summary: mike wheeler could not imagine his life without y/n l/n.
cw: none, fluff only, el didn't die bc i said so but mileven was never together, not proofread sorryyyy
word count: 1.5k
notes: no idea where i was going with this i just wanted to write a cute scenario-ish something for mike enjoyyyy
''. . . And then, the door opens only to reveal . . .''
The party watched Mike with hitched breaths, Lucas, Dustin and Will all clenching their fists, waiting to either celebrate or yell in frustration.
Mike looked over his friends, waiting, building up the tension. He slammed his hands on the table, standing up dramatically. ''Another door, an old, wise wizard standing in front of you, ready to ask you a riddle!''
The three groaned. Dustin slammed his fist on the table. ''Come on! How many riddles did you put in this campaign? Let us fight!''
Will looked at him. ''You're a Bard, Dustin.''
''And? Whatever! What's the riddle?!''
As Mike got ready to read out the riddle he'd come up with when he was writing the campaign, the door of the basement opened. All four looked up, Mike's grin immediately widening. ''Y/n! You're here early.''
Y/n chuckled as she made her way down the stairs, standing behind Mike, putting her hands on his shoulders. ''Hey, guys! Yeah, Max, El and I finished at the mall earlier, so I decided to come directly here. Hope that's okay?''
''Of course!'' Mike said, craning his neck back to look at her properly, ignoring the way his three friends rolled their eyes, sharing grins. ''We still have some of the campaign to go through, though.''
Y/n shook her head, squeezing his shoulders. ''That's okay, you should finish it, don't let me disturb you. Your mother asked me to help with dinner anyway, so I'll go hang out with her until you finish.''
Mike raised a hand over hers, lacing their fingers and placing a kiss on the back of her hand. ''Alright. Call me if you need anything?''
''Sure.'' Y/n looked over the other three boys. ''Have fun! Hope you guys win!''
Once Y/n was back upstairs and out of earshot, the boys forgot about the campaign for a moment. ''You're still so whipped, Mike,'' Lucas said with a chuckle, playing with the dice in his hand.
Mike scoffed. ''You're one to talk. You perk up just by the mention of Max's name.'' Lucas did exactly what Mike had said, seemingly realized, and cleared his throat. ''Just proved my point!''
''Have you seen yourself around Y/n? It's like your whole face lights up, as if she just defeated Venger or something.''
''How can I not? Have you seen her?'' Mike reached out to fix some of his papers. ''We've been together for six years now, and there's a reason for that. I wouldn't be with someone without looking at them as if they'd just defeated Venger.''
''That was insanely cheesy,'' Will commented with a laugh.
''Yeah, yeah. Whatever,'' Mike said, putting the papers down. ''You wanna get to the fight or what? You still have a riddle to get through.'' Three groans filled the room.
As his friends pondered over what the answer to the riddle could be, he leaned back in his chair, his mind wandering upstairs to Y/n, most likely helping his mother with dinner. The guys were making fun of him to being so into Y/n, but how could he not? They've been together since they were twelve. Now, both of them almost eighteen and finishing high school, he couldn't imagine spending his life with anyone.
''Why're you smiling like that?'' Lucas asked, snapping Mike out of his thoughts. Lucas groaned. ''Stop thinking about Y/n and focus! We got the answer!''
''Right, sorry.'' He didn't even try to deny it.
After a while more of playing, the door to the basement opened again. ''Boys! Dinner!''
Mike turned around, yelling. ''Coming, Mom!''
Turning back to his friends, he saw them eyeing each other. ''We are so finishing this after dinner.''
Mike shifted in his seat. He knew Y/n was upstairs and waiting, but they were so close to being done. When they made it upstairs, his friends went to their usual seats on the already set table, while Mike's eyes fell on Y/n getting ready to pull something out of the oven.
He walked over, snatching the oven gloves from her hands, making her head snap to him. ''Mike, what—''
''Let me.'' Mike took the big tray from oven, bringing over and placing it on the table. Chicken and potatoes.
''Thanks, Mikey,'' Y/n said as she closed the oven when he returned by her side. She leaned on the counter, fiddling with her fingers. ''You don't mind if I stay over tonight, do you?''
''Of course not,'' Mike answered without even thinking, taking one of her hands in his. ''Your parents aren't home again?''
Y/n smiled and shook her head. ''No, they'll be gone for, like, a week. But it's okay, I'm not staying the whole week, don't worry. I don't want to be a bother.''
Her parents were away for work alone, and her older siblings had moved out long ago, so she was often left alone at home. She hated being home alone, especially since the Demogorgons and Vecna made an appearance and then were essentially dealth with, so she spent a lot of time at Mike's, rather full, house. But he didn't mind, neither did anyone else. Y/n was family, has been since they were children, and Mike wouldn't have it any other way.
''You say this every time, but you know you could never be a bother, especially to me,'' Mike said, making Y/n chuckle. ''You know you could literally move in here and everyone would welcome you in.''
''I know, but I just . . . I still feel the need to ask.''
''Well, don't. You're staying the whole week,'' Mike said and leaned in to kiss her forehead, momentarily forgetting that everyone was still behind them. To be fair, he also didn't care all that much, they were used to it. ''By the way, we're still not done with the campaign and the guys want to finish it after dinner. But I can totally kick them out and we can finish it another time, I don't mind.''
Y/n scoffed. ''No, don't worry about it. You guys do your thing. Holly asked me to paint her nails, anyway. And I suspect she wants to talk about that kid she's crushing on.''
Mike furrowed his brows. ''What was his name again? Josh?''
''Yeah! I'm curious to hear what she'll say,'' Y/n said, then grabbed both his hands and pulled him towards the table. ''Come on, let's eat, I'm starving!''
It was late by the time they finished the campaign and Mike waved everyone off from the front door. The house was quiet, the only sound coming from the TV, his dad having fallen asleep in front of it.
He made his way upstairs and his mother's light was off, so was Holly's. He made it to his room, slowly opening the door and peeking in.
His bedside lamp illuminated his room. In the middle of his bed laid Y/n, wrapped snugly in his blue bedding, breathing slowly. He smiled to himself, moving quietly around his room, getting ready for bed.
He was careful to lay on the bed once he was done, sneaking an arm around her, trying not to wake her, which was to no avail as she stirred immediately.
''Hm . . . Mike?''
''Shit, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you up,'' Mike said, though he didn't retract his arm.
Y/n turned around, lifting the blanket and letting him sneak in. ''That's okay. I'm about to fall right back asleep, anyway.''
''I see. Are you tired?'' Mike laid his arm out so she can lay on it as she did every time she slept over, snuggling into him. ''I'm sorry the campaign took so long.''
Y/n shook her head. ''That's okay. I had fun with Holly.''
''Oh? Did she spill anything about Josh?''
Y/n chuckled, her eyes closed as her forehead rested on his chest. ''That's secret girl talk. I'm not telling.''
''Hey, no fair! She's my sister!''
''And she didn't tell you! Ask her yourself if you wanna know so bad, my lips are sealed.'' Y/n yawned after that, wrapping an arm around him, too. ''I'm tired.''
''Sorry for keeping you up. Go to sleep.'' He pressed a kiss to her forehead.
''Okay.'' There was a moment of silence, then a quiet, soft sentence came out of her mouth, one making Mike's whole body warm up every time he hears it. ''I love you, Mike.''
For a moment, Mike thought back to his parents. His father downstairs, asleep in front of the TV, his mother alone in their room. How he never hears them tell each other these three words. Hell, they barely even talk to each other if it wasn't about something to do with them.
He hugged Y/n closed to himself, burrying his nose in her hair. ''I love you, too.''
He vowed to himself that they wouldn't become his parents. Else, Vecna can come back and just take him out for good.
summary: since their first two attempts of getting mike and y/n together, nancy thinks the third time would finally work
cw: none really, I'M NOT A STANCY SHIPPER, not proofread tbh i literally wrote this in one go, takes place in season 5ish
word count: 2.6k
notes: this is the last part guys! thanks for everyone who loved this short story/series!
Nancy strongly believed that the third time would be the charm.
The first time when she tried to set them up by leaving them alone to practice shooting, nothing had happened, despite it being the, in her opinion, perfect setting. She didn't exactly know how they'd behaved when Mike was taking care of Y/n while she was sick, but she was shocked that he hadn't come up to her after thanking her and saying he plucked the courage to ask her out.
So, Nancy thought the third time, it would finally work out. There was no way it wouldn't. She just had to think of a third plan first.
Everyone was at the Squawk, discussing the next crawl. Nancy, Jonathan and Joyce were leaned over a map of Hawkins which they'd divided in sectors, trying to pinpoint the most likely places Vecna could be hiding in. Robin was sitting on a chair near the table, Steve stood next to her with his arms crossed, the party gathered around the table and listening to Lucas as he threw a theory out.
''Yeah, I don't know. What would Vecna be doing at a diner?'' Will questioned once Lucas was done.
''It could be unexpected! He'll most likely think we're looking for him at more expected places, you know?''
''That doesn't help at all. We should still be checking everywhere, then. We don't know if he's trying to reverse psychology us or not,'' Jonathan said.
The room fell silent, everyone thinking. Mike stood with his arms crossed, looking at the map, thinking. But he couldn't come up with anything better than what Lucas had suggested.
''I don't know about you guys, but I'm dying for a can of coke,'' Steve suddenly said, making everyone in the room turn to him.
''Seriously, Steve? We're in the middle of something here,'' Dustin said, face-palming.
''What? Just because we're trying to save the world doesn't mean I get thirsty,'' Steve reasoned, leaning back on a table behind him.
''You know, a bag of chips wouldn't hurt anyone,'' Robin agreed.
Steve clapped his hands. ''Great! Now that we all agree—'' Several people spoke up to protest, but he ignored them. ''I say one of the kids go.''
Y/n's mouth dropped. ''What? How is that fair!''
''Yeah, you literally have a car!'' Dustin joined.
''A car and a radio broadcast I have to get to in about ten minutes,'' Steve said. ''You guys have bikes. I thought you like riding those rusty old things.''
''I think you guys would gather less attention, too. Steve is way too flashy, and if he shows up to buy a bunch of drinks and snacks, people might question it,'' Jonathan said, ignoring Steve's offended look. ''Hopper said we have to stay low.''
The party groaned. ''So . . . who's gonna go?'' Mike asked.
All of them looked between each other, waiting for a volunteer. Then they all turned to face each other, raising their hands up.
''Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!''
Everyone but Mike threw out scissors, while he threw out paper. His eyes widened. ''No way! You guys cheated! How is that possible?''
''How do you cheat on rock, paper, scissors?'' Lucas chuckled, raising his arms triumphantly about not having to go.
''Yeah, Mike. Sucks to be the loser,'' Dustin said as he and Will high-fived.
Nancy watched the five of them, her eyes narrowing. Mike stood with his hands on his hips, watching his friends in annoyance. Then her eyes fell on Y/n, who was laughing along the winners.
She took two steps closer to Steve, who was saying something to Robin. Nancy kicked his leg lightly, making him jump and turn to him. ''Nance, the hell?''
