Make Up For It

Make Up for It

[The Owl House] Boscha x Female Reader

Word Count: 5.01k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Mentions of abandonment.

[A/N]: None!

Enjoy!

A heavy sigh pushed its way through Boscha’s lips, echoing throughout her bedroom as she sat at her vanity, waiting impatiently for her scroll to ping the way she had been expecting it to for over an hour. Three eyes met her reflection in the mirror that sat in front of her. She seemed to search her own gaze and think to herself, wondering if any of this had been a good idea. Ever since the defeat of Belos and the peace brought upon the island by The Collector, the citizens of the Boiling Isles worked together tirelessly to reconstruct their home–both physically and diplomatically.

Boscha had been one of the students at Hexide who worked among others to help rebuild the school. Just recently, they had finally repaired the auditorium where every school event–every pep rally and dance–was held. Principal Bump, after talking it over with multiple teachers, decided to bring Grom Royalty back to tradition, although he made sure more than one student was allowed to fight at a time to ensure there wasn’t a repeat of Grometheus’s near-escape.

Thankfully, Boscha hadn’t been chosen as Grom Royalty. A few random girls from the Beast Keeping Track were selected instead. It was a relief to know she wouldn’t have to face her greatest fear, especially considering how humiliated she would feel if everyone knew just how vulnerable she could get over something so small.

In her mind, she knew it wasn’t necessarily small, but her insecurities festered underneath the surface like the same boiling concoctions Boscha found herself working with almost every day. She felt as though no one would take her seriously if they found out about her worst fear: abandonment.

They’d see me as weak, she’d tell herself, and that was something she couldn’t allow.

Although Grudgby had been put on hold during the repairs, Boscha’s teammates still looked up to her when it came to the sport–amongst other things. As she had told Willow during their confrontation several months prior, everyone else seemed to fall apart the moment the leader was to show any sign of weakness. She wanted her friends to rely on her–to feel as though they could trust her strength.

How could they possibly trust that strength if they knew what broke her? With that information at their disposal, they could shatter her already crumbling reputation at any instant. All she had at that time was her reputation, and she did her best to maintain it.

That included now. As she sat in front of the mirror, gazing absentmindedly at all she had done in the past half hour, she wondered if her plan falling to ruin that evening would dampen her reputation even further. She had gone all out for her date to the dance: she made sure her suit was flawlessly cut and lacking any wrinkles, her perfume was high-dollar, and that her hair was perfect. The usual strands of hair that framed her face remained there, though they had been curled to give a more gentle effect. She styled the rest of her hair to match. Half-up half-down is ultimately what she decided on, and each strand was waved to match her curtain bangs, including the ones that were pinned up on the back of her head.

Everything about her outfit had been meticulously planned. She just hoped it would get the ultimate approval of her peers. More importantly, she hoped it would get the approval of her date for the night.

After a while longer of waiting, she finally decided to head to the dance alone, telling herself that her date for the evening just forgot to let her know that she had already left. How that would be possible, considering it was the biggest event of the school year, she didn’t know, but she refused to believe she was being ditched. As she hopped onto her palisman, Maya, she sent a quick message off to Skara to let her know she was headed towards the school.

On the flight there, she searched the ground below in hopes of spotting her date. Even as her eyes scanned the land without fail, she didn’t spot her there. Occasionally, she’d feel a spark of excitement, thinking she spotted her among the scattered students headed in the same direction, only to feel utterly deflated.

With a huff, she stopped at the entrance of Hexside, allowing Maya to retreat from her physical form as she headed inside, all the way to the auditorium. The large, wide doors were propped open, revealing the scenery behind them: the glowing floor of the stadium, littered with students laughing and cracking jokes together as they danced. Streamers were hung high on the walls, providing enough room for the disco ball to stand out and aid the colorful lights in shimmering around the room.

Boscha couldn’t help but smile at the sight. After all that had happened recently, it was a breath of fresh air to see everyone so carefree. She’d never admit that to anyone though.

She sauntered inside, once again checking her scroll for the message she had been waiting for. Nothing, of course. “Boscha!” She jumped at the sudden voice, her head perking up to let her eyes search for the source. She found Skara waving her over to get her attention. She stood beside Amelia and Cat, who waved to her as well.

A small smile cracked across her lips, Boscha waved back and headed over. She hugged the three before asking if any of them had seen her date. “No, I don’t think I’ve seen her tonight,” Amelia hummed in thought as she recalled seeing the other students throughout the evening. “Me either,” Skara started, “but didn’t she say she’d message you to let you know when she got here?” Boscha nodded. “Yeah, but I haven’t gotten anything.”

“Maybe she’s just running late?”

“Yeah, maybe.”

Even as she agreed, Boscha couldn’t help the feeling of overwhelming doubt that crept over her senses. Surely she had to be here somewhere. The service on the Isles hadn’t been great in the area, so maybe her message just didn’t send through? She didn’t know. Instead of physically walking around to find her, she opted for heading up to the top of the bleachers to scan the crowds alone. She told Skara it was so she had a better chance of spotting her, but the reality was she didn’t want anyone to see the pure worry on her face.

An hour and a half had passed, and if Boscha’s nerves hadn’t gotten the better of her before, they certainly did now. Still no word of her date, and no sight of her either. After a while, she had rejoined her friends back on the dance floor, awkwardly ignoring their suggestions to dance for a bit to ease up with a forced grin. “I just wanna save my energy for my “big dance,” you know?”

To try and shake the nerves, she walked around the room here and there, all while checking her scroll. Still nothing.

Just as she made it a few feet away from her friend group again, her scroll finally pinged. She clicked it, and confusion riddled her features at the sight that her date had posted something on Penstagram. So much for her reception being bad.

With a newfound hesitancy, she clicked on the post to view it. Her heart dropped at the sight of her date with someone else at the party that was being held at Glandus High, their opposing school. She held the stranger tight in the photo, clearly posing for a selfie. She felt her limbs grow numb as her gaze dropped down to skim over the caption, unable to swallow or hear any of the surrounding noises as she processed the words.

There wasn’t even the slightest mention of her name, but she knew that it was directed towards her.

“Ditched a would’ve-been mistake, loving this party! Shoutout to Glandus for giving me the best replacement for both a lame party and date!”

She hadn’t even realized she had finally looked up from her scroll. One moment, she was reading the caption in shock, and the next, she was met with several gazes from the other students in the room, all of which were a mix of pity, confusion, and sorrow. Skara and Amelia motioned for her to come over, likely to try and sympathize with her and comfort her.

She’d have none of that.

The night had been ruined long ago, she just wasn’t made aware of it until then.

Her date didn’t think she deserved to be spared the humiliation, and decided to publicize it on top of everything? She hadn’t let the girl know about her worst fear, and yet she somehow managed to make it known to everyone anyway.

How predictable.

How pathetic.

Through blurred vision, in which she cursed herself for starting to cry, she shook her head and began to walk backwards. It soon turned into a sprint once she turned, then she was quickly running. How could she have been so stupid? She should’ve noticed the signs immediately, and yet she decided to turn a blind eye and only embarrass herself further by going all out. She ignored the concerned calls from her friends and desperately rushed to the furthest bathroom from there that she could find.

Once she stumbled across one, she wobbled inside and stood in front of one of the mirrors to the sinks. Her hand shook violently as it twisted the knob, and only shook harder as she dunked it under the running water before letting it resurface to splash the water in her face. She repeated this motion with both hands, all while letting out several curses under her breath.

She lost count of how many times she splashed herself, going on and on until she could no longer tell the difference from the tears that streaked her face and the sink water that soaked her skin. Her hearing had returned, though everything sounded muffled. She had been rejected here and there in the past, but she had never been publicly made fun of and humiliated in the process. It was heartbreaking. That was the only way she could possibly describe it at that moment.

Eventually, she pried herself away from the sink, barely mustering the courage to turn it off before wandering to the roll of paper towels and using a few to pathetically pat her face dry. She shivered, barely realizing then that she had soaked part of her blazer. She glanced down to find that a large amount of the water had trickled down her jaw and neck and soaked through the collar of her shirt as well.

Reluctantly, she tore the blazer from her torso, tossing it on top of the lid of the trashcan. With the same paper towels she had already partially soaked, she lazily tried to dry her shirt as well. After one failed attempt of wringing the collar dry, she sniffled and gave up, tossing the crumpled up sheets aside. She shakily left the room and subconsciously found herself roaming the halls. She couldn’t go home just yet, she knew, or her moms would ask what had happened. She didn’t have the energy to explain it all.

And she couldn’t return to the party. She just couldn’t. She didn’t want to deal with giving any fake responses when people offered their sympathy, nor did she want to hear anyone else mentioning what had happened while watching them side-eye her from a distance.

Again, she found herself scolding her mind for sobbing, though when she let her fingers graze her face to wipe the tears, she studied them with confusion upon seeing they were dry. She strained her ears, forcing them to hear past the dull ringing. Somewhere nearby, she could hear someone weeping. Although she knew she didn’t have the energy to talk to whoever it was, her curiosity got the better of her. Maybe knowing she wasn’t the only one having a horrible night was what gave her a small burst of energy–enough to find the source anyway.

She narrowed down the possibilities of which hall they could possibly be, grumbling at how the empty halls amplified the noise and had the echoes reverberating throughout the walls. Finally, after pin-pointing where the sound was coming from, she neared the corner to the intersecting hallway ahead of her and slowed her steps before ultimately stopping to listen.

Around the corner, a strangely familiar voice choked out pained sobs and murmurs, unaware they were no longer talking to themself. She peeked out cautiously and found [Y/N] [L/N], a girl she knew of but didn’t know personally, curled into herself against the wall, her body trembling with every heave and wail.

“What the hell did I do?” She asked herself repeatedly in between sharp gasps for air, her phone tossed to the side and long forgotten. Boscha glanced down and found the small device near her feet, face-down on the chilled, marble floor. As silently as she could, she picked it up and studied the screen, which was somehow still on. Her eyebrows lifted in shock, surprised to discover this girl was in the exact same situation as she was.

She sighed inaudibly. With one hand still holding onto the phone and the other tucked into the pocket of her slacks, she walked forward, clearing her throat to push past the voice cracks she knew she’d produce if she tried to talk. Startled, [Y/N] jumped and reeled back. She wiped furiously at her eyes and peered up at Boscha, who held the phone up a bit further. “Rough night?”

“I-I’m so sorry, I didn’t know anyone was over here.”

“No, you’re fine.”

They stayed there in silence, unsure of what to say. With a small grimace, Boscha moved forward and sat a couple of feet from [Y/N], leaning against the wall and handing over her phone. “Thank you,” was her soft reply. She only nodded before turning her head to stare blankly at the lockers across from them.

She wondered if there was any possible way to salvage the night. Even if she returned to the party, she wouldn’t be able to enjoy it. There was no one to dance with, and she’d constantly be stared at the entire time. Maybe she should’ve just stayed in the bathroom and locked herself away. Or even gone home after all and snuck back into her bedroom. She just didn’t want to face the world anytime soon.

“So…you’re Boscha, right?” A gentle voice questioned beside her. She turned her attention to [Y/N] again and nodded. “Yeah. And you’re [Y/N], right? The human?” “Yeah, that’s me. Why aren’t you at the party?” Boscha scoffed and scratched the back of her neck anxiously. “My date ditched me, that’s why. Decided I was a mistake, and that I deserved to feel ridiculous by not telling me ahead of time that she wasn’t interested.”

“Oh…”

She hummed, then turned back to her again. “What about you?” “Same here.”

She wished she could’ve been surprised, but after seeing what had been left on the screen just a moment ago, she couldn’t even muster a proper reaction. “Guess we’re in the same boat then, huh?” She muttered with a fake chuckle after waiting for a beat. “I guess so.”

Silence settled upon the two of them again, though it wasn’t as uncomfortable as before. Boscha wracked her brain for something to say to lighten the mood, grasping desperately at anything that could make the night better. If she knew the situation better, coming up with a solution would be far easier. She thought of what Willow or one of the others would do in her place, wincing at herself for becoming so soft in the past few months.

“Do you wanna talk about it?”

