#also i’m v sorry jake looks like that I can Not draw him for some reason

[leonisdumbasallhell]

would u consider drawing jake and piers just hanging out? doesn’t have to be shippy but could be if u wanted to

#resident evil #piers nivans #jake muller #idk what their ship name is y’all can figure it out #or i’ll come up w somethn dumb #anyway did y’all know jake is fucking Tall #sketch requests #also i’m v sorry jake looks like that I can Not draw him for some reason #i have been informed the ship name is #mullvans

[colorsunimaginable]

the spare // chapter sixty-eight // death eater ! tom hiddleston oc x plus size ofc - voldemort wins au

story summary: 

While on a mission to avenge the death of her best friend, Ilvermorny graduate Melisa Alder finds herself in the middle of the fight to defeat Voldemort. Upon capture after the Dark Lord's triumph, she's being sold at an auction with other muggle borns and blood traitors. Her only hope is also her only bidder - the tall, dark, and handsome Thomus Malfoy, Lucius Malfoy's younger half-brother. Is he just another Death Eater or is he hiding more than just his face beneath the mask? Will she realize her true potential to be one of the resistance's greatest weapons?

*a Voldemort Wins AU with Tom Hiddleston cast as an OC x a plus size protagonist* *takes place in The Auction universe by Lovesbitca8*

words for this fic: 6.7k warnings for this chapter: p in v, fingering, dirty talk

a million boops to my beta reader banners by @cafekitsune

CHAPTER MASTERLIST

Chapter Sixty-Eight:

Cliveden’s gardens at night in the winter are beautiful. They’re vast and eerily empty, though that could just be the stillness of the night. Victorian lamp posts light the way and with the gently falling snow, kinda gives me Narnia vibes.

 I wander around, careful to stick to the crunchy gravel paths and keep the main house in sight. This isn’t the first time I’ve had such an opportunity for escape. Yeah, I could Apparate anywhere, but why? Now that a plan will be in place, what’s the point? It’s exactly what I wanted. 

Movement draws my eye and I catch Diana’s head above the shrubbery, heading in my direction. I’m not ready to go inside yet, so I sit on a nearby bench and wait for her to join me.

“Did they send you to make sure I was still here?” I ask, mostly teasing.

“Kyle did,” she admits as she sits next to me. She’s all bundled up in a stylish thick wool coat while I’m just fine in my Ilvermorny sweater and Thomus’ scarf. “But that’s alright, I’d much rather talk to you.”

Instantly my guard's up. “About what?”

She hesitates for a moment, but I give her my best encouraging expression, despite my raging nerves. 

“Well, I wanted to ask how you feel about Thomus.”

I blink, my eyebrows shooting up. “Oh, um, well, I -”

“It’s just that Jake seems to think you genuinely care about him because of how adamant you are about his safety,” she says. “Now that I’ve met you and I’ve seen you two together, I think he’s right, but I wonder if it’s more than that.”

I think about my answer for a few moments, but respond with a question instead. “Is this because you two used to date?”

She immediately shakes her head and chuckles. “Definitely not. It didn’t last longer than a month or two and it was a long time ago.”

“Did-did he break up with you?” I ask with some hesitation.

“I dumped him actually,” she says. “He just… When we hung out or went on dates, his mind always seemed like it was elsewhere.  The only time he seemed fully present and invested was when we…” she trails off. 

“When what?” I prompt.

She gives me a sheepish expression. “Sorry, it might be a bit TMI.”

I shrug and shake my head. “Don’t worry. There’s no such thing as TMI for me. I need everything.” Even if that information guts me. I’d always rather know.

“When we were sleeping together,” she says all in one breath.

I don’t say anything, waiting to hear more. “Oh, is that it?”

Her eyebrows tilt up in sympathy. “I suppose if I were in your situation I wouldn’t want to hear about it.”

“Yeah,” I say, looking down. “I can see that. Do you know what he was so focused on?”

“Well, I know his mother had passed away a few months before and then there was… her .”

“Bellatrix,” I sigh knowingly.

“He visited her every couple weeks - no matter what. I didn’t even know he was still going after we started dating. When I confronted him, he insisted there was nothing physical going on between them, but I… had my doubts. He told me he stopped going after that, but I know he went back after it ended,” she explains. “Does he still see her often?”

“I… have no idea honestly.”

“Have you not asked?”

I shake my head. “Why would I?”

“Because you two are…” she sighs. “It’s complicated, I know.”

“There’s a massive power imbalance between us and I’m not going to let myself forget that, regardless of how I feel.”

“What about how he feels?” she asks gently.

“If anything he feels is real, then why am I still his prisoner?” I answer a little too quickly. “He doesn’t see me as his equal. I don’t want to belong to him like I’m some kind of possession. I want a partner willing to rely on me as I want to rely on them in return. How can anyone be devoted to an object?” I finish by inhaling sharply, having taken short breaths during my lament. 

Her lips press together as she regards me with a cautious look. “The world has really changed since Harry Potter died,” she says. “No one is doing well - especially muggleborns. No one has been able to fly under the radar since they started implementing some kind of forced registry.” She pauses and then chuckles. “And you would not be able to go unnoticed.”

I sigh. “It’s the hair isn’t it?”

“Actually, no,” she says. “You’d be surprised how popular some of these articles about you have been.”

Now this, I’m taken aback. "Articles? As in more than one?"

"I'm afraid so. The best one is from the New York Ghost , but Witch Weekly's was pretty nice. Does someone have it out for you at The Daily Prophet , by any chance?"

"Probably Rita Skeeter," I grumble. I want to know what they've been saying about me. "Though I'm surprised I was interesting enough for one article, let alone multiple."

"I disagree," she says. "I think what you're doing is very brave. You haven't given up despite all these odds stacked against you. Honestly, I was really excited to meet you when I heard you were coming."

I blush, laughing awkwardly. "I, um, I'm sorry, I definitely had no idea you existed until tonight. Thank you for inviting me to that thing on New Years Eve, even though I can't go. It reminded me of what being normal was like."

"No problem!" she smiles. "I would've been glad to have you. You’re super cool and totally normal.” She winks at me and quietly laughs to herself. “But seriously, you should consider thinking that he might just want to keep you safe, where he can protect you.”

“But I can protect myself ,” I gently protest. “It’s because I’ve been under his ‘care’ that I’ve been vulnerable! He has to realize that.”

Her eyes soften with sympathy. “I think he does, because there was one weekend Jake told me about. He’d just met you and Thomus in Edinburgh and you’d been… assaulted while they’d all just been standing there, unknowing. He said he’d never seen Thomus be that violent before - violent without using magic that is.”

I stare at her eye-wided, enthralled with this story. This change in perspective. 

“And then the next night, there’d been this party Thomus got drunk at and Jake said he could tell something was really bothering him. Apparently, he was really reluctant to talk about it, too.”

I scoff. “I hope he got over himself and opened up so you can share this information with me now.”

“Yeah, so he finally said he blamed himself for being an idiot and not paying better attention. Like, it really hit him that your safety was in his hands.”

I… don’t know what I’m allowed to feel. My heart wants to swoon and my mind wants to roll its eyes. Except, if he’s not as terrible as I thought, am I allowed to hope? 

“I think I remember when he came home,” I admit. “We continued drinking and he asked me how I felt - which was very new for us at the time.”

Diana smiles ruefully. “Does he get points for trying, at least?”

“We’ll see,” I say. “I’m definitely nervous that it could all just be a… fling to him.”

Diana startles me by releasing a loud cackle.

“A fling?!” she bellows, struggling to catch her breath. “Oh honey, you’re delusional.”

“What? No!” I protest. “I’m being realistic.”

“Oh Lady Morgana,” she says, wiping tears from her eyes and standing. “Come on, let’s go inside before my fingers fall off.”

~*~

By the early hours of the morning, I’m utterly exhausted. 

Kyle had changed his mind and decided to tell me his roughly outlined plan. It’s not terrible, but luckily the rough bits still have time to be hammered out. I should have plenty of notice before I have to leave, plenty of time for contingencies.

Thomus is out like a light, still snoring softly, when I return. I try to be as quiet as possible as I strip down to my undies and crawl into the massive four-poster bed with him. 

It must not be massive enough, though, because just me softly rolling into position beneath the covers is enough to rouse a few sleepy words from him.

“Darling?” he rasps and I feel his hands reach for me in the dark.

“Hi,” I whisper. “Sorry I woke you.”

He hums and pulls himself closer, resting his head on my chest. “How did we get back to the cottage?” he says sleepily, curling himself against me.

“We didn’t,” I say, running a hand through his hair and the other over his shoulders. “We’re still at Cliveden.”

“Hm, I don’t remember getting here.”

His tone isn’t setting off any alarm bells. It’s low and gravelly, like he’s not entirely awake yet.  He’s just mindlessly chatting and I just have to be casual.

“Well, you were very drunk,” I say. “You passed out playing Exploding Snap. Jake had to levitate you up here.”

His arm around my waist tightens, pulling me tighter against him. “You didn’t leave.”

I don’t say anything, panic instantly spiking my heart rate, and I hope he’s not awake enough to pay attention.

“You could have, but you didn’t,” he continues. “Not that I’d blame you if you did.”

I stay silent, trying to convince myself that his calm demeanor is because whatever he’s talking about, couldn’t be about the drama of the night. There's no way he was awake enough to hear what we said. 

“No,” I murmur. “I didn’t.”

“What room did he put us in?” he murmurs.

I let out a sudden strained laugh. “You’d never guess.”

~*~

On New Year’s Eve, Thomus leaves again. He says it’s to finish last minute tasks for the Gala and whatnot and I feel… depressed… again. I’m mostly uninterested in eating - I ate a bologna and cheese sandwich for dinner. I’m not in the mood to read, listen to music or watch any movies, but I’ve had The Nanny on all day - just to make the house less quiet.

So I just go to bed at the blessed hour of 8pm. 

I’ve barely been in bed for longer than fifteen minutes when the easily recognizable sound of the Floo roaring to life drifts up the stairs. I’ve sat up by the time Thomus finds me.

“In bed already?” he asks, surprised. “On New Year's Eve?”

I shrug, holding the blanket up to my naked chest. “It’s not the easiest holiday to spend by yourself.”

Thomus sits on the edge of the bed, swiftly leaning in to kiss my cheek. “And I don’t intend for you to, I agree completely.” He jumps up, taking long strides through the bathroom to my room, where I hear him opening the wardrobe. I sigh, scooting to the edge to throw my legs over it. It’s just my luck I was already in bed.

“A little warning might have been nice,” I say when he returns, arm cradling a black hoodie and black leggings. 

He takes one look at me and the next moment he’s tossing my clothes on the bed and crowding into my space. His large hands cradle my head as he braces me for his lips on mine. He leans in and I have to prop my arms behind me so we don’t fall backward. Of course this causes the blanket to fall and his hand swoops down to cup and grope my chest, the attention causing my nipples to harden. 

His kisses take my breath away and my thighs are quick to part for him. His hips slide right into the space provided, grinding his hard-on against me. My kisses slacken because all of my attention goes right to my throbbing clit and I desperately whimper.  

His hips rock against me one more time before he pulls away, both of us breathless. His eyes trail down my body as he speaks. “We don’t have much time,” he says. “I will have to savor you later.”

When he steps completely away from me, I’m left cold, so I quickly slide on the oversized hoodie as he adjusts himself in his pants.

“Savor me?” I ask when I stand, stepping into the pants one leg at a time.

He chuckles, watching me wiggle the waistband up over my hips and stomach. “I thought it was a bit more romantic than fuck.”

Ping . There goes the tiniest fracture in my heart for him. I scramble for something clever or funny to say. 

“I suppose it could’ve been worse,” I say, popping in a British accent for the last word. “You could’ve said shag .”

“Cute,” he smirks.

I follow him downstairs, sliding on my socks before I stop at the door for my sneakers and turn for the fireplace.

He clicks his tongue. “Not that way.”

I narrow my eyes and follow him out the door. He takes me to the spot beyond the fence and touches the tattoo before Apparating us to the Manor. The front gates are open and he swiftly takes hold of my tattoo again to get me over the barrier. 

We walk down the entrance path, under gilded arches and golden fairy lights crossing overhead from the tall hedges. Holding my hand, he pulls me around the building along the back toward a door being held open by an elf.

“Miss,” Remmy says to me in a disinterested greeting and drops his voice to a whisper. “Master Thomus, Mistress expects you in fifteen minutes. Master isn’t even dressed -”

“Don’t worry, Remmy, I will be there,” Thomus reassures them as we pass. “Mums the word about Miss Alder, remember?”

“Yes, yes, Remmy remembers,” the elf dismisses. 

Thomus leads me to his room, making sure to use hallways noticeably absent of chatty portraits. A familiar route because of the many times I'd avoided them myself. The moment we’re in his room, he heads for the bathroom, already stripping. There’s a black robed suit hanging from a hook on the door. 

“Please tell me you're not gonna surprise me with a ball gown, are you?” I ask, hopping up onto the bed and toeing my shoes off. 

“I value my neck, thanks,” he remarks, pulling on first his suit pants, then the black button up shirt. “Would you grab me a pair of cufflinks from the closet?”

“Does it matter which one?” I ask, knowing he's got a variety. 

“No.”

By the time I emerge from the closet, elegant silver M stamped cufflinks in hand, he’s already dressed. He smiles at me as I pass him the tiny pieces of metal. 

“All you have to do is wait for a few hours,” he says, his mood curiously… cheerful? “Go back to sleep if you'd like - just don't leave this room. Only Remmy knows you're here.” 

“Why all the fuss?” I ask, my eyes greedily taking his suited form in. I suppress the desire to pull him close by his silk tie for a kiss. He looks too suave and sophisticated and… way out of my league.

“For the simple reason that I don’t want certain guests to know you’re here,” he explains, stepping into the bathroom once again. I hear him spritz a bottle of something.

