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The Midnight Subway

Pairing: Five Hargreeves x GN!Reader

Deranged Five my beloved ❤️ They massacred your character

(this is not canon compliant in the slightest; prepare for gross misinterpretation of Five's new powers)

Summary: You are the only passenger on the timeline subway. You've met many iterations of the same traveler, but he never comes back. Until he does, and he finally asks the right questions. He claims to know how to stop the apocalypse, and all he needs is your help, but is he worth leaving behind all you know?

Word count: 3.6k

(AN: Confession: I never watched season 4 because I saw what a trainwreck it turned out to be, so this is very VERY loosely based in canon. Also the relationship between Five and Lila doesn’t exist because Genuinely What The Fuck. Basically I saw the vague concept of a time subway and ran with it.)

He’s covered in blood again.

He is more often than not.

In the middle of wiping arterial spray off his face with a handkerchief, he notices you, and surprise and suspicion flit over his face. Not a version of him that’s met you before, then. You’ve met him… eleven times now? All different versions from different timelines. All tired. All old beyond their years.

They get off at the same stop every time and never get back on.

This one’s wearing his school uniform. You’ve never seen him dressed like that before. His hair is long like the rest of them, though, strands hanging over his narrowed eyes.

“Who the hell are you?”

You blink. He’s not usually so aggressive. “I’m just a passenger.”

“How did you get here?”

You shrug. “Stepped off the station platform, I think.” It was a long time ago, except it wasn’t. You’ve been riding this subway for a very long time, except you haven’t. Your mind is filled with a hundred thousand identical minutes of staring out the window at the blurred lights, but you look exactly the same as you did when you boarded. “Hey, what year is it for you?” Sometimes he says something truly outrageous.

He ignores your question in favor of trying to pull open the subway doors, but they don’t budge. He curls his hands into fists. Blue light crackles around them and he pushes, but nothing happens.

You clear your throat. “Unfortunately, that won’t work. You’ll just have to wait until we get to your stop.”

“What do you mean, my stop?”

“I don’t know. I think you just have to feel it.”

“Well, aren’t you cryptic.” He rolls his shoulders and angles his chin, a tell you’ve noticed he does just before attacking. Sure enough, out comes the gun from his pocket. He angles it square at your forehead and snaps, “Explain. Now.”

“I can’t.” You raise your chin, daring him to shoot. You’re not sure if people can die on the subway. You’re not sure if you can die. You’re not sure that you don’t want to. “Obviously I’ve never felt it.” You gesture pointedly at your seat. “I’ve been here a long time.”

“How long?”

“Time doesn’t really exist here.”

For a moment it’s obvious that he’s internally debating whether or not to shoot you. “Fuck.” He shoves the gun back into his pocket. “When’s the next stop, then? I need to get off, I need to save my family. There’s an apocalypse—”

“I know,” you say gently. He’s always worried about one apocalypse or the other, always running from a million different ways to end the world. “You might as well sit. There’s no way to stop the train. It’ll stop when it’s meant to.”

“No. No, I don’t have time for this.” He shakes his head. “I’m finding a way out. You can rot here for all I care.”

“I won’t,” you say serenely. Until the timelines implode, you’ll continue to ride the subway. And once they do, you probably still will. It exists outside of the continuum. All that will change, you think, is that there will be no more stops. It’ll just be one long subway ride for eternity. If not, then at least you’ll go out painlessly.

He sighs and looks around for anyone to commiserate, but there’s only you. Without so much as a goodbye, he’s stalking away in that little ramble that reminds you sometimes of an adolescent bear: a dangerous beast that thinks it’s as large as it will be, not as it is now.

He slams the door to the next compartment. You sigh and scratch the cheap paint on the pole to your right. Sometimes he stays longer, sits down in a seat across from you and asks questions meant to seem casual, but you always know they're an interrogation.

You'll see another him soon enough. There's no indication of time on the subway—if it was real, it would be in an underground tunnel, and the only light comes from the flickering fluorescents above and the occasional tunnel light through the window. Days don't pass with the indication of a sun and moon. You're not sure if you've ever even slept. So you're not sure how long it will be before another shows up. Once two showed up at the same time and tried to kill each other. At least the survivor was nice enough to drag the body away before he got off.

Some time later you feel the subway shudder. You tilt forward slightly as it starts to slow down and eventually stop. Both sides of the doors open to a nondescript subway station, and the train repeats its usual monotone monologue. Time for him to get off, then. Maybe there's a difference in the destinations depending on which side you choose, but probably not. You're pretty sure the subway knows what its riders need.

An hour, a day, or a year passes, and the door to the next compartment opens. He steps through again. This one is wearing the same schoolboy uniform, and he doesn't look surprised to see you.

In fact, he's strangely intent.

"There's no one else on this train," he says, and you realize this is the same boy you just saw.

He came back.

He's never come back before.

Something stirs inside of you, something you haven't felt in a long time. It's still trapped beneath the blanket of dull apathy you've nurtured for so long, but its shape starts to rise in your throat.

"So why are you here? How are you here? Who even are you?" He stands in front of you close enough that you can see blood on the side of his neck that he didn't wipe off.

"I told you before. I got on. Why didn't you get off at your stop?" He's never stayed on the train longer than he has to. He's never stayed.

"This isn't a subway you can just 'get on.'" He uses finger quotes. "Do you work for the Temps Commission?"

"No," you say slowly. "I don't know what that is."

Abruptly he sits down across from you, loosens his tie, and asks, "What day were you born?"

"What a strange question. I don't know."

"You don't know an awful lot."

"I was born sometime in the fall of 1989," you say. "Sometime in September, I think, or maybe early October. That's what they estimated at the orphanage, anyway."

He sits back and runs a hand through his long hair. "You don't know."

"What do I not know."

"Who you are." He looks at you curiously. "That's why you keep ignoring the question."

You snort. It's not even very funny, but you haven't had anything to find amusing ever since you stepped on the platform. What a relief to learn that you can still laugh. Of all the things the universe stole from you, laughter isn't one of them. "Of course I know who I am. I'm one of you."

"What?"

"Or I was supposed to be." He still looks confused, so you elaborate, "One of the umbrellas."

"How do you know about that?"

"I didn't grow up on the train. I got on when I was nineteen. I saw your team all over the news growing up." A familiar hurt pangs in your stomach. "Why was I the only one your father didn't adopt?"

He lets out a long breath, then says, "Jesus." He stands up, then sits back down. “Well, if it makes you feel better, you weren’t the only one. Reginald only needed seven. He made forty-three.”

“Oh.” You slouch a little in your seat. It’s comforting to know that your exclusion wasn’t personal. You and thirty-five other kids hadn’t been found. Had their parents kept them? They probably had families. And even though the Umbrella Academy’s families hadn’t kept them, at least they had each other.

It’s comfortable to sink back into self-pity.

“So what can you do? Do you have a name, at least?”

“Of course I have a name,” you say, and tell him what it is. “Funny you ask me that when you’re the one that doesn’t. Is this where you went when you died?”

“No.” A shadow crosses over his face. “I went somewhere much worse.”

“Sorry,” you say after a pause. It seems like the appropriate response. You haven’t had a real conversation in a while. Or maybe you had the last one yesterday, just before stepping onto the subway.

“So what can you do?”

“Change time.”

“Excuse me?”

“How do you think I made it here?”

Technically, time broke when you and Five were born, bunching into little pockets like the one you made your home. When he jumped through time, though, he started the branching of realities.

The only real difference between you two is that you can manipulate time, and he can get in and out of it. That's not to say that he doesn't have its own influence over it, though.

"I made this little pocket of time into a circle, and around and around we go.” You spin your finger in the air. “But it’s because of you that it looks like a train. Five, who do you think broke the timeline in the first place?”

He stares at you, speechless.

“I didn’t mean to,” you say defensively. “And you didn’t know what you were doing.”

“That’s—just so—how does that make any sense? People are still dying! My family will die!” Instead of the gun, this time he pulls out a switchblade and flips it open. The tip glints under the fluorescents.

This has never happened before. The Fives never come back. They’ve never asked the right questions. After all, you’re not hiding anything.

“You can’t kill me,” you say wearily.

“I can try,” he growls, and lunges.

