#To her dad he is that punk who kissed her without asking her out properly

[random-fandom1]

I’ve been thinking about this for ages and have just gotten round to writing it. 

Some quick background information before we start. Peter is 27 in this and is dating Bucky who is genetically still 28 - 32 because of the cyro freeze. They’ve been dating for 3 years now and no one knows they’re dating (well, maybe some people know. They live with two assassins so Natasha must know, Wanda must suspect at least and Loki knows because he walked in on them doing the you know once. They had to slave after him for a week to make sure he didn’t tell anyone). 

It’s not like they’re hiding it but are at the same time. Who knows what Steve and Tony would do if they found out their precious little peter was dating one of their closest friends. 

Enjoy!

__________________________________________

The avengers have just finished fighting a villain, some kind of alien or something. Like any other time they’re in a fight, they didn’t all get out unscathed. It’s not too bad this time, Peters just fractured his wrist and dislocated his elbow when swinging around and falling. His dads (and Bucky in secret) insist that he goes to the hospital wing to get it checked on. 

This is how they’ve ended up in this situation.

6:48 pm

“But Jamieeeeeee! I want to do the interview, it’s James Corden. You know how much I love James Corden. My hand and arm are fine!” Peter whines trying to get out from under the scratchy hospital sheets Bucky wrapped him in. Bucky rubs the bridge of his nose, sighing deeply. He loves his boyfriend but he can get really whiney and clingy when he’s doped up on pain killers.

“Doll, you know you have to stay here. We’ll have plenty of times to go on to The Late Late Show in the Future. For now, you have to rest,” he says as a nurse walks into check his vitals, “I’ll be back later Peter, be good for the nurses”. Bucky starts to exit the room, looking back as he reaches the doorway to see his boyfriend chatting away to the nurse with a pout on his face. ‘He’s probably asking her if she can discharge him without his dads knowing’ he thinks to himself. James smiles to himself as he walks down the corridor to the main floors so he can get ready for the interview.

8:34

It was going well. The avengers had just been introduced and had taken their seats on the 3 couches they brought out for them (Couch 1 = Tony, Steve, Natasha and Thor/Couch 2 = Wanda, Vision, Clint and Pietro because he never died/Couch 3 = Bucky, and supposedly Peter.) Tony and Steve were running late but promised they’d make it by 8:45. Traffic must of gotten bad because of all the paparazzi.

Once the audience had stopped cheering and they had all been introduced to the audience, James started off with the obvious question.

“I notice that we are missing a few people. Does anyone know whats happened to the Roger-Stark family?” James asked. Before anyone could answer they heard a voice coming from the back of the audience

“We’re here, we’re here. The Stark-Rogers are here. This one insisted we take him, no matter how much meds he was on. Children am I right?” Came the voice of the one and only Tony Stark-Rogers. Tony walked in front of Steve who was carrying Spiderman who was wrapped in a blanket burrito. They walked to the front where the rest of the crew were sitting, Steve going to the last couch to dump Peter. 

Bucky could feel his emotions swirling around in him. The frustration of Peter not listening to his advice, worry about his boy’s injuries and if they’ve healed properly as well as adoration for how adorable he looked wrapped up, while completely out of it. As Steve puts Peter on the couch, he let out a small ‘oof’ which James had to resist cooing at. Instead, he gives Steve a nod of acknowledgement and returns to surveying the area with a cold, emotionless look on his face, trying to keep up his dangerous, assassin persona.

At least that was what he was trying to do. It was kind of hard to be a murderous assassin when your precious boyfriend is all tired and clinging onto a blanket a mere 3 feet away from you. He tries his hardest to ignore him. He really does. But all hope is lost when Peter starts to slowly shift closer to him, muttering something about the warmth and ‘my bucky bear’. Peter, bless his little drugged out self, slowly and discreetly shimmies over to his boyfriend. All the attention is on the most well known of the avengers at the front so no one notices Peter nuzzle into Bucky’s side. 

“Babe, doll, what are you doing? We’re on live TV.” Bucky whispers, subconsciously wrapping his metal arm around his boy. 

“Oh Jamie, your nice and warm,” Peter says, muffled from where his head is buried in the crook of his neck. Everything blurs out in the background and the only thing Bucky can focus on is Peter. About how his steady breathing is hitting the exposed skin of his neck and how his petite frame is starting to koala hug his own muscular built one. The boy is perfect in his eyes. His boy is perfect. His. He can’t help but to copy his boyfriend and bury his own face into the boy’s neck.

“Bucky, what are you doing back there?” Comes an English accent from somewhere around him. As if on instinct Bucky replies,

“Hugging my boyfriend what does it look like?”

There’s gasps heard around them

Shit! He must have zoned out badly. Bucky looks up from where his face was in Peter’s neck, face a scarlet red and eyes like a deer caught in headlights. Looking around him, he sees a majority of the avengers with their eyes wide open, mouths agape. The crowd aren’t much better. The studio is dead silent. Peter lifts his head slowly, totally dazed, and innocently asks,

“What did I miss Jamie?”

Buckys eyes land on his boyfriends face, momentarily relaxing but quickly his eyes catch the ones of the people in front of them. His best friend and his best friends husband. Peter’s parents.

Gently placing Peter to the side, Bucky stands up with his arms out, as if he were approaching a lion. Steve has a look of shock and hurt on his face while Tony’s is radiating off pure anger. 

“We, I can explain. Stevie just - fuck, Stevie just listen to me. I love h -” 

Before he can finish the sentence Steve is grabbing him by the arm and taking him backstage into a private room.

8:58

“MY SON! MY SON BUCKY! You were telling me about this relationship for months! About how you’ve been seeing someone, someone younger. But you don’t really have a choice now with people your age, you can’t exactly go chasing 102-year-olds who look 30! He’s 27! Buck, how, why, Bucky -” Bucky cuts him off by placing a hand on his shoulder and massaging

“Stevie just shut up,” Bucky still knows how to shut him up when he’s about to have a panic attack, “Look, first I want to say that I’m actually only physically in the 28-32 age range. You are now older than me punk,

“Secondly, I’m sorry. I wish I didn’t feel this way, you have no idea how many nights I wasted trying to convince myself that I didn’t like him. I love him, and he loves me. You know better than most that you can’t control who you love. Peter, god Peter deserves so much better than me but I’m going to stay with him for as long as he’ll have me. I, I just adore him with every cell in my body. He makes me happy, when I see him he just lights up a room. I, I just love him, words can't express how much ”

Steve stays silent for a moment, looking deflated. Like the small, frail boy he was back then. He looks at Bucky and in that look, Bucky knows, knows that he is forgiven, given half the permission he needs, that he still has his best friend.

“Come here Punk,” Bucky says stepping over to Steve and pulling him into a tight embrace.

"Love you Buck"

"Love you too, Stevie"

9:17

Bucky and Steve had been hugging for just over 7 minutes when Tony barges in with Peter groggily walking in behind him. He's still confused on what's going on, why are his dads so angry at him and Bucky?.

"Bucky," Tony starts off, "I give you forgiveness, a roof over your head, I fucking convinced the government that you weren't a threat! And you go ahead and date my SON!" You can see Tony slowly growing more angry by the second. He continues

"I'd have every intention to throw you out if it weren't for the fact that your Steve's best friend and Peters boyfriend. That would hurt them and I dont hurt those who I love, not anymore. So, I'm here to hear out your side of the story because funnily enough, doped up Peter can't really say things that make sense.'" All eyes turn to Bucky as he gulps but nether the less, starts talking

"Tony, and Steve because I didn't tell you the whole story. I'm going to be honest with you guys, yous deserve to know. I want to start of by saying that I am forever grateful for everything yous have ever done to me. I love yous,

"It was 4 years ago, just after I moved into the tower when Peter came up to me. The kid wouldn't shut up. I wanted to be alone, at least that's what I thought I wanted. We slowly became friends. I trusted him with my life. I helped him with school work, he helped me with nightmares. We clicked, we worked. Feelings started to develope after a while and one night when we were studying on his little balcony, he kissed me and I kissed back. We've been dating 3 years now and they've been the best 3 years of my life. I love him, so so much. So please, don't make us break up, I don't think I'd survive without him. He's my light, my star. I want to marry him and start a family, live in a house just outside of New York so its still convenient for spiderman and avengers business. Maybe have a dog and definitely some goats. I want all that with him" Bucky finished with a tear rolling down his cheek. He really hoped Tony would understand, understand that they love each other 

Tony sighs and rubs his forehead. All the gears in his head are turning and he's getting a headache. Tony sighs.

"Well, I guess there's not much I can do. I believe you Bucky, your a good man. I give you my blessing or whatever to date him. Can we go home now" Tony says walking away, talking to no one in particular. Steve chases after him, leaving the boyfriends alone in the studio room. Bucky is grinning like the Cheshire cat, that's not how he expected that to go. There was definitely more shouting in his head. Peter suddenly comes up to him and plonks a kiss right on his lips.

"Well then Bucky Bear, shall we go home?" Peter holds his hand out but instead of taking it, Bucky scoops him up and carries him out of the room.

"Of course doll, anything you want"

#peter parker #winterspider #tony stark #bucky barnes #avengers #superfamily #steve rogers #marvel #cute #stony #james corden

[amethystroselilith]

Intertwined Fates (Chilumi/Zhonglumi) - Chapter 4

Free from uni for now... Hopefully I can write more! Thank you for waiting patiently!

Can be read in ao3 here

SUMMARY:  As Ajax looks forward to their future, someone from the past awakens...

“You know, just because I said I wanted more kids, doesn’t mean we have to do it like every night… or whenever we’re alone…” Lumine gave out a slight moan in the end when she felt her lover suck that sensitive mark on her neck, “Ajax, it’s too early in the morning and I need to walk today.” she whined, gasping when he bit her softly.

“Sorry, you look too delicious.” Ajax grinned, letting go of her so she could roll on her back to look at him with a pout.

“Same excuses.” Lumine playfully rolled her eyes, “Anyway… do you think she’s ready for school?”

Lumine felt Ajax tensed, letting out a sigh when she saw his shoulder trembling, “Oh my god, Ajax, please…”

“My baby girl is growing too fast.” his voice cracked.

Ever since Lumine reminded Ajax about Qiqi starting school a week ago, the man had been a bit emotional. Coddling the child ever since and keep asking if she’s ready, and it’s totally fine if she doesn't want to and he can just hire a private tutor for her. Lumine had to hit him at the back of the head saying that it’s important for their child to learn how to socialise.

“Lumi, our baby will be surrounded by boys! I can’t handle the thought of giving my princess away, Lumi, I can’t!”

“Ajax, she’s 5.”

“I can’t, Lumi!”

Lumine isn’t gonna lie, she’s also worried about how Qiqi would fare being with other kids considering she hadn’t interacted with kids her age.

But this should be it, right? The right time for Qiqi to meet and interact with other children.

The blonde also has that anxiety within her, what if someone’s mean to her child? Crush Qiqi’s dreams of having playmates?

Qiqi isn’t sure what she’s getting into, but as her parents explained what school was, there was excitement in her eyes as they talked about the various learning activities it has.

Besides, the pre-school was only a couple blocks away from their bakery, Lumine should be able to be by her side when needed.

“Lumi, what if our Qiqi falls in love? And that punk beaks her heart? She would be safer here, I already have the best tutor in mind.” Ajax tries to convince her.

“Ajax, for the last time, no one’s falling in love with anyone.” Lumine groaned, “And if it’ll make you feel better, the class has more girls than boys.”

“...What if she likes girls?”

“Then we love her just as much, but for fuck sake, Ajax, they’re kids. Worry when she’s in high school or college.” Lumine rolled her eyes, only to regret it when Ajax gave her a horrified look.

“I don’t want my baby to grow up.” he cried.

“Ajax, we can’t stop the cycle of life…” Lumine sighed, it’s too early to deal with this.

“So that’s why we should make more babies.” Ajax grinned, only to be hit by a pillow on the face.

“Oh my god, I’m going to check on Qiqi before dealing with any more of your bullshit this early morning,” Lumine said with a chuckle.

“Baaabe, homeschooling isn’t so bad!” Ajax called out for her only to receive an eye roll.

He pouted and decided to get ready himself, Qiqi’s going to school, he doesn’t need to work from home anymore. So it’s back to the office with him, back to dealing with his insufferable co-workers, especially the midget.

With that thought, he got up from the bed with an annoyed groan.

~~~

“Bye, bye, Papa. Love you.” Qiqi said, kissing his cheek before getting out of the car and grabbing her mother’s waiting hand.

“Bye, sweetie, have fun at school, okay? And if someone hurts you, tell Papa so I can take care of it, okay? Papa loves you.” Ajax smiled, earning a scoff from Lumine.

“Don’t teach our child violence this early.” she tsked before leaning in the car window, “Good luck at work and don’t kill anyone. I love you,” she said before pecking his lips goodbye.

“Hm, I’ll try not to make Mona a widow.” he grinned, “Bye, see you tonight. I love you too.” Ajax said, waiting and watching his girls to make sure they’ll be fine before driving off to his office.

Despite still being anxious for his daughter’s first day of school, he can’t help but fall in love with their new routine already. Him making their breakfast while Lumine prepares Qiqi for school, him dropping them off at the bakery, Lumine walking Qiqi the few minutes walk to her preschool. They all do their day until Qiqi’s done with preschool by 12 noon, Lumine picking her up and staying at the bakery until it’s time for Ajax to pick them up and go back home.

He can’t wait until more of his future kids join their routine.

Ajax is never trading this life for anything.

~~~

“Thank you, and have fun with your new kite!” the brunette smiled softly as he handed the kite to the child.

“Thank you, Mister! Thank you, Dad!” the little girl grinned, jumping excitedly as she hugged the toy to her chest, “Let’s go to the park! I wanna see the fairy fly!” she pulled her father out of the store.

The father just gave the employee a smile and wave before he’s led out by his daughter.

“Isn’t it nice seeing their little smiles? So bright and hopeful.” the old owner chuckled as she rearranged the toys on display.

“It is a great feeling.” he smiled.

He wondered how the father feels seeing his child happy, it must be a wonderful feeling .

Does he have a child of his own?

As he wrecked his mind for anything, he came up with nothing.

Looking at the golden band on his finger, he wonders yet again about the blonde woman who seemed etched in his mind.

“Ah, Zhongli, don’t you worry. My grandson is good with computers, I’m sure we’ll find her soon.” Granny Shan encouraged as she saw the look on his face again.

Zhongli forced out a smile, “Thank you, Granny Shan.”

It’s been a week since he awakened.

A week since it was explained that he ended up in a coma after being in a plane accident. Granny Shan had been his saviour, had taken him under her care, even transported his comatose body in this region when she moved to build another toy store. When asked why Granny Shan just gave a sad smile and talks about how he reminded her of her son whom she lost from an accident as well

Zhongli thinks she’s lucky to find an empty lot close to a preschool. He could imagine kids dragging their parents here when they’re let out.

Still, a week had gone by and still no memories coming back. All he knows is his name thanks to the ID he had on him, unfortunately, most of the information had been scratched off, or made unreadable thanks to being submerged in a puddle for too long before he was found, and the fact that he’s married because he has a ring on him. He could only assume the beautiful blonde woman is his wife, why else would he keep dreaming of coming back to her?

The lack of information on himself forced him to stay with Granny Shan. Choosing to help her after he recovered enough to do so while at the same time, doing all he can to remember.

While Granny Shan would contact her grandson and would receive a list of profiles, but none of them had been her.

Zhongli doesn’t blame him though, all he could offer him was her physical appearance, which is so hard to track down without any name to refer to. Not to mention her grandson isn’t even a part of a government organisation that would be able to get a hold of registered citizens, he was an IT, but the fact that he helps a stranger like Zhongli makes him a hero in Zhongli’s eyes.

And he wishes no further to burden them with his problems, but unfortunately, he can’t do anything but help around the toy store.

Though as much as he would like to come home, 5 years is a pretty long time.

How is she now?

Where is she now?

What is she doing now?

Upon finding out that he had been in a coma for five years, Zhongli vomited. It was a lot to take in and the fact that he can’t remember anything is very overwhelming and frustrating.

He was depressed for days, recovering and getting back on his feet just last night and asking Granny Shan if he could help because the blonde woman was encouraging him, asking him to come back to her.

She would sing sweetly for him, yet he can’t remember the lyrics as soon as he woke up.

Waking up without her had been torture for Zhongli so far, the need to be with her is growing stronger by the day, and he doesn’t know just how long he can wait until he breaks and go crazy chasing after a woman he doesn’t even know still exist.

His eyes widened at the thought, quickly shaking it off as he felt his heart race anxiously and his stomach churning badly.

Of course, she exists, why else would she keep asking him to come home?

His head began to ache, and it seemed it shows since Granny Shan is walking to him with a worried face, “Maybe it’s time for a break, yeah? Do you have a headache?”

Zhongli shook his head, “I’m fine don’t worry,” he smiled, “I should be fine if I drink-”

“I’ll make you some tea.”

“Please, I don’t want to bother-”

“Sonny, it’s fine, making tea should be easy for an old lady like me rather than having to man the cashier, don’t you think so? It’s almost noon, meaning kids might be filling the store soon.” Granny Shan explained with a smile, “Now just wait there, okay?”

Zhongli nodded in defeat, “Alright.”

Granny Shan then left to go to the back, where it functions as their home. It’s a decent size with 2 bedrooms, a kitchen, and a bathroom.

The man busies himself with rechecking the toys displayed, making sure they’re properly placed that children can see them. He sweeps for a few, just waiting for the time to pass by. He may have started working today, but he could hear the commotion before when it reaches noon as the store is filled with customers. It made him feel bad thinking about leaving the old lady alone, but there was nothing he could do about it but work his best.

It soon struck 12 and as expected, the small preschool across the street had released their students. Zhongli straightened up, preparing to greet customers as he already saw some kids dragging their parents in their shop. He watched as some kids threw tantrums when their parents denied them, some making their way excitedly to his shop, there were already two little girls looking at the display. The blonde one with elven ears pointed at a little plushie resembled some kind of a rabbit inside a red bag, her red eyes sparkling as she talks to the other girl. Zhongli can’t help but smile at her friend’s reaction, her magenta eyes wide with fascination as she listens to her talk.

They then met eyes, Zhongli smiling brightly with a small wave, making the girl return the gesture with a wide smile.

He also waved at the little blonde girl who is now tugging at the older blonde guy they were with.

“Albedo-oniichan, let’s get it, please! Pleaaaseee!” he can hear her behind the window, “Klee has been very good! Klee didn’t get sent to the corner by Ms Jean! Please, please, please!”

The man Zhongli assumed as Albedo smiled softly, “Well since you didn’t cause trouble, let’s go.”

Klee squealed in excitement, and seemed like was about to invite her friend, but it looks like the purple-haired girl was looking at someone who Zhongli couldn’t see.

Zhongli assumed it was her parents or guardian picking her up since she waved goodbye to her friend. He was a bit taken back when she turned to him and waved goodbye to him as well, but he returned the gesture with a smile.

For some reason, he felt some sort of happiness for the little girl.

He didn’t get to think much of it since customers had started pouring inside.

~~~

Zhongli once again smiled at the little purple-haired girl when she passed by the shop again. It had been 4 days so far and they had always been waving at each other when they passed by.

“Does that girl not have a guardian with her? I don’t think I’ve seen her with an adult.” Zhongli hummed as he cleans the shelves.

“Hm? The purple-haired one? Ah, her mother works at the bakery a couple of blocks away, it’s a few minutes walk, 2 or 3 at most. She only needs to step out of the bakery and watch from there, so she’s completely safe.” Granny Shan explained, “They have great pastries, by the way, I brought one home earlier, seems like a new product of theirs, feel free to eat them, they’re in the fridge.”

“Ah, it’s nice that their workplace is close to her school.” Zhongli hummed, a sudden craving for pastries appeared, and a specific sort of flavour too.

Zhongli ignored the craving, not wanting to leave the old woman alone with cleaning.

“Quite an adorable family too, I met her husband as well, a protective father he is.” she chuckled.

Zhongli can’t help but wonder, if he has a child, what kind of father was he?

He hopes they’re doing well if he does have. What a shame it was that he suddenly disappeared from their lives.

A longing feeling blossomed in his chest again, oh how he would love to meet the blonde goddess in his dreams, how elated he will be to find out if she bore his child.

“Say, Granny Shan, weren’t you saying about giving me a salary?”

“Hm? Did you change your mind about not getting them?” Granny Shan hummed.

“No, but shall I use that to buy that big finch plushie?” Zhongli asked, remembering how the little girl’s eyes would look at the bird-shaped stuffed toy longingly.

Granny Shan smiled, knowing exactly what he’s thinking, “Of course.” she chuckled, “Have you grown attached to the little girl already? It hasn’t been long nor did you two ever talk. It’s a shame I forgot her name, my memory isn’t the best.”

Zhongli smiled embarrassingly, “I just feel a bit bad, she’s been eyeing the toy ever since. Though, I’m a bit worried what her parents would think.”

The old lady waved him off, “Don’t worry about that, just put on our card so they know it’s from here, they know me there and that I own this place.”

Zhongli's smile brightened, “Thank you!”

He can’t wait to make a kid’s day bright.

~~~

The very next day, Zhongli waited for the little girl to pass again, he doesn’t know why but he felt so excited.

Just like on routine, she passed by again, and instead of waving, Zhongli gestured for her to wait. She listened, having been familiar with the old lady who owned the store, that’s why her mother didn’t have to wait for her outside. Granny Shan had been the one watching over her since Zhongli had been doing most of the work inside the store.

She gasped when Zhongli showed her the toy she’d been eyeing her. She immediately hugged it when handed to her, Zhongli can’t help but be in awe at the appreciative gesture.

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” she jumped, hugging the plushie half her size.

Granny Shan can’t help but smile at the interaction, oh how she wishes Zhongli would be able to find his home with his family.

“It’s no problem, little one. I hope you take good care of them.” Zhongli smiled.

“Qiqi will name him Mr Finch.” the girl said.

Qiqi

There was a sudden pain in Zhongli’s head, not wanting to scare the little girl, he hid the pain.

“Well, I’m glad Mr Finch is in capable hands.” he smiled through the pain.

“Qiqi can’t wait until Mama and Papa meet him! Thank you, Mr!” Qiqi said once again before she had to make her way to her mother’s bakery.

As soon as Qiqi is far enough, Zhongli releases a groan as he rubs his temples.

“Something wrong?” Granny Shan asked with worry as she followed Zhongli inside.

“It’s probably just the heat or something.” Zhongli reassured, “It should be fine after taking a break.”

Granny Shan nodded, “Well, the day should be slow now, go on and take a break. You can even walk outside? The fresh air should be good for you.” she smiled.

Zhongli nodded at the suggestion before going back to his room.

As he lay down on his bed, he can’t help but think about what had happened.

Qiqi

The name tugged something in his chest, but he just can’t understand what it is.

He took a deep breath to ease his headache, maybe he should go for a walk after a nap.

#chilumi #zhonglumi #chilumi/zhonglumi #genshin impact

[expiredfairydust]

best friends ~ bubblegum rock/kazuleon || ft. nb gay! kaz || pt. 2

//tw: self hatred, kinda internalised homophobia, uncensored F slur bcoz the author can reclaim it//

a loud gasp forced the two to pull away from their kiss quickly, both of them quickly moving to look in the direction of where the noise had come from.

kazuichi went red due to embarrassment, noticing the unmistakable blonde hair of miss sonia darting away.

she had poked her head around the door to souda’s room - they never locked it in case leon wanted to come and cuddle - meaning to ask the pinkette if they’d been given any homework as she had been in first aid for most of the day before, unaware of what was happening between the mechanic and their crush.

and now she was running off, trying to give the pair privacy. souda, panicking because their illusion of heterosexuality was likely being broken, ran after her, calling “miss s-sonia! wait!! i-i swear it’s not what it looks like i’m s-sorry miss sonia you’re the only one i love i swear!!” they were crying for real now at the realisation that they had just ruined the one thing that was theirs.

the blonde suddenly stopped in her tracks and turned back to kazuichi. her face had an odd expression that kazuichi couldn’t read.

she put a hand over the mechanic’s mouth. “you do not understand souda, i do not care about you and kuwata’s relationship! in fact, i am glad because now you can leave me and miss fukawa to our relationship in peace - i was and still am rather disgusted at your lack of knowledge on personal boundaries but now i do not have to worry about that because you have no reason to!” she spoke slightly forcefully without meaning to. when she was done, she took her hand away and started walking off again.

