When the first signs of your heat registered you were frazzled beyond measure.
You had to inform the pack, maybe hopefully your pack, so they could plan acordingly. Thats how you found yourself infront of prices office, trying to have that conversation. At first it went well, as well as it could with you shaking from nerves but when it came to your needs and what help you wanted it all came crumbling down around you.
"I dont.. i cant" a broken sob left you, the thought of anything turning sexual terrified you.
Your past partners left you with trust issues and doubts about yourself, and your family pack wasnt much better.
Were you wrong for not wanting sex? Even deep in heat the thought of letting anyone near you, had you nearly in a panic attack.
And now the thought of disappointing price, your head omega, had you flooding the room with your frightened pheromones. A bitter stench trying to settle over the room.
"Shhh pup. Nothing's happening that you dont want. I can guide you without making it about sex" he let out a soothing rumble and hopefully calming scent. "I won't let the others do something you didn't explicitly consented to"
The way your stood before him, trembling, strung tight and holding your arms against your chest, as if to shield your most vulnerable places, made him want to herd to into his nest. Bundling you up, tucking your head against his chest and purring soothingly, with Simon guarding the door.
Taking a step forward, he slowly lifted his hand to your neck, not scruffing, but a reminder that you're not alone. You pushed into his hand with a desperate sob and nearly collapsed had he not caught you.
"Your not alone anymore, pup. You got a pack now", he growled softly, pulling you tighter against him and lightly scenting the top of your head.
When ghost first met you, a cute bunny hybrid with floppy ears and wide eyes, he makes some assumptions. Soap's been with a few bunnies before, and as a result ghost has heard tale of their insatiable appetite. It's fine, he doesn't really give a fuck what you do for fun.
The only problem? You keep flirting with him. Constantly.
Look, ghost doesn't want to lead you on, but he really likes how nice you are to him. How you match his dark humor with your own comments that have kyle mock-grimacing over comms, how you always know when he's having a bad day and adjust your plans accordingly.
So ghost sits you down one day, after you finally got the courage to reach for his hand after training. "Love, I really like you, I do. It's just...I can't be what you want me to be. That's....I can't do that."
You tilt your head, bunny ears flopping "what? Ghost, I want you and just you. What, uh, what exactly is it that you can't be?"
Now ghost looks away, staring at the cracking paint on his barracks wall. This is always the hardest, putting it all on the table only to be rejected. "I don't have sex." He forces himself to say, years of training means he hardly registers the urge to vomit "none at all. It's...it's gross, and I promise it's not because of you, I just...I can't."
He braces for yelling, for hateful words or fists, tucking in on himself and waiting. They never come. Instead, your soft cheek nuzzles into his shoulder, and it takes ghost an embarrassingly long time to realize you're hugging him.
"That's just fine, ghost. I don't care if you never even want to kiss me, okay?" You reassure, moving up to nose at his neck comfortingly.
"But...but won't i not be enough? I know bunnies, uhh– they–"
Your snort cuts him off, and you pull back just enough to smile at ghost. "Congrats. You've found the one bunny hybrid that isn't interested in sex at all. Yknow there's a word for us, right? Asexual."
"...oh."
"Yep."
"...are we together, then?" Ghost's eyes are so full of fragile hope, you can't help but purr, feet kicking in what would've been a hop if you were standing.
"Yes, you're insane if you think I'd ever give you up." When you cuddle against ghost next, he happily opens his arms and accepts it.
The rest of the team only know you as a passing nurse but Price? He knows you better than anyone. Past field medic, ruler of your patients and neurodivergent mess, all of your facettes.
Price is the only one you can let loose with, who you know respects all of your boundaries in and out of pup space.
So when you finally lay your head on his lap and his fingers find your scalp with a gruff 'good pup', you know you're safe.
Hihi! If it’s no bother, can you please write Simon Riley/asexual!Male!reader
Reader and Simon like each other but reader thinks a relationship with him wouldn’t be fulfilling to Simon and has trauma from previous relationships so he’s nervous about admitting that he’s asexual?
