Working Alongside You Guys; Pjsk

(aventurine x reader /// continuation of this concept)

"explain to me," the good doctor demands, "why do you need my help?"

"because." you fumble around you're words. your lips feel cold. herta's space station, especially this deep in it's bowels, is an unpleasant place to have any conversation, let alone one that is also unpleasant. "i don't have time."

"and you assume i do?"

"partially?" you rub a hand over your cheek. "throw me a bone here, doctor."

ratio has been sizing you up for the better part of half an hour, scrutinizing your intent in any way he can. you have been skillfully attempting to dodge most of those attempts, but veritas ratio is as diligent a man as he is intelligent. which is to say that he is not letting up until you divulge the truth.

you sigh.

"you will explain to me," he says outright, gaze piercing. "how one of the intelligentsia guild's most esteemed researchers needs help with an algorithm that is far below both of our skill levels. it's insulting to both myself, and yourself."

you sigh again, deeper and harder, "i, once again, do not have time. i have the 'full time job' of handling aventurine's odds, and those calculations don't run like any other odds i've ever worked with, and he is a variable constantly in motion. i need help making this algorithm so i can have some assistance with my main job at hand."

the doctor scoffs, and walks a circle around you, "i'm sure he's just thrilled with the company."

"we— he manages."

more than. but, veritas doesn't need to know that. you're sure he'll figure it out eventually.

veritas tagged the briefcase on a nearby table. it's gleaming, with a discreet ipc logo embossed on the side. the sight of it makes you nauseous with anxiety.

"is this bribe from him?" he asks.

"no." you've stopped aventurine anytime he has tried to intervene and make things easier for you. he rarely listens, but your relationship with ratio and the guild make him somewhat neutral territory. "higher up."

"i assume diamond wouldn't bother to dirty her hands. so, jade?"

"yes."

dr. ratio, for the first time, seriously considers your offer. then scowls. "it would be a waste of my time."

you sigh. there was a 67.22% chance of this outcome. luckily, you have gamed out the conversation from here.

"so you can't?"

"you know i can."

then, you laugh, and shake your head. "yes, i do. sorry to tease. i'm quite tired."

"you should go find your gambler." veritas crosses his arms, looking sidelong at the briefcase.

"i will, eventually." you turn your back to veritas as you begin to leave the open atrium. the air is hollow and frigid. "i'll just ask some other intelligentsia guild members about the project first. i'm sure they'd be happy to help."

you only take a few steps before dr. ratio grabs your arm. his grip is far too strong.

(chance of failure to secure dr. veritas ratio's assistance: decreased by 31%.)

"don't bother them."

"someone needs to help." you turn back to look at him, expression schooled. "and if you won't, i'm very sure someone else will be happy to work beside 'one of the intelligentsia guild's most esteemed researchers'. or, does such a title not truly apply considering i've been ousted from my previous position?"

he frowns, but before he can speak, you interrupt him. you haven't seen veritas since being tied down to your current post. you haven't let him have it. he deserves it, maybe.

"i heard from jade that i received a glowing recommendation from another well-respected scholar. apparently, the position was being considered for either one of us. somehow, with that recommendation, i drew the short end of the stick and now play handler for a man with a death wish and a statistically measurable chaos quotient that's ever-changing in multiples of three."

veritas's face is unmoving. unchanging. but you know you've struck something. it was to be him or you in this position. and you don't have the pride he does. you place your hand over top of his, posed to speak, to tear him apart—

a shrill ringtone shatters the tension. it's yours. you already know who it is.

you flip your phone open with one hand, still staring at ratio.

"hello," aventurine's voice beckons from the other side, smug and smooth. "where is my favorite, most brilliant mind hiding out? we're due to leave soon."

"sadly, with another one of your favorite, brilliant minds. i'll be finished up shortly and meet you at the docks."

"aw, did he not get onboard? that's quite the choice for him to be making. do you want me to give him a talking to you?"

"no, it's fine. i'm working something out."

"you sound upset."

"i'm tired." you rub at your eyes and break away from veritas with a yawn.

"you can nap on the ship. we have quite the journey."

"that we do. i'll see you in a bit?"

"see you there." you can hear the smirk in his voice.

sending you down to veritas alone was aventurine's gamble. one that is working out, predictably. never mind the damage your reputation will take after these next moments. you close the phone with a sigh and begin toward the grand elevator.