“miss sonia!! i-i-i-“ kazuichi couldn’t gather their words, thousands of thoughts racing through their head. “we’re not dating... it was.. it was only a kiss....” they would mumble, more tears streaming down their face with every word. “i-it was all my fault anyways... i-i.. i was.. i was the one who kissed him and it was so so stupid of me because he’s the only person i have left and now he probably hates me for- for-“

their voice cracked and they couldn’t go on speaking, their legs giving way underneath them. “for being such a disgusting fucking faggot!! and-and-and i don’t blame him because i hate myself too!!” they were practically shouting now. “but dammit i love him so fucking much! so much, it hurts! god it feels like my heart is being ripped apart and i can’t fix it and i don’t know what to do and i hate that! and even if i could ever tell him properly i just know he’d hate me because who could ever like such a pathetic little FAG”

they didn’t know why they were telling all of this to miss sonia, maybe it was because they didn’t want her to think leon’s standards were so low as to date them. maybe they just needed to let everything out, needed to rant. because the moment they opened their mouth the words seemed to vomit out.

and once they were done ranting they ran off to the loos so they could actually vomit, as they often did out of distress. they ran to the far away disabled loos, on the opposite end of campus - they were the only public gender neutral loos on campus - so they wouldn’t have to face leon again, who they assumed was still in their room.

key word: assumed.

because leon had actually heard every word, only a few paces behind kazuichi during their confession. he had ran to try and take the mechanic in his arms, to say that it was okay because he loved them that way back. he had ran, just as kazuichi ran off.

meanwhile the princess was just happily beaming to herself, knowing that leon heard every word. she had successfully wingwomanned for the creep and the punk! it was a double win, as leon tended to flirt with touko as well as kazuichi’s horrible attempts to look straight by chasing after miss sonia herself. she made her way to her girlfriend’s dorm to tell her all about what she did.

leon’s thoughts were racing, as he tried to figure out what was even happening. kaz was in love with him... kazzy loved him back... but they thought that kiss was all their fault? as if leon hadn’t chosen to kiss them too? and now they thought he hated them? why? why would he kiss them if he hated them? god kazuichi was a dumb bitch at the best of times...

leon couldn’t help but smile through his tears, which he hadn’t noticed either.

kazuichi really loved him back..!

him!

but they thought leon felt the opposite...

right...

well, leon would just have to change that, he decided as he started looking for his best friend. he knew the mechanic got physically unwell when they were unwell, so he’d just have to check all the loos until he found the right one!

except kazuichi was nonbinary and relatively androgynous, so the baseball star had no clue which loos they’d be in, and he couldn’t exactly barge into the women’s loos checking to find his friend.

so, that meant he’d have to find ibuki, who had joined his band, and ask nya to check the girls’ loos while he checked the men’s and disabled loos. nya was also non binary, but at least she passed as a girl enough to enter the women’s loos.

it wasn’t hard, seeing as the noise they made made all over on the other side of the campus-

(conveniently close to one of the only gender neutral loos on campus)

-was loud enough to be heard in another country. leon was regretting leaving his ear plugs in kaz’s dorm, as he plugged his ears with his fingers and ran towards the sound.

“IBUKI!!!!” he yelled once he was in the practice room mioda was in.

“WHAT?!?”

“WHAT???”

“WHAT?!”

this was going to be tedious, leon thought, as he moved towards where everything was plugged in and unplugged the speakers.

ah, silence,,, at least it would’ve been if mioda wasn’t screeching at leon for what he did. “jesus christ calm down ibuki! i need you for something important” leon hissed, ibuki going completely quiet at the word “important” - void loved being helpful!

the bubbly musician sped off to search once leon explained what he needed. knowing nya, she’d probably check all the men’s loos too, void didn’t seem to get what made people so iffy about not sharing a bathroom with different genders.

but with that, leon got to looking too. and it wasn’t long before he heard the sound of sobbing in the disabled loos, accompanied by the sound of vomiting. well, there’s kaz...

he knocked on the door “kazzy?” he tentatively spoke. there was the click of the door being unlocked for leon to enter. he soon dropped to the floor, next to the pinkette, pulling them into his lap and holding them tightly. “shshshhh... i’m here kazzy...” the ginger would whisper sweetly into souda’s ear.

he held the younger student’s hair back as they puked again. “now how about you tell me what’s going on in that mind of yours?” he whispered, despite knowing already. he wanted kazuichi to say it again. to him, not to miss sonia.

but kaz didn’t want to talk. “it’s stupid” they said, snuggling against leon.

“if it’s stupid why don’t you say it?”

“coz you’ll hate me even more than you do for kissing you” their words were hard to understand through their tears.

“what makes you think i hate you? if i hated you, would i be here with you now? c’mon how about you wash your mouth out? all that puking must have left a horrible taste” leon spoke with a gentle tone, which was unlike him but comforting to the sobbing boy in his lap.

once almost all traces of puke had been ridden from the mechanic’s mouth, leon sat them on his lap again, holding them tightly. “how about you tell me what’s wrong now, eh kazzy?” he said sweetly, wiping his best friend’s tear stained cheeks with his sleeve.

“promise you won’t hate me?”

“pinky promise”

the pinkette drew a deep breath, getting ready to speak. then shook their head. “i-i can’t”

a realisation dawned upon leon then. this was his chance to reveal his own secret! “i’ll tell you something about me that i’ve been hiding if that would make you feel any better” a slow nod gave him the ok to speak.

“i’m intersex. when i was born the doctors told my mom and dad and they were.. well, i don’t know how they felt but i was forced into an opporation to make me “fully” male as a baby and all my life i’ve had to take medication to keep my hormones at a “normal male” level, which is odd coz i was never actually told that’s what it was for until recently” the ginger spoke, resting his head on kazuichi’s shoulder

“but, i want to stop taking my meds, i don’t want to be 100% a boy, and that decision kinda scares me in case people won’t accept it. in case you don’t accept it” he added after hesitating. “now do you wanna talk about your problem?” he wanted to change the subject.

kaz had gone quiet. then, after a few seconds they said. “it sounds silly now that you’ve told me how serious yours is... but- but-“ they paused to figure out the words they wanted to say. “i-i- i’m so sorry for kissing you! i had no right to do it and i-i- i didn’t even take the time to ask you if you wanted a kiss and- and- and- i’m so sorry i know you hate me for it and i don’t blame you because i totally deserve it” the words seemed to fall out quicker than kazuichi could think of them

“and i know you probably never want to see me again but if you could ever forgive me i’d really appreciate it because you’re the only friend i’ve got and i love you dude!” as those words came out, the pink haired mechanic started tearing up again. “i-i love you... i love you so much it hurts and i don’t know what i’d ever do without you but i totally understand if you hate me because how could you ever love someone who’s such a disgusting f-“

their words were cut off by leon kissing the shorter mechanic. it was a brief kiss, even shorter than their first, but the pure, raw emotion behind it was clear. love. reciprocated love.

“if i thought you were disgusting, why would i choose to kiss you twice? because now you know it sure as hell weren’t just you who wanted that first kiss” leon said simply, wiping the shorter guy’s tears away. “but i don’t still want to be friends,” he said, suddenly going cold, making the pinkette’s face drop. “i want to be boyfriends!” he said, making kazuichi start laughing with relief.

just as they were about to share another kiss, in barged mioda, yelling about how nya had found the pink haired mechanic, then once void noticed the ginger sat next to them and started yelling about how unfair it was that she had been looking all over for kazuichi for leon when the ginger was probably with them the whole time.

the couple smiled and sheepishly promised to make it up to the ultimate musician. the end.

#bubblegum rock #kazuleon #soudawata #kazuichi souda #leon kuwata #leon x kazuichi #kazuichi x leon #fanfic #dr fic #dr fanfiction #gay #nb gay #fag life fag life

[aam-loves]

It’s heeeeerrrreeee! I made it🙈 it took me ages.

Day 15: a song that's a cover of another artist

Song: Daft Punk - Get lucky

This my first experience writing light smut and I’m anxious about posting it😳

——————————————————————————

“Jug, man, you have to come out of your cave and get some already!” Archie whined.

Jughead looked around his penthouse theatrically “Don’t see anything wrong with my cave”

“Are you kidding me? It’s Friday evening!” Archie rounded his eyes.

“Yeah, and I’m perfectly fine with spending it with books, pizza and video games, it could be even better if you joined me and I’d beat you ass”

“Come oooon, Jug, you are spending way too much time working already, you need to go out, see people, get laid!”

“I don’t need to get laid” Jughead muttered.

“When even was last time you were with woman?”

“Why does it matter?”

“Because!” Archie threw his hands in the air “Look, Jug, just go out with me, we’ll have a couple of drinks and maybe get lucky with a nice girl. Just do it and I’ll be off your back for some time”

Jughead squeezed his eyes and surrendered “Fine”

***

Jughead Jones stood in his bathroom getting ready for the evening. He looked at himself in the mirror. It’s still him, the same stormy blue eyes, unruly black hair and lean toned body even at almost 30. But something was different, he didn’t feel himself. He lacked inspiration. His book series made him wealthy, but he was stuck now. He wanted to start writing something new, but there was not a single word in his head that he wanted to print. It was like he burnt himself out. He didn’t want this life. No, having money was good, especially after being poor for the most of his life, but he got tired of everything this money could offer him. He missed the feeling of overwhelming inspiration, the words pouring out of him on pages, drinking coffee not out of habit, but to keep energy up so he could write more.

He didn’t know what he had to do to return this feeling, but at least he could make his best friend happy and go out with him tonight. Maybe he could get lucky with some girl, that was really too long since he was with a woman.

***

After 3 hours in a bar Jughead abandons all hope for a hookup. He had to reject 3 rather beautiful ladies. They just didn’t do it for him. It seems he reached the state where he can’t be sexually attracted to a woman if everything she can talk about is celebrity gossip, Instagram or how many calories are in this drink.

He sees Archie approaching their table, leading an attractive Latina girl with his hand on her back and some blonde girl behind them.

“Here we are” he hears Archie saying to the girl coming up to their table. “Jug! Look who decided to join us, this is Veronica” he points to the Latina girl and she primly shakes his hand.

As Veronica slides to take a seat on the opposite side of the booth Archie introduces the second girl “and this is Betty”, he quips and sits next to Veronica.

Betty shakes Jughead’s hand and stands awkwardly by the table. She is pretty, blonde wavy hair, big doe eyes and bubblegum pink lipstick that matches her dress. His checking her out is interrupted by Archie clearing his throat. Jughead’s eyes shoot to his and Archie lifts his brows tilting his head in Betty’s direction. Jughead is confused for a second, then he realizes that he has to scoot for Betty to sit down next to him. As soon as he does so, Archie turns to Veronica and they properly forget about their friends. Jughead almost groans and prepares himself to listen about the amount of calories in martini.

“So... Archie told us you are a writer” he hears her soft voice.

“Uh... yeah”

“What do you write?”

“It’s crime fiction, I don’t know if you’ve heard about “Blood in the river” book series... um, I wrote them”

“Oh my god! I have all of them! They are so good, I get captured in the book so much I forget to eat sometimes. Did you really write them?” her big green eyes are sparkling in the lights of the club.

Jughead is surprised and amused, usually girls in clubs don’t really know what crime fiction is, lest read his books.

“Yeah.... yeah, I did. And what is that you do?”

“Um... I’m getting my PhD in Industrial Engineering and Operations Research, last year now. And I work in the library part time.”

At that he is stunned. Like who is this this girl? She doesn’t look like a gear head at all. And she likes reading crime fiction. He sits there just looking at her when he registers she is speaking again.

“... I like to restore vintage cars when I have time, mom hates it, but that’s my and dad’s bonding time” she chuckles.

Ok, she is pretty, no, beautiful, actually, now that he’s had a chance to look at her properly he can see she’s really beautiful. And she is obviously smart.

He gulps down his dry throat “you are an enigma, Betty”.

A beautiful smile appears on her face and she looks at her lap blushing.

She is so adorable and alluring at the same time. He wants to take her home, spend a night with her, date her, marry her, have children with her.

“What are you doing here?” He asks, he really can’t imagine her in this world. Loud clubs full of drunk rotten people.

“Sometimes all of it becomes too much and V drags me to some club or bar for good fun”

“Well, I think I just got really lucky this night, it would be really upsetting not to get to meet you”

***

He lifts her and places on the kitchen isle without interrupting the kiss, that becomes more and more heated by every second.

They spent all night talking, at some point their bodies drifted closer on the bench seat, his hand found its place on her thigh and she bit her lip while her eyes darkened. Veronica and Archie were making out opposite them and when they decided to go to Veronica’s place, Jughead offered Betty to continue at his place, to have some vine and... talk.

At some point her subtle glances and constant biting of her lip became unbearable. He cupped her face and connected their lips. She eagerly responded and even deepened the kiss. He backed her to the isle and here are they now.

He moves to kiss her neck and slips a strap of her dress lowering his mouth to her shoulder and collar bone. Her hands are in his hair, holding his head to her and he is gripping her hips with such force, he thinks there will be bruises in the morning.

She crosses her ankles behind his back and pulls him closer, so that his crotch collides with her heat where her dress has lifted up her hips.

She starts grinding into him and unbuttoning his shirt. He groans feeling himself getting harder and returns to her lips.

“Jug....” she pants against his lips

“What do you want, baby?”

Betty moves her hands to pull his shirt off him and whispers “I want you to touch me”.

He surges forward to capture her lips in a bruising kiss, tips of his fingers teasing the skin on her inner thighs, thumbs rubbing the crease near her core, feeling the edge of her lace panties.

She nearly whimpers from frustration and overwhelming need and tugs his hair.

Jughead slips his finger into her panties and tugs her dress and bra lower to reveal her breast at the same time. A low moan escapes Betty’s mouth when his lips capture one of her nipples and his nimble fingers slide through her soaked folds. She is so wet, it was never like this before.

When his fingers find her bundle of nerves pulsing with need she looses all coherent thoughts, but moves her hands to his belt buckle anyways.

He moves to her other breast slipping one finger inside her, she arches her back, pressing her chest into his face and her head falls back with a loud moan.

The sounds she makes and the way she responds to him make him dizzy with want. He finally leaves her full breasts, nipples wet and puckered, as she slips her hand under his boxers and wraps him with her delicate fingers. Her hand so soft, but her grip firm and oh so good, he groans burying his face in her neck and tugs her underwear down her long legs while she pumps him slowly.

“I can’t wait anymore, I need to be inside you” he whines, hips bucking into her hand.

“Take me” she whispers and it’s all he needs.

He manages to fish a foil packet out of the back pocket of his jeans just before the slip down his legs.

He slips into her slowly and it’s the best feeling ever. He fucks her hard right there on the kitchen isle and then once more slowly but passionately in bed.

It’s almost sunrise when they lay in his bed, properly sated and he wants to keep her here, beside him, look at her in the morning, bring her coffee to bed and then maybe take a walk in the park and talk some more. He wants to tell her all of this, but he is so deliciously exhausted that his eyes close themselves and he falls asleep with a smile on his lips.

***

She can’t fall asleep, she feels his breath even and steady where her head lies on his chest. She carefully detangles herself and slips from bed. She turns to look at him, sleeping peacefully. He came to the club for a hookup and she shouldn’t delude herself into a fantasy, no matter how good they seemed to each other. She sighs, picks her clothes walking through his apartments and leaves.

***

Jughead wakes up with a smile, anticipating a sweet morning with a blonde goddess, but this smile quickly leaves his face when he realizes he is in bed alone. After inspecting the apartment he understands she left while he was sleeping and she didn’t bother to leave a phone number. He is frustrated and angry for a moment, he feels used. But he refuses to take it. It felt too good to just let it go. And he doesn’t mean just sex, she is incredible and anyone would be a fool to skip his chance with her.

It takes him about 20 phone calls to wake up Archie and he exhales relieved when he finds out that Betty’s friend is still with him. Then it takes him about 30 minutes of explaining and begging Veronica to organize him a meeting with Betty, as she refuses to give her phone number.

Now he has to wait until the agreed time. Meanwhile he finds himself reaching for his laptop and words pouring out of him. She pushed something in his head, he feels inspired just after talking to her.

When the time comes he goes to a little Italian restaurant Veronica set the meeting in. He is nervous as if he is a teenager again.

Betty is already sitting at the table, her eyes on the menu. He quietly walks to the table and slips into the sit opposite to her.

“Finally, V, I swear your cryptic messages...” she lifts her head and trails off, eyes rounding.

“Hi, Betts”

“Jug... what are you... why?”

“I was really upset when I found out you left this morning without me saying you just how amazing you are and that there are at least several dozens of books we need to discuss, a handful of conspiracy theories I need to share with you and some surfaces we have to defile”

When she doesn’t say anything back and just sits there stunned and gapes at him, he becomes nervous.

“That is unless you don’t want to, than I’ll just leave you to have a nice Italian dinner and go drown myself in self pity”

At that she seems to return to herself.

“Oh my god, Jug. Of course, of course I want to”

“Well, than, I guess yesterday I got really lucky” he smirks and she blushes prettily.

#songfic writing challenge 2019 #songfic #bughead #betty cooper #riverdale #jughead jones #betty x jughead #bughead fanfiction #betty cooper and jughead jones #fanfiction #bughead fic

[brokentoasterrr]

i try to never show vulnerability on this blog because i am simply Like That, but i wrote piece of creative writing (ish) about my best friend and i want to share it so here we go

tw for death, implied smoking and drinking and a bunch of other shit. read at your own risk, essentially.

He hates onions. Onions and mushrooms. Still, he eats the noodle stir-fry I make him, with onions and scallions. And the pasta Carbonara with chickpeas instead of bacon, because I'm vegetarian and I like to cook. He eats it despite the uneven pieces of onion speckled throughout creamy sauce that clings to the pasta.

He loves liquorice. I hate it. He buys a bar of liquorice with a caramel center, urges me to try it, so I do. And I like it. But I never eat it again.

He buys a chocolate bar. I'm terrified of germs so when he asks me if I want a bite, I shake my head. The next time he buys a chocolate bar, he lets me break away a piece myself before he does, so I can eat without the anxiety. 

I'm terrified of germs, I'm terrified of becoming ill. I use hand sanitizer until my hands dry out and the skin cracks, wash my hands until my cuticles break apart. He buys me a medium fry from McDonald's, and when I use my hand sanitizer, he doesn't even look at me twice. He stretches his hand out and asks for some. When I don't eat the piece of the fry that my fingers touched, when I put them on a napkin and ignore how anxious it makes me, both to eat and to waste, he nods towards them and says, "Can I eat that?" 

When my hands start to shake because I forgot to eat before I left the house, he drags me to the supermarket. He pays for a chocolate bar, says, "It's better than nothing."

He loves orange and chocolate ice cream. Buys a five litre tub and pays £5 to share with all of us. Ten people. He ends up eating most of it, because no one wanted more than a spoonful or two. I am supposed to go vegan, but I eat some anyway.

He walks around with a lizard made out of fabric and sand in his pocket. Says it's there to keep him company. There's a homeless man at McDonald's. He gives the man the sand filled lizard, and says, "Keep it. So you won't be alone anymore."

I'm angry with my mum. She's left me and my older brother alone again. There's no food in the house and I've eaten pasta with frozen peas and ketchup for three days in a row and I'm angry. I feel neglected and alone. He offers me cigarettes, and acts like a drain in which I can pour all of my problems. He says my feelings are valid, says that love doesn't cancel out the neglect. He puts on some music and makes me laugh.

He never says hello. He says, "Good morning." He never says goodbye. He says, "Good luck."

I'm homeless. Well, not quite. I live in the spare room in my grandma's house, young with no money other than the weekly allowance that I spend on cigarettes. He lets me stay at his house for five days, lets me roll cigarettes with loose tobacco because I can't afford another packet this week. He says, "Do you want to start a business? Two pounds per packet. You get a pound if you help me roll." It sounds borderline illegal, but it's just cigarettes, isn't it? I nod. 

He owns an ATV. It's started snowing but the air is still warm enough that it doesn't lay as a loose powder over the streets, but packs together. The perfect texture for sledding. He ties a sled to the back of his ATV, gives me a helmet. I sit on the sled, he drives. It's the best thing I've ever done in my entire life.

I'm struggling in school. He says that he'll hopefully get a job in another town. The town where I want to go to highschool. He says he'll get a flat, says that maybe we should move in together. One room each, I can cook and do the dishes, and he'll clean and do laundry. He helps me with my homework. He helps me see the end of studying, and gives me something to work towards. A home with my best friend, a school I'll enjoy.

My body doesn't feel like my own. My head says he and him, my body says otherwise. He's the same. My body feels wrong and I want to crawl out of my skin. He knows exactly how it feels. I haven't showered in a week. He tells me to try to shower with the lights off. I don't smell sweaty and my hair isn't greasy anymore.

He loves orange juice. If he could, he'd probably stop eating and only live of off orange juice. I buy him a litre for his birthday, and he grins and laughs. Empty cartons stands around his room, and his fridge is filled with it. I don't like orange juice, but I like apple juice. So I buy the same brand, different fruit. 

He likes to sew his own clothes. Scrap bits of fabric, floss and some free time, and he's patched up a pair of trousers that he decorates with more patches, writes on them, sticks chains and random items onto them. I've never seen anyone sew with floss before, but he does.

He loves dogs. Walks around with dog treats in his pocket in case he runs into a good boy or girl to love for a few moments. 

He loves punk. Listens to it loudly on a Bluetooth speaker and screams along. He dances. I dance and I scream with him and I don't care who watches. When we listen to our song, we stand face to face, jump forward and backwards and scream the lyrics in our faces until we can't breathe. I hear the intro and I slap my thighs in excitement, stand up immediately. "It's our song! Come on!"

I love to ride the bike. He does too. We ride our bikes all over town, listen to our music and feel the wind hit our faces. Mine is pink and purple. Because it's not mine, it's my sister's. His is red, rusty and old. It's his mother's. 

He wears his hair in a mohawk. It's either blue or black, standing straight up, tall and stiff. My hair is green but still boring. He helps me comb it up to liberty spikes. We wear patched trousers with loud chains and soda caps that hit against one another with the tell-tale metallic jangle. People stare and take photos when they think we can't see. We stand up taller, laugh louder.

He feels alone. He's sad, and angry, and alone. It's my turn to act like the drain. So he talks and talks, smokes cigarette after cigarette and I nod as he speaks. Smoke my own cigarette and says that he's valid. What he's feeling is valid.

I move into a group home. My ceiling lamp hangs too low and I'm only 5"4 yet I bump my head against it. He helps me hang it up properly. Jokes and talks about nothing and everything as he hoists it up until I don't bump my head against it anymore.

We make chocolate truffles. Butter and oats and sugar and cocoa powder. A Swedish thing. We cover them in more chocolate and they taste better than anything we've made before.

He hates Christmas. But he buys battery driven fairy lights and sticks them into his mohawk, down to his trousers. He walks around like a goddamn Christmas tree. Because he hates Christmas but other people love it and he wants to make them happy.