Thank you and hope you have a wonderful day/evening!! (Also, please don’t feel obligated to write this <33)
Simon Ghost Riley X Ace Male Reader
tags: ace reader, fear of rejection, fluff, comfort, reassurance, acceptance, support, happy endings
It had been building for months now, this quiet tension between you and Simon. It lingered in every shared glance, every brush of his hand when he passed you gear, every silence that wasn’t really silence at all, just unspoken words sitting heavy in the air.
You weren’t oblivious. The way his eyes lingered a second too long, the way he seemed to always find his way back to you after missions, even if it was just to sit in the same room. He wasn’t a man of many words, but the weight behind the ones he chose told you more than enough.
And yet, nothing had happened. No confession, no line crossed. Just this constant circling around the inevitable, like both of you were waiting for the other to move first.
You caught yourself staring at him that evening in the barracks, his mask pushed up just enough so he could sip from his mug of tea. His eyes caught yours, sharp and unreadable, but they didn’t leave. He didn’t look away. Instead, he tilted his head slightly, a silent question, like he was daring you to keep holding his gaze.
Your chest tightened. For a moment, the air felt heavy with everything unsaid, your fear of rejection, his walls that never quite came down. But then you saw it, the faintest flicker of something vulnerable in his eyes. Not weakness. Something else.
Hope.
“Simon,” you said softly, the word strange on your tongue, not as a call sign, not as a comrade, but just him.
His hand paused halfway to his mug. He didn’t answer right away, but his gaze sharpened, fully locked on you now. Waiting.
“We’re… we’re idiots, you know that?” you said with a shaky laugh, trying to mask your nerves. “Both of us dancing around this like it’s not obvious.”
The corners of his eyes crinkled. His mask shifted like he was hiding a smile. “Thought it was just me,” he murmured, his voice low, rough, and almost uncertain.
Your heart hammered. “It’s not just you.”
For a beat, silence again. But not the kind that pressed down heavy. This one was lighter, like something had finally snapped, like the walls between you both weren’t quite as high as before.
Simon leaned back slightly, his eyes never leaving yours, and let out a long, slow breath. “Guess we’ve both been cowards.”
You managed a smile, small but real. “Guess we don’t have to be anymore.”
His mug clinked as he set it down, and though he didn’t move closer, not yet, the look in his eyes told you everything. The waiting was over.
The tension between you and Simon had finally cracked, but that didn’t mean the floodgates opened easily. You sat on the edge of your bunk, hands clasped so tightly your knuckles turned white. Simon sat across from you, his tea forgotten, his mask tugged down just far enough that you could see his mouth, set in that hard line he wore when he was thinking too much.
He was waiting. Always patient, but that didn’t make it easier for you to speak.
Your throat tightened as you tried to force the words out. “Simon, there’s something I need to tell you. Something I should’ve said a long time ago.”
He didn’t interrupt. His eyes never left you. They were steady, unreadable, but you knew him well enough to sense the quiet dread beneath them. He was bracing himself for rejection.
“I…” You rubbed your palms against your thighs, trying to ground yourself. “I’m… asexual.”
The word hung between you, heavier than you expected. Your chest burned, waiting for his reaction. You rushed to fill the silence before he could. “I don’t, I don’t mean I don’t want you. I do. I just… I’m not wired the same way. And I’ve had people before tell me I wasn’t enough because of it. That I couldn’t give them what they needed. And I’m scared that you’ll…” Your voice cracked, trailing into a shaky breath.
Simon blinked once, slowly. “That I’ll what? Walk out? Toss you aside?”
You swallowed hard. “Yeah.”
He leaned forward, resting his forearms on his knees, closing some of the distance without crowding you. His voice was quiet but firm, like he was stating a fact he’d already accepted. “Do you really think I’d care about something like that?”
You stared at him, unsure. “Wouldn’t you? Don’t you… want more than I can give?”
