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crystal-moon-101 · 3 years

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Managed to do another redesign with rewrite notes, this time my second favourite character in Ben 10, Azmuth The First Thinker. And just like Ben, he's canon self is such a mess that I wish to fix in my own way. The other Galvans in this picture are his family, with his father from the movie "Destroy All Aliens", his nephews mentioned by DJW, and their mother who is Azmuth's twin sister. So let me get into the notes and rewrite ideas of mine!

-Retaliator-

Yes, I am aware that this is most likely not his name, but I could not be bothered to make up my own at this point, and I also find it funny to have a Galvan dad called this, so I'm sticking with it. So Retaliator is the father of both Azmuth and Divi, a very humble and calm old galvan, who has seen a lot through his years, now retired and mostly just trying to keep the family together through small things.

Retaliator has the rare gene of having aqua/turquoise eyes, a recessive trait in galvans, similar to human with the red hair gene.

Retaliator looks younger than he should be, and that's because he is, in a way. You see, right before Azmuth vanished to start working on the watch, Retaliator fell ill to an disease with no known cure, and this caused the family to...kind of break down. A lot had happen up to this point (Things that will be noted throughout this), and none of them wanted things to end like this. So Azmuth did something he know he shouldn't have, as such a thing takes so much time and resource, and generally frowned upon, and ended up creating a new young clone body for his father's brains to be transferred too. By the time Retaliator woke up from surgery, his son was already gone, off in hiding. It this was event that really made Retaliator realize he may not have been the best father for a long time...

While he is retired now, Retaliator use to do work based around energy stuff.

Since he's family's back together, he likes to host game or movie nights, or even little dinners and get togethers.

He adores his grandsons, and loves to share stories from his past to them, and he's one of the few people they calm down around.

He will admit that he did...go a bit wild when he thought Azmuth died, fighting Ben in the Galvanic Mechamorph suit, but him and Ben have since made up, and the old galvan likes talking to the young lad often.

He has most defiantly embarrassed both of his kids by showing off baby photos of them.

He met his wife through work, like most galvans, with her being a much higher up worker. Surprisingly, despite their statuses, it was his wife who asked him out first, having found him very charming.

Retaliator can never thank Ben enough for convincing his son to come home, and despite their bickering, he enjoys seeing Azmuth's bond with Ben, as the two have a way of balancing each other out.

While he may be in a younger body, his mind is certainly still that of an old galvan, and can often act like his body is older than it really is due to the mental age of his brain.

-Azmuth-

Ahhhh, dear old Azmuth, how I love your character concept, and yet get so frustrated with your actual canon self...There is a lot I have changed in terms of his placement and behavior on the show, and while I can't note all of them down there, the major theme behind them is that he is not a complete jerk in them. Don't get me wrong, Azmuth would still have flaws and issues with his off-standing nature, but he would act in a way that feels more natural, showing his growth and change while mentoring Ben. He genuinely wants to help and is a good person, it's just...he still has a lot to work through. In terms of his slight redesign, I'll like to mention that if you look closely, his outfit is a mixture of his first original outside, crossed with his UAF outfit.

I did mention that I couldn't note all changes of him in series plots, since most boil down to be him being nicer and more realistic, but I will note one change because it's big enough to mention. For the Diagon/Forever Knight Arc, Azmuth did not create Ascalon, because I while I get he's smart and created things like the Omnitrix, I don't think he should be such a big source of dangerous artifacts in the series so often, especially ones that cause trouble. So instead, Ascalon was a weapon crafted in Ledgerdomain, to help fight Diagon who orientated there, and at the time had been trying to conquer earth, and Zenith leaving Azmuth happened because of miscommunication and issues between them instead.

That being said, Azmuth does get involved in the Ultimate Alien Diagon arc when Ben himself calls Azmuth over, needing his help knowing he can better understand Ascalon, and eventually entrusted Azmuth and the Galvans to keep it and the trapped Diagon safe.

Azmuth and his sister had a very rebellious phase as teenagers/young adults, this being the age that Azmuth said he was a lot like Ben, though admittedly, Azmuth was slightly more of an ass than Ben ever was. They were going through a tough time, and Azmuth reacted negatively too it all. Funnily enough, the one thing that seems to make him doo a 180 degrees in personality was his massive swooning crush over Zenith.

He won't ever admit out loud, but he does find Ben's trait of nicknaming his aliens kind of funny...

He shares a mentoring role towards Ben with Grandpa Max and Tetrax, with Max handling the more emotional and human side of Ben's problems, Tetrax handling the physical training and teachings, and Azmuth handling the more logical steps and hard truth Ben needs to hear. He's one of the few people to give Ben the smack of reality he needs from time to time.

That being said, Ben is also one of the few people able to handle Azmuth right back, and give him needed talkings to when the man is losing himself to a bad habit.

Mostly due to the fact that Tennysons seem to have a habit of making people very close to them like family, E.g with Ben seeing Kevin and Rook like brother figures at times, there seems to be subtle hints between Azmuth and Ben that there might be parent and child like moments between them, though both would deny it if brought up.

It doesn't help that Azmuth ends up taking it upon himself on making sure Ben is healthy and happy, based on scans from the Omnitrix he reads daily. Of course, he'll just say he doesn't want the boy he entrusted his watch with to die in a stupid way, but people close to either of them know that Azmuth really does care deep down.

He has said both "I'm too old for this" and "I'm too young for this" many times.

Azmuth has admitted that he's nervous around the Omnitrix, and doesn't like putting it on. He's not good at handling the idea of becoming something he's not...

The Malware arc for Azmuth was...a lot more complicated than canon. Azmuth really did try to fix Malware, but for some reason he couldn't, and it scared him that one, this might be the first problem he can't find a solution too, and second, he just came back from hiding and had been wanting to make changes in his life, so to fail and hurt someone already? He didn't know what to think. It didn't help when Malware started refusing his help and ended up endangering the lives of others, including galvans and Azmuth's own family. And despite it all, Azmuth kept trying over and over again to let him help Malware, but the villain always refused, until Azmuth eventually had to accept that he couldn't do anything. When Malware was finally killed, Azmuth went quiet for a good while, and needed time to recover from his mistake.

Due to some past issues, Azmuth mostly refers to his father by his real name, and only calls him dad or father during emotional or quiet moments.

Whenever they're hanging out, Ben likes to bring him and Azmuth cricket smoothies to drink together.

Despite how they seem to bicker often, Myaxx and him play off each other rather well, able to dry wit each other every day.

Azmuth and Albedo's relationship is also very complicated. Before Azmuth returned, Albedo was an outstanding Galvan and protégé, being praised every single day. This, unfortunately, made Albedo develop a prideful nature and his close minded views on the galaxy, as he rarely was ever put down or critiqued. His ego also got a bit of a boost when the great Azmuth took notice of him, and made him his assistant, and while he loved it at first, some issues started to arise when Azmuth wasn't like the other Galvans who praised Albedo to no end. That isn't to say Azmuth never complimented him and liked his work, but he was an honest man who knew no one was perfect, and especially wasn't going to worship someone, knowing what kind of ego that could make in someone. It doesn't help that Albedo just can't understand what Azmuth sees in Ben, and how the two bond, despite Ben's young careless nature, and being human. It ends up making Albedo want a lot more from Azmuth, the man he looks up too, and when he's denied that he eventually turns his back on the First Thinker. Azmuth can only hope that being able to turn into other aliens, and being stuck as human, will teach Albedo that Galvans, including himself, aren't what make the galaxy function.

Azmuth is typically one of the must unfazed people you'll ever meet.

Given most Galvans have an issue of seeing themselves as the top race, Azmuth is kind of fond of Blukic and Driba for being very open and helpful to outsiders, and was even the one to suggest them to join the Plumbers.

Zenith and Azmuth too meet up again eventually, and while they don't get back together, they do make amends.

Azmuth was fairly small for a Galvan for a long time, until he finally hit his growth spurt late into his teen years, something his sister use to tease him over.

Greymatter's DNA mostly comes from Azmuth, meaning Ben actually looks like a Azmuth when he was young, his family having made comments about Ben being his "Clone".

-Divi-

Here we have the twin sister of Azmuth, Divi. A dry wit, no nonsense, sarcastic and feisty single mother of her three chaotic sons. Unlike Azmuth's father and nephews, she was something I had to completely make up from the spot, since Azmuth was said to have nephews, that meant he had to have a sibling, so it was fun to create someone with an interesting dynamic with Azmuth. She is, after all, one of the few people to exhibit some of those petty family squabbles out of him. So I hope you enjoy her and her sons.

As mentioned before, Azmuth and her went through rebellious phases after some downfall in their family life, with Divi jumping around jobs and never settling for one, and even dating another Galvan that neither Azmuth or Retaliator approved off. When Azmuth first left Galvan Prime to go into hiding, Divi and her boyfriend had still been dating. However, when he finally came home, he found the boyfriend to be gone, and Divi now a single mother to three sons. Azmuth never got a clear story what happened to the boyfriend, but he knows that the break up was nasty, and that the boyfriend isn't on Galvan Prime anymore.

Sometime after Divi had her children, she eventually settled for a job in the nursery/incubation centre on Galvan Prime, looking after eggs and newly hatched tadpoles before they go home with their parents.

Divi is quite a blunt and honest woman, who has no time for dragging things on, and while she may sound harsh, she ends up just wanting the best for people. In fact her open nature of speech is how she gets people to listen and see reason.

Her and Azmuth had a...bit of a dysfunctional relationship growing up. Azmuth was actually a slow learning when he was young, and Divi had a habit of picking on him. They did eventually mallow out, until tragedy struck their family and they entered their rebel phases, and the bickering and arguing come from both sides. They have made up since Azmuth returned, but the two have their squabbles here and there, but they're mostly just playful banter or family habits.

Her and Myaxx get along quite well, and the two like hanging out with each other.

She's also fond of Ben since meeting him, and the two like chatting whenever he plays with her sons, he's even babysat for her a few times.

She has no interest in dating again anytime soon, and is proud to be a single mother.

She's the one who points out Azmuth and Ben's family like roles to each other often, mostly due to the fact that she understands what a paternal feeling is like, and because she's blunt about it.

She got her wisdom feet first out of her and Azmuth growing up.

While Azmuth was off in hiding, Divi reconnected with his father when looking after to him after surgery. So, unlike Azmuth, she mostly just calls him father and dad.

-Trapez, Cieven & Aegls-

The three mischievous nephews, sons and grandsons of the family. Left to right, Trapez, Cieven & Aegls, who are the triplets of Divi. The three are like glue, and are often playing or up to little tricks, creating chaos around Galvan Prime. While they mostly look the same and are all tricksters, they do have personality differences. Trapez is the best when it comes to emotions and the phycology behind it, something most Galvans struggle with, and can come across as the kindest of the three. Cieven has a lot of traits from Divi and Azmuth, being fairly intelligent and wanting to be a lot like his uncle someday, though does have some of their sarcastic nature as well. Aegls is the most energetic of the three, hype up often and quick with crafting and thinking of ideas. When you combine all three together, you get a force of endless chaos.

Their mother has been honest to them about who their father is, and why he isn't around, but the three have grown up fine without him, and will forever be grateful for the work their mother put into caring for them.

They were born while Azmuth was away, and so have been building up hype about their missing uncle for most of their lives, enough so that when Azmuth did come back, they all tackled hugged him while he was still understanding the idea that he was now in fact an uncle.

They love Ben and the Omnitrix, roping Ben into some of their pranks and shenanigans, and while Ben mostly tries to stare them into the right direction, he can't help himself half the time and joins in on the chaos, much to Azmuth and Divi's dismay.

They do become a part of my Ben 10 Next Gen Series, given Galvans take forever to age, and will finally be young tweens when the Next Gen takes place.

The three each have different dream jobs for the future. Trapez wants to be a psychiatrist or doctor, Cieven wants to be an inventor, and Aegls was to deal with energy based matters like his grandfather once did.

Never give these kids sugar or coffee, it will end badly.

The three...had a bad encounter with Malware during his rampage, and for a while were scared around Galvanic Mechamorphs...They get over it eventually, but Malware does haunt them for a long while.

They once picked up some colourful language from Azmuth and Myaxx when overhearing them once. You can imagine how Divi took that.

-The First Thinker Family-

The traumatic event that struck the family was in fact the death of Azmuth and Divi's mother, who was killed by someone who was after Galvan Tech. The family fell apart after that, with Retaliator falling into a deep depression and being distant from his kids, and Azmuth and Divi going wild in their teen/young adult years to distract themselves from the grief. They've all come together now and have been taking the proper sets to honor her memory, and become a family again.

While no one has outright said it, Ben has kind of become part of this little family in a few ways, and after a while Azmuth stops being survived when the boy shows up for family dinners or game nights.

They all live on Galvan Prime, though Retaliator is known to take trips here and there around the galaxy, wanting to see more of it during his retirement.

On the outside, many Galvans treat the family as there wise people, who have sage advice. And while that isn't wrong, once you get to know them they're a very chaotic family...

