’ve spent a good five minutes just smoothing through it with my fingers. I bet he’s expecting me to say ‘my precious‘ at any moment now, and trust me it’s tempting, but I still don’t, I won’t give him the pleasure of predicting my actions. Wow, we’ve really reached that level of being familiar with one another that I predict that he’s predicting what I’m gonna do next. While I’m a guessing game for him, I tend to think of myself as more of an open book. You just gotta be fluent in the language it’s written in to understand it.
I’ve gone off-topic, my bad.
“Yeah, you’re a lot less scary now.“ He tells me, his hand finding mine in his hair and taking it to his lips to place a kiss on my knuckles.
We’re positioned so that we’re in front of the bathroom mirror with Corpse seated in a chair in front of me and I’m for once in my life towering over him from behind. Our height difference was threatening to be a hinderance in my work on his hair, but we easily figured it out.
I can’t help but laugh, “You know what I meant.“ I curl one of his already curly strands around the pointer finger of the hand that’s still wandering around the soft dark curls while the other remains in his gentle hold, resting on his shoulder.
“And you know what I meant.“ He shifts in his seat to look at me directly, not via the mirror, “Since when do you have a hair infatuation?“
I roll my eyes and retract my hands, defensively folding my arms over my chest, “It’s not an infatuation with hair, dummy. It’s an infatuation with your hair.” I correct him, doing quick work of styling the stray strands that fall over his forehead and eyes. “I really like your hair, you already know that. I can’t handle the thought you’re doing such a shitty job taking care of it.”
He shrugs, furrowing his brows, “Hey, I was buying top-shelf products, cost me a fortune every month, my hair was being treated like royalty.”
I roll my eyes once again, “High price doesn’t always equal high quality, Corpse. Did you ever stop to read what was in those products?” I don’t let him answer, I don’t need him to confirm what I already know. “Even if you did - which you didn’t - you wouldn’t know what each of those ingredients do to your hair. You see, taking care of hair, especially hair like yours, takes patience and knowledge. It’s practically an art form. It’s not like you can just buy any product that has ‘suitable for curly hair’ on it. There’s a lot more to that.”
It’s only after I finish my monologue that I realize he’s looking at me with amazed amusement in his gaze, almost like a parent listening to their kid talk about their wish of becoming an astronaut. “Since when do you know so much about hair? You’ve been using the same shampoo and conditioner since I know you and now you wanna lecture me on hair care?”
I raise an eyebrow at him, exasperated by his stubbornness on the matter, “Who said being consistent with your hair products is a bad thing? You know, frequent changing of brands has the potential of being damaging as much as aiding.” I explain with the most amount of patience I can muster, now taking over the parent role myself, “And as for your previous question, I know so much because my mother is a hairdresser.”
His eyes widen in surprise. I can practically see the gears in his brain turning as he tries to recall if I’ve ever told him this before.
“How come I don’t know that?“ He asks finally after a long moment of silence. “Why haven’t you told me?”
“You ask that as though I just tell you things like that on the regular. Did you also want me to drop the info that my dad’s a mechanic in passing conversation about video games? Cause that’s a little hard to shoehorn in....“ He cuts off my sarcastic rambling with a brief peck to the lips. He’s the only person allowed to shut me up, and only like that. Anything else will earn him either an earful or a silent treatment. 
Just kidding....unless...
“So, does that mean you’re continuing the family business?“ he asks when he pulls away, “I mean, you’re technically my personal hairdresser now.“
I furrow my brows playfully, “Wait, what? Since when?”
“Since I hired you approximately an hour ago.“ He beams up at me, satisfied that I’ve fallen in his trap.
“And what about my payment?“ I ask, narrowing my eyes at him.
He looks to be contemplating for a second before he stands up from the chair, taking my hand in his leading me out of the bathroom, “Well, each appointment you’ll give me a different price, Miss Y/L/N. But, considering today was your first day, I choose to pay you with dinner.“ He sends a wink my way, laughing when he’s met with an unamused expression on my part as I stop in my tracks, causing him to halt his movements as well.
“You really plan on paying me with the dinner I bought?“ I raise an eyebrow at him, freeing my hand from his so I can put both my hands on my hips for the complete 'I’m far from impressed’ look.
“Yeah...? Problem?“ He asks, faking nervousness and guilt as he closes the distance between us, once again returning to the default of towering over me instead of it being the other way around.
“Several actually. First of all...“ I raise my finger in the air accusingly, ready to go off but the arm that wraps around my waist and lifts me off the ground causes my words to die down, evaporating in a frightened squeal, “Corpse no!! Put me down!“
Of course, he ignores me, carrying me into the living room while I don’t know whether to thrash or stay as still as possible. 
Tsk, so much for gratitude
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dameronology · 3 years
Text
love in the time of PTA meetings {marcus moreno} - 1/5
summary: despite what pinterest shows, being in a parent in the twenty first century is hard; especially a single parent. your kid takes up your entire life and the idea of finding a fairy tale is laughable - that is until you finally attend a p.t.a meeting and cross paths with a certain marcus moreno.  {series masterlist}
warnings: i do not have children. i don’t know children work. this written entirely what i have seen them do in the sims 4. also, swearing. 
- jazz
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Leaving work early was never a good look.
Leaving work early because your child had managed to set fire to a trash can was...well, it was something else entirely.
After rushing out of a very important meeting and parking your car in a did-you-park-it-or-crash-it manner, you were sprinting across the play ground and towards the front entrance. Having given up half way through, you’d kicked your stupidly high heels off and held them in one hand, trying to organise your slightly disheveled hair as you entered the building. Most parents might have been nervous to collect their kid after a call from the principle, but this was a regular Tuesday for you. Jack was a good kid, perhaps just a little...misguided. In your books, it was impressive that a five year old had managed to discover pyrotechnics, though you sensed the school might have been a little less lenient about it. 
‘Hey!’ You greeted the principle with a smile as you breezed through the doors. 
Jack was in a chair by the front desk, a gleeful look on his face when he saw you. As far as he knew or cared, he got to go home early and watch Paw Patrol for the rest of the day. 
‘Afternoon.’ He replied. ‘You’re lucky it was only a phone call.’
‘I know, I know.’ You grumbled. ‘I’m sorry. He’s...adventurous-’
‘ - he singed off his class mate’s eyebrows!’ The principle cut you off. ‘Given Monday’s biting incident, I see it fit that Jack take the rest of the week off.’
‘Right.’ You sighed. ‘Thank you. And sorry again.’
‘I’ll email you a list of...behavioural specialists.’ He muttered.
‘There’s nothing wrong with my kid. He’s just...curious.’ You insisted. ‘C’mon, buddy. Let’s go home.’
Jack sprung up from the chair, taking your hand in his and skipping out the door beside you. Parenting had been hard enough when you’d been married, and even harder now that his dad was out of the picture. It meant that everything fell on your shoulders; school runs, packed lunches, earning money, staying sane. You barely found the time to sleep, let alone go to soccer matches or take him to extra curricular activities. It meant that the stay-at-home mums - the ones who drove minivans and had specified walking shoes and shared memes about parenting on Facebook - muttered about you. 
I heard Jack’s mum couldn’t make it to the parent-teacher association meeting because there was a divorce hearing. 
Look at the kid’s lunch! Oh the saturated fat, the horror!
What do you MEAN your five year old isn’t vegan?!
Frankly, you wanted to whack them over the head with their own damn vision boards. So what if your kid was a little rough around the edges? He’d discovered fire today! If it had been in the stone ages, that would have been impressive. The kind of thing that would have earned him a McDonald’s, had the fast food chain been around at the dawn of time. With the way things were going, paired with the fact you knew your fridge was empty, it looked like you were heading for a Happy Meal anyway. 
‘So do I get all week off?’ Jack peered up at you, tugging on your arm.
‘Yup, all week.’ You sighed. ‘But it’s not a reward, okay? It’s...’
You stopped in your tracks when you saw Marcus Moreno’s car pull up in the lot. Naturally, it was expensive and electric and perfectly between the white lines. He gave your less-than-stellar parking a frown as he breezed by - not that you noticed. Frankly, you were too busy admiring him. You saw his face more on the news than you did in person, but he was beautiful. Talk, dark, handsome and mysterious, but also...friendly and approachable. He’d held the door open for you once two years ago and that had been it for you. There had been whispers about the fact he was a widow, though you’d tried not to pay attention to them. It wasn’t anyone’s damn business. You knew he was a good dad; you’d had the chance to meet Missy when Jack had got his head stuck between the playground fence and she’d helped pull him out. She was sweet and well-behaved and clearly well brought up. Could you say the same for your own kid? Eh, parenting was all trial and error. 
‘It’s what?’ Your son’s voice dragged you back to reality. ‘Am in trouble?’
‘What?!’ You jumped at the question. ‘No, I just...’
‘Because Principle Eikner said I’d done something bad.’
A small sigh escaped your mouth; placing his backpack on the ground, you knelt down to his height, gently placing your hands on his shoulder. ‘You haven’t done anything wrong, little man. We're just gonna take a few days out to talk about the rules and what it means to do the right thing, okay?’
‘Dad always said not to listen to the rules.’
‘Your dad said a lot of things.’ You reminded him. You stood back up, offering your hand to him. ‘Let’s go home.’
After a few minutes of bartering and the promise of a McDonald’s, you finally made your way back to the car, now with Jack attached to your back. If giving him a piggy back ride meant getting home quicker, it was a price you were willing to pay, especially since the other mums were starting to arrive to pick up their kids. The parking lot was slowly filling up with minivans - compared to your decade-old Honda Civic. It had seen better days, and one too many run ins with other cars and parking lot bollards. Still, it got the job done. 
‘Oh, I’m so glad to see you!’ You froze in your tracks again. This time, it wasn’t because of Marcus Moreno’s otherworldly presence, but rather due to the sound of the resident soccer mum. 
‘Carol.’ You turned around to face her (slowly, given the five year old on your back) with a forced smile on your face. ‘Hi.’
‘I take it you’re here for the parent-teacher’s association meeting?’ She gave you a phoney grin, handing you a leaflet. ‘I know you couldn’t make the last one, because of your...d-i-v-o-r-c-e hearings.’ 
‘I can spell!’ Jack chirped from behind you.
‘It’s okay, buddy.’ You reached up to ruffle his hair, smile not faltering. ‘But yeah, you’re right. And what about it?’
‘Nothing.’ Carol quickly shook her head. ‘So you are coming to this one? It starts in ten minutes.’
Truth be told, you’d no idea there was even a meeting tonight. You usually ignored the damn things until the news letter came out, and then you could read it from the comfort of your sofa with a glass of wine. There was nothing you stopping going tonight, aside from your intense hatred for them. 
‘I wanna get home and watch South Park!’ Jack chirped from behind you.
‘I don’t - I mean...I don’t let my five year old watch South Park.’ You said. ‘He walked in on me watching it one time and...point is, yes, I’m here for the meeting!’
‘No, you’re not-’
‘- Jack, just sssh!’ 
Carol blinked in surprise, but her phoney smile returned a moment later. ‘Excellent! I’ll see you inside.’
You inwardly groaned. Why had you just done that? You fucking despised sitting in a stuffy gym for the better part of an hour, listening to the perfect mums bang on about healthy eating and limiting their kids’ internet time. You already questioned your parenting skills as it was - the meetings only made it worst. You didn’t assimilate into that crowd; they were all married, with big houses out in the ‘burbs and bank accounts that could cover their kids ever-expanding interests and activities. Meanwhile, you were living on one wage and your two-bedroom apartment had a balcony, not a back garden. If Jack wanted to go on a field trip, you usually had to save up for months. You didn’t know if you envied the other mums’ lives, but you certainly weren’t jealous of how they viewed working mums and single parents. 
‘That lady is mean.’ Jack murmured from your shoulders.
‘Yeah buddy, I know.’ You nodded. ‘Guess we’re going back to school.’
--
Lugging the kid and his bag back up the school yard and towards the building was exhausting - at least it was your work out for the week done. By the time you’d reached the gym and placed Jack back on the ground, your shoulders were aching and you were disappointed to see that the refreshments didn’t have any alcohol. Was it too late to sneak out? The fire exit was right there and-
‘- shame this thing doesn’t have any wine, huh?’ A man was stood next to you, arms folded across his chest as he stared at the luke-warm jug of coffee on the table ahead. 
Tall, dark hair, stubble and with a faint hint of expensive aftershave you pretended not to notice? Hello, Marcus Moreno. Goodbye, ability to form coherent sentences.
You blinked in surprise. ‘Yeah. I could do with a glass. Or ten.’
‘So you hate these things too, huh?’ He smiled. 
‘With a passion.’ You returned the gesture. ‘I’m only here because Carol and her Karen Committee kept muttering about me not being at the last one.’
‘Yeah, same here. I was attending an emergency meeting about nuclear arms in Vienna, but I guess this is more important.’
‘I was...’ in court, signing documents to end my marriage, ‘otherwise occupied too.’
Marcus nodded in understanding. ‘Kids alone are a full time job, huh? ‘Specially when you’re the only one who’s running around after them.’
He knew about your situation and in return, figured that you knew about his. He’d heard the whispers about the divorce and presumed that the loss of his wife had been subject to similar gossip. The environment amongst the parents was shockingly similar to high school and things got around pretty quickly. You both hated it, especially given the nature of both your circumstances; death and separation was not something other people should have been talking about. Especially when you all you wanted to do was mind your own business and raise your damn (chaotic) kid.
‘Yeah, tell me about it.’ You replied. ‘My kid is like...a baby crackhead, as well. He’s been sent home twice this week and it’s only Wednesday.’
‘Oh, Jack’s your kid?’
You let out a groan, holding your face in your hands. ‘Yeah. Famously so, apparently.’
‘No, it’s not a bad thing!’ Marcus chuckled, pulling your hands away. ‘He played a brilliant baby Jesus in the Nativity last year.’
‘Aside from when he bit one of the three wise men, yeah.’ You could feel your cheeks heating up. ‘Missy actually helped him once. She seems really...not at all like my child. Which is good.’
‘She told me about the fence incident.’ He nodded. ‘May I ask why he was shoving his head out of the school gates?’
‘He saw an interesting looking slug.’ You replied.
Your conversation was interrupted by Carol, who had now climbed up on stage. She tapped the microphone and cleared her throat, gesturing to everyone to sit down so that the meeting could start. You wanted to curse her. Whatever giddy conversation you were having with Marcus was a thousand times more interesting than the PTA. At least you could revel in the fact he didn’t want to be here either.
‘Shall we?’ Marcus gestured to two empty seats a few rows back.
‘I mean, it’s an aisle seat, which is good for a quick escape if Jack decides to be Jack,’ you nodded in agreement. ‘Hey kid, c’mon!’
Turning away from the other kids, Jack sprinted towards you, hurling himself into your lap as he sat down. You let out an oof! and a groan. He wasn’t as light as he used to be a toddler. He stayed still for a moment, tiny hands clasping yours, before he realised who you were sat next to. The kids’ impression of Marcus was not quite the same as yours - he’d only seen him on TV, with the likes of all the heroes. You couldn’t remember their names (but in your defence, they were kind of ridiculous). 
‘Are you a superhero?’ He reached up, poking Marcus in the cheek. 
‘Jack!’ You hissed. ‘You can’t-’
‘- yeah, buddy.’ Marcus ruffled his hair. ‘But it’s my day off today, so I’m doing all this boring stuff instead.’
‘Can you fly? Do you know Miracle Guy? Have you fought aliens? Do you have a super suit? Do you know Iron Man? Wait! Can I be a superhero?!’
‘No, yes, yes, no, no and maybe when you’re older.’ He counted the questions off on his fingers. ‘But for now we have to keep quiet for the meeting. That would make you a superhero.’
--
You wanted to marry Marcus Moreno.
Seriously, you wanted to marry him.
His little comment had kept Jack quiet the entire meeting. And it was a long fucking meeting indeed. The last time he’d shut up for that long was...probably before he learnt to talk. You loved he was full of curiosity and questions, but he didn’t always understand that there was a time and a place. At least now you knew what would shut him up. 
‘How does Miracle Guy fly? Is Batman real? Are you rich? Do you know Wonder Woman? How does her lasso of truth work?’
‘Jack.’ You groaned. 
You were walking out of the school now and down towards the car park. Missy was in tow, tapping away on her phone, whilst Jack trotted alongside you and Marcus. He’d been spewing questions at the poor man pretty much since the meeting had ended - and yet, he seemed happy to answer them. Excited, even. It was clear that he loved his job.
‘You gotta give Mr Moreno a break, little man.’ You said.
‘Hey, just Marcus is fine.’ He replied. 
‘Hey Just Marcus, I’m dad.’ Missy chimed from beside you, not even looking up from her phone. It was...impressive, actually.
‘I already regret buying her that.’ Marcus murmured. 
The two of you eventually reached your cars. The Civic was still terribly parked across two spaces - you were a good driver, you’d just been in a rush. The dents and scrapes all over the doors and bumper implied other wise but hey, we move. You had a thousand and one other things to save up before a new car. Putting down the deposit on a house - one you could actually own, maybe a little further out from the city - was your number one concern. Paying off your divorce attorney came after that. 
‘It was nice to meet you properly.’ You pulled your keys out your back, tugging four empty packets of crisps and three bags of gummy worms with it. 
‘I’m not done asking questions-’
‘- you gotta let Marcus go, JJ.’ You peered down at Jack. ‘Sorry. He’s a little obsessed with the Heroics, but I guess you’ve worked that one out.’
‘Can I visit your base?’ He continued, ignoring you. 
Marcus knelt down to his height, a grin on his face. ‘I’ve got a free window tomorrow afternoon. You wanna come by? Your mum tells me you’re off school for the rest of the week.’ 
‘Really?’ You blinked in surprise. ‘I mean, I’m sure he would love that but I’m at work and he’s gotta go to my mum’s.’
Your mother also doubled up as your baby-sitter. In an ideal world, you would have been able to afford a professional, but this was very much the opposite of an ideal world. It was the real world, and you were constantly juggling a thousand things at once. Never in a million years would you have changed it but there were days when you wanted to cry. When it was 9PM and Jack suddenly chimed in that he had a science project due the next day, or when he refused to eat his dinner because his chicken nuggets weren’t shaped like dinosaurs and fed them to the dog. 
Marcus looked, on the surface at least, like he had his shit together. He worked in a public facing job and he always looked put together. His car wasn’t covered in bumps and bruises and the inside probably wasn’t covered in yoghurt like yours. He seemed as though he got more than five hours sleep a night and his child was well-behaved. 
‘I’m sure we can work something out.’ He said. ‘If you give me your number, I’ll give you a call.’
‘Uh, yeah! Of course.’ He’d asked for your number. No big deal. 
You switched phones - naturally, his was much more high-tech than yours - and entered in your respective numbers. The whole thing made you admire Marcus even more; he didn’t have to have your tyrannical son over to his office, yet he offered to. He’d clearly seen how excited he’d gotten and it seemed like he’d found it endearing. 
‘Are you okay?’ Marcus asked quietly, suddenly putting his hand on your shoulder. ‘You suddenly zoned out.’
‘Yeah, sorry.’ You rubbed your eyes. ‘I got about three hours sleep last night. I would blame it on the terrible twos but I guess it’s the...fucking awful fives?’
He quickly turned his attention to Jack, opening the car door for him. ‘You wanna hop in? I’m just gonna talk to your mom about you visiting, yeah?’
'There’s Cheetos in the centre console!’ You called after him.
Once Marcus had shut the door, he turned around to face you. There was silence for a minute, and he just kind of...stared at you. You couldn’t read his expression or quite figure it out, but he had an eyebrow quirked and a look of...concern? Sympathy?
‘I recognise that look. It’s the help! I’m suddenly a single parent to a five year old and it feels like the world is eating me alive look.’ He said. ‘It’s the exact same one I had six years ago. Missy was about Jack’s age when...when it became just me and her.’
You softly smiled. ‘It’s not been easy.’
‘You’re doing a good job, okay?’ He gave your shoulder a light squeeze. ‘And if you ever need him off your hands for a few hours, I’ll gladly give him a tour of our headquarters.’
‘Thank you. So much, for both of those things.’ Your eyes fell to the ground. ‘It’s a refreshing change from Carol and her Pinterest boards and half-assed invitations to potlucks.’
‘God, I can’t stand all that.’ Marcus chuckled. 
‘I gotta get back now because I can see that Jack is about smush Cheetos over my break pedals but I’ll...’ you trailed off, forcing yourself to look at him and smile. ‘I’ll call you.’
‘I look forward to it.’ 
516 notes · View notes
adam-banks2024 · 3 years
Text
Deja Vu
Part 1
Word Count: 2.3k
Summary: Kind of angst for now, backstory, arguments, and extremely slow burn. Also future poly
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He’s insufferable
He’s arrogant. He’s rude. He’s annoying.
He is insufferable.
And I have to deal with him.
Of all the people Mrs. Moore could have partnered me with, she just had to choose him. It’s not like we even put a show on in public, and it’s sad but, everybody knows about the feud between us that started four years ago. 
I had just moved to town from three states over, and I didn’t know anyone my age. After a few weeks of summer went by of not knowing anyone, my dad convinced me to join the district’s hockey team. He told me that it was because he wanted me to make some friends, but I knew that he really just couldn’t afford to pay a babysitter. And my mother, well, she wasn’t in the picture. So I ended up having to go through the lost and found at six different ice rinks in Minnesota in order to get all of my equipment. At first, I was wary of the idea, but my dad said that it was kind of like shopping, so I agreed to go with him. Originally, we would have only had to search five rinks, but I couldn’t find any skates that were my size. After almost twelve hours of rummaging through sweaty pads and broken sticks, I had myself a full set of hockey gear.
Now I was on to the next challenge: How To Skate. I had been ice skating a couple of times before for birthday parties, but I’ve never been able to skate at the level that I had to in order to survive during an entire hockey game. I thought maybe it would just come to me naturally after attending a few practices. Until I did some research at the school library. Apparently, it takes a person at least two months to learn how to ice skate. But ignoring the negative, I decided to focus on the positive. ‘I could at least balance myself...and besides, I probably would be on the bench for every game...and just remember, you’re doing this for friends.’ These were the only three things that ran through my mind on the way to the ice rink. I was honestly terrified. I was scared that the other kids would make fun of me, or worse, ignore me. Well, maybe being made fun of is worse, but at least then they’d acknowledge me. I had to stop myself from thinking about that kinda stuff. I haven’t even attended a single hockey practice yet, and now I’ve added at least four more stressors into my life.
When my dad pulled up to the building, my stomach was tingling. My hands were clammy, and my eyebags had definitely seen better days. I wanted to run so fast away from this place, and not move at all at the same time.
“Nerves,” my dad said. He must’ve noticed from my frozen state in the backseat of his minivan. “You’ll do great! Just don’t break any bones.” He chuckled at the end in hopes that it would come off as a joke, but that is definitely not how it sounded.
To my surprise, I was the first kid that had arrived. I didn’t know much about the team, but I did know that most of the other kids had been on it since they were five or six years old. I was almost the exact opposite, thirteen and just starting. I wasn’t really sure why I was the first person to arrive, and it only added to my nervousness. 
I tried to brush it off as I saw someone outside in the parking lot leave a car holding a bag like you had. I could hear his muffled voice. “I’ll see you at six.” Whoever he was talking to must have responded because the boy spoke again, “yup, love you too.” A parent maybe. A mom? I could faintly make out a silhouette in the driver’s seat, but the glare from the sun blocked most of the car window.
Thank god someone else was here because at least now I knew that I was in the right place. But another problem arose. Now, different things were rushing through my head about what to say to the other boy. Should I make a joke, ask a question? Simply say ‘hello’? I didn’t know. So, I decided to settle on the most stupid thing anyone could ever say. 
“Are you on the hockey team?” What kind of question is that? He has a bag, this time is cut out specifically for hickey practice, and he has a hockey stick with him. Why else would he be here?
He looked up from where he was walking and stared at me awkwardly. It was likely that he wouldn’t have even noticed me if I hadn’t said anything to him. But I did. Which I regretted.
“Oh, um, yeah.” He went to keep on walking but he stopped himself quickly. “Are you?”
I had to keep a laugh in because the boy looked genuinely confused. Or maybe I misjudged that for concern. Still, though, it sounded a bit hopeful. This kid was really hard to read. Either way, I was pretty sure that he thought I couldn’t play hockey.
“Yeah. My dad made me join to make some friends.” 