"veritas," you call his name. "i forgive you, for what it's worth. try not to do it again."

"i couldn't."

you laugh and shake your head as you ascend. by the time you arrive at the docks, the ipc's premier vessel is packed away and priming its engines. lights and sirens echo from it. aventurine's idles outside, waiting for you. he beams when he sees you.

"so," he whistles, guiding you with a hand on your lower back. you let him. "was the good doctor as prickly as ever?”

"if not more so" you admit. aventurine gestures with a sweeping hand to your shared quarters for the time being. there's a single bed, but you're used to this. you've come not to mind it. "i think i bruised his ego."

with a genuine laugh, “i don’t think that's possible."

"want to bet on that?" you ask.

your phone's text tone chimes and you shoot aventurine a sharp smile.

aventurine's odds are ridiculous. ever changing, constantly moving. none of your perceptions and calculations that are usually steadfast and unmoving can keep up with him. not with efficiency, anyways. it's exhausting work. however, the likelihoods of everything but aventurine? the predictions of a man like ratio?

easy. simple. you could do them in your sleep.

aventurine squishes against your side as you open your newest message.

[SENDER: Doctor Ratio <intelligentsia guild>]

> here is a first draft. forgo payment. i do not need to be in the stonehearts’ pocket.

[file attached: STONE ALGORITHM DRAFT 1.0.spqxxxiun.pqo]

aventurine laughs, muffling it against the side of your neck. his teeth are sharp and his breath is warm. it settles something in you. you lean into him and deflate, sliding down into your lap so your head is pillows there. a gloved hand cards through your hair.

"you're quite good at the game, when you choose to play." aventurine reminds you. he tells you this often.

"i know." you turn your face into his hand as the ship rumbles. "but it's your job."

aventurine pauses his pets, then thumbs over your lips. he looks sour, only for a moment, before resuming his motions, a bit rougher this time. you relish the feel of it, sinking into it.

"one of us has to, right?"

"right."

"and the other," he taps your lips. your sputter, indignant. "plays support."

"one of us has to." you remind him.

it's silent between the two of you as the ship whirs and bellows, taking off from herta's space station without reverie. onto your next destination, wherever aventurine is deigned to be needed, with you by his side, dutifully.

you press your face into his stomach, letting the smell of linen and his cologne envelope you.

neither of you have a choice to play this game. the cards are stacked, and you best not loose count from aventurine's side. you'll be damned if you do.

(there is a 98.769% chance that you are damned regardless.)

at least, at least, you have each other, you think as aventurine bundles you up closer, and you wrap yourself around him. you'll take that, for as long as it lasts.

Breeding Kink Pt. 2 | Dragon!Zhongli

Pairing: Zhongli x fem!reader

Genre: SMUTTTT!!

Words: 5.2k

A/N: Oh god i have no braincells anymore. Zhongli fcked with my braincells as well. Here ya go. Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. Happy Birthday as well.

Warning: THIS IS AN 18+ FIC, SO MINORS OUT THERE, YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. PLEASE READ AT YOUR OWN DISCRETION.

Keep reading

Hii, May I request something? :0 Soooo...Y/n being Kazuha,Aether(bc this boy si so underrated)and Childe's little sister, and she is in those teenage age you know, and she gets hurt badly. What would they do to comfort her?If requests are not open feel free to ignore it! :D. <33

"ohana" means family...

# — characters: fem!reader, aether, lumine, paimon, childe

# — summary: ...and family means nobody gets left behind.

# — warnings: blood/violence mention

# — tags: hc/drabble format, canon divergent, platonic/familial hurt/comfort, fluff, sibling bonding, heartbreak (reader)

# — notes: y'know, i don't see much sibling!reader content! maybe that's just me, but even when i look, i don't see much.. so this is refreshing, thank you for the req, anon! i did spin the request a bit and only did two characters, though. as always, reblogs are appreciated, and i hope you enjoy!

✧ — 𝐚𝐞𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 — ✧

since you are the youngest -- born a year or two after the twins -- he and lumine treat you like you are the only star in their sky

you were too young to remember your parents, and after traveling so much, you all but forgot about them. your siblings were the only family you needed -- the only family you wanted.

