#and all he knew in the emotional development department was yelling and blaming those you 'love' | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

neoculturetravesty · 3 years

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We met in online class - Part 6

Image adapted from here.

Pairing: Renjun x Reader Genre: College AU, romance, some fluff, lots of angst in this part Warnings: Strong language, descriptions of stress and anxiety, fist fight Word Count: 7.7k

A/N: Buckle up for some angst.

They say when it rains, it pours and Renjun was about to learn the true meaning of this expression.

Throughout his college life, Renjun had heard his share of praise from his professors who would tell him that he was gifted in a way not many artists were. But now that the career drives and job fairs had begun, Renjun learnt that at best, he was average. In the real world, he wasn’t ‘golden hands’ or gifted or anything like it--he was just one in a line of millions. Because in the bigger picture, Renjun’s competition was not just people in his school; he was competing with even better artists from even better universities that had even better skills and even better means. His design professor had very plainly told the class one day that out of all of them, maybe one or two would ‘make it’ in the real world, if they got lucky. So Renjun knew that if had to shut up anyone who ever doubted him, compete with the best and place anywhere solid by the time he graduated, he needed to land a stellar internship.

Not that his current internship was going any better. Renjun learnt that even small studios were a handful and that an internship basically meant being an errand boy. When he had taken on the job, he had fantasized about meeting exciting artists and maybe even helping the chief curate his best work yet. But more often than not, he found that he was sweeping the place down, and if he got lucky, he got to make a few calls to potential clients (who would yell at him before hanging up).

And of course, like any self-respecting college that thrived on the student body’s mental health deterioration, the professors weren’t going any easier on the projects, even with the impending exams.

On top of everything that was happening, Renjun had developed a constant tension in his neck and shoulders. Jaemin reckoned it was because Renjun was hunched over his paintings all the time as he followed the perfect lighting all over the apartment. You, on the other hand, reckoned it was because of all the stress.

“You’re just carrying a lot of anxiety on these gangster shoulders, Huang Renjun.” you had said as you kneaded your knuckles into his hurt one day as you brought him food. Lately, you had taken it upon yourself to make sure that Renjun was eating and staying hydrated through these pressure cooker times. Because when he was left to his own devices, eating would be pretty low on his priority list, simply because he did not have the time for meals. So you’d bring him a snack any time you saw him on campus, and when you didn’t see him, you’d get something delivered to him and if you couldn’t, you’d text him a reminder to eat. But as one would have it during end-of-semester madness, Renjun had received your food more than your company. Because truth be told, you were just as occupied.

Renjun hadn’t seen enough of you in what he was sure was now going to be a good two weeks running because you had way too much on your plate as well. Like Renjun, you too were swarmed by assignments and exams. But other than that, any time he did see you, you were ‘interview dressed’ for all the on-campus drives that were happening in your department. Renjun had come to wish you good luck on one of them and had seen how distracted you looked because apparently, you had pulled some all-nighters to prepare for this. Donghyuck had been the one to tell Renjun about this little bit.

Because when you weren’t studying or giving interviews or working on projects, you were preparing to throw an end-of-semester party with Donghyuck. He had to admit, there had been moments where Renjun had been irritated that Donghyuck would know more about what was happening in your life than did he. But then again, who was to blame for that?

Renjun knew it was no one’s fault but his own. Because that’s the dumb precedent he had set from the very beginning--that he wouldn’t get too close. He was paying that price for it because somewhere along the way, you had begun to confide in Donghyuck more than in Renjun, though this development was gradual and subconscious. He supposed that since you had met him, some part of you had learnt that she was walking into a wall anytime things got deep with Renjun. And there are only so many times that people were willing to walk into walls before they learnt their lesson.

Renjun knew that you were always ready to provide emotional support. But he also saw that when you were the one that needed it, you were subconsciously turning to Donghyuck rather than to him.

And because you weren’t doing so consciously, Renjun couldn’t even be upset with you. Who was he to be upset with you over it in the first place? He had spent all those weeks skillfully blocking you. So, just because he had changed his mind now didn’t mean that he could earn your vents right away. It would take some effort on his part and he acknowledged that.

But it wasn’t you hanging out with Donghyuck that bothered him. It was someone else.

Wong Hendery, it appeared, was always around you these days and for some reason, that really bothered Renjun. You had a lot of friends. You were just the kind of person who made friends wherever you went. His own friends were an example. Lately, any time he ran into his roommates in the living room or kitchen (since all of them were buried in work otherwise), they would inquire about you instead of him. You just made a lot of friends and that was a fact of life that Renjun lived with. And whilst so far, Renjun had been okay with all of them, he had no idea why seeing Wong Hendery around you made him feel some type of way.

And in the strangest turn of events, he had even found himself subtly voicing this to you a couple of times. It had bothered him even more that you had never taken him seriously any time he brought it up. You had either been distracted or disinterested whenever this came up. Or perhaps you had very tactfully been avoiding the subject. You weren’t exactly the scheming type, so Renjun was sure it wasn’t that. All he knew was that at the end of it, he would just end up feeling stupid, because, well… it was a stupid, baseless feeling to have, whatever this was.

All in all, Renjun couldn’t tell what matter it was from the pillage that kept his mood sour these days. His failure in the job fairs, his increasing workload, the impending exams, his lackluster internship, or something else. He recognized that a big part of it had to do with not seeing you enough. He wasn’t going to be the idiot that denied that anymore. Since the party at your parent’s house, he hadn’t had a moment with you where it was just the two of you and you could talk about… well, the two of you. Not seeing you enough was making him sour, he knew that. However, not seeing you enough combined with the fact that Wong Hendery was around you all the time was probably pretty up there as a reason for his bad moods.

The only upside in the end-of-semester times was that the damn virus seemed to be under control. Students could now more freely move about and a lot more cafes and parks had reopened. So, at the very least, Renjun could get a change of scenery whilst he painted or studied because he was getting tired of his apartment and the library and the damn studio.

Today, he had just grabbed his things and sent you a very persuasive text, because really, enough was enough. Yes, you were both very busy. Yes, you didn’t have any time today. But you could at least give him one study date out in the sun, and finally, for the first time in two weeks, he had felt that happiness in his chest when you told him you’d come.

The two of you sat by the river as Renjun sketched and made notes and you typed away on your laptop. Your hair was done up in a bun and you wore the campus hoodie and you didn’t even look up from your work when Renjun leaned over to feed you some rice. It had made Renjun smile. You looked like every boy’s fantasy of a college girlfriend but thinking about it also made his heart a tiny bit heavy. Because after all this time, the two of you still hadn’t had that conversation. Come to think of it, the two of you hadn’t even kissed ever since that afternoon in the strawberry fields. And maybe it was the fact that he hadn’t sat with you like this in a couple of weeks, or maybe it was seeing you share your time with other people. But Renjun felt that he had to address the some elephant in the room sooner rather than later. Because he didn’t want a some relationship any longer. He wanted more.

“No one’s going to be happier than me when this semester is over.” you mutter as you chew onto whatever Renjun had fed you.

“You and me both. Let’s celebrate our freedom together when it ends.” Renjun suggests as he sits up to stretch his neck.

“Done deal.” You look up from your laptop to give him a fist bump.