Suddenly the boy’s demeanor changed. He seemed almost excited that there was a new kid on the team. “Well, I’ll be your first friend. My name’s Adam. Adam Banks. Walk and talk.” And then he started towards two big double doors.
My eyebrows rose at the sudden confidence, taken off guard, but at least he was being friendly. I adjusted your bags and followed right behind him. “So what’s it like here.”
He answered after struggling to open one of the doors, “Well it’s not so bad. It’s super cutthroat during the regular season but in the offseason, it’s pretty relaxed.” As I made myself around the outside of the rink, he kept rambling. “Especially during summer league. The kids who only play during that league have it nice. You’ll definitely survive.”
“Um, so what happens during the regular season?” The thought of angry yelling coaches wasn’t appealing to me, but I could make it work
Adam shrugged his bag up so it wouldn’t fall from his shoulder, “Well. Usually, coach yells at us, tells us that if we don’t win we’re failures, and everyone is constantly fighting to be a starter.” There was silence. “So that’s fun.” I just nodded my head, trying to take this all in. Adam didn’t say anything until he reached the locker room doors. Then he turned to me. “Yeah, but coach is a lot less lenient during summer because it doesn’t really matter for playoffs.”
I scoffed, “yeah, but I’ll eventually have to deal with him. Right?”
Adam’s expression flattened, “Wait, you’re doing winter league too?” He looked genuinely concerned, and now I was second-guessing joining hockey. If this boy didn’t think I could survive, then how could I? Even if I was just gonna sit on the bench, the way this kid was making it out to be was not sounding like the greatest way to make friends.
“Well, yeah. Is that bad?” I needed to hear him say it. Say that I should quit, or join dance, or something. Just so I could have an excuse to tell my dad in case the first day of practice goes awry.
He spoke fast, “Oh no, no. It’s just that--” 
“That I’m not good enough…”
He didn’t say anything. Harsh. I was just trying to make a joke but, I guess that’s what he was really thinking. We stood in silence for a few more seconds, and then he finally thought of something to respond with.
“No. I just feel like you’ll get hurt… and, um.”
I started to laugh. I applaud Adam for trying to make it seem like he didn’t think I was bad, but he just couldn’t do it. “Don’t sweat it, I know I’m gonna be bad.” He started to laugh with me. “Hey, at least I’ll get abs out of it.” 
He and I were actually pretty good friends for the most part. He was my first friend here in Minnesota. He taught me how to skate, and in turn, I offered him some sub-par jokes. He always used to laugh at my jokes even if they were awful. He was what I considered my best friend. He definitely wasn’t a best friend, I couldn’t confide in all of my secrets, and he couldn’t do the same to me, but Adam was the only kid I was friends with. We laughed hard, we fell on the ice together. He even told his mom that practices started to end later just so he could wait with me until my dad got off work and picked me up. 
Not long after we bonded, I hato the ducks. At the time, I didn’t know exactly what happened. All my dad said to me was something about how the coach wasn’t that nice, and that he didn’t want me on his team. I didn’t really care since hockey wasn’t something that I cared about too much. So I said goodbye to Adam and explained that I had to go. I didn’t say anything about the coach-not-liking-me part because then I thought he’d feel bad for me.
“Yeah, I’m supposed to switch teams too, but I think my dads’ gonna see if I can stay on the team.” He spoke almost as if he was trying to convince himself. I thought it was a great idea to tell him why he had to go to the ducks.
“They don’t want you, Adam. Maybe if you go to the ducks, you’ll get a coach who appreciates you.” I didn’t know what was wrong with what I said to him until about a year later, but by the time I finished my sentence, he was fuming.
The situation afterward was a blur, and I can’t remember what all was said. I just remember Adam touching on the fact how I’m an awful hockey player, and that he only talked to me because he felt sorry for me. Now, if my old coach had told me that I was awful at hockey, I’d be completely fine. I already knew that, and coach is just...coach. But hearing it come from Adam? It wasn’t like he was just telling me how it is, he wanted to hurt me.
It took me two weeks to stop thinking about the situation constantly, and then it started to fade away. I never even told him the real reason why I told him what I did, but now I have to work on a history project with him. How am I gonna do that if I can’t even tell him the reason for our quarrel that we had three years ago? Let alone complete a whole project?
“The syllabus will be given tomorrow, and the deadline for this project will be written under the ‘AP History’ bulletin. You may get to work.”
I slumped out of my desk and started putting away my things that were on the table attachment. During this, I tried to think of what I was going to say when I went over to him. I almost decided on either trying to make a truce or just acting like he didn’t exist.
He was slouched in his desk, pencil in hand, avoiding eye contact with me. As I sat down my stuff on an empty desk near him, his words startled me. “So, 50/50?”
I just stared at him. For some reason, my brain could not process what Adam had just said. It took a solid four seconds for me to respond. “I don’t understand.”
Adam’s eyebrows rose while his eyes rolled, “Of course you don’t.”
I scoffed, “What, you’re just gonna say some numbers and you think I’m gonna understand what you’re trying to say?”
He was leaning forward in his desk now, “Well you seemed to be doing well in calculus, so, yes.” A small, mocking smile was now gracing his face. 
I took in a deep breath to try and refrain from spewing whatever profanities came to mind. “Look, can we just set aside whatever this is so we can do this project?” He crossed his arms in response. “C’mon, I can’t afford to get a bad grade.” Still no response. If his goal was to ruin my life, he sure was on the right path. 
“What do I get out of it?”
The audacity.
“I’m just saying. I’ll be fine with one bad grade, so what exactly is the payoff for tolerating...you?”
So there was a shiny glimmer of hope, but it would definitely come at a cost. “Anything. Anything you want. Just please, tolerate me.”
He brought a hand to his chin, acting like he was pondering his choice, “but will it really be anything?”
“Oh my god, you are so annoying.”
“Watch it.” His voice was stern.
“Okay, okay. Sorry. But yes, anything. You name it.”
Did he even know what he wanted? Or was he just trying to play this out? Either way, I’m about to have a conniption if we don’t start working on this project soon.
We sat in silence for what felt like forever. Of course, Adam had to change his thinking position almost every second, until he decided on what he wanted. “Okay, here’s the deal. I help you get your precious little A, and you have to get me a date with Charlie.”
164 notes · View notes
k-comfyspace · 3 years
Text
Number-II
Star: Kim Hyunjin (Loona)
Idea: Yes
Love: Hi I don’t known if you’re taking requests (if not you can ignore this) but could we get a part two for Hyunjin x fem!reader tsundere? The first part was really good and I was hoping if you could maybe do a second part where reader and Hyunjin would get together and we could see reader’s soft side, thanks a lot, I love your works!
Sequel to What’s Your Name?
A/n: Sorry if I took a while
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"....for the last group, it would be Ms. Jeon, Kim, and L/n," you blinked in disbelief as you heard your professor's statement.
The rest of the class looked at him as if he'd sprouted two heads, puzzled by his decision to pair you with the two females who matched your face. The bell had rang, signaling the end of the period, before anybody could object.
Everyone stood up and began to leave the room one by one as you stood there watching the man walk away, completely oblivious to the scowl aimed at the back of his head.
Did he live in a cave?
Despite the fact that everyone knew who you were and that your professor knew you preferred working alone, he assigned you to work with two girls you had never really got to know.
You collected your bag while grumbling to yourself, storming down the hall with a huff, irritation and anger visible in your features as you exited.
Back in the room, both females were left to view the situation, puzzled as to why anyone would become angry, shrugging at one other as they walked to the cafeteria for lunch.
"Hey girls, we have a couple of chairs here if you haven't found somewhere else to sit," the two foreigners turned, shaking their heads at a mixed table of jocks and cheerleaders.
It's been like this for the entire time they've been here, with various students inviting them to sit on a regular basis, some commenting on why they would spend it at the back where they were hidden, most were trying to be nice, while some wanted to invite them because of their looks or attitudes.
They continued walking until they reached the far end of the cafeteria, where they observed one individual eating quietly unbothered despite the presence of the two girls in front of her.
Both took their seats in front of you, eating their meals casually, with one of them occasionally looking at you as they ate. It has been a little over a month since Hyunjin heard from you.
Because after that, you suddenly formed another shell around you, where you blocked out everything and everyone for a week, avoiding the cat girl like she was the plague.
When they go to have lunch, you would purposely leave early, afraid to be in the same vicinity as them. But thankfully, after a week you were back to normal, that is being silent.
"You’re gonna bore a hole in her head if you keep staring," the cat snapped her head to the side, eyeing Heejin as she giggled at her friend's glare, "I’m not staring!" She defended weakly, trying her best to show a neutral face as the blush got brighter on her cheeks, lowering her head.
Hyunjin went silent, stuffing her face with food while Heejin only smiled, raising her head to look at you, "So Y/n-ssi, when would you want to start on the project?"
The girl inquired. The response she was receiving, however, wasn’t really expected. Raising your head, Heejin jerked back when you suddenly sent her a glare, a frown gracing your lips before you stood to leave, stomping on the floor as you left the cafeteria.
Heejin furrowed her eyebrows at your demeanor, looking back at her friend who eyed the cafeteria doors, confusion set in their heads.
Did you really not want to work with them that badly?
--
With your fists clenched by your side, you stormed down the hall, grumbling until you were already outside the building, choosing a nearby bench to cool your nerves. Why were you so upset? You didn’t know why.
Was it because of your professor? Was it the thought of having to interact with people? Or was it because you found yourself nervous around them?
Heejin and Hyunjin seemed too nice, they approached you nicely, having no intentions other than finding a place to eat. You were sceptical, of course.
Both of them had good reputations, they were nicer than some of the student body, they were prettier than the cheerleaders, but what gave you doubt was their willingness to stay with you.
Was it because they didn’t have anywhere else to stay, or is it because they wanted to get close to you?
You noticed Heejin was a little on the quiet side, only speaking in her native tongue as she spoke with the other girl.
She was quiet, often opting to focus on her own things, sometimes glancing up to look at you before she would turn her head to reply to the other girl. Hyunjin, however, was still a mystery to you.
Ever since she talked to you, she turned on every possible alarm you had, but at the same time, she could turn them off so easily.
Hyunjin was always nice to begin with, polite when she would speak, only sometimes a little bit annoying when she would have those days where she kept asking and asking.
For the past month, she proved to be a comfortable presence, though you would never really speak to both of them, it made you less lonely when you were in their presence.
Did it ease your worries? No it did not, there was just a little period that they made you feel like you weren’t alone.
Leaning back against the bench, you settled your breathing, closing your eyes as you relaxed yourself with your surroundings.
Finding your thoughts to clear up until hearing laughter from a group of students. Groaning with annoyance, you turned your head to the side, seeing the group of cheerleaders and jocks.
You paid no mind to them, knowing that they were only going to the field for their practice, but as you close your eyes again, you hear a familiar name come from the group.
"Hyunjin-ssi, could you come join us? We’re heading to the field for practice. You can watch it if you’d like," Hyunjin tried her best to show a kind smile, shaking her head in refusal to the offer which had been given to her for the third time.
She had left a few minutes after you stormed out. Did she have a reason to follow you? No, but a part of her acted on its own. Walking out of the same doors to follow your form.
Though unfortunately, it wasn’t just you that were heading outside. On her way to the front, the group of students noticed Hyunjin walking outside, taking the opportunity to approach her, making the cat-eyed girl regret her decision to pursue after you.
She was fortunate, however, because as she exited the doors, she caught a glimpse of your form, sitting on a bench not far from the entrance.
She walked towards you, but once again, they were persistent, blocking your way as they smiled at her sweetly. Hyunjin was starting to get agitated, her face showing her displeasure while they stood there, unwavered.
But before one of them could speak, you brushed past them, bumping into their shoulders as you reached for her hand and pulled her away inside the school,
"Move faster," you muttered, just barely catching her ears as you led her through the halls. You could hear them behind you, footsteps thumping as they yelled for you. Luckily, because of their number and noise, you managed to slip away to a staircase.
Running to the roof as your hand still held hers. When you pushed the door open, both of you panted, Hyunjin sitting on the concrete while you leaned against the railing.
You let her catch her breath, waiting until you heard her breath even out. Though you let silence reign for a while, debating to yourself before you eventually pushed yourself to talk, "Why were you outside?"
"I was looking for you,"
Both of you turned your heads at each other, unintentionally speaking at the same time, though her words caught your attention more than the occurring coincidence,
“W-what--why were you even looking for me?" you asked, flustered that she would be looking for you. Hyunjin shrugged, staying quiet for a second before she answered,
"I wanted to ask you what was wrong. I-I was kind of curious why you didn’t speak much, or why your mood easily changes,"
Her voice began to tremble as she became embarrassed by the reasons that came out of her mouth. Normally you would get mad, infuriated even, that she wanted to know your attitude, or your emotions, but strangely, you saw sincerity in her eyes.
With your face flushed, you extended a hand to her, mirroring the same look she gave you when you were on the floor,
"W-why would you even want to know about me? You don’t know me, stupid,"
"Then let me get to know you," Hyunjin said confidently, accepting your hand as she stood, noticing the slight change in your eyes before they went back to empty,
"You shouldn’t trust people that easily, Hyunjin-ssi, you never know what other people might do to someone weak like you," The rapid change of your mood confused her again, but a sudden thought came to her when she noticed the way you spoke.
Letting go of her hand, you turned to leave, but before you could take a step, she held you by your wrist, turning you around to face her.
Your eyes widened as you felt a sudden flood of warmth surge through your body, your eyes dilating at the feeling before you quickly snapped out of it and pulled away. Rushing to the stairs as you left, the girl stood there with a smile, recognizing as she knew why you were so cold or angry.
Lowering her arms, Hyunjin felt something fall. Glancing at the floor, she saw a small piece of paper. Crouching down to get it, the cat-eyed girl unfolded it, an even brighter smile coming to her face when an address was written down,
"...5pm tomorrow,
-Y/n."
--
Heejin and Hyunjin stepped out of the elevator, "Are you sure this is the right floor?" Heejin asked her friend, the cat girl, looking down on the piece of paper you gave her as she checked the first room,
"It says 129, this one is 115. We should be right this time," she replied, walking down and checking all the rooms to the right while Heejin checked the rooms to their left.
It was already the next day. Hyunjin told her best friend about the piece of paper you left her, though leaving out the part on how both of you ended up on the roof. Only saying that you gave her a piece of paper with your andress on it,
"Ah, here!" Heejin pointed out, seeing the number of the room they stood before it and rang the bell.
"You know this could easily be a trap, right? It might not even be her. What if this is actually a kidnapping?" Heejin whispered, earning an eye roll from her friend,
"If that happens, I’ll throw you in first," Hyunjin replied, though the bunny couldn’t retaliate because of the door opening, greeting them with your presence. Showing a small smile, you stepped aside, welcoming the two who went inside.
Hyunjin glanced around as she walked, and noticed that it was oddly plain. The furniture looked brand new; there were no paintings, no flowers, or any decorations for that matter.
It looked like everything was bought yesterday. The only things Hyunjin found full was the kitchen, the walls lined up with tools that everyone would usually buy.
"You can take a seat on the couch, I’ll just grab my books," you said, still surprising Heejin as she heard you speak. Sure, she'd heard you speak before, but she'd never heard it directed at her.
While Hyunjin smiled as she sat, placing her bag to the side and looking at you, watching as you disappeared down the hall. When you come back with the materials, you set them on the coffee table, sitting on the opposite couch.
For the next few hours, you did a lot more than you thought, Hyunjin assigning what to do while Heejin made sure all of you hit the points that you were meant to.
You provided all the things they needed while also doing the best for the part assigned to you. An hour seemed to go by like a minute before Heejin suggested taking a break. While the two paused, you kept working, too engulfed in your own world to hear her.
It wasn’t until you felt a warm hand rest on your shoulder, causing you to turn. Meeting the cat's eyes as she gave you a smile,
"Let’s take a break for now," she said, noticing yet again another flash in your eyes as you stared at her for a minute before you nodded. Shaking your head, you put down the pen, backed away from Hyunjin and wordlessly went to the kitchen.
She took note of the pink tinge on your cheeks, a small smile coming to her own face.
You busied yourself in the kitchen, wanting to prepare something for your guests while also trying to avoid the intense gaze you felt on your being.
Sneaking a glance, you met her gaze; the gaze she gave you appeared heavy and judgmental, but you didn't feel that way at all. In fact, you were relaxed, comfortable that she was paying attention to you. It made you feel some sort of way that you couldn’t explain.
Shaking your head, you continued preparing, soon putting them inside the oven for a few minutes. You cleaned your kitchen, waited until the timer rang, took the food out of the oven as you placed it in a bowl, where you placed the cookies, bringing them to the pair.
Hiding the smile you wanted to show when you saw how their eyes lit up.
"Do you usually bake, Y/n-ssi?" Hyunjin asked you, making you rub the back of your neck shyly, shaking your head, "It’s not something I do, I learned from scratch," you replied, watching as both girls took one each, anticipation in your features.
Really, you shouldn’t care, but there was something that made you want them to like it.
When they took a bite, you waited until a bright smile appeared on their faces, "This is so good!" You smiled back, glad that they liked it,
“This is the best cookie I’ve had so far," Hyunjin commented, the warm feeling surging through your body when you locked eyes with her, making you look away, shaking your head, "Thank you."
--
After your break, though it might have been a few minutes, a connection had already formed, you were relaxed.
Less shy as you paid attention to them, pulling yourself away from your world and listening to them speak, even if you couldn’t understand them as much, you still enjoyed listening to them speak. It served as a filler for the normally empty space.
Though you tried to push it away, knowing that by the end of the day they would still leave.
Soon enough, the time came for them to leave. You walked them to the door, "Let’s continue this probably tomorrow or the day after," Heejin said, earning a nod from you before they stood there awkwardly, until they turned around and left.
You stared at their backs for some time. When you moved to shut the door, however, you heard Hyunjin calling for you.
Opening the door, you peeked to glance at the girl, her friend not visible within the hallway, "Did you forget something?" you asked quietly, earning a shake from Hyunjin,
"I-uh wanted to maybe ask for your number if it was alright," she said, scratching the back of her neck, shyly, the familiar red tinge spreading on her cheeks.
You would’ve laughed at her but you were in a similar situation, shock on your face as you flushed.
"W-why--fine just because you need it," you stuttered, stating your reason, though the butterflies in your stomach were raving. You handed her your phone, placing her number before she handed it back, bowing as she scurried, leaving you still in shock at the sudden event.
No one ever asked for your number before. It was a strange feeling, but your insecurities were too busy running around your head.
Until your phone pinged, looking down, you couldn’t prevent the smile that spread through your face, opening the contact and saving it on your phone,
"See you tomorrow!
-Hyunjin."
It started from that, one single text, where it grew into something bigger. The following week, you started to talk more through messages, sometimes about school or random things that Hyunjin could come up with so she could talk with you longer.
Then it progressed to both of you talking every day, and before you knew it, a month had passed and you were already starting to feel at ease, which led to you occasionally chiming in on their conversations.
At first, both of them were shocked that you spoke in school. Even if you used a hushed voice, they still enjoyed it. Hyunjin beamed with joy, happy that you were starting to speak with them.
While the feeling in your stomach started to grow, you were oddly fine with it, sometimes even looking forward to it being a part of your day.
One day, you had an idea, so instead of the usual time you would wake up, you woke up earlier than usual. Going to school, but instead of going straight to your class, you were in the library, looking for a certain book.
When you found it, a smile came to your face and you glanced at the cover, taking it to the front of renting it for a few weeks. You are going to need a lot of time to read it.
Hyunjin held the tray in her hands, walking alone through the cafeteria. She was alone for the past few days, with Heejin being busy with a few things, leaving you two alone.
She arrived at your table, finding a new sight to see when you were reading something, a little absorbed, too absorbed to notice the girl.
"What are you reading?" Your eyes went wide, slamming the book shut and hiding it on your lap, "Nothing!" you replied, the other girl furrowing her eyebrows at your attempt to lie, "Sure,"
She sat down and ate her food, not wanting to bring up the subject because she didn't want you to hide again, even though the chances were slim.
You two ate, forgetting about your little not so ‘secret’ item hidden on your lap, silently eating as you spoke when Hyunjin asked or wanted an answer to a certain topic.
When you got home, you placed your things on the couch, preparing some tea and crackers. Sitting on the floor, you leaned back on the couch, opening the page you stopped on, "Lets try this again."
--
"What made you keep talking to me?" The question came out of your lips, your eyes observing the field as you leaned against the railings, the other girl hummed, thinking of an answer.
You were on the familiar roof with Hyunjin, as you mirrored the exact same position you were in a few months ago. She invited you, claiming that she wanted fresh air before classes started and seeing that you trusted the girl, you agreed.
"I know someone like you Y/n," you raised an eyebrow at her response,
"She's a friend of ours, and to my observation, both of you act the same way, so I just took some prior knowledge on how to deal with that," she replied as you smiled, noticing how she stuttered with a few words, trying not to say it directly but giving enough for you to understand.
Hyunjin was careful with her words, knowing that saying what you were ‘stereotyped’ might offend you.
She paused for a moment, turning her head to look at your side features, her eyes scanning, as if storing it in her mind.
She sighed deeply, looking at you with her eyes squinted as she said, "Why do you make me so crazy, L/n Y/n-ssi,"
You smiled when you heard the girl, "Would you mind continuing? It’s soothing to hear," you said, earning another quiet sigh as she decided to take it all out,
"Why do you live inside my head, huh? This is unfair, you’re always running around here, that I can’t think of anything else besides you. A lot of people might think that you’re cold, rude, or weird, but I think you’re perfect. I find you interesting, you’re pretty, smart, talented, and probably handled more than everyone thinks, and I might be saying this too early, but...I think I’m falling for you, L/n Yn."
She finished, her gaze never leaving yours as you continued to look at the view.
Sighing, the girl looked down on her lap, moving to stand, but the next words that left your mouth made her freeze, "D-do you really think o-of me as all t-those, Kim Hyunjin?"
You replied, stuttering, partly because of the difficult words and the realization of what she said processed in your head, hearing her breath hitch as you turned your head to look at her.
"H-how did--" She struggled to come up with words, her mouth agape as she stared at you. Then she remembered that you had a book for the past month, sometimes reading, and sometimes muttering to yourself.
Every time she’s asked, you would avoid the question, hiding the book or the paper you wrote on.
"I-I wanted to learn, maybe it would be useful," you reasoned once you noticed the realization dawning on her, taking a step and reaching out for her hand, once again repeating the familiar scene you two found yourselves in,
"Turns out it is, because..I t-think I l-like you too, Kim Hyunjin," you said, gesturing your hand while the girl paused to take in everything you said.
Grasping your hand, you pulled her up, and Hyunjin used the momentum as you pulled her, getting close enough until warm lips met her own.
You gasped, surprised at the girl’s action, still it didn’t take a second for you to respond. Eyes closing as your arms circled around her waist.
A part of Hyunjin was afraid of what she had done, thinking you were going to leave, or push her away. But as she felt your arms circle her waist, she was content, happy that you felt comfortable letting her show how much she liked you.
--
"I told you I could’ve bought this earlier," you said, carrying the plastic bags to your apartment while a certain cat eyed girl looped her arm around yours, "Where’s the fun in that?" she retorted, rolling your eyes and shrugging your shoulders,
"The fun part is I wouldn’t have to leave the comfort of my home. Let go of my arm, it’s heavy," Hyunjin giggled at your sulking, though she didn’t take her hand off.
"Remove it then," she challenged, knowing you didn’t mean it, "My hands are full, stupid,"
The girl took one of the bags, leaving one of your hands free, before asking again, "How about now?" she asked, seeing your furrowed brows and frown but still refusing to remove her arm, causing the other girl to laugh at your attitude.
As both of you got into the apartment, Hyunjin couldn’t help but smile. The past two months have probably been the best she’s had.
Having you by her side was the best thing she could’ve asked for, because a month after both of you had a moment on the roof, you agreed to be her girlfriend.
Which not only made her the happiest, but it also meant that she could spend a lot more time with you.
Earlier, you had already celebrated with her friends, all of them showing their excitement, especially Heejin, who throughout the time you’d been dating Hyunjin had become your best friend too.
So now you were in your apartment, almost past midnight as you planned to watch movies with the girl,
"Take a shower, I’ll prepare everything," you stated, placing a kiss on her forehead and pushing her to your room.
The butterflies, although it had been a routine of yours, still hadn’t gotten used to the warm feelings you felt when you would make sweet gestures to your partner.