Nancy looked at him with eyebrows raised and gestured towards the kids with a tilt of her head. Steve furrowed his brows, shaking his head in question. Nancy closed her eyes for a moment, taking a breath before opening them again and gesturing to the kids with her hands. Steve's eyes widened, his mouth forming an 'O'.
''Hey, Y/n, you should go with Wheeler.''
Y/n's head snapped back at the call, but the other three boys continued cheering. ''What? Why me? I won fair and square!''
''It's better if none of us wanders around town alone. Makes it less suspicious,'' Steve reasoned.
Y/n looked like she wanted to say something else, but her gaze moved from Steve to Mike, then she went to pick up her jacket from the couch before turning to Steve. ''Fine. Give me money.''
Steve groaned and handed her over a few bills. Everyone wrote what they want on a list, then Mike and Y/n left the Squawk.
The bikes were parked on the side so they would be out of sight. The whole way there, Y/n hadn't stopped muttering under her breath. ''Stupid Steve. Overwriting the rules of rock-paper-scissors. Annoying ass. I won!''
Mike had been quiet since the moment he'd realized they would be alone again. However, the more she complained about Steve's order, the shittier he felt. ''Look, you don't have to come with me if you don't want to, I don't mind. It's no big deal, I can manage alone.''
Y/n looked at him, shaking her head. ''No, it's not that, I'm sorry. I don't mind coming. I'm just annoyed because Steve keeps bossing me around just because he's the older one. It's annoying.''
''I mean . . .'' Mike started as he took his bike, sitting down and waiting for Y/n to follow. ''You're the one who still listens to every single word he says.''
Y/n straddled her bike, looking up and thinking for a moment. ''Hm, you're right. Maybe I should rebel a little.'' She looked at Mike, a grin on her face. ''I should totally have a guy sneak in my room! He used to do that all the time in high school.''
Mike's eyes widened at the suggestion. He thought about how he had been a guy in her room just a few days ago, but he'd been allowed in. Did Y/n want him to climb in through her window? No, that's creepy as hell, he wasn't even sure if she liked him like that. But if Nancy got Steve roped into this whole scheme of setting them up together, there was no way Y/n didn't like him back, right? Right. Right? Y/n laughed at his expression.
Before he could say anything — hopefully a protest, but he wasn't sure if he was brave enough for that — Y/n spoke again. ''I'm kidding. Can you imagine? He'll kill me and the guy.''
Mike let out a nervous chuckle. ''Yeah, yeah, for sure.''
They made their way back into town, biking next to each other. Y/n was talking about the comics Mike had lent her a few days ago, and he was so focused on listening and looking at her that he missed a pothole coming right in front of him.
''Mike, watch out!''
Mike's attention immediately returned on the road and he swerved, almost falling off his bike. He regained his balance quickly, and the moment he heard Y/n laugh, his gaze returned right back to her. He chuckled nervously, wishing the Upside Down would swallow him right then and there. He would rather take his chances with a Demogorgon than the embarassment he was feeling at the moment.
''Are you okay?'' Y/n asked.
Mike looked at her for a moment again, at the small smile, the way her hair whipped back in the wind. Then he forced his mind to focus. ''Yeah, yeah, I'm good. Thanks.''
When they made it to the nearest convenience store, Mike picked up a basket and followed Y/n around as she read through the list.
''Okay, we have some orders of Coca Cola, some Sprite. Then we have to get three different kinds of chips, crackers? Some Pudding Pops, Giggles, sour candy. Damn, this list is long,'' Y/n said as they made it to the chips isle.
Y/n led the search of snacks and Mike diligently put whatever she told him to in the basket. When they made it to the sour candy section, she picked whatever was on the list, then reached for another bag and showed it to Mike. ''These are so good. We're so getting them.''
Mike chuckled. ''Those are my favorite, too. You better share.''
''Of course! Just keep them away from Lucas. He'll eat all of them.'' Mike watched her back as she turned around and continued forward, wondering since when Lucas liked those candy.
When they made it to the drinks isle, Y/n mentioned they should get a few Coca Cola cans. Since Mike had been the one picking out the items this whole time, he reached out, not expecting Y/n to do the same.
Their hands touched over the Coca Cola can and Mike's head immediately snapped to her in surprise. Y/n immediately retracted her hand, clearing her throat. ''Sorry. Go ahead. I'll go grab the Sprite.'' Again, he watched her walk a bit further to another fridge, hoping by the time she returned his cheeks wouldn't be pink anymore.
The girl at the cash register was chewing gum and twirling her hair around her finger, reading a magazine. Y/n remembered seeing her around school when they first started high school. She was a popular cheerleader back then.
Mike put the heavy basket on the counter, making her jump. ''Oh, hello there!'' She put the magazine down and started to checking their items. It was silent as she got through their purchases, Y/n and Mike standing next to each other. He wanted to say something, fill in the silence, but he was still feeling flustered from earlier.
''Damn, you guys, that's a lot of snacks for just a date night,'' the girl commented once she'd gotten halfway through the snacks.
Mike's eyes widened at what she'd said. He looked at Y/n, who's face betrayed no emotion, not even the smile she had. He turned back to the girl, opening his mouth to explain, only for Y/n to elbow him in the stomach, making him groan.
''Yeah, we're just restocking the snack cabined so we don't have to always go out, you know,'' Y/n explained, and the girl nodded without question.
Once done, Mike picked up the two bags and the two made their way back to their bikes. Mike put one bag in Y/n's basket, and tried to think of where to put the second bag as he didn't have a basket himself.
''Hey, Mike?'' Mike looked at Y/n, brows furrowed. ''I just . . . I agreed with her that it's a date night so it wouldn't look suspicious, you know? We gotta stay low, and stuff.''
Mike blinked once, twice, then nodded rapidly. ''Yeah, yeah, of course. No worries. Makes . . . Makes sense.''
There was a moment of silence. The two of them were looking at each other and Mike wasn't sure if he should be doing something.
Before he can chicken out and turn around, he watched, almost in slow motion, as took a step closer to him, pressing a kiss to his cheek before moving back.
He stood there, his lips slightly parted. Looking at her as she shyly looked down, playing with her fingers. ''I never really thanked you for taking care of me when I was sick, so uh . . . thank you. I really appreciated it.''
Silence. He felt like fish out of water. He wracked his brain, trying to think of something to say, to finally act on his feelings, but nothing. He was starstruck.
Y/n looked back at him and her smile dropped, her eyes widened. ''Oh my God, I misread everything, didn't I? I thought . . . I thought you might feel the same because, well . . . I don't know! You-you're so nice to me, and remember stuff, and when you were taking care of me . . . and also the whole Nancy and Steve thing trying to set us up—''
Mike furrowed his brows. ''You noticed?''
Y/n scoffed. ''Of course I did, I'm not dumb. But maybe I am because I misread everything, and I made you uncomfortable, I'm so—''
The bag with the snacks dropped on the ground, something inside clinking against the pavement. Mike didn't care as he reached out to place his hands on Y/n's cheeks, pulling her in and pressing a quick kiss on her lips before moving his head back.
He took in her expression. Her eyes were wide, but there was nothing more. He fucked up, didn't he? He moved too fast, he made her feel uncomfortable, he—
Y/n grabbed the collar of his shirt and pulled him back in. Mike's body reacted instinctively, letting one of his hands drop to her waist to pull her closer. Y/n's hands travelled up to his shoulders and hair.
Holy shit. He's been imagining this moment since the third grade.
The two pull away and Mike suddenly remembered they were still in front of the convenience store, in the middle of the street. Mike didn't know if anyone had seen, but he didn't care at the moment. His eyes remained on the girl he's been dreaming of for years, now, finally, in his arms.
Y/n was the first one to speak. ''Mike—''
''Y/n, I'm sorry, this might be the most unromantic confession ever in front of the least romantic place in this goddamn town, but now that I know you feel the same way, I just can't hold it in anymore. I like you, I've liked you since you stood up for me against those bullies back in elementary school, you're one of the coolest people I know, how can I not like you? You're smart, you're brave, you—''
Y/n pressed her lips to his again, cutting his ramble short. The kiss was short, not as intence as the previous one. When she pulled away, she had a smile on her face. ''Mike, calm down. Your heart feels like it's about to burst.''
Mike looked down, realizing one of her hands was now on his chest, right over his heartbeat. He hadn't felt her move. He looked at her, managing an awkward smile. ''Would it be corny if I said it would burst for you?''
Y/n chuckled. ''Very corny. But I expect nothing less from you.''
Mike took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. But he knew he wouldn't be able to calm down for a long time after this. ''I like you. I've liked you for ages. And . . . I want . . . I want you to be mine. If you want.''
Y/n didn't say anything and, for a brief moment, Mike thought he'd gone overboard again and scared her. But her hand traveled to the side of his face and he leaned in her touch immediately. ''I like you, too, Mike. A lot. I'd love to be yours.''
Y/n had been joking, but Mike couldn't believe his heart hadn't burst for real once he heard those three sentences.
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Once back at the Squawk, Mike dropped the two bags of snacks on the table, right over the map they'd been looking at. Everyone crowded around the food and drinks as Mike snatched the bag of candy he and Y/n planned to share.
Lucas takes one of the cans, looking at the dent on it's bottom. ''What the hell, why's this dented? Did you drop it? It's gonna explode when I try to open it!''
Mike looked at Y/n, only to find her already looking at him. The two chuckled at each other and shrugged, sharing a little secret with their eyes.
What neither Mike or Y/n noticed was Nancy and Steve standing next to each other, with Nancy elbowing Steve and gesturing towards the two. They were still looking at each other, smiling and whispering something only they could hear. Steve chuckled.
summary: nancy and steve's plan didn't really work out the first time. so, they send mike on a mission.
cw: none really, I'M NOT A STANCY SHIPPER, not proofread tbh i literally wrote this in one go, takes place in season 5ish
word count: 3.2k
notes: due to popular demand, i'm back with a second part of this fic! since i came up with two diffrent ideas of how to continue it, i'm just gonna make three parts total haha. i'll try to get the third part out ASAP, but meanwhile, enjoy this one! enjoy my take on awkward and overthinking! mike wheeler (bc thats literally his characters but the duffers forgot that ig)
Despite a few days having passed, Nancy Wheeler was confused how her briliantly curated plan to get Mike and Y/n together hadn't worked.
She'd spent the last few days watching as her brother, as usual, looked longingly at Y/n from the distance, following her around with his eyes, too scared to approach her. She'd kept the jig with the shooting lessons up, but Mike had been so terrible at it that she couldn't afford to leave them alone to waste bullets anymore.
Regardless, she didn't give up. She's Nancy Wheeler. She can do even the impossible, like getting her brother to talk to a girl he likes.
''Nancy, it's you!''
Her attention snapped back to Robin, who was turned back to her and whispering. Nancy quickly pressed the button for the sound effect Robin needed, wincing at the delay.
Regardless, Robin turned back around to the microphone and laughed awkwardly. ''Some technical difficulties at the HQ seem to have ruined my comedic timing, but that doesn't mean the party can't go on. Now, here's Material Girl by Madonna.''
Once the microphone was off, Robin leaned back in her chair and spun to face Jonathan and Nancy. ''Seriously, you had one job!''