#Hope you enjoy what I've done with Azmuth's character and his family #I just really want to get across how I think he should have gone #Ben 10 #ben 10 omniverse #ben 10 ultimate alien #ben 10 alien force #Azmuth #Ben 10 Azmuth #Ben 10 OCs #Ben 10 Destroy All Aliens #My art #Ben 10 Rewrite #ben 10 redesign

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kim-lexie · 3 years

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start-up

unfortunately all good dramas must come to an end, and this drama was truly a dream. i fell in love with the characters and the premise of this one, and i am saddened to say goodbye to this cast of characters.

i have also posted the nonsense that is a week-by-week to enjoy here if you wish. anyways, here we go...a drama review!

plot synopsis.

‘start up’ follows the story of a group of 20-somethings as they journey to curate their own start up business. it specifically emphasizes the story of dalmi, her past and the letters she shared with jipyeong. jipyeong, an orphan that dalmi’s grandmother, mrs. choi took under her wing. jipyeong wrote dalmi letters that truly allowed her to overcome a tough time. years after these letters, dalmi is determined to find her ‘dosan’ the name that jipyeong and mrs. choi used to sign the letters. to protect their secret they find the real dosan to meet dalmi to portray a successful start up business man. and that is where our story begins to become tangled. and one knows how a good tangled story ensues as per the k-drama fashion...

my thoughts. *spoiler alert*

dalmi, this girl is a queen. i love her determination and drive to get what she wants. i wish she wouldn’t cut herself short, but by the end you can see the growth that is undeniable. we love character development! i love how impacted she was by her dad, and that she never questioned her choice to stay in korea with her father. i loved their family’s relationship, it was precious and mutually supporting one another was an environment that allowed dalmi to believe in all the dreams she held in her heart. mrs. choi truly raised her to be confident in herself no matter her circumstances.

jipyeong (to be referenced as hjp as well) my man. this man stole my heart. his backstory with mrs. choi was beautiful and i think he had the most character development in this drama. from how he acted at the start, to when they reconnected later, mrs. choi extended grace and never wavered in her love and support for jipyeong. it was endearing and heart breaking, because hjp had never experienced that from a family of his own until he was accepted by mrs. choi. i think this grace and mutual understanding was especially prominent when dosan and dalmi greeted mrs. choi at her new shop in one of the last episodes, after dosan had returned from america. as soon as she greeted them she knew that her jipyeong would be lonely and went straight for him to comfort him and support him in his grief. his character was honest, and unwavering once he found his goal. honestly, in everything else in the drama he faced he was determined and goal oriented however, when it came to dalmi he always second guessed himself. he was always so sure of his business but when it came to the close relationships around him he always questioned his worth. this would be his tragic downfall. but this is where we find a new jipyeong at the end of the drama and we appreciate character development. *insert slow clap for our hjp*

dosan this man, honestly nam joohyuk was the reason i was initially interested in this drama. i love him and i was surprised when i found that he was not my favorite character. dosan was always unsure of himself and those around him, he immediately latched on to dalmi when he found her because of that confidence she radiated (can’t blame him because eventually he found that in himself). i wish he had been honest with her. so i know it is typically k-drama fashion to start a relationship based on a lie, still i am never happy when it happens in my drama. seriously by the end of this drama i was totally team hjp and i seriously cannot help but think back to the fact that if hjp had been honest at the beginning he may have ended up with dalmi. like come on. my heart is too fragile for this nonsense. i do appreciate that dosan, right after reading her letters ran straight after her without wavering. but if he loved her authenticity from the letters, why did he not give her the same benefit by being up front with her?

the samsan tech crew. i loved this trio. they were ICONIC. chulsan a precious bean and i loved the relationship we got to see between chulsan and saha. i loved how their relationship developed and she totally fell head over heels for this man with his coding and caring self. because i clearly did not get the happy ending i wanted for dalmi and hjp, at least this ship went off sailing. i also came to love yongsan’s character, he seemed fishy at first when they went to sandbox however it quickly came to light why it was so. i loved that through all of this there was character development and accepting the things that you can’t change and wanted to change the things you had control over.

sandbox, a place where dreams came to be birthed and reach their unlimited potential. i loved that it all started with sun-hak the ceo of sandbox who was inspired by dalmi’s father’s story about wanting to protect his daughter when she was learning to swing, and he put sand down so she wouldn’t be afraid of falling. it was so perfect, and that is exactly what sandbox became for them, a place for these small companies to get their footing to grow. i love the relationship that sunhak had with jipyeong and how they supported these young businesses.

this makes an interesting juxtaposition for injae’s company, (injae is dalmi’s sister) to come in next to. nature morning is run by injae’s step-father, a man who abuses start ups and exploits young talent for profit. this sets the stage for injae to want to be set free and create her own business, because as long as she is under his family name she truly cannot make a name for herself. as she leaves she is overcomes multiple difficulties that her father’s company places in front of her, but the queen that she is takes them in stride and in the end becomes the company to beat.

it was interesting to see how everyone came to be at sandbox. everyone with something to prove. and how once they were at sandbox all these crazy moments led them to their ultimate goal. their journey was not conventional but it made them stronger to overcome those moments when their company was split (frick you alex), and they had to come back together.

to take a moment that three year time gap was something. i loved that dalmi grew and became more confident as her role as a ceo to get the job done. sisters were working together and growing their companies. i also held out so much hope because jipyeong was starting to get his act together and was becoming confident in himself and his intentions towards dalmi. even going over to their house playing go-stop and making banchan with the family, tears because he never had this in his life. but you know dosan was going to show up right at that moment he was going to say something...anyways, i love that dosan kept his promise and worked on not only the app for mrs. choi but the car because of the dream they birthed before the boys left for the states. and i knew the moment our dalmi walked hours in the woods to get to dosan that it was over for my ship and it twas going to sink.

the app! oh my goodness. i love that this was their first idea for the company to help those who are unable to see. and i love that dosan was inspired by mrs. choi after overhearing her diagnosis. it was so sad to see how her vision declined throughout the show. but i am happy to see that their app was able to help her through this difficult journey.

the smart car was such a moment. a dream they had in the top of the rooftop office led to a company that was bigger than any of them. truly incredible. literally so proud of our boys for their work and dedication to their dream to better the world. loved it.

i seriously appreciated the ending of the drama and how they recapped all the moments they couldn’t fit into the few moments we had left. the living through photos we saw how they all kept their promises to each other. from dosan proposing to dalmi, chulsan and saha announcing their relationship, and even chulsan shaving his head. it was precious to see them all on this journey. i loved how we had them all going to the share holders meeting and injae and jipyeong walking in stride with them! also appreciate a full circle moment for hjp, when he sponsors a new start up connecting orphans with sponsors to help them in the difficult transition where hjp found himself with mrs. choi. (side note: i love the hint that the man who founded the start up had the same voice as young-sil, the smart device that grew on hjp throughout the drama.) (also, totally stand behind that one tweet i saw that said that the writers totally missed a major power couple moment for injae and jipyeong. because my dude and queen deserve to be happy to the fullest.)

i hope everyone enjoyed this drama as much as i did because it is definitely up there on my list of favorites from this year. i would rate it a 9.5 out of 10.

the ost.

‘future’ by non other than red velvet slays. i have this not only on my k-drama playlist but my monthly playlist. this is a bop. it is incredible, and they out did themselves with this one.

‘running’ by gaho. that montage song that had all the moments they worked so hard in fast forward. ahhhh

‘my dear love’ by suzy. her voice so angelic. and we thank our busy queen for making time to sing for the ost as well as star in the drama.

‘blue bird’ by ailee. and ‘dream’ by jamie. ballad favorites.

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lambcaey · 4 years

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Cuphead: A Transgressin’ Question

Despite having just defeated the Devil, the guilt from his sin is still plaguing Cuphead's mind. There's one more question over the matter that he's dying to have answered, but can he break his feelings to Mugman before the feelings break him?