The faintest smile tugged at his lips, bitter but warm. “You think I’m scared of you not wanting me? No, mate. I’ve been scared of you not wanting me.”
Your breath caught.
Simon’s gaze softened, his voice dropping even lower. “I’m not here to use you. I’m not here because of sex. I’m here because… hell, because you make me feel like I’m not just Ghost all the time. You see me. And that’s enough. More than enough.”
The knot in your chest loosened, but the tears stung your eyes. He wasn’t lying. He never did, not to you.
Slowly, you let out a shaky laugh. “You always know what to say, huh?”
“Not really,” he muttered, leaning back again, though his eyes stayed locked on yours. “But when it comes to you, I don’t have to think that hard. I just mean it.”
For the first time, the fear didn’t feel so suffocating. You weren’t broken, and he wasn’t going anywhere.
It made you feel better, reassured, even as you accepted Simon’s feelings back just as he did yours. The fear that had knotted itself into your ribs for so long began to unravel, replaced by something warmer, steadier. You hadn’t realized just how heavy the silence between you had been until it finally broke.
Simon shifted, standing and crossing the small space until he stood in front of you. For a moment, you thought he might hesitate, but he reached out instead. His hand was warm and surprisingly gentle as it wrapped around yours, his thumb brushing across your knuckles as if to anchor you there with him.
You looked up, meeting his eyes. The weight in his gaze wasn’t sharp anymore, it was soft, almost vulnerable.
“I meant it,” he said quietly. “I don’t need anything else from you. Just… this. Just you.”
Your chest tightened, but not from fear this time. You squeezed his hand back, voice rough but certain. “Then you’ve got me. All of me.”
Simon’s shoulders eased, tension you hadn’t noticed leaving him as he let out a low breath. He sat beside you, pulling you gently into his side until your head rested against his shoulder. His arm draped around you in an embrace that was more protective than possessive, his presence solid and grounding.
For a long while, you just stayed like that. No words, no need to explain further. Just the comfort of knowing that for once, neither of you had to hide, he wasn’t afraid of rejection, and you weren’t afraid of not being enough.
And in that quiet, pressed close against him, you realized you’d both finally found what you’d been searching for: acceptance.
⟡ mutual pining, eventual romance, cuddling, appropriate use of devil fruits, keepin' you warm
⟡ summary:
stuck in a snowy blizzard? cue a pair of warm arms and maybe just a little confession along the way.
Archive of Our Own
a/n: a prompt from my bestie to help me get out of my writing block:
[ Ace keeps you warm as you two explore a winter island ;w; ]
“It’s fucking cold.”
You curse under your breath as you tug the coat tighter around your frame, burrowing your nose into the scarf that Thatch had lent you. Lucky bastard himself was cozy in the galley, probably all warmed up from cooking up dinner for the rest of the crew while you were sent out to explore the island that’s been snowed and iced over like Admiral Kuzan’s Winter Wonderland. It’ll be fun, Ace said. To tag along with everyone else.
Everyone else, also known as, your crewmates who all have incredibly strong, cold-resistant builds or powers to keep them toasty, twenty-four seven.
You glare at Marco at the front of the group, who is literally unfazed and looking all too comfortable for wearing shorts, sandals, and his usual shirt unbuttoned when it’s below freezing and blizzarding. He chuckles and shakes his head at you, as you continue to shiver lightly even with all the layers you’d managed to bundle on, teeth chattering as you sniffle. Your snot might freeze, at this rate, then you.
A sudden weight launches itself over your back, and you nearly topple forwards with a surprised noise that escapes the back of your throat.
“It’s not that cold!” Ace exclaims from above you, and you nearly shove him off if not for the immense warmth that spreads through. Like Marco, he’s in his usual state of half-dressed, and you envy his powers that keep him unbothered by the chill. But almost immediately, your annoyance melts away, just as the chill across your body does, and Ace chuckles as he lets himself drape over your frame.
“It’s not my fault the entire crew is as tolerant to the cold as they are to alcohol,” you snip back, glancing back at the rest of your team trudging through the snow. “Let’s go, we gotta keep up.”