He's drunk. It's Christmas Eve and he's so drunk that he has to hold onto the wall to stand upright. I'm on the balcony and he's on the ground and he looks up at me. "I'm so happy," he tells me. "Kevin, I'm so happy. I always want to be like this." I tell him to go home, drink some water and to sleep it off. He goes.

It's New Year's Eve and I'm at my girlfriend's. We drink non-alcoholic wine and cider, kiss when the clock strikes twelve. We're both tired and we go to bed before one in the morning. He calls me, he says that we're going to start a band. Our friend's new partner has a studio and it's one town over but it's okay because we're moving there anyway. "I love you," he tells me. And I tell him, "I love you too."

Our friend texts me the next day. She asks if I had seen him, if I had heard from him. I tell her no. And I send him a text. I hope you're alive, I write, call me. He never does.

Instead it's our friend, the next day. I've just showered and I'm eating breakfast with my girlfriend and her dad. My phone rings. Our friend. My friend. "Axel's dead," she tells me. "They found him in the attic." I scream. I cry. I tell her no. No, he's not dead. It's not true. She's playing a stupid fucking prank with me, she's lying. But when she says that it's true the third time, I believe her. And I break down.

I cry in the car ride home. I make a promise to myself that I'm going to live for the both of us. For three hours, I cry. I listen to music and audiobooks and nothing works to stop the he's dead, he's dead, he's gone. And I cry some more.

I cry when I wake up the next morning because I don't want to wake up in a world without him. 

I stop eating. I stop drinking. I'm nauseous all the time and the ache in my stomach consumes me and I can't eat anything because I am terrified of throwing up.

I cry so much that after three days, I get skin rashes by my eyes from scrubbing my eyes too much. Crying hurts but not crying hurts more. Every breath I take rattles and shakes and I only leave my bedroom to smoke. The staff at the group home tells me to let some light in. I pull my duvet up to my nose.

Axel means shoulder in Swedish. Every time he met someone new, he said, "Hi, my name is Axel and I'm always by your side." He never said that to me. And he never said goodbye, he said "Good luck." 

I get a tattoo. It says good luck on my wrist in his hand writing. And he remains by my side.

#creative writing #tw suidice #tw implied suicide #smoking #drinking #implied smoking #implied drinking

[liberty-barnes]

Scrunchies

SingleDad!Bucky x Female!Reader

Summary: You love scrunchies, Bucky’s daughter is very intrigued by them, and Bucky is very intrigued by you. There’s a scrunchie for every situation.

Warnings: F L U F F, cavity-inducing fluff. A female baby version of Bucky, because I feel like that’s a big warning.

Word Count: 3479 words (oops)

A/N: I’ve had this idea swimming around in my head for weeks now but I’ve never felt good enough about my writing to actually post it before. I’m probably gonna regret this sooner or later but for now, let’s just be happy that it’s out. Constructive criticism is deeply appreciated, thank you very much. I’ll leave you to it now, hope you like it!

                                                      The first time Bucky saw you was two weeks after he moved back into the tower. After his girlfriend abandoned him and their ten-month-old daughter, he felt like he couldn’t afford to live alone anymore. He needed help with the baby.

Mikayla Rebecca Barnes was a handful. She knew what she did or didn’t like, she loved to be pampered and treated like a queen and her newfound ability to crawl and walk short distances while holding on to random things made keeping up with her an exhausting sport.

But most of all: she was a very curious baby. She loved to meet new people, learn new things, and get new gadgets.

In hindsight, that may be why she was so attracted to you.

He and Tony were now retired from missions, only helping if it was absolutely necessary. Tony spent his days in the lab, perfecting gadgets and teaching Morgan, Peter, and Harley tech things while Bucky was in charge of training the new recruits.

Mickey, as they called her (Steve and his undying love for Disney are to blame), usually came with him so he could keep an eye on her but stayed in her playpen, occasionally laughing and clapping her hands when someone fell.

But today, he didn’t close the tiny door properly, and that tiny slip up was all the little girl needed to go and explore the world. Though she was stopped in her tracks when she saw you.

You were one of Natasha’s ex ‘classmates’. You were raised in the Red Room but managed to escape before your graduation ceremony and have been on the run ever since, picking up contracts as a mercenary every once in a while. Get in, get out, no one sees you. You were light on your feet, and very good at your job, finding out your victims’ deepest, darkest secrets and exposing them, letting them live in the Hell they created before ultimately taking them out. You were their reckoning. A shadow. Any sinner’s nightmare. You didn’t have a name, that made tracing you easier. But whispers of a vengeful warrior traveled far, far enough for the redhead Avenger to hear.

She tracked you down and gave you a choice: join them or go to jail. You chose the former, obviously. At least you’d be able to kill people without having to worry about any possible repercussions.

So here you were, doing your stretches, getting ready for your daily workout before your psych test this afternoon. You had passed your physical with flying colors and as soon as you passed this afternoon’s test, you’d be cleared for missions.

What you did not expect, however, was a tiny human making their way to you and crawling towards your toes, grabbing your wrist in one smooth movement and locking you in your runner’s stretch.

She pulled at the baby blue scrunchie around your wrist, pinching the velvet material between her thumb and pointer before letting it go and laughing at the snapping sound it made against your wrist.

Sadist much?

She let go of your wrist and locked eyes with you, her steel blue orbs boring into yours. You straightened yourself and sat crossed legged.

“Well hello there.”

She cocked her head to the side and looked at your legs, trying to mimic your position. You chuckled a bit at that. She looked at the scrunchie on your wrist again and made grabby hands towards it. You took it off and placed in her hands, she seemed content to admire the fabric and you looked around the gym. No one was around and the only noise apart from your playlist was that of the recruits in the next room.

You decided you’d go there and ask if someone knew who she belonged to. Surely they wouldn’t get mad at you for looking out for a baby.

“Can I pick you up?”

You extended your arms towards her and she looked at them quizzically before lifting hers up as well. You placed her on your hip and walked to the other training room.

The grunts and whines of training recruits filled your ears and you observed them for a short while before walking towards their metal armed instructor. You had escaped before earning the ‘privilege’ to be trained by the Winter Soldier so you didn’t know each other.

“Um, excuse me?”

You called out and he turned towards you, blue eyes finding yours.

“Um, she came into the room and I didn’t see anyone with her, do you know who she belongs to? I’d hate for someone to be worried about her.”

He looked at the baby in your eyes and turned his head towards the playpen, eyes going wide at the side of the open door and empty play area.

“Mickey! Sorry, she’s uh, she’s mine, I guess I forgot to lock the door correctly. Sorry... I hope she didn’t bother you too much.”

He said, a bit nervous as he took his daughter back from your arms.

“Not at all, it was a nice distraction. It’s not often that we see such innocence in a place like this.”

“Yeah...”

You ducked your head slightly and bit your lip, locking eyes with him for a split second.

“Well, I should go. Nice to meet you both.” 

“Nice to meet you too.”

He said as more of a whisper than anything else. It was only when he looked back at his daughter that he saw the blue scrunchie in her hands. He had to give it back to you.

                                                      The second time he saw you, you were leaving for your first-ever mission as an Avenger with Nat and Steve. He watched as you slipped your combat knives in their respective holsters, the catsuit you wore accentuating your figure perfectly. The Avengers logo was stitched proudly on your upper arm, the white a beautiful contrast with the otherwise black suit. 

His gaze traveled instantly to your hair, tied in a high ponytail by a black velvet scrunchie.

“Ready to go, Shadow?”

“You got it, Red.”

He turned his eyes back to his best friend when he heard his footsteps, patting him on the back.

“We should be gone for three days tops. Don’t do anything stupid till I get back.”

He smirked at the blonde.

“How can I? You’re taking all the stupid with you.”

They hugged and Steve pulled back, placing his right hand on his shoulder.

“Take care of my goddaughter, jerk.”

“Punk.”

He walked over to you and high-fived you before walking over to Natasha and helping her load a few more things into the Quinjet. The redhead saluted the brunette and he returned the gesture. He then turned back to you.

“Excited for your first mission?”

“I’ve actually been doing missions for the last 12 years, so this is nothing new.”

He rolled his eyes playfully at you before remembering the reason he came to talk to you in the first place.

“I forgot to give you this back.”

He handed you the baby blue scrunchie Mickey had taken from you a few days prior.

You smirked at him.

“Keep it for now. It’ll give me an excuse to go talk to you when I get back.”

You turned around and marched towards the Quinjet, throwing him a wink over your shoulder.

                                                    A month later, he looked at you with his mouth agape. The white lace of the top was so intricate he could lose himself while looking at it while the flowy-ness of your baby pink skater skirt made you look all the more innocent. He admired the fact that you chose to wear your favorite pair of white and pink sneakers while most women usually opted for some kind of heel on the first date. It just proved how different you were. It was refreshing.

“Do I look okay?”

The softness of your voice had him melting and he quickly shook himself out of his daze to answer you.

“You look perfect.”

The smile you shot him was so beautiful he felt his knees buckle slightly under him.

“You don’t look too bad yourself.”

It was true. He’d put a bit more effort in his outfit, choosing a white T-shirt and form-fitting jeans instead of his usual long-sleeved shirts and loose pants. He’d opted for a black leather jacket on top, just in case.

“Well, as cute as this is, would you two just get on with it already?”

Nat chided, arms crossed and a satisfied smirk on her face. Next to her was Steve, holding baby Mickey in his arms and looking like a proud dad.

“You sure you’re gonna be okay with her?” 

He caressed his daughter’s face gently with his forefinger.

“We’re gonna be fine Buck. Now go! Sweep her off her feet or whatever it is you young people do nowadays.”

Ridiculous.

With one last kiss on the little girl’s cheek, he turned around and offered his arm to you, which you happily took.

The ride to Coney Island was fun. He’d never been more happy to ride his Harley than today, feeling your arms tight around his waist and your head pressed to his back. He could get used to this.

The first thing they did when they got there was ride the Cyclone. You were a bit of an adrenaline junkie and he thought ‘why not’. He kind of regretted it but one look at your beaming face and all that flew out the window.

They went on a few other rides, played a couple games, Bucky won you a big stuffed teddy bear at the shooting gallery and you won an equally as big panda bear along with a Captain America keychain at an archery game.

“The keychain’s for you, that way you’ll be reminded of me, your best friend and your keys won’t be as boring.”

“What about the panda?”

“That’s for Mickey. Her birthday’s soon and I just needed one last thing to complete her birthday set.”

As he thought to your interaction only moments ago, he found himself smiling like an idiot. You turned around, having now paid for your cotton candy and looked at him, happiness written all over your face. He could get used to this.

He now stood at your door, holding your right hand as he looked in your eyes.

“I had a great time tonight.”

“Me too. I hope we can do this again sometime.”

He smiled at you and found himself playing with the baby pink scrunchie around your wrist, but he knew he had to be straightforward with you.

“Look, I just... You know I’m not gonna be able to give you everything you deserve right? Between Mickey and my own fucked up mental state, I can’t afford to do all the things normal people would. To take you out on impromptu dates or give you every second of my time, like you deserve... Are you sure you want to deal with that?”

You removed your hands from his and cupped his face softly, eyes fluttering closed as you lay a lingering kiss on his lips.

“I’m sure.”

And as you kissed him again, this time with more force, he found himself thinking that he could get used to this.

                                                    “That’s it! Almost there! Go on!”

You and Bucky had been dating for three months, and every day was happier than the former. You and Mickey got along like two peas in a pod and he found himself smiling more often as your relationship progressed.

Currently, you were sitting on your heels in the middle of the living room, a good ten feet away from your boyfriend and watching as Mickey took slow, calculated steps towards you. The smile on both your faces was blinding as she reached you and you lifted her up into your arms, spinning her around and kissing her face happily.

“Such a good girl. I’m so proud of you!”

She squealed as her father reached the both of you and wrapped his arms around your figures, barely able to contain his joy.

The door suddenly burst open.

“F.R.I.D.A.Y. just told me she was walking! Is it true?”

Nat came rushing in the room to where you stood.

“Yep. All ten feet from her daddy’s arms to mine!”

Steve, Sam, and Wanda were the next ones to arrive, still sweaty from their workout.

“Is it true?”

“Did she walk?”

“Where’s my beautiful goddaughter?”

And soon, the whole team was in the living room, your (oops) Bucky’s daughter being passed around and praised by the team. Your boyfriend grabbed you by the waist and gently kissed your lips, smiling into it.

“The party’s in two hours. I still need to figure out what she’ll wear.”

“Don’t worry, I got it. I found the perfect outfits for us when we went shopping on Thursday.”

He shook his head but kissed you again before letting you take your (not yet) his daughter to what he assumed was Nat’s room to get ready with the girls.

He was sitting on a chair, beer in hand while talking with the boys. They had decided to stay at the Compound and just have a family get together instead of one of Tony’s usual parties for Steve’s birthday this year. He waited very anxiously for you and Mickey to arrive. Wanda came down ten minutes ago and was currently sitting in Vision’s lap and Steve has had his hand around Nat’s waist ever since she came down about five minutes ago, so now all that was left was you.

“Hope we’re not too late to the party.”

He turned his head and much like that night three months ago, his jaw almost dropped to the floor. Seeing your (goddammit Buck, NOT. YET.) his daughter on your hip in those gorgeous matching outfits made his heart burst with happiness. You had even gotten her a matching red scrunchie and put her hair up in a half, up half down fashion, just like yours.

You went over to him and he immediately pulled you onto his lap, kissing his daughter on her cheek before kissing you right on the lips, not giving a flying fuck about the red lipstick that had most likely transferred onto him.

“You’re just on time.”

You had just gotten back from Mickey’s nursery, having managed to put her down for the night when Bucky grabbed you by the hip, kissing you fiercely.

You moaned into the kiss and weaved your hands into his hair, pulling lightly at the shorter strands.

“I love you.”

It came out before he could stop it, not that he wanted to. Because he really did love you, today just proved it.

You opened your eyes and looked at him, your (e/c) orbs searching his icy blue ones for any trace of deceit. You smiled brightly when you didn’t find none.

“I love you too.”

                                                    He fumbled nervously with the sleeve of his dress shirt. This was it. This was the day.

“Will you stop messing with your hair already?”

“Can’t help it. ‘M nervous.”

Nat rolled her eyes for the thousandth time that evening, taking a long sip from her wine glass.

“Will you stop stressing already, it’s clear as day that she’s got it bad for you, she’ll say yes.”

Steve sleepily nodded from his place on the redhead’s lap, having come back from a mission a few hours prior. She absentmindedly raked her hands through his still-damp hair and he all but purred at the touch.

Bucky smiled. It had been a long time since he last saw his friend this happy and relaxed, if ever, and this Steve was by far his favorite Steve. Followed closely by drunk Steve and flustered Steve.

He looked at his watch again, 7:45 PM. Five more minutes before it’s deemed acceptable for him to start walking.

The little black box in his pocket felt heavier than anything he’s ever held, and he’s held very heavy things. 

Another glance, 7:46. How could time pass so slowly?

“Okay loverboy, sit your ass down and listen carefully.”

He obeyed, he wasn’t dumb enough to ignore one of Natasha’s commands.

“I’ve known Y/N since we were kids, I’ve seen her at her best, I’ve seen her at her worst, but nothing compares to the way she is when you’re around. Her eyes sparkle, her smile is that much bigger, her whole aura is that much brighter, because of you. She looks at you like you hung the moon and all the stars. And have you seen her with Mickey? It’s like she’s already her mother. She loves that little girl and she loves you. She’ll say yes.”

He took a deep breath and nodded, eyes glancing at the clock. 7:52 PM.

With one last goodbye at the couple, he left the room. When he got to your room he knocked on her door with a bit of difficulty, since his vision was currently a bit clouded. He heard the door open and a loud gasp.

“What’s this?”

“Three hundred and sixty-five roses. One for each day that I’ve had the privilege of calling you mine.”

He entered the room and set the vase down on your desk before turning to you.

You looked like a goddess, the black dress hugged your curves perfectly, you looked like you were glowing. A literal angel.

“Happy anniversary, doll.”

You smiled and walking towards him, your black strappy heels tapping on the hardwood floor. You looked him over and grabbed the lapels of his suit jacket.

“Now that’s just rude.”

You took his hand and held it out, putting a good two feet between the two of you before making him spin a little, admiring the way his all-black suit clung to his body.

“Excuse me, sir, but how dare you come into my room looking like a full course meal when I’m fucking starving?”

He smirked a bit and took you by the waist, looking at your blood-red lips for a split second before locking eyes with you yet again.

“Well, now you know how I feel whenever you walk into a room.”

You rolled your eyes at him before leaning up and kissing him softly, being careful to not deepen things too much.

“Come on, we have a reservation.”

You whispered to him, lips only an inch away from his.

By the time dessert was served, you were suspicious, to say the least. He was uncharacteristically nervous, fidgety and there were times where you wondered if he was even breathing properly.

As you finished your cheesecake slice, you cleared your throat and asked him what was wrong.

“Nothing doll. Don’t worry.”

He looked out the window before looking back at you.

“Walk with me?”

You nodded and he asked for the check. You were outside a couple minutes later and involuntarily shivered from the cold. Like the gentleman he is, he wrapped his suit jacket around your shoulders and intertwined your hands, leading you into Central Park. You noticed his still fidgety attitude and stopped in your tracks, not being able to handle it anymore.

“Baby, what’s wrong? You’ve been acting different tonight... like you want to say something but you can’t... Was it something I said, or did?”

He quickly took your hands in his, pressing your foreheads together in a calming manner.

“You did nothing wrong, doll. You’re perfect..”

You smiled at the floor and tried your best to flatten your hair, the wind having flown through it and messed up a little lot.

He reached for his pocket and pulled out a scrunchie, tying your hair in a haphazard ponytail with it.

“Where did you find it?”

You said, gesturing towards the baby blue scrunchie that had been the start of your whole relationship.

“Doesn’t matter know, it just seemed fitting, kind of poetic.”

He took a deep breath, might as well go for it, right?

“Y/N, a year ago, I asked you to be my girlfriend and you said yes. Still haven’t figured out how that happened but the fact is that this year has been the happiest of my life. I love the way you act around Mickey, and how you treat her like she’s your own. I love that you can accept my flaws, and love me despite them. I love how cute you look when you’re cooking pancakes for us wearing nothing but my shirt. I love how badass you are and how could totally beat me if you actually decided to use your energy on me. I love seeing you smile and I hate watching you cry. I know you have bad days, I do too, but I wanna give you so many good days that you’ll forget the bad ones even exist. I love to kiss you, hold you, make love to you and then wake up tangled with you in my bed. I wanna wake up like that every morning of my life because you make waking up worth it. So, if you’ll have me...”

He got down on one knee and you brought your hand to your mouth, the tears flowing freely at this point.

“...I would very much like to be your husband and have the honor of calling you my wife. Y/N Y/L/N, will you marry me?”

Your brain stopped working for a second because OH MY GOD THIS BEAUTIFUL, WONDERFUL, LOVING MAN JUST PROPOSED.

You took a deep breath, your lungs starting to ache from the lack of oxygen before whispering a string of ‘yes’s’ over and over again.

He straightened up and cupped your face, kissing you like you were water and he hadn’t drunk in years. He slipped the beautiful engagement ring on your finger and you made your back home to your, YOUR daughter.

#bucky x reader #bucky barnes #bucky #marvel #captain america #bucky barnes x reader #winter soldier #fanfiction #avengers #sebastian stan #sebastian stan fanfiction #bucky fanfic #oneshot #libbys stuff #liberty-barnes #libby writes

[mycupoffanfiction]

His Second Chance Part 11

Bucky x Reader

His Second Chance Masterlist

Bucky comes back from Wakanda with Steve, ready to begin his recovery from his days as the Winter Soldier, but there’s one thing he doesn’t take into account - you.

Warnings: Protective bois, FLUUUFF, language.

Word count: Approx 3600

Got a bit of a longer part today! Hope you enjoy it! 💗

Masterlist

Bucky builds up the courage to admit something and maybe something else comes with his new found confidence.

Please don’t hesitate to leave suggestions or thoughts! TAG LISTS ARE OPEN! (Permanent list and His Second Chance list)

IF YOUR TAG ISN’T WORKING PLS MESSAGE OR ASK 💖💖

___________________________

Six o’clock. One whole hour. One whole hour for his nerves to get the better of him.

What if she doesn’t like the place you picked?

What if your outfit is underdressed compared to hers?

What if she doesn’t like your hair in a bun?

What if you pull up your sleeves and she doesn’t want to see your arm?

All valid questions, Bucky thought, although if you knew what was going on in his head, you would absolutely disagree. A soft knock at the door stirred Bucky from his thoughts and he padded across the wooden flooring to see who it was. Oh no. The dad duo.

 “Can we talk for a sec, Buck?” Steve asks. “Uh.” Before Bucky can even answer properly, the two of them scoot around Bucky and let themselves into his room. Well excuse you. “See you’re all ready to go.” Sam smiled, looking Bucky up and down as he closed the door, examining his outfit. “You scrub up good, old man.” He remarked, making Bucky roll his eyes. “You better take care of our girl, Buck, she’s the literal princess of this floor.” Steve got straight to the point. “Yeah, you break her heart, we break you.” Sam poked him harshly in the chest. “Whoa, whoa, where’s this coming from?” Bucky asked. “C’mon, Bucky, you remember the old days.” Steve said as he sat down on the edge of his bed, Sam leaning up against the wall. Bucky would be lying if he said he didn’t feel at least a little upset by that jab. “She can hear you through the wall, y’know that, right?” Bucky quirked a brow.

 You could, in fact, hear all three of them as you got ready. A small smile crept onto your lips when you heard Bucky say that. “So where are you taking her?” Steve asked, ignoring Bucky’s warning like he didn’t believe him. “I ain’t saying that out loud, I know she can hear me.” Bucky refused. You smirked and moved to your computer desk, quickly putting on some loud rock to drown out their voices so you wouldn’t hear.

 Thank you, pretty girl. “Takin’ her to a little place out of the way.” Bucky smiled. “I ain’t tellin’ you the name though, don’t want you two showing up.” He put on his best I’m-not-taking-your-bullshit face, knowing full well that those two punks would do anything to protect you, even if Bucky really did have genuine intentions with you. “Relax, Buck, just wanna look out for her, she’s a sensitive soul.” Steve put his hands up in surrender. “M’not the same Bucky from the forties, Steve.” Bucky reminded him, pacing over to his dresser and rooting about in the drawer. “M’not gonna take her out and then drop her, couldn’t do that.” Bucky couldn’t even fathom doing that to you.

 God the way your sweet face lit up when you saw him, the confidence you had in him, oh it made his heart soar. He didn’t think he’d ever known someone with such trust, such belief in him. He had it bad for you.

Bucky finally found what was looking for and pulled a white box out of the drawer. Opening it up, he pulled out the bottle of new cologne and spritzed it around a little, being careful not to overdo it. “She’s too good to me.” Bucky hadn’t really intended to say that out loud, but the two men looked over at Bucky and waited for him to continue. “She believes in me, puts so much trust in me, don’t think I’ve ever known a gal like that.” Bucky spoke quietly. “She sees past this.” Bucky glanced down at his metal hand. “She isn’t too good for you, pal.” Steve shook his head, getting up to walk over to him. “She’s what you need, just don’t push her away.” Sam cut in. Bucky knew that. He knew he needed you. He wanted you as well, but he couldn’t deny that he needed you.

 “You’ll do jus’ fine, man. But if you hurt her.” Sam made a line across his throat with his finger, eyes bulging before he raised a brow at Bucky. “Sam, bit much, but… Uh, well I guess you get the point.” Steve shrugged. “Good luck pal.” Steve clapped him on the shoulder before walking towards the door, Sam following suit and patting Bucky’s arm before leaving. Talk about confidence boosting.