How'd you like to blow your top Dig yourself some fine ree-bop Hi-de-hi, he-de-he Oh, the hi-de-ho man, that's me! Yes sir, there was nothing quite like a little "Hi De Ho Man" to bring life to any party in Inkwell Isle. This was especially true of this particular party, and its particular guests of honor: Cuphead and Mugman. It was the highlight of the brothers' victory party over the Devil. The two were enjoying every second they spent cutting a rug with their friends at Elder Kettle's house. There was so much music and merriment in the atmosphere that you'd swear the little cottage was itself was swaying its hips to the beat. Even the guests that were too big to fit inside found a way to enjoy the party from outdoors. The brothers had taken center-stage of the living room, swinging to the big band jazz to their young hearts' content. Their friends had formed a crowd around them, cheering and clapping to the beat of the music. After a minute or so, Cuphead decided to finish the dance by twirling his brother a few times, and then, with a mischievous smile, release him across the room. This sent Mugman spinning like a top until he bumped into the snack table, causing the entire punch bowl to pour on his head. Everyone, including Cuphead, gasped in alarm,as though they worried the little mug was hurt. Fortunately, Mugman's goofy grin returned, and he licked off his entire face with one slurp. "Mmm! Strawberry!" Everyone burst out laughing, with Cuphead giving a sigh of relief. It was nice to see that, despite having just gone to literal Hell and back, that Mugman was still the lovable goofball he always had been. At that moment, as he watched Mugman giggling and dripping with punch, a new set of gears started turning in Cuphead's mind. His expression slowly changed from a relaxed smile to a gape of terror. In the place of a fun party with their friends were a towering wall of flames, and imps dancing around Mugman's shattered skull. The punch was also starting to turn a much brighter shade of red... Mugman dried his face off with a white towel, then turned to face his brother. "Oh Cuphead, that was swell....Cuphead?" The others had noticed Cuphead's sudden change of demeanor as well. Cup quickly noticed everyone staring at him with concern, and he promptly rubbed his eyes, grinning sheepishly. "Shucks, Mug, I'm fine. Nice to see you're still bein' a good sport." Cuphead playfully nudged Mugman's arm. Mugman smirked. "Hey, somebody's gotta be one b'tween the two of us." He then nudged back before walking off to the kitchen. "I'll go get us some more punch." Cuphead gave another nervous smile as his brother left. Normally, Cup was the most optimistic person he knew, finding the bright side of things even when there wasn't one. He was now realizing that even a happy-go-lucky fellow like himself was capable of having chills sent down his spine. Whatever he just envisioned was enough to do just that, and then some... The troubled cup made his way to the washroom, hoping a splash of cold water would wake him up a little. As he dried himself off, glancing at his reflection, he couldn't help noticing that, if one didn't know any better, it looked like his face was covered in tears, similar to when... MUGMAN, PLEASE, GET UP!!! I'M SO SORRY! PLEASE DON'T DIE!!! GET AWAY FROM MY BROTHER!!!! No matter how many times it happened, Cuphead never truly got used to seeing Mugman getting killed. It felt especially terrifying in the beginning, when the boys were still getting the hang of their powers, including how to resurrect each other. As if it wasn't sickening enough seeing his little brother shatter to pieces, what made it feel worse was the fact that this was practically Cuphead's own doing. He brought Mugman to the casino; he made the deal; he rolled the dice. He sold both himself and his little brother to the Devil, and it repeatedly cost the life of the person who least deserved it. KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK! Cuphead snapped out of his trance, rubbing his eyes to prevent a single tear from falling. "J-Just a minute!" For the rest of the party, Cuphead made sure that everyone around him saw nothing but a cheerful, smiling little boy everywhere they went. His troubles certainly hadn't ended, but the last thing any fellow wanted at a swinging party was a Grade-A Debbie Downer. He especially didn't want to ruin the fun for his genuinely-happy little brother. He'd suffered enough at the hands of the Devil and his debtors; the very least the kid deserved was a fun night with no worries. Now, for better or worse, Cuphead had a tendency to underestimate Mugman's sense of insight. Something Mugman had noticed (that Cuphead hoped he hadn't) was how full his brother's head was getting throughout the night. At first, he dismissed it as just a quick drink of water, but it progressed by a few gallons as the party waned on. Unlike himself, Cuphead wasn't fond of drinking from his head, so it seemed unusual that he'd carry around this much liquid without taking a single sip. It was also becoming more obvious how forced Cuphead's smile really was, especially as he declined any more offers for a snack, drink, or even another dance as the party went on. There were even moments where it looked like the poor cup was feeling sick to his stomach, ocassionally seeming him trying to stifle a whimper or lump in his throat. Mugman had his suspicions, but it was also likely he was just tired from such a harrowing day. It seemed best not to bother his big brother about it. The rest of the party ended on a positive note, and Elder Kettle sent the boys off to bed while he stayed up to clean. With the Devil now gone, this was surely the happiest day in the history of Inkwell Isle. To its saviors, however, it seemed their troubles still weren't finished yet. ------- "Ngh...n-no, no..." Mugman's face grimaced on reflex. He had been lying peacefully in his wooden bed until the slurred speech had broken the silence. "No, no please..." Mug's face winced again as he put his pillow over his head. Who in the world could be talking at this hour? Suddenly, Mugman fully woke up when he realized that that wasn't just someone's slurred speech; it was sobbing. "...N-No no, please don't leave me...." Mugman sat up, ready to tell his brother to keep it down, but what he saw behind him made his entire expression drop. Cuphead was still in his bed across the room, but tossing and turning in it like a sweat-soaked jumping bean. As usual, his head sat rested on his nightstand, but it sat there wincing and sweating bullets in distress. A puffy, white thought bubble sat floating just above, playing as scene as though it were a movie screen. The bubble projected a montage of flashbacks of the boys' first few battles against the debtors. They mostly consisted of all the brutal ways Mugman had been killed. Cagney hitting him with an acorn bullet; Hilda smashing his plane with her laughter; Goopy’s tombstone slamming on top of him. With each brutal death scene, the dream version of Cuphead raced across the screen, trying in vain to race to his brother before he’d get hit. The harder he tried, the worse it got, and the more distraught the poor cup was in both his dream and reality. At one point, the montage cut to Mugman standing under a spotlight in the midst of pure darkness. Dream Cuphead smiled in relief, bounding toward his brother with his arms out wide. Just before the two could share a warm embrace, a giant clawed hand covered Mugman with its grasp. The hand moved up, and the darkness faded, revealing it to be that of a fifty-foot Devil, standing on a craps table the size of a football field. At this image, the real Cuphead started whimpering and shaking violently. Rivers of sweat ran down his body while the liquid in his head overflowed onto the floor. With a malicious smile, the Devil rolled out his hands across the table. Where Mugman should’ve been sat a pair of “snake eyes.” The dream Cuphead dropped to his knees, burying his face in his hands. “OH NO! NO NO NO, WHAT HAVE I DONE?!!” The Devil bellowed a maniacal laugh that roared like thunder. For the real Mugman, enough was enough. He rushed toward his brother’s bed, shaking him gently, but firmly. “Cuphead! Cuphead, wake up! Snap out of it! I-It's just a dream! Wake up!” No reaction; this was a much deeper sleep than he'd thought. Mugman anxiously looked around the room, and then grabbed a stray top that was sitting near the toy box. He stuck it inside his straw with the pointy end facing out, resembling a makeshift spear, and used it to pop the dream bubble as though it were a balloon. ”AHHHH!!!” Cuphead jerked awake, gasping for breath while his body continued dripping with sweat. Mugman carefully placed his brother's head back in its body, and gave him the warm, protectigve embrace he was about to receive in the dream. "It's ok, Cuphead. I'm here. I saw the whole thing. No Devil or nobody's gonna take me anywhere." Cuphead sat there with his eyes wide open, his mind still trying to process what had just happened. "Mug? How did you...? I-I thought you were..." At that second, it dawned on him that he was no longer dreaming, and that his dear brother was very much alive and well. Overwhelmed and shaken, poor Cuphead buried his face in Mugman's shoulder, revealing the contents in his head to be none other than a waterfall of tears. The pain that Cuphead had been repressing all night had manifested physically as well as emotionally. The relief of finally letting them both go was enough to make the poor little cup cry further. Mugman didn't pay any attention to how wet he was getting from his brother's breakdown. He just kept holding Cuphead close, gently rocking him as if he were the younger brother. "Shhhh, there there. It's ok. Just let it all out. I'm here for you." Cuphead nearly choked on his words. "Thank goodness..." A few minutes later, once Cuphead felt he'd gotten everything off his chest, he sat back up, and looked at his brother straight in the eye. "Mugman, I-I gotta ask you something, and I need you to be completely honest with me, ok? D-Don't try to lie to me just to make me feel better." An unusual request, but Mugman obliged. "Of course, Cuphead. What is it?" "W-W-Well," Cuphead swallowed hard, trying not to let voice break again. "Mugman....do...do you hate me for what I did to you?" Mugman's eyes and mouth went wide. "Cuphead, what...what kinda question is that? You're my brother; of course I don't hate you." "Well, even if I weren't your brother...say I was some humdrum son of a gun who went and took your life for granted. Would you still find it in your heart to forgive me?" Mugman paused for a second, making sure he was careful, yet earnest, in how he answered the troubled cup. "...If you still fought alongside me as if you were my brother, then yes. But you are my brother; I know you'd never forgive yourself if anything should happen to me. Is that why you were acting so strange back at the party?" "Mm-hmm. I didn't want ya t'worry." Mugman was a bit put off by this at first. Then he gave him a soft smile. "Actually, I was feelin' the same way about you." For the first time in what felt like ages, a genuine smile returned to Cuphead's face. Mug then gently placed a hand on his shoulder. "From now on, let's not feel like we gottta hide anything from each other, ok? We're brothers; we need each other, no matter what. I don't want you to feel like you can't come to me when you need help." "Same with you, Mug. I'm your big brother; what kind of fella would I be if I didn't protect you?" Mugman smirked again. "The kind of fella who'd get easily hoodwinked by the Devil's cheap tricks?" Cuphead smirked back. "Oh c'mon now, that's below the belt." "You sure could use one with how much you keep pullin' up your britches." The boys laughed, and Cuphead finished drying his eyes. "Thanks, Mugman. I really needed this." "No problem, Cup. It's what I'm here for." "I just hope these visions and night terrors I'm havin' don't become a regular occurrence. They've been scaring me something awful all night." He then fidgeted his hands in nervousness. "I-In fact, Mugs, this might sound strange comin' from me, but d-do you...do you think maybe....a-at least for tonight, y-you could-?" "Move my bed a little closer to yours?" "Y-Yeah. It'll be easier to go back to sleep knowing I've got somebody with me in case the night terrors come back." "No problem. Don't think that just because I'm younger than you I can't help you with things like bad dreams. Big brothers are allowed to be scared too, you know." "I know. I gotta stop being so afraid of looking weak in front of other people. I mean, who can call either of us weak after we just defeated the doggone Devil?" "Well, Devil or no Devil, you’re still strong in my book, Cuphead.” Cuphead and Mugman shared another warm hug. Before long, they were sound asleep in their makeshift queen bed, their heads resting on the adjacent nightstands. There was one large dream bubble floating over their heads, depicting the brothers enjoying another round of swinging to the "Hi De Ho Man" song. The End

#cuphead #cuphead and mugman #mugman #cuphead fanfiction #fanfiction #fan #fic #fanfic #cuphead angst #angst #feels #comfort #brothers #sad

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krizaland · 4 years

Text

Echo In The Mirror

Ok so I’ve been going through a bit of a rough patch so I wrote this fic to vent. I’m sorry to say but I didn’t include any reader inserts in this fic.

However, I am still working on my reader insert projects! I just needed a little fic to vent!

Thank you all so much for understanding! I love you all!

Here’s the song I used btw

Zim’s base moaned and groaned as Zim laid down on his couch.

The poor alien’s mind was overloaded with an ocean of endless noise.

All Zim could hear was countless voices screeching at him from all directions.

“You’ve failed to dominate the Urth yet again! You grow more useless everyday!” One voice snarled.

“You’re so incompetent! You’re dumber than every human on this planet!” Snickered another.

“It’s a wonder how The Control Brains haven't deactivated you by now. After all you are a defective!”

Zim was at his wits end! He tried to watch some TV in hopes of drowning out the voices but his attempts were all in vain.

The voices only grew louder and louder with every passing minute.

“SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!” Zim shrieked as he tugged on his antennas.

“GRAHH! I CANNOT STAND THESE VOICES ANY LONGER!! WHY MUST THIS BE?! WHY MUST THIS BE?!” Pink tears poured down his cheeks as he hopped off the couch.

Not knowing what else to do, Zim resorted to banging his head against a wall.

BANG! BANG! BANG!

While the pain distracted his mind for a moment. Hitting his head wasn’t enough to silence the wretched voices.

Not by a long shot.

The voices only grew louder and louder by the second.

“What a fool! Did you honestly think that would work?! You cannot silence us!” One voice snickered.

“We are the voices of reason! Why are you refusing to listen to our advice?!” Another whined.

“Honestly, why do you bother anymore? You’re too useless to do anything right!” Another sighed.

More tears streamed down Zim’s cheeks as the voices continued their chanting.

Zim tried to get to his lab but came across a mirror along the way.

The mirror was a bit dingy and cracked but Zim could still see his disheveled face staring back at him.

“Look at me! How could I let some pathetic voices control me?! I AM ZIM! Those voices are just stupid glitches in my INCREDIBLE brain!” Zim sniffled as he struggled to dry his tears.

“Those voices have a point you know…”

Zim let out a gasp and backed away from the mirror for a moment.

Did his reflection just talk to him?!

“You…You can speak?!” Zim stuttered as he approached the mirror again.

“Of course I can! Now take a good look at me! I am who you truly are! A useless fool!” The reflection spat as he gestured to himself.

“No! You are filled with LIES!!! I am amazing! I am-”

“You are a failure! You’ll never win the approval of your people! You’re a menace! You’ve destroyed countless lives! You can’t do anything right! Just do everyone a favor and end your life!” The reflection bellowed as its face became more and more distorted.

Zim let out a scream as his distorted reflection slowly morphed into a massive, shadowy, monster.

He ran away from the mirror and dove into his toilet.

Zim let out a few whimpers and hid his face.

He struggled to steady his breathing but the noise in his head wouldn’t allow it.

Zim poked his head out of the toilet and tried to find something, anything, to focus on. Perhaps looking at something would distract his mind for a moment.

After frantically scanning the room, Zim’s eyes came across an old wall clock.

Zim stared and stared at the clock. He focused intently on it’s stained face and jagged hands.

Tick Tock Tick Tock

Zim quickly found comfort in the clock’s broken ticking.

Tick Tock Tick Tock

Zim felt himself calm down a bit as he continued to focus on the clock.

Tick Tock Tick….

Zim had been staring at the clock so long that its soothing ticking started to fade away into static.

“The clock stopped ticking forever ago. How long have I been here? I don’t know. I can’t get a grip but I can’t let go. There wasn’t anything to hold onto though…” Zim sang as he dug his claws into his legs.

It wasn’t long before Zim’s anxiety morphed into a horrific hallucination.

“Why can’t I see? Why can’t I see? All the colors that they see? Please can I be? Please can I be? Colorful and free?” Zim sang as his voice started to skip.

“What the hell’s going on? Can someone tell me please? Why I’m switching faster than the channels on TV?” Zim’s body glitched out into countless monochrome pixels and violent static.

“I’m black then I’m white. No! Something isn’t right! My enemy’s invisible I don’t know how to fight!” Zim wailed as his body glitched between black and white.

“The trembling fear is more than I can take! When I’m up against the Echo in the mirror!” Zim’s reflection popped out of the mirror and yanked him out of the toilet.

“You didn’t think you could hide from the truth forever did you?! Just let go of all of your little dreams! You’re destined to remain in greyscale.” The reflection bellowed as he shook Zim a bit.

“No, I just can’t let go! Born to be colorful!” Zim’s body and voice continued to glitch out, “There’s not a thing to hold, I must let my colors show!”

Zim wriggled himself out of his reflection’s grip. and started to run as fast as his legs could take him.

It wasn’t long before Zim found himself running through a massive, distorted clock.

“Tick tock. Tick tock. Tick tock.” Zim’s reflection chanted as he chased him around and around.

Zim kept running and running until he finally made it out of the clock.

However, the moment he was freed from the clock, the world was falling apart around him and constantly shifting to monochrome pixels and static.

Zim didn’t even have time to process what was happening. For his reflection was hot on his tail!

Everything shook as the distorted reflection drew closer and closer.

Zim had no choice but to keep on running.

The more he ran the worse the world became.

Paintings and windows melted off of the walls and the couched glitched out of existence.

Zim ran throughout his decaying world and didn’t stop until-

THUMP!

Zim ran right into his distorted reflection.

The ground crumbled away and Zim found himself inside a massive, monochrome boxing ring.

DING! DING!

A boxing bell went off and his reflection tried to take a swipe at him.

Luckily, Zim managed to quickly dodge out of the way.

Zim tried to hit back but his reflection vanished into the shadows.

“Like boxing a shadow in the darkness, I’m fighting against the Echo in the mirror!” Zim swallowed as he frantically looked around for his reflection.

POW!

His reflection snuck up and struck Zim from behind, causing the boxing ring to collapse into a seemingly endless static void.

Zim found himself falling faster and faster, his body glitching in and out of existence as he did so.

It didn’t take long for his reflection to dive down after him.

Zim frantically tried to get away but his attempts were all in vain

SWOOP!

His reflection melted into his body.

Zim’s body glitched rapidly as he slowly begun to grow more and more monstrous.

His teeth became razor sharp and his antennas morphed into horns.

Four more arms burst from his body as his claws grew longer and longer.

Once the transformation was complete, Zim begun to lose what little was left of his sanity.

“I’m gonna burn my house down into an ugly black! I’m gonna run away now and never look back!” His voice was distorted as he begun to search for a lighter.

“I’m gonna burn my house down into an ugly black! I’m gonna run away now and never look back!” Was all Zim could say as he got his grotesque claws on a lighter.

“And never look back! And never look back! AND NEVER LOOK BACK!” Zim was about to light what was left of his base on fire when-

ZAP!

Zim’s body glitched out once more as he frantically tried to reverse his corruption.