Here, you exist constantly. It's a circle and it's one stationary point. The track is an ouroboros, and the train isn't even moving. Five lunges and he doesn’t, and your throat splits and it doesn’t, and blood spills all down your front and it doesn't. You choke as it rushes out, and—

There is no blood. No cut. Five is back in his chair holding the switchblade, and you’re still in yours.

“You can’t surprise me,” you say apologetically. “I’ve seen everything. Before you even try to kill me I’m stopping you.”

“I’ll figure out a way,” he growls.

The subway grinds to a halt. You look around, surprised, when the brakes squeal. That’s never happened before. The announcement over the speakers is so gravelly you can barely understand a word.

The doors open. Five looks between you and the exit several times, then makes his decision.

“I’ll be back,” he promises. Threatening, like that’s supposed to scare you. You’d be glad for the company, you think. You’ve been sitting in silence for so long.

He steps off the train and the doors whoosh closed.

The ride starts again, and you fall back into the comfortable lull of the engine’s rumbling.

Some time later, the subway stops again. Its words are still garbled through the speakers. Technically, no time exists here, but you're pretty sure these intervals are out of the ordinary. Are they affecting the subway?

It starts back up again, and the connecting compartment's door opens. In walks a new Five. He's wearing the same schoolboy uniform as the last—you think. Instead of a spray of blood on his face and collar, though, he's completely soaked in it, like he drained a hundred bodies and bathed in their entrails. His hair is soaked flat against his head, and his teeth are red when he bares them.

"I'm back," he growls.

It's the same Five.

He came back again. No one's ever come back for you even once, let alone twice.

"What did you do?" Your stomach twists. You're not squeamish, but this is... a lot.

"I went to a diner," he huffs and sprawls in the chair across from you. The gaudy faux-velvet seat drinks the blood up greedily. "Met a lot of alternate versions of me."

"Did you kill them all?" you ask, horrified. Some of them had been polite. Gentle, even, beneath their hard exteriors.

"They had given up," he snarls. "They wanted me to give up on saving my family. I haven't spent decades of my life fighting for them to do that." A manic light shines in his eyes. "One of them made brisket."

Your lips twitch. "You're not a fan of brisket?"

"I like brisket fine," he says, giving you an annoyed side eye. "What I didn't like was their attitude."

"So you killed them all."

"Yes."

Well, at least he remains secure in his decisions.

“So I broke the timelines?”

“We both did.”

“So we’re the only ones with a chance of mending them.”

“I don’t think that’s possible.”

“Why not?” he challenges. “You said you made a pocket of time—this pocket of time—a circle. Why can’t you fix it?”

“Because our birth was what broke it in the first place,” you say sharply. “I don’t want to die.”

“You’re so selfish you wouldn’t sacrifice yourself for the world?”

“The world’s never done anything for me,” you say. Cruel foster home after foster home, orphanage between them, minimum wage paychecks kept in a box beneath your bed because you couldn’t open a bank account without guardian permission as a minor, and an abrupt stint at being homeless the moment you aged out of the system. You couldn’t afford housing even on the highest-paying job that would hire you. You couldn’t afford a college degree to get a better job. No, the world never did a thing for you. That’s why you left in the first place. “It’s not my responsibility to save it. Besides, you’d have to die, too. Are you willing to make that sacrifice?”

“For my family, in a heartbeat,” he says immediately. “I’ve killed plenty of people to save them. What’s another two more?”

“It doesn’t matter anyway,” you sigh. “For as long as we exist here, the timelines stop branching.”

“What?”

“I already did the world a favor by leaving, but you kept breaking it by jumping through time.”

“If you won’t come willingly, I’ll force you.”

“You could certainly try.”

“I’m leaving.” He stands abruptly.

You sigh as he does, accompanied by the train's distorted, "Arriving now—doors clear at—see you—"

What a miracle that he visited you thrice. The company should tide you over for a long while yet.

You sit for a while, just looking at the blood stain he left on the chair across from you. Eventually it starts to stink, or maybe that’s just in your head. Either way, looking at it makes your stomach turn.

Ever since you got on the train and sat down, you’ve never switched seats. It’s almost a surprise that you can stand up. You clutch the pole close to you for balance when the floor vibrates underneath your feet just slightly with the force of the train’s engine.

You head across the compartment and sit in a seat facing away from the bloodstain, but the back of your neck prickles. It’s in the shape of Five’s body, and you can’t stop picturing it coming together as a facsimile of a person, a terrible lumbering blood-shadow creeping up on you.

You jump to your feet and whirl around, but it’s just a bloodstain.

You can’t stay here, but you don’t know what the next compartment looks like.

Will it be exactly the same? Will it be completely different?

It's the same, and for some reason you can't bring your feet to stop moving. You pass through that car, then the next. They're all the same, except none have the bloodstain that Five left on his seat. Would it still be there if you were to return? Can you even go back?

You can't stop opening the doors, but the train never slows. You want to get off. You want to explore more of this inbetween space.

You want to find the Five that came back for you.

You give up after a hundred compartments and stand in the middle of one, clutching the nearest pole for dear life, barely swaying with the train's gentle movement. The train was always an escape for you, but now it seems more like a trap. One that you sprung on yourself without knowing how to get out.

Do you even want to get out?

The air shifts, and you turn just in time to see the bag close over your head.

Five drags you away from the pole and slams you into a seat. Something poking out of it digs into your back. You can only see the faint light filtering through the bag, and that makes you hyperfocused on Five's hands on your shoulders.

"I figured it out," he snarls, the sound so close he must not be more than an inch from your face. "You and everyone else that gave up were wrong. There's a way to save the world and save my family, so you're going to get off this train now, or you get off the train in thirty minutes after I cut off each of your fingers and feed them to you and you beg me to stop you."

You suck in a breath. It's one of his more graphic threats for sure. Oddly enough, you can't see how this will play out. The bag over your head means you can't see where the blows will come from.

For the first time in a long time, you're scared.

Your mouth opens without knowing what to say. You're saved by a screech of static. The train announces, "Congratulations! All passengers—to a book club—third compartment in any direction—Ben will see you there."

The pressure of Five's hands disappears from your shoulders, and you hear hurried footsteps. He never tied the bag, so you rip it off in time to see him pass through the door to the next compartment.

Your pulse bounds in your throat. That announcement was new, and makes the train sound much more sentient than any train ought to. You're supposed to be the one in charge of this pocket dimension, but what if you're not? What if someone else has been calling the shots this whole time?

You chase after Five. At least with him, you know what he wants. You know how to appease him. He doesn't go out of his way to hurt people, at least, though he doesn't seem to think of himself as anything more than a killer.

You only catch a glimpse of his heel in the next compartment. You start to run. What if the doors lead you to separate cars, and you never see him again? The only person that ever came back for you, and he did it four times.

You're still running when you make it to the third compartment, and you run straight into Five's back. He doesn't even seem to notice it, apart from stumbling a bit. He's too busy staring openmouthed at the man sitting down. His hair is a little bit longer than it was when you saw him last.

The stranger has dark hair and glasses, and there's a book forgotten on his lap. He looks just as surprised to see Five as Five is to see him.

Five chokes out, "Ben?"

Oh. Ben Hargreeves. Number six of the Umbrella Academy. The Horror. He always seemed so gentle when you saw him on TV, at least when he wasn't covered in blood.

"Five." Ben puts the book to the side and stands. Five is already striding towards him, and they collide into a tight hug.

Seconds later, Five pulls away and demands, "What are you doing here?"

"I don't know." Ben shrugs. "I woke up on this subway a couple days ago with this book."

A muscle twitches in Five's jaw. "And instead of trying to find a way out, you started to read it?"

Ben says, "It seemed like the right thing to do." His eyes slide past his brother and land on you. "Who's this?"

You introduce yourself and Ben's eyes widen. "That's you?"

"What do you mean?"

"It's hard to explain. It's just... you exist in this subway." The way he says exist sounds like he means something bigger. Deeper. He just doesn't know the right words for it, because there might not be any. "I was waiting for you to find me."

"Why?"

"It felt right."

What on earth does that mean? If it felt right for him to wait for you, why didn't it feel right for you to seek him out? Why did it take you decades or minutes to chase after Five and bump into Ben? None of it makes sense.