“Hey, I was thinking…” Renjun hesitates. “Let’s go somewhere together. After the semester is over.” He feels butterflies in his stomach even as he asks you that. And he knows why. Because this is the first time he’s asking you for a real date, where he wants to take you out for your company, no opportunistic strings attached. But also, he wants to take you away from everyone else where he would have all of your attention and he could finally tell you how he really feels.

You smile as you shuffle your notes. “Where do you wanna go?”

“Anywhere. We could go to the beach and go mudflat fishing. If that’s not your thing, we could go camping instead.”

You finally look at him and smile an undistracted, attentive smile. “I’d like that.”

Renjun looks at you softly as he returns your smile. “My exams end before yours. Let’s go right after your last exam.”

“Oh, I can’t go then.” You say, shaking your head quickly.

“Why?”

“Haechan and I are hosting the end-of-semester, remember?” you remind him and Renjun holds himself back before he could exhale over ‘Haechan and I’.

“Okay, how about the day after?” Renjun asks.

“I can’t go then, either. Hendery and I have to go visit the tower.” you tell him.

This time, Renjun can’t hold back. Because ‘Hendery and I’ was way, way worse than ‘Haechan and I’. Before he could stop himself, he finds himself commenting

“You’ve been spending a lot of time with Wong Hendery, huh?” he hadn’t meant for that hint of accusation to lace his tone, but it had come out that way.

“Ughhhh, tell me about it. He says he’d basically be happy never seeing me again once all of this is over.” you say as you steal his bowl of rice and begin stuffing your face. Renjun feels that irritation again because as always, you seem to be blowing this topic off. But for some reason, he doesn’t want to let it go today.

“I just don’t trust him.” Renjun says and he finds himself clenching his jaw a little.

You look at him from above the rice and smile amusedly. “Why though? He’s a cool dude.”

“I don’t know. There’s just something about him. I just… I don’t know, I guess it’s a guy’s instinct.” he says, and like anytime he has brought up this subject before, he’s feeling incredibly dumb.

You raise an eyebrow and look away from him. You don’t seem very impressed by the comment. “Nah, he’s super cool and all of that. You can meet him if you like.” you say in a tone that is way too nonchalant for Renjun’s liking.

He had met him before, of course. But he didn’t know Wong Hendery even if he did know Wong Hendery. So how could he tell you that the man was bad news based on just a feeling? ‘He’s using you! Why don’t you see that he’s using you!’ Renjun wanted to yell at you. But he says something else.

“Just, like… I don’t know. He just seems mysterious and unsharing.” Renjun tries to explain.

“So are you.”

There is a moment of silence as Renjun feels a sting and you look at him with no expression.

You were right.

Renjun hadn’t shared anything about himself with you. The things you knew about him was information you had probably collected through his friends. The only time he had really opened up to you was that one night in his room. Suddenly, more than irritation, he feels angry with himself.

What a stupid, stupid, stupid idea it had been to set those dumbass rules with you. How had he expected it would pan out? How did he think he could use you as a means to an end, but not learn anything about you or give away anything about himself? He hadn’t thought this through at all. Then again, he hadn’t expected for it to go on this long; and he most certainly hadn’t expected that he would end up falling for you.

“I just… I don’t trust him around you.” Renjun admits and this time, he has the decency to sound a little ashamed.

“I know how to take care of myself, Renjun.” you tell him quietly.

Renjun looks away because for the first time since he’s known you, you’ve spoken to him that way. He wants to scream and pull his hair because no. You don’t. You don’t know how to take care of yourself. How could he tell you that you weren’t the best judge of character? How could he tell you that you allowed people around you to take advantage of you?

‘It’s why you’re sitting here with me’ Renjun thinks with another sting. He knew Hendery was up to no good with you because he himself had been one of those people that used you for their own gain. He had used your kind heart and your willingness to see the good in people for his own stupid plan. The stupid, dumbass, flawed plan that he hadn’t thought through in the slightest. He had thought he had, because Renjun always assumed he was smarter than everyone in any room. That was probably his dumbest yet most defining trait; as kindheartedness was yours.

As if to add insult to injury, your phone rings and Wong Hendery’s name shines cockily onto your screen, mocking Renjun in all its glory.

“Hey, are you here?” you say as you pick up. You look around till you spot him and wave at him “Okay, coming!”

Renjun looks to where you had signaled and sees Hendery in his bigass car. He notices Renjun looking, waves at him and smiles.

Renjun’s eyes close and he takes in a deep breath as you begin collecting your things. He doesn’t know why he’s being this way. He had been jealous before; he was an openly bitter person, that much he knew about himself. He despised every other asshole that did better than him. But this was a kind of jealousy he had never really experienced before. He wanted to protect you, but he also wanted to keep you… because now, he could feel you slipping away from him.

“I’ll call you, okay? Make sure you eat dinner.” your voice sounds a little resigned and suddenly, Renjun feels his heart drop. It’s a strange feeling, but there it is in the pit of his stomach. Renjun realizes that the feeling really closely resembled fear. And it’s because you’re leaving like this.

Had this been your first fight? Maybe it had. It hadn’t felt like a fight, because Renjun has fought with a lot of people before, and this was nothing like that. There was no screaming, no gaslighting, no accusations. But it was the tone you had taken with him. Like you were disappointed. Like you expected better. You had never taken that tone with him before. So as you stand up to walk away, Renjun grabs your hand. He looks up from where he sits.

“Hey…” his heart is sinking, he has this awful feeling in his chest and now he no longer knows what to say to keep you. So he brings your knuckles to his lips and presses into them for a few moments before he looks back at you. “Are we good?” He wants to kiss you, he wants to take you in his arms and kiss you and know that nothing has changed. But he knows that Wong Hendery is sitting right there and he doesn’t want you to think that he’s putting on a show of jealous, testosterone fueled possession.

He watches as your face softens. You crouch so your face is levelled with his. You keep holding your bag that’s slung over your shoulder with one hand. With the other, you gently hold onto his cheek and lean in to press a soft kiss to his lips.

“We’re good.” you say and you smile and then you lift back up to turn around.

Renjun watches unmoving as you walk away from him and drive off with Wong Hendery. He keeps watching till the car makes a turn and disappears from view.

Though you had told him that you were good, that sinking feeling hasn’t left his chest. Because Renjun realizes that what you had done had felt a lot like a goodbye kiss.

Renjun doesn’t get time to dwell on his aching heart too much, because soon after, exams begin.

It is as if a lull had taken over the entire campus. Everyone around him had their heads down as they studied and slept and slept to study. Jeno and Jaemin had taken over the living room table as they crammed and kept each other awake through their all-nighters. Jisung would try to take some motivation from them but the boy had never been too fond of studying, so he’d end up asleep on the couch whilst Jeno and Jaemin took the floor. Even Donghyuck--who had insofar made it through college based on pure intelligence--could be seen bent over his notes in the library. For a week, each student on campus had a similar schedule; like someone had hit the pause button on everything else in life.

Perhaps it had been the exam stress. Perhaps it was everything that was happening culminating in Renjun’s mind, but that sinking feeling hadn’t completely dissipated from his chest. He had no way to explain what it was or why it was. But if Renjun had to describe it, it was as if a sixth sense was warning him. What the warning was about, he had no idea.