The two had sat there for a little under an hour, just talking about what had happened at first, but eventually started chatting about more positive things. It was relieving when the two of them shared a laugh for the first time that evening. Their situations were pretty much the same, although [Y/N] was able to escape the auditorium without much notice. Her date had bailed on her and made it public pretty early on in the evening, meaning there were very few students around when she saw the post.

All the while as they talked about whatever came to mind, Boscha couldn’t help but find herself urging to ask [Y/N] to come back to the auditorium with her and prove both of their dates wrong–to show them that they were better off without them. She wasn’t sure how to ask in a smooth manner, so ultimately, she built up the courage to ask it as bluntly as possible.

While [Y/N] searched on her phone for something that related to a story she was talking about, Boscha scooted a bit closer. “So, what would you think about just heading back and going as each other’s dates instead?” Shocked by the sudden question, [Y/N] glanced over at her and tilted her head. “Huh? What do you mean?” Boscha shrugged, unable to bite back her smirk. “Well, I mean…we shouldn’t let the night go to waste. We can still salvage it. Plus, we’d get to prove to everyone that we don’t need people who’ll ditch us.”

She gently nudged her shoulder with her own. “We can show them that we’re better than that, y’know?” [Y/N] stared at her for a moment before laughing anxiously. “I don’t know, Boscha. I’m not sure I could go face everyone in there again. Aren’t you afraid of how they’d look at us? At you?”

“Of course I am. Ever since I made it to high school here at Hexside, I’ve had to work hard to make sure people look at me with respect. Didn’t matter if they hated me or not, I had to pretend not to care. I was the “star,” the Team Captain of the Grudgby Team. I’m always terrified of how they look at me, if I’m being honest. But…you kinda learn to ignore it after a while and just do your own thing. Shouldn’t we be allowed to enjoy our night, even if we get weird looks for it?”

For the first time that evening, [Y/N] felt confident. Not drastically more confident than before, but Boscha’s words got the gears in her head working again after being rusted with stress and tears. She had been so distraught by the whole incident that she hadn’t been able to think logically about how she still deserved a good night.

Maybe dancing with Boscha that night would make up for it.

She glanced down for a moment in thought. At length, she looked up again and smiled with excitement. “Yeah, you know what? Let’s do it!”

At that, Boscha laughed and pumped her arm triumphantly the way she did when she won a Grudgby match. She stood and offered her hand for [Y/N] to take, hoisting her up to stand in front of her when she did. [Y/N] pocketed her phone, giggling as Boscha tugged her forward towards the auditorium with a newfound pep in her step. The two laughed the entire journey there, Boscha’s hand never leaving [Y/N]’s.

Before they made it, they stopped and glanced at each other to suck in a quick breath, steeling their nerves and grinning as they walked inside. Boscha was quick to bring her over to her friend group, introducing her to the others and explaining what had happened–first asking [Y/N] and confirming that it was okay to talk about the situation. They seemed confused, but ultimately were glad that the two of them had found a way to improve what they went through.

They smiled and waved at them as they headed to the dance floor, Boscha hugging [Y/N] tightly against her as they swayed to the beat of the song. As they circled the others, occasionally having to apologize as they bumped into a couple here or there, they kept their eyes trained on one another, warmth growing in their chests as they studied the smallest features.

Boscha watched in awe as [Y/N]’s eyes squinted shut tight enough for the bridge of her nose to crinkle slightly with every wide smile and laugh. She could swear that she’d catch [Y/N]’s [h/c] eyes flickering down to her lips when she’d crack another joke.

[Y/N] noticed with pure glee that not once did Boscha’s eyes leave her own. Her third eye seemed to focus on her the most, seemingly showing what the witch was truly thinking in that moment as its pupil overtook the majority of the iris.

By the time Grom royalty headed to the arena, once everyone parted to sit in the bleachers of course, Boscha and [Y/N] were in tears. They were glad, however, that they were from the constant laughter they shared rather than from the initial heartbreak they experienced merely two hours ago. They waited until everyone was settled and focused on the fight before sneaking out and jogging out the front doors, laughing all the while.

Finally, the two of them made it outside, a good distance away from the building. They fell to the floor in yet another fit of giggles, struggling to gasp for breath as they added on to the previous jokes. [Y/N] playfully reached over far enough to smack Boscha on the shoulder, snorting in the process and laughing even harder at the sound. “Boscha, stop it! I can’t breathe!”

They continued like that for a while until the jokes settled down. They snickered occasionally, but sighed once they were able to calm all the way down. As [Y/N] let her hands move up to swipe the stray tears from her face, Boscha couldn’t help but stare with a smile that could only be described as smitten or lovestruck. How had she never met this girl before tonight? She was so carefree and warm. They had only spent the past few hours together, but in that time, in between all of the playful banter and dancing, they had learned so much about each other. It felt like they had known each other for so long.

Like they were old, close friends.

Although the mere thought of her ex-date was painful, she was a thing of the past at that moment. She was able to keep her mind clear with [Y/N], and she wondered if it was because they knew what the other had been through, or if it was because they had actually managed to grow pretty close in such a short amount of time. Either way, she was grateful that they had met. Maybe she was being too bold, but she felt like this wasn’t just going to be something that lasted for one night.

As cheesy as it sounded, she had never felt that way before. Usually, she only spent time with people if she pitied them or wanted to leech off of their status. With [Y/N], however, she wanted to spend time with her because it felt right–it felt natural. It wasn’t a forced formality like what she had had with Amity. It was genuine. There didn’t seem to be any kind of ill-intent or fake gentleness that she sensed with others.

She couldn’t recall the last time she was able to laugh like they had together, or even when she was able to talk so casually about things she could remember from her past–the memories that brought joy and didn’t have to make her look good, anyway.

It was an amazing, freeing feeling that she never wanted to let go of. She told herself, no matter what anyone else thought, she’d make sure this continues. Just looking into [Y/N]’s eyes as they talked told her that she didn’t want this to end either.

“You know, as weird as it sounds, I’m actually kinda glad we were ditched tonight,” [Y/N] admitted softly. Almost immediately after, she covered her face and laughed anxiously. “Oh god, that really did sound horrible. That’s not what I meant by that at all.” Boscha chortled and shook her head, letting the back of her knuckle tap [Y/N]’s arm. “No, it didn’t sound bad at all. I know what you mean. I feel the same way. I mean, if that hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t have met, and…well, even if our dates had both shown up, I don’t think we would’ve enjoyed the night.

“Not to assume anything, but it seems like my date tonight wasn’t the only asshole in this situation. Whoever ditched you didn’t realize what they were losing.” [Y/N] rolled onto her side, propping herself up on her arm to gaze down at Boscha, a confused grin toying at her lips. “What are you talking about? I’m not much of a loss.” Boscha rolled over as well, though she stayed solid against the ground, peering up at [Y/N] from below. “You are so. You’re amazing. They don’t know what they’re missing.”

Again, a soft, confused chuckle sounded from [Y/N]. “C’mon, Boscha. You don’t know that. I mean, we just met, for god’s sake.” At that, the three-eyed witch finally sat up to make direct eye contact with her. “Well, yeah, maybe. But I can already tell how incredible of a person you are. Not once during this entire night have you judged me for anything. You’ve made it clear that you’re attentive and aren’t selfish. I just…I hope I don’t come across as selfish to you. It would honestly surprise me more if you didn’t think of me that way, actually. I’m not exactly the most compassionate witch.”

[Y/N] scoffed and scooted over to gently bump her shoulder against the other girl’s. “What? Are you crazy? Of course you’re compassionate.” “Huh?” “Boscha, all you’ve done since we’ve met is make sure I’m happy. You’ve cracked jokes nonstop to make me laugh. I probably would’ve still been in that hallway crying right now if you hadn’t checked on me to make sure I was alright. And you didn’t just ask if I was okay and then move along when I said I wasn’t. You sat with me and helped me talk things through until I really was.

“And then you convinced me to save the night by going back into the auditorium and enjoying the dance, even after all that had happened. I don’t think I’ve had this much fun since…well, ever, actually. You made tonight worth it. I loved being able to meet you and spend time with you.”

Boscha could only gawk at her in awe. No one had ever thought that way of her–not in a genuine way that they would actually admit aloud. It brought forth a new feeling that she had no idea how to process. As far back as she could remember, people would stare at her with pure fear or disgust. But now, as she looked up and gazed into [Y/N]’s eyes, all she could see was admiration. And from what had just been said, it seemed that admiration stemmed from affection rather than terror.

She couldn’t think of anything to say for a long while, and she could see [Y/N] growing unsure of herself.

“I loved spending time with you too,” she finally whispered at length. After a moment or so, she steeled her nerves and gently took [Y/N]’s free hand into her own. She glanced down and watched as she let the pad of her thumb gently caress the back of her knuckles. “And I really hope I get to spend more time with you in the future.” She tried her best to glance back up to gauge her reaction, but her eyes averted that direction each time and settled back down at their connected hands.

The soft blades of grass that were once comforting merely minutes ago now made her exposed skin burn and itch uncomfortably as she shifted around, unable to sit still and maintain her composure.

“I’d love that,” was her response after a while. Finally, she managed to glance back up, her breath shuttering as she studied the breathtaking smile that graced [Y/N]’s lips. Her face brightened at the answer, turning a soft shade of red. “Really?”

“Yes.”

She knew then, at that very moment, that everything that had happened was for a reason. She never thought she’d be thankful for the fact that someone had ditched her, but she knew she never would’ve met [Y/N] otherwise. Likewise, she never thought she’d think of anything other than showing off to others about what she had achieved. She figured she would’ve wanted to take the best possible photo with the other girl to post online–a silent jab at her ex-date from that night. She thought she would’ve used PDA as a way to “claim what’s hers,” but none of that ever happened.

It was a few weeks after the two started dating–at a much later date, of course–that she finally posted something relating to her relationship. There were no undertones of bitterness towards her ex, nor were there any mentions of being controlling or overprotective of her girlfriend. Instead, she showed off her favorite videos and photos she had taken during their first few dates with pride, simply feeling honored to be able to show off the girl she loved most of all.

She didn’t want the world to think that [Y/N] was hers.

She wanted to show that she felt lucky to have her.

She wanted to make [Y/N] feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.

To give her everything she deserved.

To help her see that just by being herself, she was worth everything.

Chores

[The Owl House] Amity Blight x Female Reader

Word Count: 4.05k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Mentions of overworking, but that's pretty much it.

[A/N]: Story 3/3 for Amity! I'll be writing for Boscha next.

At the time I’ve finished this and proofread it before scheduling, we’re at 110 followers, so I just wanted to quickly say thank you! I hope you’ll enjoy my content as much as I enjoy creating it.

Enjoy!

 An occasional strained grunt filled the small space in between the idle chatter of citizens and workers. Lilith turned from her conversation with Steve, her gaze landing over to the source of the grunting. Amity, just a few feet away, was tugging at a rope in an attempt to lift a large wall skillfully tied to the other end. She seemed to struggle too much for a moment, but before anyone could step in to help her, her hand lifted enough for her to cast a spell circle and summon an Abomination. Two much larger hands joined hers on the rope and gave a hefty tug, finally allowing the wall to lift with ease. Once it was set in place, Amity sighed in relief, shrugging and rolling her shoulders back to ease the already growing tension.

She stared up at the work that had been done so far: three of four walls had been lifted, two of which were set in place against their designated pillars. Just one more left to go, then the Construction Coven would finish it off by tidying the design for the roof and building it on their shift. Hands on her hips, Amity smiled. They certainly had made a good amount of progress on the newest sets of households for those who’d had their previous home destroyed during the Collector’s reign of terror and Belos’s eventual defeat.

Thinking of all of the citizens who would once again be able to call somewhere home brought an even wider grin to her lips. Her mind wandered back to her own home–which she shared with her girlfriend [Y/N]. The mere thought of the girl made Amity feel warm and relaxed. She wished she was home with her in that moment. She knew, however, that she had to play her part in the reconstruction of the Isles. It had been months since she had been able to convince herself to take a day off. She was upset by it, but her guilt for not helping the others certainly combatted those feelings. It was a battle everyday about whether or not she should just stay home.