(also, you don't mind them doting on you, but you wish they would stop babying you from time to time.)

before being stranded in teyvat, the three of you would travel between worlds together, experiencing all kinds of people and cultures and traditions, having all sorts of fun

the three of you only have each other, so you cherish one another very deeply. fights between you were actually rather rare

mostly because of your unstable lifestyle; if you fought and separated from each other, what were you supposed to do? all of you tried to avoid trouble with others and each other out of caution.

but then you encountered the unknown god and lumine went missing.

you and aether were stuck in an unfamiliar land with your new travel companion paimon, basically forced to help solve the problems of the people of this world until you get answers leading to lumine's whereabouts.

it wasn't all that bad at first; being gifted with the elements of both anemo and geo alongside your brother was exhilarating, and in your down time, you two would train and play around, keeping your spirits high

you and aether grew increasingly frustrated by your lack of clues, but you held each other up as best you could, trying to keep pushing forward

and then, with the help of dainsleif, you finally, finally got to see lumine

but... she refused to come home with you.

she left you.

a tense silence suffocates you as you and aether look over liyue harbor. not even paimon knows what to say after what just happened. you try to think of something to say -- something, anything -- but each time you open your mouth, you feel your throat tighten. now that you were in a quieter place, you felt like the sheer amount of thoughts that flooded your mind would start spilling out of your ears.

what were you supposed to say, anyways? were you even going to talk about it? what did any of that even mean? why were you still doing this? why couldn't you go home?

why did she leave you behind?

aether finally breaks the silence, his voice strained. "we need to keep moving," he says. his fists are trembling and his eyes are teary, but he tilts his chin up and takes a steadying breath. "if we want to understand what lumine was talking about, then we have to do what she says."

you frown at your brother. lumine was always the more stern sibling -- she was like a leader of sorts. without thinking, you and aether did what she said; she had very good judgement, so it wasn't much of a problem. but after all this--

"you still want to follow her?!" you cry. you didn't mean for your voice to come out so shrill and watery, but you can't help it. normally, it'd take you longer to get to this point -- to get to your breaking point -- but aether's attempt to put on a brave face makes your poorly built walls come crashing down. "you still want to do what she says? she's given up on us, aether, why would you still want to be in her good graces?!"

aether's glare is stony for all of two seconds before it smooths out, a glimmer of sunshine returning to them again. he calls your name as softly as he can muster. "that's not what i mean, and you know that."

you know he's right. a rational part of you agrees with him; if you want to have any hope of getting out of this world that has literally been forsaken by its gods, you were going to have to persevere. maybe at some point, lumine would return -- maybe she would keep her word and join you once more -- but until then, you were distraught, your heart shattered into near irreparable pieces over your sister's absence.

you sit yourself on the grass and grab a fistful of it, hoping the feeling will ground you. "what if she doesn't come back, ae'? w-what if she changes her mind and attacks us? you saw what she was capable of! she's a stranger now, aether, she--" you don't blink back the tears this time. "she had her sword. we don't have ours anymore. why is she doing this?"

aether doesn't move for a while. he watches silently as you break down, your frame shaking as sobs start to pour out of you. he doesn't know what to do either. as the eldest, the responsibility of caring for you and finding his twin sister fell on his shoulders, but he hadn't expected for lumine to just... refuse. the sight of you begging and pleading with lumine to come home replays in his mind, forcing his eyes shut.

the vow you three made all those years ago has been broken. you were never supposed to hurt each other like this; you were supposed to be each other's foundations. that hasn't changed one bit -- when lumine came back, he would be there for her as he always has been, and so would you. until then, he was going to protect the family he had left.

aether opens his eyes again and brushes any stray tears from his face before sitting next to you. he pulls you into a tight embrace and you return it immediately, burying your face in his shoulder.

you feel terrible; he should be the one crying, not you. sure, lumine is just as much your sister as she is his, but she's his twin; his other half. you tighten your hold on your brother. he's shaking like a leaf in the wind. he must be trying to carry the world on his shoulders right now. but as long as you were here, you'd never allow him to do that alone. "you're doing it again," you sniff after a while, your voice muffled by his shoulder. "you can let it out."