But as fate would have it, Renjun’s hardships were only beginning. Because right before his first exam, he had received a call from his mother.

He had picked up because this had been maybe her third phone call to him this entire year. But two minutes into the call, Renjun wished he hadn’t.

Questions were asked as if out of duty: if he was still in school, if he was still living with his friends, if he was looking for a job. And though Renjun hadn’t even asked for it--how she couldn’t send him money for the next couple of months because the Covid situation wasn’t doing any wonders for their restaurant. Although the conversation hadn’t even lasted a full 10 minutes, Renjun’s mind was fully fucked by the end of it. Why the fuck did she have to play with his head like this, just when he was about to go in for an exam?

He shouldn’t have been surprised. His mother had a way of sensing any time her son was emotionally strained, because she would always show up right on time to add to his burden. This is how it had been most of his life. She would appear usually when Renjun was at his lowest and remind him that he was a useless fucker that nobody cared about. And because she was his mother, she knew exactly what buttons to press to positively fuck him over.

Fuck this. None of it was fair. It wasn’t fair that she had called him after months and months. It wasn’t fair that she didn’t even want to know how he was doing. A global pandemic had turned the world upside down and she didn’t even want to know if her son was surviving through it. She just wanted to call to give him another reminder that she couldn’t take care of him. Fuck that. Fuck her. Fuck everything. Renjun didn’t need her or his father or anyone else ever again. Fuck all of it.

Renjun had hung up bitterly and that should’ve been the end of it. But for some reason, she had kept calling after that, which made Renjun throw his phone against a wall. Fuck that. She doesn’t get to call him to rub more salt to his wounds. He wasn’t going to give her that satisfaction.

It’s funny how when you’re truly feeling fucked, you tend to isolate yourself from the people who really care about you. And that’s what Renjun ended up doing following that phone call. Almost as if in self-sabotage, he started avoiding everyone and hid himself away. Because no way did anyone really need him, anyway. Renjun knew that even in his friend group, he was the one the others could do without.

Jeno and Jaemin had one another. They would babysit Jisung well enough, and when they didn’t, Jisung had Zhong Chenle. His housemates didn’t really need him, so hiding from them was easy. Lately, he had also stopped hanging out with Yangyang because he was afraid he’d run into Hendery. Lee Mark hadn’t really hung out with him ever since he joined the 127s. And Donghyuck… well, he had you.

So even you could do without him. You had been doing just fine without him these past couple of weeks. You had still been bringing him snacks, even after that study date. But Renjun wondered if that was because of your bad, kind habit rather than anything else. Truth be told, Renjun didn’t want your snacks anymore. Because each time he got them, it reminded him that he was nothing special to you. He wasn’t any different to you than Jaemin or Jeno or Donghyuck. He was just another guy that you were kind to out of habit. Fuck that. He didn’t need your kindness, or anyone else’s. He was fine on his own.

But on the night after his last exam, he finally picked up the phone he had thrown and read his messages through his cracked phone screen. Just to see if someone missed him. As expected, no one did. But there were some messages from you.

‘Hey shoulder gangster, remember to put on pain patches before you sleep!’

‘I ordered some chicken for you guys, eat well and study well.’

‘Hey, I tried calling you. I had gotten you coffee, but I couldn’t find you so now hyuckie is drinking it.’

‘Ayo. I hope your exam went well. Sending some Chinese food over, so eat before you study!’

‘Hey, Jaemin told me your phone is busted. Idk if you’re gonna see this message, but just wanted to know you’re doing well.’

‘I tried to see you before you went in for your exam but Jeno said you had already left.’

‘Hey… I hope you’re not still upset with me. I’m gonna stop bothering you so we can both study, but I’ll come see you soon.’

‘Okay, I guess i’ll see you after exam week? Meet soon.’

That was the last of it. After that, you hadn’t sent him anything at all. Even you had stopped reaching out to him.

It seemed that when it came down to it, no one would ever fight for Renjun. No one would want to find out why he was in hiding, or why he hadn’t replied. When worst came to worst, Renjun was always left to fend for himself. He was all alone in this world.

Jeno and Jaemin would always know what the other was feeling without having to use the words. Neither of them had to explain to the other what was on their mind. They just… knew. When one was in trouble, the other would come running. When one was down, the other would pick him up. Neither had to ask; the other would just sense it and be there. Jisung and Chenle had a similar connection.

But no one ever sensed Renjun’s heart. No one just knew when he was sad or upset or angry or in trouble. No one would pick him up because no one loved him enough to know his mind. No one had ever paid any real attention to him to know when he was struggling. No one had ever held his hand and taken him out of his despair. No one would even notice that he was in despair. Because he wasn’t anyone’s special anything.

He had been hiding away for an entire week and no one had even noticed his absence. No one had called in to check on him. Because no one really needed him. Not his friends, not his family. Not even you.

They say when it rains, it pours, and Renjun was about to learn the true meaning of this phrase. Because just when he is about to put his phone away, he receives a text from his mother.

‘Renjun, I didn’t want to tell you this way. But you’re not picking up my calls. Come see me. Your father and I are getting a divorce.’

Renjun had never really been a big drinker. He’d drink some with the boys every now and then. But that was it. But tonight was an exception. Tonight, it was okay to turn to the drink. Tonight, he wanted to forget.

After the kind of day he had had, he thought that even his demons could give him a break. He felt drained. Like his mind was slowly giving up and his body was doing all the heavy lifting. Putting one foot in front of the other. Making him breathe in and out. Keeping his heart beating. It would be doing his mind a favor, drinking. His mind needed numbing, then maybe his body could follow.

He walks into the bar a broken man. And he wonders if that’s how all men are when they walk into bars. Maybe that’s why men who walk into bars make such good punchlines for jokes. He certainly felt like one. Because the people that should love him seemed to treat him like one. Who was he to think any better of himself?

He had made peace with the fact that his parents never wanted him. He had accepted that they were happy to get rid of him. Then why did he still expect their love every single time? What was it that made him go running to them any time they asked? Why had he expected that somehow visiting them would fix everything?

Had he expected that they would sit him down and peacefully explain why they were parting ways? Of course, he hadn’t. Had he expected that his mother would cry and apologize for putting him through this? Of course, he hadn’t. Had he expected that his father would own up to his mistakes and call him his son? Of course, he hadn’t.

But he also hadn’t expected that neither of them would want anything to do with him after they parted ways. He hadn’t expected to be the collateral damage of a failed marriage that neither party was willing to own. He hadn’t expected to be summoned just so his parents could have a screaming match about whose son he’d be after they divorced. And that both would want to shift that burden to the other.

It suited them, Renjun thinks as he downs whatever the bartender had handed him. It would’ve been more unsettling to have made the trip to find something understanding and amiable. This was on-brand for them. This is how it had been since he was a child. They’d fight and Renjun would be collateral damage. This was the perfect ending to their twenty-one year old saga. Renjun had expected it.

So, why was he feeling like he had lost everything?

“Huang Renjun?” he hears a voice call out to him as if from miles away. Was he drowning? Then why did he feel like he couldn’t breathe? Why did the voices around him sound like they were coming from far away?