You took some spare blankets from your bedroom, got the pillows and prepared the living room to be as comfy as you wanted it.
Heating up some water for tea, taking out the food that you bought and placing it into neat plates so it would be easier to get and eat.
A few minutes later, she came out, clad with your hoodie, hair tied back up, "Your turn," she called out, while you carried the plates to the coffee table, taking a look at your work before you smiled in content, going to your room to wash up.
When you finished, you came out almost in the same style. Choosing to wear one of her oversized t-shirts before we went outside, arriving in the living room, Hyunjin was already on the couch, a blanket up to her stomach as she scrolled through her phone.
You hopped on the couch, moving beside the girl, getting as close as possible, wrapping your arms around her waist and resting your head on her chest.
This was always your favorite position to be in, feeling her heartbeat under the palm of your hand while her warmth spread to your body, making you melt in her arms.
You didn’t mind if you looked small, or you seemed like a baby. All that mattered was you were with Hyunjin anyway.
It was always you and her, nothing else bothered you, enjoying her scent, warmth, and the feeling of security she would always give you.
You didn’t regret what you’ve done for the past few months. In fact, you were happy with what you’ve accomplished. Because laying there with Hyunjin, arms wrapped around each other, you could practically feel her warmth.
You raised your head and gave a small kiss to the bottom of her jaw, feeling her squeeze your body, rubbing her arm against your shoulder, you felt whole.
Since the once empty void that you had, was filled by something greater than joy, attention, or satisfaction. It was all filled by...her.
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fruitpunchninja101 · 3 years
Text
Flowers For You
After a small spat at the merchants assembly, Levi was determined to avoid Hange and her flower shop at all costs. Unfortunately, The funny thing about trying to avoid someone is that you have to have a rough approximation of their daily routine. And so, his quest began.
Written for LeviHan Eggschange 2021 @levihanweek​
Link to cross-postings: AO3
Hello my dear giftee! I’m sorry if your gift took a while! I hope you'd enjoy reading this as much as I enjoyed making it. Keep safe!♥
“Every plant can do this fundamental process, and we call this Photosynthesis.”
Cheery voices of kids boomed in celebration as soon as they finished singing.
Ever since summer break started, the flower shop in front of his store started a “Horticulture Camp” for little kids. At first, He didn’t really pay much attention to the cacophony of loud cheers and noises but as days passed, customers would leave little comments like “Sure does sound like a daycare in there.” or “Your neighbor sounds like they're having a lot of fun in there huh?”
The thought about confronting the owner of the flower shop did cross his mind, but there's a little problem, they had a little bit of a spat at the shop keeps assembly last month.
Okay, he'll admit it, maybe It's not just a spat, It's more like a full blown passive aggressive squabble. His memory of the event was a little hazy but he recalled raising his concern about the dried leaves that keeps blowing over his store. Something about her nonchalance about his concern and something about his word choice led to a disastrous mistranslation of what he really wanted to say which somehow escalated to a kerfuffle. "You and Hange will be the hot topic of the whole merchants block for a good while." Erwin warned him after the assembly. Tch! He certainly didn't need that kind of attention.
Since then, Levi kept his distance from that damn flower shop and focused on minding his own business. He is determined to avoid this Hange at all costs! Unfortunately, The funny thing about trying to avoid someone is that you have to have a rough approximation of their daily routine. And so, his quest began.
#
Hange's schedule was never consistent.
Sometimes she'd open her shop so late that her students would start rough housing by the sidewalk waiting for her arrival. Their parents would wait by her store too and they were seemingly too charmed by her to get annoyed about her tardiness. By the time she gets there the kids would immediately run towards her climbing on her limbs but she never seemed to mind. Those kids eyes would shine so bright at her , he’s pretty sure he’d go blind if he kept on staring at them.
She never seemed to eat lunch for some reason. Sometimes, the son of the deli owner at the corner of their street, Moblit , would come by to bring her food. There was a time when he thought the guy was courting her but he can tell by that sad longing stare he gives at her when he leaves her shop that Hange had no fucking clue about his intentions.
She never brings an umbrella even when it rains. She just runs across the street donning a hoodie. Which she would continue to wear all throughout the day. She’d definitely get sick if she doesn't dry herself up properly. If the rain is still pouring by the time she closes up her store, Hange would spend a good minute to stare at the night sky marveling at the little droplets like its the first time she ever saw one in her life. Nights like that , he would close up a little late to make sure she's gone before he leaves.
Observing her became a routine at this point.
During warm sunny days, she would wear a brightly colored shirt underneath her overalls. Unfortunately, the shirt seemed to be the only thing she changes regularly. He can tell it's the same overalls because it still has all the stains in the same place as the day before. Her best record was 5 days without washing the damned thing and he can't tell if that's impressive or disgusting.
When the kids aren't around, Hange would dote on her plants until late hours of the day. He'd watch her methodically arrange flowers and pour all her love and care to every bouquet she makes. All the while ignoring the fact that she haven't had food at all. ( He knows because Moblit recently got a girlfriend and since then , he only drops by the flower shop to pick up orders for his new love interest.) All he ever see her consume are cups of coffee and not even the good stuff. Just the regular instant kind from the grocery. Days like that , he hopes that she would at least stop by a convenience store to pick up something to eat.
It didn't take too long for him to consider that maybe Hange isn't an asshole at all.She's just one of those people who gets easily preoccupied with things that pique her interest is all. To hell with her health, appearance or even basic cleanliness. Its frustrating but at the same time its a relief to know that underneath all that nuttiness is a seemingly good person.
He was just closing up shop one night when he noticed her still sitting in her store as she practiced playing the Photosynthesis song on her guitar.She was surrounded by an array of beautiful flowers and in that dim light, he could've sworn she looked like a scruffy forest diety.
And it was at that point when he realized that a smile is creeping up his lip. What the fuck was that about?
As if hearing his thoughts, Hange's head perked up from her guitar and turned towards him. He froze as soon as their eyes met. She gave him a tight lipped smile and at that, Panic shot through him. He immediately turned away from her and rushed to turn off the lights and closed his store.
#
Days after that encounter, Levi had to resist the urge to spare even a peek over her shop. he didn't like that sometimes his mind would wander to images of her that night. He probably overdid his little investigation is all! He had to stop watching her schedule anyway , he had all the information he needs at this point.
However, her presence never seemed to leave him. He'd still overhear the rhythm of her guitar and the rambunctious laughter from her little campers. Even Eld and Gunther are starting to warm up to it. "There's something about the sound of children having fun that puts me at ease." He heard Eld reason out to Gunther the other day. Even Oluo who once mentioned his irritation with the constant singing is starting to absentmindedly hum the damn song.
He's ready to let the whole thing go but when a loud crashing sound (which is probably another pot broken by a child.) caused Petra to make a small uneven line on her work , he knew he had to do something. Even if these type of mistakes are easily fixed, precision is utterly important in his business and he can't have random nuisances ruining his reputation. He'll do it tomorrow. NO! He'll do it tonight! There's no use to delay the inevitable.
Odd enough, he did wonder if she even knew his name.
Tch.
#
Levi was just closing up his shop that night when he heard someone open the door. Accepting late night jobs Isnt new to him but he did commit to speaking with Hange about his concerns so he let out an absent minded “We're closed” warning before realizing who entered his shop.
It’s her.
She wore an oversized green overalls paired with battered up chucks that he bet was once white. Her brown mop of hair was tied messily up on her head. He didn’t miss the huge ass bouquet tucked in her arm as she struggled to get through his door.
“A little help?” She said, as if they didn’t had a spat that literally had them screaming at each other infront of other people. Levi paused cleaning his tattoo gun and hurried to help her. ”What are you doing here at this hour?” He asked genuinely out of curiosity than irritation.
”I just wanna give you these.” She beamed as she let go of the huge bunch for him to carry inside. “The kids got a little carried away with their flower arrangements today and I’d feel awful if I have to throw it out.” She continued.
“You think dumping this monstrosity to me is the solution?” He asked, immediately regretting his word choice.
“Monstrosity?!”Hange placed her hand on her chest playfully feigning mortification and shock.
He rolled his eyes at her and was a bit surprised that Hange chuckled at him and leisurely walked past him to take a seat at one of the stools by his register and started innocently looking around his shop seemingly waiting on him for a conversation. "Neat place you got here." She said.
"Thanks?" He said genuinely confused what she's doing here. Although, He did wonder if it has something to do with that awkward encounter they had the other night. He really hoped she already forgot about that. “What are these for?” He asked as he opened the cupboards hopelessly trying to look for a vase somewhere in his shop.
“I was gonna ask you for a favor.” She replied.
He scoffed. “what makes you think I’d help you.”
“It’s for a good cause! Plus,I was thinking it’s your opportunity to make up with that whole assembly incident we had.”
He paused and glared daggers at her. She still have that goofy smile on her face. “That dumb assembly incident was not something I want to make up with.” He said stubbornly.
Hange rolled her eyes at him. “Oh please you were angry over a few dried pieces of leaves in front of my store it’s hardly even your business.”
“Your leaves are blowing over my store front so yes it was my business.”
“You know I run a flower shop right? These things happen. I cant just wait outside my store and catch all the falling leaves for your convenience.” Her voice slightly raised as if she’s explaining something so obvious to him. Of course he knows these things happen, he’s not an idiot. All he wants is for her to take responsibility and not be so nonchalant over it.
“You don’t even...” He closed his mouth. She's starting to get a rise from him and it made him queasy. It's not even worth it. He closed his eyes to calm himself.
“Look, the favor isn’t even for me.” She started. Her tone of aggressiveness gone. ”Just hear me out please?” Her voice sounded gentle and warm this time. She’s so hot and cold it’s starting to drive him insane.
He opened his eyes and was met with her brown orbs that shone bright behind her dirty glasses. “Go ahead.” He said defeatedly avoiding her pleading eyes and proceeded to turn back to his cupboard. He should just let her say her piece and move on.
“It’s for one of my campers actually.”
“Hn.Which one? the brunette kid that shouts a lot?”
“Oh you know Eren?”
“He always sticks his snotty face up on my window how can I forget.”
“Yeah, That kid adores you you know , he asked about you and what you guys do here a couple of times before. He even threw fits because he wanted to get a tattoo from you.”
He scoffed. ”How is that my problem?”
”You see, his little friend Armin loved the camp but is a little too shy for his own good. He won’t attend sessions without Eren who sort of refused to attend til you tattoo something on him.”
“So you want me to tattoo a child? ”He turned from his fruitless quest for a vase on his cupboard to raise a brow at her.
“Not a real one, just one of those temporary tattoo stickers.”
He scratched the back of his head and let out a sigh. It would be easier to complain to her about the noise of she owed him some sort of favor. Right? "Alright." He said.
She surged out of her seat and gave out a small yelp startling him. "You'd do it? Really?" Her eyes seemed brighter now.
“Yeah sure." He said as he marveled at how expressive her eyes were. He willed himself to tear his eyes from her damn face. "Is there anything else?” He asked.
“Yes.” She replied enthusiastically.
“You are really pushing your luck here four eyes.”
She chuckled at that and pushed her glasses a bit higher up her nose. ”Don't worry, this one isn't a favor. More like a friendly advice."
He raised a brow at her. "What?"
"Put those in cold water. They'd last longer that way.” She said pointing at the bright colored bouquet at the table which certainly looked out of place against the black and gray interior of his shop.
After exchanging details about their little activity tomorrow, Hange gave him a final enthusiastic wave before taking off his shop leaving him in awe.
Ah. He forgot to mention his noise complaint.
#
The next day, nine little children were lined up orderly marching up infront of his store led by Hange. She carried a red flag to remind everyone where she is at all times. They all wore a silk screen printed shirt that says plants rule in front and some sort of a plant pun at the back.
Hange's shirt says. 'Someone has been adding soil to my garden. The plot thickens.'
Ah. That was pretty good...and also pretty dumb.
“Are you sure about this boss?” Oluo asked as he worked on a cover up on a customers shoulder.
"No." He answered earing a chuckle from Eld, Gunther and Petra at the back.
"Good Morning Underground Ink!" Hange enthusiastically cheered as she opened the door.
"Keep your voice down four eyes!"
“Oh! Sorry!" She mouthed at him before turning back to her campers. "Kids say good morning to Mr.Ackerman!” She beamed.
“Goodmorning Mister Ackerman!” The kids said in unison in a sing song tune. He gave them a small nod of acknowledgement then proceeded to cut out the temporary tattoo sheet into small pieces. The kids immediately scattered around the store to take a look at the reference books laid on his lounge. He glowered at Hange. "You said they'd behave."
"They would I promise! They're just a bit excited with our little expedition."
"If they break anything, I swear you're gonna pay ten times the price."
"Oh don't be such a grump!" She said slapping his arm. "Ouch! You didn't tell me you work out."
"Tch." He clenched his jaw and focused his eyes on the tattoo sheets he's cutting up. Damn four eyes and her mouth.
"Hey Kids! Gather over here Mr.Ackerman will show you how to put on a tattoo."
“Is this gonna hurt?” Eren innocently asked.
“Not if you’re brave.” He answered. The kid involuntarily recoiled at that. He can tell that Eren's starting to have second thoughts and struggled to put on a brave face. Eren immediately sought out Hange seemingly asking for help and at that, she immediately stepped up and ruffled the kids hair. ”I’ll get my tattoo done first.” Hange hopped on a chair and presented her wrist to Levi.
Levi held her hand to keep her arm steady. His eyes darted at her as if asking her if the touch was permitted and he was met with a sweet smile. He immediately avoided her eyes pushing down the thought of her playing her guitar surrounded by flowers...a scruffy forest diety. he recalled the exact words that formed on his mind that night.
He bit the inside of his cheek to ground himself to reality. Levi held the damp towel against her wrist and she let out a little yelp. He immediately pulled away hoping he didn't press too hard while his mind wandered to silly memories of her the other night. "Gotcha!" Hange teased chuckling at him. "Ass!" he said playfully throwing his towel at her face gaining another laugh from the brunette. The kids huddled around them giggled at them.
"Ms.Hange, What's an ass?" A little girl munching potato chips asked.
"It's another term for a donkey." A small timid blonde kid answered.
"Thats right Armin!Very good!" Hange said. The blonde kid blushed at her praise and glued his eyes on the floor.
"What's a donkey?" Potato chip girl asked again.
"It's like a little horse" Armin answered.
"Why are you calling Ms.Hange a donkey Mr.Ackerman? She doesn't even look like a horse" A kid with shaved head asked.
"...unlike Jean over here." Eren added and a kid with elvish features (which he assumed is Jean) stepped up and hit Eren by the arm. Eren was ready to retaliate when Hange spoke.
"Kids, we promised Mr.Ackerman no rough housing inside the store." Hange reminded them calmly and the kids immediately pulled away from one another.
There was a brief moment of silence and wondering gasps from children around them as he worked on Hange's tattoo.“So does anyone have a question to Mister Ackerman.” He immediately frowned. He said yes to tattooing kids not chatting them up. Nothing would have prepared him for the set of questions that came rushing in after Hange's open invite.
#
Eren is the last one to get his tattoo. He disinfected his arm with alcohol and his eyes drifted to Hange who was blushing at the sight of a kid adorably putting on a brave face.
Levi had to look away.
At the end of the session,all kids merrily walked back to her shop comparing all their little tattoos. Hange then thanked him for playing along with her little activity.
#
His whole afternoon was a blur. Between those kids who won't stop asking him and Hange's constant teasing smirks he was out of it. He scrubbed the side of his tattoo gun a little harder.
“I see you put my flowers in a bucket.”
Levi almost dropped his tattoo gun as Hange's merry voice boomed around the shop.
“Its the closest thing I have to a vase.” He said wondering if she’s offended that he chucked her precious flowers on a bucket, but that endearing smile she had on her face says otherwise.
“I had just the thing!” She rushed out of his shop and came back with a huge crystal vase.
“What's that?”
“Its a vase I inherited from my gram-gram.”
“I can see its a vase.”
“Well with the horticulture camp and all I'm scared this would get knocked over and you seem like an organized responsible sort of guy. Maybe you can take care of this for me for a while.”
She’s certainly getting a little too comfortable with favors now. ”What makes you think I wouldn’t knock it over to get back on you for that assembly mess.”
“Because you’re nicer than your letting on.” she says as she procured a small rose from her back pocket and gently tucked its stem behind his ear. He compelled his hand to swat her arm way but his body didn't cooperate. He stood there frozen wondering if she truly was some sort of a scruffy forest deity and she's punishing him from his insolence at that assembly.
Okay, that sounded dumb...What the hell is wrong with him?
"Did the kids asked you to give me this?" He forced himself to reply.
"Nah, That one is from me." She said. Her eyes were bright and her face were slightly flushed. He wondered if he'd never seen anyone look this gallant and handsome before.
"You don't like it?" She asked cocking her head to the side.
"No! I-ah...I'm just..." He stuttered trying to find the right words without sounding pathetic. His hand raised to touch the flower on his ear. He never got flowers before. He felt a smile coming up so he forced a frown.
“Why are you frowning? Don't tell me you're still upset about that assembly thing? I thought were past that?”
“Tch! No were not!” Levi recoiled at how loud his reply was.
”You see, I would be threatened but I just watched you spend your afternoon tattooing a bunch of kids even though you are not paid for it so...Yeah...I guess water under the bridge right?”
“Who says I'm not charging you? I thought you came here to pay up.” He smirked finding calm at her retort.
At that, Hanji laughed. She fucking laughed! The woman even clutched her arms around her stomach and doubled over. She practically radiated with warmth and a familiar sense of home. “Alright you got me, I don’t want to owe you anything so how about a cup of coffee sometime? Although, you seemed to prefer tea”
He scrunched his face. "How do you know I prefer tea?"
"You see, the funny thing about a huge glass storefront window is that, if you can see me, that means I can see you too."
”Wh-What are you on about? I don't...” Fuck! She knows. He internally panicked and wondered what would the appropriate response be.
"Oh calm down! Don't worry, I don't mind you ogling at me." She smirked evidently teasing him.
"Tch. Fuck you four eyes!"
"I wouldn't mind that too." He froze and It didn't take her too long to realize what she said. Her face immediately flushed in a very flattering shade of red. "I'm sorry I got carried away." Hange slightly turned away and tucked a little piece of her hair behind her ear.
He wanted to say something...flirty maybe? But chances are he's gonna run his mouth and say something about him thinking that she was a scruffy forest deity or how he hates that she never opens her store on time or how he knows her best record for not changing jumpsuits is 5 days. So he kept his mouth shut and let silence engulf them.
“Well, I’m next door just in case you wanna take me up for tea. I’ll see you around I guess.”
"Wait!" He called out.
Hange whipped her head to turn to him and he rushed behind the register to grab one of his spare umbrellas he keeps for emergencies. "Take this."
"What for?" She asked scratching the back of her head.
"You'd get sick running around in rain." he said plainly, hoping she didn't find him too creepy.
Levi didn't know it was possible but he swore her eyes shone a little brighter, a small smile is now etched on her face. "See you later Levi." She took one last glance at him lifting an arm to wave as she ran back to her store.
“Later, four eyes.” He whispered beneath his breath and although he felt pleasantly sunny inside, he sensed that he forgot about something...
Ah, he forgot to talk to her about his noise complaint.
60 notes · View notes
willowbleedsonpaper · 4 years
Text
Shattered
James Potter x Reader
W.C. : 7591
Request:  Could you write a James Potter story where they have to fake date for a few weeks and the reader develops feelings and thinks James feels the same but doesn’t? And could you include “I feel stupid. I feel so stupid” or “I let myself get attached and now it’s too late”
A/N: This is my first time wrting for James and only the request made me cry, needless to say I cry writing this. I hope you like it lovely anon, and I hope is not too dramatic. Thank you for requesting! Happy reading, Skittles.
Warnings: Cursing, Angst, my english. Let me know if there is something else. Didn’t proofread so I apologize for any mistake.
Flashbacks are written like this!
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"Y/N!"
You snapped your head up, staring at the pile of books in front of you in annoyance as the inevitable unfolded before you. 
"Merlin, woman." he said, taking the chair next to you, scraping it against the floor without a care for the library rules, a wide smile always in his face "You are a hard person to find." 
You blinked rapidly at him, biting your tongue before deciding you could only fight fire with fire "Don't you have a map to help you with that?" 
His smile was quickly erased, shushing sounds coming from him like a hiss as he shot a hand to your mouth "You promised you wouldn't talk about it." he said lowly, taking his hand away from you when you nodded. 
"What do you want, James?" you asked with the roll of your eyes, returning to the reading "I'm listening." you told him again when he just stared at you. 
"I need a favor." he said flatly. You took a hesitant glance at him; his body was tense, back straight against the chair as his hand played with one another in his lap. 
"Figures," you mumbled closing the book "What did you do?" you asked him. 
He wrinkled his nose, an offended look in his face "I haven't done anything." he said in a higher voice, leaning against the table "Is what are you going to do for me." he grinned, taking a more relaxed posture on the chair. 
"Right," you scoffed, watching him stare at you in deep thought "Well, what is it?!" 
He took a deep breath and you prepared yourself for the worst. But not a lifetime could have prepared you for what he said. 
"I need you to pretend to be my girlfriend." he blurted out, putting on his most innocent smile as he batted his lashes at you. 
"No." you spat, turning to your books again. 
"Oh, c'mon." he said dramatically, ignoring the complaints from Madame Ponce and the other students. "I'll give you anything you want. Huh? Money, clothes, books. I'll do your homework." he said, his head laying on top of your open book. 
"I wouldn't trust you with my homework even if I was failing all my classes." you pushed his head away from your book, closing it as you stared at him with your arms crossed "Besides, why would you want me to pretend to date you?" you asked, the mere idea sending chills all over your body. 
He smiled tightly, playing with the edge of the table "Evans." he mumbled, coughing lightly after and turning to his sides to see no one had heard him. 
"You sick bastard," you whispered in disbelief, eyes wide as he shrunk under your hard gaze "You want to make her jealous." 
"Only for a while. For her to see what she's missing." he said, his confidence back as fast as it left him "Please Y/N, she would never suspect of you." he said pleadingly with a pout. 
"Why me?" you asked "There are plenty of girls who would die for a chance to date you, so why me?" 
His eyes felt slightly, a nervous chuckle leaving his lips "Well first because I trust you and you are my friend." 
"Debatable, but go on." 
"And because it'll be more believable. Everyone knows we went to a few parties together, spent some time together, snogging and all…" 
"Okay!" you practically shouted "I get it, okay?" 
"Is that a yes?" his eyes slit up, his smile wider than ever. 
You sighed, rolling your eyes as you started regretting your choice already "One month, Potter. If it doesn't work you're on your own." 
"Yes!" he whispered, punching the air in triumph as he stood up 'You're the best." he mumbled, placing his hand on your shoulder as he grabbed  his jacket from the back of the chair and walked away. 
You shook your head, returning to your reading "Uh, almost forgot," you heard him from afar before you felt him place a kiss in your cheek, the heat rising to your cheeks as you stared wide-eyed at him "See you at dinner, love" he said, winking at you before he left for good.
You sat there frozen, the transfiguration essay completely forgotten as you caressed your cheek where he had kissed you. 
You shrugged, quickly taking all your books and bag and running for the place, completely oblivious to the curious eyes from the girls that sat a few tables away from yours, their giggles and low murmurs quickly spreading all over Hogwarts. 
James Potter had gotten himself a girlfriend. 
*******************************
Time flies by when you actually focus on the task at hand. You had spent most of the day at your common room, people coming on going as you stayed glued to the same chair. You had proudly finished your transfiguration essay, started the research for potions and found some books that would prove themselves useful in the coming week.
The halls were empty as you walked peacefully through them, enjoying the echo of your steps on the stone walls. Everyone was already at the Great Hall, you could hear the chatting and laughter as you neared the enormous room, that also meant that you could hear the hurried steps of someone running towards you. 
You slowed down, considering the option of running the opposite way until you saw black curls and an uncharacteristic nervous smile. You had stopped, waiting for him to catch up with you when he forcefully grabbed your arm and pushed you to an empty classroom.
“What the hell, James?” you hissed, turning to him as he closed the door.
“Did you tell anyone?” he asked out of breath, rolling his eyes at your quizzical look. “That we’re dating?!” he said, more desperate, shaking his hands in the air.
“Fake dating.” you corrected him, and he shushed you again.
“Only we know that,” he pointed at the two of you, running a hand through his hair as he paced “Besides anyone could be listening so keep that to yourself.”