“What the hell’s going on? Can someone tell me please? Why I’m switching faster than the channels on TV?” Zim’s body glitched between his true self and his corrupted body.

“I’m black then I’m white. No! Something isn’t right! My enemy’s invisible I don’t know how to fight!” Zim wailed as his body glitched between black and white.

“The trembling fear is more than I can take! When I’m up against the Echo in the mirror!” Zim shrieked as he burst into tears.

Just when he thought he was about to explode, Zim felt something wrap around his waist.

“Master? Are you ok?”

The sound of GIR’s sympathetic voice freed Zim from his nightmarish hallucination.

“Guh…GIR? What are you doing?” Zim groaned as he looked down as GIR hugging his waist.

“You were screaming real loud! Just like this ‘AHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!’ So I thought a hug might cheer you up!” GIR sang as he nuzzled into Zim’s chest.

Zim opened his mouth to protest but nothing came out.

He simply sighed and returned the hug.

While he would never admit it, he truly did need a hug to cheer him up.

Zim knew it would take a lot more than a simple hug to silence the voices but for now, the feeling of being held was enough to make him feel safe.

#invader zim #invader zim GIR

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jungnoir · 6 years

Note

3.“Yes, they’re perfect, but…” with eunwoo in the same universe as "how to train your sanha" pls

all this and heaven too;

cha eunwoo | 3. “Yes, they’re perfect, but…” fantasy!au, royalty!au, how to train your sanha!au. | 3.7k words. | wow the angst, romance.

a/n: AHHHH u don’t know how excited I am to do a requested spin off of something else I did ok ok. you can read how to train your sanha for a lil backstory on prince eunwoo if you like :) 

Prince Eunwoo was not a stranger to getting what he wanted. As the heir to the Kingdom of Caelum, there was not a thing out of reach for the royal family (it could even be argued that there was nothing out of reach for the common people as well). So, when Prince Eunwoo sprints into his father’s arms after a summer away at his uncle’s estate and tells him all about how Uncle Seunghoon has a pet dragon and all about how they just have to get one now, well... he gets exactly that.

The duties of the young prince had always been fairly obvious: classical training in several musical instruments, etiquette classes out of the wazoo, and socializing with every single person of noble and royal blood from age 8 to age 80. Eunwoo had no problem with the majority, but when it came to spending time with snooty lords and ladies seeking to betroth him to their bratty children, he preferred the company of dragons.

There was something unmatched about turning out of his royal garments and into the commoner clothing he’d acquired from the servants over the years (“Never for the king and queen to know about, understand?”), sneaking out into the night (past several guards. His ability had definitely matured over time), and spilling his thoughts to the creatures that lurked in the dark. Dragons, in the kingdom of Caelum, were a rarity amongst even the wealthiest of nobles. With their stubborn and independent natures, “owning” a dragon wasn’t the right term. No, it was more like Eunwoo was offering them a home to rest in when they so felt like it. In return? They gave him their undying loyalty and affection.

The amount of times servants had found the prince curled up in the tails of the dragons, fast asleep and unaware of the excitement amongst the servant’s quarters as they all bustled to get the young prince back to his room without raising any eyebrows were far too many to count on all the chefs’ fingers combined. As the prince got older and his... habits became accepted by the king and queen, the memories became humorous tales. Tales to keep in the past... once Eunwoo turned 21.  

“I know that this is upsetting, my love,” the queen’s voice had always been this gentle, but right now it feels so forced as he stands in the throne room with teeth gritted, “but it’s time that you start focusing on your princely duties... you are of age for many new things, after all.”  

Many new things, Eunwoo scoffs quietly as he thinks, they could only mean one thing.  

The king nods his head from beside his wife, chin rested on his fist with a neutral expression. His parents, Eunwoo notes, look like they’ve been raring to have this conversation for a long while now, but only now did they have a legitimate excuse to do so that Eunwoo couldn’t deny. He was 21. He was of age to take the throne at any time, had finished his studies with impeccably high marks, and was at the peak age to marry. There was no reason for him not to focus on these things. In fact, he should have been focusing on them years ago, but... he had hoped... a little longer, maybe.  

You let out a soft sigh from your spot near the entrance, a knight to your left and right who don’t dare make eye contact with you or anyone else in the room. You had been dreading this very moment since the minute you’d been handed the formal letter requesting Eunwoo’s daily activities be halted for an important meeting with the monarchs that morning. You had been dreading this moment since you’d become Eunwoo’s personal advisor, being made aware of Eunwoo’s current priorities and how they didn’t exactly sit well with the king and queen now that he was older. Eunwoo wanted to explore, learn of all that the kingdom had to offer, and the king and queen wanted him to marry and take the throne in two years time (less time was actually preferred; two years was the grace of God at this point). Watching this was torture.  

“I know you both well enough to figure there’s already a list of those many new things waiting for me to get started on right away.” Eunwoo tries to keep his sarcasm at its minimum. It doesn’t work.

The king sighs heavily, “Eunwoo, don’t start this. Honestly, you act like this is a shock to you.”  

Eunwoo wants to say that he always knew, that knowing it would happen and actually experiencing it were two very different things, that imagining this day was so much better than actually living through it. Yet, he can’t say a thing. Shouldn’t. Arguing with the inevitable was not an option, that’s not what kings did.  

The queen frowns, “It doesn’t all have to stop. The dragons will always be here, and when you have time, you can travel throughout the kingdom whenever you like. We’re just asking that you start to focus on your future. There are many nobles and royals eager to actually meet you, Eunwoo.” -and introduce you to their darling children to marry them off is what she means to add, but Eunwoo puts that together himself.

“Exactly,” his father chimes in, “they’re not villains. You would love some of these people. After all, they’ve been around us for a long time.”  

“Around us, yeah. But around me? Talked to me besides idle chatter? I don’t know any of them.” Some part of Eunwoo, despite having already given up about 90% internally, still clings to the need to at least make them see that this was the exact opposite of what he wanted to do.

“You had 21 years to get to know them, Eunwoo. Every time they were around, you’d disappear off to those stables and stay as far away from them as possible. Do not blame us or them for what you chose to do.” Unfortunately, the king had a point. Eunwoo was not an innocent player in this game. He had known of his future for a long time, so there was no excuse for distancing himself other than a childish hope that it’d somehow not come true. That hope was being extinguished now under an onslaught of icy cold waves, a wake up call of the least desired degree.  

You clear your throat, trying to be casual and discreet, but you notice the twitch in Eunwoo’s neck when you do. He just catches himself before he can look back at you, a habit he would soon have to grow out of. You had been his guide and sometimes life-jacket in royal matters since you both were children, and it was hard for him not to want to turn to you and hope you could fix this situation with your borderline magical problem-solving abilities.  

“...When do I need to prepare myself?” Eunwoo asks in a compliant tone, though the fire in his eyes doesn’t easily burn out.  

His parents are on edge still, but they look much more relieved by the new direction of the conversation. “You have until tonight, son. We’ll be welcoming a few suitors to court for your birthday celebration, but for now we want you to focus on strengthening relations between our kingdom and the nearby ones first.” The king explains.

Eunwoo decides he can handle that. He’d had intensive training to be able to handle that, after all. Without another word, Eunwoo bends at the waist and tucks a hand behind his back, another curving around his waist. Then he swiftly exits the room with you following quickly behind in swirling anxiety.

“Please say something, your highness,” you start, the smell of the stables for once going ignored by you in favor of deciphering this mess you’ll need to clean up, “anything is fine. Profanity is excused for today, encouraged even.”

You’d much prefer spoiling Eunwoo’s “proper” vocabulary if it meant that he would just say something to you. His silence was far scarier than his vocalization.

Your relationship to Eunwoo was a rather strange one, always bordering on the lines of advisory, friendship, and some other feelings hard to describe. Despite being around the same age, you had been trained since childhood to be several steps ahead of Eunwoo in everything. You were taking advanced royal training while Eunwoo was still learning his ABC’s, able to name every single one of the past kings of Caelum off the top of your head while Eunwoo hadn’t yet learned the first name of his grandfather.

Yet, at the same time, while you were years ahead of the young prince in knowledge and wisdom, you were still a child and you still were childish. The times when you would run off with the prince to the stables to admire the handsome dragons (only to then request leaving as soon as possible as to not end up smelling like dragon dung for the rest of the day) were some of the most fun memories you still kept close to your heart. Back then, Eunwoo had only one dragon, Eliatha, and Eliatha was only big enough at the time to carry both you and Eunwoo a few feet in the air before crashing into a nearby cherry tree and ending the festivities early.

Now, Eliatha’s tired eyes could only stare sadly at the adult prince, wishing to comfort him with a motherly hand rather than just brushing her snout against his leg, but the sentiment was not lost on you or Eunwoo.

Eunwoo continues to run his fingertips down Eliatha’s jade scales with care, a habit he’d found would soothe him whenever he and his father would get into scuffles about his negligence in his royal duties. If ever you were to need to find Eunwoo after a fight between the two of them, you always knew where to go.

“I’m not silent just because I’m angry. I’m watching my words, as all good kings do.” The last bit of his sentence is heavily sarcastic. You can practically feel the prickly words in your chest as you hear them. At least he’s talking to you, though.

You step forward some, stuffing your hands underneath your armpits to keep warm in the chilly air, “Thankfully, the only people good kings don’t need to hold their tongues around are their advisors and their lovers.”

Eunwoo snorts, sparing a glance back at you over his shoulder, “Is that so?”

“Yes! So please,” you check the ground covered in hay and grass for any signs of dragon droppings before taking a cautious seat next to the crouched prince, “spill it. It’ll do you no good to stay quiet.”

The prince looks reluctant even as he makes eye contact with you and holds it; something in those dark eyes says that he currently cannot find the words he wishes to use. Wheels turn in his mind as he assesses the moment before him, a mindful activity to ground him.

Here you are in your royal fatigues, legs tucked underneath you in this place you always either regarded as “smelly” or “nauseating”, just to listen to him... and he can’t feel any worse.

“I don’t want to complain to you because it isn’t fair,” Eunwoo starts, catching the way your face pinches in puzzlement, “it isn’t fair of me to be upset.”

“I don’t follow...?” You press.

And of course you don’t, Eunwoo thinks; it is no more your fault than it is his own that you don’t know. “This... this isn’t even bad. It’s not what I want but my life could be much, much worse. Who am I to complain that I now get to secure my place as future king of Caelum? Who am I to complain that I’ll have to soon choose a suitor from some of the best of the best the kingdoms have to offer? Who am I, except a spoiled prince who got away with this gig for too long?”

You stare at him, unsure how to approach the conversation. In all your years of knowing the prince, you had never thought... never fathomed that he could feel so against his own emotions. The way he speaks is like he’s berating himself for even bothering to feel bad feelings, as if kings didn’t feel bad things because why would they?

“...Your... position, your highness... it comes with many wonderful things that you should always be grateful for, but it also comes with many burdensome things that you have the right to hate.” Eunwoo looks away from you as you respond, “You may live in a luxurious palace with the privilege of being waited on hand and foot, but you must also sacrifice yourself for the people you love and lead. This is a big thing to ask of any person. There is no easy way to be a good king, and with the good will always come the bad.”

“But look at Minhyuk,” Eunwoo mentions his younger courtier and the image of his kind and gentle disposition comes to mind, “he came from practically nothing and rose to the royal court with the utmost gratitude. He does everything that’s asked of him as a member of the court and never makes a fuss; meanwhile, I can get away with neglecting my birthright because I just “feel” like it. Don’t you think I’m...”

“A brat?”

Eunwoo’s eyes shoot open, then narrow into irritated slits, “...sure.”

You crack a small smile, “Sometimes, but you are one of the most wonderful brats I know.”

“You know more wonderful brats than just me?” Eunwoo’s eyebrow rises in amusement, “That makes me feel special.”

You scoot across the grass until your knees are just touching the prince’s, his face falling still. You extend your hand toward his chin and he almost flinches when your fingers brush the sensitive skin underneath, two of your fingers angling his face high up. His nose points out confidently at this angle, “Shall I say this, then, Eunwoo?” When you drop the “your highness”, you drown him in a sea of sobriety. He nods, entranced by what you’ll say next.

“You and Minhyuk are no different. You and any village boy in this kingdom are no different. You must stop looking at your life from such a negative point of view, always worried about what people will have to say about you, always worried about not looking humble enough or not performing at your most likable. You have been placed in a position from birth that would drive any twenty-one year old mad. You’re doing a great job; don’t belittle yourself so much.” You release his chin and smile when he keeps his head high, just where you left it. “You look so handsome when you have no worries.”

Eunwoo, by instinct, drops his chin toward his chest and flushes. Eliatha huffs a humorous breath at Eunwoo’s back when he does.

As if remembering where he is, Eunwoo looks at Eliatha in surprise before turning back to you, “Would you like to get out of here?”

You practically melt with content, “Yes, please and thank you.”

However, to your confusion and then mild horror, Eunwoo walks over to the set of reins hanging on the far west wall. He pulls down the one sized specifically for Eliatha and then comes back to the sweet dragon who is now bursting with energy at the thought of being ridden for the first time in so long. You immediately freeze when he starts to set up two saddles along Eliatha’s back. “Wait-” “Just a quick lap around the kingdom, ok? Maybe take a detour to that hill we used to go to when we were younger?”