“Yoo Jimin.” Renjun finds himself automatically answering. He looks up and let’s his eyes focus and there he finds her. He smiles. Of course. Who else would’ve been the guest of honor in his pity party?

“What are you doing here?” she asks him and Renjun finds himself making a face.

“Drinking.” he says as he lifts up his shot glass.

“Did you follow me here?” she asks cryptically. Typical. Of course everything had to be about her.

“How would I know you’d be here?” Renjun says, looking away as he downs another shot.

“I told everyone at the party I was leaving to be here.” she says and her eyebrow is cocked as she comes closer.

“Party?”

“Haechan’s party? All your friends were there. Weren’t you there?” she asks cautiously.

Ah, yes, the party. The end-of-semester party. Here he was, drinking his pain away. And his friends, the people who should be concerned about him were partying. It was all very fitting he supposed. This perfectly fit into everything in his life at this moment. Including the fact the Yoo Jimin had been the one to find him when he was at his lowest.

“I didn’t feel like a party.” Renjun replies.

Jimin scoffs. “Typical. Of course Huang Renjun thinks he’s above a party everyone would enjoy.”

Renjun doesn’t answer. It’s an annoying remark and part of him wonders why it is irking him so. His heart was burdened by bigger things. Perhaps his mind thought that being annoyed at Yoo Jimin was an easier emotion to address. This was an emotion he understood. It was an emotion he could process right away. So he turns to her and finds her sitting on the stool next to him.

“What are you doing here?” he asks, because really. Why is she here, talking to him, sitting next to him?

“Oh, don’t worry, Renjun. I’m only waiting for someone.” she says, rolling her eyes and flipping her hair.

“You can wait for someone over there.” Renjun points to a place far away with his glass.

“Okay, you don’t have to be an asshole. I just came in to see why you were drinking alone while all your friends are at that party.” she says and now more than agitation, Renjun feels anger.

“Why do you care if I drink alone, anyway? You’re the one that broke up with me.” he spits out.

“Renjun, seriously, what is your problem? I’m only trying to be nice to you. You don’t have to come for me like that.” Jimin’s eyebrows are high on her forehead as she matches Renjun’s tone.

“Well, thanks a lot, Yoo Jimin. Thank you for your gift of empathy, but I don’t really need it. Not after everything you did to me.”

“Renjun! Seriously, what is it that I did to you? What did I do to you?” she raises her voice in agitation.

“Well, other than abandoning me? Pretending that you were happy with me then pulling the rug from under my feet and breaking up with me? Not even waiting a month before moving on?” Renjun spits venom right back. Who did she think she was, coming here and speaking to him like that?

“Jesus Christ, Renjun. Would you listen to yourself? Does it ever occur to you that you could’ve been the asshole in this relationship? That maybe I broke up with you because you were the jerk?” Jimin’s face is contoured as she yells at him. It’s good that the bar is relatively full, otherwise this could’ve been a scene.

“I was nothing but nice to you. I treated you so well and you treated me like dirt!” Renjun hisses.

“Renjun, that’s your problem! You only see the faults in others and never in yourself! But you’re not ready for that conversation, so let’s not have it!” she yells and turns away from him, crossing her arms over her chest.

“No, no, by all means, let’s talk about it. Let’s talk about all the times I mistreated you, please.” Renjun mocks. He was already too used to being gaslighted by his parents. Jimin could join that club. This was already the worst day of his life. It couldn’t possibly get any worse.

“Renjun, this! This right here. You never respected me. You never treated me like an equal. With you, I always felt like some stupid, airheaded trophy. I always felt like everything I wanted was superficial and shallow and not worth anything!”

“And whose fault is that.” Renjun laughs darkly.

“Renjun, you can’t even see what you’re doing! You just think you’re so much better than everyone else! You think everyone around you is a degenerate and that you’re the smartest person to ever walk this earth. I can’t believe I let you treat me that way for so long.” Jimin’s hands go from balling into fists to animatedly helping her point. “Renjun, I wanted to be a model for the longest time. But I didn’t, because of you! Because every time I’d post a picture on my Instagram, you’d tell me it was because I love getting validation from strangers. Every time an agent reached out to me, you’d tell me how showing off my looks wasn’t going to be a long lasting career. You just never respected me or my aspirations. Because all of them were so beneath Mr. Intellectual.”

Renjun turns away. He pours himself another shot and downs it. He didn’t want a lecture. Who was she to show up like this and give him a lecture unprovoked?

“If it weren’t for Jongin, I would’ve believed everything you ever said to me. That people would only like me for my looks. That what I wanted to do was superficial and shallow and that I would never amount to anything if I followed my heart.” she goes on and Renjun has had enough.

“Save it, Jimin. We’re broken up now, so what does it matter?” he doesn’t look at her. She could yell at him all she wanted. He wasn’t going to give her the satisfaction of a reaction.

“I only came to you because I saw you drinking alone. And I know that’s not like you. I just wanted to see if you’re okay.” her voice has lowered significantly, but the agitation hasn’t left her tone. Renjun wonders if she has more to say, because he certainly doesn’t want to listen to any more.

“Well, that’s very kind of you, but I’m fine on my own.” he says coldly, still not looking at her.

Jimin sighs. “Renjun, when will you realize that the whole world isn’t out to get you? I know your family isn’t perfect. But you’ve got friends that care about you. You’ve got people around you that love you. If only you could stop being an asshole to them for one hot minute and see that.”

Renjun still doesn’t turn. Because she doesn’t know anything. She doesn’t know his life. She doesn’t know how alone he feels. She doesn’t know jackshit about what he goes through, what he has been going through. Who is she to comment on his life and stand there like that and lecture him? She didn’t know anything. Fuck her for making him feel like he was the asshole. The world was taking a giant dump on him, and she was making him feel like he was the asshole. Fuck that.

She grabs her purse and gets off the stool. “I’ve got to go now. I just hope you feel better. Whatever it is that you’re going through. Please don’t go through it alone, Renjun.” she says before she walks away.

Renjun feels a lump in his throat. How could he not go through it alone? Who was going to be by his side? No one. So what use were his tears? He wouldn’t let them fall. He swallows that lump away, and when it doesn’t work, he takes another shot. He didn’t want to be here anymore. He could just go home and sleep. Maybe that would work. The alcohol wasn’t numbing anything. It was just making him more bitter, but for more reasons than what he had come in with.

So he finds himself walking home. Putting one foot in front of the other. Breathing in and out. Keeping his heart beating.

He felt so alone. Was he the loneliest man in the world? He could bet money that he was. No one knew what he was going through. And that’s what made him feel most abandoned. But then again. Fuck that. He didn’t need anyone. What good were friends anyway? Friendships really meant nothing. Renjun finally realized that what he had were not friends, but connections. Because at the end of the day, that’s what this goddamn college life was all about. Making as many connections as you possibly could, so you could reap advantages from them later on life. All of his relationships were opportunistic. And realizing this was giving him the worst headache of his life. Like all the alcohol was thrumming in his head and blinding him.

He arrives at his doorstep, punches in his code, walks in and freezes at what he sees.