Five grabs Ben's sleeve. "Hold on to me." He looks at you and says firmly, "You have to let go."

"Let go of what?"

"You know what. The reason you got on the train in the first place. Y/N, you have to let go."

Your lips tremble. "I don't want to."

"I know. But you have to." Five's hand takes yours. He squeezes it comfortingly. "I need you for this. Won't you come with me?"

You take a deep breath.

And you let go.

Five x Reader Taglist

@statsvitenskap @dare-the-punisher @thespian-anon @ask-veronica-sawyer-heathers @fivegallaghers @ggclarissa @akiyamakuro @featuringcone9 @badluckqueen @littleamoux

My requests are open! As always, let me know if there's anything you particularly want to read!

No one else could've played Chandler Bing. Thank you for making us laugh and always putting a smile on our faces.

We will miss you and you will always be remembered.

Rest in peace, Matthew Perry ❤

everything happens for a reason - zuko x fem!reader // masterlist

⇦ back to masterlist ⇦

status: wip, tag list is open!

summary: As a servant in the Fire Nation, you’ve learned that life is often unfair. But as you venture through a tumultuous relationship with a certain prince, you come to realize a very tricky lesson: everything happens for a reason.

warning(s): angst, hurt/comfort, hurt without comfort, threats of death, parental death, betrayal, there is a lot of sadness but that comes along with a zuko fic lmao. there is a happy ending though! i promise 

timeline | playlist | ao3

current wc: 114,915

CHAPTER 1 . I am not your concern

CHAPTER 2 . And out of the blue, I fell for you

CHAPTER 3 . I feel so much, I get carried away

CHAPTER 4 . The night was full of terrors and your eyes were full of tears

CHAPTER 5 . I can go anywhere I want, I can go anywhere just not home

CHAPTER 6 . The thing about forever is that it’s a fucking lie

CHAPTER 7 . I think my ways are wearing me down

CHAPTER 8 . Used to do these things so effortlessly, somehow

CHAPTER 9 . I fell in love with a war, nobody told me it ended

CHAPTER 10 . I hate you for what you did, and I miss you like a little kid

CHAPTER 11 . Memories, where’d you go?

CHAPTER 12 . Living in the state of dreaming

CHAPTER 13 . But there was one thing missing, and that was the moment I knew

CHAPTER 14 . How could you be so reckless with my heart?

CHAPTER 15 . I thought I had you figured out

CHAPTER 16 . I miss you more than anything

CHAPTER 17 . And maybe I don’t quite know what to say

CHAPTER 18 . Don’t speak, I know just what you’re thinking

CHAPTER 19 . Can we go back to the world we had? With a love so sweet it makes me sad

CHAPTER 20 . Guess it’s true, I’m never getting over you

CHAPTER 21 . Meet me in the afterglow

CHAPTER 22 . I’ve been waiting on you

CHAPTER 23 . You’re coming back, and it’s the end of the world

CHAPTER 24 . Finally, I have found a way to be happy

In the middle of the night

Y/n shout-whispering : Gally ? Gally can I sleep with you ?

Gally lifting the covers still sleepy : sure sweetheart, come here

Y/n snuggling with him : Thanks

Gally : So what's the problem ?

Y/n pulling up the covers : Nothing I just missed you

Gally chuckling : There's a spider in your hut right ?

Y/n dramatically : That thing was huge ! I swear it's a shucking monster !

House of Cards

pairing: chishiya shuntarou x fem!reader genre: angst (i love angst i'm sawry), unrequited love (but is it really), pining wc: 6.1k warnings: niragi, spontaneously written at 2am and under the influence, chishiya is emotionally constipated, is chishiya ooc here idk summary: in which you've known chishiya before borderlands and he isn't so fond of seeing you at the beach ao3 link > PART 2

The first person you saw after the first game at the Beach was Usagi. You ran to her as soon as you saw her by the pool.

“Have you seen Arisu?” She asks you as soon as you let go. You shake your head in worry, your head immediately looking around and searching the crowd for the familiar shaggy mop of hair. 

“There!” She exclaims and you both push through the crowd to get to him. He sees both of you approaching and screams your names in delight.  

“Arisu!” You grin as you approach him. You immediately wrap your arms around him. He pats your back.

“You’re both alive.” He lets out a sigh of relief. You nod and let him go.

He and Usagi stare at each other with shy smiles, making you roll your eyes. You stood in between them awkwardly.

“Please just hug it out. I’m practically begging at this point. I wish the game just killed me if I knew I will have to see this shit.” You cross your arms and walk away from both of them while both of them follow you, no doubt still shyly smiling at each other while talking.

You sat on one of the pool chairs and Usagi sat on the edge of your seat. Arisu sat on the other chair beside yours. 

“Ann was trying to test me,” Arisu says as he sat down on the edge of the beach chair, talking about the game he was in.

“When in Rome, do as the Romans do,” Usagi replies while you nod in agreement. 

A girl in a blue patterned two-piece swimsuit enters your space and sits beside Arisu. She was tall, pale, and pretty and with some kind of stick in her mouth. The three of you follow her with your gazes.

“Your girlfriend?” She asks and nods at Usagi. She was talking to Arisu.

“What?” Arisu reacts, clearly caught off-guard.

You roll your eyes again but watch the exchange with a grin.

“You’re wrong,” Usagi denies. 

“You clearly like each other. Why not date?” Kuina shrugs and then continues. “You’re never gonna know when you’re going to die.” 

Whatever Arisu, Usagi, and the new girl were talking about, you tune it all out with your thoughts.

It was harsh but true. People always say, if the world was ending, they’d live to the fullest. In Borderlands, every day is your last day. You think back to Chishiya. If he was here, how would he treat you? Pain struck your chest at the thought. 

Will he ever look at you the way Arisu looks at Usagi? All this time, you’ve been hanging on to your life hoping you’ll return to him. But is it worth it? Will he even like it when you come back? 

“What about you?” 

The girl looks at you with expectant eyes.

“What was that? Sorry, I zoned out.” 

“You got someone to go back to the original world? I’m Kuina, by the way.” She gives you a sweet smile.

You nod, thinking of the nonchalant platinum blonde. “Yeah. I think so.” 

She was about to ask more when a loud voice halts the entire celebration.

“Hey, stop playing that tacky music!”

Armed men enter the area. You recognize some of them as the men who tied you up when the three of you were caught spying on The Beach. Everyone stops partying upon their arrival, you even see some holding their breath. 

“It’s the militants,” Kuina explains to the three of us. “If you want to live a peaceful life at the Beach, avoid getting involved with them.” 

She begins to explain who the militants are and what they do. The muscular man named Aguni is their leader. They’re who are in power on the Beach along with Hatter and his devotees. A conflict could happen between the two groups at any time. You don’t doubt it. Such two different powers will clash inevitably.

Aguni and his militants stop by the four of you. He was looking at Arisu who avoided his gaze.

“What happened to your friend?” The question was for Arisu again. You raise a brow. You’re beginning to notice a lot of people knowing Arisu. He must’ve been in a game with the man back when he was with his friends.

Arisu stayed silent, a glimpse of his defeated self, lying on the ground passing by you. 

“I see. He died.” Aguni states the obvious. “What a shame only the small fish survived.” 

You frown at the clear insult to your friend.

“Do you know each other?” Kuina whispered to Arisu.

Aguni then flits his dark gaze to Usagi and then to you. You suddenly felt naked in your black two-piece swimsuit. But it’s not like you to cower. So you look back at him with the same dark but angry gaze. 

“You,” he points at the arrogant-looking man with the gun over his shoulder. “Bring those women over.” 

The man quickly moves to his feet, about to grab Usagi first. Arisu stands up in a heartbeat, shouting his protest.

“Stop it. Don’t get involved!” Kuina holds his arm as he stands up. 

Usagi stays planted in her seat and you stand up, fists in anger and on your sides. 

“Our boss said he wants a taste of both of you.” He says with an ugly smirk on his face. With you being closer, you could see the multiple piercings on his face. You feel nothing but disgust for this man.

The man grabs Usagi’s arm again and both Arisu and you stop him. 

“Stop it,” Arisu repeats, standing in front of you and Usagi.

“What? Had to have two chicks to yourself? Don’t you know sharing is caring?” He asks Arisu and then asks Aguni. “What should we do about this guy?” 