“Why are you so nervous?” you asked him with a frown “Isn’t it good that everyone knows?” you asked, confused, taking a seat in the desk as he slowly started to panic.
“I thought I would have a little more time, you know. Make a big deal out of it. Asking you out and then to be my girlfriend, all that.” he explained, his pacing never faltering.
“James, calm down.” you said softly, reaching your hand to his. He took it and you pulled him to sit next to you. “They just saved you some time, we can always say it was a secret.” 
He turned to you with wide eyes, a relieved smile in his face as he nodded “Yeah, that’s a great idea.” he mumbled, cleaning his forehead with the back of his hand “Yeah, okay.” he said more confidently as he jumped from the desk, his breathing even once more.
You did the same, turning to him before you opened the door “Ready lover boy?” you asked, getting a firm nod from him as you got out with him following close behind. 
What you weren’t expecting was his hand on your lower back, guiding you to the Great Hall before he wrapped it around your shoulder, his hand hanging loosely at your side. It wasn’t a long walk to the place he usually sat, but it felt like it. All eyes were on you, and they had different energies to them. Some were happy, like they had been waiting for this for a long time and it had finally happened; others were shocked, the low murmurs with both your names hanging in the air as you strolled down to the table; and the last one and the one you were hoping for, angry, jealous, glares burning your skin as you sat down next to him. 
“So it’s true, then?” asked Remus with a smile, his eyes meeting yours in amusement “You finally won the heart of our Jamie?” 
You laughed, putting your nerves aside and doing what you were gonna be rewarded for “More like he won mine,” you said, looking back at James with a grin “He had been chasing me like a dog, thought maybe he was worth it.” you smiled, getting surprised looks from everyone at the table.
“Has he now?” asked Sirius with a knowing look, staring at James in a silent conversation before he turned to the redhead “Hey Lily, you heard that?”
She met Sirius' eyes with a glare, rolling her eyes “Loud and clear, Sirius.” she mumbled, not even sparing a glance in your or James’ way.
“Yeah well, I got the message loud and clear too, Evans.” said James, with a smug look “I know when to give up on something.” 
*******************************
The announcement of your relationship with James went nothing like you had expected. You went from being just another student at Hogwarts to being James Potter girlfriend, captain of the Gryffindor quidditch team and one of the most popular students. Hell, even Mcgonagall got excited when she saw him, with a few exceptions. 
“So you got detention?” you asked him as you walked through Hogsmeade holding hands. The cold air blowing through your hair while he pulled you closer to him, his body warmer than you would have expected with only the jacket he wore. 
“Maybe,”  he said with a breathy laugh “Totally worth it, though. You should have seen their faces when the cauldron exploded.” he said excitedly, almost jumping the last steps to the Honeydukes. 
“Oh, I can imagine.” you told him as he opened the door for you “What are we doing here?” you asked him, finding him smiling down at you.
“Pick whatever you want, love.” he said, opening his arms as you took the entire shop in. “Well, go on. You must want something, I know for a fact you love these so we’re taking those with us.” he took a bunch of sugar quills from the shelves, carrying them in his arms as he pulled you with him with his other hand.
You laughed, not knowing what to do or say “James, what are you doing?” you asked, making him stop for a moment.
He turned to you, his eyes widening as he picked up a chocolate frog he handed to you with a funny face “What do you think? Buying treats for my favorite person.” he chuckled. 
You didn’t question him as he essentially bought every single candy the store had, you two got out of there with a bag for each one of you.
It was a lovely date, your first one for that matter. A week after the beginning of your little act and he had insisted in taking you out on dates whenever he could. The first one, of course, being to Hogsmeade. After Honeydukes you went to the Three Broomsticks, drinking butterbeers and laughing at every single thing he said. Putting up the act for the prying eyes.
It wasn’t difficult, really. James was actually your friend and you had previously spent time with him and his friends, but the audience made your stomach turn inside of you. You knew the group on the table next to yours were paying attention for every detail they could grasp their hands on, you knew that as more people arrived at the establishment their eyes would fall on you. You felt exposed.
“Hey,” he said softly, grabbing your hand over the table “You okay?” he asked, lowering his head so he could look directly at your eyes.
You nodded your head, smiling over your butterbeer “Just fine.” you lied.
But he wasn’t taking it, he cocked his head to the door, helping you to your feet as he grabbed the bags of your candy. “C’mon.” he murmured on the side of your head before he placed a soft kiss there.
You slowly walked back to the castle, his soothing voice never stopping to tell you about everything he did, for quidditch to pranks. He was an endless source of conversation that you found yourself enjoying, not that you would admit that out loud. 
You didn't even pay attention to where he was leading you, the soft soil underneath your feet making you look forward as the Black Lake appeared before your eyes. 
"James, there's no one here." you told him as you looked at every possible direction. 
He had already sat on the ground, patting the spot next to him "I know," he murmured, pulling you to gin so your head was resting on his shoulder "You didn't look comfortable with everyone looking at you." he said. 
He had his hand running up and down your arms, the motion so soothing you almost ignored all the thoughts going wild inside your head. You looked up at him suspiciously, square noting your eyes even if he didn't seem to notice your gaze on him. 
"And why do you care?" you asked him, trying to sound playful but your voice betraying you as it came out more like a whisper "You have one goal and it's not my wellbeing."
He laughed, glancing down at you before he kept his eyes in the distance. "You're still my friend." he said softly "And you're helping me, the least I can do is make it more enjoyable for you." 
You raised an eyebrow at him, but didn't say anything. You knew the look in his face all too well, it was the same face he made in a particularly difficult quidditch match or whenever he was taking a test; he would frown deeply, wetting his lips every now and then when they weren't in a thin line, he would look a nothing in particular as if he saw something that wasn't there but in reality he was aware of everything around him. He was inside of his own world. 
You didn't realize when you ended laying on the grass, your head on his lap as he played with your hair. You had fallen asleep and the only reason you had woken up from the peaceful sleep was because of him poking your cheeks. 
"Wake up," he whispered in your ear, smiling down at you when you slowly opened your eyes "There you go, sleeping beauty." he said, helping you sit up. 
"Huh?" you asked, rubbing the sleep off your eyes with a yawn "Who's sleeping beauty?" 
"I don't know," he admitted with a shrug of his shoulders. "Moony calls Sirius that when he wakes up, thought it fitted you." he said. 
He walked you to your dorm room in a comfortable silence after you apologized a thousand times for falling asleep on your date, assuring you it was fine. 
"You talk in your sleep." 
"No, I don't." 
"Yeah, you do. Mainly my name, really." he said, wiggling his eyebrows at you. 
He wished you good night, giving you a tight hug before you handed him his bag from Honeydukes. 
"Keep it." he said, closing your hand over the handle of the bag. He gave you one last look before he started to walk away, turning a few times to you still there, shaking your head as he ran when Professor McGonagall voice boomed over the halls calling his name. 
You sighed, going inside your dorm and placing the bags over the bed. A smile appeared on your face as you pulled a sugar quill, a tiny note written in messy handwriting attached to it. 
First week payment. 
You laughed, taking a bite out of the candy as you placed the note back inside. 
"What in Merlin's name? Did you rob Honeydukes?" 
You turned at the sound of your roommate and the door opening "No," you said, a smug smile in your face as you raised an eyebrow to her "My boyfriend bought them for me." 
*******************************
The fuss over your relationship with James had dissipated into a common thing that no one questioned. Watching you close to each other, holding hands at the halls or underneath the table, murmuring things into each other's ears provoking a smile or a chuckle from any of you, kisses on the cheeks, forehead or temple as you held each other close. Only the more skeptic would question the longing stares you two shared at any given moment you were forced apart. 
“You’re amazing.” you heard James over our shoulder as you sat in the common room, close to the fire with a cup of tea in hand. You raised an eyebrow at him, sipping at your tea. 
“Thank you?” you said, placing down the hot cup as he sat next to you in the far too tiny couch. "Don't get me wrong, I am amazing. I just don't get why you of all people would be telling me this." 
"Don't be silly." he said, taking your face in his hands as he squeezed your cheeks "Peter heard Lily talking very angrily about you." he whispered with the biggest smile. 
Your eyes widening, slowly nodding as he moved his hands from your face so you could talk "Oh, that. Nothing new." you told him, and she pulled slightly from you "Don't tell me you haven't noticed the glares and heard the grunts from her as soon as we appear in the room." 
He shook his head and you wanted to laugh, but chose to smile tightly "Oh, Jamie. You are so oblivious." you said patting his cheek softly. 
He pouted, looking hurt at you as he took your wrist in his hand "So the last two weeks Lily has been killing you in her head and I knew nothing of it?" he asked in annoyance. 
"Pretty much, yes. Although I only noticed this week in potions." you said, capturing his interest as he somehow fitted his body on the couch laying his head on your lap. You sighed, knowing he wanted to hear what you got "I don't know what I was doing but you were staring at me with dowey eyes, and you kept bothering me with something…" 
"Nice you pay attention to me," he grumbled. "I was asking you to go see me play this Saturday, you heartless woman." he said with a fake hurt look. 
"Right, anyway. Remember how you told me a joke that almost makes me slip because of how hard I was laughing?"
He nodded, taking your hand as he played with your fingers, a smile appearing on his lips as he remembered "Yeah, I had to hold you so you wouldn't drop the cauldron all over yourself." he chuckled, poking your rib where his hand had been that day. 
"Well, when I finally calmed down…" 
"Hours later if you ask me." 
You slapped his hand "Let me finish," you whined, as he mouthed a Sorry and indicated you to go on "Well, when you stop talking nonsense I caught Lily looking at you before she turned with a glare at me."
"Really?" he breathed out like a kid, hiding the excitement in his voice "What did you do?" he asked you. 
"I smiled at her and took your hand later." you said proudly, keeping your head high with a smile. 
He sat up, crushing you with a hug as he peppered your face with kisses "I told you you were amazing.“ he laughed excitedly. He let go of you, eyes shining as he held up a finger, running up the stairs of the boys room. Minutes later he came back down, a large box in hand with the colors of your house. 
He placed it on your lap, sitting next to you as he gave you space. He nudged your arm when you only stared at the box in shock "Open it." he said encouragingly.
With the shake of your head you took the ribbon, undoing the knot slowly. Once you opened it, staring at it "What's this?" you mumbled, pulling a neatly folded sweater in the colors of Gryffindor . Once it was fully out of the box your nose caught the faintest smell, doubtfully bringing it to your face. 
"James, this is yours." you said lowly, looking up at him. 
He nodded, pulling a scarf of the box as well and wrapping it around your neck "What kind of boyfriend would I be if I didn't give you my sweater? Besides, I wasn't kidding when I asked you to the game." he said. 
"I know you weren't," you said back, putting the gifts back in the box "I was planning on going whether you were kidding or not." 
"Really?" he said, a little caught off guard "You never go to the games, ever." 
You stared back at him as he leaned back on the couch, talking but you had stopped listening. He was right, you never went to see the games. So why were you so sure you were going? Nothing had changed, sure, you were 'dating him' but you still didn't like quidditch, you had more important things to do, why did you want to go? 
“I'm gonna put this in my dorm." you said, not even noticing you cut him off mid sentence. 
"Sure." he beamed, his face falling a little at the look in your eyes "Hey, are you okay?“ he said, taking your hand before you went away. You gave him a soft nod, gripping his hand before he let you go. 
Once at your dorm you closed the door, lighting some candles as you sat with the open box in your bed. It might as well be your birthday, the sweater and scarf not being the only things there. He had included more candies that you could possibly eat, always teasing you because of your sweet tooth. And at the bottom of the box, another note. 
Second week payment. 
*******************************
The week stretched out like it had never done it before. Your excitement for the quidditch match increased as the day neared, everyone was talking about as they made bets and wore something to support their favorite team. 
And you weren't someone to stay behind, whether it was James' sweater or the scarf, you walked the corridors and attended class with a proud air flowing around you. It didn't matter if James was around you or not, you wore the red and golden colors like a brand. 
To your luck, Saturday arrived and you were up at the first light. You put a little more effort in your looks, making sure that you were comfortable but looked nice for the big day. James had tried to explain why it was so big and everyone was so excited about it, and even if you didn't understand you were thrilled, your body vibrating with the rush of the people around you. 
You got to the Great Hall, the entire team cheering at you walking towards the table as you looked for James with your eyes. 
"Mrs. Potter! “ yelled Sirius as soon as his eyes landed on you, a round of whistles and howling sounds erupting from the mouths of the exhilarated team. You tilted your head at him with wide eyes, lowering your head when you felt an arm around you. 
"Oi! Shut up, Pads. I'm the only one who gets to make her blush." he stated, saying hello in your ear as he climbed on the bench. "Gentlemen!" he shouted, everyone stopping their activities so they could listen. 
"Today is not like any other game we've played in the past. Two things are different today," he said with an almost hungry smile "Those Slytherins have been bragging about their new member, a new seeker. The jewel to their crown they said" 
Everyone started booing, their hands around their mouths as they voices boomed all over the room. Your eyes stared in awe at the man up on the chair, yelling and cheering for his team. 
"But they don't know that we also have a new jewel in our crown!" he shouted, the murmurs spreading as he gave them a wolfish grin "We got ourselves a luck charm." he said, pointing his hand at you. "This is Y/N's first game! Are we going to make this the best game for her or what!?" 
"YEAH!“ they all yelled, the energy in the room turning more and more powerful as they cheered and howled, a pack of lions ready to take on the snakes. 
He smiled down at his team, jumping from the bench and landing next to you "Ready?“ he said, looking over your shoulder before he returned his eyes to you "Remus is gonna sit with you during the game, okay?"
You smiled at Remus, who had been there since the beginning of the speech "Cheer for me, love." he whispered, kissing your cheek and running off with the team before you could answer him.
You stood next to Remus, a blissful look in your face as you stated at the place where James had been a second before. 
"I don't know what you did to him, but please keep it up." he chuckled, offering his arm as you two walked to the quidditch pitch. 
"I'll try my best." you said with a smile, forcing the bitter feeling in your heart away. 
The game had begun smoothly, you and Remus had been sitting down and keeping up a nice chat, he was an interesting person, really surprising that he was so close to Sirius and James. Peter. You understood, he reminded you more of him. But as the chat advanced and he let go a little more you saw that he wasn't as innocent as you thought. 
But at some point you both lost the string of the conversation, Slytherin scoring their first points. You started yelling and cheering for Gryffindor next to Remus, who more quietly supported his house. 
Gryffindor won the game and you clearly had been there to see it. Your hair was a mess, wild from all the jumping and at some point in the game you had discarded the scarf, getting in your way as you followed all the players. It had been a whole experience. 
"Come with me." said Remus to you, pulling you through the crowd as the teams were still flying in the air. 
"Where are we going?" you laughed. 
"The dressing rooms." he said, and there in fact was where he was taking you. 
You lowered your head a little when the Slytherin team stormed by your side, almost flattening your entire body to the wall as to avoid their anger. But that didn't last long as Remus pointed a little forward in the corridor and you met the brightest smile ever. 
It didn't take long for him to get to you, almost throwing his broom to the ground when he ran to you. His arms went around your waist as he sinned you up in the air, a whole heartedly laugh coming from you before he set you safely on the floor. 
He didn't say anything as your hands rested on his chest, looking up to his eyes before he met yours. His mind seemed to be working faster than his body, his eyes shaky looking everywhere before they settled on your lips, crashing his lips to your as he pulled you flat against him. 
It took you a second to react, frozen against him before you wrapped your arms around his neck, pulling him closer. The cheering and whistles made him smile as he kissed you more passionately, only stopping by the loud sound of a door. 
You looked back a little startled, his fingers on your chin bringing your eyes back to him "Slytherins are bad losers." he breathed out. 
*******************************
The third week  of tour deal with James was nearing its end and you were dreading the beginning of the final one. 
You knew it was wrong, you knew you shouldn't have and you knew that it was doomed since the moment you admitted to yourself that you were falling for James Potter. 
You tried everything in your power to ignore the flutter in your chest every time he took your hand in his, no matter where you were, he always had his hand wrapped around your smaller one. You tried to ignore the fly of the butterflies inside you every time he caught you looking at him and smiled, not thinking any of it as he returned to his activities. You tried to fight the blush in your cheeks every time he kissed you, and you tried so hard to ignore the itching in your hands to pull him closer to you every time he kissed you just like he did after the quidditch match. 
Nothing worked. 
You tried to focus on the things that annoyed you before the bloody deal, his overly loud laughter at things that weren't even that funny, his cocky attitude like he was the best person in the entire world and he knew it, you tried to get mad at him for being so damn charming but you couldn't. 
You found yourself smiling at the sound of his laugh, the pure look of happiness in his eyes as he laughed at something one of his friends said. You would stare at him talking about quidditch, potions and transfiguration because he knew what he was talking about and he wasn't shy about, he loved to talk about it but he didn't make you feel like an idiot for not knowing. You couldn't get mad at him for being the charming man he was because that's one of the spells he placed on you, one of the reasons you were slowly falling for him. 
And you weren't the only one who noticed. 
"Hey, Y/N!" Sirius yelled, jogging to catch up with you at the end of the hall "You have a free period?" he asked, taking your bag from your shoulder. 
"Yes…" you said slowly, watching his every move "Sirius, what are you doing?" you asked when he wrapped his arm around your shoulder, your bag resting on his shoulder. 
"Walk with me, darling." he said, looking around as he led you upstairs "We're gonna have a little nice chat." he smiled at you. 
You had disconnected from every form of reality, suddenly feeling your hands sweaty as you tried to reach for your bag for something to hold onto, but of course he had taken it away from you. 
"James is not with me," you mumbled "He is…" 
"At quidditch practice." he completed for you, meeting your doe eyes with a grin "Relax, I'm not gonna do anything to you. Actually, I think I am going to help you." 
"What?" you whispered, going up the last step at the stairs of the astronomy tower. 
He turned with a sigh, holding your shoulders as he stared deep into your eyes "I know you're falling for James." he said gently, a very uncharacteristic tone from him. 
"I don't know what you're talking about." you blurted out, cursing yourself for saying it so fast. 
"Yeah, you do." he said with a wink "I also happened to know you are fake dating and not the love birds you have everyone believing you are." 
You swallowed hard, your voice gone as well as any rational thought you could have. 
"Breath Y/N, and listen." he said, blocking the only way out of the top of the astronomy tower that didn't include throwing yourself in the air, which didn't sound so bad at the moment.
"I've never seen him like that before, and I don't think he is pretending anymore." 
"Like what?" you dated to ask with a string of voice. 
He looked at you intently, finding the words as he carefully phrase it "He seemed very immersed in you, hasn't spoke about Evans in a while." he told you, leaning against the rail of the stairs "It all kind of clicked when he confessed you were only helping him with certain redhead." 
You shook your head "No, I don't want to know. “You tried to walk past him without a care if he had your bag or if he called after you, but he was fast, gapping your arm in the first step. You looked up at him with a pleading look "Don't give me hope, Sirius." you whispered, lowering your head as you got out of his grasp.
He let his hand fall at his side, your bag hitting the ground as he did. He could hear the faint sound of you crying as you ran away, being worse than he expected. 
As soon as you calmed down a little you washed your face in the girl's bathroom, making sure your eyes didn't look red or puffy as you returned to your dorm. 
Your roommates were there, all in one bed chatting before you walked inside. Their eyes were suddenly and all at once in you, their squeals making you giggle lightly as you one of them stood up. 
She went to their nightstand, getting a bag from the top and a little box. "James left them for you." she said excitedly handing them to you. 
You thanked her, looking down at the bed before you sat with them, putting the bag aside as you already know what they were. Your interest more on the small box that had you and the girls gasping at you opened. 
"It is beautiful." exclaimed one of them as they all agreed in low murmurs. 
A silver bracelet with a star Chem hanging discreetly from the chain, the light caught on the charm making little flickers shine on your faces. 
"Do you want me to put it on?" one offered and you shook your head no, taking the box and walking to the door again. 
"Y/N, what about the bag?" they asked you and you stopped at the door, looking back at it .
"Keep them." you said, walking out the door.
Going down the stairs and to your common room you sat in front of the fire, enjoying the warmth it provided to you. You didn't know when you went from enjoying all this situation, from laughing and just being overall happy to feeling it like a burden in your shoulders. The heaviness in your heart as you thought that all of this was with one goal and it wasn't proving your love to you, but proving the love he could give Lily. 
And yet Sirius' words resonated in your mind. He was his best friend, he knew him probably better than James knew himself, what if he was right? What if he actually saw something in you that he didn't see in her? Could it be that he might be in the same position as you were? 
You took the box and opened it again, the star charm giving you a little spark of hope as you held it up in the light, the tag tied to it making your heart fall once more that day. 
You took it between your fingers and pulled it  from the bracelet, throwing the piece of parchment to the fire as you saw the words burn. 
Third week payment
******************************
The final week of your agreement was coming towards its end, and unlike the previous week this one passed in the blink of an eye. You spent most of it having an internal battle with the part of you that screamed to get every second you could with James before it all ended, to finally say something to him, anything. Give him a clue of how your feelings had changed over the course of the last month, to tell him you might not compare on any level with Lily Evans but you loved him with every beat of your heart.
You spent nights silently crying in your bed when you realized this wasn't a crush, that you didn't think you might like him or that you were falling for him. No, to this point your heart heavied inside your chest with the burning truth that you loved him.
The other part of you fought to get away from him, to run away from his embrace and soft murmurs, to ignore his calls and smiles. To isolate yourself from him as you tried to wash away the love you had for the Gryffindor, but nothing seemed to work.
Gryffindor had been celebrating their victory like no one ever had before, hosting parties in their common room at every chance they got and, of course, your presence was required there.
“There you are!” smiled James at you as you walked through the portrait. Against your better judgement you decided to listen to your heart. This was the night that you would tell him the truth, you would confess your feelings and how you had fallen hard for him the past month.
“Hi” you giggled, letting him engulf you in a hug. You took in his scent, the way his chest vibrated against your face as he kept talking while he held you, the warmth he radiated. Everything you ever wanted.
When you pulled from him he was smiling brightly at you, taking your hand to pull you with him. 
“James,” you called, not moving from where you stood “Do you think I could talk to you outside?” you smiled softly at him, a shimmer in your eyes that had him nodding his head in a second.
He muttered something to Sirius who looked past him and in your way, giving you a wink and an encouraging smile. 
You led James through the empty corridors, his constant questioning making you stop in one of the windows that faced the courtyard. 
You were gathering the courage, having him sit in the windowsill as you pace in front of him, an amused look in his eyes. 
"Y/N," he said softly, you looked back at him taking deep breaths as he talked "Before you say anything, I just want to thank you. No one would have ever dared to do this for me." 
"Yeah, right." you laughed, relaxing a little. This was James, you had nothing to fear. 
"I mean it!" he said back, looking down at his hands "And… well, I believe this past month has changed us both." Your heart started to beat faster, the feeling in your stomach almost unbearable as he kept talking. 
"I realized something and I think you have too. We became closer, almost inseparable and I- you have no idea how thankful I am." 
"Jamie, I need to tell you something. " You said, frozen in your place as your eyes shakily looked for him. He raised his eyebrows, nodding at you with a smile. 
"I love you." you whispered with a smile, going to take his hand before you realized it was limp on yours. Looking up, the smile that decorated his face before was completely gone as he stared blankly at you. 
"What?“ he asked, taking his hand slowly from yours. “No, you don’t. You were pretending.” he said nervously “Right?” 
Your entire world fell around you when the warmth of his hand left you, you started to feel the castle walls close around you, blocking the air from getting to your lungs as you  stepped back, the pain of rejection worse than you could have ever anticipated. 
You covered your mouth with one hand, hugging yourself with your other arm as you turned your back on him, fighting the tears that threatened to escape your eyes. 
"Oh, Merlin." you sobbed quietly, feeling his hand on your shoulder as you turned to him. 
"Y/N…" he said softly but you couldn't face him, the pity in his eyes enough to make the dam in your eyes break. 
"I wasn’t pretending, not anymore." you whispered, cleaning the tears as more fell down. He called for you again, his voice more insistent. You purse your lips, turning quickly to see him "But you were, weren't you?" you asked in between silent sobs, your lower lip trembling furiously at his face. 
He had his mouth slightly open, looking for the words that never came. Not the ones you so desperately wanted to hear. 
"We were both pretending, remember?" he said slowly, never moving from his seat at the railing "We made a deal." 