Jeno, Jaemin, Jisung, Donghyuck, Zhong Chenle and you were all in the living room, drinking and eating and laughing. None of them had even noticed that Renjun had walked in. Because they were all too busy bellowing together.

Suddenly, Renjun feels his blood boiling hot in his veins. How dare they. How dare they look like one big happy fucking family right in front of him. Renjun pushes back all emotions he’d been feeling and holds onto one: red hot burning anger. He heads in.

“Hey, hey! Look who’s finally back!” Donghyuck says mid-laughter as he finally notices him. “Come join us because Mark is passed out on your bed, by the way.” he laughs but his smile slowly fades as he watches Renjun’s expression.

“You okay, man?” Jeno asks slowly.

The others slowly start reading his energy as well because his demeanor has gotten everyone’s attention. Renjun wants to pick a fight. He wants to fight with all of them for not being there for him. But he looks around for an easy target. Someone he can direct all his ruthless anger towards. And his eyes zero in on you.

“What are you doing here?” Renjun asks you urgently. Like you’ve done something wrong.

“I just got you some food. We all thought we’d eat with you since you didn’t come to the party.” you say and you get up smiling and take Renjun’s wrist “Come, sit.”

But Renjun roughly snatches his hand away from your grip, making you look up suddenly. Your eyes are round, but you don’t look angry. You perhaps look shocked, but mostly concerned. And that makes Renjun want to hurt you more.

“You can’t just show up here unannounced. I didn’t invite you here.” Renjun spits at you.

“Hey man, easy. We invited her.” Donghyuck gets up and puts himself between the two of you.

“Well, this is not your house, either! You can’t just invite her without asking me.” Renjun scowls at the boy.

“Renjun, I just got you some food. I just wanted to make sure you had eaten.” you say gently, stepping up from behind Donghyuck to speak to him.

“Y/N, you are not my girlfriend. So stop acting like it.” Renjun snaps and he finally watches the hurt he wanted to see on your face. He also sees Jisung’s scared expression and Jaemin’s disappointed one.

“I…” you begin “... I know… I just… I came here with the guys… I…” you begin, but Renjun yells again.

“You need to leave. You can’t just show up whenever you want.” Renjun continues and takes a step forward but Donghyuck holds a protective arm in front of you. Whoop-dee fucking doo. Now his friends thought he was some sort of a savage.

“No, Y/N, you shouldn’t leave.” He says then turns to his friend. “Dude, what is your problem?” But Renjun keeps attacking you.

“These people are not your friends, okay? They are my friends. You’re crossing a line and you need to leave right now.” Renjun loves the reactions he’s getting. He loves that he has provoked every single person in the room. Because Jaemin has gotten up and taken your hand protectively whilst Jeno has joined Donghyuck in blocking you from his view.

“Hey, man. Easy.” Jeno warns. Jisung and Chenle watch this strange confrontation with worried looks on their faces, eyes darting between him and the others. Renjun can’t believe it. All his friends were protecting you. All of them. He was the fucking monster in this room, too.

“Renjun, I just… I just came here to see you.” you say, but there’s no accusation in your tone. Just annoying, tiresome understanding. He fucking hates it and all his friends can see that he does.

After everything he had been through, after all his life was putting him through, he was the asshole, he was the monster once again.

Well, then. If everyone thought him a monster, he should become it completely.

“Y/N.” Renjun laughs as he looks away. Then he looks at you with that sinister smile still on his face. “Y/N, the only reason I’ve kept you around for so long is because I wanted to get to your brother. So you can leave now.”

That did it.

Because Donghyuck’s eyes have closed as he stands in front of you and Jeno’s eyes have widened. Jaemin just looks shocked as he holds onto your hand. As do Jisung and Chenle. But you.

Your face has hardened. He doesn’t see shock or disappointment or the kind of reaction that would’ve given him full satisfaction. He sees your stone face as you finally say something with a hint of venom in your tone.

“Well, in that case, Renjun, you’ve been wasting your time. Because I got you a slot with my brother right after our first date.”

Renjun stands speechless.

He would’ve remained speechless if you hadn’t pushed past Jeno and him and headed straight for the door.

“Y/N!” Donghyuck calls out and goes after you. Renjun watches the others. Jaemin and Jisung have looked away and he sees nothing but pure disappointment on their faces. Jeno, on the other hand, is looking straight at him. Renjun looks back. Good. He wants everyone to hate him. This was exactly right.

He hears Donghyuck barge back into the apartment as the door bangs shut behind him.

“Dude what the fuck is wrong with you?!” He yells and Renjun finds himself shoving the boy, pushing him so he wasn’t in his space.

“What’s wrong with me? Please, Donghyuck. Don’t even pretend like you haven’t been using her the same way I’ve been. You’re not any better.” Renjun punctuates the last bit with another shove and Donghyuck grabs at his collar and roughly pulls him by it. Before it can escalate, Jeno and Jaemin rush forward to break the two of them apart. Jeno grabs onto Renjun, Jaemin onto Donghyuck, prying him off and creating some distance between the two. Jisung and Chenle look from the couch, mouths hanging open, visibly distressed.

“You didn’t have to do that, man. You didn’t have to be an asshole to her.” Donghyuck accuses as he tries to free himself from Jaemin’s grip and come face to face with Renjun again.

Renjun laughs bitterly. “Well, now that I have been, you can have her. Live your happy fucking life.” Renjun spits at him and he gets the reaction he was looking for because it makes Donghyuck lunge at him once again, making Jaemin tighten his grip and pull him back.

“What is wrong with you? You fucking asshole! Why do you think everyone’s out to get you? Stop acting like a little bitch and start acting like a man for once!” Donghyuck shouts and that does it.

Renjun feels his headache blinding him. And yet, he doesn’t know how he frees himself from Jeno’s grip. But before he knows it, he has balled his hand into a fist and aimed it straight for Donghyuck’s face.

#renjun fic #renjun angst #renjun fluff #ficscafe #kpopscape #neowritingsnet #dreamwritersnet #huang renjun #renjun #nct fic #nct fluff #nct angst #nct #nct dream #nct college au #renjun x reader #we met in online class

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wolf-in-a-suit · 6 years

Text

How to feed your new teenager

Show: Teen Wolf

Summary: Coach Finstock just wanted to pop open a beer and watch the game: Loafing on his couch late into the night. Little did he know that Sheriff Stilinski would swoop in and leave him with an odd teenager to take care of, namely you! Now the question is: Will both of you make it through the weekend without killing each other?

Can be read as the second part 2 of A gift for coach or as a stand-alone.

A low growl pierced the darkening evening sky. Your head hung low, obscuring the flashing yellow eyes and fangs that your rage awoke. For the spectators of the Lacrosse game, against St Hart, you were doubled over; clutching your stomach after the heavy tackle you received. "I'm sorry little girl, but that's how the big boys play!" The player that committed the foul boasted, blocking the glow of the floodlights and casting your form in shadow. That's it! Scott's ‘no-murder-policy’ wasn't worth this; you would teach that ass a lesson! The next growl shaking your frame stopped the still grinning douche in his tracks. Here was his chance: ‘Let it go, run home to mummy!’