“And why is that again?” 

He glides out of the bathroom, passing me by with a quick peck to my cheek. “I’ll see you in a few hours.”

I completely ignore the fact he didn’t answer my question, because I’m way too distracted by his suddenly fragrant cologne. I breathe in lung-fulls of cedar and pine, trying not to swoon in his wake as he pulls out his wand to light the fireplace. 

Then he’s gone, the door audibly locking behind him.

~*~

Well, I definitely try to sleep. Except I wasn’t even tired when I climbed into bed the first time.

First I change into a purple wispy nightgown with a deep vee in the neck that stops at my thighs. Then I change out of it when the frills around the short sleeves become too itchy under the covers, opting instead for a simpler one with long sleeves and a hem that falls around my ankles. 

All this, just to be uncomfortable in every position I try. Nevermind the fact my mind keeps doing laps of worrying, wondering who exactly Thomus doesn’t want to know I’m here. Rodolphus? Bellatrix? Is he dancing and flirting with her while her husband tracks me down this very moment? 

Finally I give up and decide to grab a handful of Thomus’ old Daily Prophets and settle on the cushioned bench in the alcove of one of his windows. I sit sideways on it, my back against the wall with the door in my line of sight. 

I’m about to cast a subtle illumination spell to help my poor eyesight in this dim lighting when movement out the window catches my eye. It’s the curtains billowing out of the open doors to the ball room - or the large drawing room as Narcissa calls it. Golden light spills from windows and the doorway  as the guests' shadows and silhouettes move within. Some are moving swiftly as if dancing while some are mingling. Before I can think better of it, I’m pushing open the French window closest to me.

I hear boisterous laughter and the low hum of chatter, and best of all, music drifts up to me like a leaf in the breeze. It’s the exact kind of music I’d imagine would play at a ball like this, and I can’t help but picture myself down there, in some pretty dress twirling around the room with Thomus.

I sit there, content to listen to the string quartet and people watch. Some come outside for the cool air, others to have a private word alone with each other. 

Hermione is relatively easy to spot. Her black gown is ridiculously puffy around the skirt, but synched skin-tight in the bodice, and even from here I can see the jewels glittering on her chest. I’m surprised to see Draco by her side, dressed head to toe in white. They linger by the door, always surrounded by ladies vying for his attention. I can’t help but notice how his hand slowly caresses her back, almost… lovingly from her waist up to her shoulders and nape when he thinks no one is watching.

Thankfully, I don’t see Bellatrix, but I also don’t see Thomus, either. An inconsequential fact I try not to linger on.

I don’t know how long I sit like that, but eventually Thomus returns, quietly stepping into the room with two empty champagne glasses and a bottle.

“I kinda feel like Cinderella wanting to go to the ball,” I say softly as he approaches. He looks politely puzzled and before he can ask, I explain, “It’s just a No-Maj fairytale.”

“Ah,” he hums. He takes hold of the forgotten newspapers on the other side of the bench and raises an eyebrow.

I feel a blush creep up my throat and try to keep my tone nonchalant. “I… maybe like to read your articles,” I say. “It’s crazy to think we both spent time at The Daily Prophet , but at different times so we never ran into each other.”

I feel like I’m rambling, but how could I not? He looks and smells far too dashing for me to think clearly. 

“It is a bit ironic,” he says, replacing his papers where I’d gotten them from before returning. He takes up the rest of the bench, his back to the window, and places the glasses and bottle on the floor next to him.

“Do you think things might’ve been different if we’d met there instead?” I ask hesitantly, knowing all too well his opinions on ‘what if’s. “Before?”

Thomus sighs heavily and the air puffs out his cheeks. He raises an eyebrow and gives me a sideways look. “Honestly?”

I nod. “Yeah, always.”

“Hm, I think…” his mouth downturns as he speaks, his voice betraying his amusement. “I’d find you the most annoying person on the planet.”

A disbelieving laugh bursts out. “What?!”

He nods, completely solemn. “Oh yeah, always asking questions, always bothering me.”

“Oh no, I’d have to talk to you about our job ,” I say with dramatic sarcasm, trying and failing to keep the smile off my face. “Oh no, what a nightmare.”

Thomus grabs my ankle, lifting my foot so he can shift closer, until my calf rests on his opposite thigh. That hand slides from my ankle all the way up my leg, and I’m disappointed it’s not under my nightgown. “It would have been an absolute nightmare to have you prance into my office every bloody day,” he continues as his fingers meet the crease at my hip and wedge themselves in. Then they keep traveling and grip all the plentiful flesh there. “I’d never be able to get any work done because I’d constantly be thinking about bending you over my desk.”

My eyes run laps over the sharp lines of his face, trying to determine if he’s serious. “Is that so?”

Thomus’ eyes drop to my mouth, his free hand brings his thumb to brush my lower lip. “These would be the worst. With every meddlesome question you ask, I’d only be able to think about how they’d taste.”

I’m holding my breath - my heart thudding, my ears burning. I’m suddenly very unnecessarily conscious of how far my glasses have slipped down my nose, the cool breeze from the window across my chest, and how heavy I’m breathing over his thumb. And for some reason his accent is doing funny things to my insides right now, of all times. 

His voice is low, husky, and oh, so hot. “I’d be thinking about how you’d sound when I touched you. And yes, I say when . I could only endure such torture for so long before I wouldn’t be able to keep my hands off you.”

I snort, a disbelieving smile breaking out under his thumb. “You make me sound like some kind of irresistible vixen.” A chuckle rumbles out of his chest, but I keep going. “Well, I have good news for you - I wouldn’t object to any of that.”

“Is that so?” His hand caresses from my jaw to my neck. 

I bite my lip to control my grin. “Well, yeah. Why do you think I’d be bothering you so much in the first place?”

Thomus lets out a breathy chuckle and sits back, his eyes crinkling in the corners. I can only stare, mesmerized by seeing genuine happiness on his face.

“So,” I say brightly. “Are you enjoying this party you put so much effort into preparing?”

His smile fades. “Not as much as I ought to, I suppose.”

“Oh, why not?” I ask, placing my hand over his one on my neck, feeling along the lines of his knuckles and fingers.

“The people down there…” he starts, eyes gazing out the window, “the only thing I’ve ever been to them is a source for gossip and scandal. And then the few who look past all that see the Malfoy name and nothing else.”

I let that process. “So what you’re saying is you’re a real catch?”

He bursts out laughing, the hand from my hip reaching up to scratch his chin. “Yeah, for those desperate to social climb.”

“So you’re a desperately eligible bachelor ?” I tease with a bit more drama to my tone. “How interesting. All the finest debutantes must be lining up down there, so what ever are you doing up here with me?”

“I’m a little old for debutantes.” He settles toward me into a more relaxing position, pulling his knee up and pressing his calf onto the bench under my thighs. With his face closer to mine now, his softly spoken words are loud and clear. “And besides, your company is vastly preferable over theirs.”

My face floods with heat and I crumble under his direct eye contact. My mouth suddenly feels as dry as the desert while I’m forced to figure out some kind of intelligent reply. “Quite shocking, really,” I say, my voice a whisper until I clear my throat, swallowing down some nerves. “Who wouldn’t want to hang out with the wizarding world’s most crankiest?”

He laughs again. “Are you talking about me or them?”

I’m about to answer, but a dull tapping sound coming from the party draws my attention. The guests are returning inside, tapping their wands against their champagne glasses. 

“Ten minutes to midnight,” Thomus explains. “Lucius and Narcissa are about to make their toast.”

I slip my other hand around the one he has at my neck, both of mine cradling it near my chest as I glance at the clock on his mantle. “I guess that means you have to go?”

“Probably,” he admits slowly. “But I’m here.”

“Hold on, speaking of being here, isn’t Draco supposed to be in Switzerland?” I jut in, my eyes easily finding him and Hermione on the edge of the crowd. 

“He is and Lucius is absolutely furious,” he sighs. “I can’t believe he’d be so foolish.”

“Well, it's obvious, right?” I ask, side-eying him, unsure if this is something I could even talk about. “He’s like, really into Hermione.”

A few moments tick by in silence as I stare at the crowd below. I glance at him to see his eyes had been on me the whole time, his expression pensive. When our eyes meet, he holds them for a moment before his gaze follows his hand as both of his gently hold mine instead. He pulls back my left sleeve, his fingers lightly tracing his name inked on my skin. Then he goes further, tracing the white puckered lines of the scar Bellatrix left me. 

“What’re you thinking about?” I whisper.

His lips curl ruefully. “I’m thinking about how much of a hypocrite I am. I’ve called him foolish when here I am,” he says. “Unable to stay away.”

“From what?” I breathe, feeling stupid the moment I finish. My heart is beating so hard I wonder if he can feel my pulse where he holds my arm.

Thomus’ eyes hold on my arm, avoidant of my own. His voice is soft like he's telling me a secret. “I snuck you in tonight because I couldn’t bear not spending it with you.”

My eyebrows come together and I feel my head shake. “It’s just another year.”

“No,” he says, his eyes flashing up to mine, adamant. “Moments like these are important, to spend with those who are important. That’s why they’re all gathered down there, isn’t it? To go into the New Year praising the Dark Lord’s reign, congratulating themselves for their accomplishments this year.” He looks back down at our hands, at his name. “I know I don’t have much to celebrate in that regard, but I do know that you’re important to me… and frankly I'm tired of pretending otherwise.”

I can only stare at him. Unable to think, unable to breathe . How could he say something like that? 

When I finally have to draw breath after what feels like an eternity, I only get to say his name. “Thomus -”

The loud popping of fireworks bursts from below, along with some cheer that has me turning my gaze away only briefly. I turn back and Thomus’ mouth descends on mine. 

The kiss is full and wonderful, but short. He pulls back inches away to search into my gaze, like he’s asking for permission, like he’s making sure what he just said was okay. 

It was more than okay. It’s exactly what my heart wants to hear, even though my own stubborn insecurities push doubt into my mind. 

I can’t say anything back. I can’t tell him how I feel.

But I can show him.

Our lips meet again in a rush. At least it feels like that to me, like we just can’t bare being apart anymore. I pour my heart and soul into this kiss. My hands find their way into his hair, his caress and grip every part of my body he can reach. 

Soon I’m pushing him back so I can climb onto his lap. He’s pulled up my nightgown and the cool air feels amazing on my bare legs. I’ve got one foot on the floor and the other is bent at the knee, helping control my balance while I’m grinding on him. 

He keeps pulling me to him, my weight rocking into him, and I brace a hand on the wall in the bay window as he falls further back, keeping me upright. His hands slip under my nightgown, roaming my thighs. I adjust my hips, feeling brave enough to put both hands on his chest to steady me. His suit pants can’t hide how hard he is. I try to use that as a reminder he’s genuinely into me. No matter how many times I’m in his lap, it’s still hard to believe he wants me here. 

“How long till you have to go back?” I ask with controlled breaths. 

He growls. “Just fuck me, baby.” His fingers painfully dig into my hips as he pulls me down, undulating his hips against me. “I don’t want to be anywhere else.”

There are things I want to blurt out, simple little words swelling in my chest that threaten to ruin everything. 

But if I confess how I feel, it wouldn’t change anything. I’ll still be his prisoner. His possession.

I don’t wanna be an object. I long to be more .

My hands slide up his chest to meet at his neckline, shoving my fingers into the knot on his tie. I don’t bother pulling it all the way off before I go at his buttons, not stopping until his muscled chest and abdomen are revealed. My hips rock, rubbing my pussy over his cock straining to be let free. 

Then I jump up, standing to shimmy my undies to the floor. Thomus sits up and shrugs off his suit jacket, pulling off his tie completely. I pause, waiting to return to my seat, but then he looks at me, his eyes raking me up and down. 

“I want that off,” he says, referring to the only article of clothing I have left. 

I struggle not to make a face, because I still have a hard time being completely naked in front of him. If we were in bed, that would be different. This just feels too exposed.

I grip the material around my hips and step toward him. “Take it off for me?” I ask.

Lust-filled eyes lock on mine and his hands go to my thighs, sliding them up my sides, taking the gown with them. I raise my arms to help him pull it off the rest of the way and a blast of cool air from the window makes goosebumps rise all over me. It sends a shiver through my body and my nipples harden.

When my arms are free, I step even closer and cup his face, pressing my lips to his. I kiss him softly, from one corner of his mouth to the other. While I distract his mouth with sweet kisses, one hand takes off my glasses and the other goes to his belt.

Of course, I can only use one brain cell at a time, so my mouth becomes distracted when I struggle with undoing his belt. I just pull my mouth away all together so I can get a visual on my hands. I glance up at Thomus’ face to find his heated gaze focused on mine. 

“Sorry,” I mutter, looking down at the matter at hand. “Not very sexy, I know.”

“Oh, on the contrary,” he says and inhales sharply when my hands finally wrap around his swollen cock. My palms glide up and down gently before giving it a firm squeeze. My thumb circles his head, spreading a bead of pre-cum, and he leans forward, lips and tongue tracing a path from my neck to my breasts. One of his big hands cups my breast and when he immediately bites down on my nipple, I gasp and whimper. His tongue soothes away the pain, swirling around the stiff peak. 

His other hand slides down my thigh, fingers feeling the dimples and divots until they hook behind my knee. My hands go to his shoulders for balance as he lifts my foot until it’s on the bench. His fingers quickly glide back up my thigh, this time underneath it to where it’s most sensitive and softest. 

Thomus’ lips release my nipple and he pulls back enough to see my face. “I think you’re very sexy,” he murmurs. “From this pretty little pussy of yours” - his fingers glide through my folds, teasingly spreading the slipperiness from the center to my clit - “to those lips I just can’t seem to get enough of.”

