#I love the concept of there actually being a few safe houses for the pack if they need them

[freddieslater]

Rowing the Rarepair Rowboat: Brett Talbot x Isaac Lahey (Teen Wolf)

Requested by @rhyslahey

Brett stops Scott before he can knock on the door. Lori groans but he doesn't take another step, looking directly at Scott.

"You're absolutely positive we'll be safe here?" He doesn't ask because he doesn't trust Scott, but because he needs to see that he believes this is the right decision as well. For Lori's sake more than anything.

Scott understands. "I promise. No one is going to find you here. Not Monroe, not Gerard. Nobody knows this safe house exists outside of the pack."

He assured him of that before they even left, but now that they're in France, so far away... Far away is good. For the time being, at least, until things settle down and it's safe for them to return home.

"And this friend of yours, the one who lives here," Brett begins, eyebrows raising, "you're sure we can trust him?"

"Brett," Lori says impatiently. She can't stop looking around them every few seconds, worried they're going to be crept up on.

Scott nods once more and wholeheartedly says, "You can trust him. Isaac is one of us, and he knows we're here."

Taking a deep breath, he finally lets Scott go ahead and knock on the door. He keeps himself back a bit as footsteps approach them on the other side of the door. His arm slowly creeps out to push Lori back if necessary.

The door opens. They're immediately ushered inside, and Scott offers for them to go first but Brett insists. He walks in behind him, keeping Lori close at his heels.

For a safe house, it's a pretty nice apartment. They all move into a big room with two couches and double glass doors that lead out onto a balcony. The thin, grey curtains are drawn enough for him to spot the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

Brett turns his back to it as Isaac, he presumes, walks in. He and Scott have a moment together, sharing a hug and a general greeting. Then Scott turns to him and Lori with a smile.

"Guys, this is Isaac. An old friend," he says, and turns back to Isaac as he continues, "this is Brett and Lori. I told you what's been going on, and that they need somewhere to sort of lay low for a little while. We're hoping not more than a couple weeks."

"You never know with Gerard," Isaac says darkly. "I thought he was gone for good and now you tell me he's back. And with a new sidekick, like Kate wasn't bad enough?"

"Except, he's her sidekick, apparently."

There seems to be some doubt in that for both of them. Brett keeps his eyes on Isaac, and only shakes his head in response when he asks him and Lori if they want something to drink.

Isaac leaves the room to get some water and a croissant for Lori, who complained that she was starving, to Brett's annoyance. He did offer to get her breakfast at the airport and she called him overbearing.

"You'll both be fine here," Scott says to them softly. He seems to be talking more to Brett than to Lori, who's already wandering the room, admiring the framed art on the walls.

Brett says nothing, but glances around as well. It really doesn't look like a bad place. Maybe a bit more open than he would like for the place they're meant to be "hiding out" but it's high-up and in a whole other country from Monroe or Gerard. Could be worse. He and Lori could be dead.

Stepping closer to him, Scott lowers his voice like it'll make any difference. "Are you okay?"

For a second, he's tempted to admit that he's scared. Terrified, actually. Of being found. Losing Lori. Being in a place so far from the only people they were able to call family. His stomach lurches at the thought of Satomi.

He clenches his teeth and nods, forcing a tight smile. "Mhm."

"I can stay tonight, if that would help. But I would need to go back tomorrow. With everything going on back in Beacon Hills, I can't stay too long," Scott says, looking and sounding like he feels horrible about it.

"It's fine," Brett says. "I get it. They need you. We'll be fine here, like you said." His eyes dart to the kitchen door where he can see Isaac buttering Lori's croissant. He nods his head toward him. "And he seems nice enough."

Scott nods with full sincerity. "He's one of the best I know."

Then Brett decides. This Isaac guy must be the real deal. When Isaac returns to them a moment later and offers him a glass of water, he accepts it with a slight smile of gratitude.

"Feel free to head through to the bedroom and get some sleep," Isaac tells him, glancing back at Lori as well, then turning back to flick his eyes up and down Brett's rigid form. "You look like you're about to drop dead from exhaustion."

Lori snickers. Brett narrows his eyes at him. His mouth curls into the first real smile in the past forty-eight hours or so.

"I'll remember to throw on some makeup next time I'm on the run," he replies dryly. "Thanks for the compliment, Jean-Paul."

"You know I'm not actually French."

"That's a shame," Brett says, unscrewing the lid from his bottle. He walks around him and Scott, pointing down the hallway they came in through. "Bedroom's down here?"

"Yeah, on the right." Isaac then turns to Scott and Lori in confusion as Brett goes to find the room. "Why's that a shame?"

He smirks to himself as Lori wearily answers, "He's always said he wants to date a French guy. Or even just one who can speak the language semi-fluently."

"Oh," Isaac says. After a beat, "I'm pretty fluent."

#teen wolf #brett talbot #isaac lahey #lori talbot #scott mccall #brett x isaac #isaac x brett #rowing the rarepair rowboat #rarepair rowboat #rhyslahey #so I know that this doesn't focus TOO much on brett/isaac as a pairing but I built up this concept in my head and wanted to write it #instead of brett and lori's senseless death scott gets them away from beacon hills and to a safe house - in France with Isaac #I love the concept of there actually being a few safe houses for the pack if they need them #one in france with isaac #one in london with jackson and ethan #another in edinburgh with kira who I decided moved there because why the hell not #another in ireland with lydia's grandmothers #and another in portugal with boyd and erica #again not supposed to be the point of this request I know but it plays into the brett/isaac thing

[danikamariewrites]

believe me when i say that your blog is AWESOME, AMAZING, im in love with your writing, i think it's the most beautiful thing in the world and i want to say thank you for sharing your talent with us. if i could marry one of your fanfics, i would do it without hesitation. 🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻 .now that i said my thoughts about your amazing blog, i have a request... MODERN rowaelin x reader.

🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️ (fancy clothes, expensive phones, cars...) i would LOVE to see a fanfic of them in the modern world with reader🧎🏻‍♀️😫 .

no pressure, take your time, stay safe, eat healthy, sleep well, and drink water 🫂💜

Modern!Rowaelin x reader headcanon

A/n: thank you! That’s so nice of you to say and I’m so happy you like my writing (trying to make it my career if Hollywood can get its shit together lol). I love this concept, it’s amazing and I had to write it bc Aelin would thrive as modern day princess/queen.

Sending you love bestie ❤️

Warnings: none

Modern!Rowaelin would be a fucking power couple (and with you a power trio)

Let’s say for this hc that Aelin and Rowan are just a rich couple that come from old money. I’m talking old New England money but they give it a new look bc Aelin likes new stuff, Rowan is like the antique collector in the relationship

When you met they were shopping for art at the gallery you worked at

You had just graduated college a year or so ago and this was your entry level job in the art world. You were actually very familiar with the pieces the gallery sold and you have an insane memory for art history

Aelin and Rowan came in to buy a few pieces for their new apartment in the city so you showed them a few pieces since the owner was busy

The three of you hit it off and they offered to take you out to dinner once you finished with work

You met them at the five-star restaurant that was in their building and that’s when they asked you out. “We knew once we met you we had a connection. If you don’t feel the same way please feel free to reject us and we can pretend this never happened.” Aelin said

But you had felt an instant connection with them too. You felt safe and at home around them. You knew you needed to be with them

After that night you moved in with them and they talked you into quitting your job and working for their clients as an art collector

It was like a dream come true

Aelin and Rowan spoiled you with love, attention, and gifts

You weren’t always a material person, you grew up getting things you asked for that were within your family’s budget but this was a whole other level

After a year of being with them they gave you a credit card, “unlimited spending baby. Anything you want it’s your.” Rowan said kissing you on the cheek

Shopping sprees with Aelin were the best! Those were your bonding trips and when you truly got to know each other. You talked about everything while wandering the aisles of high end department stores, trying on shoes and clothes

Lingerie shopping was the most fun since you would pick out pieces that would drive him crazy (and each other)

There may have been a time or two where you both couldn’t keep your hands to yourself in the changing room

With Rowan your bonding time was going on walks or runs or him teaching you how to work out at the gym

When you were out in nature with him that’s when you saw him most relaxed (besides at home)

Your yearly summer vacation is always to Cape Cod

Both their families have beach houses there but they wanted their own in a different area, so they bought one just before they met you

The house is huge and you obviously use it more than once a year but you always had those set 2 weeks in July that you would go

No work. No distractions. Just the 3 of you, the beach, and fun times

You and Aelin of course demand the best lobster rolls which Rowan gets for you

Ice cream every night after dinner

And they buy you all the souvenirs you want

Two days before you were set to leave, you and Rowan were packing. You folded he put away (he’d never admit it but he’s awful at folding clothes but he tries)

Aelin came running into the bedroom with a shit eating grin on her face that told you two she wanted something, “Row, y/n/n.” “Yes Aelin.” You responded in unison

“I just realized we need something for the Cape house that we don’t have.” Rowan rolled his eyes, “And what would that be, Fireheart?”

“We don’t have a Jeep!” You and Rowan shared a look. “Ok A, so what do you suggest?” Aelin clapped her hands together in excitement “We’re going to get one obviously.” “Right now!?” “Yes Rowan. Come on you’re driving.”

She rushed back out of the room and you followed her as Rowan let out an exasperated sigh, tilting his head back

45 minutes later you were all sitting in the Jeep dealership

Not only did you leave with a Jeep wrangler, but she also managed to find a beautiful jet black convertible Audi

Aelin insisted you bring both to Cape Cod and of course Rowan gave in to her

#throne of glass headcanons #throne of glass imagine #throne of glass #throne of glass fanfic #throne of glass fanfiction #aelin throne of glass #throne of glass rowan #rowan x aelin #rowaelin x reader #rowaelin x you #rowaelin #rowan whitethorn #rowan whitethorn x you #rowan whitethorn x reader #rowan whitethorn galathynius #aelin galathynius #aelin fireheart #aelin ashryver galathynius #aelin whitethorn

[princess-ibri]

So!! I think I've finally figured out how I'd chose to being Concept Art Elsa into my DisneyVerse. Ive wanted to for a while as I really liked her design and the more spunky vibe we got from her. So here we go!

I always try to use an actual fairytale base for things in my DisneyVerse when I can, so I've based her new backstory off of a couple of wintery stories, the Russian fairytale Father Frost, and a different Snow Child story then most think of, where a woman apparently gains a child by swallowing a snow flake--which is where this story begins:

Once upon a time a Merchant's wife, who had longed for a child for many years but never been blessed with her wish, happened to swallow a snow flake while staying in Arendelle for some months while her husband traveled. Unbeknownst to the woman, this was on one of the days when the former Queen Elsa was visiting her old home and entertaining with her magical snow--snow which had unknowingly created Life before...

9 months later, the Merchant's Wife gave birth to a child with skin as white as snow, hsir as black as a winter's night, and eyes as blue as the deepest ice. And though she was always much colder than a child should be, the deepest chill never seemed to bother her in the slightest, and she loved nothing more then to spend hours playing in the snow when winter came.

Unfortunately the woman was not so blessed, and one winter in the child's third year she took ill from ataying out with the child in the old and so died, leaving the merchant alone to raise a child he was never sure or not was his, and either way he felt had cost him his wife, and so gained his ire. He married again a few years later, to a wealthy woman with a daughter of her own, with skin like a peach and hair like sunshine, everything the Snow Child was not, and who gained all the affection of their parents, leaving the Snow Child to be neglected and shunned.

But the Snow Child had a secret, she not only felt more at home out in the snow than in a house before a fire, but she found she could control the snow as well. Sending gusts where she would and calming or increasing it according to her moods. For a few years she was able to hide her powers, but eventually her step-sister discovered her secret, and told her mother.

The woman, who had never cared for her strange step-daughter, now feared the child as a witch, and conspired to be rid of her once and for all.

The next time the family traveled together on a journey, the woman sent the Snow Child out in the dead od night under the pretext of an errand, and before the child could return packed up and moved the family out of the town, leaving the child alone and abandoned in the snow and the darkness as a storm swept in.

But she was not alone for long...

For that night the Snow Queen Elsa traveled in the storm, and she saw the child left out alone, ragged and bare footed. She swept down to save the child from freezing to death--only to find that the child didn't appear troubled at all by the cold surrounding her. The Snow Queen came closer, and sensed something of her own power surrounding this strange child left in the snow, and she knew then she could not simply take her to the nearest kind villager to be tended to...

And so the Snow Child came under the care of the Snow Queen. She was given the run of the magical ice palace where the rest of the Snow Queen's creations dwelled, where she was the most content and where she could learn to harness her powers under the Snow Queen's tutelage and watchful care...

So yeah! Thats the set up for my story for Dark Haired Elsa, who I'm thinking of calling Flykra, which means Snowflake in Old Norse according to the internet x)

I see her as being a very feisty and outspoken child as soon as she actually feels safe to be so, and a bit of a handful for Elsa who really never expected to be anything more then the Cool Aunt to Anna's kids. I think she and Elsa get along fairly well overall but there's definitely tension that comes up from both of their past trauma's bouncing up against eachother. Especially as Flykra hits her teenage years and her powers start to grow even more.

But there's a lot of love between all the family still, and Flykra loves getting to hangout with her new cousins and the Northhuldra and the trolls and just getting into good clean trouble now and then.

I'm definitely seeing this concept art by Claire Keane as Asta and Flykra hanging out now x)

(This would all start a couple of years after my Frozen 3 idea. So my DisneyVerse Frozen Franchise Timeline would go

Frozen - 1843

Frozen 2 -1846

Frozen 3/Frozen the Series - 1847

The Snow Child - 1866 (Flykra is 17)

East of the Sun West of the Moon - 1870 (Asta is 18)

The Snow Queen--1950s

#my art #disney #DisneyVerse #frozen #elsa frozen #frozen concept art #elsa concept art #my ocs #disney ocs #canon descendants #disney descendants #asta and klaus #frozen 3 #the snow queen #the snow child #fairytales #east of the sun west of the moon #claire keane #disney concept art #frozen ocs #flykra

[haik-choo]

karasuno first years out late w/ their s/o

request: Could you write how 1st years (yachi too pls🥺) going out with their s/o late at night ?

a/n: this is such a cute little concept i -- 

[KARASUNO FIRST YEARS OUT LATE AT NIGHT WITH THEIR S/O]

-tsukishima, kageyama, yamaguchi, hinata, yachi

tsukishima kei.

not gonna lie, he’s often awake late at night. he’s a night owl and doesn’t mind sacrificing his sleep to watch some youtube videos

occasionally, he even goes out late at night, slipping past his parents and brother’s room and softly closing the front door with his headphones covering his ears and his hands stuffed in his pockets

so when you text him at 3am and ask if he can go out with you to the convenience store, he agrees in seconds to meet you at the halfway point between your houses

wastes no time in putting on his sneakers and a hoodie; he wants to get there quickly so that you aren’t left out by yourself

tsukishima knows there’s creeps out there, which is exactly why he jogs to the halfway point and is relieved when he’s the first one there

as soon as he sees you in the distance he fast walks to catch up to you, and slips his hand into yours

he totally brings bluetooth earbuds so that you two can listen to the same music instead of his wired headphones <3 uwu

is always on the lookout for any weirdos, and if he spots someone eyeing you up he shoots them the nastiest glare

eventually wraps his arms around your shoulder while your hand is sitll in his and its that cute little thing where your arms is across your chest holding his hand </3

pays for whatever you get at the store, ignores your complaints and tells you to shut up when you continue to insist on paying

“im trying to be a good boyfriend for once, for the love of god PLEASE shut up”

secretly takes a candid photo of you at some point in the night and sets it as his home screen -- NOT his lock screen, and when you see it he outright denies having taken it

tsukishima: you told me to take a picture of you

you: stop lying i know you’re a closet hopeless romantic 

convinces you to stop at the park and eat the snacks you both got there, music still humming in your ears as the moonlight washes you both in cool tones

tsukishima when he’s alone with you is so soft -- he literally kisses your hand and temple and mutters very softly “love you” 

all in all, tsukishima kei is the perfect night-owl boyfriend to go on snack-runs with 

kageyama tobio.

"why would i go out right now. do you know what time it is. i have practice in the morning”

kags really out here kinda hurtin’ your feelin’s ngl boy doesn’t understand the vibes LOL

honestly you probably woke him up, he’s asleep at like ten every night (even tho he still has homework to do he just flat-out ignores it LOL) 

only agrees to go out walking with you because you said he could bring his volleyball and you’d toss a few for him....and also because he’s a little worried because it’s so dark out

doesn’t walk with you to the park but meets you there LOL

he deadass has his wholeass duffel bad with the ball, two waterbottles, two towelettes, volleyball sneakers and everything

“you know,,,,we’re not playing a game, right, tobio?”

“yeah???? and??? what’s your point”

acts nonchalant but is totally having fun and is lowkey glad you asked him to go out so late because it’s cool out, there’s no one to bother him, and you just look...really good under the stars

he’s not a cheesy person but...god you just take his breath away sometimes. not that he’ll ever say that though

you ask to take a break like thirty minutes in because you are LITERALLY dying meanwhile he hasn’t even broken a sweat (”you’re already tired? maybe you should workout more” “shut UP kageyama”)

you both sit on the bench, and you’re lowkey waiting for him to reach for your hand but they’re just folded in his lap as he stares out in the nothingness of night

kageyama can’t take a hint. we know this. he’s incapable of knowing what you want unless you flat out tell him; so you have to be a very honest person

he doesn’t even really initiate skinship, not because he doesn’t want to, but just because it never really crosses his mind

plus he doesn’t feel the need to constantly show affection because he thinks it’s obvious that he likes you

despite this, he is good at spotting weird people, and he’s pretty protective of you, so you’re completely safe with him. trust him, he’ll keep you safe

all in all, have patience and stamina because kags will play volleyball with you until you pass out. also, he loves you 

yamaguchi tadashi.

is in bed by 11pm but doesn’t actually go to sleep until two am because he’s scrolling through tiktok on his phone

sees your text about wanting to go out for a late night walk and maybe go through the little forest near your house and automatically sends a text that says “ill meet you at your window! can you pack some snacks? :)”

he walks all the way to your house, even if it’s more convenient to meet halfway because he wants to protect you! he’s not the strongest nor is he the most intimidating, so all he really has to offer is his presence

despite not being strong nor scary, yams literally has eagle eye. you can’t tell me that he can’t read people in a heartbeat -- he’s extremely perceptive 

also texts you to not bring a jacket because he’s bringing on of his own for you !!! so sweet what the hell

he waits at your front door and when you step out he automatically pushes his volleyball jacket into your hands and he takes the bag of snacks from you and sticks out one of his hands UGH such a gentleman

lets you ramble about anything and stares at your side profile as he listens 

joins in with a few quips here and there but ultimately is pretty quite and lets you speak or lets the silence cozy into the conversation

sees that there’s a guy sitting on a bench up the road and he switches places with you so that you’re further away from the stranger 

also wraps a protective hand around your waist until you both are past the random dude but yams will glance behind yall every once in a while

when you two reach the mini forest he ends up taking the lead claiming that he knows a good spot

and damn, he’s right

it’s a little clearing that is illuminated solely by the moonlight and he sets the bag of snacks down beside him before sitting down himself, apologizing for not bringing a blanket that you two could sit on 

pats the spot next to him so that you sit right beside him and he leans back with his hand on yours ONGMIRG 

is the super cheesy type and tells you that you look really pretty and that,,,he kind of wants to kiss you

you: *experiencing heart palpitations* and you did this for what. 

yamaguchi: ...because i love you?

you: *K.O*

all in all, yamaguchi is the boyfriend that completely indulges your late-night escapades <3 

hinata shoyo.

is either completely fast asleep and doesn’t see your text or was awake and not planning to sleep for the next five hours, no in-between

but if he’s awake and sees your text, he agrees right away and asks where you want to meet up and what time because homeboy probably has to bike to get there AgAGAGAGA

literally doesn’t even show up in sneakers. he’s wearing sandals and shorts with a short sleeve top 

“i came in my pjs”

“i see that.”

asks if you two can bike around instead because he doesn’t want to have to wheel his bike around for like an hour 

he tells you to hold on tight because the bike was built for one person, and when you press against his back his warmth is literally so,,,comforting 

has no sense of awareness and will scream going down a hill in the middle of a neighborhood, no fucks given

so, no, he doesn’t notice any weriod people even if there are some around

you always end up running into some weird people and you get new interesting stories every other day because let’s be honest hinata is a magnet for crazy shit and crazy people (usually crackheads) 

you both just ride around as he talks about his day, usually his sister always comes up in the conversation( “she asked me to marry you the other day” “doirhgAEROIHFGRE SHOYO WHAT” “what? i told her i would. i keep my promises!”)

after like thirty minutes he begs for a break and you stop at a little 24/7 ice cream store that is run by the sweetest elderly couple

you share a sundae because you don’t want to eat too much this late at night

he plops on the bench right outside the store with his bike leaning against the metal handles, and h snuggles up to you and watches you scroll on your phone

he talks a little here and there, but for the most part, he goes quiet, and it’s during this time where you’re unaware of his gaze that he just takes his time drinking in your features in the yellow light of the lamppost 

he can’t read the mood most times, but this time he does, and he stays quiet, and he thinks to himself

that he really will marry you one day

all in all, hinata gives you the impulsive young teenage experience of late night bike rides while eating his fair share of ice cream

yachi hitoka.

another either or, except this time she’s either fast asleep or stressing over homework and the nine tests she has the next day

when you ask if she can go on a walk with you she’s hesitant because she doesn’t want to get in trouble with her mom and she’s a total goody goody and terrified of doing anything reckless; but then she remembers that her mom was on a business trip and so she, very cautiously, says yes

you: good. i’m outside your door btw

yachi: i never had a choice did i

you have to meet her at her house because she’s way too scared to walk by herself at night; she might even make you factime her as you commute because she’s worried for you

jumps at every little thing, even the crows cawing make her shit herself

instictively grabs onto your sleeve and nervously look around the entire time, to the point where she doesn’t hear what you say

so you offer to go to a little cafe that’s still open and right away she nods

she’s so adorable, she bows really deeply when you two walk into the store and apologizes for it being so late

and finally, because you two are safe, she’s calm and smiling as she sips at her strawberry smoothie

awkwardly and very shyly reaches out for your hand on the table and gently lays her palm on yours

canon: yachi totally has freckles and you can’t convince me otherwise 

her face is red and her freckles are just on display you can’t help but coo at her and tuck some hair behind her ear because god could she get any cuter?

you two end up staying for like a hour and a half and very shyly she asks if you could walk her home 

and this time on the walk she’s not overly cautious and seems to enjoy the nighttime breeze and your hand softly clasping hers

does that cute thing where she lays her head on your shoulder or arm while you both are walking and looks up at you through her eyelashes and asks if you could give her a kiss on the cheek </3

you: stop. please. im going to die.

when you’re at her door she literally just stands there awkwardly for a few seconds before tilting her head upwards and pressing her lips to yours and then promptly running inside

video calls you three seconds afterwards to make sure you get home safely 

all in all, you might need to be the impulsive one, but yachi enjoys spending late night time with you more than she admits. also please kiss her thanks      

#haikyuu!! #haikyū!! #haikyuu #haikyuu fluff #haikyuu x reader #tsukishima x reader #kageyama x reader #yamaguchi x reader #hinata x reader #yachi x reader #tsukishima fluff #kageyama fluff #yamaguchi fluff #hinata fluff #yachi fluff #haikyuu headcanons #haikyuu imagines #haikyuu karasuno #haikyuu x you #haikyuu scenarios

[retrievablememories]

picture me | johnny (m)

title: picture me pairing: vampire!johnny x black!reader genre: fantasy, romance, smut, fluff, angst summary: you meet a vampire-slash-photographer whose self-identity is increasingly lost to him, and you try to help him find some purpose again. word count: 18.3k warnings: age gap (cuz you know, vampires...but everyone is legal), mentions of discrimination/prejudice based on species, self-identity issues/self-deprecation, general angst, sheltered!reader, mentions of blood and drinking blood, oral sex (female and male receiving), fingering, thigh riding, loss of virginity, corruption kink, use of lube, unprotected sex (do not try at home), creampie, johnny is packing in this fic ok! a/n: today (the 28th) is my birthday, so i’m posting this 100% self-indulgent fic that i’ve been working on between requests since september. it was very hard to get johnny’s characterization right for this fic and idk if i actually succeeded but i’m not revising this for the 1000th time lol. i love this fic with my whole heart tho.

i haven’t seen many vampire fics that really explore the whole “doesn’t show up in mirrors/photos” concept (shout em out if you know em) and...there’s probably a reason for that, this shit is hard af to write and there are some logic issues but whatever 🤪

(the beginning quote is from “criminal,” stan taemin!!)

The moment I fall for you is the end of my innocence

—

He sits in the same coffee shop everyday, like it’s a habit he just can’t break. But who are you to judge? You’re there, too. Watching him like a creep. Or maybe like an interested coffee shop patron, trying to be discreet and failing at it.

He wasn’t hard to notice. You’d never been to this coffee shop before, but your friend recommended it to you mostly for their in-house-made pastries; she claimed the coffee was good, too, but she wasn’t much of a caffeine person. You decided to give it a try when you had time between classes and a moment to breathe, not needing to talk to this advisor or that professor.

You saw him immediately when you walked past the shop window. He was sitting at a table near the front, staring down at his phone with a small cup of coffee sitting in front of him. Its miniscule size was almost comical in contrast to his...everything. He was tall—that much was obvious even with him sitting down—and imposing, wearing all black. His hair was equally pitch-black, his bangs hanging to one side and the rest shaved in an undercut. If you didn’t know much better, you’d think you’d stepped back into 2007 and landed dead in the middle of the emo craze.

He was interesting to look at. Not in a bad way, but in a way you don’t see very often. Deciding to walk in before you made yourself look totally weird staring at him through the window, you’d stepped into the coffee shop, the small bell dinging above your head. A barista greeted you at your entrance. Out of the corner of your eye you saw the man, to your left, still looking at his phone.

You’d given your order and waited for it to be ready before taking it to a table on the other side of the shop. From that vantage point, you had a good view of the man. You tried to keep your eyes on your food and your phone, not wanting to spend the whole time looking at him, but it was a little hard not to.

When you took a bite of your pastry, you quickly discovered it was just as delicious as your friend promised—probably even more so. You made a noise of approval before you could catch yourself, and you glanced around the shop in embarrassment to see if anyone nearby noticed. Didn’t seem like it, at first. But then you glanced over to the man again only to find him looking at you below his eyelashes with a small, amused smile on his lips. He only kept his gaze on you for a second before returning to his phone.

What? You hadn’t thought you were that loud. How did he hear you from over there, and above the noise of the café? Even now, you remember how embarrassed you’d felt, ducking your head and looking away.

The man finished his coffee not long after that; he slipped his phone into his pocket and stood up. You glanced up only momentarily when he stood, but your eyes soon slid back to his form when you noticed something odd. On the wall behind him, there was a big oval mirror sitting pretty in its elaborate silver frame. He stood just a few feet in front of it, yet there was no reflection of him. The only thing you could see was the other side of the café reflected back, with another man sitting alone at a booth enjoying his own coffee. The tall man’s reflection was nowhere to be found.

That was when you figured he must be a vampire.

You’d never met one before. At least, you didn’t think you had until then.

Unbeknownst to you, vampires are notoriously able to blend in more easily than most other supernatural beings—until faced with situations like that one in the coffee shop. Ultimately, there’s no faking a reflection no matter how hard you try to remain inconspicuous.

The man had caught your eye again. Thinking back on it, you aren’t sure of what expression you had on your face or what it must’ve looked like to him. It must’ve been something akin to surprise, though; you weren’t quick enough to disguise your reaction at his lack of a reflection.

He gave you another smile, though it felt sadder than the previous one, and walked out of the store, the small bell on the door ringing at his departure. He disappeared down the street in a swirl of black fabric, almost like something out of a movie, and you watched him retreat until you could see him no more.

You scraped your index fingernail over the wood table your food was resting on, your mind whirring with all kinds of thoughts. Your interest was piqued. And yet there was no way for you to know if you’d see him again.