“I didn��t agree to this, Eunwoo!” You push yourself off the ground as Eliatha begins moving out of her stall, stretching her claws mere feet in front of you in preparation for flight.

Eunwoo is already hoisting himself up onto the dragon’s back, grinning at you over her long neck, “Would you rather I go alone and disappear into the forest forever, you being the last witness and therefore responsible for my mysterious vanishing? Eliatha hasn’t been ridden in years, after all... anything could happen.”

“Are you... are you threatening me, your highness?” You stare up at him with arms folded in disbelief. Sure enough, he’s completely serious.

He lightly taps his heels against Eliatha’s sides and she begins to trudge forward, practically nudging you out of the way. In the same step, you feel your arm being tugged upward and suddenly your falling across Eunwoo’s lap, halfway on the dragon and halfway off, the front saddle just waiting for you to slip into. Eunwoo grins down at you with reins in one hand, the other wrapped tightly around your bicep, “Does that seem like the behavior of one of the most wonderful brats you know?”

Your kidnapping ride to the hill was, thankfully, not as dangerous as Eunwoo had tried to make it out to be in the beginning. Eliatha flew just as smoothly as she did always (except for the cherry tree incidents but those were in the past), and you were at the hillside in no time, propped up against the short, soft grass next to Eunwoo. The dragon had taken her perch at the very top of the hill for a well-needed nap which meant that there was no bribing the sleepy dragon to take you home any time soon.

The afternoon was cool, but the sunshine provided a warmth to both your skin that made you feel as cozy as Eliatha probably did. It had been so long since the two of you had escaped out of the kingdom for a heart-to-heart, so it was no surprise that the both of you began spilling your grievances and tales of mirth to each other without much prodding. You knew that moments like these would be few and far between from this point on, so you both knew, deep down, to get the most out of it.

It was also, to Eunwoo’s embarrassment at forgetting, still his birthday.

“You didn’t have to get me anything.” He tries to protest, but his eyes are locked on the midnight velvet pouch that you slip out of your pants pocket. He can hear small metal clinking inside as you shake it. His curiosity knows no bounds as he immediately abandons his thing about you not having to get him anything, “What is it?”

You smirk, dropping the pouch into one of his upturned hands. You can see the eagerness in the way he works at the tie to the pouch, looking almost frustrated when it doesn’t untie under his miscalculated pulling. Finally, he does get it open, and into his other palm does he empty the contents of the pouch into.

Two metal bands, fused gold and silver like marble, lay in his grasp. He looks from them to you, suspicious.

“This is something I had Myungjun cook up for me. It was so hard to get him to keep it secret from you,” you grin at the thought of the eccentric court mage, “these... are rings. One for me, one for you. Do you like them?” You take one ring and slip it onto your pinky finger as the metal instantly resizes to fit it comfortably. You wiggle your hand in Eunwoo’s face as he tries to understand what your gift actually is.

“Yes, they’re perfect, but... they look like wedding bands.” Eunwoo murmurs, and you fluster. My god do you need to explain these quick.

“T-They’re not! They’re for your pinky, see? You wear one and I wear the other, and if you’re ever in trouble, just rub the surface and I’ll find you.” You demonstrate by shakily slipping the other ring onto his pinky, and with the aftermath of his wedding bands comment from earlier, this moment feels all too much like a secret wedding in the wild from those ridiculous romance novels you’d find being sold in town.

You then touch the surface of your own ring and rub back and forth. At once, Eunwoo looks like he’s been shocked, though you know the feeling is only a noticeable tingle running from his finger up to his heart. “Oh my god,” he whispers, “this is...”

“I figured that I’d get you something practical. There will be times that we’ll be stuck in meetings you want to get out of or conversations with stuffy lords and ladies that you’ll want to run away from, so whenever that feeling arises, just rub the ring and I’ll come swoop in to save the day.” You explain, watching the childlike wonder on his face grow. “And... if you’re ever in a situation with a suitor who just won’t get the hint, I can always make up some serious princely matter for you to attend to right at that moment: an absolutely unavoidable matter that includes stolen sweets from the kitchen on our way to anywhere else.”

“So you’re always there when I need you.” Eunwoo whispers, still staring at the ring in awe.

You swallow, the action feeling somewhat tough to do in his presence all of a sudden. Right when you’re about to add on how Myungjun had begged to add a snooping feature too (including a voice recorder that would give you the chance to listen in on any of Eunwoo’s private conversations. When you asked why you would possibly ever need that, Myungjun had flushed a thousand shades of pink and answered “no reason!”), Eunwoo looks up at you.

Expression full of gratitude. Expression full of... something else.

“And I’m always right where you need me.” He continues, holding the hand with the ring on it close to his chest.

Even when you’ll no longer need me like you used to, you think.

Even when I’m standing in a room full of people who want me for their own, yet all I can think of is being yours, he thinks.

You both don’t say anything else, though; you press your backs against the earth once more, fiddling with the rings on your pinkies, vibrations running up your sides to remind you that you both are never quite out of reach physically... but maybe in another sense.

#eunwoo scenarios #eunwoo drabbles #eunwoo au #prince!eunwoo #eunwoo angst #eunwoo fluff #cha eunwoo #eunwoo x reader #astro scenarios #astro drabbles #astro au #astro angst #astro fluff #astro kpop #majwrites #sbmusings #lee dongmin

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maythefanfictionbewithyou · 5 years

Text

Proposal

Everybody is full of surprises.

Lana Kane drummed an annoying rhythm onto her armrest. Malory had dragged her out of bed that morning, apparently, Archer had plans with AJ for the day and she had thought it was the perfect excuse for Lana and Malory to have a girls' day out, something Lana never wanted to do with Malory. After enough guilt-tripping, though she’d begrudgingly agreed. Lana barely finished getting ready before Malory dragged her to the airport.

“Is that necessary? There are other people on the plane you know,” Malory asked her.

“Was dragging me out of bed and to an airport necessary?” Lana bit back, mimicking Malory’s voice. “Plus, why are we flying commercial, there must have been a plane we could have borrowed or commandeered or something? I hate commercial.”

“There were no planes for us to commandeer on such short notice, and we need to get to New York tonight. Now shut your mouth and enjoy your flight,” Malory said downing her fifth glass since they’d gotten on the plane, they had barely made them it off the runway. “Why the hell are we going to New York, anyway? With ISIS gone there can’t be anything there for us,” Lana said.

“You’d be surprised, dear.”

After a thousand hours on an airplane, a shopping spree, Lana’s clothes weren’t good enough for Mallory, a trip to the spa, and a visit to a salon for hair and makeup, Lana found herself in front of the old ISIS headquarters. “What are we doing here?” she asked Malory, “I thought we were getting dinner.”

“This was around the corner. I figured it would be nice to see the old stomping ground. The building is even still for lease,” Malory informed her.

“Good to know we can always come home if we want,” Lana said, surprised at the pang of nostalgia hitting her in the gut. She didn’t want to miss this place.

“Do you want to go in?” Malory asked her, pulling a silver key from her coat pocket and waving it in Lana’s directions.

“Seriously?”

“Yes, let’s go,” Malory said making her way towards the front door. Lana followed her, entering the first-floor dry cleaning, another pang of nostalgia hitting her. While she didn’t want to miss this place, this was where she met most of her friends, where she met Archer, and where she was working when AJ was an infant. All the important events in her life happened in that office building.

Malory called the elevator and pressed the button for the main floor. The sight she saw when the doors slide open surprised her. There was a trail of roses leading out of the elevator, the edges lined with candles. “This is your stop dear,” Malory told her, putting pressure on her back to help push her out of the elevator, the door closing behind her.

“What is going on?” Lana asked, taking in her surroundings. The carpet was still a god-awful yellow color, but the rose petals drew the eye away from the awfulness. She followed the trail into the bullpen. All the furniture was gone, the only thing identifying the room was the yellow carpets and the wood paneling on the wall.

In place of the furniture was more roses, littered throughout the room, dozens of candles, and a small picnic blanket with a brown wicker basket in the middle, and in front of the picnic, setup was Archer. He was in one of his best suits, his hair was impeccable, and he had a bouquet of roses in his arms. “Hey,” he said awkwardly, running his free hand through his hair, ruffling it.

“Hey,” Lana repeated, taking a few steps so she could stand in front of him.

“You look... You look great,” Archer told her, looking her up and down appreciating the view.

“You don’t look so bad yourself,” Lana said, feeling her mouth pull into a smile.

“These are for you,” Archer told her, all but shoving the flowers into her arms. She smelled them quickly before turning her attention back to Archer.

“They are beautiful, but what’s going on?” She said motioning to the room.

“Oh yeah this,” Archer said as if he had forgotten everything he was doing. He took back the roses, set them down and took both of her hands in his. “Well, first things first, I wanted to tell you how much I love you,” he said grinning.

Her heart sank a bit at first, was this all an apology date? Had he done something wrong again? But the smile on his face seemed out of place, so she forced herself to push away the thought, “I love you too,” she answered.

“Yeah, yeah I know, let me talk,” He said hurriedly, ignoring the dirty look she was giving him. “Lana, you are my best friend. You have been my best friend for god knows how long. I know I was a shitty boyfriend that first time around, and wasn’t great the second time either, though there were some technicality things going on…”

“Archer,” Lana warned, not wanting to go down that road right then.

“Yeah, yeah, right,” he said resetting himself. “Either way, I hate that it took me being in a coma to get it right, but even before then, being able to be with, and in love with not only my best friend, but the mother of my child, it’s incredible, and while I had said as much to other people; I recently realized I had never said it to you. So now I am, and I don’t want to make the mistake of not telling you what you mean to me again. I want you, AJ and I to be a proper family. I want to wake up next to you every morning for the rest of my life. I want a dozen more beautiful little-mixed babies,” Archer said, his smile now huge. Lana didn’t know what to say to this waterfall of emotions coming from him, but she could feel her eyes watering.

“Especially if one of them comes out with my blue eyes and AJ‘s color. That baby will rule the world,” Archer said, still rambling about mixed babies.

“Archer,” Lana said, reassuring this time as she squeezed on his hands.

“Right sorry,” he stammered, he let go of one of her hands and bent down on one knee, her eyes were puddles now, “I guess what I am trying to say, Lana Kane is that I love you, and want to spend the rest of my life with you. So, will you m-oh shit,” the sentence got cut off he pulled his hand away and searched his pockets for something.

“Did you lose the ring?” Lana asked, her emotions sobering up some.

“Oh no, oh no, I lost the ring,” he said, still dramatically patting his jacket, “I lost the ring,” he repeated a little louder.

“I got that, really Archer, it’s okay, these things happen,” Lana told him, disappointed, but not mad, Archer only shot her a weird look she didn’t understand.

“I LOST THE RING,” he said louder, almost shouting.

“I got that,” she answered confused, but as the words left her mouth, a little girl came out from one of the offices, not just any little girl, her little girl.

“This ring, daddy?” AJ asked him, holding up a little box as she joined the couple.

“Ahhhh, there it is,” Archer said, taking the box from AJ, he whispered something in her ear, and gave her a quick kiss on the cheek, before retaking Lana’s hand. “Do you have anything to add princess?”

AJ smiled at her father, a reflection of his own. “Mommy?” she asked, getting her mother’s attention.

“Yes, dear?” Lana asked her.

“Will you marry daddy?” AJ asked Lana. Lana looked between the pair, her family, her beautiful, weirdly conceived family.

“I guess I can do that,” Lana told AJ, all eyes on her instead of Archer.

“Yay! Daddy, Mommy said okay!” AJ told Archer excitedly, throwing her arms around her father.

“Seriously?” Archer asked, genuinely a little surprised, he put one arm around AJ, returning the hug, and kept his other hand in Lana’s.

“Of course, yes,” Lana said, using his hand to help pull him up. He placed the diamond ring, huge of course, on her finger, before pulling her into a kiss. She wanted to deepen the kiss. She wanted to throw him on the ground and fuck him right then and there, but she was very aware of her daughter standing beside them.

“Can you believe she said yes?” Archer asked AJ after he pulled away from the kiss. He swung her up into his arms, she was getting too big to carry, but he didn’t care.

“Duh,” AJ said dramatically, her parents couldn’t help but smile at her.

Archer placed a quick kiss on AJ’s forehead at the same time Lana placed a kiss on her cheek. “We love you, baby,” Lana told her.

“I love you too,” AJ said looking between the two, beaming because of all the attention. Lana was super thankful that Archer had thought to include AJ, but she really hoped that he had plans for her after this, because she wasn’t spending the night of her engagement sleeping. Lana met Archer’s eyes over AJ’s head and tried her best to convey her question without saying it out loud. He seemed to catch her meaning.

“Hey AJ, let’s go find grandma real quick,” Archer told her, setting her down.

“I can’t stay here with you guys?” AJ asked pouting.

“AJ, we talked about this,” Archer scolded.

“I’ll be right back,” Archer told Lana, giving her a quick kiss.