aether puts his hand on the back of your head. he's pulling you closer, if that was even possible. it's as if he's afraid you'll slip through his fingers too. "you need a shoulder to cry on, not me." he mutters. "just--"

"aether."

your brother flinches at your tone. he chuckles tightly. "who's older here, me or you?"

you return the gesture, burying your fingers in his blonde hair. he probably won't let it out yet; he's never been the type to do so. he and lumine were far better at controlling their emotions than you were. for now, you suppose you'll let it slide. "whatever," you sigh. "you can stop squeezing me, you know. i'm not gonna go anywhere. promise."

aether loosens his grip on you, but he doesn't let go. that must have been exactly what he needed to hear. "me neither." his voice is small, but his words are affirming. the two of you sigh in unison, making you giggle. "i'm not going anywhere. i swear."

it was you and your brother against this world. you wouldn't have it any other way.

✧— 𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐥𝐝𝐞 — ✧

absolute pain in the ass older brother. the worst. horrible. annoying.

i'm kidding... sorta.

childe is the older brother who smushes your face with his hand just because he can

the brother who puts his entire body weight on you and challenges you to push him off

the brother who will literally fight you for the last snack in the pantry

but he's also the older brother who sits there and lets you play connect the dots with the freckles that barely exist on his face

the brother who does his best not to embarrass you when you're around friends or potential suitors

he's the best wingman in the world and the coolest older brother ever

his harbinger status means nothing to you

you're a big girl! you know what that means!

you don't brag about it; you show off your brother in a very different way

childe is prepared for many things. one could even say that he's prepared for anything.

monster ambush? no problem. an ancient deity threatening to sink all of liyue harbor? simple!

but childe... ajax was not prepared to see you sobbing in his office at northland bank.

when he arrived a few minutes earlier, every agent went on their guard. it's normal for them to do that since he's their boss, but something about their alertness was suspicious to him. he approached ekaterina and demanded to know what was going on.

"lord harbinger, it's..." the receptionist trailed off. her eyes were hidden by her mask, but childe could feel her looking away. he started to tap his finger on the wood; a sign of his growing impatience. not wanting to upset him further, ekaterina came clean. "it's your sister, sir."

childe's finger froze. "what about them?"

"they arrived not too long ago looking for you, but..."

"if you're doing this for dramatic effect, i will inform you right now that you're doing a terrible job. that," childe's finger began tapping again, faster this time, "and my patience is wearing very thin. what happened to my sister? tell me; that's an order."

though she was frightened, ekaterina couldn't bring herself to say any more. "she's in your office, sir. she wouldn't talk to any of us, so i feel that you should see the mess for yourself."

the mess? childe nodded briefly in thanks and sped to his office. it wasn't a far walk, but it felt like an eternity. were you okay? did someone hurt you? he grimaced as his hand hovered over the door to his office.

if someone did hurt you, was it because of him? it was no secret that he was a part of the fatui, and you'd been seen with him on multiple occasions. after the osial incident, people became particularly hostile towards the fatui, and even though you weren't a member yourself, you received the same foul treatment they did. probably even worse since you were childe's sister.

childe could handle the heat and he knew you could as well, but if someone touched you...

fueled by a sudden wave of anger, he swung open the door to the office and saw you hunched over in a chair, your face in your hands. you were trying to muffle your sobs from the sound of it, and--

was that blood on your shirt?

ajax is crouching in front of you in an instant. he's always been good at consoling you and your siblings. to the others, he's the perfect older brother; the one who sends trinkets and souvenirs from his travels; the one who's always kind and considerate, even when he's upset. but when he tugs your hands away from your face, he's anything but gentle.

he confirms what he saw before getting closer. there's splotches of blood your shirt, and when he inspects your hands closely and sees your knucles cut and bruised, he puts the pieces together. "you got in a fight." he says tersely. "whose blood is this?"

"s'not mine," you sniff. you try to pry your hands away, but ajax's grip is unrelenting. you don't know why you bothered in the first place. you look away from your brother, feeling like a scolded child under his harsh gaze. ajax always, always told you never to fight unless absolutely necessary. he was very clear about why you shouldn't.