—

At least, that’s what you believed then. Luckily for you, your subsequent visits to the coffee shop have proven fruitful; the strange, tall vampire is there more often than not, always in the same spot in front of that same mirror. Sometimes he reads a book, other times he looks at his phone, and other times still, he stares out the window at the passersby.

He acknowledges you whenever he sees you, either with a nod or a smile. You’ve never spoken to each other, though you know what his voice sounds like from hearing him talk to the baristas. It’s a nice voice, rich and handsome like him, and you find yourself gradually wanting to hear it spoken in your direction. But you aren’t sure how to talk to him, or what you should say.

There’s a lot you want to know about him and his vampirism, but you don’t think it’s fair to bombard him with questions right after meeting him—if you could somehow work up the nerve for that first step.

When you were young, your parents made sure to keep you safely sheltered away from anyone who could potentially be a vampire or any other nonhuman being. This game kept up until you went to college, where they could no longer “shield” you. Because of their lifelong fear and disgust, your knowledge of nonhuman beings is scarce and mostly inaccurate.

The man’s skin isn’t deathly pale like you’ve heard others say vampires always are. It’s nicely tanned, in fact. Nor are his eyes red, or his canine teeth abnormally sharp. And obviously, he has no aversion to sunlight, otherwise he wouldn’t be out here during the day. The only visible marker of his inhuman nature is his lack of a reflection. Maybe he’s not a vampire at all? Maybe he’s another type of being entirely. That only makes you more curious.

It’s not rare to come across supernatural beings, but they only make themselves known if they want to, or if it’s imperative to their survival. Most of them would rather quietly assimilate amongst humans or stay safe and hidden within their own communities. Humans are still too judgmental towards those who are different from themselves for nonhumans to feel truly safe or welcomed—at least not on a global scale. Small pockets of communities forged with human allies are helpful and sometimes vital for survival, but not always enough.

These small tidbits of information cycle through your mind as September gradually bleeds into October. You continue watching the thoughtful man in the coffee shop and making up your own secret theories about his life. You haven’t told anyone from school about this, because you already know the reaction would be nothing short of awful. Your parents would only let you go to school at the one university in the city that explicitly didn’t allow supernatural beings; it goes without saying that your classmates don’t view them in a positive light.

Part of you feels like you might be breaking the unspoken rules just by being at this coffee shop all the time and allowing this man to take up space in your mind. But who will know what’s inside your thoughts except you?

One day, your friend decides to accompany you on your lunch break, finally stopping by the café she recommended to you. The man is already there, as usual, and he smiles slightly when you and your friend enter. She doesn’t catch this, too busy wondering what she’s going to get off the menu today.

“I haven’t been here in forever, I wonder if Sam still remembers me?” You know Sam to be one of the baristas there, having read it on their name tag before.

“I doubt there are very many people who’d forget you,” you answer.

When you both have your food, you take a booth farther away from where the man sits, though you can still see him easily from this distance. Your friend settles into the seat in front of you.

You try to keep things inconspicuous throughout your conversation, but you must glance over at him one too many times, because your friend eventually raises her eyebrows questioningly. She turns around in her seat, making it obvious that she’s looking, and you groan as you keep your eyes in the opposite direction towards the window.

“Who’s that guy you keep staring at?”

You cough. “No one.”

“He’s obviously someone. Someone interesting enough to hold your attention.”

“I don’t know the man,” you say curtly. You shuffle your napkin and spoon aimlessly, your nervousness rising. What if he has some kind of enhanced hearing and can hear what you’re saying right now? He definitely heard you make that noise that first day.

Your friend looks at the ceiling and blows air out of her mouth. “Whatever. I’ll find out who he is sooner or later.”

You take a sip of your drink and lower your voice to just above a whisper. Although you want to leave the subject alone, you’re curious about one thing. “You mean you’ve never seen him before? This café was your hangout spot before it was mine.”

She shrugs. “No, I think I would’ve remembered someone as...visually striking as him. Why are we whispering, anyway? It’s not like he can hear us above all this noise.”

You think to yourself, I’m not so sure about that, but you merely shake your head.

You spend a few more minutes talking before movement catches the corner of your eye. At this point, it’s practically a reflex for you to look in that direction. You try not to, but your friend has already caught you and turns her head to spy, too. The man has gotten up for whatever reason to say something to one of the baristas at the counter. Your gaze darts back to your cup after you’ve gotten your eyeful, but you’re nearly startled into dropping the cup at your friend’s gasp.

Oh. The mirror.

She grips the edge of the table. “He’s a vampire…?”

You don’t know what to say to that, and you feel oddly guilty for some reason you can’t pinpoint. Like you’ve been caught with your hand in the cookie jar. “U-um, I don’t know…?” You can hardly finish your thought before your friend is scrambling to grab her purse. She hurriedly stands out of the seat, tugging your arm as she does.

“Come on. We shouldn’t stay here.”

“Are you serious—?” You feel embarrassed heat rip through your body at her display; some other café-goers are already looking at her curiously, probably wondering what the hell she’s doing. She tugs more incessantly, and you already know she’ll get louder if you don’t get up now and defuse the situation. Leaving your half-full cup behind, you grab your things and follow her out of the store, keeping your eyes firmly on her back as you pass by the man. You don’t know if he looked up, or if he could sense the reason for your sudden departure—you’ve never left the shop before him until now—and you don’t want to know.

Neither of you talk until you’re well down the street and around the corner. “That wasn’t necessary,” you huff, your hands still sweating from the spiked adrenaline at suddenly being rushed out.

“Yes it was! We all know bloodsuckers and all these other weirdos are dangerous...even if they think they’re being well-intentioned by living among humans. I hope you don’t go back there.”

“Whatever...you’re the one who told me to visit the café,” you mumble, unable to muster up the energy to say anything more. You both know very well she can’t tell you where to go, but you hope she doesn’t mention this to your other acquaintances on campus and make it into a bigger deal than it is.

When you part ways with your friend and get back to your dorm, you realize you’re missing your planner. The planner with all your upcoming assignment dates in it. You sigh heavily and roll your eyes, knowing it must’ve happened in the chaos of her pulling you out of the shop. Maybe if you’re really lucky, it’ll still be there, picked up by an employee or simply left untouched. Knowing how many people go through that café in a day, you’re not optimistic.

For the first time since visiting the quaint little shop, you’re not anticipating returning and seeing the man again, afraid he’ll ignore you or look at you with distaste—like you’re just another unsympathetic human. And would he be wrong to think that? You’re only strangers to each other.

You try not to dwell on it too hard when you go to bed that night.

When lunch rolls around the next day, you hesitate a couple times on your way to the café, not wanting to show up. However, the desire to see what became of your planner pushes you forward. You don’t even have to stay; if it’s there, you’ll take it and leave. If it’s not—oh well. You can still leave. It’s not hard to buy another.

He’s there when you arrive, of course.

He nods at you when you step inside, though he doesn’t smile as he’s become accustomed to doing. You nod back, but you can’t ignore the renewed rush of embarrassment you feel. You linger at the entrance for a second longer, wondering if maybe you should say something. Apologize, even? But what if he really didn’t know what was going on yesterday? Then how odd would you look for bringing it up?

You decide to move on and go back to the booth to search for your belongings, but his voice stops you. This takes you by surprise.

“Did you come back for this?”

You turn to him to see him holding your planner in his hand. You stare, momentarily dumbfounded, and almost shake your head before realizing it is yours. Definitely the same sticker-covered, scribbled-all-over planner.

“Oh—y-yeah. Thank you.” He passes it to you, though you notice he’s very careful not to let your hands touch. You’re a little perplexed about why, but then the rumors about vampires having cold skin pop up in your mind. Maybe that’s actually true, too. “I usually don’t lose things so easily, but…” Your voice falters, and you don’t know how to finish that sentence without bringing up the other day’s events.

He doesn’t seem to mind as he replies, “It happens to all of us sometimes...I don’t know what I’d do if I lost my camera.”

“You take pictures?” you ask, a tinge of curiosity in your voice.

He nods. “I take photos of anything that interests me. Which often ends up being everything I see. I work at an art museum, so I guess having an eye for photography comes in handy.” He hesitates for a second, then says, “I could show you some?” He waves his phone, indicating that the photos are there.

“Oh, sure.” The man gestures for you to sit down in the empty chair in front of him, and you do so. He swipes through his phone a few times until he settles on what he’s searching for, then puts the device on the table and slides it to you. You lean forward to look at it and see that it displays an album full of pictures, simply titled with the emoji “🌌.”

“It’s okay, you can pick it up.” He chuckles. You pick up the phone and swipe through the numerous pictures. Many of them are nighttime shots of the moon, trees, half-empty streets, darkened storefronts. Others depict nature scenes at sunset or the beginning of sunrise, with the sky colored in darker hues. No matter what the subject matter is, they all look to be professionally taken, even for an iPhone.

“Wow, these are nice. You said you work at a museum…are you a professional photographer, too?”

The man shrugs, and as you look at his slight grin, you realize you still don’t know his name. “Something like that, I guess.”

“You should be if you aren’t already,” you say, looking through more photos. “I’m sure you’d make a lot of money.” When you reach the end of the album, you go to hand the phone back to him but realize he’ll probably want to avoid contact again, so you slide it across the table. He takes it and slips it into his pocket.

“I don’t really care about the money,” he responds. “I just like it because…” He trails off, unsure how to convey his thoughts, wondering if he should even get that personal with a stranger. “It...helps me pass the time.” He’s not quite satisfied by that answer—it doesn’t feel like enough—but it’s all he can think of on the spot.

“Well, that’s nice too. It’s always good to have a hobby just for the sake of it...not for anyone’s benefit but your own.”

“Do you have one?” He takes a sip of his coffee. You don’t expect to be asked about your own interests, and your mind goes blank as you try to think. Why does this always happen when I’m asked these kinds of questions?

“Um, just different things here and there.”

“You don’t have to tell me if you don’t want to,” he says, amused.

“It’s not that, I just don’t have a ton of hobbies or anything. I’m kinda boring, so…” And wasn’t allowed to do much of anything until I left home.

“Being boring isn’t always a bad thing.”

You lean back in your seat, shrugging slightly. “Maybe if you see it that way. My friends don’t.”

“Would one of those happen to be the same one who dragged you out of here yesterday?” He speaks casually, putting his cheek in his hand. You slump further down in your seat, feeling exposed. Of course there was no escaping this topic. He notices your mood shift and shakes his head. “You don’t have to feel so bad about it. It’s not the first time and it won’t be the last.”

“I’m sorry for all that mess,” you murmur, unable to meet his eyes. “Really, I am.” You stand up from the seat, gripping your planner. “Thanks again for this. I don’t want to take up any more of your time today.” You’re about to turn to leave when he speaks again.

“You don’t have to be afraid of me, you know…you could talk with me whenever you feel like it.” That’s the last thing you expect him to say. His voice takes on a quality that’s...not what you’d call begging, but it’s clear he’d enjoy some company. Maybe he’s doing this for your benefit as well as his own, because it’s obvious how your eyes always stray to his little corner.

You nod, giving him an apprehensive smile. “I’ll keep that in mind, then.”

The rest of your day after that is uneventful, full of classes and unexciting lectures, but you keep thinking of one thing. Though he appears to enjoy his time in the coffee shop, how lonely must he really be? There’s never anyone else around him. His eyes when he’d spoken to you held a certain sadness.

And you still didn’t get his name.

You don’t see him for the next few days, mostly because you aren’t at the café. You’ve gotten busy with a new project and haven’t had as much time to return to the coffee shop, mostly spending your time in the library instead.

When you finally get a chance to buy lunch outside campus, he’s not there. This disappoints you more than you thought it would, and you wonder what his absence means. Did he just decide not to come today, or has he found another place to frequent? You kind of hope the second option isn’t the case, though you also don’t know why you’re even caring this much about where someone else goes on their own time.

You get a drink to-go this time, deciding you’ll just take it back to the library and continue your studies there. The entryway bell rings behind you as you wait for your order to be made, though you don’t pay it much attention; half of your mind is still occupied with what you need to do next for your project.

When you turn around to leave the shop with your drink, you’re surprised to see the man standing there, waiting to get his own coffee. “You’re late,” you blurt out. You immediately feel silly for saying it, but he doesn’t seem to mind.

He gives you a slight smile. “Yes, I am.” Then he spots your to-go cup. “Are you leaving?”

“Uh, well,” you glance at your drink, “are you staying?”

He nods as he steps up to the counter. “Yeah, I’m staying. My offer’s still open, by the way.”

Right. The offer to talk to him sometimes. You’re tempted to stay awhile and talk to him now, though you don’t even know what about. Your project? That’s boring. Him being a vampire? Too invasive. Your school? Also boring, and probably not the best idea considering which one you attend.

“I...think I’ll stay, then.”

You both sit at his usual table, with you grinning nervously.

“How are you? I noticed you hadn’t showed up in a while,” he asks, settling back in his chair.

“Yeah, I’m doing fine, I’m just busy with school stuff. These teachers don’t give us a break.” You laugh a little, shaking your head.

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He grins. “I never did go to college, but I’ve always heard others talk about how tiring it is. And expensive.”

“They’re right.” You roll your eyes at the thought of it. “But I guess it’ll all be worth it in the end. Maybe. If the economy isn’t in the toilet.” The sound of his laughter is nice, and you’re glad you could make him laugh. “Also, I’m sorry—I don’t know how this flew under the radar, but I don’t know your name.”

He shrugs. “Nothing to apologize for, really. It’s Johnny.”

You tell him your name, too. “Since I haven’t seen you lately...how are you doing?” You circle your hands around your to-go cup, feeling its warmth transfer to your palms as you await his answer.

“I think I can say I’m the same as always—which is fine. Life slows down a little when you have a lot of time on your hands.” Johnny’s lips quirk up at that, and you think he might be referring to his vampirism. Your eyes widen a little.

“What’s that like? Having so much free time. I wouldn’t know much about that right now, but…”

“Maybe not as pleasant as you think it’d be. But there’s good in it. Like coming and going when you want to. And you can take up whatever interests you want without worrying as much about busy schedules.” You already know he’s alluding to his photography. “I do like having a job, though…it gives me structure.”

“You’re probably right…I wouldn’t know the first thing to do if I had a ton of free time…like, which hobbies to pick up first.” You consider how you initially thought about him being lonely and wonder if that’s one of the unpleasant parts he hinted to. “Speaking of hobbies...did you take any new pictures lately?”

Johnny nods. “Most of them were on my camera this time, but some are on my phone. You want to see?”

“Yes!”

Johnny lets you have his phone again to look through the newest pictures he’s taken. There are varying shots of car-lined streets and storefronts, some of the latter decorated with glowing jack-o-lanterns for the onset of October. A pigeon sits on a streetlamp during the daytime, holding its head up like royalty upon a throne. In another image, a stray cat and her kittens huddle in an alley, the babies grooming each other while the mother looks quizzically at the camera.

You recognize a few photos from the nearby park; he also had some pictures of it the last time you looked. “Do you go to this park often?”

“Yeah, it offers some great shots. It’s especially pretty if you go just before the sun sets...the light filters through the tree leaves and it looks kinda like a kaleidoscope.”

“Ah, I’ve never seen that before…” you say a little sadly. Your parents didn’t much like taking you to that park when you were younger because of how far it is from their house. And since living away from them, you’ve only been able to visit it during the early hours of the day—like now.

Johnny looks closely at you. “Would you ever want to?”

“If it’s as pretty as you say, I should.” You slide the phone back across the table to him, not catching what he’s trying to hint at as you keep talking. “Do you go anywhere else besides here and the park?” As soon as you say it, you realize this might sound a little rude and try to make a quick save. “I mean, do you have any other favorite places? I’m not trying to say you don’t have a life or anything!”

Johnny laughs at your slight panic at thinking you’ve offended him. “Nothing too out-there, I guess. The bookstore, the photography store, the theater. Pretty much all the same places others visit.”

“The movies are fun.” You trace your finger across the table’s surface, thinking of your own favorite spots. “Me and my friends like to go downtown. There are a lot of cute little shops down there…”

You and Johnny talk for a while longer, and you almost forget you have to get back to campus until you glance at the wall clock. “Oh no, I’m gonna be late.” Flustered, you jump out of your seat and crumple your empty cup. “Sorry to cut it short, Johnny, but I gotta go back now.”

He smiles good-naturedly and nods, his dark bangs sweeping his face. “I understand.” As he watches you gather your things and get ready to go, he speaks up again. “Actually, if you want to see the park at sunset sometime...I could show you? It’s up to you.”

You pause, suddenly curious at the thought of seeing him outside the café. In the back of your mind, you feel a little paranoid and afraid of your friend or maybe even your parents seeing you there with him, though the latter is extremely unlikely. It’s hard to shake that familiar fear of judgment and ostracism when it’s been ingrained in you since childhood. “That sounds good. If it’s not any trouble for you…?”

“Never too much trouble. I usually get off around 4 on Fridays, just before the sun sets at 5. Unless the weekend is better for you?”

You nod, holding your books tighter to your chest. “Friday will work for me! I’ll meet up with you then.”

Johnny smiles. “Great; I’ll see you then, kind stranger.”

Maybe he says it to be joking or quirky, to sound like one of those characters in a movie or drama, but it makes you smile. Nodding to him again, you step out of the café and rush towards the direction of your school. Johnny watches as you retreat, your roles reversed.

You meet up with Johnny at the park that Friday, just as you both agreed. You spot him sitting on a bench near the park entrance, waiting on your arrival.

Johnny’s wardrobe is still mostly dark, but it’s a little lighter than usual today. He’s changed things up with a white polo shirt underneath his black sweater. Seeing him dressed like this, you wonder what he’d be like as a student, or maybe even a university professor.

He stands up when you get closer, hearing the sound of your footsteps approaching and turning towards you. His camera sits safely around his neck, the lens catching in the light of the sun.

When you stop in front of him, he smiles at you warmly. You try to relax into the genuineness of that smile and ignore the still-lingering traces of anxiety about being out with him. “Hi, Johnny!”

“Hi, Y/N.”

You and Johnny walk around the park as he looks for something interesting to shoot. He snaps a few shots of the trees, fallen leaves, bushes, and other natural elements along the way, though it seems like he hasn’t quite captured what he wants yet.

“Are you looking for something specific?” you ask, peering at his camera as he holds it in his hands.

“There’s an aster bush around here,” he responds. “It hadn’t fully bloomed yet the last time I was here, but it should be open by now.”

It turns out he’s right as you two finally come up on the bush. Its blooms make bright purple smudges against the rest of the landscape, which is a monochrome red-and-orange palette from the leaves changing their hues. You watch as he comes up to the bush carefully and quietly, like it’s a small animal he’s afraid to scare away. Johnny is very attentive while taking pictures of it, always conscious of getting the correct lighting and securing the exact angles he wants to capture. “Compassionate” is not a word you’d usually associate with the act of taking photos, but that’s the only word you can currently think of to describe this display. He treats the flowers with a peculiar sense of respect, as if they’re a human subject.

After he’s gotten the images he wants, Johnny offers you his camera to take a few of your own. You’re anxious about holding his prized possession and are afraid you’ll find a way to mess something up, but he promises you it’s fine. You take a few shots of the sky, still with a few wisps of clouds left, and a nearby tree that’s almost stripped bare of leaves. You know the shots will probably end up blurry from your unsteady hands, but Johnny tells you you’ve done a good job anyway.

Something about getting his approval makes a pleasant warmth settle in your chest.

As you both walk down a long trail, you finally ask him, “Sorry if this is invasive, but I was wondering how old are you? Like...as a vampire.” Your voice becomes hesitant on the word vampire, even though you’re the only two in this part of the park.

He chuckles a bit. “I’m 85.” You try not to look surprised. “I’ve been turned for 60 years. Old, but probably a little younger than most vampires you’d think of.”

“Kinda,” you say quietly. “They’re always like 2,000 years old in movies.”

“The ancient vampires are purebloods. They keep to themselves and avoid mingling with turned vampires, let alone humans. Some people are even skeptical if they exist. Supposedly, they use humans as servants or blood banks.” He gives you an apologetic look after saying this, though you don’t really know why. You don’t get the feeling he’d do that to another being, but he is still mostly a stranger... “At least, that’s what my mentor told me.”

Your curiosity is roused at all this new knowledge. “You had a mentor?”

“An older woman. She was also a turned vampire.”

“Turned, huh…”

Johnny nods, toeing at a small pile of leaves on the ground. “She went away eventually, said people are meant to pass in and out of each other’s lives. I don’t think she ever had intentions to stay. But I enjoyed her company while she was there.” Johnny stops at a short bridge above a small manmade lake, and you both look down into the water.

You place your arms on the bridge railing so you can lean over more. You notice he doesn’t have a reflection in the water, and this startles you more than you expected. Before meeting this strange man, you’d never thought much before about why vampires don’t have mirror reflections, but it seems even more unnatural to see this phenomenon happen again in the lake.

You find yourself looking at the side of Johnny’s face, trying to read his expression as he peers into the water’s depths. He turns to you, and you flinch at being caught staring, but he only smiles slightly. You force yourself to form words and break the silence. “What—what did you do after she left?”

“Lived on my own. She taught me a lot of things to help me live independently as a vampire, so it wasn’t too difficult to get along without her...but emotionally? A different story.”

“You sound like you had a very close relationship with her.”

“Yes. Quite close…” Johnny’s tone suggests something deeper, more intimate than a regular friendship. You feel a bit astounded at the idea of him having an older, more worldly lover while being only a newly changed vampire. Your reaction makes you feel foolish, inexperienced. Still, you can’t help imagining a scenario of them living in a big, dark mansion somewhere in the mountains, rolling around in a bed with bloody red sheets—and maybe drinking from the occasional naïve, misled human hiker.

Strangely, too, you feel jealous at his freedom, his ability to go wherever and do whatever with whoever he wants without overbearing relatives always just a step away.

You continue staring at the ripples as they circle in and out of the water’s surface, the motions triggered by a small orange leaf falling into the lake. You’re unsure of what could be the right thing to say to his admission, so you blurt out whatever comes to mind next. “You said she taught you to live independently as a vampire. What does that mean? How do you get...you know. Blood?”

“There are ways,” Johnny says cryptically, which makes your own blood rush faster. He turns to you with a grin, like he finds your naivety endearing. “It’s nothing drastic, though. At least, not for me. I never drink directly.” It does make sense that there are other ways to drink human blood without taking it straight from their necks, though you can only speculate on which methods he prefers. “Drinking directly is lethal, and often not worth it.”

“So, it’s true that vampire bites can kill?” You watch as Johnny pushes himself off the railing, and you follow him as he continues down the trail.

“It’s not false. But it’s never really that simple.” Johnny’s answer is mysterious, and he doesn’t elaborate further. He turns to you. “Where did you hear that, anyway? Your university? The one that bans all nonhuman beings?”

“You know where I go to school?” You feel embarrassed, thinking he must assume you’re like the rest of the student body who hates nonhumans but still nurtures an odd obsession with them.

“I saw it on your notebook one day, the school insignia. I’m not a stalker, by the way.” You laugh only slightly, and Johnny seems crestfallen when he notices your apprehension. “I don’t care if you attend school there. Just because you do doesn’t mean you think the way they do.”

“You must think I’m some weird opportunist, then,” you mutter, heat finding its way to your face. “Asking you all these questions...I’m sorry.”

“I don’t think anything except that you’re a pleasant person to be around.”

You’re quiet for a moment, letting the compliment sink in. You think you should probably give him one of his own, but before you can, he says, “Look. The sun’s already setting.” Just like he told you before, the dying rays filter through the tree leaves and create impossibly intricate patterns on your surroundings. You hold your hand out and watch the latticework that the leaves create dance over your open palm.

You let Johnny take a picture of your hand with the tree shadows flitting over it, but you shy away from the camera’s lens when he points it higher to your face, a questioning look in his eyes. “Maybe some other day.”

You walk around for a while longer until the sky bleeds into a dark purple. “I guess I should be going soon. It’s getting late,” you say, though you’re also a bit sad over your evening with Johnny meeting its end.

“Do you want me to take you back to campus? You shouldn’t walk back alone. My car is just in the parking lot there.” He points to it where it sits in the distance.

You look at Johnny with a confused gaze. “But you can’t come on campus. They have...things to ward off vampires.” Like gates made of pure silver, displaying intimidating, elaborately designed crosses. You don’t know if any of it actually works, but it’s probably better not to find out.

Johnny doesn’t seem bothered by this information. “Yeah…I know. I can just drop you at the street across from the main gate.”

You hesitate a moment longer but eventually agree. He is right; you’d rather not walk alone at night, and getting a ride with him is better—and cheaper—than calling for a rideshare.

The ride to the college is fairly quiet, with the radio filling the silence. It’s not an awkward type of stillness, at least, which you’re grateful for.

As he said he would, Johnny parks on the side of the street that sits in front of the main gate, just outside the immediate vicinity of the campus. The metal crosses stare back at the both of you, glinting in the light of nearby streetlamps. You turn your face away from them, biting the inside of your cheek.

You unbuckle your seatbelt. “Thanks again for the ride. I guess I’ll see you back at the shop next week, yeah?” Again, you get the urge to say something, anything, to remedy or cover up the foreboding source of discomfort sitting just in front of you, but there’s no one sentence you could say to wipe away decades of hatred.

Johnny nods and smiles, and still he shows no signs of being disturbed. He doesn’t cast another glance at the gates. “It’s no problem. See you then.”

You get out of his car and cross the street to get inside the gate; it’s early enough in the evening for it to still be open. Any later, and it’d be locked shut to even humans. You risk another wave at him before turning back around and heading for your dorm, which sits a few yards from the entrance. Johnny lets the car idle on the side of the street until you’ve walked into the dorm, and only then does he drive away.

It doesn’t take very long for you to warm up to Johnny inviting you to other places. The next time you and him go somewhere other than the coffee shop, you accompany him as he buys some film for his camera on one of his free days. You don’t know a ton about photography, so you’re more than happy to let him tell you all about how film works and why he buys certain kinds over others.

The place he frequents is a specialty photography shop that still carries older varieties of film—ones that fell out of favor once digital cameras became a thing. The store looks noticeably old, but not in an unkempt or decrepit way. You can tell it’s been around for a while, holding all kinds of history in its structure.

“There are so many different types.” You look over a shelf of film rolls in awe. “How can you tell them all apart?”

Johnny laughs. “It gets easier if you’ve been doing it for a while…or a few decades.” He picks one up from a row of them and holds it in front of you. “35mm is the most common type, which is what you’ll find the most of when you look through any film shop. That’s what I use.”

He sets that one down and walks past another display of film rolls, gesturing toward them. “There’s also 120 and 220 film formats here…those work for even older cameras, sorta like ones you’d see in 1930s movies. You can even turn a film camera into a digital camera.”

You nod to his words, looking over what seems like millions of film canisters—and occasionally glancing at the lines of his broad back as he walks ahead of you. “You should teach a photography class. I’d be more willing to listen to you than some old professor.”

Johnny snickers. “Huh, I don’t know. Not a professor, but I am old.”

You both continue walking through the store, with Johnny giving you the rundown on every item that catches your interest.

Like the coffee shop, there’s another mirror in this store. Many more, actually—there are whole rows of them on a series of shelves, all in varying sizes and shapes. They create a fragmented view of your form as you stand in front of them, though you don’t initially realize you’ve crossed into their glassy line of sight. You’re busier with looking at a roll of film Johnny’s handed you. When you notice your reflection shifting in your peripheral view, you look up.

Johnny’s only a few feet behind you, and you know this because you can hear him and feel his presence. Yet, it’s strange to see yourself as the only person in the aisle.

Eventually, he notices what’s got you preoccupied and comes to stand next to you. Though you see him clearly in front of your eyes, there’s no trace of him in the glass reflections.

Suddenly, you’re hit with the aching loneliness of it—how it must feel to never see yourself. You can see him with your own eyes, and so can everyone else who encounters him, but what must it be like to be virtually invisible outside of other peoples’ perceptions of you? You almost feel utterly alone even though you know he’s beside you.

Noticing your sudden melancholy, Johnny takes the film roll from your hand and tosses it up in the air, making it look like it’s moving on its own in the mirrors. He means to lighten the mood, if only to see the cloudiness disappear from your expression. It works to a degree, though you still feel downcast deep below.