"Forget the fucking deal!" you cried, looking for his eyes but finding nothing "So you're telling me that it meant nothing to you?" you asked, his face lifting form the floor. 
He looked sad, broken. Like he was too holding back, his eyes were shakily looking all over your face for a sign that you were just acting, that you hadn't fallen for him. 
"All the smiles and the loving words, the kisses and notes. Everything you did and every word was just an act?" you ask in a whisper, his silence worse than a thousand blades coming down on you. 
You saw him swallow hardly, finally looking at you "Lily was always there. I thought you noticed." he said lowly, voice barely above a whisper. 
You shook your head, kneeling on the floor as you took deep breaths. "I stopped pretending. It felt so real I- I thought, I just thought you would feel the same." you sighed, head hanging low “How could I be so stupid.” you mumbled bitterly “Of course Lily was there, how could I… I feel stupid. I feel so stupid.” 
He stared at you, furiously wiping the tears falling down your cheeks as you kept talking through gritted teeth. He was frozen, not knowing what to do or say that could place the smile on your face again, that could dry the tears from your cheeks and stop the trembling of your body. 
"I'm sorry." he said after a long moment of silence. You had walked all the way across the hall resting your entire body on the stone wall, looking up at the ceiling. You shook your head, standing up straight and looking out the window, at anything but him.
"It's not your fault. You're right, we had a deal and I knew what I was getting into since that day at the library." you let out a breathy laugh "I let myself get attached and now it's too late." you said, giving him a sad smile before you turned and walked away from him "Goodbye, James." 
You blocked everything after that. You didn't hear him call for you or go after you, you weren't even sure if he did. You didn't remember how you got back to your dorm, the door creaking open as you stepped inside. The lights were out, the entire dorm dark with the only source of light coming from the moon. You closed the door behind you not really caring if it made noise, your roommates weren’t there anyway. 
You walked to the bathroom, changing into more comfortable clothing and washing your face to try and make the redness around your eyes lessen, feet heavy as you returned to your bed, a soft yet blinding light capturing your attention. Your breath hitched on your throat at the sight, a flat box rested open on top of your bed with a single note sticking up. 
You thought you would feel numb fire wouldn’t burn anymore as the rain would not make you cold. You knew what you were risking by telling him everything and the worst thing just happened. 
He loved Lily, not you. 
You could avoid him, be another ghost at Hogwarts until your heart healed from the broken pieces. All wounds heal with time, right?
But as you neared your bed, reaching your hand slowly to the dark red paper covering the last gift from him your heart shattered. 
“You like it?” He whispered in your ear, a smile creeping up on your face as you placed the mirror you were holding  back on its place. 
“It’s beautiful.” you whispered as you shook your head “But I already have mirrors, it would be idiotic to buy yet another one.” 
He hummed as he held it back for you “I don’t know, this one is different.” he whispered, rounding you so he was standing behind you. He moved all your hair over your shoulder, staring at you through the mirror before he placed it down.
“You’re probably right, though,” he said with a grin “Wouldn’t want you to have to see your beauty every morning, must be tiring.”
Your hand closed around the handle of the mirror, lifting slowly as you stared back at your empty eyes. This was the last piece of James Potter in your life, the last thing that you would get from the fantasy you lived the past month.
You might have been able to heal from a broken heart, the cracks of it filling with time and patience. But as you stared longer at the mirror, the more painful the memories became until you couldn’t take it any longer. 
Your scream as you threw the mirror against the wall was muffled by the crashing sounds as all the pieces bounced off the wall. Your body collapsed on the floor, never caring about the shattered mirror. All the pain from the cuts on your hands and knees couldn’t be compared to what you were feeling inside, to the stabbing pain as you read the words staring back at you from the floor.
Fourth week payment.
After all, you could always fix a broken heart. But how did you fix a shattered one? 
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Shattered: @harrypotter289​
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ampintherain · 3 years
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I’m Yours:
Charlie Gillespie x Reader
Chapter III
Y/N is Kenny Ortega’s ‘niece’ after going through a rough breakup, Kenny decides to fly her over to stay with him, will her broken heart mend?
(Female Reader, NO SMUT, Romance, Friendship, THIS IS MY FIRST EVER FANFIC/IMAGINE, I hope it’s good, Kenny is lifelong family friend so reader calls him Uncle Kenny. I’m British so the writing is going to be British so like ‘mum’ not ‘mom’ yanno?)
(Y/n/n- your nickname. Y/e/c- your eye colour. Y/h/c- your hair colour.)
This part is going to be in Y/n’s and Charlie’s POV.
꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂
-“I’m Charlie” he replied, “nice to meet you” he smiled back at me-
Y/N
“So you’re his niece?” I smiled at the question that Jeremy had just asked me,
“Technically no, like my Uncle Kenny said, he’s not my blood relative but I grew up calling him my uncle and it stuck, he’s my favourite person ever, I talk to him more than my own parents” I admitted,
“So... if you don’t mind my asking, why did Kenny fly you out to Vancouver?” Savannah asked, I shrugged, “you don’t need to answer, it was quite forward” she mumbled,
“No! No, it’s fine, I haven’t seen Kenny for a few months and we missed each other a lot but my mum told Kenny about my ex and I guess he decided to fly me over and cheer me up” I smiled at the girl, she pouted slightly, hearing the tint of sadness laced in my voice, I saw Madison look at me sympathetically but it wasn’t patronising, which is something I loved, I saw the confusion at the mention of ex but I decided to ignore it, I felt like it wasn’t necessary to tell a bunch of people I’ve just met about the 13 month long relationship that my boyfriend deemed acceptable to have during his one with myself.
“Right guys, are we ready?” Kenny asked as he strolled into the tent happily, coming up to me and placing his hands gently on my shoulder, “you alright my little Sun?” He questioned, looking down at me, I looked up and nodded,
“I am indeed Kenneth” I smiled and slid up off the bench, Owen following after me, dipping his head down to whisper in my ear
“Kenneth?” I shushed him, giggling, “I love it” he used my shoulders as a support whilst he jumped up in the air,
“Shush, shush, Owen no! You can’t, Uncle Ken will kill me, he hates it” I reasoned with him, turning around to face Owen as we walked together, me walking backwards.
“But I love it... Y/n, you can’t say the name Kenneth and expect me not to do anything” Owen chuckled, i scrunched my nose at him, “y’know Y/n, I think we’re going to be great friends” he continued, tucking me up under his arm, “besties even”
“Ew, don’t say besties” I laughed, Charlie slowed down on his way to the set, stopping beside Owen and I,
“Is he creeping you out?” Charlie teased, nudging Owen, causing him to roll his eyes,
“Ugh as if, am I Y/n? I’m not am I?” I shook my head and smiled up at the boy beside me, “see? Charles, I told you” Owen stuck his tongue out at Charlie and walked quickly away from him in a strop, leaving me behind with Charlie,
“Hi” Charlie said simply, I looked up at him and nodded, smiling.
“Hi” I mirrored, Charlie smirked at me and stared at me, “what?” I questioned, Charlie shook his head, laughing slightly,
“Nothing, nothing” he repeated himself, saying the first ‘nothing’ quietly, almost to himself, “so uh, what’re you gonna do on set?” Charlie questioned,
“Oh I’m helping him direct, Kenny taught me everything I know, he’s the only one that supported me through everything- my family really hate the fact that I have a love for acting, singing, dancing and directing but Uncle Kenny always inspired me and pushed me to do my best” I explained,
“Oh you’re going to be bossing us around are you?” Charlie joked, winking at me, I nodded happily,
“Yes I am, and I’m going to have a fun time doing it too” I responded, “come on” I said, tapping Charlie’s forearm lightly to encourage him to walk faster with me to catch up with everybody, Kenny watched as Charlie and I came closer to view, he smiled yet he had a suspicious glint in his eyes, and if I knew my Uncle Kenny as much as I thought I did, I’d believe that he was up to something. “Sorry Uncle Kenny” I apologised coming up to stand beside him,
“No need to apologise darling,” Kenny simply replied “ready to get to work?” He questioned, I nodded and Kenny wandered over to the cast, requesting Madison, Savannah and Jadah, he was about to film the scene where we first meet Savannah’s character ‘Carrie.’ Kenny sent Booboo home as he was only called in for a briefing and script changes whilst Tori and Sacha went to the resting tent, Tori wanted to go through some of her choreography ideas and Sacha wanted to go through his lines.
I moved away from the set and sat in Uncle Jenny’s seat that had ‘Director’ written on the back, “alright boss?” I heard someone whisper from behind me, I turned around slightly to see Charlie leaning in close,
“I’m alright, how’re you?” I asked, “all of you” I continued, looking at Jeremy and Owen who were stood behind Charlie, they all smiled at me and took their scripts out from their back pockets,
“We’re great” they all said, moving to sit in their seats and beginning to read through their lines together, “so you’re gonna help direct huh?” Jeremy asked, peering up from his script to look at me,
“Yeah, I love directing and Kenny used to come to the shows I directed back in high school” I explained, “he said I was his ‘biggest inspiration’ because he thought that I could direct anything from thrillers to love stories to comedies”
“She is,” Kenny spoke up, as he had finished going through the basics with Savannah, Madison and Jadah, “I’m her biggest fan” he laughed, “right, silence on set” Kenny ordered to the crew behind the camera, they began filming, the talent that the three girls had was absolutely incredible, however, my ‘director’ brain came into play and I began to pick out things that I thought I could change, I wandered over to Kenny and took the script he had in his pocket along with a pen and began to jot down some ideas as soon as I got back into my seat.
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Charlie
I watched as Y/n scribbled in the script she had taken from Kenny, it amazed me how she had so many thoughts and ideas and wanted to put them all into effect, she was incredible. “You alright there Boss?” I questioned in a quiet tone, Y/n looked up at me with her y/e/c eyes and smiled, nodding.
“Hm? Yeah I’m okay” she said, not taking her eyes off of the script resting on her lap, I watched as Owen tapped Y/n on her shoulder,
“Whatcha working on?” He questioned, in a low whisper, “ideas for the scene?” He continued, Y/n nodded and showed him the script,
“Uh... yeah, they’re a bit rough... what do you think?” She asked nervously, pulling the sleeves of her hoodie over her hands, Owen read through the ideas, using his finger as a pointer to direct him through the scribbled notes on the page.
“They seem amazing” he said honestly, Jeremy had caught attention to what Y/n and Owen were doing, now becoming intrigued on the situation alongside myself, “Y/n has been busy coming up with ideas... show them, they won’t judge” Owen said, i heard the low whisper of the last part that he said directly to her, even I could feel her being slightly anxious about showing more people her ideas, she twisted her mouth slightly before biting her lip,
“Hey, I bet you they’re so good” I reassured, resting my hand on her arm, I heard as she took a sharp breath in, she turned to look behind her and beckoned Jeremy over, he smiled widely and jumped off of his seat, skipping jokingly over to her which caused her to stifle a giggle, she nodded her head towards herself for me to come over as well, Jeremy and I had formed a huddle around Y/n as she showed us her ideas,
“Y/n, these are really good!” Jeremy beamed, looking down at the girl sat in the director’s seat, he handed me the script for me to read through, Owen and Jeremy were right, although the notes were focusing on the small details of the scene, I could see how it would improve it, she had an eye for the smaller things, an eye for detail and that was something that not everyone could obtain.
“I agree, why don’t you show Kenny these?” I questioned, Y/n shrugged slightly, still unsure of his blatant talent, she consistently tugged on the oversized sleeves of her hoodie and brought her hands up close to her face, rubbing the fabric over her nose as she scrunched her face out of confusion and possible anxiety.
“Oh I don’t know” she trailed off, I tilted my head and smirked at her, “what?” She questioned, smiling half heartedly,
“Kenny!” I exclaimed, as soon as they stopped filming the scene, “Kenny, come here” I beckoned him over, Kenny told Sav, Mads and Jay to take 10 as he came over to us, Jeremy and I stepped to the side to reveal Y/n, who had now stood up,
“Wassup guys?” Kenny asked, his voice filled with concern, he scanned over Y/n’s face, “has he said anything to you?” Kenny questioned, Owen, Jeremy and I all looked at each other in confusion,
“Has who messaged her?” Owen asked, Y/n shook her head at the subject, waving Owen off,
“Nobody, and no, Uncle Kenny, he hasn’t...” she trailed off,
“No, she has some ideas for the scene and I think they’d really work” I said, Y/n nodded as Kenny tilted his head at her, she walked forward and handed Kenny the script she had stolen from him not so long ago,
“Ah so that’s where my script went” Kenny joked, looking through the ideas written on the script “yeah... yeah okay” he said loudly, “right, my little star, you ready to put these into action?” Kenny questioned, rubbing his hands together, Y/n began to stutter over her words, I placed my hands on her shoulders and leant down to whisper in her ear,
“You’ve got this Angel” I said, the pet name slipping out, she looked at me and smiled,
“Sav, Mads, Jay- you ready?” Kenny questioned, the girls nodded and ran over to set, “come on Star” he smiled, wrapping his arms around Y/n and ushering her over to set with him.
“Angel huh?” Jeremy asked, winking at me,
“Oh shut it” I retorted, hitting jumping on Jeremy’s back, Owen bundled on top of me,
“Charlie’s got a crush” he teased, I rolled my eyes.
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Y/N
I walked over to the three girls and spoke them through my ideas, “Jadah, Madison, I think instead of seeing each other and walking down the hall together, maybe Julie could walk to her locker on her own, with her head down and after looking through her locker she closes the door and there’s Flynn. It would show a contrast between the two at the moment, yanno, Julie’s still upset about her mum and there’s Flynn who’s trying to cheer her up” I explained, the two girls smiled, “Savannah, I think what you were doing is great but instead of having a drastic change in attitude you should be more passive aggressive towards Flynn” I said, turning to the girl next to me.
“You were right Ken, she is good” Savannah complimented, Kenny smiled proudly and gave me a tight hug before walking off set with me, I saw Charlie, Owen and Jeremy standing there with their thumbs up at me, I mirrored the motion and laughed before turning back to the set,
“Right, quiet on set please... everybody ready?” The girls all nodded whilst the three boys quietened down, “action” Kenny said, we watched as the adapted scene played out, Kenny kept hugging me into him and repeating how proud he was of me, “and cut! Well done girls and well done you” Uncle Kenny smiled and hugged me again,
“Okay okay, enough with the hugs” I joked, wriggling out of his hold, “was it okay? The scene?” I questioned, Madison came running up behind me and hugged me from behind,
“It was amazing, I loved it” she beamed, spinning me around to look at her, “you’re talented Y/n” she continued,
“So talented!” Jadah called as she ran up to the group, with Savannah. The three boys came up behind me.
“You did me proud Star” Uncle Kenny beamed, I could hear a waver in his voice as I looked up at him, I saw him wiping a tear away,
“Oh Uncle Kenny” I cooed, “what’re you crying for?” The cast aw’ed behind me as they pulled him and I in for a group hug,
“It’s just, Y/n, I’ve never seen you in action before, I’ve seen the product of it but never the making” Kenny said, I could hear the smile in his voice.
“Guys! I have an idea” Tori’s voice rang through the group as we separated, “karaoke. Tonight?” She suggested and Sacha came up too,
“I’m down” Sacha said, eagerly, the rest of the group nodded, even Kenny
“Um, I think I’ll stay home, I’m not too big on” I said but was quickly cut off by Owen,
“She’s coming, she’s definitely coming” he said, resting his chin on top of my head, “please” he begged me, “please please please” he repeated, the rest of the cast joined in with the begging, Charlie and Jeremy taking it as far as to get on their knees, Kenny gently tugged me near him,
“Come on Y/n/n, you need this, you know you do” he said loud enough for me to hear,
“Oh fine! Fine okay! I’ll come” I rolled my eyes jokingly, Madison pulled me to her by my arm,
“I want to duet with Y/n first!” She screamed,
“I’m awful at singing...” I trailed off, Kenny instantly refuting that statement, saying that I had, and I quote ‘a voice of an angel’ we continued going through all of the scenes that Kenny wanted to go through that day, I had him coming up to me asking for suggestions on scene improvements and developments.
꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂
Charlie
“God I am so tired!” Owen whined, just as we finished the last scene of the day, putting all of his weight on me, I grunted at the sudden added weight before bending down and lifting Owen up onto my back “ah... this, this is nice” Owen sighed in delight as I lugged him on my back, walking towards our trailers, I watched as Y/n walked ahead with Savannah, the two had managed to become very close throughout the day, Savannah came up to Y/n anytime she wasn’t needed on set, they sat and talked for ages.
“Well tomorrow we have to film the hot dog scene” Jeremy said, “and that will probably take us hours” his voice dragging as he thought of how long it would take to film, I laughed and waved Jeremy off as he entered his trailer, I adjusted the weight that was Owen on my back before walking a little bit further, dropping Owen off at his trailer,
“Here you are your majesty” I joked, bowing sarcastically towards Owen, causing him to smack the back of my head, “and that’s the thanks I get for carrying you” I rubbed the area that Owen had just hit and turned on my heels to walk to my trailer that was just across from him.
I entered my trailer and hung my costume up on the rail, I jumped into the cold shower and washed off the sweat that had been building up throughout the day, I then changed into jeans and a t-shirt, pulling on my boots before leaving my trailer, I spotted Owen and Jeremy already dressed and leaving their trailers so I caught up with them and walked with them out of the filming lot.
“You took your time” Madison jokingly complained, resting her head on Y/n’s shoulder, Y/n giggled before quickly pulling her hair up into a high ponytail,
“So, guys! I have a whole karaoke set up at my apartment, if you guys come over for 9?” Tori asked, the rest of us nodded in agreement, Madison and her dad, Mr Reyes, walked away, bidding farewell to everyone, Sav was giggling and joking with Y/n before she took Jadah and Sacha away to drive them home,
“Bye Y/n/n!” Sav called, after giving Y/n a hug, the girl waved to Sav,
“Bye! Bye Jadah, bye Sacha!” She smiled, she turned to the boys and I, having Kenny behind her,
“So you are coming later?” I asked Y/n, she nodded and smiled,
“Uncle Kenny won’t have it any other way” she joked, “so... I’ll see you all in a few hours?” She questioned, causing Jer, O and I to all nod, “okay... we’ll see you later” she smiled, walking away with Kenny,
“Oh! Y/n!” I called out, gaining a sudden burst of confidence, she turned around and tilted her head in a silent question, “after your duet with Mads and your duet with Sav... do you think you’ll have time to fit me in for one?”
“Yeah! Sure... why not?” She laughed before turning back around and running after Kenny who had continued to walk towards the car, I bounced on my feet happily,
“Cool” I mumbled to myself, “Owen, you ready?” I asked, spinning my car keys on my finger as I turned around, Owen and Jeremy were looking at me suspiciously, “what?” I questioned.
“I think you know what” Jeremy said in an obvious tone,
“You like that girl!” Owen exclaimed,
“Pfft, what?! No! I just met her...” I trailed off, it was true. I did just meet her, but that still didn’t mean that I couldn’t of liked her in the amount of hours she was around, I mean from 8am to 6pm... could I have fallen for her in that time? Surely not.
꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂
The time to go to Tori’s had finally come around, I had changed into a causal shirt and jeans, just so I didn’t feel overly formal, “so what duet are you thinking about doing with Y/n?” Owen asked as we got into the car.
“I don’t know... it’s just a silly duet O” I reasoned, beginning to drive over to Tori’s apartment.
꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂
Y/N
Uncle Kenny parked up his car and we began to make our way up to Tori’s apartment, “so you’re singing with Charlie?” Kenny asked,
“Yeah, and Madison and Savannah” I replied, “and Madison is singing with Charlie and so is Owen and Jeremy” Kenny looked at me in agreement and knocked on Tori’s front door,
“Hi! Come in! Come in!” She said cheerily as she stepped to the side to allow us in, as we entered, Savannah came rushing up to me, embracing me in a quick hug, then came Mads and Jadah who joined in on the group hug, “wait! Wait!” Tori whined as I heard her feet pat towards the group, quickly flying her arms around the group, “I love group hugs” she sighed in content, as the group quickly dispersed I was greeted with Jeremy, Owen and Charlie
“Sacha and Booboo couldn’t make it in the end” Savannah announced, pouting at the sad news, “also why didn’t you boys join in on the hug?” She sighed as she crossed her arms over her chest,
“Because...” Owen started as he and the boys stood up “we wanted one of our own” the three boys ran towards me and engulfed me in yet another group hug,
“Okay” I said, “okay guys” I laughed wriggling out of the hug, “I swear, I’ve never had this many hugs in my life” I joked as Owen ushered me over to sit next to him on the couch, Kenny wandered over and sat at the kitchen island drinking a glass of water.
Tori began to set up the karaoke machine whilst everyone was talking amongst one another, “so did you enjoy your first day on set?” Owen asked me,
“Oh yeah, it was great, I was really nervous, I didn’t want to mess anything up” I admitted,
“You were great” I heard a voice say, I turned to see Charlie moving to sit next to me just as Savannah got up to get a drink with Jadah, “honestly, you were amazing, a real natural” I blushed at his words and thanked him, “you excited for our duet?” Charlie asked, nudging me slightly,
“Yeah, I’m nervous though... I don’t really sing in front of people” I said just as Mads called me up to sing with her,
B
“We are singing Dynamite” Madison announced just as the song began to play, Mads and I started singing,
‘I came to dance, dance, dance, dance’ Madison started, holding my free hand and dancing with me,
‘I hit the floor cuz that’s my plans, plans, plans, plans’ I joined in, “oh okay girl!” Tori cheered causing me to laugh as Madison continued on.
The song soon came to an end and Madison and I jokingly bowed and Savannah came running up to sing our duet, “well that was amazing girls but now it’s my turn to sing with Y/n/n” she giggled, Madison rolled her eyes and wandered off the stage, sitting next to Kenny,
“What are we singing Sav?” I questioned, she smirked at me and whispered the song choice in my ear, “I love it... okay” the song began to play-
‘Eenie meenie miney mo, catch a bad chick by her toe’ Sav started rapping, ‘if she holla, if-if she holla, let her go’ she pointed over to me, signalling me to sing,
‘She’s indecisive, she can’t decide, she keeps on looking’ Sav then interjected,
‘From left to right, girl come a bit closer, look in my eyes’ we started dancing and laughing whilst the song continued, hardly managing to get through the song fully without bursting into fits of laughter. Once the song had finished, I went to walk away to sit on the sofa before being gently pushed back by Charlie,
“Uh you said you’d sing with me” he smiled at me, “and we are singing a lovely song called No Air”
“I love that song” I admitted as we walked back over and picked up the karaoke mics, ‘No Air’ started to play, Charlie turned to look at me as we sang the first part together.
꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂꧁꧂
Charlie
I held onto Y/n’s free hand as we sang, I kept smiling down at her. The song soon came to an end, I let go on Y/n’s hand and felt heat creep onto my cheeks, I’m blushing... I never blush. I thought to myself, looking back down at the girl beside me, she lowered her head and walked away to sit next Owen, I watched as he nudged her lightly and she laughed at what he was saying to her, I waited a while before sitting back down on the couch sitting next to Madison, “you like her” she stated, not even looking at me,
“I- I don’t” I stuttered, Madison rolled her eyes and hummed at me, clearly not convinced, “I just met her”
“Listen, you can like someone from the first day, it’s not like there’s a handbook to this kinda stuff” she explained, she wasn’t wrong, the way you feel towards someone can change from person to person and this has to be the quickest I’ve ever liked someone, I knew it from the moment she walked in, she had this beautiful y/h/c hair and these glimmering eyes, she had one of the kindest faces I’ve ever seen, her features were soft yet chiselled, her lips were plump and when she looked at me, I could easily get lost. She was mesmerising... and I had fallen, quick.
💜thanks for reading!💜
♡︎𝑡𝑎𝑔𝑙𝑖𝑠𝑡 : @thesweetestsinner , @ifilwtmfc , @ashleyleblancx , @chloepart03 ♡︎
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kaitoujokerscans · 3 years
Text
The Night the Silver Cape is Set Ablaze CH2
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<2> First Advance Notice
In the Sky Joker's living room, Hachi handed Joker an advance notice written on manila paper.
"W-What are we gonna do?" Hachi looked up at Joker with a worried gaze. Hachi, who wore an aqua-colored hood snugly over his head, was a descendant of ninjas. He had met Joker by chance when trying to steal a treasure and had pleaded with him to become his apprentice. He was now Joker's trusty right hand, and not only did he help with his work, he also handled all the household chores.