''I know, I know! I'm not used to doing this,'' Nancy argued as she crossed her arms in front of her chest. ''Besides, this isn't even my job! Where's Steve, anyway?''
As if on queue, the doors of the Squawk opened and in walked Steve, pushing his sunglasses up. ''That really did fuck up your comedic timing. Who was on sound effect duty?''
''Hey! You can't blame Nancy for not being here!'' Robin pointed an accusatory finger at him. ''Where the hell have you been?''
''Sorry, sorry, I should've radioed.'' Steve made his way to the booth, putting his sunglasses away and leaning on one of the tables. ''Y/n woke up sick and I had to take care of her. I came as soon as I was sure she wasn't gonna die on her own.''
Robin furrowed her brows as she looked at Steve. ''Die? Damn, how sick is she?''
''I'd say more dramatic than sick,'' Steve rolled his eyes. ''She'll be fine. I left her with medicine and instructions.''
Nancy had been oddly quiet. Maybe . . .
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The school day seemed to drag by. Mike sat with his friends at the lunch table, looking over the three of them instead of the usual four. He tapped his foot on the ground, his eyes flickering to his bag every few seconds in case his walkie activated.
Y/n hadn't shown up to school and hadn't radioed anyone. He'd tried to reach her a few times and when he'd tried to ditch school and go to her house, Mrs. Miller had caught him and sent him right back to class, warning him that she'll keep watch over him for the rest of the day in case he tried to pull that again.
Looking towards the doors of the cafeteria, he noticed her looking straight at him. He rolled his eyes and looked away.
''. . . Mike? Mike?''
Muffled sounds came from his backpack and Mike looked at it, ignoring whatever kind of conversation was going on between Will, Lucas and Dustin. He unzipped his bag, taking his walkie out.
Before the person on the other line could answer, Mike pressed the button to speak. ''Y/n? Are you okay?''
There was a moment before the person on the other side spoke again. ''It's Nancy.'' There was a slight chuckle in her voice.
Mike's shoulder hunched. He pressed the button to talk again. ''What is it?''
Static.''Steve just came and said Y/n woke up sick, and he asked if you could go to their house after school and check on her?''
A momentary wave of relief passed Mike. At least a Demogorgon didn't take her or something. Then he registered what Nancy said. ''Sick?''
''Yeah. So? Can you go after school?''
For a moment, Mike considered if this was another of Nancy's attempts to get him alone with Y/n. But if Y/n didn't feel well, it didn't matter. He wanted to be there for her.
''Yeah, I'll go. But, um, Nancy, can you do me a favor?'' He lowered his voice, putting the walkie closer to his mouth and hunching over. ''Can you call mom and ask her to make from her get-well-soon soup?''
Static. Then, a chuckle. ''Sure.''
''Thanks.'' Nothing else came from Nancy's side, so Mike put the walkie back in his backpack and zipped it up.
When he turned to face his friends, he found them all in silence, staring at him with shit-eating grins. Mike furrowed his brows. ''What's wrong with you guys?''
Dustin and Lucas shared a look before both of them reached out to hold their hands dramatically.
''Oh, no, my darling Y/n is sick? I must go save her!"
''I won't let her illness take her away from me!''
''What shall she do without me?''
''Nancy, call mommy to make her magic soup to cure my sweet darling!''
Mike picked up a piece of corn and threw it at Dustin. ''Shut it, you two. Sorry I'm worried about a friend being sick.''
Lucas scoffed, letting go of Dustin's hands. ''Right, a friend. And Vecna's my best friend.''
Dustin nodded in agreement. ''Yeah, you would never be this worried if I was sick. Or Lucas. Or Will.''
Mike rolled his eyes. ''That's not true.''
''I was literally sick last week!'' Lucas pointed out. ''Where was my magic soup?''
''Well, Erica didn't ask me to visit you.''
Lucas raised his hands as if he wanted to strangle Mike, but he took a deep breath and put them back down. ''Fine. Fine. Go check on your friend.''
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Once the school bell ending the school day rang, Mike's bag had already been packed and he zoomed out of the classroom without even sparing his friends a glance. He was the first one to get to the bike rack and he made his way home as quick as possible.
He burst through the front door when he arrived, hearing a gasp from the kitchen. ''Michael! Be more careful with the door!''
''I'm sorry!'' Mike apologized as he rushed up to his room to hastily empty his backpack on his bed, switching his school supplies for some comics he'd promised Y/n she can borrow a while ago.
''Mike, the soup is done!''
''Coming!'' Mike yelled as he threw the bag over his shoulder, slamming the door to his bedroom shut before he rushed back down the stairs.
Karen was putting the soup in containers when he made it to the kitchen. ''These should keep it warm until you get there.''
''Thanks, Mom,'' Mike said as he opened his backpack again, putting the containers in carefully, trying not to ruin the comics.
''You should eat before you go, sweetie,'' Karen said as he cradled the back of his head.
Mike shook his head. ''I don't have time. It's fine. I'm not hungry.''
Karen chuckled and went to the fridge, taking out a tupperware. ''I thought you would say that.'' She handed it over to Mike with a smile.
Mike looked at the food in the tupperware, then at his mother and smiled. ''Thank you,'' he said as he packed it in his backpack as well.
''No worries. Go get 'em, tiger.''
''Mom,'' Mike groaned as he started making his way out walking backwards. ''It's not like that!''
''Sure, honey!'' Karen yelled after her son. She stood at the kitchen counter, listening as the front door closed, then watched him through the window as he climbed on the bike he'd thrown on the lawn earlier, biking away.
When he was gone, Karen went over to the phone on the wall, dialing the number she needed. After a few beeps, the other side picked up and Karen chuckled. ''You were right, Nancy. He's really whipped.''
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Mike rang the doorbell again, then winced at himself. Maybe she was asleep and he woke her up. It makes sense since she's sick, he also sleeps a lot when he's sick, and doesn't want to be bothered. But Steve asked him to check on her. If Steve asked him, he has to, right? And maybe she fell somewhere and is hurt, and that's why she's not opening the door, or she's throwing up and he's not there to hold her hair back, or—
The door flew open, cutting Mike's train of thoughts short.
Y/n stood on the other side with a thick blanket wrapped around her shoulders, her fingers clutching it around her tightly. Her nose was slightly red and her eyes looked tired, hair messy. Mike couldn't believe he got to see her like that. How was it fair that even sick she still looked pretty? When he's sick he looks like he got ran over by a truck.
Her eyes widened. ''Mike?''
''Hi . . hi.'' He wanted to punch himself.
Y/n blinked at him, a hand letting go of the blanket to comb through her hair. ''What are you doing here? Is there a crawl announcement I missed? A Demogorgon attack?''
Mike shook his head immediately. ''No, no! It's nothing bad. Nancy said that Steve said that you were sick and asked me to check in on you . . . I hope that's okay. If it's not I, I can walkie Steve and tell him to come himself or something.''
''No, that's okay. I just . . . nevermind. You should come in.''
Mike walked in as Y/n stepped to the side, closing the door behind them. He took her in from head to toe now. She wore some thick sweatpants and shocks, but was slightly shivering regardless.
Y/n shifted from one leg to the other. ''Sorry, I kinda look like a mess right now,'' she chuckled, snuggling herself closer to the blanket.
You don't. You look pretty. Mike Wheeler was not bold enough to say that yet. ''No, no, it's okay . . . I brought you some warm soup.''
Y/n raised her brows. ''You made soup?''
''Well, not me, my mom. It's really good, though!'' Mike walked over to the table in the kitchen, setting his bag on the table and unzipping it. ''She always makes it for me and my siblings when we're sick. And I always feel better soon after. She also put it in these containers that would keep it warm, but if it's not warm I can heat it up for you! It's chicken soup. Wait, do you like chicken? If you—''
Y/n's chuckle cut him off. ''It's okay, Mike. I like chicken soup. Thank you.''
Mike nodded and looked away, hoping his cheeks weren't red. ''Okay. Okay, I'll put it in a bowl. Where are your bowls? And I can bring it to you in bed, or you can also eat here, it's your house, so—''
''Mike.''
His breath hitched at the hand on his shoulder. Looking back, he was met wiht Y/n's tired eyes and red nose, as well as a small smile. ''What?''
''Relax. It's just a cold, I'm not dying,'' Y/n said, giving his shoulder a squeeze before looking down at the three containers of soup, as well as the tupperware. ''Is this your lunch?''
''Yeah. I didn't have time to eat at home,'' Mike admitted, trying to sound as calm as possible, still completely aware of the hand that was still on his shoulder. It was starting to get embarassing. He's sixteen years old and can't utter a word to one of his friends without stuttering? Get it together, Mike.
But taking care of her while being sick . . . the thought of it felt too intimate.
''Let's eat here together, then,'' Y/n said as she let the blanket drop on one of the chairs.
Mike watched as she hugged herself and walked over to one of the cabinets, still shivering. He was stuck in place for a moment, then as he watched her take a bowl out, he quickly rushed over and took it from her hands. ''Hey, no. You're sick. Go sit down and wrap yourself with the blanket.''
''It's my house, Mike.''
''And Steve sent me here to take care of you. So that's what I'm gonna do. So, go sit down and just point me to the spoons.''
Mike missed the shy smile on Y/n's face as she moved back to the chair. ''Fine, since you want to be so stubborn.''
He didn't comment as he moved around the unfamiliar kitchen, pouring one of the soup containers in a bowl and holding it for a second, making sure its warm enough, but not hot enough to burn her tongue. He put a spoon in and brought it to the table before finding a plate, fork and knife for himself.
The two sat in silence as they ate. From time to time, Mike would glance away from his food to Y/n, who was huddled in her blanket and slowly eating the soup.
''The soup is really good,'' Y/n commented as she looked up and their eyes met. ''Tell your mom thank you for me. I'm already starting to feel a bit better.''
Mike wasn't sure if she was saying that to make him feel better or because it was true. He chose to believe the latter. ''Of course.''
When they finished, Mike sent Y/n up to her room as he washed the dishes they'd used, putting the two leftover soup containers to the side for later. Then he made his way up, finding Y/n curled in her bed, still slightly shivering under her cover.
''Shit, do you need more blankets? I'll go find you some.'' Mike dropped his backpack on the ground, rushing out of the room and to where he knew Steve's room was.
Steve's bed was unmade, his blanket thrown towards the end. Mike picked it up without a second thought, some clothes falling to the ground, but Mike moved past them, moving back to Y/n's room.
''Here.'' Mike threw the blanket over her, then tucked it around her, making sure it was covering her fully. ''Is this enough? Should I look for more?''
Y/n nodded despite her shivers. ''Yeah. Thanks, Mike.''
Mike pursed his lips, unsure what else to do to help her. He's never taken care of anyone sick. It was always his mom taking care of him when he's sick. She makes him soup, she covers him in blankets . . . what else does she do?
He looks down at Y/n. Her eyes were squeezed shut and his chest tightened at the sight of her suffering. He crouched down to be eye level to her, hesitantly raising a hand and putting it on her forehead. His eyes widened. ''You're burning up!''
Mike looked around, seeing medicine laid on her bedside table. ''Did Steve leave those for you? Have you taken any?''
''He did, but I only took them before he left for the Squawk.'' Y/n said, her eyes still closed. ''He told me to take them again, but I forgot.''