Human instinct was astonishing: It could warn your clueless brain from things you weren’t even aware of existed; it was the last remain of a time before our evolutionary advancement. In this case: Douche felt his hairs stand up, and he took an involuntarily step back. But then his highly developed brain, registered that his buddies were watching; and his action could be interpreted as weakness. So his advanced brain decided on the only logical approach in this situation:

"Are you gonna cry now, little one?" That's it! The beast inside you took over and you started advancing. Just a few more steps, your claws now fully extracted. You raised your hand, ready to tear through red flesh and bones. Just three more steps, two… one. Suddenly the weight of two persons crashed into your side. Tumbling down you found yourself, face in the mud, for the second time, since you had replaced Greenberg-what a heroic image you must project! The concerned faces of Scott and Stiles appeared in your vision, blocking your murderous stare to your-soon-to-be-victim. "Okay, ___ just as we practiced." Stiles voice was unusual high and rushed. "Breathe in and out. In and out!" Your unnatural eyes now focused on his pale face, irises shrinking to needles.

"Stiles if you make this sound like a pregnancy course: I'm gonna kill you instead!" But you felt the wolf receding, the glow of your eyes losing their intensity. The jittery boy raised his eyebrows. "Yeah, seems like she's back to threatening me again… so: Totally rational and normal state of mind, apparently."

Scott ignored the exchange and waved for a replacement. "You best get out of the game for now." He pulled you up and patted your back. "You did well! You'll get the hang of it soon enough." Like hell, you did! You messed up and let the impostor inside you gain control again. "What the hell are you doing? Get your butt off the field! Are your planning on having a tea party there?" Dejected you jogged of the field, Coach Finstock already hollering at the top of his lungs. "Look here: This isn't one of these ‘I'm-to-posh-to-get-my-hands-dirty-sports’, so until you can take a hit: You're not gonna make first line! Understood?" Somehow, due to his warm and nurturing personality, the man always managed to make letting the wolf loose seem like a perfectly justified action. You just gave an aggressive ruck of your head indicating you understood and put as much distance between the two of you as the bleachers allowed. Thump. With too much force you threw yourself into a seat, sporting an expression that promised a slow and painful death for anyone having the suicidal idea of talking to you.

A hand on your shoulder made you startle and turn, eyes flashing yellow for a brief moment again. That was until you saw Lydia’s sympathetic face. „ Don't blame yourself; your instincts are just a little bit harder to fight than those of Scott and the others." You crossed your arms and growled: "Yeah, but I shouldn't mess up like this. I hate that thing inside me." Lydia cocked her head and seemed to come to conclusion: "Maybe that's exactly the problem: You don't accept the wolf as part of you: … so the two of you are caught in a tug of war." "Yeah your right! I'll never accept this thing as a part of me. It's a curse! ... When did you become the werewolf therapist anyway?" You pressed through clenched teeth. "Oh honey, its kind of part of the job description, being friends with you lot." She smiled when this received a snort from you, but the worried look haunting her brown eyes never vanished.

"So what’s the new drama, that can’t wait till the weekend to kick our asses?" You’re drawled strolling into the McCall home. "Somebody is in a great mood." Stiles greeted you with thumbs up. "I love that lifting spirit of yours, it's just so… motivating."

"What can I say: Fighting supernatural monsters with you and getting yelled at by Coach just formed me into that beautiful flower I am today." A few seconds later the door opened to reveal Parrish and Mr. Stilinski. "Wow, must be worse than I thought if you two are involved as well." When your look fell to the bandaged arm of Parrish you couldn’t help but chuckle.

Which resulted in everyone starring at you like you had lost your last marbles. As usual Lydia was the first going off. "What is wrong with you? Parrish could have been seriously hurt by that monster!" You held up your hands in what hopefully resembled a nonthreatening pose: Bad enough you didn't had the beast under control- god help if they thought you were a psychopath too! Being an apologetic murder machine was simply a faux pas in this town, being a dick was what drove people away. "No I... I just thought about how that thing can't be a Marley fan."

Now that, was an awkward pause! Obviously you were good with punching people: With a punchline- you looked at the vacant stares-not so much. A throaty laugh cut through the heavy air. Sheriff Stilinski rapped his knuckles on the kitchen table. "Good one kid." The weirded out expressions now turned to him, he just said. "It's a song: 'I shot the sheriff'." From across the room you shyly sang "but I didn't shoot the deputy..."

Lydia’s expression turned from weirded out, to angry, to confused and at your singing: Yep! There was the anger again- you really knew how to calm a situation. "We have a skin changer on our hands, targeting Finstock and you are making song references?" You shrank back because no power in the world, not even a werewolf, would cross Lydia Martin when angry. "Sorry, so what’s a skin changer and what does it want from Coach?" Here Scott, grateful for the change in topic, chimed in: "It can transform into any person, if it had long enough skin to skin contact with it." Gagging sounds drifted through the living room, Stiles and your vivid imagination gracing you with disturbing pictures. Scott ignored this: "All we know is that they seem prone to obsess about a potential victim and then... well... kill it..."

"Gut it… to be precise, and you wouldn't believe the pictures you find researching that. There was this one where…" "Stiles!" A chorus of voices interrupted his rambling with urgency. "So how do we hunt this thing and protect Coach at the same time?" All eyes drifted to you. "Guys I don't like it when you do that! You still owe my car a cleanup, and it makes me nervous!" Lydia smiled "Well, we wouldn’t want that now, would we?" ‘She’s just sore because she didn't get the Dylan reference’, shot through your head when they started their plan of hell. Throwing you into the deep end, once more.

Robert Finstock was many things: An econ teacher, coach... well perhaps not that many things, but the point was no one would believe that he willingly accepted to put up with teens, in his free time. The call had come late into the night. The Sheriff’s department having the audacity of asking if he could house a troubled teen for a few nights. Of course, he said yes instantly, because he was just that great of a guy.

"Are you nuts? First calling so late at night and then asking me something like this? Who am I, mother Teresa?" A deep suffering sigh drifted through the receiver. Sheriff Stilinski was too old for this. "Look Mr. Finstock we don’t have any other options at our hands, at such a short notice and you have the trust building certificate for troubled teens." Damn, Bobby knew this would come to haunt him some day. Back then it seemed like a good way to skip school, for the seminar, for a week- well… that turned out great! After what felt like hours of a snarky Phone battle, Finstock caved. "Alright bring them over." The annoying shrill of his door bell tore through the divine quiet, reigning over his small house. Bobby sighed once more, putting his head in his hands he lowly chanted to himself:" You're a responsible adult! You can do this!" He taught those little sacks of hormones each day, taking care of a teen at home couldn't be that much harder, right!? He opened the door. Well, scratch the last thought: Before him stood ___, his most stubborn and defensive student. Her emotional stability was always up for debate. Perfectly civil in one moment, ‘don’t speak to me or I’ll count your intestines’ in the other. Plus he still hadn't forgotten her crying over her B, in econ for heaven’s sake! She didn't seem too happy with the arrangement either, or the glaring-making the girl from the exorcist seem cute in comparison- was just her way of saying hello. Sheriff Stilistiki watched the starring battle taking place on the front porch. Somehow he questioned if this really was a solid plan. Finstock needed protection and ___ needed a home, for Christ’s sake, the girl slept in the woods and refused help from anybody. So making her Finstocks bodyguard would kill two birds with one stone. Although seeing these two looking at each other, he was questioning if he should have brought chalk along, for the outline of one…, perhaps two bodies. ‘Just roll with it and see what happens.’ He shoved the girl over the threshold- forceful nurturing pedagogy was in vogue these days- and unloaded a stack of paperwork in Robert Finstock’s arms. "I need these signed by you and..." here he leaned in "please keep an eye on her... she's prone to wandering off." Then the Sheriff scurried off in the fastest possible way that still his dignity as law enforcer allowed. Both victims staring after him with a similar mindset: ‘My hero!’.