“Honestly, it’s been a year since you got out of the coma, and I still can’t believe that three years in a coma didn’t affect your ability at all,” Lana said panting, collapsing onto the mattress.

“I know right?” Archer said panting just as hard. They laid side by side for a moment, matching their heavy breathing. She hadn’t even totally caught her breath before Archer was back on top of her ready to go. “Round two?” He asked with a big cheeky grin.

“I am still recovering from round one,” Lana said exasperatedly.

“Well, if we don’t keep going how are we going to make all of those beautiful little mixed babies,” he asked, his hand caressing the side of her breast.

“About that...” Lana said, removing his hand from her breast and placing it on her abdomen.

Archer looked at her confused. He looked at his hand on her abdomen, then back up at her, a huge smile crossing his face as realization dawned on him, “Seriously?” he finally asked.

“Seriously,” Lana said smiling back, “I wasn't going to say anything tonight, but since you mentioned it.”

“I love you so much,” he said taking his hand and tangling it in her hair, pulling her into a bone-shattering kiss.

When he finally pulled away, Lana couldn’t help but smile back at him. She was sure he had always had emotions, but would always be grateful that post-coma Sterling Archer was much better at expressing them, “I am glad you are excited,” She told him honestly.

He rolled back over next to her, stretching out on his side, and traced patterns on her belly. “Of course I am excited! I love AJ with all of my heart, but it will be nice to have a baby I put in you instead of one that you stole my sperm to make,” he told her with his usual cheeky grin.

Lana shoved him playfully, “it turned out all right,” she said, wanting to be annoyed at his never letting it go, but most of her couldn’t blame him, it had been shitty.

“Yeah baby, she was so obsessed with me, that she stole my sperm to make your sister,” Archer said, the words directed at her tummy.

She shoved him again, “I was not obsessed with you, plus the baby doesn’t even have ears yet.”

“What do you call stealing somebody’s sperm to make a baby then?” Archer asked, continuing his tracing on her belly.

“Desperate, not obsessed,” Lana admitted.

”Well, I guess I can take that,” Archer said. “Are you sure this is really happening?"

“Yes, Archer, this is really happening," Lana said.

Part 1 Part 2

#archer fx #archer cartoon #archer fx fanfiction #archer fx fanfic #archer fanfiction #archer fanfic #sterling archer #lana kane #sterling archer/lana kane #malory archer #abbiejean kane archer

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olicitysecretsanta · 6 years

Text

To @laureningall from @bowsmoakandarrow

It started small and spiraled out of control. Hope you love it!

The warmth from the hot chocolate in her hands spread throughout her body as the crisp air bit at her nose. It was a colder-than-usual holiday in Star City this year, at least according to what her co-workers said, and she had donated most of her heavy clothing from Boston before she moved here. She tugged her scarf up higher on her neck and sipped at the hot liquid.

"What about this one?"

Felicity spun around at the sound of her roommate's voice. Lacey stood over among a small row of shorter Christmas trees and continued to run her fingers over one of the branches. "What about it?"

Lacey pointed at the small tree on the right. "How does this one look?"

"Like a Christmas tree?"

"Felicity! You're not helping!"

"I'm sorry!" The blonde winced at her friend's outburst and shrugged her shoulders. "I'm Jewish, I don't really do the Christmas thing except with you. I just like looking at all the lights and decorations."

Lacey sighed and folded her arms across her chest. "Okay, let's put it this way. Which one of these living things would you like to stare at for the next week in our apartment?"

Felicity tugged the corner of her lip into her mouth as she debated between the two trees. While it's true she didn't technically celebrate Christmas over the past few years she had enjoyed some of the traditional festivities of Christmas with Lacey since they had been in school or too broke to fly home. In return, Lacey had learned about the traditions of Hanukkah and celebrated with Felicity. She studied both trees and lightly ran her fingers through the boughs. She carefully stepped backwards and pointed to the one on the right. "That one."

"Yay! Good choice. I'll go pay for it while you stand guard."

"Lacey, it's a tree, not a prisoner."

"You mock me but you haven't experienced Christmas ruined until someone steals it after you pick it out."

"Yeah I'll just take your word on that." She took another sip of hot chocolate as she watched her roommate scurry off to the counter. She turned back towards the tree and jumped when she saw a young woman inspecting it.

"Hey Ollie, what about this one?"

Felicity's eyes widened and she stepped closer to the tree. "Oh, excuse me, that's actually mine. My roommate's up paying for it right now."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't realize--"

"What'd you find, Speedy?"

Both girls looked over to where the voice was coming from. "Oh, nevermind Ollie, this one's actually hers."

The man looked over at Felicity and she swore she stopped breathing. She had never been the kind of girl who gawked at gorgeous men or chatted like they were eye candy but wow, it all made sense now. She swallowed as her mouth went dry at his tall, muscular build and even with it being covered by a henley and coat she wanted to grab onto his arms and never let go. The muscles fit his frame well and when her eyes finally made it to his face she had to hide her gasp at the chiseled jawline and stunning blue eyes. She had never felt this attracted to someone physically before and she suddenly felt overheated and flushed. She blinked as she tried to focus back and noticed the man step towards her with concern in his eyes, not that she had been looking at his eyes, and oh crap. He'd been talking to her and she has done nothing but stare and drool. "I'm sorry, what?"

"I asked if you were okay, you kind of spaced out for a minute and didn't look too good all of a sudden."

Felicity groaned inwardly and furiously nodded at both of them. "I'm fine, I promise. Sorry I get caught up in my head and then someone like you shows up and my entire thought process blanks and I mean it's not your fault that you look like that but actually it kind of is and oh my God, I'm going to stop talking in 3...2...1..."

The short brunette burst out laughing and shook her head. "Don't worry he has that effect on everyone. Though not as strong as on you, apparently."

"Speedy." He effectively quieted her and turned back to Felicity with an amused grin while she just desperately wished for an asteroid to hit them right there at that exact spot. "Please ignore her. We didn't mean to try and take your tree. I'm Oliver and this is Thea, my little sister."

"Yeah not so little anymore, Ollie."

Felicity let the brisk air ground her before her head could wander off again. "I'm Felicity. Felicity Smoak. I'm sorry about the tree. My roommate really likes that one and she gets a little protective about her trees every year."

Oliver smiled and nodded. "It's okay, I get it. Christmas trees are important things, you have to have the right one, don't you think?"

"Definitely." There was that damn smile again that kept making her forget that she didn't actually celebrate the holiday. The crunching of the snow behind her alerted her that Lacey must have finished.

"It's all mine!" The small group turned toward the other woman that smiled with glee at her newfound acquisition. "Sorry but trees are important."

Oliver grinned and looked back at Felicity. "We were just talking about that actually and how important they were."

"Yes, very important," Felicity nodded and turned toward her roommate. "This is Lacey, my roommate. Lacey, this is Oliver and Thea. They were also looking for a Christmas tree. They almost tried to take yours."

"Ahhhh, well, you have good taste but that one's mine. I have strict necessities when it comes to buying trees since there isn't enough room in the apartment for a big one, and they can't be messed with."

"As much as we all agree that Christmas is important I'm sure they don't want to hear about your yearly can't-go-home plans. We should get that tree home, Lacey."

"Wait, you're by yourselves at Christmas?"

Both girls looked at Oliver who seemed, well, confused at the idea. "Well it's the two of us so technically not alone."

"Why don't you join us for Christmas then? It's just us and we'd love to have you over. There's plenty of food."

Lacey glanced at Felicity who just stared at Oliver with a smile. "That's so nice of you but--"

"Oh we'd love to! Yes, Christmas! We'll be there." Felicity knew her roommate was staring at her but Oliver grinned from ear-to-ear so she couldn't really be bothered to care. "Thank you. We'd love to."

"Great! That's fantastic. Uhm, let me give you my number and I'll text you the address." Felicity grabbed her phone out of her pocket and handed it to Oliver. A few taps later he handed the device back to her and if her hand lingered on his, well, it was completely accidental. "We'll see you both Monday then."

"Looking forward to it!" Felicity grinned and waved at Thea and Oliver as they said goodbye and wandered off to find another Christmas tree. A slap on her arm jolted her back to the present. "Owwww, what the hell?"

"What do you mean 'what the hell'?" Lacey folded her arms across her chest and glared daggers at her. "Number one, despite who he is, he's a total stranger, Felicity. Number two, you're Jewish!"

"I know, I know," she winced before her gaze shifted to the direction where the duo had wandered off. "I'm sorry, but did you see him? My brain doesn't function well socially on a good day. His stupid face was there in all its gorgeousness and the filter from my mouth to my brain stopped working." She smiled at Lacey who had softened a little but still seemed irritated. "Don't hate me please?"

The other girl sighed and nodded before she turned toward the tree to determine the best way to get it home. "I don't hate you, but Felicity, you're Jewish. You don't celebrate Christmas."

"I know, but that's what Google is for right? It's only one night."

~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Calm down, Speedy."

"Oh don't you 'Speedy' me. You can't just invite people over to celebrate Christmas with us!"

Oliver scoffed as he handed the attendant a wad of cash and dug his heavy gloves out of his jacket pocket. "Why not? Those movies you watch every year during Christmas say otherwise. Besides they were very nice and didn't have anywhere to go for Christmas."

"Are you dense? They were staying in their apartment! That doesn’t mean they're alone."

"Well I'm not going to apologize for inviting them over. They could have said no but they didn't so clearly they didn't seem to want to be alone so please don't make this holiday more difficult."

Thea groaned and shook her head before she reached down toward the bottom of the tree to grab the trunk. "Fine. Of course I'll be nice to them, Ollie." She hoisted the bottom up and worked with Oliver to carry the tree to their car. "Let me ask you this though. We usually have take-out. Where the hell is all this supposed food going to come from?"

They propped the tree against the car as Oliver reached inside to grab the long rope he had brought. "You and I will cook. I'm sure Google will tell us how."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"Does Google tell you what to do when there are no turkeys left for Christmas?"

Oliver glared at Thea as they stood in front of an empty freezer bin. "I don't understand. How are there no more turkeys?"

"Well, Ollie, normal people plan for Christmas. They don't decide to cook on a whim when they meet people."

"Speedy."

"Alright, alright, no more snark. I promise. Okay what did we have growing up? I mean there was turkey but there was also a crap ton of other stuff."

Oliver shut his eyes and rocked back and forth on his feels as he tried to remember the good parts of the holidays growing up. " Well I remember turkey, mashed potatoes, cornbread, a green bean casserole thing, stuffing, gravy, ham, salad, I think there was pot roast too. Rice and veggies too." He smiled at the memory and chuckled. "So much food."

Thea laughed and searched the meat area. "Yeah, I remember that part. We were always stuffed and couldn't move. Okay, so, that's a lot to work with actually. What about ham? We can do that instead of turkey. It's probably easier too." Thea nudged Oliver gently out of the way to grab the shopping cart and pushed it down the aisle towards the freezer full of hams. She studied them quickly before she grabbed one and held it towards Oliver. "I guess this one? Is there a way to pick these out?"

Oliver stared at the ham and shrugged. "I have no idea. I think it looks fine." He watched as Thea placed the meat in the cart and turned back towards him. "Alright, Speedy, what else are we doing. Mashed potatoes?"

"Definitely. Mashed potatoes, stuffing, cornbread. Too many carbs?"

Oliver laughed at grabbed the cart from Thea then steered it towards the produce. "It's Christmas I think we can allow it. Just to be safe we'll make a salad though."

"Wait do they have any food allergies? Should we have asked that?"

Oliver stopped in the middle of the aisle and spun back towards Thea. "Oh shit. I didn't even think of that. Wait, let me text Felicity and ask her. Hopefully she'll get back to us quickly." Oliver quickly snatched his phone out of his back pocket and fired off a quick text.

Hey it's Oliver. I forgot to ask, are either of you allergic to anything?

He pressed send and kept his phone in his hand as they circled the store and grabbed all the components for their impromptu Christmas dinner. They rounded the corner after they stocked up on hot chocolate when his phone buzzed. He hurriedly unlocked the screen to see Felicity's name and quickly opened it.

Lacey isn't it but I'm allergic to nuts. Long story on how I found that out and it wasn't very fun. Wow how can I still ramble in text? Anyway, just nuts.

Oliver couldn't help the grin that spread across his face as he read the text message. Her rambling had charmed him yesterday when they met and he liked that it seemed to be a normal everyday occurrence. He was so used to people being either completely composed or totally off their rocker around him that he found it refreshing that she just spoke what her mind thought.

"Hello? Earth to Ollie?"

Oliver snapped up at the hand waving in front of his face. "Huh? Sorry."

"Oh God help us tomorrow. You have that look."

He scoffed and moved the cart forward again as he skimmed the checkout lanes for a short line. "I have no look on my face of any sort."

"Oh but you do. You have that love sick puppy dog look on your face."

"Thea--"

"Hey I'm just saying. You'd have to be blind not to see the sparks between you and Felicity yesterday even if it was for a few minutes. You deserve to find someone amazing. Just be careful okay? After last time--"

"Thea I'm not talking about this right now. It's two people who were alone for the holidays and seemed nice. End of story."