''Hm.'' Mike got up at that, rushing downstairs to get a glass of water before he came back up. ''You should take them so you feel better sooner.''
''I don't want to get up,'' Y/n said as she curled into herself further.
''I know. Let me help you.'' Mike set the glass on the bedside table and sat on the bed next to her. He raised a hand, again hesitantly placing it on her shoulder and drawing circles on it with his thumb. He wasn't sure if she felt it through all the layers. ''Come on. It'll be quick, then you can lay back down.''
It took a moment before Y/n responded with a groan. She propped herself on her arms, and Mike put a hand behind her back, pushing her up so she wouldn't lay back down immediately again. Once completely sat, Y/n leaned her forehead on his shoulder, and for a moment, Mike wondered wether her forehead or his cheeks were warmer.
''Good job. Come on, just drink those now.'' He handed her the tablets and glass of water. Y/n took it, Mike holding the cup from under so she wouldn't drop it. Once she'd finished, he put everything aside. ''Okay, good. You can lay back down now.''
Y/n flopped on the bed immediately and Mike covered her with the blankets again. She was still shivering, but her eyes were open now, staring into nothing.
Mike licked his lips, unsure what else to do now. He gave her soup, he covered her in blankets and had her take her medicine. For now, they just had to wait for the fever to calm down.
He played with his fingers, looking around her room. He's been here before, but never alone. She had a lot of pictures around, some with her parents and Steve, some with the he and his friends. As his eyes roamed, they fell on his backpack thrown next to her bed.
''Oh, right, I brought you something. So you're not that bored while recovering.'' Mike unzipped his backpack and took the five comics out, showing them to her. ''I remembered that you asked me for them a while ago and I kept forgetting to bring them, sorry.''
Y/n chuckled. ''Are you sure you want to give them to me now? What if I get germs all over them?''
''I'll disinfect them after, if that makes you feel better.''
Y/n laughed again and Mike wished he could hear that sound every day. Well, he did, technically. They saw each other pretty much every day nowadays. But this was different. She was laughing at something he said to her, while he was taking care of her. He wished this was the norm.
''You can go home, you know. You'll get sick, too, if you stay here for too long,'' Y/n warned as Mike put the comics neatly on her bedside table.
Mike shook his head. ''That's okay. It's better if someone's here in case you need something. The others are at the Squawk, I'm sure they'll manage without me for a bit.''
''Okay,'' Y/n said as she nuzzled her face in her blankets, looking at Mike. ''I'm pretty tired.''
''You should sleep, then.'' Mike sat back on the bed next to her, putting a hand on her shoulder more confidently now. ''I'll be here if you need something.''
''Okay.'' Y/n closed her eyes. ''Thanks, Mike.''
Mike couldn't bite back the smile on his face as he watched her shivering calm down and her breathing slowing. He did that. He helped her feel safe and better, at least for a bit.
Maybe he should thank Nancy and Steve for sending him here. He wouldn't because that would inflate their egos too much. But he was still thankful.
So I know you just recently posted your Wingman fanfic with Mike in it, but I so need a second part if you could and if it wasn’t too much. 😓
hey! im glad you enjoyed wingman! due to popular demand, i sat down and thought about what i could write as a part two and since i had two different ideas i will be doing a part two AND three, so i hope you and everyone else who asked is satisfied :) just give me some time and ill get them to you guys!
HEYYY i’m so glad you liked it! wingmen was literally a random scenario i had to get out of my system so i wasn’t planning on doing another part, but you’re the second person to ask for part 2 and i’m kinda getting ideas for it hahaha so i might actually do it!
summary: shooting lessons with nancy. there's no way she could have alterior moves, right?
cw: none really, I'M NOT A STANCY SHIPPER, not proofread tbh i literally wrote this in one go, takes place in season 5ish
word count: 2.2k
notes: this is my first time writing for stranger things despite having watched and liked the show for years, and i feel like some people make mike a little TOO confident, so i wanted to give my two cents on him :) also had like no idea what to write but i really wanted to write sth about him so here we are lol
A lot had changed in the past few years of Mike Wheeler's life.
Will's kidnapping, meeting Eleven, Demogorgons, Vecna, more friends coming and dying along the way. And yet, somehow a part of Mike still found the fact that Y/n Harrington now hung out with them the most surprising.
''Mike, where's your notebook with the crawl notes? I want to take a look at something.''
Without thinking, Mike picked up his backpack and fished the thick notebook out, letting his bag drop back on the ground as he carefully handed it over. ''Here.''
Y/n gave him one of those smiles of hers. ''Thanks.''
He remembered the first time he'd seen that smile. He thought about that moment often, especially when they hung out. How she'd stood up for him against the bulliest, and once they were gone, she'd turned around and given him a smile, one of her front teeth missing at the time. ''If they bother you again, come to me!''
Little Mike Wheeler had only managed to nod, then. Watching mesmerized as she walked away to join her friends at the merry-go-round. And that's how it was for the next few years, just him starring at her from the distance, afraid to approach her. She'd told him to go to her if bullies ever bothered him again, but he never dared to, scared of being annoying or seeming weak.
Thus, they didn't talk. Until Steve got wrapped up in the whole Upside Down bullshit, and in turn, his younger sister.
Who now sat on the table in front of him, reading his notes, in his notebook. Sometimes, when he thought too much about all those small, insignificant contacts they had, he felt his chest tighten.
The party had made their way to the Squawk after school had ended, since Steve, Nancy, Robin and Johnathan were there most of the time. There had been a crawl a few days ago and no new one planned for now, so they were mostly sitting around, trying to think of other ways they could take out Vecna. Or if he was even still alive.
''Y/n, we can go practice now,'' Nancy's voice broke him off his trance and he looked up, realizing he'd been staring at Y/n this whole time. His eyes scanned the perimeter, noting that no one had seen him. Or if they had, no one mentioned it. He cleared his throat and picked up his backpack, pretending like he was searching for something.
''Oh, great!'' Y/n closed the notebook, sliding it on the table. ''I'll look at it later again, if you don't mind. Thanks.''
Mike swallowed, rapidly nodded. ''Yeah, yeah, yeah, of course. No problem.''
He followed her with his eyes as she left to pick up her guns, and when she disappeared behind the corner, he looked at Nancy standing not too far away, arms crossed and giving him a pointed look. ''What?''
''Hm.'' Nancy looked him up and down. ''Nothing.''
The two were gone for about an hour, which Mike spent actually focusing on rereading his notes on the Upside Down, thinking that he might be missing something. People went in and out, and every time the door creaked, he'd look up and check if it was Y/n. It never was, much to his disappointment.
When she came back, she made a beeline for her brother, excitedly talking about how many targets she'd gotten. He'd been staring until something dropped on his table, and he jumped, looking at Nancy as she put the guns down.
''You're staring.''
''I'm not.''
Nancy hummed, unconvinced. She fixed something on her guns Mike didn't understand, and his eyes kept flickering between Y/n and Nancy. ''So, uhm, how did the practice go?''
Stopping whatever she was doing, Nancy looked at him. ''Are you seriously going to ask me this after every single lesson?''
Mike scrunched his eyebrows. ''What, am I not allowed to start small talk now? Care about how my sister's doing?''
''We both know that's not why you're asking.'' Nancy said as she pocketed one of the guns. ''Why don't you just talk to her yourself?''
Nancy had known about his crush for years, when she'd started dating Steve and Mike had been incredibly jealous because he, too, wanted a Harrington to himself — how his sister had gotten one was still beyond him — so he couldn't even bring himself to feel embarassed in front of her.
Looking over Nancy's shoulder, he slumped. ''She's busy.''
Nancy looked over, too. Y/n was still talking with Steve, who was messing around with some casettes inside the recording studio and only humming in response. She looked back at Mike. ''So, talk to her later.''
''What if she's busy later, too?'' Mike reasoned immediately, almost defensively. ''It's not like I know all her plans or her schedules.'' Well, he wishes he did, but they weren't on those therms yet.
Nancy pinched the bridge of her nose. ''You're impossible.'' Then she walked away, ignoring Mike's offended look.
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Nancy had sprawled all the bullets they owned on the table, counting them. Murray was supposed to come back with a delivery soon, but he couldn't deliver too many at once, and they had to use the ones they have sparingly.
''How's it looking, Nance?''
Steve had made his way to the table, standing with his arms crossed and looking over the supply.
''It's okay. The lessons with Y/n are taking a toll on the supply, but we can still manage. It's still better to have another shot in the group,'' Nancy said as she started packing up the bullets again.
''Speaking of,'' Steve said as he hopped on the cleared out table. ''How are those going?''
She opened her mouth, about to answer, then remembered the day before. How Mike had asked her the same thing. How she'd told him to ask her himself. She looked down at the bullets, and the three guns she'd laid out.
''Steve.'' She said it with such seriousness that it felt like she was planning a crawl. She looked at him, and he looked rather concerned about what was to come. ''What do you know about your sister's feelings towards my brother?''
Steve blinked once, twice. As if he couldn't believe what she was asking. Then he scoffed. ''Isn't it obvious?''
Nancy picked up two of the guns, looking between them. ''I think we're going to need Murray to smuggle more bullets next time.''
Lord knew they needed at least some fun in their lives.
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After spending another day anticipating news of a new crawl and staring at Y/n, Mike and the rest made their way to the Sqawk again. They put their bikes in their designated spot, away from prying eyes if anyone happens to pass by and see five bikes lined up in front of the, mostly, abandoned radio station.
When they entered, Nancy and Johnathan were talking on one of the couches, while Robin and Steve were in the radio booth, messing around with the equipment. Mike was surprised as his sister looked at the group, shooting up from the couch.
''Mike! I was waiting for you.''
Mike stopped in his tracks at that, looking around and pointing at himself in confusion. ''Me?'' His sister looking for him sounded scary.
''Yes, you.'' Nancy said. The party stopped behind her, all looking at the scene, waiting to see what kind of trouble he was into, ready to laugh. Y/n was looking, too, and Mike wished the ground would swallow him whole. Being scolded by his older sister in front of the girl he's liked since the first grade was a nightmare scenario.
''What is it?'' Mike asked, shifting from one leg to the other. His eyes shifting between Nancy and Y/n.
''I've been thinking, and Y/n was right. It's not good to only have two shooters in the group. But I also think three also isn't enough. It's always better to have more trained people,'' Nancy explained, and Mike furrowed his brows. ''So, I was thinking that I'll start teaching you how to shoot, too.''
''What? I want to learn, too!'' Lucas' protest came from the back, raising his hand.
Nancy looked over her shoulder, her eyebrows narrowed. ''You have your slingshot. You're fine.''
Lucas immediately put his hand back down and nodded. ''Yeah. Yeah, you're right, Nancy.''
''Right.'' She looked at Y/n, then back at Mike. ''Since both of you are here, why don't we get to it?''
Mike narrowed his eyes at Nancy, then they widened. ''Now . . .? Together?''
''Yes, together. It's more efficient that way.''
In all sixteen years of his life, never has Mike Wheeler expected that his sister could pull off something like this.
''Okay, just give me a moment to go to the bathroom and I'll be right there!'' Y/n dropped her bag on the ground and rushed off.