“It’s not good to dwell on it.” Johnny presses the film roll back into your hand, still carefully avoiding skin contact. He has no problem meeting your eyes, though, and you shyly look away from his dark gaze after a few prolonged moments.

“You’re right,” you say softly, turning back to the aisle and away from the rows of mirrors.

—

You and Johnny head to the coffee shop after your trip to the photography store. Once you get your drinks and sit down in your usual spot, he speaks suddenly. “Something’s wrong.”

Your eyes dart around the shop, thinking he’s referring to one of the patrons around you. “What? What’s wrong?” Your voice comes out a bit panicked. He doesn’t want to laugh, but he does.

“No, I mean...something’s wrong with you. You seem far away.”

“Oh…” You wonder if you should even bring it up and potentially ruin the mood. But you have been curious for weeks now, and you don’t think you’ll get a trustworthy answer by asking anyone other than him. “I just...I was wondering why you don’t have a reflection. I know it’s a vampire thing, but I’ve never really known why...you don’t need to answer, though. Like you said, it’s not good to dwell on it.”

Johnny makes a motion like a half-nod once your question is revealed, his eyes darting to the window and back to the table. His fingers trace across the rim of his coffee cup, a thoughtful but stormy expression on his face, and you’re afraid you shouldn’t have reawakened this topic. “You know...being undead means being in two places at once.”

“Two places?”

“We are caught between the living world and the world of the dead. Something that’s not really supposed to exist, yet…” He’s quiet for a moment. “You can only imagine the kind of issues and side effects that can cause. One of them being no reflection.”

“I never thought of it like that,” you say. “Two planes of existence...what does it mean to be a part of the world of the dead?”

“Our blood runs slower. Ours is more like sludge compared to yours. The heart beats only a few times per minute. Don’t need to eat or sleep, either, though many vampires still do.” Johnny pauses. “How much do you really know about vampires?”

“I don’t know much about any of this...stuff.” You gesture vaguely, meaning all supernatural beings and not just vampires. “No one ever told me these things growing up, and it’s hard to tell truth from fiction at school. People will say anything, horrible things, and you just take it at face value, I guess. I never really thought to try to find the reality.” You sigh. “Sometimes I feel like I’m the only person in the world who doesn’t know anything.”

“Learning is good. You can always learn. I don’t think it’s too late for that.” Johnny’s voice is a little lighter. “Anyway, everyone’s knowledge is different. Sometimes it slips my mind that everyone doesn’t know what it’s like to live as a vampire, though the world never lets me forget for long.”

“Then…do you hang out with other vampires who do understand? Or…maybe humans who can sympathize?”

Johnny gives a humorless laugh. “Most humans are hesitant to interact with us, if not full-out terrified or disgusted. At the museum...it’s less pronounced because all the employees already know. They…tolerate it. But every time someone else realizes what I am and doesn’t take well to it?” He shakes his head, acts like he’ll say something else, and then abandons that line of thought. “And do you really think I’d want to spend my free time around other bloodsuckers?” He tries to play it off as a joke, but you’re more inclined to think he actually feels that way. You can only nod, feeling bad for him but also a little disturbed by his view of his own kind.

“I think you’re a kind person, and you being a vampire doesn’t affect that,” you say hesitantly. “I like talking to you. And even if you feel that way about other vampires, I…wish you wouldn’t feel that about yourself.”

Johnny remains quiet, but he nods. You wonder about the struggle occurring in his mind. The only outward hint of his uneasy state shows in the furrow of his eyebrows and the tense set of his mouth. With his right hand resting on the table, he rubs his fingers together absentmindedly, like he’s analyzing your words. You have a sudden and startling desire to hold his hand, to twine your fingers together and feel his skin on yours for the first time, but you don’t dare cross that boundary.

He finally replies with, “You’re much kinder to me, an old and bitter vampire, than you probably should be. But maybe that’s a good thing about you.”

“I think it’s a good thing,” you agree, your voice low. “Every living being needs companionship. Good companionship, anyway.”

The corners of Johnny’s lips shift in something reminiscent of a smile. He turns a rueful gaze once again to the window, lifting his coffee cup to his lips. “Aren’t I lucky to have yours, then.”

On a day when you don’t have as many responsibilities to juggle, you visit Johnny at the art museum after his working hours are up. He’d already invited you to come to the museum any day you felt like so he could show you around. 

When you get there, he’s waiting in the visitor’s lobby for you, framed by receding sunlight as the day starts fading into night. He looks the same as he always does when you see him in the café on his lunch breaks, but within the context of the museum, he suddenly seems more…alive? Vibrant? He could’ve served as a muse for one of the many statuesque, perfectly proportional sculptures in the museum, and you’d never know anything different.

Your heartbeat increases at the sight of him, just enough to be outside the normal range.

“Hi, Johnny. I hope your day went well?”

“It was fine, nothing too crazy. But it’s better now.” And he smiles at you, sincere enough to make your heart ache.

“Oh—that’s great.” That’s it? You scold yourself internally, but you aren’t quick enough to think up a witty reply to his comment before the topic shifts.

“Is there anything in particular you wanna see first?” Johnny asks, leading you further into the museum.

“I guess I hadn’t thought too deeply about that…do you have a favorite exhibit? I want to see what you like.”

Johnny smiles faintly. “Let’s see, then.”

The dark-haired man takes you to a section of the museum filled with oil paintings, all by one singular artist. At first, all you see is varying shades of black and gray and red, with some white splashed in between. When you begin looking at the paintings more closely, it’s easier to see that each one depicts a different scene of chaos. Maybe a sort of organized chaos, but disarray all the same.

There is one picture that holds a clearer subject than the rest. One of the oil paintings is of a vampire—obvious by the fangs—with bloodied lips and anguished eyes. You pause when you catch sight of it, your steps stilled by the sheer frenzy in the other being’s painted eyes. Their hands reach out for the viewer as if begging for an escape that can only be provided by whoever’s observing.

“This one was painted by a fellow vampire, you know. The same one who did all the rest of the paintings in this gallery,” Johnny explains. He points at the placard next to the painting that displays the artist’s name and a short description of the piece. The word fellow comes off his tongue wrapped in cynicism. “And it was one of the ones I personally chose for this exhibit.”

You glance at him, a tinge of surprise blooming in your chest. “Really?”

He nods. “Who better to depict the ills of vampirism than a vampire themselves? I thought it was a…fascinating change of pace from all the humans who try and fail to do so, ironic as that is.”

If you look at the painting for long enough, you think you can recognize sadness in the corners of the vampire’s eyes—pure, unadulterated sadness. Different from anguish or panic. A similar mask of sadness you’ve seen on the man next to you.

You say nothing for a while. You simply feel the painful throb of your heart in your chest and listen to the small sounds around you. Even now, there are still other people exploring the museum and walking through this very exhibit, but you can’t hear or see any of them. Johnny notices the disconcerted look on your face, and his forehead creases. “But I’m sure you want to see something less…morbid than this, right? Come on.”

“Uh, I-I don’t mind,” you insist, even though you feel like you’ve just awoken from a painful trance by the sound of his voice. But he’s already gesturing for you to follow him elsewhere.

The next set of paintings you end up in front of are a series of sunflower studies. One frame depicts the long green stems; another provides an up-close view of their lined petals. One zooms in close on the flower’s brown center, only small glimpses of yellow left at the edges of the frame.

“This is definitely very different.” You look at him, a small smile pulling at your lips. “But it fits you. I see why you like it.” You remember him back in the park, taking careful pictures of the aster bush and of your hands…and then offering to take one of you. You don’t know why that last one makes your stomach jump.

“I thought you might like it.” Johnny’s eyes linger on your face as he observes your reaction to the paintings. He’s seen these flowers probably a hundred times by now in this permanent exhibit, but the wonder in your expression is new to him.

—

You both walk through a few more exhibitions after that, all with different subjects and mediums—some consist of sculptures, others are clay vases and figures. There’s still a lot to see in the museum, but you’re starting to get hungry, and you know Johnny has already heard your stomach growling.

After the 2nd time it happens and you think you might melt from embarrassment, he grins at you and makes a suggestion. “Let’s go to my office. I’ll get my things and we can eat. The restaurant here is pretty good—or at least that’s what everyone else says…”

When you get to his office, you feel almost like you’ve stepped into a room from years past. Your gaze drifts across his desk immediately; it’s not sleek and modern like you’d expect, considering the rest of the museum’s aesthetic, but wooden and heavy and vintage-looking. It’s olden quality resembles everything else in his personal space. Even his desk chair, a big and plush thing, feels vintage with its soft leather and rustic design.

This feeling is far from a bad thing, though. You enjoy the aged look of the bookcases, the picture frames, the chairs, the small decorations here and there—everything about this room.

Johnny notices how you look around, studying everything in sight, and smiles. “It’s not the most modern, but I like it.”

“It’s perfect. Like a world of its own.”

“A woman of taste, I see.” Johnny puts a hand over his heart, giving an expression like he’s truly touched, and you can only grin sheepishly. When he has his belongings, he leads you out and locks the door behind him.

“Let’s see what they have on the menu today, then.”

—

You get dinner at the museum’s restaurant, just as Johnny recommended, and he even decides to eat too. Maybe he does it so you won’t look odd being the only one eating, or because he really just wants to; he doesn’t let on. Either way, sitting across from him like this in a fancy restaurant with both of you having a nice meal feels almost like a date. You let that thought amble around for a few minutes longer before tucking it back into one of your mind’s many small niches.

“I’ll probably be digesting this for the next few weeks,” he says jokingly, pulling a mock-disappointed face at his plate.

“That sounds like the worst constipation in history.” He snorts at your comment, his eyes creasing as he laughs. You notice he has a dimple when he smiles, and your grin mirrors his. You don’t think you’ve seen him laugh quite so genuinely before, but now that you’ve experienced it, you want to hear it again and again.

Anything is preferable to the perpetual gloom, always slinking around the corner.

—

When Johnny gets back home after dropping you off at the university, he undresses himself and showers and pulls on his bedclothes, which are nothing more than his underwear and a pair of sweatpants. His upper canines ache in his gums the entire time he goes through these motions, like two pulses of red-hot heat positioned on either side of his mouth.

He takes a blood bag from the fridge and drinks it in bed, leaning his arms against his knees. A sudden remembrance manifests itself in his mind; he hears the hazy echo of his mother’s decades-past voice in his head, reprimanding him for eating in bed. A sharp pain grips his chest, and he tries to send it back to the depths where it belongs.

When the blood hits his stomach, the pain is eclipsed by the bloodlust, which is no better. His fangs drop immediately, spiking into his lower lip. Johnny closes his eyes and, very gingerly, allows himself to draw a picture of you in his mind, of your blood in his mouth and your heartbeat roaring in his ears. The way your blood would flow out so delicately, crashing into his tastebuds like the high tide. He is usually better than this at curtailing his bloodlust, not even letting it reach the point of his canines hurting—he can’t remember the last time that’s happened—but being around you sets him on edge. Awakens him in some strange, raw way.

That only makes him more wary. And more guilty about imagining himself drinking your blood. He shouldn’t even be around you if he’s losing his grip on his hard-won control. But although it makes him feel ashamed, it also causes his heart to rush.

He drains the blood bag to the last possible drop. To his relief, it calms him significantly, though the thoughts of you don’t leave. More innocent ones now, of your outing earlier in the evening. Deep beneath, they are tinged with his ever-present guilt at his vampiric nature.

Johnny doesn’t need the sleep, but he drifts off anyway, if only to quiet the conflict sending daggers into his mind.

You’ve known Johnny for a few weeks now, not counting the time you spent silently staring at him in the café, but you find yourself intertwining yourself further into his life. You end up visiting his apartment sooner than you anticipated. You didn’t think of anything as ridiculous as him living in a coffin or sleeping in the rafters like a bat, but you also had a hard time imagining what his place might look like.

You come over on a weekend when you have more time to simply hang out and not worry so much about anything else.

Like usual, he waits in that spot on the side of the street for you to come out. In the daytime, you’re more apprehensive about him being here and someone potentially seeing him and trying to cause trouble for him, but there’s a part of you that likes the rebellious aspect of it. And if he truly doesn’t mind coming near the campus to pick you up, you don’t have much issue with him doing it.

Johnny’s apartment is clean—and a little sparser than you’d expected. Maybe he’s a fan of minimalism. One side of the wall is taken up by a wide bookcase, which features a bunch of different knickknacks, books, and a collection of larger hardcovers that look like photo albums. On the other walls are a few framed pictures of different scenes, and you assume they’re ones he must’ve taken.

“This is a nice place,” you say as he takes your jacket for you and puts it up. “It must cost quite a bit, too…” You sit down on the couch, stroking the soft material of it.

Johnny shrugs. “Thanks. It’s nothing I can’t handle...being nearly a century old gives you plenty of time to save money.” He appears charmingly self-satisfied when he’s able to make you laugh. “Do you want anything?”

“Water is fine…thank you.” Johnny nods and goes off to the kitchen.

Despite trying to keep your eyes on the wall photos, your gaze follows him as he leaves. You discreetly watch him move around his kitchen. With his dark clothes, he’s like a splash of black paint against the pale tile and stainless steel.

There are blood packs in Johnny’s fridge. Lots of them. You know because you saw them from your vantage point on the couch when he opened the fridge door. They look like the blood bags you’d see in a hospital, which makes you wonder how he even gets access to those. Another mystery you struggle to wrap your head around.

He comes back to the living room with your water, and you take it gratefully, though you also feel a little awkward. You think maybe the blood bags are something you shouldn’t have seen, although you know he probably would’ve made more effort to hide them or put them away if that were the case.

“You have a good supply of blood, a nice apartment, and a great job. Does every vampire get these kinds of perks?” Admittedly, it sounded better in your head. Your attempt to stave off the awkward feeling—which was really only coming from your end—only makes it more intense. Johnny laughs dryly in response. You can’t tell if he actually finds it amusing or is just trying to humor you, which makes you feel incredibly silly.

“All of it’s government-issued if you promise never to bite any humans.” Johnny gives a wry smile. “But it’s a mistake to think vampires live glamorous lives, filling up on blood and having no cares in the world.”

“N-no, I get it,” you stutter. “Bad joke.”

“I’m not trying to embarrass you or be mean. It’s just the way things are.” Your roles are suddenly reversed, and now he seems to feel some sort of sympathy for you, like you’re just an ignorant little human who doesn’t know any better. The last part of that is more your insecurities speaking out than anything else, but you try to ignore that and take him for his word.

Johnny gets up from the couch to go over to the bookcase as you sip your water. After looking through the photo albums intently, he takes one off the shelf and hands it to you. You set your water down and hold the album carefully as you open the front cover. The cover itself has a neat little label that reads Telluride 1976 - 1980, so you can already expect what you’ll find in it. There are numerous photos of trees, bushes, snowy mountain ranges, lakes, brilliantly vibrant flowers, and woodland creatures. You stop at a picture of a deer looking straight ahead, its black eyes wide and curious as it examines the lens.

“I lived in the mountains back then, a little after my mentor had left. I spent some time trying to reconnect with nature...and all that other hippie shit people used to do back in that era.”

You chuckle. “Did you wear the same kinds of clothes, too? Bell bottoms and tie-dye T-shirts and all?”

Johnny laughs and shrugs. “Maybe…but that’s only for me to know.”

You grin and look at the photos again. “Well…did your plan work, at least?”

Johnny gives a wistful smile. “In some ways, I think it did.”

You continue looking through the rest of the album, which you could probably do for hours if you had the time—just sit and trace every possible line, curve, and ray of light. Johnny sits beside you as you do, occasionally explaining some pictures and their backstories.

“Lately, I’ve been wanting something else to take pictures of...someone else, maybe.”

“What, like a subject?” you ask.

“Yeah, it’d be nice...I haven’t taken pictures of another person in a while.”

You nod quietly as you flip through the pages—another possible hint flying right over your head. Then a thought comes to you—one that makes your skin warm. “Have you ever taken pictures of anyone you were...involved with?” You don’t say it directly, but you hope he can get the gist of what you’re asking.

Johnny nods as if he doesn’t want to admit to it, a nervous smile gracing his lips. “A few different people…but I always gave them the pictures after we, you know, stopped seeing each other...so there’s none left here.”

“I see…” For a few moments, your thoughts circle around that concept. What was it like to bare yourself in front of someone else like that, immortalized on film? What might it be like to allow Johnny to see you like that, to take pictures of you in your most vulnerable form? The idea doesn’t make you as downright anxious as you expected it to, though you can’t completely shake the lingering embarrassment about it.

After you finish looking through the entirety of his Telluride adventures, Johnny shows you some recent pictures he’s developed, and you’re giddy to see your own blurry creations among them. Now that you’re holding them physically in your hands, you can agree that they look nice, each with its own little personality.

“I thought about putting them in a new photo album,” he says, “but you can keep them, if you prefer.”

You hold them to your chest. “Yes, I’d like to keep them. Thank you.” You smile. “I’m sure I’ll leave you with plenty other photos to put in your album, anyway.”

—

The sun is close to setting again. You aren’t ready to leave yet, though, and Johnny is content to let you stay longer. He pulls out another album for you to look at, this one dated with 1960 - 1964. Unlike the others, there’s no title to describe what’s in it except for that year range.

“This is a picture of me someone took before I was turned,” Johnny murmurs, sitting back down beside you. He turns the album to you, and in the middle of the first page is a sepia-toned photo of him sitting on a bed—or maybe a couch?—wearing a suit. White, handwritten lettering on the bottom right of the photograph reads August 4, 1960.

“Oh wow...” You touch the photo gently over its protective lining. “You look exactly the same. Of course.”

“It’s the only photo I have left of myself,” he sighs, leaning back on the sofa. “If it weren’t for that...I’d feel almost like I didn’t exist at all.”

“Do you remember this day?” you ask.

“…Vaguely.” His answer doesn’t feel like the whole truth, and the way his eyes dart anxiously as he says it confirms your suspicions. Then he sighs again, heavier this time, and he seems to be exhaling all 60 years of his burden along with it. “I was...going to be married. It was for our wedding shoot.”

You’re surprised for a reason you’re unsure of, never even imagining that Johnny could’ve been married at one point in time. Could’ve had an entire life and a family, if it hadn’t been for...

“I’m sorry, Johnny.” You know you never would’ve met him if things hadn’t happened this way, and that knowledge tugs at your heart in a way that makes you feel intensely selfish.

Johnny shakes his head and avoids your eyes. “It was long ago.” He wets his lips and his jaw clenches like maybe he wants to say something else, but he remains silent for a while.

You continue exploring the photo album in silence. With its thin size, there aren’t as many pictures in it as the others—much less, in fact, but each one is still enough to keep your interest. Your mind keeps drifting back to the one of Johnny.

You hand the album back to him when you’re done. He takes it from you, but in a gesture you don’t foresee, he allows your hands to touch for the first time. You make a tiny flinch at the unexpected coolness—not ice-cold, but enough to be noticeable—but you don’t draw away from him. You let his fingers slide across yours as the photo album leaves your hands, and it sends electricity racing up and down your spine.

“S-sorry.” You’re not sure if you’re apologizing for flinching or for making contact at all, though there is no reason to because he initiated it.

“Doesn’t it ever disturb you at all that I’m not human?” Johnny asks softly, still holding the album.

“What?”

“You’ve taken all this so easily...much more easily than many others. You aren’t even disgusted at my cold hands.” A ghost of a grin comes over his face.

“If I were disgusted, I wouldn’t even be here,” you say, trying to lighten the tension. It’s not the kind of tension that arises from anger, offense, or upset, but something else that you are lost on comprehending in this moment. “Some of it’s unfamiliar, obviously, but I’m not disgusted.”

He glances down at the album in his hands, as if contemplating something. Maybe thinking about the only living photo of himself beneath the cover. Or maybe he’s thinking back to how he was turned in the first place and subsequently lost the life he was about to have. He still hasn’t told you anything about how he became a vampire, and though you’d like to know, it’s obviously a sore spot for him.

Eventually, he nods, willing himself to smile at you. “I’m glad.”

—

Night has fallen by the time you’re done exploring the decades of his life, though there is still much you haven’t seen and don’t yet know. You let him drive you back to the school as you stare out at the passing cars, wondering how many more of these people sitting in their vehicles are nonhuman and you’d never know it.

You hesitate after he pulls up across from the main gate.

“What’s wrong?” he asks.

“Uh, nothing really, it’s just—I still don’t have your number or anything.” And I want to talk to you more often. I want to hear your voice more often. You don’t want to say anything overly dramatic or cheesy, so you just keep those last thoughts to yourself.

Thinking it had been something serious, he smirks at your concern. “Oh, I see. I’ll give it to you now, then.”

Once your numbers are safely in each other’s phones, you finally bid each other goodnight. 

Though you try to steer your thoughts towards other things, you keep veering back to Johnny. His apartment. His fridge full of blood bags. His photo albums full of years of history. Even when you get into bed that night, you can’t keep him off your mind.

You wake up gasping and sweating when you dream of him with his fangs in your neck, your own blood running down your neck and chest. You glance over at your roommate to make sure you haven’t woken her and rest your head on your knees, trying to catch your breath and settle your racing heart. Your skin still prickles with how you could practically feel his heated breaths on your neck, ice-cold hands gripping your shoulders.

The worst part of it is that you can’t quite say you completely disliked it.

“It doesn’t make much sense to have a Halloween party and dress up as the very beings that you hate, but whatever…” you mumble, looking through a rack of costumes with a certain impassivity. You’re not very enthusiastic about going to this Halloween party, but your friend refuses to go alone. You haven’t been spending as much time with her anymore—partly because of Johnny and partly because you feel even more out of place around her than normal—and with all her begging and pleading, she refuses to let you opt out of this one.

“It’s about having fun, no one really cares Y/N. They’re freaks, aren’t they? That’s why people dress up as them, they’re practically meant for this.”

You become even more apprehensive about the party after hearing that, if that’s even possible. You smooth your hand over the fabric of a witch’s robe and sigh again, shaking your head. It doesn’t feel quite right to keep spending time in her presence—or anyone else who goes to your school—but you feel trapped on all sides, left without much of a choice. You would never hear the end of it if you tried to switch universities…or even drop out.

Your mind strays back to Johnny as always, with his melancholy aura and weird jokes and pretty pictures and monochrome clothes. The smell of his cologne, the lingering scent of roasted coffee beans, and his toothy smile, when he does show it to you. Something in you makes you want to drop everything you’re doing right now and go to him. It might even be nice to settle in his arms, feel them strong and solid around you—though he’d probably need just as much comforting as you.

“Dress up as this!” Your friend breaks the reverie as she prances over to you with a pair of fake fangs, the tips of them painted in acrylic blood. She holds them up to your mouth, and you struggle to manage a smile, if only to sate her enthusiasm. “It actually reminds me of…that vampire at the café. Say, have you seen him since then?”

You shake your head, moving away to sift through another rack of outfits as you try to maintain a detached expression. “Nope, not a glimpse. Haven’t even thought about him.”

When your friend doesn’t suspect anything, you let your expression drop just a tad, breathing out quietly.

The night of the party, the full moon is heavy and bold against the black blanket of the sky, which feels horribly cliché. You wonder if there are any werewolves out tonight, and what they might be doing right now.

“We’re going to have a good time tonight,” your friend insists as you both walk up the front steps of the host’s house. It’s someone you only vaguely know, a friend of a friend of a friend, but clearly a person who has an abundance of money judging by this expansive home. You don’t know why she feels the need to convince you, but maybe it’s because you haven’t seemed very enthusiastic so far. You only give a thumbs up to her words, which feels like an unconvincing gesture. Luckily for you, it works.

After a few hours, the party is still going strong but your head is starting to hurt from the music, and you’re growing weary of all the men crowding in too close, looking at you in your angel costume like you’re something to be devoured. You’ve rolled your eyes at way too many of them and their haphazardly put-together costumes, dressed up as vampires with terrible fake fangs or werewolves with manes of matted up fur.

Your friend keeps flitting around the party, talking to whoever she recognizes from classes or campus organizations, and you’ve given up on trying to follow her around any longer. Every time you turn around, she’s somewhere else. Noticing that you’re currently solo, a guy from one of your history classes comes up to you and begins what he thinks is an interesting conversation on how angels actually look more like Eldritch abominations than the cherubic humans depicted in paintings—so your costume is “technically inaccurate” —and your eyes glaze over as you pretend to listen to him.

You eventually manage to get away from him and get to an undisturbed corner, wedged next to two girls drinking cider and critically rating all the guys’ costumes. You pull your phone out and think about calling for a ride back to campus, but your thumb hovers over the message icon. You press it without thinking too much about it, and Johnny’s name appears as one of your most recent conversations. Though you feel somewhat nervous, you will yourself to open the box and begin typing.

To: Hi Johnny. I hope I’m not bothering you, but can I come over? 🙏🏿🙏🏿🙏🏿 I’m over this party

You put your phone back in your purse, trying not to get your hopes up for a quick response. You know there’s a good chance he’d still be awake at this time of night since he doesn’t need to sleep, but he has his own life and is probably off doing...vampire-y things. Whatever those things could be.

However, your hopes are met when your phone pings only a couple minutes later.

From: Of course. You’re not scared about spending your Halloween with a vampire? 😏

You smile at that.

To: I think I’ll be fine…as long as you don’t bite me.

From: 🦷🩸

—

You get to Johnny’s studio apartment not too long after, and you hang around outside his door for a few moments before knocking, suddenly feeling bashful about your costume. Maybe you should’ve changed before coming over here; what if he thinks it’s childish? Or maybe too revealing? Does he even care about that kind of stuff? Doesn’t matter now, though. You’re here, and there’s no way you’re turning back around.

He answers a few seconds after you knock, wearing a sweater and black pants. You notice his sweater is a cream color and not the usual black. He looks a little surprised to see your costume, and his Adam’s apple bobs as he swallows.

“Wow, you look pretty. Nice of you to visit me after falling straight from Heaven.” You cringe at his cheesy line, though you also cannot deny that you secretly enjoy every bit of it.

“Thanks, Johnny...” you say timidly, stepping into his home as he lets you in. “Nice work with changing up the color scheme.”

He’s confused for a moment before realizing you’re talking about his clothes. “Oh yeah, that...um, haha. Thanks.”

Unbeknownst to you, the back of his mind is buzzing with a form of excitement he hasn’t felt in a while. Not the clawing, frantic spikes of bloodlust, but a more physical kind of desire. It’s pleasurable, but he also feels guilty about pining over how sweet and innocent you look in your all-white outfit, stockings hugging your legs perfectly and your dress just short enough to tempt the imagination. Really, you’ve painted a picture of perfect purity, and the only thing he can think about is ruining you. Putting his hands on you and peeling your dress off to reveal the soft skin underneath.

He casts those thoughts aside as you sit prettily on his couch, legs crossed at the ankles—though it’s hard to do so. “Do you want something to drink? Or eat? There isn’t a whole lot of food here, but I can order something…”

“Do you ever make your own coffee?” The question seems a bit random at first, and you try to explain. “You know, since you always get it from the café.”

Johnny smiles. “Do you want coffee? I can make it.”

You nod. “That would be nice…whatever you have.”

“I pretty much have your usual order memorized by now, so I should be good on making it.” Johnny walks to the kitchen. “You can look through the albums while you’re in there. The ones you haven’t seen yet.”

“Oh, thanks.” You feel a little nervous to be looking through the shelf of his treasured photo albums by yourself, but you’re also glad he trusts you enough to let you do it. It makes you feel important. Maybe even important to him, as silly as that might sound.

It isn’t long before the scent of coffee wafts out into the living room. Johnny returns soon with two cups of it, and just as he promised, yours is made just the way you like it.

“Thank you.” You set the album back on the shelf and take the cup from Johnny. For a while, both of you talk of nothing important—just filling the space with the details of your days.

“So how was the party?” Johnny finally asks, and he raises his eyebrows as he scans your outfit again. You grin halfheartedly.

“It was…alright. Kinda weird. I think it’d be more fun if I went to a regular university, but you know…”

Johnny shakes his head. “I can’t blame you for bailing out.”

“Yeah…I’ve been to college parties before, but the Halloween theme was a bit…”

“Strange for an institution that bans all supernatural beings?” Johnny finishes your sentence. He doesn’t look offended or irritated by it—only slightly amused.

You shrug, biting your lip. “Yeah, that.”