His thumb presses in on my clit and my train of thought struggles to stay on track. “You’re pretty hot too,” I say breathily. “You’ve got these shoulders and thighs and hands that just -” My words are cut off by a moan when he slips two fingers inside me.

“That just what?” he teases, unmistakably smug. 

It takes me a moment to answer because his thumb in combination with his fingers curling against my g-spot have my hips rocking and my brain turning to mush. My breaths come in short pants and my eyes are pinched closed, focused on riding the pleasurable waves his fingers are orchestrating. 

“Concentrate, darling,” he presses. “Answer me.”

“Hands,” I gasp, my fingers digging into his shoulders, “hands that do terrible… awful things to me.”

His fingers turn aggressive, pressing harder and rhythmic as he hums in approval. “That’s a good girl.”

His lips return to my nipple and that pushes me past the point of no return. A stream of curses and Thomus’ name tumble from my mouth. My toes curl and my body goes stiff as my orgasm washes over me. Thomus slows his long fingers, but still presses in hard on my g-spot as my pussy pulses around him.

When I can finally breathe again, I push at Thomus’ shoulders and he leans back, bringing his drenched digits up to his mouth. He groans at my taste and resituates himself on the bench, pushing his pants and briefs past his thighs. I’m still dazed from my orgasm when Thomus pulls me on top of him. He holds his cock at the base and guides me until he’s sliding home, deep inside my pussy. 

“Oh fuck,” I moan, my eyes closing. This position never fails to put him as deep inside as possible, and if I really sit on his lap, he’s hitting my cervix. But that would be painful, so instead I move my hips around slowly, figuring out what angle works best and won’t kill my thighs. One particular move makes him groan and my eyes flutter open to find his locked intently on me, watching my body move. I definitely found the right one.

I start to go a little faster, a little harder. I have a hand on a window pane and the other grasping his shoulder to stabilize me. My thighs are burning, but the pain isn’t enough to make me stop. He’s inside me, and I love being connected like this. What I feel for him never feels more real than it does in moments like this. When I can’t be in denial.

With the increasing intensity of my hips, little whimpers start to tumble from my mouth alongside my panting. My bottom lip is nailed between my teeth and as I can feel my orgasm hurtling towards me, fuck is the only word coming out of my mouth. 

Whenever he feels they could use more attention, his hands never fail to stray to my breasts. Supporting them as they bounce and sway, leaning forward to kiss and nibble at my nipples. 

“So fucking beautiful,” I hear him grind out above the steady and erotic sound of our bodies joining. 

My orgasm is close - so, so close. I’m starting to go crazed, desperate to cum again. Thomus is, too. I can hear it in his voice as he groans.

“Baby, I need you to cum on me.” His voice is strained like he’s in utter agony. 

I let out a frustrated whimper as I pause to grind on his lap, hoping for an angle that hits my clit. 

“I need - can you - ?” I gasp out. 

I don’t even have to finish my sentence before his fingers wiggle in under my belly. My pussy’s so slippery, the pads of his fingers find the hood of my clit and press in, rubbing it in circles. My hips jerk, bouncing up and down on his cock, continuing even as my orgasm finally crashes over my body. I throw my head back as my back arches. His body stiffens below me as he cums, groaning out his pleasure.

“Beautiful darling, well done,” he pants with praise after we both have a chance to breathe, his voice shaking. “I lov-”

Thomus is abruptly cut off by loud banging on his door.

We both jump like we’ve been hit. There’s a moment where our eyes meet and I see panic cross his face just as it does on mine. 

“Thomus!” a familiar man’s voice calls from beyond the door. 

Thomus blinks, his expression hardening. He brings a finger up to his lips, warning me to be quiet. “Closet,” he whispers. “Go. Now.”

Nodding, my legs are like jelly as I push myself off of him. He’s hastily throwing on his suit as I bend to scoop up my nightgown and undies. I dash for the closet. It’s dark enough I can just hide behind the open door. Instead of the nightgown though, I opt for my pants and hoodie. Plus a pair of Thomus’ socks while I’m at it because mine are lost in the sheets somewhere.

While I’m desperately dressing, the man at the door calls for Thomus again. “Where have you been, Thomus? I’ve been sent to fetch your ungrateful ass.”

I squeeze behind the closet door to peek through the crack between the hinges just as Thomus strides to the door. He’s fully dressed and smoothing back his hair with his fingers. He pauses to take a deep breath before opening the door. 

It’s Rodolphus. 

“What do you want,” Thomus demands, sounding amazingly composed.

Rodolphus leans a hand on the doorframe. “You missed your brother’s toast,” he says, a mocking lilt to his tone. His hair is disheveled, the tie to his tux hangs loose around his neck. “How could you have missed this moment to show support for the Dark Lord? Your family? ”

“I don’t answer to you,” Thomus says. He keeps his back straight and his chin up.

Rodolphus puts a finger to his chin, tapping it. “And then I remembered a few other times you’ve mysteriously disappeared from similar events,” Rodolphus continues before abruptly shoving past Thomus into the room. Thomus tries grabbing his coat tails, but he somehow avoids him.

Rodolphus stops in the middle of the room, eyeing it while slowly turning back to Thomus. He inhales heavily through his nose and steps back towards the window with the bench. “A moment ago, I was convinced you were up here fucking my wife,” he says casually. He reaches for something on it and my anxiety explodes in my chest the moment I see him pick up my glasses. “Of course, I was only half-right. This room reeks of sex, but my wife has never hid.”

Rodolphus drops my glasses and stomps on them with his shoe, crushing my lenses under his sole. The glass crunches as he turns, backing up towards the closet. Thomus watches him with furious eyes. His hands are empty, but I know in the blink of an eye he’d have his wand.

“I’m surprised you can still get it up for her since her… accident ,” Rodolphus taunts. “She’s utterly repulsing if you ask me.”

“I didn’t,” Thomus bites.

He’s so close to the closet. My fingers feel for anything on the shelf behind me and immediately feel the unmistakable smooth metal of Thomus’ shoehorn, the very one I tried to pummel him with. 

Maybe New Year’s Eve kisses are good luck.

I raise it over my head as he steps to the doorway.

“Your silence is very telling,” Rodolphus chuckles as he slowly steps into the closet. I hear his footsteps on the wood floor as he disappears on the other side of the door.

I’ve shoved my anxiety down enough so I don’t panic as he reappears, wand scanning the room.

Just as he turns to me, I transfigure the shoehorn into a dagger, and hold it up to his throat.

#tom hiddleston #writing #the auction #plus size reader #tom hiddleston x reader #harry potter fanfiction #voldemort wins au #slowburn #enemies to lovers #the spare #dramione #tom hiddleston x ofc #tom hiddleston x plus size ofc #plus size oc #hurt/comfort #deatheater!tomhiddleston #tom hiddleston oc x plus size ofc #tom hiddleston imagine #tom hiddleston angst #tom hiddleston fluff #tom hiddleston fan fiction #harry potter au #new years fic

[amydancepants-peralta]

(maybe this time) I’ve hit a home run ⚾️♥️

(a one-shot inspired by @jamy-peraltiago‘s fandom challenge prompts, written in a flash of inspiration!) (x) 

*

“Okay, so run me through this one more time.”

Squinting against the sun; Jake turns towards his girlfriend of nine months, a frisson of joy running through him as he realises how seriously she’s taking the task in front of her.  “Fry first, then gummy worm.”  He demonstrates with a grin.  “Another fry, then dip the whole thing into the sundae, and enjoy.”

Amy shoots him a dubious look, following the instructions carefully and trying her very best not to cringe as she shoves the unnaturally colourful combination into her mouth.  From his position closely beside her, Jake grins, and vaguely he hears the commentator’s voice crackle through the speakers around them. 

Today he and Amy are attending a Mets v Phillies game at Citi Field - Amy’s first live baseball game ever - and once they’d made it to their seats, Jake had been eager to show her the combination of snacks that he has long since considered tradition.  “Amazing, right?”

Licking her lips, Amy reaches out to rest a hand on his leg, squeezing gently.  “Two things,” she begins, and Jake nods.  “First, I love you.  And second, please don’t ever make me eat that again.”

Incredulous, Jake lifts up the Peralta Combo in veneration.  “French fries, sour worms and ice-cream?  That’s the perfect combination of salty and sour and sweet, Ames!  It’s a culinary delight.  How can you not love it?”

Shaking her head, Amy takes a sip of beer to wash the taste away, and Jake leans in to kiss the remnants of froth from her upper lip.  “There is SO much sugar in that, babe.  If you ate a whole tray of that, I’m certain you would be able to hear colour and smell sound.”

“And who wouldn’t want that?!”  Tilting his head to the side, he grins.  “You know, I bet magenta has a real screech to it.”

“Definitely a high vibrato of some sort,” Amy nods, and he bends down for another kiss.  “But probably not something we’re ever meant to hear, you know?”  She winces, adjusting the tip of her baseball cap and craning her neck upwards.  “I’m sorry, babe.  I know it’s your favourite snack, but I don’t think I could stomach more of that.”

“Ames, it’s totally fine.  More for me, anyways.”  Giving a reassuring smile, he lowers his treats to the empty seat beside him and wraps his free arm around Amy’s shoulders.  “And I love you too, by the way.”

(It’s still a little exciting, finally being able to vocalise those three little words, and the way they both returned the sentiment so eagerly makes it all the better, every single time - rolling eyes from surrounding audiences be damned.)

The Phillies fans in the stadium cheer as Eickhoff's swing hits the ball with a heavy crack, and as Amy leans forward to watch the action Jake sneaks a peek at her expression, desperately curious to see if she was enjoying the game or not.  He’d been oddly anxious about today; worried that she wouldn’t feel the same thrum of anticipation amongst the crowd, or - even worse - that she’d find the whole thing ridiculous.  Baseball was something that had been a part of his life since he was old enough to remember, and while he wanted to share it with Amy, the fear of her not enjoying the game was stronger than he’d anticipated.  

But then he’d been waiting at his apartment earlier today, nervous as all hell, when she’d shown up in a newly purchased Mets jersey and sneakers that matched his own.  Stood in his kitchen with a proud smile, spouting out stats on some of his favourite players as he’d finished getting ready (all of which had clearly been recently researched); and he knows that this probably sounds ridiculously schmaltzy, but he swears he fell even more in love with her right there and then.  

Eickhoff stops his run at second base, eyeing off the Mets’ shortstop Cabrera as he lobs the ball back to the pitcher, and Amy joins in on the applause that litters the crowd.  “Shortstop - that’s what you used to play, right?” 

Jake nods, his eyes suddenly trained on a moment a few rows forward; watching as a young boy no older than six shares a joke with his father, meeting his offered high five with obvious glee.  “When I was in little league, yeah,” he mumbles as the nostalgia washes over him.  

There was a time when that would have been him; wearing his team jersey with pride as he ate too many hotdogs, laughing with Roger, riding high on his shoulders as they waded through the crowd on their way home.  When they were watching baseball, there weren’t screaming matches filtering through closed doors, or strange lingerie stuffed in-between carseats for him to ignore on the way to school.  At the stadium, it was just Jake and his Dad - a place where, for nine blissful innings, the rest of the world seemed to simply fade away.  

It had been mid-season and a month after Jake’s seventh birthday when Roger had walked away from it all, and now - much like the tin of baseball cards that Jake had stashed far to the back of a cupboard - the value of his memories are only sentimental (but priceless all the same).

Amy’s knee nudges against his thigh, and Jake’s met with a pair of beautifully gentle eyes when he turns towards her.  Her voice is soft as she asks him if he’s okay, and he adjusts the back of his own cap, running a hand along the base of his neck.  “Yeah, I’m fine.  Just … thinking.”

She nods, twisting in her seat and resting her elbow along the back of his.  “Did you keep playing after Roger left?”

Nodding, Jake leans back into his seat, fiddling with his hat again as the memory of sitting at Sal’s Pizza for hours after the game, just in case Roger might swing by, surfaces from the corner of his mind.  “Just for the rest of the season.  I guess for a while there, I had sorta convinced myself that he would be coming back any day now.  My plan was to just keep doing everything I normally did, so that when he did come back, it would almost feel like he’d never left.”  Amy’s hand falls onto the nape of his neck, sweeping slowly in soothing strokes, and he sighs, relaxing into her touch.  “But as the months went by, and the phone calls grew fewer, the idea of putting the uniform on again just seemed … I don’t know … wrong.”

Letting out a tiny hum of assent, Amy’s fingers card into the bottom of Jake’s hair.  “You still like watching the game, though?”

He nods again, a smile growing onto his face as he explained his mother’s insistence on taking him to games after Roger left.  “She’d never quite gotten a grip on the right terminology, and always cheered for both teams regardless of who was playing; but her enthusiasm was definitely contagious.”  It had worked incredibly well at reigniting the love Jake once had for the game, and over the years he’d branched out and watched matches with college buddies and friends from the academy alike.  

It was unexpected - but also so completely typical of dating someone like Amy - for today to be the day when all of his childhood memories came out in force.  “Sorry, babe.  I’m really dragging the vibe down here.  Maybe we should - mmmh - ” Jake’s last few words die in his mouth as his girlfriend presses her lips against his, the palm of her hand resting against his cheek in a kiss that he only knows as being quintessentially Amy.  

She smiles when they part, brushing away a stray lock of hair from his fringe.  “You don’t ever need to apologise for talking about your past, Jake.  I want to hear all of it, regardless of where we are.  If it matters to you, it matters to me.”

Mumbling another I love you, Jake draws Amy in for a longer kiss, hand wrapping around her waist and pulling away only when the crowd cheers at Herrera’s fly ball.  It was pretty amazing, how talking about memories with Amy rarely felt painful, and on days like today he has the strongest instinct that it’s largely because with her, he can already see his future taking shape.  

Leaning her body into his, Amy’s arm comes to rest comfortably on top of his upper thigh as she turns her attention back to the game in front of them, and softly she murmurs, “This is way better than watching the game in Manny’s living room.”