And that was how Bobby’s Friday night suddenly blessed him with the presence of a teenager, he was supposed to take care of. The awkward silence stretching over the unvacuumed floor was truly unnerving. ‘Come on Bobby, give her a chance, be the bigger man.’

"So I'm not actually sure what to, ..." a sudden cheering erupted from the television. Great now he missed a goal! But his newly acquired charge seemed to perk up at the sound. "You're watching the World Cup?" "Yeah I'm a coach, so not a long stretch from lacrosse to soccer." For a few seconds she regarded him with an unreadable expression and then nodded to herself, flopped down on his couch and watched the game. Bobby had the sudden feeling he had passed some kind of test... That was his freaking home! He should be the one to test her! Right!? Shrugging he entered the kitchen. "You want something to drink?"

"Yeah a whiskey would be great." When the man whipped his head around, a reprimanding speech already on his lips, the girl threw him a cocky grin over the couch. "Relax Coach, just a joke. Anything is fine." This would be one, hella long week! "Damn it, pass the ball, you bastard!" "That's what you call dribbling? My ma can do better than that!" Two voices competing with the sport reporter’s, were the only thing filling the darkened house for the next two hours. The final seconds ticked, number 21 passed to 10, who stretched his foot and... "GOAL!" Four arms flew into the air as the pair howled. The blue glow of the TV painting shadows on their excited faces. "YES! That means we're in the next round!" The excitement still lingered in ___’s voice. Bobby grinned "Damn right, these croissant lovers don't stand a chance!”

When the rush of victory ebbed away, some of the awkwardness crept back to take its place. "I suppose I should show you to your room then..." "Yeah, that would be... a good idea." The rays of the dawning of a new day illuminated Finstocks room and greeted him with a soft caress on his face. "Motha fuckin' light… „Was the only greeting grumbled back. He stumbled out of bed and into the kitchen. Everything was as it had been: Half eaten back of chips: Check; Decaying fruit- so his mother, visiting him last week, couldn't screech at his unhealthy life style: Check; Teen looking like the living dead, chewing on something: Check. Wait, what?

Ah, now that explained why he was in a worse mood than usual, and his brain already asked if 9 pm was an appropriate time to start with drinking. "What are you even eating there? I don't remember having anything remotely looking like nourishment in my freezer?" He poured himself from the already brewing coffee-at least she had a grasp on the most basic survival skills. The girl in question shrugged and answered around a mouthful of, only god knew what: "There was some toast. Most of it had mold all over it, but this one seemed alright."

"Jesus, spit that out! What is wrong with you?" The old glare was finally back, and she resumed munching aggravating slowly, making it a point to swallow audibly- and here he thought they had made progress. "Kid, I don't want the Sheriff on my ass, because you died due to some biological hazard in my fridge! So let's get dressed." ‘That,... probably wasn't the best idea.’ Bobby thought as the waitress taking their order started gushing: "It's so cute to see a father treating his daughter to a big breakfast." He watched the teen eye the sunshine of a woman with distrust in her eyes and... was she sniffing her!? What was wrong with that kid? When their orders finally arrived, ___ went at it with gusto: Almost inhaling a whole stack of pancakes, at once. "What is up with you eating everything put before you, like a vacuum cleaner?" At this, the kid faced him and said. "Well you get used to just grabbing what you can when you live outdoors." "Outdoors?" Now he was concerned. That was a reason to be concerned, right? "Yeah I mostly just crash in the woods at night. It's kind of nice there." Coach Finstock’s brain had to take a few seconds to reboot. When the system was running again he leaned in and for the first time wore something that sure felt like a ‘responsible caretaker expression’: "You can't tell me that you lived in the WOODS, since you started at the school this year? That's dangerous! And where do you shower?" "It's not that bad... campers do it all the time and I just sneak into my friends home to shower." At this she grinned "Stiles almost fell down the stairs in shock, when he finally caught me."

What was he going to do with that girl? He couldn't even handle a normal teenager, but this... he wasn't the right one for this. Bobby was sure someone was required here, who was good with that ‘touchy-feely-let's-talk-about-it-stuff’. After they left the dinner, a small mumbled thanks almost made him stop in his tracks. "What for?" "For not asking more about my family." Everyone in Beacon High would testify to their Coach not having a slither of compassion: He was the trainer of warriors, proud Spartans, but here he felt the small admission tugging at his heart strings. "Sure thing." He tried to sound nonchalant. It wasn't as bad as he initially thought it would be. It was kind of like having a German shepherd, with the kid’s demeanor: Sniffing the air, or her general protectiveness, no one could blame him for making that comparison. While buying groceries- Bobby didn’t need a repeat of the ‘toast incident’- the girl even tackled a guy to the ground, who simply bumped shoulders with him. For that he set her straight in front of the whole store. Now, if he just could get her to show such a tackle on the Lacrosse field- but it probably wouldn’t fasten his stance, mentioning it now. The poor tackled fella had run straight out of the shop.

Then there was the incident with the mail. Finstock opened the door in order to accept the package and in an instant ___ was next to him. Mustering the mail guy and doing that weird sniffing thing again. He had never seen a postman be on his way so fast. That was it! "Now look here Buster! If I wanted a freaking dog, I would have bought one! So, what's your deal with attacking random strangers and scaring away the postman?" Her eyebrows rose in question:" Buster?" Two could play that game. "Why, you prefer Lassie?" She huffed and crossed her arms. "Just looking out for you coach! There are strange people in Beacon Hills." Now that was just cute: One day with him, and she already attacked strangers. He wondered what would happen after a week. You were beat. First a guy had walked into Finstock. Not unusual but you smelled it, before you saw the long clawed hands making a grab for Coaches throat. Your body had acted, before any coherent thought could be formed. You barreled straight into the skin changer. Both of you skidding into the row of baking goods. Scrambling up, a cloud of flour wavering over the ground, you felt the wolf fight for control. ‘Not here, what if you go nuts and hurt somebody?’ The ‘skin thing’ saw his chance in your hesitation and bailed. 'Prey! Hunt it!' The beast inside growled. Before you could come to any kind of decision, Coach had moved into your line of sight and started a hollering fest, right then and there. The vein on his forehead, becoming more prominent with each shout. "What do you have to say for yourself?"