“Well, look on the bright side. I wouldn’t have gotten to see you in your natural form otherwise.”

This one almost goes over your head, too, but you catch it just in time. Johnny’s compliments make you feel warm all over, like you’re sitting under the sun. You grin and look down into your cup of coffee, unused to receiving such bold praise and unsure how to respond to it. Something pops into your mind, though, and you think it might be a good idea to run with it.

“You could...take a picture of me, you know. If you want to...since I’m all dressed up now anyway.” You meet his eyes only for a second and then look away, twisting the mug in your hands.

Johnny sits up a little straighter at your words, trying to catch your eyes, though you don’t hold his gaze for long. “You’re sure?” he asks.

“I’m sure. Go ahead! Before I change my mind.” You laugh nervously and carefully set your half-empty mug on the table.

Johnny’s camera is never too far away from him, so he grabs it and plays with the settings for a bit before looking back to you, a small smile on his face. “I’m gonna start, okay?” His voice is surprisingly soft. This, yet again, reminds you of him and the aster bush. He acts as if you might run away at the first shutter click, which makes you feel babied, but you don’t totally hate it.

The first few photos are a little awkward—at least to you. You aren’t sure how to pose, or if you should try to look more casual, though Johnny assures you you’re doing well. He gives you directives throughout, telling you to look in his direction or angle your face a certain way, and you follow his instructions to the best of your ability.

At one point, one of your dress straps slips down. When you go to fix it, Johnny says, “Wait. Could you keep it like that?”

You look at him, your body heating from the suggestion.

“Is that okay with you?”

“…Yes.” Your throat is dry, and your body reacts in a way you don’t expect—little nervous thrills in your hands and feet, though you try to internally explain it away as the coffee’s effects. Johnny takes a few more photos like this, and then he steps closer to gently touch your chin, guiding your face to the angle he’s looking for.

“So good for me.” It slips past his lips in a reverential murmur before he can really consider what he’s saying, and you both freeze. Your heart rate increases, and you wonder if he can hear how hard the red organ is beating in your chest. Probably.

You want to hear him say it again.

Johnny laughs awkwardly, his hand coming back to his side almost a little too quickly to be natural. “Um, I’m really sorry. That was a bit...”

“It…it’s fine.” You avoid his eyes. Johnny takes a few more photos, but the set of his mouth is a little tight, as if he’s stressed about something. Or regretting what he let slip, maybe. You want to tell him you really don’t feel bad about it, but you aren’t sure how to do that without making things more awkward…or revealing your true desires.

When Johnny has taken enough pictures of you to be satisfied with, he sits next to you on the couch, setting his camera on the coffee table and looking suddenly timid.

“I can’t wait to see them,” you say, attempting to break the tension that never really cleared the room after his earlier comment. He blinks for a moment like he doesn’t know what you mean, and then realizes—obviously, he’ll be developing the photos.

“They’ll come out nice, I’m sure. I think you’ll photograph well.”

“Thank you,” you murmur, and now it’s your turn to be unsure of how to resurrect the conversation.

“You’re beautiful.” It’s an abrupt comment. It makes your stomach twist in a pleasant, fluttery way, and you become hyperaware of his form sitting next to yours.

“Haven’t heard that one much, but thanks.”

Johnny turns to you. “Anyone who’d think otherwise is a fool.”

There’s a pause after this where you both simply study each other, watching for hidden reactions that can’t be read on the surface. The way he says it is…decisive, assured. But it also manages to be tender, as if he needs you to know what he thinks of you. Needs you to see yourself the way he does—the same way you do for him. You don’t know where the confidence comes from, but maybe his tone and his words and his endlessly dark eyes have pulled it out of you. “I want to kiss you.”

Johnny’s lips part. “Are you certain?”

“I’m certain.”

He doesn’t hesitate anymore. Johnny moves closer to you and cups the back of your neck. Something awakens in his eyes in the seconds before he presses his mouth to yours. Though he wants to drink eagerly from your lips, his kiss is languid to avoid overwhelming you, and there is an audible smack of your lips whenever he pulls away and presses back in.

His mouth tastes like the coffee you just drank, but underneath that you swear you can taste a hint of the deep iron of blood, and you don’t know how to feel about that. You think about what his fangs would feel like scraping against your bottom lip, if he’d ever show them to you, and you moan quietly.

“Do you want this? With me?” Johnny confirms once more, pulling his gaze away from your lips and up to your eyes. His own eyes are yearning, but there is also an element of something like fear roiling in them. As if you’d turn him away, even though you’ve already shown your desire for him.

“Yes. Just you. No one else.”

Johnny’s body gravitates towards yours, and you think he’s going to push you down onto the sofa, but he scoops your legs up and carries you to his bedroom instead. Even his hands on your waist and legs makes you burn inside.

This is the first time you've seen his bedroom. The sheets are cloud-soft when he sets you down on them, and his window lets moonlight shine through the open blinds and scatter in thick beams across the floor. The only other light source is the bedside lamp, which emits a comfortable yellowish glow.

Johnny joins you on the bed and lets you climb into his lap—encourages you to do so. His cool hands pulling at your thighs as you settle them on either side of his waist makes tingles go through your body. You don’t hesitate to bring your lips back together, kissing each other deeply as one of his hands cradles the back of your head and the other settles on the small of your back.

You are certain vampires don’t have any powers of enchantment—that’s for magic wielders. And yet, you feel like you’ve been put in a trance by his kisses alone, and you wonder how you could’ve lived this long without knowing how his lips feel—how they fit perfectly against your own. As if everything up to now has purposely led you together.

You shift in Johnny’s embrace, and the movement causes his thigh to slide between your legs. Your heat is pressed against his thigh directly now, your silken panties catching against the denim of his pants. You murmur against his lips, not really saying anything of substance but wanting to vocalize your desire to him. Johnny’s hand tightens slightly on your back, and he experimentally lifts his leg higher and slides his thigh across you. That draws a gasp from you.

Noticing your positive response, Johnny continues rocking his thigh up against your pussy and kissing you until you’re breathless and your nipples are straining against the fabric of your dress. You pull away from him for a moment to try to ground yourself, feeling like your nerves are already being singed with fiery pleasure. Johnny’s face is noticeably more flushed than before, but he also looks much more composed than you feel at the moment.

“It takes longer to get hard,” he explains, as if reading the lingering question in your own expression. “Since...you know. Slow blood.” You rock your hips over his thigh more enthusiastically, motivated to get him hard underneath you, and you listen to his choppy breaths as you move. Your movements aren’t the smoothest, but he helps you guide your hips in a way that feels good for you both. You’ve never been with anyone before, so it doesn’t much matter to you how long or quick it takes for him to get there as long as he does.

Feeling the bulge grow underneath you excites you. Johnny groans against your lips as you kiss him and rub yourself over his member. The sound comes from somewhere deep inside him, as if it’s something he’s been containing for a long time. Your hand goes to his waist and tugs at his belt loops, then drifts closer to his belt buckle, pulling the leather and metal apart. Johnny pauses when you get off his lap and slide further down, grips your arms like he doesn’t want you to go. “Are…you sure? You don’t have to…if it’s too much—”

“I want to, Johnny.”

With your affirmative, he lets you kneel between his legs, pull his zipper apart, and trace your curious fingers over the bulge beneath the fabric of his underwear. Johnny loses his breath when you drag his underwear down, sliding it over the heated skin of his dick. His length is thick and long—even with him not being fully hard yet—and the tip glistens wet with precum. You weren’t sure what to expect, but this is much bigger than you think you might be able to handle. It makes your face warm and your stomach do another series of flips. Still, you want it and you want him, so you aren’t going to stop now.

You lean closer to press your lips against his shaft, leaving a few soft kisses behind. Johnny’s mouth parts when your mouth touches him.

Johnny gently holds the back of your head as you leave small licks over his shaft, tasting the salty skin on your tongue. He lets out a shaky breath as he watches you, his other hand brushing the side of your face.

“Just like that…” he murmurs, his voice heavy with lust as you circle your tongue around the thick, darkened tip, catching drops of his precum. He never takes his eyes off you, and this makes you feel a little exposed, but you continue with your actions. When you suck Johnny’s tip past your lips, his thighs tense under you, the thick muscle reacting beautifully to your actions on his body.

More precum drips from him, and you find the taste strangely pleasing. It makes you want more of him, of whatever he has to offer you. You wrap your hand around his shaft, though it doesn’t fit entirely around, and begin stroking him in a way you hope feels good.

Johnny’s hand slips over yours to guide your movements and show you how much pressure to apply, what pace to stroke him at. “Like this, baby…yes, that’s so good…” He showers you with praise as you get the hang of it, and he eventually lets your hand go so you can do it on your own, his own hand drifting back to the bed to grip the comforter.

It’s hard to quantify just how much seeing you like this turns him on, you kneeling between his legs with his cock between your lips while wearing your pretty, angelic outfit. His previous guilt about “corrupting” you descends to the very back of his mind as he savors every moment of your hands on his cock and your tongue circling his slit.

“I’m close,” he whispers. You quicken your movements on him, hollowing your cheeks tighter around his dick, and the moan he gives shoots straight between your legs.

Johnny carefully pulls your head back so you won’t choke before he comes, streams of his seed shooting into your mouth and running down his cock. Your hand still squeezes around him as he comes, and he slowly thrusts into the tight circle of your fist as you milk every drop from him. By the time he’s spent, your mouth and hand and part of the sheets are completely sticky with his release. You imagine it must have been a long time since he’s last had an orgasm.

The vampire watches intently as you swallow his cum, which causes his softening dick to throb in your hand. He takes your face in his hands and kisses you deeply, uncaring of the taste of himself in your mouth. His hair tickles your face as he kisses you feverishly, his nose bumping yours and his tongue prodding past your lips.

“Come here, angel.” Johnny pulls your body up onto the bed before you can get yourself up there first. The pet name makes warmth flood through your body, like drinking a hot chocolate at the café, except a thousand times more satisfying. Johnny’s hands are once again caressing your thighs, though this time they slide up underneath your dress and squeeze your hips. “Can I take these pretty panties off you?”

“Please.”

He hooks his fingers into the sides of them and pulls them down your legs and past your ankles. One of his hands goes underneath your dress to feel you soft and wet against his fingers, and you both moan at the same time. He slides his digits through your lips and over your clit, and him leaning forward to bring his mouth to your throat is enough to have you nearly overwhelmed. His fingers tease your entrance but don’t push inside until you nearly have to beg him.

“Please, Johnny…” You push your hips up to get his attention.

“Do you want my fingers?” he asks softly.

“Y-yes…” At your words, he eases the middle one into you, slowly enough to avoid discomfort. It feels strange to have someone else’s fingers inside you. His finger reaches further than yours can, touching you more deeply than you’ve felt before; it makes you gasp a bit too sharply.

“Are you hurt?” he asks, freezing and thinking he might’ve done something wrong.

“N-no, I’m fine. Keep going.”

Johnny’s mouth edges closer to the cleavage of your dress as he starts thrusting his finger into you, warming you up enough to take a second digit. Shakily, you bring your hands up to slide the straps down and make it easier for him, and his breath hitches when you pull the top of your dress down.

His mouth envelopes one of your nipples as he slides the second finger into you. His fingers encounter a part of you that makes you moan unexpectedly and grab onto him, a little surprised at the sudden spike of pleasure.

“You’re so pretty,” he purrs, his lips moving against the curve of your breast as he speaks. “And so responsive.”

As Johnny’s mouth and fingers work you closer to an orgasm, you marvel at how handsome he looks and how good he feels. He opens his eyes to see you staring at him, your pupils wide and mouth desperate, and he separates himself from your chest to kiss you deeply once again.

When you come around his fingers, Johnny whispers more compliments to you about how good you are and how he wants to watch you come undone because of him all the time. When he thinks you might be on the brink of overstimulation, he takes his fingers out of you, slipping them into his mouth to taste you.

“I’ll take this off now. Is that okay?” He whispers this into your ear with his hands on either side of your hips, caressing the fabric of your dress.

“I-it’s okay.”

Johnny slips your dress off, leaving you in nothing but your white sheer stockings. The sight of you sitting there on his bed, breathing heavily from your climax in your pretty thigh-highs, has his cock throbbing and rising to life once again.

“Lay back on the bed.” You do, and he settles himself between your legs like you did for him earlier. When you glance at him, his eyes are heavy and piercing. In this moment, you are acutely reminded of the fact that he is not a human, with how he looks like a beast of prey about to devour a meal. You are too nervous to look back at him for long, so you stare at the ceiling with your legs shaking from anticipation.

Johnny’s mouth on you is almost jarring in how wet it is, and you arch up into him in surprise and a rush of pleasure. He gently presses your legs back onto the bed and continues licking into you, parting your lower lips with his tongue and making your thighs tremble under his grasp.

If you had to describe it in words, you probably wouldn’t be able to. He kisses your pussy the same way he kisses you on the mouth, passionately and with more than enough tongue to satisfy. Johnny slips his fingers into you again as he curls his lips around your clit, and you moan unabashedly.

You’re quickly spiraling towards another orgasm, maybe quicker than you expected; but it makes sense with you still being so raw from the climax you just had. You gain enough courage to give another glance down at Johnny, and you see the way his other arm moves back and forth from beneath the bed, stroking himself while he eats you out. Something about that pushes you over the edge, and you cry out as you come on his tongue.

As Johnny gives you time to calm down again, he stands and finally pulls his clothes off, baring his body to you. You’re not sure if you’ve ever seen a man so beautiful.

He goes to get a condom, and your words stumble from your lips before you can psych yourself out of saying them. “I-I’m on birth control.” Johnny looks back at you, his gaze filled with something you can’t quite read. He comes closer to you, holding himself above you on the bed so his face is hovering just above yours.

“You want to feel me raw?” he whispers.

You nod under his burning stare, feeling like you’re on a high you won’t be able to get off of. “I need you, Johnny.”

Johnny climbs fully onto the bed then and positions himself between your legs. His cock is thick and heavy between his thighs as it bumps against your inner thigh and leaves a smear of precum behind. After putting some lube in his hand, he slicks himself with the sticky substance, preparing himself to fuck you open. Something deep in your abdomen shudders, and your walls clench around nothing as you watch him stroke his shaft, the squelching, wet sound of his hand on his dick loud in the quiet room.

When he’s done, he grabs your thighs and pulls you a little closer to him. “If it hurts, tell me, okay?”

“O-okay.”

The slick tip prodding at your hole makes you want more, though you are a bit afraid of how this is going to feel. When it finally pushes inside of you, you gasp. Johnny watches your face for signs of pain as he slides forward further.

With two previous orgasms and the lube to help, his cock stretches you open with some discomfort, but not the kind of sharp pain you expected. Your nails leave little half-moon shapes on Johnny’s biceps as you squeeze his arms and try to keep your lower half relaxed, wanting to take all of him in—or as much as you can manage, anyway. You try to keep your breathing even as he pushes into you slowly.

Your eyebrows crease and your mouth tightens when he slides deeper still, and he pauses. “Johnny…” You worry your lip with your teeth, feeling like you’ve been stuffed to the brim—and he’s not even all the way in yet.

“Do you want me to stop?”

“No,” you beg, maintaining your grip on his arms. “Just…try moving.”

Johnny pulls out and slowly thrusts back in again, angling his dick to find that sensitive spot within you. Your mouth falls open silently when he does; this feels much, much different from his fingers. This is better.

Johnny repeats the movement, being mindful not to push himself too deep—only enough for you to handle. Beneath him, your body begins unwinding at the pleasure he’s delivering to you, and your eyes flutter closed as the ecstasy takes over your mind. One of his hands goes to tease your clit as he settles into a good rhythm, and you cry out at the extra dose of pleasure.

“You’re taking me so well,” Johnny mumbles as he sits back and watches himself slide into you, both of your lower halves slick from lube and your own wetness. “So warm and wet, angel…” You can tell he’s using a lot of his energy to keep his pace controlled and gentle enough for you to actually enjoy. The idea of being fucked harder makes you ache deep inside, but you figure it’s best to save that for when you’re more used to this. You already know it’ll be difficult to walk in the morning after this.

Johnny leans forward to kiss your lips, changing the angle again and circling his pelvis into you, and a choked gasp escapes your mouth at the slow wind of his hips.

Johnny lavishes your neck and throat with kisses, and though he is a vampire, you aren’t worried about him biting you. His fangs have not made an appearance since all this started, and you doubt if he would ever bring them out in front of you. You don’t know if you should ask about it, either, wondering if it’s too soon after only a month and a half of knowing each other—but maybe you could say the same about him being inside of you right now.

“Johnny…” you whisper into the air, your fingers scrabbling against his sweaty skin. The mounting tension in your abdomen is close to snapping, and you are almost frightened by how intense it already feels. He moves his face from your neck to be face-to-face with you again and plants a heavy, dizzying kiss on your lips.

“It’s okay,” he murmurs against your kiss-swollen lips. “I’ve got you, Y/N.”

Falling apart in Johnny’s arms feels like a form of Heaven that’s meant to be kept hidden, because you might become addicted to it otherwise. Your inner muscles squeeze around his dick as you come. His name flows from your lips in a high song. You can’t imagine any physical sensation that could be better than this, his hips rocking into you as you tighten and cream around him, and you know innately that Johnny has ruined all chances of you ever feeling this fulfilled with anyone but him.

The constant pulse of your walls against his dick is too much to withstand for long, and Johnny’s muscles pull taut with pleasure when he comes, groaning into your neck and spilling overflowing streams of thick cum into you. His hips falter in their former rhythm, and he resists the urge to push himself as deep as he can into you.

When he pulls out, you whine from the discomfort of it, but also because you wish he could stay in you forever. You know you’ll be sore when you wake up—and you can already feel the very beginnings of exhaustion and ache settling in your body—but you’d do it a hundred times over without changing a thing.

—

Johnny curls himself around you after he’s cleaned the both of you up, as if he means to shield you from the world. You’re quiet for a while as you listen to his slow-beating heart and feel his cool skin against yours.

You look up at his face, which is hard to see distinctly in the dark of the room. With the lamp turned out, the only source of light comes from the moon now, but you can decipher enough to make out the shape of his lips and his glittering eyes. You know he can see much better than you in this light, and he takes his time tracing his fingers across your face and cheek, studying your features.

“Would you ever…make me a vampire?”

His body tenses at your question. “Don’t say anything ridiculous. You still have a whole life ahead of you to live. What I have here...this is no existence.” He’s not mad, at least not at you, but his voice hardens at the very idea of it.

“But what if I wanted to live it with you?”

Johnny takes a breath, but he doesn’t say anything to that. He just continues stroking your face and looks at you for a long time, like he’s searching for something. You don’t know if you truly expected an answer from him, or how you would feel if he did give one.

Eventually, your eyes begin to fall low, and sleep overcomes you. The last thing you register is Johnny’s chilly hand touching your cheek. When he notices you’ve drifted off, he pulls the covers tighter around you both. Then he presses you to his chest as he tunes out the sound of cars rumbling on the streets below in exchange for the beating of your heart—still alive, so red with blood.

#all these brown colors...how taurean of me #johnny smut #johnny angst #johnny fic #johnny scenario #johnny imagines #johnny imagine #johnny scenarios #nct fic #nct imagine #nct imagines #nct scenario #nct scenarios #nct smut #nct angst #ambw scenarios #ambw scenario #kpop ambw #ambw imagines #ambw imagine #ambw fic #ambw #nct vampire au #nct vampire

[eunoiaflow3r]

i hate u, i love u // spencer reid x fem!reader

spencer reid x reader

aaron hotchner x reader

part one - part two

a/n: did i damn near put this entire song in this fic? yes, yes i did i’m so sorry....highly unedited.

how was your guys’ holiday?

warning(s): language. angst. fluff....

word count: 2.6k

request(ed): yes.

summary: old things try to get fixed, while new feelings and places...arise and get mixed.

(wtf am i dr. seuss now??)

——————————————&———————————

feeling used, but i’m still missing you. and i can’t see the end of this, just wanna feel your kiss, against my lips

and now all this time, is passing by.... but i can’t seem to tell you why. it hurts me every time i see you realize how much i need you...

Seeing Spencer and actually letting all of that out did a number on you. You apologized to Aaron countless times and he said it was okay countless times but you still felt so bad. He didn’t deserve that. He didn’t deserve your drama, and not to mention how embarrassing it’s been. You felt like you ruined his whole night. It was supposed to be fun and yet you didn’t have any. He said he did but you know Hotch didn’t.

You’d have to make it up to him somehow soon but you didn’t know how. How are you supposed to fix this? Any of this??

It feels like you’re being sucked into the eye of a tornado little by little and you just can’t get out. It feels like everyone else is safe on the ground feet planted and they’re all just staring at you and laughing. Staring and not helping.

Your chest hurt. You hated feeling like this. So helpless...and stuck. You were stuck and not ready to fix it...well...part of it. You could still fix one thing. You didn’t have to be stuck here. Here in this small apartment with no room for anything let alone breathe. You needed space. You needed change. You needed control. Everything is spinning in circles and there’s nothing you can do about it. You can’t stop it.

So why not do something that could help you? That you’ve been meaning to do but never had the time for?

Apartment searching. Well...bigger apartment searching.

Where you were staying now was a studio apartment. You loved the open concept except for how small it was. You just need room.

Before...

“I like it here. It’s so small and cute.”

You could tell cute was a foreign word to Spencer when it came to describing a building. But he was trying. You thought he was cute.

“Thanks Spencer but I’m thinking something different. Maybe another bedroom for a roommate...or just a bigger one for y’know...another person.”

You never really brought up the idea of moving in together before. Sure, it’d be easier...his job was nearby, and there was a bus stop at the end of the street, and there was you....so his reaction kind of put you...off.

“Roommate sounds good. One of your friends maybe? Although I wouldn’t want her to y’know...interrupt us.” He had that cute seductive tone to his voice but he wasn’t sounding very cute and seductive.

You weren’t going to argue. “Yeah...a roommate. Who do you think I should ask?” you paused. “Sara or Malia?”

Spencer was quiet for a moment, like he was thinking. “Malia maybe?”

You didn’t have a friend named Malia.

And that’s what hurt the most you think. The fact that you still thought about him 24/7 even though what you had with him wasn’t perfect. You thought it was before..you thought he was before..but now you’re realizing nothing about it was perfect but at least it was something. Now you have nothing.

It was only the afternoon so you decided to look for some places. You found 3 places suitable for what you were looking for. All 3 were good sizes, good prices, and a good amount away from your job and college. You felt almost lucky. This felt almost too easy.

Until you saw the first two places in person. They were okay, but not really what you were looking for.

The last place though...the place was great, the location was great, the neighborhood was great, hell even the yard. Hell, you’d have no use for it, you didn’t have a kid but it was still a nice looking yard. You could tell that someone in the apartment, hopefully your new neighbor, took great care of the gardens.

You looked around at the surrounding mix of apartments and houses (mostly houses) and saw 2 little kids playing in the house 2 houses over. One of them looked like Jack. It couldn’t be, right? Hotch’s house wasn’t over here.

Nevertheless you watched for a few seconds and it was Jack. You decided to go over and say hi.

Jack stopped playing and immediately ran towards you.

“Y/N!!” He grinned. You got down to his level and hugged him back just as enthusiastically.

“Hey Jackie! Whatcha doin?” He only let you call him that. Only you.

“Sleepover. This is Sam. It’s almost time for Ana to drop me off at home though.”

You said hi to Sam and asked if Ana was his mom. She was and as soon as you told Sam your name, Ana came out of the house and waved you over.

“Hey, I’m Y/N. Friend of Jack’s and Hotch.”

She smiled. And shook your hand.

“I’m Ana. I’ve heard about you! Jack talks about you quite a lot.”

You and Ana talked for a while. She seemed like a really amazing person. If you end up getting the place you could see you and her becoming great friends, and since she seemed really busy you offered to take Jack home. She protested but you insisted. It wasn’t like you were doing much anyway. The landlord had already left and you were just going to go home anyway.

On the way to Hotch’s you bought Jack his favorite ice cream. You couldn’t help it.

The whole car ride Jack’s conversation thankfully distracted you but when you got to his house you couldn’t help but remember that night and how embarrassed you felt.

Seeing Hotch only made it worse. Especially since he wasn’t wearing his work clothes- just a shirt and sweatpants, and you couldn’t help but look because he looked incredibly.....good. He looked so great and you were so mad at yourself for how that night ended with him. You were supposed to be having fun and neither of you did.

He hugged you when you got to the door anyway. You explained to him what happened- even the apartment searching while he invited you in for coffee.

A whole year with Spence and he never invited you in. Ever.

Do you miss me like I miss you? Fucked around and got attached to you Friends can break your heart too And I’m always tired but never of you

If I pulled a you on you, you wouldn’t like that shit I put this reel out, but you wouldn’t bite that shit I type a text but then I never mind that shit I got these feelings but you never mind that shit

“Mom, please, I’m fine. Nothing’s wrong.”

Your mom gave you a look over her mug that said, ‘Do I look like I’m dumb?’ And she wasn’t. Perhaps you weren’t any good at hiding your feelings. Could everyone tell?

You were doing better now.

It’s been a month? Maybe two.

Either way it’s been a while and you weren’t as hurt as you were before. Some nights you woke up heart aching, tears falling, but you aren’t as bad as you were those first few weeks.

Truth is, you missed Spencer. You spent those weeks blaming yourself and wondering why you why you?

But you accepted that you weren’t ready for that answer. A part of you had forgiven Spencer. A part.

You were still heartbroken. You were still angry and hurt. But you’ve been trying to move on. In fact, you’d be moving entirely. Yesterday you finished all the paperwork with your new landlord. You were going to finish packing after visiting your mom.

“Momma I’m fine there’s just a lot going on right now.”

She wouldn’t accept that answer. She persisted you told her what was wrong. So you did. You told her about Spencer...and about Hotch...

Aaron.

You had been spending some weekends with him. Some were alone, just the two of you, and other times it was the three of you. Him, Jack, and you. Whenever you thought about Hotch you had the feeling in your stomach you got whenever you heard from Spencer.

But you still have that feeling for Spencer.

Things were so confusing right now - you weren’t sure if you wanted to move on from Spencer. You didn’t want to rush in with Aaron either though. That’d hurt the both of you.

Last weekend...

“Y/N you cannot tell me you think New Girl is better than Friends.”

Aaron was in a gray shirt and sweatpants while you were in relatively the same. You both sat together on his couch each a cup of coffee in your hands. You had promised you’d help him shop with Jack for new clothes and you had just agreed to stay the night since it had gotten so late.

“Oh a hundred percent. New Girl is way better.”

Hotch laughed.

“Friends is a classic. There wouldn’t be a New Girl without Friends.”

“There wouldn’t be a Friends without Living Single Aaron.”

He rolled his eyes but conceded. “True but still. Friends is better.”

You hadn’t been that happy in a while. You were breathing...you were living. Out in the open. Unbidden.

You ever wonder what we could have been? You said you wouldn’t and you fucking did Lie to me, lie with me, get your fucking fix Now all my drinks and all my feelings are fucking mixed

Always missing people that I shouldn’t be missing Sometimes you gotta burn some bridges just to create some distance I know that I control my thoughts and I should stop reminiscing But I learned from my dad that it’s good to have feelings

There was a bottle of liquor in your hand

You would have gone to the bar but you were too sad for it. You didn’t have the will.

Earlier today you decided that you should get a muffin from the coffee shop and see how Em was doing. Right when you got to the door, who was in the window caught your eye.

Spencer.

Spencer and JJ.

Laughing, and eating, and kissing...

In the open. Out in public.

Were you just not good enough? Was that it? Could you not understand him because you didn’t work in the BAU? Was what you had all one sided?

Unanswered questions and half a bottle later you were passed out on your couch crying.

You thought you were over it for sure this time. But it still fucking hurts. Is keeping your heart open waiting for him even worth it?

The next morning you took a hot shower. The hottest shower you could handle. You were hungover, and you felt like shit but you still had to pack the rest of your things to move. You still had to move.

Your speakers were on the highest level and your music was so loud you didn’t hear the door knock. You only screamed when you felt someone behind you.

It was Aaron.

“Jesus christ!!” You went to turn down the music.

“You could have killed me!”