"there's strength in numbers," he told you quietly. he was almost whispering, as though he was telling you something he shouldn't. "people won't stand up for you in a fight -- they would gang up on you instead."

you wrinkled your nose at him. "but you always fight people in groups."

ajax flashed you a cocky grin and squeezed your nose, chuckling when you fought him off. "yeah, but that's because i'm stronger than you, kid." his grin dropped off his face as fast as it came. "now pay attention. do you know why else you shouldn't get into fights here?"

you thought for a second and pointed at the electro vision on your hip questioningly, but ajax shook his head at you.

"close, but no. the second reason," he started, "is because of this." without warning, he pulls a small dagger out his back pocket and holds it to your neck. you don't waste a second, moving to disarm him as quickly as he taught you. almost in the blink of an eye, you've taken the blade from your brother and pressed it against his neck. his smile came back, this time full of pride.

"now, do you know why i don't want you fighting others?" he asked. "it's because you're my sister."

call him a bad influence, but ajax feels a familiar sense of pride swell in his chest when you tell him the blood isn't yours. there's also relief mixed in there somewhere, but it's overshadowed by the satisfaction. he doesn’t smile at you though; he's got to keep up the act. he wants to praise you for doing a good job, but you were a wreck before he came in, and you obviously wouldn't be covered in someone's blood for no reason. he keeps 'big brother mode' turned on and lets you go. "well? what happened?"

you find a clean part of your sleeve and wipe your face free of tears. you're trying to stall for time, but ajax can tell. you sigh and recount the story to him.

it wasn't your fault.

you were minding your business, taking a stroll down by the docks when some large fishermen recognized you and began to shout for you to leave. you ignored them; this happened every so often, so it was easy to tune them out. you kept on your stroll, walking down by the water.

you've always been fascinated by the water, even when you were still in snezhnaya. you envied your brother's hydro vision once, but after giving it some thought, you figured that there was no one better suited for it than him. that, and it made sparring with him all the more interesting. after basking in the sun for a little while longer, you decided to head back to northland bank to wait for ajax to return. but as soon as you turned to leave, you found yourself blocked by four boys, each one taller than you.

"do you guys need something?" you asked.

their scathing words went in one ear and out the other. each of them had something to rude say about you; they must have been trying to get a rise out of you.

enraged by your nonchalance, one of the boys shoved you, hard. you caught yourself just before you could fall into the water and gave them an icy glare -- it was the one you've seen ajax give his opponents every now and again. it obviously didn't have the same effect, because the boys decided to rush you.

after that...

"after that?" ajax prompts you to continue, but you shake your head. "then, why were you crying? did they hurt you? do i have to intervene? talk to me."

man, if only the fatui knew ajax could look like this. the stern look has long since faded and been replaced by concern. he's pulled out his handkerchief and started wiping your face and hands with such tenderness, you almost forget that he's a harbinger. you tell him the truth. "some locals saw me fighting." you mumble. "they called the millelith and said i just went beserk and started punching them, but they touched me first, ajax! what else was i supposed to do? none of them believed me -- no one helped me, no one stood up for me, i-- i was so alone, and--"

your brother balls up his handkerchief and sits in the chair beside you. his arm wraps around your shoulders and he shushes you as tears begin to fall again. for a while, he just lets you cry. if there's anyone on teyvat who knows what you're feeling, it's ajax.

he sees so much of himself in you. it terrifies him; breaks what's left of his heart into smaller pieces.

a large part of ajax wants to resort to his usual methods. he wants nothing more than to press you for details so he can find the people who hurt you and teach them a lesson, but when he glances at you again, he figures that now is as good a time as any to give it a rest. this isn't a mess he'd ever be able to clean up, and you've been hurt enough; he doesn't want to make it worse.

instead, he drops a gloved hand on your head. "you did a good job," he says with a serene smile. for a split second, you see some light in ajax's eyes. it always happens whenever he speaks to you or your other siblings -- it's one of your favorite sights in the world. "i'm so proud of you."