 “Text us when you get there.” Steve pointed at you. “Mm, no, I’m not doing that.” You shook your head. “Sweetheart.” He frowned, crossing his arms. “Would you lay off? I heard you two getting up in Bucky’s business about our date.” You scoffed, trying to push Steve out of your room. Bucky listened from the other side of the wall, amused by your bluntness with Steve. “I’m just looking out for you!” He protested, letting you push him backwards. “Steve, we’re both adults, this isn’t my first date, nor is it my first date with him and Bucky has been nothing but sweet and gentle with me. You have nothing to worry about.” You say matter-of-factly. Sweet and gentle, she thinks I’m gentle. “It’s sweet that you two want to look out for me, but back off, would ya?” You frown, finally getting Steve out of your room. “Now, if you will excuse me, I have five minutes until my Sergeant arrives and I’m still not ready.” You huff, closing the door and leaving both boys in the corridor. My Sergeant. I’m her Sergeant now. Bucky couldn’t lie, he loved the sound of that, he loved the way it sounded when you said he was yours.

“That didn’t go to plan.” Steve grumbled. “It was a terrible plan.” Sam shook his head.

 You slipped on a jacket over your simple skater dress just as a tentative knock came to your door. Seven o’clock sharp. You opened the door and god; he stole your breath away. Bucky stood, leaning up against your door frame in a dark grey button up shirt, a leather jacket thrown over the top and a pair of very new looking black jeans, they definitely looked like they were his ‘smart’ jeans. Bucky’s chestnut hair was scraped back into a messy low bun, small strands hanging out of the sides and framing his face, a few large chunks of hair that were too short to be tied back were roughly tucked behind his ears.

 Holy- wow. She looks so beautiful, so goddamn pretty. Bucky leans towards you, holding out his hand for you and he craned down to lightly peck your cheek, the gentle tickle and scratch of his facial hair on your cheek was welcome. Kissing her cheek is becoming second nature, good job! Maybe we should try kissing her properly later. “Hey pretty girl.” He murmured in your ear, voice rough and deep, but still so soft. A little tingle crawled up your spine and you weren’t sure if Bucky had meant to be extremely alluring or if that was an accident. You felt a blush creep onto your features as you took in his appearance. Bucky could ask you to do anything right now, and you’d do it without hesitation.

 The early evening sunset, orange and pink hues dusting colour across the clouds. A gentle breeze shifted your hair about, lifting the skirt of your dress a little. Warmth, a comforting grip around your hand, fingers intertwined with yours. A soft crunch below your feet, autumn leaves covering the pathways in an array of reds and yellows. The musty smell of earlier rain and damp foliage tickled your senses.

 Softness against your cheek as you leaned into him, head resting against the side of his shoulder. Leather, spices and woody scents touched your nose. That smell was Bucky. You looked up at him, gazing up at his handsome features as he looked straight ahead.

 Beautiful. The cool weather, the soft breeze, the colourful sky and leaves falling made it feel like a surreal watercolour painting. What if this is just a dream? Bucky discreetly pinches himself with his metal fingers, you’d never seen him do it, but he did it regularly around you, just to be sure. He’d be heartbroken if he woke up and all of this happiness was a figment of his imagination, if you were a figment of his imagination.

 Bucky glanced down at you, absolutely captivated, you didn’t even care that he’d just caught you staring up at him. Gorgeous, how is she so effortlessly pretty? You seemed so carefree, so joyful as you walked beside him, a deep breath sucked in, eyes fluttering shut as you smelled the crisp, autumnal smell of the outdoors.

 “You look real pretty.” Bucky broke the comfortable silence, speaking just above a whisper, voice soft but still gravelly and rough, like brushing velvet backwards. A little hum, the curve of a smile on your lips, the ghost of a shy giggle in your throat. You look up at him, coolth, metal against skin as bionic fingers gently brush your hair away from your face, smoothing over your cheek and lingering for a moment. The serene moment is disrupted when your phone buzzes. You sigh and pull it out of your pocket to see it was a message from Steve.

‘How is it going? He treating you alright?’

Bucky sees the message from over your shoulder, a soft sigh passing through his lips. Why is Steve such a dad all the time? “Sorry.” You apologised, catching Bucky looking at your phone before you tucked it away. All Bucky can do is smile down at you, a sweet, lopsided smile. “Where are we going?” You ask, steering the conversation away before one of you could complain about Steve. “Uh.” Bucky paused, scratching the back of his neck. What if she doesn’t like it? Fuck what if she- Calm down, you know she’ll like it. “It’s a surprise, doll.” Bucky finally answers. Nice, getting much better at keeping cool around her, Barnes.

 You walked for another ten minutes, dipping in and out of conversation. The silence was never uncomfortable, which wasn’t unusual to you both. You’d often sit silently in each other’s presence, mostly just for quiet company and nothing more.

 You eventually reached a little walled garden restaurant, tucked away behind the park on a little side street. Bucky opened up the wrought iron gate for you, letting you enter first and you smiled when you saw the place he’d brought you to. It was a quaint little outdoor restaurant, lined with four stone walls that had foliage creeping up the stones and they wove in and out of the cracks. Strings of large bulb fairy lights were hung across the garden secured to the walls, giving a warm, soft glow to the place. The floor was cobblestone with a few long, old looking rugs that created pathways for people to walk along comfortably. Each table was situated near a small firepit or heat lamp, the air was filled with the wonderful, warm and cosy scent of wood burning, complimented by the delicious smells of food being served. Quiet chatter was accompanied by the gentle roar of fire and the odd pop of wood, soft music played in the background, mostly jazz and classical, keeping the atmosphere calm and serene.

 You and Bucky followed a waiter to your table and Bucky insisted on you sitting on the side closest to the firepit so you could stay warm. Bucky adored the way you looked with the soft, warm glow of the fire against your skin. “This place is beautiful Buck.” You remarked, looking around at your surroundings. A small smile made its way onto Bucky’s lips as he watched you admire the place. Told you she’d like it, Barnes, had no reason to worry. “Picked it myself.” He said softly, keeping his voice low. “I bet the boys were giving you plenty of advice.” You rolled your eyes. Bucky snorted as he relaxed back in his seat. “Well I had the pleasure of being given the talk from Stevie earlier.” You sighed. “You too? Damn I thought they just didn’t trust me with ya.” Bucky chuckled, shaking his head. Over protective goofs. “Mm, treated it like it was my first date, I think Steve and Sam went full co-parent on me.” You giggled. “Better than what I got.” You frowned at that, waiting for Bucky to elaborate. “Got threatened with death if I didn’t treat ya right.” Bucky smirked. That sounded like them. “Of course they did.” You sighed, smiling.

 You both ordered your food and drinks, mostly engaging in casual conversation while you ate. You laughed at a few of Bucky’s awkward jokes and he seemed amused and intrigued by your stories of your times with Steve and Sam before Bucky came home. You were absolutely absorbed by how confident Bucky became when he talked about the forties. You started to notice that Bucky’s confidence wavered a lot, but he was overall doing good and keeping his cool, as far as you could see.

 Tell her, you know you want to tell her. “I heard you, y’know.” Bucky smiled, relaxing back in his chair. Can’t get out of it now, Barnes. You tilted your head slightly, waiting for him to elaborate. “Callin’ me your Sergeant.” Bucky blushed when he said those words, nervous you might recoil that he’d accidentally overheard that. You looked down at your plate, smiling widely and blushing with embarrassment. “Sorry.” You let your hair fall into your face, blocking him from seeing your features. Oh shit, no, didn’t mean to make you embarrassed. Pretty girl, I liked it, please don’t hide. Quick, save it Barnes! Metal fingers curled under your chin, gently raising your head to meet his eyes. Bucky gave you a lopsided smile. “I liked it, doll.” He spoke softly, letting go of your chin, making you smile shyly up at him. What was happening? Bucky seemed so much more confident than usual, not that you were complaining, you loved it.

 “You know, when I was in Wakanda and when I first arrived here, I thought you and Steve were together.” Bucky smiled fondly, remembering the way Steve practically gushed about you. “Was only when I asked him that it all clicked into place, said you were a little sister to him.” Bucky huffed out a little chuckle. “I love Steve, but not that way.” You smiled, speaking quietly like you were afraid your voice would fail you. You felt unreasonably nervous, especially after Bucky saying he’d overheard you earlier. “Funny, he said a similar thing about you.”

 “I thought you didn’t like me when you first arrived.” You admitted, almost blurting it out, voice still small and shy. Why’d you have to open your damn mouth, she’s all shy around you now! Oh but it’s cute though. “Really?” Bucky asked, knowing full well why, he knew he wasn’t exactly the most approachable person, especially back then. “M’sorry if I ever made you uncomfortable, I know I stared a lot when I got here.” Bucky leant forwards on the table, pushing his now empty plate away from him. “It was hard not to.” He then blurted out, making you giggle into your hand. Dammit, you were so smooth before Barnes. “Well it’s just that- you- you’re so pretty and um.” Okay, stop. “So pretty.” He paused, sighing at himself. Stop. Please. “And you’ve been nothin’ but sweet.” A smart, sweet, pretty girl who called me her Sergeant. “Bucky.” You step in, smiling widely at him, cheeks flushed bright red. “It’s okay, it never really bothered me.” You reassured him.

 “Why did you gravitate to me though? I’m, well-.” Bucky cut himself off, looking down at his figure, at his arm. “I’m not exactly approachable.” You frowned and reached across the table for his hands, cold metal in one and warm flesh in the other. Taking in a deep breath, you paused for a moment, collecting your confidence together to say what you needed to say. “Bucky, I knew you just wanted to be accepted, to come back to society and live again. I saw the way you looked at me and the others, like you couldn’t have the same as us. I wanted you to feel like you could, like you could live again.” You realised it sounded like you might be pitying him and were quick to clear your throat and fill the gap in conversation. “And then I realised that under your exterior was someone who just wanted to be loved, and I…” You paused, looking Bucky in the eyes as you watched a dusting of pink wash over his cheeks and nose. “Fell for you.” You managed to get out, immediately looking away.

 She… Excuse me, what? Did I hear that correctly? Bucky was absolutely stunned, floored even. Someone, who he considered the sweetest, smartest, prettiest girl he’d ever met just told him that she fell for him and he couldn’t believe his ears. He was utterly speechless, a small stutter making it’s way out of his throat before he snapped his mouth shut. Is this real? This can’t be real. Bucky tried to catch your line of sight and you looked up at him wide eyed. I think I’m melting; she’s melting me. Okay, say something because you’re leaving it too long.

 “Uh.” That’s not what I had in mind, try again. “Um.” What are you doing? Try harder, use your goddamn words Barnes, where’d the confidence go? “It’s okay if you don’t feel the same way or anyt-.” You began but Bucky cut you off. “No, no, god I do, I- I’m nervous.” He squeezed his eyes shut. You’re nervous? Seriously? Sure just admit dumb stuff to her, she just spilled her heart out and all you can say is that you’re nervous. You looked a little confused, admittedly taken aback by the mixed signals you were getting from Bucky.

 Tell her, say it, say it, say it! “I’m in love with you.” He spoke just above a whisper and you couldn’t help the look of surprise on your features. To Bucky’s relief, your surprise turned into a wide grin, cheeks bright red as you looked at him bashfully. Bucky Barnes was in love with you. “I’m in love with you too.” You giggle out, ecstatic he’d told you something you considered so intimate, something you honestly hadn’t expected to hear so soon, but that you were fine with not hearing for a while. Your heart was beating hard in your chest and you were sure Bucky could hear it with his enhanced senses, that he could hear your stomach doing flips and how your heart was soaring.

 Yes! You did it, oh she looks so happy. You made her happy, Barnes. All I want to do is kiss her. Can I? I’m not sure I can. Kissing you was the only thing on Bucky’s mind on the way home. On your walk back through the park under the bright moon and the city lights. It was the only thing he could think of when you looked up at him in the silent moments, or when you leaned against him. Things felt different, in a good way, his feelings were out there and you’d reciprocated them, your relationship felt more open and it seemed like it would be easier to navigate.

 He knew it was bad, you were talking and he wasn’t paying attention to anything you were saying. He just couldn’t concentrate while he sat so close to you on the park bench, both of you reluctant to go back to the tower just yet. “Bucky?” You finally realised he hadn’t been listening. Shit, she’s noticed, uh, what was she saying? Should I just… Um, oh why is this so complicated?

 “Sorry, doll, it’s just- can I kiss you?” Bucky surprised himself. He was slightly amused when you gasped in reaction, you’d absolutely not expected that so soon, not that you minded. You nodded, a trying to control the big smile spreading across your lips. Oh my god, holy shit. No, okay, don’t think, just do.

 Bucky’s metal hand came up to gently brush you cheek and cup the side of your face, mostly resting just below your jaw. His flesh hand rested on your thigh and he leaned in, trying so hard to drown out the voices in his head. You slowly leaned into him, eyelids dropping the closer your got to him. You felt him pause for a moment in front of you and you let him, giving him a moment to compose himself. Small puffs of hot breath sent shivers through you as Bucky paused. He swallowed thickly before easing towards you, lips gently brushing against one another. You let him take the lead, letting him take his time and set the pace. You stayed like that for a few seconds, lips barely touching, until Bucky dipped a little closer, his lips pressing gently against yours. It was slow and shy with little movement, but it felt so right. You moved against his lips, hands resting on his chest as you hummed. Bucky let a low gruff sound rumble through his chest, like a growl almost until he kissed you more deeply, capturing your lips in a delicious, slow dance.

 Eventually you parted. Bucky kept his gaze on you as his metal hand found the nape of your neck, cradling your head.

Bucky was ecstatic, pride swelled in his chest, he’d just kissed you, told you he’d loved you and kissed you and for once the voices in his head were quiet.

He couldn’t wait to kiss you again.

_______________________

Permanent Tag List:

@shygirl-00 @swanlakemikey @scuzmunkie@paintballkid711@lovelylilia @mapreza1 @love-bucky-3000 @cals-cigarette@scarlett-berserker @2407zzz@mercurybarnes@mywinterwolf@geeksareunique @fairislesheets @wendaiii@mochibarnes

His Second Chance Tag List:

@socialheartbreak @whatsupbucky @yesno18 @just-a-littlebit-of-everything @crystallstaircase @megantje123 @fantua @lady-x-red@buckys-islandgirl @chipilerendi@butteryoptimisticpeanut@blondecity @dark-night-sky-99 @marvel-ous-bucky@rand0mfangurlstuff @tfandtws @vxidnik @books-baritones-bucky@bluerorjhan @calwitch @hello-keeley @vrgelivvvv@steve-harrington-said-gay-rights @swiftlymoniquesblog @viperslunatic @carol-twinklefists-danvers @stitchers-in-stitches @hungry-pasta

#bucky barnes #bucky x reader #bucky fluff #bucky fanfic #bucky x you #sebastian stan #sebastian stan x reader #sebastian stan x you #sebby stan #james buchanan barnes #james barnes #winter solider fanfiction #winter soldier #steve rogers #steve rogers x reader #chris evans #chris evans x reader #sam wilson #anthony mackie #avengers x reader #mcu fic #avengers fic #fanfic #fanfiction

[minyoongijjangjjangmanboongboong]

Ephemera Chapter Sixteen

Ephemera: In art, transitory written and printed matter (receipts, notes, tickets, clippings, etc.) not originally intended to be kept or preserved.

Alternatively, things that exist or are used for only a short time.

Description: Nobody knows who Vante really is. Everything about the popular artist is shrouded in secrecy: from his face to his name to everything in between. After years of working for his art gallery, Y/N feels she may just be the closest thing he has to a friend. Between her success at work and her relationship with campus hot-shot Jeon Jungkook, Y/N’s life has never been better. But is Jungkook truly who he says he is? And who will Y/N protect now that she knows Vante’s livelihood may be on the line?

Genre: Romance, Drama, Fluff, Angst

Pairing: Jungkook x (f) Reader x Taehyung

Word Count: 5.5k

Tags: Non-Idol!Au, Gang!Au, Art History Student!Reader, Film Student!Jungkook, Art Student!Taehyung

Warnings: Swearing and mentions of alcohol, although infrequently

A/N: Woo hello! I’ve had a wild few days, but here we are! I hope you guys enjoy the chapter. As always, I’m so so grateful for your support and feedback. It means more to me than I’ll ever be able to say. I’ll try to get this chapter up on time, but it might come a few hours early/late because of the way the queue system works on Tumblr. Anyway, please don’t be shy and send feedback, critique, questions, theories, and comments my way. I’ll be sure to respond to all asks I receive within a day of receiving them! Links will be added later, so for now check my masterlist to find previous chapters!

And again, if you want to follow my Twitter, my username is @/plzpunchmebts. I’m super active over there and hopefully in the future I’ll do some livestreams/chats with you all! And concert videos!!

- Mercury

Previous Chapter – Next Chapter

Masterlist

Weekly updates: Sunday, 1PM (PST)

My common sense returned quickly and I leapt away from Jungkook, hands touching my mouth. His eyes were wide, lips still pursed like we were kissing, and there was a look in his face like he’d been slapped: shock and betrayal. I watched, nervous, as he opened his mouth to say something, probably something too loud. Before his mind could run circles, I shook my head and approached quickly once more, clamping a hand over his mouth.

“We’re in your headquarters right now,” I whispered tersely.

I glanced around the back corner, suspicious, and thought perhaps I caught sight of movement out the corner of my eye beside the dividers. My whole body tensed and I clenched my jaw.

“If we’re gonna talk more, we’ve gotta get out of here,” I said through my teeth, glancing around.

Jungkook stiffened beneath my fingertips and nodded once. “Let’s go to my apartment,” he mumbled against my palm.

My eyes flashed back toward him, brows furrowed. “And risk running into Seokjin?”

He blinked at me. “Then…yours?”

I swallowed hard, thinking. Was this wise? Was it a good idea to indulge this relationship that would, undoubtedly, end poorly a second time? I wasn’t certain. But I knew from the shy warmth in his cheeks and the way his eyes were already smiling that I didn’t have much of a choice.

I kicked off my shoes and fell against the sofa with a thud, sighing as my legs draped over the arm of the couch. Jungkook chuckled and joined me, sitting properly beside my head. He smoothed his hand against my forehead, guiding my hair out of my face. I wanted to hate it, to hate him, but I simply eased into the feeling and shut my eyes, humming a little.

“So let’s talk,” he said gently, voice soft but strong. Just like him.

I nodded. “What are we gonna talk about?”

He sounded like he was smiling when he replied. “How’s your dad?”

I sighed. “Good. That good-for-nothing punk he hired for harvesting is still slacking.”

He chuckled and rubbed my cheek with his thumb. “You two really are similar.”

“You said that last time,” I mumbled, opening one eye to look up at him.

He smiled and nodded, staring at me from above with a tenderness that nearly knocked the breath out of me. “What I mean is…you two are both really soft on other people.”

“Oh,” I said, sitting upright and pulling my legs to my chest, putting distance between the two of us. I smirked. “Then was I too soft on forgiving you?”

He rolled his eyes and pulled me to his side with a laugh. “Don’t bully me.”

“I’ve earned it.”

He sighed. “Anyway…you’re a bit different these days.”

I was quiet for a moment before nodding. “Yeah.”

“I’m proud of you.”

I stiffened, glancing at him out the corner of my eye. He was smiling gently, looking at the opposite wall like there was something interesting there and not a blank TV screen. He smoothed absent circles into my shoulder as his arm draped across it. The picture of ease, it was almost like the words had escaped without a plan.

I swallowed hard and felt the need to look away, my cheeks flaring. I cleared my throat. “Ah, well…,” I began, smiling at my hands as they sat on my lap. “Thank you.”

“When I was a kid, I won a taekwondo competition for the first time,” said Jungkook with a smile and a nod. “And my dad said, ‘Good. Now do it again so they don’t think it was a fluke.’” He hummed. “Now that you’re here, you gotta keep doing well for yourself to prove that it’s not just a fluke.”

I raised my brows. “Your…your dad,” I hedged, eyeing him from below. He looked peaceful, still unbothered. I exhaled slowly. “You mentioned your dad was a deadbeat…”

He nodded. “Mhm,” he said with a comfortable sigh. “Had a shitty DVD rental shop that went under.”

I watched the patch of sunlight from the window shift with the geometric shadows of a tree branch in the breeze. “Did he open it himself?”

“Yeah, asshole had no business opening a shop,” he said with a sigh. “He’s a drunk, you know? So he’d always go into the store hammered and drive customers away. When I was young, I used to help out around the shop, but every day I watched him sit behind the counter like a prop or something. He rarely spoke to the customers, rarely stocked the shelves. Just…an all-around shitty owner.”

I nodded and leaned my head against his shoulder. “You picked up the slack?”

He hummed. “Yep,” he said, then I felt him shrug. “Wasn’t so bad. You learn a lot when you’re working young. How to be responsible even when adults aren’t,” he chuckled. “Mom used to scold me for going there after school instead of coming home and doing my schoolwork. But I told her I wanted to be a taekwondo champ so I didn’t need an education anyway. Said I might as well help Dad.”

“Was it stressful?”

“No,” he said with a sigh. “Scary sometimes, since Dad gets loud when he’s drunk. No, like…aggressive. Just loud and stupid.”

I nodded. “You took on a lot as a kid.”

“Wasn’t ever a problem until it started interfering with my taekwondo,” he said. He ran his fingers up and down my arm. Like a comforting gesture. Like I was the one who needed comforting. “I had to start skipping practice to work since Dad wasn’t pulling his weight and eventually I had to quit. Mom was pissed, but she thought I might focus more on my grades.”

“Wait, you had to quit just like that?” I asked, stunned. I sat up and looked at him head-on, eyes wide.

He laughed and raised a hand to pat my head, smoothing my hair down. “Just like that.”

I furrowed my brow. “That’s not fair at all.”

“Life’s like that sometimes. Only the lucky ones expect it to be fair,” he said, then shrugged and guided me back to his side. “It’s pretty lucky though, because since I was spending so much time at the DVD shop I got to watch a lot of movies. Got really interested in film.”

“So that’s how you found your passion,” I said with a nod.

He smiled. “Cute,” he said, chuckling as he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the side of my head. “I guess you could put it that way.” He exhaled, long and slow, and rested his cheek against my head. “Seeing all those directors, watching the art they made from the ugly, everyday parts of life…it was definitely inspiring in a weird way. Made me feel like even if I was miserable, at least it would make for good film.”

The more I heard, the more similar Jungkook and Taehyung seemed to me…

I laughed. “That’s dark, Jungkook,” I said, sighing. “Edvard Munch said that art comes from both joy and pain,” I began, eyeing him with a smile, “but mostly pain.”

He chuckled and nodded. “Edvard guy’s right,” he said. “I guess…when the shop went bankrupt it was most devastating for me. Probably because of all the films we’d have to destroy. The life we’d have to destroy. Maybe it’s because I was a teenager, but it kinda felt like everything I loved was running away from me and there was nothing I could do to hold onto it.”

I nodded. “Is that when you started selling drugs?” I asked, and immediately regretted it.

He stiffened, eyes wide. “Who told you about that?”

I shook my head. “Seokjin mentioned it while I was…uh…kidnapped,” I said, voice trailing off.

Jungkook sighed, raking his fingers through his hair, and nodded. “I mean…it’s better for you to know anyway I guess.” He leaned back into the couch with a pout. “Anyway, yeah. My mom didn’t have a college degree so she could only find shitty work. Waitressing and stuff. And Haneul was just getting into middle school, so we needed the money. He was doing really well in his classes and his teachers thought that if he started taking it seriously, he could get into one of the SKY universities. So…my mom and I started pulling the family up by the bootstraps I guess.”

“Your mom knew you were dealing?” I asked, leaning away to get a better look at him.