A quick yelp unwillingly slipped past her lips as a hand dropped onto her shoulder and squeezed. She turned, startled, but settled again when she saw her former mentor Lilith standing there. Her eyebrows were creased in concern. “Amity, you look exhausted. Why don’t you take a break for today? We’ve got it from here.” Amity smiled softly up at her and waved it off, gently lifting Lilith’s hand from her shoulder and letting it drop back down to her side. “No, it’s alright. I can keep working.” A frown crossed the Clawthorne’s features.

“I understand that you feel as though you have to help out all day everyday, but I can assure you it’s alright to take breaks here and there. I haven’t seen this many bags under your eyes since your mother had you competing for grades and status in school.” Again, Amity waved, this time shaking her head. “I promise I’m good to work like this. I feel guilty anytime I take a break anyway. I’d much rather be here.”

“You’d rather be here than at home with [Y/N]?”

Now silent, Amity glanced down at her feet and let her gloved fingertips scratch lightly at the back of her neck. “Well, no, but–” “Then go spend time with her. I’m sure she misses you. I mean, you’re gone so much. Please just take the rest of the week off, alright? No one will be upset with you for it. They’ll understand. And besides, you’ve done plenty already. It’s not as if you haven’t been efficient in your work.” The younger woman seemed unsure at the mention of taking the week off. It had been so long since she had taken even half of a day as a break–and that alone had her guilt eating away at her conscience–how would she survive an entire week?

“I couldn’t,” came her reply after a moment.

“Amity, at this point, it’s not a question anymore. It’s a request–an order. Not only am I worried about how little time you spend at home, I’m also worried about your health. When’s the last time you sat down to eat a proper meal and just relax?”

Amity wracked her brain to find the example, though she couldn’t, and ultimately sighed. “I guess you’re right. I’ll take tomorrow off, but could I at least finish up my work here for the day?” Lilith’s glare sharpened. “Only if you take the rest of the week off. Not just tomorrow. Deal?” Another sigh of defeat. She truly didn’t want to feel as though she was letting these people down. “Deal.”

The rest of the day had gone by rather quickly, much to Amity’s dismay. She wasn’t looking forward to the rest of the week. She felt as though she constantly had to be helping out in some way, always searching for approval and praise. After all that had happened, she thought she had moved past feeling like she needed to prove herself for merely existing, but it was hard to break a habit she had been in her entire life. It seemed to be getting better though–at least, when it didn’t come to reconstruction.

As everyone wrapped up for the night and began to disperse towards their own homes, Amity found herself fastening her tool belt more sluggishly than normal. Her eyebrow raised at this, though her silent question of, “why is it so hard to move?” was answered as she yawned. After wiping her watery eyes from the yawn, she grumbled under her breath about feeling horrible. Just as she turned to head home with her staff underneath her, Lilith called out to her. “Amity, remember to take the rest of the week off! If I find you working somewhere aside from home, I’ll be sure to tell [Y/N], and you know she won’t let you leave until you rest.”

Amity nodded and waved in acknowledgment before signaling for Ghost to float up and head home.

By the time she made it home, Amity was almost too fatigued to even make it up to the doorstep. She managed to force herself to push the door open and shut before trudging to her shared bedroom. The moment she stepped into the room, she smiled at the sight of [Y/N] curled up against the headboard, huddled in between pillows and under blankets as she silently read her book.

She looked up at Amity once she heard the doorknob twist, a wide smirk gracing her lips. “You’re home. How was work?” At the mention of what had made her so tired, Amity groaned and walked forward, collapsing onto the bed and murmuring something unintelligible into the pillow. A small chuckle made her turn her head. “What’d you say?” “I said good but tiring. Lilith–you remember her, right? My old mentor? She’s pretty much my boss for our projects, and she told me I had to take the rest of the week off.”

“Why do you seem upset about that? I mean, we’d be able to spend more time together.” “Yeah, I know. Don’t get me wrong, I love being able to spend time with you, you know I do. I just feel guilty for not being able to help them out at the same time, you know?” [Y/N] nodded softly before letting out a small sigh. She shuffled in her spot on the bed, and when Amity looked up to see what she was doing, she found her huddled up further in the blankets, already reading to distract herself again.

With a bit more effort than she thought she’d need, Amity picked herself up into a sitting position. She then shifted over to lean against [Y/N]’s shoulder and rest her head against it. “What’s wrong?” She questioned gently as she peered up at her. “Nothing’s wrong,” was the only response. Amity wouldn’t accept that, however. She nudged at her shoulder until they made eye contact again. “C’mon, you can tell me. Is it because of me? I won’t be upset.”

It took a few moments before [Y/N] finally answered, visibly hesitating. “It’s not necessarily because of you. I know you, Amity, and you know me. We’re both the same when it comes to wanting to help people. I just wish you would spend more time with me here instead–I want to help them out as much as possible too, don’t get me wrong, but it’s better to take breaks. If you’re exhausted all the time, then you won’t have the energy to keep working everyday. I’m really starting to worry that one day I’ll be called to one of the sites because you’ve collapsed.”

Amity’s heart ached at the thought of [Y/N] being so concerned for her. She knew she was likely overworking herself the same way she used to during school, but she had never really paid attention to how long she was away from the house for that work. [Y/N] had offered to help out more often as well a while back so she and Amity could alternate during shifts and not work for too long. She had denied the suggestion, but now, as she looked at the way her girlfriend’s eyebrows furrowed upward together while her eyes glinted with an accompanying distress, she regretted it.

Maybe Lilith was right–maybe spending so much time at work was doing more harm than good. Surely, after spending over ten to twelve hours a day doing near-constant labor, she was too fatigued to actually be helping out all that much. She thought she was doing most of the work, but looking back on it, the others did come in after her shift to correct some of the things she had messed up. And those errors were growing more and more frequent.

With a small sigh, she nodded and shifted up further to let her face burrow into the crook of [Y/N]’s neck. “I know. I’m really sorry. I had no idea I was concerning you that much. I’ll listen to Lilith and take the rest of the week off, but I’ll also start reminding myself to take more breaks and spend more time here at home with you, okay?”

At this, [Y/N] looked up at her again, having turned away to stare mindlessly at the thin pages of her book to avoid eye contact. “You promise?” Amity smiled and nodded reassuringly. She lifted her arm and let it wrap around the smaller girl’s shoulders, allowing her to pull her closer for a hug. “I promise.”

A few hours had passed since Amity made her promise, and she was finding it harder and harder to stay awake with each passing second. She had slumped down further into the sheets, eventually letting her head fall to rest partially against [Y/N]’s hip and thigh as she continued to sit up and read her book. She glanced up, occasionally managing to read a few words off of the pages of the story. The feeling of [Y/N]’s fingertips lightly scratching at her scalp in a soothing manner, combined with the comforting motion of those same fingers raking through her lavender locks, finally lulled her into a deep sleep after a while.

Moments later, at the sound of soft snoring, [Y/N] pulled her attention away from her book and glanced down at Amity. She beamed warmly at the sight and sighed. Her free hand left the book long enough to slip her bookmark from its place on her nightstand and tuck it in between the pages before letting the cover fall shut. As silently as she could, [Y/N] placed her book to the side–essentially replacing where the bookmark was just a moment ago–tugged the small cord on the lamp to turn it off, then wriggled her way beneath the sheets. She turned over onto her side and pulled Amity into her chest.

Her lips made contact with the top of Amity’s head in the form of a gentle kiss. “Night, Amity,” she slurred out softly as her eyes fluttered shut. She was dragged into slumber as well shortly after.

The sun’s morning light poked its way through the partially shut blinds and gently blanketed the room in a comforting glow. [Y/N] stirred once it reached her eyes, squinting and murmuring to herself as she managed to pry her eyes open and look around. With a yawn, she looked down to find Amity still tucked away against her chest. She smiled, getting caught in a daze at how she looked in the lighting. After the long hours of the week, the bags under the youngest Blight’s eyes were very visible, though she still looked managed to look so beautiful in her peaceful slumber.

[Y/N] leaned down far enough to press a small kiss to her forehead before she slipped her arms out from around her and snuck out of the bed and into the kitchen. There, she quickly prepared Amity’s favorite breakfast and placed it on one of the table trays they had gotten recently so they could eat in bed without worrying about crumbs. She crept back into the bedroom, set the tray down on Amity’s nightstand, got dressed for the day, and headed out, sending a message to Lilith in the process.

By the time Amity finally woke back up, mainly due to the lack of warmth and the smell of her favorite dish, [Y/N] had been gone for a while. She sat up in bed and looked around, confused. Quickly, she pulled out her scroll and messaged [Y/N], asking where she was. Soon enough, she got a reply, which explained she was taking care of a few of Amity’s daily chores so she didn’t have to worry about them that day, as well as letting Lilith and the crew know she would get a few things done throughout the week so they both didn’t completely disappear in the meantime.

Amity couldn’t help but smile widely at the message. [Y/N] knew she was feeling guilty for not being able to constantly help out, and that she also felt guilty for not spending more time together, so she was trying to find a way to compromise and make both of them work.

She turned over to the tray and lifted it. She set it on the mattress to rest over her lap and dug in, clicking over on her scroll for a bit to find a good video or movie to watch at the same time. Working for so long the previous day had built up her appetite, and she hadn’t eaten before she practically passed out the night before, meaning her stomach was roaring from hunger. She scarfed down the dish quicker than she meant to and slipped out from under the covers after picking the tray up. She brought it out to the kitchen, and while headed there, she noticed that the entire house–save for the bedroom, which hadn’t been cleaned in order to not wake Amity up–was spotless.

A sigh passed from her lips as she grinned. She rinsed her plate and glass and placed them in the sink, as well as her fork, and wiped off the bedside tray before folding it and tucking it away again in the pantry. “I’ll have to find a good way to thank her. Maybe I could make some kind of bot that could take care of the cleaning for her,” she mumbled to herself out loud. At the thought of this, she headed out to her laboratory and clicked on the light.

Her molten golden eyes shimmered as she noticed that her entire workspace had also been polished and reorganized. All of the discarded bolts and mixed puddles of Abomination slime had been wiped from the floor, every tool was in its designated spot, and every countertop was completely spotless. How long had it taken [Y/N] to do all of this? She thought back to her food, and within a few moments of reflection, realized that she had been asleep far longer than she thought. Her food had been cold when she ate it, but she must’ve been too hungry to notice.

Her hand moved back and slipped her scroll from her pocket once more. She sent another message off to [Y/N], asking what time she had left the room that morning. She made a mental note of the current time after her eyes flickered up to the digital clock at the top of her screen. Her response was quick. “I think I left around 4:30 AM. Why?” It was nearly 2:00 PM when the message was sent. Amity sighed and smiled again. “Just wondering. Thank you for cleaning everything.”

She sauntered over to her chair in front of the desk space she usually used to sketch out blueprints and got to work once she was seated. She’d find a way to repay [Y/N] for helping her out so much. If her idea worked out, she realized she could also design one similar to help clean the construction sites when she was back to work later on.

Picking up a pencil from its original spot in a small cup on the corner of the desk, she pulled out a sheet of sketching paper and began scribbling down different designs and the pieces that would be required for each part. It didn’t take long for her to get lost in her work.

“Thanks so much, Matt! I’ll make sure Amity gets them,” [Y/N] called out with a smile and a wave, a basket full of baked goods tucked away in her arm. Matt waved back. “No problem! It’s from the whole crew, as a way to thank the two of you for all you’ve done!”

[Y/N]’s smile grew wider at this, and she nodded as she headed back to the house. She yawned, exhausted from both the work throughout the day and the early hour she had chosen to wake up at. On the way, she ran into Lilith, who recognized her immediately and turned from the conversation she was having with her sister. Eda turned as well, grinning. “Ah, if it isn’t Miss Bossy Boots’s girlfriend! Lily told me about what happened yesterday. Is she finally resting up?”

A nod and a chuckle was her response. “Yeah, she’s at home. She’s awake and she’s eaten, but there isn’t much to do at the house except–” She froze, her realization kicking in. A groan erupted from her before she could realize it, and she ran her free hand down her face. “What’s wrong, kiddo?” “Well, I completely forgot to lock up her lab, so she’s probably still working, just not out here. I gotta get back and make sure she’s resting.”