With Hachi's eyes on him, Joker read the old-fashioned notice.
I humbly inform you that I will be taking the Crimson Crystal you stole tonight. I will arrive post-haste. Be prepared for me.
—Phantom Thief Noir
"How'd this get here?"
"When I went outside to collect the laundry earlier, Hosshi found it stuck to one of the sheets."
"Hosshi!" exclaimed Hosshi next to Hachi.
Hoshi was a small, squishy, orb-shaped, cat-like creature that had been living with Joker and Hachi since they found him at a site of ruins. The shining yellow stars on his cheeks wobbled as he smiled and bounced cutely around Hachi.
"Hmmm..." Joker studied the advance notice. Locating the Sky Joker while it was in the air was a difficult task. After all, given his line of work, he couldn't let his hideout be discovered easily. This person had sent advance notice right to the Sky Joker, and also knew that Joker had just stolen the Crimson Crystal. This "Phantom Thief Noir" was no amateur...
"But I've never heard of anyone who calls themselves 'Phantom Thief Noir'."
"You're right, I haven't heard of them either. Joker-san, did you make an enemy somehow without realizing?"
"Excuse you. I'm upstanding and gentlemanly, nobody's got any ill will against me!"
"Since when! You said before that there are so many people who hate you that you can't keep track of them all." Hachi gave him a dubious look. Kaneari, whom he had just stolen from, wasn't the only one. Shadow and plenty of others were hounding Joker.
"We may not know who Noir is, but shouldn't we come up with some measures against them?"
"Measures? Naaah, too much work," said Joker as he threw himself onto the sofa.
"Joker-san?"
"Ahh, Shadow was there too, so I'm worn out. Hachi, can you make dinner early?"
"Are you sure you can be so lax about this?"
"I mean, there's nothing to do until this Noir guy gets here, yeah?"
"There's plenty that you could do! Like hiding the treasure, setting up some traps, formulating a plan... Kaneari-san does all sorts of things when he gets a notice from you, Joker-san!"
"But despite all that, has Kaneari ever once protected a treasure from me?"
"Eh... well, no, but..."
"See? Ultimately, getting treasure all depends on the skill of the would-be thief. Doesn't matter how much you set up in advance. It's a match where you have to read each other's minds," Joker said, before taking the Crimson Crystal out of his pocket and letting it catch the light. The crystal gleamed as it reflected the light from the ceiling. The globular surface of the crystal diffused and scattered the light like a prism. Joker was captivated by its beauty for a while.
"I get why he wants to steal this... but!" Joker sat up. "He's not getting it easily!"
"Hm, now that's the spirit," came a voice from the dining room suddenly.
"Eh!?" Joker and Hachi turned around in surprise to see a boy sitting on a chair in the dining room. The boy twisted open a glass bottle with a hiss and took a swig of the beverage inside.
"Spade!"
At Joker's exclamation, the boy called Spade turned to face him. "Hi, Joker. Happy to see me again?"
"I'm not happy! Where'd you come in from!?" Joker gnashed his teeth and glared.
Spade was, like Joker, a phantom thief. He wore a violet scarf and snowy white coat. His long azure hair cascaded over it, and a crest of golden hair shone over his forehead. He was a well-groomed, handsome youth.
"Settle down. This Riviera is exquisite when chilled, Dark Eye."
"Yes, Spade-sama." Standing beside Spade was Dark Eye, whose head was wrapped in bandages. They opened a bottle of the beverage as well. Dark Eye was Spade's assistant, who was female under the guise.
The Riviera which Spade was drinking is a popular drink all over the world, and both Joker and Spade loved it. As Joker said, it was the perfect drink to have after a difficult caper.
"But I must say, it's much more soothing at my own home. This place is always so raucous and dusty," Spade said, clearing his throat deliberately.
"If you're gonna complain, then leave!"
"I came here to ask you about Phantom Thief Noir."
"Wha-!?"
"Spade-san, do you know about Phantom Thief Noir?"
Joker and Hachi leaned forward and gaped at Spade.
"Did you get a notice too!?"
"Notice...?" Spade looked puzzled for a moment.
"You didn't receive an advance notice?" Hachi asked.
Spade answered jitteringly, putting the pieces together.
"Y-Yes, right! That was an advance notice. Will you show me the notice that arrived here?" he asked, holding out his hand.
Hachi handed Spade the notice, which Spade examined closely. "Hm... It's the same type of paper as the slip I received. This tells us a lot about this man calling himself Noir."
"It does?" Hachi asked, to which Spade responded ponderously.
"Hm... Noir seems to be much older. He's naturally left-handed, but has corrected himself to be right-handed. He lived in France at some point, and he likes popcorn..." Spade waved the notice and listed out each point.
"Kyo kyo. Impressive, Spade-sama," nodded Dark Eye with admiration.
"Don't make stuff up," Joker said wearily, but Hachi ignored him.
"How do you know that?"
"Simple. When this notice is held up to the light, you can see that it has a watermark written in French. This paper was produced by a maker in France. But that company went under over thirty years ago, so this paper is no longer on the market. Therefore, the fact that he was able to buy this proves he's up there in years. His letters angle upwards, which is a quirk commonly seen in corrected southpaws. And this oil mark has a residual smell of salt and butter, so it must be from popcorn. He must like it considerably if he has it around even when writing an advance notice." Spade rattled off his reasons.
Hachi was wholly amazed. Spade had gleaned so many traits of the sender from just a small piece of paper. "Huh! You're incredible, Spade-san! It's like you're a detective!"
Spade slipped down a little. "Ha ha, you could say that," he laughed. "Deductions aren't exclusive to detectives. Phantom thieves have to be able to deduce, too. Of course, Joker already knew all of this, yes?" he said, bringing Joker back in.
Caught off-guard, Joker went along with what he was saying. "Huh? Y-Y-Yeah, 'course I did! I figured that all out yesterday!"
"The advance notice hadn't arrived yet yesterday."
"Shush!"
Then Spade sighed. "Really now... why did Noir send advance notice to you, of all people?"
"Kyo kyo, it's a mystery..." Dark Eye's shoulders dropped, and so did Spade's.
"Shut up! What did you come here for, anyway!?"
"I just wanted to discuss this man called Phantom Thief Noir with you."
"I've got nothing to discuss with you. I bet you just had your treasure targeted by Noir and started second-guessing yourself, right?"
"S-Say what?"
"Ever since way back when, you've had trouble getting anything done on your own!"
"HUH? I came here out of the goodness of my heart. I knew that instead of speculating on Noir's identity or formulating a decent plan, you'd try to come up with something random on the spot!"
"Oh yeah!? Well that's my style!" Joker argued as he scowled at Spade.
"He's got a point there, Hosshi."
"Hosshi."
Hachi and Hosshi murmured to each other. But the pair weren't done bickering yet.
"Besides, I don't need a plan! A phantom thief's battle starts when he shows up, that's what makes it interesting!"
"And how much trouble do you think your lack of preparedness has caused me!?"
"When did I ever give you trouble!?"
"Plenty of times!"
"Then be specific! What year, month, day, hour, minute, and second!? What planet, country, region, prefecture, city, ward, block, address, and room number!?"
"That childish attitude of yours is the issue!"
"Shut up! If I'm childish, then so are you!"
"I'm more mature than you, at least!"
"Someone who's mature doesn't shout like that!"
"You're the one shouting so loud!"
"I'm what!?"
"Got a problem!?"
Their foreheads were pressed tightly together as they snarled at each other with vehement looks.
"Cut it out!"
"Kyo kyo, please stop!"
Once Hachi and Dark Eye intervened as usual, Joker and Spade finally pulled away from each other and simultaneously looked the other way with a "Hmph!"
"We're leaving, Dark Eye. It seems Joker has no need of my generosity," Spade beckoned to Dark Eye, and he started walking toward the door. Joker jeered from behind him.
"Yeah, go ahead and leave. I don't need your stinking 'generosity'. I don't trust you in the first place!"
"Likewise," he said, turning back around. Joker and Spade glared at each other once more.
"Don't come back!"
"Who would!"
Spade placed a hand on the exterior door. "It was quite a displeasure..." Spade said, and jumped out into the open. Dark Eye hurried after him.
"Bleh! That's what I wanna say!"
After watching Spade's airship, the Twin Thunder Shark, fly away, Hachi turned back around to Joker. Joker was grumbling and taking out his anger on a cushion. His temper was worse than usual this time...
"Joker-san, you went too far."
"Hmph! I went just far enough for him. The way he's always so patronizing and tries to tell me what to do pisses me off." Joker lay back down on the sofa.
Is that the truth? wondered Hachi. Maybe Spade had come to visit Joker because he was worried. The two of them may have been rivals, but they had once lived together under the same roof. Perhaps Spade had wanted to talk to Joker about Noir, as an old friend... If Spade had received an advance notice as well, he was definitely at least a little uneasy. And if he came to consult with Joker, who might have also received a notice, then...
Hachi remembered how Spade had looked a little desolate from behind when exiting. Joker had calmed down a little by now and was lying down with his back turned, sulking. Hachi sighed, when...
Suddenly, lightning flashed outside the window, and a loud tremor shook the Sky Joker...
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kerie-prince · 3 years
Text
We're Worlds Apart (3)
Draco Malfoy x American No-Maj!reader
series m.list | general m.list | previous chp
warnings: cursing, angst(?), Draco being a meanie :(
summary: Draco Malfoy is a pureblood wizard. Magic runs through his veins and has been since his birth. You're a Wiccan No-Maj; a non-magical being with ordinary blood through your veins, but practices what you call magick. And this very practice upsets your neighbor.
a/n: not my best lmao kinda gets cheesy. anyways, Y/M/N = your mother’s name and Y/B/N = your brother’s name
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(gif cred)
“Do I really have to get one?” Draco whined in the middle of the phone store, getting his very first cellular device.
“Yeah, man. It's 2008 and you still write letters. Plus, your bird took a shit on my car,” Blaine said matter-of-factly. He found it funny that Draco still used an owl post for communication; the only other person Blaine knew that still uses an owl is his 97 year old grandmother. And even she has a landline in her house. “It's just easier and quicker to use. Why wait a whole day for a letter when you can just text me and I’ll respond in two seconds?”
“I’ve never even used a wall phone, how do you expect me to use a bloody cell-phone, Blaine?” Draco was fidgeting in his seat as he waited for the store employee to finish, what was it called, a credit score? Muggles sure are weird.
She came back shortly with a small, black box that had a weird word on it. What the bloody hell is an iPhone? She explained how it turned on, all the applications it carried, and details about billing and more. Draco was still confused about the whole thing but Blaine said that he would help him understand it better.
“Well look at you, Dray. A modern wizard in America,” Blaine jokes. Draco played with the new device, working out all the kinks of it. He sent his very first text message to Blaine at that moment. Took him precisely 5 minutes to type out a very bland, simple ‘Hello. -Draco L. Malfoy’
It made Blaine laugh so hard that he held his stomach. “My god, we’re gonna have to work on your texting skills, man. First things first, you don't have to sign your name at the end of a text. I know it's you.” Blaine explained to Draco all the fundamentals of texting as they walked through the halls of Santa Marie.
Throughout the day, Draco shared his new number with his department. The more he shared his number, the faster he became at typing.
At the end of his shift, he went to a nearby restaurant where he usually picked up dinner —not one to know his way around the kitchen — and headed home.
It's been a good week for him; his mother had sent him a letter everyday, he finished setting up the guest room for Theo and Blaise, he has this new phone, and best of all, Y/N had not crossed his mind once.
Now he still hasn't accepted what she does in her free time, but also he realized that she’s not exactly harming him nor did she know what he was. He's usually busy with all the work he does, anyway. It was quite a sudden change of heart. But mostly, it was his mother that was able to talk to him and change his views.
My dearest son, had it been during the time before the war, I would have agreed with you. But you have to understand that things are different now. You're different now. Now I am not forcing you, but maybe you should just talk with her just once. If not, just ignore her. After all, she only lives next door.
When he read the letter, he could practically hear all of his friends telling him ‘She's right, you know.’ And deep down, he knew it too. So he went with her advice: ignore Y/N.
You’ve had a terrible week; your assistant manager forgot to count the inventory which meant she also forgot to make an order for inventory. A group of teens stole a bunch of little vials of oils you had put on display. And to top it all off, a man stood in front of your shop with signs that had biblical verses written on them, blocking the entrance way and essentially driving away any potential customers. You called security but they never came.
You were used to this happening, it's happened all your life. But that didn't mean that it didn't hurt. I'm not harming anyone, so why does this happen to me? Next week, your mother was flying in from Maine to look around the house to make sure nothing would ‘freak Stephanie out.’ 
Driving back home, you were just waiting to mix some bath salts in your tub, play music, and relax for the next couple of days. By sheer coincidence, as you pulled in you noticed your neighbor that you now knew as Draco pull into his driveway.
This week can't exactly get worse you thought as your legs carried you to his front door. With gentle knocks on the door, you waited patiently. Being rejected once more didn't bother you, but you at least wanted to hear him speak to you and try your chance to become better acquainted.
Draco opened his door, his tie was undone and he looked confusingly at you. “Can I help you?”
Panic overcame your senses and without thinking, you blurted out, “Do you hate me?” You noticed his shocked face as it was probably not something he expected to hear.
“Excuse me, what exactly are you talking about?” he asked in his entrancing British accent. It was too late to take it back, so you just kept going with it. “I’m sorry, but you moved in here four months ago and you seem to have made friends with everyone around here but for some reason, you won’t even say ‘hi’ to me. Did I offend you or something?” You sounded exhausted and sad. Not only at the week you just had, but how Draco wasn’t being so neighborly with you as he was with everyone else on the street. It bothered you so much to no end. And the most frustrating thing was that you didn’t understand why.
“Uh, I apologize that we haven’t been on speaking terms but I don’t think I have to talk to you now, do I?” Draco scoffed. Why is he being such a jerk? “I’m not saying that you have to talk to me, but it’d be nice if you could at least wave or something. But instead, you look at me funny and ignore me. It’s kinda rude.” 
“Merlin, you muggles are so temperamental.” Draco said under his breath. The word sounded funny to you.
“Muggles? Did you just call me a muggle?” The look on Draco’s face didn’t go unnoticed. He stared at you for a few moments, not saying anything. What does that mean? “Is that what you call Americans in the UK? Doesn’t really sound nice.”
Draco started laughing mockingly at you, his grip on his door tightening and knuckles turning white, “Look, I don’t understand what it is exactly you want from me but I will say this; the fact that you are so offended that I won’t acknowledge you is honestly quite fucking childish and if you couldn’t get the hint then I’ll say it plainly for you now. I don’t. Wish. To. Be. Friends. With. You. Got it?” and with that, he slammed the door in your face.
Groaning out, you yelled at him through his door, “Fuck you then! I don’t wanna be friends with some rude prick!” You ran to your door and slammed it pretty hard. The sudden noise frightened your cat and made her run from her tower into your room. What the fuck is his deal? 
You walked to your room, pissed off and tired. Looking up, you saw Draco in his room. You stared each other down before you walked up to your window to close your blinds, flipping him off before it fully closed. Afterwards, you took a regular shower and went to bed. Anger built up inside you, and for probably the first time, you hated another human being. And you had to live next to him for god knows how long.
-
“I mean, did you really have to say that to her?” Ian and Ashley had just listened to Draco explain what had happened the night before. Ian just sat in the chair eating his lunch as Ashley responded to him. “I know things might be different in England, but you should’ve given her a chance. She could be nice. I have a couple No-Maj friends on my block.”
“I’m on Ash with this. Is it really all because she’s Wiccan? Be honest, Dray,” Ian chipped in. At that point, Draco didn’t really know what to say. He thought he could look past it, but he couldn’t. “Maybe, yeah. I come from two families that had very strict traditions and views of muggles. I thought I dropped those views but seeing first hand what they do and-”
“And it makes you feel like a freak? Because you’re a real wizard that can do magic and they sit in some weirdly drawn circle and ‘do’ magic?” Ashley finished Draco’s sentence, making quotation marks with her hands. “I get it, I really do. I was offended too when I had to read about No-Maj’s doing this during school. And then to see movies where witches are viewed as ugly, green-skinned hags with warts on her face and wear rags for clothes. Kinda brings you down as a kid. But I got over it. You should, too.” Ashley held Draco’s hand for a bit before she grabbed her coffee mug and left for her appointments.
Ian sat quietly, watching as Draco was sinking in everything he was advised. “Look man, it’s not really my business to be telling you what you should or shouldn’t like, and who you should or shouldn’t like. And you know what, you’re not exactly in the wrong to get mad about what happened. After all, she just kinda picked a fight with you out of nowhere.” Draco had a face that looked as if he was saying ‘Right? I’m not crazy here’
“But,” of course there’s a ‘but’, “from what I hear around the street, Y/N’s really nice. Super weird for sure, but an overall nice person. I think you should think about it.” Ian nodded at Draco before joining Ashley out of the breakroom. Draco sat there, thinking about what his friends said and also thought back to his mother’s letters. I’m such a child. And I’m the one that called her childish. If he was honest, you were but it didn’t make him better.
He knew what he was going to do after work. It pained him to have to apologize to someone. Apologizing wasn’t something he was exactly used to doing. He’s only done it once to Harry and his friends nearly three years after the Battle. He didn’t even really know what to say to you. But he’ll figure it out. Right?
-
You stood shocked at your doorstep, hands holding onto the sweater as you looked before you. “Mom, you’re here early.”
“I had been given an extra week off of work so I thought I’d just come and see my oldest baby before your brother and Stephanie comes. Also gives me a head start to plan our dinner and get this house situated,” your mother walked past you with her two large luggage cases and dropped them on your living room floor. She looked around the house and eyed all the decorations and pictures on the walls.
To her, everything was nearly normal. You had family pictures posted and some pictures of you and your friends from college. In the living room, you had a tapestry hung up behind your couch that used to belong to your grandmother. “Y/N please, will you take down that blanket? Why don’t you put up a picture of some flowers, or maybe something abstract?”
“Because I don’t want a picture of flowers and that’s not a blanket. It was Grandma’s. I want it hung up there. Ma, you gotta understand that it’s my house now.” Your arms were crossed due to the cold. You had the day off and tried to spend it well as you did your cleansing spell in the morning, but it seems that it wasn’t very effective seeing as your mother came in and immediately started nitpicking everything.
“It was cute in your room when you were a kid. But you’re 26 now. How would your boyfriend feel if he walked in here and thought ‘oh, didn’t know I was dating a 16 year old.’” Her constant criticism was nearly pushing you to the edge. “Ma, I don’t really want to argue with you tonight so I’m just going to bed-” a doorbell rang throughout the house and you were thanking whoever was listening for giving you a reason to walk away from your mother. 
As soon as you opened the door, you were met with another face that you weren’t exactly excited to see. “Can I help you?” you repeated Draco’s words from last night back at him in a spiteful tone.
Through gritted teeth, he looked at you and said, “I just wanted to tell you that I’m sorry for being an arse yesterday. I hope we can look past it and become well-acquainted neighbors.”
“Huh, you’re sorry? You don’t really sound it.”
“I know, I’m not really used to doing this,” Draco quipped. “But nonetheless, I would still like to apologize.”
“Yeah, whatever, I’m sorry too.” You were about to close the door until your mother came up and pushed the door completely open, “Honey, who’s at the door- oh! Hello, I’m Y/M/N. And you are?” She looked at Draco with the nicest smile that you had ever seen on her.
“Hello, My name’s Draco. Nice to meet you,” he awkwardly shook your mother’s hand. He didn’t smile, but he also didn’t have the usual scowl on his face when he would look at you. Guess he does have manners. “Y/N, is this a friend of yours?” your mother insinuated with a less than discreet wink. Without missing a beat, you replied, “No. Ma, this is my new neighbor. I just met him. But it’s late, so nice meeting you Draco. See you around.” And you closed the door.
“That was rude, Y/N. You should have invited him in. He’s very cute,” your mother grabbed her bags and headed into the guest room. From a distance, you could hear your mother speak to herself, saying ‘At least this room looks normal’. “It’s kinda late. Besides, we have all the time in the world to talk.” 
You walked to your small closet and grabbed the special bath salts for stress relief and walked to your bathroom. Starting to strip, your mother barged in. “Ma! Privacy, please!”
“Don’t be ridiculous, Y/N. I gave birth to you. Anyways, how long has it been since he moved in? Do you think he knows about your witchy stuff?” She asked as she stood by the door, checking her reflection as you continued to undress for your bath. “I don’t really hold a sign around my neck that says I’m a Wiccan, Mother,” you said with closed eyes. Your mother said, “I hope not. Night, baby,” and closed the door.
This is going to be a long three weeks.
-
The morning came and you woke up before your alarm and did your daily routine. The only difference was that your mother was going through your pantry looking for ingredients to make breakfast. “Morning, honey. Do you want some pancakes? I’ll make your favorites! It’s still blueberry, right?”
“No, that was Y/B/N. Mine are chocolate chip and peanut butter.” You said flatly as you grabbed your watering can. “Oh that’s right. But I already bought the blueberries.”
“That’s fine, they still taste good.” Your mother was satisfied with your response and started right away. You walked out to your front yard and watered your plants along the fence. The betony plants were beautiful, its sight was calming your nerves as you poured water over them. The sound of a door closing caused you to look up, watching Draco as he was standing in his yard with what seemed like a cigarette attached to his lips before he took it out and placed it onto an ashtray that was on his porch.
He walked over to the fence that separated your yards. The smell of the cigarette was in the air and it reminded you of your late father. “I meant it last night,” he mentioned his apology. You didn’t really know what to say so you just nodded and went back to watering your plants.
“But if I recall, you did start that fight,” he chuckled. You glared up at him for a few seconds before returning to your task. “Alright, I guess I’m sorry too.” Draco scoffed and just whispered ‘Whatever’ and walked away. “Wait,” you called for him before he walked back into his house and luckily, he stopped. “I’m sorry,” you said with sincerity. “Can we just start over?”
He stared at you, visibly contemplating your question then finally said, “Sure.” He walked into his house and you stood shocked in your yard. Your mother walked out and announced to you, “Honey! Breakfast is ready! Come on, I think your plants are watered enough.” With the snap of your screen door, you were released from your daze and walked inside. Maybe this week is turning around after all.
-
Draco sat in his room, not exactly sure what exactly happened. Was he really going to try and become friends with a muggle? He could imagine the look on his fathers face. Just because he had lost in the Battle, didn’t mean that he magically accepted muggles and muggle-borns. Narcissa didn’t like them much either but she also didn’t hate them as Lucius did.
This would shock not only his parents, but also his friends, Blaise and Theo. Merlin, the person that would probably have a field day about this would be Hermione Granger. He sat there, imagining Granger either laughing at him or cursing him after all the bullying he put her through. All those years of calling her a mudblood and he becomes friends with a muggle. A No-Maj. A Wiccan No-Maj. But then he thought about what Ian said at work. Y/N is really nice. Weird, but nice. And when he agreed to having a fresh start with you, he figured that it would give you a chance to prove him wrong about what you were like.
Or she could be exactly what I always thought muggles to be. Foolish.
next chp
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starsofatlantis · 3 years
Text
Rivals
@sophitz-week day 1: academic rivals
Notes: this was a lot of fun to write and I enjoyed being able to play around with Sophie and Fitz’s dynamic! it ended up a lot longer than I expected but I’m pretty proud of it! hope you enjoy!
Relationships: platonic sophitz, pre-romantic sophitz, platonic sophex, platonic marella x sophie, platonic marella x dex, platonic, keefe x fitz
Word Count: 1986
Warnings: none!
_________________
"I just don't understand the issue," Dex said for what felt like the fiftieth time that morning.
Sophie scoffed. "The issue Dex, is that I am being forced to work with my sworn enemy."
"Sworn enemy's a little much," Dex replied, holding onto his backpack as he gave Sophie an amused look.
"Sworn enemy is perfect!" Marella exclaimed from Sophie's left. "It'll make it even more romantic when they finally confess their undying love to each other!"
Sophie deadpanned. "I can't tell if you're teasing me or just really really blind. There is no way I will ever fall in love with Fitz Vacker."
Dex laughed as Marella looked unconvinced.
"Please Soph, you both have been obsessed with each other since you first came to school in the sixth grade and beat him in the middle school spelling bee. You're like a modern day Anne Shirley and Gilbert Blythe."