There was an old shame in the set of his eyes, the clenching of his jaw. He nodded. “She figured since I was already behind, it didn’t matter what I did as long as it helped the family. We kinda staked all our hopes on Haneul,” he said, shrugging. He wouldn’t look directly at me. “I wasn’t pulling in good money, Dad stopped working altogether and started drinking more, Haneul was trying his best but he was stressed, and my grades were…depressing.”

“But…you got into college…?” I urged, scanning his face.

He chuckled, knotting his hands. “Ah, yeah. Barely. By the time I was applying, Seokjin had found me on the streets and he pulled a few strings. My test scores were just good enough for them to overlook my grades, and with Jin’s help I got in.”

“Jin helped you into college?” I asked, something odd tugging at my heart.

He nodded. “Jin believed in me. Thought it was wrong for me to be selling at my age. I mean, I was eighteen and all so don’t worry, but…,” he sighed. “Anyway, he wanted me to make a better life for myself and he offered me work.”

“So the money you make with Bangtan…,” I began, watching him carefully.

His eyes fell to the floor, face flush. “Uh, yeah. It’s…it’s all going back home.”

“Is Jin letting you live with him for free then?” I asked.

He nodded. “Yeah…”

“And if I succeed and Jin loses everything…”

He turned to me abruptly, eyes wide, and shook his head, grabbing my hands. “No, no! Don’t think about that. I’m already looking into jobs and I’ve got some interviews coming up in a week or so. It’ll be fine.”

I swallowed hard, heart racing, and nodded. But if Jungkook’s reasons for joining the group were so heartbreaking, I didn’t even want to imagine what the others’ were…

Quietly, I reached my hand out and pressed my palm against his jawline, pulling him toward me. I pressed a chaste kiss to his cheek and pulled away, throat tight, with a smile. “You’ve done well, Jungkook.”

His eyes went a little misty, welling up as his lower lids went red. He scanned me for a moment that felt endless, glassy eyes flashing between mine, before he slowly pulled me against his chest and held me tight in an embrace that felt desperate. I slipped my arms around his back and squeezed.

I rocked backwards and forwards on my heels as I stood beside the gallery doors. It seemed that the chaos that Taehyung’s reveal had caused was slowly dying, as traffic to the gallery had slowed significantly. The space itself, however, held remnants of the stampedes. The lightwood floors still bore the scuffs of numerous feet and several frames were nicked and chipped from being bumped.

The relative calm and quiet was welcome to all of us, as Yuri and I worked opposite one another. She sat at the desk, half-asleep as she stared blankly at the computer screen. A few patrons walked past me and I offered them a smile and a bow, waiting until their footsteps had receded to raise myself up once more, making absolutely sure that my hair was settled properly in its bun.

“Y/N, good morning,” said a voice from beside me.

I nearly, jumped, but collected myself and turned to see who had greeted me. Standing slightly shorter than me, Mr. Kwon held his hands latched behind his back, a smile on his face. Seeing him in such a good mood was curious and unusual, but rather than risk incurring his frustration I kept my observation to myself and opted for a simple smile and a bow of my head.

“You seem well today,” he remarked, nodding once.

I smiled. “Yes, Sir.”

“The recent influx in customers has been…disarming for you employees, hasn’t it?” he asked, eyeing me.

I raised my brows. “Ah, well…I certainly can’t speak for everyone, but I would say it’s been a sizable challenge.”

He nodded. “I thought so,” he said with a sigh. “I only ask since you seem rather in touch with your coworkers.”

I stiffened, clasping my hands in front of my thighs. “I do?” I asked.

He smiled slightly, a rare sight, and nodded. “After our discussion of dress code, I started wondering if I was just out of touch with you all,” he said, huffing a little as he adjusted his suit jacket. “Everyone’s performance improved once dress code slackened. I realized that you seemed to understand your coworkers well.”

I shook my head. “I don’t know if I can accept that compliment, Sir.”

He smiled again and nodded. “You have a good sense when you speak up,” he said, exhaling long and slow. Surely, he’d just gotten some good news. This was entirely too out of character to be organic. “I told you once that people only have the power you give them. I think you’re doing well protecting your power.”

I stiffened, swallowing hard. How many of these affirmations could I get? Everyone was saying I’d changed. And if someone as dense as Mr. Kwon could notice, it must have been pretty obvious. Why, then, did something in me feel slightly dissonant? Like it wasn’t lining up just right.

I supposed, when I really thought about it, could I take credit for any of the changes I’d made?

After all, if it weren’t for Taehyung and Jungkook…would I have even bothered to change at all…?

“I’ll be having a meeting with those Japanese philanthropists from a while back,” he said, then smiled again. Unnerving. “The ones you sold to before.”

I nodded. “I remember,” I said with a small, contained grin.

“We’re having some big talks with them moving forward, so please be on your best behavior if they send anyone to the gallery,” said Mr. Kwon with a bow.

I knew I shouldn’t, but my curiosity got the best of me and I grabbed for his cuff. He turned to me with wide eyes. “Uh…what sort of talks are happening?” I asked.

He smiled and put a finger to his lips, a playful bid for silence, and I felt even more unsettled. “Confidential. But when things are set, I promise you will be the first employee to know.”

I raised my brows. “Me?”

He nodded. “I’ll tell you more as we know more,” he began, swiveling on his heel before snapping his fingers and turning back to me. “Ah! Would you grab the new print from the back and place it in the photography section?”

I stiffened. Taehyung started working again? Slowly, I smiled and nodded. “Certainly, Sir.”

“Keep up the good work, ladies!” he called over his shoulder before walking back down the hallway.

Yuri and I exchanged puzzled looks before I shrugged my shoulders and followed suit, wandering down the hall until I reached the back room. A flood of memories rushed over me as I stepped inside the dark, dusty storage space. It felt like a lifetime had passed since I was following Jungkook back here, discovering Taehyung’s workroom, nearly getting caught…

I sighed and picked up my step, grabbing the covered print and removing the white sheet. I folded it and set it atop a shelf, turning back to the piece. And as I did, my confusion and unease only grew.

There in black and white was the familiar scene of Taehyung’s living room, blown up massive. The shot framed the side of his couch from the angle of the floor, leading the eye right toward the window and the monochrome morning light streaming in in shafts and spots. And, dangling off the edge of the couch, was a hand that didn’t look like Taehyung’s. I took a peek at my own fingers and, slowly, pressed them against the photo, matching them with the one in black and white.

A perfect match…

Pulling my jacket up around my shoulders, I walked slowly out onto the sidewalk, bracing the chill with a shiver. I ambled out along the concrete for a moment, my mind absent in my body. Why had Taehyung taken that photo of me? And furthermore, why had he decided to display it for sale in the gallery? Beyond confused, I was…unsettled. Had our relationship ever been that intimate? Had I been sending him signals that I didn’t mean to send?

Or…did I mean to send them?

My phone buzzed in my pocket and I jumped to answer it. “Hello?” I asked, plugging my free ear to block out the city noise.

“Y/N?”

I sighed, leaning against the front of the building, and gripped the bridge of my nose. Of course he had to call right now. “Namjoon…”

He chuckled, like something was funny, before replying. “The one and only,” he said, then hummed. “Although you don’t sound thrilled to hear from me.”

I shook my head. “Sorry. Kind of…a weird day. Lot on my mind.”

“Understood,” he said, clearing his throat. “Not that this topic isn’t fascinating, but I actually called for an update on your work.”

“Work…,” I breathed before it made sense. “Ah, yeah. Well, not much to update yet.”

He was quiet, pensive, for a beat too long. A beat that made me tap my foot on the floor, restless. “Well that’s…unfortunate.”

“Sorry.”

“Have you been trying to infiltrate?” he asked.

I nodded. “Yeah. I’m in and everything. Just…can’t get that information you need. They keep their documents locked up in a basement that I don’t have access to, especially with all the eyes on me there. There’s no way in from the sides and no way to sneak in during the day.”

“Well you’re gonna have to get access.”

I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “I’ve already got a plan, Namjoon.”

“Unless it involves you dropping from the ceiling in the middle of the night and dangling from a wire, I don’t really know if it’ll work. You said this basement is strictly monitored,” he quipped with a sigh.

I nodded, exhausted, and scratched my arm. “A recording,” I said.

“And you think this leader is just gonna spill everything to you?” he asked.

I shrugged, picking at my nail. “I can steer the conversation.”

“You can steer it toward revealing trade secrets?”

I chuckled. “You underestimate how stupid he is.”

He sighed. “I hope so…,” he said, quiet once again. “Well…I guess I’ve just gotta leave it to you then.”

“I guess so.”

“Well…I won’t keep you then. Get to work.”

I scoffed. I’d just gotten off work and already-

I managed a tight-lipped smile and nodded once more, though he couldn’t see. “Sure thing,” I said before hanging up and shoving my phone roughly into my bag.

He didn’t strike me as a bad man. Perhaps a little eccentric and enigmatic, but not mean-spirited. But the guilt was starting to get to me. If exposing Seokjin meant ruining the lives of the people working under him…

Could I justify my petty revenge plot?

I rubbed my chin and stewed over it, so engrossed in my thoughts that I almost didn’t notice Nara standing beside a pillar, coat pulled up around her neck, chin buried in her shirt, eyes down and sniffling. But when I did see her, I nearly jumped out of my skin and without a second’s pause, I rushed to her side and grabbed her by the upper arms.

“Nara!” I said, gasping as she looked at me properly. Her silver hair was disheveled and her skin was red, eyes puffy and cheeks wet from still-falling tears. No makeup, just the natural blush of crying. “Oh my God,” I said, and she fell into my arms like she was falling into a warm bed.

She hugged me tightly, holding tightly to my back. So tight that it almost hurt. I wrapped my arms snug around her shoulders and ran my hand along the back of her head, cooing her softly.

“Hey, hey,” I said gently against her hair. She sniffled, crying quietly like she always did. “What’s going on, hm?”

She shook her head against my chest, dampening my shirt. “I…,” she began, then shook her head once more and clutched my back tighter.

I smoothed her hair, shushing her, and nodded. “It’s alright. It’s okay,” I said, guiding her toward the nearby bus stop.

Thankfully at this time of afternoon, it wasn’t too busy. I sat her down on the bench and took the spot beside her, creating a barrier between her and the rest of the world. Still crying, she hugged her legs to her chest and leaned against the side of the bus stop awning. I took her hand in mine and urged her to look at me.

Bloodshot, her eyes were practically shaking as they danced around my face. “Can you tell me what happened?” I asked.

She rubbed her nose and nodded, eyes on the crack in the concrete like it might swallow her up and she might let it. “I lost my job,” she said, voice weak, quivering.

My heart lurched. “Y-you what?”

She nodded, sniffling. “Yeah.”

“Why?”

She sighed and rubbed her arms. “You know that one customer who comes in a lot? The one who saved the stray?” she asked.

I stiffened. Min Yoongi. Swallowing hard, I glanced at her and saw nothing but broken pieces, barely adhered together, of the girl I knew. Cautiously, I nodded my head. “Yeah…”

“Well, he came in looking for a proper food bowl since he’s been feeding that cat out of tupperware or something,” she said, shaking her head. “And he looked, like…like he couldn’t afford it, you know? Like ten bucks on a bowl wasn’t in the monthly budget.”

“Nara…,” I began, groaning.

She sobbed. “I know!” she said, crying into the tops of her knees. “It’s so stupid!”

“Did you just give it to him for free?” I asked.

She nodded. “We break those shitty things all the time at work. Like, bumping the shelf and one breaks. Or sweeping and the broom knocks one down. They’re breakable and cheap,” she said, shaking her head. “So I figured that if I just said I broke it, it’d be fine.”

“Nara,” I said again, brows knit as I rubbed her back.

“I know,” she said. “My boss has been really crazy about the records lately since something keeps happening to the schedule. And on top of it since the shop’s not doing well, he needs to check the video if anything breaks and he saw me giving it to him.”

“Wait, something’s happening with your schedules?” I asked, the wheels in my brain beginning to turn in an unsettling direction.

She nodded, wiping her eyes. “He accused me of doing it since it’s usually my schedule that ends up getting changed. That’s why I haven’t had closing shifts these days,” she said, woeful. “I’d be thankful for a closing shift now…”

I sighed. “Why did you do that, Nara? That guy doesn’t-,” I began, then stopped and shook my head. “He probably doesn’t even need the charity.”

She rubbed her neck and shrugged. “I dunno…,” she mumbled.

I gaped. “Nara,” I said, shaking her arm so she’d look at me with those red, worried eyes. “You didn’t do it just because you have a crush on him, did you?”

“No!” she answered, too quick. I raised my brows and she cried again, crashing into my chest. “Maybe a little bit!”

I rubbed her back despite my frustration and sighed. “Let’s get you home. I’ll find a way to fix this.”

“What?” she asked, pulling back and revealing her tear-stained, red-cheeked face. “What can you do?”

I shook my head. “I’ll explain it some other time. For now just…cry it out,” I said, guiding her back into my side. Even though my motions were gentle, rage was seething in my stomach. And I knew just how to address it.

“Min Yoongi, what the fuck did you do?”

Yoongi jumped as I approached his work desk at the HQ, eyes wide. He pulled his big headphones off his ears and lowered his laptop screen. He was dressed sharper then usual, crisp white dress shirt tucked into nice black slacks. His hair was styled out of his face, and his shoes looked polished. What had he dressed up for anyway? I scoffed. Poor, my ass.

He blinked up at me. “I-what? What do you mean?”

I crossed my arms, furious, and sighed. “Nara lost her job because of you.”

Yoongi stiffened. “What?” he asked, and in his eyes I caught a flicker of genuine shock and guilt.

“She gave you that dog bowl,” I said, then scoffed and shook my head. “But no. That’s not enough for her boss to fire her on the spot.”

Yoongi swallowed hard. “She…”

“Her boss thinks she’s been messing with the schedule to shift it in her favor,” I said, turning my eyes down toward him. He stared off into the middle distance, like his mind was someplace else. “Now, who do we know who can hack into a pet shop’s online schedule and change it, hm?”

Yoongi shook his head and stood up, staggering toward me with one hand extended, palm up like he was asking for something. “Give me her number. I’ll fix it.”

“You’ve done enough,” I said, shaking my head. His eyes flashed toward mine. My stomach clenched. Guilt. I sighed, rubbing my forehead. “Listen, I know you had good intentions.”

He nodded. “I-I just wanted to help her…,” he said, eyes getting faraway once again.

“I know. But…this is Nara’s livelihood on the line, you know? You can’t just stick your hands in someone else’s life like that and expect no consequences,” I said, sighing. “It’s just shitty that the only one having to take responsibility for this is her.”

Yoongi glanced at me like I’d hit a nerve and I almost wished to take it back, but I stood firm. Keeping my eyes on him without wavering. Not even once. “I…Y/N, I’ll take responsibility. I’ll take responsibility.” He repeated it like a mantra, like he wasn’t talking to me anymore. Not really.

I nodded. “I want to believe that, but…I don’t know if I can trust you to do that,” I said, sighing. I gave his shoulder a pat. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed Seokjin breezing in through the front doors, and once he noticed me he made a beeline. “You can’t run away though, Yoongi. You’ve gotta face it, okay? No hiding behind a computer screen,” I said, angling my body so Seokjin wouldn’t see my hand sliding into my bag and grabbing my phone as he approached. I quickly pulled up the recorder app and began recording, turning back to Yoongi whose eyes were wide on me. I held a finger to my lips and nodded. “Consider this part of you taking responsibility,” I whispered before shoving my phone back in my pocket and turning to face Seokjin.

He smirked when he saw me. “Huh, would you look at that. And here I thought you were never gonna fulfill your part of the deal,” he said with a chuckle.

I rolled my eyes, crossing my arms. “Kim Seokjin,” I said, making sure I enunciated every syllable. Even if I felt guilty doing it. “I’ve got a bit of info if you want it.”

He raised his brows. “You don’t say? Well, let’s head down to my office,” he said with a broad smile, sweeping his arm toward the stairs.

I nodded and followed him. We walked in silence until we were in the safe confines of the basement and I settled in the chair in front of his desk. I crossed my legs and watched him carefully, like a deer watching a cougar. Cautious, alert, ready to flee at any moment.

But as he settled into his seat with a contented sigh, I remembered who I was dealing with. “Tell me your news!” he said, clapping his hands once.

I cleared my throat. “I’ve been having meetings with his parents. Turns out his dad owns a law firm and his sister is in the US studying law.”

Seokjin cocked a brow. “Huh,” he said, nodding. “That’s pretty good. Two possible angles.”

I nearly scoffed. What could he possibly do with such vague information? I offered a smile and nodded. “He comes from a pretty wealthy family, so I don’t think taking a financial approach will work,” I said with a nod. “He’s got more than enough money.”

“Right,” said Seokjin, rubbing his jaw. “I’ll think of something.” He paused and glanced back at me, raising his brows. “Is there more?”

I shook my head. “That’s all I’ve got for now. I’ll keep digging though,” I said with a nod.

Seokjin sighed. “Well, nonetheless thanks for the help. He’s a tough guy to crack. Even Yoongi’s having trouble pulling up personal information on him. It’s good that we have you around.”

I stiffened. “Are you…complimenting me right now?” I asked, nearly laughing.

He rolled his eyes. “No,” he said, then cleared his throat. “I’m just saying that I appreciate you doing this. Whatever your motivation is…you’re helping us a lot.”

I bit the inside of my cheek, eyes falling to the desk between us. “I know we don’t have this kind of relationship, but I’m curious,” I began, eyeing him to make sure I wasn’t pushing too hard. “Why is this job so important to you?”

Seokjin sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose between his index finger and his thumb. “The stakes,” he said with a nod. “They’re…really high. Our client isn’t someone to mess around with.”

“And if you don’t fulfill your end of the bargain?”

He looked up at me seriously, brows furrowed. “The consequences…will be severe,” he said. It was the most serious I’d ever seen him. And in his eyes was a small measure of fear.

I swallowed white hot guilt down my throat and nodded. “I…I see…”

“It’s why Jungkook wanted you to stop involving yourself,” he said with a nod. “It’s remarkably dangerous.”

I nodded. “Yoongi said something similar,” I said.

Seokjin laced his fingers and rested his hands against his lips, eyes focused on something on his desk. “Yeah,” he said. “You’re…not really the sort of person who should be involved in all this. You know, corporations are competitive. They’ve gotta be. Markets shift constantly, so you’ve gotta keep an edge.”

“You seem to know a lot about this,” I remarked.

He smirked. “Grew up around it. Silver spoon kid,” he said, sighing. “Growing up in a household like that, I saw how ruthless big companies can get. I realized that corporations are just legal criminals. Figured I could at least get a cut off the corruption.”

My eyes went wide. “All corporations are like that?” I asked.

He shook his head and sighed. “Not Ori,” he said with a nod. “It’s a shame we’ve gotta ruin them, since they’re one of the only good ones to get big.”

“Do…do you have to?” I asked.

He ran fingers through his hair and leaned back in his chair. “Like I said, our client is no joke. If we don’t keep up our end, we could lose a lot more than just money,” he said.

“So you’re being coerced?”

“No,” said Seokjin with a chuckle. “You think really diametrically. Things are rarely that absolute.”

I sighed. “But you’re scared.”

“I’m not scared of anything.”

“You’re scared of your client.”

He was quiet for a moment, before meeting my eyes severely. “You would be too if you knew who they were.”

I raised my brows, heart racing as I neared the elusive piece of crucial information I’d been seeking from the start. “Try me,” I offered.

He took a deep breath, shut his eyes for a moment, then looked at me dead on. And without him saying a single word, I felt his anxiety. I felt his uneasiness. I felt his fear. I felt it all. He inhaled sharply and lowered his gaze. “Our client,” he began, and my legs bounced with anticipation, “is Sanyo Industries.”

#jungkook fanfic #jungkook fanfiction #jungkook fluff #jungkook angst #taehyung fanfic #taehyung fanfiction #taehyung fluff #taehyung angst #bts fanfic #bts fanfiction #bts fluff #bts angst #bts imagines #bts reactions #bts ot7 au #bts series #bts reader insert

[12miraenie]

15, 31, 42, 58 and 71 with Jongdae where he is a playboy. You were a couple and he wanted to be in a serious relationship but because of his ego he broke up with you and now he wants you back. You have a strong character. A really good angst with fluff at the end!

A/N: Sorry it’s been so long (hence the 2k+)! I’ve been busy with other stuff in my life that I barely have enough time for this, but I hope it’s what you wanted! ❤️ 

“Shouldn’t you be with him?” Kyungsoo gabbed your shoulder and turned you around, eyes full of confusion and alarm.

“Soo-” You tried to shake his hands off, but his grip was more persistent than ever.

“I’m gonna call Jongdae-”

“Do Kyungsoo!” Your shout echoed throughout the library, bringing you two attention and annoyed glances from others nearby. You had no heart left to care about strangers, so you kept your gaze on Kyungsoo, whose eyes widened to an impossible degree. You never call him by his full name except on formal occasions. Kyungsoo was a million times more surprised that he was before.

“Y/N, what’s the-”

“Just leave me alone.”

This time you swatted his hands away successfully and walked away.

Don’t cry, Y/N.

You are the idiot here.

You didn’t know or care which direction you were going after you ran out of the library. You just kept walking in this brisk pace with your hand clutching your bag tightly. Despite how many times you repeated those words, at some point tears flowed out. You tried to wipe them away at first, but realizing that they are not stopping anytime soon, you quit.

You know passersby are giving you weird looks, but you didn’t mind them. You had stopping to care at one point. How could he? Your head is filled with Jongdae and your last interaction with him, the humiliation and anger combined into a stinging pain in your chest area. It was physically hard to breathe.

You didn’t remember how you got home. Much of the night remained a haze, but you do remember crying to your friend who called and her picking you up at probably somewhere far away.

Over the past two weeks, you were in a constant state of convincing yourself.

Stop thinking about him. 

Kim Jongdae didn’t change at all. He doesn’t care about you.

                                          “What-Jongdae?”

You put an arm against the doorframe and sighed. Tonight was supposed to be an unconventional one that you can snuggle into blankets on your couch and finally finish the last season of Game of Thrones with takeout and ice cream. There weren’t supposed to be any visitors at the door at 11:24 pm, so you were considerably surprised, and annoyed at whoever rang your doorbell repeatedly. And even more surprised that it was your now ex-boyfriend in the most casual outfit you’ve ever seen him in smiling like an idiot.

Jongdae’s smiled even got wider. You could barely see his eyes with his new punk haircut, which you reminded yourself not to stare at for so long, and the only features visible under the dim lighting was his slightly scarlet cheeks, his nose and those lips you would already be kissing if you were still together.

Tucking in a strand of hair in front of your forehead, you puffed out a breath of air.

“You’ve been drinking tonight, haven’t you?”  

Jongdae’s head swiveled to your voice. Then he turned his back on you to look up at the sky.

“Pretty…” He giggled and pointed a finger at the moon.

You sighed, “Was it Chanyeol again? I’m gonna call him-”

“No, look! It’s pretty right? But let me tell you a secret, Y/N is prettier.” Jongdae slurred the words at the end, you scoffed.

“Yeah, who is Y/N anyways?”

“You don’t know? She is the prettiest, nicest person in the whole world-Oh, and she is my girlfriend.” He was smiling from ear to ear, with that expression on his face and the sincere and happy tone in his voice, he could have fooled you.

“You know,” Jongdae leaned his head back, “I was going to ask her to be my fianceé. I even called my dad and bought the ring a long time ago.”

You averted him and looked at the ground. “Oh yeah? And how’d that work out for you?”

Shifting your weight to one leg, you bit your lips and chuckled bitterly, “Get the fuck out of my house now.”

You pretended not to see Jongdae’s foot that was blocking the entrance and slammed the door hard. He practically cried out in pain and crouched down to hold his leg. The alcohol in his system made Jongdae wobbly and dizzy, he planted one foot in front of the other and landed face-down on your porch.