“Break his legs so that he’ll die in the next game.” 

Your eyes widen at the words of the militants’ leader. You quickly felt fear for your friends. God, is this really gonna happen to the three of you? 

The pierced man orders the militants to bring the both of you to Aguni while he grabs Arisu.

The tattooed man with a sword approaches you and grabs you by the arm. 

“Fucking let me go.” You struggle against his hold, tugging your arm from his digging grasp. 

Arisu escapes the pierced man’s hold and is about to head back to the both of you when the militants block his way. He can’t do anything. You can’t do anything. You were outnumbered and no one will save you. 

You stare down the bald tattooed man, not letting him see your fear. 

You look around, desperate for an opening or an idea to save the three of you. The people only look at the situation closely. 

There was only one name in your mind. Chishiya. You have to get out of here for Chishiya. You have to make it out alive somehow. 

“Is this a fight?”

The crowd made a way and came in the Beach’s number one, Hatter. 

“Back off Hatter, this doesn’t concern you,” Aguni spoke up. 

“I can’t do that. As Number One, I’m obliged to maintain order at the Beach.” He says dramatically, looking afar. Then he looks at the militants once again. “Can you let off the newcomers in my account, Aguni?” 

All of the residents of the Beach watch as the tension between the two leaders rises. It was Hatter who first breaks the stare down and looks at the pierced man.

“Niragi?” He directs the question to him. So his name is Niragi, you thought. It’s best to avoid him. He reeks of danger and you are seldom wrong about your intuition. 

Niragi looks away. “I only take orders from my boss.”

Hatter clearly takes offense at the man’s answer and looks at Aguni again with dark eyes. “Then let me ask your boss.”

He stares down at Aguni again, faces inches away from each other. “Who’s your boss, Aguni?”

Aguni doesn’t look at Hatter, staring ahead in anger. Then he turns to face Hatter. Everyone waits for the tough-looking man’s answer.

“It’s you, right?” 

Hatter seemed pleased with his answer and whispered something to him. Aguni then makes his way out of the scene. You successfully tug your arm out of the militant’s grasp, glaring at him and moving away. 

“All executive members are to gather in the meeting room!” Hatter announces to everyone. 

The militants rush out of the scene and Hatter watches as they walk away.

“Arisu, you’re coming too.” He orders without looking at him, still eyeing the gunned men who have their backs turned to him. “I heard your potential from Ann. Follow me.”

Arisu looks at Usagi and then at you. You nod at him, assuring silently that the two of you will be okay. 

“I’ll be back,” Arisu promises to Usagi who was still sitting down. 

Your male friend follows Hatter and Usagi trails behind him in worry but stops after a few steps. You follow her and place a hand on her shoulder, staring at the back of your friend who was to be in a meeting with the executives. 

“Usagi. He’ll be fine.” You tell her in comfort, mostly telling it to yourself too. 

You turn back at Kuina, about to ask her if she knows where they’re going. 

But what you saw froze you in your place, dropping your hand from Usagi’s shoulder. 

You felt your heart drop to your stomach. That white jacket. That platinum blonde. Those cat-like eyes. Your eyes must be deceiving you. It can’t be. 

“Shuntarou.” You sang as you entered the Doctors’ lounge room. 

He was alone and it was so quiet you can hear a pin drop so you don’t miss how he audibly sighs. You giggle, well aware of the fact that you annoy the shit out of him. You sit across from him. He was reading some patient information with three books stacked on the coffee table in front of him. 

As usual, he doesn’t even express his negative welcome with words. 

“I bought you something,” you wave the paper bag in front of his face in excitement. 

It didn’t surprise him. You always do this. Whenever you were out shopping, you had to buy him one thing. It was an unspoken rule you set for yourself. And it could be anything—no price range, no rules. One time, you bought him a plant. It died in three weeks. So, you set another rule for yourself, only inanimate objects as gifts.

You set the paper bag down and take out the box inside it. You know he won’t bother opening it in front of you so you open it yourself. 

As you take off the lid, you excitedly say, “Tada!” 

His eyes flit to the content of the box for a second and then to you before going back to his patient’s papers. He never says thank you for any of your gifts but you don’t really mind. He didn’t ask for them anyway. But you know when he likes the gifts. It’s how you know more about him. He’ll never tell you what he likes or dislikes so it was up to you to figure it out. 

“It’s nice, isn’t it? Can you wear this when we go on our date?” You press him as you take out the white jacket from the box. 

It wasn’t a date. But he doesn’t deny it so that was enough for you. 

Before he answers (but you doubt he would), the door of the lounge opens and walks in Nakamura Hina. She was your senior in med school and a great doctor. She’s also one of Chishiya’s co-workers. 

She’s nice and she never showed you anything bad but you sense that she doesn’t like you. You didn’t mind. There was a pretty long line and you don’t plan on opening the doors to any of them. 

“Y/N, you’re here,” she states the obvious and gives you a tight strained smile. Her eyes flit over to Chishiya. 

“Chishiya, Mr. Yamamoto wants you in his office to talk about the patient.” 

Without saying a word, he was already on his feet, not even sparing you a glance and following Nakamura out the door. You stand up too.

“I’ll head out too! Remember what I said, okay?” 

He doesn’t even acknowledge you and kept on walking. Hina was looking at you with pity in her eyes. You’ve grown accustomed to it. That was your reputation anyway–the rich girl always hanging around Chishiya Shuntarou. 

When they were out of the door, you slump back down your seat and groan. 

Before leaving, you fixed your gift back in the paper bag and set it down next to his things. 

You hope he’ll wear it, at least. 

It’s Chishiya. Your Chishiya was beside Kuina. 

He was staring ahead of you so you purposefully blocked his sight, forcing yourself to be in his sight. It was so you to force your way into his life.

If he looks at you, then it’s real. He’s real.

His gaze drops on your face but as soon as his eyes meet yours, Usagi speaks.

“Y/N? What’s wrong?” 

This made you look at her. “It’s—,” you look back at him but find yourself gazing at a crowd with no Chishiya or Kuina in sight.

He’s here in Borderlands. 

Scared to be alone in such a dangerous place, Usagi and you slept in her room. You lie on your backs and side by side on her bed. Inches away from each other, you could practically feel Usagi’s anxiety reeking off and unto you. 

“Do you think Arisu’s fine right now?” Usagi finally thinks out loud.

You sigh. “He can handle himself.” You pause and think about the man you considered your friend. “He’s smart, isn’t he?” 

You feel her genuinely smile beside you. “It’s definitely one of his strengths.” 

“So you like smart guys too?” You tease her. “I get it,” you add, thinking about a certain genius doctor you know. 

“Too? What does that mean? Your type is smart guys?” She gets excited and faces you on her side, leaning her chin on her palm and putting her upper weight on her elbow.

You purse your lips. “I’m not telling you.”

She shakes you and whines. “Come on. Tell me.”

You grin and lean on your elbow too, now facing each other like two teenage girls in a sleepover. Doing this felt like ages ago. You used to gush over Chishiya to your girlfriends who clearly felt annoyed and tired of it. But right now, Usagi was waiting and is so excited for you to tell her all about the guy you liked. It reminded you of how life used to be so simple. Now, romance was a luxury no one can afford in Borderlands. 

“He’s a doctor.” You start. “We’ve known each other since we were kids. Our parents were coworkers and friends.” 

“I was in med school too. We were both there together. It’s kind of an unspoken thing that we’re arranged to be married. I hated studying medicine. So I didn’t really pursue it after college.” You pause, thinking about much easier times. “Chishiya, though, he’s good at everything. He’s smart and he’s so cool. He isn’t like anyone I've ever met.”

“So it’s him? The person you’re going back to after Borderlands?” Usagi asks, sweetly and in awe.

You gave her a sad smile. “That was the plan.” 

Her brow furrowed and formed into a frown. “What do you mean?” 

You lie back down, looking up at the ceiling with tears in your eyes. It’s a good thing the lights were off. “I saw him tonight. He’s here.” 

“He’s here?” She doesn’t hide the shock in her tone and you nod. “Why didn’t you go to him?” 

“It’s weird.” You admit. “I’m kinda scared.”