Mike took the time to take a step closer to Nancy, his voice low. ''What the hell are you doing?''
''I don't know what you're talking about. As I said, we need more shooters. Did you hear that or were you too busy staring at her?'' Mike's mouth dropped at her words, having no comeback. Nancy grinned and left to pick up the guns.
Mike found himself outside not even ten minutes later, gun in hand. It felt weird holding it. Sure, he was used to seeing Hopper and Nancy around with guns, shooting at people and Demogorgons alike, but this was different. Holding one himself felt weird. But, if he was actually decent at it, he would at least have another means to protect himself and the people he loves.
And he also got to practice side by side with Y/n, though he wasn't necessarily sure if that was a good or a bad thing for his concentration.
Nancy had shown him how to handle the gun, and he'd tried to take a shot once or twice, and wasn't even close to hitting the coca cola cans she'd set as targets. He huffed as he lifted the gun again, standing rather awkwardly, trying to mimic poses he'd seen in comics. But he felt embarassed, unable to concentrate as he felt Y/n looking at him.
''You need to relax, Mike. Of course you're not going to be a perfect shot from the first try,'' Y/n reassured him, reloading her own gun. ''Give yourself time.''
Right. If only that was the problem. ''Okay.'' He took another shot and completely missed once again. He huffed.
''Hey, Nance!''
All three turned back to see Steve leaning out of the door, squinting his eyes at the sun. ''Johnathan is calling for you. Can you come for a moment?''
The moment Nancy didn't question it, Mike knew Steve must be in on it, too. ''Yeah, sure!'' Nancy looked back at Y/n. ''You mostly know what to do. Can you get him up on track?''
Y/n nodded, again flashing that smile of hers that almost made Mike drop his gun. ''Of course! No worries.''
Nancy walked away. This wasn't the first time Mike and Y/n had been completely alone, but this felt different. Nancy was trying to give him a push. So what was Steve's deal? Why was he helping?
Unless . . .
''I think the reason why you're not hitting the targed is because you're holding the gun wrong,'' Y/n said, raising her hands and letting them hover over his. ''Look, let me show you.''
Mike swallowed as she touched his hands, gently fixing his grip on the gun. It wasn't much different from how he'd been holding it, but he wished he'd held it more wrong so her touch would linger longer.
''Okay, try now. And breathe. You're just practicing. You can do it.'' Y/n reassured him, taking a step back.
''Okay, okay.'' Mike nodded, raising the gun up again. In his head, he thought he must've looked pretty badass like that, but he knew in reality he most likely looked incredibly awkward, and that must've been what Y/n was seeing. Get it together, Wheeler. He straightened his back a little and took a breath, closing one eye and squeezing the trigger.
The shot rang throught the air and one of the cans fell. His eyes widened. ''Holy shit.''
''Oh my God, you did it, Mike!'' Y/n cheered, jumping over to him and wrapping him in a side hug, startling Mike, making him drop the gun on the ground. ''What did I tell you?''
''Yeah, yeah.'' Mike breathed out, wrapping one arm around her, contemplating if he should fully hug her, but by the time he'd decided he should, she'd already pulled away. He missed the embrace immediately and cleared his throat, picking up the gun from the ground.
''Now, just do it again. Hopefully it wasn't a lucky shot.''
From behind, Nancy and Steve watched the two through the door without either of their siblings realizing. Steve scoffed. ''Seriously, she couldn't be more obvious and Wheeler still can't pick up the hints? Come on now, she doesn't even hug me. Henderson hugs me more than she does!''
Nancy chuckled. ''They're both idiots. Which, I think, just makes them even more made for each other.''
As Mike nodded and raised his gun to take another shot, he missed the way Y/n embarassingly rubbing her warm neck, realizing she'd jumped on Mike to hug him. Holy shit, he definitely knows now! If a portal to the Upside Down were to open right under me, now's the time!
word count: 1.6k
cw: fem!reader, kids, speed quirk!reader
notes: this is like reaaaaaly old but i used to love writing about todoroki and his son shuko (my oc basically lol) SO ig i'll rerealse this to the world lmao enjoy
Shoto picked up his suitcase, rushing towards the front door. He was running late to work and had not even a minute to spare. His hair was dishevelled, his necktie was messy and he hadn't buttoned his shirt properly, yet he was still trying to leave the house.
Y/n watched her husband run around the house, Shuko resting on her hip. She sighed, putting the three year old on the ground and approaching Shoto, putting her hands on his shoulders and stopping him.
He looked at his wife in confusion. ''Shoto, you're the owner of the agency, no one's going to say anything if you're late one time.''
Shoto stood speechless for a moment, processing his wife's words, before nodding. Y/n slid her hands down his and until she made it to his buttons and fixed them for him, before moving to his tie. The last thing to be fixed was his hair and then he was good to go.
''Thank you, my love,'' Shoto said and leaned down, pressing a grateful kiss to her lips.
''No problem, Sho,'' Y/n said.
''Mommy,'' she heard and looked down, seeing her son making grabby hands at her. Y/n bent down and picked him up, propping him on her hip again. ''Bye, Daddy!'' Shuko waved at his father happily, a big smile adorning his chubby face.
Shoto smiled and pressed a kiss to his son's cheek before grabbed his case again, heading towards the door. ''Bye, Shuko. Goodbye, my love.''
Y/n's heart fluttered at Shoto's words, him calling her 'my love' was something that always made her melt on the inside. Once Shoto was gone, Y/n went and put Shuko in his baby chair, then opened the fridge to prepare him some breakfast.
Upon opening the fridge, though, she spotted her husband's dark blue bento box, the one she's told him three times not to forget. Y/n sighed, deciding she would go visit him for lunch and bring it to him. For now, she settled on feeding her child breakfast.
✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦ . ⁺ . ✦
''Do you want to go visit daddy, Shuko?'' Y/n asked when she picked him up from the ground and propped him on her hip. It was nearing noon, so Y/n wanted to leave for Shoto's agency soon.
''Yeah!'' Shuko exclaimed, happy upon the mention of his father. Y/n smiled and brought him to his room. She quickly changed his clothes, then went to change her own, and the two headed to the garage, Y/n not forgetting to take her husband's bento, along with lunch she'd prepared for herself and their child. She strapped him in his car seat and drove out of the garage, starting the short ride to the agency.
Y/n parked on her specific parking spot, right next to Shoto's. His car was there, too, so he must be in the building. He was supposed to do paperwork today anyway. She didn't take her badge, since she practically owned the agency as well - everyone knew her, so there shouldn't be an issue.
That proved to be wrong when she entered the building and started to head towads the elevators that would lead towards the offices, when she was stopped.
''Excuse me, Miss? With the child?'' a voice spoke and Y/n stopped, knowing she was probably the only one here with a child.
The secretary was new, Y/n noted as she walked over to the desk. Shoto had told her the woman that had been working as a secretary had taken a long holiday, since she had to take care of her sick husband, so this was supposed to be her substitute for the time being.
''How can I help you?'' Y/n asked as she propped Shuko on her hip.
''Where do you think you're going?'' the woman asked.
Y/n was taken aback. ''Where am I going? I'm going to my husband's office.''
''And who may your husband be?'' asked the secretary. Was she being serious?
''Shoto? Todoroki? The owner of the agency?'' Y/n said, as if it was obvious. Which it was.
''Then you wouldn't mind showing me your badge,'' the secretary said.
''I don't have it,'' Y/n said. ''I left it at home. Why do I need a badge to be able to come to my agency anyway?''
The secretary laughed humorlessly. ''Honey, at least four girls like you come in here every day, claiming the same thing.''
Y/n furrowed her eyebrows. ''You really are questioning me? I'm Sonic, wife of Shoto Todoroki, and you should be aware of that.''
''You look like a rip-off version of her, she looks way better than you,'' the secretary said. ''Anyway, I would advise you to leave before I call security.''
The mother stared at the secretary in disguist. ''You're very rude, you know that, right?''
''And you're a very bad liar,'' the secretary said, not batting an eyelash at her words.
''Mommy, when can we go see daddy?'' asked Shuko as he leaned on his mother's chest, already being impatient.
''Soon, sweetie, don't worry,'' Y/n reassured him, running a hand through his hair. She looked back at the secretary, giving her a fake smile. ''As nice as it was talking with you, I'll be heading up to see my husband now.''
''You're not going anywhere, you bitch!'' the secretary said as she leaned over the desk, grabbing onto Y/n's arm and preventing her from going any further. ''If you don't leave willingly, I'll have to call security.''
Y/n looked back at her, very tired from the whole exchange. On top of everything, that woman swore in front of her child. ''Alright, how about this, honey,'' she mocked. ''I'll call Shoto and he'll come to pick us up before firing you. How does that sound?''
The secretary scoffed and crossed her arms in front of her chest. ''As if that would happen, but sure. Go ahead, call him.''
Y/n took her phone out of her pocket in annoyance, dialing Shoto's number. The secretary was looking at Y/n the whole time, a smug look on her face, still believing Y/n was lying.
''Hello, my love. Is everything alright?''
''Hey, love,'' Y/n said, giving the secretary a nasty glare. ''Shuko and I came to the agency to bring you your lunch, since you forgot it, but the new secretary seems to not know who I am and refuses to let us go up. Would you mind coming down to pick us up? We're in the lobby.''
''Of course. I'll be down in a second,'' Shoto said and Y/n heard shuffling. ''I'm very sorry for the inconvenience, my love.''
''No worries, love. We'll be waiting for you,'' Y/n said.
''Come fast, daddy!'' Shuko said in the phone, having heard the exchange.
Shoto laughed. ''I will, I promise.''
The call ended and Y/n pocketed her phone, looking at the secretary. ''I wonder how long it would take for your husband to show up,liar. You're not giving a very good example to your child, are you?''
Y/n wasn't going to argue any further, knowing Shoto was about to come down any second and she would win the argument. While waiting for him, the secretary tapped her foot impatiently, whilst Y/n simply played with Shuko, trying to keep him entertained.
The secretary's face paled slightly as Shoto did actually walk out of the elevator. Y/n beamed upon noticing her husband, but she didn't move. She wanted to see the secretary's reaction.
''Hello, my love,'' Shoto said when he approached them, wrapping his arms around his wife and their son, planting kisses on each of their cheeks. Shuko made grabby hands to his father, who immediately took him in his arms, before looking between the two women. ''What seems to be the problem here?''
''Mr. Todoroki, I swear it's not-''
''Sorry, honey, but you've already fucked up,'' Y/n said after having covered Shuko's ears. ''You called me a bitch and a liar. I don't care you called me that, in all honesty, I care because you said it in front of my child. And I'm very worried that you've been just as rude to other people who've come here, which could taint the agency's reputation.''
''But-''
''No, don't but me,'' Y/n cut her off, not wanting to hear anything else the woman has said. ''You're fired.''
The woman looked at Shoto in shock. ''You can't fire me!''
''Actully, she can,'' Shoto stepped in. ''She's co-owner of the agency. Besides, even if she didn't have the authority, I would've fired you myself, Miss.''
The secretary's face became red in annoyance, looking between the two Todorokis. She huffed, knowing she'd fucked up. ''Fine,'' the secretary said and pointed at Y/n. ''I'll leave, but you don't know what you're loosing! I'm way better than you anyway.''