“Yes I very well could have!” His arms were crossed. He was upset but still in a playful mood. You could tell. “I could have been a serial killer, you have to lock your doors!”

You rolled your eyes. “Okay, okay, I’ll lock my doors next time.”

He nodded approval as you went to the refrigerator to get him a bottle of water.

“What’s going on?”

“Oh I didn’t tell you?” How had that slipped your mind?

He shook his head.

“I’m moving.”

“You’re moving?” He looked disappointed.

“Yeah not far. A few houses down from Ana actually.”

“Oh good.” He said relieved.”

After that, he decided he wanted to help you. It was nice not being alone even though you told him he didn’t have to stay. He wanted to.

He even helped you transfer the boxes to your new apartment. You didn’t know Aaron had a voice on him...but he did.

“We built this city!” he sang/shouted.

“We built this city on rock and -“

“We built this city!” he answered.

“We built this city on rock and -“

“Rollllllllll” you sang together.

You giggled when the song was over and he grabbed your hand for the rest of the drive. You didn’t pull away. It felt too nice. It felt too right.

After helping you put your boxes into your next place it was time for him to head home. He told you that he could stay and help some more if you wanted but you could tell he was tired. You were tired. You told him you’d call if you needed any more help.

He made you promise you would because he knows you won’t if you feel like you absolutely can do it yourself even when you shouldn’t.

You promised.

On his way out there was a moment where you could have kissed him. Where you were saying goodbye and you were in the doorway and you were close enough to...but you didn’t. You weren’t ready. He knew you weren’t ready. He knew.

The feelings you have for Hotch keep growing but the feelings you have for Spencer stay the same. Spencer used to be your everything. But you weren’t his. You needed someone who would put you first. Well...close to first. Jack should always come first. Always.

You need to come first when it comes to women. Spencer didn’t put you first. Would he ever?

All alone I watch you watch her Like she’s the only girl you’ve ever seen You don’t care you never did You don’t give a damn about me

Yeah, all alone I watch you watch her She is the only thing you ever see How is it you never notice That you are slowly killing me?

Your phones ringtone was blaring and when you opened your tired eyes to read the time on your bedside table it read ‘3 AM.’ Who would call this late? Or...early? Either way you didn’t check the screen and just decided to click green and put the phone to your ear.

“Hello?” Your voice was groggy and you were a little annoyed to be woken up so early. It’s rude to do that to someone. Especially someone who only went to bed three hours ago.

“Y/N.” It wasn’t a question and it wasn’t in command. It was a sigh of relief followed by sniffles and a hiccup. It was Spencer.

“I didn’t think you’d pick up.” he said.

“You’re lucky I didn’t check my screen I should just -“

The only form of communication you’ve had with him since the incident was a few texts. Dry texts. On both ends.

“No!” he panicked. “Please don’t hang up please, please, I - I couldn’t sleep.”

You shut your eyes in frustration. “You called me at three in the morning because you couldn’t sleep?”

“No, I - I’m apologizing because I couldn’t sleep, no I - I’m apologizing because I was - I don’t know -“

“Spencer I really don’t have time for this. I have things to do tomorrow. What’s today Tuesday? We’ll have coffee or something Friday, okay?”

There was silence on the other end for a few seconds. “I have a date, no I mean plans Friday..uhm, Sunday?”

“Sunday.”

And you hung up the phone. You didn’t mean to sound bitter, you didn’t but seriously? You were actually willing to see him for once - maybe a decision your unconscious, pining, mind made - but still, and he can’t because of a date? A date?

With JJ no doubt. Of course it was JJ. It’s always been JJ. Every single time. “I can’t today Y/N JJ needs,” or “JJ called I gotta go,” or “Shoot I’m sorry I know we had plans but JJ -“

Will it always be JJ? Will she always be number one? Has she always been number one and you just never realized it? Have you been the girl he just hung out with because he couldn’t with her?

A few months ago...

“I bought chinese.” You grinned.

“Smells so good.” Spencer took the bags from your hands and kissed you on the cheek.

Spencer picked the movie this time since you picked it last time. He was sitting in the middle of the couch while you had your legs draped across his. Occasionally he’d bring his hand down to rub your legs.

Things were fine. Things were content. Until his phone rang.

“Y/N, It’s JJ I have to go.”

“What does she need?” you ask genuinely worried.

“Nothing I don’t think. I just gotta go.”

I hate you, I love you I hate that I love you You want her, you need her And I’ll never be her

———————————-—&—————————————-

i literally have no idea what this is i -

team hotch or spence?

if you have any ideas or scene ideas PLEASE tell me

i’m really trying on this happy ending thing

a spencer apology/talk scene is cominggg

i’m liking the idea of two endings? maybe?

spencer tag list: @hotchsbabygirl @pinkdiamond1016 @thefemalestorywriter @sizzlingclamturtlesludge @samyilf123 @mathchampagne @studywithrosie01 @reniescarlett @drreidsconverse @eveliiinnn27 @bweakmybonez

comments tag list: @yeah-just-ignore-me-thanks @geekgirleve @jhiddles03 @carlgrxmes @dreatine @meowiemari @thedaughterofhotchniss @we-are-dreamers42 @unabashedlyswimmingtimemachine @silverchains9182 @realalpacorn @enamouravecleslivresetlechocolat @matthew-gray-g @minami97 @mgg-th1996 @peculiarinsomniac @secondratecomplaint @fallinallinmendes @fantastic-fans @eldahae @psych0crybaby @tclaerh @ashwarren32 @spenciegoob @mustbeaweasleyginger @abschaffer2

#spencer reid x reader #criminal minds #spencer reid #criminal minds imagine #spencer reid angst #spencer reid criminal minds #spencer reid fluff #spencer reid imagine #spencer reid imagines #criminal minds self insert #spencer reid smut #spencer reid x reader smut #spencer reid x y/n #spencer reid x you #spencer reid fanfiction #dr spencer reid #dr. spencer reid #spencer reid x oc #spence reid #spencer reid headcannon #spencer reid x reader insert #i hate u i love you #i hate u i love u spencer reid

[astaroth1357]

The Obey Me Cast on a Camping Trip (Part Two: The Undateables)

This post is split in two due to length (I had too much fun again…) For the Brothers, please click HERE!

Intro:

Another day, another team building activity between the demons and the exchange students. It was Diavolo’s idea to go on a camping trip to the human world (because of course it was), and there were very… mixed responses. That sentiment wasn’t helped when he refused Lucifer’s insistent pleas to just purchase cabins for everyone to stay in. Oh no, the Demon Lord wanted to rough it out in the wilderness, and now everyone else was getting dragged along with him…

Wonder how that turned out?

Diavolo

He was soooo excited to get to experience camping! He had been asking the MC about human camping trips for about a week before making the announcement and he was pumped!!

Barbatos chauffeured him to the campsite in his own car (of course) but he insisted on taking every roadside, touristy stop they came across which doubled the drive time considerably…

He wanted to help everybody set up the camp but Barbatos and Lucifer were having none of it… So he took pictures and offered moral support instead! Good work everyone! 😁

He had his own tent about the size of a small house (ngl it took Barbs and Lucifer about a half hour to set the whole thing up). Barbs even somehow managed to pack a collapsible desk in there for him so he could still work… greeeat…. 🙄

Diavolo wanted to try everything. Literally everything. The man even traded his uniform out for full on outdoors gear, right down to one of those floppy fishing hats with the tackle stuck to it.

Politely insistently asks that Lucifer does things with him. The MC could come along as well (and in many cases Luci begs them to do so) but he wants to get some bonding time in with his best friend!

Unfortunately for Lucifer, Diavolo would get sidetracked quite a lot… Which is how he ended up having to physically steer his Lord out of harm's way more than once…

At one point while hiking, Diavolo was so distracted by taking pictures that he nearly walked right into the path of a passing bear and her cubs. Lucifer had to tackle him down into some bushes until they went away... His brothers teased him mercilessly when they heard about...

Dia also loved the camping food quite a bit. He's never gotten the chance to cook his own food before, even if it's just marshmallows over a fire, so it was all a brand new experience for him! S'mores are now declared a human world delicacy.

Man had the time of his life! He'd love to do it again, hell, maybe even make it a yearly event! (Few of the brothers share his sentiment, but hey, it pays to be King 😏)

Barbatos

If his Lord orders it, then he follows. He'll just have to double check that everyone is prepared for the occasion…

Drove Diavolo there with the patience of a saint (while also, like, being the exact opposite of that). Had it been anyone else in the car, they might have told him, "No, we can't stop for pictures of every moose you see," but Barbs is as accommodating as he is loyal.

It was pretty much all on his shoulders to direct the others when setting up camp. Lucifer would claim it was his, but let’s be completely honest here, Lucifer can't order Barbs to do shit. 

Naturally, he had his own tent close to his Lord, more modest in comparison, but big enough to hold a majority of the belongings and gear Diavolo had requested.

He also managed to bring a almost fully functioning kitchen setup for him using magic, minus a working oven by Diavolo's instruction. If he wanted a heat source, he had to use the campfire and he found the challenge intriguing…

For once in his extended life, Barbs had to do some trial and error in the kitchen. As it would turn out, fireside cooking can be a little difficult to master, but by the end of the trip he could still somehow dish out four course meals without so much as a sweat (according to the MC the secret was tinfoil and cast-iron cookware… who knew?)

When he isn’t prepping their next meal (which let’s be honest, with Beel on the trip that’s a constant activity) he’s guarding the food from Beel and Solomon…

The sorcerer wanted to help, but Barbs has already learned the hard way that if he so much as pokes a dish its flavor is ruined… It’s enough to make him wonder if it was a curse laid on him at some point…

Watching Barbatos deny Solomon becomes a pretty funny routine in and of itself. He’s not above just smacking the man’s hand away with a wooden spoon if it gets too close. Barbs doesn’t play in his kitchen. Back off. 😠

Barbatos is happy with the trip so long as the young Lord enjoyed himself. If that’s the case, and it was, then he’d happily do it again if asked… not that he’d have much of a choice anyway.

Simeon

Simeon was familiar with the concept of camping, he’d written about it in his stories, but he’d never actually done it himself… He had hoped it'd be an interesting experience! And uh… it was that from the very start… 

Purgatory Hall got its own car and Solomon was put in charge of driving… But no one mentioned that he drives like a complete maniac. Speed limits, stoplights, even the ROAD ITSELF be damned. Solomon drives in a straight line from point A to point B and if there’s anything in the way he’ll just use magic to get around it…

It’s safe to say that by the time he and the others got to the campsite (which was significantly quicker than the rest) the angels weren’t in the emotional state to pitch tents… He and Luke just waited for the others to catch up while praying and praising the solid ground beneath their feet…

He shared his tent with Luke and didn’t mind at all. It was probably for the best anyway because the little angel was scared of human world predators like bears and wolves coming for him in the night… Poor boy…

Simeon took to hiking quite a bit. Going out and exploring the area around the campsite made him feel invigorated! The forests were beautiful and it gave him ideas for a bit of a guilty pleasure he's been debating on writing, "The Tale of the Lonely Prince." 🤭

It was on one of those trips that Simeon discovered human world creatures love him. Pretty much all of the wildlife gravitates towards him like he's a Disney Princess.

At one point he came back to camp riding on a moose with birds chirping on his new friend's antlers. He offered to take the MC out for a ride, but the brothers threw a fit about it…

He WAS able to get a couple more wrangled for Diavolo, who naturally dragged Lucifer along (though he clearly didn't want to touch the thing). 

The three ended up getting into a mooseback race because Diavolo wouldn't let Lucifer take the lead. He was glad to see Luci enjoy himself for a change! (It helped a lot that he won of course 🙄😏)

All and all, Simeon had a great time. Maybe he should ask the MC to show him more human places… But he's never getting in a car again. Pardon his language, but fuck those things!!!

Luke

He doesn't know what's worse… being out in the middle of nowhere with a bunch of demons or the absolute insanity that was the "drive" down… 😣

He spent the entirety of Solomon's Magical Ride of Nightmares clinging to Simeon or the armrests for dear life. He swore his entire life flashed before his eyes, can angels even have heart attacks???

Stayed right next to Simeon when they finally pulled themselves together enough to leave the car. He was so happy that Michael didn't see any of that… Who knew human transportation was so horrifying…???

His saving grace (literally) was getting to share his tent with Simeon… After Solomon told him that bears sometimes get curious and ransacked campsites, he clung onto the older angel like a protective charm.

...Whiiiich he wasn't too off about actually after he saw Simeon playing (yes PLAYING) with the human wildlife… Simeon had to introduce him to some of the nicer animals for him to eventually get over his fear and venture out past the campsite.

Luke loved to swim in the lake or river with MC and the others. The MC found a sturdy branch where they set up a rope swing and the little guy amused himself for hours!

Sometimes he'd watch Barbatos prep and cook using the campfire… He didn't even know you could make lasagna in a Dutch oven…

At one point the MC convinced him to go with them and the twins on a particularly long hike…

He got tired halfway through and Beel offered him a piggyback ride, but of course he'd NEVER let himself be that close to a demon!! (Just kidding, poor boy was so tired he climbed onto Beel's back and held on the a kola until they got back. Then he jumped off to save face)

He had a better time than he thought he would, but still doesn't want to go camping with demons ever again. (He and Simeon also begged Lucifer to drive them back instead of Solomon so the brothers' van was pretty much a clown car on the return trip).

Solomon

Solomon hasn't been camping (for enjoyment) in quite a while, so when the prospect came up to do it with the MC and the other students he was intrigued...

When Simeon asked he knew how to drive, he said yes. He knows how to start a car, put it into motion, steer, and then come to a stop. That's all driving is really. 🤷‍♀️ You can't blame him for not memorizing all the rules, he's been traveling by portal for decades!

Was pretty confused why his angel friends fled the car so quickly... He got them there in one piece, after all. 😕🤷‍♀️ He put up their tents himself since they were too busy thanking their father then made a magic barrier around the site for protection purposes.

He and the MC both have their own tents, of course his is enchanted to be a lot bigger on the inside than it is on the outside, but he's only let the MC in on that little secret in case they want to visit… 😏

When everyone else finally arrived, Solomon was happy to help the MC introduce the wonders of the human wilderness to their companions! Including the breathtaking vistas, beautiful flora, bitter temperatures, man-eating predators, waters filled with disease… Hm? Oh, Luke won't leave the tent now…? Whoopsie.

Solomon kept himself occupied on the trip the best way he knew how… relentless trolling (particularly of Asmo and Barbs because they're used to his shit).

He'd alternate between poking fun at Asmo for the almost ritual length routines he was going through to try and save his looks to genuinely trying to encourage him and downplay the severity of the downgrade...

Meanwhile he was bound and determined to serve at least one of his own dishes during the trip (but Barbatos had banned him from the "kitchen," the food tent, and even the spoons...)

Diavolo, nice guy that he is, eventually made Barbs relent and let Solomon cook for ONE night… It went as well as to be expected. (They sent Solomon to grab more supplies then everybody took turns washing their mouths out with lake water... Diavolo apologized profusely, he had no idea...).

Solomon was confused why the angels would rather squeeze themselves in with the brothers than ride with him back but he wasn’t upset about it. That meant he could make a few extra stops without anyone complaining! He knows a guy in New Orleans he’s been meaning to see again… Luke and Simeon can wait a little for their stuff, right?

Click HERE for Part One. Check out my Masterlist for more!

#obey me #obey me shall we date #shall-we-date-obey-me #obey me undateables #obey me diavolo #obey me barbatos #obey me simeon #obey me luke #obey me solomon #obey me headcanons #obey me scenarios #obey me imagines

[wolfiethewriter]

I understand now (An owl house fic)

Summary – An Owl House fic. Eda learns why Luz does the parallel arm thing. Only, too little too late. found family angst. License taken with the scene from YBOS. reblogs welcome.

....

Edalyn Clawthorne never could understand why Luz would hold her arms out and put them around her. Often very tightly. Honestly, what was wrong with a pat on the back or a kind word instead? Did the girl have to crush her every time?

Must be a human thing, she thought as she poured her morning mug of apple blood. Though they're weird enough already.

She did make a few observations though. Luz only did the arm thing when she was either really happy or very sad. Or frightened. Either way, it always took Eda by surprise whenever she was held tight by her.

She'd thought she'd be used to it by now, having lived with Luz for so long. But no. That girl was a parallel arm ninja who always attacked when Eda was least expecting it.

Luz would always hold her tight while she tried to get Luz to let her go. Not understanding what she was supposed to do in these situations.

But that was Luz's way, she supposed. Eda's way would of course be different. They were from different worlds, travelled in different packs. Luz with the huggers and Eda with the head-petters and back-slappers.

Small wonder it often felt like they spoke completely different languages.

She'd often seen Luz do the same thing to her witchling friends, and reasoned it had to be important. Even King got the parallel arm thing. And Eda needed to know why this gesture was so important.

“Hey, Luz,” she called to her apprentice across the breakfast table. The girl looked up from her spellbook.

“Yeah?”

“I got a question for you.”

“Okay,” Luz grinned. “Shoot.”

“What's the deal with that parallel arm thing you do? Does it mean something, or...”

Luz cocked her head, a puzzled look on her face. “Uhh... you mean, hugs?”

Eda brightened. Oh good, it has a name. “Yeah, those. If that's what they're called.”

Luz giggled softly. “Yeah, they're called hugs,” she said. “What about em?”

“Well,” Eda began, not really sure how to go about asking the question. “Why do you do it? Hug people?”

Luz paused for a moment, her mind trying to work out why Eda would ask such a question.

“Uhh... it's... a show of affection,” she began. “It's my way of saying I care about you. It's how most humans show they care about someone.”

Eda blinked. Slowly registering Luz's answer. “But couldn't you just... I dunno... say that?”

Luz smiled. “Well, you could, but it's nice to show it sometimes too.”

Eda shrugged, still not quite able to grasp the concept. “I guess so. But it just feels kinda arbitrary to me.”

Luz's smile faded and she let out a long sigh, laying a hand on Eda's hair as she got up from the table.

“Don't worry, Eda,” she said softly, “You'll get it eventually.”

Eda smiled back and agreed, though inside, she wasn't so sure she would.

. . .

unfortunately, there wasn't much time to try.

Emperor Belos had captured Luz and forced Eda out to confront her sister to get her human back.

Of course that only ended with Eda becoming the owl beast permanently after using up the last of her magic. The Emperor's guards dragging her into the palace in chains while Luz could only watch.

From within the confines of her prison in the Emperor's palace, Eda sighed heavily. There were so many things she'd left unsaid with Luz. Now it seemed she'd never get the opportunity to.

Her only hope now was that Luz had actually done as she'd said and hightailed it as far away from the Boiling Isles as possible. That she'd dug out the old suitcase and gone through the portal back home...

At least, that's what she'd hoped. Until she heard her Luz calling her name.

“Eda? Eda, it's me! Luz!”

Eda blinked. “What? Luz?” Her heart dropped at the sight of the girl in the cloak she'd made for her earlier. A cloak Eda never got to give her. “Oh no. no, no no no... what are you doing here?!”

“I've come to rescue you!” Luz said proudly, and bent down to cast a glyph on the chains holding her. Hoping to shatter them with a spell.

“Luz, it won't work,” Eda said softly after the fifth futile attempt failed. “Your magic isn't strong enough for this.”

“But I have to get you out of here!” Luz protested, trying again and again and again to break her mentor free.

“Luz...”

The sounds of approaching guards broke the moment,  and they both jolted. Luz out of fear. Eda out of fear for Luz. Owl beast ears twitching.

“Now kid, listen to me,” Eda began, her tone urgent now. “I want you to take the suitcase and get as far away from here as you can. Go back home and when you get there, destroy the portal back.”

It was hard to miss the expression on Luz's face, or the tears welling up in her eyes at the words. Eda may as well have slapped her in the face for how hurt the girl looked.

“No!” Luz snarled. “I'm not leaving you!”

Eda groaned, half pained half frustrated. “Kid, will you for once just listen to me? I need to know you'll be safe alright. Before they turn me to stone.”

Luz swallowed thickly, failing to blink away the tears in her eyes. “But... but we're a family. Us weirdos have to stick together.”

Eda shook her head, wanting nothing more than to agree with the sentiment. But it would only put Luz in danger, and she'd never forgive herself if she let Luz get hurt. This girl she loved like a daughter.

“You already have a family,” Eda pointed out to her. “Go back to them. They love you. Forget about this place. Forget about me.”

Luz let the tears roll down her cheeks now. “How could I ever do that? She asked, sobbing. Arms out parallel again, squeezing Eda tight. “I love you, Eda.”

The world seemed to stop for Eda Clawthorne in that moment, as Luz uttered the words and buried her face in owl feathers. The witch's cursed heart ceasing to beat for only a moment.

Oh, she realised. Oh, I understand now, why humans do this.

She closed her eyes and allowed herself a soft smile, a tear rolling down her cheek. Hoping to Titan this wouldn't be the last time she saw the brave human girl she was proud to call her apprentice.

“I love you too, kiddo,” she answered softly. Echoing the sentiment with the whole of her being. Though it nearly broke her to speak her next words. “But you really have to go.”

Luz nodded and they parted. “I promise,” Luz said firmly. “I promise I'll come back for you.”

#toh fic #eda and luz #mother eda and daughter luz #the owl house #found family #luz noceda #eda clawthorne #angst #ybos references #in which Eda learns what hugs are in the worst way

[glitxhwayventeen]

Lonely Hearts Club

Seokmin: Chapter 4 (Let Your Heart Hold Fast)

Characters: Seokmin x female reader

Genre/Warnings: multi-member au (different scenarios), werewolf au, fantasy, angst, fluff, implied toxic masculinity, food mentions, sexual mentions/jokes, mentions of the dead, mentions of potential violence. Any others will be put as warnings when future chapters are thought up/written. Please let me know if I’ve missed anything!

Author’s Note: For those of you asking, yes Soonyoung is Seungcheol’s mate in all the story lines but his own. Don’t ask me why, I just see it this way. I’m trying not to make every single chapter for every single member super angsty but your girl is a simple sad bitch so I can’t help it. Also, if I made another Seventeen Werewolf AU in a different universe following a different concept, would you guys read it? Let me know pls because I have an idea but I don’t wanna make it if no one would be interested in it.

Please remember that all of these chapters and the content within them are a work of fiction! They’re just for fun/entertainment!

Bold= Dialogue Italics= Thoughts

☁️

Lonely Hearts Club Master List

Chapter 4: Let Your Heart Hold Fast

Since you had gotten back to the pack’s house, things had been going… pretty well actually. You were getting along well with everyone, you were getting used to staying in a house again, and you had pretty much become content with living with a bunch of other wolves. You were still a bit awkward with your mate. It wasn’t necessarily bad, but it did make certain things… uncomfortable.

For instance, you guys stayed in the same room now. You figured there was no point in taking up a room if you were mates with one of the boys. It seemed selfish to you to continue to have your own. So instead, you began sleeping in the same room as Seokmin. He was beyond thrilled that you decided to stay with him, but your guys interactions got very… blurred. You weren’t sure what was okay and what wasn’t okay, neither was he.

So you usually slept on one side of the bed and he slept on the other, with a pillow in between the both of you to prevent touching. Still, you two always somehow managed to cuddle in your sleep and woke up in each other’s arms. THAT’S when it got awkward. You’d start to fumble around and get all embarrassed and he’d just be sitting there plain tongue tied at what was going on.

You weren’t even sure why you were nervous. The motherfucker had already seen every angle of your body naked, so what was the big deal? You couldn’t place it. Being around him now just made you feel so on edge. Seeing him or knowing he was near you had your fingers tingling from your palm to the tip of your middle finger, it felt like even your aura was shimmering due to his presence. Everything about him made every cell in your body was electrified. It was a strange feeling. And you always hoped your mate didn’t notice, but, unfortunately for you, he did notice.

He saw how scattered and frazzled you’d get whenever he’d get near you. He felt bad for it. But he couldn’t help but want to be near you, you were his whole world. You had been very kind to him and very caring towards him. You just didn’t really understand the whole ‘forever partners’ thing. He figured it would take you a lot of time to get used to having a mate again.

But the wolf part of him also just wanted to show you that he could be as good of a mate Cyrus was. He wanted to show you he was big and strong and able to be a good provider. He couldn’t help it, it was in his nature to be naturally competitive with your past partner. It was in his nature to want to protect you and want to be seen as someone you looked at as a safe place rather than someone you looked at like you had to protect yourself. He felt bad about it. He tried to suppress it, but he just couldn’t. The toxic masculinity of the wolf instinct just wouldn’t go away.

“Morning everyone!” you chirped as you all but skipped your way down the stairs to the kitchen, immediately locking eyes with your mate and feeling a heat rise to your cheeks instantly.

You were greeted with a wave of ‘mornings’ by the crowd now in front of you as you grabbed a bowl from one of the cabinets and began to pour yourself some cereal. You could feel Seokmin’s eyes on your every movement but you tried to brush it off as best you could and pretended not to notice.

You yawned a bit in tiredness before you sat down in an empty seat semi across from your mate. You were exhausted. Sleeping for you had become a bit better now that Seokmin slept next to you, but it had also become… uncomfortable for reasons you weren’t so sure you were ready to admit yet.

“Well it sounds like SOMEONE’s still tired!” Smirked Soonyoung, who was no doubt trying to make it sexual in nature. But it was truly just a yawn.

You rolled your eyes, “Yeah, tired from you keeping me up all night from having to hear you jerk one out for the umpteenth night in a row. Seriously what’s it been now? 4 days running? 5? I can’t keep track anymore.” You responded with a sly grin on your face, much to the delight of your brothers who began a symphony of laughter at your smart reply.

“Hey it’s not my fault Cheol’s withholding sex!” He explained defensively as he crossed his arms over his chest in a huff.

Seungcheol just snickered and let out a, “But It IS your own damn fault” before he continued on eating his breakfast by stuffing a spoon full of it in his mouth. At this point, you had begun joining in on the others fun and we’re holding your stomach in amusement.

“No it’s not!” Soonyoung put his hand over his heart dramatically as if he were accused of something horrendous, “You’re just being ridiculous!” He snarled at his partner angrily while the rest of you were still dying of laughter.

“I’m not being ridiculous my love, you need to be taught lessons and with you, withholding sex is the only way you learn. Therefor, I withhold sex.” Cheol replied matter of factly with a mouth full of food.

Jihoon raised his face in disgust at their conversation, “Eww gross! I don’t want to think about you two fucking!”

After that, it seemed like the laughter died down enough to have a more civilized conversation. Well, as civilized as the pack’s conversations could really get with 13 boys in it.

“So we need to go to the market today, we’re running low on supplies. Who’s all gonna go?” Joshua asked aloud, praying literally anyone would want to go out as he absolutely hated going himself.

A lot of the boys had already gotten caught or had close calls in the village. There were only a select few who could now go to the market undetected. Joshua just happened to be one of them, but he refused to go alone. He could be charming when he needed to be, but he preferred someone else come with so that he could take the things they needed and couldn’t afford while they distracted the shop keepers.

“I can go!” You raised your hand cutely with a sweet smile on your face before anyone else could say anything. Though, you did hear a loud huff that came from in front of you out of Seokmin.

It wasn’t that he wanted you to have to stay inside all the time. But the town was DANGEROUS. They had already caught half of them on multiple occasions, soon, there wouldn’t be anyone left that could go out and get supplies. And when they were caught, the boys got REAL close to being hung up on some hunter’s mantle.

Werewolves and hunters had been at each other’s throats since before even the alphas were born. So of course he didn’t want the love of his life out in the middle of a war there’s no way the boys could possibly win. If something happened to you, he wasn’t sure what he’d do. But he knew you would never see the validity of his argument. Because of this, instead of arguing with you, he decided to make his displeasure known passively.

Joshua clapped his hands together with joy, “Perfect! So (Y/N)’s in. Anyone else?”

He wasn’t super concerned about being alone now that you were going with. He knew that he could probably compel one of the younger boys who hadn’t been seen to go with him too just for safe measure. But he figured he’d ask in case he could actually get a volunteer for once. With you going, there was a good chance one of the others would decide to go willingly now too.

“If she’s going, then I’m going too.” Declared Seokmin from his seat of self pity.