It’s true. You were scared. At first, you were shocked but then you were scared. Chishiya were in the same deadly games you’ve been in. Needless to say, they were traumatic and insane. You don’t doubt that he won all those games but still, you were scared. One wrong move is all it takes sometimes. He could die any day here in Borderlands instead of him waiting for you in the real Tokyo. And would he care about you here? Without the threat of your parents knowing their daughter’s every move?

“You’re scared of your boyfriend?” She huffs, trying to lighten the mood.

“That’s the thing. He’s not my boyfriend,” you answer with a sad voice. “I was just this girl who chased him around. I didn’t mean a thing to him. I’m scared that he won’t care about me here.” 

Usagi places a hand on top of mine. 

“I’m sure he will. You’re hard not to care about, Y/N.” 

You slept that night with a heavy heart. You’ve come a long way in the games. You sacrificed, killed, and bled just so you can come back to a life that was not even worth living for a man that was fighting for his life in the games as well. 

It scares you a lot because as much as you do not care about what happens to you, you know that you’ll die for him. You realize that your feelings for him run that deep. You love him that much. 

That very night, you realize that your goal in Borderland has changed.

It wasn’t to go back to Chishiya. It was to make sure that he gets out of here alive. Even if meant your damnation, you’ll gladly take it. 

The next morning, Arisu, Usagi, and you went around the Beach to gather information. There wasn’t much. You learned that there weren't any games beyond Tokyo and it wasn’t accessible at all. Whoever leaves Tokyo or the country, a laser shoots them from the sky. 

The three of you assume that the only real way to get out of here was to play the games. 

“I’ll go to the annex basement,” Usagi says as the three of you walk outside the building. “I’ll go get some food supplies and any weapons that we can use.” 

“I’ll go with you,” you tell her. She nods at me. “I’m going to look for someone I know.”

You spun and nodded at Arisu. “I’ll look for some more information if I can, in case we need it.” 

The two of you separated from Arisu and did what you told him you will. You didn’t find Chishiya. You didn’t think it wise to ask the residents of the Beach about his whereabouts because it wouldn’t be wise for them to know about your association with him. None of these people can be trusted.

When the three of you met up once again, Usagi began to tell Arisu that the Beach had gathered quite a large number of firearms and it was guarded. 

“As long as they have those firearms, Hatter is dangerous,” Usagi worried.

You nod. “The militants too. They overpower us.” 

Arisu stops walking, thinking deeply. Usagi asks him what’s wrong but he walks again and looks out the window. 

Out there, the residents of the Beach we’re partying like there’s no tomorrow. 

“The Beach,” Arisu starts. “A utopia built upon charisma. However, maybe that’s just our imagination. A utopia doesn’t exist in this world.” 

Usagi and you look at each other, confused at your friend’s mumbling.

“Usagi. Y/N. I’d like to talk to you about something.” 

He stares at the two of you deeply in the eye, waiting for your answer intently. 

You let out a loud huff. “Why? What’s got you serious all of a sudden?”

You were mad. You found Chishiya on the rooftop with Kuina. How dare him tell Arisu to specifically leave you out of his plan? 

“Y/N?” The tall woman was the first one to see you approaching with heavy breaths and clenched fists. 

“Why would you tell Arisu to leave me out of the plan? What if something happens to the four of you? What am I supposed to do?” You protest in anger. 

“Kuina.” 

He only says her name but Kuina understands him. She gives him a nod and taps you on your shoulder before heading inside and out of the rooftop. 

“I want to help. I want to leave here too,” you plead with him and take his hand. He pulls it away from your grasp and your heart doesn’t miss to ache because of that action. 

“What is so valuable about your life outside Borderlands, anyway?” 

“What?” 

“You spend all day swiping Daddy’s credit card and drinking with your fake plastic friends. And when you’re bored of them, you come to the hospital to annoy me.” 

“Why are you saying this?” Tears well up in your eyes. It’s not that he was lying. All he said was true. You know that you do, in fact, annoy him. You don’t forget the evident irritation on his face whenever he sees you approaching before Borderlands. 

You couldn’t help it. Even if the life you had before was dull, there was something about him that pulled you in. You know that he never liked you despite the association of your parents to his. But to hear it tonight, right when you’ve only asked him if you could be a part of his plans—that you want to help him leave The Beach and out of Borderlands.

“Just go back to your room, Y/L/N.” 

Stupid. Worthless. Annoying. That’s what he thinks you are. You’re too stupid to be in his oh-so-great plans to leave The Beach. You’re worthless in his and your own life. Most of it all, you were nothing but a nuisance to him. He doesn’t even think of you as a friend. He just thinks of you as someone whom his parents thrusted to. 

You agree it’d be better if you weren’t sent to this world with him. But you were. 

“I’m serious. You’ll mess up my plan,’ he even adds. 

“Why would I do that? What about the games I played? Do you not think I’ve won them with my hard work?” 

He makes a tsk sound, staring ahead. It was chillier on the rooftop than expected and your long-sleeved shirt wasn’t enough to shield you from the cold. But you endure it for him and for this argument. 

“No. You’ve won games on your own.”

“Then why?” You plead. “Why do you think I’m incapable?” 

“I don’t think you’re incapable.” 

“Probably not. But you think I’m nothing but a burden to you.”

“You are.” Typical. Unfiltered and cruel truth comes out of his mouth.

“Then you should just let me die in the games I will be in. That way, you’re free of me forever. You’d be able to come back to our life, Chishiya. I know it. I just want to help you. Because I—, even if I’m not your friend, you are mine.” You rarely call him by his last name. The only other times were when it was necessary so you don’t doubt that he felt the coldness in your voice when you uttered his name. 

‘Because I love you’, you almost let out. 

You don’t wait for his answer and turn around, leaving him alone on the rooftop with his uncaring face and his hand inside the pocket of his white jacket. 

While his other hand, the one you held in yours, twitches against the cold breeze of the night. 

As Shuntaro’s childhood friend, his unfiltered words were nothing but old news to you. Every time he’d push you away and tell you mean things in disguise of cold harsh truth, you won’t deny that you feel a pang of pain in your heart for a millisecond. But, as aforementioned, with the years you’ve known the nonchalant cat-man, you’ve learned to tug that feeling away as soon as possible. 

Right now though, you find yourself exhausted dealing with him. 

Now, your feet have carried you to Arisu’s doorstep instead of yours. Despite knowing Chishiya before Borderlands, you weren’t brought here with him. You had your first games alone. That’s when you found Usagi and then eventually, a distraught and defeated Arisu lying on the street. 

You spent most of your time in Borderlands with him and Asugi. The three of you joined The Beach together. Who would’ve thought you’d find your long-time crush and friend here as one of the executives?

But before knowing he was here, all your thoughts consisted of the guilt of survival. After all the games you were in, why have you survived? You didn’t deserve it. You don’t consider yourself a good person. You were high on privilege and you basked in it. Your life was pointless with no real hardship.

You’ve confided in Arisu when these thoughts occur. It wasn’t because he was good at comforting you. It was because he understood. He told you he lived a similar life before Borderlands. You picked each other up when he lost Karube and Chotta. 

You knocked on his door while hugging yourself in one arm. Your head was all scrambled and there was an aching pain in your heart because of Chishiya.

“Y/N?” 

Arisu opens the door to you with tears streaming down your face. His hair was shaggier than usual and he could barely open his eyes. You felt a bit guilty for waking him up so late at night.

“What happened?”

And then you spilled everything to him—the talk with Chishiya and the way you felt about the blonde. You told him how you felt cast aside on the plan to steal the cards.

In the dark of Arisu’s room and on his bed, you tore open your heart in front of him. Your friend sat quietly on the side, listening while rubbing your back in comfort. 

It’s ironic how Arisu felt more like a friend than someone you knew for more than a decade. To Chishiya, you were nothing but a burden. Just someone who his parents wanted him to be associated with. His father is a great doctor and a good friend of your father, the owner of multiple hospitals all over Japan. 

And you, you were studying medicine as well but you never particularly felt attached to it. It felt like something you had to do. You were supposed to inherit all of it anyway. 

You don’t consider yourself intelligent but you had good grades up to high school. It was during college that you started to drift away. 