"but," you frown, "i beat people up."

ajax laughs heartily. "you think i'm gonna be mad at you for fighting someone? me? really? c'mon."

he has a point. he did advise you not to fight, but if it can't be helped, then it can't be helped. you lean your head on his shoulder. "i still made those people hate me."

ajax hums. "well, they're gonna hate you -- hate us -- regardless of what we do. that's just life. i wish i could send you home, kid; i'm sorry you have to go through this because of me."

his voice goes soft at the end. he must be beating himself up about all this. you flex your fingers, hissing when the cuts begin to sting. "i don't wanna go home, ajax. not without you. i can handle this! i guess i just need more practice."

your brother tilts his head down at you, an incredulous smile on his face. "you were just crying because you got in a fight and you're already trying to start another one?" he asks. he nudges you gently off his shoulder and makes his way across the room. he comes back with a first aid kit and kneels in front of you again, taking your hand and starts to treat the wounds. "if i didn't know any better, i'd say you were trying to take my job."

you wince when an alcohol pad swipes over your knuckles. "who knows, maybe i'll become the new eleventh harbinger some day."

ajax looks up at you, his eyes flashing. you know that look very well. "is that a challenge?"

"you bet your ass it is!"

"that's my girl. as soon as i'm done with your hands, it's on. clear?"

you nod sharply. "crystal."

✧ (i've never felt so alive <(￣︶￣)> i hope you enjoyed it!!)

ִ ࣪𖤐 𝐓𝐇𝐈𝐍𝐆𝐒 𝐒𝐘𝐋𝐔𝐒 𝐒𝐀𝐘𝐒 𝐈𝐍 𝐁𝐄𝐃

"If you want to act like a brat then I'll treat you like one."

"Ah, ah, ah, where do you think you're going, hm? I'm not done with you yet."

"You and this fucking body of yours. Fuck... It drives me crazy."

"I won't let anyone take you from me. You're mine. Mine. Do you understand?"

"Who said you could touch? Tsk, tsk, tsk. Such a bad girl. Just asking me to punish her."

"Don't let me catch you so easily next time."

"Ooh, someone's a little fiesty. How exciting. You know how I enjoy getting a little rough."

"Push back, c'mon. Give it to me, pretty thing. Give me that pretty cunt."

"Fuck... Don't fucking tease me. It won't end well for you."

"You know better than to disobey, don't you? Or do you want to be a bad girl tonight?"

"Keep testing my patience and see where it gets you."

"A pretty little collar for a pretty little thing."

"Don't worry about them. Keep your eyes on me. I'm fucking you. Not them. Watch me."

"You haunt my entire being. You consume me. Now it's time for me to do the same. Let me devour you."

"You're so wet already. Don't tell me that you get worked up from being watched? What a dirty thing you truly are, hm?"

"Good girl. Just like that. Who's good girl are you?"

"C'mere, let me teach you a lesson since you want to run that fucking mouth of yours."

"Just the tip, baby. Just the tip, I swear to you. Fuck."

"You don't deserve my cock tonight. So if I were you I'd get those hips moving. Maybe if you grind hard enough against me you'll get off."

"Show me how you ride it, sweetheart."

"Don't tell me you're crying already. You wanted me to rough you up a bit, didn't you?"

"Stop your fucking whining and let me fuck you properly."

xiangli yao — ‘ THE ULTIMATE TRUTH ’

Did fanart of this lovely baby owo ❤️❤️ she's actually my main damage atm hewhewhew

I may not get bitches but i DO get full combos

fleeting colors in flight ✨🏮⛅

the twin’s smiles are so precious (´∀｀)♡

you let out an audible groan after you see dan heng peel another orange for you, "dan heng, please. please tell me how you peel the oranges without getting splashed with orange juice," you pleaded, leaning your head on the man's shoulder as you wrap your arms around him.

the express was quiet tonight. everyone was asleep, and it was just you and dan heng lurking in the kitchen for the night. you woke him up because you were bored and needed someone to talk to. at first, you felt a little guilty for your abrupt arrival, but dan heng reassured you that he was not asleep (even though he yawned and rubbed his eyes when you woke him up).

dan heng only shakes his head, continuing to peel the orange, "you need to be quieter."

you only huff in response, throwing your head closer to the nape of his neck, "c'mon! please? i need to know how you do it! if i don't, i'll just keep getting juice in my eyes," you urged.

he chuckled in response, and he even sounded relaxed, for a change, "that wouldn't have happened if you hadn't ripped the orange out of my hand mid-peel."

your eyes bulged and dan heng could not resist the smile forming on his lips, "first of all, i did not rip it out. i grabbed it. second, i wanted some autonomy for a change!"