The sun feels warm against Jake’s skin as he links their fingers together, planting a kiss to the top of her baseball cap in silent agreement.  It was a beautiful day in a lot of ways - the Met’s current lead of 2-0 a fine example - and getting to spend it with Amy made it all the better.  

It’s at the bottom of the third inning that Amy twists away from Jake, rustling through her backpack before returning to her previous position and holding up a bag of nuts with unconstrained pride.  “I thought we might get snacky.”

“You really are the perfect woman.”

“I bet you say that to all the girls you bring here.”

Wrapping his hand around Amy’s wrist, Jake squeezes gently.  “Apart from my mom, and occasionally Gina, you’re the only girl I’ve brought here, Ames.”  It’s a small distinction, but one he feels is important to make, and the soft smile that Amy gives him in return reaffirms his instinct.  

She kisses his cheek, brushing her lips against his skin as she moves to whisper in his ear.  “Keep talking like that Peralta, and you’re going to see some solid third base action tonight.”  Another kiss, this time to the base of his earlobe.  “Maybe even a home run, once you see what I’ve got on underneath this jersey.”

(It’s an entirely new experience, trying to avoid getting an erection in a stadium while your girlfriend chuckles softly beside you - but one that Jake doesn’t totally hate, if only for the knowledge that the wait is going to be completely worth it.)

He’s fully reclined into his seat, one arm wrapped around Amy’s shoulders when the Kiss Cam pans onto them at the top of the fifth inning, breaking into laughter as he watches Amy’s face quickly turn a delightful shade of pink.  He’s still considering a humble peck to her cheek when she swivels in her seat, coiling her hand around his waist and pulling him in for an almost non-PG13 kiss before another moment can be wasted, and as the crowd cheers and Sixpence None The Richer plays in the background, Jake knows that he is totally, utterly and madly in love with the one and only Amy Santiago.    

There’s an oversized foam finger occupying Jake’s right hand, and his girlfriend’s fingers twisted around his left as they leave the field hours later, riding the high of another Met’s victory as they shuffle towards the exit.  He listens contentedly as Amy chatters excitably about the potential for statistical analysis of the game - something about sabermetrics that only makes him think of Star Wars - and it’s as they head towards the carpark that Jake finds himself completely distracted once more.

He watches as a family in front of them move along the footpath, both parents holding onto one hand each of their child as they swing from their parent’s arms, the overjoyed giggles filtering through the noise of a departing crowd as they bounce on and off the pavement.  

It’s the feeling of Amy’s hand in his, and the still unspoken assurance that both of them are in this for the long haul that allows Jake’s mind to wonder of the possibility of such a moment ever belonging to him.  He can almost see it: a chuckling toddler bounding between his and Amy’s arms, wearing their favourite jersey and singing the team song as they head home, just in time for bath and bed and some well-deserved Mommy and Daddy time (aka, falling asleep on the couch).  It’s a future so simplistic, but for the longest time seemed unthinkable, and Jake breaks out into a wide grin at the sheer notion that something so great as a lifetime with Amy could ever be more than just an unrequited dream.  

Amy’s hand squeezes his as they draw nearer to her car, her face growing curious as she looks up at Jake.  “What’s got you so smiley all of the sudden, Peralta?”

Shrugging nonchalantly, Jake hunches slightly to drop a quick kiss to Amy’s lips.  “I’ve just spent an afternoon in the sunshine with a beautiful woman beside me, watching my favourite team win.  There’s a lot of reasons to smile right there, babe.”

Resting her weight against her passenger door, Amy rests her hands on either side of Jake’s waist and looks up at him with an equally happy grin.  “Thank you for taking me here, Jake.  I loved every second of it.”  Lowering her grip slightly, she digs her fingers into his side in a request for closeness; and Jake bridges the gap for another kiss, letting both of them sink into it as the lack of surrounding strangers lends to a sense of privacy.  

The subtle scent of her perfume lingers over his senses as Jake pulls away, held closely still by Amy’s curled fingers around his belt loops, and he leans his forehead against hers.  “What was that you were saying earlier about hitting some bases tonight?”

He chuckles as she pushes him away with a gentle shove, giving him the Santiago wink (also known as a slow blink).  “How about we head back to my place and I show you what I mean, detective?”

The car fills up with laughter and the easy conversations of two best friends in love as Amy navigates them through the streets of Brooklyn - and as they head closer to home, Jake already knows that whatever the future may hold, with Amy by his side, they were going to knock it right out of the park.  

#peraltiago baseball game cuteness #b99 fic #peraltiago fanfiction #distracting me from the fic I was nearly finished writing? it's more likely than you think #jake x amy fic #my writing

[mrsjihyunkim]

20 Seconds of Bravery Ch 34

***WARNING*****THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS SOME GRAPHIC CONTENT. MENTIONS OF BLOOD, TORTURE, ASSAULT, AND GENERAL VIOLENCE.******* The beginning of this chapter talks about MC's past and what Alex did to her, however I didn't go too far into detail of it. Also be aware that further into the chapter another character gets injured and their injuries are talked about. Again I tried not to go too into detail as a way to be fair to all readers, but it is there and there will probably be more to come as the story draws to a close. Just so that everyone can keep that in mind. I will this under a cut and also put a summary with the next chapter for anyone who wants to skip this one.

V and I had finally made it to my mother's grave and of course he noticed the the dried blood on it. He turned me away from it and held me tightly. "It's ok MC, we'll find out who did this." I could hear the anger in his voice but I only shook my head and pushed away from him.

"I already know who did this. Alex did this the night he nearly killed me." I took a deep breath and looked at the headstone. "Jake hadn't been in jail very long at the time and I had decided to finally visit my mom and tell her everything that had happened. However Alex was here waiting for me. Jake had told him he could do whatever he wanted to me except for killing me. While he was assaulting me Alex told me how he had planned it out down to the last detail." I tried to keep my voice from trembling but I failed. V wrapped his arms around me again and I took some deep breaths.

"Just what did he do to you?" I swallowed the lump in my throat and recalled that night.

"He really didn't hold back. It started out with a beating. He broke my ribs, my leg and dislocated my shoulder. To keep me from passing out he gave me adrenaline shots. He got his rocks off by torturing me with small cuts and burns. Anything he could do to cause pain and keep me awake. The scar I showed you before is from that night. He kept cutting me and burning the wound closed. At some point the drugs weren't enough to keep me awake and I passed out. I have no idea what he did at the point." V tightened his hold on me and I assumed he knew what I meant. "No one thought I was going to survive after I got to the hospital. Marco told me that the landscapers found me in the morning. After that I not only avoided the grave but leaving my house too. That's also when I started carrying a gun." I was out of words now and we just stood there in silence. The longer it went the more I wanted V to say something, anything really. Finally he broke the silence.

"The first thing I'm going to do as your husband is order a new head stone for your mother's grave. Secondly I'm going to make sure that we take care of Jake and Alex." I looked up at him and I could see how tense his jaw was. His eyes were burning with anger, but it faded away when he met my eyes. V was normally so gentle and I wasn't sure what to think of the eyes I just saw. He leaned down and brushed our lips together. "I still can't believe you went through something like that. I'll never forgive either of them." His voice was heavy with anger and again I didn't know how to feel about it. Seeing it made part of me afraid but also happy that he cared enough to be so angry.

"The past is the past. I just want to focus on my future with you. And right now I want to introduce you to my mom." I smiled at him and his face softened. He let go of me and grabbed my hand before we stepped closer to the grave. I ran my hand over the stone and it felt warm from the sun's rays. "Hey Mom, long time no see. I'm getting married tomorrow and I wanted you to properly meet V." I squeezed his hand and I could feel the tears choking my voice. "I wish you could be there with me but I met my cousin Jaehee. Apparently her parents died in a car crash too. I hope you and your brother had a good reunion." A few tears fell from my eyes but I didn't try to hide them. "I brought some rice balls for you and I'm sorry I was gone so long. I'll try to come back more often." I put the rice balls on the grave and stood next to V. Any other words I had wanted to say got stuck in my throat and I began to cry. V put an arm over my shoulder and I leaned into him.

"Hello mama. It's nice to meet you." I looked at V with surprise when he started talking to the grave. "You're daughter is an amazing person but I'm sure you already knew that. I promise to cherish her and protect her too." V looked at me when he said the last part and I smiled softly at him. He wrapped his arms around me and kissed me. I felt so safe and warm in his arms and I never wanted to leave. When he pulled away his thumb brushed across my cheek. "Are you ready to head home?" I nodded and we headed back to the car.

"I wish we could get married today instead of waiting till tomorrow." He chuckled and kissed my hand before opening the car door for me. When he got back in the car he gave me another quick kiss.

"I wish we could too, but as far as I'm concerned we're already married. Mrs. Kim." He flashed me a teasing smile and I rolled my eyes. "What you don't like it?"

"No I do but I don't want you to call me that until it's official. Otherwise I feel like a relative not your wife." V began to laugh as he reached across the console for my hand.

"Your way of thinking certainly is strange sometimes dear. Why on earth would it make you feel like a relative?" I only shrugged but he was clearly amused.

"I don't know. Just feels like you're teasing me since I'm not actually your wife yet. Which I know you're not but that's what my brain tells me. Not to say that I don't want to be called that because I really do but," V let go of my hand and instantly put it in my hair calming me. I realized that I needed to breathe so I took a deep breath and the tension in my body disappeared.

"Better?" I smiled at him but before I could answer him my phone began to ring, loudly, cause me to jump. "Who is it?" I could hear the concern in his voice as I checked the caller ID. Thankfully it wasn't an unknown number.

"It's Jaehee." I answered the phone and spoke into it. "Hello?"

"Oh thank god you answered MC. V isn't answering. Is he with you." Her voice sounded more frantic than usual and it worried me.

"Of course he is. Is everything ok Jaehee?" Now I was starting to worry.

"I'm afraid it's not. Mr. Han was, I'm afraid he's," she couldn't even get the words out, "V needs to get here now, please."

"Hold on Jaehee. V's driving so I'm going to put you on speaker." I could tell that V was confused but I put the phone on speaker. "Ok Jaehee what's going on?" I heard her take a deep breathing and I copied her. I could feel her anxiety pouring through the phone.

"Mr. Han was attacked this morning on his way to the office. He's in surgery right now. I don't know what happened but before they took him back he said he needed to see V. Please get here soon." Jaehee's voice sounded like it was trembling and it made my heart sink. I already had a pretty good idea of what had happened and I hoped I wasn't right.........

Read the rest on Ao3

#mystic messenger #trigger warnings #violence #blood #assault #jihyun kim #v x mc #jumin han #jaehee kang #mysme jumin #saeyoung choi #saeran choi #my writing #20sob #mrsjihyunkim

[kelleyschorn]

Kelley Reviews: Tag (Spoiler Edition)

*If you’ve already read my non spoiler review of this movie, skip to after the SPOILERS sign!

Quick word about the movie poster I chose for this review: It’s not my favorite one because this one kind of makes the movie look stupid but I went with image resolution over image content.

That being said, I was hooked on this movie since I first saw the trailer. The concept was original and it even had the added interest of it being based on a true story, “we’re not kidding”. So many things drew me to this movie from the plot to the fantastic trailer and then there’s the amazing cast. Tag is a comedy inspired by a real group of ten friends who have been playing the game of tag since high school. There is a great video on youtube that gives a more in depth look at the real story that you can find right here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8C-VFbP-JQ

Because this reality acts as more of a writing prompt than a fully realized story, the writers for Tag exercised their own creative liberties when telling the story inspired by this amazing group of friends. There are hundreds of potential stories that could come from this prompt and I think the writers were smart to pare down the cast from ten to five so as to make a story that was more easily grasped. The movie centers on Ed Helms’ character, Hoagie, and his goal of finally tagging their impossible-to-catch friend Jerry, appropriately played by Hawkeye—I mean Jeremy Renner. Lately I’ve been a bit put off by comedies that rely heavily on jokes centering on sex and hoping that this will convince the audience that the crappy plot is worth overlooking for the crass punch lines. That being said, movies like Game Night and Tag have been a breath of fresh air in comparison. While both do have similar jokes throughout, they also have a good plot to stand on making room for situational humor to shine through.

While some critics disliked Tag, saying that it lacked the fun loving essence of the true tale it draws from, I would say that those critics missed the point of the movie. Without giving anything away, I would say that this movie exemplifies the importance of staying young, even when you get older. It does a great job of portraying the realities of keeping up with old friends and the fact that, while you may not see them as often as you did in high school, when you get together, it’s like no time has passed. Not only does Tag give you all of those warm and fuzzy things, but it also delivers them in a hilarious way! I saw this movie with my mom and sister and we were dying laughing throughout. The all-star cast definitely helped with this as well as the quality of the story itself.

The plot was kind of all over the place with some seemingly pointless subplots and some downright unbelievable moments but overall, I would say that this is a solid comedy and it stands out among others in its genre.

WHAT WORKED

The cast. What an awesome cast for a comedy am I right? I love Ed Helms because the Office (duh). I love Jake Johnson because I know him from New Girl. And I love Jeremy Renner because he is Hawkeye and he basically plays Hawkeye in this movie and I was all for it. Of course I also love Rashida Jones and I felt that she was a bit underused in this movie. If a less talented cast had been chosen, I would not have liked this movie nearly as much as I did. I especially feel that Ed Helms did an exceptional job seeing as how his role required more seriousness than his fellow cast members.