Little do you know, your parents didn’t think you were capable of handling all your businesses from the start. That’s why they chose Chishiya. He was put in the same classes as you from high school up to med school. It was never spoken of but both of you know—Chishiya was being put beside you to marry you and have him take over the company. Chishiya Shuntaro, the genius child. 

It was what your parents wanted. It was what his parents wanted. It was what you learned to want. It was what he never wanted.

No, he did want your father’s position. He was always drawn to power and control. And he will get it. But you were the weight that had to come with it. It hurts but it’s the truth. 

You clung to him for a long while. But a person can only take so much. Maybe he finally had enough. Without your parents in Borderland, he was free of your childish antics. If you die out here, you know that your parents will still take him in. In fact, maybe they’d be glad that they’ve gotten rid of you. It was nothing but a formality after all—just to say that the next owner is still of your father’s blood. 

Despite all that, you love him. You love all of him. You love him even if he looks bored to death when he’s with you. You love him even if he straight up refuses to teach you the lessons you have a hard time on, only to give you his notes right after and even quiz you on them. You love him so much that you accepted being treated like you were worthless and nothing but a pretty display of a daughter by your father so you can have him. If Chishiya wanted to be selfish, then so can you. If he has your position as chairman, then you’ll have him. It’s only fair. He can be happy with his power and miserable with you and you can be happy with him and miserable with your life. 

Chishiya is a complicated person. You know that deep inside, he has learned to care for you. Even for a little bit. Well, that’s what you try to believe.

“I’m sorry for waking you up.” You say to Arisu when you are done venting. 

Arisu smiles and sighs. 

“Our plan, Y/N. It’s dangerous and I understand him.”

You sniffed and paused. “You think I’m incapable too?”

His eyes widened and he shook his head violently. “No. No. That’s not what I meant.” You chuckled at his troubled facial expressions. 

“I meant that if I cared about someone, I wouldn’t want them in danger.” He explains himself. 

You went quiet after those words. Was it possible? Was it possible that Chishiya was ignoring and pushing you away in Borderlands because he… cared? 

You don’t want to hope… but god do you want to. 

“He hasn’t seen you in those games. You are more than capable, Y/N. I know it. But I know that if I had the option, I won’t risk putting my friend in danger.” 

You nod, taking in his words with understanding. You want to believe that Arisu was right. You want to trust Chishiya. But could you? Do you really know the man behind the rose-colored glasses you wear when you see him? 

“Okay,” you sigh. 

That night, you stayed with Arisu in his room after arguing with Arisu to let you sleep on the couch instead of his bed. You only didn’t want to risk seeing Chishiya if you went back to yours, especially when his room was a couple of doors down from yours. And you were too tired that you just wanted to crash. 

As you stare at the ceiling of the room and feel the digging of your shoulder blades and hips on the couch, you think about the person you and Chishiya were before Borderlands. It hasn’t been long but you’ve already found yourself comfortable with sleeping anywhere, not bathing for days, and hardly eating anything at all. You hadn’t faced any of these hardships. 

Arisu was already awake when knocking on his door woke you up from your slumber on his couch. You stirred yourself awake and stood up from the couch. 

“Kuina,” you hear him say as he opens the door. 

You rise to your feet and head to the door. Kuina’s stare lingers at your recently woken-up form but waves at you and greets you anyway. You wave back.

Kuina whispers something to Arisu and he nods then looks back at you. “Y/N. You can follow Kuina after you’ve fixed yourself, okay?” 

You hate this. You felt like a child being taken care of. 

Kuina guides you outside the building after being holed up inside your room for the day. It seemed like the plan was a success and you were just waiting for the others.

You tap your foot repeatedly to aid your nerves. Kuina stood beside you quietly, chewing on her stick. 

“It’s really hard not to have a smoke right now,” she sighs and talks to no one in particular. 

“What’s taking them so long?” you couldn’t help but ask. 

As if on cue, Chishiya walks out of the building with his hands in his pockets. You frown when there was no one who followed him next, no sign of the shaggy-haired boy and the athletic girl you’ve grown to love.

“I guess it’s time to say goodbye to this too.” Chishiya removes the band from his wrist indicating his ranking among the executives. 

You follow him with your gaze but look behind him from time to time. 

“Where’s Arisu? Usagi?” You ask him, worry evident in your tone. 

Chishiya stares at you, looking at you with those unfeeling and unemotional eyes. You stare back at them, trying to decipher what he means. And then it hits you.

“No,” you breathe out. 

You look at the girl beside you who hung her head low, not being able to look at you.

“Kuina?” Your voice weakened. 

Your heart sunk to your stomach. Anger filled your senses and for the very first time ever, you felt hatred for the man in front of you. 

“You sacrificed them?!” 

He looks away. “It was the only way.” 

“They’re my friends,” you complain with a heavy heart. “Arisu is my friend.” 

“I feel really bad for them, Chishiya,” Kuina adds. 

His gaze flits back to you. “Oh, is that why you ran to your friend’s room for the night after our argument?” 

How did he know that? But why does he care?

“Yes. Because unlike you, he gives a shit about me.” You answer with spite. “How could you do this to him? To me? Is this why you didn’t include me in the plans? Because you know I’ll stop you?” 

Chishiya doesn’t answer for a while. Silence fills the void between the two of you. Kuina stays silent by your side, watching the scene unfold with her eyes. 

“Then go.”

His words held no emotion as he stared at you deadly.

“I betrayed them so we can go out. The three of us. But if you want to go, then go. Help them. I don’t care.” 

You look at him and then back to the building. Arisu and Usagi were probably being held by the militants right now. You’ll be outnumbered and caught. But what were you going to do? Go with Chishiya and leave them to die? You thought about the awful things they would’ve done to the three of you if it wasn’t for Hatter stopping them and you felt sick to your stomach. This was not the game. You aren’t supposed to kill and betray unless you were forced to in a game. 

Arisu and Usagi are your friends. Chishiya is your friend. You’ve never had real friends before, at least no one really felt like they were. Arisu and Usagi were the first people who made you feel like they were happy to be your friend. 

You can’t leave your friends. 

“You have the cards, right?” You ask him.

He smirks. “Of course, I do.” 

He says it with confidence like he has the ticket to the way out of Borderlands. With this, he was so sure that you’d have to come out with him. So you can go out. That was what he believed you wanted—that you wanted to go back to your life before. 

But he was wrong. 

“Then you’ll be fine.” 

His eyes widened for a second before they turned to something different. They weren’t as dark or lifeless as they usually are. Instead, you could almost see a hint of surprise and maybe even hurt spread across his eyes. 

You jump to him and wrap your arms around the man. How many times have you hugged him? You could probably count it with your hands. So you take it in, close your eyes, and try to engrave the feeling in your brain.

“Take care of my parents and the hospitals, yeah?” You whisper in his ear and hold on for five more seconds before completely letting him go.

“Kuina, look out for him, please?” You ask the tall girl but don’t wait for her answer.

Chishiya still stares at you, unspeaking. You look at him one more time and give him a sad smile with tears in your eyes before turning around. You’re afraid that if you look back again, you’ll run to his arms once more and cry about how much you love him.

He doesn’t care if you do. It’s better for you to leave him.

He has the cards now which means he’ll be fine. He can get out of here. If there was someone who can, it was him. 

He has no purpose for you anymore and you’ll only be a burden. 

With that, you run back inside the building. 

© wolfvmin. please do not copy, translate, claim any of my works. my works are cross-posted only in ao3 under the name vantantae. thank you.

Solving mysteries, solving problems.

Shaggy Rogers (Scooby Doo Mystery Inc.) X reader

Got a request for a fic like this, and I had fun with the ✨angst✨

Your hands move quickly as you lock up the food counter for the night. You technically weren't supposed to close today, but your coworker got sick. You've already cleaned out the soda machine tray and flipped the closing sign over to closed. Despite this, when your back is turned to clock out, you hear a crash behind you as the front door swings open. Sighing, you turn. Collapsed on the floor is the lanky form of your... friend, Shaggy Rogers.