Sophie gasped and held a hand to her heart. "Don't you dare insult my favorite fictional man by relating him to Fitz Vacker of all people."
"Favorite fictional man?" Dex questioned, quirking an eyebrow. "Whatever happened to Fred Weasley?"
Sophie glared at him. "So what if I simp for multiple fictional men? Who are you to judge Mr. 'I would lay down my life for Natasha Romanoff'?”
Dex chuckled. "Touché."
Marella grinned. "Ignoring the part where I said you two were obsessed with each other, huh?"
Sophie sniffed. "I'm not ignoring it. I'm choosing not to reply to something so ridiculous."
"Mhm."
"You're also ignoring the fact you had a crush on him when you first met," Dex pointed out.
"Dexter, my man! Always backing me up!" Marella exclaimed, and the two high-fived.
Sophie rolled her eyes. "A lack in judgment on sixth grade Sophie's part, I promise it will never happen again."
Dex snorted. "Whatever you say."
Marella gasped excitedly.
"Sophie's supposed sworn enemy 11 o'clock," she whispered out of the corner of her mouth.
Sophie's head shot towards the boy in question as Dex just shook his head.
Fitz Vacker was tall and had broad shoulders from all the training he needed for football. His hair was dark and never seemed to fall out of place. He was kind and tutored the younger kids when he had free time. He volunteered with student council (his sister was the president) and as popular as he was, he didn't act like it.
Sophie hated his guts.
He gave her a small smile.
Subdued, she thought. She knew how bright his smile really was and she could only think he was holding himself back, which was odd. Fitz Vacker was anything but unconfident.
She stared back as he passed and out of the corner of her eye she saw his blond friend slap him on the back while chuckling.
"I love a good rivals to lovers romance," Marella gushed as they made their way into biology.
_________________
"You've got it bad, man," Keefe laughed.
"Shut up," Fitz grumbled, shrugging off Keefe's hand.
Keefe held his hands up. "Sorry, but it's way too obvious to not make fun of."
"Thanks Keefe, so grateful for your support," Fitz said, still thinking about the minor interaction he'd had with the girl he'd been crushing on for years.
"I am supportive bro," Keefe defended, "But there's only so much support I can give before the overwhelming need to make fun of you becomes too much."
"I can't stand you," Fitz said turning into his class.
"Aww how sweet," Keefe called as he walked down the hall to who knows where. "Too bad Sophie Foster thinks the same thing about you."
__________________
"Seriously, Marella, drop it. The only reason I'm going over to his house is to finish this stupid project," Sophie complained, pulling her keys out of the ignition.
She stared at the mansion the Vacker's called home, trying to work up to courage to walk to the front door.
"Ok, ok fine, just answer one thing," Marella said through Sophie's phone.
Sophie rubbed her temples as she got out of her car, already knowing this wasn't going to end well.
She grabbed the tray of mallowmelt out of the backseat, holding her cellphone between her shoulder and her head. "What is it?"
"Admit you think Fitz Vacker is the hottest man to walk the planet."
Sophie choked.
"Please, Sophie, be honest with me. I know you can't stand him for whatever reason, but you aren't blind and he's like, the blueprint of your type."
Sophie huffed as she walked up the grand walkway. She thought about his sparkling eyes and how they had always radiated comfort and safety to her, even when they were in middle school.
"I guess he's alright," she grumbled.
“AHA!” Marella cheered, and Sophie could practically hear her throwing a fist in the air. "I'll take it!"
Sophie rolled her eyes. "Whatever. I've gotta go, talk to you later."
"Ok! Have fun, love ya," Marella said and made a kissy sound before hanging up the phone.
Sophie shook her head exasperatedly, stuffing her phone in her back pocket as she reached the double front doors.
She raised her hand to knock but before she could, the door opened, revealing a slightly flustered Fitz Vacker.
"H-hey," he stuttered.
"Hi," Sophie said plainly before holding out the tray of sweets. "This is mallowmelt from Edaline."
"Oh thanks!" he said excitedly. "My dad will really appreciate this!"
He laughed slightly and Sophie cracked a smile. Fitz's father had been the one to find Sophie her adoptive family when her own family had passed away in a car accident. Her adoptive father and Alden worked together so he'd asked him and his wife to take Sophie in, and they adopted her a few months later.
The two stood awkwardly in the doorway before Fitz started suddenly.
"I- y-you can come in," he said, moving out of the way to let her in.
"Thanks," Sophie replied, clutching her school bag as she walked into the gorgeous house.
Fitz mumbled something under his breath that sounded suspiciously like 'stupid', but Sophie didn't comment on it.
"My room's upstairs and to the left, I'm just gonna go put this in the fridge," Fitz said, gesturing to the tray.
Sophie nodded. "No problem."
She walked up the marble staircase, marveling and somewhat grumbling at the grandeur of Fitz's house.
To say Fitz's room wasn't what she was expecting and was also exactly what she was expecting was an understatement.
He obviously liked the color blue, as his bedspread was navy blue and so was the rug. The walls were white and most of his things were made out of dark wood. Tall bookshelves lined the walls and Sophie found herself jealous of his collection. A glass case on the wall held all his sports trophies, but mostly held photos of his teammates or friends winning something, and Sophie almost laughed at the way they were proudly displayed. It was honestly kinda cute how adorably proud of his friends he was that he hung up photos of their accomplishments in his room. He was like a mother hen.
"Ok so we have to pick a book we're required to read by the school district and analyze whether we think it's an educational read and why we think the book is required. I know you haven't read all of the same books as me cause we're in different grades so I thought we could make a list of all the ones we have read and go from there," Fitz said as he walked into his room.
Sophie was a little taken aback by the sudden proposition but nodded anyway. "Sounds good."
She was a little mad he was right about the books though. Sophie was only a sophomore while Fitz was a senior, so he'd been through more english classes than she had.
She went to pull out a sheet of paper when something stopped her.
"I-is that your second place ribbon from the spelling bee?" she asked and he looked up from his own paper.
Fitz scratched the back of his neck, following Sophie's line of sight in the direction of a blue ribbon hanging from his glass case with the worded '2ND PLACE' written distinctly on the front.
"Uh—," he chuckled nervously, "Y-yeah it is."
Sophie turned to him, confusion etched across her face. "Why would you keep that?"
She for one, would never keep anything that reminded her she had lost to someone.
"I dunno." He shrugged. "Guess it just reminds me of something."
"Of what?"
Briefly, it occurred to her this was the longest conversation she'd had with him since he beat her in the relay race at the end of sixth grade.
"Um, I- uh, I'm not sure."
Sophie looked unconvinced and Fitz blushed.
Sophie gave him another strange look before turning back to her bag.
"Why do we not talk anymore?" Fitz blurted out, and immediately had to resist the urge to slap his hand over his mouth and launch himself out the nearest window.
"What?" Sophie asked slowly, turning to fully face him.
Good going, Fitz, he thought. Now she's going to hate you even more and will probably end up starting a petition to send you to Timbuktu so that she never has to see you again.
"Um," he said smartly.
She raised an eyebrow and he sighed.
"Why don't we talk anymore? We used to be friends when we were in middle school."
Her eyebrows furrowed. "I don't know. We're rivals, and last I checked you aren't supposed to fraternize with your competition."
"Huh?" Fitz said, his turn to be confused. "Since when were we rivals?"
Sophie me jaw dropped. "Seriously? We've always been rivals."
"Uh no we haven't?"
Sophie looked incredulous and Fitz had the feeling he said something wrong. "Yes we have! You were the one who started it in the first place!"
"What?" Fitz exclaimed. "When did I do that?"
"In middle school? When you were always competing with me?"
"I- I wasn't doing that cause I thought of you as a rival! I was doing that cause I thought of you as my friend!"
Sophie's confusion and slight anger calmed down for a second. "What?"
"Yeah! I never had someone who could match me at everything I did and then some, so I thought it was fun to push myself to beat you. You made everything a challenge cause you were— are! —so good at everything!"
"Trust me, if I knew you'd stop talking to me for four years just cause I beat you in a lame race, I would have lost every single competition we ever competed in against each other."
They stared at each other as a blush formed on both of their faces. Sophie being confused on everything Fitz Vacker and feeling bashful over all he'd just said, and Fitz frustrated at himself for letting Sophie get that ridiculous idea that he didn't want to be friends with her in her head and feeling bashful over all he'd just said.
Sophie took in a quiet breath. "I- I just thought you wanted to beat me because you didn't like me."
"No!" Fitz exclaimed frantically, waving his hands, as if trying to ward her words away from the air around him. "Not at all!"
Sophie laughed slightly, and Fitz reveled in the sound of it.
"I want us to be," he stumbled, "…f-friends. I've always wanted that."
Sophie looked into his eyes, saw the pure sincerity there, and felt herself melt a little bit.
"I think I'd like that too," she said quietly. "Friends."
Fitz smiled brightly and it felt like the morning sun after a long night.
She paused.
"I'm still gonna try to beat you in everything we do though."
Fitz laughed loudly and it echoed around the room.
Sophie never thought she'd be glad he didn't subdue his smile.
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bl--ankhaeji · 3 years
Text
Five Months(yuta)
Pairing ~ Yuta x Reader
Genre ~ A little bit of angst, fluff, humor if you can find it and bittersweet
Warning ~ uhh I don’t really have any 
A/N ~ so for this i felt like my writing changed a little. like so far I haven’t written anything with this type of atmosphere or theme so it was something new and I really enjoyed writing this. I also want to say thank you to my beta readers Xiami and Mylin. 
W. Count ~ 2.4k
Hii, before we get into the story. Wanted to let you guys know that this is my fic for the Secret Santa collab that @neoculturechristmas held. @neonun-au I am your secret santa 😊 or 🎅🏽anon. I am sorry I didn’t talk to you that much in your asks, but when we did I really enjoyed it. I hope you enjoy.  
On to the story
You and Yuta have been broken up for around five months now. Over what, you truly don’t even remember. Some petty argument got out of hand and it caused you guys to break up with each other in the heat of anger. Usually when things like that happen the couple gets back together within a week and everything is fine, but sad to say that’s not what happened with you and Yuta. 
You both were entirely too stubborn for your own good, and with both of you refusing to even so much as speak to the other you managed to stay broken up for five months. And that’s what led you to where you are right now. Stranded on a snowy mountain trail with said ex. 
The sound of snow crunching underneath your boots was deafening,but even this noise couldn't drown out the sound of your thoughts. You ask yourself, how did what was supposed to be a quick stroll on a beautiful snowy trail to clear your mind end up becoming a meet up with your ex?
Oh, maybe it’s because life is a bitch that loves to fuck with you. What are the odds that you and your friends plan a Christmas trip to the same resort as Yuta and his friends? And what are the odds that your cabins are right next to each other? And what are the fucking odds that you both picked the exact same time to step out for a walk on the same trail, and you both manage to get lost? 
“Yuta, I really don’t think you know where the hell you’re going.” You say halting your steps, the icy tone in your words almost rivaling the cold outside. You both have been lost and aimlessly walking around for the past 20 minutes and the temperature continued to drop as it was getting later and later into the night. Yuta swore he knew the way back, but you were cold and tired and seriously doubting this ability. 
When you first realized you were lost, you tried to retrace your steps only to find out the consistently falling snow had already covered them, making it look as if no one had even been there. At first you thought, maybe this was a sign, an opportunity for you and Yuta to rekindle your relationship, but you quickly realized how wrong you were. 
Yuta’s hand reached up to his head, “Just, give me a minute okay. I know how to get back, we're almost there.” He said as he continued to pace forward. 
“Yuta, stop! Just fucking stop and admit that you don’t know where the fuck we are or where we are going! This is just like you, I see you haven’t changed in these last five months.” You scoff looking away as you wrap your arms around your waist, trying to generate some warmth.
“And what the fuck is that supposed to mean, huh?!” A fiery Yuta inquires, turning around to face you. 
“It means that even with our breakup, you still can’t admit when you’re wrong and don’t know something. You keep pushing at it, not listening, feeling like you have to know it all on your own.” The words fell out of your mouth unforgivingly, packing a punch in every single syllable. Finishing your statement, you roll your eyes, shifting your weight to your right side. 
“Wow, isn’t that fucking rich coming from you. I’m not the one who bottles everything up and whenever they feel is convenient enough decides to blow up on her boyfriend for no reason. Just like the one that broke us up, this argument was started by you. So don’t act like I’m the only problem.” Just like Yuta said, you may have started the argument but he seemed intent on finishing it. 
The cold was suddenly unbearable, and all you wanted right now was to just go to sleep in a warm bed. No words were spoken after that, and like that you and Yuta just pushed past it, continuing to walk forward and ignoring the venomous words you both spoke in hopes of forgetting this event. This really was no different than five months ago. 
The want to cry your heart out was almost all consuming, but you didn’t let a single tear fall. In hopes of not appearing weak and also because you believed with your whole heart that if you were to cry right, now the tears would turn to ice on your face instantly from the cold. So you kept your head down, trying to not think about where you actually were. 
You were completely zoned out until you heard, “Y/n, we’ve made it.” Raising your head, you see a wooden cabin in the distance. Finally, you thought, it was starting to get dark. You instantly start sprinting to the cabin. “Wait up.” Yuta said as he started to run behind you. The sounds of crushed snow and huffed breaths filled your ears. 
Upon getting closer to the cabin you realize something is off. Looking through the uncovered window on the door, you realize that this wasn’t the cabin that either of you currently occupied. You could tell not only from the emptiness in the house but also from the lack of lights and the quiet that rang through the air. “Yuta, I don’t know where we are but this isn’t either one of our cabins.” You tell him through bated breaths, your teeth slightly chattering, looking as he slows down until he stops in front of you, also out of breath. 
“Huh? What do you mean?” He asks as he tries the doorknob only to see that it’s locked.
“I mean that this isn’t where we’re staying. It’s just a random cabin in the woods.” Yuta swears loudly at the revelation. You both are stranded at some random cabin at night while it’s snowing and almost below freezing outside. “What the fuck are we gonna do? We could barely manage to find our way here. There's no way we’ll be able to navigate in the dark and find our way back.” 
“We have no choice, we have to break in. Our clothes and shoes are almost soaked through from the melted snow and I can practically hear your teeth chattering. Also, I’m hungry.” At the mention of food your stomach chooses now to rumble loudly almost as if agreeing with Yuta’s statement. 
A small chuckle leaves Yuta’s lips, “Don’t worry, I won’t let you go hungry.” He proceeds to take off the flannel he has underneath his snow jacket and wraps it around his hand making a fist. He lifts his fist getting ready to punch the glass before you stop him, your hands coming around fist. 
“Woah! Stop right there, we can’t just go vandalizing this random cabin hell we’re already breaking and entering. Just step aside, I got this.” You tell the man as you push him aside. You slightly tilt over, surveying the type of lock on the door and inwardly rejoice at the fact that there’s no bolt lock and it’s just a regular handle lock which seems to be quite loose. 
Good thing you brought your wallet in case you went to the convenience store. Taking out an old card, you proceed with breaking into the cabin. Sliding it in between the door handle and the frame, a smile takes over your face when you feel the door give and start to open. 
Standing straight, you look towards Yuta while inwardly praying the owners don’t have a silent alarm for the cabin. “Woah, that was kinda hot. When did you learn to do that?” He questions, leaning against the wall of the cabin watching you with predatory eyes. 
Something stirs in your stomach at the look on his face. Deciding to ignore it, you just say, “A lady never tells.” and waltz into the cabin with a wink. You hear a low whistle flow from his mouth as he follows you into the currently uninhabited cabin.    
You look around the room searching for a heater, preferably gas when the room suddenly gets flooded by light. “We have electricity, so that’s good.” Yuta says before he makes his way to the kitchen, “Now let's look for some food.” You hear a couple cabinets open and close before Yuta finds some canned food. Luckily, there’s three cans of beef soup that you guys can heat up and eat. 
Yuta gets the food going and you continue your search for a heater, finding it near the back of the room. You quickly turn it on in order to warm yourself up, while proceeding to take off your wet jacket and boots. It was a good thing the wood floor was covered with a rug. Yuta calls your name, telling you the food was ready, and you walk to the kitchen reluctantly, leaving behind the warm rug underneath your feet. 
You take the first sip of your soup, the warmth it radiates heating you up internally as it travels down your throat, and part of you feels relieved. The prospect of freezing to death wasn’t knocking at your door anymore and you had food in your system, but you and Yuta eat your soup in silence. Though the room was draped in a comfortable warmth and you guys weren’t yelling at each other you still couldn’t help but feel like something between you two just wasn’t right. 
After washing the dishes, you make your way back to the main room, tuning in on the softness of your sock clad feet padding against the wood floor. You spot Yuta standing near the heater and you notice that he had draped your wet jackets above the heater, possibly so they would be dry by the time you guys left in the morning. 
Lowering yourself to the rug, you sit down criss cross, busying yourself by braiding the tassels on the sides of the rug. You hear Yuta clear his throat as he sits across from you on the spacious rug. “Do you want to play a game?” He asks you looking up from his hands to gouge your reaction. 
“Sure.” you reply, waiting for him to tell you the game. He replies, telling you he wants to play          questions, and you prepare yourself for the possible shit show that might ensue. 
“I’ll go first. Are you still cold?” His simple question takes you by surprise. That’s not even close to what you expected for him to ask.
“Yea, just a little though.” You reply honestly shrugging your shoulders, “My turn.” What did you want to ask? you thought to yourself. You didn’t want to lower the atmosphere with a question about your relationship just yet, so you also decided to play it safe. “Are you still hungry?” 
“You know I am.” He quips a little smile playing at his lips. “Next question. Since you’re still cold, can I cuddle you right now?” Your eyes grow larger at his question and you can’t deny that the thought of it made your heart race a little. A slow nod is all the answer Yuta needs before he is scooting over behind you wrapping his arms around your torso. 
You never got to tell Yuta how good this hairstyle was on him. The bleached hair with lilac highlights fit him so well, and that’s all you could think as his head finds a home on the side of your neck and his semi long hair tickles the side of your face. You’re so focused on the sensation of his body against yours filtering his warmth to you that you don’t notice that it is now your turn for a question. 
“Y/n, it’s been your turn for a while.” Yuta speaks as his warm breath dances on your skin.
“Why have you not tried to mend things with me?” You don’t know if it’s just your curiosity or if it’s your brain trying to ruin the moment so you don’t get hurt but you decide it’s time to bring up your relationship.
“Well you can’t say you’ve tried all that hard either. It goes both ways y/n-” 
“Actually,” You interrupt him, “I did try, once. It was three months into our breakup and I was tired of missing you and missing us and I wanted it all to be over and to just put this behind us. So I went over to your house to mend things and I saw some girl leaving, and before you say I jumped to conclusions, I saw her kiss you.” Averting your eyes to your sweaty palms, you watch yourself rub them against your knees. You can feel the telltale sting in your eyes signifying future tears.
“That- Y/n no it’s really not what you think.” You feel Yuta’s arms wrap tighter around you. “That girl was a project partner and she came over so we could work on it, but she had heard that me and you broke up so she thought it was okay to try and shoot her shot by kissing me. I didn’t kiss back, nor did I enjoy it. I even ended up doing the rest of the project on my own.” 
You turn to look at Yuta to see if he’s telling the truth and you see no hints of falsity. Instantly you feel stupid, and you go to look back at the floor until Yuta grabs your chin, forcing you to look at him.  
“My turn. If I were to tell you that I was willing to change for us right now would you believe me?” His eyes burn intensely as he waits for your reply.
“If I were to tell you that you don’t have to change for us would you believe me?” Was your reply and you could see the hope forming in his irises
“If I were to tell you I still love you-” His words fall off as your lips meet his and they become occupied with something else. 
Five months. It had been five months since you heard his voice. It had been five months since you felt him against you. Five months since you tasted his lips. Five months since he had last declared his love. 
If you could go back in time and make it to where you never had to suffer that drought without him, you would. But for now you just wanted to enjoy the time you would get from today forward.   
102 notes · View notes
drawlfoy · 3 years
Text
Detention, Retention, and Draco Being a Lying Shit -- Halloweek Day 2!
catch up on part 1 on my masterlist
request guidelines (in case you were thinking of it ;))
want to be tagged?
pairing: draco x reader
request?  nope
summary: 2 months of detention with Draco Malfoy might be a pain for Y/N, but Harry has other plans.
warnings: swearing, underage drinking (of course not endorsed by me...of course)
a/n: soooo things in my life have gotten a little crazy in the past 48 hours. you may have been wondering where part 2 was yesterday and while this post sums it up best, i’ll take a crack at explaining it here. my relationship got pretty messy and things have been a roller coaster ever since monday night my time. i try and be someone who can separate her emotions from her work but these past two days have made me realize how much my mood impacts everything :/ it isn’t my intention to lead you guys on at all and i want to keep writing this piece, but i apologize in advance if this doesn’t finish itself by friday. anyways, enough blather on my behalf. thanks to anyone who made it through this--you guys mean so much more to me than you know. i hope you enjoy.
tags! @gruffle1 @missmulti @cleopatera @hahaboop @accio-rogers @geeksareunique @eltanin-malfoy @war-sword @cams-lynn @itsivyberry @ayo-cowbelly @nerd-domland @yesnerdsblog @shizarianathania @evanstanfanatic @strawberriesonsummer @hariosborn @night-ving @straightzoinked @imintoodeeptostop @naomimoonshard @jejegu @ophelia-enthusiast @shadyrose66622 @alwaysbeanunknownfan
word count: 1.3k
The plan they laid out over the remainder of the day was ambitious but at least do-able. Each week was split into different subtasks, the end goal being a somewhat tentative friendship between the two. 
“If you can flirt with him and get him to have a crush on you without scaring him off, you’d be in the best possible position,” Hermione told her as they walked back from the Quidditch pitch among the screaming Gryffindor fans. They’d won--yet again. “Obviously I don’t foresee that being likely, but if you pull it off somehow he’d probably be willing to tell you anything. The fact that you’re a pureblood is going to carry you through this whole ordeal. He’ll at least be accepting of your existence in the wizarding community.”
The bitter edge in Hermione’s tone made Y/N’s blood boil. There was no reason for Malfoy to be as prejudiced as he was--he’d spent his adolescence in Hermione’s academic dust. She was obviously smarter than him. 
“You got it, ‘Mione,” she said. Her voice barely carried over the cheers of her peers as they ascended the steps to the common room. “We’ll take this little ferret down. I can’t wait.”
“Don’t get too cocky, now.”
The Gryffindor after-party was crazy...per usual. The charmed self-filling goblets, the blasted playlist of Wizpop pumping through the air, and the buzzing energy of the room was giving Y/N a giant headache. She stood with Hermione and Harry by the edge of the crowd, watching Ron get hoisted up on the shoulders of the chasers. 
“No wonder the Slytherins think we’re Neanderthals,” Y/N mused. For once, Hermione didn’t respond. “Hermione? Is everything okay?”
The second she turned away to look at her best friend, gasps and whistles filled the room. She whipped back just in time to see Lavender Brown, a sweet but slightly ditzy girl in their year, pull away from a kiss with Ron.
“Oh shi--Hermione!”
Harry and Y/N shared a glance before darting after the witch--who had impressively already made it to the door. 
“Hermione, wait!” Y/N called as they jogged after her, throwing open the common room entrance and finding her sat by the tapestry on the other side of the hall, knees to her chest.
“‘Mione, what’s wrong?” asked Harry.
“Don’t be daft, Harry,” said Y/N. “You saw exactly what the rest of us did.”
“I don’t understa--”
“Harry.” Her voice was taut. “I know you’re just trying to help, but I think that it might be best if you let us be. Go back and enjoy the party.”
He gave her a tight, grateful smile before darting back through the door. Y/N wasted no more time in walking over to Hermione and throwing her arms around her shoulders.
“I’m so sorry,” she whispered, hugging her tight. Hermione made no move to detach them, so she continued. “Ron is an idiot. You deserve so much better--your first kiss was Viktor fucking Krum, after all. You’re hot stuff and this place is just unfortunately running dry of men who are impressive enough for you. Once you’re out of here and working in the Ministry, you’re gonna have the time of your life with men actually in your league.”
Hermione managed a sniffly laugh as she wiped her eyes with her sleeve. “It’s just so fucking embarrassing, you know. Like, I have a crush on him because I think he understands me and I smelled him in my Amortentia and I thought he’d like me back, but…” She hiccuped. “Then he goes off and kisses Lavender Brown, of all people. There’s nothing particularly wrong with her or anything, but she’s so different...I’m so bookish, and she’s so girly and everything I’m not…”
Y/N took the opportunity to tuck a lock of Hermione’s hair behind her ear as she listened.