He finally relents, leaning back to let you continue walking, stepping through the footsteps left by Jozu so you don’t sink into the snow any more than necessary.
Though you’re one of the newer recruits to join the crew, you found yourself by Ace’s side more times than not. You provided him the stability and strategy while he brought to you the spontaneity and the firepower (quite literally) and it didn’t take long for the two of you to click, as friends and on the battlefield as well. He’d drag you to explore and show you things he discovered, while you shared with him your knowledge and techniques you’ve gathered over the years, teaching him of cultures and history and survival tips all around. It was the perfect amount of push and pull, one that has, without fail, executed so effortlessly.
And that compatibility may have led you to harbor a slight crush on the man. It wasn’t hard to develop feelings for him when you’d been with him for all this time. He’s doted over you countless times, watching your back and looking out for you, showing you kindness that you’d never received before.
Even now, he’d opted to walk behind you to make sure you were keeping up, offering a steady hand at your back when you faltered, and without a doubt, ready at any moment to catch you if you’d slipped or fell.
It made your heart absolutely soar. Despite the shivers that wracked your body, it felt like your heart was doing somersaults and backflips in your chest with every warm touch.
The snow howls around you—the icy winds growing thicker and thicker like a white curtain. Even with Jozu's hulking figure in front of you, his shadow begins to fade into white and gray with each step you falter, holding your ground to avoid being blown away.
A warm hand rests against your back, and you can barely lift your head against the wind to look up at Ace.
“The storm’s getting worse,” he says, a bit more firmly with his usual cheerfulness stored away. “C’mon, get on my back. We need to catch up with them.”
Without waiting for a response, he crouches down in front of you, and you have no choice but to suck up your pride, wrapping your arms around his neck and letting him pick you up. “This alright?”
Ace’s entire body radiates with heat, and you press yourself to his back, letting out a shaky sigh as you feel yourself regaining feeling in your limbs and fingers. “Yeah.”
With one last nod, he walks on. But the blizzard rages on, even more violently that has you tightening your hold on Ace, who even falters against the strong winds a couple of times. The curtain of rushing white is blinding, and you can barely tell where you’d come from and where you were headed—the stretch of snow looking the same no matter which way you looked.
He says your name—but it’s nearly lost in the wind, if not for you feeling his chest rumble. You look up to see what he’s looking at. There’s a small crevice between some jagged rocks sticking up from the ground, but it's probably big enough for you and Ace to slip inside, and take shelter from the storm. You nod, and he shifts his direction to head towards it, letting you down gently so you can slip in, before he follows. It’s big enough for both of you to be seated comfortably across from another.
“Let’s wait for the storm to die down a bit,” Ace peeks out, observing the white blur together like rushing waters. “We’ll end up lost if we keep going at this rate.”
Your teeth chatter loudly as you curl up, hugging your knees tightly to your chest as you try to warm up to no avail. Ace immediately scoots over towards you, sitting just inches away from you before he spreads his arms. “C’mere. I’ll warm you up.”
Without hesitation, you crawl onto his lap, sitting on his thighs as you wrap your arms around his middle, digging your face into his chest. The thought of you clinging to his bare top would normally make you embarrassed to hell and back, but you were too cold to dwell on that, especially when the man had offered open arms and all. And thank the Blues for him—his warmth encases you pleasantly, as Ace hugs you tightly to his chest, pulling you impossibly closer to him. Taking in a deep breath, your body relaxes, his comforting scent of smoke and cedarwood filling your nose and soothing the tension in your cold limbs.
You can’t help it as you feel your eyes close, exhaustion hitting you in an instant, but Ace squeezes you, jolting you awake and you look up to meet his gaze. “Can’t fall asleep right now. Try to stay awake with me for a little while longer, alright?”
You hum against his chest. “Sorry. It’s just… really nice.”
Ace considers a thought, before he leans over to rest his chin on top of your head. “Then let’s talk. Ask me anything.”