Lilith stepped forward and squeezed [Y/N]’s shoulder with a smile. “Thank you for looking after her. I’ve been worried for a while now.” Her eyes flickered down to the basket, and her grin widened. “I see Matt gave you our appreciation basket. Make sure to eat them fairly soon. They don’t spoil quickly, but they’re best when they’re fresh. I’m sure Amity will appreciate it as much as you because, well, it is for both of you, after all.”

[Y/N] nodded again. “Thank you for everything, Lilith. Could you let the crew know that Amity and I want to thank them as well?” “Of course.” Eda grinned and stepped forward. “Why don’t you get home now and make sure she isn’t wasting away like her pops in that lab?” She cackled as Lilith elbowed her gently in the arm. “Edalyn, please.”

“Ah, I’m just messing with her. Seriously though, make sure she actually rests. "Working hard is important, but feeling good is important too," to quote a show Hunter got Hooty hooked on.” [Y/N] smiled and nodded once again before turning on her heel to continue heading home. She waved to the Clawthorne sisters.

Once she finally made it, she unlocked the door with a bit of a struggle, and headed inside. “Amity?” She called out, placing the basket of goods on the kitchen table as she wandered to her shared bedroom. She peeked in, but it wasn’t necessarily a surprise to find that Amity wasn’t in there. She sighed, then headed to the entrance of the lab, where she finally spotted the lavender-headed woman already crafting something new on her experiment table.

Even behind the dark purple-shaded lenses of her goggles, Amity could see the door swing open to reveal her girlfriend standing there, completely exasperated. She lifted her goggles and planted them up on her head to see her clearly. With a smile and a wave, she greeted her. “Hey, welcome home. How was your day?” [Y/N] stepped in once being acknowledged. “It was good, but why are you in here working? You’re supposed to be relaxing.”

“Well, inventing stuff helps me relax. And besides, this machine I’m making will actually help both of us relax more often–if it works properly, that is.” Now curious, [Y/N] stepped closer, peering over at what was being built. “What is it supposed to do?”

Amity smiled, happy to talk about her current work in progress. “It’s a cleaning bot. It’ll help us clean up around the house and the lab. If it works the way I want it to, then I was thinking I could help cut down the amount of time we spend at the worksites by making one specifically for construction cleanup.” [Y/N] cringed at a memory that she triggered. “Amity, I don’t know…don’t you remember what happened last time you tried to do something like this?” “Oh, believe me, I remember that. I remember the broken plates and frames–""--and chairs.” “And chairs, yes, but that’s why I’m going to set up a small practice area to test it out in. And I won’t use anything fragile.

“I promise I won’t try it out in the house until it’s perfected.” [Y/N] sighed, already anxious, but she smiled at how enthusiastic Amity was at her newest idea. She stepped closer again and pulled the taller woman into a tight hug, which was returned just as eagerly. “I’m proud of you, Amity.” At this, Amity couldn’t help but tear up just a little bit as she pressed a small kiss to the top of [Y/N]’s head.

“I’m proud of you too.”

After leaning away from the hug, [Y/N] grabbed Amity’s hand and led her out of the lab and into the kitchen, receiving very little resistance. She revealed the basket still resting on the table, pulling the small cloth on the top off to reveal the rest of the baked goods.

Amity tilted her head, confused. “What’s all of this for?” [Y/N] beamed up at her and picked a random treat out. “The construction crew, including Lilith, wanted to thank you and I both for all the work we’ve done recently–especially you.”

She grew warm at the thought of all of her work being appreciated, grinning uncontrollably as she plucked one of her favorites from the small woven basket. She unwrapped it and turned it in her hold before biting down into it, humming at the flavor. “It’s amazing. Hopefully my bot will be a good enough way to thank them for it.” [Y/N] nodded and bit into her own snack. “Maybe, but remember: this is to thank you for everything you’ve already done.”

“I know,” Amity started. “I’m excited to see them all again next week, even though I plan to spend less than half of the amount of time there.” At the sound of this statement, [Y/N]’s head perked up, her glee evident on her features. “Well, I’m excited to spend that time with you.” Amity smiled down at her and pulled her closer. “You know what else I’m excited for?”

“Hm?”

“I’m excited to eat all of these treats.” [Y/N] laughed at that, prompting Amity’s smirk to grow. The smaller woman stood on her toes to press a small kiss to Amity's cheek, already thinking of ways to spend time together during the next several days.

“So am I.”

Shielded Tranquility

[Resident Evil: Village] Cassandra Dimitrescu x Female Reader

Word Count: 5.07k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Blood, threats, handling a small panic attack, mentions of torture, suggestive dialogue, language, soft angst, and fluff.

[A/N]: Here's Cassandra's part for the continuation of Shielded! I'm working on the story for Daniela, so expect that sometime soon! Bela's part can be found here.

Enjoy!

//////////

Faint laughter rolled down the crumbling hallways of the dungeon linked to the kitchen, softly rumbling its way past cracked bricks and snapped planks that littered the cold and rugged stone floor. Having noticed just how overwhelmed and stressed the majority of her fellow maids were, [Y/N] offered to assist them with the most anxiety-inducing task: cleaning out the remains and partially-dried bloodstains in each cage. After working with House Dimitrescu for so long, most maids and visitors–who later became victims–grew accustomed to these scenes.

The reason so many of the maids grew frail and hesitant with every action they took while on the lowest floor of the manor was because they were never sure if their predators would join them, taunt them, and ultimately torture them relentlessly, laughing at them and mocking them heartlessly as they took their final, strained breath. No matter how many times they were reassured by the head matriarch of the castle known for the bloodshed and lack of mercy, each maid felt their heart sink to their stomach each time they heard they were being assigned to work downstairs.

Knowing this, and wanting to help her coworkers feel at ease while working, [Y/N] made sure to crack jokes at every given opportunity. She kept a smile on at all times and forced herself to appear as though she had no concern for the potential punishment or death any one of them could receive at any given moment.

The maids, even those among them who had been fortunate enough to survive and work under one of the Four Lords for years, found themselves astonished at her carefree attitude. Although they weren’t sure how genuine she was being towards them, they couldn’t help but feel their own anxiety flicker away with each grin and pun sent their way. Within an hour, they had all begun to share jokes and laugh. They convinced each other to stay as silent as possible, but after a decent amount of time that lacked scolding from one of their employers, it was becoming much harder to stifle their giggles.

Each woman had grown comfortable enough to let their guard down, though one by one, they grew tense again and gasped as a familiar figure prowled past them, accompanied by the overwhelmingly strong smell of blood, sweat, and something rotten. Confusion riddled each maid’s face as the middle child, Cassandra Dimitrescu, paid no mind to them, not even gracing them with a single glance in their direction. Instead, she lurked forward with a smirk on her face. She had clearly just gotten finished with a hunt, which was evident from the way warm, wet, fresh blood had been splattered over her lips and gradually trickled down her jawline and throat. It seeped into her cloak, though it didn’t seem to bother her in the slightest. Likely the same blood that enhanced her wicked grin also drenched her tattered gloves and sleeves. Wherever she was going seemed to be more important than cleaning up after herself.

Then again, she tended to prefer keeping a wild appearance. She was thrilled when others feared her and viewed her as unhinged. It helped accomplish her desire to be intimidating and in control, which satisfied her even further each time she toyed with her prey. Knowing that her wicked, sadistic glare would be the final thing so many of her victims saw was addictive. Being feared was one of the most important, exhilarating things to her.

Her sickle dangled loosely from her belt, rocking and thumping against her hip with each sauntered movement. Strangely enough, it didn’t seem it was what she had used. The silver still gleamed effortlessly under the dim lighting from the candles burning punily against the walls. It seemed as though the blade had been sharpened recently, which only added to the bewilderment pouring throughout the entire level.

Pure terror and a feeling of helplessness riddled through the women’s bodies as they managed to shuffle closer to the wall and watch from the corners of their eyes as Cassandra continued to glide towards her target–which they quickly realized was the woman providing them with their only sense of comfort: [Y/N].

The maids closest to [Y/N] noticed her presence far too late to warn her. They instinctively stepped away and bowed their heads to both show obedience and to avoid potentially making eye contact with the cruelest daughter of Alcina. [Y/N] noticed their sudden change in behavior and tilted her head in confusion, never once twisting around far enough to see the woman mere inches behind her. Cassandra’s emergence from the stairs instantly became known to her, however, as cold, damp, strong arms encircled her waist and pulled her backwards far enough to lean against the partially-solid body of the taller woman now standing directly behind her. She yelped, puzzled at how she hadn’t heard the buzzing growing louder or noticed the tension returning to the room. A shiver crept through her body upon feeling the blood begin to seep into her uniform, once warm in the body of the victim, now frigid against her skin.

Before she could turn to face her, Cassandra’s strong jawline and chin, doused in thick blood, planted themselves into the crook of [Y/N]’s neck. Her voice hitched as the woman’s hot, staggered breath caressed her ear. She could feel everyone’s eyes on the two of them, as well as the sensation of a slick, crimson red substance instantly bleeding through her white cotton shirt-collar and streaming across her shoulder, all the way down to the skin just above her right breast.

She could feel her heart hammering against her ribs so violently, and given how enhanced Alcina’s daughters’ senses became after the experiment they unwillingly participated in, she was sure Cassandra could hear it as well. Her anxiety spiked immediately once she realized neither Bela nor Daniela were down here with her. She never had to fear what would happen around Cassandra as long as they were around to keep her in check, but now she was down here on her own. Thinking as quickly as she could, she did her best to remain calm and prevent the other women in the room from getting hurt. She took a sharp breath in and turned her head to peer at Cassandra through the corner of her eye.

“Lady C-Cassandra, what are you–” “Hello, [Y/N]. I’ve been looking for you everywhere. Why’re you down here wasting your precious time with these pathetic maids? You weren’t assigned to work in here.” [Y/N] swallowed the lump that had formed in her throat. She didn’t mind having to stand up for herself, but as a child, she had been forced to learn how to defend others after learning of the other kids in the village bullying her younger sister. She knew the other women who worked here were too terrified of the heads of the house to put their foot down, but she wouldn’t allow herself to stand aside and let them be thrown around and treated like they were worthless. In her mind, it would feel like she was letting her sister get hurt–like she would let her down. “Lady Cassandra, please. I’m no better than the other women here, and you know it. I’m a maid just like the rest of them, and none of them are in any way inferior to you or your family.”

A dark, forced cackle erupted from Cassandra’s lips as her fingertips dug into [Y/N]’s clothed skin. “Oh, you really do amuse me, my little maid. You know very well these pathetic, shoddy women mean nothing outside of their work. And even then, they can all be replaced.” She lowered her voice so only [Y/N] could hear her and tugged her closer. “All except you,” she husked with an impish smirk. A shudder jolted down [Y/N]’s spine. Before she had a chance to send back a retort of her own, Cassandra continued, instantly changing the subject.

“Aside from that, you still haven’t given me a reason as to why you’re down here. You weren’t assigned to clean out the cells, so why have you gone against orders? Don’t make me repeat myself again.” She turned her head, allowing her bloodstained, needle-like fangs to graze against [Y/N]’s soft, warm, tempting skin. “You know exactly what will happen.”

[Y/N] found herself suppressing the urge to roll her eyes. Cassandra was one who tended to put on a facade around others–especially those she deems to be lower than her–but her mask would periodically falter long enough to show her more sensitive nature, in which she always seemed ashamed of. “I didn’t go against any orders, Lady Cassandra. I was told–by your mother–to take the day off and do as I please, so long as I don’t interfere with her work. That’s why I’m down here: I’m doing as I please, which is helping the other women down here so they don’t overwhelm themselves with such a daunting task. I’m in no way interrupting your mother’s work. I hope that answers your question.”

The maids pinned to the sides of the, now dead-silent, halls held their breaths, mortified at how bold [Y/N] had been as she spoke to Cassandra–the sister known to be the most sadistic, aggressive, and short-tempered of the three. They feared they’d watch their friend be torn apart right in front of them, limb by limb. Rigid as boards, they shared silent looks with each other before a mocking laugh bellowed deep from inside Cassandra’s gut. Their eyes shot back to the two women secluded from the rest.