“And it can’t help but make me think--was I ever anything to him but a friend? If the girl he ends up choosing is the opposite of me?”
“Girly, don’t think like that,” murmured Y/N. “He’s a teenage boy. They don’t think of love the way that we do--to them it’s a game of availability, not of choice. At least for Ronald. You intimidate him, and by extension, you’re not available.”
“That shouldn’t matter!”
“You’re right. It shouldn’t.” Y/N drew a long breath. “So you should find someone who always has you as their first choice--someone who isn’t intimidated by your intellect. They’re out there. I promise.”
Hermione managed a shaky smile. “Thanks, Y/N. I mean it. Do you mind if I have some alone time? I don’t think I’m ready to go back to the party but I just want some quiet.”
“Of course. Let me know if you need me,” she said, brushing herself off and making to walk down the hall.
“You’re not going back to the party?”
“Nah. It hurts my head and I want fresh air. If I’m not back here in a half hour, assume that I’ve been kidnapped.”
With that, she started her walk. She wasn’t planning on going on a long stroll--there was a small balcony that she often went to when she needed to clear her head. It was beautiful, especially on a snowy night like this.
But the walk was creepy.
There was only one way in and out--a narrow, damp hallway that had absolutely no light fixtures. If Y/N really wanted to, she could cast a quick lumos, but she wasn’t sure if she wanted to see what lived on the walls. The stairs were steep, too, but she managed to bound up all 40 of them in record time. 
“Who’s there?”
The sudden voice ripped a scream out of Y/N’s throat as she reached the top, catching a glimpse of the shadowy figure at the edge of the balcony that spoke. She clasped her hand over her mouth and she crept forward to the opening, getting a better look at the person that was in her secret spot.
The clouds shifted in the sky to allow more moonlight to cast a soft glow on Malfoy’s face, hardened with irritation.
“Malfoy?” Y/N asked, rather dumbly.
“What stellar observational skills,” he drawled. 
She felt her cheeks grow hot. “What are you doing here? This is part of the Gryffindor tower. Shouldn’t you be...I don’t know...playing hide and seek with the sewer rats in the dungeons?”
“Very funny.” His flat tone exposed the fact that he did not, in fact, find it very funny. “There’s no rule barring me from coming up here.”
“But why? This is my spot!”
“Because I wanted to get out. Now, I was here first, so unless you want your detention extended, I suggest you leave.”
Y/N bit the fiery comebacks on the tip of her tongue as the memories of her plan with Hermione began floating back to her. 
Week 1 -- Hold one neutral, civil conversation with Malfoy.
“I’ll be quiet. You won’t even know I’m here,” Y/N decided upon. leaning up against the balcony. The rogue snowflakes that made it past the overhanging roof melted on her cheeks. 
“That isn’t a suggestion,” said Malfoy. “I’m demanding you leave.”
“Beautiful night, isn’t it?” Y/N asked, pointedly ignoring his words. “I’ve always loved the snow. It’s so quiet.”
“And it would be even quieter if you left.”
“Aren’t you the conversationalist?” said Y/N.
“If you don’t leave, I will hex you,” Malfoy told her through gritted teeth. 
“I just love how the moonlight reflects off of the snow,” continued Y/N. “It’s so...pure.”
“Please leave.”
On her walk back down the dank stairwell, she allowed herself a little smile. 
Task 1? Technically done.
final a/n: haven’t done one of these in a while! anyways, i hope you guys enjoyed! i have a luttle more written for part 3 so hopefully i’ll have that out tomorrow too :) let me know what you thought! do you guys think that, even if this is a draco x reader pairing, he’ll ever really tell her what his 6th year task is? i’m curius >:)
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ad1thi · 3 years
Text
2020 fic recs!! [Part 1]
this idea was stolen from @iam93percentstardust cuz i just,,,thought that this year was absolute shit and it would be nice to make a fic rec list of fics from this year that helped me through it. this will be over a range of fandoms and ships, but all fics were written this year. 
fics are ordered by the month they were published. ive tried to keep to five fics per month, but this is not obviously all the fics ive read that month - i just didn’t want to make this insanely long. 
im releasing the first half of this on the 1st of December, and the second half on the 1st of January 2021 - because otherwise it would just get so long (and also so i will actually have fics for December)
happy reading!! hopefully you find fics on this you haven’t read yet
***
January
The cat is mighty dignified (until the dog comes by): @five-wow
Steve and Danny find them on the pillow in the corner of the dining area, where Eddie is on his side, ass half on the floor because the pillow is more cat-sized than lab-sized, and Pickles is nestled between Eddie’s front legs, essentially being spooned and looking very I-got-the-cream about it. Pickles’ head is tucked into the crook of Eddie’s neck and Eddie’s head slots perfectly on top of Mr. Pickles’, like a furry jigsaw puzzle.
“They’re cuddling,” Steve points out, unnecessarily.
Or: There is a love story unfolding under the McGarrett roof.
Captain ‘Socialist Rage Muffin’ America: @baffledkingcomposinghallelujah
It takes three months of dating Steve Rogers for Tony to understand why Aunt Peggy once shot at him in sheer frustration.
Alternately titled, Honey, I committed treason again.
The Best Laid Plans (Of Mice and Men): @arboreal-elm-ash-oak
His Dark Materials AU
It was Annalise who noticed their small visitor first.
“Tony,” the spider daemon said softly, skittering up the collar of his dress shirt, two of her eight legs resting delicately against his cheek, “Don’t startle them, but I believe we have a guest. Look, by the coffee table.”
Fourteen Million to One: @tunastorks
Six months after Thanos, six months after Tony’s death, six months after Steve returns to his own timeline, Tony Stark turns up on their doorstep.
Brewed Awakening: @iam93percentstardust
Two years after he comes out of the ice, Steve is drifting through life. On his teammate's recommendation, he decides to go back to school where he meets the grandson of an old friend. He finds happiness with Tony but Steve won't be in Boston forever and someone is out to hurt the Starks. Will Steve and Tony be able to reach their happily ever after?
February
the young, the reckless and the foolish: @bruciewayne
In most universes, they don't know each other, not in the slightest, or they hate each other, in a way that's perfectly logical for anyone who were to find themselves in a similar situation.
In this one, they've known each other since they were four years old and naively idealistic.
This is them over the years, against the odds.
a giant sign: @areiton
“Think you can get him to open the weapons division up again?” his CO asks, his voice hungry and Rhodey laughs because this--
“No. Tony hung up his weapons.”
“That’s not what the suit says,” his CO objects, and Rhodey shrugs.
Tony has always had rules, rules he expects the entire world to live by.
And then there was Rhodey, slipping under them.
my heart is driftwood, floating down your coast: @nethandrake
Tonight, there’s a stranger in his backseat. That’s not unusual.
He’s also sad. That’s not unusual either.
What is unusual is that the stranger is silent.
(One night, a stranger enters Steve's taxi. Nothing is the same again.)
Just A Cold: @/delighted 
There’s a new text waiting for him. It’s from Steve of course, and it’s vaguely threatening as most messages from Steve are these days. Still Danny ignores it, and now he’s really playing with fire. Maybe it’ll burn the cold out of him.
Or, Danny’s sick, and Steve can’t stay away. The usual comfort fluff. With a little cameo from a gently meddling Grace.
An Unexpected Guide: @/Rachel500
Danny Williams has hidden his Guide status to keep being a detective, but his time of hiding is up when he unexpectedly finds his Sentinel, Steve McGarrett in the midst of a tragedy.
March
Why don’t we (Collide the spaces that divide us): @five-wow
When they finally catch sight of each other again through the milling crowds, they’re both a little worse for wear. Danny’s left side is covered in glitter and every time he brushes a hand over his hair, more blue and purple confetti rains down. Steve is- Well, Steve is randomly shirtless, which is all things considered not excessively remarkable, but he’s also covered in smudges of colorful paint and has a very nicely printed bloodred lipstick kiss mark on his cheek.
“What did you do?” Danny asks, because it looks like Steve had a lot more fun than he did.
Or: Steve and Danny accidentally end up in the middle of something entirely new.
A Little Unsteady: @finduilasclln 
Written for the Tumblr prompt meme : "Hey! I was gonna eat that!"
Tony lashes out at Bucky for eating his dessert. Only, it really isn't about the dessert.
a national treasure: @starklysteve
Steve isn't looking for an apple and Tony decides his passion is to inspire young souls. -x- OR: the AU where Tony is a Youtuber and Steve is Captain America and somehow they still save the world together.
April
cycle through: @ambivalentmarvel
Twenty-five years ago, Tony Stark disappeared from his family home a month after the tragic deaths of his parents, Howard and Maria Stark, leaving a billion-dollar tech conglomerate without an heir and the world wondering what happened.
Twenty-three years ago, HYDRA gained another super soldier.
Ten years ago, Peter Parker’s parents died in what is ruled as a home invasion gone wrong but he knows was murder, plain and simple, because he spoke to the killer.
And in the present, Project Insight fails, and the Iron Soldier pays the price.
FOREVER-LOVE YOU-I: @/Eudoxia
Tony Stark is twenty-one when he loses his voice. It shouldn't matter, but in a world where the first words your Soulmate says to you are marked on your skin, it can be pretty damn annoying.
Especially for Tony's soulmate.
--
Companion piece to my fic Thumb, Index, and Pinky Extended. This is Steve's POV, with a few extra scenes, as a treat.
(Edit: Sorry if you guys get multiple notifications for this. I just realized (about two hours after posting it) that I fucked up the grammar in the title and I HAD to fix it. YOLO, I guess.)
come build a home out of me: @maguna-stxrk
Steve clears his throat.
“What if I went with you?” he asks nonchalantly, like his heart isn’t threatening to beat out of his ribcage.
Tony blinks a few times, looking at Steve, his mouth ajar. “As a— As my date?”
“Yeah.” Steve nods, feeling a little breathless.
“You don’t mind?” Tony furrows his eyebrows.
“I don’t. In fact, you can just tell them I’m your boyfriend. I’m sure they’ll back off, wouldn’t they?”
What.
“I— Huh?” Tony stares at him, brown eyes blown wide open.
What. What. What.
“Huh? Uh, I mean— You know, that way people will see that you have definitely moved on. Monica will see that you have moved on. Right?” Steve smiles, hoping that it masks his inner panic, because what?
Steve Rogers, what have you done?
i don’t have a choice (but i’d still choose you): @nethandrake
There’s a name inked onto his chest, a name written in an all-too familiar scrawl. And it’s— It’s—
Steve doesn’t realize his body is quaking until he’s tracing the tattoo with a shaky finger.
Because of course that is the name etched into the skin. Like a brand, a reminder for everything he has done. An appropriate retribution.
Anthony Edward Stark.
(When Thanos snaps half of the universe away, he unknowingly leaves the other half with soulmarks.)
ua haʻalele ʻoe iaʻu (a ua hoʻomālamalama ʻoe iaʻu): @just-fandomthings
"The truth is, I was shot in the chest and nearly died, and not even three days after I was released from the hospital, you up and left-- and of those two, I'm not sure which one hurt me worse!"
(Coda to 10x22 because come on, we all need a better ending than the one given to us.)
Title loosely translates to: "You left me in the dark (you lit me up)" -- inspired by the brilliant song "Say You Won't Let Go" by James Arthur
May
A Piece Of The Past: @hddnone
It had been so many years since Bucky had gone undercover in the Stark family's mob, he thought he'd gotten away clean.
Then Tony Stark slid into the seat across from him at his breakfast diner, and Bucky's boss has a new case for him.
the privilege of loving you: @starklysteve
“Why won’t you let me touch you?”
It’s a desperate plea, half-shouted and half-whispered, Steve’s voice cracking at the end. Tony stops in his tracks, halfway to the stairs. He doesn’t dare to turn back, and he really doesn’t want to fight, or to leave, to spend the last month of his life away from his husband and their son. But Steve can’t know, can he?
-x-
Or: Tony has palladium poisoning, but he doesn't tell Steve and Peter
your pillow feels so soft now (but still you must advance): @firebrands
When Bruce is 13, he decides to go to boarding school. It's an opportunity for him to learn about other people, and how to interact with them.
Bruce has the misfortune of meeting Tony Stark upon his arrival in Roxbury. Bruce is moving into his room, and Tony opens the door of his room to watch. He looks a bit younger than Bruce, hair wild and eyes bright. Bruce has never seen a boy like him before—handsome and confident.
Bruce doesn’t like it.
IMPORTANT: This fic has them meeting at 14, then progresses slowly until they’re 17. Includes underage drinking and kissing.
This is set before Bruce becomes Batman and Tony becomes Iron Man and I have no explanation as to how or why they just DO Canonically, Bruce is 17 when he finishes school and goes around the world to train, so we're sticking with that
The Real MVP: @sword-and-stars (part of a series)
[“I have saved this Tuesday!” Sokka announces, rattling the bag upon reentry.
Zuko doesn’t even look up from his phone as he deadpans, “It’s Thursday.”
Okay, so Sokka is still having trouble getting his days right without checking. At least he’s gone back to sleeping at night! Going to bed at night is way easier when you have a cute, cuddly boyfriend who starts falling asleep around eleven o’clock. It also helps that he and Zuko are on solid gold butt-touching terms.
It’s been a while since Sokka has been on butt-touching terms with someone and it’s amazing.]
Or,
Sokka knows a guy, gets laid, and introduces Zuko to the merits of an afternoon delight.
When is a bed not a bed? (When you’re not in it): @riotwritesthings
There’s a tiny safe house, with one tiny window and one tiny couch.
And one tiny little bed.
June
Nice Fingers: @anthonyed
A single compliment given by Tony stirs Bucky restless until he caves in and asks him out on a date.
With Steve’s help of course (whether he likes it or not).
The Darkest Touch: @starkrogerrs
This is the story of how Steve finds that it has been ordained that he is to marry a monster he cannot resist aka the God of Love himself, Tony.
It's Cupid x Psyche retold, but with thrice the amount of porn.
The Night Shift:  @weethreequarter
Welcome to the Emergency Department of San Antonio General where Dr. Tony Stark joins the team fresh from his most recent tour in Afghanistan and - much to the consternation of the other staff - strikes up an instant rapport with Nurse Steve Rogers. Meanwhile, new resident Bruce Banner refuses to give up on his patient, and Dr. Sharon Carter learns something from her own patients. Throw in a pissed off hospital administrator, Clint using the coffee pot as a mug again, and a major car crash and you have, well, just another night shift.
Wind Beneath My Wings: @iam93percentstardust
Sam first meets Tony Stark in 2005 when he joins the EXO-7 Falcon program.
In jest: @/apathyinreverie
“No, babe,” Danny shakes his head with a grin. “If the apocalypse were to go down while I’m elsewhere for some godforsaken reason, then you stay put and I’m coming to wherever you are.” His grin widens. “And I expect you to have cleared any aliens or zombies or whatever else might be messing with us off the island and to have set up a nice, comfortable military dictatorship for us to rule over by the time I get back.”
It’s a joke.
Of course it’s a joke.
Until it isn’t.
(A the-day-after-tomorrow-style apocalypse AU, where the world decides to end right when Danny is visiting one of the other islands with Grace. Because, of course, it does.)
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raindropsbarzy · 4 years
Text
gotta have you
summary: you’re older than him and he gets all blushy every time you’re around because he likes you. a lot (you’re 28 in this case)
word count: 2005
warnings: use of weed, fluff shit, strong language
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Mat was immediately drawn into you the first time you have met through mutual friends. Anders was taking the team out for drinks after another win to a local bar in New York that he had never been to. Crazy to think that, considering NY is like his home now but there’s one specific bar he had yet to discover.
It was a small cozy bar called ‘LOLA’ written in red neon lights. The building was painted in all black, nothing exciting about it but it was completely different soon as he stepped inside.
“One of my friends owns this place, sings sometimes here too. Her name’s Y/N.  she’s a pretty cool chick.” Anders informed the team as soon as they found a table to sit.
Mat had to hear the countless compliments Anders was giving about you almost throughout the night, or perhaps more like showing off his best friend's success and everything. Not that he had any problem with that, it’s just Anders could be a real blabbermouth when he already had some drinks in him.
“Sounds like you got a crush on the girl” Tito piped, smirking as he took a swig of his beer, hearing the others snicker. Including Mat.
Anders was quick to shake his head. “Not possible. The girl’s got standards. We’re just buds anyways” He said defensively.
What Anders failed to mention was how fucking gorgeous you were of a person,
When the captain pointed at a certain dark haired woman going up on stage, along with the lines of ‘that’s her’,  he nearly choked on his drink.
You had your hair up in a high top bun, a few messy curls falling over your forehead. Deep red lipstick painted over your lips. An outline of a dragon tattoo decorating your wrist and all the way up to your arm but it didn’t go over your elbows. The ink looked perfect on you. Few piercings perched on your ears and if he wasn’t mistaken, he caught a glimpse of a tongue and nipple studs when he squinted his eyes.
The short black dress you were wearing was hugging your figure the right way. Especially with the strappy heels you were wearing, you looked sophisticated under the dimmed lights.
“Hello beautiful people, how are you enjoying this beautiful evening?” You asked, a smile on your lips.
When you spoke, he was about to fall onto his knees right there. You had the softest voice he has ever heard. With your hand gently grasping the microphone and eyes slowly scanning across the room. He was entranced by you.
And when you began to sing--to a song he had never heard before-- he was for sure in love with the voice that was carried by a gorgeous woman who was standing a few feet away from their table. The way you tilted your head to the side and closed your eyes as you feel in the music. It was something so sexy yet attractive to him. He had his eyes running to your face and down to your body over and over. Shamelessly staring at you with his chin resting on his knuckles.
He had to thank Anders for taking him out here.
The crowd erupted into a small cheer soon as you did your number, which made your lips carved into a grin and nodded your head as a form of ‘thank you’ before walking off stage. He was a bit disappointed to know that you were only singing one song because he wanted to hear your beautiful, dolvett voice at least three more times.
But that feeling didn’t last long, you were walking over to his table with a smile that seemed couldn’t be wiped off your face and he could sense the butterflies in his stomach. Because, fuck.
You looked much prettier up close.
“You didn’t tell me you were coming with your team Lee, otherwise i would’ve put the velvet booth under your name.” You approached Anders before wrapping your hands around him and so did he,
“Nah. that’s okay. We’re good with the table, anyway.” Anders responded, letting go of his grasp around your waist and turn around to look at his friends. “Oh yeah, guys. This is Y/N. Been a friend of mine since we were... kids.. i think?”
“Afraid so” You teased, making him nudge your stomach with his elbow.
“You were amazing up there. Pretty as hell too. Loved your voice.” One spoke out, he had a messy blonde hair tucked underneath a navy snapback.
“That’s Sebastian.” Lee introduced with a grin, shaking his head lightly at his friend who went straight ahead with the words he had chosen.
Giggling, you nod your head. Shooting him a smile. “I’m glad you did. Gotta entertain a few people here.”
One by one, Anders introduced his teammates to you. Who had no shame calling you pretty and a sultry voice to hear which made you blush a few times because you weren’t used to people giving you many compliments at once.
Then your eyes stopped at Mat. Who had his knees bouncing up and down when he got nervous. Staring at your gorgeous brown eyes.
“And you are...” You trail off, raising your eyebrow at him.
“Mat. Mat Barzal” He stuck his hand out for you to shake, which you gladly took.
‘Fuck her hands are soft’
“Mat Barzal” you repeated, humming slightly. Deciding that you liked how the name rolled off your tongue. Plus he was really handsome and adorable as hell. “You’re pretty cute” With that, you retreated your hand back. Seeing his cheeks reddened as he tried to hide it by looking down at the table.
You bit on your lip softly, silently squealing at how cute this boy was acting like that in front of you. “Well, i’ve got a job to do. See you guys later” You waved bye at the boys, not forgetting to send Mat a playful wink when he looked back up.
and that brings you both here. six months later after becoming close friends with each other. The two of you exchanged numbers that night. When the team was mostly drunk off their asses, you sat down next to him and began a conversation in which he had shy away at first. Then starting to become more comfortable with your personality and found talking with you was just as easy as breathing.
He had learned many interesting facts about you. Your hometown, your college major, your favorite artists and crazy ex boyfriend that you had to put a restraining order on. He was truly captivated by the way you talk about something so small yet you made it sound so beautiful. Never in his life, he had ever been this star-struck about someone. And that feeling he had to bottled up for half a year.
right now, he’s coming over to your apartment because Anders is throwing a BBQ at his place and you asked him earlier if he wanted to go together and of course, Mat couldn’t say no to that.
He's wearing a plain black tee and dark jeans with a chain around his neck. Figuring that the fit was good enough for just a BBQ at his friend’s place.
seconds after he knocks on your door, he hears you shout ‘coming!’ along with loud thumping on the floor.
he smiles at the sound of your voice and grows wider when you open the door,
“hi, barzy” you smile softly at him, panting lightly as you open the door wider for him to come in.
“hi, y/n/n” he leans down giving you a kiss on the cheek before entering your place. observing your choice of attire. a white tank top and pink cotton shorts, he notices you have no bra on so your breasts are practically falling over the top. “you’re not wearing that to Lee’s are you? Not that i mind though” he playfully points, gesturing to the clothes.
rolling your eyes, you smack his arm but smile anyway. “Of course not, you pervert. Even if I was, I wouldn't let you see me like that.”
The flirty banter has become a thing between the two of you. Yeah, you’re friends or whatever but both of you still like to flirt with each other, even go as far as being touchy which you have no problem at all. Whenever you go out he has his firm grip around your waist or when you have a sleepover at his house, you like to lay down on his chest and your arm drapes over his toned stomach.
he chuckles at your attempt of hurting him but he begins to frown when he sees a smoke coming from your kitchen. “Did you burn your food or something?”
“What? Oh no it’s not from food. I was smoking a blunt while I was waiting for you here. Just freshly rolled a backwood. Want some?” You offer, taking his hand as you lead him to the kitchen.
He snorts, shaking his head as he sits on one of the barstool. “No thanks, babe. I hate that stuff.”
“You said that because you haven’t even tried it yet” You say, pouring yourself a glass of water and taking a bite of plain bread, helping you to sober up a little.
“Still a no.” He defends.
“Lame” you sign out dramatically, reaching over the counter to turn on the volume on the speaker
“Who’s that?” He asks quickly, finding the song quite catchy. Trying to get a look on your phone.
“Teyana Taylor, ‘How You Want It’. I fucking love her voice. Might sing it next week.” You shrug, chewing on the bread as you sit across him.
He hums, turning the tune a bit louder. “I like it.”
You look at him like he’s got five heads. “Since when did you like RnB?”
“Since that time you sent me three playlists consists of 50 songs each. Had most of them saved on my Spotify.” He answers, grabbing your glass of water to take a sip.
You freeze for a second, smiling fondly at him and trying so hard to ignore the heebie-jeebies in your stomach when he confesses as if it was nothing.
You cannot believe he actually listened to them.
“Really? You really listened to all of them?”
He nods right away, shoving a few Doritos into his mouth. “Yeah. You got me hooked with Jhene Aiko, BJ The Chicago Kid and Summer Walker here not gonna lie.”
There’s no use in holding back the smile now. Your grin gets wider and the faint blush on your cheeks are visible, making Mat smirks cheekily at you with his eyebrows raise.
“Are you blushing right now?” He jokes,
“Well how could I not?” You exclaim, throwing your hands up in the air as you giggle at him. “Especially when I didn't order you to actually listen to every song in there. You’re making my heart flutter, Maty.” You pout and stare at him with your hooded eyes
He grins softly at the nickname. Glancing at your cute pout and he has to resist the urge to lean over and give you a soft kiss on your lips--like he had been waiting for what it seems to be forever--. His hazel eyes staring back at yours as your hands clasp together and head tilting to the side. Long and messy black hair that you haven’t gotten the time to brush it evenly. your fresh face that hasn’t been covered in makeup yet and a sweet rose scented body lotion on your soft skin. Watermelon lip balm coating your lips.
After months seeing you countless times being dolled up and bare faced with vintage/old shirts and shorts, he decides he likes seeing you like this. Home Y/N is what he loves now.
And he is completely fucked. Because he is in love with you.
And there’s no going back from that.
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hii!! do yall like that? because this one is going to be a mini series! this could be one of my favorite writings of Barzy. Let me know if you guys love it and want more! :D
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