"Okay. If you say so. Just remember who called it when you guys get married eventually."

Oliver rolled his eyes and heaved the gallon of milk up onto the counter before he turned back. "So how's Roy? Still playing the tough kid?" Thea grumbled and quieted down after that and though he appreciated his sister's concerns there were some things that didn't want to drag to the surface. They were better off left buried.

~~~~~~~~~~~~

The odd-colored sky began to set outside the passenger window as the car bounced gently down the road. Felicity stared out as the colors changed minute by minute and she couldn't help but wonder if this was a good idea. The brisk air floated through the city as they drove and everyone outside was bundled up just a little more than usual. It almost made her wish that she was back home in her apartment, wrapped in a large fluffy blanket, sat in front of her heater with a hot cup of tea. She got them into this, however, and she certainly refused to back out now.

Felicity had always prided herself on not being that girl that got swept up in charm and attractiveness whenever a particularly good-looking guy crossed her path. Growing up in Vegas she had become virtually immune to that problem. Except it had failed her this time when Oliver appeared. Something about him caused her carefully curated filters to go on strike and leave the babbling, flushing Felicity in its place. She would never know what on earth possessed her to accept his invitation or why, for that matter, the other three let her. No, actually, that was a lie; she knew what made her accept it. It was piercing blue eyes and a smile that lit up the whole city and her entire brain had blanked along with every reason of why she should have said no.

The car hit a small pothole and she was quickly jolted out of her thoughts. She reached toward the dash and turned the knob on the heater up a notch and settled back in the seat.

"How come you're so nervous?"

The blonde whipped towards her roommate who drove them through the holiday traffic. "What do you mean? I'm not nervous."

Lacey chuckled and shook her head. "Really? Not only have you been super quiet since we left but you've been spinning your ring around your finger."

Felicity glanced down at her hands and exhaled and shifted to face her friend. "I'm trying not to be but this might be the worst idea I've ever had."

"No definitely not the worst. Nothing beats that app you created that..."

"Oh God, just let that stay dead and buried. I see your point but what the hell was I thinking? He could be a murderer or a total asshat or a thousand other things and then we'll be either stuck there or carried out in tarps."

"Relax," Lacey insisted as she merged over to the far turning lane. "He's not a murderer or serial killer. He might be an asshat but that also might be his old self or just rumors."

Felicity blinked as she let that statement sink in. "Wait. What you mean old self? Do you know him?"

"Oh my god are you kidding right now? Everyone knows Oliver Queen."

"Oliver who?"

"Oh for the love of everything read a damn tabloid every once in a while. Do you really think I'd let either of us go to a complete stranger's home on a holiday? I'm not about to end up as inspiration for an episode of Criminal Minds."

Felicity stared at her friend unsure of how she felt by this development. "Okay, so who is he?"

Lacey slowly pulled the car over on a somewhat quiet street and placed the car in park before she slid the key out of the ignition. "Why don't you go see for yourself?"

Felicity stared out the window and upwards at a towering building with various holiday lights twinkling against the stucco and glass. "Wow. Okay I think I've changed my mind. Let's go home. This was a really bad idea."

Lacey rolled her eyes and popped the trunk as she climbed out of the car. "Let's go or I will physically drag you. I could be at home in my pajamas with an entire bottle of wine and Chinese food right now. Instead I'm here so come get this ridiculously heavy bag and get a move on."

She quickly unbuckled her seatbelt and scurried, not very gracefully, towards Lacey to grab the gift bag she had brought. The car locked and beeped behind them as their heels clicked on the pavement on their way up the path. They entered the small but elegant lobby and were immediately greeted by the doorman. Felicity's eyes widened and she was thankful that Lacey took over. Going to school at MIT meant being around and working around an elevated status that she hasn't been around in Las Vegas. However it felt different tonight and, based on previous evidence and experience, she blamed Oliver for being knocked off her game.

Lacey tugged her arm as they quickly followed the doorman to an elevator that he held the door for. He bid them goodnight and reached in to press '17' before he backed away and allowed the doors to close gently. Felicity tapped her foot against the smooth tile as the elevator made its way up to the seventeenth floor. The doors glided open and the girls made their way quietly through the silent hallway to the door. Felicity took a deep breath and rang the doorbell before she could back out as she fiddled with the tag that hung off the bag.

"Stop fidgeting and breathe. What did you end up getting them?"

"Oh," she glanced down at the bag as she heard movement from the other side of the wall. "A fruitcake."

Lacey's smile dropped from her face as she stared in disbelief. "Are you kidding me right now?"

"No, I Googled it and it said that fruitcake was a tradition."

The door swung open and warmth and the delicious smell of comfort food wafted through the air. Oliver stood in the doorway, one hand draped across the doorknob, in dark denim jeans and a deep green cargo button up that almost made Felicity forget who or where she was. Oh god, how was she ever supposed to make it through this dinner?

"Hey, come on in. I'm glad you both are here." He held the door open wider and ushered the girls into the loft. Felicity started to shrug off her jacket and Oliver quickly helped her and hung it up carefully on the hooks next to the door. He helped Lacey as well and when the coats were put away Felicity offered the bag to him. "Just a little something, well traditional, for the holiday."

Oliver's face showed his surprise as he carefully took the bag from her. "Thank you. You really didn't have to do that. We're both just happy that you could join us."

Lacey smiled sweetly at him and Felicity elbowed her in the side when she started to talk. "Felicity didn't want to show up without something to thank you for inviting us."

"Well like I said we're happy to have you both here." Oliver carefully set the bag on the coffee table before he reached inside and pulled out a tin. He gently pried the lid off and set it on the table before he studied the saran-wrap in the container. "Ooooh did you bake something?"

"Yeah, it's a fruitcake." She watched as confusion spread across his face and she immediately tried to explain. "You know, it's a tradition at Christmas. I wanted to bring something that fit in with it and It seemed like something good to bring."

"I think I can honestly say that I've never got one at Christmas. Thank you, Felicity. Really, it's so thoughtful." The amusement seemed to spread as he made his way towards the kitchen with the tin and set it down on the corner of the bar.

"Yeah no one actually likes or eats fruitcake. This is why you clear things with me." Felicity glared at Lacey before she turned her attention back to their host. She watched as he carefully moved around the bar area and she could only pray that wine was going to follow very shortly.

"Did either of you want something to drink? Wine? Beer? Something else?"

"Oh god wine, wine is good, thank you." Oliver tilted his head in amusement at Felicity before she blushed and readjusted her glasses. "Sorry. I just really love wine of any kind."

He shook his head at her and grabbed a bottle of red and glasses before he set them on the counter. He looked at Lacey who nodded in agreement and poured out four glasses before he handed them to the girls. He motioned for Thea to come over and as she took her glass he cleared his throat and raised his glass slightly. "To new friends and a different kind of holiday celebration."

"Different, indeed," Felicity mumbled before they all raised their glasses in agreement. She let the rich taste glide down her throat in appreciation before she smiled and took another sip. "This is excellent wine."

"Thank you, it's one of the Chateau Lafite Rothschild '82 bottles that I have."

Felicity tried desperately not to choke on the liquid in her mouth and was proud of herself that she only coughed twice. She knew how much that bottle of wine cost; it was on a list of things-she-wanted-but-would-never-try list. She took a baby sip and hoped she could enjoy every drop of it.

A timer went off in the kitchen and Oliver glanced back as Thea moved around and grabbed a spoon. "Dinner is actually close to being ready, it's a little early, I hope that's alright?" Both girls nodded and Oliver motioned for them to sit or wander about before he quickly moved to help Thea with the final steps.

Lacey moved towards the sofa where the fire crackled in the fireplace as Felicity moved towards the wall of photos along the stairway. There were many people in them that she didn't know but she spotted both Oliver and Thea right away in all of them. They hadn't changed much over the years with the exception of Oliver and his longer hair. She was glad she didn't know him then; even his smile in the pictures looked like he was a pretentious douchebag.

She took her time with the photos before the gorgeous lights on the Christmas tree in the corner caught her attention. She moved over to the gorgeous tree that made the room smell delightful and looked at some of the ornaments on the tree. Many were store-bought, she could tell, but there were quite a few that were handmade and had names and years on them. She grinned at one that held a photo of Oliver and Thea when they were young; it had child's writing on it and she couldn't help but be charmed by it.

"That was the year that Thea decided she needed a cat despite being allergic to them."

Felicity startled a little at Oliver's sudden appearance but grinned up at him when she noticed the soft smile he had. "Oh that must have been a fun holiday."

He chuckled at the memory before he turned towards her. "She was upset for awhile but lucky for us a friend of hers fell in love with it and Thea could visit anytime she wanted to. It worked out for all of us."

"Dinner's ready! Come help yourselves."

Oliver turned back from Thea's announcement before he held his arm out for Felicity to go first. She thanked him and they both, along with Lacey, moved towards the kitchen. Felicity padded her way over to the counter where the food was spread out and grabbed a plate. "This all looks amazing. What all did you both cook?"

Thea grinned and moved to refill her glass of wine on the opposite side. "Well there's ham, mashed potatoes, stuffing, steamed veggies, green bean casserole, cornbread, and salad too."

Felicity plastered a smile on her face as she surveyed all the side dishes and ignored the one at the end. "This looks delicious. Thank you again for inviting us." Thea nodded and went in search of more wine as Felicity spooned more of the side dishes onto her plate. She hoped that if she piled it with everything else that no one would notice the lack of meat on her plate. She piled a ton of vegetables in all the empty cracks on her place and double checked that no one was around her to watch before she moved quickly past the ham. There were some things she just could not get over in her tradition.

She grabbed some cornbread out of the basket and, happy with her food-hiding-ninja skills, carefully balanced the heavy plate as she quietly walked back to the table. She gently placed her plate down on the beautiful wood and suddenly found her chair being pulled out. She glanced up at Oliver in surprise before she quickly thanked him and sat down as he pushed the chair in slightly. She didn't know that there were still men in the world that did that.

She waited patiently and somewhat nervously as everyone else piled their own plates full and slowly returned one by one. Thea placed a full bottle of wine in the center of the table before she sat down next to Felicity and the blonde silently sent prayers to the girl. Once everyone sat down and kinds words were said over the food they all dug in and immediately the table was bathed in silence for a few minutes as they all enjoyed the amazing food. They all got to know each other a little and both Felicity and Lacey delighted in hearing some of the stories from when Oliver and Thea were younger and the antics that had ensued.

Felicity found that she enjoyed herself very much with the tiny group though she noticed that Oliver kept looking her way every once and awhile. She was sure she blushed every time that he did but she eventually tried to ignore it altogether. The longer they all sat and laughed at the table the more Felicity realized how much she liked them both but especially Oliver. She had a feeling that if she wasn't careful it could develop into more than that and she wasn't sure that would be the best idea. Then again, that would mean that Oliver would have to feel the same way; which, if she were being honest with herself, there was no way that would ever be a possibility.

After dinner Oliver mentioned a pie for dessert and the girls immediately dug in to the cherry pie that he had baked. He was apparently famous for that dessert among his friends and family and it was the only thing he ever baked. Felicity had enjoyed the evening immensely and was glad that her brain had lost its filter that day.

Until all the food was gone.

Thea had put Christmas music on and while she enjoyed listening to most of it she didn't actually know any of the words to most songs. She noticed Oliver and Thea singing the words and Felicity immediately began to panic. She tried to motion to Lacey that this was going too far for her but Lacey seemed to enjoy the two and started to join in when her favorite came over the speakers. Felicity grabbed her wine glass and downed the rest of it in one gulp before she stood quickly and stalked over to Lacey. "I hate to interrupt this but we really need to get going. I have to work in the morning and I really don't want to fall asleep at my desk."

Lacey glared at her, obviously upset that her good time had been ruined. "Wait don't you have--- oh that's right, you do have to go in." She had been ready to protest until an elbow in her side had her quickly pivot in the other direction.

"Oh, really? It's still early but I understand. Let us at least send some of the food home with you though." Oliver moved towards Felicity and motioned for her to follow him. "I know you didn't eat a whole lot tonight so hopefully you can reheat some of it later."

"Oh, that's really not necessary," she tried to protest as Oliver got a plate out of the pantry. "Honestly, Oliver, you two will probably need all of it."

"Not at all, we're happy to share." Oliver began to move towards the ham cuts when Felicity's panic reached its peak.

"No! Oliver, please." Felicity immediately clamped her hands over her mouth at her outburst as Oliver stared at her with wide eyes. "Oy vey. I'm sorry."

"Are you okay? Did I do something wrong? I know you said you have to work tomorrow but it's still early and I thought the food was good."

Felicity wanted to melt into the floor and disappear from the world at the look on his face. "No, Oliver, this was one of the best dinners, I promise."

He put the plate back down on the counter and shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans. "I'm sorry if this Christmas wasn't the best, I had a great time with you here though."

"I'm Jewish."

Her eyes squeezed shut and the silence grew heavy between the two. She peeked out of one eye and saw Oliver's confused expression. "Wait, what?"