Y/n raised an eyebrow. ''You, a secretary, is better than a the number six hero, who's married to the number two hero? Yeah, I don't think so,'' the hero dismissed her. ''Now, if you'll excuse us.''
Shoto failed to keep his laugh in as his wife grabbed his hand and dragged him away. Shuko didn't really understand what was happening, but since his father was laughing, the little boy started giggling as well.
''Love, that was amazing,'' Shoto said as he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her closer into him and pressing a kiss to her temple. ''It was also very hot.''
Y/n laughed. ''I wasn't about to let her talk me down,'' she said, rubbing Shuko's tummy as they walked, causing the little boy to laugh more. ''Next time someone needs to be hired, please do it yourself or call me to do it.''
Can we please go back to where every single fanfic I see isn't just modern!au's !!!!! Like please can I just read an anakin x reader where it's actually set in space and reader is also a jedi. Or can I read a remus x reader where the reader isn't also dating sirius AND james too! PLEASE I AM GOING CRAZY THIS IS GETTING OUT OF HAND. If you write for any of these characters please tag me if you think I'd enjoy your writing. Thank you.
hey yall, i’m sorry for being gone for so long, i’ve seen your requests and im sorry it’s taking so long to write but uni is in fact kicking my ass rn 😭 i’ll try to get to them asap, im sorry for the long wait
how do you think diluc/wrio would confess to a traveller!reader? I feel like it would take them SO LONG to even consider doing it because you're almost always leaving to go somewhere, I also feel like both would be guilty of suddenly having favours needed or fascinating conversational topics as soon as you go to leave 😭
the first time diluc met you, he was intrigued. a traveller belonging to no nation, accompanied by a strange flying fairy? you didn’t need more to pique his interest. with time, however, diluc found himself drawn to your sense of duty, of how brave you were and, honestly, the fact that you were quite good looking. he’d wanted to spend more time with you initially, but once he found out you would be leaving to embark on your journey to the next nation on your list, he thought his growing feelings were pointless, so he was quick to suppress them.
when you showed up for windblume, the news had gotten to him through drunken gossip. he’d switched shifts with charles and decided to go greet you, see how you’re doing, ask about your adventures. he thought in the time apart, his feelings had dwindled, only for them to blossom like a flower in spring the moment his eyes fell on you.
you caught up, told him about liyue and inazuma and what you’d done to help, much like you had with mondstadt, leaving him with only a growing ache in his heart. he didn’t want you to go again, but he knew how important your sibling was to you. he couldn’t hold you back.
when you’d leave again, he wouldn’t be able to stop thinking about you. then one day he received a letter out of nowhere, inside a few papers filled with your adventures and how you were doing, telling him you would be visiting again soon. diluc felt his heartbeat quicken, anxious to see you.
he’d thought about it a lot by the time you’d came back to mondstadt. it was you who sought him out first, finding him at the tavern as usual. the moment he saw you, diluc realized now was the time to ask.
when you were taking a walk towards the dawn winery that night, alone for once as paimon had stayed behind in mondstadt with amber, diluc finally looked at you, realizing he doesn’t enjoy spending that much time away from you. that he wanted to know you better and to be by your side, to help you for your ultimate mission.
that was when he finally gathered the courage to speak. he asked if you would allow him to accompany you on your journey, that he can have things arranged so he can leave the next day if he had to. he himself had embarked on a similar journey through the nations just a few years ago, there was no better partner than him. his sudden question caught you off guard, making you ask where this was coming from.
that was when diluc finally confessed, expressing the feelings he’s had over the past couple of months and that he believed there was no reason to keep it to himself anymore, that he didn’t want to because it was starting to physically affect him. he’d told you that you didn’t need to accept his feelings, but he had to try.
you returned his feelings, of course you did, but when you pulled him in, you put two hands on his cheeks, telling him you couldn’t let him leave his whole life behind, that he was the protector of mondstadt and he had the wine industry to manage, and you couldn’t just pull him away from that, as much as you wished he could join you.
diluc had kissed you then, making you promise that you would at least come back home to mondstadt more often and that you would write to him as much as you can so he can make sure you’re okay, to which you, of course, oblige before you kissed him again, making diluc feel like he was ascending to celestia.
wriothesley on the other hand was attracted to you the moment you were sent to the fortress of meropede. of course he knew your sentence would be short, so there was no point to attach himself to you, even if you did decide to linger in fontaine. he rarely left the fortress, so unless you decided to stay in the prison for longer, which he wouldn’t let you do in the first place, there was no point in allowing his feelings to grow.
alas, his attempt to suppress them is futile because the closer the end of your sentence came, the more he realized he liked you. he liked talking to you about your adventures, about the outside world he never really got to see, and about your sibling over a nice cup of tea. he’d started looking forward to these brief daily meetings.
when you left and the fontaine crisis had been averted, he realized he’d let himself loose and fucked himself over for not burying his feelings for you deeper. he tried to go on with his life, as he should, but he was grumpier, he no longer had anything to really look forward to throughout the day.
he would sometimes sit in his office, his tea cup in his hand as he watched the chair where you used to sit in, sometimes even imagining you were right across from him. he’d started to blame his delusions on all the work and stress, but deep down, he knew the real reason and he was getting tired of feeling that way.
neuvillette had called him over to talk about work once, so he embarked on his journey out of the fortress. when he got to neuvillette’s office, he found you sitting there with paimon, the three of you looking back at him. his breath hitched when he made eye contact with you, but he was quick to compose himself, asking him what’s going on. neuvillette only said that the traveller had come to visit fontaine and that it would be nice for wriothesley to join them for a cup of tea as well, giving him a knowing look.
after the tea with neuvillette, the iudex had mentioned to paimon about some new sweets one of the melusines had prepared for him, offering to let her try them out. paimon was ecstatic, ditching you for the food she oh-so loved. you were left alone with wriothesley in neuvillette’s office, feeling rather awkward.
you’re the one to speak first, asking wriothesley if everything in the fortress is in order. he says yes, then asks you about your own journey and how far you were with it. he watches you as you passionately explain about your recent endeavor in natlan, not realizing the small smile that had found its way on his usually stoic face.
you’d stopped talking when you’d noticed, pointing out the smile. wriothesley admits he’s missed having you around as you were the inmate that had been the most fun in his career, to which you could only laugh. he wants to tell you then that he would want nothing more than to keep on making you laugh and be by your side, but he knows he can’t. not when he’s bound to the fortress, not when he couldn’t leave his duties behind and selfishly indulge in his desire to be with you.
he couldn’t, no. so he stayed silent despite the wishes of his heart, watching once again as you left to your hotel, slipping right past his fingers.
every time something small happens from then on, he wishes you would be there so he could tell you about it, or you two would talk into the late hours of the night or spend time together or just anything. wriothesley needed you and he felt like if he didn’t express his feelings, he might just explode.
so he wrote down his feelings on a letter, letting everything he needed out, ending up with multiple double-sided pages. his thoughts were jumbled up and it didn’t make sense, but it didn’t matter, because he wasn’t going to send it.
that was, at least, until sigewinne found it, read it and decided to send it off to you. wriothesley was none the wiser until you suddenly showed up at the door of his office, having sent paimon off to sigewinne, clutching the papers. he almost pales at the sight.
you two talk. truthfully, if you were to commit, your relationship would be hard regardless if you were a traveller or a citizen of fontain. both of you understood that. but wriothesley claimed he didn’t care, that as long as he knew you were his and he was yours, he could do the long distance, because he had never felt that way before and, truthfully, couldn’t see himself with anyone but you.
after a mature talk and a heated make out session, wriothesley had become the happiest occupant of the fortress of meropede.
SORRY IM TOO SHY TO COME OFF ANON BUT I WAS THE ONE WHO REQUESTED THE PRISONER WRIO WITH THE PREVIOUS DUKES DAUGHTER AND IM SCREAMINGGGG ITS SO GOOOOOOOOOOOD AAAAAAAA
Genuinely I've reread it like 3 times now, new comfort fic unlocked 😭😍
Thankyou so much for writing it!! ♥️
Sending you a big platonic smooch for your service *salutes*
AHHHH IM SO SO GLAD YOU LIKED IT ANON!! i literally saw your request yesterday at 2 am but i was too tired so i got to writing right after i woke up IT WAS SO MUCH FUNNN THANK YOU FOR THE REQUEST AGAIN🫶🏻🫶🏻
I go insane thinking about the idea of Wriothsley when he was still imprisoned at the fortress as a prisoner, and hes ended up in a super sweet but also painstakingly angsty star crossed lover situation with the current Duke's son/daughter/gn!reader
It's forbidden but stolen glances and if he starts fighting in the pancration ring to try and show off to reader, and gets beat up and reader goes to tend to him and wriothsley protects reader from any other prisoners trying to overstep and mess with reader because of their negative feelings for her father and aaaa reader sneaks into their dad's office to find wriothsleys record because they can't believe he could ever hurt anyone then they find out and - RIP MY HEART OUT ALREADYY
the girl from the fortress and the convict | wriothesley x reader
word count: 4.3k
cw: fem! reader, use of y/n, fluff and a lil angst towards the end, making out but nothing explicit, not proofread!
notes: i think i got a little carried off with this request bc it SO GOOD thank you anon <3 this could've been longer but i was feeling a lil uncreative sorry, hope you enjoy it anyway!
She was no inmate, yet she was bound to a life in prison, wether she liked it or not. The Fortress of Meropede was all she knew, having been born and raised within the metal structure. There were few times where her father had taken pity on her as a child and brought her outside with him, though that was always only due to him having work in the overworld. Besides that, she didn't particularly like hanging around her father, anyway.
Her life was boring, but she was used to it.
The inmates never interested her, mostly due to them always being older than her. It was to be expected, of course, due to crime rates among younger people much much lower, if not non-existend in Fontaine.
That was until when she was just seventeen, when she'd heard whispers of a young boy, supposedly around her age, being sent to the Fortress. She hadn't seen him yet, though all the rumours about him piqued her interest.
It was about three months after she'd first heard of his inprisonment that she heard about him fighting at the pankration ring. She wasn't allowed there, her father would kill her if he found out, but what was life without a little risk?
With a mask over the lower half of her face and her head low, Y/n managed to sneak into the rink with no trouble. She stood to the side, watching, making sure no one was approaching her.
The spirits were high, chatter filling the arena. They were talking about the newbie who'd started climbing the ranks quickly, and that was when she'd first heard of his name. Wriothesley. She wondered what a person with such an interesting, noble name would look like.
An announcer got on the rink, no mircophone since it was still, after all, a prison, yelling over to the audience. ''On the left corner, we have the beast that is he is in the rink, the monster he unleashes against those who dare challenge him, I want to hear your applaus for Dougier!''
A rather buff man appeared on the stage, his hands in the air as he enjoyed the praise. Y/n clapped along, still hidded in the back and trying not to stand out.
Once the cheers died down, the announcer continued. ''Now, in the right corner, we have the newest rising star in the pankration rink, the one with iron fists, go off for . . . Wriothesley!''