Cassandra cackled once more at [Y/N]’s remark, audibly growing annoyed with how confidently she was biting back. She sighed, gripping the smaller woman tightly by her right bicep and twirling her around to look her in the eye. “I suppose it does, maid. I just hope you haven’t made any other plans. You’re coming with me,” she sneered as she yanked her back towards the staircase leading up to the kitchen. She glared daggers at each maid this time as she passed them. Her footsteps echoed loudly as she stormed up in a swift movement fueled by her wavering pride. “Let this be a warning to all of you. No one speaks to me this way. If you’d like to be drawn to the most horrendous pain you’ve ever experienced, then by all means, be my guest and follow her example.”

Mortified gazes trailed after the two as they vanished through the arched doorway and up the stairs. The maid closest to where they left strained her ears in an attempt to hear anything further.

Once she knew they were both out of earshot and sight, Cassandra softened her grip on [Y/N]’s arm as she led her up the stairs in the main den. “Lady Cassandra, where are you taking me?” The brunette sighed and waited until she found a secluded room where there were no other maids stationed. She tugged her forward before practically slamming the door shut and locking it, flying over to the other entrance leading to the adjacent room and doing the same. At length, she spun around on her heel and glared down at [Y/N] with furrowed brows. “Why the hell would you speak to me that way in front of them? Do you know how humiliating that is for me? How difficult it makes it to maintain some sense of intimidation and control?” She scoffed, rolling her eyes and pinching the bridge of her nose. “No, of course you don’t.”

[Y/N] sucked in a shaky breath to steel her nerves. She stood up straight, strained her features to mirror neutrality, and steadied her voice to appear confident in herself. “Lady Cassandra, it wasn’t my intention to upset you. I just don’t enjoy watching how ashamed you and your sisters make my coworkers feel each time you speak to them. I’m sure they’d do much better while working if you treated them with the respect they deserve.” Cassandra laughed again. “Respect? You really think those lowly maids deserve respect? Even with how worthless they are?” Irritation overwhelmed [Y/N]’s senses. She stepped forward with a look in her eye that Cassandra had never seen before. It enticed her. “Listen. I don’t care what you say about me, or even what you say about your sisters. You know very well that they’ll have the courage to fight back, and so will I. But I will not stand by and watch while you degrade those women who are too terrified to speak up for themselves. They may not have your respect, but you sure as hell have theirs.

“I may be speaking out of place here, and you may very well have my head for it, Lady Cassandra, but it seems to me that I’m the only one here who will stand up for what’s right, and I won’t apologize for it. If you showed any decency towards the people who worked day and night for you, you would know better than to constantly berate them at every given moment. Any child who was taught basic proper manners knows that.”

Stunned, Cassandra only stared silently at the fuming woman in front of her, her mouth slightly agape as she blinked. After a moment of the two women staring awkwardly at each other, [Y/N] sighed heavily and took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest and tilting her head down to gawk at the floor beneath her as if it were suddenly the most interesting thing in the world. She cleared her throat.

“I apologize, Lady Cassandra. I didn’t mean to go that far. I’m just so sick of seeing you hurt others like that. I care about those women so much, and I don’t want someone else I care about to be the reason behind their suffering.” Another sigh slipped through her parted lips. “I suppose I should’ve expected this, though. After all, your family is known for being merciless towards those deemed even less valuable than the dust on the bodies of those you toy with and torture. Those that are unwillingly brought into this world with dreams and ambitions of their own, only for it to be taken away over several grueling hours that you seem to enjoy.”

The seconds that followed felt like hours, both women at a loss for words. [Y/N] continued to avert her gaze and stare at different objects decorating the same room that grew heavier with tension. Cassandra, however, couldn’t tear her eyes away from [Y/N]. She had always known the woman wasn’t afraid to stand up for what she believed in, but she had never heard her grow so aggressive and insulting. It piqued her interest. Aside from her sisters, Cassandra wasn’t used to anyone talking back, even to defend themself. She felt herself going to war inside her mind, desperately racking her brain for something to say.

“Just…” she started in a hushed tone. “Just call me Cassandra, for god’s sake. I think you’re already aware that you’ve earned my trust. You know I don’t have it in myself to hurt you, especially after you defended my sisters and I when that disgusting man-thing broke in a couple of weeks ago.” It was [Y/N]’s turn to be surprised. She had never heard Cassandra speak so calmly, even when she had rested against her after the invasion a few weeks prior. She cleared her throat. “But that’s…that goes against everything I was taught. I mean, you know I don’t think of anyone as superior or inferior, but I do know how important it is to show respect. It’d feel so improper to address you that way.” Cassandra sighed, though it shifted more into a low growl that rumbled in the back of her throat.

She stepped forward. “Oh my god, why are you–ugh! You’re so damn annoying!” “What…?” She stepped closer, prompting [Y/N] to cower back a bit and begin to trail backward. “You heard what I said, god dammit! You’re annoying! God, this is disgusting. I’m disgusting. I never wanted to feel this way–especially about you!” “Lady Cassandra, wh-what are you talking ab–”

“I hate you, okay?” She finally shouted. Tears pricked the corners of her eyes, the hue beginning to flush her face matching the blood still dripping down her chin. She began to pace back and forth in a panicked manner, her gloved fingernails digging into her scalp. “I hate the way you make me feel, I hate the fuzzy feeling I get when I so much as think of you, I hate how beautiful and selfless you are, I hate how you’re afraid to address me casually, and I hate how you always make me feel so good about myself!”

Processing the words and replaying them over and over again in her mind like a record player, [Y/N] could only watch in a daze as Cassandra continued to walk around in frantic steps. At length, the troubled woman halted her movements and buried her face in her trembling hands. She heaved, wishing she could shrivel away at that moment. She had never imagined she’d be so vulnerable around anyone. In her mind, any emotion aside from anger or sadistic pleasure was weakness. How had this young maid managed to break down her walls in such a short amount of time? Surely saving her wasn’t enough to make her fall into such shameful vulnerability.

Oh, how desperate she was to drown away in her own puddle of shame, far away from everyone and everything that could see how pathetic she felt.

“But, Cassandra, why does that seem like it’s such a bad thing in your mind?” Unwillingly, a pained sob tore through Cassandra’s lips as she once again clawed at her hair. Her lips curled up as a rough laugh followed soon after. “Because I don’t deserve it! Any of it, dammit! You should be afraid of me!” Her eyes screwed themselves tightly shut as another cry erupted from her throat, which was growing raw from the hysteric weeping.

She couldn’t hear anything over the sound of her own sniffling and sharp gasps for air. The feeling of two warm, gentle hands firmly taking her own made her visibly jump, recoiling back and nearly spiraling into the nearest wall out of shock. “Hey, hey, it’s okay,” [Y/N] whispered reassuringly, holding her hands up in front of her shoulders, palms facing towards the terrified woman. “I need you to breathe, alright? Just breathe. Here, give me your hands. If it’s alright for me to hold them, of course.”

Cassandra looked down as she panted fearfully, wrestling with her conscience to come back to her senses. Her golden eyes flickered back and forth between [Y/N]’s hands offering themselves to let her hold and the girl’s soft, yet stern, steadied gaze. “I’m not going to hurt you, I promise.”

Hesitantly, Cassandra found herself stepping forward at a painfully slow pace before outstretching her arms far enough to rest her hands in [Y/N]’s. She looked back up at the one trying to calm her down.

“Breathe, okay? Take three deep breaths, and then we’ll go from there.” She had to take a moment to understand the words, but Cassandra eventually nodded. She attempted to take the first one, though it came out in a strangled manner. “Hey, just look at me. Breathe with me, alright? We’re going to breathe in for three seconds, hold for three seconds, and then take the same amount of time to breathe back out. Got it? In three, hold three, out three.”

Too puzzled about what she was feeling, Cassandra nodded again and did as she was told. She watched as [Y/N] began to breathe in slowly and held up her left hand to count to three. Shakily, she followed her example, and after a few attempts, she had finally managed to take three deep breaths. “Good,” [Y/N] whispered. She began to kneel down into a sitting position, gently tugging the trembling woman with her. Once seated, [Y/N] squeezed Cassandra’s hands in her own.

“I want you to focus on your five senses, alright? We’ll take it one at a time. First, tell me what you can feel.” Cassandra’s hands twitched uncomfortably, tingling from being numb. After taking a second to muster her strength, she curled her fingers far enough to grip [Y/N]’s hands. She blinked, eventually closed her eyes, and let herself focus. “Y-Your hands. I f-feel your hands in mine.” “Try to describe them for me.”

She stammered, struggling to properly form the correct descriptive words. “Uh, s-soft, warm, and…” She squeezed her grip again. “They’re smaller th-than mine.” “Good, you’re doing great. Now tell me what you can hear.”

Her brows furrowed together tightly as she strained her ears, trying urgently to push past the rushing sound of ringing. “I–I can hear my v-voice, and our heartb-beats.” “Good. What can you smell?” She inhaled deeply, failing to notice that her breathing had already returned to normal. “Your scent, and, um…the ashes in the hearth. I-I think there was a fire going recently.”

“Taste?”

“Blood. I, well, you can see why. I forgot to wipe it off on the way up here.” Cassandra felt herself smile tiredly as [Y/N] chuckled in response. “Yeah, I know. You’re almost done. Now you just need to tell me what you can see. You might want to open your eyes for that, though.” Cassandra let out a snicker of her own before she let her eyes flutter open. Having to take a moment for her vision to adjust from being blurred from her tears, eventually her eyes focused on [Y/N]’s. She couldn’t see it herself, but her pupils–which tended to slit themselves as if she were constantly preying on something–were blown.

“I can see you. I see your gaze, your smile, and–” she paused and nervously glanced down. “And the bloodstains I accidentally left on your waist.” [Y/N]’s smile grew wider. “You did great. Do you feel any better?” Too uncharacteristically bashful, Cassandra could only nod as she stared at the ground beneath them.

“I’m glad. Now, why don’t we get you to bed? You look exhausted.” As if on cue, Cassandra felt herself yawn, her hands slipping from [Y/N]’s and rising above her head to stretch. “Actually,” she murmured while rubbing her eyes, “could we just sleep in here? Kind of like how we slept that night, but just you and I?”

[Y/N] froze for a moment. “Are you sure? I don’t want to overwhelm you. I mean, I’m sure you’d like some space and privacy while you rest.” Cassandra didn’t seem embarrassed in the slightest about keeping each other company, which was very out of the ordinary for her. “I’m sure. We’d just need to get the fire going again and gather up some pillows and blankets. I could go grab those if you wouldn’t mind getting some of the spare driftwood and lighting it up in the hearth.”

The two women, although they experienced different reactions to the proposal, both internally felt the mutual urge to be near one another. Neither one of them were sure what their relationship was, but they both craved a more intimate, romantic connection, though both were too afraid to make the first move. Cassandra’s fear was her pride being crushed because of her phobia of dealing with rejection. [Y/N]’s fear was the thought of ruining what it was they already had established, feeding on her linked dread of being despised and abandoned.

After realizing that Cassandra was already half-asleep, [Y/N] could feel her hesitation begin to fade. She sighed at length and nodded. “Alright, I can do that. I’ll be right back. I’m not sure how many pillows or blankets are up here though.” Cassandra shrugged and stumbled onto her feet. “I don’t know either, but I’ll see what I can find. Hurry up though. I’m about to collapse, and I don’t want to do that in this cold-ass room.” Finally, [Y/N] giggled again. “Alright, alright. Fair enough.” She hoisted herself back onto her feet as well and headed towards the door leading out into the main hallway, unlocking it and beginning to head out.

“Oh, and [Y/N]?” She halted her steps and peered back into the room. “Yes?” Cassandra gazed at her gently. “If you so much as breathe a word about any of this to anyone, especially my sisters, I’ll have your head,” she threatened emptily with a smile. [Y/N] paused before laughing. “I was honestly waiting for a wink or something with that last part.” Cassandra couldn’t help but roll her eyes as [Y/N] left, though she also couldn’t bite back her smirk. “Yeah, that’ll come later on,” she mumbled under her breath. She turned to the sofas lining the far wall, drifting towards them to retrieve the throw pillows propped up against the armrests and the soft, red cotton-weaved blankets folded neatly in the center of every other cushion.