“Y/N…” Even though you were barely two feet away, Jongdae kept mumbling your name like you weren’t there and he wanted you to be. There were signals in your nervous system that made your hands trembling and in need to hold something. You knew your fingers twitched because instinctively you wanted to help him up, but you shoved your hands back and watched as he stood up slowly with one hand wrapped around the railing and the other pushing the ground.

“Y/N ah, where are you? I want to… go home…”

He took some time finding his balance and got off your porch. With one leg slightly limping from the door slam, Jongdae staggered wobbly from one foot to the other away with his back on you. The moonlight absorbed the darkness of his black jacket, along with his slouched posture, Jongdae looked the complete opposite of his cocky, playboy image. Even though you knew it might just be some random babblings of his drunk self, but you can’t help let your mind wander about him. What he was like during your time together. Who he was around you. How much he cared about you.

Still, what is done is done. You can’t deny how much he hurt you, how humiliated and angry you felt. Averting your gaze to the floor, you took a deep breath and tried to shut the door-

“Shit, I’m totally gonna regret this.”

The door was barely an inch from being shut when you pushed it open and ran out.

You pulled at his shoulders, “Kim Jongdae!”

It was surprisingly easy for you to drag him inside. Despite your cursings and grunts, Jongdae didn’t complain at all. You didn’t know what came over you when you decided to let him in. It was like an insight, a premonition that controlled your brain and your body. You sighed at the now sound sleep Jongdae sprawled on your couch under your blanket. He always looked less arrogant and more innocent asleep. You used to love l playing with strands of his hair watching him sleep, but the same face you loved-still love deeply is the one that brought you the most pain.

Somehow you ended up in the kitchen. Somehow vegetables, kimchi, and other ingredients that were in the fridge were laid out on the counter. Somehow the water was boiling in one of the pots on the stove. You looked down to one of your hands that was holding the knife, a quarter of a cabbage uncut, and cried. It was probably all the pent-up frustrations and anger from your breakup that didn’t necessarily get addressed by you properly.

You didn’t even cry that much that night when he broke up with you. You didn’t drop a single tear during these two weeks, but why is that that the moment you see him, the moment he stepped into these doors, and the moment you fell back to your old routine so easily got you riled up?

You dropped the knife on the cutting board and hastily wiped away your tears with the back of your hand. Why is it that after two weeks and a heartbreak that you are still not over him? You leaned on the counter and filled a glass of water before gulping it all down your throat.

You need to move on.

You brewed a cup of tea and turned off the kitchen lights. You sat down at the dining table and opened up your assignments at work. There’s no way you can sleep tonight anyway.

It was around 5 when Jongdae woke up. He groaned and sat up groggily before pushing the blankets off of his body.

“Get out now. You’ve been here long enough.”

Jongdae’s head snapped to the direction of your voice. You closed the lid of your laptop and walked into the living room. His furrowed brows straightened out after Jongdae realized the kind of situation he’s in.

“Y/N? How…”

“You were drunk. I don’t think a lot of explanation is needed for that one. Now go.” You turned your back on him.

“Wait! I am sorry.”

“Too late for that, Kim Jongdae,” you turned back and stared into his eyes, “I am sick of waiting for you.”

“Y/N! Just listen to me. I…I’ve waited for this moment for a long time.” Jongdae put a hand out in stop motion and brushed his messy hair back.

“What moment? I don’t think there’s anything left between us, right?”

“I’ve practiced this over and over again, trying to come up with an apology or explanation for what happened. I-you’re always on my mind. In the last two weeks. I realized that I couldn’t go on without you. I know I made the biggest mistake, but please can you listen to me just this once?”

Maybe it’s his eyes and the way he pleaded, or that you haven’t listened to his explanation for breaking up with you out of a sudden, because you could feel your eyes soften and your mouth give away a sigh.

“Ok.”

Jongdae sucked in a breath and rubbed his palms together in nervousness. “I must have sounded like the biggest dick on earth when I called you to break up, huh? I…really was going to propose that day, the reservation, flowers, and everything. I know you had doubts about me, how I dealt with past relationships, but every word and every promise I made with you, I meant it.”

He must have seen the look of doubt on your face because the next thing he said threw you off completely.

“You haven’t lost me, Y/N. I know you hated my friendship with Chanyeol, hated the parties we went together and hated how he viewed you as temporary as the other girls I dated in the past. That day I…I was stressed about something at work, and I didn’t know how Chanyeol and I ended up together in a bar. And I made that stupid call.”

You bit your lips as the unpleasant memories flashed across your mind again. You wanted to yell at him that no matter how he apologizes, or how he wants to explain, he hurt you a lot and you really shouldn’t consider anything at all.

“It’s always the problem with my past and personality, right?” Jongdae chuckled bitterly, “I did change because of you, Y/N. There’s no denying that. You’ve always been insecure of finding me one day at the bar with some other girls like it’s nothing, huh? That’s why I worked my ass off to get home before nine every day. Because I wanted you to trust me. I wanted you to see that I’m willing to change because of you. That you are special.”

There was nothing you wanted to do more than to hold Jongdae’s hand and be in his arms. But logic held you back as you tightened your hold onto the table.

“I am not asking you to forgive me right now, but at least could you give me another chance?”

“OK.” You muttered.

Maybe all of your bottom lines faded away the second he lands his eyes on you, but there really is no way for you to resist him. You fell in love with him like a hopeless cause, and you knew right then that there’ no going back anymore.

“Also, Y/N ah? One hug?”

“OK.”

The moment you are in Jongdae’s arms is the moment you realized every single one of your principles and standards were broken. Maybe it’s not exactly bad to let your emotion take control one time. After all, you can’t help what your heart wants for itself.

“I missed you.”

Maybe feeling his chest rumble as he speaks those words is a reason to hold on. Maybe knowing that the looks in his eyes directed to you are for you and you only is another. Maybe he is where you felt truly at home.

“Me too.”

#exo #exo m #exo k #exo l #exo scenario #chen #kim jongdae #exo imagine #exo fanfiction #exo drabble #angst #fluff #exo x reader #chen x reader #jongdae scenario

[lordxwyatt-blog]

Protegere Eos

Let’s take a trip down memory lane. March, 2010

He grunted as a hard fist flew and landed on the side of his face, eyes clenching shut as the pain sent a quick shock wave through his body. Wyatt was always one who refused to back down from a fight, even if the odds weren’t in his favour. His parents had taught him to stand up for what he thought was right— for what he believed in, but little did he know was that today wasn’t like any other day; today was going to be an unforgettable day. “Your necklace!” The leader of the muggers demanded, holding his hand out. “Or else you’re going to earn another mouthful of blood!” Even if Wyatt was going to hand it over, he couldn’t; not when his arms were held forcefully behind him. His cash, he didn’t have trouble handing over. But his necklace? Hell no. His parents had given it to him since before he could remember, adding new silver extensions as he grew older so it would always fit him. His mother, Avery, had always told him that the necklace would keep him safe, just the same way Amara’s bracelet kept her safe, and although Wyatt highly doubted a piece of jewelry would save his life, he found himself relying on it now. “No,” he spat out, hitting his head hard against one of his captors’, shoving the other one hard and making as much distance between them as he could. Blood trickled down his mouth and a tiny cut under his eye assisted in staining his cheek with a dark shade of scarlet. He had been on his way home from his part time job at the animal shelter, having stayed a bit longer that evening to help out with the cleaning duties.

 Who knew that finishing half an hour after he usually finished would change the streets’ behaviour?

 Brandon, Wyatt’s father, was highly trained in combat and did not hesitate to teach his son how to fight, even when his wife scolded him for doing so, telling him that it would only just make Wyatt ruthless. This meant early morning trainings when Avery and Amara were still asleep— secret trainings that remained between father and son.

 He planned to fight his way out, refusing to back down. Tiny groans came from the guy who Wyatt had managed to fight off on his own before the others joined and advanced on the fifteen-year-old, knowing it was far too early to celebrate. They had him blocked in a dead end which consisted of tall brick buildings, standing in the way of his only exit. Wyatt tried his hardest to strategise, wishing he’d done parkour or something so he could run on the walls and escape. Only now did it dawn on him that this could end with him losing his life; losing his family he loved so much.

 The sound of a phone ringing sent the alley into a deadly silent place, the muggers feeling their pockets to see if they were the ones getting the call. Wyatt stole a quick look at his watch. Great. He was over an hour late. His mum was going to kill him for missing dinner. “Is that your phone, punk!?” the leader hissed, resulting in Wyatt shoving his hand in his pocket. It was his dad. And no doubt, he knew it was a call to ask for his whereabouts and why he isn’t home yet. “Don’t you dare—“ Wyatt answered the phone quickly, eyes locked on his opponents as he spoke. “Dad?” “Wyatt, do you know what time it is? If you’re not home soon, your mother is going to screa—“ “Dad,” Wyatt said, feeling himself close to tears. He felt sick, helpless and his mouth was dry. It’s like he was frozen. Brandon knew his son well enough to know that something was wrong. His tone made him stand up straight away and worry filled his body. “Son, where are you?” A series of clicks rendered Wyatt speechless for a moment, his father knowing the sound all too well. “Wyatt, please? Where are you?” Brandon pleaded, feeling his heart race like there was no tomorrow. The leader gestured for the freshman to put his phone down, the gun pointing directly at Wyatt’s head. “It’s my dad,” he said quietly. “Just— please—“ His next words were directed at his father. “I’m sorry. But dad... I think I’m not coming home tonight,” Wyatt whispered weakly before a thunderous bang! made him drop his phone, both hands up in surrender. Maybe it was because he believed he was going to end up dead no matter what, Wyatt wiped at his face angrily. Adrenaline definitely fueled him with rage. He wasn’t going down without a fight. “Why don’t you drop the damn gun!?” he growled, daring to take a step forward. “Huh!? Drop the gun. Fight me properly, you cowards! I’ll take you all on!”

—

Brandon was downright panicking now, telling his ten-year-old princess to keep the doors locked until Andy, his trustworthy friend and Avery’s old Guardian, came home. “Daddy’s gonna be back soon, ok? I love you,” he said quickly, kissing her forehead. She kissed his cheek right after and wrapped her tiny arms around his neck, hugging him. “I love you, daddy.”

 Avery had beat him to his ute. He didn’t have to explain anything, her knowing him well enough to already know what was going on. She wasn’t as cuddly as her husband with their children but they both knew she loved them very much and showed her love by constantly making sure they ate at every meal, always wore their seatbelts in the car, were warm whenever they went somewhere by forever bringing jumpers for them even if they were sure they weren’t going to get cold. That’s just the way she was, whereas her husband was the type to hug and for a lack of better words, he was the openly lovable one. For those who knew him, he was only like that with his family. Other than that, he came off as a closed person.

 Avery checked the tracker she and Brandon had placed in Wyatt’s necklace, hopes of never having to use it disappearing as fast as the red dot popped up on the chunky laptop’s screen, revealing Wyatt’s location. When she said they’d be safe, she meant that she and Brandon would always be there because of the trackers they’d hidden in the jewelry, one in every silver chain the Clarke family had. Like Wyatt, Brandon had a necklace and like Amara, Avery had a bracelet. All contained a little pendant of a sword in a stone, a figure with one foot on the rock and a hand gripping the sword with the words Protegere Eos.

 It was their family motto.

—

Wyatt was sure at this point that he’d broken a rib or two, mentally scolding himself for the fact that he was beginning to get too tired to fight. The leader held the gun like it was a prize, allowing his followers to fight Wyatt as he twirled the weapon in his hand. For a split second, the fifteen-year-old thought he’d be able to make it out alive.

Boy, was he wrong.

Dead wrong.

About six new people entered their deadly dojo. Wyatt wondered why so many had been summoned to take him down. Surely there was a compliment in there somewhere.

It was dark now, the only light being the orange haze that came from the streetlight which hovered over the group. Wyatt was losing hope. There was no way he was going home but damn, was he going to fight until his last breath. Helplessly cornered, he had a moment to himself where he wished he had told his parents how much he loved them, how much he loved Amara- how much he loved his family. But now, it was too late; far too late. The sound of screeching tires made Wyatt die inside. If there were more reinforcements, he wouldn’t even have a chance to fight. Especially not now when his breathing was heavy and shallow, body begging to rest. He stood in a defensive stance, arms ready to block whatever came his way. His body was slick with both sweat and blood, adrenaline nearing the end of its run. It was now or never. Just before he convinced himself to go on the offensive, two shadows entered the alley behind his captors. It may have been dark but his eyes knew the figures all too well, the two of them moving swiftly and incapacitating the one nearest to them. Wyatt watched as his parents fought, wondering how they even knew where he was and where they’d even learnt to fight like this. They didn’t utter a word yet they seemed to be fighting as if they were speaking to each other, their deadly dance perfectly fitting like a puzzle.

Caught off guard, Wyatt took the opportunity to join his parents, shoving a hard elbow into one of the guys’ chins, earning a muffled cry as he fell backwards. He watched his father send someone hard into the brick wall beside him, reminding himself to ask to be taught that move. Avery held her hand out, gesturing for Wyatt to come to them just as Brandon took down the last guy. He smiled weakly and ran lopsidedly to them, eyes watery because damn, was he happy to see them.

A gunshot wiped the look off Wyatt’s face. Caught up in it all, the leader had so quietly remained hidden and irrelevant until now. Wyatt looked at his parents and saw his mother clutch her stomach. “Mum?” he whispered, concern washing over his face. He tried his hardest to make his way towards her as fast as he could, only to see his father fall to his knees. “No! Dad!” he cried out, rerouting his path to get to his father. It was like his mother had felt his father’s pain. Avery’s grey eyes were filled with tears, already at Brandon’s side. She pulled him into her before shoving Wyatt away. “Forgot about me?” the leader taunted, declaring his presence. “I hope you know now that I ain’t playing!” Avery ignored him and pressed her hand to Brandon’s wound. “My love, don’t you dare,” she whispered, angry tears now rolling down her cheeks. “WYATT!” she yelled. “GO!” The guys around them were slowly coming to. “GO NOW! YOUR SISTER NEEDS YOU!” He was going to protest but Avery had thrown the keys at him. “GO!” she screamed. “DON’T MAKE ME REPEAT MYSELF!” Now, there are two people struggling to stand up. “Y-you go, too,” Brandon choked out. “Go Avery. Pl-please....” She shook her head, blinking tears out of her eyes. “No. I’m too selfish to go on without you. If you die, I die too.” “Avery, n-no—“ She was already up on her feet, tackling the guy nearest to her back onto the ground, delivering a quick knee to his groin before she got back up. Wyatt was almost at opening of the street when he turned around to look back at the commotion, just in time to see his mother earn a bullet to her side. “MUM!!!” he cried, facing the alley, wanting to run back in. “Go!” Brandon yelled at him. He bit his lip and obeyed, getting into his parents’ 4WD, not caring that he didn’t even have a license yet. They had told him to go to his sister and that’s exactly what he was going to do. Avery’s phone sat on the passenger’s seat. Shaking with sobs, he called the police.

Avery fell to the ground and dragged herself to Brandon’s side. The muggers were talking but she didn’t hear. Instead, her focus was all on her husband. He was pale and she could feel that soon enough, she was going to be alone. “I love you,” she murmured, pulling him into her chest. “I love you so much, Brandon.” He held onto her, almost as if they were two halves of a whole. “I love y-y—“ Avery let out a loud whimper as his hold went slack, body limp. “Brandon,” she cried. “Brandon, Brandon, Brandon,” she murmured continuously like a broken record— like a prayer. “Not long now, my love. Not long now...” Her lips rested on his forehead, eyes clenched shut as she continued saying his name. Sirens filled the air. By now, all the muggers were conscious. “We gotta go!” one of them called out. “No shit, Sherlock,” another replied. The leader looked down at the two figures on the bloodstained ground. “Wasn’t supposed to go this far.” “Come on, Carter! We gotta go before the cops get here!” He pointed the gun to Avery’s head, hearing little wisps that he couldn’t quite make out. “No witnesses.”

—

Wyatt was good at faces; he always remembered faces.

To be continued.......

#( drabble ) #wyattclarke #rip that page out of my journal and burn it; i never want to see it again

[writermatthew]

do you have a light?

“Do you have a light?” he finally asked, holding up his cigarette.“You look like the sort who’d have a light.”

Content Warning: mentions of smoking, brief allusion to child abuse. on a lighter note just one really awful joke & dori trying so hard not to be an awkward motherfucker

reposting because the old version wouldn’t open properly

He sat on a curb with a cigarette in his small hand, rolling it between his fingers like a pencil, knowing what he wanted to do but not quite sure how. His pale eyes flitted from cigarette to pavement, to the gathering of officers and back again.

“Yeah, so, uh, I think we ought to scour the house one more time? Make sure there aren’t any more explosives,” said Parker, gesturing vaguely at a house with several shattered windows and a door hanging by its hinges.

“I reckon that’d be a bright idea,” Norwood replied. He scanned the house, a dark brow arched, and huffed. Standing politely next to him, Caldwell rolled her shoulders and strode forward, a familiar intensity blazing behind her irises.

Dorian stood without saying a word, watching the kid curiously, concernedly; he rolled the cigarette, tossed it between his hands, held it between two fingers for a moment, then returned. Once, he held it to his lips, barely touching, before dropping his hand back into his lap. His chest heaved. Dorian could almost hear his sigh from where he stood, twenty feet away.

“A’right, Caldwell has the house. Basil, you care to accompany her?” asked Norwood.

Parker shot half a glance at Dorian before looking away, nodding curtly. “You two?”

“I’m going to report back,” Norwood said.

Dorian jerked his thumb at the kid. “I have to grill a witness.”

Parker and Norwood laughed in unison.

“What?”

“Nothin’, don’t worry about it. Go on, you big softie. Grill your witness. Wring his brains out,” Norwood snickered. With a pop!, he disappeared. Parker squeezed Dorian’s shoulder, grinning broadly, then started toward the house in Caldwell’s apt footsteps.

Which left Dorian alone in a mostly-empty street, his arms folded over his chest, head cocked. His cheek burned like mad, their incarcerated suspect had been sure to break the scab on a cut Dorian had earned a few days prior. A bruise would soon form, soft and purple, and his face would feel tight until it turned that ugly yellow, then faded entirely.

He wiped a droplet of blood away with the pad of his thumb. The wound throbbed. Dorian ignored it.

The kid watched him move, tensing whenever Dorian went too fast.

At five feet away, he jerked his head, turned to the cigarette he twirled clumsily from finger to finger, barely catching it before it hit the ground not once, but twice. Dorian pretended not to notice.

“Hey, kid,” he grunted as he dropped himself onto the curb. It took about a half a second to realize that he wouldn’t be rising quite as easily as he had fallen; his legs were bent awkwardly, one forcing the breath from his lungs and the other crooked before him, steel-tipped toes skyward.

The kid didn’t respond, only scooted away an inch, gripping his cigarette tighter.

“Mr. Tavish?” Dorian asked softly.

The kid looked up. “I know you know my full name. Mr. Tavish is- was my dad. Call me Darry or don’t call me at all. What do you want?”

“I wanted to be sure you were okay. Your father pushed you pretty hard, and I have just enough experience with being pushed to know what hurts and what doesn’t,” Dorian replied. “Are you hurt, Darry?”

“Shut up,” Darry snapped. “I’m fine.”

Dorian nodded. “Alright.”

He did not speak anymore. As long as Darry was fine, why should he? So he rested his hands in the grass and leaned back, gazing up at the sky. It was greyscale (as usual), quite dull by any normal standards, lovely by Dorian’s. The clouds were soft, puffy. He imagined burying his fingers in them to pet them like a dog. They were probably softer than a dog.

With a yawn, he stretched his legs out and cracked his neck. A gentle breeze ruffled his hair, kissed the back of his neck and the tip of his ear. He shook his head.

He could feel Darry’s eyes on the side of his face, the same way he tended to feel most other eyes. Men did not take kindly to Dorian, to his soft-spoken manner or massive frame or his affinity for mischief. He was troublesome to many, too like his father or too little, too strong or too weak, too this or that, or that or this.

Today he was just Dorian, bad luck and all. The wind tickled his throat and chilled the cut in his cheek, same as usual. The only thing different this time was that there was a thirteen year old kid with a cigarette in his hand sitting next to him, staring at him like he was some sort of an enigma.

“Do you have a light?” he finally asked, holding up his cigarette. Dorian turned his head, tilted it just slightly. “You look like the sort who’d have a light.”

“‘Fraid not,” Dorian said. “I never smoked. Tried to a couple times. I always ended up bent over the toilet after. You know, brunch is a fun little thing until it’s in reverse.”

Darry cringed. “Oh. Right. Useless.”

“That the name of your band? Right Useless?”

“What? I don’t have a band. Are you baked?”

“Sorry, I made a jump for it. Thought with the hair and cigarette you’d be, you know… in a band or something. Punk, maybe. Or ska.”

“What’s ska?”

“I dunno. Whatska matter with you?” Dorian laughed, throwing his shoulders forward and squeezing his eyes shut. The kid did not make a sound - or maybe he did, and Dorian laughed over it - until his laughter came to a giggly standstill.

“You’re hilarious,” Darry said flatly. “And I’m serious. What’s ska?”

Dorian shrugged. “I’m serious, too. I haven’t the slightest idea.”

The last time Dorian had seen a thirteen year old so irritated had been the first time his second daughter had attended a friend’s birthday with her sister. She had hated it. She never attended another party.

Darry stuffed his cigarette into his pocket, grumbling to himself. Pink spread from his chin to his ears, sketching him into a silver-haired strawberry. He tapped his thumbs together, circled them around one another, slow and jerky.

Dorian pulled a flask off his belt, offering it to Darry, who eyed it like it was poison.

“It’ll take the edge off,” Dori insisted. Darry’s eyes lit up, and he snatched it faster than Dorian could track. The lid came off with a pop and Darry took a massive gulp, only to pull abruptly away.

“This is… is this apple juice?”

“Yeah,” Dorian said. “Keeps me on the wagon and keeps you out of prison.”

Kids, he thought, ought to be kids. It did not seem to him that Darry had had much of an opportunity to be. He deserved a shot, even if only for a moment while they waited for the house to be searched and someone to claim Darry.

The term bothered Dorian. Claim, as if Darry were a dog and not a child. Claim, as if the foster system owned him and every other stray or orphaned child they encountered. He could only hope and pray that Darry would be a lucky one.

Darry glared, but not for long. He returned to the flask and sipped once, twice, three times, both hands wrapped around it like it was the last possession he owned. Glancing back at the ravaged house, it was probably the closest thing to it.

He lowered the drink after his sixth sip, a mighty sigh coming with it.

“I hurt my stomach,” Darry said.

“Pardon?”

Darry blushed. “When I- when my da pushed me, I hurt my stomach. I think it’s just a bruise, but you asked, so…”

Dorian smiled, nodding. “No, I’m glad you told me. Your stomach, then? I’ll ask for some ice when we get back to the office, you could use it. And you’re sure you’re feeling alright otherwise?”

There was a moment of silence as Darry considered his answer, which grew into a minute and then two. Dorian took this time to eye the street and all its emerald-green grass and toothpick trees. A few people stood outside, staring at Dorian and the kid. At the edge of his vision, Darry trembled.

“I wish this hadn’t happened,” he whispered, so softly Dorian barely caught it. “I wish my stupid father hadn’t turned out to be a stupid criminal and gotten himself locked up. I should’ve stopped him. I should’ve told him not to be an idiot.”

“No, Darry. It’s not your fault. It’s nobody but your dad’s.” Dorian rested a hand - huge and calloused and warm - on Darry’s thin shoulder, squeezing.