The entire pack turned to look at him, including you. It wasn’t normal for him to want to go out in public. The only reason he was one of the few who hadn’t gotten exposed yet was because he was generally too scared of humans to go out. Now here he was volunteering to go because you had. He wasn’t about to let you go out without him. Boy, love sure had a way of making men do the stupidest things.

You shook your head in protest, “No. Absolutely not. You can’t go. I refuse to let you go.”

Seokmin grit his teeth in their place, “If you’re going then so am I. I’m just as capable as any of the rest of you!” He hissed out between nose flares.

That was another thing, this would also be the perfect way to show you that he could protect you and be tough for you like he wanted to. He knew you thought of him as some little boy, he wanted to change that. He wanted you to think as highly of him as he did you and this was a good way to start.

“But Seokmin-” You were swiftly cut off before you could continue with your argument.

“But Seokmin nothing. If you’re going, I’ll be right there with you watching you. End of discussion.” He finished with a bit of a growl to show you and everyone else he meant business.

The boys all looked to you as if you were the deciding voice, even though you weren’t an alpha. You were his mate and one of the few that could go. If you didn’t want him going, then they’d respect that decision. BUT both you and them also knew it meant trouble for your relationship or whatever it was you had with him if you refused it.

You groaned in frustration and thought while you drug your hands down your face in annoyance. He could get himself hurt. Did you REALLY have it in you today to protect him? You were still so on edge with him near, was it really a GOOD idea for him to be out in the human world right next to you? But part of you also knew full well that he wasn’t going to back down from his insane idea. The best you could do was humor him and PRAY that nothing bad would happen.

“Ugh fine! Whatever. But so help me god, if I have to come save your ass because you get caught, I’m definitely NOT gonna be happy.” You rolled your eyes at his narrowed ones.

He gave you a victorious grin that made you want to grab his face and pull him in for a kiss and smack him for his smugness at the same time. But instead of doing that, you all quickly adjourned to your rooms to get ready for the day to come. You just hoped it wouldn’t all go to shit.

(Updated 9/21)

#seventeen #seventeen au #seventeen angst #seventeen fanfic #seventeen fluff #seventeen smut #seventeen x reader #svt au #seventeen seokmin #seokmin angst #seokmin imagines #svt seokmin #svt dk #dokyeom

[udunie]

playing with the concept of - stiles gets put under a spell that makes it so that he can’t come without vaginal penetration. problem is he doesn’t have a vagina! and instead of ye old book of safely and effectively changing your genetalia through magic, he’s got ye old book of pervy date rape spells, written in Latin and also by a catholic so any mention of anything sexual is extremely euphemistic

but the things in the spell book are mostly only temporary and only become permanent if the person orgasms, and that’s the goal! and stiles knows some counter spells he can chant if he needs to. thing is, a lot of these spells interfere with speech in some way, being spells intended to help rape women, speech and ability to yell therefore being an impediment. one of the usual effects and one that tended to be more permanent than the rest is increased libido. and it’s not a lot per spell, but it builds up as he tries more spells, and makes it way more difficult to concentrate on what the spell is actually saying.

probably it starts out fairly mundane to benevolent, he does a spell that mentions giving an extra hole and it gives him a literal extra hole that’s like a fleshlight connected to his ass, and that’s a great week for stiles if he discounts all the chafing (and maybe the last day when he lost it… but that was just random chance). he finds a few spells that promised to give a tight wet pussy, but they just end up adding qualities to his ass. which like. isn’t bad! but he’s getting more and more desperate to come.

there’s a lot of ways to go from there, but scenario 1 is: he manages to give himself an extremely fertile womb without a pussy. he doesn’t realize this until he does another spell, which EITHER makes him go into heat and get impregnated with canine babies after he goes to the park at night and finds a pack of feral dogs, OR makes everyone think he’s a bitch the sheriff has been trying to get bred for a while and makes him only able to bark. after he has the puppies he realizes it’s permanent - doggy stiles doesn’t have a heat season, he’s just horny all the time because his libido has been pushed up so much and he’s still unable to come. the sheriff would have gotten him fixed in the front ages ago if he was sure it wouldn’t keep him from getting pregnant, but even with the studs he got for stiles he kept bumping things and dripping all over the house. and he had nothing to worry about! the size of stiles’ litters doubled when he had the doc cut all of that off.

the stiles who has permanent heat cycles now maybe manages to handcuff himself to his bed during his heat so he doesn’t go off and fuck every dog in the neighborhood - but making sure he can’t leave doesn’t mean no one else can get in. who knows! maybe someone helped him with the puppy pregnancy and now they’re blackmailing him into fucking and carrying a horse when he doesn’t even have his heat to excuse fucking an animal

Ooo there are a lot of stuff to pic from here, and a lot that I love :D

I could totally see magic gone wrong??? Like, maybe Stiles is really into anal and wants to have his hole self lubricate? Let's say he actually has a little thing going with their pet saint bernard (I would prefer a cane corso, but I don't see the sheriff getting a dog like that lol) and of course all the spells are written in pig latin so its difficult to know for certain what they do.

Stiles finds a spell that claims to make someone a 'gushing like a bitch' and he thinks it will work. It does. Except instead of a slick ass, he gets an extra pussy.

Stiles is pretty sure he can turn this back around, but he wants to have a bit of fun with the dog first - one shouldn't look a gift vag in the mouth or whatever - so they go ahead and have some excellent sex. The dog is even more into it than usual, and even after they're done, he just wants to mount Stiles all the fucking time (not like he is complaining)

Then Stiles tries to reverse the spell and he can't. No matter what he tries, his vag stays. It takes him a few weeks to realize why: because while his pussy looks perfectly human, the spell did promise to change someone into a 'bitch' and the womb connected to his pussy is now carrying some cute little pups. oops.

#prompt box

[anxiousnerdwritings]

(Part 1) zoydzlhfxfzmbdd BRUH. BRUH. BRUH. your writing is phenomenal! Like, can I get the number of the Demon you sold your soul to for writing talent? Because ugh its so fucking good. I love your concepts and headcanons and they're always so in character and fit so well with each yandere like a terrifying PBJ sandwich 🥪. If you're not busy, can I get some uh platonic yandere Superman? Like, just imagine him adopting a dumbass vigilante reader and getting uber protective when he realises

Yandere Platonic!Superman/Clark Kent x Daughter!Reader

Once Clark meets you as your vigilante persona and sees how reckless and careless you really are, he just knows he has to take you in as his own. He's not like Bruce who will gradually get to the point of taking you under his wing and bringing you into the family, no Clark rushes in head first, much like yourself. Now, he knows you're not of legal adopting age but the doesn't keep him from deciding henceforth you will be his daughter.

When Clark does make his fateful visit, your fate was already decided before he even got to your apartment complex. He either got the address from Bruce or from one of the many nights he followed you home, just to ensure you got back safely and without incident. Speaking of which, he'll have to have talk with you about how you late you come home, barely leaving any time for you to get a restful amount of sleep.

Once you open the door and see Superman in all his superhero glory (he didn't even bother changing) you don't have enough time before he's already inside your apartment, looking around and taking everything in. It's obvious that you're a broke college student just by how bare and empty the place is. You're still babbling on about how he found you and what the hell's going on. Clark already thinks this place isn't good enough for you by any means. Looking through your cupboards only to find cup'o'noodles, peanut butter and RedBull. Yeah this isn't going to fly with him. He's surprised you've made it this far on your own, but now you don't have to survive by yourself cause Clark's here now.

You won't be able to talk your way out of anything with Clark, if he has his mind already set on something then that's what he's gonna go with. You'll be packed up and moved into his house in no time, probably the same night he comes to your apartment. You're pretty sure you're being kidnapped and you are, but Clark's just taking his daughter home. He's too delusional and too far gone to see his actions as anything other than what they are and to him, he's taking care of his precious baby girl and making sure your needs are met.

If you have a job, Clark will be there especially if it's a job like being a cashier, server, or something of the sort. He'll drop by to check in on you and make sure everything's going well. He doesn't necessarily like you working, he and Lois could take care of you, but it is a proud moment to see his Daughter being responsible and doing grown up things. He'll take sneaky photos of you while your working just to send them to Lois or Bruce, bragging about how well you're working and how much of a little worker bee you are. All the while you're having an existential crisis about this strange man who keeps referring to himself as your Dad and how he basically kidnapped you the day before, after not even meeting him for the first time.

Speaking of Lois, she and the rest of the Superfamily have already been well aware of Clark bringing you home, he hadn't stopped talking about leading up to the day he actually brought you home. Lois was hesitant and apprehensive about at first but once he brought you home, she saw exactly what Clark had seen in you. In that moment she accepted that this was the best choice for you. You're still very much in a panic over the whole thing especially when you're all sitting at the dinner table and everyone's acting like this is what you've all been doing for years, being completely normal and not uttering a word about what all has gone down in the last few days.

If you have a boyfriend or girlfriend, you won't anymore after Clark finds out. He won't allow you to date at any age, you're going to stay his precious baby girl. He can't fathom the thought of you getting married or having kids, not that he's opposed to grandkids, he just is opposed to everything leading up to grandkids. He wants to keep in his mind that you're his pure and innocent daughter and that no one has tainted you or anything. If you've already had intimate relationships, it would be best to keep that to yourself.

Clark is always listening to your heart beat, keeping track of even the smallest changes in the rhythmic beating. He'll use his x-ray vision while you're both out on patrol to check for any internal damage or injuries. God forbid if he finds any, you're being rushed to the hospital right away, no ifs, ands, or buts. He'll stay with you the whole time. Now if Clark knows who hurt you or even the slightest inkling they're a goner. He'll track them down and beat them to a pulp, maybe even killing them in the process.

Clark probably has a parenting book about How to Raise a Daughter. He'll take advice from Lois, Kara and Karen but he'll usually go with his gut. He'll treat you a lot like a toddler or middle schooler than an actually college aged person. When you're old enough to drink, he'll probably have a heart attack. Clark just can't take the thought of you going to a bar and getting drunk and then the thought of some grubby drunk person hitting on you or making you feel uncomfortable just gets him all kinds of angry. Lois would be the voice of reason, telling you to date and to go out and have fun but to be safe about it, while Clark is off to the side with his arms crossed and huffing like a child who didn't get his way. If you do go out, Clark will follow whether as Superman or where some ridiculous disguise.

God forbid if you actually do sneak out and go on dates behind his back, Clark will feel both betrayed and upset. He'll pull that "I'm not mad, just disappointed" card on you and you'll probably feel like a piece of shit for making him upset. But then you remember that this man KIDNAPPED YOU and MADE YOU HIS DAUGHTER!!!! But the psychological aspect of being told that you disappointed someone does hit deep and you'll probably come around to apologizing to him and promising him you won't do it again. He'll use that on you a lot to make you more compliant.

If you do have your own REAL family and you're close with them, Clark will probably orchestrate something to get rid of them. Like some sort of weird accident or putting the blame on a specific villain. He was just a little too late to save them and he'll hold you as you collapse into his arms crying. As much as it kills Clark to see you hurting, it had to be done. He'll be right by your side the whole time, even at the funeral he'll be right there for you. You won't feel alone with Clark around, he'll make sure of it. If you want space Clark will hesitantly give it to you, but he's using his super hearing and x-ray vision to make sure you're okay, periodically checking in on you using his powers. You don't know what all you've gotten thrown into and you won't be able to claw your way out of it, it's just best to play along and keep the facade going on. Who knows maybe you'll believe sooner or later, maybe you'll become just as delusional as your "dad", if only.

#yandere superman #yandere platonic superman #yandere platonic imagine #yandere clark kent #yandere clark kent imagine #yandere dc imagine #yandere dc #yandere writings #yandere imagines #yandere #dc comics imagine #platonic superman imagine #platonic clark kent imagine #superman imagine #superfamily imagine

[thinkingimmensely]

Like an Open Book VIII

Part 1 | Part 7 | Part 9

A/N: Hi everyone! I’m sorry for the long hiatus! I mentioned in my previous updates that life has been a roller coaster and the pandemic isn’t helping at all. But I’m slowly getting back on my feet and I actually enjoy writing again lately. So here’s the long awaited update for this story! <3  I hope everyone is doing great, stay safe guys! 

Also, I tried something different in the start, I hope ya’ll don’t mind! :D

MASTERLIST

Disclaimer: I don’t own anything from the Potterverse!

___________________

E c h o e s

Your mind was like a cave that had voices bouncing off its walls; echoing deeper in its crevice.

You’ve lost yourself in that cave countless of times before, each one was not a moment you looked back on fondly. Now you’re back and it seemed like the rocky walls of thoughts were closing in on you.

C    l   o   s  i  n g   r i g h t   in

Covering your ears didn’t help, but you did it anyway. People were running amok; children were being separated from their parents, friends were losing each other in the crowd and you couldn’t focus even if you had to- the voices in reality was being mixed with the ones in your head.

Everyone was screaming.

You felt someone pull you away just as a flash of green hit the spot where you just stood.

You didn’t even know who he was.

“Y/N, are you all right?!” The person shook you, and you looked into hazel eyes that were wide with worry and fright. His hands held you by your shoulders in a vice-like grip and you were pretty sure he wasn’t even aware of it himself. “Stay with me. Focus on me.” His voice left no room for argument and you found yourself keenly aware of how close your bodies were. If the both of you weren’t stuck in this life or death situation, you would’ve turned into a million shades of red right now.

The both of you were hunched back behind some bushes, shielding you from the sight of any Death Eater around the area. He pried your hands away from your ears, his eyes never leaving yours, “I won’t let anything happen to you.”  

You didn’t realize you were crying until now, but everything in your head seemed quieter as James Potter’s thoughts drowned everyone else’s away. I’ll keep you safe, we’ll get out of here, we’ll get out. You breathed in a shaky breath and got your wand out of the pocket of your hoodie. “I won’t let anything happen to you too.”

-FIVE DAYS AGO-

You and Remus shared a look as the three boys who sat across from you devoured their ice cream as fast as they could; seems like the concept of brain freeze was foreign to them.

The five of you were currently at the ice cream parlor Remus had mentioned in his letter. He was quite surprised when the lot of you arrived, quite the contrary to when you, James, and Sirius had gone to get Peter; the blonde was quite ecstatic, having already packed his stuff. It was as if he was already waiting for you guys to arrive even though none of the boys had sent a word beforehand of the plans.

The parlor was jam-packed with people trying to escape from the heat, it was a miracle that you even found seats to begin with.

You heard a series of hushed whispers and giggling and you turned to see the girls from the neighboring table eye the boys with you, particularly Sirius. It was something to get used to- gathering the attention of people by being associated with these four, and you didn’t know if you’d ever get used to it.  

Remus gained your attention soon enough by asking how the boys were able to get you to go with them. James had no problem retelling the entire endeavor in your stead though, saying that you glossed over the best parts and to let the pro-storyteller do the talking. Much to your dismay and embarrassment, he had included the part where you nearly fell off Sirius’ bike on the way to Peter’s.

Remus’s chuckles died down as he grinned at you, “Cheer up Y/N, I’m sure you’ll get a hang of it soon enough.”

You quirked an eyebrow at him, “Yeah, no. I’m not riding that thing-” You pointed your spoon to the motorbike parked right across the street under some tree for shade. “-ever again.”  

Sirius grinned at you but before he could get a word out, one if the girls had arrived at your table, a confident glint in her eye and a light blush across her powdered face. “Hey.” She greeted.

A chorus of hey’s and hello’s rang out from your group in reply.

“Um, so my friends and I couldn’t help but notice you guys and we just wanted to ask if you lot wanted to hang out back at my place? We have a pool and everything and we could just chill y’know?” She flipped her long, silky blonde hair back her shoulders.

You tore your eyes away from her and saw Peter awaiting the other’s answer, you knew he wanted them to say yes without even having to look into his mind. Remus looked uncomfortable while James and Sirius shared a look.

“Sorry, but we’re kind of busy later.” Sirius drawled out smoothly. “Y’see we’re only here for a couple of hours before we leave.”

Disappointment flashed in her eyes but she still looked quite determined, “Well what about we hang out right now? You guys can order another serving of ice cream.”

Sirius beamed at her, his perfect white pearls showing. “Sorry lovely, but we’re kind of in a middle of something.” It was James who replied this time. He had also stolen a spoonful of your ice cream, sighing in delight of the cool treat.  

The girl turned away in a huff, angry at the rejection. After everyone was done eating, you guys stood up to leave, you followed behind the boys, not at all that eager to get out of the cool building and into the scorching heat.

“I don’t understand why you guys came all the way out here to get me when I could’ve just used the Floo network to get to James’.” Remus said once the five of you neared his house.  

“And pass up the chance to try out my new bike? No sir.” Sirius snorted.

“Besides,” James started, “We wanted to try that ice cream shop you mentioned in your letters.”  

You trailed behind them as you listened to their conversation, kicking some pebbles out of your way. The heat was beating down you with the afternoon sun and you could feel the sweat trickle down your forehead, which you hastily wiped away. The walk to Remus’ house was fairly far, probably because his parents thought it was better to isolate themselves (albeit not totally) due to their son’s condition.  

“You alright Y/N?” James asked as he matched his pace with yours, his three friends talking a few feet ahead of them. He fished out a handkerchief from his pocket and ran it through your forehead. “I guess you don’t do well with heat?”

“I just haven’t been outside for a while.” You replied and flushed as he dabbed his handkerchief behind your neck. You immediately took the hankie from him, “Icoulddothatmyselfthankyou.” You hastily blurted. You missed the amused smirks the three boys threw your way having just witness the scene because you were busy being too self-conscious about yourself to notice.  

When you reached the humble home of the Lupins, his father Lyall Lupin, greeted all of you warmly while his mother, Hope, sat by the dinner table, a book on her lap as she drank her afternoon tea. “You must be Y/N,” She smiled fondly at you before Remus could even introduce you. “You’re much prettier in person than from the photograph.” She held out her hand and you reached out to shake it, confusion evident on your face.  

Sirius beamed brightly, “Pardon me, was I hearing things or is it true that Remus keeps a photograph of Y/N?” He turned to look at James in amusement, the bespectacled boy looked absolutely annoyed with this new piece of information.  

“Mother, honestly,” Remus whined, “I keep a picture of all my close friends. You’re giving them the wrong idea.” Hope laughed softly, apologizing for teasing her son.  

The Lupin couple nonchalantly agreed to let Remus visit the Potter residence, they were glad he was going out to spend time with his friends actually, completely different from your family who just wanted you out of the house because they didn’t want to deal with you.  

James, Remus, and yourself would be taking the Floo Network from this point while Sirius and Peter would continue the journey using Sirius’ bike just because it wouldn’t fit inside the fireplace. James headed towards the Fireplace first while Remus said his goodbyes to his parents.  

“Have a grand time, son.” Lyall patted him on the shoulder while his mother gave him a hug. “Take care, Remus, have fun.”  

You turned away and approached James instead of lingering around the family. “So,” you started, “I heard you had a lake behind your house.”

He grinned at you, “You been asking about me?” You could practically feel his ego inflating with the very thought. 

“No,” You deadpanned, “Remus just told me you guys take dips there every summer.” You answered, wiping the grin off of his face. He furrowed his brows at you and his mouth formed a thin line. Was bringing his huge head back down to earth really that bad? You waited for him to reply, and he was about to, but Remus arrived at that moment, his backpack slung over his shoulders, he took his place beside you which irked the raven-haired boy more.  

You arrived at the Potter’s residence without a hitch, and Fleamont and Euphemia Potter greeted all of you, already expecting your arrival. They gave you the extra bedroom to yourself while the boys would be sharing James’ room. James had already taken the liberty to deposit your bag there while Euphemia brewed tea and baked cookies for everyone.  

“Is there anything I can help with?” You asked the aging lady as she scurried about the kitchen. Fleamont and Remus were at the living room playing Wizard’s Chess.  

“Oh, you can place the cookies on a plate Y/N dear, I think they’ve cooled down now.” She answered, flashing a motherly smile your way. Such a pretty, young lass.  

“Thank you.” you answered, flushing from the compliment.

Euphemia looked at you questioningly, “Whatever for, dear?”

Oh. You mentally smacked yourself. Why the hell did you keep on doing this? You should really pay more attention. “I mean, for having us over.” Nice save.  

Euphemia waved you off, “It’s nothing dear. Friends of Jamie is always welcomed here. Thank you also, for putting up with the boys, I know they can be a handful sometimes, but they’re good lads.”

“Something smells heavenly in here.” James’ voice boomed as he entered the kitchen. Before you could transfer the cookie to the plate, James appeared right beside you and took a bite. You turned to him but was taken aback by how close he was that your noses were nearly bumping each other. Whatever you were about to say was forgotten as you could feel your blood rush to your face.  

He was so close that you could see the golden specks on those ocean eyes behind his dark-rimmed glasses. Someone cleared their throat and you immediately moved back, keeping your emotions and you Legilimency at check. Because whatever that feeling was that glazed on the eyes of the boy, you didn’t want to know.  

“You two seem close.” Sirius’ commented, his shit-eating on that obnoxious face.

“Oh, sod of Pads.” James retorted as you busied yourself, obviously feeling awkward about whatever just happened.  

“James, mind your manners.” His mother scolded as Sirius approached the older woman and greeted her with a hug. “Had a safe ride, Sirius?” She asked.

“That’s right, not one itsy bitsy accident.” He replied and took a cookie from the cooling rack. “You still make the best cookies, Euphemia.”  

“I’ll take these to the others then.” You mumbled, Euphemia calling out a thank you before you completely escaped the kitchen.  

You took your seat beside Remus after you set the cookies on the coffee table. They were just about finished with the game and Fleamont was losing.  

“Okay?” Remus asked when you sat down, you flashed him ma smile and nodded, so he turned back to the game. “I think that’s checkmate, sir.”  

Fleamont stared at the board for a couple of seconds before sighing in defeat; he held out his hand, which Remus gladly shook. “Good game as always, Remus.”

“Always a pleasure.” The brunette replied. James and Sirius entered the living room carrying the teapot and cups, setting the things down on table beside the cookies.  

“I almost forgot!” Sirius exclaimed when Remus started pouring tea for everyone. He fished out a crumpled paper from the pocket of jacket and presented it to you guys. “A concert!”

You huddled together as you tried to read the fine print. “A Muggle concert.” You pointed out. You’ve never been in one of those, but you weren’t a fan from the get-go. Didn’t concerts normally have a lot of people?

“Sounds brilliant!” James took the poster from his best friend’s hands and read it, “It says it takes place 5 days from now at the next town.”

“I don’t think it’s such a good idea-” Remus tried to object, and with the concerned look he gave you, you know it was on your benefit.  

“Oh come on, lighten up Moony. This will be epic.” Sirius argued.  

“I-I agree, I think it’ll be fun.” You voiced out hesitantly and Sirius looked at you with a bright smile.

“See?! Even Y/N agrees with me. Don’t be such a sour potato and let’s just go to enjoy. It is summer after all.

“Are you sure?” Remus whispered.  

“It’ll be fine.” You tried to convince not only Remus, but also yourself. It’ll be fine, what’s the worst that could happen, right?

___________________ 

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[alpacaparkaseok]

Mine

12. Skydiving with no parachute

Genre: Min Yoongi x oc

Warnings: none

Word Count: 3.3k

“You’re all packed and ready to go, right?” Sebastian’s voice is loud and clear as I put him on speaker phone and place him on the nightstand.

“Just about,” I respond, folding another shirt and placing it in my suitcase. “I’m just wrapping it up right now. What time will you guys be here tomorrow?”

Bong-cha is out for a meeting at the Bighit building, she promised to come back as soon as possible so we could enjoy the evening together. I decided to make the most of my afternoon and pack everything up.

“Rhea said we’ll swing by at 6.”

Our flight leaves tomorrow morning at 9:30, sending us back over to Europe for another week of promos and then we’ll be off to the states. Home sweet home.

“Ok, sounds great.”

“See ya tomorrow.”

“Bye.”

For all that’s gone on over the past few weeks, today is too calm and quiet. I have the entire house to myself, nobody is blowing up my phone, and I have nowhere to really go today. Any other day, I would have been over the moon about my current situation...but I can’t help but feel a little restless.

Yoongi and I brainstormed yesterday for a long time, trying to figure out just how we were going to make this work. Living on opposite sides of the world and the both of us having busy schedules that just so happen to be in the spotlight isn’t exactly making this easy.

There was a point yesterday where Yoongi stopped mid-sentence and looked at me with bright red cheeks.

“Is this moving too fast? I mean, I know you said we’re on the same page, but I think we should try to make this as normal as possible, you know?”

That statement alone was enough to have me swooning over him all over again. “I’m with you on that. I think right now...should we just focus on the basics?”

To be honest, I still don’t even know what we are, but I’m just happy to know that we are something.

At least, that’s what I’m trying to entertain myself with now that I’m just sitting on the couch and staring at Bong-cha’s TV. I’m not even sure what I’m watching, the thoughts in my head are too loud to think around anyway.

There’s a lot that I end up doing within the confines of the apartment. I can safely say that I’ve completed 12 ½ squats, 3 pushups, and one thirty second wall sit.

I’ve also eaten approximately three meals in the past two hours, so yeah. Boredom can be a dangerous thing, can’t it?

The reality of the situation is this: I’ve completed everything I need to do for the day, and now I’m just trying to stop myself from marching back into my room and folding Yoongi’s black shirt for the fifth time.

Eventually I end up scrolling through the outlines my agent has sent me, mulling over each option. There’s one project that is especially calling my name, but from what I’ve heard there’s a couple of pretty big actresses going after it.

I’m in the middle of a very convincing monologue when Bong-cha walks in.

“Wow,” she chuckles at me while dropping her bag on the counter. “Looks like you’re having a great time.”

“Oh, yeah.” I shrug, putting my phone away. “I’m trying to memorize this monologue for an audition. It’s all about this forbidden love back in the 1700s, it sounds like it would be pretty intense. But people love that kind of crap, you know? Hey, how was your meeting?”

Bong-cha is slipping into her room to change into something more comfortable. “It was fine, pretty boring. Just wrapping up some final details. Jungkook said to tell you hello, by the way.”

We both know who I’m really itching to ask about, but I refrain from asking for the time being. “So what’s on the agenda for tonight? We can go out, eat at that one restaurant, you know the one by the park? That place never gets old. Or we can stay in, order takeout.” I quickly add once I notice the look of pure exhaustion on Bong-cha’s face.

Rolling her shoulders, she shoots me a tired smile. “Don’t you want to go out? I don’t want to be lame for your last night here.”

“No, I really don’t care. Sometimes it’s nice to just chill at home.”

It doesn’t take much more convincing before Bong-cha is on the phone and ordering up some food. We settle down in the front room, bickering over different movies and chatting about my promo schedule.

“So you’re going back to Europe? Why? Weren’t you just there?”

I shrug my shoulders. “Yeah, but we weren’t able to finish up everything that we wanted to because we came here. So we’ll be there for a week in Germany and Italy.”

“And then you’re heading home?”

“Yep.”

“When are you going to start bringing me souvenirs? I always-” Bong-cha is cut off by the sound of someone knocking on the door. “Oh, there’s the food. Anyways, like I was saying- oh!”

I jump up from my seat, heart pounding in my chest as I hope against hope that a certain dear friend of mine is at the door.

“Hi, I intercepted your delivery guy.”

Jimin holds up our food with a shy smile, giving me a little wave. Bong-cha takes a moment to recover, but when she does she invites him in and scolds him for doing the deliverer’s job.  

“Are you packed now?” Jimin asks me from where he’s unloading our food on the counter. Bong-cha is moving about in a frenzy, pulling glasses from the cupboards and shooting me panicked expressions any chance she gets.

It’s all I can do to not burst out laughing at the situation. “Yeah, everything is ready to go. Actually, would you mind taking something back to Yoongi for me?” When Jimin nods I rush into my room and grab the black t-shirt from my bed.

“Wow, you stole his clothes? That’s pretty bold of you,” Jimin teases me before setting the shirt down where he’ll remember it. “Here’s your plate.”

I take the plate from him, making some lame excuse about needing something from the kitchen and sidling over to Bong-cha. “Invite him to stay for the movie,” I breathe out, hoping she hears me.

“Have you eaten?” Bong-cha asks as she stomps on my foot. I yelp, rushing out of the kitchen.

“No, not yet. I’ll eat later, though.”