Y/n stood straighter at the name, her eyes stuck on the rink. Up walked the youngest inmate she'd seen around. His black hair was tousled, his eyes icy like the vision that hung on his hip. His attire was simple, his boots heavy. She watched him as he pulled on the Cryo Vision and flung it to the side, it falling near the corner. No one dared touch it. Y/n wondered how no one has stolen it yet.
The two fighters got into position, fists in the air. Y/n watched as the bigger man flung himself at Wriothesley, who expertly dodged before throwing a punch in his gut. He was moving so quick Y/n could barely follow, and before she knew it, the buff man was on the ground, knocked out. The announcer grabbed Wriothesley's arm and put it up, declaring him winner.
Wriothesley seemed rather indifferent to his victory. He walked off the stage as the other man had to be hauled away, making his way towards the betting table where he was able to recieve his payment for the win. Y/n bit the inside of her cheek, watching as he waited for his coupons to be counted.
She kicked off the wall she'd been leaning on, manneuvering through the people. She was planning to leave at first, then noticed the Cryo Vision still on the edge of the rink, Wriothesley seeming none the wiser. She contemplated for a moment, then seized the chance, picking up the vision and making her way towards Wriothesley.
He'd just recieved his coupons when Y/n tapped him on the shoulder, mask down as to seem more inviting, holding out his vision. ''You forgot this.''
Wriothesley seemed stunned for a moment, staring in her eyes. Y/n was no different, taking a closer look to his face. There was a small scar under his eye that seemed to be almost healed, so it must've been rather recent. She couldn't help but wonder how he'd gotten it.
He was the first one to shake himself off. ''Thank you.'' He took the vision, reattaching it to his belt. ''Sorry, I didn't catch your name?''
''It's Y/n,'' she said, holding onto her mask. ''I'll see you around, Wriothesley.''
''Hey, wait━''
She didn't. She walked away, her mask back on, convering the small smile on her face.
The Fortress wasn't the biggest place in Teyvat, yet it took a few days before Y/n finally spotted Wriothesley again. He was at the canteen at the same time she was making her way there, sitting alone to the side. She understood, though. Everyone else was much older than them. It was weird.
She picked up her food, the most appetizing one of the day, and made her way to Wriothesley with her tray. ''This seat taken?''
Wriothesley looked up, one of his cheeks stuffed with food. He quickly swallowed down his food, clearing his throat. ''No, go ahead.''
Y/n sat down, putting her tray down. She looked over at Wriothesley's, noticing he'd gotten the welfare meal of the day. It didn't look nearly as appetizing as hers. She looked down at her tray, at the bowl with mashed potatoes. Picking it up, she placed it on Wriothesley's tray. ''Here. Have at least one actually edible thing.''
Wriothesley furrowed his eyebrows, looking at her. ''Doesn't this cost, like, a bunch of coupons? Don't just give it to me.''
''Just accept the gift, will you?'' Y/n said as she picked up her fork. ''Call it the forging of our friendship, or whatever.''
Wriothesley quirked his eyebrows. ''Since when are we friends?''
''Since we, my dear friend, are the only people of our age in this hell of a place,'' Y/n said as she messed with her food with her fork. ''Trust me, I've checked. Unless you want to hang out with all the oldies, that is. I can gladly take my mashed potatoes back.''
''No, it's . . . it's fine.'' Wriothesley said, taking a bite of her offer, humming. ''It really is good. At least, better than anything else I've had so far.''
The rest of the lunch passed in silence, which Y/n didn't find awkward. Wriothesley opened his mouth a few times, as if he wanted to speak, but never went through with it, so neither did Y/n. At the end of their meal, both of them returned their trays, Y/n looking at him with her arms crossed and a smile. ''Same time tomorrow?''
''. . . Right.''
They kept up their silent lunches for a week. It was nice, finally having company and not having to bring her lunch back to her room so it wouldn't feel awkward with all the other inmates. Then, one day, Wriothesley finally dared ask her a question.
''How long have you been here for?'' he asked, making Y/n look up at him. ''I mean, you seem oddly experienced about the Fortress, considering you're about the same age as me. You must've done something insane to have come here even before me.''
Y/n hummed, tapping her plate with her fork twice before answering. ''I've been here since birth.''
Wriothesley furrowed his eyebrows. ''What?''
Before Y/n could answer, she felt a looming presence behind her. Looking back, she made eye contact with Dougier, the same convict Wriothesley had beaten just a week before. He stood behind her with his arms crossed, but looking at Wriothesley.
''Well, look what we have here. The newbie sweet-talking his way to the Administrator's daughter's pants.''
Y/n watched as Wriothesley's eyes widened slightly. It wouldn't have been really noticable if she hadn't spent the last week observing every possible expression and manneurism he would show in her presence.
''I'm not sweet-talking myself into anything.'' Wriothesley's eyes narrowed at the man. ''I apologize that I happen to be a better company to some.''
''You━'' Dougier stopped himself before he could throw a punch at Wriothesley, then looked at Y/n. ''So, seems like after all this time, you've finally found yourself a boy-toy? I'm not sure how well your father would take that in.''
''What, are you going to go tattle-tale to my dad now? What are you, twelve?'' Y/n challenged, seemingly making Dougier even madder.
''You little━''
''How about you leave the girl alone?'' Wriothesley stepped in before any filthy words can be uttered in her direction, crossing his arms in front of his chest. ''Do I need to send you running with your tail between your legs again?''
Dougier only scoffed, sent each of them a last look, then left. Y/n chuckled as she looked at Wriothesley. ''Thanks for that, but I had it handled.''
''Oh, I could tell, Miss Administrator's Daughter,'' Wriothesley said, leaning on his forearms on the table, eyebrows raised. ''Why didn't you say anything?''
Y/n shrugged. ''Not like we've really talked. But, you know now, so. Truthfully, I don't really talk to anyone here because they're scared of getting on my father's bad side, so they mostly avoid me, except to tease me, as you just saw. I don't really rat anyone out because I don't care.'' She looked down, playing with her food. ''Now's the moment to get up and leave, if you're also scared of the Administrator.''
Truthfully, she expected him to stand up and walk away. When she didn't hear any movement, she looked up and noticed him still rooted in his position, his eyebrows raised. ''What? You think I'm some sort of a coward?''
Y/n smiled at him, genuenly for the first time since she'd actually met him. ''No, not really.''
She thought that from that day on, their relationship would blossom, in one way or another. That was, until she was called into her father's office later that same day, urgency written all over the guard's face.
She made it in, seeing her father in his chair. She's rarely seen him out of it, really. ''You called for me, father?''
''I hear you've been getting cozy with a new inmate.'' Her father took a smoke of his pipe despite the poor ventilation in his office. ''Wriothesley, isn't it?''
Y/n sighed. ''Look, I don't know what Dougier or anyone else told you, but Wriothesley and I are just friends.''
''You cannot be friends with convicts, Y/n.''
Y/n scoffed. ''If you haven't noticed, you've kept me stuck here my whole life. I don't really have much of a choice.''
''I have no time to deal with you. If you do not stop associating yourself with that boy, I will have no choice but to punish him instead.''
Y/n's breath hitched. She watched her father as he got back to work, essentially showing her the conversation was over. She opened her mouth, wanting to protest, but there was no point. She stomped out of his office, straight to her room.
The next day, she went to the cafeteria to pick up her lunch. A note was stuffed away in her pocket, her eyes scanning the area, falling on Wriothesley. He was sat on their usual table, already waiting, his lunch untouched.
Y/n walked over to the table, seeing the small smirk appear on his lips. ''Well, look who decided to━''
Y/n slammed her hand on the table, startling Wriothesley. ''I can't hang out with you anymore,'' was all she said before she walked away, leaving a confused Wriothesley behind. He watched her as she picked up her lunch, then made her way away from the cafeteria.
He looked down at his tray puzzled. Something white caught his eye, just where Y/n's hand had slammed on the table. He quickly took it, looking around to make sure no one was looking at him. Unfolding it, he was met in a few sentences. The handwriting was rather neat.
Dougier ratted me out to my father, and he doesn't want us to hang out anymore. He said if he hears of us again, he will hurt you. I'll wait for you at the infirmary, Sigewinne won't tell on us, so we can talk later tonight. If you're willing to take the risk, that is. Since you're no coward.
Wriothesley stared at the note, re-reading it a few times. He thought of Y/n and how cold expression had looked just moments before, but it all must've been a mask. He wondered if it was worth it. He'd only known her for a week. Was it worth risking making his life even more miserable for a girl he barely knew? They've talked twice for the whole time they've known each other.
Y/n sat on one of the infirmary beds that night. Sigewinne was gone, treating someone in their own room. Her feet dangled over the bed as she waited, playing with an icy dagger she'd created with her own vision. When she heard footsteps approaching, she let it disappear, standing up.
Wriothesley appeared atop the stairs, looking down at her. He stood there for a moment, staring at her before he made his way down. The two stood face to face, a little too close for comfort, normally. Each of their arms was crossed over their chests.
''So.'' Wriothesley was the one to start. ''You father would hurt me if he finds me with you again?''
''Mhm.''
''Which means if we want to be friends, we have to sneak around?''
''Precisely.''
''What do I get out of all of this, if we don't count potentially getting my teeth knocked out of my mouth if caught?''
''Well, you get my amazing friendship, first of all, filled with my sparkling personality,'' Y/n explained, doing jazz hands for emphasis. ''And you also prove you're not a pussy.''
''Hm. Sounds like a deal.''
Y/n was rigth at the end. Their friendship continued, though descreetly. They no longer dared have lunch together, but getting dinner at odd times and eating it in the infirmary with Sigewinne was nice. Every time they would pass each other anywhere, each of them would be unable not to steal a glance at the other. Y/n wasn't required to work since her father gave her as many coupons as she needed, but she'd made a habit of visiting the work stations under the pretense of checking how the work was going, definitely not just to stare at Wriothesley.
She was, after all, just a girl. And Wriothesley was kind, attractive, caring and funny. Everything she'd learned she wanted in a guy from all the books she'd read.
Wriothesley had informed her he was fighting that night, so she'd snuck into the pankration ring again, back in with her mask. She watched as Wriothesley was once again declared victorious. His face was still rather stoic, his eyes looking over the crowd. Once he found her face, a smirk broke out on his lips, making Y/n roll her eyes.
His next match he won again, though this time not unscated. Once he walked off the rink, Y/n rushed by his side, worry driving her, not caring about anyone seeing her. ''Are you alright?'' she asked as soon as she'd reached him. There was blood coming out of his mouth and he was clutching his side.
''I'm fine.''
''You're not. Come on, let's get you to Sigewinne.''
Y/n used her vision to keep her hands cold as she held onto Wriothesley's side where he'd gotten punched pretty badly, trying to soothe him as best as he can. The infirmary was empty when they made it and Sigewinne worked her magic on him immediatelly, while Y/n cleaned the blood off his face.
Once he was patched and ordered bed rest, Sigewinne left to attend other matters, leaving the two alone once again. Y/n sat on the bed next to him as he continued to lay, watching him despite his closed eyes.
''Are you feeling better?'' she whispered in case he was asleep.
''Yeah.'' Wriothesley's eyes opened and he moved to sit up, leaning his elbows on his knees. ''Thanks.''