“What, like we’re two schoolgirls gossiping?”
Ace laughs, a pretty sound that echoes around the stone walls and drowns out the wind outside. “Yeah, sure.”
You chuckle, playing along. “Then… you think Marco will confess to his little crush anytime soon?”
Ah, yes, the new nurse that the doctor’s taken a liking to. You and Ace have pointed it out, and you’re well aware of the piling bets that have accumulated among all the Commanders. Last you heard, the pool had reached nearly a million Berry.
Ace huffs. “I think she’ll do it first. Bet a hundred thousand Berry on it, and Izo agreed with me, so I’m pretty confident about it.”
“Maybe I should add to that pool too,” you murmur thoughtfully at the thought of free Berry. “Izo’s never wrong.”
“Exactly,” Ace agrees matter-of-factly. “But, well, what about you?”
“What about me?” you deflect, maybe a bit too hastily. But if he notices, he doesn’t point it out.
“Do you like anyone?” Ace asks, straight to the point, and you can't help but wonder what sort of expression is on his face. Because for you, you feel your heart drop to your gut—and you really hope he didn’t feel you flinch.
“You answer first,” you counter shakily, hoping he doesn’t catch your nervous tone. It takes everything in you to not blurt out his goddamn name. “And then maybe I’ll tell you.”
It’s dangerous territory, you realize. But you can’t help the nagging curiosity that’s been on your mind for quite some time, now. It's a fitting question to his little scenario, after all.
“You better keep your word, then,” Ace says, but his words hold no bite. “Well. What if I said I do?”
Ouch. You actually weren’t expecting that. It makes you wince, and you make sure to keep your head lowered, still hiding your face in his chest so he doesn’t see. Could it be you? But what if it wasn’t— what if it was someone like Tate? Or even a long lost lover, a childhood crush that never left his hold and you didn’t know about all this time?
Realizing you’ve been quiet for a moment too long, you let out a nervous chuckle. “I mean, I’d ask who it is, but you don’t have to tell me if it’s a secret.”
Perhaps it’s better you never know, anyways.
Ace hums in mock thought again. And just as you wait for his answer, you feel the breath escape you as his arms tighten around your frame. Slowly, he lowers his head, lips right above your ear, and you freeze as he whispers. “Let me tell you a secret, then.”
His voice drops several octaves and you suppress the shiver that runs through you at the feeling of his breath right at your ear. You’re all warmed up now—maybe on the verge of overheating, and Ace seems to know full well since he laughs, leaning back and prompting you to look up at him to meet his gaze.
“I like you too much to keep it from you anymore,” he confesses, a slight flush across his cheeks as he grins down at you. A hand comes up to cup your cheek, a warm thumb swiping over your skin as he cradles it. “I’d like to keep you in my arms like this, if you’ll let me.”
Any and all thought in your head melts in an instant, and you’re left a flustered mess once his words sink in. Ace grins even wider at your surprise, and your brain works overtime to come up with a response.
Instead, Ace just brushes your cheek again, his eyes flickering to your lips, before they meet your gaze. “What do you say?”
Unconsciously, you find yourself doing the same—eyes lingering on his pink lips that makes your heart beat faster against your ribs, heat spreading across your cheeks. Releasing the vice grip you had on Ace, you lean back a little so you can raise both hands to cup his cheeks, thumbs brushing against his freckles as you murmur his name. “Ace…”
You feel him flinch under your touch, but he smiles up at you, with a look so fond and gentle that has you nearly melting in his arms as he says your own name softly.
Mustering up all your courage, you lean down to press your lips against his, feeling his warmth overtake you entirely. You answer, slowly moving your lips against his, savoring his warmth, his taste, everything he has to offer you, just as you offer yourself to him. Affection, adoration, love, cherish. Without any words you convey it to him as the wind howls outside and the snow rages on, oblivious to you.
“Is that a yes?” Ace asks, as you part from him, a little bit breathless. “Because I sure hope it is.”
You can’t help but laugh at him at how ridiculous he is, and how he’s all yours, now.