“Well...Cara and I were just going to watch a movie tonight. You can stay if you want, we’ll order more food.”

Jimin’s smile could power New York City as he looks at Bong-cha. “Sure, that’d be nice.”

We fall into an easy conversation, the three of us lounging about and scarfing down our food. Jimin ends up ordering a ghastly amount of food and treats, so much that it looks like we’re hosting a party. I can tell that Bong-cha is one churro away from offering Jimin her hand in marriage as he laughs at a funny part in the movie.

7:06 ME: Soooo Jimin and Bong-cha?

It’s surprisingly easy to angle my phone away from their attention as the two of them are lost in their own little world. One watches the movie while the other watches the person, and then they switch.

7:09 MYG: What, the fact that he’s completely whipped for her?

“What are you over there giggling about?” Bong-cha asks me, wiggling her eyebrows. Jimin tries to do the same, looking like some evil experiment.

“What? The movie is really funny.”

“Cara.”

“Yeah?”

“The main character’s mother just died.”

“Oh.”

Jimin leans back, stretching a bit. “I bet she’s texting Yoongi. That’s all he’s ever doing these days, anyways.” My face burns which leads Jimin to give a triumphant shout.

“Has he confessed his undying love for you yet?” Bong-cha asks. Jimin jumps in next.

“He basically did yesterday, didn’t he?”

“No, Cara just said that they’re working through the basics. No ‘I love yous’ or anything yet.”

“Yeah,” Jimin rests his hands on his knees, angling himself toward Bong-cha. “But actions speak louder than words.”

Now Bong-cha leans forward as well, my own participation in this conversation long forgotten. “That’s true, but you can’t just rely on actions alone! Sometimes words are necessary.”

“So girls want actions and words?”

“Of course they do! Actions can be misleading, words at least offer a clear explanation!”

Jimin looks like he’s caught between telling Bong-cha he loves her or pulling her closer. “But words can be misleading as well! Why can’t people just connect the dots through someone’s actions?”

7:12 ME: Oh my gosh they’ve got it baaaad

7:12 ME: This is honestly the most fun I’ve had all day, just watching them. Are they always this oblivious?

“Because nobody should have to rely on that one thing alone! There should be a healthy balance between actions and words. Say what you intend, and follow up with your actions! It’s as simple as that!” Bong-cha is nearly panting, but there’s a hint of a smile curling around her lips.

Jimin scans her face for a moment longer, eyes lingering on the bridge of her nose and the way her hair falls into her face when she’s riled up.

“Huh. Interesting.” With that Jimin sits back, returning his attention to the screen. Bong-cha follows suit almost immediately.

“Idiots,” I mumble under my breath.

“What was that?” Bong-cha asks.

“Oh, nothing. Just reading out loud.”

🌙

12:17 MYG: Sorry, I just got out of a meeting. I didn’t mean to not respond. To answer your question, yes. They’re always like that.

I’m wide awake and staring up at the ceiling when Yoongi messages me. Snatching my phone from the bedside table, I scan the text.

12:18 ME: You just finished your meeting? Why was it so late?

12:20 MYG: I had to change some things with the mixtape, so there were a lot of things to go over.

Frowning, I hastily type out another question.

12:21 ME: What are you changing? I thought it was perfect the way it was before, but I’m sure whatever you changed will be good too.

12:25 MYG: It’s not as bad as it sounds. I just finally found a concept that I thought really fit. Now we’re just trying to make sure everything flows with the concept.

12:27 ME: What’s the new concept?

A while passes before Yoongi responds, and I try to trick myself into thinking that we’re done talking for the night so I can finally get some rest. Of course, once my phone lights up with a new message I’m just as awake as ever.

12:52 MYG: You’ll see when it drops in December 😌

12:55 ME: Rude.

12:57 MYG: Aren’t you supposed to be sleeping right now? What time are you leaving in the morning?

1:00 ME: Leaving here at 6, flight leaves at 9:30.

Sighing into the darkness I watch at those three little dots appear at the bottom of the screen. I can’t lie and say that I wasn’t disappointed that I didn’t even get to see Yoongi today, but it’s just now that I’m realizing I didn’t even get to say goodbye.

I’ve told myself a million times today that this is just how it’s going to be, and that I’ll just take what I can get. If it’s tired late night texts, then I’ll take it.

I think that scares me. It scares me, how little I want from him. How he has so much sway over my heart.

It’s a good scary, I think. Like the kind of scared you get before you jump out of a plane, your first time going skydiving. Right now I’m just hoping that my parachute isn’t riddled with holes, but as I stare at those three little dots, I’m wondering if I even remembered to put a parachute on in the first place.

1:02 MYG: You should go to sleep, Car. Let’s facetime tomorrow? Just shoot me a text when you land.

As my tired fingers text out a goodnight, I can’t help but feel like I’m an idiot for skydiving without a parachute, because the ground seems to be approaching too fast.

🌙

All I know is there’s an alarm going off, and I want to kill it.

“Whaaaat do you want from meeee,” I groan out as I fumble in the darkness for my phone. Once it’s silenced, I check the time.

5:15 am. I’m disgusted.

Stumbling around the room until I hit the lightswitch, I hiss as light fills the room. Through squinted eyes I can see my suitcase and the clothes I laid out for today. I’m ashamed to say that I nearly sustained a concussion while attempting to put my pants on, my tangled legs and the dresser being the main culprits.

I think it goes without saying that by the time I emerge from the room and finish brushing my teeth, I’m ready to go back to bed.

The sounds of Bong-cha using the toaster guide me, suitcase in tow. Now comes the hardest part: saying goodbye.

“Do you want jam as well or just butter?” A deep, tired sounding voice asks me.

Min Yoongi stands before the toaster, decked out in sweats and a sweatshirt. His hair is a mess, standing up on the ends. His eyes are still half-closed, his lips in a pout as he turns to face me.

I gape at him, taking in what I think might be his best choice of outfit ever. “Is this a dream?”

He shakes his head slowly. “It’s too cold outside to be a dream. Jam or just butter?”

Later I’ll cover for myself and claim that my tears were just a side effect of the early morning and the long day ahead of me, but right now I can’t think up any excuse as hot tears start falling down my cheeks.

“J-jam.”

Yoongi’s eyes widen as he notices my predicament, and he clears the kitchen in no time, leaving the toast abandoned. I think he must be tired as well, because he doesn’t even hesitate before pulling me into his arms and squeezing me tight.

My arms wrap around his back, hands getting lost in the fabric of his hoodie. He presses his lips to the top of my head, the action causing me to snuggle in even deeper and get his hoodie all wet with my tears.

“Y-you came...and made m-me toast?” The words are muffled, but it’s quiet enough in the house that he hears me.

“Should I not have?” Yoongi asks, and I pull away just enough to look up at him, scowling.

“No, I’m happy you d-did. It’s just…” I take a steadying breath, more tears flooding my eyes as Yoongi looks down at me with a soft expression I’ve never seen before.

“I know.” He pulls me back in, hands rubbing soothing circles on my back. “I know, Car.”

We stay like that for a long while, and it’s only when my sniffles have subsided that Yoongi gently takes my hands in his and leads me over to the kitchen island. I sit down, watching as he spreads butter and then jam onto my toast.

Setting the plate before me he reaches into the fridge for some orange juice and pours us both a glass.

“Sorry, it’s probably cold now.”

I shake my head, taking another bite. “Still tastes good. Thank you.”

“Oh, that reminds me.” Yoongi gets up, one hand tracing over my shoulders and he walks over to the couch. “This is for you.”

He hands me a small package wrapped in brown wrapping paper, a black ribbon tied around the middle. I raise my eyebrows at him.

“A present? Can I open it?”

“Open it when you get to your hotel tonight.” Yoongi looks a bit embarrassed as he sits back down, and I realize that he might be feeling a little out of his element here. After all, when was the last time he ever had a relationship?

I get up and put the package away in my suitcase, groaning when I check the time. Everyone should be here in about 5 minutes.

“Times up?”

Looking up I see Yoongi wandering over to me, hands pushing his hair back in an effort to tame it. I nod solemnly.

We don’t speak a word as I meet him halfway, fingers entangling themselves in the hair at the nape of his neck. He closes his eyes for a moment, and I take advantage of the situation, leaning up and pressing a peck to his jaw.

I can hear his sharp intake of breath, quickly followed by Bong-cha’s annoyed voice.

“Really? Get a room, losers.”

Blushing madly, I try to squirm out of Yoongi’s grasp but his gruff laugh has me stilling in his arms. “Turn around, Bong-cha.” Without waiting to see if she will, Yoongi leans down and presses a long, slow kiss to my lips.

It’s not nearly long enough as the sound of a car honking outside pulls us apart. Yoongi has a somber look in his eyes as he gives me an encouraging nod and a small peck to my forehead before stepping back.

Bong-cha skips forward, launching herself into my arms. “You two are gross, but I still love you.”

“Love you too,” I whisper, my tears threatening to make a reappearance. Bong-cha seems to pick up on it, shoving the handle of my suitcase into my hands and pushing me toward the door.

Yoongi beats me to it, swinging it open and clenching his jaw as a blast of cold air hits us. Without a word he takes my suitcase and heads out, leaving me with nothing to do but follow him and hope I have everything.

“Bong-cha?” I turn around to see my friend wrapping her arms around her middle.

“Yeah?”

“Keep me updated. Jimin...he really likes you.”

My friend doesn’t have it in her to roll her eyes, instead just nodding before waving me off. She’s never been one for goodbyes.

Yoongi is already at the car, handing my suitcase off to Ren who hoists it into the car. He looks like he’s freezing, but as he turns to wave me over I decide that freezing looks good on him.  

“Be careful, call me, text me, have a safe flight-”

“You’ve got to stop worrying so much, Yoongs.”

Smiling down at me even as he shivers, Yoongi pulls me in for another embrace. There are so many words hanging between us, but I choose to sweep past them and opt to nuzzle my face deeper into Yoongi’s neck.

“See you soon.”

I sigh, hoping that I will. “Yeah, soon.”

🌙

The airport, flight, and car ride to the hotel pass in a blur of shapes and colors. I vaguely remember there being a mob at both the Seoul and Berlin airports, but I was stuffed so tightly between security that I could hardly see anything.

Now, sitting on the edge of my bed, I hold onto the little package from Yoongi. Holding my breath, I untie the ribbon and tear open the paper, chewing on my lip.

An audible gasp leaves my lips as I hold up Yoongi’s black t-shirt. As it unfolds, a small slip of paper flutters to the ground. Holding the shirt to my nose I grin as I realize Yoongi must have sprayed it with his cologne. I wonder who’s idea that was; my bet is on Jimin.

Grabbing the paper, I flip it over to see Yoongi’s handwriting.

It looks better on you.

Chuckling softly to myself, I hurry and slip the shirt over my head. It’s quiet in here, but soon the sound of my video call fills the room as I anxiously wait for Yoongi to pick up.

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[yungidreamer]

Studied

Home should be safe, but sometimes innocent things have unintended consequences. 

Angst, lots of angst, sorry, I promise things get better

Pairing: Yunho, Mingi, unnamed female character, established poly relationship

Word count: 6.2k

Content warnings: people dealing with homophobia and internalized homophobia and fears of ostracization. Struggles with decisions about being out and self acceptance.

“Can I get you something to drink?” Yunho asked over his shoulder as Hong Joong pulled his books out of his bag and onto the kitchen table.

“Sure,” Hong Joong nodded.

“Soda, juice, sparkling water,” Yunho listed out the drinks he could see in the fridge. “Something aloe...not sure what that is.”

“How about a soda,” Hong Joong chuckled, amused by the last observation. Yunho pulled two cans out, one for each of them, and joined him at the table.

“Thanks for coming over to help me study,” Yunho said, opening his notebook. “Some of this science is just going right over my head…”

“No problem,” he waved away the thanks and turned to the start of the chapter they had spent the week covering in class. “The material is hard. I’m just lucky I basically took this in high school. I did AP chem.”

“Thank god you sat next to me,” Yunho laughed. “I’ll pay you back with dinner tonight. I can look and see what we have later. If we don’t have anything worth eating we can just order something when my roommates get back.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Hong Joong agreed with a smile. “Okay Phases and Classifications of Matter, have you ever heard such a scintillating opener?”

“Mmmm, sexy,” Yunho joked back. The tension broken, they set about going through the dense material of the chapter, doing their best to slog through, focusing on the definitions and concepts that would likely be covered in the test next week. Yunho wrote out notes as they went through, comparing them to those he had taken in class.

“I just keep getting stuck on what the hell the difference is between weight and mass,” Yunho cradled his head, staring at the paper in front of him. “I know they are different, I do, it’s just…”

“Okay, okay, just think of it as like...the mass is how much space it takes up,” Hong Joong mimed out a sphere in the air in front of him. “If you have something this size, the mass is going to be the same here, or in space, or on Jupiter, but the weight depends on how that mass interacts with gravity. The mass of something, how much there is of it, doesn’t change, but it’s weight depends on how gravity attracts it to other bodies.”

“Okay I think I get it,” Yunho nodded, scribbling something down. “Let’s see if it sticks.”

A whooshing clunk sounded as the front door opened and someone entered the house. Yunho hopped up, leaving Hong Joong at the table as he went to go greet whoever it was. The heavy footfalls that approached, told him it was Mingi that had arrived home first. The two met near the kitchen door, their paths crossing just outside the double wide door between the kitchen and the living room.

“Hey I--” Yunho started to mention that he had a friend over to study but was cut off by a happy and eager Mingi, who had greeted his approach with his trademark full face grin, taking his head in his hands and bringing his lips to his own for a joyful kiss. He was happy to be home; happy to have the week over; happy to touch someone he loved. 

Yunho froze, immediately regretting not messaging Mingi that he was bringing someone over to study. The study session hadn’t been planned. He had only asked him if he was free as they were packing up at the end of the class. It hadn’t crossed his mind to message her or Mingi that he was bringing someone by to work with. He couldn’t have even guaranteed that Mingi would have seen it if he did. He turned his phone off in class and sometimes forgot to turn it back on before he got back. After all, class was less than a half an hours walk from their front door. Maybe it would have been useless, but at least then he would have tried.

Mingi broke the kiss, pulling back to look lovingly at Yunho’s face. He could see it, the moment that Mingi saw, over his shoulder, that someone else was there. His face fell and he blanched. Without a word, he stepped back, turning to go down the hall as quickly as he could manage.

“Mingi wait,” Yunho called after him, his guest at the table forgotten, aside from the unintended impact his presence had had on the boy he loved. “Hey, wait—” He called out again as Mingi disappeared through the door to his room, slamming it closed behind him.

She entered the front door, taking off her headphones as she stepped inside. Putting down her book bag next to the couch, she headed for the kitchen to look for something to snack on while she waited to talk to the boys about dinner. An unfamiliar face greeted her in the kitchen, which oddly looked more surprised to be there than she felt to find him there.

“Uh, hi,” she greeted.

“Hi--hello,” the boy quickly stood up, extending his hand to her. “I’m Hong Joong, I’m in Yunho’s chemistry class. We were studying…”

“Ah, well, welcome,” she gave him a welcoming study. “Did Yunho go to the bathroom or…” Her eyes scanned the study material still strewn across the table, clearly still in use. 

“Oh well,” Hong Joong shifted uncomfortably. “I think his boyfriend was surprised I was here… I didn’t mean...It isn’t a problem that he’s gay.”

“Boyfriend…” she froze, blinking, as if that would solve the malfunction that was happening in her mind.

“Yeah,” he sighed. “The kiss was actually kind of cute, they seem like a sweet couple, but I guess maybe they aren’t out and...it’s not a problem. I’m not going to say anything. I won’t say anything.”

“Thanks,” She plastered a bland smile on her face. “It’s just...things are complicated at the moment.”

“No I understand,” He nodded, a regretful look on his face.

“I hate to leave you alone,” she sighed. “But do you mind if I go check on them?”

“No, yeah, that’s fine.” He insisted. “Just— Should I go, or…”

“Ummm, let me go check on them,” she shifted, looking towards the hall. “Yunho might want to study a little more or at least say goodbye, so, maybe wait.”

“Yeah, right, sure,” Hong Joong nodded, stepping backwards toward his seat, a worried look still on his face.

“Thanks, really,” she gave him a smile before setting off for the hallway, mentally cursing everything...Mingi’s father most of all. She found Yunho in the hall, leaning against Mingi’s private bedroom door, his forehead pressed against the white wood as he said something she couldn’t quite make out until she drew near.

“...if you would just let me in,” Yunho spoke to the person on the other side of the door.

“What happened,” she whispered harshly, keeping her voice low so that it wouldn’t travel to the kitchen.

“It...it all just happened so fast,” Yunho looked pained as he turned slightly to look at her. “I just wanted to study a little and I forgot to message either of you. He just came home...and I was going to tell him...I was headed to tell him I had brought home a friend...but he got to me first, and he was so happy to see me, he just...it was just a kiss. He should be able to come home and kiss me if he wants. Home should be safe. I...I fucked up.”

“Okay,” she nodded, running a hand over his arm. “First, what do you want to do with your friend?”

“I don’t know,” Yunho rubbed his face, feeling like there was no winning for him at the moment.

“Do you need to study?” She decided to focus on the practical things first.

“Yes, I’m an idiot when it comes to chemistry and—“ 

“Okay, then go, explain what you need to, to your friend,” She sighed, casting a look to the closed door. “Study for another hour or however long you can concentrate tonight. If you can’t, then talk to him and plan something over the weekend. Maybe meet at the library or something. I’ll see if I can’t talk to Mingi.”

“I’m sorry,” Yunho’s chest hurt and he was sure he wouldn’t be good at focusing any more tonight but… how important was it for him to keep up appearances?

“Accidents happen,” She drew in a long breath through her nose. “Let’s just try not to stumble into any more incidents like this.”

“Please talk to him for me,” he begged quietly. “Please make him understand...I’m so sorry.”

“I’ll try. Go talk to your friend,” she shooed him away, watching him walk away down the hall before she knocked on the door. “Mingi, baby, please let me in…” There was a faint shuffling on the other side of the door, then…a click. The door swung open a few centimeters and she could make out the sound of retreating footsteps. Pushing into the room, she let her eyes adjust to the dim room. He had turned off all the lights and closed the curtains to make the room as dark as he could.

She slipped inside, closing the door behind her, her eyes scanning until she found a lump on the floor near the foot of the bed. He sat there, making himself as inconspicuous as he could, legs pulled up to his chest, his face hidden in his knees. He looked small...and sad...like he wanted nothing more than to disappear.

“Baby,” she knelt down beside him, her hands going to the messy mop of brown hair that stuck out in every direction. He had clearly been running his fingers through his hair, pulling at it in frustration with himself. “Please talk to me, love.”

Mingi lifted his head enough for his eyes to peer at her over the line of his knees. His eyes sparkled with unshed tears that spilled the moment he blinked. “I…” he managed to choke out before his throat closed and he couldn’t make another sound.

“Okay, okay,” she soothed, stroking his head. He let his knees drop and reached out with his long arms, drawing her into his lap and holding her like she was the only thing keeping him afloat in an ocean of pain. Her arms wrapped around him in return, letting him tuck his face into where her neck and shoulder met as he let out a soul crushing sob.

In the dark of the room, she sat with him, quietly letting his warm, wet tears soak through her t-shirt as she gently shushed him. She rubbed the broad expanse of his back in slow circles with one hand as the other held his head, her fingers gently running through the soft fluff of his hair. In the moment it was all he needed, it was all he could take. In a few minutes the feeling of pure panic subsided, the choked feeling in his chest had loosened enough for him to not feel like he was drowning.

“What happened?” She murmured, hoping to get him to say something, anything, to indicate that he was past his moment of horror.

“I...I just came home, I was so happy to see Yunho,” he shook his head, letting out a wet hiccough as he took a breath. “I wasn’t thinking. I was so stupid, so stupid. I wasn’t careful. I just…”

“Go on,” she encouraged, continuing to hold him. “Just tell me what happened.”

“It’s home,” he shrugged, his shoulders drooping even further as he let it go. “I didn’t think I had to be careful. I just saw him and he looked so good. School has been hard and I just wanted to kiss him...and I did.” He pulled back, letting his head rest against the bed as he looked pleadingly at the ceiling. “I pulled back and that is when I saw him. I saw his face. He looked so disgusted. I can’t...I just...I feel gross.” Hot tears ran from the corners of his eyes as he tried to draw a breath only to find he couldn’t. He could only draw short gasps, choked short by the fear coursing through him.

“Honey,” she soothed, using her hands to make him look at her. “He wasn’t disgusted. I’m sure he was just surprised, that’s all. You are...unexpected, baby. That’s all.”

“You don’t know that,” he insisted, a hint of panic still dancing behind his eyes. “You didn’t see his face. You d-d-didn’t see it.”

“I saw him when I came in,” she assured him. “I talked to him. He even said you two were cute.”

“Wh-wha-what?” He stuttered out past his hiccoughing breaths.

“He said you two were kind of cute,” she wiped away the dampness of his tears. “He doesn’t think you are gross.”

“How do you know he wasn’t just saying that?” Mingi asked, not sure he could believe it.

“Trust me,” she smiled. “I wouldn’t lie to you. And you know I would hunt someone to the ends of the earth if they wanted to hurt you or Yunho.”

“But…” he began, only to have her cut him off with a gentle kiss.

“Really, he seems nice,” she added. “Maybe you can go out and see for yourself.”

“I can’t--” his eyes widened and he shook his head.

“Love, I won’t make you come,” She calmed, speaking in a quiet, assured voice. “But am I usually right on things like this?” He nodded. “Would I ask you to do this if I thought, even just a little, that it would hurt either of you?” He shook his head. “Will you come out with me?” He paused before giving her a smaller, less sure nod. “Okay, let’s stop by the bathroom to rinse your face a little first, yeah?” He agreed, letting her stand before taking her hand and letting her lead him into the bathroom. He washed and dried his face, frowning at his slightly pink and puffy eyes which would not disappear with just a quick wash, then allowed her to comb his hair into some semblance of order.

“Ready?” She asked. Taking a deep breath, he nodded. “You know, you’re beautiful even when your eyes are puffy from crying.” He let out a surprised and pleased scoff of a laugh, hugging her tightly in response.

Yunho walked back into the kitchen, half surprised to see Hong Joong still sitting there at the table. He was staring into space, clearly distracted by his own thoughts, only turning when Yunho approached the table and moved into his peripheral vision.

“Hey, look,” Hong Joong started, a worried look painting his features.

“No, let me,” Yunho interrupted, then paused, trying to decide how to apologize and explain. “This is really my fault. I forgot to mention that someone was coming over and…”

“You two are still in the closet,” Hong Joong filled in. “That’s okay. I would never say something about it if you aren’t out. I can keep a secret.”

“I...thank you, but,” Yunho sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. “It’s not that simple. I would appreciate you not saying anything but…”

“I mean what is that simple,” Hong Joong joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“Right,” Yunho agreed, letting out a laugh at the attempt at jest.

“This is your first semester here, isn’t it?” He confirmed, allowing Yunho to nod before he continued. “The campus has a lot of LGBT students and even some professors that are out. The campus is a safe place. There are clubs and support groups and I have some people I could introduce you to.”

“That’s...that’s nice of you,” Yunho gave him a nod and grateful smile. “It is still more complicated than that. I’m not sure we would really fit in and…”

“No pressure,” Hong Joong put his hands up, backing up but letting the offer stand. “You don’t have to do anything, and the offer will always be there.”

“Thanks,” Yunho said earnestly. “I can keep that in mind I just…I still need to study, and if you don’t mind helping me still, I’d really appreciate it.”

“Do you want to keep going today, or…” He let the offer hang.

“I don’t know,” Yunho scoffed, looking at the books and papers strewn across the table. “I should, I just...my mind isn’t on the books right now.”

“We don’t have to,” Hong Joong said agreeably. “I guess maybe tomorrow would be alright, too.”

“I think I just need a few minutes,” Yunho shook his head. “Do you mind if I make myself a snack?”

“No that would be fine,” Hong Joong accepted affably. 

Yunho nodded and walked over to the refrigerator, pulling out everything he needed to make himself a sandwich. 

“Did you want a sandwich, too?” He offered.

“Yeah, sure, thanks,” Hong Joong agreed, though he probably would have agreed to slamming his hand in a door if he thought it would reduce the tension in the house. Honestly, he felt terrible. When he had seen the other boy kiss Yunho, he had indeed been surprised by the sight. He hadn’t been grossed out but, honestly, he would never have guessed Yunho was gay. It just came out of left field. He had been totally taken by surprise and it had undoubtedly shown on his face.

The stupidest thing, he berated himself in his head, was that it didn’t fucking matter. He felt like a moron, but it had just hit him the same way catching a frog working a smartphone would have. It was just completely unexpected. You’re better than this, he scolded himself silently. You wouldn’t have made that face you did if that girl had come home and done the same. God, I’m so embarrassed. He squirmed in his seat, debating bowing out and just starting fresh tomorrow, but he didn’t say anything, just watched in silence as Yunho worked on making some sort of sandwich, he hadn’t even asked what kind.

In the silence, they both heard the click and creak of a door opening somewhere in the hall. Footsteps moved further down the hall then disappeared. In the kitchen everyone held their breaths in the silence, wondering if someone was coming. Yunho stood, bread in hand, hoping to hear more, but nothing followed. Letting out the breath with a heavy sigh, he finished assembling the sandwiches. He passed one to Hong Joong and flopped down at the table to eat.

They both took their first bites and were met with the disappointment of it mostly tasting like paste. The food itself was fine, it was probably even delicious, but their taste buds couldn’t register it past the cloying discomfort.

Footsteps sounded down the hall again and both boys looked up, putting the food down as they looked in the direction of the sound. She emerged first, one hand extended behind her with Mingi following, gripping it tightly with both hands. Yunho moved to stand up, only to stop when she shook her head. She escorted Mingi to the empty seat beside Yunho, opting to stand behind him with a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Mingi kept his eyes down, focused on the table. He looked terrible, Yunho thought. His nose was red, his eyes were slightly puffy, and he looked like his heart had been broken in two. Yunho reached out under the table, putting a palm on Mingi’s knee, only to have him pull away. It was like a stab to Yunho’s heart. He wanted to say he was sorry, he wanted to comfort him...he wanted to hold him.

“Mingi, baby,” she said softly. “I’d like to introduce you to Hong Joong. He came by to help out our Yunho study.”

Hong Joong’s attention was caught by her words. It could be that they were all just very close friends but...Mingi baby? Our Yunho? His eyes flicked to her, trying to read her face. Somehow she reminded him of velvet covered steel. Soft and inviting on the outside but strong and unbending if struck. Somehow he knew, she was not one to be crossed.

“It’s nice to meet you.” Hong Joong said, nodding once in Mingi’s direction.

“Hello,” Mingi said quietly, straightening up but still keeping his eyes down.

“I...I’m sorry about earlier,” Hong Joong continued. “I was just surprised and…” he trailed off and grimaced at himself. “Please, don’t be embarrassed. It was sweet. I wish I had anyone in my life that was that happy to see me.” Success, he thought to himself as Mingi’s eyes lifted to meet his for a second. “I don’t suppose you are taking Chemistry this semester? I’m happy to help you too, if you are…”

“No,” Mingi answered glumly. “I wish I had.”

“Oh, well, the offer stands when you take it,” Hong Joong offered. “Of course, maybe by then Yunho will be an expert on all this and he can help you, then.”

“I’m just going to be lucky if I can pass the tests,” Yunho gave a short chuffing laugh. “Please, don’t count on me being able to hold on to this in any useful way.”

“You’ll do fine,” Hong Joong laughed. “You’re doing so much better already.”

“Let’s see how I do on the test before we decide that,” Yunho demurred.

“Anyway,” Hong Joong smiled at Mingi. “I’m sorry about earlier and I’d like to maybe be friends. I have some people you should maybe meet.”

“What do you mean,” Mingi asked, suspicious but curious.

“I have some friends who are, well, like you...I think,” Hong Joong’s eyes flicked to her, still not sure what to make of her. It didn’t help that she was keeping silent. Then again, what had he said to her?

“What do you mean like you?” Mingi looked between Yunho and his classmate.

“Uh, just...you know….” Hong Joong felt suddenly unsure. “Gay?” Somehow the last word ended as a question.