"Y/N!" He says in his scratchy voice, getting up from where he collapsed on the floor. He notices he knocked over a promotional cardboard cutout for the shop, and awkwardly tries to place it back up. It falls again, and he spends about 5 minutes repeating the action, while you watch from behind the counter. "Uh, like, sorry about your decor man..." He says after giving up on his task. He strolls over to the counter, and looks at the menu. "Shaggy, I don't know how to tell you thi-" He completely ignores your talking, hyper-focused on the menu. His eyes squint and his brows furrow in concentration, and you stop talking. 'He's totally tuning me out.' you think, rolling your eyes. "Okay!" He slaps his hands on the counter, his posture determined. "Give me, like, one of everything on a sandwich. No, two sandwiches!" he stops. "Gotta pick up something for Scoob." He mutters. He then looks up at you expectantly, only to be met with your annoyed face. "Dude, we're closed." you say. He only stares in disbelief, blinking once or twice, before collapsing once more before the counter. He clasps his hands together, and sits on his knees. "Wha- NO! Y/N, come on, please!" He shuffles forward, trying to look more pathetic. "I'm practically on the verge of starvation, man!" You sigh. "Shaggy, we closed like half an hour ago, you know this." You lean forward over the counter to look at him.

"You've let me eat here before after hours!" He yells. You push your hands forward in shock. "Shh, no, don't be so loud, I could be in serious trouble for that!" You exclaim quickly. He sighs and slumps back to the ground. "Like, what am I gonna do, man?" He asks. "I'm sure you'll think of something." You attempt to go back to your work, but he pops up over the counter and scares you. "Hey, maybe Daphne has some snacks. She's, like, super loaded!" He says. "Come on, we can go together!" he begins to leave. "Wha- no, I need to close, and besides," You shut the cash register, "I walked here. Daphne lives on the edge of town." Shaggy's positive attitude never falters. "Don't worry, man. I'll drive us! We just have to pick up Scooby, and-" You cut his rambling off.

"No, Shaggy! Just, no!" You yell, a bit harsher than you meant. His face falls and he looks at you. You sigh, and turn away. "Just, not tonight, okay?" You shake your head. Shaggy walks towards the counter, his face confused and his posture cautious. He sits up on the counter. "Y/N, if you don't wanna go to Daphne's that fine, we can go somewhere else..." He suggests. "No, it's not that." He thinks for a moment. "Then, what is it?" He asks. You remain silent for a minute.

"How long have we been friends, Shaggy?" You ask. He tilts his head at the confusing question. "Um, about a year now, maybe a year and a half?" He says, scratching the back of his neck as he thinks. "And how long have you known the gang?" He looks up. "Is that what this is about?" You sigh. "I guess, it's just. Do you know how hard it is to try and be friends with the gang?" You ask. "I thought you guys, like, liked eachother!" He says. "I do! Individually, everyone is really nice, but..." You pause. "But, together, everyone is so close, it feels like I don't belong..." You look down. "Y/N... No! I'm sure if you asked the others, they'd tell ya' you fit in." He tries to reach out to your shoulder, but you dodge it. "You're totally one of us, like," he pauses. He remains silent for so long, you look up. He is deep in thought, possibly more than you'd ever seen him.

"Like, if I asked the gang, I'm sure they'd let you become a permanent member." He suggests, before smiling at you. You sigh. "Would they?" You ask. "Sure, man, why wouldn't they-" he stops when he sees your frown. "I know that I wouldn't get in. Not officially." You sit next to him on the counter, and look at your lap. "You can't know that, like, we let in that weird little Scooby once." He shivers, remembering the horrors of Scrappy Doo. "I talked to Marcy the other day, I thought she could understand my dilemma." When you glance over at him, you see him nodding. He appears to be pretending to know who Marcy is. You sigh. "Hotdog water...?" You ask, and he nods, recognizing the old nickname. "Yeah, she was great, like, super nerdy." You roll your eyes at Shaggy's anecdote of the brilliant girl. "Yeah, well, she was a necessity to the gang, an assets. I mean, she was a genius, and you guys didn't let her stay." You say. "I don't really have anything to add to the team, I'm even worse off." You chuckle sadly. You're both silent for a while.

"Well, okay. You don't have to be a member of the team, or even hangout with them if you don't want to!" He says, nodding as if to assure himself. "But there your friends, I want to be able to get along with them. So you can hang out with them and me at the same time." You say sadly. "I hang out with them all the time, but, like, I do wanna spend more time with you." He stops himself, as if he can't decide if he should say what he's thinking. "I wanna spend more time with, just you." He mumbles. You blush a little, and look up. "With, just me?" You ask. he swallows awkwardly and nods. "Can I ask why?" It's his turn to look uncomfortable.

"When we hangout with the gang, like, they're always doing, y'know, group stuff. And I'm part of the group." You're a bit confused, but wait for him to go on. "Like, I'm always busy, man! Fred called us out at like 3 in the morning last week!" He says, hands flying up in exasperation. "I still don't see what this has to do with me." You mention. "Right, right. I just, I don't know man, I really like, like you. We haven't been able to see each other." He admits. "I, yeah, okay." You say, trying to think.

"So, like, could we go out to eat soon?" He asks. "Sure, but I feel bad. I mean, the gang is a huge part of your life, I feel like I should be able to at least get along with your friends..." You say. He shrugs, and says "You do get along with them, but, you don't have to be there best friend. I'll try to talk to the gang about, like, being more open or something..." He trails off. You smile. "Thanks, Shaggy." You say, hopping of the counter. "Lemme finish closing up the sop, then you wanna watch a movie at my place?" You ask. "Like, totally, man!" He says, giving you a thumbs up. Once your out of sight in the back of the shop, he sighs, and fidgets awkwardly with his hands.

He thinks to himself, 'Jeez man, I've gotta get this crush thing under control!'.

me @ y/n when they do something i’d never do:

like babe this isn’t us ?? get it together

My Favorite The Maze Runner Fanfictions 🏃‍♂️

Fluff : 🌺    Smut : 🔥    Angst : 😭    None : 🌲 My work

If you like these characters don’t hesitate to check the new arrivals, I update every day according to my readings.

Keep reading

Stubborn to a fault- David Rossi.

Summary: You try to continue working when you’re ill, Davi isn’t having any of it and takes care of you.

Prompts: ‘shh, it’s okay. Get everything out.’ ‘Will you carry me?’

Warnings: Sick!reader, overworking, disregard for own health, vomit, crying, undressing.

Pairing: David Rossi x sick!reader.

Word count: 1,520.

Bella: Beautiful.

Dolcezza: Sweetness.

The number of files on my pile was slowly going down, I didn't have many left anymore. I was determined to get them all done before I left for the night. I held my hand tight around my stomach as I fought to focus on the work in front of me rather than the cramps and rolling waves of nausea.

"See you later Y/N." I smiled up at Emily, giving her a slight wave as I hid my discomfort. I was left alone in the bullpen, lights dimmed and closed off from Hotch and Rossi as they worked away in their offices. The clock seemed to slow down until minutes felt like hours, and all the while the pain worsened. My hands shook as I wrote, making it impossible to finish my report.

"You look terrible." I jumped out of my trance as David's voice came from beside me. I glared up at him halfheartedly, slightly offended despite it being the truth.

"Thank you," I deadpanned, smiling grimly. "Is it any wonder you've had three wives?"

"Ouch," his hand clutched at his chest in faux pain. "I guess I deserved that, huh?"

"Sorry, that was harsh." Rubbing my hands over my face. "I'm a little under the weather."

"Hmm, I can see that." I smiled tiredly at him as he crouched beside my desk. "Why don't we get you home?"

"No, it's okay, I've got too much to do. I'll go home when I'm finished." Turning back to my desk I grabbed my pen, only to be stopped by a warm, calloused hand covering my own. My eyes met his for a moment before I let out a heavy sigh.

"Y/N, that can wait for now. You're not well and you need rest. Your complexion enough is scaring me and paired with the stomach pains and shaking is more than enough to allow yourself time off." Pulling the pen from my grip, he set it on the desk and put my phone in my bag before slinging it over his shoulder. "Come on, ill drive you home." He caught Hotch's gaze from the office and motioned that he was taking me as I stood from the chair, holding his arm for support.

"Fine, but not because you told me." I countered. "Because I want to." Ignoring the spinning of my head, we walked to the car park, his hand holding my waist so I didn't fall. After buckling me in, David began the drive home.

"You know, you're too stubborn for your own good." He commented, eyes flickering from the road to me and back.