dan heng playfully rolled his eyes, "if your autonomy means juice getting splattered all over the kitchen, then i suppose it's a good idea to keep this orange out of your reach," his sarcasm prevailed.

you huff, leaning your head into dan heng’s neck. then, you get an idea. your arms⎯once wrapped around his shoulders⎯made their way around his neck. your fingertips led to the beginning of his chest, and you had to stand on your tiptoes to progress a little lower.

you feel dan heng tense up at the contact, and you wonder if you've taken it too far. you're about to remove your body from his, but you feel his muscles relax. you find that, when dan heng relaxes, it's like his entire body turns to mush. he's easier to scare, easier to prod at, easier to touch; you know this because of your observations, and most definitely not because you willingly choose to notice these things.

"what are you doing?" dan heng turns his head to meet your grinning face. his eyebrow is quirked up in the same inquisitive way it always is. the sight makes you beam even further, and you swear you could see dan heng turn a little red.

"i'm cold," you simply say, pressing yourself closer onto him, "is this... okay?"

dan heng stares at you. he looks into your eyes with nothing but admiration. he stares at you like you are his definition of beauty: of all the things he has seen whilst traveling on the express, it seems that his eyes are only truly mesmerized when they land on you. you are the one for him, his eyes describe.

alas, you are too preoccupied with other things to think about this. as dan heng tries to formulate his answer, your hands reach down to his and snatch the orange out of his hands, jumping back and hitting one of the countertops by accident. you wince, but shortly get over the pain after seeing the orange in your hand.

dan heng stares at you in momentary shock. at first, he tries to process what just happened. did you touch him to feel him, or only to get the orange? did you mean it? was it worth it? his mind spiraled with questions similar to those.

however, his worries were set aside when he saw you narrow your eyes, waiting for him to make a move. and he realizes that everything is going to be okay. there’s no worry around you; there’s never been.

the dim light of the kitchen can only illuminate so much. dan heng is grateful that you couldn’t see the way his previous expression melted away. he takes two strides towards you and you’re already backed into the counter. you prop yourself up, holding the orange close to you, as dan heng comes closer.

“you’re going to make a mess,” dan heng advises you. he sounds like a nagging husband. you let yourself be amused with the comparison at first, but then the implication of your thought kicks in, and you find yourself subconsciously inching away from dan heng. he only comes closer, almost making his way between your thighs.

“am not,” you hide the orange behind your back, “and if you want it, come and get it,” you prompt with a smirk.

dan heng’s eyes narrow: not in an annoyed way, but rather, in a challenging way. his arm slinks behind your back and tries to reach your hand, but you throw your arm in the air. you hold the orange up in the air for a while, moving your arm in all sorts of different directions while dan heng tries to grab it. the dim kitchen is lit up by your conjoined laughters.

when you try to take the orange with your other hand, dan heng’s hand interlocks with yours midair, keeping it in place. with your temporal shock, dan heng manages to grab your wrist that holds the orange, trapping you in his grasp.

you blink down at him several times, wondering how he’s managed to get you in this position. the orange was still in your hands. you could choose to hold it tenderly, or drop it to the ground. there were more oranges anyway.

“can i have the orange back?” dan heng asks, looking up at you in such a way that could rival a star’s glow.

you take a second to answer his question. now you can look at him: finally look at him. his hair, though tussled and messy, falls into his face in perfect waves. he is as tranquil as the ocean itself, but he still has rough currents.

his eyes are never wary around you. they are calm and peaceful, always gazing at you in the quietest ways.

did his lips always look so soft? or were you just imagining things?

you lower the orange down with your hand, and dan heng removes his hands from yours. you take your other freed hand and bring it over to cover the orange, in case it falls. when your covered hand meet’s dan heng’s open one, you look up at him with mischief in your eyes.

the hand once covered the orange moved to peel off a piece of skin. but, since you never knew how to peel oranges, your peeling method was disastrous: juice squirted out of the orange, and it landed perfectly under dan heng’s eye.

you snickered a little bit, then you began to laugh a little more loudly than permitted. dan heng was left with a deadpan expression, no longer in shock or disbelief. in hindsight, he should have known there was something like this coming. but what can he say; he loves you too much.

“i’m sorry!” you say in between laughs, your hand (the same one that got orange juice on his face) covered your mouth as you laughed. “i’m sorry,” you giggled.