Felicity's shoulders dropped and she immediately slapped her palm to her forehead. "I'm sorry. I should have said something but you were both so nice the other day when we were getting Lacey's tree and having others around seemed like it would be fun. Which it was, I don't want you to think it wasn't, I had a great time tonight and the food was great and I'm just going to grab my coat and go now."

Felicity turned and tried to escape to the coat rack but Oliver reached for her arm. "Wait, you don't celebrate Christmas? And you still came?"

She shook her head and shrugged her shoulders at his confusion. "Like I said, you were both so nice and it was nice to have others for a holiday. Please don't me upset. I should really, just, go. Thank you for a lovely evening Oliver." She quickly spun on her heel and bolted towards the door where her coat was. Thea had just finished saying goodbye to Lacey, who had just walked over to Oliver to say her goodbyes, so Felicity quickly took the opportunity to say her own goodbye. She hugged Thea quickly and thanked her then bolted out of the door towards the elevator with her coat still tossed over her arm. She kept hitting the button on the elevator and hoped that it would arrive quickly so she could hide. Her prayers were, for once in her life, answered as the doors slid open and she immediately rushed into the corner. She placed her bag on the ground and hurriedly slipped her coat on just as Lacey appeared. "Don't you dare say anything okay?"

Lacey grabbed Felicity's bag off the floor before she pressed the button for the ground floor and shook her head. "No, I won't. I think you did enough of that on your own. Come on, let's go home, grab some ice cream, and watch some Doctor Who."

Felicity smiled in relief and hugged Lacey fiercely. "Thank you. I'm sorry."

Lacey linked her arm with Felicity's as they walked out of the building towards the car. "Don't worry about it. I still had a great time. Besides, I have a feeling we haven't seen the last of them."

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btsbloodtearssquees · 7 years

Text

Ring Around a Rosy: Part Three

~ Requested (Arranged marriage/best friends AU - Kim Seokjin) 1 2 3 4 5

You felt as if someone else was walking around in your body as you stumbled down the hallway and rubbed a tired hand over your face early the next day. Pinpricks of anxiety plagued you on the way around the corner; both scared to see Jin there, and scared to not. It was the latter. You glanced at the coat rack and saw that his was already gone. Breath beginning to shorten, you found enough sense to go into the kitchen to scull a glass of water. There you realised that Jin had still cooked you a full breakfast - placed in the metal food warmer so that it didn’t get cold before you arose. You sighed woefully. “Jin… why are you like this?” There was no denying that he was as angry and hurt and confused as you were, and yet he still cooked you breakfast like nothing had changed. But something had, because he wasn’t there to refill your plate when it emptied or do the dishes before you were even finished eating. Something had changed. You sat down with your food and covered your mouth with your hand. It was all your fault. You had held the friendship so close that you had suffocated it, when all Jin really wanted was for you to meld into one another. It was impossible… everything you had been trying to protect was already fraying rapidly before your eyes. It was totally, completely impossible… you didn’t even think that you truly loved Jin that way. The idea of romance made you sick. How could you even pretend to go along with it for his sake? No. You simply had to try and rebuild the friendship as best you could. He would eventually understand, and then everything would be okay. It would just be a monotonously slow journey to get to that point. Miserably you picked at the food and then eventually gave up; storing it in the fridge for later. You only hoped that he wouldn’t see that there and think that you didn’t eat it to spite him. After a quick shower, you changed into your work attire and slowly meandered your way down to the bus stop. You held your arms like you had as a teen - highlighting how you hadn’t really improved since then at all; you were still suffering from the same grief. Still suffering. And what for? Purely because you were afraid. Afraid of losing the ones you loved the most. It was a mystery how you got through the day at all. Your mind was entirely elsewhere; preoccupied with the memories of teenhood. What had begun as an anxious pulse quickly became a dark pit of depression. You hadn’t addressed these memories of the divorce in years, but you couldn’t stop it now. It was either that or worry over future days to come. You knew which was worse. Numbly you made your way back home in a horrible drizzly rain which was not enough to warrant seeking shelter but enough to stick your hair to your face. By the time you walked into the house, you were soaked and shivering. You barely noticed the sounds of Seokjin chopping up vegetables and the expression on his face as he stared at your disheveled state. His voice finally stopped you in your tracks as you started to move towards your bedroom. “Y/N?” Jin moved out of the kitchen and into the dining room towards you; taking off your wet jacket. He pressed the back of his hand to your face and made a noise of surprise. “You’re freezing!” Slowly you looked up at him, feeling about as insignificant and small as a child. He had been gone this morning… gone. And now he was fussing over you. It was difficult to fully understand what was happening. “You go and take a seat over there and I’ll boil the jug and then go run the bath for you… It’s a really bad time of the year to get sick. Or do you want me to go and make some of that soup for you which has the -” You couldn’t listen. Not properly. You didn’t even know if this was a dream or not. It still felt as if you had invaded someone else’s body for the day and you were merely witnessing what was happening. “- you look as if you have already come down with something. Y/N? Do you want to go and rest?” Eventually you managed to nod at that and vaguely felt him helping you down the hallway to your bedroom. “You should get changed before you go to sleep or you’ll catch a chill.” He saw your expression which finally held some emotion - question; mistaking it for annoyance. “Sorry. I’ll leave you be now.” He looked around the room again as if finding some reason to stay, before clearing his throat and backing out with the door. You stared at it for a while before changing and crawling into bed. Your body and brain simply didn’t have enough energy to process the events, and you very quickly fell into a deep sleep.

------------------------------------- “How are you feeling?” You stared at Seokjin’s gentle smile near the bottom corner of your bed. How were you feeling? Looking at his soft facial features in a still drowsy state, you realised then that you genuinely had no idea. You felt - indifferent. “Tired,” you croaked instead. “Understandable. You've been under a lot of stress lately.” He fixed the blankets around you to ensure that they kept the warmth in. By his actions and expressions, Jin had put the last couple of days behind him already. But how? “Would you like some breakfast? I was making some of that French toast stuff that you like.” Blinking slowly, you contemplated your options that you knew you'd have to decide between them sooner rather than later. But there was a clear answer. “Okay.” Gently he slipped your favourite childhood stuffed fox beside you and patted the blankets down over him. He gave you a little smile before backing away and out of the room to finish making your breakfast. Staring up at the ceiling, you tried to ignore the thoughts that persisted that this was different from the friendship which you had had before. There was a slight uncomfortable niggling inside of you which ruined the possibility of simply acting like you had before. Jin had always taken care of you, but… it was strange. Somehow it just felt different this time. Wrapping a dressing gown around your body, you made your way down to the kitchen/dining room and sat down in a chair to wait. Jin was whistling while he kept an eye on the toast. Eventually he flipped them onto a plate and set them before you; sitting himself across from you to dig into a plate of rice. “You don’t want any of the French toast?” You asked, feeling a bit guilty. He shook his head, swallowing down an enormous mouthful of rice. “No, I need my Korean food, thank you.” Unsurely, you cut a piece of the toast off and put it into your mouth. The hot sugary cinnamon melted against your tongue and instantly sent a thrill of satisfaction throughout your body. You smiled with shut eyes - hearing Jin’s pleased laughter vibrate across the table. “Oh you’ve outdone yourself this time, Jinnie.” He relaxed hearing you bring out the nicknames again, feeling as if the last couple of days could finally be moved on from. But none of this was revealed to you. Instead, he shrugged as if shocked that you would need to comment on that. “Yeah, because I’m the best cook in the world.” Somehow with French toast melting into your taste buds and Jin acting as silly as before, it was easy to shrug things away. He was your best friend, and your fights never lasted long. All had resumed its standard place. “Ahhhh please. We all know a good cheeseburger tops anything any time.” “What?” His eyes grew into giant saucers. “You wanna say that again?” He threatened with the wasabi aimed at you. “Say what?” You returned innocently. He replaced the wasabi slowly, continuing with the threatening expression. Unfortunately for him he was more amusing than scary. “Are you working today?” You asked as a change of subject. Seokjin shook his head, wiping his mouth delicately with a serviette. “It's a Saturday.” You stared at him. “Oh crap, it is, isn't it?” “Hmm. Someone’s losing track of time, aren't they? Are you wearing your watch?” He looked for it on your arm. “Stop it.” “What? Time? I would but you'll have to give me a second.” You rolled your eyes at his face crumpling into laughter. Yep. The old Jin was indefinitely back. “What's the plan for today then if we're both home for the weekend?” “I dunno. I guess no plan is a good plan.” “Helpful.” You scraped your plate and then neatly laid your knife and fork together. “Personally I have some washing and other cleaning to do.” “I'll help,” he offered immediately, taking your plate and carrying it with his to the kitchen. “What chore would you least like to do?” “I -” you stumbled as he replaced your plate in front of you, topped up with more toast. “Jin, I'm okay, really.” “Okay, but not amazing. Go ahead and indulge for a change.” You looked up into his encouraging smile. “It wouldn't be for a change. Why are you so good to me?” He shifted uncomfortably underneath your gaze, even while trying to look you in the eye sincerely. “I care about you.” There it was. That niggling feeling again. “I care about you, too. As my best friend.” His gaze shifted away and you could see that your words had bothered, almost upset him. Jin started clearing things up again. “So how do you want me to help out today?” “You don't need to.” “I'm not going to let you do it on your own. What needs doing?” Sighing softly, you ate another piece of the toast you were barely tasting anymore. “Just vacuum out the living area. That would really help.” “Okay.” He continued to clean while you finished off the increasingly hard to swallow breakfast. You didn't like what was happening between you two. Somehow even while you maintained the same antics, others popped up which reminded you both just how abnormal your friendship… and marriage was. “Thanks for the breakfast.” You slid off your chair to help him clean up.

------------------------ Let’s go somewhere tonight. Try that new gourmet burger place and then just sit somewhere, me and you. Jinny 3:07pm The phone felt hot in the palm of your hand. His message burned into your eyeballs as you tried to decipher what it actually meant. Surely it was some cryptic code, or a silly prank. Jin was good at those. Actually he was terrible, but at least he was consistent about pulling them. It was two months since the argument, and things had never really been the same since. And as much as you hated to admit it, this message pointed it out in pure daylight. You had attempted for a while to keep the friendship going. In contrast, Seokjin had been doing more and more for you with every passing breath; becoming the sweet, caring husband that you tried to ignore. It was simply painful seeing his attempts. Because he was perfect. He would make the perfect husband… for someone who appreciated it. You realised these things, and yet you did nothing but ignore the problem until it would vanish. How could you answer him? Your brain was numbing inside of your skull. It hurt to hurt him like this, and it was almost tempting to simply cave in and become his wife like he clearly wanted. But that wasn’t fair for him either. You would never be what he truly needed, and right now you were depriving him of all that he most wanted. Like so many times over the last two months, you tossed your phone back onto your desk. There were many other things which were pressing you at this very moment that you shouldn’t procrastinate another moment on. ------------------------ You turned the key in its lock and creaked open the door. It was well past eleven, and you were being cautious so as not to wake him up. Shutting it behind you and tiptoeing into the lounge with your plastic takeout bag, your heart nearly jumped into your throat to see the light still on and Jin watching from the couch with an expression you had never seen before. Your conscience stirred. “Jin… what are you still doing up?? I thought you would have been sleeping long ago…” His betrayed eyes flicked down to your food bag and then back up to your face. “How was your burger? Mine was delicious.” Your heart clenched up over his dark sarcasm. You had done it this time. Jin had been hurt just a few too many times. “Jin…” “Just tell me this, Y/N,” he demanded, rising from his seat, “why couldn’t you at least have had the decency to say ‘hey, actually, I don’t ever want to be seen out as your wife!!!!’” You felt sick. Really sick. Nauseous, vomiting sick. Hell, you had screwed up this time. “Please listen…” “No, you listen!!! I’ve been really trying, Y/N. Really trying. At first I acted like we used to all of the time, just to make sure you were comfortable. And then I started doing a bit more, and a bit more, to subtly introduce you into marriage life and make you realise it’s really not all that bad. But the thing is, no matter how gentle, patient, or subtle I have been, all it has achieved is your silence for the past few weeks and your inability to even be a friend anymore!” Tears pierced your eyes. His image blurred up in front of you. This wasn’t what anyone had wanted… “I’m sorry…” Jin watched you for a moment longer before swearing and sighing in loud frustration. “I’m an idiot. I’m sorry, I should never have agreed to this stupid marriage in the first place…” A thought hit upon you in that moment; altering your entire perspective. It couldn’t be, surely... “Why did you?” You felt him hesitate for a moment, and then were shocked to hear him sniff back some tears. “It doesn’t matter anyway,” he mumbled underneath his breath, tearing his discarded jacket off the back of the couch. “I think we’re done fooling ourselves, Y/N. I’m moving in with my parents.” It was all you could to stay standing and watch as your best friend strode off into his bedroom for the last night. ----------------------------- Woo for more progress!! Finally another section to this request. Sorry to whoever requested it... I actually really enjoyed this request but it took me so long to write the last, and I thought it was only fair to try and do them in order :/. Only one more section to go after this one, so please stick around to see how it ends!! Thank you lovelies :). Have an incredible week. - Dolceice

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