The plot. Yes there were issues with the plot, but what worked for me was the direction they chose to take the story in. Also the fact that they chose a direction in the first place. Like I said above, the original story acts as writing prompt and I think that that is pretty cool. This is what the writers came up with based on that prompt and I or you or anyone else would have come up with something completely different. They had to create a fully fleshed out story from that one tiny prompt! Writing is so cool! Ok nerd-out over. Anyways what worked for me about the plot were the more serious” themes of friendship and the importance of staying young, even when you get old. Despite it being a comedy, I found these themes, and the implementation of them touching. Also the twist at the end was unexpected and pulled off really well by Ed Helms. I didn’t believe it at first but once I knew it was real, it added so much depth and clarity to the story. Again, props to you Ed for pulling that character off so well. I also loved how they included a lot of the real life epic tags from the source inspiration seamlessly into the plot—the tagging at the funeral, the dressing up as an old lady.

The characters. The characters for me is where the comedic elements in this movie really shined. Such a wide range of characters for some epically hilarious interactions. I loved Hoagie signing up to be a janitor despite his “PHD in veterinary science and a flourishing practice” (I’m paraphrasing but you get it). Randy and all of his weed jokes were great and the scene where he’s smoking in the basement with his friends reminded me of That 70’s Show. Jerry was made even more funny to me because he was played by Jeremy Renner. I could totally see Hawkeye being all about this and being this hardcore in the Marvel Universe. (I know I said the nerd moment was over but I lied—sorry!) Hannibal Buress had some funny moments as Sable but some of them fell flat. I felt like his character lacked some of the cohesion the other’s had, like they couldn’t really decide what comedic angle they wanted to go with him so with his tragic back story some of the jokes just felt a bit awkward.

The funny. A lot of the jokes came from the absurdity of their situation and I loved that! They didn’t have to rely heavily on cheap sexual jokes (the adult version of fart jokes) to be funny. The premise and the characters themselves created hilarious scenarios for the viewer’s entertainment.

Small highlight to the parts where they show the gang as kids and how this game started and then it shows them as adults driving next to those kids as a transition—that part was genius!

WHAT DIDN’T WORK

The plot. Ok so here’s my issue, some of these subplots just didn’t really add anything to the movie for me. The Randy Vs. Callahan romance subplot. This was unnecessary. I do love Rashida Jones but this did not add anything to main plot other than (maybe) some more characterization of the characters. I don’t think it was needed and I don’t think it added anything significant to the plot other than a distraction for those characters that causes them to miss Jerry and that could have been done by a lot of other things, (Randy could have gotten too high, Callahan could have been distracted by flirting with the reporter). The other subplot that I have some issues with is the reporter. She was literally only there as an interpreter for the audience so that we would know what was going on. She never really advances the plot and doesn’t ever cause any sort of drama with the group. She’s static and could have been used better. I’m not saying that it wasn’t a clever way to clue the audience in, but I think they could have paired her with Callahan as a romantic interest (I shipped it) to at least give her some sort of importance. Or as a more extreme fix, I would have taken her out altogether and had one of the guys, maybe Hoagie, narrate and explain various things throughout—though I’m more in favor of the love interest thing because she did bring some comedic elements of just not knowing what’s going on.

The scene at the wedding shower. Specifically the giant traps and the extremes Jerry went through to mess with his friends took me out of the story a bit. I get that it was supposed to funny how absolutely ridiculously into the game these grown men were but some of the jerry stunts pushed it a bit too far for me.

The characters. I already explained my issues with Sable and the reporter but the other characters that didn’t quite work for me were Cheryl (Rashida) and Hoagie’s mom. Hoagie’s mom felt like a lazy character to me. Like the writer’s forgot about her until the end and were like, oh wait, how can we make her funny? Let’s just make her into one of her son’s friends. I thought maybe it would have been funnier to have her be one of those completely unaware types, like all this stuff is happening around her and whenever she finally looks around, it’s all gone. And then Cheryl, her plotline was doomed from the start but as far as that subplot goes, what smart woman in her right mind chooses the unemployed broke pothead living with his dad over smart successful Callahan in a choice between two exes?? Ok rant over. That character had no real purpose in the story, I say cut her out.

While I did have all those issues, I did thoroughly enjoy this movie. I laughed a lot and was fully entertained. I would highly recommend this movie it was a fun one! Unfortunately I do not have a ticket stub to show for this movie because the theater I went to screwed me over! I’m just not going to go to that theater anymore, It’s not worth losing my precious ticket stubs!

Let me know what you think of this review and what you thought of Tag! If you liked this review please share it! Stay tuned for the next one: The Incredibles 2!

#tag #tag movie #ed helms #rashida jones #Hannibal Buress #randy johnson #jeremy renner #jon hamm #Tag movie review #movie review

[ber-bonfamille-lyons]

BDRP Resolutions

in which this is long 

Write your RPer Resolutions for 2018!

-Plot with more members, definitely! I try to expand of course and rp threads with everyone but I think I could do better and could def do bigger plots with more people.

-Complete more tasks tbh. This one is gonna be hard for me to do but idk if I could do at least one task every other month that would be an improvement over last year haha.

-Continue to work on scenery and detail etc. My weaknesses. I hope that rping more detail-oriented characters, like Charlie or even Mowgli, or exploring the lake with Andrina or the forest with Prince/Merida will help with this. Though also just being more aware of it in the day to day

-Dream Journal for Charlie/More music stuff for radio

Write at least one resolution, or “goal,” that you have as an RPer for your character(s)

Mel: This was on last year’s so that tells u something but I think it’s gonna happen-- explore her feelings for Howl! Also would love for her to do some more seedy things and i see want an apprentice!!

Ber: Explore Berlioz’s mental health more. Whether I do this through tasks/one-shots or something, Ber is kinda in this weird place where he’s blurring the line between reality/fantasy and I think that’s interesting. A lot of it has to do with things he isn’t dealing with (trauma from Taka and going down into hell). Also very specifically I want him to rp with Marie more bc Berrie is kinda underdeveloped both on my part as an rper and his part as like a mediocre brother lmao. I also like him as a supporting role in other people’s plots and I hope I can keep pushing him in those directions. And of course I’m very interested to see him and Simba repair and grow their relationship hopefully stronger than ever. <3 OH and g row a backbone tbh stand up for himself more do it ber

Kiara: Figure out her school life!! I still want to have her shadow someone sooo I think I could see her shadowing Minnie or even Jiminy since she’s sort of into health and social work. Also explore her envy of her friends with magic bc she had powers in Star wars and lowkey she still wants powers (opportunity for Feys Gold Antics here-- also feel liek there could be something interesting in Kiara v. Jake if Jake really does start getting more elitist)

Hades: BOARD STUFF. Im really excited to play Hades as a politician and like-- authority figure in town. Though he’s gotta save his own soul first lol. Also supporting Belle in hopefully going back to school. Alsoooo there are loose threads in hell that I have and would like 2 look into…

Milo: Talk with Jane about what comes next after pride u because his grant is almost up! Plot with BIANCA/BERNARD hopefully about the rescue aid society.

Nala: ONE NIGHT STAND SERIOUSLY. Let loose. Date someone bc if she fell in love work wouldnt be her focus and she’d grow a lot. Uh repair relationship with Simba?

Kiki: bring back jiji lmfao i suck. Finish her apprenticeship and unlock the trU nature of her powers and stuff mhm. Also kiss someone lol

Anita: Bring her fam in town and explore like, this clash between her old life and the new life now that she has grown so much.

Prince: ACCEPT UR FEELINGS FOR ELLA. Embrace them! Continue to train Bambi/find the fucker who shot u/be a Dad and do Dad things like idk a parent teacher conference??? Thats hilarious. Somehow I want him to become like a guest lecturer at Pride U but I’m not sure how yet. I also feel like idk Akela could draw him into becoming slightly darker after this shooting and that might be interesting so who knows, maybe he should join Akela’s morally gray magic club,

Paul: GO TO PRIDE U PLZ. Deal with the paulina plot lol. Contend with his inferiority issues that stem from the financial inequality between him and Perdy. Just rly go into their relationship and figure it out post-break up post-make up u know

Andrina: Explore the lake. Get into seedy stuff with Ursula maybe??? Continue to sleep with people thats very fun for me. FIND OUT WHO RAVEN IS. Get a cat.

Merida: I need her to make more friends bc I want her to fuck up and then ruin all those friendships ahaha. Want to have a showdown with some powerful magicks, gimme Akela and Max, all the shapeshifters!!!

Mowgli: Meet the Bonfamilles (lmao). Uhhh would lvoe to rp more with Akela i need to brainstorm how. I’d also like him to become more extreme tbh? Maybe start having night terrors or something bc of all his suppressed guilt wow just got a good idea ahha. Alsoooo maybe get a mentoooor…

Charlie: HAVE A PROPHECY ABOUT SOMEONE PPL HIT ME UP. I wanna start him on the research train when I get that in place and also maybe abuse hospital equipment (aka scan his own brain ehhe)  but also maybe save someone’s life would be cool, ok, yeah. Also hopefully grow his relationships with all hospital personnel and patients, and maybe get a  mentorship with Tibbs and/or Sweet. In fact it’d be really cooool if he could eventually help Sweet with his research like as an intern or assistant or something. And also i want to get him to an event but i need him to get a friend for that so!!! A texting buddy friend, that is a specific goal.

Write at least one resolution IN CHARACTER for your characters. What do THEY want to accomplish or change in the New Year? 

Mel: “Do something impossible.”

Ber: “Be a better brother and friend and boyfriend… be less crazy lol ahah”

Kiara: “figure out my LIFE lmao”

Hades: “Make real change in Swynlake.”

Milo: “Apply for a grant to study Atlantis...again.”

Nala: “Be my oWN love of my life. I’m a single independent woman and that’s amazing, I’m AMAZING.”

Kiki: “Restore Jiji D:”

Anita: “Direct a play again! That would be very fun. Oh, and paint more, I really do need to paint.”

Prince: “Be a good father to Bambi… make the forest a safe place again.”

Paul: “Be a good father, a good partner-- find better ways to support my kids.”

Andrina: “lol i dont DO goals bye.”

Merida: “Shoot Mor’du. Become a Prince.”

Mowgli: “... don’t make any trouble.”

Charlie: Bitch has a list.

Get phlebotomist license!!

Renew certs: CPR/AED/First Aid/Wilderness First Aid/BLS

Give up gluten! Again!

Exercise.

Go to a Swynlake Event! It will be fine no one will die!!! (!!!)

Plotting Exercise! Pick one of the resolutions/goals in #2 and plan a rough guideline to how you could accomplish it.

Mowgli explores his powers/grief

PARA 1: Has a  nightmare and accidentally sets something on fire (Akela)

PARA 2: Frightened, Mowgli confides in someone about his powers (Peach/Will)

PARA 3: Seeks help from either Howl or Ursula--depending on which one, it could litERally change the direction of the entire plot.

List of Characters I want to RP with:

I went through character by character but I would love to do more than this I am sure ahah.

Mel: Mateo, Ursula, Sophie (bc duh Howl), Akela

Ber: Irma, Sophie because they should be better friends, more Peg, JENNy bc they play piano ok!!, ANNETTE bc they totally know each other!!, tbh daisy and ber could do something with anxiety, Rita for sure, more Simon somehow i swear it

Hades: Sally, more stuff with Miguel, Jack, Shock/Samara, Al, Cruella, Simba, Oogie, maybe Dipper

Kiara: more stuff with Jake, Jiminy, Minnie/Rama maybe, Isa, Wilbur, Penny, Ollie, Jenny. Also lowkey Ursula.

Milo: more stuff with Kida, Bianca, Elena, also Goliath and Thomas (teachers!!)

Nala: MAUI. sorry look i just want maui its been a year. Also maybe some board members and stuff since she’ll be politically active? So Al, Cruella, Soleil for that (and Simba, but I rp with simba allll the time). Also Arthur, Adam.

Kiki: Mateo as well!! More young-ish people: Dipper, Maui (she’s a #bigfan), Callie.   

Anita: more stuff with Perdita. Also other artists: Pascal, Jane, Namine, Violet, maybe Art if he does art??, Peach, Peri, Duchess etc!! Hit me up please.

Prince: all the forest politics okay: Alasdair, Akela, Goliath, Shere, why are these men. Also just big Magicks in general: Ursula, Namine maybe. More fairies so Peri and Terence. Also very specifically: Theo and Thomas O’Malley. Maybe Jake tbh if he starts like patrolling the forest?

Paul: Goliath bc he’s a lit professor! Thomas bc they are bros now!!!! Maybe some other mersisters-- Aqua, Alana, Arista. Peach bc writing? Lmao. Also some lowkey shady people like Roscoe or Lock would be really great. Possibly Oogie bc he owns a casino and gambling~

Andrina: URSULA ok sorry i just want the sea witch. TBH Hiro or Tombo could be cool bc she’s into STEM stuff. Ken because I want to rp with Ken and I don’t think anyone else would get along? Ahah. Arista, Aqua and Alana. Herculessss.

Merida: Bambi bc scottish and also lowkey was involved in mother’s death!!! Maximus bc she should shoot him!! More Shere! Follow-up with Goliath tbh in class lmao would be funny. CORNY bc thye r destined to be friends. Callie!!! Oo, also more Eric.

Mowgli: Howl, Ursula, Mateo, more Peach, Jenny, Wilbur, Theo, Bambi Penny (yay orphans). Maybe a professor: Thomas, Goliath, Shere?

Charlie: so many ok. Ellie, Sweet, Shock, Jack, SALLY thats in caps bc I need it, Dipper, Boo, tbh could do some drug stuff with Roscoe, Lock and Theo. Rita bc she can be his mom, Oogie, anyone with trauma who wants charlie to relive it with them: eric, thomas, shere, lou the list can go on-- annnnd belle and callie also

#bdrptask #wooooo

[fight-till-u-cant-fight-anymore]

Life is fragile but still beautiful Part XII

Part I   Part II   Part III   Part IV   Part V   Part VI   Part VII   Part VIII    Part IX   Part X   Part XI

A week later

“Are you ready?” Charlotte came into the room cheerfully.

“Yup.” Amelia sighed heavily.