“B-but I- I knew what he was doing and I- and I just-” Darry grit his teeth. He gripped his flask of apple juice so tightly that his knuckles turned white as the bone beneath. The muscle over his lip twitched. He blinked rapidly.

“Kid… it isn’t your fault. Come here.”

Darry did not wait for a second invitation, and Dorian got the feeling that he would not have waited for the first had it come any later. His silver-tipped head collided with the side of Dorian’s chest, where Darry could hide his face from the neighbors and cry until his lungs gave out.

He shook like a leaf in Dorian’s arms, sobbing and babbling incoherently about his father. The only audible words were “fault” and “stupid”, to which Dorian always responded in a voice so impossibly soft that it was hard to believe it came from him:

“It’s not your fault, Darry. It’s not your fault.”

Darry hugged the flask to his chest and went limp, tears soaking into a shirt which smelled like smoke and pine needles, and belonged to a man big enough to bear the world on his shoulders.

“I d-don’t want to g-go to- to f-f-fos-”

“Shhh, shhhh… it’ll be okay, darling. Hey, hey, it’ll be okay,” Dorian murmured. Darry did not stop crying, did not even falter. He clung to Dorian’s half-empty flask of apple juice and sobbed into the steady, rhythmic beat of his heart.

Thick fingers smoothed Darry’s dyed hair back and settled on his shoulders, steadying the horrible rattle in his body as it racked every inch of him.

Dorian could do nothing but wait it out. And so he did.

Darry cried for fifteen minutes. After five, he stopped talking, giving in to the force of his emotions. After ten, he stopped bothering trying to sit up. And at fifteen, his cries came to a shuddering halt, and he sat there for another five minutes before finally righting himself.

Pain curled in Dorian’s stomach as he looked at Darry. The kids eyes were red and puffy, his face wet. He said nothing, just popped open his flask and took a long swig out of it with all the unsteady swagger of a boy pretending to be a man.

“It’s okay to be sad,” Dorian began. “This isn’t a good time for you, and it won’t get better right away. But it’s not your fault, either, Darry. Remember that, okay? You had nothing to do with this. You were just caught in the crossfire.”

Darry wobbled his head in understanding, taking another sip out of his flask.

“How’s that apple juice treating you, kiddo?”

“Mmgood,” Darry mumbled. “‘S’good.”

A silence blanketed them, warm for the cool day they sat in. Dorian watched the birds fly by, the neighbors pass with their dogs and children. It reminded him of home, if home were surrounded by people far wealthier than he.

He glanced at Darry, who stared blankly ahead, nursing his drink and thinking, thinking, thinking. There was no expression on his face. No indication but for the puffiness of his eyes that he had been sobbing a half minute before. He did not whine or shift in any way that implied pain. He held his tongue with practiced ease.

The front door creaked behind them, the sound of footsteps hopping off a short step onto the pavement below, and then through the grass, following. The steps were made heavy by the weight of their owner’s boots, but they were elegant.

“Did you find anything, Caldwell?” Dorian asked.

“No,” she replied. “Nothing dangerous. A few receipts, some money. Nothing that goes boom.Can I talk to you?”

“Huh?” Dorian peered up at her lithe frame, dark blue eyes locking with her deep brown. There was no desire in his heart to leave Darry sitting on that curb alone, if he’d not trusted Caldwell so he would have stubbornly remained. She was bright, though, even brilliant, and he considered her a friend.

Patting Darry on the shoulder, Dorian struggled to his feet, attempting to ignore the winding creak of his bones. Caldwell’s brow quirked upwards, mirroring the twitch at the corner of her mouth.

The moment they were out of earshot, Caldwell turned, amusement written plain in her sculpted features.

“You’re aging right in front of me,” she said, and Dorian snorted.

“You’re older than me.”

“Maybe, but you sound it. Anyway, that’s not what I wanted to talk about. How’s the young Tavish?” Her mouth curved sharply into a frown.

Dorian looked over his shoulder at Darry, his silver-tipped hair and the vacant expression on his face. All he could do was sigh, turn back to Caldwell, and shrug.

“Fine, given his situation. Better than he was, thank God, just not as good as he could be. Who would be, though, you know?” Dorian stuffed his hands into his pockets, plucking a coin between two big fingers. He rolled it up into his palm, gripped it tight until the metal was almost hot to the touch.

“You’re right. Listen, we’re going to be moving out in a minute. Foster care is going to show up soon, or... however that works. Are you going to say your goodbyes?”

Again, Dorian peered at Darry. “Sort of.”

“Sort of?”

“Sort of. I’m going to go talk to him, I’ll be back in a jiffy,” said Dorian to Caldwell, who nodded obligingly and watched him walk away with sharp black eyes.

He dropped himself once more onto the curb, immediately offering the coin to Darry.

“My card.”

“That’s a coin,” Darry said dryly.

“No, I mean- I know it’s a coin, kiddo. This is how you can contact me if you need me, if your foster family is being dickish or your dog is at the vet or even if you just need to cheer up. Can’t say I’m especially grand at the last one, but I make a mean snickerdoodle,” Dorian said with a bright grin. “Or so my son says.”

Darry’s expression was not impressed, but it was lighter than it had been, softer than the hard-angled anger from a half hour ago. He looked less like teenager now, more like a kid. The coin bounced in his palm, glinting in the cloudy-day light.

He didn’t say anything. No thank you, no goodbye even when Dorian bid him so. He sat, turning the coin in his hand like he had his unlit cigarette, smiling sweetly down at it.

Dorian patted his shoulder. At the pleasant ring of Parker’s voice, he rose, and with a last wave returned to what remained of his team. Norwood popped back into existence a half metre away, huffing and grunting like a smoker ran a marathon.

“Alright there, Eurion?” Parker asked, hand over his mouth. Dorian knew by the draw of his brow that he was hiding a grin and nothing more. Holding in laughter was the worst of Parker’s many talents, below even his ability to swim (which said something, Parker could drown in a shallow sink.)

“Pff. Me? F-fine. Just- oh, Christ Almighty and a bottle of rum. Christ our lord and three pints of Guinness. Christ-”

“Understood,” Caldwell interrupted, and Norwood finally looked up, sweat soaking his forehead. A lock of jet black hair fell over his temple, sticking to his skin; two strands fanned to the sides, forming a three-pronged fork.

Dorian snickered. “You look like a right treat, Norwood, and I do mean that sincerely.”

Norwood perked up. His smiles were crooked and charming despite the bluntness of his personality - he was the sort of man so pessimistic that his smile was a sort of blessing.

“Thank you, Trase. I appreciate it.”

Parker nudged Dorian with his elbow. “I don’t want to be the one to interrupt, but Dori? You have company.”

He took Dorian’s hand and turned him gently around to face the small figure at his back.

Darry’s expression was just reserved enough to spark Dorian’s curiosity, his posture stiff as a board. His gaze darted from Parker to Norwood to Caldwell and back to Dorian, where they stayed, still and firm. The kid swallowed, hard, staring into Dorian’s eyes with burning intensity.

Dorian opened his mouth to speak, but he did not get so far. Darry bolted into his chest, skull driving the breath from Dorian’s lungs, and squeezed him around the waist so tight Dori wasn’t sure that he wouldn’t bruise.

“I-”

“You don’t have to say anything, Mister Trase,” Darry mumbled. A sound suspiciously like a sniffle escaped from him. “J-just… thank you. For the juice and the coin and all that. I… thanks.”

“Kid, kid… darling, it’s okay. Honestly, you don’t have to thank me,” Dorian murmured, running his fingers through Darry’s soft hair. He thought of his son, of Dustin and his desire for closeness. And as he looked down at Darry, he smiled.

“Thank you,” Darry said, pulling tentatively away. Dorian ruffled his hair with the palm of his hand - big enough to hold Darry’s head like a softball, gentle enough that the movement of his fingers could barely be felt.

“You don’t have to thank me. You’ll be alright, little man. Just keep your head up and, uh…” He scoured his brain for sound advice. “And, uhhhh…”

Darry sighed in exasperation, rubbing his remaining tears from the corners of his eyes. Dorian did not hear his own friends so much as breathe this entire time, though he felt them watching.

“Shite, uh… just be good, okay? And look up, lad, there’s always going to be a light. You just have to look for it.”

“That’s cheesy as hell, D- Mister Trase. But fine, I’ll take it,” Darry said.

Dorian dropped his hand onto Darry’s head, ruffling his hair one more time. This time, Darry let it happen with nothing more than an expression of mild irritation - a false one, if the twitch of his mouth was any indication.

“Can I go back to your guys’ stupid office now? I’m starving.”

#ch: dorian trase #ch: darry tavish #writing: firebrand #my writing #this was before firebrand was rly a thing btw so the laws of the universe arent quite. sound? still hpish at this pt

[tallskinnyvanillalatte]

Castle Episodes (Season 3)

Here we go, the season 3 post:

3x01 A Deadly Affair: The beginning of the episode is so intense with Castle being a suspect and Beckett being mad at him (and jealous af) for not telling her that he was back in town and everything. Oh the tension. There’s this nice parallel where Alexis’ crush went away and said he’d call after he came back but he never did. Which is kinda the same situation as Beckett and Castle. And Castle is defending the guy and Martha is like “Oh Richard Castle, that is the stupidest reason I’ve ever heard. Have I taught you nothing about relationships?” They reference Breaking Bad “’We could always make meth.’ .. just like that cable show.” I love the episode. The fighting between Castle and Beckett is great. In the end, Castle is back, Alexis talks to her crush again.

3x02 He’s Dead, She’s Dead: Chet proposes to Martha. But Martha doesn’t quite know whether to marry him or not. Later in the episode, Chet dies. There’s also this medium’s daughter who has meaningful dreams sometimes. And she tells Beckett that an Alexander will be extremely important to her, he will save her life one day. Beckett doesn’t know what to make of that as she doesn’t know any Alexander. Later in the episode, we find out that Castle’s middle name is Alexander. And that he changed his middle name to Edgar because of Edgar Allan Poe and his last name to Castle. His given name is actually Richard Alexander Rodgers. The final scene between Martha and Castle is really sweet. “Richard, whatever mistakes I’ve made in my life, I raised a good man.”

3x03 Under the Gun: Alexis wants a scooter and it’s so hilarious how concerned and worried Castle is. He goes to Beckett for advice but she only makes his worries worse (by saying that every girl has a wild phase and the good girls are actually the worst). It’s hilarious how Castle chases a guy and jumps over a taxi and he yells “I’ve always wanted to do that!”, his excited face is priceless. AND THEN THERE’S JASON BEGHE I CAN’T STOP SCREAMING. I had no idea he was on Castle, this is too great omg. “Royce?” “Hey, kid, long time.” He trained Beckett when she left the Academy. His hair is longer than on Chicago PD. And it’s kinda weird to see him in this mentor role with Beckett instead of Lindsay (the Beckett-Royce relationship is more romantic though). The episode aired in 2010, a couple years before Chicago PD started. He’s so smiley though, it’s hilarious. I’m having so much fun right now. Also, it’s hilarious when an old guy manages to escape from Ryan and Esposito. Of course, Castle and Beckett tease them so bad with it, Castle put adult diapers on their desk and old-people-teeth. Back to Jason Beghe - I love how his character is SO different than Voight, yet there’s just his characteristics he can’t shake off (like the head node he does when talking). Mike Royce, Hank Voight. Even their names are similar, both one syllable each, first ending with a k sound. In the end, Beckett has to arrest Royce and that scene is so tough oh boy. Also, Alexis realizes that it was wrong to just sell something in order to get the money for the scooter. There’s this adorable hug and Castle goes “I’m so proud of you.”. Aw. I loved the episode.

3x04 Punked: This is the first time we hear (and meet) about Ashley, Alexis’ first proper boyfriend. Throughout the entire episode, Castle is a bit upset that Alexis didn’t tell him about her boyfriend. The episode is super entertaining - Castle thinks the killer is a time traveler. Esposito is assaulted by some guy and hurts his neck real bad which is used as a joke throughout the entire episode. The scene in which Castle meets Ashley for the first time is hilarious. He surprises them with a gun and Ashley is freaked out while Alexis is like “what the fuck dad”. And Castle is all strict and Ashley is so intimidated, and then when Ashley leaves, he goes “I like him” and Alexis just punshes him lol. Alexis has such a crush on Ashley, it’s adorable. Later, he asks Castle how you know when you’re in love and she goes on and on and says how the songs and poems make sense and more stuff. And later, Castle asks Beckett the same question and she goes “All the songs make sense”. Beckett goes out with a certain Josh. The final scene with Alexis and Castle though, where Alexis wants to go on a date and Castle goes “yeah, of cours,e sure, have fun” and she says “I meant with you, dad. You’ll always be my go-to-guy.” Their relationship is so important to me. He loves her so much.

3x05 Anatomy of a Murder: We get several Grey’s Anatomy references when Castle nicknames someone “McDreamy” and another one “McSteamy”. Castle is jealous when Gina surprises Alexis with super special concert tickets that he had just bought for her as well (just not the super special version). And Gina says “Whenever it comes to Alexis, you build a wall around her. Like you don’t want anyone get close to her.” In a conversation with Martha, Martha says to Castle that you’d know real love if one was willing to get the other out of prison. At the end of the episode, Beckett says “Don’t worry, Castle, I’d get you out [of prison]”. Oh my God, I need to gif that parallel.

3x06 3XK: The 3XK-Storyline starts in this episode. Also, Alexis has a “secret admirer” and I still somewhat wish it hadn’t just been Ashley but somehow connected to the case to get some drama. At some point, Castle is also worried about this secret admirer and who it really is. “He’s charming, in an asexual, non-threatening kind of way.” Alexis gets another letter where she’s supposed to meat her secret admirer in a public park. And Castle kinda freaks and goes “you’re so not meeting that guy” because he’s worried about her safety - after all, the admirer referred to Alexis’ hair as ‘flaxen’ which is blond and could be a connection to the 3XK killer. There’s no connection, though, it’s just Ashley. The motel at the end with the pool looks awfully familiar, though. I’m pretty sure I saw that one on The Mentalist and Criminal Minds before.

3x08 Murder Most Fowl: The abduction of a child really gets to Castle. At some point, he shares the story about Alexis who, when she was four years old, disappeared in a mall. Castle and security had looked everywhere and he had pictured all the worst case scenarios. They found her under some coats taking a nap. Castle mentions that he still dreams about this. 3x10 Last Call: I love the ending, where they all sing “Piano Man” and walk out of the precinct together.

3x11 Nikki Heat: Ryan plans on proposing to Jenny, he pops the question at the end of the episode and of course she says yes. Laura Prepon alias Nathalie Rhodes alias Nikki Heat is in this one. Alexis sounds like Molly had a cold while filming this episode. There’s some adorable scenes where Alexis talks about movies that she’s not allowed to see yet (age restriction thing) and she goes “It’s a great movie. ... If I’d seen it, which I haven’t.” Beckett gets more and more annoyed by Nathalie as the episode progresses, it’s hilarious, she’s so jealous. Ryan references “the list” which apparently is a list of celebrities that you could sleep with if you had the chance but were in a relationship. I remember this list was also mentioned on Friends. “If it’s so adorable, why didn’t you sleep with me” ICONIC. Ah, I just really enjoyed this episode.

3x12 Poof, you’re dead: Another familiar face! Vanessa Lengies is in this one. And it’s the first time we’re seeing Lanie and Esposito TOGETHER. I mean, together together. They are trying to hide it, but of course everyone knows what’s going on. Also, Castle and Gina end their relationship at the end of the episode.

3x13 Knockdown: The storyline on Beckett’s mother’s murder continues. Castle and Beckett are at a restaurant talking to someone when that someone gets shot. When Castle goes back home later, Martha is so worried. Castle says “You’re overreacting, mother. Where is this coming from?” and she goes “How the hell can you ask me something like that. Think about how much you love Alexis and that is how much I love you and don’t you dare ask me where this is coming from”. Beckett and Castle KISS. It’s just to distract someone but “that was amazing”, as Castle puts it (the way she took down the guy of course). And Castle goes “Always” when Beckett thanks him for saving her life. If I’m not completely wrong, it’s the first episode without Alexis in it :( It feels like we’re at that point now where Castle’s domestic life isn’t as fundamental to the show as it was in seasons one and two.

3x14 Lucky Stiff: Ryan tells Esposito that they all know about him and Lanie. Martha inherits 1,000,000$ from Chet’s death but she doesn’t feel comfortable with getting all the money since she had planned on breaking up with him before he died. She doesn’t know what to do and talks to Beckett, and ends up opening “The Martha Rodgers School of Acting”. Also, can I just say how ridiculously good Beckett and Castle look in this season (so far)? I mean, sure, they both are good looking people. But Beckett looks so pretty and her hair is gorgeous. And Castle looks exactly like if you merged season1Castle and season7castle. His face is smoother, like it was in the early seasons, but his hair is more like in the later seasons. I can’t describe it properly but I like it.

3x15 The Final Nail: “Mom and Dad are fighting”. The case is really personal to Castle because the victim’s husband is a guy he met in boarding school who published his writing and told him he had talent. The guy that pushed him to become a writer. Alexis’ valentine’s day gift for Ashley is perfect. A photo of Ash’s rat Theodore in a frame that says “true love”. As Castle describes it “heart-felt, yet humorous”. Also, Alicia Coppola is in this episode (I know her as Faith Coleman in NCIS).

3x16 Setup: I love how dramatic and serious the beginning is and you don’t know what’s going on - and then “36 hours earlier”. There’s an adorable scene at the Castle residence where Martha wants to take Alexis on a spiritual retreat but she doesn’t want to, so she mouths something to Castle, so that he’ll tell her not to go. And Castle says “Phys..physi..physics! Physics exam! Don’t you have a Physics exam on Monday?” and afterwards “Best dad ever”. It’s so cute. Later, though, he sends Alexis with Martha because there’s a possible nuclear threat and he wants them safe <3. His face when he tells her to go, though. The episode ends with Becktt and Castle trapped in that ice truck thing. Cliffhanger!

3x17 Countdown: If I’m not totally mistaken, this is the first episode-adjusted-titlecard. WIth the title card all icy and blue. They found Castle and Beckett just in time because Alexis (who returned with Martha earlier than planned because she was so anxious about her exam) called Ryan, asking about Castle because he wasn’t at home. Castle returns home where Martha and Alexis were already waiting for him and he tells them to go to the Hamptons. It’s so intense, he just wants them safe. These two episodes are full of Caskett moments that make you go “how does it take you guys 1.5 more seasons to get your acts together”. I was just missing a Castle/Alexis/Martha reunion at the end.

3x18 One Life to Lose: Beckett is such a shipper and such a fangirl of “Temptation Lane” lol. Also, THERE’S DAVID EIGENBERG. He looks so different than Christopher Herrmann though :’) But good to see him :)

3x19 Law & Murder: Castle knows that Alexis is lying about her plans because of the way her nose crinkles. How adorable is this. Not so adorable, though, is Castle’s behavior to figure out what Alexis is doing: he tracks her phone. Later, Alexis figures out Castle is lying to her because of that nose thing. “You have the best kid in the world” aww. Later, Alexis tells Castle why she was in that neighborhood she wasn’t supposed to be in. Some friends of her where shoplifting and they pressured her to do it as well, but she didn’t and late felt guilty about the stolen stuff, so she went back to pay for it. Castle is like “why are you friends with them anyway” “it’s not that simple” aww bb :(

3x20 Slice of Death: “Every inch of my body is telling me to protect her” <3 Alexis is upset because her best friend is acting weird. It’s so adorable how worried Castle is. God I just love their relationship. “...and then one day, one of you ends up in a pizza oven” lol Castle, good comparison. “Did you kick her ass?” “kinda did” “Good girl” <3 the ending is also super cute when Castle drove all the way across the bridge to get THE pizza for him and Alexis.

3x22 To Love and Die in LA: IT’S HANK VOIGHT AGAIN. I mean.. Mike Royce. I just love how similiar those two names are. And then his real name Jason Beghe.. so different. Noooo he’s dead :( Castle and Beckett travel to LA. Lanie and Esposito kiss on-screen for the first time. AAAAH OMG THAT’S BEN WARRAN GROM GREY’S. “I’m still amazed by the depth of your strength, your heart.” “You’re not so bad yourself, Castle”. And then there’s this silence where they just look at each other and you’re screaming “NOW KISS”. “Come and find me” plays and these idiots still don’t get it right. There’s also the scene where Beckett gets out of the pool and she just looks smoking hot. I swear, if I only looked half as good, I’d take selfies non stop and feel so good about myself omg. THe ending is really emotional. Of course they catch Royce’s killer. On the plane back to New York, Beckett reads a letter from Royce where basically he tells her to just go for it and admit to the feelings she has for Castle. And there’s “Just Breathe” playing which makes it even more beautiful.

3x23 Pretty Dead: Alexis is heartbroken because her boyfriend Ashley wants to study at Stanford. Then, Ashley decides to stay in New York but Alexis feels guilty for standing in his way, so she breaks up with him, so that he’ll make his own choice. He decides to go to Stanford but lets Alexis know (through Castle lol he actually went to the precinct) that he thinks long-distance could work. Bellamy Young is in that episode, hi Beth :) We meet Montgomery’s wife and he also announces he’s gonna retire in a year but Beckett says that he always says that, so it’s all good. In the end, Alexis decides to apply to Stanford for early admission and lol Castle’s reaction is too hilarious, I’M pissing myself. He’s literally just saying “what” four times and his face oh my God I couldn’t describe it properly. It’s... hilarious.

3x24 Knockout: I don’t really know what to say about the episode. It’s such a thrill, such a ride, so emotional. And then you see Montgomery’s wife crying with her two children next to her and you think the episode is over and then boom, Beckett is shot. Gonna get started on season 4 later today and I’ll publish that season 4 post when I’m done with that season, like I did with season 3.

#castle #castle episodes #castle season 3 #k watches castle

[faithfulcat111]

Just Shapes - Chapter 5

Day 5 (Sunday)

The entire world swirled back into focus as Roman blinked his eyes awake the next morning. He sat up with a groan, placing one hand to his head as it started pounding, letting him know that he was indeed hungover. Grateful for the bottle of water left by his bed, Roman took his time getting up and ready that afternoon, taking his time to shower properly and take as many pain pills as he knew his parents would allow. Downstairs, he found his mom buttering some toast, a book lying open on the table. “Hey Mom,” he said, trying his best to sound cheerful as he sat down at the table instead of hopping up on the counter like he usually did. She places the plate of toast in front of him with a kiss to the top of his head, “Hey sweetie. Rough night last night?” “Yeah,” Roman groaned. “I am never going to drink again.” 

His mom laughed, sitting back down in front of her book, “Good. We’ll let this one go as you’ve obviously learned your lesson and you are technically an adult. But if it happens again, your father and I may need to intervene. With hammers and nails to the roof.” “Point taken,” Roman nervously took a bite of toast, his stomach still a little queasy, but quickly started eating as he found the toast settled his stomach rather than upset it more. “So what happened last night?” his mom asked. Roman frowned down at his half-eaten piece of toast, “I don’t really remember much. I remember that there was a lot of people. I’m pretty sure there was a bonfire. Toby was there. But beyond that, nothing.” His mom hummed and he looked up to see her staring at him with that inquisitive look of hers like he was a puzzle to solve. “What?” he asked, confused. “Nothing,” she said simply. “Are you doing anything today?” “Probably going to go see what Virgil and Patton are up to. Thank them for putting up with me last night,” Roman shrugged. “That sounds like fun dear. I need to go to work now,” his mom put a bookmark into her book and gave him one last kiss before grabbing her purse and heading out. “Have a good day!” “You too, Mom!” Roman called back and as he heard the door click shut, he whispered to himself, “You too.”