Mingi flushed, part of him wanted to object. After all, he didn’t like boys...or well, not just boys.

“Why are you always hanging around with him?” Mingi’s father asked him with a sigh. 

“He’s my best friend,” Mingi shrugged, moving the food around on his plate.

“I don’t like how he talks with you,” His father grumbled. “Always touching you when he laughs. Why can’t he ever be serious? Life’s not a joke.”

“They’re kids, honey,” his mother soothed. “Let them have fun while they can. And that Yunho boy is sweet. He’s so helpful when he comes around.”

“You just like that he helps you cook,” his father scoffed.

“It’s nice to have someone who isn’t afraid to help in the kitchen,” she admitted, sending her son a smile as she said it. “He is so lovely and helpful.”

“Boy’s aren’t supposed to be lovely.” His father let his silverware drop loudly to the table. “Boys are strong, reliable. Useful.”

“I would say helping in the kitchen is very useful,” she countered.

“That isn’t the kind of useful that will get a guy anywhere in life,” his father insisted. “You didn’t marry me because I helped with the dishes. You married me because I could provide.”

“Times are changing dear,” she reminded him. “It wouldn’t be so bad for Mingi to know how to be both. Women these days expect more from guys.”

“Fine, maybe cooking is good,” his father shrugged and grumbled. “The touching is too much. The world hasn’t changed that much. Men don’t do those things. No one wants to be around that stuff.”

“Dear, really,”  she rolled her eyes.

“He’s going to end up alone like that,” his father insisted. “Guys don’t want to be friends with boys that do that, and no girl worth her salt would want to be with a boy that she feels like she has to compete with his friends for attention, especially that kind of attention.”

“Honey, drop it,” she warned.

“Why don’t you date that girl you two are always with,” he suggested, half changing the subject to placate his wife. “She puts up with you two. She’s sort of pretty too; you could do worse.”

“She is wonderful,” his mother sent a glare to her husband. “You really should bring her around more. She is so fun to talk to.”

“She’s been busy,” Mingi shrugged, hoping the excuse was good enough. “I mostly see her when we meet up to study. I don’t know when she can.”

“Just remember,” His mother offered him a strained smile, knowing what she said was only half true. “Your friends are always welcome.”

“Thanks mom,” Mingi offered her an attempt at a smile.

“It might be nice to have some friends you don’t feel like you have to, well, hide from,” Hong Joong fiddled with one of the papers on the table. “You can think about it.”

“No one wants to see that,” Mingi said, his head ringing with the hundred ways his father had told him that; sneered when he saw those things he didn’t approve of.

“That sounds like something you heard a lot,” Hong Joong intuited, a hint of sadness in his tone. “My friends, you’d like them and I really think they would like you.”

“It would be nice to make more friends,” She responded. “We all moved here a few months ago and it would be nice to have some people to hang out with here.”

“Actually, we are having a Halloween party next weekend,” Hong Joong lit up as the idea struck him. “You should come. You can meet my friends and you’ll have fun.” He turned to Yunho and teased. “It would be a great way to celebrate that test you are going to ace next week.”

“Your faith in me is inspiring,” Yunho laughed. “But that could be fun. I guess we’ll have to see if we can make it.”

“It’s going to be at my dorm,” Hong Joong explained. “Do you know where Whitby Residence is?”

“Yeah over on the north campus,” she confirmed.

“Yeah, yeah,” he nodded. “If you have costumes, wear them. It’s just going to be a good time. I really hope you will come.”

“Okay,” Mingi agreed, looking up at him finally.

“Great, great,” Hong Joong grinned. “Listen, I’m not sure I’m going to get a lot more out of studying tonight, but tomorrow I’m free. It’s Saturday but I would love to get in a little more studying if you would be up for it.”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Yunho nodded, grateful for an excuse to not try and concentrate anymore tonight. “Where did you want to meet to study?”

“The library is possible,” Hong Joong offered. “Or here is still fine with me.”

Yunho looked at Mingi, wondering if it might be okay or if he should push for the library.

“You can study here,” Mingi said quietly in the stillness of the moment.

“Sure,” She agreed. “You bring the brains, I can provide some study snacks.”

“Yeah of course,” Hong Joong gave her a grateful smile. “Thanks for, well, letting me come over and study. Being able to study here is great; no battling for the best study spaces or rules against snacks or drinks in some of the spaces.”

“Home is always a comfy place to study, if you can get away from distractions,” She took a step back away from her protective stance by Mingi as Hong Joong started to pack his things up. Yunho did the same, gathering his things up to carry them down the hall to his room and drop them on the little desk he had there.

“So what are you studying?” She asked Hong Joong, filling the silence as he packed.

“Design actually,” Hong Joong replied. “It’s not exciting or anything, but it's where my passion is.”

“That could be really interesting actually,” she replied supportively. “Are you interested in stuff like fashion, or interior design, or graphic design?”

“Fashion and graphic design,” he was surprised by her interest, as well as her ability to engage in the subject at all. Most people were somewhat dismissive, outside of others in his department.

“What are you going to do with that?” She asked, walking with him towards the front door, both boys trailing behind them.

“Not sure yet,” He admitted. “I really like the idea of recycled fashion, but…”

“You don’t have to know yet.” She shrugged.

“True,” Hong Joong finally felt the tension he had been holding let go. “We have time.”

“Exactly,” She said enthusiastically.

“Anyway, it was really nice to meet all of you,” Hong Joong adjusted his bag on his shoulder.

“Yeah I’ll see you tomorrow,” Yunho agreed. “Maybe around one?”

“That sounds good,” Hong Joong readily agreed. “See you then.” He opened his arms to offer the much taller boy a hug. Yunho paused for half a second before leaning down to take the offered hug. They pulled apart and he opened his arms to her, giving her a solid hug goodbye. Lastly he turned in the direction of a still quiet Mingi, offering him a hug as well. Mingi hesitated but gave in, leaning down to hug him. 

Hong Joong held him for a few seconds longer than he had the other two. “I’m sorry again...I just...Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow when I come to study.”

“Yeah, probably,” Mingi fidgeted as he answered.

“Well, see you later,” Hong Joong bid as he turned and walked out the door.

She closed the door behind him and Yunho immediately threw his arms around Mingi. “I’m so sorry for today. It was all my fault and I will do anything to let you know how sorry I am.”

“It’s okay,” Mingi only half hugged him back. “I should have been more careful.”

“No, love,” Yunho shook his head and pulled the other boy tightly against him. “This is home. You don’t have to be careful.”

“No...I have to be careful,” Mingi shook his head again, his eye prickling as the fear and emotion rose again.

“I want to always come home to a greeting like that,” Yunho insisted, turning his face to kiss the other boy's cheek. “Never hide how you feel for me. Not here.”

“Come here, loves,” she gave them gentle pulls, urging them to come sit with her on the couch. Yunho followed, taking Mingi with him and pulling him into his lap.

“Okay so I think we need to come up with a few house rules,” she suggested quietly. “Let’s start with agreeing not to bring anyone over without checking with everyone first.”

“Agreed,” Yunho said quickly, pressing his forehead to Mingi’s shoulder. Mingi nodded.

“It would be nice to make friends here,” she said carefully. “Maybe we can find people who won’t find the three of us together weird, but that might take time. It’s probably worth a try but in the meantime, maybe we need to decide what we are when we aren’t at home.”

“What do you mean?” Mingi asked, giving her lost puppy eyes as he tried to decipher what she meant.

“Well, are we just roommates?” She proposed. “Just friends?”

“I...don’t know,” Mingi said honestly.

“Then we’re just friends for now until we decide differently.” She nodded, giving his leg a reassuring pat. “We’ll be careful and keep things at home. Maybe we can just ask Hong Joong to pretend he didn’t see anything. I’m sure he can just pretend nothing happened.”

“Yeah, I’m sure he wouldn’t say anything,” Yunho agreed, not sure what he felt about it.

“Of course the other alternative is,” she ventured slowly. “I’m just the friend here.”

“Just the friend?” Mingi parroted.

“Well, maybe it would be okay for you two to be a couple for a while,” she gave them a smile. “I don’t think people would think it is that weird if you two were together and had a female friend and roommate. Besides, maybe then you can see that most people don’t really think like your dad.”

“But…” Yunho trailed off, not sure what to say, but it didn’t sit right with him.

“We don’t have to decide,” she replied. “Not right now, but it is something to think about. It wouldn’t mean we can’t do stuff together, but maybe you two hold hands sometimes and maybe I don’t always make it to lunch on Tuesday or Thursday.”

“No,” Mingi sat up. “I don’t like that, it’s not the answer.”

“It’s just an option,” she held up her hands. “We don’t have to decide now.”

“No he’s right,” Yunho shook his head. “It’s always been all of us together unless it was at school or one of us was gone. It doesn’t feel right to pretend that it isn’t all of us.”

“Only for a little while,” she promised. “And it was just an idea. Why don’t you two talk a little more and I’ll go pick up some dinner for us from one of the places nearby.”

“I can go with you,” Mingi offered.

“We can both come,” Yunho leaned forward as Mingi moved to get up.

“No, don’t worry,” she shook her head. “It won’t take me long.” She looked at Yunho and gave him a bright smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “Take care of our boy for me, and you two can clear the table up the rest of the way for me. Does chicken sound good?”

“Yeah, sure,” Yunho agreed. She patted Mingi’s knee and stood up, heading over to where she had left her bag by the door. Slinging it over her shoulder, she gave the boys a wave and headed out the door. She made it all the way down the curve in the road to where it dead-ended into the road that they walked along every day to head to the university for her to give up being strong. They couldn’t see her now and that was what mattered.

Tears clouded her vision and she sat down on the edge of the sidewalk to allow herself five minutes to let it all out. Moving in was supposed to make things easier. They were supposed to be together and feel free to be themselves. But suddenly the outside world had intruded. It was easy to steel her spine and make a show like she thought everything was going to be fine. They needed that from her. 

She could still see how timid Mingi was to make the first move with Yunho. That he had done what he did this afternoon, only to have things blow up like this, was about the worst thing she could have imagined. She wondered if Mingi ever noticed how he would reach for her first, covering for himself, before he let himself reach for Yunho. Sometimes she could almost hear Mingi’s father’s voice echoing out of his ears when he suddenly froze, questioning if he was doing something wrong.

Someday she would say her piece to that man. But not now. Mingi needed his support for school and there was no way of telling what stupid thing he would do if he heard that his son was more than just friends with Yunho. 

No one here knew them, no one here was friends with their parents, so she wasn’t worried in particular that anything would get back to him. Maybe having a chance to really see that everyone doesn’t find two boys in love strange or gross would be good. Of course there would always be some people who ‘didn’t approve’, not that it was their place to have an opinion either way. But it would be good for him to finally step out of the shadow his father had put him in his whole life. He was too kind, too sweet, too affectionate, too soft. He wasn’t strong enough, forceful enough, confident enough. No one could have been, not even a clone of himself. It’s one thing to ruin your own life with your self hatred, she fumed internally, it’s another to let that taint everything that you do with your kid. 

Enough, she told herself wiping her face and taking a few steadying breaths. They would work through it eventually, together as they always had. It would be fine. They just had to be careful, really. Much as she knew that Mingi was disgruntled that they weren’t in more classes together, it was probably for the best. The less time they were together outside, the fewer questions anyone would ask.

She had thought about suggesting that they all make their own friends, maybe even have a little more time apart, but she hadn’t suggested it after seeing their reaction to the idea that maybe the two of them could spend a little more time together or even consider letting themselves be ‘out.’ Maybe it was a dumb idea, she admitted, but she was tired of watching them hurt. It didn’t really have to change anything, she promised herself.

Standing up, she wiped her face and pulled herself together, and headed to the restaurant to pick up dinner. By the time she got back home she would be fine. She would make sure they never saw it worry her.

#ateez imagines #ateez #ateez yunho #ateez mingi #ateez smut #kpop imagines #kpop smut #jeong yunho #song mingi #ateez angst #ateez x reader #mingi x reader #yunho x reader #mingi angst #yunho angst #yungi #ateez yungi #mingi scenarios #yunho scenarios

[vintagedolan]

Jealous, overprotective, handsy kinda Grayson is my kink ya know. Your concepts always slap hard ngl 🤷😌❤️✨🥺👉👈

hello ily and I made a part three cause ya’ll begged me for it lmao here u go love u all sm

(first one, second one)

Seven days. The construction was only supposed to take three, and now it had been a whole week of you and Grayson sleeping on separate couches (you’d tried to cuddle, and you’d ended up in the floor on night one... not great) without a minute to yourselves.

Sure, Ethan wasn’t purposefully hanging around constantly, but where exactly were you supposed to go for alone time? The fuckin’ garage? Living room life wasn’t exactly feasible for how handsy Grayson liked to get, and you could tell that he was going to lose his cool soon.

Apparently, he knew it too. 

All you could offer was a cocked eyebrow when you came in and saw Grayson criss cross on the floor, folding both your laundry and his and shoving it into one of his Louis Vuitton duffels.

“Whatcha doin?” You asked, catching his attention. 

He grinned up at you, placing the last few things in the bag. “More like what are we doin.”

“Oh?” 

“We are getting away for a few days.” He said it proudly as he stood up. “Grab a snack for the road, I’ve already got everything packed up.”

“Gray, we aren’t supposed to go anywhere,” you mumbled, but it was half hearted - the thought of being alone with Grayson for a few days was almost too good to pass up, no matter the circumstances. Even without the construction, Ethan was always just across the house - true alone time was rare for you all.

“I called the host last night, they had someone come and disinfect the whole place. We’re fine, and we’re supporting local business,” he grinned wide enough for you to see the jewels on his incisors. 

“Right, cause we’re definitely doing this to support local business.” 

“Of course.”

“It has nothing to do with the fact that you’re having to ‘share’ me?” You teased, quoting him from a few days prior. 

He didn’t answer. He just leaned in to kiss you quickly. “Get a snack and meet me in the porsche.”

You did as he said, grabbing something from the cabinet and heading out the back door, circling the long way around the house to get to where the cars were parked. 

You climbed in the passenger seat, waiting patiently as Grayson maneuvered his way around the 5 different trucks that were in the driveway before reaching over for his hand. 

He took yours, pressing kisses to each of your knuckles - he looked the most relaxed he’d been in days, and he was only five minutes out from home. 

“You seem happy,” you observed.

“What’s not to be happy about? It’s just me and my girl in my car, no one else here to steal you away, askin’ for face mask advice or for waters,” he muttered. He was looking to the left as he turned, so he missed your scoff.

“Your jealousy knows no bounds, not even the construction workers are safe,” you sighed, just imagining what his face looked like when the workers asked you if you had any spare waters in the fridge. 

“I offered them waters every day and they never asked me,” he countered.

“I love you,” was all you could say as you shook your head and leaned over to kiss his cheek.

Four hours later and you were settled into the cozy airbnb that he’d found, with a beautiful view of the coast, even from the hot tub you were currently sitting in. It felt like a little oasis, with greenery all around to make it feel private and secluded - good thing too, because Grayson had conveniently forgotten to pack a single bathing suit top for you.

Skin on skin had never felt so nice as you sat on his lap in the hot water, letting him pepper kisses all across your collarbones, your chest, your neck.

“Beats the living room doesn’t it.” He had a smug grin on his face when he looked up at you.

“By a long shot,” you smiled, just relaxing into the feeling of his lips on you. You twirled his hair in your fingers, a shiver running through you as he kissed right over one of your nipples, half from the sensation and half from the breeze.

He noticed your goosebumps and frowned, guiding you off his lap so you could turn around and get deeper into the water. He pulled you back to him, wrapping his arms around your shoulders and pressing a kiss to your hair. 

“This is so nice. Thanks, for planning it and everything,” you said, kissing his forearm.

“Did it more for me than for you, I was losing my mind in the house.”

“I could tell. You get jealous so easy. Why is that?” It was an honest question.

“I dunno really, I’ve always just kinda been that way. I guess it’s kinda natural when you’re a twin. You share everything, from the minute you’re born. So when you get something that’s just yours, you want it all to yourself, all the time, ya know?” His arms tightened around you as he spoke, only reiterating your words.

“Do you wish I’d spend less time with Ethan?”

“No, not at all. I love that you guys are so close - don’t really know what I’d do if you weren’t close if I’m honest. Wait... you know you didn’t do anything wrong right? I’m not mad at you or anything-”

“I know baby, I didn’t think you were. I’m just trying to understand, that’s all. Singleton over here, remember?” You reassured him, twisting so you could look at him. He settled you sideways over his lap, hand tracing up and down your leg under the water.

“Okay, good. Just checking. Usually I’m fine, it’s just that we haven’t had any just us time lately. You know, like waking up together, or getting ready for bed. That’s us time, in our room, in our bed. Fuck, I miss our bed,” he trailed off.

“Not gonna lie, super excited to not sleep on a couch tonight,” you admitted with a giggle, leaning in to steal a kiss.

“Who said we were sleeping?” He murmured against your lips, sending butterflies to your stomach. When you kissed him just a bit harder, he recognized his cue and stood up, scooping you up in his arms bridal style as he stepped carefully out of the tub.

He sat you down on your feet, reaching for a towel and wrapping it around your shoulders quickly before grabbing his own and wiping down quickly, tying it around his waist when he was done. He reached back out for you, rubbing his hands over the tops of your arms to warm you up while you dried off.

“You know, you didn’t explain why me giving the construction workers water made you jealous,” you pried, a little smirk on your face.

“The one in the blue hat had a thing for you. He watched your every move,” he explained, a little bitterness in his voice. “That guy asked you for water at least five times every day.”

“Who, Rob? He was nice!”

“Oh, you and Rob are on a first name basis now huh? Interesting,” he said, but his tone was playful. That, and the little flare of mischief in his eyes were your only warnings before he grabbed you, actually throwing you over his shoulder. You squealed as he carried you in the house.

“We’ll see if you remember anybody’s name but mine at the end of the night.”

#jealous!grayson #thanks for all the love on these guys :') #grayson blurb #blurb #anon #ask #WHY DO MY READ MORES KEEP DOING THIS #g:blurb

[writing-wrxngs]

Snowfall

(Here’s something nice after that rough angst. Usually after I write something that’s really angsty I HAVE to make something really nice and comforting just to balance things in my brain, and to soften the blows for the angst I write)

What was supposed to be a fun night out had been canceled, what with the snow falling too hard and the wind whipping too hard for anyone to leave the house. Techno and Wilbur took the loss well, as they were plenty old enough to understand the severity of the storm, but Tommy was upset.

When he was first told that they would have to stay in for the night, he was almost inconsolable. Phil had long given up on trying to get Tommy out of those sort of hissy fits, since usually they would taper off on their own once Tommy realized he wasn’t going to get his way. At least this time the situation was out of his hands so he didn’t feel as bad for it. He was just the bearer of bad news. Instead, he let himself be unfazed by it, until the boy stormed off to his room to sulk. It was at that point now, and Phil made a note of the time. If Tommy was still upset in an hour or so, he’d go up and check on him.

Until then, he busied himself with indoor things, small tasks around the house that he’d been neglecting and the like. Meanwhile, Wilbur and Techno sat close to the fire, reading books and doing homework, trying their best to be busy, too. Phil watched as Wilbur pondered a question on his paper, before moving closer to ask Techno. Techno pushed his glasses up onto his face and took the paper from Wilbur’s hand, reading it himself. At the distance the two were from each other, it struck Phil. Despite all the differences they had now, everything they did to make themselves stand apart from each other, they still looked so alike. Of course, it would never be how it was when they were young, but they certainly would always share some things. The observation made him chuckle.

The two whipped their heads to the sound. “What’s so funny?” Wilbur asked.

Phil just shook his head. “It was nothing, son. Don’t worry about it,” he said, going back to his own work. He’d let his two eldest do their work in peace.

After that strange interruption, Wilbur turned his attention back to Techno, who was explaining the question on his homework to him. He listened, and finally understood it. That was the nice thing about Techno being the same age as him. He was doing the same things as him, and they were fresh in his mind since he did them at the same time. Best of all, Techno seemed to be good at everything Wilbur wasn’t. Wilbur could say the same, but not to the same extent. This was mostly just because Techno didn’t have many things he wasn’t great at. If there was, he simply didn’t do them. Regardless, both of them appreciated the way they seemed to work so well for each other. Once Techno finished explaining things, Wilbur nodded in understanding. Another thing was since Techno actually knew him, better than any teacher ever could, the terms in which he explained things were ones Wilbur was more comfortable in. Once that roadblock was passed, the two did their work in silence again, the only sound being that of the fireplace. Usually they did their work up in their room at their desks, but a cold night like this called for the warmth of the fire. And honestly, they also did it because if they did it there, they’d be doing it together, making up for the time they were supposed to spend together going out. The fire was higher than usual, trying its hardest to compensate for the harsh winter weather, and the flames danced in the reflections coming off from the twin’s glasses.

The hour passed, and Phil went upstairs to talk to Tommy. Wilbur watched as not much after, he returned down the stairs, exasperated. “Tommy still moping about up there?” he asked.

The exasperated sigh Phil gave was answer enough.

“Lemme see if I can cheer him up,” he said, getting up. “I’ve gotta put my homework away anyways,” he added.

Phil shrugged in response. “Go ahead, he’s still pretty bummed out. Maybe you can work your magic on him,” he joked.

Work your magic. That was Phil-speak for Wilbur’s charm. Sure, Wilbur was a smoother talker extraordinaire, and if he wanted to, he could convince a man with no legs into walking again. But Tommy, Tommy was a different story. That boy hung on Wilbur’s every word, regardless of what he was actually saying. This was a fact Wilbur knew well. He loved it, because as much as he hated to admit it, Tommy was an alright kid. He loved that little shit. Feeling adored is a great feeling, and he was happy to indulge his young devotee for more of it. A plan already forming in his head, Wilbur climbed up the stairs.

Like he had said, he first went to his room to put away his homework, and then went to Tommy’s. He didn’t knock, but walked in quietly.

Tommy was on his bed, sitting with his knees tucked up by his chest with his arms crossed. Sulking. He didn’t move to acknowledge Wilbur, but certainly noticed him there.

“Still sad we got snowed in?” Asked Wilbur.

With a small frown, Tommy nodded. “It’s not fair,” he said. “We were gonna have so much fun and now we can’t…”

Putting on his usual smile, Wilbur looked at Tommy. “Who says we can’t? There’s lots of things we can do!”

“It’s all the same thiiing though,” Tommy whined.

Wilbur took Tommy’s hand and pulled him out of bed. “You’re just letting yourself get stuck in a rut, Tommy. If you think outside the box, you can find something to do.”

Trying his best not to fall as he got pulled out of bed, Tommy yelped. He tried to say something but just stuttered out a few sounds, shocked as he was dragged along into Wilbur’s room. “Wil, what are we gonna do?” he asked, finally able to compose himself.

“Just wait a minute,” Wilbur said, going over to his desk to rifle through the drawers. He found what he was looking for, a flashlight. He tossed a coat of his to Tommy. “Put that on,” he told him.

Tommy did as he was told, watching as Wilbur then moved across the room to Techno’s desk, looking through those drawers, too.

“Perfect,” Wilbur whispered to himself as he found the second flashlight he was looking for. After that, he grabbed another coat of his and put it on. “Come on, we’re getting on the roof.”

Running over to the window to meet his brother, Tommy let out a small gasp. “You can go out there? It’s safe?”

Wilbur chuckled. “Course you can. I go out there all the time. It’s nice out there.”

“What do you do out there?” Tommy asked.

The answer sat underneath Wilbur’s mattress. A pack of cigarettes, one that slowly dwindled away with occasional smoke breaks the teenager took. With a crooked smile, Wilbur said, “just to get out sometimes. Once in a while it’s just nice to get a break from this house.”

Tommy nodded in understanding. “Get some fresh air,” he chimed in.

“Yeah,” Wilbur said, trying not to chuckle at the irony of the boy’s statement. He slid the window open, confident in it’s silence. He knew that the window never squeaked, never made a noise in protest of being open, never got stuck in its tracks. He climbed through first onto the roof, the cold taking him by surprise after staying in the warmth of the house for so long. He helped Tommy through the window and closed it behind him. The snow would get in if he didn’t. It was easy to open the window from the outside, anyways. Wilbur often thought how odd and borderline unsafe it was to have a window so easily accessible facing out to the low roof above the front porch of the house. A front porch that was easily climbable. Wilbur also didn’t care all that much because, in his teenage selfishness, these conditions were advantageous to him.

Scrunching up his face against the snow, Tommy looked to Wilbur. “So what are we gonna do up here?” He asked, curiosity finally taking hold of him.

Passing a flashlight to Tommy, Wilbur instructed him to lay down on the roof and turn on the flashlight. As his brother did so, so did he. When you look up at snow that is falling down quickly, they almost look like stars. Stars you’re flying though. The flashlights made this effect more obvious. “Doesn’t it look like we’re flying through space?” he asked.

Gasping as the idea clicked in his brain, Tommy nodded. “It does! But why are we flying through space?” the boy asked, baiting Wilbur into giving him a story. That was his favorite thing Wilbur did; taking a little thing they did together and spinning a whole saga out of them.

Secretly, Wilbur knew that's what Tommy was doing. The kid wasn’t sneaky. In fact, Tommy didn’t have a subtle bone in his body. He hummed in thought. “Well, I’m a space explorer, looking for faraway lands that have never been discovered before. To speak to new alien races. Captain Wilbur. And you, Tommy, you’re my lieutenant.”

“What’s a l-lieu-lieu,” Tommy struggled. He always struggled with big words, despite the fact he was getting too old for such things. Everyone just hoped he’d eventually grow out of it and were thankful that no one at school bothered him about it.

“Second in command,” Wilbur explained, cutting off the stuttering. “My right hand man.”

The concept made Tommy downright giddy. Those lines were all the boy needed to be enraptured in the story. He made spaceship noises for himself and he listened intently to the more complex parts of the story that Wilbur weaved. He reacted when Wilbur gave him something to react to, and rolled with whatever he was given.

After a few minutes, the two brothers were both caught up in the story. Laughing and moving the flashlights around as if on cue, completely devoted to the creation. Tommy had completely forgotten how he felt the beginning of the night. Wilbur could tell, in the few moments he stopped playing the game and checking on Tommy. His cheeks were more flushed from laughter than from the cold, and his mind was obviously completely somewhere else. He definitely worked his magic, that's for sure.

The only reason they stopped was the sound of the window being slammed open breaking their illusion. “You’re gonna get yourself a lecture and a half if Dad finds out you brought Tommy out there, Wil,” said Techno’s voice, cutting through the wind.

Turning to the window, Wilbur frowned. “I know.”

“Technoblade, we were having fun!” Tommy retorted from beside Wilbur.

Techno rolled his eyes. “I’m sure you were, but if you get caught it’ll be a far worse end than me telling you to come in.”

How was Techno always right? Wilbur sighed in defeat. I guess someone had to be the responsible brother. “You have a point there. Come on Tommy, let’s get in. You better not catch a cold from this either,” he joked. After climbing back through the window, he helped Tommy back through.

Despite not liking the fun being cut off, Tommy was still smiling. “I won’t!” he chimed, already running out of the room to his own.

Chuckling at the sight, Techno shook his head. “How do you do it?” He asked.

Wilbur shrugged. “I dunno. Him and I just sorta click. He can be annoying as all hell, but he’s a good kid. I know his buttons better than anyone here.”

He didn’t quite understand what that meant, but Techno nodded. Tommy, of course, was his little brother, too, but they weren’t close in that same way. He still cared, but maybe it was just that the way he showed he cared didn’t mesh the same way Wilbur’s did. “Well, I don’t get it, but it’s definitely a good thing. Someone’s gotta be able to push those buttons.”

“Yeah, I’m just happy it’s me. He pushes my buttons the same way,” Wilbur said with a chuckle. He had never thought of it like that. Regardless, he had been able to cheer Tommy up, and to his surprise, he had a good night himself. Sure, it wasn’t what had been planned, but the night had been salvaged. And that was something he was proud of.

#mcyt #mcytblr #dream smp #dream smp fanfiction #sleepy bois inc #sleepy bois inc family dynamic #sleepy bois inc fanfiction #tommyinnit #wilbur soot #technoblade #philza