“Hey,” Charlotte kneeled in front of Amelia, who was sitting in a wheelchair, “what's wrong?”

“They'll all looked at me and whisper and…”

“Amelia, stop! They won't because I'll kill them with my glance before they can even think anything about you.” Charlotte squeezed Amelia's knee.

“Thank you, Charlotte.” Amelia smiled warmly.

“Always for you.” Charlotte stood up and put a comforting hand on Amelia's right cheek. “We should go.” Charlotte walked behind Amelia to wheel her outside of the room.

—————-

Charlotte had kept her promise. There was no one in the halls. Amelia was very thankful for that.

“Hey. You look amazing.” Addison came running when she saw the hospital doors slide open.

“Thanks. I guess.” Amelia looked serious but couldn't hold her laugh back. “Sorry, I just had to.”

“I know.” Addison smiled and took over from Charlotte. Addison leaned over to Amelia's ear. “Owen is the best guy there is.”

Amelia smiled like a teenaged girl. This time not a fake one.

They got closer to the car where Owen and Jake were waiting for her. Owen was the first one to greet her outside of the hospital and kissed her quickly on her lips.

“Can we please go?” Amelia pleaded.

“We actually should. Violet is waiting for you.” Charlotte said.

“Aghh. No, Charlotte. Not today. Please.” Amelia tried her best to get out of the shrink talk.

“Amelia. You have no power over this.” Addison said.

“Fine.” Amelia was definitely not okay with that.

—————- 

Everyone were quiet during the car ride. Amelia sat behind Addison, who was on the driver’s side, and Owen in the middle because he knew Amelia likes to look out of the window when she needed some time.

—————- 

When the elevator doors opened Owen pushed Amelia to the practice. She stopped the wheels with her hands.

“What's wrong?” Owen asked.

Amelia was quiet and Addison, Jake and Charlotte knew it's their time to leave.

“We're in the kitchen if you need anything. Violet is waiting for you in her office.” Charlotte said and smiled warmly.

“Thank you.” Amelia smiled a little. When she was alone with Owen she said, “I want to do it alone.”

“What?” Owen was shocked.

“I don't want you to push me around here. I want to do it on my own.”

“Ohh, okay. I'll be in the kitchen then.”

“Thank you.” Amelia said and Owen got in front of her. He looked into her eyes and said. “You've got this.” Owen kissed her passionately with all the love he has.

Amelia didn't want to break the kiss because that meant she had to go meet with Violet.

But Owen did and said, their foreheads still together. “You should go.”

“Yeah.” Amelia sighed and felt Owen's lips on hers again.

“See you soon. I'll be here waiting for you if you need me. Take your time.” Owen said and squeezed Amelia's shoulder before he walked towards the kitchen.

Amelia stared Owen's back till he stepped in the kitchen.

—————-

Amelia sighed again and started to push herself slowly towards Violet’s office. She could see Violet sitting there with her notepad.

“Great.” Amelia thought.

She tried to open the door but opening it while you’re sitting was way harder than she thought.

Violet heard Amelia trying to open the door. She stood up to help her inside but Amelia raised her hand to let her know she doesn't need any.

Violet was familiar how Amelia responds in situations and knew the best she could do was let her do it on her own way.

After 10 minutes of trying Amelia said angrily. “Fuck this chair!”

—————-

It was loud enough for everyone to hear. Owen wanted to go help her but Charlotte stopped him. “She'll get through this.”

—————- 

Another 5 minutes passed till she got the door open and pushed her quickly between the door, so it wouldn't close again, like it did the other hundreds of times she had tried.

“Those doors were never that heavy when I was here few weeks ago.” Amelia pushed herself in front of the couch where Violet was sitting.

“They are still the same, Amelia. Just your condition has changed.”

Amelia said nothing.

“We actually should've met earlier about other stuff. So you choose which one you want to start with.”

“I don't know. I'd better just leave. I don't need the shrink talk.”

“You do need one, Amelia. Just admit it. If not to me or to Owen, admit it to yourself, in your mind. How you reacted when that little boy died or even what happened few minutes ago are talking for themselves. You need help. You're not dealing with your demons and that will kill you. Slowly and painfully.”

“Just ask me those questions, so I could leave.”

“No, I won't let you just answer my questions today.” Violet stood up and walked to her table. She came back with a white sheet of paper and pencils.

“I'm not interested of playing some little kids games.” Amelia said.

“Just take these. I'll say a word and you draw whatever and use whatever colors what describes your feelings about it. Okay?” Violet held the paper out for Amelia.

“Fine.” She answered and took the paper from her.

“You can think about your personal view of these words or you can take them just as simple words.”

“Yeah, I get it.”

“The first word is woods.”

Amelia drew a hike trail which reminded her the times she went for long runs. She also drew Owen's trailer and the view from the dream house porch to that old tree what was cut down after Derek died.

“Let me know when you're done.” Violet said softly.

Amelia took few more minutes to use some colors too.

“I'm done.” Amelia said.

“Good.” Violet smiled. “Now write words around your drawings which come in your head first.”

Around the hike trail she used green to wrote words like running, free, alone, quiet, no obligations, calm. With Owen's trailer she changed the color to red and remembered the kiss, love, no nightmares, Owen, sparkling water, no game, safe. And the dream house the first thing she wrote with blue was Derek. Happy, the porch, the kids, stars but suddenly she took the black pencil and wrote ALONE, nightmares, no one, oxy. Amelia also wrote Mer, Owen, the dream house, Derek.

“Are you done?” Violet asked after Amelia hadn't written anything in the last few minutes.

“Yup.”

“Next I want you to turn the paper over. Write words to describe these couple of days before and after you came to LA few weeks ago.” She saw Amelia still not moving. “Take your time, there's no rush.” Violet said calmly.

Amelia still had the black pencil in her hands and wrote Penny, Derek, the dinner party, Mer. She changed the color to blue Owen, surgeries, Edwards.

Amelia kept going with the blue when she wrote words about LA. Family, practice, fun, laugh, enjoy, love, ocean, friendships.

Then she stopped. Amelia put the blue pencil slowly on the table and took the black one again. Violet was already expecting that.

Amelia started writing slowly. Patient, my baby, flipping out, no control, the car crash, no memory about what happened. The biggest word she wrote was THE CHAIR.

Amelia threw the pencil on the table and sighed. “I'm done.”

“Great.” Violet smiled. “Do you mind if I read it?”

“Nope. Go ahead.” Amelia said.

Violet took the paper from the table and started analyzing it. “I can see you draw very well.”

“Thanks.” Amelia said without any emotions.

“Should I ask you questions about what you've drawn or do you want to tell me yourself?”

“I'll tell you.”

“Okay.” Violet smiled and handed the paper to Amelia.

“So, with the woods my first memory is from after my first rehab. I took up with running till I got hit by a minivan. I could go for miles because there was no one to blame or judge me. I felt happy there. But after ending up at the hospital I started using again.”

“Okay. That's good, Amelia. What's the next picture about?”

“It's Owen's trailer. We kissed for the first time in front of it. I took a sparkling lime water with me because I don't drink.” Amelia smiled to the memory. “So, I told him I have no game and was about to leave. Owen called out if I want some too but I yelled back that I'm not thirsty. Owen ran after me and told me to stop walking. We looked in the eyes and he told me “I'm going to kiss you now, so don't say anything.” It was seriously the hottest kiss I’ve ever had.” Amelia laughed and so did Violet. “When we pulled apart he said that I can go home now. I felt awkward because we hadn't said anything about having feelings towards each other but we both had them.” Amelia smiled again.

“That's seriously very romantic.” Violet smiled too.

“So the next thing is that tree. It's the view from the dream house porch.”

“What's the dream house?” Violet asked.

“We call it the house what Derek built for Mer. She sold the house after Derek died and now we live in her mom’s house.”

“Okay but why did you decide to draw that view?”

“It was my hiding spot. I loved to watch that old tree and think how much it had been through. All the storms and very hot days, all the damage people have done to that place and the kids playing around it. It just calmed me down. But then they shut out that tree and I had no hiding spot anymore. Mer left with the kids, Owen went to the army, Derek was gone and they even took the tree from me.” Amelia said coldly.

“Is that why you striked through these names and words?”

“Yeah.”

“Did you write oxy there too?”

“Yes. It was when Owen came back. Richard, he goes to AA too, was worried about me after everyone left and I basically lived at the hospital. He invited me for a coffee but I started yelling at him and then Owen showed up. I got oxy and went to the porch. I was deciding if I'll take it or not. Again, Owen showed up and he made me feel all that pain and grief. So I didn't relapse, he saved me.”

“He does change you a lot.”

“I guess.” Amelia responded.

“Do you think some of those problems still haunt you?” Violet asked.

“It still hurts of course to think about Derek and once in awhile it gets very hard but I push it through.” Amelia left the nightmares out because she knows Violet will ask about them too but she’s not in the mood to talk about them.

“How's your sobriety going?”

“It's been okay. People at the hospital know I'm the junky, so.”

“Still no filter, huh?” Violet said and they both laughed. “You can use the words on the paper but you don't have to. I'd like to hear about what happened in Seattle.”

“Umm, we had a dinner party with Mer and Maggie. Callie, she's in ortho, invited her new girlfriend to meet us because she's working with us now. That resident, her girlfriend, came from the same hospital where Derek died. Meredith knew her from the beginning but she said nothing to me. I even hugged that killer.” Amelia was disgusted.

“Why do you blame her?”

“Ha, why? She killed my brother. Penny killed him. He should've had the head CT but they didn't make it. Penny, ughh even that name is just horrible to say. Well she told us she thought Derek needed it but the attendings said there's no need. She just…” Amelia was definitely worked up now.

“She what?” Violet pushed her more.

“Doesn't matter.” Amelia said coldly and crossed her arms.

A pause.

“Okay. What feelings did that little boy bring back?”

“Can I just go?”

“We're not done yet, Amelia.” Violet said calmly.

“Oh, I think we are.” Amelia started pushing herself towards the door.

“Amelia, why you run?”

Amelia stopped and turned her chair, so she was facing Violet once again. “That's a really good joke, you know.” She turned around again.

“Amelia, we're all here to help you.”

“Why don’t you all just step back and leave me alone?” Amelia said angrily.

#LifeIsFragileButStillBeautiful #omelia #amelia and owen #amelia shepherd #owen hunt #private practice #grey's anatomy

[thankskiara]

Thank you x12 || A Gift for Kiara

The Brain room was packed with delegates of all statures and personalities. Really, how was anything going to get done in all this noise? How would they make this present on time? Felt a bit like Santa's Workshop the night before Christmas, not gonna even lie. Luckily, the person behind the operation knew just who to call. 

"Now if you'll all quiet down--"

"She doesn't even go here." A brunette, youngest of the group, hair braided back into french braids piped up and then immediately shrunk down at the look she got from the poised blonde woman and uttered an apology. What? Mean Girls quotes were always appropriate.

"You know, Haley, I really don't mind Amelia sticking around." The figure lounging in one of the office chairs sideways, tossed her long unruly hair over her shoulder and gave an appraising look to the striking woman.

The former captain let out just the smallest chuckle and then went back to business. "Thank you darling for your flattery but I'm happily coupled. In another life, I'm sure you'd be just the top of my list." She clapped her hands together to get the room back on her again and took a deep breath before she began assuming her role and calling out orders, "In any case, we've got to put something together for Kiara."

"Last I heard Kiara was gone. Left for Kenya."

"Yes, well, it wouldn't be out of the ordinary for your brain, Miss Chino, to be a touch more preoccupied with the one you shagged rather than the one who's out there fighting the good fight. Serving, as is her duty. Holder of a few favorites around these parts."

"It wasn’t even--" Mocha narrowed her eyes as she was cut off.

"Tish tosh. We all saw. There’s no poetry to save you from this. Now, a call for order would be nice from the lot of you. I shant be contributing as I didn't know many of her characters but think of me as a moderator. For when Alex needs a bit of order and her brain to be shipshape she knows I'll have it right as rain in no time." Her posture seemed to get just a bit straighter, if that was even possible as she tucked her hands behind her back and paced the conference room. "Now then, a few of us have been called out of retirement to add a few sentiments so perhaps that may be where to start, don't you think?"

"Ay man, if it's for Kiara, I'll do whatever shit you want me to do." A smaller tanned skinned boy with a shit eating grin on his face sat back in his chair, propping his feet up onto the table.

"Alright then, why don't you elaborate on that, Ignacio."

And with that Tito crossed his arms, feeling a little uncomfortable with divulging that with his head-mates. "Nah, I mean listen, aight, she just cares and so do her people, like a lot and shit. She loved my taste in music man like she vibed. She like had Audrey for a hot minute. Man, she was fuckin' great. She could do someone like whatever that like teenage princess was she had and then turn around and do Audrey and give me shit at the Garage like that? Like she didn’t take any of my bullshit and she still was super likeable as fuck. She was a real piece of work but like in a masterpiece sorta way ya know."

"Eloquent as ever, really. But thank you. Next I think we should have Ja--No Stan. Stanley. Sorry, the other blonde 6ft tall Australian lad who dated Ellie."

A large blonde looked up from where he'd been drawing turtles on a piece of scrap paper and an almost as tall blonde but scruffier behind him just gave an annoyed look and crossed his arms before texting whoever he was texting on his phone. The grinning Australian scratched his head a bit, "Oh! Right yeah. Well, I think Ells and I were the first real interaction between--"

"Ay! Fuck, I forgot about me and GG too. Shit, Kiara is the fuckin' greatest, man. Like Georgette was different than those other two as well. Shit, man.”

A hand came and smacked Tito upside the head as the dark haired woman, arms crossed and just plain annoyed to be here when she had better things to do. She rolled her eyes and in a bored tone just said, "Tito I'll beat the shit out of you again. And you know I can."