“Of course,” you breathe out, pressing your lips against his once more.
The crew and storm could wait for now, since Ace would keep you warm as long as you wanted.
hi! can i rq a five hargreeves x aroace reader (friendship obvi) where reader is very anxious/paranoid & one of their comforts is touch, so five is always near them or lending him their jacket/small acts of care type of thing
☂️Umbrella Academy
❀ five hargreeves x gn aroace reader ⚣
A/N: Oh my gods, I'm still alive! XD thanks for your request! I hope you still enjoy this story even though it took a really really long time.
tags/warnings: swearing, reader has anxiety, five has flashbacks; plays in season 1
the best team
Five Hargreeves was a smart and strategic man but he had a soft spot; for his annoying siblings and you. You had started off as partners in the commission and became friends over time. He was the one person you had told about you being aroace - which he could relate to - and he knew about your anxiety.
You were a great team together that always supported each other. You would help him with his flashbacks and he would help you with your anxiety.
And that was about to skyrocket right now. You had helped Five to figure out the right equations to get back to his family and then he was finally able to do the jump - of course taking you with him. But apparently something went wrong because when you landed on the other side of the portal you were both in the bodies of your teenager-selves.
“Fuck, something went wrong”, you heard Five muttering to himself. You were speechless when you looked up from your younger hands to the adults standing in front of you. One of them just asked: “Can you see little Five too?”. Then Five looked up too before his gaze went towards you. You felt like you increasingly couldn’t breathe anymore and looked at Five with wide eyes.
You heard a noise and only when Five hurried to get up you realized that it came from you.
„Okay, listen to my voice. Blend out everything else. Breath y/n. Breathe with me, alright?“
He blocked most of your view towards the adults who didn‘t know how to react yet. He took your hands in his to help you steady yourself - since one of your comforts was touch - and with some more helpful words and methods you calmed down.
Five helped you get up then and went to the door while dragging you behind him and almost seemingly ignoring the adults who were then coming back to their senses.
They followed closely asking what happened or simply repeating his name like they couldn‘t believe that he was right there.
While walking you spotted your reflection in a mirror on the wall and flinched - you really were in the body of your younger self.
You reached the kitchen and Five started making sandwiches as well as coffee for him and cocoa for you.
„What are you doing?“, the tall woman asked.
„And who is that?“, a guy in full black attire added.
„We both need sugar to recharge“, he answered while continuing his work. You were just standing there merely happy that you didn‘t go into full panik.
„And who the fuck is that?!“, the man repeated himself and emphasised it with a gesture towards you.
„That is y/n. We’re colleagues.“
To others this description might‘ve felt offensive. You knew that in connection to you it meant you were trusted friends.
„Colleagues?“, the confusion was clear on all their faces.
Your mind slowly cleared and you started realizing that those people were Five‘s siblings. He had told you quite a lot about them - you were also the only one he had talked to about them.
„Yes“, his answer had a little sharpness in it and your gaze shot up to him. You knew what that meant. He had pulled you out of your panic, now you started doing your best to prevent him from having a flashback.
His gaze was already a bit out of focus and his movements slowed down so you hurried to get to him and touched his shoulder carefully.
„Hey, you‘re not there anymore“, you slowly moved him around to the sink and turned on cold water. While you waited for it to be cold enough you pushed up the sleeves of his now way too big suit.
Running cold water over his hands and forearms has always been pretty effective to get Five back in his body. You were relieved when he looked at you after a moment and nodded as a thank you.
You turned off the water and dried both your hands.
“Everything okay?”, one of his siblings asked with his brows furrowed. “Yes”, you answered while Five brushed it off with a wave of his hand.
You helped him finish your snacks and stayed close to calm both of you. When you sat down at the table to eat it his siblings started their questions again.
They had a lot of those and you spent enough time on this table that you leaned on your friend’s shoulder from being tired out. Five put his arm around you to steady your upper body. That way you rested a bit before both of you went to save the world - as the best team you'll ever see.