"I know I'm behind on my files and Strauss will rip into Aaron about it. I thought if I could get the done now then my reward would be having the weekend off ill." The sickness persisted as the motion of the car irritated my stomach.

"That's not how this works, you resting when you're ill isn't a reward it's a necessity. And if you'd spoken to Aaron then he would have given you time off without any questions asked. He would've dealt with Strauss." His voice was gentle and soothing, calming me as my anxiety rose.

"I just didn't want to put more pressure on him, he's dealing with enough with Jack." I shrugged off the conversation, brow furrowing as I watched the streets pass. "Rossi, this isn't the way to my house."

"I know," He chuckled. "Do you really think I'm going to leave you alone when you're ill? I don't think so, we're going to my place so I can take care of you." My heart melted in my chest at his words and I settled back in my seat for the rest of the ride.

"Y/N, we're here." My eyes fluttered open at his voice and it dawned on me I had dozed off. "Come on, let's get you in the warmth." He leant over me through the now open door and unbuckled me, helping me out carefully. The churning in my stomach picked up once more as we walked to the house. I stood stiller than ever as Rossi wandered around, putting our jackets away and my bag on the table. I knew how awkward I must look but I was scared of ruining something.

"David," my voice was barely a whisper as a wave of nausea and heat rocked my body. "David." I let my voice get a little louder, catching his attention as my mouth started to water and my heart pounded against my ribs. Dark, whiskey eyes met my own and widened in realisation as he took in my panicked voice and pasty face. His hands gripped my waist as he rushed us towards the bathroom, speeding up slightly when I slapped my hand over my mouth.

I spluttered around my hand as we made it to the bathroom just in time. I fell to my knees as my body hurled its contents up. Cramps wracked my body as I threw up, grimacing at the sound it made. The waves of vomiting interrupted the groans of pain and discomfort mixed with sobs.

"Shhh, it's okay. Get everything out, Dolcezza." David muttered as he rubbed my back, keeping my hair away from my face. My body slumped after a while, energy depleted as I dry retched, having nothing left the bring up.

"I'm sorry," I cried, letting him pull me back against his chest. "I'm really sorry." Guilt crept up o me; feeling awful for throwing up at his house when I was a guest.

"It's okay, Bella, you can't help being ill." He was so gentle and understanding, just holding me as I settled down. "You don't need to be sorry." Closing my eyes, I waited for the room to stop sinning, focusing on the warm hands that rubbed my arms. After a few minutes, he manoeuvred me to rest against the bathtub before grabbing a brand-new toothbrush as I struggled to keep my eyes open. "Here Dolcezza let's get you cleaned up. Brush your teeth and we can get you rested up." Grabbing the toothbrush from his hand, I sleepily did as he said, letting him wipe my face with a warm cloth afterwards.

"Now, let's get you to bed, Bella." I smiled at him tiredly, brushing my fingers over his cheek gently.

"You're too sweet to me." Exhaustion was quickly taking over, making me giddy and seem almost drunk. "Will you carry me?" His chuckle made my head feel a little lighter, despite the fever that was beginning to take over. Without hesitation, strong arms picked me up and I looped my arms around his neck, head falling on his shoulder. I let out a sigh of relief as the cold sheets met my skin but the feeling didn't last long as they warmed up under me.

"It's okay, we'll get you cooled off." Rossi's face came into focus as he sat on the edge of his bed, a glass of water in one hand and a bowl of water in the other. "Take a few sips of this, slowly, don't want you throwing up again." My head seemed fuzzy as I drank with shaking hands, grimacing at the sweat that seemed to pour off me.

"Want this off." Pulling at my jumper, huffing as my hands got stuck in the sleeves. "Need it. I can't get it," frustration built up, soon turning to tears which were common when I was ill.

"Hey, hey, it's okay," David rushed back over, placing a clean washcloth beside the bowl on the bedside table. "Calm down, Bella, let me help." The jumper was quickly removed, the air on my dampened skin feeling almost icy. "Lie down, you have to rest."

"Don't wanna make a mess of your room." Words began to slur together as exhaustion took over but he seemed to understand clearly enough. "Don't wanna ruin anything, David." I yanked off my trousers, the fabric feeling like knives against my skin, kicking off my shoes as I threw myself back against the pillows

"you don't need to worry, things can be cleaned." He soothed me, reorganising the pillows so I could lay comfortably and folding my discarded clothes before pulling a soft, light blanket over my waist. If it wasn't for the fever delirium then I would have been mortified id stripped in front of my boss but I couldn't collect any thoughts at the moment.

"M'Kay," I sprawled against the bed grateful for the breeze from the open window. I let out a moan of appreciation as a damp, cold cloth wiped over my skin, settling at the base of my neck. "You're an angel, David, my sweet angel." My voice quietened as I began to nod off. "Stay with me?" The vulnerability pushed through my sleepiness.

"Of course, Dolcezza, I'll be right here when you wake up." My lips curled into a soft smile as he kissed my head, smoothing down my hair. I threw my arm over his waist, burying my head into the gap between the pillows and his side. "Sleep well, Bella."

Joey x reader - sharing

Oooh, if you do Joey, could it be 4 time the reader shares their food and one time he share his, and surprises everyone. I know it much be a bit ooc but I thought itd be cute - Anon 💜

A/N: sorry if he’s outta character I’ve gotta work on getting his character just right

The first time, you were sitting on the couch at Monica and Rachel’s silently nibbling on some chips while the others were bickering in the back.

“Hey, you good?”

You turned to face Joey and smiled softly as you nodded your head.

“Yeah, just bored. Chip?”

Tilting the bag toward him you gave it a little shake with a grin on your face.

“Hell yeah!”

Joey shuffled closer to you, sharing the bag of chips with you as you guys ignored what was going on in the background.

They second time you just sat down at the coffeehouse, Gunter brought over your sandwich and coffee and sat it down in front of you.

“Thanks.”

“No problem.”

He walked away and you watched Joey shuffle his way over.

“Is that.. two sandwiches…?” He asked.

“Sit Joe.”

He grinned and sat in front of you, taking one of the sandwiches to eat. You didn’t like eating in public alone, this was was perfect for you. And Joey was always hungry so it was perfect for him.

The third time you just happened to be passing him in the hallway as you were going to see Chandler.

“Hey Joey, try these chocolates.”

“Ooo okay!”

He took one and you watched his face go from confusion to happiness.

“Woah! They’re so good what are they?”

“I have no idea, my mom sent me them.” You laughed.

He took another couple from the pack before he went to go walk away.

“Wait here!”

You handed him the pack and smiled.

“I’ve got more at home.”

“Yes you’re the best!”

With that Joey kissed your cheek and wondered back into his apartment.

The fourth time was you simply couldn’t finish your pizza.

You weren’t feeling well so you closed the lid and handed it over to him.

“Finished already?” He asked.

“Yeah, I’m not feeling great…” you mumbled.

“Oh, do you need anything?”

“No… I’m just gonna crash on the couch…”

He grabbed you a pillow from his room and covered you up with his quilt.

This time he didn’t accept your food, he set it on the side, but took one slice from it.

“I’ll be back.”

He left, but again took another slice.

A few months later, and you were wondering Monicas and Rachel’s apartment, you were hungry and couldn’t find anything interesting.

“Come on (Y/N), dinners gonna be ready soon.” Ross laughed.

“I’m hungry!”

“Well hi hungry, I’m Chandler.”

You glared at him slightly and he laughed a little.

The door open and closed and Joey came wondering in eating a grilled sandwich.

“Ooo what’s that?” You asked.

“Cheese, ham, turkey, chicken, others things I can’t remember.”

You nodded your head alone and he came over, holding it out to you.

“Want some.”

You shrugged, taking a bite and the whole room went quiet.

“What?” You and Joey asked at the same time.

“Joey never shares his food with anyone.” Rachel said.

“Yeah, he tackled me off a chair once just for eating his meatball sandwich.” Chandler said.

You flicked you eyes towards Joey before shrugged slightly and he did the same.

“I don’t know what you mean, I share with you guys.” He said.

“Yeah, he shares.”

Everyone started protesting at this and you and Joey just laughed.

“Want another bit?”

“Ooo yes please!”

“Seriously!” Ross yelled