Amelia cleared her throat, "Thank you, Megara. Although I would refrain from that until after this meeting is adjourned. As you were saying Mr Schell."

Stan just shrugged and gave a bit of a smile, "It's no worries. Tito and I go way back. I know he was just tryin' ta be helpful." He waved across the table at Tito and Meg before sitting up more in his seat, "Uh, let's see then. Well, yeah Ellie was kind of the first ship Alex and Kiara had. We were Stellie and it was real great even if it had a timeline. Also she loved every turtle thing I did which was kind of a confidence booster for just being myself, Scute and Donatello were best mates after all. But yanno, that whole timeline thing was one thing I think Kiara was really good about. If she had an end, she'd commit to it. She never backed off of that wave once she started paddling, right? She just kept going and going until they just plummeted down under. She knew Ellie wasn't gonna make it and she never shied away from her sickness. She wrote it in and kept it seen and made sure that I was included in it all like I wanted to be. We were both dropped out and retired at about the same time because of outside life reasons but I have no doubt that she'd ride that beautiful ship wave until the end. She was like real enthusiastic about everything. It was really awesome to be part of that and play a role in a story that was made the way it was."

The blonde girl with wild hair next to him looked like she was on the verge of crying and just leaned over and hugged the tall Australian. "Oh Stan, that was so lovely."

"Well, I think that leaves me out of the old and retired crew." A redhead, sat in her chair, arms on either arm rest and one leg crossed over the other, ankle on her knee.

"Yes, Kimberly. You had a different experience as well." 

Kim, the original and the first, well respected in the Head gave a chuckle, "Well, you know. When I first got to Swynlake, I knew no one and then all of a sudden, out came some of my best friends and then came the girl who seemed to be against me from the start. Kiara played Bonnie and Bonnie was just all snark but had her layers for sure. I mean, it totally wasn't like I hated her entirely. Kiara kind of sort of made her likable in a way that like popular people are that draws you in. In any case, it was great to like have that competition again and have unresolved past differences come back. Having your greatest competitor will only push you to be better."

"That and V-Day 2017 had you two hooking up in that locker room. That steam was definitely not from the showers, babe. Don't think we don't remember that tea, sis. Ya'll were on each other like you were fighting for the top of the pyramid. I mean bent ov--"

"Thank you, Hermes. I think we can all remember the fated 2017 singing incidents of the past and would rather leave them in the past." Amelia blocked that Spice Girls moment from her memory at all costs.

"Speak for yourself, henny, I was dressed as cupid and a Lady Gaga singing fool."

"Oh so how you are every day." Mocha smirked over at him and just gave him a wink to which he just clutched his chest and fake gasped like he couldn't believe the shade.

"Alright, alright, back on task. Returners and new characters, anything to add? General comments?"

“Ellie was always a really great roommate to Ly. So I’m grateful for that.” Meg offered with a shrug before leaning back in her seat again, arms crossed.

A much taller redhead than the previous one raised her hand a second before she spoke, "Yeah, I mean I'm kinda new but Elyon's been super cool. I mean I know we've only had a small interaction but I think she's got that whole telekinesis thing going for her and she can paint too. She's got all kinds of wild fairy adventures probably planned."

"Oh! Oh! In addition to what Wendy said!" The blonde who had almost cried over Stan's sweet sentiments before immediately perked up with her own comments, "I think they're all rather lovely in their own ways. You know, I've been here in both phases as have a couple of us returners and really Kiara's been such a source of positivity and enthusiasm. Also she shares my love of exclamation points! Really, truly, she's just been so welcoming and open to plotting with everyone and really I can't thank her enough for being herself as well as helping out in this time in the world."

"Well said, Arista." Amelia just nodded and looked around the room for anyone to volunteer anything further. She spotted a smaller gentleman who's head was just about nodding back and let out a loud snore to which Amelia just said firmly and loud as can be, "Mister Zimmeruski." 

The figure squirmed and snorted as he said in a daze, "I swear I didn't put cheese on the counter, Al. That smear was from the peanut butter."

Luckily Jake who hadn't been paying much attention just shook his shoulder a bit, "Alright, mate, you're up. Tell the class what we've learned."

Bobby's eyes opened as he looked around, "Whoa this is like every bad classroom dream trip I've ever had, bro. Like called to the front by the stern but hot teacher lady and just like--" He immediately looked down and sighed a bit of relief, holding up a small fist in victory, "Alright man, I didn't go to class without pants again."

"Mister Zimmeruski." Amelia said again.

"Whoa, okay, Miss Smol-der-let. Let's like calm the tone a little also like Mr. Robert Zimmeruski is legit my dad so like can we all just take it down a level." He looked around the room and paused a moment, "Wait, so what are we talking about?" Jake leaned forward and whispered into his ear. "Oh! Oh dope, awesome. Yeah like Kiara is totally on an extra chee-za level in my book, guys. Like her characters are bomb and probably put up with like a ton of my bullshit." He laughed a bit. “But she was like really nice and totally, definitely, wanted to help me get dates and stuff even if she didn’t say it, I could like feel that emo-tion, so like yeah, definitely always available for that assist with that wrist you know. Like flick of the wrist, get the gist my fam." He smirked over at Mocha, "How'd you like the rhymes, babe?"

Before Mocha could react Amelia immediately swooped in, "Alright, everyone back to your locations. Off you go before I get the worst migraine of my three decades on this earth. All of this will be compiled and given to Kiara as a present." She sighed under her breath, "Lord help us all."

As the room cleared out, Amelia turned and looked directly into the camera, sighing and crossing her arms, "I apologize on behalf of Alex's brain, Kiara. Really we all thank you for your hard work and dedication. If anyone were to be steadfast and true throughout all of this its you. We all wish you the safest of days and nights and that this situation ends itself quickly and efficiently without more chaos and undue unpleasantness. Carry on and we'll all be here for you when your crazy days have stifled, no matter how dysfunctional we and this community may also be, you're part of us and us you. We all miss you quite dearly and hope for your safe return in the near future once this invisible adversary has been dealt with."

---

Well, that kind of sums everything up but, we all miss you and are just sending you all the good vibes as you battle on the frontlines of this pandemic. It's because of people like you that we're continuing to fight back against all of this craziness.

Hope you enjoy this weird and slightly insane little look into things past and present between us as a token of my thanks and admiration.

Wishing you so much luck, good health and hoping you're getting at least some sleep out there, Alex

#tried to get in as many as I could #THANKS KIARA

[mrsjihyunkim]

20 Seconds of Bravery Ch 19

Man. Sorry updates are so slow. Life has been hectic. Thank you all for your patience   ♥    Oh and I should also mention that there are spoilers from my other story Dear Mom if you haven’t read that one yet.

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      It took me while to notice that not only was it morning but also that Jumin was awake and staring at me. He cleared his throat and I nearly fell off the couch. Jumin walked across the floor and handed me my stylus that had fallen.  "My apologies MC. I didn't mean to scare you. I just didn't expect to see you up this early. Have you been up long?"

"Depends. Can you wake up if you never went to sleep."

"I see. You should really get some sleep. It's not healthy to stay up so much." I shrugged my shoulders.

"I'm used to it. Before meeting V I always had restless sleep patterns." He sat on the couch next to me and peered at my screen. "Is this digital art?" I nodded at him as he studied my work. "It's quite amazing. I knew you had talent but this is beyond my expectations. It might even be better than V's art." I blushed and shook my head.

"An artist is only as good as their inpirations and intentions. That's what my mom always told me." Jumin seemed confused so I explained. "V is my inpiration and freedom and love are my intentions. If none of those were good then the art would be lacking and be very negative."

"I see. So it's like how having good business partners will make your business better." I nodded and smiled at him. "Fascinating. I normally don't understand art very well but having you explain it makes it seem very simple. You're an excellent teacher." I laughed a little and sighed sadly.

"That used to be the goal. I originally went to school to become an art teacher but then my anxiety got bad so I switched to graphic design. Jake didn't really help with that either." Jumin listened intently with a serious look on his face.

"I see. Well I hope that one day you are able to achieve your dream." I smiled at him and saved my drawing on the computer. "V said that the night of your accident you two were coming up from your studio. Does that mean you do more than digital art?"

"Yeah. I'm a pretty decent painter and I love to work with charcoal. I've also dabbled with clay and metal work." Jumin almost had a sparkle in his eye.

"Fascinating. I have a business deal for you MC." I raised an eyebrow at him and he smiled. "C&R is about to expand into the creative arts, so after V's operation, I would like you to teach me about art. I will of course compensate you for all the materials that you need." I began to chuckle at how serious he was and it made me feel better.

"Jumin you don't need to pay me, and I'm sorry for laughing. You're just always dressed so neatly and picturing you in a messy studio is amusing. Of course you can come to my studio and learn." He smiled at me and held out his hand. I shook it and he stood up from the couch.

"Alright. I need to leave for the office now but we can work out more details later. Will you tell V I said goodbye?" I nodded and he headed out the door. After talking to Jumin I felt more relaxed and not as restless. I closed my laptop and walked over to a nearby bookshelf. There were mostly business books but I saw a copy of my favorite book, Dorian Grey. "Looks like I just keep having things in common with Jumin." I said to myself. At first I tried reading on the couch but it wasn't all that comfy now that I was feeling drowsy. I quietly crept back into the bedroom and saw that V was still sleeping. He looked so peaceful and calm that I just stood there forgetting about the book in my hands. It didn't seem to matter how many times I saw him but every time I did my heart strings got all tangled up and I fell hard. We had been together about a month if you counted my coma time and yet without fail he continued to stay with me. I used to think that he would of gotten bored of me an left with in the first week, but he didn't. It was beginning to come clear that he truly loved me despite how broken and flawed I was. I always believed that I wasn't worthy of love or family and that I would die alone, but V was changing all of that. I could feel this feeling stirring inside of me and it was getting stronger. I wanted to change and be a better person and I actually believed that it was possible. My mom always told me that real love was powerful enough to move mountains and change the world. I moved over to the bed and laid down next to V. He stirred a little bit but didn't wake up. I opened up my book and V's arm snaked over my waist and I smiled. With him next to me I suddenly felt even more drowsy and I barely read the first few pages before I fell back asleep.

When I woke up I didn't see V but the clock on the wall said that it was well past noon. I sat up in a groggy state and saw all three cats on the bed. The bedroom door was half open and I could hear some faint noise. I carefully stood up as not to disturb the cats and headed out the door. When I got out there I saw Jane sitting on the couch looking at her phone. She noticed my presence without even looking up from her phone. "Morning MC. If you're looking for V, Saeyoung took him to a doctor appointment." It was weird to have her read me so easily and I started to feel awkward. Jane was one of the only people in the RFA who I had yet to spend any time with so I didn't know her very well. I didn't know what to say to her or anything.

"So you got stuck babysitting me then?" Now she looked up from her phone and raised an eyebrow at me.

"I wouldn't really call it babysitting. More of keeping you company because your ex keeps traumatizing you. Plus I felt like you could use some girl time." I felt bad for sounding so grumpy just a minute ago.

"Sorry. I can be a little grumpy when I first wake up. It's good to see you again Jane." She smiled and patted the seat next to her. I walked over and sat down next to her. She handed me the phone she had been look at and I became confused.

"V said that you broke yours last night, so Saeyoung brought you a new one over. I went ahead and set it up for you while you were sleeping." I stared in shock as I looked over the phone. It was a brand new model much better than my old one.

"Thank you. He didn't have to do that though, this must of been expensive." She waved her hand and smiled.

"Please, don't worry about it. My husband has boxes of various electronics around the house. We can stand to part with it." I laughed with her and she smiled. "It also has the RFA app on it so you can talk with everyone on there. It's going to be a little confusing at first but I'm sure you'll get the hang of it."

"So does that make me part of the RFA then?" She nodded at me and smiled.

"Welcome to the family, Sis." I felt my eyes start to water and she smiled sweetly at me. "I know, it feels great to be part of a family doesn't it?" I was both happy and confused by her words.

"It really does. I gave up my dream of belonging to a family a long time ago." She pulled me into a hug and it felt so good. I used to have foster sisters but they never hugged me or got close.

"I was the same way before I met everyone. I grew up with no one and was very distant when I met the RFA. Then I fell in love with the biggest idiot on the planet. They all had absolutely no reason to trust me or anything but they did."

"Can I ask why you were an orphan?" Her eyes turned a bit sad but she nodded.

"My mom died when I was a kid and my dad wanted nothing to do with me so I was on my own. It's actually quite a long story for another time. I'm just glad you're happy about joining us." We smiled at each other and then I remembered Jumin telling me how Jane and Saeyoung saved V.

"That reminds me, thank you for saving V. I don't really know what happened but Jumin said that you and Saeyoung saved V from Mint Eye, so thank you." She blushed a little bit and smiled.

"So you haven't heard the whole story yet?" I shook my head and she laughed a little bit. "Wow you must really love V to just ignore his past like that."

"I don't ignore it. I just don't push him to talk about it because I know it's sensitive. He's told me most of it, just not every detail. I haven't told him everything about my past either."

"That's a fair point. Do you want me to tell you the short version?" I nodded and she sat back on the couch. "Well basically Saeyoung and I used to work for the same intelligence agency, so when we learned that my father had teamed up with Rika we used our combined skills to take them down. When it was over though Rika became super psycho and tried to shoot V but I managed to knock him out of the way." My face was in shock and she just nodded. "I know it sounds like some cliche action movie but I swear that all happened."

"I don't doubt you I just never thought Rika would go that far." I paused trying to find the right words. "What a bitch." I covered my mouth after I said it. I didn't know if Jane was close to Rika like everyone else. She began to laugh and I realized that my words didn't bother her.

"That's a lot nicer than what I expected you to say, but you're right. She really was a crazy one and the way she manipulated people was scary. Poor Saeran was so under her thumb that he had split personalities for a while there. He had a very rough recovery because of her and if you ask me she deserved much worse that what she got."