“what did i tell you? i hope you know you’re gonna be cleaning⎯” dan heng is distracted by your thumb making contact under his eye, where the juice was sprayed. he’s stunned momentarily, eyes watching your thumb carefully as you wipe the juice off his face.

with the excess juice on your thumb, you do something so provocative that dan heng is eternally grateful for the dim lighting. you take your thumb and put it in your mouth, sucking the juice off your finger. the sight makes his eye twitch a little, only amusing you further.

you cover your next laugh with the paper towel that you use to wipe off your finger, “i’ll clean up the orange juice,” you tell him, sliding off the counter, “but isn’t this just more proof that you need to teach me how to peel oranges?”

“i think this is more proof that oranges need to be taken away from you,” dan heng counters, bemusement evident in his tone. he faces away from you now, trying to fight his blush from earlier (and now).

you gasp, “but isn’t this just a good way to teach me?! i just wanna peel my own oranges, man. what if you’re not here and i’m stuck orangeless! i don’t even wanna think about⎯mmph!?”

dan heng sticks an orange slice into your mouth.

he tries to ignore how you had just said that you’d be sad without him, even if you were probably referring to the oranges.

dan heng puts his fist up to his mouth, trying his best to contain his own laughter at your puzzled face. you chew and swallow the orange, only to look at him with bewilderment.

“what was that for!?”

“you were talking too much,” he shrugs. you kick his shin.

on the kitchen island, you see that one side of the orange hasn’t been fully peeled like the other. one side⎯the side you just ate⎯had no white strings on it. it was a perfectly naked orange.

the other side had lots of white string. this was also the side that sprayed dan heng.

while you may not know much about peeling oranges, you know how to remove string. you grab the orange once again, this time peeling the white string off of the orange fruit. you’re extremely focused, and dan heng thought you couldn’t get any cuter. how marvelous it must feel to fall drunker and drunker in love with you every minute.

when you get rid of the excess string, you look up at dan heng with hopeful eyes. you’re showing him what you just did; you’re expecting something. dan heng goes to open his mouth to say something, but he’s interrupted by an orange slice colliding with his mouth.

“not so nice when it’s you, huh?” you poke his chest, grabbing a slice of orange for yourself. you two chew in silence as you both finish off an orange slice.

“you do realize you could have used a slice from the half that didn’t have any white stuff, right?” dan heng tells you after he finishes eating. you set the orange on the counter as you wipe your hands off.

“yeah, but i wanted to do more work,” for you. you wanted to do more work for dan heng. you didn’t want him to always peel oranges for you. you wanted him to take a break. to relax. to enjoy himself for once in his life. even if it was a little thing such as peeling the white strings off of an orange, you hope that you can bring him the tranquility he never had before.

but little do you know, dan heng has been doing the opposite thing for you. he peels oranges so you don’t have to; because he doesn’t want you to work so much. he peels oranges to make life easier for you, because he knows how you get during the night. he peels oranges when you cannot, so you know that you always have someone there to guide you to the light.

dan heng is speechless. he only stares at your smile, completely different from earlier in the night. it’s toned down, more quiet, more sincere. you look up at him with anticipation lurking within you. you look up at him with enthusiasm and excitement and stars. it was criminally easy: how dan heng was able to love you.

but he couldn’t tell you. not yet, anyway.

“you’d stop peeling after the second orange,” dan heng jokes, poking your cheek. you puff them up in an attempt to shake his finger off, but he still stayed. you unpuffed your cheeks and rolled your eyes.

“i would not,” you cross your arms and stick your tongue out at him, “you know what, i think i’ll ask mr. yang to teach me. then i’ll be a real peeler master.”

a selfish part of dan heng wants to stop you and teach you himself. a selfish part of him only wants you to himself. it seemed stupid and moronic to consider mr. yang as some sort of rival, but he couldn’t ignore the way his heart stopped at the mention of someone else. maybe it was because that meant these nights between the two of you would be over.

but with the smirk you give him after your sentence, dan heng knows these nights will be far from over. he leans onto the counter with one hand propping him up.

“if you say so. i can’t wait for the day to arrive,” dan heng says, sarcasm dripping from his tone.

he hopes the day that you learn how to peel your own oranges, never shows up.

gooseworx why is jax like that

because I find it attractive