//////////

Flames began to crackle loudly as they grew in the hearth. A soft light illuminated the room, casting wavering shadows throughout the room, which brought attention to the only highlighted spot shielded from the darkness. A few feet in front of the base of the fire, [Y/N] and Cassandra had bundled themselves together under layers of blankets and on top of piles of pillows. Similar to what she had done two weeks prior when recovering from the attack, Cassandra had huddled against [Y/N] as closely as she could. Her nose had nuzzled itself into the girl’s neck, allowing her to effortlessly breathe in her scent as she rested.

They had both stayed quiet for a while, watching the fire grow larger, though [Y/N] eventually broke the silence. “Hey, Cassandra?” The fatigued woman leaning against her, clinging to her for warmth, hummed almost inaudibly in response. The lack of clarity in the noise was caused by the lower half of her face being buried underneath the covers–as well as how she had positioned her head to bask in [Y/N]’s aroma. “Hm?” “If you don’t mind me asking, why did you come looking for me earlier when I was downstairs?” Cassandra huffed and yawned. “Because I was originally going to ask if we could come upstairs and do exactly what we’re doing right now. I just lost my temper, so things kind of took…a turn,” she slurred out sleepily.

“Ah.”

Silence fell upon them again. Several minutes passed before either one of them spoke. This time, it was Cassandra who broke the hushedness. “I cannot tell you how tempted I am to bury my face underneath your shirt.” [Y/N] coughed, attempting to stifle the sudden choking on her spit. “I-I’m sorry?” Playfully, yet tiredly, Cassandra smacked her shoulder. “Not like that, you dork. Well, not yet anyway.” Again, [Y/N] had to prevent herself from choking. “I meant because you’re really warm, and having your shirt over me would keep the heat in. I’d probably fall asleep there and never come out.”

“C-Cassandra, what the hell are you even talking about?”

“Honestly? I don’t even know anymore. I’m exhausted. I probably won’t remember half of the things I’ve already said once I wake up. It’s a nice thought though–I’d get to be close to you, I’d be warm, and your shirt would block out the sunlight so I can actually sleep in.” [Y/N] smirked, playing along. “Yeah, but then you’d have to hear all the weird noises my stomach makes 24/7.” Cassandra hummed out a small laugh, already on the verge of falling asleep. “Ah, I’d say it’s worth it.”

The two smiled, the tranquil setting returning comfortably this time. As Cassandra began to dream, [Y/N] reflected on all that had happened so far. Although she knew it wasn’t necessarily a permanent issue, her mind kept wandering back to the arguments and insults. It began to eat away at her consciousness.

Afraid Cassandra was still upset from her unintentional outburst earlier, [Y/N] desperately grasped at ideas on what she could possibly say to lighten the mood. She squeezed Cassandra’s shoulders to pull her closer. “Y’know, next time you get angry and I can tell you’re about to have a completely different mood or reaction, I’m going to yell “plot twist!” like I’m solving some kind of crime in one of Daniela’s corny mystery books, and then carry on. You think your sisters will be confused?” Cassandra, although she didn’t understand why she was asking, chuckled breathily. “Oh, definitely, but I will be too.”

[Y/N] grinned. “Yeah, but then that means I win.” Cassandra’s head perked up a bit to face the woman holding her. Her eyebrow raised as the gears visibly turned in her brain. “Huh?” [Y/N] beamed down at her. “I win because I managed to switch your attention to something else. That way you’re not entirely upset anymore.”

Finally, after a long moment of thinking her exhaustion was rendering [Y/N] as incoherent, Cassandra laughed and yawned. She let her head fall back gently to return to its resting spot on [Y/N]’s chest. She sighed as the familiar heartbeat behind the girl’s ribs filled her ears.

“You’re so stupid. I love you so much.”

[Y/N] froze, surprised that Cassandra was the first one to say it. Eventually, she felt herself smile in a tired, smitten way, before leaning her head back against one of the many pillows they were both propped against. Her head then tilted far enough for her ear to come into contact with Cassandra’s soft brunette locks. Her fingertips dug lightly into the blankets they shared and pulled them further around themselves, then driving further up and finding themselves scratching softly at Cassandra’s scalp, prompting her to purr in response. Pure bliss flooded both women’s senses. [Y/N] could feel her eyelids beginning to droop from exhaustion. Listening to the way her body begged her to rest, she finally closed her eyes and let her tensed muscles relax.

“I love you too.”

Overprotective

[Attack On Titan] Modern! Annie Leonhart x Fem! Reader

Word Count: 2.6k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Physical fighting, blood, violence, derogatory terms, strong language

[A/N]: I plan on doing three stories in a row for each character I write for, and then when I finish writing for all the ones I have planned, I’ll likely start over with the same characters. Also, if you have any requests, feel free to let me know! Please let me know if it’s a preference, imagine, or one-shot. I also plan on making a masterlist and pinning it so you can find things easily that way.

Enjoy!

“Alright. Have a good weekend, Annie. I’ll see you on Monday.” Annie gave a small smile and waved, slugging her bag over her shoulder as she headed out the classroom door. She pulled her phone out from her hoodie pocket once she was halfway down the hall and clicked [Y/N]’s contact. She sent a quick text to let her know that she was on her way. [Y/N] responded quickly, then Annie stuffed her phone back in her pocket. She let out a heavy sigh and rubbed her eyes. This week had been hell on her–physically and mentally. Finals for the end of the first semester were coming up, and even though she usually never studied for anything, [Y/N] had been urging her to so she did well. After some convincing (promises of donuts if she did well on the exams), Annie agreed and started staying after school and staying up late to study.

It’s not that she hated the idea of studying–she actually enjoyed the thought of improving grades with just a little extra effort. She just never had the time or energy. Her father always had her train each night, save for Fridays, which always left her utterly exhausted. Her headaches grew worse each day, both due to the lack of sleep and the constant studying for classes she struggled in, but she wanted to do well. Sure, the donuts would be a nice reward for her hard work, but in reality, she wanted to make [Y/N] proud–she wanted her to see that she could do well with the right amount of encouragement. [Y/N]’s view of her was much more important to her than her father’s. She loved this girl. She wanted to make her happy and help her get through every hard day.

She’d stay up late in her room studying for algebra and chemistry exams, and any time she felt the urge to fall asleep or get on her phone to distract herself from all the equations, she’d think of how [Y/N] would smile if she even passed these tests. She’d think of the warm, comforting hug that she was so addicted to. She just wanted [Y/N] to be proud of her.

[Y/N] was perfect in her eyes. She was her muse–her reason to keep going. She was–

“--A prude.”

Annie halted her movements and listened to the conversation taking place just around the corner. “C’mon, Andrew. [Y/N]’s not a prude.” Annie’s heart dropped at the mention of [Y/N]’s name. She stepped silently against the lockers to get closer to the two boys talking. “Yes, she is! Damn bitch is too worried about her grades. She should’ve let me help her feel good at that party. She wouldn’t have been able to walk for weeks.” “Yeah, and if you keep talking like that and Annie finds out, you won’t be able to walk for weeks either. It’ll just hurt way worse.” “Pfft, whatever. I could kick her ass with ease.” “You know damn well she’d flip you within a second. You’re not impressing anyone with your big talk.” “Either way, [Y/N] shouldn’t have turned me down.”

“Well, looking at you, I can see why she did,” Annie retorted as she stepped into view. Both boys froze and turned towards her. “A-Annie! Oh god, how much of what Andrew said did you hear?” She didn’t reply, but they could tell by the cold, darkened look on her face that she had heard pretty much everything. The boy who had been defending Andrew readjusted his bag on his shoulders and started walking the other way. Andrew tensed. “What do you–Hey! Marco, where the hell do you think you’re going?” “I’m gonna get out of the way. You have fun getting both of your legs broken.” Andrew scoffed and looked over at the blonde with his arms crossed.

“So, you’re gonna try to break my legs, huh?” Annie shrugged, her expression now eerily calm. “I was just gonna beat the shit out of your hideous face, but breaking your legs sounds more fun.” “Excuse me?” “Oh, don’t worry, I’m still gonna break your face. After you look in the mirror, you should finally see why my girlfriend won’t sleep with you. Or any girl, for that matter.” Andrew scoffed again and dropped his bag, getting himself into a very poor stance. Annie rolled her eyes and shrugged her bag off and onto the floor, not caring that her laptop was still inside, then rolling up her sleeves and getting into a much more refined stance than her opponent.

They stood there for a while, neither one wanting to make the first move. Andrew smirked after a moment. “What’s the matter, blondie? Too scared to throw the first punch? Afraid I’ll knock out your teeth?” Annie’s eyebrows furrowed. “No, just thinking of the best way to kick your chest through your back. Shouldn’t hurt too bad. Doesn’t seem like you have a heart for me to hit.” Andrew laughed. “You don’t need to project your own insecurities on me. I don’t understand why your girl won’t leave you for someone better. Guess she’s even dumber than I thought.” That sent Annie over the edge. She snapped, quickly stepping forward and thrusting her leg forward against Andrew’s calf. He stumbled back a bit but didn’t fall. Annie huffed.

Damn it, you need to calm down. Every time you get worked up like this, your movements get clumsy.

She got back into her stance, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm her increasing rage. “I thought you were supposed to be good at fighting, Leonhart. Doesn’t seem like you’ll be able to protect that bitch you call your girlfriend.” Annie felt her teeth grinding against themselves as she clenched her jaw. Her gaze quickly flickered down to Andrew’s knees, knowing she needed to kick the back of them to get him down. She tried again to step forward and kick, but he caught her leg this time. Her eyes widened as he threw her leg up and tossed her down onto her back. She grunted as she came into contact with the ground, her mind screaming at her to get up and get him back. Andrew reacted before her though, standing over her and crouching down. He grabbed the collar of her hoodie and pulled her upwards as his fist came down fast. He struck her repeatedly before standing and kicking her hard in the stomach.

Annie groaned in pain, her nose, lips, and a part of her right cheek bleeding. Her skin had already started to bruise. Andrew stood there for a moment, watching her before walking over and grabbing his backpack. He slipped it on his shoulders and began walking away. “I told Marco I could kick your ass. Maybe when [Y/N] sees what I did to you, she’ll finally realize I’m the one she should be with.” Annie coughed, straining her entire body as she propped herself up on her arms. “She won’t date you, you bastard. You’re a horrible person.” Andrew stopped and turned to her, a cocky smirk painting his lips. “Well, unlike you, at least I can actually protect her.”

Adrenaline pumped its way through Annie’s veins, finally allowing her to get back on her feet. Andrew had already started walking away again, so he didn’t realize Annie was running towards him in time. Just as he turned around at the sound of her rapid footsteps, her fist had already come into contact with his head, sending him spiraling to the ground with a thud. He groaned and caressed the spot she had struck. “Ugh, you bitch!” He got into a stance once he managed to stand again, but Annie had already lunged forward. She swept her leg to the side as it made contact with the side of his leg, allowing her to hook her foot around and catch the back of his knee. She kicked with all of her strength, breaking his leg with an inhuman force as he cried out in pain and fell to the floor.

As he curled into himself on the ground, Annie rolled him onto his back. He opened his eyes and looked up at her weakly. “Take back what you said about [Y/N],” the blonde huffed out, her shoulders slumped. “As if. She’s a prude no matter how you spin in. And you’re disgusting for stealing her from someone who’s way better than you.” Annie growled and lifted her leg high in the air before bringing her foot down directly onto Andrew’s nose at full force. He cried out in agony. Before his hands could fly up to shield his face, Annie stomped on his face again, and again, and again. Finally, she stepped back with a pant, her nails almost digging into her palms hard enough to make them bleed.

She wanted so badly to say something–to threaten him to leave [Y/N] alone, but exhaustion had overwhelmed her body. She weakly grabbed her bag and shrugged it onto her shoulder. She stumbled down the hallway, limping as she made it a few feet from the exit. She panted for breath, leaned against one of the lockers as she rolled one of her sleeves back down and used it to wipe away the blood from her nose and mouth. She pulled her arm back to look at the stain, wincing at how much of it there was.