''Yeah, no worries.''
The two stared at each other's eyes, slowly leaning in simultaneously. The moment their lips met, Y/n was glad she'd cleaned the blood off.
Wriothesley's arms found their way to her waist, holding on. Y/n held his neck, pulling him closer, humming into the kiss at the satisfaction. When they pulled back, they rested their foreheads on each other's, eyes closed. Y/n moved one of her hands up to his cheek, caressing it as she spoke the words that were either going to ruin or make everything.
''You're not doing this because I'm the only girl available, are you?''
Wriothesley chuckled, his warm breath hitting her face, sending shivers down her spine. ''I'm doing this because you're the best girl I've ever met.''
Right. Wriothesley, unlike her, hadn't spent his whole life stuck here. She opened her eyes, taking a quick glance at the now fully-healed scar under his eye. She ran her thumb over it, unable to help the corners of her lips twitching up. Wriothesley also opened his eyes, seeing the smile on her face and kissing it right away, his lips matching hers.
For the first time in her life, Y/n felt the thrill of life.
From then on, it was sneaking off, stolen kisses and glances. They would be in a random hallway, away from praying eyes as Wriothesley would have her pressed against one of the cold, metal walls, his lips on hers as he held her tightly, keeping her legs wrapped around him. Y/n giggled into the kiss, at his touches, at the comfort he gave her.
They were in the infirmary, laying on one of the beds, side to side. They faced each other, none of their limbs really touching, but it felt oddly intimate. ''Tell me something, Wriothesley.'' He hummed as a response. ''How is it in the overworld?''
''The overworld?'' Wriothesley looked like he was thinking for a moment. ''I mean, it's pretty nice, I think. Have you never been out?''
''A few times. Only to the Opera Epiclese and back, when I was really young. I don't remember much.''
''Hm, I see. I mean, I lived a little outside of the city, so we were always surrounded by nature, which was pretty nice. The grass was always green and there was a field of flowers my siblings and I used to like playing at. My favorites were the rainbow roses.''
''Oh, I've read about those,'' Y/n said. ''Never seen them, though.''
Silence fell between them. Wriothesley kept looking all over her face and seemed like he wanted to say something, but he kept silent. Regardless, there was some sort of a promise hanging in the air, though Y/n wasn't exactly sure what.
She'd snuck into his room one night, thankful he wasn't sharing with anyone at the moment. His bed wasn't nearly as comfortable as hers, but laying on his chest felt much warmer than under her own blanket. He was playing with her hair, pressing the occasional kiss on the crown of her head. Y/n would've fallen asleep had it not been for the question that was plaguing her mind.
''Wrio, I want to ask you something.''
''What is it, princess?''
Y/n moved to sit up on her folded legs, watching as Wriothesley followed, leaning his back on the railing behidn his bed. Y/n took a deep breath, then finally let her thoughts out. ''Why are you here? What . . . what was your crime?''
Wriothesley's face fell. He sighed. ''If I tell you, will that . . . change anything?''
Truthfully, she wasn't sure. His answer scared her.
When he noticed her lack of responce, Wriothesley reached out, placing a comforting hand over hers. ''Y/n, I promise what I did, I did because I had to. And I promise that I would never, ever hurt you, alright?''
Y/n gulped and gave him a slow nod. She interlaced her fingers, not looking away from his eyes, waiting.
Wriothesley nodded. ''Okay. My crime . . . my crime is that I murdered my parents.''
Y/n didn't react. She tried not to visibly, at least. She wanted to ask him why, what had happened, but based on the look on his face, she thought he'd shared enough for the night. She didn't want to pressure him further. ''Thank you for telling me.''
''Yeah . . . no worries.''
Regardless of his promises, regardless of the comfort he'd brought her just moments before, Y/n felt uneasy when she laid back down on his chest. She was laying down with a murderer.
After she left that night, she couldn't bring herself to face Wriothesley. Of course she knew he'd been a criminal from the very beginning, they were in a prison, for Archon's sake, but she never would've thought someone like Wriothesley, someone that was so kind and gentle and nice to her, could ever take the life of another. She couldn't shake off the thought.
He was a murderer.
She'd expected some petty theft, maybe tax fraud or something. She felt shivers every time she thought about his crime and couldn't bring herself to face him. Every time she'd see him at the canteen she would ignore him, picking up her lunch and running back to her room.
A whole week had passed. She decided to take her mind off by going to the pankration rink, unaware that it was Wriothesley fighting that night. He'd won once again, but once he'd found her face in the crowd, he'd simply looked away and left, not even picking up his coupons.
She felt like shit. She'd promised him things wouldn't change, that she would accept anything, yet here she was now, avoiding him like the plague despite him being truthful with her.
Her father, the lazy person that he was, had decided one day that he couldn't be bothered to sort through some inmate files, sending Y/n to do it in his stead. She'd done it begrudgingly, doing as told. Her eyes were droopy until she reached a certain file, one with Wriothesley's name on it. Her eyes widened.
Should she read it? Was this invasion of privacy? But she had to. If she didn't find out why, what he meant when he'd said he'd done what he had to, she thought that she might never be able to approach Wriothesley again, despite the burn she felt in her heart every time she saw him alone to the side.
She opened the file, her eyes scanning the words. They widened, dropping the folder on the ground as she ran out.
She checked his room first, but he wasn't there. Not at the canteen, at his station or at the pankration rink. She finally made her way to the infirmary, where she found him with his arm bandaged as Sigewinne was telling him to be more careful.
Y/n breathed heavily as she realized her search had finally come to an end, catching the attention of Wriothesley and Sigewinne. Sigewinne looked between them before making her way out, once again leaving them alone.
Slowly walking down the stairs, Y/n couldn't bear to look at him, ashamed of what had happened. She pulled a chair to sit in front of him, looking down at his hand. ''What happened?''
''Sparring gone wrong.'' His voice was cold, but she couldn't blame him.
''I'm sorr━''
''You promised.''
''I know.''
Silence fell between them and, for the first time since they'd met, it felt uncomfortable. Y/n looked up, realizing Wriothesley had been looking her the whole time. She realized he wasn't going to say anything more. It was on her to fix things.
''I came across your file.'' Y/n admitted, her voice quiet. She'd never felt so small under Wriothesley's gaze, the one person who always made her feel like . . . well, a person. ''I'm so, so sorry for assuming the worst. I . . . understand why you did it. And I'm so, so proud of you for stepping up for your siblings.''
Wriothesley looked down then, his fingers picking on his bandages. ''You could've just asked me. I would've told you.''
''I'm sorry.'' Y/n moved to sit next to him, taking his hand in hers, giving it a squeeze. ''You're such a kind person, I just couldn't wrap my head around it. I'm sorry. It's no excuse, I know, but Wriothesley, you're the most important person in my life and I just━ I can't bear the thought of losing you, but if you want nothing to do with me after this stunt, I'd understand.''
Silence again. It was starting to get unnerving. Wriothesley didn't move either, so Y/n gave his hand another squeeze, still to no reaction.
It felt like an eternity when he finally squeezed back. ''I just think you're such an idiot if you think something so small could make me not want you anymore.'' Wriothesley finally looked at her, bringing his bandaged hand up to cup her face. ''Next time, just talk to me about it, yeah?''
Y/n felt relief wash over her shoulders. ''Yeah. Thank you, Wrio.''
At that moment, Y/n didn't know that in just a few years time Wriothesley would challenge her father for his title and would win, that his sentence would end he would be bestowed with his new title of Duke, that his sentence would be over and, despite his new responsibilities, he would keep his wordless promise he'd given her years ago and take her out to the world to see the green grass and rainbow roses and everything the world had to offer, if she so wished. That he would make her his wife and, despite the fact that she would still have ties to the fortress, she was finally going to be happy.
No, she didn't know all of that. At the moment, all she could think about was how warm Wriothesley's embrace was and how much her love for him seemed to grow with each day.
Any thoughts about Wriothesley, Tarutaru and Diluc having their first date with reader? I need fluff aaaaa
ouuu alright let's see
wriothesley would have to go out of his comfort zone for your first date, since he wouldn't want your first official time out with him to be in a literal prison. he says it's a surprise even though when he first invites you, he has no idea where to bring you. he rarely goes out nowadays due to how demanding his job is, but the days before your first date, he goes around fontaine, checking out different places, curating his plan.
on the day of the actual date, he tries to tame his hair with sigewinne's help unsuccessifully and goes to pick you up from your home, unaware of the sticker on his shoulder, courtesy of sigewinne. he was just a little nervous at the beginning, but once you chuckled at the sticker and pointed it out to him, his anxiety grew. had he just made a fool of himself?
the date continued, though, which eased his nerves. he took you to a play you'd mentioned you've wanted to see for a while first, then to grab a bite at hotel dubord (at neuvillette's suggestion) where you spend the evening talking over nice desserts; at the end of the date, you point out the other two stickers wriothesley had over his jacket, making him groan and you laugh
tartaglia is more of the adventerious type, so i feel like he'd want to do something more interesting than just a typical date, especially if you're also into it. he'd probably think about suggesting to go fight something or someone, but he quickly realizes that wouldn't really make a good first date, so he goes back to the drawing board.
he just so happens to ask you out around lantern rite when he's also in liyue, so he thinks that would be the calmest way to spend the evening. after all, his goal is to make you smile, get to know you better and spend time with you and show off to make you fall for him more.
regardless, tartaglia is tartaglia, so once he gets to a game booth, he's playing. he'll get competitive with a kid and forget where he is for a moment, though after he wins a trinket, he gives it to you, proclaiming he'd won it for you only and definitely not because he just wanted to win, which happens a few more times throuhout the night.
at some games, he even challenges you and cheers you on when you beat him at some of them. even if this is just your first date, he's your biggest fan and would lowkey let you win just to see the smile on your face tbh.
overall the date goes rather well and tartaglia is already planning the second one which is to fight any treasure hoarder they come across bc he thinks you look badass when you fight
diluc is a rather simple man. he's traditional. he would invite you to the dawn winery for dinner (and maybe a sleep over if it gets too late). i feel like diluc is the type of man to have to know someone really well or be friends with them for a while before he could even consider dating them, so he's not nervous about the first date because he knows you, or he's trying to convince himself of that, at least.
he wants to make it special, so he asks the maids to leave the kitchen and leave him to make the meal himself. everyone but adelinde leave, as she was too scared to leave him alone in the kitchen. ten minutes in and she had to step in and help him.
regardless, he helped for the meal at least halfway. he promises himself then he'd do better next time and learn how to cook.
anyway, you arrive and he'd set the table by himself, using the red designed plates he'd inherited from his mother, as well as his finest cutlery. he takes your coat off of you and hangs it himself, then pulls your chair out for you. you giggle at how gentlemanly he's acting, but it's not unwelcome by all means.
the date passes calmly, with the two of you talking about anything and everything. it feels like an usual hang out for the two of you, though this time a bit more intimate, as you're not aware of each other's feelings. after dinner, the two of you end up on the couch in front of the fireplace, with diluc's arm around your shoulders and you snuggled into him, eventually falling asleep in each other's warmth.
thank you so much for the request! hope i delivered! requests are still open!