“So why are we looking at the sky when it is still light out?” Roman asked, taking care to hold the telescope steady as Dr Picani tightened the bolts to hold it in place. “Because we aren’t looking for actual constellations. We are looking for dusk stars!” Dr Picani stood up straight, carefully stepping back as he signalled for Roman to let go of the telescope. The two were carefully perched on the roof of Dr Picani’s house where he had a stand bolted in, although they had to set up the telescope. “Dusk stars?” Roman stepped around to where Dr Picani had crouched down to ruffle through a box he had brought up with him. “Yup! They are stars that one can only see when the sun is setting and then only during a few days a year each. Very unique, but autumn happens to be the prime time for spotting them, which is why we are looking for them specifically today. Aha!” Dr Picani pulled a piece of film paper out of the box with a flourish before walking over and slotting it into the telescope. “But, because the sun is still in the sky, we need this filter to see past it and to the stars beyond without getting blinded.” “That is so cool!” Roman awwwed over the contraption. Dr Picani gave him a huge grin, “My thoughts exactly! Let’s see what we can find.” He leaned down moving the telescope through the sky, adjusting a few knobs as needed. “There we go!” He took a step back, gesturing to the telescope, “Take a look.” Roman stepped forward to look himself, immediately spotting a strange looking star, another cluster of stars surrounding it, “What is it?” “That star is known as Castys. Do you know the story?” Dr Picani asked. Roman shook his head, “I feel like I should know it cause I recognize the name, but I can’t seem to recall it. “That’s quite alright,” Dr Picani said with a laugh. “Castys is an old story about a woman who decided to try to build a tower to heaven.” “And what happened to her?” Roman asked, looking up at Dr Picani. “The same thing that happens to all people in old stories that try to reach further than the gods feel they should. They threw her out of the sky all the way to the deepest part of the sea.” Dr Picani gave a slight chuckle before adding, “The stories never say that she died though.” “Never died,” Roman gasped. “How could she possibly not die?” “Too stubborn I guess,” Dr Picani said with a laugh. “Now why don’t you see if you can find another one yourself?” Roman carefully took hold of the telescope, scanning the sky as he moved it. After a few minutes, he stopped on a star that looked very similar to the one that Dr Picani had located earlier. “Is this one?” he took a step back to allow his former teacher to check. “Ah yes,” Dr Picani said. “Dohr the Murderer.” “Wait! I actually know this one!” Roman said. “That is the guy who didn’t say anything when the king was passing and the king was insulted so he insulted Dohr, then his family, his farm, all the way down to his chickens! So Dohr turned around and murdered the king’s chickens, his household, his family, and finally the king himself. It was really creepy and gory.” “Ah, still one for the horror genre, I see,” Dr Picani said, one eyebrow raised at the boy beside him. “Yeah, well, there tended to be a lot more action in those stories. Don’t get me wrong, I love a good romance. But there is just something about a good ol’ murder story that I enjoy,” Roman explained. Dr Picani laughed again, “Well, that is all the stars that are visible today. Come see me again in a couple of days?” “Wouldn’t miss it Dr Picani!” Roman waved to him as he walked over to the edge of the roof. “What are you doing boy? The ladder is on the other side,” Dr Picani suddenly said in worry. “Don’t worry, I got this,” Roman took a few steps back and then ran and leapt onto the roof of the next door building, which was only a few feet away and he honestly could have stepped onto if he wasn’t so dramatic. He turned to wave at Dr Picani who just shook his head in exasperation. Roman continued along the roofs of downtown, climbing up and down ladders, walking ledges, and clearing small gaps between the few buildings that were actually separated. He enjoyed feeling the rush of the dangerous roof jumping that he had been told a million times not to do, just like he loved tightrope walking the power lines, although he was holding off doing that just yet. He didn’t want another incident with Uncle Mall Cop after already having one this week. It wasn’t until he dropped onto the sealed chimney of City Hall that he found someone else on the roofs. A certain someone with blue and pink hair that looks unnaturally fluffy. “Hey, Talyn right?” Roman said jumping down onto the roof next to them. Talyn looked up at him, their legs swinging off the edge of the building they sat on, a good four stories above where the rest of the town was walking. “Mind if I join you?” “It’s a free country,” Talyn shrugged, their nonchalant attitude almost contagious as Roman sat next to them, enjoying the changing sky. After a few silent minutes, Talyn finally spoke up, softly saying, “I love it up here. Where I can just escape everyone and everything. No sister demanding I be this or go there. Just away from everyone.” Roman gave his own soft smile, but broke the mood, asking, “I know you said your dad disappeared, but where is your mom? Did she disappear too? Is that why your sister is raising you?” Talyn’s face dropped just a little bit, as they continued to look off in the distance. Instead of answering Roman’s question though, they merely said, “I get panic attacks. That is why I come up here. It is the only place my sister has yet to find me. And that is only because she is terrified of heights.” Roman worried his lip as he tried to think of a way to remedy the situation he had caused with this punk, but he finally just stood up and said, “I gotta get going. Will I see you around?” Talyn looked up at him, a twinkle of mischief in their eye, “Perhaps Killer. Perhaps.” Roman just sighed and continued his journey across the roofs of downtown Possum Springs.

Roman finally had to climb off the buildings when he reached old miner’s bar as the building that used to be next door had been knocked down and replaced with the Snack Falcon, an establishment that was meant to look modern and chic, but instead looking out of place when surrounded by the buildings that had been built a hundred years ago and barely maintained since. He reached the ground and was about to enter to visit Patton when Patton walked out of the building, running smack into Roman and they both collapsed onto the sidewalk. “Ow!” Roman cried out as he sat back up, rubbing at the back of his head where it had hit the concrete. He looked up to see Patton sitting in front of him, looking slightly dazed, the bridge of his glasses bent. “Oh, Patton! I’m so sorry!” Roman leapt forward to pull off Patton’s glasses and was as careful as possible straightening the wires with expertise. Patton blinked, his vision readjusting as Roman put the glasses back on him. He looked up to where Roman had pushed himself to his feet in front of him and gasped, pushing himself up while ignoring Roman’s outstretched hand. Patton grabbed Roman’s face with both hands, “Oh no Roman! You got hurt!” “What?” Roman reached up with one hand to rub at his forehead where Patton was staring, looking down at the blood that came away with it. “Come on,” Patton hooked one arm around Roman, dragging him along the sidewalk. “There is band practice today and I know there is a first aid kit there. We can fix you up in a jiffy.” Roman rolled his eyes, perplexed as always at how Patton always freaked out over his friend’s injuries. They quickly reached the Party Barn where Logan had already arrived, having ditched his tie already as he was connecting cables. This time he had help from someone Roman vaguely recognized wearing an orange beanie and ripped jeans. Logan looked up, his expression quickly turning to surprise. “What happened?” he asked, dropping the cable in his hand as he jumped off the stage to get a better look at Roman’s face. “He’s fine!” Patton laughed. “We just had a little run-in that’s all.” And with that, Patton dropped Roman’s arm and skipped off to find the first-aid kit. When Logan raised an eyebrow, Roman explained, “I was on my way into Snack Falcon as Patton was on his way out. We literally ran into each other. I think I cut my head on his glasses.” Logan just sighed, as Patton reappeared next to him, holding a slightly dented first aid kit. “Alright,” Logan said. “Sit down, I’ll patch you up.” By the time Virgil arrived a few minutes later, Roman had a band-aid on his forehead, the group had finished setting up for practice, and Roman had approached the other person, who he had recognized as Joan, a strange teen that had been a year behind them in high school. “Joan, right?” Roman said, one hand outstretched towards them. “That’s right. Roman?” Joan said, reaching out to shake Roman’s hand. “Yup. You got a pretty okay name,” Roman said, dropping his hand. “What are you doing here?” “As do you,” Joan said with a laugh. “I come to watch. I’m not really the kind of person to play in a band, but I try my best to help Patton with the songwriting. He needed it after you and Remy both left.” “Not the kind to play in a band? Does that mean you can play an instrument?” Roman asked. Joan just smirked at him as Virgil walked up, setting his laptop down on his setup. “When are we getting started?” Virgil asked as he started connecting things to his laptop. “Whenever Patton says,” Joan answered, turning towards where Patton and Logan were discussing something in hushed tones. “He is the leader. And he is the one who is always either holding us up or making us go faster.” Roman laughed, “Sounds like nothing much has changed then.” He walked over to his bass, putting it on as Joan hopped off the stage before calling out, “Hey lovebirds! Are we going to get started or what?” Logan and Patton both turned to look at him and Patton’s face broke out in a huge grin, “Of course! Let’s get started.” Logan, on the other hand, looked slightly annoyed. After practice and cleanup, Virgil took off again, saying that he had come in on his break to play and needed to get back to work. Roman turned to Logan and Patton to ask, “Well, do you guys want to hang out then?” “I can’t,” Logan said, grabbing a satchel and putting it on. “I have family stuff tonight. I’ll see you tomorrow.” The last part he said more to Patton as headed out without even a glance backwards. Roman turned to Patton, slightly confused by Logan’s behaviour, but Patton cut in before Roman could ask any questions, “Hey, do you want to help me with a super secret project?” “A super secret project?” Roman questioned as Patton grabbed him by the arm and dragged him out of the building and through town. “Yup!” Patton squealed before having another thought and launching into a story about something that had happened to him and Logan the last spring. Roman half-listened as he enjoyed the crisp fall air and the sun that was almost completely below the horizon by now, leaving the world in a strange twilight zone. But the two kept walking out of the edge of town and Roman quickly recognized the building they were approaching. “That is depressing,” he muttered as the two reached it. “Awww, I thought it was rawwww,” Patton pouted. “No, I meant the abandoned Food Donkey,” Roman gestured up as the large supermarket that had been still operational the last time he was in town and now resembled a strange ghost town with a couple of shopping carts still sitting out in the large parking lot. “Oh yeah,” Patton sighed. “It is.” “Do you remember how they used to make us do those colouring pages in second grade that were all Food Donkey themed to put up in the windows? Like the donkey at Thanksgiving,” Roman recalled with a giggle. “Oh yeah!” Patton laughed. “Donkturks.” “Durnkeys,” Roman suggested as the two dissolved into a fit of laughter. “What are we doing here anyway?” “Crimes,” Patton said with a smile as he stepped forward, pushing the door open. “Patton!” Roman quickly ran forward after him into the dark building. Patton pulled a small flashlight out his pocket and shined it around. “Hey!” a sudden voice called out. Roman’s eyes narrowed as he recognized the guy in black and yellow stepping out from the shadows of the store. “What are you doing here, Dee?” he demanded. Dee smirked as he recognized Roman, “Your mom.” “Great,” Roman gritted his teeth, one hand already clenching into a fist. Patton put one hand upon his shoulder, “We’re here to pick it up, Dee. Just like we agreed.” Dee looked between the two before saying, “Alright, it’s back here.” As the two followed him deeper into the store, Roman leaned over, whispering in Patton’s ear, “What did you do, Patton? You know how creepy this guy is.” They stopped at a door that looked like it used to be some sort of storage room. Patton stepped forward to try the door. “Locked,” he announced. “Yup,” Dee leaned against the wall next to it, examining his fingernails. “Well, can’t you unlock it?” Roman asked. “Ha, nope!” Dee gave them another smirk. “Don’t have the key.” “Oooooh, can I break the door down?” Patton asked in excitement. Dee just chuckled, “Be my guest.” “No, Pat. I’ll find a key. There is probably one back in the offices,” Roman said, backing away as Patton beginning pillaging through nearby things for something to break it down. He didn’t really want to leave Patton alone with that guy, but he also knew that Patton could hold his own in a fight if it came to it and they would get out of there so much faster if Roman found a key. Roman quickly made his way to the offices, relying on memory from when his dad used to work here. And after some minor pillaging through a few different offices, he found a whole ring of abandoned keys, probably to storage rooms throughout the store. He quickly ran back to the other two to find that Patton had somehow wedged a crowbar in the door that was now being held steady by Dee and was getting ready to hit it with a rubber mallet. “Stop!” Roman shouted as he ran up to them, slightly out of breath. “I found a key, Idiot and Patton.” Dee quickly snatched the key ring out of Roman’s hands, allowing the crowbar to clatter to the floor as he started trying the keys. While he did that, Roman leaned over to ask Patton, who was still wielding the mallet, “Patton, why are we doing crimes with this guy?” Patton just shrugged, “Robbers can’t be choosers.” “They really can,” Roman muttered as the door swung open. “You know I can hear you,” Dee said as he started down the stairs that were behind the door. Patton and Roman followed him down, the flashlight in Patton’s hands lighting the way. And then Roman saw why they were there. “Oh my gosh!” He squealed as he saw the giant animatronics that used to sit at the front of the store and make creepy sounds every time someone walked by. “I thought they got rid of these after they were deemed too scary for children!” “Nope!” Dee said. “They just hid them in the basement.” Patton suddenly screeched. “What! What is it!” Roman yelled. “I can’t decide which one!” Patton was actually hopping up and down, his whole body shaking in excitement. “You’re- you’re taking one of these home?” Roman asked, baffled. “Yup! As a gift for Logan! He hasn’t been doing so well lately and I heard these were here and I thought that having one of these would cheer him up. He’s gone till tomorrow night which leaves us plenty of time to move it back to my apartment and get it running again!” Patton explained. “But I can’t pick which one I want!” “How about that one?” Roman pointed at the bear. Patton gasped, “It’s perfect!” “Whatever punks. Just get it out of here, I’ve got people waiting to buy these other two,” Dee rolled his eyes. Roman turned to him, “Dee, you are a disease.” Dee just huffed and stomped up the stairs as Patton turned to Roman and said, “He says punk like it’s a bad thing.” Roman just rolled his eyes, “I don’t care.” Roman and Patton began dismantling the monstrosity and hauling it upstairs. Roman quickly ran outside to grab one of the abandoned shopping carts and they loaded the whole thing inside and rolled it back to the apartment. On their way, Roman asked, “Patton, why couldn’t you decide which one of these to get?” “Well you know me,” Patton laughed. “I suck at making any decisions that actually matter.” “Well, you picked those tuxes we wore to junior prom,” Roman pointed out. Patton gave him a faint smile, “Yeah, I did do that. Oh, we’re here!” But after hauling the animatronic upstairs, the two decided they were too tired to actually put the thing together and headed out to the diner for pizza and perigos. They were quiet for a moment, opting to eat instead of talk, but as they began to slow down, Roman finally tried to ask Patton, “How are you?” Patton looked up in slight shock and swallowed the bit in his mouth. “Oh yeah, I’m good,” he immediately shoved another large bite in his mouth. Roman frowned, poking at the last perigo on his plate. “It’s weird, you know. Seeing you at a real job that you actually go to.” Patton swallowed again, excited, “Yeah! Got to stay on track with the plan!” “The plan?” Roman asked feeling his chest get slightly tight. “Yup!” Patton nodded. “We, Logan and me, have a plan to save up and move out to Bright Harbor next spring! We visited my cousin out there this last summer and it was amazing! It had a pier by the ocean and this cute little candy shop and the town was still up on stilts, but there was no risk of sinkholes. And the sunsets…” Patton trailed off, a wistful smile on his face. Then he perked back up, “But that is where I got my tattoo!” “Your tattoo?” Roman moved his hands below the table to hide that they had started shaking. “Yup! It’s a sheep!” Patton nodded enthusiastically. “And the tattoo guy was like all the way hot and the tattoo didn’t even hurt.” “Oh,” Roman said, trying to hold down a whimper in his throat, keeping a smile on his face that he hoped didn’t look too broken. “Yeah, but that is why I haven’t done a crime in a long time. The plan, it is really important to Logan. And we can’t do it if I get caught or fired. That is why I picked something we wouldn’t actually get in trouble for. I don’t want to ruin it for him,” Patton said. Roman looked up and smiled upon seeing Patton’s smile, despite the tightening in his chest. Finally, he said, “Well, I’m so happy for you, Patton. Getting everything you deserve.” Patton’s smile brightened, which eased some of the tightness in Roman’s chest. The two finished up and Roman waved goodbye to Patton outside his apartment and continued home. He was stopped halfway there upon seeing Virgil, standing outside the Ol’ Pickaxe, locking up the building. “Virgil!” he called out with a wave. Virgil turned his head in muted surprise, “Oh hey Roman. How are you feeling today?” “I’m never drinking again,” Roman said with finality, stopping right in front of him. Virgil raised an eyebrow, “Or you can take it easy next time.” Roman just shook his head. “I don’t think I do moderation very well,” he admitted. Virgil gave a small chuckle, “Now that I can see.” Roman smiled, the tightness in his chest finally easing. “Hey, do you want to hang out or something?” Virgil’s expression dropped back into his default blank as he looked around at the dark world, “You do realize how late it is getting, right?” “Yeah well, I kinda don’t want to go home yet,” Roman reached up to scratch at the back of his neck. Virgil narrowed his eyes slightly, almost looking like he was analyzing Roman and any possible outcomes to the suggestion of hanging out. Finally, he sighed and said, “Okay, fine. Where do you want to hang out?” “How about we go out to the mall in Ft. Leonard-Wood?” Roman suggested. Virgil gave a humourless laugh, “Really? The mall? When was the last time you were there?” “I don’t know. Five years or so. Why?” Roman dropped his hand, confused. Virgil just shook his head, “Never mind. Let’s go.”

Roman ran through the front doors, excitement coming off him in waves as he shouted, “Yes! Ft. Leonard-Wood Mall, here we come!” He skidded to a sudden stop, staring around him in shock as Virgil sauntered in at a much slower pace. “What happened to this place?” he said in a horrified whisper. “The same thing that happens to all things good,” Virgil monotoned as he kept walking past Roman. “The Internet.” Roman slowly started following Virgil, “What happened to the bookstore?” “The Internet,” Virgil repeated. “The Arcade?” “The Internet.” “The-” “You know, I’m just going to make a sign that says ‘The Internet’ and hold it until you’re done talking.” Roman rolled his eyes as he continued to follow Virgil, “Hey, the Dollar Store is still open though.” Virgil stopped and turned to look at the neon yellow light with Roman, “Yeah, well they rip you off anyway.” Roman gasped, “You are so right! I used to think that getting two pencils for a dollar was such a deal! But then I was able to get a pack of twenty for three dollars while at college. They totally ripped me off as a child!” Virgil snorted, “Yeah well, you were young and naive then. Actually, not much has changed.” “Hey!” Roman protested as the two started off on their trek down the mall once more. “Hey Hot Topic! I found the discount emo store!” “No,” Virgil said, coming to a quick stop as Roman ran ahead to the entrance. “We are not going in there.” “Oh, come on! They actually have some cool stuff!” Roman ran back to grab Virgil by the arm and dragged him in. He stopped just within the entrance, staring at the t-shirts on the rack. It was an anarchy symbol that looked way too familiar. Roman turned back to Virgil and saw the exact same t-shirt on him under his hoodie. Virgil’s ears turned red as he wrapped his hoodie tight around him. “Not one word,” he growled. The clerk looked up at them from their magazine. “T-shirts are 20% off,” she droned. “Okay, thank!” Roman said, cheerfully and wandered further back into the store, scanning the rows of pins and rings. “I’m going to steal something,” he whispered. “What!” Virgil’s voice cracked slightly as he hissed back. “You can’t do that! You’re going to get us thrown out!” “Relax! I got this!” Roman waved him off. “It’s just like dinosaurs.” “Dinosaurs?” Virgil raised an eyebrow in confusion. “Yeah, as long as you stay still while they are looking, they won’t see you. Even when you are in the middle of putting the merchandise in your pocket,” Roman explained. “Okay, say you can actually pull this off. What would you steal?” Virgil crossed his arms. Roman’s eyes locked onto a shimmering object on one of the nearby shelves, “A belt buckle.” “Really?” Virgil said, actually sounding a little disappointed. “Yup, big enough for the payoff to be worth it, not so big I would be instantly caught. The perfect size for a petty crime,” Roman said, glancing over to the clerk at the registrar who was way more interested in her phone. “Watch and learn.” Within a minute, the belt buckle had been grabbed and slipped into his pocket. “See, easy-peasy. Now it’s your turn,” Roman smirked at Virgil, poking him in the chest. “What, no! I am a store owner. I know how bad stealing can hurt a business. I’m supposed to call the cops on thieves, not be one,” Virgil protested. “Come on, just something small! And this isn’t a small town store like your business. It is a chain store. One tiny item won’t hurt them any,” Roman’s smirk grew larger as saw Virgil’s eyes darting around, knowing he could get him to give in any minute. Virgil finally sucked in a deep breath and hissed, “Fine, but if anything goes wrong, I’m blaming you.” “Join the club,” Roman said as his smirk changed into an actual grin. “But you have to distract the clerk! I can’t do it thinking I could possibly get caught,” Virgil said, his eyes darting back over to the clerk who had started side-eyeing them. “Not a problem! No one can possibly resist this!” Roman ignored Virgil’s snort as he sauntered over to the clerk who was full-on staring at him as he walked over and Virgil slipped between the shelves. “Hey!” The clerk raised an eyebrow, “Uh-huh?” “I have a question,” Roman said, folding his hands together and leaning forward on the counter. As soon as they left the store, Virgil whispered, “I feel sick about this.” Roman patted him on the back, “Let’s walk it off.” “No seriously,” Virgil insisted. “I really don’t feel good.” Roman looked up at the sign advertising the food court, “Are you hungry?” Virgil shook his head, “All the good places shut down already. You?” “Ate with Patton at the diner,” Roman explained as they sat down at a table in the food court anyway. “Where was Logan?” Virgil asked. “Family stuff,” Roman answered. “So, Patton and I prepared a little present for him when he gets back.” Virgil raised an eyebrow, “What kind of present?” “You know those giant robots that used to be in the front of the old Food Donkey?” “... Yeah.” “We’re fixing up one of those for him.” “He’s not going to like it.” Roman raised an eyebrow in surprise, “Wow, rude.” “I’m serious,” Virgil leaned forward across the table. “I’ve known Logan for a long time. I’d even say I may know him even better than you because you’ve been gone for a while. He’s not going to like it.” “Well, maybe he will appreciate the sentiment? And Patton seems pretty sure,” Roman muttered, playing with the salt and pepper shakers. Virgil sighed, “Maybe.” He pushed himself to his feet, “Okay, let’s go.” Roman hopped to his own feet, “Where are we going?” Virgil reached into his jean pocket and dropped a pin into Roman’s hand, “You’re going to return this and that shiny, cheap belt buckle in your back pocket.” “What?” Roman turned as Virgil brushed by him, starting off. Virgil just waved for Roman to follow him. “Fine!” Roman moaned, throwing his head back dramatically as he dragged his feet and followed Virgil back to the discount emo store. Virgil made him walk in alone but stopped upon meeting the clerk’s eyes. “T-shirts are 20% off,” they monotoned again. “You said,” Roman walked forward, dropping the stolen merchandise on the counter. “I’m here to return these.” “Did you-” they leaned forward to examine the merchandise closer but was stopped by Roman holding up a hand. “I know, I know. We were merely fighting against the greater evil that is capitalism, but then we remember that capitalism doesn’t care about two such insignificant objects. Even if they will still punish you for such a crime. And we are fighting for the dust of the earth as we ourselves are. Stay strong, beautiful dreamer. You have nothing to lose, but you’re dreams,” Roman turned and walked out of the store. “What?” he heard the clerk say behind him. Roman walked back up to Virgil and the two started for the door, “I never want to come back.” “Don’t have to convince me,” Virgil agreed.

Roman was running, from what he couldn’t say. Some sort of bear-pig hybrid thing, but it was chasing him as he vaulted over edges of buildings and ducked through dark alleyways. The layout of this strange town didn’t make any sense. Why didn’t it make any sense? Why was he running around in circles? Why? Why? Why did he stop? Why was everything dissolving into white light? Where was he? Where? Who?

#sanders sides #roman sanders #patton sanders #virgil sanders #my writing #faith writes