She carried on, her muscles growing weaker and feeling heavier as she made her way to [Y/N]’s house. Thankfully, she had already made plans with the girl to stay with her for the weekend, meaning she wouldn’t have to hear her father lecture her on her fighting abilities until Monday. The walk to her house felt like it was stretching out forever. By the time she finally made it to [Y/N]’s doorstep, Annie was on the verge of collapsing. She knocked on the door weakly. She waited a while, not sure if she had knocked hard enough for [Y/N] to hear, but just as she reached for the doorbell, the door swung open.

“Annie, holy shit! What happened to you?” Before Annie could respond, [Y/N] yanked her inside and took her bag. She dropped it to the floor and turned to close and lock the door. After the second lock had been turned, she spun on her heel and stared at the blonde who couldn’t meet her gaze. “You wanna tell me what happened this time?” Annie started to sway unsteadily, her face growing pale. [Y/N], upon seeing this, stepped forward quickly and grabbed her arm, leading her to the couch and letting her sit down. “Woah, hey, hey…just rest for a minute, okay? I’ll go get the med-kit from the medicine cabinet.” Annie could only nod as the [h/c] girl rushed to the hallway by her parents’ room. She returned a short moment later with a small white box.

“Is it just your face that got hit?” Annie didn’t speak, her hand trailing over to rest on the part of her stomach that had been kicked. [Y/N] sighed as she sat down beside her and took out some ointment and bandages. She cleaned off the partially dried blood smudged against the blonde’s skin before applying some ointment to a cotton pad and dabbing the small cut on the side of Annie’s cheek. The blonde hissed and turned away. “I know, hun, I know, but if I don’t clean it, it’s gonna have a higher chance of getting infected. Do you really want that to happen?” Annie stayed silent for a moment before shaking her head and turning her head back. [Y/N] smiled at her, though she couldn’t meet her eye, and finished treating the small wound.

She grabbed a bandage and gently placed it to cover the treated area. She smoothed it down with the pad of her index finger, then took a different kind of ointment out. “This will help your bruises heal a little quicker. And if it doesn’t, it’ll at least ease some of the pain.” Annie nodded. [Y/N] unscrewed the cap and scooped up a bit of the gel with two of her fingers before bringing it up to the blonde’s face. She gently applied it to the already bruised patches of skin, massaging it in until it was nearly dry to the touch. “Alright, now do you want to rub some of this on the spot on your stomach, or do you want me to?” “You…” “Okay. Lift your hoodie and shirt a bit so I can see it.”

Annie did as told and lifted her clothes up just far enough to reveal the nasty bruise forming on her abdomen. “Jesus, Annie. What the hell did you do? I’ve never seen you get beat up this badly before. Usually, you don’t even have a scratch.” “I know, I just…I lost my temper.” [Y/N] hummed and scooped up another small amount of the ointment before bringing it down to apply it to her stomach. Annie shivered at how cold it was. “You seem to be losing your temper a lot recently. What’s going on with you?” The blonde shrugged and looked away, guilt rising up in her chest. [Y/N] had asked her multiple times not to get into any more fights, and each time Annie said she wouldn’t, but the second she heard anyone making fun of the [h/c] girl, she went into a blind rage.

“I’m guessing that, based on your silence, it was about the same thing as usual?” Annie nodded. [Y/N] sighed, letting the ointment dry before pulling the articles of clothing back down to cover it. “Annie, you know I don’t like it when you fight for me like that.”

“Well, I’m not just going to let them talk badly about you like that, [Y/N]! It pisses me off so much that people can’t see what a great person you are, and then decide to assume things about you!” [Y/N] froze, the two of them staring at each other. Neither one of them had expected that outburst. Usually, Annie was the one listening to [Y/N] scold her or rant to her. It was a rare occasion to hear the blonde get so worked up over something, even though they’ve known each other for years. Annie sighed after a moment, looking down at her hands that were resting in her lap. “I’m…I’m sorry. I just want to protect you.” [Y/N] smiled softly, sighing as she shook her head. “It’s okay, Annie. I’m really grateful you do everything you can to protect me. I just wish you wouldn’t get physical about it all the time. I hate seeing you so exhausted and hurt.”

“I know. I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay.”

They sat in silence, not really sure what to say. The silence wasn’t uncomfortable though. They both often enjoyed just being able to sit quietly together, simply enjoying the other’s presence. [Y/N] broke the silence this time though. “Did you win though? You kicked his ass for me, right?”

Annie chuckled, a smile finally making its way across her lips. “Yeah, I did.” [Y/N] grinned and put everything back in the med-kit before placing it on the coffee table. “Good.” The quietness returned to the room. At length, [Y/N] gently nudged Annie’s arm with her elbow, prompting the blonde to look over at her finally. “Hey, I’m proud of you. You know that, right?” The blonde’s heart fluttered. A deep, crimson blush dusted her cheeks as she smiled uncontrollably. She nodded. “Yeah.” The [h/c] girl snickered at her expression and leaned forward, softly pulling Annie into one of those warm hugs she enjoyed so much. Annie stiffened momentarily before melting into her embrace and hugging her back tightly–even though it hurt like hell to force her muscles to move that way.

“I love you, Annie. Even if I scold you a lot for getting into fights. I truly do love you.” Annie smiled even wider and nuzzled into the crook of [Y/N]’s neck. “I love you too.”

They stayed like that for a long while before finally leaning back to look each other in the eye. [Y/N] gently rubbed the blonde’s arms. “Can you please promise me that you won’t get into any more fights for my sake?” Annie smiled. “I don’t think I can promise that entirely. I’ll try not to pick fights when people talk shit, but I want you to know I won’t hesitate to sock someone in the jaw if they lay a hand on you.” [Y/N] giggled, and oh, how Annie adored that sound. “Alright, fine. But just know that if you show up on my doorstep like this again, I’m not gonna baby you and treat your wounds. You’ll have to do that yourself.” The blonde rolled her eyes, though her smile never faltered.

“Fair enough, I guess.”

Hug Me

[Attack On Titan] Modern! Touch-Starved! Annie Leonhart x Fem! Reader

Word Count: 1.7k

Proofread: Yes

Content Warnings: Brief mentions of slight bullying/toxic friendships

[A/N]: I had planned on adding much more to this, but I wanted to keep it relatively short so I can move on to the next character I plan to write for. I've got a masterlist in my drafts where I'm linking each post I've made for every character, but I don't plan on posting it until I've written for all of the characters I plan on writing for.

Enjoy!

Annie shuffled through her backpack for the spare key to [Y/N]’s house, cursing under her breath as she struggled. “Come on, dammit. I know I grabbed them on the way out.” Just as her finger grazed the key ring, the front door flew open to reveal [Y/N] standing there with a warm smile. “Annie, hey! Glad you could make it.” Annie raised an eyebrow and zipped her bag back up. “You sound like I’m showing up to a party of some kind.” [Y/N] chuckled and scratched the back of her neck. “Sorry, I’m just happy you’re actually here.” “I promised I’d come, didn’t I?” “Well, yeah, but…” She looked off to the side, her genuine smile becoming forced. Annie tilted her head. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s not important. Uh…why don’t you come in?” The [h/c] girl stepped to the side, allowing Annie to walk past her into the den. The blonde gave her a confused--and concerned--glance as she headed inside. [Y/N] quickly locked the door and motioned for Annie to follow her upstairs to her bedroom. They trailed up the steps and into the girl’s room, where Annie often found herself staying when she felt upset or lonely. She dropped her bag down beside the door and took a seat in her usual spot against the headboard, far enough over that she could lean against the wall.

She watched [Y/N]’s movements, which seemed anxious as she searched the room for something to distract herself with. “[Y/N], if something is wrong, you can tell me. Who upset you? You know I’ll kick their ass for you, I just need a name.” A small chuckle passed the girl’s lips at Annie’s comment. The blonde felt more at ease now that she got her to smile. “It’s okay. Just had a few bad experiences with people in the past. It’s not happening anymore, it’s just painful to remember those times.” Annie nodded understandingly. She headed over to her bag and unzipped it. She dug through it for a moment, groaning as she failed to find what she was looking for. “No no no. Ugh, goddammit. I knew I was forgetting something.”

[Y/N] stepped over to peer inside the bag curiously. “What’d you forget?” Annie blushed and looked down, ashamed of what she was going to admit. “You know that stuffed lion I always have with me when I come here? The one I sleep with?” [Y/N] nodded. “I, uh…I forgot to grab it before I headed over.” “Oh.” The blonde sighed and put her bag down. “It wouldn’t be such a big deal if it was only a fidget toy. The problem is: I can’t fall asleep without it.” She never told anyone about this. She found it humiliating that she still had to cradle a stuffed animal at night just to sleep. She felt like a child.

“Oh, I know what you mean. I have the same problem–though I don’t really think it’s a bad thing. I don’t see why people find it so strange that others have comfort objects.” Annie looked up at her in surprise. “You…you sleep with something too?” [Y/N] nodded. “I don’t usually hold it when I have company over since I don’t know who will judge me and who won’t, but yeah. You can hold it tonight if you want to. I don’t mind.” Annie fidgeted with her hands, slowly nodding at length as she returned to her spot on the bed. [Y/N] headed over to the closet and picked something up from under a blanket. She turned to reveal a stuffed panda bear the size of a large pillow. She brought it over and handed it to the blonde with a smile.

“My great grandmother gave it to me before she passed. I didn’t know her very well since I was really young when she died, but it still brings me a lot of comfort.” Annie took it gently from her hands and examined it, her thumbs rubbing circles against the soft, soothing material it was made of. She slowly brought it to her lap and placed it down before cradling it against her chest. She sighed at the contact and blushed, trying to hide it with the head of the bear. “Thank you,” she whispered softly. [Y/N] smiled down at her and nodded before sitting down at the foot of the bed. “Of course.”

They sat there for a while in silence. Annie picked delicately at one of the ears that had been partially torn off, silently wondering what had happened. Probably from aging–[Y/N] had said that she had gotten it at a very young age. Surely it had been through some things during the girl’s early childhood. “So…why do you find comfort in holding things?” Annie’s eyes flickered up to see [Y/N] gazing back at her softly. She felt the heat rising to her cheeks again, spreading up to her ears. “O-Oh, well…I honestly didn’t start holding things at night until high school hit a couple of years ago.”

“Really? What caused it?” The blonde averted her gaze and stared down at the bear in her arms. “I just–um…I like to pretend it's the girl I like,” she admitted sheepishly. [Y/N]’s brows raised in surprise, a small smile toying on her lips. “Oh, that’s really sweet! Maybe someday you’ll get to hold her instead. I’m sure you will.” [Y/N] sounded as though she was being genuine, but there was something else behind her tone that Annie couldn’t quite figure out. “I hope so,” is all she said for a while. Finally, she glanced up. “What about you?” “Hm?” “Why do you find comfort in holding things?” [Y/N] smiled sadly and toyed with her fingers.

“Oh. Because I’m too worried about holding an actual person. I’m worried I’ll make them uncomfortable, or they’ll find me annoying, or–something like that. I don’t know. It just gets so lonely in my room. None of the people I call my “friends” ever stay more than a couple of hours, and that’s just because they’re always ranting to me and never listening to my own problems. I know they’re horrible people, but…I just want people to like me.”

Annie felt her heart aching at the girl’s words. How long had this been going on? Did [Y/N] talk to anyone about this at all? It seemed she truly was as lonely and touch-starved as herself.

“Oh, [Y/N], I had no idea.” [Y/N] chuckled and wiped her eyes before any tears could fall. “It’s alright. I just keep telling myself that someone will come along eventually–probably after high school, honestly. High school students are such bitches.” Annie smiled softly as the girl giggled at her own words. She turned to the blonde and pondered something for a moment. “Annie?” “Yes?” “Can I…can I hug you? Just for a little bit?” Annie’s eyebrows raised in surprise–the same way [Y/N]’s had done just moments ago. She cursed at herself mentally as she felt her face growing red once again. "I-I would..." She averted her gaze and cleared her throat. “I would like that. A lot.”

Within a moment, [Y/N] was across the bed and in front of Annie, tossing her arms over the blonde’s shoulders and pulling her close for one of those warm hugs that Annie had grown so obsessed with over the past few months. She gasped suddenly, her hands flying up to grip [Y/N]’s shoulders. She stayed there for a while, frozen in shock, before the [h/c] girl let out a choked sob. Out of pure instinct, Annie’s arms lowered themselves to move the stuffed bear to the side before pulling her even closer, letting her rest her head against her shoulder.