"V told me she was far away getting help but he didn't really go beyond that." Jane rolled her eyes.

"Yeah. See do to the extent of her charges and being partners with my father, Jumin couldn't protect her anymore, but before he could turn her over to the police Yoosung and Zen sent her to to Alaska. They said she could heal in peace there." She rolled her eyes and took a drink of the tea in front of her. "I personally think she should rot in prison with my father but I know she didn't mean as much to me as everyone else."

"I know what you mean. Everyone keeps asking me questions about what she was like when we were young and it's hard not to be honest. She was awful and even though I don't harbor any hate towards her, the truth about her makes it sound like I do. I also don't want to confuse any one any more than they already are."

"That's understandable, but enough talking about her. You should hurry up and go get dressed." I gave her a look and she smiled. "I told you we're having a girls day. You need to get out of this boring penthouse and get some good greasy food." I fitgedted some what on the couch but smiled at her offer.

"Are you sure that's such a good idea?" She rolled her eyes again and pulled me off the couch.

"Of course I'm sure. I promise you're 100% safe with me. Plus you definitely need some girl time, a new outfit, and I need some spicy talk on V." I blushed and her eyes went wide. "So you guys did do it!" My face turned completely red and I hurried to the bedroom. I could hear Jane laughing as I pulled on some clothes. When I came back out in the living room she had a smug look on her face as she tossed me my jacket. I glared at her and she laughed a bit. "What? My mom always said that if you can't talk about sex then you shouldn't be having it." Now it was my turn to roll my eyes.

"I can talk about it, you just caught me off guard. Let's just go get some food." I put my jacket on and headed towards the door. She didn't say thing until we were halfway down the elevator.

"So is the sex good?" I started thinking back to that night and couldn't help but smile. "I'll take that as a yes. Damn you guys move faster than Saeyoung and I did. Saeyoung asked if we could wait until we were married  before we did it and that was hard."

"I honestly didn't expect it so fast. I haven't had sex since I was with Jake and none of that was fun. In fact is was never even wanted. Then I found out that Jake was out of jail and something changed in me. That night the future became so unsure and in that moment I wanted to give V everything I had." The elevator dinged and I realized everything I said and blushed. We got off the elevator and Jane hooked our arms together.

"That's really romantic. You guys really are perfect for each other." I continued to blush and we walked out of the building into the huge plaza. This had been the first time I'd been outside since that day I had to go get V. The sun was warm but the breeze made it comfortably cool. "Saeyoung tries to be romantic but he usually ends up turning it into some kind of joke which I think is better. Before I met him I never really laughed so I found his childish humor charming. The first time we had sex he was a blushing mess and refused to let me take over." She laughed a little and her eyes had a fondness in them.

"I'm glad that you two make each other happy. I hope everyone can find that kind of happiness." She smiled at me and seemed to agree. "So where should we eat?" My stomach growled at the mention of food and I realized that I hadn't eaten since yesterday morning.

"I know an awesome food truck near buy. They have the best dumplings." I smiled at her as she lead the way. Once we were at the truck it didn't take long for us to get our food. We made pleasant small talk in between bites. I couldn't believe that I had been so nervous to talk to her just an hour ago. Now it seemed like we'd known each other for years. After eating our food Jane dragged me to several stores to find what she called the perfect date outfit. I rejected all of them because they seemed like something you'd wear to a night club.

"Jane none of these outfits are my style. They're way to sexy for me to pull off."

"Don't talk like that. You look amazing in anything." She said as she thrusted a a short, strapless, black dress. I held it up and looked at it in horror.

"No way Jane. I have t-shirts longer than this. Plus I'm too curvy and the fabric will just ride up." She looked at the dress thinking about what I said and took it away.

"Valid point. I'll try it on instead." I rolled my eyes as she pulled a few more things off the racks. "Alright let's hit the dressing room." We headed back over to the dressing rooms and I looked through all the clothes. Most of them were either too short or super low cut and I didn't bother trying them on. Then I noticed a burgundy dress with a halter top neck. I took the dress and held it up against my body and it looked decent. I pulled it on after removing my jeans and shirt. I tied the neck and looked in the mirror. It hit in the middle of my knees and had a plunging v neck line, but it still looked classy. I tried spinning in it and the way the dress unfurled looked like a movie dress. The dress was so distracting that I didn't even hear Jane yelling on the other side of the door. "MC come on out and let me see something." I took a deep breathe opened the door. She whistled at me and I blushed.

"It dosen't look stupid does it?" She shook her head and I tucked some hair behind my ear.

"Are you sure? I feel like it's too much skin. Are you sure I don't look like a hooker?" She laughed and dragged me over to the mirrors. I could now see myself in every angle.

"No way. I think you need to get this dress for your date tonight. Not only is is V's favorite color but you look super hot in it." I smiled at her words as I looked in the mirror. I really did like this dress and it was simple enough for any occasion, so I could wear it often.

"I think I will get it. I really like it." I gave the dress one last spin and we both laughed. Jane was right I really did need a girls day. "Hey Jane. This has been a really fun afternoon, thank you." She smiled at me and pulled me into a hug.

"Funny I was about to say the same thing to you." I gave her a curious look and she smiled. "You brought peace to V and everyone else. Since the whole mint eye thing everyone has been really confused, emotionally speaking. You've helped everyone sort out the emotions and for that I thank you." I was blushing again and then she grabbed my hands. "Enough of this sappy talk. Go change so we can pay for that dress and go do your hair and stuff." She was pushing me back towards the dressing room and I couldn't help but laugh.

"Alright I'm going, I'm going." As soon as I got back into the dressing room I heard a phone go off. I thought it was mine until I heard Jane talking. I tried my best to to eavesdrop but it was hard because she was right next to me. The way she answered the phone made it obvious she was talking to Saeyoung. I was putting on my street clothes back on while she sat outside talking. Her voice sounded cheerful but in a fake customer service way. When I stepped out of the dressing room I saw that her face was actually very annoyed. When she saw me she rolled her eyes and pointed to the phone. She then ended the phone call and laughed a little.

"Sorry about that. I forgot to tell V and Saeyoung that we were leaving the penthouse and ditching the body guards. It freaked them out a little bit." It felt like all the color drained from my face as I realized that we left so suddenly.

"I should probably call V shouldn't I?" Jane shook her head.

"Nope we're too busy to make phone calls. They know you're in safe hands." She grabbed my hand and began dragging me to the register. After leaving the store with my dress she insisted that I needed matching shoes and my nails done. She wanted to get our hair done too but I managed to talk her out of that one. I liked my hair the way it was and didn't need any help with it. By the time we were done with all of that the sun was starting to set and I was feeling tired.

"Jane not that I haven't been having fun, but I should probably get back to the penthouse soon. It's already past six and I still have to get ready." She looked at her watch and her eyes widened.

"Damn, you're right. Good think the building is only two blocks away. Let's get a move on girl!" I smiled at her and we headed back. We walked silently for a couple minutes before Jane said something. "Oh MC, I was wondering something. Do you always carry a gun when you travel outside?" I almost stopped walking because her question caught me so off guard. I thought it was perfectly concealed and I blushed.

"Yes. It's the only way I feel safe going anywhere. I stopped doing it once Jake was in jail and Alex left me alone, but recently it's the only way I feel safe when I go places. I don't like carrying it but it's better than being defenseless."

"I understand that. Before I met Saeyoung I worked with gun and he didn't like it one bit. I'll tell you this though, don't ever pull the trigger. Killing someone will change you and not for the better." Her face was serious and I could read the pain in her eyes.

"I'm aware of that. Carrying it really has me torn. I don't want to die but I also don't want to kill anyone, even if it's Jake. It's like a double edge sword and I'm scared of both outcomes. Does that even make any sense?"

"It does. It makes you a good person who still has an innocence inside of them. Starting tomorrow I'm going to train you so that you don't need the gun. I promise that you won't have to be afraid anymore." I smiled at her as we walked back into the C&R building. She pressed the elevator button and we waited. "Just be ready cause it's going to be hard at first but you seem capable enough to get the hang of my training." The elevator doors opened and we stepped inside. Just as they were about to close a voice called out.

"Hold the doors please!" Jane instantly stuck her arm between the doors and they opened back up. We then saw Jaehee hurrying towards us. "Jane thank you so much." She then noticed my presence "Oh MC it's good to see you too. I've actually been wanting to talk to you since you woke up."

"I know. V told me that you had something to tell me. I was going to see if we could meet at lunch but I overslept and then Jane made me go shopping." I noticed she was carrying a lot of papers and struggling with them. "Here let me help you." I said, taking some folders before she could protest. Jane also took some and Jaehee thanked us profusely.

"So let me guess. All of these are papers that Jumin forgot to sign before he left his office?" Jane said after eyeing each stack. Jaehee nodded and suddenly seemed very tired.

"You'd be correct. He said something about being inspired and needed to go gather art supplies. I have no idea what that was about." I suddenly felt bad and blushed. The elevator opened on the penthouse floor and the three of us walked in.

"That's my fault Jaehee. Jumin saw me drawing this morning and asked me if I could teach him about art. I didn't know he'd neglect his work because of it. I'm sorry." She sighed but smiled at me as we set the papers down on the coffee table.

"I see. Well it's hardly your fault MC. Mr. Han is easily distracted when he has a project on his mind. I'm just grateful it's not any cat related business." Jane and Jaehee laughed and I just smiled. I noticed that it was now seven and I really had to start getting ready.

"Well I'll be sure to make sure his art ventures don't give you more work. Now I'm going to go get ready. I'll be right back."

"I should also leave since Mr. Han isn't here."

"No Jaehee stay. You can help get MC ready and tell her your news." I had once again forgotten that Jaehee needed to talk to me.

"That's a good idea. I mean I don't know what Jane means by help but now is a great time for us to talk." I smiled at her and Jane seemed beyond excited. Seeing her like this made it hard to picture her working for an agency but that was probably made her so good.

"Alright if you're ok with that MC." I nodded at her and she smiled. Then the three of us headed towards the bedroom. I hung my dress up on the wall and went to the bathroom to start on my hair. I pulled it out of the bun and noticed that it already had some lose curls in it. I started up my curling iron and went to check on Jaehee and Jane. They were both sitting on my bed looking at their phones.

"So what's this big news that you need to tell me Jaehee?" She looked between Jane and I almost like she was nervous.

"Well you see when you were in the hospital I learned your last name and it sounded familiar. Well I did some digging and found out that our late parents were siblings." I began to realize what she was saying and my heart started to pound.

"So then that would make us,"

"Cousins." She finished with a smile. The smile on my face matched and I began to cry.

"Jaehee that's amazing!" I said wiping my eyes. "I was told that I didn't have any living family. How did they miss you?"

"I'm honestly not sure. It could because of the fact that I took my moms last name after she died. Or maybe our parents had a falling out and your mom never told anyone about them."

"That could be. I had always assumed my mom was an only child because she never talked about any siblings. I wonder what caused such a wall between them." I walked to the bathroom and picked up the curling iron. I stood in the doorway of the bathroom so that I could still talk to the girls.

"I have no idea. My father mentioned having a sister once but told me she lived abroad. I never asked about it after that." She seemed to ponder for a minute. "MC, if I may ask, when did your mom die?" I did my best not to look sad but I did a pretty poor job. "I'm sorry if the question upset you." I finished another curl and let it cool.

"It's alright. I was eleven when she died and I'm about to turn twenty six, so it was about fifteen years ago. Do you think that has something to do with it?"

"Possibly. She died before mine so maybe that's why my father never talked about her. My parents didn't die until I was almost in college. Knowing that though still doesn't answer the question as to why the authorities didn't send you to us." I shrugged and put the curling iron back in the bathroom. I brought my makeup bag out and sat on the floor across from the bed.

"Oh please let me do your make up MC! I've always wanted to do it to someone else." I was surprised by her request but held the brush out to her and she jumped off the bed.

"Anyway, Jaehee, I have a lot of records that my attorney gave me once I turned eighteen. I even have her will, maybe there will be something in there." I closed my eyes as Jane rubbed the brush across them.

"Possibly. I'm not sure when I'll be free to go over there but I'll put in the request to Mr. Han." I couldn't see her but her voice sounded defeated already.

"Well if he denies it then I'll talk to him. It won't kill him to give you a day off to learn about our family." I was finally able to open up my eyes and she was smiling.

"Thank you MC. I really am going to get going though. It's almost eight and I can hear a Zen DVD calling my name." Jane stood up and and pulled me off the floor.

"Yeah my work here is done so I should head out. Have fun MC but not too much. You've got training tomorrow." She winked and me and then they both left. I took the dress off of the hanger and put it on. My heart began to beat and I had to talk myself down. This was my first real date with V and I was really nervous. I tried telling myself that dinner at my house counted but this was different. I was dressed nice and V had been planning this for two days. There was excitement and nervousness swimming inside of me as I slipped on my shoes. They were black with straps that twisted up to my ankles, and a little higher than what I was used to but I managed. Now I just needed to find a light sweater or something, but failed to find one in the suitcase. Then I heard a knock at the door and practically jumped.

"MC, are you in there?" It was V's voice and my heart began to flutter. I went over to the door and slowly opened it. When it was open I stood in front of V and saw that he was wear a long sleeved black dress shirt, and a grey jacket, with tan pants, and he had the first few buttons of his shirt were unbuttoned. "Wow MC." My cheeks blushed and I fidgeted with my hands.

"Do I look ok?" I asked trying not to sound nervous. He simply bent down and kissed my hand.

"You look stunning. I don't know how I ended up with such a beautiful date." I blushed as he placed my hand on his arm. "Shall we?" He asked and I nodded. We then set off for our date.

#mystic messenger #my writiting #fan fiction #20sob #jihyun kim #v x mc #rfa #date night