Scott used exactly this moment to be flung against the store’s window, sliding down slowly, so before Finstock could turn at the sound, you had to grasp his attention anew: "I'm... eh..." Now Derek Hale joined the fight, proud and erect he stood his ground- and two seconds later he joined Scott in an undignified heap, on the sidewalk. "I'm having anger management issues! “ The man before you sported a confused look, regarding your smaller than normal frame, but than his eyes settled on the place you had barreled head first into the mountain of a guy. "Great... anything else you wanna share?" "Well..." "THAT WAS A RETHORICAL QUESTION!" So here we go again: While coach was at it, your unwanted house guest raised its head. 'Can we kill him now?' So you made it out of the grocery store with maximal embarrassment, and empty hands skin-changer wise: So that had been a productive day! Two hours later the mail showed up and something smelled fishy about the guy, so you stood behind Coach threatening. It turned out that the mail guy just forgot to use body spray... ugh. At the end of the day you were exhausted lounging on the couch. Your eyelids were getting heavier, until darkness engulfed you. The slow, almost silent creaking of a door, footsteps inching closer to the stairwell were the only harbingers of the intrusion. Your bleary eyes opened to blackness, where were you? Tap, tap. Ah, at Coach's. You felt a warm fabric tucked around you, he must have thrown a blanket over you. A rare smile graced your face. Tap, Tap. Wait what was that? You strained your ears. The creaking of the staircase. ‘Coach?’ No, far too heavy. The metallic ring of clawed hands grabbing the doorknob to Finstock's room send you barreling from the couch. In three strides you were up the staircase and grabbed the skin-changer. Both of you struggled. There was no way you could beat that thing. Strong hands crushed your arms. So in a desperate attempt to get it away from the room, you grabbed the not quite right face of the creature and plunged yourself down the stairs, pulling it along. The weight of your bodies making a hollow sound, with each stair’s stinging impact. Claws scratched at your face. You fought back with everything but the thing was gaining the upper hand easily!

"I swear to god, if this isn't super important I'm going to degrade you in school... or something!“ With a flick the lights overhead flared to live, illuminating you fighting the mountain of a guy. "What the HELL! Leave her alone!" Finstock hastily made his way downstairs. 'Let me out' the wolf screams resonated inside your very bones. 'I'll kill it!'

Deadly scratches and punches flew through the air. You felt it pushing you back into the direction of Coach. With one strong whip it sent you flying across the room like a rag doll, crashing into the TV. "You son of a bitch!" Finstock screamed and swung his fist. The skin-changer made a cackling sound that was anything but human. The not man caught the humans fist with ease and grabbed his neck. Squeezing. Waking from your stupor, to the sound of Coach gasping for air, wheezing and struggling you pleaded "Please don't hurt Coach!" The thing with a shape only mocking a human laughed at your cries for mercy. "You think pleading will deter me from killing my trophy, you foolish girl?" It mocked. Your head whipped up revealing a set of blazing yellow eyes, piercing through the darkened room. "I wasn't talking to you!" With an impossible lunge you and the monster flew into the wall. Bobby Finstock tumbled down, gasping for air. Your strikes were fast as lightning, your senses in overdrive: Smelling an incoming punch, hearing the shifting in the stance of your opponent and the increasing rustling of his lungs.

When the spinning room started to slow down Bobby startled at the crash of his front door being broken down. A brigade of teenagers as well as adults stormed in. With his hazy vision he could make out Scott McCall, Sheriff Stilinski, the Deputy-what’s-his-name and the two Hale brothers. The sounds of fighting and screaming cut through the cotton laced around his consciousness. The kid! He tried to scramble back up but two sets of hands held him down. “Let me go dammit!” The scared faces of his students, Stiles- the bane of his existence- and Lydia Martin, the smarty pants, hovered near him. “Coach, everything is going to be alright. The others are helping ___.” The girl knew how to calm someone down. “Yeah, she’s going to be alright… probably.” The curse of his teacher life: not so much.

With the splintering sound of his backdoor and the thumping of feet being swallowed by the night, the house was engulfed in a silence once again. However, for Robert Finstock it couldn’t be further from the former peaceful atmosphere. Dread clawed form his gut and grabbed his throat in a vice grip. Once more he had the feeling of being chocked to death. Shoving Lydia and Stiles to the side he scrambled to the kitchen. The kid was slumped against a counter holding her bleeding side, eyes closed in pain. The Sheriff tried to hold him back. “She’s dangerous now.” But he couldn’t care less. He rushed to the girl’s side and was taken aback when she opened one eye, acknowledging his presence. The yellow hue hadn’t been there before had it? He could have sworn her eye color was… He became aware of the Sheriff Stilinski hovering behind him with a shotgun, trained on her.

At this Bobby whirled around, unleashing all the fury of a Coach ascended from the fiery abyss: “What the hell is wrong with you!? Training that thing on a teenager?”

Sheriff Stilinski regarded the man, positioning himself between his gun and the werewolf probably ready to kill him. Every fiber of his body clenched, ready for doing the unthinkable. But he admired the other man’s bravery. “It’s alright Dad. I think we’re good for now.” Stiles piped up behind him, watching the scene unfold over the Sheriff’s shoulder. Father and son exchanged a look and the gun was lowered hesitatingly. There was a triumphant look flashing trough the coaches brown orbs. “What are you waiting for: Call an ambulance! God, you suck at your job!” And with that, the man fell in his esteem once again.

Hazy figures and shades passed around your hazy vision. When you regained some form of lucidity Lydia and Stiles sat next to you holding a makeshift bandage, consisting of Finstock’s favorite Soccer Jersey, to your wound. Deep red stains covered the soft white fabric- boy, Coach would be happy about this. “Hey.” Lydia’s soft voice was a faint, refreshing breeze on a hot summer day. “How are you holding up?” Chuckling let an intense wave of pain wash over you. “Got almost killed by a monster; Destroyed Coach’s house: You know the usual, just peachy.”

“On the bright side: …” She ignored your sarcasm. “You seem to have found your anchor.” At your questioning gaze she rummaged in her pocket and held a small mirror in front of you. Yellow eyes stared back. “I’m… still…?” The old excitement took hold of Stiles again. “One hundred percent werewolf, but still not tearing us to shreds, yes! To think that of all the people Coach would be your anchor.” He threw a look over his shoulder seeing said man approaching with urgency, paramedics in tow, all the while berating them for their ‘slow assed work ethic’. “On the other hand, the two of you are just such lovely and deeply understanding people: So, maybe that’s it.” The punch Stiles received lacked all its usual strength.

Under the sharp eyes of Finstock you were put on a stretcher and carried out. He followed, the at this point really annoyed, medics to the ambulance. “Don’t worry kid. You’ll be alright.” Straining your neck to look at him you replied: “Shame that I’ll miss the match against France.” “What the hell are you talking about?” His eyes narrowed. “No sissing out now! Once your back home, there is no way I’m letting you miss it!” Your eyes widened. “Home?!”

“Well, don’t think I’m going to let you leave, before you paid all those repairs for everything you trashed!” At your groan the scowl, normally coming so easy to his face wavered. “By the way, you irresponsible brat destroyed my TV, so I guess I’ll have to suffer you, while watching it in the hospital!”

#Teen Wolf #teen wolf imagine #teen wolf x reader #coach finstock #coach finstock imagine #Coach Finstock x reader #stiles stilinski #stiles x reader #lydia martin #lydia x reader #scott mccall #scott x reader #derek hale #greenberg #sheriff stilinski #bobby finstock

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