She felt herself tearing up, just then realizing that she wanted to be held by [Y/N] most of all, even if they weren’t together the way she dreamed. Just feeling her warmth and having the opportunity to take in her scent calmed her and made her happy. She closed her eyes, turning her head and burying her nose into the [h/c] girl’s neck. They stayed like that for a while, Annie gently swaying the two of them back and forth and rubbing her back in a soothing manner.

Although she hated to, [Y/N] did eventually lean back from the hug to wipe her eyes. She smiled tiredly at the blonde. “Sorry for getting so emotional. This year has been…really rough. You just–you’ve helped me through so much already, and I’ve wanted to hold you like that for so long.” Annie blushed, but didn’t mind it this time, a blissful smile painting her lips. “You don’t have to apologize. You’ve helped me through a lot too, believe me. I owe you so much. And I want you to know that hugging doesn’t feel like a chore to me–I really do enjoy getting to be so close to you.” They gazed at each other lovingly for a long moment, unable to hide their smiles. Finally, Annie looked down. “U-Um…so, I was thinking: maybe we could–and you don’t have to say yes–I just thought that maybe we could…”

She sighed after a second, growing embarrassed even further as [Y/N] giggled at her sudden inability to speak properly. “Just take your time. I’m not going to judge you for anything you ask,” she said softly as she rubbed Annie’s arms. “I was just wondering if we could maybe…c-cuddle? Like, while we sleep?” [Y/N] froze, though the blonde didn’t notice because she was still avoiding eye contact. After nearly a solid half-minute of no response, she glanced up through her eyelashes with pleading eyes. “Please…?” [Y/N] stared in shock for another long moment. Annie was about to apologize and tell her to forget about it, but the [h/c] girl suddenly smiled widely and nodded. “I would absolutely love that,” she finally said.

Annie felt her heart flutter. They stared at each other yet again, not sure what move to make to get comfortable and fall asleep. Finally, [Y/N] lied down on the pillow next to Annie, who then shifted down to lie beside her. Sheepishly, she scooted forward and placed her head on [Y/N]’s chest. [Y/N] smiled down warmly at her and wrapped her arms around the blonde to pull her closer. Annie could feel her heart racing–pounding against her ribs–but she didn’t feel ashamed this time because she could hear [Y/N]’s heart beating just as quickly.

She smiled, nuzzled closer, and closed her eyes with a small, soft sigh of content.

Scarred

[Arcane] Jinx x Fem! Reader

Word count: 1.9k

Content Warnings: Cursing, mentions of guns/gunfire, blood, fatal wounds, brief mentions of past trauma, death

[A/N]: This was heavily inspired by another post I read somewhere, but I’m not sure which site it was on. If I find it again, I’ll definitely leave a link! I did add my own twist, so it’s not the same thing, but the general idea is shared.

Enjoy!

“Piss off, you douchebags! I don’t have time to deal with you!” None of this was supposed to happen. [Y/N] wasn’t even supposed to be on this mission with Jinx, but she was, and now they were separated. No matter where she looked, Jinx just couldn’t seem to find her anywhere. She had to be around here somewhere, right? There’s no way she got that far from her. Each time she turned a corner, there were more thugs waiting to pick a fight, never once answering her when she asked where the [h/c] girl was. It was causing her anxiety to spike more and more. If she didn’t find her soon, she’d end up killing everyone in sight, which ran the risk of killing her beloved as well. Just as she finished taking down a small group of men with her shock pistol, a scream rang out–one that she recognized instantly.

“[Y/N]? [Y/N], where are you?!” She looked around, only having the sound reverberate long enough to get the general direction. “[Y/N]!” She took a few steps towards the cross-section of two buildings. Was it from the left or right? Thankfully, another scream sounded out from her left, seemingly from the fifth or sixth floor of the building closest to her. “Jinx, help! Please!” Her heart raced in her chest as she bolted as fast as she could up the stairs and into the room she could hear movement in. A group of around fifteen thugs surrounded someone on the floor, and as she realized who was on the ground, Jinx’s heart dropped. She froze momentarily. She wanted to doubt herself, hoping that it was someone else in front of the crowd. But a small glimpse of [h/c] locks and fearful [e/c] eyes confirmed her worst nightmare. “[Y/N]! GET AWAY FROM HER!” She pushed her shock pistol back into its holster before pulling her minigun out from behind her.

She made sure to aim higher than where [Y/N] was resting before firing, not wanting to accidentally hit the girl. Bullets rang out at a rapid speed, each one causing a member of the thugs to drop like flies. She cried out angrily until realizing everyone standing was dead. Taking a shaky breath to ground herself into reality, she lowered the barrel of her gun and panted heavily. Slowly, her gaze dropped down to find [Y/N]. Once again, her racing heart skipped a beat upon seeing her state. She ran over after tossing her gun to the side. Without taking her wounds into account, Jinx cradled [Y/N]’s head against her chest and let out a sigh. “I-I’m so glad you’re alive, toots. I-I thought–I thought…” She finally looked down.

Her pained smile faltered and quickly fell. The love of her life, still cradled in her arms, was in so much pain. A deep cut had been made from the top of her left collarbone all the way down to her right breast. Multiple stab wounds scattered themselves around the girl’s abdomen, each one seemingly worse than the last. Because of all of the wounds on her torso, [Y/N] had blood dripping down from her nose and lips to her chin, where it dripped off even more into a small stain on both the floor and Jinx’s shirt. Still, even in her state of distressing pain, [Y/N] was smiling. She lifted her hand shakily and brought it up to Jinx’s face to cup it. “Y-You’re…here.” Jinx quickly grasped the girl’s hand in her own as she softly shushed her.

“Hey, d-don’t talk right now, okay? Y-You need to save your strength. I can’t lose you.” [Y/N] chuckled, which quickly shifted into fits of coughing up blood. Jinx could only watch in horror. Finally, when she calmed down, the wounded girl leaned back into Jinx’s chest and smiled. “I’m not…going to make it, Jinx.” Both of them felt then, at those words, just how cold the room had become, and–more importantly–how warm the other girl was. God, how badly Jinx wanted to preserve that feeling. She never wanted to wake up without feeling that warmth next to her–cradled into her chest the way she was now.

And what a horrid way to go. So many wounds, all of which were likely fatal. Sure, Jinx had known pain in her life, but nothing like what [Y/N] was going through. If only she could take away that pain. She had always sworn she would do whatever she could in her power to ensure [Y/N] was happy and healthy. She certainly didn’t want things to end up this way. But here she was, supporting the girl’s weight against her own as she bled out, the light slowly beginning to dim in her eyes. That beautiful light that she had always adored. It always seemed to shine brightest when she looked at Jinx, or even when her name was just mentioned. Jinx chuckled dejectedly. [Y/N] had always seen her in such a positive light. She could never understand how, but she sort of understood because she felt the same way.

Jinx gently laid [Y/N] back down onto the ground, earning a hiss of pain. “I know, toots, I know. But I need to start treating these wounds before it’s too late.” “Jinx, it’s already–” “Don’t say it’s too late. I-I can fix this! You just need to trust me, okay? I promise I’ll fix this.” Ignoring the desperate tugs on her shirt (and the voices telling her she messed everything up), Jinx ripped the bottom part of the leg of her pants off to form a makeshift bandage. She tied it around the girl’s waist, cursing under her breath when she realized the cloth wasn’t long enough. She thought about using her belt for a moment to cut off the bleeding, but then remembered that it’s not safe to use a tourniquet of any kind on the torso. “Damn it!” She rolled the cloth into a tight ball before placing it over one of the deeper wounds on [Y/N]’s stomach and applying as much pressure as possible in an attempt to stop some of the bleeding.

[Y/N] groaned out in pain again, drawing another apology from Jinx’s lips. She stayed there for a moment. As she held the cloth in place, she thought about other ways she could treat her wounds. And, as much as she tried to dismiss the thought, she did–for a moment–consider experimenting with Shimmer. She was terrified at the thought of how badly [Y/N]’s body might react to it, but even more so at the thought of losing her completely. Silco would have to understand. Anything to keep her alive.

Drawn out of her thoughts by another round of coughing, Jinx finally glared back over at [Y/N], who looked even more disheveled than before. Her face was devoid of any color. Skin clammy and cold, shivers coursing through her body. Panicked, Jinx dropped the cloth and moved back over to hold the girl’s head against her chest again. “Shh, hey, hey…listen, toots. Can you–can you hear me?” The smallest nod of her head gave Jinx a slight sense of hope. “You can’t die on me. You just can’t, okay? You gotta keep living for me. I-I can’t lose you. You’re too damn important to me. We gotta keep going so we can get married and rule the undercity together, remember? Y-You know I can’t keep living without you. Just…just keep your eyes open until we can get help, alright? That’s all you gotta do. Keep breathing, and don’t go to sleep.”

A sad chuckle passed weakly through [Y/N]’s lips. “Can I…be honest with you, Jinx?” Jinx forced a smile as convincingly as she could. “Of course, sweets. You know I always want you to be honest with me.” [Y/N] smiled, but Jinx quickly frowned again as tears poured down the [h/c] girl’s cheeks like rivers. “I’m…I’m scared, Jinx. I’m so scared. I don’t–” She coughed again–harder this time. “I don’t want to die. Not…not like this.” With each passing word, Jinx’s heart was shattering into more and more pieces. “No, toots, you’re not going to die. I promise.” Again, [Y/N] shook her head. “Yes, I am.” “No, you–you can’t. I won’t let you.” “Jinx, I’m…I’m going to die.” She quieted her voice to speak with less strain. “We both know it.” Jinx shook her head harshly, pulling [Y/N]’s head further against her.

The girl, now barely hanging on by a thread, could hear her lover’s heartbeat racing faster than ever before. They stayed there as sobs racked through Jinx’s body. She trembled and jolted as she continuously begged and pleaded for [Y/N] not to leave her. Finally, [Y/N] gripped her shirt to gain her attention. Terrified that she’d see the light leaving her eyes, Jinx hesitated before looking down. [Y/N] still had that smile–the one she fell in love with all those years ago. “I don’t want to be alone, Jinx,” she whispered as her own tears began to flow. That fear–oh, that fear in her eyes–Jinx wanted to crush it. If she had to go, she didn’t want her to be afraid. But what could she say that would make this more comforting? She couldn’t say the pain would go away because it clearly wouldn’t. And she couldn’t promise an afterlife because no one knew for sure if that even existed.

She thought of all she could possibly say before finally whispering a soft, “You’re not alone, toots. I’m here, okay? I’m right here.” She leaned down and pressed her forehead against [Y/N]’s as gently as she could. “You’re not alone.” [Y/N]’s smile grew for a moment as they stayed there. When Jinx pulled back, however, that smile was gone, and her eyes were now closed. Jinx’s heart stopped this time. “[Y/N]...?” She shook her gently. “[Y/N], hey, no. [Y/N], please wake up. Please…? I-I can’t…please don’t leave me. Stay with me. I can’t lose you, dammit! Come back to me!” A few more violent shakes with no response finally grounded Jinx into reality. [Y/N] was really gone.

She clutched the girl’s head and shoulders and drove them even further against her–as close as she physically could–as she let out a scream of agony and sorrow. She heaved with every sob as she rocked back and forth. Her hands shook violently as she brought them down after several moments to cradle [Y/N]’s pale, lifeless face in them. This couldn’t be reality. She had already lost so much at such a young age–she didn’t deserve to experience this all over again! She was supposed to live out a happy life with [Y/N] and find ways to cope with her trauma in a healthy way. But now it was all in vain. Without [Y/N] by her side, she’d never be able to stay sane again–even with Silco there to support her. Could she have prevented this?

Of course she could’ve–she told herself. If she had found the girl sooner, she wouldn’t have been attacked. Or if she had just never let them get separated, she would’ve been able to keep a better eye on her. Or–better yet–if [Y/N] had just never come on this mission with her at all, there never would’ve been a risk.

But of course–she knew–there always would’ve been a risk. After all, [Y/N] was the lover of the most feared and hated girl in the undercity. This meant, in turn, she was also hated and feared. It was almost destiny.